Friday, June 01, 2012

Charting 1997: 7th June


01.(NE) Hanson - MmmBop
The first hit from the American brothers, produced by the Dust Brothers (of Beastie Boys/Beck! fame) and Clare Grogan's husband. So a slightly different sound from your average boyband.
02. (1) Eternal - I Wanna Be The Only One ft BeBe Winans
03.(NE) Radiohead - Paranoid Android
I had to tell YouTube I was over 18 before I could watch this video.

An extraordinary piece of music by anyone's standards, and especially for the Top 3. It's a testament to just how creative Radiohead were at this stage that it doesn't feel like a forced hit either: there's a genuine melody and emotional punch to this that makes it more than sheer acrobatics. 
04. (2) Sarah Brightman And Andrea Bocelli - Time To Say Goodbye (Con Te Partiro)
05. (4) Rosie Gaines - Closer Than Close
06. (3) Olive - You're Not Alone {1997}
07. (5) The Rembrandts - I'll Be There For You {1997}
08. (6) The Cardigans - Lovefool {1997}
09.(NE) The Sneaker Pimps - Six Underground {1997 re-issue}
Since the Beastie Boys didn't chart in 1997, this band who are named after an article in their magazine are the best opportunity I get to say RIP to Adam Yauch.
10.(NE) Toby Bourke/George Michael - Waltz Away Dreaming
During one of the most prolific eras of his career, Michael also found time to establish his own Aegean record company. The only hit they actually managed was this track which he sings on himself. Bourke was dropped a couple of years later (along with the rest of the roster) but is apparently still making music.
11.(NE) Gina G - Ti Amo
Setting a precedent for many other pseudo-Latin pop hits toward the end of the decade. Including the bit where it's rubbish.
12. (7) Shola Ama - You Might Need Somebody
13.(10) R Kelly - I Believe I Can Fly
14.(11) DJ Quicksilver - Bellissima
15. (9) Damage - Wonderful Tonight
16.(NE) New Edition - Something About You
Given that the main selling point of the band seemed to be that they were children, it's hard to see why anybody wanted them to reunite as adults. But they did it anyway, and although they'd split up again by the time of this single release (hence the clip-show video) it wound up as their second-highest-charting single in the UK. 
17. (8) Katrina And The Waves - Love Shine A Light
18.(NE) Marilyn Manson - The Beautiful People
Not the biggest debut hit of the week, but a major breakthrough for Brian & chums, in the days when metal bands could make the Top 20 by releasing picture disc formats and getting a good write-up in Kerrang!! Actually, if you ignore all the tiresome shock tactics in the video this is a good track, albeit very Adam & The Ants like.
19.(12) Toni Braxton - I Don't Want To
20.(13) No Mercy - Please Don't Go
21.(14) Warren G - Smokin' Me Out ft Ron Isley
22.(NE) Bush - Greedy Fly
Their second and last Top 40 hit, to date anyway, although Gavin Rossdale has revived the name for a new album in 2012. You have to wait about three minutes into the video for the actual song to start, I'll let you decide whether it's worth it. 
23.(21) Blackstreet - Don't Leave Me
24.(17) Strike - I Have Peace
25.(NE) Korn - Good God
Third hard-rock entry in a row - and another act who've released a new album fairly recently (December 2011) although unlike Manson and Bush it's still mostly the same line-up.
26.(16) Elvis Presley - Always On My Mind {1997}
27.(NE) Daniel O'Donnell - The Love Songs EP
[Save The Last Dance For Me; I Can't Stop Loving You; You're The Only Good Thing (That's Happened To Me); Limerick You're A Lady]
OK, just a slight change in mood from the previous three new entries....
Again, not something you'd expect to see in the singles chart nowadays, but there's always been a market for this kind of thing somewhere.
28.(28) 911 - Bodyshakin'
29.(20) North And South - I'm A Man Not A Boy
30.(18) Monaco - Sweet Lips
31.(NE) World Party - Beautiful Dream
Returning from a lengthy absence for one last hit single, although Karl Wallinger had charted as a songwriter earlier that year thanks to Brian Kennedy's cover of 'Message In The Box'. The original of that appears as a B-side to one of the three CD formats of this single. 
32.(26) Eels - Susan's House
33.(15) Faith No More - Ashes To Ashes
34.(27) The Seahorses - Love Is The Law
35.(NE) The Sounds Of Blackness - Spirit ft Craig Mack
Gospel choir alert! 
36.(NE) Northern Uproar - Any Way You Look
Unless you count Radiohead, this is the highest Britpop entry of the week, from the biggest rock phenomenon ever to come out of Heald Green. Much derided as Oasis wannabes on their first album, they came back with a significantly better second one but nobody was listening by then and this proved to be their last Top 40 appearance. Surprisingly, they are back together now and have hopes for a new album in 2012.
37.(28) Gary Barlow - Love Won't Wait
38.(NE) Tindersticks - Bathtime
Their only Top 40 hit, which seems an accident of timing more than anything else. A good song but not one that was being sung in school playgrounds or anything. Nice of them to give us the lyrics in the video though. 
39.(NE) Ben Folds Five - Kate
One of the great unrequited love songs of the era. Apparently Folds did actually marry the real-life Kate, although it didn't last.
40.(56) Spice Girls - Mama/Who Do You Think You Are?
Yes, there'd been a week or two without them in the Top 40, but they weren't going away that easily. Meanwhile the album had been Top 5 all year.

42.(NE) Dionne Farris - Hopeless
46.(NE) David Coverdale And Whitesnake - Too Many Tears
At least he didn't start calling the band "David Coverdale's Whitesnake" again. 
47.(NE) Loop Da Loop - Go With The Flow
53.(NE) Coolio - The Winner
58.(NE) Frankie Oliver - Give Her What She Wants
66.(NE) Three 'N' One - Reflect
67.(NE) Monkey Mafia - 15 Steps EP
[Lion In The Hall; Krash The Decks: Slaughter The Vinyl; Metro Love; Beats In The Hall]
70.(NE) Dweeb - Oh Yeah, Baby
71.(NE) INXS - Everything
We didn't know it at the time, but this was their last chart appearance (aside from a couple of samples on dance records). Michael Hutchence died less than six months later.

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