Charting 1997: 20th September

01.(NE) Elton John - Something About The Way You Look/Candle In The Wind
OK, you knew this one was coming didn't you? And I don't think it's too much of a spoiler to say that this went on to become the biggest-selling single of the year, and indeed of all time. The nominal A-side was the single he'd been planning to release anyway, although the original cover art would probably have seemed inappropriate now.
02.(NE) George Michael - You Have Been Loved
It's not uncommon for a single to lead the pack all week long and then be overtaken on the last day - indeed it could happen this weekend - but in no such case has a record ended up with a losing margin of over half a million. This was of course because the Elton John single was rush-released on the Saturday.
I'm sure he wouldn't have anyway, but at least in this case he can hardly complain that the Number One position was stolen away from him by external events; though this song was over a year old (as was its sometimes listed flipside 'The Strangest Thing') and the release had obviously been scheduled long in advance, a song about bereavement was well-placed to tap into the public mood after Diana's death. And of course, this was the sixth single from his Older album to make the Top 3.
03. (1) The Verve - The Drugs Don't Work
04. (2) Will Smith - Men In Black
05. (2) Chumbawamba - Tubthumping
06.(NE) Ricky Martin - (Un, Dos, Tres) Maria
In other news, the UK chart debut of the former Menudo singer and Spanglish superstar. It was almost another two years until 'Livin La Vida Loca' became so big as to obliterate popular memory of his earlier hits. 
07. (4) Hanson - Where's The Love
08.(NE) Portishead - All Mine
The first fully-released single from their long-awaited second album (although in retrospect, three years doesn't seem that long) became their first and only Top 10 hit. It's also their only song to have been covered by Tom Jones.
09. (6) All Saints - I Know Where It's At
10.(NE) Boyz II Men - 4 Seasons Of Loneliness
Another song mopey enough to have gained from the mood.
11. (5) Puff Daddy And Faith Evans - I'll Be Missing You
12. (9) Tina Moore - Never Gonna Let You Go
13.(NE) Mark Morrison - Who's The Mack!
His comeback hit from the stopgap mini-album Only God Can Judge Me, which also includes interviews and prayers.
14.(NE) Sly And Robbie - Night Nurse ft Simply Red
The legendary reggae rhythm section who've played on countless hits but only had a couple in their own names. Here they and Mick Hucknall cover the old Gregory Isaacs hit to underwhelming effect.
15.(NE) The Sundays - Summertime
An act who'd kept their fans waiting even longer than Portishead's for new material, so I'd never heard of them until this single. But I liked it and bought the red vinyl 7". I later discovered the guitarist went to my school.
16. (8) Mariah Carey - Honey
17.(NE) The Chemical Brothers - Elektrobank

The third single from Dig Your Own Hole was never likely to follow the first two to the top of the charts but it falls way short here. Memorable video though.
18.(NE) Jaydee - Plastic Dreams
Not bad electronic number, though I don't especially remember it from the time.
19.(12) N-Tyce - We Come To Party
20.(13) Gala - Freed From Desire
21.(NE) Snoop Doggy Dogg - We Just Wanna Party With You ft JD
JD is famous producer Jermaine Dupri, of course.
22.(NE) Kylie Minogue - Some Kind Of Bliss
The start of the Indiekylie persona, a song with writing and production input from members of the Manic Street Preachers only five years (or one week) after they'd failed to get her onto 'Little Baby Nothing'. Unfortunately, it was for a long time her smallest ever solo hit and the album probably would have been postponed even if it didn't have the potentially controversial title Impossible Princess.
23.(11) DJ Quicksilver - Free
24. (7) Cast - Live The Dream
25.(10) Finley Quaye - Even After All
26.(15) Shola Ama - You're The One I Love
27.(18) Backstreet Boys - Everybody (Backstreet's Back)
28.(NE) Marilyn Manson - Tourniquet
Following his other hit in the same vein. Ahem.
29.(19) Dannii Minogue - All I Wanna Do
30.(22) The Notorious BIG - Mo Money Mo Problems
31.(NE) Tin Tin Out - Strings For Yasmin
OK as Tin Tin Out songs go. Coincidentally, they would later have a major hit with a cover of a Sundays song
32.(14) Staxx - Joy {1997}
33.(27) Mary J Blige - Everything
34.(17) Chicane With Power Circle - Offshore '97
35.(NE) Praxis - Turn Me Out (Turn To Sugar) ft Kathy Brown
I do actually remember Mark Goodier announcing this as a new entry. More so than I remember the record, alas.
36.(28) Meredith Brooks - Bitch
37.(NE) Deni Hines - I Like The Way
This must have been when they realised the UK wasn't going to be a big market for her.
38.(24) Ginuwine - When Doves Cry
39.(32) Coolio - C U When U Get There ft 40 Thevz
40.(20) Ocean Colour Scene - Traveller's Tune

41.(NE) Dubstar - Cathedral Park
Their first single to miss the Top 40, albeit only just.
45.(NE) B-Crew - Partay Feeling ft Barbara Tucker, Ultra Nate, Dajae And Mone
52.(NE) Mr President - I Give You My Heart
My brother bought this single. Not many other people did.
55.(NE) Monaco - Shine (Someone Who Needs Me)
59.(NE) Chilli - Tic Tic Tac (Dance To Boi Bumba!) ft Carrapicho
64.(RE) Gary Barlow - So Help Me Girl
66.(NE) KRS-One - Heartbeat/A Friend/Step Into A World
70.(NE) Chevelle Franklyn - Dancehall Queen ft Beenie Man
71.(NE) Helen Love - Does Your Heart Go Boom?
Dissing fellow 1997 hitmakers Bush and Kula Shaker, but namechecking Atari Teenage Riot.
72.(NE) PJ - Happy Days
Apparently not Ant McPartlin gone solo.
75.(NE) Shades - Serenade

Charting 1997: 13th September

Interesting times for the chart this week, as the sales period officially began on Sunday the 31st of December, the day when Britain woke up to the news that Diana  Princess of Wales had died. Whatever you felt about that at the time, it had a massive impact on what songs got played on the radio this week, and the knock-on effects are visible here. 

01.(NE) The Verve - The Drugs Don't Work
Of course, this one was already hotly-tipped for the top anyway, but the sombre mood abroad this week probably gave it a hand too. I loved them at the time although I never got round to buying this single.
02. (1) Will Smith - Men In Black
03. (2) Chumbawamba - Tubthumping
Only falling one place on the sales chart, but more like 40 places on the airplay one (it did recover later)
04.(NE) Hanson - Where's The Love
Their second British hit, complete with a video shot here in London the day after 'Mmmbop' entered at 1. Topically, also the first record Chris Moyles played at Radio 1.
05. (6) Puff Daddy And Faith Evans - I'll Be Missing You
There was some speculation that this might actually return to the top again. It never happened, possibly because the Verve sopped up some of that market.
06. (4) All Saints - I Know Where It's At
07.(NE) Cast - Live The Dream
Their sixth consecutive Top 10 single, with a title that became a catchphrase for Steve Lamacq, coincidentally or otherwise. One of their prettier songs but a bit inconsequential. 
08. (3) Mariah Carey - Honey
09.(11) Tina Moore - Never Gonna Let You Go
10.(NE) Finley Quaye - Even After All
A rather more likeable track than his first single, at least in retrospect.
11. (7) DJ Quicksilver - Free
12.(NE) N-Tyce - We Come To Party
Oddly-spelt girl-group klaxon!
13. (9) Gala - Freed From Desire
14.(NE) Staxx - Joy {1997 remix}
A dance track that was a Top 30 hit in 1993, now reworked to give them their only Top 20 appearance.
15.(12) Shola Ama - You're The One I Love
16.(NE) Kavana - Crazy Chance '97
And speaking of remixes... Hard not to suspect that the point of the new version was mainly to sell this to his fans again. 
17.(NE) Chicane With Power Circle - Offshore '97
A few years before mash-up hits became ubiquitous, this was a legit version of a bootleg combining Chicane's 1996 hit 'Offshore' with a vocal from Power Circle's 'A Little Love A Little Life', hence the credit. Presumably Power Circle's management couldn't persuade the label to represent their song title as well.
18.(14) Backstreet Boys - Everybody (Backstreet's Back)
19.(13) Dannii Minogue - All I Wanna Do
20. (5) Ocean Colour Scene - Traveller's Tune
21.(NE) Led Zeppelin - Whole Lotta Love
You know how everybody goes on about Led Zep not releasing singles? They tend to forget about this slightly pointless (and as it turned out, not ideally-timed) release. Presumably this was intended to promote the upcoming BBC sessions album, although this is the studio version. Either way it was probably intended to make a bigger impact after all those years.
22.(15) The Notorious BIG - Mo Money Mo Problems
23.(NE) Boris Dlugosch Presents Boom! - Hold Your Head Up High
The German producer later famous for remixing Moloko's 'Sing It Back', and apparently Mousse T was also involved. 
24.(10) Ginuwine - When Doves Cry
25.(21) Conner Reeves - My Father's Son
26.(NE) Ce Ce Peniston - Finally {1997 remix}
Apparently the 1st of September was National Release A Remix Day. Not sure this song needed it really.
27.(22) Mary J Blige - Everything
28.(19) Meredith Brooks - Bitch
29. (8) Radiohead - Karma Police
30.(NE) Echo & The Bunnymen - I Want To Be There When You Come
Underwhelming performance for the follow-up to a Top 10 comeback, but then it's not really much of a song. 
31.(NE) Roni Size/Reprazent - Heroes
Sorry the video cuts off a bit early there. First mainstream hit for the Bristol DnB producer and his band. Good soul track really, seems a bit forgotten now.
32.(23) Coolio - C U When U Get There ft 40 Thevz
33.(18) Refugee Allstars/Lauryn Hill - The Sweetest Thing
34.(NE) SWV - Someone ft Puff Daddy
Despite man of the moment Sean Combs appearing, a single that underperformed in both the UK and the US. 
35.(NE) Eels - Your Lucky Day In Hell
This probably wasn't going to follow their previous two singles into the Top 10 anyway, but it's an obvious victim of its release date. A very good song though, one of the first I ever heard by them. 
36.(16) No Mercy - Kiss You All Over
37.(27) Ultra Nate - Free
38.(17) Bentley Rhythm Ace - Bentley's Gonna Sort You Out!
39.(24) Boyzone - Picture Of You
40.(NE) 'N Sync - Tearin' Up My Heart
First sighting of Justin Timberlake in the UK chart, although 'N Sync always seemed to suffer in European markets from the fact that Backstreet Boys got here first. This did go on to become a Top 10 hit in 1999, though.

41.(NE) Manic Street Preachers - Motorcycle Emptiness {1997 re-issue}
Their biggest pre-1996 song (in sales and familiarity, if not chart position) leads the pack of a set of re-releases of all six singles from their debut album. It's a safe bet that this would have gone T40 a week earlier.
43.(NE) Nine Inch Nails - The Perfect Drug
49.(NE) Manic Street Preachers - You Love Us {1997 re-issue}
This is of course a re-release of the 1992 re-recording, which had gone Top 20, rather than the original version from the previous year.
50.(NE) Manic Street Preachers - Little Baby Nothing {1997 re-issue}
Later quoted in a Steps press release, apparently. Notable for the appearance in the video of Shampoo, whose entire chart career took place between the original release and this re-issue.
52.(NE) Manic Street Preachers - Stay Beautiful {1997 re-issue}
Had been their very first Top 40 hit in the summer of 1991. 
54.(NE) Manic Street Preachers - Slash 'N' Burn {1997 re-issue}
The only one of these releases to differ in content from the original - in 1992 this included the rare early single 'Motown Junk', which was probably a major contributor to its Top 20 placing, but that was dropped on this occasion. 
55.(NE) Manic Street Preachers - Love's Sweet Exile/Repeat {1997 re-issue}
Presumably selling worst of the six because there was only one track not already available on the album. And little casual trade for these songs, I'd imagine. 

60.(NE) Stereolab - Miss Modular
63.(NE) T-Shirt - You Sexy Thing
A big hit in Australia, apparently. One of the members was Miranda Cooper, later famous as part of the Xenomania songwriting/production collective.
64.(NE) Tilt - Places
66.(NE) Jimmy Somerville - Dark Sky
74.(NE) Arab Strap - The Girls Of Summer (EP)
[Hey! Fever; Girls Of Summer; The Beautiful Barmaids Of Dundee; One Day, After School]