This week's Official UK Singles Chart
No. 34: NEW ENTRY. Lisa Lisa - Skip To My Lu
How times have changed. No longer the sweet, wild-eyed young lady that once charmed the American charts with singalong classics like Lost In Emotion, Lisa Lisa returns with her first hit for almost three years. Despite a hit in 1985 with I Wonder If I Take You Home, which made No.12, Lisa Lisa and Cult Jam never crossed over here properly and the aforementioned American No.1 from 1987 could only reach No.58. She was last seen in the charts in 1991 when the dance track Let The Beat Hit 'Em made No.17 and the new hit is more of the same, less of a song and more of a collection of rhythms. It does mark the first time she has charted under a solo billing, the "Lisa Lisa and Cult Jam" tag seemingly gone the same way as "Gloria Estefan and the Miami Sound Machine".
No. 32: NEW ENTRY. Soul Asylum - Somebody To Shove
Having finally tasted massive chart success just before Christmas with the re-released Runaway Train and having followed that up with the Top 30 success of the re-released Black Gold, Soul Asylum try again with yes! A re-release. Somebody To Shove was originally the followup single to the original release of Runaway Train and first peaked at No.34 in September last year. Now on it's reappearance it beats that by two places but as one of the weaker songs in their canon it may not progress too much further.
No. 30: NEW ENTRY. Marillion - The Hollow Man
Marillion's first hit for nearly 2 years comes at a time when their singles sales are slipping, although to say that is perhaps being unfair, the progressive rockers never were a major hitmaking act, save for the slew of singles produced by their 1985 album Misplaced Childhood of which Kayleigh was the biggest, peaking at No.2 in June that year. Their latest album appeared to have turned away from crossover success altogether, being a non-stop piece of progressive music, yet despite this an edited version of the title movement, complete with a re-recorded ending to make it into a 'proper' single becomes their first hit since No One Can made No.26 in August 1992. Having said all that it is probably quite deservedly so, The Hollow Man being one of the most beautiful ballads the band have ever released and certainly one of their best efforts since the departure of Fish, even if it is unlikely to appeal outside their usual fan base.
No. 29: FALLER. Tori Amos - Pretty Good Year
I don't really care if this gets me another flaming in the Really Deep Thoughts mailing list... [ah, my first ever war with fan forums. Practice for some spectacular ones in the future]. I told you it would plummet didn't I?
No. 27: NEW ENTRY. A-Ha - Shapes That Go Together
Finally a second hit for the former teeny band to follow Dark Is The Night which made No.19 in June last year. Shapes That Go Together is more of the kind of pleasant pop the band are still capable of producing but yet will seemingly never find a commercial niche again. Consistent radio support for this single has pushed it up this high, maing it their 15th Top 30 single since late 1985.
No. 22: NEW ENTRY. Roachford - Only To Be With You
There is something about Roachford that means record companies have no qualms about spending large amounts of money to promote their recordings. The clearly talented British soul/rockers won critical acclaim in 1988 with their debut singles Cuddly Toy and Family Man but it was not until a massive repromotion effort the following year that they finally became hits. The same was true with their second album Get Ready whose title track was gradually forced up to a No.22 peak by a steady promotional effort. It's sad to relate then that their first hit since has seemingly suffered the same fate, Only To Be With You, as classy as anything they have ever done last week entered the charts at No.41 and as a result of tireless television appearances by the band now vaults to become what is only their 4th Top 40 hit ever.
No. 21: NEW ENTRY. Wonder Stuff - Hot Love Now! EP
The third hit from the current album which has seen the commercial stock of the Wonder Stuff falling slightly, despite the No.10 entry of the first single On The Ropes. Hot Love Now! does beat the No.28 peak of the last single Full Of Life And Happy Now but is unlikely to continue much further.
No. 20: NEW ENTRY. Worlds Apart - Could It Be I'm Falling In Love
The career of multi-racial pop band Worlds Apart is crafted even to the point of releasing singles six months apart from each other, all of them remakes. Their first hit, exactly a year ago this week was Heaven Must Be Missing An Angel which peaked at No.29, their remake of Everlasting Love in September last year fared slightly better, making No.20 and now they equal that position with this version of the soul classic that has been a hit twice before. The original version by the Detroit Spinners was first a No.11 hit in 1973 and then again in 1977 when it peaked at No.32. The track was also more recently covered by David Grant and Jaki Graham who took their version to No.5 in April 1985.
No. 18: CLIMBER. Alison Moyet - Whispering Your Name
Thanks to an inspired Top of the Pops performance and other promotional work, Alison Moyet's single belies it's small climb of last week and charges upwards to become her first Top 20 hit since Love Letters in 1987. Interestingly enough she has never had a single peak between 11 and 20 in her solo career, either making the Top 10, like 6 of her hits have done or missing out completely.
No. 17: NEW ENTRY. Sounds Of Blackness - I Believe
Whilst the idea of a thirty piece gospel choir singing inspirational dance music may seem like a good idea it has never really caught on. The group here notch up their third hit in three years, their first to make the Top 20, following Optimistic which made No.28 in 1992 and I'm Going All The Way which stalled at No.27 in May last year.
No. 15: NEW ENTRY. Brand New Heavies - Dream On Dreamer
Forget Jamiroquai, the real market leaders in British Acid Jazz are the Brand New Heavies, who scored a string of hits in 1992. Now they are back with a track that instantly becomes their biggest hit ever, beating the peak of the Ultimate Trunk Funk EP whose lead track Never Stop made No.19 in April 1992.
No. 14: NEW ENTRY. Roxette - Sleeping In My Car
Whilst their own brand of pop/rock may never be credible it certainly is a way of notching up hits. To herald a new album, Roxette crash in with their first new hit since Almost Unreal made No.7 in July 1993, although they have been in the charts more recently than that following the re-release of It Must Have Been Love in September which peaked at No.10 three years after its original Top 3 peak. Since 1989 the Swedish band have had 13 hit singles, all of which have made the Top 40. The new single may not be as instantly classic as past hits but is certain to hang around for a couple of weeks.
No. 11: CLIMBER. Marcella Detroit - I Believe
The presence of this track and the different song by Sounds Of Blackness in the charts means there have now been 6 songs with this title to chart in Britain, with songs by EMF and the Reese Project rubbing shoulders with the song popularised in 1953 by Frankie Laine, in many ways the ultimate No.1 single as it spent a total of 18 weeks at No.1 during 4 spells at the top. Not even Bryan Adams can top that.
No. 10: NEW ENTRY. Bon Jovi - Dry County
With what is for them a comparatively swift 18 months between albums, Bon Jovi crash into the charts with their first single since the No.11 peak in October of... you've guessed it: I Believe. What a single it is too, the seven minute acoustic epic making for one of the more innovative singles the US rockers have ever released. Whether it gets any further is really immeterial, it now being their 4th Top 10 single - an impressive total given that the chart climate is usually quite hostile to US rock.
No. 8: CLIMBER. Salt n' Pepa featuring En Vogue - Whatta Man
A climb for this single marks the 5th Top 10 hit for Salt n' Pepa, more than any other rap act ever in the UK. It's also the 3rd Top 10 hit for En Vogue to follow Hold On and My Lovin'.
No. 7: CLIMBER. Reel 2 Real - Like To Move It
Possibly the most erratic track to make the charts this year, Like To Move It achieves its highest position to date, despite dropping from an initial No.9 and spending 2 weeks at No.12 before climbing the chart once more... it's not as if it is any good....
No. 5: NEW ENTRY. D:Ream - U R The Best Thing
Now that the masses have discovered the pop brilliance of D:Ream there is clearly no time to waste. Whilst Things Can Only Get Better continues to slide down the charts the followup crashes into the Top 10. Like the previous hit, it is not the first time the track has been in the Top 40 and in actual fact it is the third time U R The Best Thing has made the UK charts. Originally released on an independent label in April 1992 as their first single it made No.72 before being reissued in a remixed form in April 1993 where after a steady climb it made No.19 as a followup to the original release of Things... which had peaked at No.24. So despite this exposure the track is a hit once more, now prompting speculation as to whether 'Unforgiven' will be next to be re-promoted.
No. 3: CLIMBER. Bruce Springsteen - Streets Of Philadelphia
Now confirmed as an Oscar-winner, Bruce Springsteen gets his biggest UK hit ever. Media exposure following it's award-winning success this week will certainly keep the profile of the single high and a surprise No.1 may well not be out of the question.
No. 1: SECOND WEEK. Doop - Doop
If Bruce is going to do so he will have to dislodge Doop though, now firmly entrenched at the top. Current press panic over the way records have difficulty climbing the charts from initial low entries is certainly not calmed by looking at the list of recent No.1 hits. All recent chart toppers have started life as a new entry inside the Top 10, the last not to be was Jazzy Jeff's Boom Shake The Room which entered at No.12. The last to come from outside the Top 20 was Culture Beat's Mr Vain which started life at No.24 whilst to find a record that came from outside the Top 40 to top the charts you would have to go back to Oh Carolina by Shaggy which made No.1 over a year ago. So far this year there have been 4 No.1 hits and of these only D:Ream's Things Can Only Get Better charted lower than No.3 first week out.
