14TH SEPTEMBER




Paula Abdul gets her revenge on Bryan Adams this week in the US, his “(Everything I Do) I Do It For You” knocked off her “Rush Rush” from No 1 in July but this week Abdul’s follow up “Promise Of A New Day” topples Adams after 7 weeks at the top. There’s no repeat here though as the song takes its tenth week at the top with ease selling 81,072 copies which naturally means it is now officially a million seller with total sales at 1,021,664- the first million seller in the UK in 6 years. It’s been around so long now that his follow up “Can’t Stop This Thing We Started” debuts at No 25 enabling him to become the first act to be at No 1 whilst the follow up is also in the top 40 since Phil Collins in early 85, though honourably mention must go to Madonna later that year with her re-issued “Holiday” and “Into The Groove” hogging the top 2.  All of this for a song that shipped an initial 12,000 copies to stores for the first day of release....

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vFD2gu007dc&list=RDvFD2gu007dc&start_radio=1

What chances a record equalling eleventh week? Very good in fact, Right Said Fred spend an amazing fifth straight week at the No 2 spot, a feat not seen since Wham! did the same in 84/85, sales again dip to 45,248 and the gap between the top 2 is the largest in 3 weeks. The Prodigy, who are making heavy going at overcoming them, retain bronze position with sales slightly up at 38,304. A bit of shuffling around below them occurs, Zoe climbs 6-4 (36,816) and Oceanic follow 8-5 (36,416) which is bad news for Prince who recedes 4-6 (33,104).

Based extensively around the Staple Singers 1972 #30 hit “I’ll Take You There”, Salt N Pepa seem to be back in public favour with a second top 10 hit of the year in “Let’s Talk About Sex”. Dealing with AIDS and the US censorship around the topic in some circles, the tune comes in a more direct mix called “Let’s Talk About AIDS” which has a promo featuring prominent acts doing cameo spots including PM Dawn and Monie Love. The normal version is the one getting the promo here though it is proving hard to generate airplay for the song perhaps because of the S word but in any case it springs 13-7 (31,376).

Arnee & The Terminators will, in all likelihood, not be back in the top 10 as they collapse 5-8 (28,480) and Martika holds at No 9 (23,072) but a mixed week for PM Dawn as the single drops 7-10 (21,504) while the album arrives at No 8.


1- (EVERYTHING I DO) I DO IT FOR YOU- Bryan Adams (81,072)
2- I’M TOO SEXY- Right Said Fred (45,248)
3- CHARLY- The Prodigy (38,304)
4- SUNSHINE ON A RAINY DAY- Zoe (36,816)
5- INSANITY- Oceanic (36,416)
6- GETT OFF- Prince & NPG (33,104)
7- LET’S TALK ABOUT SEX- Salt N Pepa (31,376)
8- I’LL BE BACK- Arnee & The Terminators (28,480)
9- LOVE...THY WILL BE DONE- Martika (23,072)
10 –SET ADRIFT ON MEMORY BLISS- PM Dawn (21,504)

On 14/11/2025 at 16:54, dandy* said:

Chorus spending a month top 5 <3

It really is quite an unusual pop track in retrospect and it’s great it was so well received.

It should really have made the top 40 of the year with that 4 week chart run but overall sales increased in September to squeeze out weaker hits from earlier in the year.

Was Bryan Adams the first single to sell a million copies whilst still being at #1?

I would assume that Do They Know It's Christmas? did it prior.

45 minutes ago, Jessie Where said:

Was Bryan Adams the first single to sell a million copies whilst still being at #1?

Two tribes was the first in the 80s. Not sure about pre 80s. Perhaps wings or john Travolta and Olivia Newton John?

EMF actually knocked Rush Rush out from top spot in the US.

15 hours ago, JackJones said:

EMF actually knocked Rush Rush out from top spot in the US.

Quite right i'd forgotten their cheeky week at the top!

21ST SEPTEMBER




Records are equalled this week in the top 2 as Bryan Adams and Right Said Fred again combine to roadblock the top 2 for a sixth week. For Adams the 79,136 sold of “(Everything I Do) I Do It For You” give it an 11th week at the top which equals the record by Slim Whitman in terms of most consecutive weeks at the top. Next target is the 18 weeks in total spent by Frankie Lane’s “I Believe” in 1953 though that was in three stints.

Meanwhile “I’m Too Sexy” holds at No 2 on a sale of 40,736, that’s the sixth straight week in the runner up spot equalling Father Abraham & The Smurfs “Smurf Song” in 1978 when it was held off by John Travolta & Olivia Newton-John, and yes the difference between the top 2 once again incredibly increases! For the Fred’s it seems unlikely that it will be a record maker as it was just 896 copies ahead of Salt N Pepa this week and took TOTP to overcome the girls in the end- they won’t have that boost this week. Oceanic are also on TOTP on Thursday as “Insanity” expands 5-4 (36,608) and may progress further though that increase was fractional.

Highest new entry of the week comes from Erasure and their second single from next month’s “Chorus” album, “Love To Hate You” ramps up the camp factor by using the instrumental break in “I Will Survive” to great effect. It becomes their 10th top 10 single in 5 years as it crashes straight in at No 7 (25,552), that’s their equal third highest debut ever after “Chorus” (#3) and “Drama!” (#6) but they’re yet to have that elusive chart topper.

Debuting one place lower than Erasure is the new Guns N Roses single “Don’t Cry” which previews two new albums by the band “Use Your Illusion” volumes I & II which are both out this week and go head to head for top honours. The single is unusually available on both albums though in different versions with different verses, and perversely the single edit is actually a third version! It becomes the band’s fifth top 10 hit but only their second to arrive instantly there, they are arguably the biggest band in the world at present and sold 25,552 last week.

Currently creating waves on the dancefloor Sabrina Johnston’s “Peace” is the latest dance track to become a top 10 hit floating 17-9 (24,256). The 22 yr old was born in the Germany but calls the US her home now, she auditioned to become a backing singer on the Rolling Stones “Steel Wheels” tour but instead opted to record her debut album, not looking like a bad move at present.

Some call them dance pioneers but the use of pop samples on techno and rave backings is a new and innovative development in the genre’s and Utah Saints are a duo who are much revered in certain circles. The first single “What Can You Do For Me” samples Gwen Guthrie’s 1986 #5 hit “Ain’t Nothing Going On But The Rent”, Eurythmics “There Must Be An Angel” (1985, #1) and a spot of Queen and Kiss, the mish mash nudges 11-10 (23,488).

1- (EVERYTHING I DO) I DO IT FOR YOU- Bryan Adams (79,136)
2- I’M TOO SEXY- Right Said Fred (40,736)
3- LET’S TALK ABOUT SEX- Salt N Pepa (39,840)
4- INSANITY- Oceanic (36,608)
5- SUNSHINE ON A RAINY DAY- Zoe (35,056)
6- CHARLY- The Prodigy (32,368)
7- LOVE TO HATE YOU- Erasure (25,936)
8- DON’T CRY- Guns N Roses (25,552)
9- PEACE- Sabrina Johnston (24,256)
10- WHAT CAN YOU DO FOR ME- Utah Saints (23,488)

Peace is a forgotten dance anthem, Utah saints seem strangely under-the-radar these days too, a shame as I liked their run of sampled hits, and Erasure's single was a goodie too, one of their best. Don't Cry, talk about overkill, it's not one of their great singles. They might have done better splitting the 2 albums and bunging II out a year later, given their decline as the 90's went on....

'Love To Hate You' is one of their absolute best! ❤️

'Peace' is marvellous. Love Oceanic and Utah Saints too.

The Erasure song is the best new entry. I like the Utah Saints one too, interesting as its not as fast as the other rave songs.

The Sabrina Johnson track sounds quite good too. I don't know it that well yet.

Unsurprisingly there’s more love for Erasure from me. Love to Hate You was an obsession for me, my parents must have been so sick of hearing it - I bought it on cassingle, import cd and also import 12”. I remember thinking it sounded so different to everything else out at the time.

Like the Utah Saints track too, their singles were always good fun and quite imaginatively constructed.

28TH SEPTEMBER





A great week to be Bryan Adams with “(Everything I Do) I Do It For You” creating a new chart record by being No 1 for a 12th straight week but the follow up “Can’t Stop This Thing We Started” also climbs from No 18 to, appropriately enough, No 12. His album “Waking Up The Neighbours” is out this week and may spell the end for the single but it still sold 74,784 copies last week, 32,000 clear of the its new closest challenger Salt N Pepa who themselves are up 3-2 with Oceanic still in hot pursuit 4-3 (42,880) and were under 200 copies away from No 2!

The only new song in the chart is from Zambian singer Rozalla, she moved to London in 1988 where she recorded her first UK single “Born To Love Ya” last year. It became, as they say, a big hit in the clubs though that didn’t translate into chart sales. Second release "Faith" made No 56 back in April but “Everybody’s Free (To Feel Good)” is just the ticket it appears as it rides in 13-7 (26,256) and with TOTP supporting her this week this could rocket yet.

Erasure climb 7-4 (39,792) but not so good for Right Said Fred as they tumble 2-5 (37,776) but they have now sold 409,536 in the process, a tidy return for their bank manager. Zoe falls 5-6 (30,256) and The Prodigy are out in the cold 6-9 (23,120) but both Sabrina Johnston and Utah Saints hold steady at No 8 (23,856) and No 10 (22,976) respectively.


1- (EVERYTHING I DO) I DO IT FOR YOU- Bryan Adams (74,784)
2- LET’S TALK ABOUT SEX- Salt N Pepa (42,992)
3- INSANITY- Oceanic (42,880)
4- LOVE TO HATE YOU- Erasure (39,792)
5- I’M TOO SEXY- Right Said Fred (37,776)
6- SUNSHINE ON A RAINY DAY- Zoe (30,256)
7- EVERYBODY’S FREE (TO FEEL GOOD)- Rozalla (26,256)
8- PEACE- Sabrina Johnston (23,856)
9- CHARLY- The Prodigy (23,120)
10- WHAT CAN YOU DO FOR ME- Utah Saints (22,976)

The rave bit in the Rozalla song before the last chorus!

The rest of the song is very good too!

On 24/11/2025 at 23:04, dandy* said:

By this point I can remember feeling like I was the only person who didn’t buy that single

Was in Philippines for 4 weeks and it was inescapeable there. Played on every bus, in every station, rerstaurant, cafe, shop...over and over again. When my sister picked me up from airport she said U2 were No.1,

On 25/11/2025 at 18:05, Colm said:

I would assume that Do They Know It's Christmas? did it prior.

Think it was Rivers Of Babylon by Boney M in 1978 as it climbed back to No.2 when they started playing Brown Girl...rumours that some people didn't know it was the other side so bought it again...

Edited November 27, 2025Nov 27 by CRAZY CHRIS

Can we avoid spoilers please?

Except the #1 this is a brilliant Top 10. Favourite three songs out of it are "Charly", "What Can You Do For Me" and "Sunshine On A Rainy Day".

Rozalla's is a club classic, still good. I bought that Bryan Adams album later on as I caught that tour. I also bought the number one single late in the day. No need to thank me! 😇

5TH OCTOBER





Just when you thought he couldn’t have a better year or dominate more, Bryan Adams sits atop of both the singles and album charts this week. “Waking Up The Neighbours” railroads all competition and “I Do It For You” spends an incredible 13th week at the No 1 spot, even more remarkable is the fact is that the track lost only 8% in sales week on week shifting a further 68,864 copies. That brings total sales of the single to 1,244,448. Nothing has sold more since Band Aid rushed past that figure in 84/85, so as you can guess it is way out in front for 1991, here’s the YTD top 10 as we move into the final quarter:


1- (EVERYTHING I DO) I DO IT FOR YOU- Bryan Adams 1,244,448
2- THE SHOOP SHOOP SONG- Cher 513.808
3- DO THE BARTMAN- The Simpsons 457,312
4- ANY DREAM WILL DO- Jason Donovan 447,872
5- I‘M TOO SEXY- Right Said Fred 435,760
6- THE ONE AND ONLY- Chesney Hawkes 385,488
7- I WANNA SEX YOU UP- Color Me Badd 355,600
8- 3AM ETERNAL- The KLF Featuring The Children Of The Revolution 328,704
9- MORE THAN WORDS- Extreme 284,672
10- SHOULD I STAY OR SHOULD I GO- The Clash 245,280

Adams is therefore on more than double the sales of runner up Cher, a phenomenal achievement. In topping both charts simultaneously he becomes the first act since Jason Donovan in 1989 to manage this feat. Right Said Fred continue to fade 5-7 (26,224) and should move to No 3 for the year next week but may struggle to overtake Cher at No 2, regardless for a novelty track that didn’t make No 1 it has done incredibly well to outsell most chart toppers.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vFD2gu007dc&list=RDvFD2gu007dc&start_radio=1



Brewing on the horizon is trouble for Adams though, the track that most are predicting will replace him at the top comes from German rockers The Scorpions. They formed all the way back in 1965 and through various line up changes scored 8 chart hits between 1979 and 1989 despite never making it higher than No 39, even the original release of “Wind Of Change” only made No 53 a few months ago despite being a major hit all across the continent over the summer. Lyrically it recounts the ever changing situation in Eastern Europe with the fall of the Berlin Wall and the collapse of Communist rule in many countries, it obviously struck a chord and even the UK cannot deny its catchiness as it marches 19-5 (34,832) and eyes up the No 1 spot with envy.

It’s been 7 years since Julian Lennon’s “Too Late For Goodbye” made No 6 and since then he’s accrued 4 more hits without going higher than No 40, no more though, the ecologically themed “Saltwater” has proved popular enough to wriggle 13-10 (21,936). It’s the lead single from his fourth album “Help Yourself” which also debuts at No 42 this week and contains some helping guitar work from George Harrison on the album though not on this single sadly.

Salt N Pepa hold in the runner up spot (39,872) though they fade at retail and look like they will end up matching the peak of “Push It” , Oceanic meanwhile them close for the No 2 spot with 39,728 copies sold (they were 112 copies short last week and just 146 copies shy this week) though they hold the No 3 spot and Erasure complete the static top 4 (34,944) but they’ll be more bothered by their album coming out in three weeks. Rozalla climbs 7-6 (31,248) after not making the inroads some expected and Sabrina Johnston holds at No 8 (23,840) though she has lost sales every week despite moving 9-8-8 while Zoe drops 6-9 (22,144).


1- (EVERYTHING I DO) I DO IT FOR YOU- Bryan Adams (68,864)
2- LET’S TALK ABOUT SEX- Salt N Pepa (39,872)
3- INSANITY- Oceanic (39,728)
4- LOVE TO HATE YOU- Erasure (34,944)
5- WIND OF CHANGE- The Scorpions (34,832)
6- EVERYBODY’S FREE (TO FEEL GOOD) –Rozalla (31,248)
7- I’M TOO SEXY- Right Said Fred (26,224)
8- PEACE- Sabrina Johnston (23,840)
9- SUNSHINE ON A RAINY DAY- Zoe (22,144)
10- SALTWATER- Julian Lennon (21,936)