Missed a few weeks, Billie Myers is one of my favourite 90s one hit wonders!

Teardrop ❤️

Push It ❤️

Kung-Fu ❤️

Also 'Last Thing On My Mind' showing Steps as a force to be reckoned with after the kind of novelty first single.

Hate that Mavericks song!

'Ray Of Light' and 'Road Rage' are my main faves from those past couple of weeks 💓 'Last Thing On My Mind' is decent as far as early Steps goes too.

Dance The Night Away is a karaoke go to for me! 😂 usually get a great response with it!

Love the consistent sellers in this era like Savage Garden, Robbie, The Mavericks, going against the trend of 30-50% drops each week after heavy front loading. It showed how the record labels need to consider finding the right balance but they wouldn’t learn for another decade at least.

The change of intros on TOTP always reminds me of a new era especially in the 80s, this new intro reminds me unfort of the beginning of the end of the shows main period. It was all down hi from here until 2006!

Does anyone find by this stage of the 90s there’s nothing that makes you go ohh that’s sounds so ahead of its time? Had music developed to its most point and everything from now was just big hits? For example in the 1983 TOTP il never forget hearing the likes of ‘Temptation’ by Heaven 17 and thinking god that sounds so ahead of its time.

16TH MAY



From the hottest movie of the week to the hottest hit of the week, yes Aqua become only the 6th act in UK chart history to open their account with a hat-trick of No 1 of singles but the first non-British one. “Turn Back Time” features in the film “Sliding Doors” and wasted no time at all in deposing the All Saints at the top spot this week shifting 75,000 copies in 6 days. It was a tight thing with the outgoing chart topper “Under The Bridge/ Lady Marmalade” losing 33% to post a sale of 71,125 and in truth each Aqua single is opening with lower sales the last (“Barbie Girl” sold 183,000 in week one and “Doctor Jones” 102,000) which is only to be expected given it is a third release from a 6 month old album. Incidentally “Aquarium” drops to No 30 this week having sold just 377,000 which is disappointing for an album with so many chart topping singles on it.

With a cameo from Bob Dylan in the promo the new Wyclef Jean single is new at No 3 (67,000), “Gone Til November” comes with a backing by the New York Orchestra and is by far Jean’s biggest solo hit after “We Tryin To Stay Alive” and “Guantanamera” both hit the top 30.

Youngsters Cleopatra are gearing up for the release of their album in 3 months and another hit single would do nicely. Step forward new single “Life Ain’t Easy” which hits No 4 (58,000) to capitalise on the success of debut single “Cleopatra’s Theme”, it’s rumoured that the girls have caught the eye of Madonna who is apparently a fan!

Consisting of sisters Andrea, Sharon, and Caroline Corr with brother Jim, The Corrs are the latest Irish export to the UK though they’ve trying for some time to get the big breakthrough. After first finding fame when all the group secured parts in the film “Commitments” in 1991 (Only Andrea got a speaking part) they finally produced their first album “Forgiven Not Forgotten” in 1996 which, although only peaked at 36, generated a couple of minor UK hits and a support slot on Celine Dion’s “Falling Into You” tour. Second album “Talk On Corners” arrived last year peaking at No 7 but the first three singles all missed the top 40 here though big hits in Europe, but when the group’s concert was shown on BBC 1 in full on St Patrick’s Day it helped to increase their profile here no end aided by Mick Fleetwood joining them in their rendition of Fleetwood Mac’s “Dreams” (#24, 1977). The Corrs had recorded the track for “Legacy: A Tribute Too Fleetwood Mac’s Rumours”, remixed by Todd Terry it proves the single to crack the UK market at No 6 (49,000). The album will be re-issued with “Dreams” added in a fortnight but the TV show reactivated both albums anyway, “Talk On Corners” moves 14-13 and “Forgiven, Not Forgotten” lifts 64-60.

Meanwhile Mick Hucknell soldiers on as the only real and constant member of Simply Red. Sixth album under the moniker is called “Blue” and will be in the shops in a matter of weeks, first release “Night Nurse” made No 13 last year but original composition “Say You Love Me” proves he still has an audience arriving at No 7 (47,000) incredibly only the 7th top 10 single to bear the name Simply Red.

The Tamperer Featuring Maya drop 3-5 (53,000) despite putting in consistent performances sales wise, the song within 2,000 copies in each of the last 3 weeks but moved 4-3-5 in that period. Madonna falls 2-8 (45,000) pushing Steps down 7-9 (41,000) and The Mavericks 8-10 (37,000) despite healthy sales increases of their own!


1- TURN BACK TIME- Aqua (75,000)
2- UNDER THE BRIDGE/ LADY MARMALADE- All Saints (71,125)
3- GONE TIL NOVEMBER- Wyclef Jean (67,000)
4- LIFE AIN’T EASY- Cleopatra (58,000)
5- FEEL IT- Tamperer Featuring Maya (53,000)
6- DREAMS- The Corrs (49,000)
7- SAY YOU LOVE ME- Simply Red (47,000)
8- RAY OF LIGHT- Madonna (45,000)
9- LAST THING ON MY MIND- Steps (41,000)
10- DANCE THE NIGHT AWAY- Mavericks (37,000)

23RD MAY





It was a quiet week last week, lack of big new releases means that existing hits get a chance to shine again. The end result is that despite a 27% slash in sales All Saints “Under The Bridge/ Lady Marmalade” rises to the top again on sales of 50,714 the lowest tally for a No 1 not only in 1998 but since Tony Di Bart sold 47,000 to make the top in May 1994. It’s the 7th occasion in the decade that a song has returned to the top but the third time this year, in truth the No 1 could have gone to any of the top three with only 4,000 copies separating them all.

The Tamperer Featuring Maya reach a new high lifting 5-2 (49,060) even though they lost sales week on week and Aqua depart 1-3 (46,000).





Lutricia McNeal’s last single “Ain’t That Just The Way” proved a surprise hit late last year making No 7 and spending 18 weeks on the chart en route to sales of 340,000 copies. Follow up “Stranded” starts even brighter at No 5 (39,000), her debut album is currently being finished off.

Arsenal are the big winners of the last football season grabbing both the league title and the FA Cup, the latter they won last weekend against Newcastle, and to compound that victory the now obligatory single also sees the boys enter at No 9 (26,000). “Hotstuff” is of course a cover of the Donna Summer classic which made No 11 in 1979 meaning that this version instantly beats the peak of the original and also becomes the team’s biggest hit beating the peak of “Good Old Arsenal” (#16, 1971), by contrast the defeated Newcastle FC single limps in at No 26.

Wyclef Jean tips 3-4 (42,000), Cleopatra find it’s not easy 4-6 (35,000) and the Corrs daydream 6-10 (25,000). However unlike last week when they gained sales and fell, this week both Steps and Mavericks lose sales but rise! Steps gain two spots 9-7 (31,000) and Mavericks lift 10-8 (29,000).


1- UNDER THE BRIDGE/ LADY MARMALADE- All Saints (50,714)
2- FEEL IT- Tamperer Featuring Maya (49,060)
3- TURN BACK TIME- Aqua (46,000)
4- GONE TIL NOVEMBER- Wyclef Jean (42,000)
5- STRANDED- Lutricia McNeal (39,000)
6- LIFE AIN’T EASY- Cleopatra (35,000)
7- LAST THING ON MY MIND- Steps (31,000)
8- DANCE THE NIGHT AWAY- Mavericks (29,000)
9- HOT STUFF- Arsenal FC (26,000)
10- DREAMS- The Corrs (25,000)

Turn Back Time is a fantastic song - serious Aqua works very well and a great chart topper.

The remix of Dreams is all kinds of wonderful too.

6 hours ago, Steve201 said:

Does anyone find by this stage of the 90s there’s nothing that makes you go ohh that’s sounds so ahead of its time? Had music developed to its most point and everything from now was just big hits? For example in the 1983 TOTP il never forget hearing the likes of ‘Temptation’ by Heaven 17 and thinking god that sounds so ahead of its time.

Some of the garage music coming through in 1997 made me feel like this, like Gunman by 187 Lockdown. The crowd were really dancing awkwardly to that because garage was such a new thing to go mainstream that it wasn't really clear how to even vibe to it I guess at the time.

A lot of stuff was stuck in a groove of 70s revivalism - Steps sounded like ABBA, Corrs covering Fleetwood Mac, All Saints cover LaBelle, Bus Stop's cover, loads of Bee Gees and other disco covers or samples (like Feel It), so for me the really standout futuristic sounding stuff was the upcoming breakout dance genres like garage and French dance (Air, Daft Punk, Stardust).

Also Madonna's singles from Ray Of Light were really not like anything else in the mainstream - some stuff on that album was clearly influenced by German techno. Ripples of that album are still heard in music today by the likes of JADE, Charli XCX, and Addison Rae...so I would say that was ahead of its time. The title track in particular really was so frantic and unusual, in a way that nothing else was at the time, and the video supported that.

Edited September 5Sep 5 by gooddelta

Over 300,000 people bought the Aqua album?!!! Jesus Christ.

It's just a little bit before I really started to follow closely so does anyone remember if Turn Back Time had been expected to debut at No.1? That's such a fantastic song and my favourite from Aqua, the middle-eight switch up is brilliant. But it looked like it was a very close run No.1, not sure if All Saints had been expected to hold or even Wyclef Jean?

Lots of repeat performances and songs lingering around these two weeks, but nevertheless some of my favourite songs of the year popping up - the first big hit by my favourite band in The Corrs - that Royal Albert Hall concert was so great, I've watched it so many times <3 I'm quite a fan of that Cleopatra song too, my favourite of theirs, a lovely melody and surprisingly heavy subject matter for a pop song by a teen band.

Stranded must have had so much airplay at the time, my Mum used to be obsessed with it, and it's definitely one of my most listened to songs from this year, I much prefer it to Ain't That Just The Way even, that is one killer chorus and a great vocal from Lutricia. For something so ubiquitous on the radio and that made the top three, it's basically been completely forgotten unfortunately.

A couple of UK Eurovision entrants next to each other on the second show - Imaani with another fantastic performance and then Daz Sampson on the Bus Stop song - who would represent us eight years later.

Feel It really took advantage of staying stable in a low sales era! I wonder why sales suddenly dropped off a cliff so much for a few weeks.

That All Saints song is one of the most undeserved return to No.1 singles for me - basically completely by default and with such a poor single, it's a shame Feel It didn't do it a week earlier.

Had no idea Chris Cowey was a Spurs fan ;)

29 minutes ago, gooddelta said:

Some of the garage music coming through in 1997 made me feel like this, like Gunman by 187 Lockdown. The crowd were really dancing awkwardly to that because garage was such a new thing to go mainstream that it wasn't really clear how to even vibe to it I guess at the time.

A lot of stuff was stuck in a groove of 70s revivalism - Steps sounded like ABBA, Corrs covering Fleetwood Mac, All Saints cover LaBelle, loads of Bee Gees and other disco covers or samples (like Feel It), so for me the really standout futuristic sounding stuff was the upcoming breakout dance genres like garage and French dance (Air, Daft Punk, Stardust).

Yeh good example with garage and new dance stuff. I kinda feel that some of the stuff from this stage could be from any era since in a way but there’s always outlying examples!

4 minutes ago, gooddelta said:

A couple of UK Eurovision entrants next to each other on the second show - Imaani with another fantastic performance

My least favourite UK entry, even worse than Love City Groove.

What's so bad about it? It's a great song/performance/vocal/artist/production and styling compared to many we have sent especially in the 21st century.

Edited September 5Sep 5 by gooddelta

25 minutes ago, gooddelta said:

What's so bad about it? It's a great song/performance/vocal/artist/production and styling compared to many we have sent especially in the 21st century.

This is Last Dreamer, so take a wild guess…. 👀

I seem to remember Wyclef was no.1 on the Chart Show shown on the Saturday. I do recall being surprised Aqua got there but they often seemed to come from behind midweek according to these reports.

Turn Back Time and Dreams are two of my very favourites from 1998. The former is my favourite Aqua track and the Corrs are one of my favourite groups. Both hits featuring on Now 41 too which was my first Now.

Stranded is also a beautiful song. I often think about the fact that Lutricia McNeal appeared to exist for exactly a year-whatever happened to her?

Lots of songs sticking around but I love them-the tamperer, the Mavericks (a karaoke fave of mine), I actually enjoy the All Saints covers and Last Thing On My Mind really is top tier Steps. I love 1998.

Apparently Lutricia had some more hits in Sweden in 2002, I think maybe she was based there? She should definitely do Mighty Hoopla or something, her three big hits are all so good and the first two at least are still well loved in certain circles.

oh love Corrs and their cover of Dreams is fantastic. Was obsessed with Corrs for a little bit and I remember all my friends were. Crazy it took a Fleetwood Mac cover to finally get a hit but was well deserved. I think the first 3 singles from the album were Only when I sleep, I never loved you anyway and What can I do. The first one it's not their best but the other 2 deserved. Also Runaway from their debut. Wasn't the debut released in the UK in 95 like in the rest of the world?

The Wycleef one I kinda like too.

Rest I don't really like. Hated Aqua with a passion. Lutricia Mcneal I never got the appeal either.

Huge competition during the last couple of weeks!!

Gone To November had a remix that was better than the original on the single release!!

Life Aint Easy - sold better than i thought

The Bus Stop's version of 'Kung Fu Fighting', that should have never happened.