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.