Viva la radio only getting 1 week top 10 was a travesty

15 minutes ago, 777666jason said:

Viva la radio only getting 1 week top 10 was a travesty

Thankfully she had a slightly bigger hit later.

Can't do justice to the months since I last commented, but 'No Scrubs' and 'That Don't Impress Me Much' had some of the most fascinating chart runs of the time and were both close to a #2 peak at least once (the former closest when dropping 3-5). Some of those opening sales were phenomenal, with ATB and Shanks & Bigfoot doing over 250k, and even Baz Luhrmann exceeding 200k!

On 29/03/2026 at 10:45, gooddelta said:

It was fun to see *N Sync on the same show as Britney, and really nice that both gave live vocal performances. I Breathe Again by Adam Rickitt and Be The First To Believe by A1 were both really good, hi-NRG camp pop songs, backing up my point that 1999 was maybe the most fun, carefree year in pop.

Some superstar performances too from Jennifer Lopez and Whitney Houston, I still love both of these singles, a superstar debut from the former while the latter was on top form. I loved in 1999 how so many types of genres and artists colluded each week. US superstars, Europop, trance, cheesy British pop, indie (Suede), rock from Lit, fantastic R&B, garage, we had it all and didn't realise.

Love both of those sentiments - I often think I look at 1999 with rose-tinted glasses as I had just started uni and was in many ways living my 'best life', but so much of music of the year, particularly from the late spring and summer months, does make it feel looking back like it was one big party before the millennium.

The revised chart week had the effect of belatedly creating a few Top 40 hits, perhaps most notably Tina Cousins - Forever at #38 when at the time it looked like all her post-'Thank ABBA For The Music' releases had flopped completely. The missed shows are frustrating, especially as the vast majority of the footage is unaffected, but I'd much rather be talking about the music where there are plenty more 1999 essentials to come.

24TH JULY




Back in March Steps’ single “Better Best Forgotten” lost a midweek lead to Boyzone and four months later they do it again, this time it’s Ricky Martin who mounts a rear guard motion to hold his crown for a second week. “Livin La Vida Loca” only experienced a 4% loss to 125,000, a much smaller decrease than the No 1 normally experiences which may point to the song having a pretty broad appeal. The album bounces 7-3- could he do the double?

Steps therefore fail in their attempt to get a second chart topper, “Love’s Got A Hold On My Heart” is the first release from their forthcoming second album and did manage to sell 101,500, it led by about 3,000 sales in the midweek chart. It’s the 6th top 10 single for the fivesome who are one of the most popular acts in the country at present.

Will Smith falls 3-4 (48,300) whilst Destiny’s Child’s new single “Bills Bills Bills” is new at No 6 (47,400). I note them together as in the US this week Smith replaces DC at the No 1 spot. Destiny’s Child other top 10 single here was last year’s “No, No, No” (they like repeated titles it seems) and made No 5, they can’t quite replicate that but their new single comes from the pen of She’kspere who also recently helmed TLC’s “No Scrubs” to the upper reaches of the chart. This is the first single from their second album “The Writing’s On The Wall” which is out in a fortnight.

If Fatboy Slim can do it then Paul Masterson can do it, the Northern Ireland DJ has had hits as Amen UK! And Candy Girls and now uses the name Yomanda. The song “Synth N Strings” enters at No 8 (46,500) and samples Liquid Gold’s “Dance Yourself Dizzy” (#2, 1980) and Musique’s “Keep on Jumpin” which of course formed the backbone to Lisa Marie Experience and Todd Terry’s track of the same name back in 1997.

ATB slide 2-3 (63,000) and has now crossed the half million mark, and those Vengaboys are still lingering at No 5 (47,800). Whitney falls 4-7 (46,800) while Britney slips 8-9 (34,900) and Shania Twain is also sinking 9-10 (32,000).

1- LIVIN LA VIDA LOCA- Ricky Martin (125,000)
2- LOVE’S GOT A HOLD ON MY HEART- Steps (101,500)
3- 9PM (TIL I COME)- ATB (63,000)
4- WILD WILD WEST- Will Smith (48,300)
5- BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM- Vengaboys (47,800)
6- BILLS BILLS BILLS- Destiny’s Child (47,400)
7- MY LOVE IS YOUR LOVE- Whitney Houston (46,800)
8- SYNTH & STRINGS- Yomanda (46,500)
9- SOMETIMES- Britney Spears (34,900)
10- THAT DON’T IMPRESS ME MUCH- Shania Twain (32,000)

31ST JULY



Ricky Martin continues to lead a charmed life as for the second time in three weeks he overcame a midweek deficit to remain the nation’s favourite track. “Livin La Vida Loca” sold a further 96,700 to bring its total to a respectable 352,000 but it is doubtless suffering from the parent album’s ongoing success (it climbs 3-2 this week). However it does become the first song in 1999 to top the charts for three weeks which is an achievement in itself.

1999 may be the year of the boyband but for now at least Five won’t be joining 911, Westlife, Boyzone and Backstreet Boys in the list of boys with a No 1 hit to their credit. They led midweek with “If Ya Gettin’ down” which is based extensively around a sample of Indeep’s “Last Night A DJ Saved My Life” (#13, 1983) but once again a decision to price their single at £3.99 from the off contributed to their downfall just as it did last September, regardless some 92,800 copies were sold to give them their 6th top 10 single from as many releases, expect that second album before Christmas which this serves as the intro to.

Following The Vengaboys and 2 Unlimited, the Dutch now give us DJ Jurgen (Jurgen Rijkers) who formed the project Alice Deejay and gives them a feature credit on their debut single “Better Off Alone”. Rijkers hired singer Judith Anna Pronk as vocalist on the track and the result enters the chart at No 4 (50,800), the song was actually released in some countries last year as an instrumental but seems to be on course to sell much more now.

A wait of 16 years is over for Madness who score their first top 10 single from original material. The band have been busy recording new material for the first time since they split in 1986, “Lovestruck” slams straight into No 10 (32,000) to become their 16th top 10 single.

Steps drop 2-3 (76,000) whilst ATB trip 3-5 (49,000), Whitney is back up 7-6 (42,000) in the face of sliding sales, and the Vengaboys slump 5-7 (38,000). Further down Will Smith heads south 4-8 (35,000) and Yomanda drift 8-9 (34,000).



1- LIVIN LA VIDA LOCA- Ricky Martin (96,700)
2- IF YA GETTIN DOWN- Five (92,800)
3- LOVE’S GOT A HOLD ON MY HEART- Steps (76,000)
4- BETTER OFF ALONE- DJ Jurgen Presents Alice Deejay (50,800)
5- 9PM (TIL I COME)- ATB (49,000)
6- MY LOVE IS YOUR LOVE- Whitney Houston (42,000)
7- BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM- Vengaboys (38,000)
8- WILD WEST WEST- Will Smith (35,000)
9- SYNTH & STRINGS- Yomanda (34,000)
10- LOVESTRUCK- Madness (32,000)

13 hours ago, 777666jason said:

Viva la radio only getting 1 week top 10 was a travesty

Gail Porter introduced Lolly as the queen of pop !!

'Love's Got a Hold On My Heart' is a nice Steps song, but it's not an ultimate fave of theirs or anything.

Love 'Synth & Strings'!

That Madness one is so ridiculous but can't help like it

37 minutes ago, mrpopquiz said:

Gail Porter introduced Lolly as the queen of pop !!

She wasnt wrong 🙌

Weird that Madness got an extra performance on the actual week of release.

Five's reaction (but mainly J and Scott's) to Ricky Martin beating them to number one with "If Ya Gettin' Down" at the end of the second episode tonight was funny 🤣

I do remember them being so salty about that though - and rightly so in a sense as it had been midweek number one all week. I mean they didn't have much longer to wait as it turned out and another #2 was still very respectable. Ditto Steps the week before with "Love's Got A Hold On My Heart".

What a great two weeks.

Loves Got A Hold On My Heart, Bills Bills Bills, If Ya Gettin Down & Better Off Alone are all great new enteries.

7TH AUGUST

"Not officially split" is the word from the Boyzone camp but lead singer Ronan Keating clearly didn’t get the memo, his debut solo disc “When You Say nothing At All” shoots straight to No 1 after selling a mighty 197,000 copies last week, the song was a country chart topper for Kevin Whitley in 1988 before being covered by Alison Krauss in 1995, neither gained traction here meaning that the song is relatively new to UK ears. It’s featured in the current film “Notting Hill” and is therefore the second top 10 hit to be lifted from the film soundtrack following Another Level’s “From The Heart”. Meanwhile Boyzone’s “By Request” is No 1 on the album charts for a 7th week- by far their fastest seller!

Ricky Martin’s “Livin La Vida Loca” is pushed 1-2 (103,000) after three weeks at the top and yes that’s a sales increase in the process. The song was subject to a challenge by RCA this week, CD2 runs to 20 minutes and 2 seconds, longer than chart regulations allow and so, RCA argued, sales from that CD shouldn’t contribute to sales making Five the real chart topper last week. The powers that be decided that the infringement was an honest mistake and sales allowed to stand meaning that chart history was not re-written. Five themselves slide 2-4 (62,000).

The rest of the top 5 is made up of a climbing DJ Jurgen 4-3 (83,600) and slowly fading Steps 3-5 (51,000).





Doolally’s “Straight From The Heart” gets another shot at the big time following the success of Shanks & Bigfoot’s “Sweet Like The Chocolate”. The two outfits have of course the same team behind them and this time “Straight From The Heart” goes 11 places higher than it achieved last year by entering at No 9 (30,000).

ATB linger on 5-6 (40,000) as “9PM (Til I Come)” goes platinum, Will Smith rebounds 8-7 (34,000) thanks to the film finally opening here, Whitney drops 6-8 (31,000) and the Vengaboys are almost out 7-10 (26,000).

1- WHEN YOU SAY NOTHING AT ALL- Ronan Keating (197,000)
2- LIVIN LA VIDA LOCA- Ricky Martin (103,000)
3- BETTER OFF ALONE- DJ Jurgen Presents Alice Deejay (83,600)
4- IF YA GETTIN DOWN- Five (62,000)
5- LOVE’S GOT A HOLD ON MY HEART- Steps (51,000)
6- 9PM (TIL I COME)- ATB (40,000)
7- WILD WILD WEST- Will Smith (34,000)
8- MY LOVE IS YOUR LOVE- Whitney Houston (31,000)
9- STRAIGHT FROM THE HEART- Doolally (30,000)
10- BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM- Vengaboys (26,000)

And the TOTP episode!

Loves Got A Hold On My Heart hung around the top 5 longer than I thought it did.

At The River - what a stunning song!

My Love Is Your Love held up so well !!