22. Robson & Jerome - Saturday Night At The Movies

1 week at number 1 - November

Another cover, this time of The Drifters’ 1964 hit. Polished and mum-friendly, it was released as part of a triple A side and soared to number one on the back of ITV nostalgia and album sales. Critics rolled their eyes, but the public kept buying.

Slightly better than You'll Never Walk Alone. But not by much.

21. Peter Andre – Flava

1 week at number 1 - September

A slice of mid-90s R&B-pop, “Flava” capitalised on Andre’s heartthrob status with breathy vocals and slick choreography. Musically, it blends new jack swing with pop hooks, though the lyrics are more mood than meaning. A chart-topper thanks to teen appeal and relentless promo, but rarely cited as a genre-defining moment. It also knocked Wannabe off the top spot!

Pointless and forgettable really. Got to number 1 with the halo effect of Mysterous Girl.

As I said in the 1995 thread, I didn't really mind Saturday Night At The Movies - I wasn't overfamiliar with the original and I remember friends singing this one at school, so guess it brings back some memories, and at least it had more of a pulse than most of their covers. It's by no means good though.

Flava is ok, it sounds like We've Got It Goin' On by Backstreet Boys. It completely didn't deserve to be No.1 but it's better than I Feel You at least.

These are all absolutely terrible so far. I love the 90s but there really were some awful #1s along the way and they don't really represent the quality and variety of a lot of the other music about.

That said, there are some really great #1s in 1996 so hoping you will agree with the ones I really love

'Flava' is way better than the other one but still pretty unremarkable.

20. Take That – How Deep Is Your Love

3 weeks at number 1, March

Take That’s final single before their 1996 split was a cover of the Bee Gees’ 1977 classic, reimagined with a tender vocal from Gary Barlow and a stripped-back arrangement that leaned into melancholy. Released in the wake of Robbie Williams’ departure and the band’s announcement of their breakup, How Deep Is Your Love became a farewell, topping the UK chart for three weeks. The song’s success was bolstered by public emotion and a media frenzy surrounding the group’s dissolution. Its accompanying video—featuring the remaining four members in a surreal, dreamlike setting—added to the sense of closure. Though a cover, it felt deeply personal, and its chart-topping performance marked Take That’s eighth UK Number One.

What a damp squib of a finale - they had so much better in their career (Pray, Back For Good, Never Forget) but chose a by-numbers cover for their big farewell. A disappointment.

Yes, a really rubbish send off song, thank goodness they corrected that being their last single when they came back.

Interesting watching it back now that the end of this video is set in quite a sparse lanscape with the band appearing to say goodbye (being thrown into the water) and then Patience video was a kind of similar outdoor setting (albeit a far less bleak landscape), and all angled around them coming back (e.g. dragging their microphones back).

Agreed, an absolutely awful choice for final single, even though it clearly was successful. I don't really like the song in any version, but it made absolutely zero sense as a final single for them. I wonder if Gary had already decided to keep any remaining ideas for his solo songs. Not that I spotted those ideas and his solo songs in the same room.

On their 2005 Ultimate Collection, they included this song as a bonus track that was originally written around the same time as Back For Good and intended as the follow up but then wasn't recorded at the time (so presumably they recorded it in 2005).

It doesn't stand up to their classics of 1995 but it would have surely been better to go out with an original song written by Barlow than a cover. The title fits too, in terms of 'the end'. But maybe it was a bit on the nose for their distraught fans!!

This is so cheesy and beneath them, it sort of brings them in line with Boyzone when they've always been a cut above.

How Deep Is Your Love came out around the time I started to pay a little bit more attention to pop music. I'd only just turned 8 when it hit #1. I seem to remember being aware of the single while it was new, but I don't think I cared for it, or cared about who Take That were. I only started to pay proper attention to them when they came back in 2005, that's when I discovered their old music. By no means is How Deep Is Your Love anywhere close to being their best, but nevertheless I have a soft spot for it for some reason. The music video is quite memorable. I think it's the best of what has been revealed so far in your count down, so I agree with everything that is placed lower down than it.

The Peter Andre songs are very forgettable! I've heard them occasionally (not by choice) and I honestly couldn't hum anything from them. If he'd released either of them before Mysterious Girl, I wonder how they would have charted?

I'm not sure how you feel about the Spice Girls, but hopefully they won't end up too low down?

19. Boyzone – A Different Beat

1 week at number 1, December

Boyzone’s second UK Number One was a bold departure from their usual balladry. A Different Beat fused pop with tribal rhythms, African chants, and anthemic production—designed to echo the grandeur of Take That’s Never Forget. Co-written by the band themselves, it was their only chart-topper to feature all five members as credited writers. Released as the second single from their sophomore album of the same name, it topped the UK chart for one week and became a staple of their live shows, often used as a rousing finale. Critics praised its ambition, with Music Week calling it a “dramatic epic,” and its message of unity and global awareness resonated with fans. In later interviews, Keith Duffy revealed the song was crafted specifically to give Boyzone their own concert-closing anthem—mirroring the emotional power of their rivals. It succeeded, becoming one of their most distinctive hits and a symbol of their evolution from cover band to pop auteurs.

I have tried to like this more. I even listened to it this morning to see if it had won me over a bit, but the song leaves me cold. I can see its a departure from the usual boy band fayre, it even sounds like the Lion King in parts. Meh - though B+ for effort.

I like this one! Quite a lot more than a few still to come.

I thought it was intriguing to see them attempt something more dramatic and original for once, with world music elements. The middle eight is quite rousing.

I knew you liked this one! I have tried to like it, but it has failed me.

Just put the video on to listen and it's worse than I remember it being. It's really quite cringy, the band's delivery of it is like someone in a bad student play where the director's just told them to try and sound more earnest. Would have made a decent instrumental track.

18. Robson & Jerome - What Becomes Of The Broken Hearted

1 week at number 1, November

The final chart-topper from Robson Green and Jerome Flynn was a cover of Jimmy Ruffin’s 1966 soul classic, released as the lead single from their second album Take Two. Riding high on the duo’s TV fame and the commercial momentum of their previous hits, What Becomes of the Brokenhearted debuted at No.1, giving them their third consecutive UK chart-topper.

Despite critical disdain—many reviewers lamented the lack of vocal nuance and soul—the single sold strongly, buoyed by a loyal fanbase and pre-Christmas marketing. The production leaned heavily on orchestration and sentimentality, with little deviation from the original arrangement.

Its chart success marked the end of Robson & Jerome’s brief but dominant run in the mid-90s, a period defined more by sales than by artistic acclaim. For many, this single epitomised the era’s tension between populist appeal and musical credibility.

This is the last of the AAA side on my list and the one R&J song I don't mind. I neither love it or hate it, I just think it is ok and as their covers go, it's almost good.

Here is a bit of a line, the songs below this I don't like, the songs above it I like.

Not got a strong opinion either way on that, agreed it's better than the covers from 1995 but still nothing good. Impressive that they were still shifting 200k in the opening week here but never released a fourth single.

Has any other chart act ever had three such huge selling hits and never released another single?

17. Mark Morrison – Return Of The Mack

2 weeks at number 1, April

A defining anthem of 90s British R&B, Return of the Mack was Mark Morrison’s breakout hit—an autobiographical tale of betrayal and comeback, delivered with swagger and a slick blend of hip-hop, soul, and dancehall. After a slow climb, the single reached No.1 in April 1996, staying there for two weeks and eventually becoming a global smash.

Its infectious hook, Morrison’s distinctive vocal tone, and the confident narrative of romantic revenge made it a staple of club playlists and radio rotations. The track’s success was all the more notable given Morrison’s legal troubles and erratic public persona, which added a layer of notoriety to his rise.

Return of the Mack remains one of the most enduring UK R&B hits, frequently sampled and referenced in pop culture. It marked a rare moment where British urban music broke through internationally, paving the way for future crossover acts.

I don't mind this and I can see how it is a ground breaking RnB track, but I am not a huge RnB fan and I find Mark Morrison annoying. But its a decent song even if it stopped the Manic Street Preacher's A Design For Life from getting to number 1.

Worst # 1s : both from Prodigy, Fugees, Chemical Brothers, Babylon Zoo.

Then I don’t think you will enjoy this thread 😛