31ST MARCH

Becoming the first song to leap to No 1 from outside the top 10 since Glenn Mederios back in 1988, Snap! are the new chart toppers with their track “The Power” which debuted at No 12 last week. Essentially a German production duo of Luca Anzilotti and Michael Münzing and fronted by rapper Turbo B, “The Power” is their first single under the Snap! Moniker and features the vocals of Penny Smith, though keeping with recent traditions in the dance genre, the video features a different singer miming the vocals (Jackie Harris) as Smith is apparently media shy. The song features a mash up of Jocelyn Brown’s “Love’s Gonna Get You”, Mantronix’s “King Of The Beats Lesson 1” and Chill Rob G’s “Let The Words Flow” which have come together to convince 53,380 buyers last week including a strong show on 12” to top that chart as well.

Former Chart topper from Beats International was never in the running for a 5th week at the top, it falls 1-5 (35,190) the biggest fall since Simple Minds last year, it was overtaken by The B-52’s who are bridesmaids again on 46,053 and early week chart toppers before TOTP threw the No 1 spot Snap’s way. Candy Flip advance 6-3 (37,944) and Erasure slip a spot 3-4 (36,601) despite increasing sales.





The only other new hit in the top 10 comes from They Might Be Giants with “Birdhouse In Your Soul”. There can’t be many songs which are essentially about a nightlight but that’s what this hit is all about sung from the perspective of the night light itself, the band have a quirky background (as you might expect) and this is the first single from their second album “Flood” which is due next week, in the meantime “Birdhouse” climbs 17-8 (24,565).

David A Stewart & Candy Dulfer continue inch ever nearer to the top 5 as they climb 7-6 (34,493) but it’s certainly all over for the chart topping bids by New Kids On The Block who fall 5-7 (25,007) and Jive Bunny & The Mastermixers as they dive 4-9 (22,270), Michael Bolton completes the ten as he dips 8-10 (20,094).

Next week sees the release of new singles by Jason Donovan and Madonna who go head to head with new releases not available on their albums yet- could they make the top 2 next week?


1- THE POWER- Snap! (53,380)
2- LOVE SHACK- The B-52’s (46,053)
3- STRAWBERRY FIELDS FOREVER- Candy Flip (37,944)
4- BLUE SAVANNAH- Erasure (36,601)
5- DUB BE GOOD TO ME- Beats International Ft Lindy Layton (35,190)
6- LILY WAS HERE- David A Stewart Ft Candy Dulfer (34,493)
7- I’LL BE LOVING YOU (FOREVER)- New Kids On The Block (25,007)
8- BIRDHOUSE IN YOUR SOUL- They Might Be Giants (24,565)
9- THAT SOUNDS GOOD TO ME- Jive Bunny & The Mastermixers (22,270)
10- HOW AM I SUPPOSED TO LIVE WITHOUT YOU- Michael Bolton (20,094)

Birdhouse is cool, but like more than love

Huge climb there for The Power, cannot deny it was a huge hit

Elephant Stone has left no memory with me at all, because I was in Florida for 2 weeks and it must have dropped out of the chart rundown while I was away. The BRit Awards thing, hmmm, OK, a souvenir I suppose. Downtown Train is that rare thing: a good Rod Stewart cover, and it gave a boost to Tom Waits so that was good. Guru Josh was a fab dance track, and so was Moments In Soul, in a more laid-back fashion.

Love Shack had been huge in my USA 1989 holiday, was still big in Florida in 1990 along with their next single, and it is just utterly built for playing loud while driving USA highways in the sun. Classic. Classic party record. Blue Savannah another CD maxi-single I bought in Florida, another chart-topper for me, possibly their greatest single. Candy Flip and Dave Stewart were both interesting and good tracks that have largely been forgotten these days, Jive Bunny more of the same, and NKOTB insipid ballad.

7TH APRIL



Lots of new hits to digest this week but first to the top 3 where everything is, by way of contrast, entirely static. Snap! Make it two weeks at No 1 with “The Power” shifting another 80,053 copies, that’s an increase of 52% week on week, and they do extend their lead over The B-52’s to 41,582 from 7,327 last week so are far more secure, and Candy Flip get stuck in mud at No 3, again losing sales to 34,969.

Below that it gets interesting with the new Madonna Single called “Vogue”. It takes its inspiration from the dance of the same name popular in underground gay clubs in New York which has now been exported by the singer to the mainstream and features a roll call of classic 30s-50s movie stars to accompany the stylish black and white promo which naturally being Madonna is another instantly memorable one. The song was originally written as a B-Side to the US single “Keep It Together”, a fourth release from the “Like A Prayer” album, as it was felt it needed a new track to get sales for a song available for such a long time on the album. In the end it was deemed too good to be thrown away on a B-side as instead it is issued as a standalone single and it arrives at No 4 (27,710) this week, she’s never debuted in the top 5 and not gone to No 1!

Not had enough Belgian Dance music? Well look no further than Bizz Nizz who leap 22-8 (24,633) with “Don’t Miss The Partyline” and is another song which forms part of the ongoing trend of generating hits first in the clubs that transfer onto the charts. It’s the brainchild of Jean-Paul De Costa.

So onto 1989’s biggest chart star Jason Donovan. His last 5 singles all debuted in the top 10 and all peaked in the top 2 and his newie “Hang On To Your Love” has started in the right vein as it debuts brightly at No 9 (21,437) and will be the second single from his new album expected in the summer. It’s another top 10 single for S/A/W/ Hit factory who have been absent from the big 10 for 5 weeks now, since Pepsi & Shirlie’s “Goodbye Stranger” entered the top 10 back in June 1987 a total of 148 chart weeks have elapsed, weeks without a hit factory record being present in it? Just 25!

Erasure continue their slow descent 4-5 (26,282) along with a reverse gear for David A Stewart & Candy Dulfer dip 6-7 (25,126), meanwhile better news for They Might Be Giants who climb 8-6 (25,925) and see their album debut at No 14. Beats International slump 5-10 (18,598) to complete our round up but as it’s the end of the first quarter let’s see how the year is shaping up thus far!



1- NOTHING COMPARES 2 U- Sinead O’Connor 646,527
2- DUB BE GOOD TO ME- Beats International Featuring Lindy Layton 436,407
3- GET UP! (BEFORE THE NIGHT IS OVER)- Technotronic Ft Ya Kid K 311,304
4- HOW AM I SUPPOSED TO LIVE WITHOUT YOU- Michael Bolton 247,197
5- TEARS ON MY PILLOW- Kylie Minogue 241,077
6- GOT TO HAVE YOUR LOVE- Mantronix 192,202
7- LOVE SHACK- The B-52’s 186,677
8- HANGIN TOUGH- New Kids On The Block 182,784
9- I DON’T KNOW ANYBODY ELSE- Black Box 181,169
10-TOUCH ME- 49ers 177,939

This week's top 10

1- THE POWER- Snap! (80,053)
2- LOVE SHACK- The B-52’s (38,471)
3- STRAWBERRY FIELDS FOREVER- Candy Flip (34,969)
4- VOGUE- Madonna (27, 710)
5- BLUE SAVANNAH- Erasure (26,282)
6- BIRDHOUSE IN YOUR SOUL- They Might Be Giants (25,925)
7- LILY WAS HERE- David A Stewart Ft Candy Dulfer (25,126)
8- DON’T MISS THE PARTYLINE- Bizz Nizz (24,633)
9- HANG ON TO YOUR LOVE- Jason Donovan (21,437)
10- DUB BE GOOD TO ME- Beats International Ft Lindy Layton (18,598)

oh Vogue has arrived <3 guess top 5 debut is good enough but shouldn't we expect more for the biggest star in the world and her first new material after Like a Prayer?

kinda meh single from Jason Donovan