Charting 1997: 15th February

Another week and again the previous chart-topper falls straight out of contention so it's time for another massive new entry.

01.(NE) U2 - Discotheque

Yes, possibly the biggest band in the world at the time with what was reportedly their fastest-selling single yet - though this arguably says more about the direction the singles market was going in at the time than the popularity of the song itself. I quite liked it though.
I remember a lot of publicity about them dressing as the Village People in the video. It wasn't until half-way through I realised they hadn't been doing it all along.
02. (2) No Mercy - Where Do You Go
Oh yeah, this had climbed to 2. I forgot to mention that last week.
03.(NE) Mark Owen - Clementine

Rather a surprising release from an ex-member of Take That, especially after the hideously drippy debut single 'Child'. Actually quite a good sing-along number this.
04.(NE) Depeche Mode - Barrel Of A Gun
The big comeback single after Dave Gahan's battle with addiction and brief death. Not one I was especially fond of.
05. (1) LL Cool J - Ain't Nobody
06. (5) En Vogue - Don't Let Go (Love)
07.(NE) Apollo 440 - Ain't Talkin' 'Bout Dub
You wouldn't have thought Van Halen would have given permission for people to sample them, would you? But this does indeed feature the riff from 'Ain't Talking About Love'.
08.(13) Blueboy - Remember Me
09.(NE) Mansun - Five (EP) - She Makes My Nose Bleed
I suppose it was only a matter of time before Mansun had a Top 10 hit. Pity the first was this one, which seems (understandably) forgotten in favour of smaller hits like 'Wide Open Space'. Perhaps drugs and sadomasochistic sex are interesting for the people who are doing them but not so much for us listening to the record.
10.(NE) Eels - Novocaine For The Soul

Now this is a bit more like it, Mr E and his colleagues with a brilliantly smart-arsed reminder that alternative music back then wasn't all Britpop.
11. (3) White Town - Your Woman
12.(NE) OTT - Let Me In
Boybands covering Osmonds songs will always be with us.
13. (8) Texas - Say What You Want
14. (6) Michelle Gayle - Do You Know
15.(16) Backstreet Boys - Quit Playing Games (With My Heart)
16.(10) Barbra Streisand And Bryan Adams - I Finally Found Someone
17.(18) Spice Girls - 2 Become 1
18. (9) Placebo - Nancy Boy
19.(NE) Audioweb - Bankrobber

Their only big hit single was this slightly annoying version of the slightly annoying Clash song.
20. (4) The Orb - Toxygene
21.(15) Amen! UK - Passion
22.(NE) Korn - ADIDAS
Yeah, it's an acronym. Very clever.
23.(12) Gabrielle - Walk On By
24.(NE) Souvlaki - Inferno
Yes, it's dance with sped-up sampled vocals. These people may have heard 'I'm Alive' by Stretch & Vern.
25.(19) Skunk Anansie - Hedonism (Just Because You Feel Good)
26.(22) Whitney Houston - Step By Step
27.(11) George Michael - Older/I Can't Make You Love Me
28.(17) Tori Amos - Professional Widow (It's Got To Be Big)
29. (7) Blur - Beetlebum
30.(NE) Dru Hill - Tell Me
This is what Sisqo did before he discovered thongs.
31.(NE) SL2 - On A Ragga Tip '97
Another common theme of late-90s charts: pointless remixes of old dance tracks. I know they still do them, but they don't chart so often now. At least the original was pretty good.
32.(NE) Newton - Sometimes When We Touch
A fireman from Stockport, if I remember correctly.
33.(23) Toni Braxton - Un-Break My Heart
34.(21) Madonna - Don't Cry For Me Argentina
35.(NE) Electronic - Second Nature
They didn't make many records, but they did a few rather good ones, including this. Sadly no sign of the original recording on video sites, so you'll have to enjoy Bernard Sumner's live vocals.
36.(NE) Hole In One - Life's Too Short
Every trance cliche in five minutes, in case life really is too short.
37.(NE) Bone Thugs-N-Harmony - Days Of Our Livez
Singing "bum-bum" was their trademark.
38.(14) David Bowie - Little Wonder
39.(24) Nuyorican Soul ft India - Runaway
40.(27) Ginuwine - Pony

41.(NE) Public Demand - Invisible
47.(NE) Morcheeba - The Music That We Hear (Moog Island)
49.(NE) Total - Do You Think About Us
50.(NE) Jocasta - Go
Tim Arnold claims on his website that this was a Top 40 hit. It wasn't, but not far off to be fair.
51.(NE) Alibi - I'm Not To Blame
58.(NE) Donell Jones - Knocks Me Off My Feet
In case you were wondering, it is indeed a cover of the Stevie Wonder song, from the man who almost topped the chart three years later.
60.(NE) Laurent Garnier - Crispy Bacon
64.(NE) Montage - There Ain't Nothin' Like The Love