Wow at the sales for Vindaloo!

Also Des'ree finally forcing enough of the public to buy You Gotta Be to make it a top 10 hit on the 46th time of trying

Carnival De Paris is probably my favourite football song - so euphoric!

Life - ghost/toast time!

Life by Des'ree is a nice song, big MOR radio classic.

Dario G following the Sash! trend of Latin influenced dance too.

Edited September 19, 2025Sep 19 by TheSnake

Oh my bad re Des’Ree - I genuinely didn’t think that Life made the top 10, what a flop I am!

The sales! Compared to a few weeks prior.

I'll comment properly after the episode but a note that in the era of held back singles and frontloading, Daz Sampson pulled the climbing into the top ten trick on three occasions (on each occasion going past 13 and 12 first weirdly):

Kung Fu Fighting: 13-12-11-8

Out Of Touch: 12-16-13-15-13-7

Teenage Life: 13-12-8

Unfortunately Rhinestone Cowboy went 12-25 for him but at least he preserved his catalogue of 12s.

Edited September 19, 2025Sep 19 by gooddelta

In your summary of the 20th June , you say that 3 Lions 98 is the 18th song to top the charts in multiple versions.

I make it twenty.

Number 1 Singles In More Than 1 Version - up to June 1998

Answer Me.....................…… ( Frankie Laine / David Whitfield )
Baby Come Back…...........……( Equals / Pato Banton )
Can't Help Falling In Love……( Elvis Presley / UB40 )
Cherry Pink and Apple Blossom White ( Eddie Calvert / Perez Prado )
Dizzy….............................…. ( Tommy Roe / Vic Reeves and Wonder Stuff )
Do They Know It's Christmas( Band Aid / Band Aid II )
Everything I Own…........….. ( Ken Boothe / Boy George )
I Believe…...........................( Frankie Laine / Robson and Jerome )
I Got You Babe..........……… ( Sonny and Cher / UB40 with Chrissie Hynde )
Living Doll…..................….. ( Cliff Richard / Cliff Richard and Young Ones )
Mary's Boy Child…........….. ( Harry Belafonte / Boney M )
Singing The Blues .....……….( Guy Mitchell / Tommy Steele )
Spirit In The Sky.........…….. ( Norman Greenbaum / Dr and the Medics )
This Ole House…..........….. ( Rosemary Clooney / Shakin Stevens )
Three Lions / 3 Lions 98….( Baddiel / Skinner / Lightning Seeds )
Unchained Melody ……….( Jimmy Young / Righteous Brothers / Robson and Jerome )
With A Little Help From My Friends ( Joe Cocker / Wet Wet Wet )
Without You….............…..( Nilsson / Whitney Houston )
You'll Never Walk Alone..( Gerry and the Pacemakers / The Crowd / Robson and Jerome )
Young Love.................…. ( Tab Hunter / Donny Osmond )

Edited September 20, 2025Sep 20 by mrpopquiz

22 hours ago, Gezza said:

20TH JUNE

As predicted the country goes football mad this week. When the FA asked for song submissions for the official England World Cup theme a proposal to remake “Three Lions” with new lyrics was rejected by them and they instead went for the England United track which falls 9-19 this week. Not to be outdone Baddiel, Skinner and The Lightning Seeds re-recorded the track anyway and “Three Lions 98” debuts atop of the charts this week after selling a mighty 232,075. The lyrics have been updated to include references to the Euro 96 tournament along with samples of the crowd chanting the song and clearly enough of the British public love the song enough to resend it to No 1, the 18th song to top the charts in multiple versions.

Another unofficial World Cup anthem for the England Team comes from Fat Les, a conglomeration of famous faces including Alex James from Blur, the artist Damian Hurst and spearheaded by actor Keith Allen. Allen was of course co-writer of “World In Motion” by Englandneworder (#1, 1990) and “England’s Irie” (#6, 1996) and so has flair for the genre and his current title “Vindaloo” lodges in at No 2 (186,537). The promo (which is a parody of the Verve’s “Bittersweet Symphony”) features comedians Matt Lucas, David Walliams, Rowland Rivron, and Paul Kaye.

If it wasn’t for the World Cup then who would be No 1? Well that would be Five, their third single beats the peak of “Slam Dunk” (#10) and “When The Lights Go Out” (#4) to debut at No 3 (114,000). That strong sale should indicate that the group have quickly amassed a considerable following, they’ve turned to Swedish production house Cheiron to give them their sound, they also help out Backstreet Boys and Robyn and it certainly worked. The lads will release their debut album in a fortnight- expect a chart topper!

Getting in on the World Cup action too are Dario G who finally follow up “Sunchyme” with new single “Carnival De Paris”. The song is inspired by a football chant which started in Holland and was bought back by fans of Sheffield Wednesday then quickly spread, it’s an appropriation of the song “Oh My Darling Clementine” and is deemed good enough to arrive at No 5 (80,000).  It debuts at No 1 north of the boarder by a margin of 3:1 by way of trivia.

Norman Cook is certainly something of a musical chameleon having scored hits as part of The Housemartins, Beats International, Freak Power, Pizzaman, Mighty Dub Katz, and has now gone solo under the name Fatboy Slim. In addition to this work he’s remixed Wildchild and Cornershop this year giving them both top 3 hits and finally finds himself in the top 10 as a solo act for the first time. Comprised of several samples with the vocal hook lifted from Lord Finesse’s “Vinyl Dog Vibe” the single “Rockerfella Skank” is new at No 6 (67,000) and will feature on the second album from Slim due before Christmas.

Des’ree has always been one of those artists whose hits have always been more popular at radio than in shops. In part it explains why many of her hits have been bigger chart events the second time around as radio refuses to let them die. First single “Feel So High” (#51, 1991) made No 13 in early 1992 and then “You Gotta Be” (#20, 1994) made No 14 a year later after becoming a hit in the US. Third album “Supernatural” is out in a few weeks and first single is called “Life” which instantly becomes her biggest single at No 8 (44,000), the single has drawn fire from some over its rather banal lyrics and rhyming ghost and toast together rather pointlessly- but any publicity is good publicity it seems.

B*Witched increase sales as they fall 1-4 (102,000) and mark the first time in over 16 years that the top four records in any week each sold six digits outside of the Christmas period, we’re in a golden period for sales it would appear. Mousse T Vs Hot N Juicy hurtle 2-7 (53,000) but stay ahead of Brandy & Monica who fall 3-9 (41,000) and the Mavericks who are down 6-10 (31,000). A reminder that the Tamperer made No 1 just 3 weeks ago on a sale which would have placed them just 8th this week!


1- 3 LIONS 98- Baddiel/ Skinner/ Lightning Seeds (232,075)
2- VINDALOO- Fat Les (186,537)
3- GOT THE FEELING- Five (114,000)
4- C’EST LA VIE- B*Witched (102,300)
5- CARNIVAL DE PARIS- Dario G (80,000)
6- THE ROCKAFELLA SKANK- Fatboy Slim (67,000)
7- HORNY- Mousse T vs Hot N Juicy (53,000)
8- LIFE- Des’ree (44,000)
9- THE BOY IS MINE- Brandy & Monica (41,000)
10- DANCE THE NIGHT AWAY- Mavericks (31,000)

Jaysus at this top 10 sales - like Christmas week. Also had no idea the 98 version of FCH sold near 250k. How does that compare with the 96 sales again?

Also didn’t realise Vindaloo sold near 200k, thought it got to no5 or something.

Top 4 all over 100k too.

Love that Desree song, a classic! As is the first Fatboy Slim top 10er. Little did we know when he made his debut on TOTP in May 1986 with the Housemartins what he would provide us!!

Forgot to mention Dario G as well, what a song. So many classics in that top 10 and even a climber in mid 98.

RIP Dario G 😕

I'm not the biggest fan of Mariah ballads but have a soft spot for 'My All'. I like the atmosphere of the Latin guitar and think she paces her bigger vocal moments well.

Wow that England United thing really was overshadowed despite the official anthem tag and having the Spice Girls on board.

Great sales for that all-football top 2. I prefer 'Three Lions '98' to the original, I guess the classic British self deprecating humour is lost a bit, but I think the new vocals have much more oomph and I appreciate the spirit of the euphoric makeover in the lead up to a tournament. I probably have added nostalgia attached though as it was used in my primary school as part of a 'Going for Goals' themed assembly for my year group in year 5, so I heard this specific version many times while rehearsing for that.

'Carnaval de Paris' is one of the better football associated songs too.

'The Rockafeller Skank' is also a banger! What a memorable first top 10 under the Fatboy Slim moniker with that weird tempo shift throughout. Shame it didn't get a TOTP outing this week.

I immediately thought of BuzzJack as soon as 'Life' popped up! Des'Ree the wordsmith you are

Interesting that the audience seemed older to me than usual in that second episode? I guess due to the football overload they got a slightly more rowdy crowd in?

Either way, Vindaloo is a good laugh but I genuinely love 3 Lions '98 (my preferred version as well, agree that it has more oomph and I like the commentary soundbites in it), and the great Carnaval De Paris. So inspired to get instruments on the track from every participating nation.

England United though is such joylous crap. It did feel like the Spice Girls brand was just everywhere to the point of overkill by this point, and for no real reason in the case of this incredibly boring indie plod, apart from presumably to help it sell, but some songs are a lost cause from the off. No wonder Geri walked out of the band soon after 🥲

Life is so ridiculous lyrically but actually musically a great pop song, and it was nice to see Des'ree get a top ten hit.

Got The Feelin' is a good one by Five, their star was rising rapidly and the J/Abs fronted rap worked so well.

The second chart specifically reminds me of a very late (as in one month before it ended for good) primary school trip to the swimming pool at Butlins in Bognor Regis where we were singing all of these football songs plus C'est La Vie on the coach (along with the Olé Olé Olé chant). A very fun day out for an 11-year-old.

Eat My Goal by Collapsed Lung was another football related song at this time - made #18 - I know it from when I was a child when it was used to introduce a football feature on SM:TV Live!

Edited September 20, 2025Sep 20 by TheSnake

27TH JUNE





After last week’s influx we get another relatively calm week and England’s victory in their first game all mean that both “Three Lions 98” and “Vindaloo” remain strong at retail holding fast in the top two. Baddiel/ Skinner & The Lightning Seeds sold a further 150,000 copies whilst Fat Les play runner up on 106,000.

Those former Fugees are doing well this year, Wyclef secured himself a top three hit last month with “Gone Til November” and now bandmate Pras enters at the same position of No 3 (86,000) with the “Islands In The Stream” sampling “Ghetto Supastar (That Is What You Are)”. Wyclef Jean is actually here on production and the track introduces us to rapper ODB (Ol Dirty b*st*rd from Wu-Tang Clan) and singer Mya, incidentally the promo features clips from the film “Bulworth”- don’t be expecting to see it soon though- it’s penciled in for a late in the year release.

There’s no stopping the Lighthouse Family who grab a third top 10 single in a row with “Lost In Space”. Plucked from the “Postcards From Heaven” album the single hopes to capitalise on the recent UK tour that the band undertook to promote the album, though with sales of just over 850,000 it hardly needs it! The single is new at No 6 (58,000).

New British singer Karen Ramirez grew up in Trinidad & Tobago but returned to the UK to go to university and to become a pop star. First single “Troubled Girl” peaked at No 50 earlier this year but “Looking For Love” proves her breakthrough cruising straight in at No 9 (36,000). The song is a cover of an Everything But The Girl track which flopped at No 72 in 1993 under the title “I Didn’t Know I Was Looking For Love”.

B’Witched hold at No 4 (83,000) whilst Five move past them 3-5 (65,000) and Mousse T Vs Hot N Juicy stabilise at No 7 (41,000). Dario G falter 5-8 (39,000) and Brandy & Monica dip 9-10 (34,000).


1- 3 LIONS 98- Baddiel/ Skinner/ Lightning Seeds (150,000)
2- VINDALOO- Fat Les (106,000)
3- GHETTO SUPASTAR- Pras Michel/ Mya/ ODB (86,000)
4- C’EST LA VIE- B*Witched (83,000)
5- GOT THE FEELING- Five (65,000)
6- LOST IN SPACE- Lighthouse Family (58,000)
7- HORNY- Mousse T Vs Hot N Juicy (41,000)
8- CARNIVAL DE PARIS- Dario G (39,000)
9- LOOKING FOR LOVE- Karen Ramirez (36,000)
10- THE BOY IS MINE- Brandy & Monica (34,000)

4TH JULY





Well England made it eventually into the second round of the World Cup and a match against Argentina this week so “Three Lions 98” continues to dominate the chart for a third week though sales are again down to 104,000 copies. It’s now outshone the 1996 original by a week at No 1 but its total sales are 486,000 and it looks unlikely to pass the 785,000 copies the original sold. Fat Les keep the football related top 2 on lockdown but it is falling away quickly now on just 77,000 bringing its 21 day tally to 369,000, have both tracks made the YTD top 10 so far? Let’s find out…

1- MY HEART WILL GO ON- Celine Dion 1,296,000
2- IT’S LIKE THAT- Run DMC Vs Jason Nevins 1,080,000
3- TRULY MADLY DEEPLY- Savage Garden 633,000
4- DOCTOR JONES- Aqua 588,000
5- NEVER EVER- All Saints 564,000
6- HOW DO I LIVE- LeAnn Rimes 552,000
7- BRIMFUL OF ASHA- Cornershop 505,000
8- C’EST LA VIE- B*Witched 502,000
9- FEEL IT- The Tamperer Featuring Maya 488,000
10- THREE LIONS 98- Skinner/ Baddiel & The Lightning Seeds 486,000

B”Witched’s “C’est La Vie” is No 8 on that list after shifting another 71,000 copies as it re-climbs 4-3 and breaks the 500,000 mark.





Once the most controversial rap group in the country inspiring a spate of VW logo thefts from cars in the late 80s, The Beastie Boys have had a lacklustre 90s with only one top 20 single to their credit so far. In the wake of the rebirth of label mates Run DMC and a remake of their own “Fight For Your Right To Party” last month make the charts more welcoming to their return and “Intergalactic” capitalises by entering at No 5 (48,000). That beats the previous best for the outfit which was “She’s On It” (#10, 1987) and samples the theme to the 80s film “Toxic Avenger” along with a sample of Rachmaninoff- you can’t say it’s a usual combo! The first album in 4 years will be out next month.

Eagle Eye Cherry is, as you may know, the half brother of Neneh Cherry who is now a star in his own right. First single “Save Tonight” is already a big radio hit and translates into a No 6 (39,000) single, the promo (shot in Stockholm) sees Cherry playing multiple roles and has already made No 2 in Sweden.

Well this is alarming, 911 are about to release their second album “Moving On” in a few weeks and it looks like their fanbase may be doing just that. New single “How Do You Want Me To Love You” is new at No 10 (30,000) and whilst that isn’t a disaster and indeed their 7th straight top 10 single, it is their smallest hit since “Don’t Make Me Wait” peaked at that position in late 1996. The performance of the album will be the tell tale but this isn’t a great slice of promotion for it.

Pras slips 3-4 (58,000) but Mousse T Vs Hot N Juicy spend a third week at No 7 (37,000) though they have lost sales week on week, and Five slide 5-8 (34,000) but celebrate as their debut album enters at No 1 moving them ahead of bands like 911 and Backstreet Boys who have never achieved this. Karen Ramirez holds at No 9 (33,000).

At the halfway point it seems that the charts are slowing finally with only 84 tracks entering the top 10 compared to 121 at the same point last year and 85 in 1996. 


1- 3 LIONS 98- Baddiel/ Skinner/ Lightning Seeds (104,000)
2- VINDALOO- Fat Les (77,000)
3- C’EST LA VIE- B*Witched (71,000)
4- GHETTO SUPASTAR- Pras Michel/ Mya/ ODB (58,000)
5- INTERGALACTIC- Beastie Boys (48,000)
6- SAVE TONIGHT- Eagle Eye Cherry (39,000)
7- HORNY- Mousse T Vs Hot N Juicy (37,000)
8- GOT THE FEELING- Five (34,000)
9- LOOKING FOR LOVE- Karen Ramirez (33,000)
10- HOW DO YOU WANT ME TO LOVE YOU- 911 (30,000)

Omg! I never knew that about 'Looking For Love' being an Everything But the Girl cover!

Also, 'Truly Madly Deeply' and 'How Do I Live' being higher on the year-to-date at this point than they peaked on the chart!

Funnily enough I only found out that Everything But The Girl fact yesterday! The production was reminding me a bit of Todd Terry so I googled if he had any involvement with 'Looking For Love' and to my surprise it was the main act of 'Missing' that had a connection to this song instead, oh my!

Love 'Intergalactic' and 'Save Tonight' from the newies in those past couple of weeks

Outside of the top 10, we had Dana International at #11 on TOTP yesterday. 'Diva' and 'Where Are You' was a great set of top 2 Eurovision songs that year.

The boyband Imajin was completely new to me also - "they're gonna be huge, trust me..." did not age well

Lost In Space is such a beautiful song. Love the Lighthouse Family.

It was nice to see Hanson performing Thinking Of You and Space performing Begin Again. Underrated gems.

The less said about Aaron Carter’s ‘performance’, the better.

Liking Karen Ramirez, Beastie Boys and Eagle Eye Cherry from the latest couple of weeks. I did know about the EBTG link, I remember thinking at the time Karen released that it would have made a perfect follow up to Missing and they missed a trick by not getting Todd Terry or someone else to mix it.

I always loved the cover to Intergalactic. The song itself is great too, would rank it among their best and glad it was a real hit for them.

Listening to the Lighthouse Family one now and it is pretty nice, can’t say I’ve heard it since it charted so it’s a welcome reminder.

1 hour ago, Jade said:

The boyband Imajin was completely new to me also - "they're gonna be huge, trust me..." did not age well

Genuinely never even heard of them

2 hours ago, Jade said:

Funnily enough I only found out that Everything But The Girl fact yesterday! The production was reminding me a bit of Todd Terry so I googled if he had any involvement with 'Looking For Love' and to my surprise it was the main act of 'Missing' that had a connection to this song instead, oh my!

Love 'Intergalactic' and 'Save Tonight' from the newies in those past couple of weeks

Outside of the top 10, we had Dana International at #11 on TOTP yesterday. 'Diva' and 'Where Are You' was a great set of top 2 Eurovision songs that year.

The boyband Imajin was completely new to me also - "they're gonna be huge, trust me..." did not age well

Two weeks ago Jo Whiley said that N-Tyce were "widely tipped to be the next big thing" .

They were not !!

Top of the Pops presenters have been making rubbish predictions for decades.

Edited September 27, 2025Sep 27 by mrpopquiz