It's 1992 in this thread and the 90s have really began. We'll count down all the sounds of the year and hopefully generate a few "almost forgotten gems" along the way. As always thanks go to MFR, Vas tariner, Youtube, Wikipedia, MW, popscene, James Masterton and a few other sources who have helped over the years. Here's the links to previous threads if this isn't your year!

Gallup sales Index

Actual weekly sales have recently come to light, my thanks go to Robbie and kobyhadrain for sourcing the information and presenting it. So sit back and enjoy every top 10 hit of the year (eventually), before spring we'll see there ain't no doubt it's:

As with all these threads I would appreciate no spoilers in terms of peak positions so that those who follow it in "real time" don't get spoilers (as Indeed I write them in this fashion i.e as though they were written in the respective weeks). Your co-operation is much appreciated.

I'd say 1992 was the year when I really started to buy quite a lot of singles so I'm really looking forward to this one. My parents used to give me £20 pocket money and I'd always spend it on a Monday by getting off the school bus in the town and heading to the independent music shop that used to be there - not sure if my parents ever realised that I used to blow it all on day one each week 😂

Given what I can remember charting in 1992, I was still buying 7" and 12" singles for the first part of the year, plus a fair few cassingles as the year progressed but I definitely also started to buy more CDs this year so quite the range of formats. My first CD single had been Black or White at the end of 1991, but I had to play it on my dad's CD player so I assume that this must have been the year when my parents bought me my first CD player, which I assume would have been for my birthday so I'm expecting to have more CD singles from about June onwards.

I sat my GCSE's so the first half of the year was all about study and the second half i started my A level's so quite a big year all told.

Music wise I was on cassette mainly for albums and CD for singles though i didn't buy that much as I was still taping from the radio !

6 hours ago, Gezza said:

I sat my GCSE's so the first half of the year was all about study and the second half i started my A level's so quite a big year all told.

Music wise I was on cassette mainly for albums and CD for singles though i didn't buy that much as I was still taping from the radio !

All this is basically the same for me in 92! Except I bought very few CDs from 1991 to 1994ish.

11th JANUARY




18 New entries in the top 40 and 33 in the top 75 are both records which are set this week as 1992 explodes into action, but you won’t see much evidence in the top 10 of that turnaround. Queen make it four weeks on the trot as “Bohemian Rhapsody/ These Are The Days Of Our Lives” shifts another 46,845 sales to take its monthly tally to 764,509 as it now looks unlikely to break the million mark in its current incarnation.

Its victory was easy in the end, The KLF and Tammy Wynette keep the pressure on nominally at No 2 but with just 23,550 sales they’re still trailing way behind, and don’t hold out hope for the new Right Said Fred single, they climb 5-3 but their sales are off 35% to just 19,290, and even Hammer takes a hit of 22% to 17,475 as he progresses 8-4, that’s now his second highest peaking single of his career lagging behind only 1990’s “U Can’t Touch This” which made No 3. In short never have we had a week where only 2 tracks clear the 20,000 mark- not a good start to 92, and even at that the KLF's tally is lowest ever needed to hit No 2 certainly since 1980.

After 4 weeks at the No 7 position Kym Sims’ “Too Blind To See It” is finally on the move again rising 7-5 (15,930) and Shaft lift 9-7 (13,950). Heading the wrong way are Diana Ross 3-6 (15,810) and George Michael & Elton John 4-8 (13,395) as it slips past the 300,000 mark, easily Michael’s biggest hit since “I Knew You Were Waiting (For Me)”.

Onto the new hits and bounding 20-9 (12,120) this week is the new single by Wet, wet, wet called “Goodnight Girl”. The group’s first 7 singles all made the top 20 but since then 4 releases have all missed that same marker with their last single “Put The Light On” flopping at No 56 last year. It looks as though releasing a new single as this quiet time of year has reaped rewards though as it now becomes their biggest hit in over 2 years, parent album “High On The Happy Side” had been held back in lieu of a big hit single and should now be in shops next month.

Suffering a distribution leak last week which saw it enter at No 48 The Prodigy’s third single “Everybody In The Place EP” improves 48-10 (12,075) to become their second top 10 hit on the trot. The title track to the EP was actually available in a substantially different version on their first release “What Evil Lurks EP” last year and so they appear to be pulling off the same trick that the KLF proved could be so lucrative of recycling old tracks and souping them up for a new release. An album is promised later in the year.

This week sees the lowest tally needed since 1980 not only for No 2 spot (KLF as already noted who take the unwanted accolade from Jason Donovan in January 1990) but also all the other tracks in the top 10 except Queen at No 1 and George and Elton at No 8- sobering times.

1- BOHEMIAN RHAPSODY/ THESE ARE THE DAYS OF OUR LIVES- Queen (46,845)
2- JUSTIFIED AND ANCIENT- The KLF/ Tammy Wynette (23,550)
3- DON’T TALK JUST KISS- Right Said Fred (19,290)
4- ADDAMS GROOVE- Hammer (17,475)
5- TOO BLIND TO SEE IT- Kym Sims (15,930)
6- WHEN YOU TELL ME THAT YOU LOVE ME- Diana Ross (15,810)
7- ROOBARB AND CUSTARD- Shaft (13,950)
8- DON’T LET THE SUN GO DOWN ON ME- Elton John & George Michael (13,395)
9- GOODNIGHT GIRL- Wet, wet, wet (12,120)
10- EVERYBODY IN THE PLACE E.P- The Prodigy (12,075)

I reckon 'Goodnight Girl' is deffo influenced by Beautiful South - Song For Whoever without the humour! It's a nice enough song anyway!

Everybody In The Place is very noisy! The fairground music effects are good.

Very low sales! Presumably down to the mehness of much of the top 10 rather than due to a big economic downturn and singles hitting £1 with inflation in 1980 - cos it certainly wasnt the vibrant music scene that was the problem, it was growing millions unemployed. My memories of this period are more people buying property getting stuck with negative equity for a decade after housing and flats had become the new way to make money rather than to live in. I did like Goodnight Girl though, one of their better ballads from the Wets. The Prodigy was fun, had I been going to Clubs I'd prob have enjoyed it more, but I was mostly busy working for Council Parks Dept. while studying for horticulture qualifications related to the job. For years!

2 hours ago, Gezza said:

Didn't notice the Jax Jones style product parody single cover art for the Shaft song until now!

Edited Monday at 18:173 days by TheSnake

'Everybody in the Place' is such a banger.

18TH JANUARY





With sales only off marginally at a still impressive 44,235 Queen make light work of another week at the top, the re-issued “Bohemian Rhapsody” is still attracting much of the promo though “These Are The Days Of Our Lives” is improving at radio. Overall sales now top the 800,000 mark. On the album charts both the group’s “Greatest Hits” packages are well inside the top 10 with their last studio album “Innuendo” still climbing at No 32 as it revives slightly.

The Prodigy record a sales increase of 150% as they leap 10-2 (30,150) and could pose a serious threat to Queen next week, and don’t write off Wet, wet, wet who improve themselves 9-3 (27,870) with an increase of 130%- next week could be an interesting one.



Steve “Silk” Hurley is now the producer on two tracks in the top 10, Kym Sims’s “Too Blind To See It” which sticks at No 5 (22,170) and Ce Ce Peniston’s “We Got A Love Thang” which floats 13-7 (17,910). Peniston is a former Ms Black Arizona, a title she won in 1989 at just 19, she swapped the catwalk for the charts and first single “Finally” garnered a lot of airplay though it stopped at No 29 back in November, her second single “We Got A Love Thang” is certainly hitting the spot and the dancefloor’s, rumours are that Kym Sims also appears on backing vocals!

It’s been over 4 years since Kiss were in the top 10, on that occasion “Crazy Crazy Nights” made No 4, but they were asked to provide a track for the new film “Bill & Ted’s Bogus Journey” and they chose a cover of the 1973 No 18 single by Argent called “God Gave Rock & Roll To You” and it becomes just their second top 10 single in the UK in their long career as it charges 21-9 (16,680).

Genesis can regard their new album as a success, “We Can’t Dance” opened at No 1 (their 5th chart topper) and lifts 6-5 to return to the top 5 for the first time since its November release. First single “No Son Of Mine” made No 6 and now “I Can’t Dance” leaps 45-10 (14,280) to become their 7th top 10 single but only the second time they have pulled off back to back top tenners. It comes with a promo which mocks several jeans adverts and there’s even a parody of the Jackson video for “Black Or White” just for entertainment value.

The KLF collapse 2-4 (23,205), Hammer reverses 4-6 (21,345) despite increasing sales and Right Said Fred tumble 3-8 (17,040)


1- BOHEMIAN RHAPSODY/ THESE ARE THE DAYS OF OUR LIVES- Queen (44,235)
2- EVERYBODY IN THE PLACE E.P- The Prodigy (30,150)
3- GOODNIGHT GIRL- Wet wet wet (27,870)
4- JUSTIFIED AND ANCIENT- The KLF/ Tammy Wynette (23,205)
5- TOO BLIND TO SEE IT- Kym Sims (22,170)
6- ADDAM’S GROOVE- Hammer (21,345)
7- WE GOT A LOVE THANG- Ce Ce Peniston (17,910)
8- DON’T TALK JUST KISS- Right Said Fred (17,040)
9- GOD GAVE ROCK & ROLL TO YOU II- Kiss (16,680)
10- I CAN’T DANCE- Genesis (14,280)

Steve Hurley should have stuck to producing!!!

That's my favourite Wet Wet Wet track, which doesn't say a lot really as I only think it's nice enough. I did however buy that on CD so clearly I didn't wait until my birthday before starting to buy them after all. I'd never considered that they could have been influenced by Beautiful South but I can kinda hear it now that Snake has mentioned it, also may explain why I liked it as I was a big fan of that band at the time.

A shame that Justified and Ancient couldn't sneak a week at the top - or that Freddy Mercury didn't wait until mid January before passing away(!) - I'll take solace in the fact that it wasn't really ever that close to making it though.

Prodigy are the other act worth mentioning for me, great to see them rocketing up to #2. Their really early material isn't my favourite era from them, but it's good to document how they started out in rave and how they progressed their sound and production as the decade went on.

Wet, wet, wet (to their credit) had tried to do soemthing different with their last two singles but it seemed we were uninterested! GG was much more commercial and aimed at radio, coupled with a quiet time in the music industry paid dividends

Didn't realise Kym Sims was such a long runner!

The two Hurley tracks were pretty good, way better than his number one, and the added bonus of sniggering for poor Ce Ce if anyone pronounced her surname wrong. Kiss. Take a classic Argent song. Ruin it with bombast. Hey ho. Genesis, the video was much better than the record.

25TH JANUARY



So Britain has its first new chart topper of 1992 and it belongs to Wet, wet, wet. “Goodnight Girl” advances 3-1 on a sale of 41,455, a further 52% sales hike. It’s the Scots second chart topper following on the heels of their cover of “With A Little Help From My Friends” 4 years ago and as noted a few weeks ago is something of a major return to form the group. Queen sold another 39,900 as they dip 1-2 and didn’t surrender their crown easily, The prodigy increase sales by 7% to 32,955 but still drop back 2-3, they are however well ahead of the 26,265 sale posted by Kiss as they fly 9-4 to equal their highest peak ever achieved by “Crazy Crazy Nights”.

Onto the highest new entry of the week and that belongs to Kylie Minogue with her 7th single to debut inside the top 5 but first in two years. “Give Me Just A Little More Time” is a cover of the 1970 No 3 hit by Chairman Of The Board and written by the legendary Holland-Dozier-Holland, it got an added boost when it was chosen to be used in the current Accurist watch advert which helps to explain the high new entry at No 5 (21,630).

Striking whilst the iron is hot, 2 Unlimited follow up the massive hit “Get Ready For This” with more of the same in the form of “Twilight Zone”. The track has once again been stripped the original rap by Slijngaard’s and been given a more Hi-NRG overhaul for the UK market and it all seems to be working as it debuts at No 9 (18,705). You only need to wait a month for the album if you like the sound of the singles.

Ce Ce Peniston creeps 7-6 (21,105) just holding off Genesis who bound 10-7 (20,115). Kym Sims dives 5-8 (19,925) and The KLF and Tammy Wynette concede 4-10 (18,255).


1- GOODNIGHT GIRL- Wet wet wet (41,455)
2- BOHEMIAN RHAPSODY/ THESE ARE THE DAYS OF OUR LIVES- Queen (39,900)
3- EVERYBODY IN THE PLACE E.P- The Prodigy (32,955)
4- GOD GAVE ROCK N ROLL TO YOU II- Kiss (26,265)
5- GIVE ME JUST A LITTLE MORE TIME- Kylie Minogue (21,630)
6- WE GOT A LOVE THANG- Ce Ce Peniston (21,105)
7- I CAN’T DANCE- Genesis (20,115)
8- TOO BLIND TO SEE IT- Kym Sims (19,725)
9- TWILIGHT ZONE- 2 Unlimited (18,705)
10- JUSTIFIED AND ANCIENT- The KLF/ Tammy Wynette (18,255)

For me, the riff on Twilight Zone is synonomous with the 90s rave era. Often used on programmes about the era. I know people get snobby and say even their early stuff isn't rave but....

Love 'Twilight Zone' ❤️ 2 Unlimited had some serious bangers.

Quite far from being one of my favourite Kylie songs, but nice that she's able to get a hit this big from an album campaign that's essentially flopped.

2 Unlimited put a string of goodies together before they started to sound a bit samey, and Wet Wet Wet's much better than the last chart-topper, it's a nice ballad - though I don't love it as much as I did at the time, unlike Wishing I Was Lucky, still sounds fresh that one.