26TH MAY





“Killer” looks to be slowing but its commanding lead at the top last week means that even that can’t prevent it securing a third week at the top with a further 73,882 copies finding buyers, that brings its cumulative total to 292,791 easing itself into the top 10 YTD. Kylie does close the gap nominally as she suffered a smaller decrease of 3% to 40,783

And yet there isn’t much else around to challenge “Killer” either, The Adventures of Stevie V hold at No 3 on just 37,043 and the New Kids On The Block complete a static Top 4 on a mere 30,294 but you'll note the entire top 4 are in decline saleswise, En Vogue offer a ray of hope climbing 7-5 (27,047) but it’s a small one.

Things look brighter at No 6 with a ten place climb for Scots band The Chimes. They’ve done an updated version of U2’s “I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For” which made No 6, let’s hope the curse of that position can be broken by this version. Both their previous singles failed to dent the top 50 so it’s a marked upturn in their chart fortunes, this single shifted 26,418 copies last week.

Getting their second top 10 single in a row Mantronix call upon Wondress again and “Take Your Time” has moved 19-11-10 (16,592) to nudge into the big ten.

Beats International inch 10-9 (20,043) with a slight sales increase, and just above them are two fallers, Paula Abdul slips 5-7 (22,338) and Madonna slips 6-8 (21,199) but she’ll be focusing on her new album “I’m Breathless” which is in stores now.


1- KILLER- Adamski (73,882)
2- BETTER THE DEVIL YOU KNOW- Kylie Minogue (40,783)
3- DIRTY CASH- Adventures Of Stevie V (37,043)
4- COVER GIRL- New Kids On The Block (30,294)
5- HOLD ON- En Vogue (27,047)
6- I STILL HAVEN’T FOUND WHAT I’M LOOKING FOR- The Chimes (26,416)
7- OPPOSITES ATTRACT- Paula Abdul duet with Wild Pair (22,338)
8- VOGUE- Madonna (21,199)
9- WON’T TALK ABOUT IT- Beats International Ft Lindy Layton (20,043)
10- TAKE YOUR TIME- Mantronix (16,592)

Not a fan if that u2 cover

Or u2 covers in general

8 hours ago, Gezza said:

I believe it is a record- can't think of another act (to this point) that had their first 10 singles go top 5.

The Spice Girls first ten singles all went top 2 !!

12 minutes ago, vibe said:

The Spice Girls first ten singles all went top 2 !!

He said "to this point", Spice Girls didn't yet exist for another 6 years.

On 03/08/2025 at 11:47, Gezza said:

I believe it is a record- can't think of another act (to this point) that had their first 10 singles go top 5.

On 03/08/2025 at 11:47, Gezza said:

I believe it is a record- can't think of another act (to this point) that had their first 10 singles go top 5.

In terms of first single releases and initial chart positions I can't think of anyone else either - though The Beatles had rectified Love Me Do not going top 10 by this point and bunged in the record of every official single they released while active (eventually) going top 5. One might possibly argue T.Rex are the first to do it, as Tyrannosaurus Rex were a very different proposition to the Glam Rock phase, hence the name change.

1 hour ago, Popchartfreak said:

In terms of first single releases and initial chart positions I can't think of anyone else either - though The Beatles had rectified Love Me Do not going top 10 by this point and bunged in the record of every official single they released while active (eventually) going top 5. One might possibly argue T.Rex are the first to do it, as Tyrannosaurus Rex were a very different proposition to the Glam Rock phase, hence the name change.

I suppose we can at least say then she is the first indisputably to do so lol

2ND JUNE




He thought it was all over, and it will probably be next week but Adamski was out in front from the off with “Killer” claiming a fourth week at the top. It sold just 60,860, a 17% decrease though it is still clear of the field and built up a decent lead though it was outpaced on Saturday by this week’s highest new entry which arrives at No 2

Starting out life as the theme to BBC 2’s “Reportage” TV series for which New Order wrote the track, they’ve gotten TV actor Keith Allen to write some lyrics for the track and a rap and come up with “World In Motion” which will serve as this year’s anthem to send the England World Cup Squad off to Italy with. The competition starts on June 8th so expect this track to be round until at least the team leaves the competition, it isn’t of course the highest placed England Football track, back in 1970 “Back Home” topped the charts and in 1982 “This Time” made No 2, but this track has attracted praise which exceeds the normal reception of a football related track with even John Barnes receiving the thumbs up for his rap. For New Order it becomes instantly their highest peaking chart hit topping the No 3 peak of 1988’s re-issued “Blue Monday”, though the track has had its lyrics re-written as the Football Association rejected the first version called “E is For England” as it was a bit too easy to misinterpret- ahem! The track got stronger through the week ending up with 37,553 copies and eyeing up No 1 next week……

“Venus” is a song which has already been a top 10 single for Shocking Blue and Bananarama reaching No 8 for both acts, now we have a new Italo house act Don Pablo’s Animals doing their version of the track. It rockets 12-7 (26,673) to give the song a new peak position, well kind of, it was featured on the Starsound medley “Stars On 45” and therefore did reach No 2 depending on how you view its inclusion.

Michael Bolton is back and this time he’s helped by Desmond Child and Diane Warren on “How Can We Be Lovers” his second release from “Soul Provider”. During the album’s 12 week chart life it debuted at No 8 before dropping almost out of the top 40 but has been having a revival over the last 5 weeks climbing every week and now repeaks at it rises 9-7. The single can only hobble 11-10 (16,065) to sneak into the big 10 having already made US No 3 last month.

The arrival of EnglandNewOrder means bad news for Kylie who slips 2-3 (30,804) and for Adventures Of Stevie V who similarly slip a place 3-4 (28,917). En Vogue hold at No 5 (28,662) but lose sales as their album debuts at No 32 this week, and the Chimes are also holding at No 6 (27,081) and can’t outstrip the peak of the original. New Kids On The Block drop 4-8 (20,179) but they have a new single out in a fortnight so don’t lament too much, and Madonna drops 8-9 (16,541) as “I’m Breathless” debuts at No 2 behind Soul II Soul, but she is No 1 Stateside.


1- KILLER- Adamski (60,860)
2- WORLD IN MOTION- Englandneworder (37,553)
3- BETTER THE DEVIL YOU KNOW- Kylie Minogue (30,804)
4- DIRTY CASH- Adventures Of Stevie V (28,917)
5- HOLD ON- En Vogue (28,662)
6- I STILL HAVEN’T FOUND WHAT I’M LOOKING FOR- The Chimes (27,081)
7- VENUS- Don Pablo’s Animals (26,673)
8- COVER GIRL- New Kids On The Block (20,179)
9- VOGUE- Madonna (16,541)
10- HOW CAN WE BE LOVERS- Michael Bolton (16,065)

World in Motion is probably my favourite of the new ones this week, albeit it is a very stagnant chart with pretty low sales towards the bottom end to boot.

I wish they had a version without the England parts as it is a decent track without those bits.

Mantronix is one I've forgotten oops but I expect I liked it. The Chimes not quite as classic as the original but a decent version and set up Pauline Henry for a spirited short solo career. EnglandNewOrder the best football song to date, pretty much, and Michael Bolton an improvement on the previous though he still needs to reign it in a bit. Venus is OK, but I will easily take the previous hit versions, classics both!

World In Motion Is great, one of their best

Hated that version of Venus, Bananaramas version deserved more but at least it was a US #1

9TH JUNE





It’s taken 20 years for them to climb back to the top but the England World Cup Squad are sitting at the top of the pile of this week with a considerable helping hand from New Order, “World In Motion” seems to auger well for the forthcoming World cup and England’s chances surging 2-1 after almost doubling its sales to 67,371. It was never in danger from Adamski whose “Killer” graciously descends 1-2 (50,116) and brings the tracks total to an impressive 403,767 copies and should clear the 500k mark with some ease when all is done.

Hailing from St Helens, Mark Chadwick is better known as Chad Jackson and the Manchester based DJ is responsible for the song that charges 12-3 (39,117) this week. Jackson won the 1987 Disco Mix Club World Championship and launched his career earlier this year with “Freedom To Party” which flopped, his second single “Hear The Drummer (Get Wicked)” is proving much more successful, it’s largely based on a sample of “900 Number” by 45 King which also serves as the theme to Radio 1’s dance show “Big Beat” so should be familiar to the station’s regulars.  Rumour is that Jackson presented this to 45 King as a remix of their track but the outfit turned it down suggesting he release himself as a track- et voila!

You might not know the name Alison Clarkson but you may be familiar her alias Betty Boo as the singer on The Beatmasters No 7 hit “Hey DJ” last summer. Clarkson was formally a member of the She Rockers who managed to work with Public Enemy but failed to yield any top 75 singles before she left last year to guest on “DJ” and go solo. She’s back and she’s gone solo with her new single “Doin’ The Do” which samples Reparata and the Delron’s “Captain Of Your Ship”, a No 13 hit in 1968, it wastes little time moving 15-8 (21,930).

You’d be forgiven for thinking that The Charlatans are the newest Madchester band on the scene but only the lead singer actually comes from Manchester. Their debut single “Indian Rope” was a hit on the Indie charts as it was issued on their own label Dead Dead Good records, but they’ve been snapped up by Beggars Banquet and “The One And Only”, which borrows some lines from the Byrds “Everybody’s Been Burned” coupled with a dash of Deep Purple’s guitar riff laden “Hush”, expands 24-10 (19,227) in its second week to show real intent on becoming a massive hit. An album will follow in the autumn!

Don Pablo’s Animals “Venus” rises 7-4 (28,985) but will have trouble continuing to climb given how far it is behind the top 3, everything else is on the slide, The Adventures Of Stevie V fall 4-5 (22,831), Kylie ebbs 3-6 (22,831), En Vogue are out of fashion 5-7 (22,644) and The Chimes are lost 6-9 (20,451) as the summer sales slump really kicks in! That should be good news for the next New Kids On The Block single- expect a very high debut!

Finally it's worth noting that in the last 97 chart weeks (back to 6/8/88) a record by S/A/W or PWL has been in the top 10 for 81 weeks- a dominance never before seen in the charts by a production team.


1- WORLD IN MOTION- Englandneworder (67,371)
2- KILLER- Adamski (50,116)
3- HEAR THE DRUMMER (GET WICKED)- Chad Jackson (39,117)
4- VENUS- Don Pablo’s Animals (28,985)
5- DIRTY CASH- Adventures Of Stevie V (22,831)
6- BETTER THE DEVIL YOU KNOW- Kylie Minogue (22,831)
7- HOLD ON- En Vogue (22,644)
8- DOIN THE DO- Betty Boo (21,930)
9- I STILL HAVEN’T FOUND WHAT I’M LOOKING FOR- The Chimes (20,451)
10- THE ONLY ONE I KNOW- The Charlatans (19,227)

I was completely obsessed with betty boo, this is such agreat single

Also liked the Charlatans one

Boomania begins!

First time I've heard that Chad Jackson track and it's not exactly great.

16TH JUNE

It started off brightly for New Kids On The Block who were on course for a sensational No 1 debut but it proved to not quite have the legs, for this week at least, allowing “World In Motion” to fly past it at the weekend and retain a second week at the top of the charts on a sale of 78,149, another 17% increase week on week. It was of course helped by the considerable media coverage and hype of the tournament itself which commenced on Saturday with a 1-0 victory to Cameroon, odd to think that a football match in Italy would decide the fate of the UK No 1 single but there you go.

Onto that new entry by the biggest Boyband in the land then, “Step By Step” is penned by their manager Maurice Starr for another one of his projects, The Superiors, who released it in 1987 as a single without success, it’s also already rapidly rising up the charts in the US whilst here it wastes no time smashing straight in at No 2 after selling 52,360 copies in its first 6 days, a best start for them both position wise and sales wise. UK fans have just a fortnight to wait for the album of the same name which is, again, widely tipped to arrive at the top spot, as for the single, well it must be a hot favourite to become the next chart topper next week and their third No 1. Can a football competition remain in its way?

Here’s an unusual tale, a new Elton John album is hardly the news it once was and last year’s “Sleeping With The Past” made No 6 spending a mere 9 weeks on the chart. The two singles pulled from it “Sacrifice” and “Healing Hands” peaked at No’s 55 & 45 respectively and that appeared to be the end of the era, but now the songs have been put together as a double A-Side with the proceeds going to charity in part due to Radio 1 DJ Steve Wright who picked the song up and started playing it regularly on his show and partly due to the single becoming a top 30 US hit earlier in the year. It’s now back in demand as it scorches 26-5 (30,668) to become his biggest hit since the live version of “Candle In The Wind” two years ago. The album incidentally re-enters at No 64 but is now in short supply as it’s getting a full re-issue in a few weeks.

Number one at present in the Cinema’s “Pretty Woman” is a film which is already spawning the hit singles, David Bowie’s “Fame 90” made No 28 back in April, Natalie Cole’s “Wild Woman Do” peaked at No 16 in May and now Roxette have a hit on their hands with “It Must Have Been Love” as it charges 21-6 (30,498). The band broke through last year with “The Look” which peaked at No 7 but follow up singles “Dressed For Success” and “Listen To Your Heart” failed to dent the top 40 so this is something of a return for the Swedish duo. The song actually dates back to 1987 when it was issued in Sweden with the suffix “Christmas For The Broken Hearted” becoming a top 10 single, a slight tweak to the lyrics and an updated production and it’s finally an international hit topping the US charts this week.

The song that Roxette have just deposed Stateside also arrives in nice unison to the UK top 10 this week as well, Wilson Phillip’s “Hold On”. The trio are all daughters of rather famous parents, namely Brian Wilson of the Beach Boys, and John & Michelle Phillips of the Mamma’s & The Papa’s, the debut single flies 23-10 (19,873) as it gets leapfrogged by Roxette but expect both singles to be battling it out for honours higher up the charts in the next few weeks.

Chad Jackson holds at No 3 this week but does post an increase of 12% to 43,231 as Adamski starts to find the going tough with “Killer” dropping 2-4 (32,419). Betty Boo nudges 8-7 (27,268) and The Charlatans inch 10-9 (22,916) but it’s over for Don Pablo’s Animals who slide 4-8 (27,013).


1- WORLD IN MOTION- EnglandNeworder (77,149)
2- STEP BY STEP- New Kids On The Block (52,360)
3- HEAR THE DRUMMER (GET WICKED)- Chad Jackson (43,231)
4- KILLER- Adamski (32,419)
5- SACRIFICE/ HEALING HANDS- Elton John (30,668)
6- IT MUST HAVE BEEN LOVE- Roxette (30,498)
7- DOIN THE DO- Betty Boo (27,268)
8- VENUS- Don Pablo’s Animals (27,013)
9- THE ONLY ONE I KNOW- The Charlatans (22,916)
10- HOLD ON- Wilson Phillips (19,873)

'World In Motion' is the best football song not to have returned to the Top 20 multiple times (a wonder that it's only returned to the Top 40 once, and that in 2010) - John Barnes' rap and New Order getting a #1 from it are great bonuses. 'The Only One I Know' is really good too.

I appreciate the Elton double-A and 'It Must Have Been Love' without being a huge fan of either, but those are interesting backstories on both.

love the Roxette one! Overplayed but great song! Insane how popular they were in the US, this was their 3rd #1

as a NKOTB hater, glad World in Motion made it

Kinda crazy Sacrifice only made it to 55 originally, dont love it but 55 is too low

Hold On I dont mind but a bit too AOR

Chad Jackson is OK, didn't mind it, NKOTB is up to their usual standard - oh I meant down not up - but at least they cant get any cheesier can they?! Betty Boo, not allowed that final P due to copyright claims, but always great fun, and any track that samples childhood fave Reparata & The Delrons is fine by me. She had a great single earlier this year - Barbarella. I have never seen Pretty Woman, but the soundtrack is great, Roxette on their way to top my charts having already charted with Dangerous, a US hit while I was on holiday in March. The Charlatans 60's vibes were cool, The Only And Only is still a goodie. Hold On, also a Florida hit and chart-topper for me, bought it soon as it was released in the UK - I mean with mega-faves Beach Boys & Mamas & Papas behind them that was always going to be the case!

Which leaves Elton - I saw him at Wembley Arena late 88/early 89, his career was on a low ebb, sat not that far from Phil Collins I was, and Elt was fabulous and joking about his lack of sales. Both Sacrifice and Healing Hands topped my charts in 1989, top notch Elton, so I felt some satisfaction that they finally had become hits. My fingers were very much crossed at this point....

I have always thought Step By Step was pretty decent!

I actually like all three of the new ones this time... all firmly in the ballad category which isn't always my thing, but I think the Elton and Roxette tracks both hold up really well today, whilst I can appreciate Hold On as being a decent example of an early 90s driving power ballad.

Plus Betty Boo who is of course utterly fabulous 🤩

23RD JUNE




With England struggling in the World Cup (2 draws so far) perhaps it’s no surprise that “World In Motion” also finds itself in trouble descending 1-2 (65,773) this week but it doesn’t make way for the expected coronation of New Kids On The Block who surprisingly fall themselves 2-5 (45,135)- that fall being the first track to debut as high as No 2 and to drop the next week since The Beatles "Let It Be" 20 years ago. Instead the new No 1 comes from Elton John who finally gets his first solo chart topper after 53 chart entries, he was of course at the top 14 years ago in duet with Kiki Dee on “Don’t Go Breaking My Heart” but his previous solo best was 1972’s “Rocket Man” which stopped at No 2 behind T Rex’s “Metal Guru”. It’s ascendency to the top marks the 7th year on the trot that a charity record has made the top but for Elton it must be a sweet feeling to finally get the chart accolade that has always previously escaped him, no act has had as many chart hits before getting a solo chart topper. Proceeds to Terence Higgins Trust so it’s a good day for the charity too!  Its coronation comes with 74,205 sales.

More World Cup shenanigans at No 3 this week where Luciano Pavarotti’s version of Puccini’s “Nessun Dorma” (trans: None shall sleep”) which comes from the opera “Turandot” and was performed by Pavarotti on the opening night of the World Cup at the “Three Tenors” concert. The version used by the BBC on its coverage of the tournament is actually Pavarotti’s 1972 recording but it can also be found on his “Essential Pavarotti” album which rockets 8-1 on the album charts this week thanks to the exposure. Indeed that may be the problem, the single springs 21-3 (54,111) but it seems more people are investing in the album but we’ll see over the next few weeks.

Snap! are back with their second single “Ooops Up” which doesn’t look like repeating the success of their debut “The Power” in topping the charts, the latter hit moved 12-1 in its first fortnight whilst this song can “merely” jumps 13-6 (34,850). In part that might be to do with the fact that their album “World Power” is now released though in its first 5 weeks it has only made No 39 though it does rally 54-43 this week in sympathy.

That’s it for new songs in the top 10 which means that Roxette can advance 6-4 (49,232) and Wilson Phillips also rise but only 10-8 (29,685), it’s down for Chad Jackson 3-7 (30,617), Betty Boo 7-9 (27,319) and The Charlatans 9-10 (25,704) despite their best week at retail. The new Jason Donovan single arrives next week, his last 6 have all debuted in the top 10, can he recover lost ground from the No 8 peaking “Hang On To Your Love”?


1- SACRIFICE/ HEALING HANDS- Elton John (74,205)
2- WORLD IN MOTION- Englandneworder (65,773)
3- NESSUN DORMA- Luciano Pavarotti (54,111)
4- IT MUST HAVE BEEN LOVE- Roxette (49,232)
5- STEP BY STEP- New Kids On The Block (45,135)
6- OOOPS UP- Snap! (34,850)
7- HEAR THE DRUMMER (GET WICKED)- Chad Jackson (30,617)
8- HOLD ON- Wilson Phillips (29,665)
9- DOIN THE DO- Betty Boo (27,319)
10- THE ONLY ONE I KNOW- The Charlatans (25,704)