Charting 1997: 6th December

01. (1) Various Artists - Perfect Day
02.(NE) Boyzone - Baby Can I Hold You/Shooting Star
Stuck in the runner-up slot again, even with two ballads for the price of one. The lead track sees Ronan Keating tackle the other Tracy Chapman song that everyone knows, even though this one only got to 94 in the charts: as a result, Chapman's 1988 debut album apparently dominated the mid-price album chart for months. On the other side, Steven Gately sings a song from the latest Disney film, although any hopes that this would break the band in America were dashed.
03. (2) Aqua - Barbie Girl
04. (3) Steven Houghton - Wind Beneath My Wings
05. (4) Natalie Imbruglia - Torn
06. (5) All Saints - Never Ever
07.(NE) The Verve - Lucky Man
Third single off the Urban Hymns album, which was ticking off its millionth sale about now - it subsequently became the first album to sell in seven figures two years running. This was never one of my favourites of theirs, feeling a bit more like the Richard Ashcroft solo track it originally was. And his echoed vocal at the start always reminded me of the "you slag" sample in 'Professional Widow' at the start of the year, which probably wasn't the effect he was aiming for. 
08. (7) Barbra Streisand And Celine Dion - Tell Him
09. (6) Lutricia McNeal - Ain't That Just The Way
10.(11) Elton John - Something About The Way You Look/Candle In The Wind
11.(NE) Gala - Let A Boy Cry
In the late 1990s European dance acts could easily score significant second hits. Not a bad tune, although the meter sounds very odd to a native English speaker. The first YouTube hit I found was a different version of the song from the UK hit, but it did have the benefit of a comment from Gala herself refuting rumours that she'd died.
12.(NE) Reds United - Sing Up For The Champions!
40 Man United fans chanting. England aside I think they're the football team with the most associated chart hits.
13.(12) Hot Chocolate - You Sexy Thing {1997}
14.(NE) Kylie Minogue - Did It Again
First stage in the rethink after the underperformance of 'Some Kind Of Bliss'. Presumably the song was already intended to be the next single, but the video, which depicts avatars of various Kylie images fighting, has an air of reassurance (and media-friendliness) about it. 
15.(10) Louise - Let's Go Round Again
16.(NE) Todd Terry Presents Shannon - It's Over Love
One of the many appearances for Shannon as a credited vocalist. Todd Terry was still ploughing his usual disco-influenced furrow although it was getting a bit tired by this point.
17.(16) Backstreet Boys - As Long As You Love Me
18.(17) The PF Project - Choose Life ft Ewan McGregor
19. (9) Aaron Carter - Crush On You
20. (8) The Prodigy - Smack My Bitch Up
21.(NE) USURA - Open Your Mind '97
Remix of the 1993 hit. Not necessarily an improvement.
22.(NE) Dru Hill - 5 Steps
The juxtaposition of this and the act below is vastly more interesting than the song.
23.(22) Steps - 5, 6, 7, 8
24.(20) Spice Girls - Spice Up Your Life
25.(14) Hanson - I Will Come To You
26.(21) Sash! - Stay ft La Trec
27.(NE) Super Furry Animals - Demons
There is an official video for this single, but it's not very good by their standards. The song is a brilliant surreal epic, complete with the lyric "By the year four million, our skins will be vermillion". 
28.(NE) Meredith Brooks - I Need
It's not a great idea to follow up a list song with another list song. 
29.(13) Shola Ama - Who's Loving My Baby
30.(NE) Paul Weller - Mermaids
Yet another fourth single from an album, and indeed this is the final track on Heavy Soul to boot. It's not the one I would have chosen to be honest, although I did buy the 7" and the B-sides are pretty good. 
31.(NE) Huff And Herb - Feeling Good ft Nina Simone
When they say "featuring Nina Simone" they mean that they've sampled the vocals from her classic track (which had only charted in 1994, thanks to an advert). It might have worked better had the rest of the track been in time with her. 
32.(NE) Sex-O-Sonique - I Thought It Was You
Another act who'd been hanging round the Jazz section of the second-hand record shop, this being a cover of Herbie Hancock's vocodery disco single. It's not an interesting version, at least not once you've heard the original. Perhaps that's why they used this pseudonym, rather than any of the other names under which they'd had hits. 
33.(NE) M People - Fantasy Island
A bit of a comedown as the follow-up to a Top 10 hit from an established act. It's not a great song but neither were a lot of their others.
34.(NE) Boyz II Men - A Song For Mama
Er, shouldn't they have released this in the spring? 
35.(15) Robert Miles - Freedom ft Kathy Sledge
36.(31) Chumbawamba - Tubthumping
37.(23) Ocean Colour Scene - Better Day
38.(25) The Woolpackers - Line Dance Party
39.(NE) Sleeper - Romeo Me
What proved to be their last single. The 7" B-side had a very rude title but if that was supposed to be a publicity stunt it didn't work.
40.(28) N-Trance - Do You Think I'm Sexy? ft Rod Stewart

44.(NE) Keith Sweat - I Want Her {1997 remix}
46.(NE) Del Amitri - Some Other Sucker's Parade
In September, the record company announced that a planned single 'Medicine' had been cancelled due to lyrics which were felt inappropriate in the light of Diana's death. The band themselves were happy to admit that it was really dropped due to lack of interest. Either way this title track from the album was chosen instead to little effect.
53.(NE) Partizan - Keep Your Love ft Natalie Robb
56.(NE) The Saw Doctors - Simple Things
60.(NE) Sinead O'Connor - This Is A Rebel Song
62.(NE) Bizzi - Bizzi's Party
64.(NE) Tanya Donelly - The Bright Light
65.(NE) Buckshot LeFonque - Another Day (In The Hood)
70.(NE) Chimera - Show Me Heaven
73.(NE) Machine Head - Take My Scars
No, really, you can keep them.

Charting 1997: 29th November

Warning: this week's chart contains material that some may find offensive.

01.(NE) Various Artists - Perfect Day
So here's the track that was orginally commissioned as a promo for the licence fee, with a cast of star musicians performing Lou Reed's alleged drug anthem for "scale" fees. Due to apparent popular demand, it was finally released as 1997's official Children In Need single, the first release from this particular appeal to top the chart. It's also the only Number One single for Various Artists, who have tended to be more successful as an album act.
In fact, you may find it handy for pub quizzes to know that this is, to the best of my knowledge the only Number One single featuring the following performers: Skye Edwards [then a member of Morcheeba], Burning Spear, Thomas Allen, the Brodsky Quartet, Sheona White, Dr John, Robert Cray, Evan Dando, Emmylou Harris, Courtney Pine, Andrew Davis, the BBC Symphony Orchestra, Heather Small [of M People], Visual Ministry Choir, Suzanne Vega, Lesley Garrett, Shane MacGowan, Huey Morgan [of Fun Lovin' Criminals], Brett Anderson [of Suede and later The Tears], Joan Armatrading and Laurie Anderson. It's also the only such success for Reed himself, who sings the last line: this means that three of the four UK Top 40 hits he had are connected to his album Transformer.
02. (1) Aqua - Barbie Girl
03.(NE) Steven Houghton - Wind Beneath My Wings
The second actor from London's Burning to score a chart hit, after John Alford's briefly successful career. Simon Cowell presumably saw him as the new Robson & Jerome, although he couldn't quite match the same heights of success: whilst this lost out on the top position behind two massive sellers, the follow-up (a cover of Lionel Richie's 'Truly' released in February 1998) missed the Top 20 and despite a gold-selling album that was it.
04. (2) Natalie Imbruglia - Torn
05. (3) All Saints - Never Ever
06.(NE) Lutricia McNeal - Ain't That Just The Way
Debut hit from the Swedish-based American singer who was, like Connor Reeves, signed to the Capital FM-sponsored Wildstar label. It's a cover of a song by American singer and former Playboy model Barbi Benton.
07. (4) Barbra Streisand And Celine Dion - Tell Him
08.(NE) The Prodigy - Smack My Bitch Up
The highest new entry that was actually written in the 1990s, apart from the fact that the title lyric is sampled from a 1988 song by the Ultramagnetic MCs. It's fair to say that the title was more controversial than its source and indeed this track was not played nor even named on the Top 40 rundown that week - instead an instrumental B-side was announced as "from their new EP". The equally notorious promo video was seldom seen before midnight either, although the Prodge were big enough at this point to sell plenty of copies of this anyway. Apparently it even made Number One in Finland. 
09.(NE) Aaron Carter - Crush On You
So here's a record that's offensive in an entirely different way, in which the younger (9, at the time) brother of a Backstreet Boy caterwauls his way through a version of the Jets hit (also covered by Nero in 2011). Amazingly he managed as many as six hit singles over the next five years. 
10.(NE) Louise - Let's Go Round Again
Second single off the second album and she was already resorting to covers, in this case of the Average White Band's final hit. The first word of that group's name also describes this version. 
11. (7) Elton John - Something About The Way You Look Tonight/Candle In The Wind 97
12. (6) Hot Chocolate - You Sexy Thing {1997 re-issue}
13.(NE) Shola Ama - Who's Loving My Baby
So by my maths this is the highest wholly original new entry, albeit not the most thrillingly inventive song ever recorded. 
14. (5) Hanson - I Will Come To You
15.(NE) Robert Miles Featuring Kathy Sledge - Freedom
In the context of this chart, you'd half expect this to be a cover of the Wham! song. It's more of an attempt to repeat the big crossover success of his hit 'One And One' the previous year.
16.(12) Backstreet Boys - As Long As You Love Me
17.(11) The PF Project Featuring Ewan McGregor - Choose Life
18.(NE) The Firm Featuring Dawn Robinson - Firm Biz
Sadly not the same people who did 'Arthur Daley (E's Alright)' and 'Star Trekkin', nor indeed the Led Zep spin-off group who charted an album in the 1980s. This was a gangsta rap supergroup including Nas and Foxy Brown, as well as En Vogue member Robinson.
19.(NE) Mary J Blige - Missing You
The ballady single releases really start to stack up in the Christmas shopping season. 
20.(10) Spice Girls - Spice Up Your Life
21.(15) Sash! Featuring La Trec - Stay
22.(18) Steps - 5, 6, 7, 8
23. (9) Ocean Colour Scene - Better Day
24.(NE) Salt-N-Pepa - R U Ready
Doesn't look people were, really.
25.(NE) The Woolpackers - Line Dance Party
In most people's lists of things the world needed in 1997, a second single by a country band of actors from Emmerdale would be a long way down. But with Steps proving the continued appeal of the line-dance craze, Simon Cowell must have thought otherwise. 
26.(16) Moby - James Bond Theme
27. (8) Pulp - Help The Aged
28.(17) N-Trance Featuring Rod Stewart - Do You Think I'm Sexy?
29.(NE) Finley Quaye - It's Great When We're Together
I must admit I've warmed to the guy over the years and this isn't a bad song, helped by the relaxed vibe which makes his voice less grating.
30.(19) Gary Barlow - Open Road
31.(20) Chumbawamba - Tubthumping
32.(14) Conner Reeves - Earthbound
33.(NE) Missy 'Misdemeanor' Elliott Featuring Da Brat - SockIt2Me
They'd never have recouped that video had this not been a hit in America. Perhaps it would have done better a few years later when DVD singles were popular.
34.(21) Dario G - Sunchyme
35.(23) Eternal - Angel Of Mine
36.(NE) Way Out West - Ajare {remix}
This had been their debut single exactly three years earlier, only peaking at 52 on that occasion. 
37.(22) Clock - U Sexy Thing
38.(13) Metallica - The Memory Remains
39.(NE) Rosie Gaines - I Surrender
Not the Rainbow song.
40.(26) Texas - Put Your Arms Around Me


41.(NE) BT - Love, Peace And Grease

47.(NE) Erykah Badu - Apple Tree (To Be Free)

54.(NE) Teenage Fanclub - Start Again
I'm sure the official video for this track used to be on YouTube. I'm not bothered though because it wasn't that good anyway. Fair to say they're not a band who rely heavily on their visual appeal.
56.(NE) The Jungle Brothers - Jungle Brother
Supported by Drum & Bass remixes, as I believe they were signed to a UK-based label at the time. This would also explain why they're riding a London bus in the video. A repromotion took this to the Top 20 in 1998.
62.(NE) The Cure - Wrong Number
Which was doubtless what Robert Smith thought when he saw the chart position. The obligatory new track on their second volume of singles compilation.
66.(NE) 98 Degrees - Invisible Man
71.(NE) Truce - Nothin' But A Party
73.(NE) Capricorn - 20Hz (New Frequencies)

Now 38

Disc one

Chumbawamba 'Tubthumping'
Spice Girls 'Spice Up Your Life'
Hanson 'Where's the Love'
Boyzone 'Picture of You'
Backstreet Boys 'As Long As You Love Me'
Eternal 'Angel of Mine'
Lighthouse Family 'Raincloud'
Janet Jackson 'Got 'Til It's Gone'
The Brand New Heavies 'You've Got A Friend'
All Saints 'I Know Where It's At'
Louise 'Arms Around The World'
Gala 'Freed from Desire'
Sash! featuring La Trec 'Stay'
Dario G 'Sunchyme'
Tina Moore 'Never Gonna Let You Go'
Hot Chocolate 'You Sexy Thing'
N-Trance featuring Rod Stewart 'Do Ya Think I'm Sexy'
LL Cool J 'Phenomenon'
911 'Party People...Friday Night'
Ricky Martin 'Maria'
Bellini 'Samba De Janeiro'
DJ Quicksilver 'Free'

Disc two

Wet Wet Wet 'Yesterday'

George Michael 'You Have Been Loved'

The Verve 'The Drugs Don't Work'

Oasis 'Stand by Me'

Embrace 'All You Good Good People'

Faithless 'Don't Leave'

Radiohead 'Karma Police'

Moby 'James Bond Theme'

PF Project featuring Ewan MacGregor'Choose Life'

Robbie Williams 'Lazy Days'

Ash 'A Life Less Ordinary'

Texas 'Black Eyed Boy'

Meredith Brooks 'Bitch'

Jon Bon Jovi 'Janie, Don't Take Your Love To Town'

Ocean Colour Scene 'Better Day'

Cast 'I'm So Lonely'

Conner Reeves 'Earthbound'

Peter Andre 'Lonely'

Boyz II Men '4 Seasons of Loneliness'

The third and last album in the Now! series this year, though a few tracks from late 1997 show up on Now 39 in the following year. It's notable for having 22 tracks on the first disc but only 19 on the second, due to the length of the Oasis and Embrace tracks (the latter is the full-length version rather than the radio edit). In an unfortunate error, the Hot Chocolate track is also the rubbishy 1987 remix as heard on Now 9, rather than the original version that was a hit in 1997. On the other hand, this breaks from the previous three albums by including a George Michael track in its original form rather than as a remix. It's also odd that three of the last four tracks are refer to loneliness in the title, couldn't they have shuffled them about a bit? 

Charting 1997: 22nd November

01. (1) Aqua - Barbie Girl
02. (2) Natalie Imbruglia - Torn
03.(NE) All Saints - Never Ever
The biggest new hit of the week, hidden behind the two immovable objects at the top of the chart. It was still a big seller at the time and in the long run a consistent one too. 
04. (3) Barbra Streisand And Celine Dion - Tell Him
05.(NE) Hanson - I Will Come To You
Their third hit and it's November so of course it's a power ballad, and of course it isn't any good. I don't suppose they realise that video looks like a Ready Brek advert.
06.(NE) Hot Chocolate - You Sexy Thing {1997 reissue}
Reaching the Top 10 for the third decade in a row (it didn't repeat this success in the 2000s, but there's still plenty of this decade to go) thanks to its extensive use in the film The Full Monty. This was the original version rather than the remix that had been a hit in 1987, but this was never one of my favourites of theirs.
07. (5) Elton John - Something About The Way You Look/Candle In The Wind
08.(NE) Pulp - Help The Aged
Their first new single since 'Something Changed' in early 1996; and of course even that was from a 1995 album so this was effectively their first new material in two years. It finds Jarvis Cocker in something of a bleak mood, albeit that he disguises this cri de coeur with typical humour. For his trouble he was threatened with legal action from the charity of the same name, although this was settled for a donation and some publicity on the sleeve. The premise for the video was originally to be "Stairlift to Heaven" but the manufacturer unsurprisingly didn't like their product being associated with death so he goes to outer space instead. It also features an early appearance by Kelly Brook.
I bought the 7" of this which has three tracks (good value) but plays at a different speed on each side (irritating). One of those B-sides is their rejected submission for the James Bond theme, 'Tomorrow Never Lies' - I'd always assumed they changed the title for contractual reasons a la R.E.M.'s 'Winged Mammal Theme' but apparently that was the original title of the film. 
Their last Top 10 single.
09.(NE) Ocean Colour Scene - Better Day
Also their last Top 10 and their least deserved, an autobiographical but ultimately uninteresting song with a rubbish video. Annoyingly, the chorus repeatedly uses the phrase "get blown away", which is the title of a far better track from the album that they should have released as the single instead. 
10. (4) Spice Girls - Spice Up Your Life
11. (6) The PF Project - Choose Life ft Ewan McGregor
12.(11) Backstreet Boys - As Long As You Love Me
13.(NE) Metallica - The Memory Remains
A fairly typical Metallica single of the era, big and crunchy but still with a recognisable chorus, It does have the addition of Marianne Faithfull, for whom this was the first Top 20 success since 1965. 
14.(NE) Conner Reeves - Earthbound
Second single from the bland but well-connected singer. 
15. (9) Sash! - Stay ft La Trec
16. (8) Moby - James Bond Theme
17.(12) N-Trance - Do You Think I'm Sexy? ft Rod Stewart
18.(NE) Steps - 5, 6, 7, 8
Yes, it all starts here with a cash-in record from the brief linedancing craze of the late 1990s. A very odd single, and an even more rubbish one, but it was one of the biggest sellers of all time not to make the Top 10.  There are Steps records I don't mind but this is not among them. 
19. (7) Gary Barlow - Open Road
20.(17) Chumbawamba - Tubthumping
21.(15) Dario G - Sunchyme
22.(19) Clock - U Sexy Thing
23.(18) Eternal - Angel Of Mine
24.(NE) Brainbug - Benedictus/Nightmare
The AA side is making its second chart appearance in six months as a supporting feature to the not dissimilar new track.
25.(NE) Portishead - Over
Second single from the untitled album, a song that's more haunting than catchy and possibly not an obvious hit. I remember hearing it used as backing music in a documentary about something really serious. 
26.(10) Texas - Put Your Arms Around Me
27.(16) 187 Lockdown - Gunman
28.(NE) Happy Clappers - I Believe 97
Third chart run for this one. That's just greedy
29.(13) Jon Bon Jovi - Janie, Don't Take Your Love To Town
30.(NE) Aaliyah - The One I Gave My Heart To/Hot Like Fire
Not yet a star here on the same scale as she was in the US, although I do remember the second track from the time. It was later covered by the XX. Parts of its video are slightly unfortunate now.
31.(14) Cast - I'm So Lonely
32.(RE) Jewel - You Were Meant For Me
One of the big breakthrough stars of 1996-7, the serious Alaskan singer-songwriter always found it harder to convince a British audience, but was a natural occupant of the Number 52 chart position. Indeed this had  peaked at 53 only a couple of months earlier but was redistributed after a bit of extra promotion to be become the first and the larger of her two Top 40 hits.
33.(25) The Brand New Heavies - You've Got A Friend
34.(22) Peter Andre - Lonely
35.(28) Tina Moore - Never Gonna Let You Go
36.(23) Double 99 - RIP Groove {1997 Re-Release}
37.(31) Toni Braxton With Kenny G - How Could An Angel Break My Heart
38.(27) 911 - Party People... Friday Night
39.(NE) David McAlmont And David Arnold - Diamonds Are Forever
Another Bond moment, although a bit of an underperformer as the follow-up to Arnold's Top 10 collaboration with Propellerheads. I suppose it looks better if you see it as the follow-up to McAlmont's Number 40 instead. I was among the few who did buy it.
40.(NE) Bobby Brown - Feelin' Inside
And coincidentally, this video also opens with a bit of a Bond theme, though that's not part of the record itself. It ends with a "surprise" celebrity cameo. In between there's a song I've already forgotten.

43.(NE) The Sundays - Cry

Their last single. Not their finiest work but it might still have been nice to hear more from them.
45.(NE) Kamasutra - Happiness ft Jocelyn Brown
55.(NE) DSK - What Would We Do? 
Dance track which was re-issued and remixed several times over the years although it only became a major hit when sampled on Wiley's 'Wearing My Rolex'.
56.(NE) Full Intention - America (I Love America) {1997}
60.(NE) God's Property - Stomp
62.(NE) 'N Sync - I Want You Back
We'd hear from this again when it went Top 10 in 1999. 
70.(NE) Mike Oldfield - Woman Of Ireland
72.(NE) Alabama 3 - The Speed Of The Sound Of Loneliness
74.(NE) Myron - We Can Get Down
75.(NE) Vanilla - No Way No Way
And this was to reappear even sooner.

Charting 1997: 15th November

01. (1) Aqua - Barbie Girl
02. (2) Natalie Imbruglia - Torn
03.(NE) Barbra Streisand And Celine Dion - Tell Him
Below the unchanged Top 2, this is the highest new entry, a song every bit as subtle and understated as you'd expect. Apparently from a film called The Mirror Has Two Faces.
04. (3) Spice Girls - Spice Up Your Life
05. (4) Elton John - Something About The Way You Look/Candle In The Wind
06.(NE) The PF Project - Choose Life ft Ewan McGregor
Another film tie-in, sampling McGregor's opening monologue from Trainspotting. The track itself is obviously not in the film but appears on the second volume of the soundtrack album.
07.(NE) Gary Barlow - Open Road
Title track from his solo album becomes the fourth single from it. Actually not bad as solo Barlow goes, but for a song about leaving greyness behind it's a little, er, grey.
08.(NE) Moby - James Bond Theme
Back to the movies with our second Bond-theme hit of the year, but the first official one. This was connected to the soundtrack of that year's Bond picture Tomorrow Never Dies, though it's just a cover of the familiar Monty Norman theme.
09. (5) Sash! - Stay ft La Trec
10.(NE) Texas - Put Your Arms Around Me
Another fourth single to remind people the album was out in time for Christmas shopping. I remember Sharleen Spiteri bringing a ghetto-blaster on stage to provide the (muted) beats for this song (shades of Stop Making Sense perhaps?), although the single mix is a bit more conventional. I see from the YouTube upload that this on the soundtrack to something called Ever After.
11. (7) Backstreet Boys - As Long As You Love Me
12. (9) N-Trance - Do You Think I'm Sexy? ft Rod Stewart
13.(NE) Jon Bon Jovi - Janie, Don't Take Your Love To Town
Technically, this is from a film too, but Jon Bon Jovi made a film of his own album so that doesn't quite count.
14.(NE) Cast - I'm So Lonely
A song that was never in a film at all, apparently! Another fourth single, and the track that ended their run of Top 10 hits (they did manage one more in 1999). It's not a bad track, if not earth-shattering. I'm tempted to say Jake Bugg was listening, but he'd only have been a toddler at this point. 
15.(10) Dario G - Sunchyme
16.(NE) 187 Lockdown - Gunman
Well, the video is a movie parody, so it fits the theme. It might actually date from the 1998 re-release of the track, but it's good enough anyway. 
17.(12) Chumbawamba - Tubthumping
18.(11) Eternal - Angel Of Mine
19.(16) Clock - U Sexy Thing
20.(NE) Roni Size/Reprazent - Brown Paper Bag
Rare Top 20 appearance for the Mercury winners. One of their most commercially appealing singles, a great jazzy rap track, although I couldn't be bothered with the nine-minute album version.
21.(NE) Faithless - Don't Leave {1997 remix}
Third hit associated with A Life Less Ordinary, albeit a remix of a song that had already been a hit for them. A bit of a different sound from their most famous tracks.
22. (6) Peter Andre - Lonely
23.(19) Double 99 - RIP Groove {1997 Re-Release}
24.(NE) Peter Cox - If You Walk Away
Sounds like Westlife with a more soulful singer. 
25.(17) The Brand New Heavies - You've Got A Friend
26. (8) Embrace - All You Good Good People EP
27.(13) 911 - Party People... Friday Night
28.(21) Tina Moore - Never Gonna Let You Go
29.(15) LL Cool J - Phenomenon
30.(14) Michael Bolton - The Best Of Love/Go The Distance
31.(22) Toni Braxton With Kenny G - How Could An Angel Break My Heart
32.(25) Dannii Minogue - Everything I Wanted
33.(NE) Ladysmith Black Mambazo - Inkanyezi Nezazi (The Star And The Wiseman)
As featured in an advert for baked beans in case you were wondering.
34.(NE) Fabulous Baker Boys - Oh Boy
If house tracks with chipmunk vocals are your thing, enjoy this. Just don't expect to see Michelle Pfeiffer.
35.(30) The Verve - The Drugs Don't Work
36.(NE) Delirious? - DeEPer {1997 Re-release}
[Deeper; Summer Of Love; Touch; Sanctify]
Second appearance this year for the lead track, though the other three were new to the chart. Not sure what the point of this re-release was, it didn't seem to get any more airplay than first time around and charted lower.
37.(29) Janet Jackson - Got 'Til It's Gone ft Q-Tip And Joni Mitchell
38.(18) The Bee Gees - Still Waters (Run Deep)
39.(40) Oasis - Stand By Me
40.(31) Diana King - I Say A Little Prayer

47.(NE) Dust Junkys - (Nonstoperation)
One of those many British acts combining hip-hop, dance and rock who were tipped for big things at the end of Britpop but never quite made it, led by sometime 808 State rapper MC Tunes. Maybe if they'd been able to spell the word "junkies" it might have helped.
50.(NE) Radish - Simple Sincerity

52.(NE) Gina G - Every Time I Fall
Six singles was at least one too many.
53.(NE) UB40 - Always There
54.(NE) Paul Van Dyk - Words/Moonlighting ft Toni Halliday
57.(NE) Quad City DJ's - Space Jam

59.(NE) D*Note - Lost And Found
60.(NE) Randy Crawford - Give Me The Night '97
68.(NE) Karen Young - Hot Shot '97

Charting 1997: 8th November

Would you like a Spotify playlist of this Top 75? Probably not, but I've already made one so here it is.

01. (1) Aqua - Barbie Girl
Still there.
02.(NE) Natalie Imbruglia - Torn
Not being a regular viewer of Neighbours, I'd never heard of her until this charted, and when Mark Goodier explained who she was, I was pleasantly surprised that she could actually sing. For the same reason I was subsequently confused by the controversy surrounding the fact that this was a cover version as if anybody would expect a soap actor to have written their own debut single. This went on to be a massive hit - so much so that I believe the album was rushed forward - and goes down in history as one of those big Number 2 hits that was only denied by something even bigger. Rather like the original 'You Sexy Thing'.
03. (2) Spice Girls - Spice Up Your Life
04. (3) Elton John - Something About The Way You Look/Candle In The Wind
05. (4) Sash! - Stay ft La Trec
06.(NE) Peter Andre - Lonely
Apparently he doesn't sing this one live any more, it's a bit too high now. It did reappear on a love songs album a couple of years ago though. 
07. (8) Backstreet Boys - As Long As You Love Me
08.(NE) Embrace - All You Good Good People EP
Listed on the chart as an EP, although in fact the two CD formats are different. One offers the full-length version of the title track and three further songs, whilst the other has three other versions of it - including the original version released as a limited 7" on Fierce Panda records earlier in the year - plus the Perfecto remix of 'One Big Family'. I remember Jo Whiley playing that remix on Radio 1 and describing it as sublime. "And from the sublime to... Ginuwine's version of 'When Doves Cry'". Anyway, this is just a single as far as I'm concerned, but if you disagree all eight tracks are on Spotify.
Even though this track is already a re-recording, it was re-recorded again for the album the following year, which is the version used in the US video.
09. (7) N-Trance - Do You Think I'm Sexy? ft Rod Stewart
10. (6) Dario G - Sunchyme
11.(11) Eternal - Angel Of Mine
12.(10) Chumbawamba - Tubthumping
13. (5) 911 - Party People... Friday Night
14.(NE) Michael Bolton - The Best Of Love/Go The Distance
His last major hit. The second track was in a Disney film, the first had no such excuse.
15. (9) LL Cool J - Phenomenon
16.(18) Clock - U Sexy Thing
17.(12) The Brand New Heavies - You've Got A Friend
18.(NE) The Bee Gees - Still Waters (Run Deep)
The last of their production line of little-known hit singles in the 1990s, not counting collaborations.
19.(14) Double 99 - RIP Groove {1997 Re-Release}
20.(NE) Stereophonics - Traffic
Not their best-known song, perhaps, despite (or because of?) moving away from the small-town subject matter of most of the rest their debut album.
21.(23) Tina Moore - Never Gonna Let You Go
22.(NE) Toni Braxton With Kenny G - How Could An Angel Break My Heart

23.(NE) Beck - Deadweight
 

As the video makes clear amid all the surrealism, this was the second single released from the soundtrack of A Life Less Ordinary. And the better of them too, as far as I'm concerned but in 1997 Ash were (and possibly still are) the bigger commercial draw in this country.
24.(25) Will Smith - Men In Black
25.(15) Dannii Minogue - Everything I Wanted
26.(26) Jimmy Ray - Are You Jimmy Ray?
27.(NE) North And South - Breathing
Boy-band + third single + third quarter of the year = rubbish ballad.
28.(NE) Michelle Weeks - Don't Give Up
Not the Peter Gabriel song, no. 
29.(21) Janet Jackson - Got 'Til It's Gone ft Q-Tip And Joni Mitchell
30.(27) The Verve - The Drugs Don't Work
31.(17) Diana King - I Say A Little Prayer
32.(20) Puff Daddy And The Family - Been Around The World
33.(NE) Sundance - Sundance
More instrumental dance fun. Odd time to release a song with this title.
34.(32) Ash - A Life Less Ordinary
35.(13) Goldie - Digital ft KRS One
36.(22) Roy Davis Jr - Gabriel ft Peven Everett
37.(NE) Rialto - Monday Morning 5:19
Their first hit and though not the biggest, the one that they seemed to keep re-recording, reworking and even translating into French for various releases. Still a pretty decent song.
38.(31) Smash Mouth - Walkin' On The Sun
39.(NE) Coco - I Need A Miracle
Technically already a re-release of a single released on an indie label, this is better known as part of what we'd now call a mash-up with Fragma's hit 'Toca Me'. When officially released (credited to Fragma) that version topped the chart in 2000. 
40.(37) Oasis - Stand By Me

41.(NE) Olive - Miracle {1997 Re-Release}
Clearly, the record-buying public only needed one miracle. 

46.(NE) Armand Van Helden - Ultrafunkula
48.(NE) 3 Colours Red - This Is My Hollywood
Like Embrace, they were reviving a limited edition debut single. Unlike them they already seemed to have peaked in interest. In fact, 3CR's biggest hit was still to come, but with a power ballad some way from this style.
50.(NE) Echo & The Bunnymen - Don't Let It Get You Down

51.(NE) Soul II Soul - Pleasure Dome
56.(NE) Echobelly - Here Comes The Big Rush
Clearly, Echobelly and Echo & The Bunnymen releasing singles in the same week was just too confusing and neither of them could make the Top 40 then or since. In fact I quite liked this at the time, although I'm not sure how well it's stood the test of time. I never liked that Bunnymen song to start with. 

58.(NE) Awesome - Rumours
59.(NE) Common - Reminding Me (Of Sef) ft Chantay Savage
60.(NE) Sandy B - Ain't No Need To Hide


70.(NE) The Knowledge - As (Until The Day)
Dance version of the Stevie Wonder song covered more successfully by George Michael a year later.