The full club version of Brim Full of Ashes is amazing. 1998 had 3 of my all time favorite number 1s.

1998 is really getting going now, I thoroughly enjoyed these two shows.

Frozen is of course one of the GREAT No.1 singles, and My Heart Will Go On was just so huge and everywhere. Some classic ballads around from LeAnn Rimes and Savage Garden too.

The Space song was their second single I really enjoy in the space of three months, their style was so unique, and the Cerys pairing and subject of the song was inspired.

Robyn <3 Of course she went on to bigger and better things but Show Me Love was a great Cheiron hit and an early sonic template for Britney quite clearly.

That's a great sale for Natalie's second hit, really nothing like Torn so it's impressive she managed another No.2 with it, it's more in Alanis territory.

The Five song was also really solid pop. The less said about Cast from Casualty the better but Rebecca Wheatley could really sing at least so it wasn't completely hopeless.

Shame the remix of Brimful Of Asha wasn't played on these shows, I really far prefer it to the album version.

The Cast of Casualty and no Charlie Fairhead in the performance.

21ST MARCH

Christmas aside there are only a few occasions when what happens in the charts crosses into mainstream news articles but it happened this week. The reason? Well when the first reports came through that the Spice Girls weren’t looking like they would enter at No 1 the press went wild, more on that in a moment but first up the victors.

Pioneers of Hip Hop from their inception in 1981 Run DMC got their mainstream breakthrough in 1986 when they teamed up with Aerosmith to score a top 10 hit with “Walk This Way” but only one UK top 20 single followed (“It’s Tricky” in 1987) and group have not been seen in the charts since 1993. So it remained until DJ Jason Nevis took their 1983 debut single “It’s Like That” and remixed it into a major club hit and subsequent European smash. Demand for this song saw the single break the top 75 on imports alone twice with the US import making No 65 and the German release No 63 in the course of the last month. Both lose their place with the official release which sold a mighty 246,769 last week to cruise to No 1 on the biggest weekly sale of the year so far.

So onto the Spice Girls then and the single in question “Stop”. A third single from “Spiceworld” it seems to have broken the run of chart toppers for the band who placed all 6 of their previous singles at the top, in truth though it did come up against very strong opposition “Stop” opens with a sale of just 115,423, the lowest of all their singles bar debut hit “Wannabe”. It would have been enough to pip (just) Celine Dion last week so could be considered unlucky, at any rate expect hundreds of articles over the demise of the girls in the forthcoming weeks but in reality this had to happen at some point!

Speaking of Dion she slides 1-3 (103,000) and crosses the 750,000 mark- her second million seller seems just weeks away.





The BRITS have a history of creating odd bedfellow collaborations for the show and none more so than last month’s teaming up of Texas and Wu-Tang Clan. The remixed version of “Say What You Want” now with the added parenthesis of “All Day Every Day” was deemed good enough to be cut into a single and paired with “Insane” which features on “White On Blonde”. It becomes their 5th top 10 single in a row at No 4 (77,000).

A little slice of Italian Eurodance slides in at No 10 (31,000) for Alexia. She was previously a backing singer for acts like Double You (whose version of “Please Don’t Go” was pipped to the post by KWS’ version in 1992) but is now a star in her own right with a string of European hits to her credit and finally a UK hit with “Uh La La La”. It has been remixed for the UK market by Almighty.

Madonna retains the best selling album trophy but “Frozen” drops 3-5 (63,000) meanwhile Natalie Imbruglia moves past her 2-6 (52,000). Five can’t keep up and delve 4-7 (41,000), Cornershop languish 6-8 (36,000) and Savage Garden continue their slow decline 8-9 (33,000).


1- IT’S LIKE THAT- Run DMC Vs Jason Nevins (246,769)
2- STOP- Spice Girls (115,423)
3- MY HEART WILL GO ON- Celine Dion (103,000)
4- SAY WHAT YOU WANT/ INSANE- Texas Featuring Wu-Tang Clan (77,000)
5- FROZEN- Madonna (63,000)
6- BIG MISTAKE- Natalie Imbruglia (52,000)
7- WHEN THE LIGHTS GO OUT- Five (41,000)
8- BRIMFUL OF ASHA- Cornershop (36,000)
9- TRULY MADLY DEEPLY- Savage Garden (33,000)
10- UH LA LA LA- Alexia (31,000)

Who would have thought that of all the acts to stop the Spice Girls chart-topping run, it would've been an American rap outfit who hadn't had a hit for a decade?

28TH MARCH





It suffers a 31% decrease in sales but such was Run DMC Vs Jason Nevins’ lead last week that nothing comes close to unseating it at the top of the charts. The 167,000 it sold last week enables the track to go silver (400,000) after just a fortnight and points to a big seller.

Its nearest challenger was a resurgent Celine Dion who climbed again 3-2 with a 16% sales increase (119,000) thanks mainly to renewed advertising for her album (which itself flies 5-1 this week) but also because it was mother’s day, in doing so it deprives the Titanic soundtrack from a return to the top- we can’t get enough it seems.

Highest new entry of the week goes to a reinvigorated Robbie Williams’ whose last single “Angels” seems to have changed the direction of his career. That single remains top 30 having just topped the 750,000 mark and made “Life Thru A Lens” a regular top 10 attendee, the follow up is no less showy, “Let Me Entertain You” comes with a promo which sees Robbie dressed as a member of rock band Kiss. It crashes straight in at No 3 (72,000) this week, his 5th top 10 single from 6 releases, the album remains top 5.

Currently at No 3 in the US chart, new US RNB sensations Destiny’s Child also strike it big here with their debut single “No No No” which was co-written and features vocals from Wyclef Jean. The track comes in two parts each with its own video and helps the song debut at No 5 (48,000) for the US quartet.

Tin Tin Out are a UK production duo have been released tracks under their own name since 1994 with the biggest hit thus far being “There’s Always Something There To Remind Me” (#14, 1995) a cover of the Sandie Shaw chart topper. Four other minor top 40 singles aside Tin Tin Out now have their biggest hit with another cover, this time of the Sundays “Here’s Where The Story Ends” and have recruited singer Shelly Nelson, it’s new at No 7 (38,000). Nelson incidentally was the vocalist on Treat Infinity’s “Rest Assured” a few months ago. The original Sundays song was never released in the UK and indeed the group themselves only scored their first UK top 20 hit last year with “Summertime”.

Their last single “Fantasy Island” stunned many chart watchers when it flopped at No 33 but fears that that was the end of M People are premature. New single “Angel St” powers in at No 8 (35,000) to become their 10th top 10 single since “How Can I Love You More” became their first in early 1993. The album “Fresco” lifts 41-26 in response but it has underperformed compared to their two previous albums without doubt.

George Michael may be between albums at present but he continues to feature on top 10 singles this time in sampled form. LL Cool J’s “Father” has a nice slice of Michael's “Father Figure” through it and is new at No 10 (27,000) that outpeak’s Michael’s original by a spot. Cool J has now scored five top ten singles in just 18 months which is impressive when you consider that he only managed a solitary top flight in his first 9 years as a chart star. The song incidentally chronicles the singer’s abuse at the hands of his mother’s boyfriend as a child.

The Spice Girls definitely won’t be heading to No 1 with “Stop” which falls 2-4 (64,000), Madonna’s former No 1 dips 5-6 (42,000) and Savage Garden hold at No 9 (31,000).


1- IT’S LIKE THAT- Run DMC Vs Jason Nevins (167,000)
2- MY HEART WILL GO ON- Celine Dion (119,000)
3- LET ME ENTERTAIN YOU- Robbie Williams (72,000)
4- STOP- Spice Girls (64,000)
5- NO NO NO- Destiny’s Child (48,000)
6- FROZEN- Madonna (42,000)
7- HERE’S WHERE THE STORY ENDS- Tin Tin Out Featuring Shelly Nelson (38,000)
8- ANGEL ST- M People (35,000)
9- TRULY MADLY DEEPLY- Savage Garden (31,000)
10- FATHER- LL Cool J (27,000)

I wonder why the Spice Girls' record company put Stop out against It's Like That, surely anyone could see how huge the hype was for that, with it even charting for ages on import. It's one of their great uptempos too, so it's a shame to be the song to end their No.1 streak, but there was only so long that run of theirs could continue. It should have been released a week earlier and with another song as a double a-side to boost sales (maybe a single mix of Never Give Up On The Good Times or something?). It's Like That definitely deserved its long spell at No.1 though, an inspired song and remix.

The Texas/Wu-Tang remix was a bit odd and didn't work that well for me, I do like Insane though. Nice to see they got another top five from a fantastic album.

Uh La La La was good fun by Alexia, still one I listen to now and then. Loved seeing Kylie's Breathe on the first show tonight too, Impossible Princess and its singles were ridiculously underrated, what a throbbing beauty of a song. No recollection of that Bryan Adams song at all - some interesting world music influence to the production but overall fairly dull. I'd also forgotten that the Wombles re-released Remember You're A Womble in 1998!

The second show had some great stuff - Pulp, The All Seeing I, and Destiny's Child's debut (Beyoncé had so much star quality even then, although the song is a bit of a miss for me compared to their later material).

Not fussed on the M People song, it sounds exactly like Search For The Hero with the same melody and chord progression in parts, not sure what the point of it was supposed to be.

Here's Where The Story Ends is one of my all-time favourite cover versions, and maybe the 1998 song I listen to the most today. I love it and adore Shelley Nelson's voice, her live performance was absolutely note perfect. The original is also obviously sublime. This version had weeks at No.1 on airplay so it feels like it peaked way higher than No.7, as it should have done.

Robbie was elevated to the next level by Angels indeed and followed it with another classic in Let Me Entertain You, I still can't ever fathom why you would have these two songs on your album and release South Of The Border first - it was almost self sabotage.

I was always surprised that Here’s Where The Story Ends didn’t make the year end top 100. Its was a great song with good airplay and spent 3 weeks in the top 10.

Shame 'Stop' was the song to end the Spice Girls' run at the top, especially as long term it's emerged as their second most popular song in the streaming era, but I do prefer 'It's Like That' so can't complain about that being such a juggernaut.

Robbie was on a roll now they were picking the correct singles! 'Let Me Entertain You' is the perfect crowd pleaser so no wonder he still opens with it.

My favourite outside the top 10 on TOTP yesterday was 'Beat Goes On' by The All Seeing I (another template for early Britney alongside the aforementioned Robyn last week, as a cover version with identical production appeared on her debut album) although much love for Kylie's 'Breathe' too, one of her best '90s songs for me.

My brother is a few months away from being born at this point so it's wild to me that Beyoncé's career has been longer than his existence

Some great tracks

Its Like That always felt like a Jason Nevins song rather than Run DMC, huge sales

Mixes feelings about heres where the story ends as I was a big fan of the original. That was one of my fav albums of the 90s but it was smart to take a lost classic that was never a single and make it pop.

Agree the Robbie one is great, another classic. On the other hand, the MPeople and Destinys ones are kinda average.

Too bad about Stop, which was miles better than the first two Spiceworld singles, none of which deserved @1. Spice up your life is music for 5 year olds and Too Much is one of the worst @1s of the 90s.

I specifically remember my sister and I putting our hands in the air when Robbie told us to in that performance 😂

Beat Goes On is wonderful, I still listen to it regularly now. A real shame it missed the top 10

It's crazy watching that Destiny's Child performance, those audience members being inches away from Beyoncé and not realising what she'd go on to become! The song has always been a no no no for me though.

I liked 'Angel Street' at the time, but hearing it now I can't quite fathom why. It's basically a tired re-tread of their past material.

4TH APRIL




With the lack of major releases last week the top of the charts takes a rest from its quick turnaround, that means that Run DMC Vs Jason Nevins score a relatively easy third week after selling 136,000 copies to bring its 21 day total to 549,000 copies. Once again it was Celine Dion who provided the only real challenge but she saw her own sales slide to 86,000 copies to hold silver position, these two are without doubt the biggest hits of the year which as we’re at the end of Q1 it’s time to recap

1- MY HEART WILL GO ON- Celine Dion 970,000
2- DOCTOR JONES- Aqua 552,000
3- IT’S LIKE THAT- Run DMC Vs Jason Nevins 549,000
4- NEVER EVER- All Saints 541,000
5- BRIMFUL OF ASHA- Cornershop 447,000
6- ANGELS- Robbie Williams 423,000
7- FROZEN- Madonna 410,000
8- TOGETHER AGAIN- Janet Jackson 368,000
9- HIGH- Lighthouse Family 355,000
10- YOU MAKE ME WANNA- Usher 321,000


Dion should become the first female soloist to score two million sellers sometime this week whilst Run DMC/ Jason Nevins will doubtless move some way into the runner up spot. The only No 1 singles missing from the YTD top 10 are “Perfect Day”, and Oasis which are both over 200,000 at any rate.

Back to this week and three entries complete the top 5. First up are Sash! Their new single “La Primavera” is the lead single from their second album and is sung in Italian by Patrizia Salvatore, it means that Sash!’s first four singles have all been in different languages (French, Spanish, English, and Italian) something no other act can lay claim to, however it can’t replicate the No 2 position of the first three singles as it enters at No 3 (73,000).

Six straight top 10 singles tells you just what a dedicated fanbase 911 have built up over the last 2 years. Though they haven’t had a No 1 single, their last five singles have made the top five including new single “All I Want Is You” which is new at No 4 (56,000), the boys second album is due in the summer and should see them consolidate themselves as Britain’s third biggest boyband.

Meanwhile Janet Jackson is back with a 12th top 10 single in the form of “I Get Lonely” which comes in two mixes and two promo’s thanks to the inclusion of Blackstreet on the remix. The song sold a respectable 49,000 to debut at No 5 and become the third top 10 hit from “The Velvet Rope”, it will have to go some to top sales of her last single “Together Again” which is still charting after selling 735,000 copies so far- by far her biggest seller.

Robbie Williams drops 3-6 (43,000) but stays ahead of The Spice Girls who tumble 4-7 (37,000). Savage Garden’s “Truly Madly Deeply” moves back up the charts 9-8 (35,000) and has now sold over 250,000 copies spending all five weeks on releases in the top 10. Destiny’s Child fall back 5-9 (31,000) and Tin Tin Out complete the top tier 7-10 (28,000).


1- IT’S LIKE THAT- Run DMC Vs Jason Nevins (136,000)
2- MY HEART WILL GO ON- Celine Dion (86,000)
3- LA PRIMAVERA- Sash! (73,000)
4- ALL I WANT IS YOU- 911 (56,000)
5- I GET LONELY- Janet Jackson (49,000)
6- LET ME ENTERTAIN YOU- Robbie Williams (43,000)
7- STOP- Spice Girls (37,000)
8- TRULY MADLY DEEPLY- Savage Garden (35,000)
9- NO NO NO- Destiny’s Child (31,000)
10- HERE’S WHERE THE STORY ENDS- Tin Tin out Featuring Shelly Nelson (28,000)

 

11TH APRIL

The top three all remain static this week and all three are in decline at retail but the headline is that Run DMC Vs Jason Nevins keep the top spot for a 4th week, it’s already the longest chart topper of 1998 but its sales are still impressive clocking up another 114,000 copies making it the second biggest seller of the year and the second platinum track of the year too. In both of the latter cases it plays runner up to Celine Dion’s “My Heart Will Go On” which ironically plays second fiddle to “It’s Like That” on the weekly chart for a third week with sales of 67,000. That’s enough to push Dion over the million mark, one of only 5 singles by woman to top the mark, Dion is the first to have two entries on it with “Think Twice” already at 1.23 million

Sash! are also non movers at No 3 (61,000).





Whether true or not the story of Billie Myers being discovered in a nightclub dancing by producer Peter Harris is an endearing one. Her first single “Kiss The Rain” is co-written by legend Desmond Child and has already been a No 15 hit in the US for the Coventry born singer and picked up considerable airplay (it’s already in the top 10) pre-release to engineer a No 4 entry with 44,000 buyers.

11 hits in and 6 years after his debut Daniel O’Donnell finally gets himself a UK top 10 single with “Give A Little Love”. With proceeds going to the Romanian Challenge Fund the song enters at No 7 (33,000) and can thank a quiet week on the charts, though he remains a constant seller in the album charts and a firm favourite with continual sell out tours both here and in his native Ireland.

Two long standing hits are back on the bounce, Savage Garden 8-5 (36,000) and LeAnn Rimes 12-9 (25,000) “Truly Madly Deeply” has done just over 300,000 with “How Do I Live” at the 200,000 mark already, both tracks are demonstrating that slow burning hits are still thriving in the fast paced nature of the charts in 1998.

Robbie Williams holds at No 6 (34,000) and Tin Tin Out similarly hold at No 10 (23,000) but 911 are most definitely out of favour 4-8 (29,000).


1- IT’S LIKE THAT- Run DMC Vs Jason Nevins (114,000)
2- MY HEART WILL GO ON- Celine Dion (67,000)
3- LA PRIMAVERA- Sash! (61,000)
4- KISS THE RAIN- Billie Myers (44,000)
5- TRULY MADLY DEEPLY- Savage Garden (36,000)
6- LET ME ENTERTAIN YOU- Robbie Williams (34,000)
7- GIVE A LITTLE LOVE- Daniel O’ Donnell (33,000)
8- ALL I WANT IS YOU- 911 (29,000)
9- HOW DO I LIVE- LeAnn Rimes (25,000)
10- HERE’S WHERE THE STORY ENDS- Tin Tin Out Featuring Shelly Nelson (23,000)

Lots of repeats on these two shows but we're getting to the part of the year where I love (and still regularly listen to) 80% of the top 10 each week.

The 911 song was a bit forgettable though and I really didn't even recall that Daniel O'Donnell ever had a top ten hit!

La Primavera is a bit forgotten compared to all of Sash!'s No.2 singles, but two weeks at No.3 was impressive and I've always loved this track a lot (it gives me Chariots of Fire vibes).

Good to see Tin Tin Out and Shelley Nelson made it three weeks in the top ten, and long runners for classic ballads from Savage Garden and LeAnn Rimes, interesting that at this point the latter was only on about 200k, shows how long it was still yet to hang around for! Kiss The Rain is a really good track too, lots of MOR radio pop around at this point.

I love 'Kiss The Rain' - the production does sound rather Savage Garden too!

'Here's Where The Story Ends' I remember from the time I think! Massive radio hit.

'Its Like That' is a good #1.

love love love Kiss the Rain, I remember being obsessed with it and buying the cd single and all

not that crazy about La Primavera, for some reason I thought it also had been a #2

and O'Donnell having a top 10! Didn't recall that at all and never would have said

Billie Myers put in an excellent performance of Kiss The Rain! She probably should have been bigger.

Only two new performances in that second episode! Jayne Middlemiss clearly filming most of it on her own!

Will we ever see Run-DMC perform 'It's Like That' as an live performance?