My September 1991 Charts

1st September 1991

It’s 2 weeks on top for 1973’s T.Rex classic, back in the UK charts as 70’s nostalgia gets under way. PM Dawn sadly lose out on a chart-topper with the fab Set Adrift up in runners-up and Bryan Adams looked to have peaked at 2, but no he’s back up to 3, Ricky Nelson gets his only top 10 track with the Gene Pitney song and this recording over 30 years old. Straight in at 8 is the 3rd single from Sugar Tax, the OMD album still hot on my playlist after their gig in Bournemouth. Then You Turn Away makes it 3 top 10’s in a row, a consistency not seen since 1984.

Julian Lennon vaults high up into the top 20, Saltwater becoming his 2nd biggest-track since Too Late For Goodbyes went top 10 in 1984, and Billy Bragg enters at 19 with best record by some distance, the excellent You Woke Up My Neighbourhood. He had even better songs, but it took covers to do them justice. Kylie keeps the top 40 consistency coming at 3 years, and Maxi Priest helps Shabba Ranks get a top 40 – Shabba usually needed someone to assist getting into my charts. The future Mark Wahlberg movie star, and brother of New Kid On The Blocker, raps his way to a hit – Good Vibrations not the Beach Boys classic.

At 53, Utah Saints debut with a classic, What Can You Do For Me, while Sabrina Johnson brings Peace to the valleys, both memorable dance tracks. Unlike the other forgotten new entries, Airhead, Julia Fordham and Big Country all having fallen out of my brain as it got full with more recent stuff. Need more RAM. Still, that means Big Country make it 8 years of charting, or 12 years including The Skids hits for Stuart Adamson.

1 ( 1 ) 20th CENTURY BOY T.Rex
2 ( 4 ) SET ADRIFT ON MEMORY BLISS PM Dawn
3 ( 13 ) EVERYTHING I DO (I DO IT FOR YOU) Bryan Adams
4 ( 3 ) WINTER IN JULY Bomb The Bass
5 ( 2 ) LOVE’S BURN Karl Keaton
6 ( 8 ) MOVE ANY MOUNTAIN The Shamen
7 ( 9 ) LOVE THY WILL BE DONE Martika
8 ( NEW ) THEN YOU TURN AWAY Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark
9 ( 5 ) GENERATIONS OF LOVE Jesus Loves You
10 ( 11 ) HELLO MARYLOU Ricky Nelson

11 ( 12 ) SUNSHINE ON A RAINY DAY (REMIX) Zoe
12 ( 16 ) LET’S TALK ABOUT SEX Salt ‘n’ Pepa
13 ( 6 ) CRUCIFIED Army Of Lovers
14 ( 7 ) JUST ANOTHER DREAM Cathy Dennis
15 ( 47 ) SALTWATER Julian Lennon
16 ( 10 ) SUMMERTIME DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince
17 ( 17 ) BE YOUNG BE FOOLISH BE HAPPY Sonia
18 ( 14 ) RIDERS OF THE STORM The Doors
19 ( NEW ) YOU WOKE UP MY NEIGHBOURHOOD Billy Bragg
20 ( 15 ) PANDORA’S BOX Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark

21 ( 26 ) SOMETIMES IT’S A BITCH Stevie Nicks
22 ( 22 ) NEAR WILD HEAVEN REM
23 ( 29 ) ALWAYS THERE Incognito featuring Jocelyn Brown
24 ( 18 ) LOVE AND UNDERSTANDING Cher
25 ( 37 ) BROKEN ARROW Rod Stewart
26 ( 23 ) SAFE FROM HARM Massive Attack featuring Shara Nelson
27 ( 33 ) THE BIG L Roxette
28 ( 19 ) HAPPY TOGETHER Jason Donovan
29 ( 20 ) COLD COLD HEART Midge Ure
30 ( 31 ) ALL 4 LOVE Color Me Badd

31 ( 28 ) JEALOUSY Pet Shop Boys
32 ( 24 ) YOU COULD BE MINE Guns ‘n’ Roses
33 ( 27 ) NOW THAT WE’VE FOUND LOVE Heavy D & The Boyz
34 ( 34 ) HEY STOOPID Alice Cooper
35 ( 40 ) GET OFF Prince & The New Power Generation
36 ( 25 ) MONSTERS AND ANGELS Voice Of The Beehive
37 ( 21 ) MORE THAN WORDS Extreme
38 ( 66 ) WORD IS OUT Kylie Minogue
39 ( 39 ) GET IT ON Yo Yo Honey
40 ( 70 ) HOUSECALL Shabba Ranks featuring Maxi Priest

41 ( 44 ) YOU’VE LOST THAT LOVIN’ FEELIN’ The Righteous Brothers
42 ( 42 ) HOLIDAY Madonna
43 ( 53 ) SHE’S A GIRL AND I’M A MAN Lloyd Cole
44 ( NEW ) GOOD VIBRATIONS Marky Mark & The Funky Bunch
45 ( 36 ) HARD TO HANDLE The Black Crowes
46 ( 45 ) IT AIN’T OVER TILL IT’S OVER Lenny Kravitz
47 ( 48 ) HEY JUDE The Beatles
48 ( 43 ) DO IT AGAIN The Beach Boys
49 ( 71 ) INSANITY Oceanic
50 ( 65 ) STAND BY LOVE Simple Minds

51 ( 30 ) ROMANTIC Karyn White
52 ( 38 ) TAKE ME IN YOUR ARMS Scritti Politti featuring Sweetie Irie
53 ( NEW ) WHAT CAN YOU DO FOR ME Utah Saints
54 ( 35 ) THE BEGINNING Seal
55 ( 55 ) WHEN HE’S GONE The Bee Gees
56 ( 41 ) UNFORGETTABLE Natalie Cole & Nat ‘King’ Cole
57 ( 57 ) WHY CAN’T WE LIVE TOGETHER (1990 TK REMIX) Timmy Thomas
58 ( 60 ) DON’T LET THE SUN GO DOWN ON ME Elton John
59 ( 32 ) FAMILY AFFAIR B.E.F. featuring Lalah Hathaway
60 ( NEW ) PEACE Sabrina Johnson

61 ( NEW ) FUNNY HOW Airhead
62 ( 54 ) CROCKETT’S THEME Jan Hammer
63 ( 62 ) (THEY LONG TO BE) CLOSE TO YOU/ MERRY CHRISTMAS DARLING Carpenters
64 ( 64 ) WHAT WOULD WE DO DSK
65 ( 61 ) RESCUE ME Madonna
66 ( 68 ) LET IT BE The Beatles
67 ( 74 ) WHY BELIEVE IN YOU Texas
68 ( 69 ) TOUCH ME (ALL NIGHT LONG) Cathy Dennis
69 ( NEW ) I THOUGHT IT WAS YOU Julia Fordham
70 ( 46 ) DO YOU WANT ME Salt ‘n’ Pepa

71 ( NEW ) REPUBLICAN PARTY REPTILE Big Country
72 ( 56 ) YOU BELONG IN ROCK ‘N’ ROLL Tin Machine featuring David Bowie
73 ( 73 ) LIES EMF
74 ( 59 ) I WANNA SEX YOU UP Color Me Badd
75 ( 50 ) JUMP TO THE BEAT Dannii Minogue

Playlist Oldies
1 SORRY SEEMS TO BE THE HARDEST WORD Elton John
2 TELL ME WHAT HE SAID Helen Shapiro
3 “Sugar Tax” Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark

8th September 1991

It’s 3 weeks for T.Rex on top as Bryan Adams returns to his peak of 2, while still on top of the UK charts, and OMD get a second top 3 of the year, just ahead of Julian Lennon hitting a new career peak of 4 with Saltwater. Highest new entry is….Bros. Yes, that’s right, Try, a minor UK hit, straight in at 7 as a sort of follow-up to Madly In Love, I was liking the slightly earthier funkier Bros. By was of compensation Billy Bragg gets a first (and last) top 10 with his Country-ish singalong.

New at 14, Saint Etienne cover Neil Young and do Only Love Can Break Your Heart justice, while Electronic bounce instantly back with Feel Every Beat at 18, and Belinda Carlisle debuts a great single from her new album – Live Your Life Be Free is in at 19, for a big week for new entries. Sabrina Johnson rockets Peace through the chart valleys to 23, Beats International keep the run going with The Sun Don’t Shine at 29, Norman Cooke still having another pseudonym or 2 before settling on Fat Boy Slim.

Celine Dion also debuts, yes I know, and it’s not even a big hit – Where Does My Heart Beat Now doing what her Eurovision winner didn’t do, enter my chart. Level 42 are Guaranteed a chart entry at 47, Runrig have a Hearthammer, and Fat Boy Glitter is back with Ready To Rock ahead of the annual Xmas gigs. Dire Straits are Calling Elvis, but sadly getting no answer, Oleta Adams covers Elton John’s still-charting re-issue of his non-charting 1974 Don’t Let The Sun Go Down On Me, both of them overshadowed by the later live version with George Michael assisting Elton.

1 ( 1 ) 20th CENTURY BOY T.Rex
2 ( 3 ) EVERYTHING I DO (I DO IT FOR YOU) Bryan Adams
3 ( 8 ) THEN YOU TURN AWAY Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark
4 ( 15 ) SALTWATER Julian Lennon
5 ( 2 ) SET ADRIFT ON MEMORY BLISS PM Dawn
6 ( 6 ) MOVE ANY MOUNTAIN The Shamen
7 ( NEW ) TRY Bros
8 ( 4 ) WINTER IN JULY Bomb The Bass
9 ( 7 ) LOVE THY WILL BE DONE Martika
10 ( 19 ) YOU WOKE UP MY NEIGHBOURHOOD Billy Bragg

11 ( 12 ) LET’S TALK ABOUT SEX Salt ‘n’ Pepa
12 ( 11 ) SUNSHINE ON A RAINY DAY (REMIX) Zoe
13 ( 5 ) LOVE’S BURN Karl Keaton
14 ( NEW ) ONLY LOVE CAN BREAK YOUR HEART Saint Etienne
15 ( 25 ) BROKEN ARROW Rod Stewart
16 ( 17 ) BE YOUNG BE FOOLISH BE HAPPY Sonia
17 ( 9 ) GENERATIONS OF LOVE Jesus Loves You
18 ( NEW ) FEEL EVERY BEAT Electronic
19 ( NEW ) LIVE YOUR LIFE BE FREE Belinda Carlisle
20 ( 14 ) JUST ANOTHER DREAM Cathy Dennis

21 ( 13 ) CRUCIFIED Army Of Lovers
22 ( 16 ) SUMMERTIME DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince
23 ( 60 ) PEACE Sabrina Johnson
24 ( 27 ) THE BIG L Roxette
25 ( 10 ) HELLO MARYLOU Ricky Nelson
26 ( 18 ) RIDERS OF THE STORM The Doors
27 ( 20 ) PANDORA’S BOX Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark
28 ( 40 ) HOUSECALL Shabba Ranks featuring Maxi Priest
29 ( NEW ) THE SUN DON’T SHINE Beats International
30 ( 35 ) GET OFF Prince & The New Power Generation

31 ( 23 ) ALWAYS THERE Incognito featuring Jocelyn Brown
32 ( 21 ) SOMETIMES IT’S A BITCH Stevie Nicks
33 ( 44 ) GOOD VIBRATIONS Marky Mark & The Funky Bunch
34 ( 26 ) SAFE FROM HARM Massive Attack featuring Shara Nelson
35 ( 28 ) HAPPY TOGETHER Jason Donovan
36 ( 38 ) WORD IS OUT Kylie Minogue
37 ( 31 ) JEALOUSY Pet Shop Boys
38 ( NEW ) WHERE DOES MY HEART BEAT NOW Celine Dion
39 ( 49 ) INSANITY Oceanic
40 ( 24 ) LOVE AND UNDERSTANDING Cher

41 ( 50 ) STAND BY LOVE Simple Minds
42 ( 41 ) YOU’VE LOST THAT LOVIN’ FEELIN’ The Righteous Brothers
43 ( 42 ) HOLIDAY Madonna
44 ( 53 ) WHAT CAN YOU DO FOR ME Utah Saints
45 ( 22 ) NEAR WILD HEAVEN REM
46 ( 34 ) HEY STOOPID Alice Cooper
47 ( NEW ) GUARANTEED Level 42
48 ( 29 ) COLD COLD HEART Midge Ure
49 ( 47 ) HEY JUDE The Beatles
50 ( 33 ) NOW THAT WE’VE FOUND LOVE Heavy D & The Boyz

51 ( NEW ) HEARTHAMMER Runrig
52 ( 39 ) GET IT ON Yo Yo Honey
53 ( 30 ) ALL 4 LOVE Color Me Badd
54 ( 58 ) DON’T LET THE SUN GO DOWN ON ME Elton John
55 ( 55 ) WHEN HE’S GONE The Bee Gees
56 ( 48 ) DO IT AGAIN The Beach Boys
57 ( 36 ) MONSTERS AND ANGELS Voice Of The Beehive
58 ( 46 ) IT AIN’T OVER TILL IT’S OVER Lenny Kravitz
59 ( 57 ) WHY CAN’T WE LIVE TOGETHER (1990 TK REMIX) Timmy Thomas
60 ( 73 ) LIES EMF

61 ( 32 ) YOU COULD BE MINE Guns ‘n’ Roses
62 ( NEW ) READY TO ROCK Gary Glitter
63 ( 37 ) MORE THAN WORDS Extreme
64 ( 61 ) FUNNY HOW Airhead
65 ( 63 ) (THEY LONG TO BE) CLOSE TO YOU/ MERRY CHRISTMAS DARLING Carpenters
66 ( 66 ) LET IT BE The Beatles
67 ( 62 ) CROCKETT’S THEME Jan Hammer
68 ( NEW ) CALLING ELVIS Dire Straits
69 ( 56 ) UNFORGETTABLE Natalie Cole & Nat ‘King’ Cole
70 ( 45 ) HARD TO HANDLE The Black Crowes

71 ( 65 ) RESCUE ME Madonna
72 ( NEW ) DON’T LET THE SUN GO DOWN ON ME Oleta Adams
73 ( 43 ) SHE’S A GIRL AND I’M A MAN Lloyd Cole
74 ( NEW ) MAKIN’ HAPPY Crystal Waters
75 ( 68 ) TOUCH ME (ALL NIGHT LONG) Cathy Dennis

Retro oldies Playlist
1 MAGIC FLY Space
2 HUMAN Human League
3 THE WINNER TAKES IT ALL Abba

15th September 2021

It’s back up into the top 5 for The Shamen’s Move Any Mountain, as they suddenly get an unexpected chart-topper after hanging around for weeks, and Bryan Adams drops from the number 2 spot for the second time. Bros get their biggest hit with a forgotten minor hit that sounds like Madly In Love in parts. Try as I might I couldn’t hum the tune these days, where I could easily “sing” When Will I Be Famous. Highest new entry is Marc Almond Trevor-Horn sheentastic cover of the epic and brilliant Scott Walker 1968 song Jacky. The original was banned by the BBC, but it was acceptable in the 90’s as times had changed, and it was a gay singer singing the potentially offensive Q word.

Saint Etienne get a first top 10 single and will have more to come, and Salt ‘n’ Pepa get a sex-mentioning top 10 single onto radio playlists where George Michael had been banned only 4 years earlier. Times WERE changing! New at 19, outdoing the previous single in one fell swoop, Erasure Love To hate You, REM bring back The One I Love, still sounding good at 23, and Bryan Adams new lead single off his album, Can’t Stop This Thing We Started is new at 38 as the Monster track is still top 10. One place lower and Rozalla debuts with a 90’s dance anthem, Everybody’s Free (to feel good).

That leaves other newies in a big week for newies from Voice Of The Beehive, covering the 1971 pop classic I Think I Love You, which topped my chart for The Partridge Family & David Cassidy for me, I loved series one of the TV show and the records. The Wonder Stuff return, sleeping alone, and 1973 chart-topper for Ike & Tina Turner returns solo for Tina in a less-good revamped version, but she wrote Nutbush City Limits about her childhood so she’s entitled! David Essex performs in Bournemouth, and I go along, and the new track Africa shines. Cliff is back with one I’ve forgotten, maybe he’ll play it in 3 weeks as I have my first concert in 2 years – and it’s Cliff’s 80th tour, he’s been around all my life and I’ve never seen him in concert before. Finally, Gloria Estefan is running out of steam a bit, and Prince is as naughty as ever with his Cream entering at the bottom. So to speak.

1 ( 6 ) MOVE ANY MOUNTAIN The Shamen
2 ( 1 ) 20th CENTURY BOY T.Rex
3 ( 7 ) TRY Bros
4 ( NEW ) JACKY Marc Almond
5 ( 3 ) THEN YOU TURN AWAY Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark
6 ( 2 ) EVERYTHING I DO (I DO IT FOR YOU) Bryan Adams
7 ( 4 ) SALTWATER Julian Lennon
8 ( 5 ) SET ADRIFT ON MEMORY BLISS PM Dawn
9 ( 14 ) ONLY LOVE CAN BREAK YOUR HEART Saint Etienne
10 ( 11 ) LET’S TALK ABOUT SEX Salt ‘n’ Pepa

11 ( 9 ) LOVE THY WILL BE DONE Martika
12 ( 8 ) WINTER IN JULY Bomb The Bass
13 ( 18 ) FEEL EVERY BEAT Electronic
14 ( 19 ) LIVE YOUR LIFE BE FREE Belinda Carlisle
15 ( 23 ) PEACE Sabrina Johnson
16 ( 10 ) YOU WOKE UP MY NEIGHBOURHOOD Billy Bragg
17 ( 12 ) SUNSHINE ON A RAINY DAY (REMIX) Zoe
18 ( 29 ) THE SUN DON’T SHINE Beats International
19 ( NEW ) LOVE TO HATE YOU Erasure
20 ( 28 ) HOUSECALL Shabba Ranks featuring Maxi Priest

21 ( 15 ) BROKEN ARROW Rod Stewart
22 ( 13 ) LOVE’S BURN Karl Keaton
23 ( NEW ) THE ONE I LOVE REM
24 ( 22 ) SUMMERTIME DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince
25 ( 20 ) JUST ANOTHER DREAM Cathy Dennis
26 ( 26 ) RIDERS OF THE STORM The Doors
27 ( 17 ) GENERATIONS OF LOVE Jesus Loves You
28 ( 36 ) WORD IS OUT Kylie Minogue
29 ( 33 ) GOOD VIBRATIONS Marky Mark & The Funky Bunch
30 ( 21 ) CRUCIFIED Army Of Lovers

31 ( 16 ) BE YOUNG BE FOOLISH BE HAPPY Sonia
32 ( 38 ) WHERE DOES MY HEART BEAT NOW Celine Dion
33 ( 27 ) PANDORA’S BOX Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark
34 ( 39 ) INSANITY Oceanic
35 ( 44 ) WHAT CAN YOU DO FOR ME Utah Saints
36 ( 25 ) HELLO MARYLOU Ricky Nelson
37 ( 37 ) JEALOUSY Pet Shop Boys
38 ( NEW ) CAN’T STOP THIS THING WE STARTED Bryan Adams
39 ( NEW ) EVERYBODY’S FREE Rozalla
40 ( 51 ) HEARTHAMMER Runrig

41 ( 24 ) THE BIG L Roxette
42 ( 34 ) SAFE FROM HARM Massive Attack featuring Shara Nelson
43 ( 30 ) GET OFF Prince & The New Power Generation
44 ( 42 ) YOU’VE LOST THAT LOVIN’ FEELIN’ The Righteous Brothers
45 ( 43 ) HOLIDAY Madonna
46 ( 31 ) ALWAYS THERE Incognito featuring Jocelyn Brown
47 ( 47 ) GUARANTEED Level 42
48 ( 40 ) LOVE AND UNDERSTANDING Cher
49 ( NEW ) I THINK I LOVE YOU Voice Of The Beehive
50 ( 49 ) HEY JUDE The Beatles

51 ( 32 ) SOMETIMES IT’S A BITCH Stevie Nicks
52 ( NEW ) SLEEP ALONE The Wonder Stuff
53 ( NEW ) NUTBUSH CITY LIMITS Tina Turner
54 ( 46 ) HEY STOOPID Alice Cooper
55 ( 54 ) DON’T LET THE SUN GO DOWN ON ME Elton John
56 ( 72 ) DON’T LET THE SUN GO DOWN ON ME Oleta Adams
57 ( 55 ) WHEN HE’S GONE The Bee Gees
58 ( NEW ) AFRICA YOU SHINE David Essex with Shikisa featuring Abdul Tee-Jay
59 ( 59 ) WHY CAN’T WE LIVE TOGETHER (1990 TK REMIX) Timmy Thomas
60 ( 56 ) DO IT AGAIN The Beach Boys

61 ( 52 ) GET IT ON Yo Yo Honey
62 ( 50 ) NOW THAT WE’VE FOUND LOVE Heavy D & The Boyz
63 ( NEW ) LIVE FOR LOVING YOU Gloria Estefan
64 ( 68 ) CALLING ELVIS Dire Straits
65 ( 58 ) IT AIN’T OVER TILL IT’S OVER Lenny Kravitz
66 ( 66 ) LET IT BE The Beatles
67 ( 65 ) (THEY LONG TO BE) CLOSE TO YOU/ MERRY CHRISTMAS DARLING Carpenters
68 ( 62 ) READY TO ROCK Gary Glitter
69 ( 41 ) STAND BY LOVE Simple Minds
70 ( 35 ) HAPPY TOGETHER Jason Donovan

71 ( 74 ) MAKIN’ HAPPY Crystal Waters
72 ( 45 ) NEAR WILD HEAVEN REM
73 ( 71 ) RESCUE ME Madonna
74 ( NEW ) MORE TO LIFE Cliff Richard
75 ( NEW ) CREAM Prince & The New Power Generation

DAVID ESSEX Live at Bournemouth International Centre

Shown on the BBC I think – I probably taped it onto VHS and havent seen this concert since. Audience heavily mature women-oriented. The exciting stuff was from the first 2 years of his career, plus Evita. David had his own unique style, quirky, often dark and dramatic, and rarely jolly pop stuff despite the fact that his 2 chart-toppers were jolly semi-synth-pop stuff.

1 Stardust
2 Lamplight
3 Rock On
4 Gonna Make You A Star
5 Oh What A Circus
6 Africa You Shine (with Shikisa)

22nd September 1991

It’s back up on top for a 4th week for 1973 classic 20th Century Boy, still missing Marc Bolan in 1991. Julian Lennon is up to 3 with his saltwater and Marc Almond gets a number 2 to get his biggest track since Touch topped my chart in 1982 for Soft Cell. Jacky is fab. Belinda Carlisle shows no sign of letting up on the top 10’s, her 7th, and Electronic grab a third, and Erasure a 5th (or Vince Clarke a 10th).

The Scorpions have already had a 10-week run and return to a new peak of 13 with Wind Of Change finally taking off in the UK, REM also reach a new peak of 14 with The One I Love, and Celine Dion gets a top 20 before she breaks out big. Yes you can blame me (and Eurovision). Cathy Dennis makes it 3 top 20’s in a row with the ballad Too Many Walls new at 18, and Slade make it 20 years of hits as their last hit Radio Wall Of Sound promotes a new Hits album and is in at 24 – I was 13 when I was getting very exciting by the stomping violin-led Coz I Luv You!

I was also 13 when I was getting extremely excited by I Think I Love You, and Voice Of The Beehive climb to 23 with it, Cliff Richard rockets into the 30 with a record I still don’t remember. I don’t suppose he’ll sing it next week, but you never know. Oceanic go top 30 as well – yes that record I was slagging off in the recent rate got as high as 30 in my charts. It’s still forgettable though! Boy George and Jesus get a 3rd top 40 in a row, Simply Red are seeing seeing Stars with the decent Something Got Me Started at 45, and before we all got sick to death of the endless album tracks and blanket radio plays.

2 Deep? No, don’t recall it either. Brothers In Rhythm I do recall, it’s not bad, and also The Stone Roses with a revered shoegazer track. I don’t recall where it peaked in my charts, but the band were never top of my pops so lower expectations is my advice! Shakespear’s Sister return setting up THAT monster hit in a few months, Goodbye Cruel World is pretty decent, Beverley Craven is Woman To Woman, but it’s nowhere near as racy as it might appear from the title. Urban Soul? Another blank from me. Tom Petty, though, a good record from his great period of many good records.

1 ( 2 ) 20th CENTURY BOY T.Rex
2 ( 4 ) JACKY Marc Almond
3 ( 7 ) SALTWATER Julian Lennon
4 ( 3 ) TRY Bros
5 ( 5 ) THEN YOU TURN AWAY Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark
6 ( 1 ) MOVE ANY MOUNTAIN The Shamen
7 ( 14 ) LIVE YOUR LIFE BE FREE Belinda Carlisle
8 ( 8 ) SET ADRIFT ON MEMORY BLISS PM Dawn
9 ( 13 ) FEEL EVERY BEAT Electronic
10 ( 19 ) LOVE TO HATE YOU Erasure

11 ( 6 ) EVERYTHING I DO (I DO IT FOR YOU) Bryan Adams
12 ( 18 ) THE SUN DOESN’T SHINE Beats International
13 ( RE ) WIND OF CHANGE The Scorpions
14 ( 23 ) THE ONE I LOVE REM
15 ( 15 ) PEACE Sabrina Johnson
16 ( 12 ) WINTER IN JULY Bomb The Bass
17 ( 11 ) LOVE… THY WILL BE DONE Martika
18 ( NEW ) TOO MANY WALLS Cathy Dennis
19 ( 9 ) ONLY LOVE CAN BREAK YOUR HEART Saint Etienne
20 ( 32 ) WHERE DOES MY HEART BEAT NOW Celine Dion

21 ( 10 ) LET’S TALK ABOUT SEX Salt ‘n’ Pepa
22 ( 28 ) WORD IS OUT Kylie Minogue
23 ( 49 ) I THINK I LOVE YOU Voice Of The Beehive
24 ( NEW ) RADIO WALL OF SOUND Slade
25 ( 16 ) YOU WOKE UP MY NEIGHBOURHOOD Billy Bragg
26 ( 74 ) MORE TO LIFE Cliff Richard
27 ( 17 ) SUNSHINE ON A RAINY DAY (REMIX) Zoe
28 ( 20 ) HOUSECALL Shabba Ranks featuring Maxi Priest
29 ( 22 ) LOVE’S BURN Karl Keaton
30 ( 34 ) INSANITY Oceanic

31 ( 39 ) EVERYBODY’S FREE Rozalla
32 ( 26 ) RIDERS OF THE STORM The Doors
33 ( 25 ) JUST ANOTHER DREAM Cathy Dennis
34 ( NEW ) AFTER THE LOVE Jesus Loves You
35 ( 38 ) CAN’T STOP THIS THING WE STARTED Bryan Adams
36 ( 27 ) GENERATIONS OF LOVE Jesus Loves You
37 ( 24 ) SUMMERTIME DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince
38 ( 33 ) PANDORA’S BOX Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark
39 ( 53 ) NUTBUSH CITY LIMITS Tina Turner
40 ( 75 ) CREAM Prince & The New Power Generation

41 ( 37 ) JEALOUSY Pet Shop Boys
42 ( 21 ) BROKEN ARROW Rod Stewart
43 ( 30 ) CRUCIFIED Army Of Lovers
44 ( NEW ) SOMETHING GOT ME STARTED Simply Red
45 ( 44 ) YOU’VE LOST THAT LOVIN’ FEELIN’ The Righteous Brothers
46 ( 43 ) GET OFF Prince & The New Power Generation
47 ( 45 ) HOLIDAY Madonna
48 ( NEW ) LIFE PARTY 2 Deep
49 ( 31 ) BE YOUNG BE FOOLISH BE HAPPY Sonia
50 ( 58 ) AFRICA YOU SHINE David Essex with Shikisa featuring Abdul Tee-Jay

51 ( 50 ) HEY JUDE The Beatles
52 ( 35 ) WHAT CAN YOU DO FOR ME Utah Saints
53 ( 42 ) SAFE FROM HARM Massive Attack featuring Shara Nelson
54 ( NEW ) SUCH A GOOD FEELING Brothers In Rhythm
55 ( 55 ) DON’T LET THE SUN GO DOWN ON ME Elton John
56 ( 56 ) DON’T LET THE SUN GO DOWN ON ME Oleta Adams
57 ( 40 ) HEARTHAMMER Runrig
58 ( NEW ) I WANNA BE ADORED The Stone Roses
59 ( 59 ) WHY CAN’T WE LIVE TOGETHER (1990 TK REMIX) Timmy Thomas
60 ( 57 ) WHEN HE’S GONE The Bee Gees

61 ( 41 ) THE BIG L Roxette
62 ( 54 ) HEY STOOPID Alice Cooper
63 ( 63 ) LIVE FOR LOVING YOU Gloria Estefan
64 ( 36 ) HELLO MARYLOU Ricky Nelson
65 ( 60 ) DO IT AGAIN The Beach Boys
66 ( NEW ) GOODBYE CRUEL WORLD Shakespear’s Sister
67 ( 66 ) LET IT BE The Beatles
68 ( 67 ) (THEY LONG TO BE) CLOSE TO YOU/ MERRY CHRISTMAS DARLING Carpenters
69 ( 48 ) LOVE AND UNDERSTANDING Cher
70 ( 29 ) GOOD VIBRATIONS Marky Mark & The Funky Bunch

71 ( NEW ) WOMAN TO WOMAN Beverley Craven
72 ( NEW ) ALRIGHT Urban Soul
73 ( 73 ) RESCUE ME Madonna
74 ( 51 ) SOMETIMES IT’S A BITCH Stevie Nicks
75 ( NEW ) INTO THE GREAT WIDE OPEN Tom Petty

playlist records
1 “Sugar Tax” Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark
2 HARLEM Bill Withers
3 HAVE YOU EVER WRITTEN ANYTHING FOR SOMEBODY Stevie Nicks

29th September 1991

It’s a new chart-topper for Marc Almond’s Scott Walker cover, all Trevor Horn swirling synths, Jacky becoming his 3rd number one including Soft Cell, following on from Tainted Love in 1981 and Torch in 1982. New in at 2, Don McLean’s 1972 top 10 classic Americana ode to Buddy Holly peaking higher second-time round. The Scorpions finally get into the top 10 in their 13th week, as it’s all Wind Of Change, and Beats International get a 3rd top 10.

2 Deep climb fast, and I find out it was an advert beats song, and Prince’s Get Off leapfrogs his own Cream. I guess one leads to the other. The archive slave anthem Swing Low Sweet Chariot is back 16 years since Eric Clapton first got it into my charts – this time it’s the England Rugby Squad. Don’t ask me which type of Rugby, no idea, but it’s in at 35, a but higher than the 1979 Monty Python Life Of Brian classic – I think Simon Mayo had been playing it a lot on Radio 1. Very popular at funerals these days. It is still quite good, prob Eric Idle’s best song.

At 43, another oldie is covered in a lesser dance version – Bridge Over Troubled Water never works as well as the original Simon & Garfunkel epic. PJB this time. At 53, Enya returns with a goodie, Caribbean Blue, and Chesney Hawkes gets a forgotten 3rd of 1991. B.E.F. are still bringing in pop star friends 8 years after boosting Tina Turner’s second-coming, and not quite boosting Scritti Politti on Green’s cover of Stevie Wonder’s I Don’t Know Why. Whitney pops in, Kenny Thomas is still on a roll and The Stones also keep rolling, despite a limp Sex Drive.

1 ( 2 ) JACKY Marc Almond
2 ( NEW ) AMERICAN PIE Don McLean
3 ( 3 ) SALTWATER Julian Lennon
4 ( 1 ) 20th CENTURY BOY T.Rex
5 ( 4 ) TRY Bros
6 ( 13 ) WIND OF CHANGE The Scorpions
7 ( 7 ) LIVE YOUR LIFE BE FREE Belinda Carlisle
8 ( 9 ) FEEL EVERY BEAT Electronic
9 ( 5 ) THEN YOU TURN AWAY Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark
10 ( 12 ) THE SUN DOESN’T SHINE Beats International

11 ( 6 ) MOVE ANY MOUNTAIN The Shamen
12 ( 11 ) EVERYTHING I DO (I DO IT FOR YOU) Bryan Adams
13 ( 14 ) THE ONE I LOVE REM
14 ( 10 ) LOVE TO HATE YOU Erasure
15 ( 8 ) SET ADRIFT ON MEMORY BLISS PM Dawn
16 ( 18 ) TOO MANY WALLS Cathy Dennis
17 ( 20 ) WHERE DOES MY HEART BEAT NOW Celine Dion
18 ( 16 ) WINTER IN JULY Bomb The Bass
19 ( 23 ) I THINK I LOVE YOU Voice Of The Beehive
20 ( 22 ) WORD IS OUT Kylie Minogue

21 ( 31 ) EVERYBODY’S FREE Rozalla
22 ( 17 ) LOVE… THY WILL BE DONE Martika
23 ( 48 ) LIFE PARTY 2 Deep
24 ( 24 ) RADIO WALL OF SOUND Slade
25 ( 35 ) CAN’T STOP THIS THING WE STARTED Bryan Adams
26 ( 25 ) YOU WOKE UP MY NEIGHBOURHOOD Billy Bragg
27 ( 21 ) LET’S TALK ABOUT SEX Salt ‘n’ Pepa
28 ( 34 ) AFTER THE LOVE Jesus Loves You
29 ( 44 ) SOMETHING GOT ME STARTED Simply Red
30 ( 15 ) PEACE Sabrina Johnson

31 ( 39 ) NUTBUSH CITY LIMITS Tina Turner
32 ( 19 ) ONLY LOVE CAN BREAK YOUR HEART Saint Etienne
33 ( 46 ) GET OFF Prince & The New Power Generation
34 ( 32 ) RIDERS OF THE STORM The Doors
35 ( NEW ) SWING LOW SWEET CHARIOT England Rugby Squad
36 ( 36 ) GENERATIONS OF LOVE Jesus Loves You
37 ( NEW ) ALWAYS LOOK ON THE BRIGHT SIDE OF LOVE Monty Python’s Flying Circus
38 ( 33 ) JUST ANOTHER DREAM Cathy Dennis
39 ( 40 ) CREAM Prince & The New Power Generation
40 ( 29 ) LOVE’S BURN Karl Keaton

41 ( 38 ) PANDORA’S BOX Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark
42 ( 66 ) GOODBYE CRUEL WORLD Shakespear’s Sister
43 ( NEW ) BRIDGE OVER TROUBLED WATER PJB featuring Hannah’s Sister
44 ( 41 ) JEALOUSY Pet Shop Boys
45 ( 45 ) YOU’VE LOST THAT LOVIN’ FEELIN’ The Righteous Brothers
46 ( 27 ) SUNSHINE ON A RAINY DAY (REMIX) Zoe
47 ( 37 ) SUMMERTIME DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince
48 ( 47 ) HOLIDAY Madonna
49 ( 56 ) DON’T LET THE SUN GO DOWN ON ME Oleta Adams
50 ( 43 ) CRUCIFIED Army Of Lovers

51 ( 26 ) MORE TO LIFE Cliff Richard
52 ( 51 ) HEY JUDE The Beatles
53 ( NEW ) CARIBBEAN BLUE Enya
54 ( 54 ) SUCH A GOOD FEELING Brothers In Rhythm
55 ( 63 ) LIVE FOR LOVING YOU Gloria Estefan
56 ( 55 ) DON’T LET THE SUN GO DOWN ON ME Elton John
57 ( 30 ) INSANITY Oceanic
58 ( 28 ) HOUSECALL Shabba Ranks featuring Maxi Priest
59 ( NEW ) SECRETS OF THE HEART Chesney Hawkes
60 ( 59 ) WHY CAN’T WE LIVE TOGETHER (1990 TK REMIX) Timmy Thomas

61 ( 60 ) WHEN HE’S GONE The Bee Gees
62 ( 53 ) SAFE FROM HARM Massive Attack featuring Shara Nelson
63 ( 71 ) WOMAN TO WOMAN Beverley Craven
64 ( 64 ) HELLO MARYLOU Ricky Nelson
65 ( 67 ) LET IT BE The Beatles
66 ( NEW ) DON’T KNOW WHY (I LOVE YOU) B.E.F. featuring Green Gartside
67 ( 65 ) DO IT AGAIN The Beach Boys
68 ( 68 ) (THEY LONG TO BE) CLOSE TO YOU/ MERRY CHRISTMAS DARLING Carpenters
69 ( NEW ) I BELONG TO YOU Whitney Houston
70 ( NEW ) SPIRITUAL HIGH (STATE OF INDEPENDENCE) Moodswings featuring Chrissie Hynde

71 ( 42 ) BROKEN ARROW Rod Stewart
72 ( 62 ) HEY STOOPID Alice Cooper
73 ( 73 ) RESCUE ME Madonna
74 ( NEW ) SEX DRIVE The Rolling Stones
75 ( NEW ) BEST OF YOU Kenny Thomas

playlist oldies
1 DRIVE The Cars
2 FOR YOUR EYES ONLY Sheena Easton
3 WISHING I WAS LUCKY Wet Wet Wet

My 1990 Charts – May

I had two holidays here (Florida) that year…

1990 videos included here…

6th May 1990

Yet another new one weeker as Jane Child brings her US hit into the UK charts in a minor way, but as Florida holiday memory it sounded great to me, Don’t Wanna Fall In Love. Adamski and Seal shoot up to 3 with a Killer of a tune, Heart sneak up to 4, and UB40 get 10 years of top 5 entries. Bros’ career is in it’s dying throws, but reach a peak on my charts as the rather decent Madly In Love hits 8, and Faith No More just miss out on the top 10, From Out Of Nowhere.

Dirty Cash enters the top 20, as Kylie prefers the Devil she knows and rockets up to 18 in no time at all, and The Bee Gees have their Bodyguard assist them to 20. Into the 40, Chris Rea drives from Texas, the B52’s Roam on back to re-enter at 31 as their Love Shack falls down to 32, and Beats International cover Norman Cook (how convenient!) and then Won’t Talk About It. How rude!

Highest new entry is Dusty Springfield and the fab Reputation at 46 – not Pet Shop Boys this time, but a good single from a terrific new album. Gloria Estefan, like Dusty, is following up some number ones, and drops by at 48, as it Cuts Both Ways. Marc Almond thinks on The Desperate Hours as he clocks in at 53, for 9 years of chart success, and Phil Collins is on his way to Heaven at 56 for an even longer 9 year run if you count Genesis – then it’ll be 16 years since I Know What I Like (In Your Wardrobe). Fleetwood Mac are in at 59 with Save Me, and that’ll be 14 years of the classic Mac line-up, or 22 years if you count Albatross. Which I do. At 75, Depeche Mode keep the resurgence strong as Policy Of Truth keeps the run running at 9 years. 1981 was a busy year for new acts….!

1 ( 3 ) DON’T WANNA FALL IN LOVE Jane Child
2 ( 1 ) VOGUE Madonna
3 ( 28 ) KILLER Adamski featuring Seal
4 ( 5 ) ALL I WANNA DO IS MAKE LOVE TO YOU Heart
5 ( 7 ) KINGSTON TOWN UB40
6 ( 2 ) BLACK VELVET Alannah Myles
7 ( 9 ) HOLD ON Wilson Philips
8 ( 34 ) MADLY IN LOVE Bros
9 ( 4 ) LOVE WILL LEAD YOU BACK Taylor Dayne
10 ( 6 ) OPPOSITES ATTRACT Paula Abdul featuring The Wild Pair

11 ( 16 ) FROM OUT OF NOWHERE Faith No More
12 ( 11 ) REAL REAL REAL Jesus Jones
13 ( 8 ) THE POWER Snap!
14 ( 10 ) PERSONAL JESUS Depeche Mode
15 ( 13 ) GHETTO HEAVEN The Family Stand
16 ( 31 ) DIRTY CASH Adventures Of Stevie V
17 ( 15 ) ESCAPADE Janet Jackson
18 ( 65 ) BETTER THE DEVIL YOU KNOW Kylie Minogue
19 ( 14 ) LET IT BE The Beatles
20 ( 33 ) BODYGUARD The Bee Gees

21 ( 12 ) HEART OF STONE Cher
22 ( 17 ) IT’S HERE Kim Wilde
23 ( 20 ) SACRIFICE Elton John
24 ( 19 ) ALRIGHT Janet Jackson
25 ( 22 ) BLUE SAVANNAH Erasure
26 ( 49 ) TEXAS Chris Rea
27 ( 18 ) KEEP IT TOGETHER (REMIX) Madonna
28 ( 39 ) A DREAM’S A DREAM Soul II Soul
29 ( 47 ) TOMORROW Tongue ‘n’ Cheek
30 ( 45 ) HITCHIN’ A RIDE Sinitta

31 ( RE ) ROAM The B52’s
32 ( 23 ) LOVE SHACK The B52’s
33 ( 21 ) WILD WOMEN DO Natalie Cole
34 ( 38 ) ANGEL Eurythmics
35 ( 72 ) WON’T TALK ABOUT IT Beats International
36 ( 37 ) LOADED Primal Scream
37 ( 25 ) DANGEROUS Roxette
38 ( 30 ) STRAWBERRY FIELDS FOREVER Candy Flip
39 ( 59 ) THIS BEAT IS TECHNOTRONIC Technotronic featuring MC Eric
40 ( 40 ) THE SEX OF IT Kid Creole And The Coconuts

41 ( 27 ) FAME ’90 David Bowie
42 ( 32 ) HERE WE ARE Gloria Estefan
43 ( 62 ) STEP ON The Happy Mondays
44 ( 41 ) ENJOY THE SILENCE Depeche Mode
45 ( 54 ) KEEP IT TOGETHER David Grant
46 ( NEW ) REPUTATION Dusty Springfield
47 ( 60 ) CRADLE OF LOVE Billy Idol
48 ( NEW ) CUTS BOTH WAYS Gloria Estefan
49 ( 36 ) LILY WAS HERE David A. Stewart and Candy Dulfer
50 ( 24 ) RAG DOLL Aerosmith

51 ( 35 ) I’LL BE YOUR SHELTER Taylor Dayne
52 ( 52 ) BOO HOO HOO Distant Cousins
53 ( NEW ) THE DESPERATE HOURS Marc Almond
54 ( 26 ) CAN’T SET RULES ABOUT LOVE Adam Ant
55 ( 44 ) TOO LATE TO SAY GOODBYE Richard Marx
56 ( NEW ) SOMETHING HAPPENED ON THE WAY TO HEAVEN Phil Collins
57 ( 42 ) NO MYTH Michael Penn
58 ( 56 ) JUST LIKE JESSE JAMES Cher
59 ( NEW ) SAVE ME Fleetwood Mac
60 ( RE ) HOW CAN WE BE LOVERS Michael Bolton

61 ( 29 ) DON’T MISS THE PARTYLINE Bizz Nizz
62 ( 61 ) HEY JUDE The Beatles
63 ( 70 ) WHAT DID I DO FOR YOU Lisa Stansfield
64 ( NEW ) I’D RATHER GO BLIND Sydney Youngblood
65 ( NEW ) DIRTY MIND Shakespear’s Sister
66 ( 58 ) NOTHING COMPARES 2 U Sinead O’Connor
67 ( 66 ) LITTLE LIES Fleetwood Mac
68 ( NEW ) BETTER WORLD Rebel MC
69 ( 67 ) SOWING THE SEEDS OF LOVE Tears For Fears
70 ( 46 ) THE DEEPER THE LOVE Whitesnake

71 ( 71 ) TATTOOED MILLIONAIRE Bruce Dickinson
72 ( 51 ) ANOTHER DAY IN PARADISE Jamtronik
73 ( 64 ) THIS WOMAN’S WORK Kate Bush
74 ( 74 ) NOVEMBER SPAWNED A MONSTER Morrissey
75 ( NEW ) POLICY OF TRUTH Depeche Mode

At work, I was doing overtime to try and meet deadlines preparing tendering contracts, and that meant surveying parks and gardens, drawing up plans and measuring areas. No pressure no stress…not. Played squash. Lost. The weather continued to be scorching, and we had a work jolly to Bristol for contracts work-stuff conference, where I bumped into John, our ex-team-mate now back in Wales. It was great to see him again, and catch up for long chat over dinner, and to meet the interesting people on the course all preparing for monitoring roles in local government.

I took my mum to see Glen Campbell Live In Concert on Saturday 4th May at Bournemouth Pavilion, as Glen commented the town was swarming with Leeds United drunken rioting fans. Not the welcome he was expecting! Glen was witty and engaging as ever, and in the middle of a career lull really, but he had the back catalogue and nostalgia from me for his fantastic back catalogue from when I was a huge pre-teen fan of his. He promptly went into them all, Wichita Lineman through Rhinestone Cowboy leaving the second half for some obscure country stuff, enlivened by the track that caused his split with Capitol records, Highwayman. Worse, he then did a batch of covers of other peoples songs, even having bagpipes for Mull Of Kintyre (Scottish roots of course). His guitar playing impressed throughout, but his backing band were a bit pedestrian, and his choice of material suspect. I count my blessings I caught him again 15 and 20 years later when he was suffering from alzheimer’s and promoting fantastic new material as well as the re-born classics, it was a very different experience.

Just to be greedy I had another concert: Heart Live at Bournemouth International Centre 5th May 1990 (with Thunder). Bob, Jason and I went into Thunder, who had a classic rock Led Zep/Free groove to them which came over very well, I thought, despite a lack of great songs. “I think they could be big” I opined. Well, they did do well in the 90’s as it turned out, if not quite Big. Heart, sadly were pretty dull for 45 minutes, suffering from the usual pop star curse: “let’s plug the new album and get the audience to pay us to hear it”. If you have a great new album this can be electric, if you have a plodding new album, it tends to be yawnsome. The last half hour had all the big hits, though, so the saving grace was encore tracks Never and What About Love, and great singles Alone, All I Wanna Do and These Dreams. I felt the band were just going through the pedestrian motions though, overall, despite liking the Wilson sisters a lot.

13th May 1990

Killer is on top, Adamski and the very unfairly uncredited Seal – at least until he re-recorded his own (less-good) version. One of the classic tracks of 1990, without doubt, it still sounds fresh and throbbingly exciting, and Seal’s vocals are fantastic. Adamski never really managed a career, but happily Seal had some classic stuff ahead. Shooting up to 3 it’s Chris Rea’s highest charting record, Texas (and one of his very minor hits) which had a widescreen twangy guitar charm for me, though since overtaken in my affections by Tell Me There’s A Heaven and Driving Home For Christmas. The fabulous Ghetto Heaven and even more fabulous Dirty Cash (Money Talks) bot go top 10, and Beats International top 20.

David Grant, Michael Bolton, Billy Idol and Gloria Estefan all make a break for the 40, as the highest new entry is from Sam Brown at 35, back hoping someone will meet her at the Kissing Gate. How very rural, how very sweet. The Pasadenas are also back with a Love Thing at 57, while the even more funky En Vogue debut at 74 with Hold On. That leaves last week’s in concert band Thunder sneaking in with Back Street Symphony at 65, and Betty Boo debuting at 63 with the very fun-tastic Doin’ The Do. Had copyright not been an issue she would have had an extra, more credible, “p” to hang on at the end of the Boo. Betty Boop is still selling, bizarrely, considering the ancient cartoons haven’t been seen in decades anywhere, especially in Universal Studios Theme Parks merchandise.

1 ( 3 ) KILLER Adamski featuring Seal
2 ( 1 ) DON’T WANNA FALL IN LOVE Jane Child
3 ( 26 ) TEXAS Chris Rea
4 ( 2 ) VOGUE Madonna
5 ( 7 ) HOLD ON Wilson Philips
6 ( 6 ) BLACK VELVET Alannah Myles
7 ( 4 ) ALL I WANNA DO IS MAKE LOVE TO YOU Heart
8 ( 5 ) KINGSTON TOWN UB40
9 ( 16 ) DIRTY CASH Adventures Of Stevie V
10 ( 15 ) GHETTO HEAVEN The Family Stand

11 ( 8 ) MADLY IN LOVE Bros
12 ( 18 ) BETTER THE DEVIL YOU KNOW Kylie Minogue
13 ( 13 ) THE POWER Snap!
14 ( 14 ) PERSONAL JESUS Depeche Mode
15 ( 20 ) BODYGUARD The Bee Gees
16 ( 17 ) ESCAPADE Janet Jackson
17 ( 9 ) LOVE WILL LEAD YOU BACK Taylor Dayne
18 ( 10 ) OPPOSITES ATTRACT Paula Abdul featuring The Wild Pair
19 ( 12 ) REAL REAL REAL Jesus Jones
20 ( 35 ) WON’T TALK ABOUT IT Beats International

21 ( 11 ) FROM OUT OF NOWHERE Faith No More
22 ( 31 ) ROAM The B52’s
23 ( 28 ) A DREAM’S A DREAM Soul II Soul
24 ( 19 ) LET IT BE The Beatles
25 ( 25 ) BLUE SAVANNAH Erasure
26 ( 23 ) SACRIFICE Elton John
27 ( 36 ) LOADED Primal Scream
28 ( 24 ) ALRIGHT Janet Jackson
29 ( 39 ) THIS BEAT IS TECHNOTRONIC Technotronic featuring MC Eric
30 ( 30 ) HITCHIN’ A RIDE Sinitta

31 ( 21 ) HEART OF STONE Cher
32 ( 34 ) ANGEL Eurythmics
33 ( 27 ) KEEP IT TOGETHER (REMIX) Madonna
34 ( 45 ) KEEP IT TOGETHER David Grant
35 ( NEW ) KISSING GATE Sam Brown
36 ( 32 ) LOVE SHACK The B52’s
37 ( 22 ) IT’S HERE Kim Wilde
38 ( 60 ) HOW CAN WE BE LOVERS Michael Bolton
39 ( 47 ) CRADLE OF LOVE Billy Idol
40 ( 48 ) CUTS BOTH WAYS Gloria Estefan

41 ( 29 ) TOMORROW Tongue ‘n’ Cheek
42 ( 46 ) REPUTATION Dusty Springfield
43 ( 42 ) HERE WE ARE Gloria Estefan
44 ( 37 ) DANGEROUS Roxette
45 ( 53 ) THE DESPERATE HOURS Marc Almond
46 ( 44 ) ENJOY THE SILENCE Depeche Mode
47 ( 56 ) SOMETHING HAPPENED ON THE WAY TO HEAVEN Phil Collins
48 ( 38 ) STRAWBERRY FIELDS FOREVER Candy Flip
49 ( 59 ) SAVE ME Fleetwood Mac
50 ( 68 ) BETTER WORLD Rebel MC

51 ( 74 ) NOVEMBER SPAWNED A MONSTER Morrissey
52 ( 41 ) FAME ’90 David Bowie
53 ( 33 ) WILD WOMEN DO Natalie Cole
54 ( 63 ) WHAT DID I DO FOR YOU Lisa Stansfield
55 ( 64 ) I’D RATHER GO BLIND Sydney Youngblood
56 ( 58 ) JUST LIKE JESSE JAMES Cher
57 ( NEW ) LOVE THING The Pasadenas
58 ( NEW ) USE IT UP AND WEAR IT OUT Pat & Mick
59 ( 43 ) STEP ON The Happy Mondays
60 ( NEW ) BAKERMAN Laid Back

61 ( 57 ) NO MYTH Michael Penn
62 ( 62 ) HEY JUDE The Beatles
63 ( NEW ) DOIN’ THE DO Betty Boo
64 ( 49 ) LILY WAS HERE David A. Stewart and Candy Dulfer
65 ( NEW ) BACK STREET SYMPHONY Thunder
66 ( 73 ) THIS WOMAN’S WORK Kate Bush
67 ( RE ) SOFTLY WHISPERING I LOVE YOU Paul Young
68 ( 67 ) LITTLE LIES Fleetwood Mac
69 ( 69 ) SOWING THE SEEDS OF LOVE Tears For Fears
70 ( 70 ) THE DEEPER THE LOVE Whitesnake

71 ( 55 ) TOO LATE TO SAY GOODBYE Richard Marx
72 ( 75 ) POLICY OF TRUTH Depeche Mode
73 ( 40 ) THE SEX OF IT Kid Creole And The Coconuts
74 ( NEW ) HOLD ON En Vogue
75 ( 51 ) I’LL BE YOUR SHELTER Taylor Dayne

Working on the Bank Holiday Monday, and then the deadline pressures eased, with relief for a relatively mellow week at work. The hot weather ended, and on TV I was watching MASH, Dallas, The Comic Strip Presents, I Love Lucy, Top Of The Pops, Cheers, LA Law, The Invaders and Get Smart. My music charts were diverting quite a bit from the UK singles chart, as I was still much in USA Florida music mode.

20th May 1990

Another week another new chart-topper, this time it’s Wilson Phillips great Hold On, a very Californian-sounding ballad in the tradition of their musical families, and one which had a new lease of life in recent years thanks to hit comedy movie Bridesmaids. My charts were still absolutely dominated by Florida-holiday hits bringing back fond recent memories, but also just because the US pop music scene was more to my taste than the more one-off faceless dance acts that were making UK chart inroads. Kylie’s classic Better The Devil You Know goes top 5, and single-handedly changed my overall opinion of Kylie, now more saucy, and with better songs, starting to look more long-term than her previous pre-teen appeal had suggested.

Beats International make it 2 top 10’s in a row, and Janet Jackson gets another to add to her total, as Alright keeps the rhythm nation dancing. Highest new entry at 12 is previous minor 1984 hit It’s My Life from Talk Talk, now sounding much more substantial in the 1990 music scene, and just keeping ahead of Dusty Springfield’s reputation – which is pretty high! The B52’s Roam at last goes top 20 again, while Michael Bolton also hits the 20 – one I conveniently mis-remembered liking that much. How Can We Be Lovers? Get a haircut and stop shouting, for a start…! The Pasadenas and Depeche Mode both hit top 40 under the new policy of truth, while another great film hit pops in – Roxette’s It Must Have Been Love enters at 34, from Pretty Woman. At 35, Propaganda are Claudia-less, and the Kim Wilde-alike replacement singer for Heaven Give Me Words is fine, though they should have called it Turn To Stone as that’s the track I was searching for weeks for, after hearing it on Florida radio. Found it in the end.

At 43, The Chimes debut with a fantastic cover of U2’s I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For, all soulful and slowed, with a great vocal by soon-to-be-solo singer Pauline Henry, and at 44 Erasure have a Star. Blow Monkeys also return with a new song, Springtime For The World, a positive sound and message (equality, gay and otherwise) which didn’t quite register, the band also need more youtube hits I say, under-rated. At 62 the terrific blues-revival wailing guitar sounds of Gary Moore, who’s Still Got The Blues 11 years on from his Parisenne Walkway, and finally Black Box are Everybody at 66, while Joan Armatrading states there’s more than one kind of love (oh yes there is) at 74 14 years since she showed us her marvelous love and affection.

1 ( 5 ) HOLD ON Wilson Philips
2 ( 2 ) DON’T WANNA FALL IN LOVE Jane Child
3 ( 3 ) TEXAS Chris Rea
4 ( 1 ) KILLER Adamski featuring Seal
5 ( 12 ) BETTER THE DEVIL YOU KNOW Kylie Minogue
6 ( 4 ) VOGUE Madonna
7 ( 7 ) ALL I WANNA DO IS MAKE LOVE TO YOU Heart
8 ( 9 ) DIRTY CASH Adventures Of Stevie V
9 ( 20 ) WON’T TALK ABOUT IT Beats International
10 ( 28 ) ALRIGHT Janet Jackson

11 ( 15 ) BODYGUARD The Bee Gees
12 ( NEW ) IT’S MY LIFE Talk Talk
13 ( 42 ) REPUTATION Dusty Springfield
14 ( 6 ) BLACK VELVET Alannah Myles
15 ( 8 ) KINGSTON TOWN UB40
16 ( 13 ) THE POWER Snap!
17 ( 22 ) ROAM The B52’s
18 ( 38 ) HOW CAN WE BE LOVERS Michael Bolton
19 ( 17 ) LOVE WILL LEAD YOU BACK Taylor Dayne
20 ( 16 ) ESCAPADE Janet Jackson

21 ( 18 ) OPPOSITES ATTRACT Paula Abdul featuring The Wild Pair
22 ( 10 ) GHETTO HEAVEN The Family Stand
23 ( 11 ) MADLY IN LOVE Bros
24 ( 14 ) PERSONAL JESUS Depeche Mode
25 ( 35 ) KISSING GATE Sam Brown
26 ( 57 ) LOVE THING The Pasadenas
27 ( 72 ) POLICY OF TRUTH Depeche Mode
28 ( 24 ) LET IT BE The Beatles
29 ( 26 ) SACRIFICE Elton John
30 ( 19 ) REAL REAL REAL Jesus Jones

31 ( 21 ) FROM OUT OF NOWHERE Faith No More
32 ( 32 ) ANGEL Eurythmics
33 ( 23 ) A DREAM’S A DREAM Soul II Soul
34 ( NEW ) IT MUST HAVE BEEN LOVE Roxette
35 ( NEW ) HEAVEN GIVE ME WORDS Propaganda
36 ( 47 ) SOMETHING HAPPENED ON THE WAY TO HEAVEN Phil Collins
37 ( 25 ) BLUE SAVANNAH Erasure
38 ( 40 ) CUTS BOTH WAYS Gloria Estefan
39 ( NEW ) VENUS Don Pablo’s Animals
40 ( 54 ) WHAT DID I DO FOR YOU Lisa Stansfield

41 ( 27 ) LOADED Primal Scream
42 ( 33 ) KEEP IT TOGETHER (REMIX) Madonna
43 ( NEW ) I STILL HAVEN’T FOUND WHAT I’M LOOKING FOR The Chimes
44 ( NEW ) STAR Erasure
45 ( 36 ) LOVE SHACK The B52’s
46 ( 43 ) HERE WE ARE Gloria Estefan
47 ( 31 ) HEART OF STONE Cher
48 ( 29 ) THIS BEAT IS TECHNOTRONIC Technotronic featuring MC Eric
49 ( NEW ) SPRINGTIME FOR THE WORLD Blow Monkeys
50 ( 46 ) ENJOY THE SILENCE Depeche Mode

51 ( 44 ) DANGEROUS Roxette
52 ( 63 ) DOIN’ THE DO Betty Boo
53 ( 30 ) HITCHIN’ A RIDE Sinitta
54 ( 41 ) TOMORROW Tongue ‘n’ Cheek
55 ( 56 ) JUST LIKE JESSE JAMES Cher
56 ( NEW ) CIRCLESQUARE The Wonder Stuff
57 ( 34 ) KEEP IT TOGETHER David Grant
58 ( 67 ) SOFTLY WHISPERING I LOVE YOU Paul Young
59 ( 37 ) IT’S HERE Kim Wilde
60 ( 74 ) HOLD ON En Vogue

61 ( NEW ) JUST A FRIEND Biz Markie
62 ( NEW ) STILL GOT THE BLUES Gary Moore
63 ( 62 ) HEY JUDE The Beatles
64 ( 48 ) STRAWBERRY FIELDS FOREVER Candy Flip
65 ( 65 ) BACK STREET SYMPHONY Thunder
66 ( NEW ) EVERYBODY EVERYBODY Black Box
67 ( 66 ) THIS WOMAN’S WORK Kate Bush
68 ( 60 ) BAKERMAN Laid Back
69 ( 61 ) NO MYTH Michael Penn
70 ( 68 ) LITTLE LIES Fleetwood Mac

71 ( 52 ) FAME ’90 David Bowie
72 ( 69 ) SOWING THE SEEDS OF LOVE Tears For Fears
73 ( NEW ) GIVE IT UP Hothouse Flowers
74 ( NEW ) MORE THAN ONE KIND OF LOVE Joan Armatrading
75 ( 39 ) CRADLE OF LOVE Billy Idol

At work Chris left, as everyone found out he’d be going out with Cathy for some time. The leaving do was in Pumphreys, work colleagues all present, plus Lucy came back from Christchurch Council for the evening drinks, great to see her. The music got louder, the fag smoke gave me a sore throat and so I left at 10, everyone else very merry by then, or left. On saturday I rather naughtily caught some baby river fish fry from the River Stour in a jar and took them home for my pond – not at all suitable for ponds, and they got rather large rather quickly, till they started trying to exit the pond when grown up and the remainder got eaten by a bast*rd heron along with my mature goldfish a few years later. I watched The Thin Man and The Cat And The Canary, classic old Hollywood movies you never see on TV anymore. Modern kids can’t handle black and white movies, apparently. Sod ‘em, I say they’re great films.

27th May 1990

The revolving door on top keeps spinning as the first 80’s oldie to top my chart in the 90’s hits the top spot 6 years late, Talk Talk’s fab It’s My Life has a climb from 14 as it becomes a bigger UK singles chart hit than it was in 1984. Kylie hits 4 and a new to-date best chart peak for Kylie, apart from the Jason Donovan duet Especially For You which hit 2. Dusty gets a 4th top 10 in a row, and 6th in total since 1968, her reputation improves with age. B52’s roam up to 10, too, their second top 10 of the year and third in total in 11 years of chart entries.

Depeche make it 3 top 20’s in a row, 4 if you count Personal Jesus having 2 chart runs, while highest new entry is in at 16 for Was (Not Was), back with a new soulful lead singer, and their 3rd top 20 in 6 years with The Temptations classic Papa Was A Rolling Stone, only 3 years since it was a dance remixed top 10 for the Temps, more of the template for this funked reworking than the original epic soul ballad version. Talking of covers, Don Pablo’s Animals sort of cover Shocking Blue’s Venus instrumental riff dance stylee at 17, after entering at 39 last week.

Into the 40 goes Gary Moore, Betty Boo, The Chimes, Erasure and En Vogue, while new at 55 it’s New Order and some England Football Squad rap and vocal interjections. Despite that World In Motion is still one of the best football World Cup records. Not that there was a lot of competition prior to this one, but this one opened up the pop floodgates for the obligatory World Cup popstar/football crossovers every 4 years. At 58 Debbie Harry’s back again, Maybe For Sure, 9 years of solo chart entries and 12 with Blondie, while at 64 a classical sample from Erik Satie’s 19th century Les Trois Gymnopedies, an ambient music pioneer, is apparently the basis for Movement 98 (that’s the bpm) and a soulgroove fusion Joy And Heartbreak.

In at 65 the brilliant The Only One I Know from The Charlatans, one of the key tracks of the growing indie band scene, or Madchester, or whatever label was applied it was a great 60’s retro organ-flavoured poprock shuffle. In at 70, follow to a quirky Birdhouse, the equally quirky history lesson from They Might Be Giants, Istanbul (Not Constantinople). I love whimsy, it’s under-rated. At 71, Stevie Wonder’s Until You Come Back To Me gets yet another cover, from Miki Howard, but none will ever beat Aretha’s. Finally a couple of minor follow-up’s from Mantronix and New Kids On The Block nip in briefly for a week in the 70’s.

1 ( 12 ) IT’S MY LIFE Talk Talk
2 ( 1 ) HOLD ON Wilson Philips
3 ( 2 ) DON’T WANNA FALL IN LOVE Jane Child
4 ( 5 ) BETTER THE DEVIL YOU KNOW Kylie Minogue
5 ( 3 ) TEXAS Chris Rea
6 ( 9 ) WON’T TALK ABOUT IT Beats International
7 ( 4 ) KILLER Adamski featuring Seal
8 ( 8 ) DIRTY CASH Adventures Of Stevie V
9 ( 13 ) REPUTATION Dusty Springfield
10 ( 17 ) ROAM The B52’s

11 ( 11 ) BODYGUARD The Bee Gees
12 ( 10 ) ALRIGHT Janet Jackson
13 ( 7 ) ALL I WANNA DO IS MAKE LOVE TO YOU Heart
14 ( 27 ) THE POLICY OF TRUTH Depeche Mode
15 ( 6 ) VOGUE Madonna
16 ( NEW ) PAPA WAS A ROLLING STONE Was (Not Was)
17 ( 39 ) VENUS Don Pablo’s Animals
18 ( 18 ) HOW CAN WE BE LOVERS Michael Bolton
19 ( 25 ) KISSING GATE Sam Brown
20 ( 14 ) BLACK VELVET Alannah Myles

21 ( 20 ) ESCAPADE Janet Jackson
22 ( 16 ) THE POWER Snap!
23 ( 22 ) GHETTO HEAVEN The Family Stand
24 ( 15 ) KINGSTON TOWN UB40
25 ( 62 ) STILL GOT THE BLUES Gary Moore
26 ( 26 ) LOVE THING The Pasadenas
27 ( 52 ) DOIN’ THE DO Betty Boo
28 ( 24 ) PERSONAL JESUS Depeche Mode
29 ( 19 ) LOVE WILL LEAD YOU BACK Taylor Dayne
30 ( 40 ) WHAT DID I DO FOR YOU Lisa Stansfield

31 ( 28 ) LET IT BE The Beatles
32 ( 34 ) IT MUST HAVE BEEN LOVE Roxette
33 ( 23 ) MADLY IN LOVE Bros
34 ( 29 ) SACRIFICE Elton John
35 ( 43 ) I STILL HAVEN’T FOUND WHAT I’M LOOKING FOR The Chimes
36 ( 21 ) OPPOSITES ATTRACT Paula Abdul featuring The Wild Pair
37 ( 44 ) STAR Erasure
38 ( 60 ) HOLD ON En Vogue
39 ( 32 ) ANGEL Eurythmics
40 ( 33 ) A DREAM’S A DREAM Soul II Soul

41 ( 30 ) REAL REAL REAL Jesus Jones
42 ( 37 ) BLUE SAVANNAH Erasure
43 ( 66 ) EVERYBODY EVERYBODY Black Box
44 ( 31 ) FROM OUT OF NOWHERE Faith No More
45 ( 38 ) CUTS BOTH WAYS Gloria Estefan
46 ( 41 ) LOADED Primal Scream
47 ( 49 ) SPRINGTIME FOR THE WORLD Blow Monkeys
48 ( 36 ) SOMETHING HAPPENED ON THE WAY TO HEAVEN Phil Collins
49 ( 46 ) HERE WE ARE Gloria Estefan
50 ( 45 ) LOVE SHACK The B52’s

51 ( 55 ) JUST LIKE JESSE JAMES Cher
52 ( 50 ) ENJOY THE SILENCE Depeche Mode
53 ( 35 ) HEAVEN GIVE ME WORDS Propaganda
54 ( 42 ) KEEP IT TOGETHER (REMIX) Madonna
55 ( NEW ) WORLD IN MOTION England New Order
56 ( 48 ) THIS BEAT IS TECHNOTRONIC Technotronic featuring MC Eric
57 ( 58 ) SOFTLY WHISPERING I LOVE YOU Paul Young
58 ( NEW ) MAYBE FOR SURE Deborah Harry
59 ( 47 ) HEART OF STONE Cher
60 ( 61 ) JUST A FRIEND Biz Markie

61 ( 54 ) TOMORROW Tongue ‘n’ Cheek
62 ( 51 ) DANGEROUS Roxette
63 ( 63 ) HEY JUDE The Beatles
64 ( NEW ) JOY AND HEARTBREAK Movement 98 featuring Carroll Thompson
65 ( NEW ) THE ONLY ONE I KNOW The Charlatans
66 ( 73 ) GIVE IT UP Hothouse Flowers
67 ( 59 ) IT’S HERE Kim Wilde
68 ( 67 ) THIS WOMAN’S WORK Kate Bush
69 ( 70 ) LITTLE LIES Fleetwood Mac
70 ( NEW ) ISTANBUL (NOT CONSTANTINOPLE) They Might Be Giants

71 ( NEW ) UNTIL YOU COME BACK TO ME Miki Howard
72 ( 72 ) SOWING THE SEEDS OF LOVE Tears For Fears
73 ( NEW ) TAKE YOUR TIME Mantronix featuring Wondress
74 ( 56 ) CIRCLESQUARE The Wonder Stuff
75 ( NEW ) COVER GIRL New Kids On The Block

I was having car problems, my Metro was only a few years old but they stopped producing them once everyone realised they were crap and went rusty at the drop of a hat. On the plus side, Radio One went FM, it was Ab Fab being able to listen to current music without it fading in and out, and sounding generally rubbish. It only took the BBC 23 years to get round to it, no need to rush, 23 years isn’t a long time when you’re 9 years old is it? I played Peter at Badminton for a change, and I actually won. Shock!