This week's Official UK Singles Chart
Preamble:
Upheaval at the top once again in another busy week for new hits. 15 new entries, 5 climbers and 1 non-mover.
Analysis:
No. 40: NEW ENTRY. Jon Secada - If You Go
The first hit in nearly nine months for Jon Secada, seemingly the next big thing in 1992 when his debut hit Just Another Day made a marathon climb to the Top 3 on the strength of massive record company promotion. His songs are inoffensive enough, its just that they never seem to set the charts on fire. If You Go becomes his fourth Top 40 hit - but only just.
No. 39: NEW ENTRY. Joe Roberts - Back In My Life
Back in February Lover passed by almost unnoticed, peaking at No.22 in its third chart week. That was enough though to prompt a re-release of his first single Back In My Life which underperformed when first released last year. Arguably a better track than 'Lover' it may still not fulfil its ultimate potential.
No. 37: NEW ENTRY. Doobie Brothers - Listen To The Music
I've said it before, if you want a reissue smash then remix. That was the tactic used at Christmas when a revamped version of Long Train Running made No.7 to become the Doobies' biggest hit ever. Hot on the heels of that then is this remixed version of their first chart hit in this country. Although it only reached No.29 in March 1974 - a full two years after its stateside success - it is an accepted classic and a radio staple. Whether the remix adds anything is open to argument of course. As for me I'll just breathe a sigh of relief that nobody has dared to touch What A Fool Believes...
No. 36: NEW ENTRY. Wendy Moten - So Close To Love
Wendy Moten's second hit makes an understated debut following the No.8 peak of Come In Out Of The Rain back in February. This is unlikely to be such a big hit - the sentiments of one review of her album worth echoing: Does the world really need another American pop singer who doesn't write her own material?
No. 35: NEW ENTRY. Elton John and Marcella Detroit - Ain't Nothing Like The Real Thing
Looks like the 'duets' novelty is beginning to wear off - pity it is a single too late. Elton follows up his Top 10 massacre of Don't Go Breaking My Heart with this cover of the classic Marvin Gaye/Tammi Terrell hit which originally made No.34 in 1968. Alongside his solo chart success, Elton has duetted with more artists than any other, his chart credits featuring alongside Kiki Dee, John Lennon, Millie Jackson, Dionne Warwick, Cliff Richard, Jennifer Rush, Aretha Franklin, George Michael, Eric Clapton and RuPaul. The track also appears on Marcella Detroit's album so this is effectively her second credited chart hit, following I Believe which made No.11 in March.
No. 31: NEW ENTRY. EYC - Number One
A third hit for EYC, hoping to better the No.16 peak of both their previous hit singles, the last being The Way You Work It back in March.
No. 30: NEW ENTRY. Chelsea FC - No One Can Stop Us Now
Now this is interesting. It is now standard practice for both the football teams participating in the FA Cup Final to make records, but it is very rare indeed for them both to chart at once. Whilst Manchester United make chart waves higher up, their opponents at Wembley next Saturday make their bid for chart glory too. It is only the second time the North London side have made the charts, their only other scoring occasion being in 1972 when Blue Is The Colour made No.5. As far as I can tell it is the first time ever that both teams have been in the charts to coincide with cup final day...
No. 29: NEW ENTRY. Mary J Blige - My Love
A fourth hit for Mary J. Blige and one of her biggest ever, just a few places short of the No.26 peak of Real Love which after several attempts charted in August 1993.
No. 25: NEW ENTRY. Enigma - The Eyes Of Truth
The followup to the international smash Return To Innocence causes quite a few surprises by charting so highly. Whilst RTI may have been pleasant enough in its own right, it worked better within the overall context of the album and to take further tracks as singles only proves to demonstrate that Enigma songs really are just short movements in a cohesive piece of music - separately they all sound dull and alike. That was the fate that befell the first album back in 1991. Despite Sadness becoming a No.1 hit, none of the other singles released from the album could make the Top 50.
No. 22: NEW ENTRY. Roger Taylor - Nazis
Opinion is divided as to whether it is hysteria or a matter for genuine concern but extremist far right groups are gathering support in some areas of the UK. This culminated earlier in the year with the election to Tower Hamlets council in London of Derek Beacon on the slate of the neo-Nazi British National Party. Many musicians were shocked into action by this, not least Queen drummer Roger Taylor who with this protest track makes his solo chart debut. His only other chart outing outside Queen was with his band The Cross whose single Cowboys And Indians made No.74 in October 1987. By joining Freddie Mercury and Brian May in the charts it means that 3 members of the band have had solo hits, beaten only by the Beatles whose four members all had solo success after the demise of the band - and only Ringo Starr failed to make No.1.
No. 19: NEW ENTRY. R Kelly - Your Body's Calling
[Superstar debut klaxon!] Whilst Bump And Grind holds the US charts to ransom, R Kelly makes his UK debut with this similarly styled track, all sanitised US lovers swingbeat and nothing to get excited about really. 'Change it Beavis, change it... it sucks!'
No. 17: NEW ENTRY. Levellers - Julie EP
The third chart hit for the Levellers over the last year and their fourth Top 20 success overall. They seem fated to get stuck outside the Top 10 though - both Belaruse and This Garden peaked at No.12 and their biggest hit ever 15 Years died at No.11.
No. 16: NEW ENTRY. Gloworm - Carry Me Home
Remember this lot? They've been away a while. Gloworm were responsible for I Lift My Cup, one of the more exciting dance records of early 1993 and they were rewarded with a No.20 hit. Now four places above it comes this new track straight from the dancefloors and into the chart record books.
No. 15: NEW ENTRY. Michael Bolton - Lean On Me
Manys the soul fan that has wept through tears of rage at the songs Michael Bolton has massacred. Nonetheless the tactic always seems to give him his biggest hits, in 1991 after the first two singles from 'Time Love And Tenderness' had underperformed his forced strangulation of When A Man Loves A Woman restored him to the Top 10. The trend continues here, Said I Loved You made a respectable No.15 but Soul Of My Soul could only stagger to No.32 back in March. Now this cover of the Bill Withers classic equals that chart placing and may well go higher next week. It's the fourth time the song has been a hit with each one doing better than the one before. The original version making No.18 in 1972, Mud made No.7 four years later and more recently Club Nouveau made No.3 in 1987 with what is probably one of the few examples of a cover of a classic becoming a classic in its own right.
No. 9: CLIMBER. Eternal - Just A Step From Heaven
Major upheavals in the Top 10 commence with a climb from Eternal to give the all-girl group three out of three Top 10 hits.
No. 7: NEW ENTRY. East 17 - All Around The World
Biggest new hit of the week goes to this lot. With slightly less of a teen following yet far more credibility, the nation finally gave East 17 a massive smash at Christmas when It's Alright made No.3 to give them a surprise pinnacle of their achievements after 5 singles from the same album. The first single from their second set thus could not fail to miss, returning to the slick dancefloor balladry that first brought them to the Top 5 in the shape of Deep. From here they can clearly only go from strength to strength.
No. 3: FALLER. Toni Di Bart - The Real Thing
A not unexpected drop for Tony Di Bart who clearly snatched his No.1 hit last week in an unguarded moment. The Real Thing is only the second record since late 1991 to spend only 1 week at the top, Take That's Babe being the last.
No. 2: CLIMBER. Manchester United Football Squad - Come On You Reds
In the wake of their Premier League success Manchester United shoulder (elbow?) the opposition out of their way to make their version of the Status Quo track the biggest ever hit by a League Football club, eclipsing the No.3 success of Liverpool's Anfield Rap in 1988. Who knows what could happen next, with their match against Chelsea FC on Saturday and the chance of winning the League and Cup double bound to increase interest in the side. The only football team ever to top the British charts are the national English squad who managed it in 1970 with Back Home and in 1990 in partnership with New Order on World In Motion. They won't be doing it again this year though - slight lack of a team in the World Cup Finals you see....
No. 1: FIRST WEEK. Stiltskin - Inside
Almost inevitable really but they still had to prove it. The Scottish rockers hitch a ride on a Jeans advert to the top of the pile with their debut hit after only two weeks on the charts. It's arguably the heaviest No.1 single since U2s The Fly in November 1991 and although categorising stuff in this way is a pretty arbitrary business you could argue the case for this being the first ever grunge chart topper.
