This week's Official UK Singles Chart
Preamble:
Another summer lull is upon us with virtually no major new releases this week.. The result of this is one of the most polarised charts I have seen for a long time with 14 new entries, only one of which penetrates the Top 20. Along with this there are 8 climbers and 4 non-movers.
Analysis:
No. 40: NEW ENTRY. Lulu - Goodbye Baby And Amen
Lulu's chart renaissance that started last year with the Top 20 hit 'Independence' continues with her first appearance since October's No.1 collaboration with Take That on Relight My Fire. The new single is similarly styled to Independence the only difference being it is the first single she has written herself in a chart career that stretches back to 1964.
No. 38: NEW ENTRY. Roachford - This Generation
A third hit this year for Roachford following Only To Be With You and Lay Your Love On Me. Interestingly enough this marks the first time he has ever scored three Top 40 hits from one album.
No. 37: NEW ENTRY. Swing Out Sister - La La Means I Love You
A welcome reappearance for Swing Out Sister who will soon mark up 8 years since their first hit Breakout made No.4. Since then they have had a rather chequered chart career managing only 5 Top 40 hits, their last being a cover of Dusty Springfield's Am I The Same Girl which made No.21 in April 1992. This new single is also a cover, this time of the Delfonic's 1971 No.14 hit.
No. 36: NEW ENTRY. Atlantic Starr - Everybody's Got Summer
Here is where it gets spooky. Everybody's Got Summer uses as a loop a naggingly familiar brass figure. You guessed it - the introductory riff from Am I The Same Girl mentioned above. Coincidences aside, this is suprisingly enough only the third ever Top 40 hit for Atlantic Starr despite a succession of releases that only made minor chart placings. The soul group are best known in this country for their enduring 1987 hit Always which was one of the bestsellers of the year and has since found its way onto a multitude of romantic compilations.
No. 34: NEW ENTRY. Sasha with Sam Mollison - Magic
As part of a succession of new entries by dance hits, the only one worthy of a mention is this new hit for Sasha, following up Higher Ground which made No.19 in February.
No. 33: NEW ENTRY. Pizzaman - Trippin On Sunshine
[No comment made on this one at the time, but this was the first chart appearance for one of Norman Cook's many many aliases of the late 90s].
No. 30: NEW ENTRY. Magic Affair - Give Me All Your Love
Similarly a second Europop hit for Magic Affair who made No.17 in June with 'Omen III'.
No. 28: NEW ENTRY. UB40 - Reggae Music
Another hit from the album for UB40 and performing slightly better than C'est La Vie which could only stagger to No.37 back in April. Its position is boosted by a series of area concerts played by the band over the weekend, most notably at the Milton Keynes bowl and Sheffield's Don Valley Stadium. Interestingly enough one of the support acts at those gigs also released a single this week and have charted 8 places higher...
No. 27: NEW ENTRY. C & C Music Factory - Do You Wanna Get Funky
Clivilles and Cole emerge from the shadows once more with the first C&C Music Factory hit for nearly 18 months. Their last was the underrated Keep It Comin from the soundtrack of 'Buffy The Vampire Slayer' which peaked at No.34 in October 1992.
No. 25: NEW ENTRY. Dinosaur Jnr - Feel The Pain
The first release in a while for Dinosaur Jnr, something of a surprise when you consider that their last hit was Start Choppin which appeared to mark the start of their crossover when it made No.20 in January 1993. Nonetheless Feel The Pain continues that success to give them their second Top 30 hit.
No. 24: NEW ENTRY. Shed Seven - Speakeasy
On an upward curve it appears are Shed Seven with a second Top 30 hit in swift succession following Dolphin which made No.28 at the end of June.
No. 23: FALLER. Grid - Swamp Thing
To the surprise of many Swamp Thing has now become one of the biggest dance hits of the year. This is the disc's 13th week in the Top 40 and the first it has spent outside the Top 20.
No. 22: NEW ENTRY. Ice Cube featuring George Clinton - Bop Gun (One Nation)
The first hit for Ice Cube in almost exactly a year but it becomes his biggest hit to date. It is easy enough to see why though as the commercial potential of the rap is increased by the presence of George Clinton as Funkadelic's One Nation Under A Groove is almost completely recreated underneath. Radio leaped on it the minute it was released and a hit was assured.
No. 21: CLIMBER. Enigma - Age Of Loneliness
The largest climb of the week up from No.34 and in many ways a total surprise, matching the peak achieved by The Eyes Of Truth back in May.
No. 20: NEW ENTRY. Chaka Demus and Pliers - Gal Wine
The biggest new hit of the week comes from these two in the wake of supporting UB40 over the weekend. It is easily their highest debut of the year and their fifth Top 20 hit in all. Although they have done straight covers in the past with tracks like She Don't Let Nobody and Twist and Shout, Gal Wine restricts itself to sampling heavily - in this case Dave and Ansil Collins' reggae classic Double Barrel which made No.1 in 1971.
No. 19: CLIMBER. Sophie B Hawkins - Right Beside You
Her momentum slows from last week but another climb is enough to finally give Sophie B. Hawkins a second Top 20 hit to follow Damn I Wish I Was Your Lover.
No. 11: CLIMBER. Shampoo - Trouble
The lack of any new hits above gives several Top 20 hits a chance to improve their positions, most notably Shampoo who looked to have peaked two weeks ago but go on the yo-yo instead to notch up the highest chart placing yet for this hit.
No. 4: CLIMBER. Youssou N'Dour featuring Neneh Cherry - Seven Seconds
Still climbing although it must surely peak soon, Seven Seconds is now Neneh Cherry's second biggest hit ever. The only one to go higher was her debut Buffalo Stance which made No.3 in January 1989.
No. 1: FOURTH MILLENNIUM - Wet Wet Wet - Love Is All Around
Oh alright then it's their thirteenth week but you get the picture. Still no sign of the Wets shifting with 1.5 million units sold - actually more than Everything I Do or I Will Always Love You and enough to make 'Love Is All Around' one of the Top 20 best selling singles of all time. To break into the Top 10 they need to shift 1.64 million, a figure which is not out of reach but is by no means a certainty.
Seeing as the article is short this week, for those who are interested, the UK's Top 10 best selling singles of all time by December 1993 are:
1) Band Aid - Do They Know It's Christmas (3,510,000)
2) Queen - Bohemian Rhapsody (2,130,000)
3) Wings - Mull Of Kintyre (2,050,000)
4) Boney M - Rivers Of Babylon/Brown Girl In The Ring (1,995,000)
5) Frankie Goes To Hollywood - Relax (1,910,000)
6) Beatles - She Loves You (1,890,000)
7) John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John - You're The One That I Want (1,870,000)
8) Boney M - Mary's Boy Child/Oh My Lord (1,790,000)
9) Stevie Wonder - I Just Called To Say I Love You (1,775,000)
10) Beatles - I Want To Hold Your Hand (1,640,000)
(At least those were the last official figures released and I am slightly suspicious of them given that Two Tribes by Frankie Goes To Hollywood is also close to 2 million and should therefore be around No.5) [No, not true. Two Tribes was then and indeed still is locked on around 1.5m copies].
