Brutal for Madonna to be denied #1 by so few! I remember another occasion 12 years later where she loses the midweek #1 at the last moment.

Also one of Kylie's absolute best

16TH MARCH

No sooner have The Clash finally ended their long wait for a No 1 single that it looks to be in trouble, “Should I Stay Or Should I Go?” holds the top slot with an 8% sales increase to 60,752 but it doesn’t look like it will develop into the one of the year’s big smashes. The writing is on the wall as Hale & The Pace rise 10-2 (53,616) with “The Stonk” and with Comic Relief day this Friday it looks unstoppable in becoming the second chart topper for the comedic cause. The remainder of the top 5 are all fading badly in the sales department and will pose no further threat, The Simpsons hold at No 3 (32,480- 36%) Madonna falls 2-4 (31,696- 41%) and The Source & Candi Staton slide 4-5 (29,744- 9%). For “Do The Bartman” it now passes the 400,000 mark, way out in front of the rest of the field.

With a title inspired by an interview with Paul McCartney where he talked about writing with John Lennon as a joyride, Roxette are back with their second international album and title track “Joyride” which pays homage to “The Magical Mystery Tour” in its opening lines. It’s already a major hit on the continent and is topping the charts in Norway and Sweden as we speak, here it flies 18-8 (21,216) to become their 4th top 10 single in under 2 years giving them the honour of being the second most successful Swedish act on the UK charts, after ABBA naturally.

Dance duo Ronnie Herel and Dave Rawlings go by the name of Quartz and have been knocking around for the last few years with only the No 65 single “We’re Comin At Ya” to show for it. They’ve now got themselves a vocalist in the form of Dina Carroll who herself has been a singer of some years on the club scene without breaking into the big time. Proving that the group is greater than the sum of the parts their version of Carole King’s 1971 No 6 hit “It’s Too Late” could go even better than the original as it powers 40-21-9 in the last few weeks with 18,560 takers in its latest frame.

Stevie B surprisingly halts at No 6 (29,104) similarly stopping Xpansions climbing at No 7 (28,144) but they have bigger trouble this week as two former members of the outfit have issued proceedings over ownership of the song and it appears that Sally Ann Marsh is not the voice you hear on the track, a common error these days! Nomad meanwhile drop 5-10 (17,744).


1- SHOULD I STAY OR SHOULD I GO- The Clash (60,752)
2- THE STONK- Hale & Pace (53,616)
3- DO THE BARTMAN- The Simpsons (32,480)
4- CRAZY FOR YOU (REMIX)- Madonna (31,696)
5- YOU GOT THE LOVE- The Source Ft Candi Staton (29,744)
6- BECAUSE I LOVE YOU- Stevie B (29,104)
7- MOVE YOUR BODY- Xpansions (28,144)
8- JOYRIDE- Roxette (21,216)
9- IT’S TOO LATE- Quartz Ft Dina Carroll (18,560)
10- (I WANNA GIVE YOU) DEVOTION- Nomad (17,744)

Joyride <3 I was obsessed with Roxette during this album campaign, they were so good at pop/rock tracks

I remember at the time being very surprised that the New Year No.1 even held on for a second week.

Chart run was. 1-1-9-32-68-

Edited October 27, 2025Oct 27 by CRAZY CHRIS

Joyride fit very nicely into the Dangerous/ The Look banger mode, though the ballads remain more famous and beloved. Quartz was an OK update on It's Too Late, but I'll stick with Carole King and Tapestry - I got the single for Xmas 1971. Classic.

23RD MARCH





It was heading to No 1 way before Friday’s Comic Relief event but more copies were sold of “The Stonk” on Saturday than any other record in any individual day so far in 1991, it sold 83,840 copies in the end, a new record for the year. With the event now over and promotion for the song much less prominent we’ll see if it can hold for a second week. It deposes The Clash 1-2 (38,448) as they confirm the re-release of “Rock The Casbah” will follow next month.

Rod Stewart’s 20th solo hit is up next as it rockets 20-3 (28,000) and has all the hallmarks of a future chart topper depending on Hale & Pace maintain their…erm…pace. Written for Rene Shuman’s 1986 eponymous debut album. It’s been brushed down by Rod who’s got Trevor Horn in to update the sound and what do you know it becomes Stewart’s biggest hit in 5 years, the melody incidentally is an adaptation of “Loch Lomond” with a bagpipe thrown in for good measure.

Son of former Tremeloes front man Les Hawkes, Chesney Hawkes is the latest teenager to be plucked from obscurity to the pages of “Smash Hits” courtesy of his lead part in the film “Buddy’s Song” with Roger Daltrey. The first single lifted from the soundtrack is “The One And Only” which is penned by 80 popstar Nik Kershaw, the film has met with moderate success but the single can’t be stopped by the look of things as it accelerates 18-5 (25,920) and may yet pose a threat to the top.

That will depend on how the record that debuts at No 7 performs. One of the longest titles to become a top 40 hit the new Pet Shop Boys single “Where The Streets Have No Name (Can’t Take My Eyes Off Of You)/ How Can You Expect To Be Taken Seriously” is on the one side a medley of those two hits that works very well, and on the reverse a third track to be taken from the “Behaviour” album. Last single “Being Boring” only made No 20 breaking a run of top 10 singles dating back to 1986 but they seem back on track with this single selling 24,016 copies in its first 6 days. It’s prompted a response from Bono who stated “What have we done to deserve this” but it’s unclear exactly whether that was tongue in cheek or not. With regards to “seriously” it is apparently about a female popstar in 1989 so get your guessing hats on!

Roxette power 8-4 (26,720) which means no moving again for Stevie B at No 6 (24,544) though he has now peaked at retail!, Quartz Featuring Dina Carroll continue to nudge north 9-8 (22,304) whilst The Source and Candi Staton drop 5-9 (21,984) and Xpansions deflate 7-10 (20,992).



1- THE STONK- Hale & Pace (83,840)
2- SHOULD I STAY OR SHOULD I GO- The Clash (38,448)
3- RHYTHM OF MY HEART- Rod Stewart (28,000)
4- JOYRIDE- Roxette (26,720)
5- THE ONE AND ONLY- Chesney Hawkes (25,920)
6- BECAUSE I LOVE YOU- Stevie B (24,544)
7- WHERE THE STREETS HAVE NO NAME/ HOW CAN YOU EXPECT...- Pet Shop Boys (24,016)
8- IT’S TOO LATE- Quartz Ft Dina Carroll (22,304)
9- YOU GOT THE LOVE- The Source Ft Candi Staton (21,984)
10- MOVE YOUR BODY- Xpansions (20,992)

Love that Pet Shop Boys version so much, perhaps one of the campest things ever recorded!

'Its Too Late' is more to the trip-hop side of dance! It is a nice listen!

I like the weird bottle clink effect in it.

'Joyride' a good song too, still popular on MOR radio!

Edited October 28, 2025Oct 28 by TheSnake

Anyone want to take a guess on which popstar inspired HCYETBTS?

The Stonk is a candidate for worst chart-topper ever. Just terrible. Rod's bagpipe song is rather good, I think, great tune and it has that folk feel to it - one of his best records in a while. Chesney Hawkes with his iconic moment in the sun - it sounds very Nik Kershaw-ey but with a punchier production - but tbh I always preferred the follow-up and his recent singles have been great pop tracks, he's more than just a 90's one-hit wonder and Tremeloes' stand-in vocalist.

Pet Shop Boys? well Madonna was always courting controversy, so one might expect a 1989 pop star song to be about her - but How Can You Expect To Be wasn't their strongest single by any means and would have peaked much lower without the genius of the U2/Valli mash-up. Chris notoriously hated rock, and U2 were getting slagged off for being over-earnest and pompous, so what better way to take the piss than mash-it-up with the Boystown Gang's ultra-camp dance stylee version of the Frankie Valli/Andy Williams classic? It was hilarious, the video fabulous, and U2 took note and diverted into more experimental sounds for a decade. Win-win! I adore that track!

5 hours ago, Popchartfreak said:

Pet Shop Boys? well Madonna was always courting controversy, so one might expect a 1989 pop star song to be about her -

A decent guess! Apparently it was written about Wendy James who was allegedly being very arrogant in interviews at the time and Tennant found out via his old Smash Hits connections...

21 hours ago, Gezza said:

Anyone want to take a guess on which popstar inspired HCYETBTS?

Well it has the word seriously in the title and there was an 1989 album 'But...Seriously', so maybe Phil Collins?

Edited October 29, 2025Oct 29 by TheSnake

30TH MARCH



Hale & Pace started off very brightly but as the week progressed “The Stonk” lost impetus and even TOTP couldn’t give a sufficient bolster so it sinks 1-2 (40,784) but it doesn’t make room for Rod Stewart who holds at No 3 (36,352) with only a 29% sales increase. Same too for The Pet Shop Boys who can only climb 7-4 (34,496) and so instead it falls to Chesney Hawkes whose climb 5-1 (42,368) heralds the birth of a new pop sensation. In making No 1 it marks the first father/son combo to have separate chart toppers on the UK charts (honourable mention to Zak Starkey’s session musicianship on The Crowd), he’s also the first teenager to top the charts since Sonia in 1989 and the first male teenager since Glenn Medeiros a year earlier, however he’s the youngest British male soloist ever. The album and film that feature the song have not been the success they were expected to be and so a new video for the single will be released this week in an attempt to distance the song from the concept- an interesting move.

The last time Simple Minds had a new album out they previewed it with the chart topper “Belfast Child”, this time around lead single “Let There Be Love” has had a more stilted beginning debuting at No 13 last week and now moving to No 6 (25,536). In all fairness the single was only released on CD and 12” last week and now gets another CD, cassingle and 7” release, enough to give it the lift it needed. Album “Real Life” is out in a few weeks.

Written by lead singer Tim Booth as a tribute to Doris Lessing and Patti Smith, James released the single “Sit Down” back in 1989 when it could only make No 77, but the group scored three top 40 singles in 1990 causing the record label to give “Sit Down” another shot at the big time in a remixed shortened version to the original. It has paid off spectacularly as it debuts at No 7 (25,264), though it should be noted that the original was released on Rough Trade before they released the band to sign with Mercury so it has a major label to push it now.

Back with an incredible 19th studio album, the Bee Gees have been missing from the top 10 for over three years with their last appearance at No 1 with “You Win Again”. They now score their 16th top 10 single of a 24 yr long career in “Secret Love” a first single from new album “High Civilisation”. Of course they’ve been in the top 10 in the interim as writers most recently with Jimmy Somerville’s cover of “To Love Somebody” at the end of last year but it’s nice to have them back in person with the new single moving 12-10 (22,656).

Elsewhere Roxette fall back 4-5 (31,120) but continue to increase saleswise, and The Clash tumble 2-9 (23,744), Quartz do however hold at No 8 (24,752). This week’s top 10 is the first to not feature any US acts since way back in March 1988 by way of trivia.


1- THE ONE AND ONLY- Chesney Hawkes (42,368)
2- THE STONK- Hale & Pace (40,784)
3- RHYTHM OF MY HEART- Rod Stewart (36,352)
4- WHERE THE STREETS HAVE NO NAME/ HOW CAN YOU...- Pet Shop Boys. (34,496)
5- JOYRIDE- Roxette (31,120)
6- LET THERE BE LOVE- Simple Minds (25,536)
7- SIT DOWN- James (25,264)
8- IT’S TOO LATE- Quartz Ft Dina Carroll (24,752)
9- SHOULD I STAY OR SHOULD I GO- The Clash (23,744)
10- SECRET LOVE- Bee Gees (22,656)

5 hours ago, Popchartfreak said:

The Stonk is a candidate for worst chart-topper ever. Just terrible.

The chicken song clucks back 🐔

Edited October 29, 2025Oct 29 by TheSnake

I like Secret Love but it is sort of overshadowed by the Bee Gees hits before and after it.

I remember James - Sit Down on the radio a lot when I was younger! The flowery visuals for the TOTP performance suggest a 60s influence!

17 hours ago, Gezza said:

A decent guess! Apparently it was written about Wendy James who was allegedly being very arrogant in interviews at the time and Tennant found out via his old Smash Hits connections...

Ah yes, I vaguely remember some of her interviews - being controversial was a good way to get newspaper headlines but it could come back to bite you.

Let There Be Love is decent Simple Minds, but not classic S.M. Secret Love I see as the top 10 The Bee Gees should have got had they not given Chain Reaction away in 1986, it's not a million miles away from that song. Sit Down is an anthem, though, doesnt sound like it's from any era, it just exists as a classic inspiring singalong.

06TH APRIL





Easter arrives and it produces no change at the top with Chesney Hawkes “The One And Only” making it 2 weeks at the summit, it has a new challenger though and that is James’ “Sit Down” which motors 7-2 (43,072), Chesney hasn’t really lifted off but that’s in part to a day’s lost sales from Good Friday (expect a repeat of that next week) but his new "Buddy's Song" free promo is now winning new fans.  It expanded 47% week on week to 61,360.

There’s only one new song in the top 10 and that’s from Snap! proving that anything the likes of Technotronic or Black Box can do so can they. That means producing a “Megamix” and making a hit of songs that only been hits over the course of the previous year! It rises 13-10 (19,184) to give the outfit the perfect start of 5 top 10 tenners from 5 releases. They are in the studio over the summer drumming up something new up for us.

Rod Stewart holds at No 3 (32,720) and Roxette rebound 5-4 (26,064) though you’ll note they continue to lose sales in the process and indeed Stewart’s album debuts at No 2 to assist with that. Better news for the Gibb Brothers as they rise 10-5 (23,280) ahead of the falling Pet Shop Boys 4-6 (23,280) matching the peak of both U2 and Boystown Gang (their version at least) who were responsible for the originals of their amalgamation, and Simple Minds dip 6-7 (22,576) whilst Hale & Pace drop dramatically 2-9 (20,784). Quartz Featuring Dina Carroll spend a third week at No 8 (20,784).

So with the first quarter of the year done time to see who’s been shifting those copies January-March:


1- DO THE BARTMAN- The Simpsons 446,976
2- 3AM ETERNAL- The KLF Featuring The Children Of The Revolution 324,480
3- (I WANNA GIVE YOU) DEVOTION- Nomad Featuring MC Mikee Freedom 226,784
4- SHOULD I STAY OR SHOULD I GO- The Clash 224,288
5- THE STONK- Hale & Pace 221,312
6- YOU GOT THE LOVE- The Source Featuring Candi Staton 196,592
7- SADNESS PART ONE- Enigma 182,208
8- CRAZY- Seal 180,656
9- WIGGLE IT- 2 In A Room 177,632
10- GET HERE- Oleta Adams 172,336

You’ll see there is no room for chart toppers from Iron Maiden, Queen, or Chesney Hawkes though the latter is already on 161,312 and should make it next week.


1- THE ONE AND ONLY- Chesney Hawkes (61,360)
2- SIT DOWN- James (43,072)
3- RHYTHM OF MY HEART- Rod Stewart (32,720)
4- JOYRIDE- Roxette (26,064)
5- SECRET LOVE- Bee Gees (23,664)
6- WHERE THE STREETS HAVE NO NAME/ HOW CAN YOU EXPECT...- Pet Shop Boys (23,280)
7- LET THERE BE LOVE- Simple Minds (22,576)
8- IT’S TOO LATE- Quartz Ft Dina Carroll (20,864)
9- THE STONK- Hale & Pace (20,784)
10- SNAP! MEGAMIX- Snap! (19,184)

Snap megamix rather pointless at this stage, mixes are only ever as good as the weakest part, and anyone who wants to hear the original versions probably already has them! Fanbase hit....(and I didnt buy it, I went to see them in concert instead)

13TH APRIL





Six new songs in the top 10 this week means we’ve got much to discuss but not right at the top, that remains a stalemate with Chesney Hawkes holding off James again. The two tracks are both in decline but only gently (considering a days sales lost to a bank holiday), Hawkes down to 51,872 off 15% and James to 37,568 down 13%, technically James therefore reduced the gap but not by enough or quickly enough to prevent new challenges arising.

None more so than from The Waterboys whose re-issued “The Whole Of The Moon” moves menacingly 11-3 (27,248) this week, it was originally a No 26 hit in 1985 but has become a fan favourite and something of a signature song over the intervening years. It previews a new greatest hits compilation due in a few weeks, and was helped by the track emerging as a dance hit last year with the rave scene and generated a cover by Little Caesar which made No 68.

Debuting straight into the charts at No 4 is the new Madonna single “Rescue Me” which is lifted from the “Immaculate Collection” album, it’s already created chart history in the US by debuting at No 15, the highest ever debut by a female soloist over there but only ultimately reached No 9. Here it becomes her 25th top 10 single (or 26th depending on how you see the remix of “Crazy For You” which only leaves the top 40 this week) and her 14th to debut inside the top 10- a record by any act. It also reunites her with Shep Pettibone as writer and producer and only the astonishing sales of the parent album could work against this becoming her 8th chart topper. Regardless, with this week’s sale Madonna moves past the 1.1 million total sales of singles in the 90s and simultaneously she sails past both New Kids On The Block and former leaders Righteous Brothers into the decade’s biggest selling singles act.

Growing in critical appreciation and fanbase since their first album back in 1988, The Wonder Stuff are ready with their third album “Never Loved Elvis” and first single to be cut from it “The Size Of A Cow”. Nominated for, although not winners of, a BRIT award they’ve certainly entered the big time now as the single debuts at No 6 (19,440) to easily become the Stourbridge based band’s biggest hit.

N-Joi’s “Anthem” was first issued last year making only No 45 but is making greater waves this time around as it climbs 19-8 (18,160). The track is actually an amalgamation of vocal lines lifted from Gwen Guthrie’s “Peanut Butter” and Darlene Davis “I Found Love” with a splash of Soul II Soul, and put to a rave backing, it’s another example of dance tracks doing greater business in 1991 than ever before. Incidentally you may note that the woman who fronts the outfit is called Saffron who also appears in the Chesney Hawkes video for the current No 1.

For those who thought that “Do The Bartman” was a one off well they were wrong, moving 22-9 (17,328) this week is “Deep Deep Trouble” the second single by the cartoon act The Simpsons. It’s co-written by DJ Jazzy Jeff (one half of rap outfit with The Fresh Prince) and the album has responded well moving back into the top ten 12-9 in unison.

A No 4 hit in her native Australia last year Kylie’s little sister finally makes it over here with a remixed version of “Love & Kisses”, the remix coming courtesy of Dancin Danny D (of D Mob). Dannii was actually famous in Australia before Kylie thanks to her performances in “Young Talent Time” which led to her pop career and a role in “Home And Away” which enabled her to reach the UK audience. The single climbs 15-10 (17,200) and means that the Minogue sisters are the first sisters to have separate solo top ten singles in chart history.

So with that big clearout what has stuck around? Rod Stewart falls 3-5 (23,184), Roxette dip 4-7 (19,168) but do arrive at No 2 on the album charts behind Eurythmics.


1- THE ONE AND ONLY- Chesney Hawkes (51,872)
2- SIT DOWN- James (37,568)
3- THE WHOLE OF THE MOON- The Waterboys (27,248)
4- RESCUE ME- Madonna (23,680)
5- RHYTHM OF MY HEART- Rod Stewart (23,184)
6- THE SIZE OF A COW- Wonder Stuff (19,440)
7- JOYRIDE- Roxette (19,168)
8- ANTHEM- N-Joi (18,160)
9- DEEP DEEP TROUBLE- The Simpsons (17,328)
10- LOVE & KISSES- Dannii Minogue (17,200)