Gezza

There was no obligation to sing live on TOTP in the 80s (we all recall the change in rules in 1991 when they had to sing live and there was some, let's call them, issues 😆) Soul II Soul insisted on a live vocal (as indeed they did on "Keep on movin") but for whatever reason TOTP wasn't happy with that one.

1ST JULY The charts attempt to make everyone happy this week, with Prince and Soul II Soul battling it out at the top of both charts. Soul II Soul see “Back To Life” hold at the top spot for a second week on a nice 33% sales boost to 66,368 and to add to that “Club Classics Volume I” also rises 4-2 to reach a new peak. It could have been better for Prince however had the “Batman” soundtrack not have been released, but it did and Prince gets his second No 1 album into the bargain, meaning of course that he gets revenge on the album charts as his single “Batdance” advances only 3-2 to become his second No 2 single as its sales increase to 46,138. Inevitably the album therefore scuppered the chances of the single for Prince but in the end karma serves both he and Soul II Soul a piece of the pie. Further drama occurred when Soul II Soul and TOTP came to blows last week, apparently the producers were unhappy with Carol Wheeler's live vocal and insisted that they either mime or the video would be shown instead. The group responded by walking out of the studio and so it was that they passed up on a live performance. We'll wait to see if the situation gets resolved! It might be tough for Prince next week though with both Beautiful South (8-3, 36,924) and U2 (5-4 36,091) pressing hard and in truth they all had TOTP to support them so the level playing field will continue next week in that respect. Further down the top 10 and we have a new Bond theme to speak of, Gladys Knight’s “Licence To Kill” is the next in a long list that includes Duran Duran, A-ha, Lulu, and Carly Simon. The song is written by Narada Michael Walden and at over 5 minutes long in its full glory it is also the longest theme, it moves 20-8 (22,117) this week to mark the first occasion that three Bond theme’s on the trot have made the top 10. Originally the theme was given to Eric Clapton to write but when fell through Knight and Walden stepped in, it’s her first top 10 hit in 12 years and fourth overall though she’s lost the pips temporarily at least, the movie is out August 4th if you want to catch it. After the controversy of their first single “We Call It Acieed” D-Mob finally get around to making their follow up, the rather more radio friendly “It Is Time To Get Funky” which comes with some guest vocals from LRS. The team are busy producing that first album which is penciled in for around Christmas but you know how these things go. In the interim the single moves 11-9 (17,969) and if you’re particularly keen eyed you might spot Soul II Soul’s Jazzy B in the promo for this. Last spotted in the charts back in 1987 on her No 8 hit “Serious”, Donna Allen has been plugging away with the occasional dance hit in the US but nothing else, she now returns in full swing with “Joy And Pain” which climbs 15-10 (15,861) to give her a 100% success rate when she does reach the charts! That sale incidentally the lowest required for the top 10 since January so she was fortunate in that respect. The song is a cover of the Maze track from 1980 which was in the charts just last month on re-issue peaking at No 57. Cyndi Lauper holds at No 7 (23,545) and above her are two fallers both from the PWL studios, Jason Donovan tumbles 2-5 (29,325) and Sinitta drops 4-6 (24,905) 1- BACK TO LIFE (HOWEVER DO YOU WANT ME)- Soul II Soul Featuring Caron Wheeler (66,368) 2- BATDANCE- Prince (46,138) 3- SONG FOR WHOEVER- Beautiful South (36,924) 4- ALL I WANT IS YOU- U2 (36,091) 5- SEALED WITH A KISS- Jason Donovan (29,325) 6- RIGHT BACK WHERE WE STARTED FROM- Sinitta (24,905) 7- I DROVE ALL NIGHT- Cyndi Lauper (23,545) 8- LICENCE TO KILL- Gladys Knight (22,117) 9- IT IS TIME TO GET FUNKY- D.Mob Featuring LRS (17,969) 10- JOY AND PAIN- Donna Allen (15,861)

snooker tonight......urgh. Resumes next Friday

The original theme to the "Batman" movie before Prince changed his mind)- naturally it would have gotten a single remix had it have happened.

The record company wanted S/A/W to do her second album but they wanted it in a very tight time frame and S/A/W were too busy and told the record company it wasn't a reasonable request. So not really Sinitta and S/A/W falling out. In the end it was passed to the S/A/W "b-team" to do much of the work (Phil Harding/ Ian Curnow/ Pete Hammond).

24TH JUNE It only took a 8% sales increase to take the crown but this week Soul II Soul surge 3-1 as “Back To Life” becomes the nation’s favourite song with a sale of 50,779 copies, it marks their arrival as major players in the chart with their sound set to become one of the soundtrack to this summer. The album from which it is culled “Club Classics” holds at No 4 but should get a boost now that it holds a No 1 single albeit in a very different form. Bad news then for Jason Donovan who loses both chart toppers this week with “Ten Good Reasons” giving way to Paul McCartney’s new album “Flowers In The Dirt” and his single “Sealed With A Kiss” dipping 1-2 (46,529). It isn’t due to open in UK Cinemas until August 11th but Prince is already on the promotional trail releasing the theme to the movie “Batdance”. It was apparently a last minute inclusion in the soundtrack (for which Prince contributes most of the music) after he pulled a track called “Dance With The Devil” which was intended as the theme, it seems he made the right decision chart wise at least with “Batdance” getting off to the best start of his career debuting at No 3 (35,819). His previous highest debut was the more modest No 13 start to “1999/ Little Red Corvette” in 1985 and thusly you must fancy this to be heading to No 1 and to give the purple one his first UK chart topper, the only potential joker in the pack is the release of the soundtrack this week which could detract sales from Prince’s 8th top 10 single. U2 are old hands at debuting inside the top 10 and this week they do it again with a fourth cut from “Rattle & Hum” entitled “All I Want Is You”. It’s the band’s tenth top 10 single of which 7 have arrived instantly there but somewhat unusually for any albums era it seems that the singles are only charting higher and higher, “Desire” became their first No 1 last year and was followed by “Angel Of Harlem” (No 8) then “When Love Comes To Town” (No 6) and now “All I Want Is You” debuts at No 5 (31,110). The Housemartins split last Spring but it hasn’t taken long for Paul Heaton and Dave Hemmingway to quickly form The Beautiful South and produce “Song For Whoever” which this week jets in 11-8 (27,880) to give them a far better start than the Housemartins got. Indeed the ‘Martins only scored two top 10 single though of course “Caravan Of Love” did go all the way to the top, again the group display the usual cleverness lyrically, more of which you should find on the debut album due in the autumn. Sinitta halts progress at No 4 (32,589), but that is at least considerably better than Cliff Richard who collapses 2-6 (29,988), Cyndi Lauper creeps 8-7 (27,880) but it’s all over for Guns N Roses who dip 6-9 (20,995) and Madonna who falls 5-10 (20,621) in perfect symmetry for its first 4 weeks on release. 1- BACK TO LIFE (HOWEVER DO YOU WANT ME)- Soul II Soul Featuring Caron Wheeler (50,779) 2- SEALED WITH A KISS- Jason Donovan (46,529) 3- BATDANCE- Prince (35,819) 4- RIGHT BACK WHERE WE STARTED- Sinitta (32,589) 5- ALL I WANT IS YOU- U2 (31,110) 6- THE BEST OF ME- Cliff Richard (29,988) 7- I DROVE ALL NIGHT- Cyndi Lauper (27,880) 8- SONG FOR WHOEVER- The Beautiful South (27,557) 9- SWEET CHILD O MINE- Guns N Roses (20,995) 10- EXPRESS YOURSELF- Madonna (20,621)

Yes Cyndi was the first version and I didn't much like Roy's version when I heard it at first but over the years it has probably become my preferred version. The build up to the crescendo in it is sublime.

Can we avoid spoilers on peak positions please?

17TH JUNE After last week’s big splash the top 2 (the first time the top 2 were both new entries since Band Aid/ Wham!) they hold their positions and both increase sales by 28%, Jason coming in at 89,692 while Cliff swells to 55,454 all of which means that Jason has increased his lead and also maintains the album top spot. Cliff will of course be playing his "Event" concert at Wembley this Saturday which will be his biggest concert ever and he will be hoping that can revive the single yet! The biggest new hit in the top 10 belongs to Soul II Soul Featuring Caron Wheeler, “Back To Life (However Do You Want Me)” which sprints 12-3 (47,940) to become their biggest hit to date. Their album is currently shifting in healthy amounts rising 9-4 this week and hasn’t left the top 20 since its release 9 weeks ago, the track that appears on the album is actually an a cappella one (in the main) and has thusly been much altered for the single release. Thematically it was written by Wheeler following a near death experience! From the hitmaking pens of Steinburg and Kelly comes “I Drove All Night” a song intended for, and recorded by, Roy Orbison, but whilst his version is yet to surface we have instead the first top 10 for Cyndi Lauper in 5 years! 1986’s “True Colours” surprised many by only making No 12 here but did go all the way in the US, and is the nearest she’s come to entering the top 10 in the interim, but this does the job of promoting Lauper’s third album “A Night To Remember” which sees daylight in a fortnight. Sinitta’s “Right Back Where We Started From” shoots 6-4 (36,057) leaving Madonna surprisingly stuck at No 5 (31,909) with Guns N Roses applying pressure 7-6 (30,481). Natalie Cole continues her descent 4-7 (26,112) as does Neneh Cherry 9-10 (21,114) but her album “Raw Like Sushi” debuts at No 2. Donna Summer goes up again 10-9 (21,267) though she loses sales and her previous single “This Time I Know It’s For Real” makes the US top 10, her first time there in 6 years. 1- SEALED WITH A KISS- Jason Donovan (89,692) 2- THE BEST OF ME- Cliff Richard (55,454) 3- BACK TO LIFE (HOWEVER DO YOU WANT ME)- Soul II Soul Featuring Caron Wheeler (47,940) 4- RIGHT BACK WHERE WE STARTED FROM- Sinitta (36,057) 5- EXPRESS YOURSELF- Madonna (31,909) 6- SWEET CHILD O MINE- Guns N Roses (30,481) 7- MISS YOU LIKE CRAZY- Natalie Cole (26,112) 8- I DROVE ALL NIGHT- Cyndi Lauper (21,267) 9- I DON’T WANNA GET HURT- Donna Summer (21,267) 10- MANCHILD- Neneh Cherry (21,114)

Yes, "Wicked" was released later in 1989.

i recall being so peed off at the time that Jason had done something Kylie never had (debut at No 1). 13yr old me was very extreme haha.

Indeed so. In fact "Express yourself" was itself subject to legal proceedings in 1991 as sailing too close to this track which happened to have been a top 10 single in 1987 as a cover for Bruce Willis. It was settled pre-litigation by giving 25% of the songwriting royalties to Luther Ingram and Mack Rice who wrote it.

10TH JUNE A flop when first released in 1960 by the Four Voices it was finally a No 3 hit for Brian Hyland in 1962 and a No 7 hit when re-issued for Hyland in 1975, and now 14 years later “Sealed With A Kiss” becomes a sensational new entry at the No 1 position for Jason Donovan. He turns 21 this week and can celebrate with both crowns as he tops the album charts as well with “Ten Good Reasons” so he’s pretty much the hottest thing in the charts at present. Of course the track is produced by S/A/W and gives Donovan his third chart topper on the trot and incredibly the third straight No 1 single for S/A/W who have now helmed 5 chart toppers in 6 months meaning they have produced 66% of the chart toppers in 1989- simply incredible. They are only the fourth production team to produce three No 1’s in a row the others being Mitch Miller, Norrie Paramor and George Martin, but it’s the first time in 25 years it’s occurred, PWL are also the first label in 24 years to pull the trick. Finally "Sealed With A Kiss" is the first non charity single to debut at No 1 since "Two Tribes" almost 5 years ago exactly! Donovan’s arrival is bad news for Cliff Richard who releases his follow up to “Mistletoe And Wine” with a song called “The Best Of Me” which has been extensively promoted as his 100th single release and now becomes his 56th top 10 out of that 100 with only “The Young Ones” ever debuting higher in his discography. Of course the irony is that S/A/W have composed a song for Cliff that he was going to release as his 100th single before deciding on “The Best Of Me”, and had he have chosen that then I dare say S/A/W would have delayed the Donovan single to allow Cliff a free run at the top spot. In the event he opted for the Richard Marx penned track (originally recorded by David Foster and Olivia Newton John in 1986), Marx has had a disappointing career in the UK so far not getting higher than No 50 but has already scored 5 US top 10 singles including a No 1, his new hit “Satisfied” is in shops this week. The song was picked with the help of some of Cliff's fans after he played 6 songs to them and asked them which they preferred. It is some revenge for Donovan after Cliff denied he and Kylie the festive top spot last year, this time around there wasn’t much competition with Donovan out in front from the off selling 70,261 to Cliff’s 43,894, indeed Cliff was always good for runner up being well in front of outgoing chart topper “Ferry Cross The Mersey” which dips 1-3 (38,845), recovering well from its midweek No 5 position, and of course gives S/A/W 66% of the top 3 as well for a record breaking 3rd week out of the last 4! Not convinced by their domination? Well here’s Sinitta to prove it with her cover of Maxine Nightingale’s 1975 #8 hit “Right Back Where We Started From”. Though the track is not produced directly by S/A/W (it’s actually Pete Hammond) it of course a hit factory production and becomes Sinitta’s fourth top 10 single in three years and continues her theme of scoring them with alternate releases. The track rockets 19-6 (31,892) and don’t worry she’ll have her second album out for Christmas. With the continued rise in stock of the Guns N Roses brand they’ve re-issued “Sweet Child O Mine” less than a year after it peaked at No 24 and hit No 1 stateside. The success of their last release “Paradise City” (No 6) has probably played a large part in the song thundering 14-8 (30,668) this week, album “Appetite For Destruction” returns to the top 10 in celebration. Just outdoing Sinitta, Natalie Cole recedes 2-4 (37,366) and Madonna soars 10-5 (34,867) but three ladies that are in trouble are Lynne Hamilton who looks like disappearing as quickly as she arrives 3-7 (31,042), Neneh Cherry drops 5-9 (29,801) as her publicity switches to the album out this week, and Donna Summer tumbles 7-10 (28,934) even though she increases sales. 1- SEALED WITH A KISS- Jason Donovan (70,261) 2- THE BEST OF ME- Cliff Richard (43,894) 3- FERRY CROSS THE MERSEY- Paul McCartney/ Gerry Marsden/ Holly Johnson/ The Christians/ Stock, Aitken & Waterman (38,845) 4- MISS YOU LIKE CRAZY- Natalie Cole (37,366) 5- EXPRESS YOURSELF- Madonna (34,867) 6- RIGHT BACK WHERE WE STARTED FROM- Sinitta (31,892) 7- ON THE INSIDE (THEME FROM PRISONER CELL BLOCK H)- Lynne Hamilton (31,042) 8- SWEET CHILD O MINE- Guns N Roses (30,668) 9- MANCHILD- Neneh Cherry (29,801) 10- I DON’T WANNA GET HURT- Donna Summer (28,934)

3RD JUNE Though its pace may be slackening “Ferry Cross The Mersey” remains at the top with some ease convincing 63,427 buyers in the last week to bring its three week haul to 259,148, certainly not bad given the market we’re in. Its winning margin was reduced to 25,000 against Natalie Cole who was very much the last challenger standing with just 38,165 sold, a lesser sale week on week, it’s still her biggest single so she won’t care I’m sure. So here’s a case of the UK playing catch up once again, this time not on our US brothers but on those Aussies who gifted Lynne Hamilton a no 2 hit over there back in 1979 with the theme to “Prisoner Cell Block H” called “On The Inside”. Naturally the series took time to make it onto our shores but it is now what they term a “cult hit” on late night ITV schedules though it finished airing down under three years ago, Hamilton was a singer back in the 60s even mixing with the Beatles at one point before she gave singing up and emigrated to Australia. The opportunity to record the theme to the show proved too tempting and Hamilton has waited 10 years to score a hit but the song flies 13-3 (33,133) and must fancy its chances to hit the top next week! The resurrection of Donna Summer’s career continues apace in the hands of S/A/W as a second single from the “Another Place And Time” album soars 19-7 (27,999). “I Don’t Wanna Get Hurt” thusly enables Summer to have back to back top 10 singles for only the third time in her career, the last time being 1978, interestingly the only other occasion where a Summer single was top 10 in just its second week? Her four week No 1 “I Feel Love”- watch out. Becoming her 10th top 10 single to debut inside the top 10 makes “Express Yourself” another Madonna landmark release, and of course her 19th top 10 single of the decade and second from the “Like A Prayer” album which itself perks up 21-19. Interestingly the only acts to debut inside the top 10 more often than Madonna are of course The Beatles and Elvis who have both done it on 15 occasions. Musically a nod to Sly & The Family Stone and with a “Metropolis” themed Video Madonna is certainly back on form. Neneh Cherry powers 8-5 (29,002) but the rest are all fallers including Kylie 2-4 (31,926), The London Boys 4-6 (28,152), Edelweiss 5-8 (27,455) and Bobby Brown 6-9 (26,248) 1- FERRY CROSS THE MERSEY- Paul McCartney/ Gerry Marsden/ Holly Johnson/ The Christians/ Stock, Aitken & Waterman (63,427) 2- MISS YOU LIKE CRAZY- Natalie Cole (38,165) 3- ON THE INSIDE (THEME FROM PRISONER CELL BLOCK H)- Lynne Hamilton (33,133) 4- HAND ON YOUR HEART- Kylie Minogue (31,926) 5- MANCHILD- Neneh Cherry (29,002) 6- REQUIEM- London Boys (28,152) 7- I DON’T WANNA GET HURT- Donna Summer (27,998) 8- BRING ME EDELWEISS- Edelweiss (27,455) 9- EVERY LITTLE STEP- Bobby Brown (26,248) 10- EXPRESS YOURSELF- Madonna (25,568)

27TH MAY Scouse Aid (as it’s become colloquially known) spends a second week at No 1 shifting a further 96,373 copies last week and can be considered to be selling at a good pace for 1989 and may even be able to crack the YTD update next month, Kylie is again the nearest challenger but she herself loses 50% in sales terms dropping to 45,424 though she has sold 314,823 copies in her first month and is already the 7th biggest selling single of the year so far. Bobby Brown recovers from peaking at No 13 in April with “Don’t Be Cruel” by seeing his next single “Every Little Step” power 20-6 (23,834), it’s co-written by LA Reid and Babyface and reflects Reid’s current romance with the singer Pebbles (whom you may recall for her No 8 hit last year “Girlfriend”). It sits at No 8 in the US at present where Brown has had a phenomenal year topping both singles and albums chart and putting him in the frame for the theme to “Ghostbusters II” which will be his next single this summer. Roxette rise 10-7 (21,267) and one place below them is Neneh Cherry who is of course Swedish herself, it marks the first time in UK chart history that two Swedish acts are in the top 10 simultaneously, and along with Edelweiss at no 5 (28,628) who are from Austria, then the top 10 has a very continental feel this week. For Cherry it is her second top 10 single following the No 3 success of “Buffalo Stance” which has sold over 250,000 copies, new track “Manchild” rockets 26-8 (21,131) and works as a precursor for her debut album “Raw Like Sushi” which is out in 3 weeks. Natalie Cole and London Boys are again bound together in battle ending in stasis with Cole at No 3 (43,146) and “Requiem” at No 4 (37,485) both are in retreat in sales terms, Queen falter 5-9 (19,890) and Chaka Khan dips 8-10 (19,346). 1- FERRY CROSS THE MERSEY- Paul McCartney/ Gerry Marsden/ Holly Johnson/ The Christians/ Stock, Aitken & Waterman (96,373) 2- HAND ON YOUR HEART- Kylie Minogue (45,424) 3- MISS YOU LIKE CRAZY- Natalie Cole (43,146) 4- REQUIEM- London Boys (37,485) 5- BRING ME EDELWEISS- Edelweiss (28,628) 6- EVERY LITTLE STEP- Bobby Brown (23,834) 7- THE LOOK- Roxette (21,267) 8- MANCHILD- Neneh Cherry (21,131) 9- I WANT IT ALL- Queen (19,890) 10- I’M EVERY WOMAN (REMIX)- Chaka Khan (19,346)

20TH MAY The events of 15th April 1989 at Hillsborough are, by now, well documented, but the death of 95 people at the FA Cup Semi Final involving Nottingham Forest and Liverpool saw many of the leading artists from Liverpool club together and record a new version of “Ferry Cross The Mersey” which this week enters the chart at No 1 as expected. Paul McCartney, The Christians, Holly Johnson, and Gerry Marsden have been brought together by Stock Aitken & Waterman for the new version of the Gerry & The Pacemakers track which made No 8 back in 1965. It was written for the film of the same name which was their version of the Beatles “A Hard Day’s Night”, a musical which showcased the bands work, it also became the group’s final top 10 single. Apparently production in several plants was switched from Kylie Minogue’s “Hand On Your Heart” to this track to ensure that it made the top and to enable the alleged 500,000 shipment figure to be met, in truth it wasn’t required as the song enters the chart at the top after selling 99,348 against Kylie’s 90,457, she dips 1-2, it’s the second time that S/A/W have produced successive No 1’s after turning the trick back in March 1987 when Ferry Aid succeeded Mel & Kim, and indeed this is the first time a song has entered at No 1 since that Ferry Aid record. It’s S/A/W’s ninth No 1 produced track and their 4th thus far in 1989 and to celebrate they do a clean sweep with Jason Donovan’s “Ten Good Reasons” making the top spot on the album charts. The last non charity track to debut at No 1? That was Frankie Goes To Hollywood’s “Two Tribes” almost 5 years ago which of course featured Holly Johnson who can now claim involvement in 4 chart toppers, for The Christians it is a first, for Marsden a fifth and for McCartney a 23rd! it's the first time that an act primarily known as producers (rather than singers) have an express credit on a No 1, and it is also the first time in chart history that there has been at least one new entry in the top 3 for 3 consecutive weeks. A side effect of the tragedy is that Living In A Box's new single "Gategrashing" has been put back a month as it was deemed insensitive to release at present. Right at the other end of the top 10 is our other new arrival from Sweden’s Roxette, a duo who are big news in the US where “The Look” has already made No 1, the song’s route to success revolves around an exchange student who was in Sweden when “The Look” was released and took a copy back to the states for Christmas persuading his local radio station to play the song. Such was the reaction that the song was picked up by other radio stations and before long orders came flooding in and EMI released the track Stateside with the rest being history. The pair have been making hit records in their homeland for 3 years but little has made it out of the cold confines of Scandinavia until “The Look” which now moves 14-10 (19,839) here to announce their arrival. Still pushing hard up the charts, at least in sales terms, are Natalie Cole 5-3 (53,856) and The London Boys 4-4 (52,989) who force last week’s highest new entry Queen 3-5 (46,580) despite Freddie Mercury and co record a sales increase of their own. Edelweiss inch 7-6 (34,527) and Chaka Khan holds at No 8 (29,427) but The Bangles drop heavily 2-7 (34,119) and Midnight Oil slip 6-9 (21,658). 1- FERRY ‘CROSS THE MERSEY- Paul McCartney/ Gerry Marsden/ Holly Johnson/ The Christians/ Stock, Aitken & Waterman (99,348) 2- HAND ON YOUR HEART- Kylie Minogue (90,457) 3- MISS YOU LIKE CRAZY- Natalie Cole (53,856) 4- REQUIEM- London Boys (52,989) 5- I WANT IT ALL- Queen (46,580) 6- BRING ME EDELWEISS- Edelweiss (34,527) 7- ETERNAL FLAME- The Bangles (34,119) 8- I’M EVERY WOMAN (REMIX)- Chaka Khan (29,427) 9- BEDS ARE BURNING- Midnight Oil (21,658) 10- THE LOOK- Roxette (19,839)

13TH MAY S/A/W may have lost out in the album charts as Simple Minds beat Jason Donovan to the top spot but on the singles chart they reign supreme with their third No 1 of 1989 and also Kylie’s third No 1 with “Hand On Your Heart” marching 2-1 (106,913). It’s the first time in 1989 that the No 1 track has broken the 100,000 mark and is evidence that the Minogue phenomenon continues with the song selling more than double that of the outgoing chart topper from the Bangles which falls 1-2 (46,920). One spot below is the highest new entry of the week, and the highest ever entry position for a Queen single! “I Want It All” is the first single from the band in almost 3 years and the first single from their new album “The Miracle”, neither of Queen’s previous entries into the top 5 (“Radio Gaga” and “Somebody To Love”) made No 1 which isn’t a good omen for this track, but it’s clear the band have been missed with 42,585 buyers making this the group’s 16th top 10 hit and were only overtaken by The Bangles very late in the day. Only the third Austrian act to score a top 10 single in the 80s, Edelweiss have already had a smash hit across Europe topping charts in such countries as Sweden, Austria, and Switzerland with “Bring Me Edelweiss” a song which samples ABBA’s “S.O.S” and Indeep’s “Last Night A DJ Saved My Life”. They supposedly made the track after following the instructions in The KLF’s “The Manual” (published last year after the Timelords scored a No 1 with “Doctorin The Tardis”). “Bring Me Edelweiss” powers 28-7 (21,216), a future No 1 in the making? Remixed by Dancin Danny D better known as D-Mob, Chaka Khan’s 1978 track “I’m Every Woman” gets the 1989 treatment which sees it now become a bigger hit a second time around passing the No 11 peak on its first release and climbing 23-8 (21,165) this week. It is the first release from “Life Is A Dance- The Remix Project” which sees several different remixers take a Khan track and update it for today’s clubs, the song itself was of course written by Ashford & Simpson and has backing vocals from Whitney Houston- expect more releases over the year! Good news this week for The London Boys, Natalie Cole, and Midnight Oil who rise 5-4 (37,400), 7-5 (32,589) and 9-6 (21,556) respectively though "Beds Are Burning" actually lost sales!, but bad news for Transvision Vamp who descend 4-9 (21,029) and Holly Johnson who slips 6-10 (19,159). 1- HAND ON YOUR HEART- Kylie Minogue (106,913) 2- ETERNAL FLAME- The Bangles (46,920) 3- I WANT IT ALL- Queen (42,585) 4- REQUIEM- London Boys (37,400) 5- MISS YOU LIKE CRAZY- Natalie Cole (32,589) 6- BEDS ARE BURNING- Midnight Oil (21,556) 7- BRING ME EDELWEISS- Edelweiss (21,216) 8- I’M EVERY WOMAN (REMIX)- Chaka Khan (21,165) 9- BABY I DON’T CARE- Transvision Vamp (21,029) 10- AMERICANOS- Holly Johnson (19,159)

You mean were from London?

25TH OCTOBER It’s official there is nothing that can stop the Spice Girls not even the best selling single ever. New Single “Spice Up Your Life” dispensed with all opposition and took the crown with sales of 321,000 and extends their chart topping record to five from five releases. Only The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, and Elvis have strung together five consecutive chart toppers or more so the Spices are in exclusive company but none managed it with their first five releases. The track is also the 11th straight chart topper to debut there and therefore breaks the record of 10 which was itself only achieved earlier this year, and with a film, an album, and a range of dolls out before Christmas there’ll be little escaping them for the rest of 1997. The promo is inspired by the film “Bladerunner” and was filmed in between scenes from the “Spiceworld” album in case you wondered. The arrival of “Spice Up Your Life” is bad news for Danish pop act Aqua and their debut single “Barbie Girl” which has already made No 7 in the US and started a dispute with Mattel over the use of the Barbie name. If you’ve heard the song then you’ll know that it’s very catchy indeed and attracted sales of 183,000 last week- a figure which would ordinarily have guaranteed them a chart topper but with the sales we’ve been having over the last couple of months it looks less impressive than it is. The band dates back to 1994 in its current form and they have already scored two substantial hits in Europe with “Roses Are Red” and “My Oh My” whilst “Barbie Girl” has already topped charts on the continent too. Requested personally by director Danny Boyle to provide the theme to his new film of the same name, Ash are back with “A Life Less Ordinary” which becomes their third top 10 single on the trot. Don’t be expecting a second album from the band as they haven’t yet started to record it so this is very much a standalone single, nevertheless it enters at No 10 (40,000). As it turns out the Spice Girls needn’t have held off a week in the end as they sold more this week than Elton did last week, he now tumbles 1-3 (144,000) but that’s still the best sale for No 3 since Boyzone at Christmas 1995. Sash! drop 2-4 (83,000) ahead of Dario G who are down 3-5 (52,000), beneath them more fallers for Backstreet Boys 4-6 (49,000), Eternal 5-7 (47,000) and Chumbawamba 6-8 (43,000). Plugging away for 6 years with moderate success The Brand New Heavies have finally secured themselves a top 10 single albeit with a cover of the Carole King track “You’ve Got A Friend” taken to No 4 here in 1971. The band have scored 4 top 20 hits previously without having gone into the very top tier and it didn’t look likely when the song debuted at No 11 last week but with the lack of major releases this week it gets the chance to advance 11-9 (41,000). 1- SPICE UP YOUR LIFE- Spice Girls (321,000) 2- BARBIE GIRL- Aqua (183,000) 3- CANDLE IN THE WIND 97/ SOMETHING ABOUT THE WAY YOU LOOK TONIGHT- Elton John (144,000) 4- STAY- Sash Featuring La Trec (83,000) 5- SUNCHYME- Dario G (52,000) 6- AS LONG AS YOU LOVE ME- Backstreet Boys (49,000) 7- ANGEL OF MINE- Eternal (47,000) 8- TUBTHUMPING- Chumbawamba (43,000) 9- YOU’VE GOT A FRIEND- Brand New Heavies (41,000) 10- A LIFE LESS ORDINARY- Ash (40,000)

18TH OCTOBER Elton John continues at the top for a fifth week but sales are slashed again by 52% to a still eye watering 274,000 copies, its total sales are now 4,119,000 unlikely to be surpassed for many years if indeed ever! It's also the longest running No 1 of the year in terms of consecutive weeks though of course Puff Daddy spent 6 weeks at the top in 2 separate runs this summer. You have to feel slightly sorry for Sash!, they seem to have a habit for releasing singles in direct competition to the biggest sellers of the year. Debut “Encore Une Fois” made No 2 behind the 800,000 selling “Don’t Speak”, then “Ecuador” reached the same position between the million selling “I’ll Be Missing You”, now “Stay” gives them a third No 2 hit behind the 4 million selling “Candle In The Wind 97”. Featuring vocals from La Trec it will also be available (like all the singles) on their album “It’s My Life” due in a fortnight as a re-issue with the original release now hard to find. For now 117,000 bought the single last week but it’s unlikely to progress any further. “Shaken And Stirred” is the name of the new David Arnold project where he takes classic Bond themes and remixes them with the help of various artists. First release is “On Her Majesty’s Service” for which he teams up with The Propellerheads, for Arnold it is his first credit since his duet with Bjork “Play Dead” in 1993, but it’s the third hit for Propellerheads and the biggest for either act as it comes in at No 7 (47,000). Mansun return to winning ways with their seventh EP with the lead title “Closed For Business”. The band had experienced continually bettering chart positions until “Taxloss” disappointed at No 15 this year, it’s all back on track now with their second top ten single with this release new at No 10 (37,000), it comes with a cover featuring pictures of paintings by Stuart Sutcliffe (the fifth Beatle). Dario G fall 2-3 (69,000) and also slipping a spot are Backstreet Boys 3-4 (68,000), and Eternal 4-5 (63,000). Reversing their former drops are Chumbawamba 7-6 (51,000) and Janet Jackson 9-8 (42,000) but both are losing sales week on week and Lighthouse Family drop 6-9 (39,000). So this week will see the release of the new Spice Girls single- will that delay of a week prove to be enough to depose Elton John?- all will be revealed in 7 days time. 1- CANDLE IN THE WIND 97/ SOMETHING ABOUT THE WAY YOU LOOK TONIGHT- Elton John (274,000) 2- STAY- Sash Featuring La Trec (117,000) 3- SUNCHYME- Dario G (69,000) 4- AS LONG AS YOU LOVE ME- Backstreet Boys (68,000) 5- ANGEL OF MINE- Eternal (63,000) 6- TUBTHUMPING- Chumbawamba (51,000) 7- ON HER MAJESTY’S SECRET SERVICE- Propellerheads/ David Arnold (47,000) 8- GOT TIL IT’S GONE- Janet Jackson & Q-Tip (42,000) 9- RAINCLOUD- Lighthouse Family (39,000) 10- CLOSED FOR BUSINESS- Mansun (37,000)

6TH MAY The Bangles claim a fourth week at No 1 this week as “Eternal Flame” refuses to be extinguished and equals the record for an all female group previously held by Pussycat and Sister Sledge, by a combination of determination and a monumental mess up by PWL, more on that in a moment, it sold 72,029 copies and thusly has now sold over 350,000 in total, easily enough to place it in the top 10 for the year and become their personal best seller and the 4th biggest of 1989 to date. So onto the new Kylie Minogue single which was originally going to be “It’s No Secret” until the success of “Especially For You” put the single back so long that S/A/W had composed a new ditty for Minogue, that single was “Hand On Your Heart” and so instead of a fifth single from “Kylie” we get the lead single from her second album. It becomes the third single from a female soloists to debut at No 2 after selling 70,397 copies but it had 11,000 sales discounted for chart purposes- why? Because PWL put the cassingle at £1.99 retail price, lower than current BPI rules permit and so these “sales” were lost which cost PWL and Minogue the opportunity to become record breakers. BPI are currently relooking at Cassette single prices and reducing them in a bid to boost sales of the format so it may be a matter of bad timing but PWL certainly should have known what it was doing when it priced the format up or it was just an oversight, either way it’s cost them the top spot. It has resulted in one other change, in an attempt to give the single a chance at No 1 this Sunday the S/A/W produced “Ferry Cross The Mersey” in aid of the Hillsborough disaster has been put back a week! In the 80s there have 122 new entries into the top 10, only 14 of them have been by female solo acts, and 9 of them by Madonna, however Kylie is the first female to debut at No 2 twice! They may be German based but be assured the London Boys are indeed from London and have so far released 5 singles with only “Requiem” making the UK Charts (No 59) so far though they are, as they say, big on the continent where that single was a sizeable hit. So much so in fact that they decided to give another whirl and now the song rises 11-5 (34,425), the guys were former roller skaters which helps to explain their acrobatics on TOTP and their physiques which have attracted attention from certain quarters. Undoubtedly experiencing her best time chart wise Natalie Cole had just one top 40 single before 1988 but since the career rejuvenating “Pink Cadillac” she’s now had 4 on the trot with “Miss You Like Crazy” becoming a fifth as it crashes in 24-7 (27,200). It’s the first single from her album “Good To Be Back” and is co-penned the legend Gerry Goffin. An established act back in their native Australia, Midnight Oil have been churning out albums since 1978 with a couple of Aussie No 1’s under their belt, our current love of all things antipodean has seen a re-released “Beds Are Burning” hit it big here after stopping at No 48 last year. It’s the first release to really make a splash outside their homeland, unusual given its lyrical theme of giving land back to the original aborigines of Australia, anyway it now climbs 12-9 (22,542) two years after it was a hit down under. The arrival of Kylie now knocks both Simply Red and Transvision Vamp down a slot 2-3 (35,802) and 3-4 (34,459) rerspectively, and Holly Johnson also tumbles 4-6 (30,124) as his album “Blast” lands at No 1 so he won’t be devastated at the fall. Beatmasters and Merlin hold at No 8 (26,690) even after a TOTP performance for which the singer was released from youth offenders for the day but they won’t have TOTP to help it this week, and Fine Young Cannibals fall back 7-10 (22,015). 1- ETERNAL FLAME- The Bangles (72,029) 2- HAND ON YOUR HEART- Kylie Minogue (70,397) 3- IF YOU DON’T KNOW ME BY NOW- Simply Red (35,802) 4- BABY I DON’T CARE- Transvision Vamp (34,459) 5- REQUIEM- London Boys (34,425) 6- AMERICANOS- Holly Johnson (30,124) 7- MISS YOU LIKE CRAZY- Natalie Cole (27,200) 8- WHO’S IN THE HOUSE- Beatmasters Featuring Merlin (26,690) 9- BEDS ARE BURNING- Midnight Oil (22,542) 10- GOOD THING- Fine Young Cannibals (22,015)

29TH APRIL “Eternal Flame” flickers slightly at the top but still puts in a sterling performance of 78,387 copies, their previous biggest seller was of course “Walk Like An Egyptian” which sold 350,000 in late 1986 but their current single has shifted 286,229 copies to date and should overtake the latter within the next few weeks. Simply Red spend a third week at No 2 but slip back even further in sales terms, they were 5,000 copies behind The Bangles a fortnight ago, last week they were 29,000 adrift coming in at 48,654 in total, however “A New Flame” does return to the No 1 spot on the album charts meaning that both Flames are aloft of their respective charts. Transvision Vamp surprisingly hold the No 3 position (41,548) with a sales increase following a raunchy TOTP performance which featured James in a rather revealing outfit! Whilst Holly Johnson holds at No 4 (37,009) with just a minimal sales increase, he kept his clothes on for the show! 13 years after they formed and 19 singles later The Cure finally secure themselves a top 5 single, “Lullaby” flies 12-5 (24,582) and is the introductory single to the group’s 8th album “Disintegration” which is in shops in a fortnight. The group’s only prior entry in the top 10 was back in 1983 with the No 7 hit “Love Cats” with none of the interim 8 singles getting any higher than No 14. He’s been in the press as a badboy but Merlin also features on the new Beatmasters single “Who’s In The House?” for which he’s rewarded with a 23-8 (21,522) rise. The Beatmasters hit the top 10 with their debut “Rok Da House” last January but follow up “Burn It Up” missed out at No 14 despite a guest vocal by 60s singer PP Arnold. Morrissey is back and for a third time he debuts higher than the Smiths ever peaked, in this case “Interesting Drug” makes its debut at No 9 (20,995). Like his last single it features all the ex Smiths with the exception of Johnny Marr who’s moonlighting with The The at present, it also features backing vocals of Kirsty MacColl but there’s no word on that second Morrissey album, it seems like we’ll have to keep waiting. The single was delayed initially by producer Stephen Street who was claiming unpaid royalties from the singer's "Viva Hate" album and put an injunction on the release but the matter is seemingly cleared up! Along with Soul II Soul Inner City are probably one of the most talked about dance acts at present and both will be hoping will to shift some albums this year, “Club Classics Volume I” has already launched and holds at No 5 in its second week whilst “Paradise” is the debut Inner City album out in a fortnight and will now be home to three top 10 singles “Big Fun”, “Good Life” and “Ain’t Nobody” which lifts 20-10 (20,774) this week. Fine Young Cannibals surge 9-7 (22,916) just behind the slipping Kon Kan 5-6 (22,984), this week’s also sees the release of a new Kylie single which should indicate if the youngsters have moved from Minogue to Donovan in 1989 in the same way they moved from Astley to Minogue last year- fickle world pop. 1- ETERNAL FLAME- The Bangles (78,387) 2- IF YOU DON’T KNOW ME BY NOW- Simply Red (48,654) 3- BABY I DON’T CARE- Transvision Vamp (41,548) 4- AMERICANOS- Holly Johnson (37,009) 5- LULLABY- The Cure (24,582) 6- I BEG YOUR PARDON- Kon Kan (22,984) 7- GOOD THING- Fine Young Cannibals (22,916) 8- WHO’S IN THE HOUSE- Beatmasters Featuring Merlin (21,522) 9- INTERESTING DRUG- Morrissey (20,995) 10- AIN’T NOBODY BETTER- Inner City (20,774)

Not quite. "Brothers in arms" was the best selling album of the 80s so was certainly ahead of "Bad" at this point

Streaming has sorted that out! Think she has around 6 now

Madonna was down at No 6 on the album charts by this point, it was Deacon Blue at No 1.