Charting 1997: 23rd August

01. (1) Will Smith - Men In Black
02.(NE) Chumbawamba - Tubthumping
One of the surprise hits in a year with many of them, this followed the veteran anarchists' signing to a major label in Germany. They came up with this not-obviously-political drinking song and suddenly scaled the British charts - then even more surprisingly hit big in the US. I never thought I'd see people sing the phrase "Pissing the night away" on MTV promos. 
03. (2) Puff Daddy And Faith Evans - I'll Be Missing You
04.(NE) Dannii Minogue - All I Wanna Do
The second enhanced CD single to chart, which seems to fit in with the nature of the video. Another of several comebacks for Minogue Minor, which usually involved a couple of big hits followed by an album that lost a fortune and the record company pulling the plug. 
05. (3) Gala - Freed From Desire
06. (5) Backstreet Boys - Everybody (Backstreet's Back)
07. (7) The Notorious BIG - Mo Money Mo Problems
08. (8) Meredith Brooks - Bitch
09.(NE) Suede - Film Star
The fifth consecutive Top 10 hit from the album Coming Up. That was a particularly impressive achievement considering the line-up changes they'd been involved in, and the fact that this song is really no good at all.
10. (9) Coolio - C U When U Get There ft 40 Thevz
11.(NE) OTT - All Out Of Love
All out of ideas too, resorting to the usual ballad covers boybands fall into if the career hasn't taken off. In the harsh atmosphere of 1997, even getting to 11 wasn't really good enough. 
12. (6) Mary J Blige - Everything
13. (4) Wet Wet Wet - Yesterday
14.(10) Boyzone - Picture Of You
15.(NE) N-Trance - The Mind Of The Machine
There aren't any obviously film-based new entries this week, but N-Trance do the next best thing by hiring no less than Steven Berkoff as lead vocalist on a track that couldn't be much less like the cover of 'DISCO' it followed up.
16.(13) Ultra Nate - Free
17.(NE) Livin' Joy - Deep In You
In contrast, Livin Joy were a more conventionally formulaic dance act, essentially revisiting their biggest hit 'Dreamer' as much as possible. This was the last time they got away with it.  
18.(16) Oasis - D'You Know What I Mean?
19.(15) Texas - Black Eyed Boy
20.(12) Peter Andre - All About Us
21.(NE) K-Ci And JoJo - You Bring Me Up
An unusually upbeat track from the ex-Jodeci duo better known for ballads.
22.(NE) Stereophonics - A Thousand Trees
It's not always a fashionable thing to admit, but this is a genuinely good piece of songwriting and probably the song they should be remembered for, rather than 'Have A Nice Day' or the awful covers.
23.(18) Sash! - Ecuador
24.(19) Levellers - What A Beautiful Day
25.(NE) Blueboy - Sandman
Follow-up to the massive 'Remember Me', a more melodic track  based on an Undisputed Truth sample. Last time I checked this was on Spotify and the big hit wasn't.
26.(17) The Mamas And The Papas - California Dreamin' {1997}
27.(11) Lil' Kim - Not Tonight
28.(14) Olive - Outlaw
29.(NE) Mark Owen - I Am What I Am
After two Top 5 hits, he must have been expecting this to go a bit further. Not a bad track, although the album version isn't as good.
30.(NE) Travis - Tied To The 90's
Not the Number 38 hit you might have been expecting. And if you were expecting a decent song, you're wrong again. What were people thinking?
31.(NE) Echobelly - The World Is Flat
Another underperforming comeback, this was their final Top 40 appearance. Hasn't aged that well, although the video does it no favours. 
32.(24) North And South - Tarantino's New Star
33.(22) Stretch 'N' Vern Presents 'Maddog' - Get Up! Go Insane!
34.(NE) Kadoc - Rock The Bells
Another dance follow-up, though not an especially memorable one. 
35.(20) Kym Mazelle - Young Hearts Run Free
36.(23) The Verve - Bitter Sweet Symphony
37.(25) Todd Terry - Something Goin' On
38.(NE) The Source - Clouds
Yes, it's The Source doing a song that isn't 'You've Got The Love'. Odd.
39.(NE) My Life Story - Duchess
Not very good cover of a not very good Stranglers song, recorded as part of EMI's centenary celebrations. That wasn't enough to stop them getting dropped a few weeks later.
40.(27) R Kelly - Gotham City

42.(NE) Alison Limerick - Put Your Faith In Me
45.(NE) Sarah Brightman - Who Wants To Live Forever
46.(NE) Chakra - Home
48.(NE) Feeder - Crash
53.(NE) David Holmes - Gritty Shaker
You do know this track, even if you think you don't. He's recycled it in several of his soundtracks as well. And in true 90s dance style, Holmes makes a cameo appearance in the video.
56.(NE) Bloodhound Gang - Why's Everybody Always Pickin' On Me?
My brother bought this. Blame him!
60.(NE) Gifted - Do I?
61.(NE) A Tribe Called Quest - The Jam EP
[Jam; Get A Hold; Mardi Gras At Midnight; Same Ol' Thing]
63.(NE) Northern Uproar - A Girl I Once Knew
65.(NE) Jay-Z - Who You Wit?
72.(RE) The Smashing Pumpkins - The End Is The Beginning Of The End
75.(NE) Grass-Show - Out Of The Void