Weaver's UK Music Charts

Weaver's Charts

February 2000

Heavy notice: These charts are not intended as any representation of sales or airplay data on any station. They are merely intended as a guide to the most successful records in the UK at the moment. Unauthorised reproduction in print, electronic, broadcast or other media is not permitted without the consent of the author.

On the survey this month: 23 bands, 8 lasses, 7 blokes, and two duets. There are 17 United Stations, 12 Brits, 3 Canadians, 2 Swedes, 2 Italians, 2 Belgians, 1 Australian and 1 Irish act.
Ps wk TITLE (album)
Act Peak Hon
1 5 RISE (Rise)
Gabrielle 1x1 SS
The second single lifted from Gaby's third album becomes her second track to top the weekly sales lists. Like her breakout hit, 1993's "Dreams", this is a soft soul track, based on a classic sample. Then, it was Tracy Chapman's "Fast Car"; now, it's Bob Dylan's "Knockin' on Heaven's Door". This is the first time that the patron saint of folk rockers has allowed his work to be sampled, and marks the third time in the last decade that a variant of the tune has ridden high in the UK. Back in 1992, Guns & Roses took their metal cover to #2. A variant of the song with changed lyrics hit the top in 1996, and is generally regarded as the most crass chart-topper of the decade.
2 3 GO LET IT OUT (Standing on the Shoulder of Giants)
Oasis 1x1
The first single in two years from the Gallagher brothers and session musician backing band is a carbon copy of anything from their '97 album. How crushingly dull. We recall one of the brothers saying in 1998 that there would be nothing more from his group before the end of the century, yet this appears with almost a year to go. Wretched liars.
3 2 PURE SHORES (The Beach OST)
All Saints 1x2 SS
The biggest individual weekly sale of the year so far doesn't go to new Oasis but to new Saints. This is a quiet, contemplative number that bears all the hallmarks of producer William Orbit. It's the first new material from the Saints since 1998, and becomes their third number one, following "Never Ever" and "Under the Bridge / Lady Marmalade" earlier that year.
4 6 BORN TO MAKE YOU HAPPY (...Baby One More Time)
Britney Spears 1x1 SS
Single four from the former Mouseketeer is another upbeat, poppy track, with slightly dodgy lyrics. Shifting 91,000 copies first week out was enough to give it the sales #1 that week, and climb from 53 to 5 on the monthly review. It hit the top one week later.
5 8 WHAT A GIRL WANTS (Christina Aguilera)
Christina Aguilera 3
Single two is clearly a dance number, and shocked many people by hitting the US top spot for a fortnight. It shocked almost as many by failing to rise above #3 in the UK.
6 5 THE GREAT BEYOND (Man on the Moon OST)
REM 3 SS
One of the tracks on 1992's "Automatic for the People" was an affectionate tribute to US comedian Andrew Kauffmann. In true Hollywood style, there's now a movie of that man, taking its name after the song. REM have recorded the entire soundtrack to the film, including this lead single. It's become their biggest sales hit in a long time, but hasn't yet surpassed 1991's "Shiny Happy People".
7 3 MOVE YOUR BODY (Europop)
Eifell 65 3 SS
The second single from the Eifell boys is almost a carbon copy of their first, with only the most subtle of changes to the lyrics and backing track to differentiate the two.
8 5 SHOW ME THE MEANING OF BEING LONELY (Millennium)
Backstreet Boys 2
This one's a soft ballad, but with the usual power pop punch we've come to associate with the band. It's come in for a lot of critical stick, primarily for not being "Larger Than Life"; comparisons between the two records may be too similar to chalk and cheese.
9 4 GLORIOUS (Liebling)
Andreas Johnson 5 SS
Think of U2 in one of their more upbeat, bombastic moods, meeting the clear-as-a-bell vocals of Erasure or a boy band, and you're part way to this track. The Swede has one of those plangent and soaring songs that can well be called "epic". While the album is weak, the single is great.
10 3 ADELANTE
Sash! 6
It's Spanish gypsy rhythms this time for the Belgian techno-wizard who takes European beats and turns them into surprisingly similar dance hits.
11 7 U KNOW WHAT'S UP
Donell Jones 2 Jan
This slow-burning track has one of those hooks that just lands in the ear and refuses to dislodge itself. The UK version features Lisa "Left Eye" Lopez from TLC, who contributes a rap that is absent from the US release.
12 8 A LITTLE BIT OF LUCK
DJ Luck 7
In chart perfomances, this was the new Macy Gray, hitting before we'd worn the old one out! Every year throws up one record like this; entering just before Christmas, it grows and grows over the festive period to become a serious smash early in the new year. Steps' debut "5-6-7-8" from 97-98 is the most famous example of this phenomenon, but DJ Luck is giving them a run for their money. It's a relatively forgettable piece of ragga, saved only by the ethereal vocals of MC Neat, but the chart performance is something else. It went up the sales chart for three straight weeks from release, something not done since Donna Lewis managed it in 1996, before becoming the first record to climb into the top 10 since Aerosmith in 1998.
13 4 GIRL ON TV (Lyte Funky Ones)
LFO 9 SS
The second single from the new New Kids is a paean to all those attractive lasses on the goggle box, and how an unrequitable crush can be mind-altering.
14 4 SWEET LOVE
Fierce 5
The first substantial hit for the British R&B threesome is a cover of Anita Baker's "Sweet Love". While the original has a deserved tag of classic, that's not stopped bad covers in the past - jungle pioneers M-Beat scraped a top 20 place at Christmas 94 with their noisy version. Though this version lacks the warmth and emotion of Baker's original, the promotional machine secured radio play before Christmas, and a high first-week entry six weeks later. The push didn't last, and the girls slipped down quickly.
15 14 THAT'S THE WAY IT IS (All The Way: A Decade Of Hits)
Celine Dion 8 SS
If we're to believe her, this will be the last release from la Dion for quite some time. For the first time since the re-release of "Misled" in 1995, Celine's charting with an upbeat, bouncy, groovy number. Four weeks on top of the World Singles Survey, and seven days in her native Canada.
16 3 HAMMER TO THE HEART
Tamperer featuring Maya 10 SS
After taking a year away from the group to sing in the (now-closed) London musical Rent!, Maya returns to vocals on the Tamperer's singles. This was originally rostered for release in September last year, but got held up for no obvious reason. It's based around a sample from ABBA's "Gimme Gimme Gimme (A Man After Midnight)" and marks the first time a loop from that group has been turned into a new tune.
17 15 (IF YOU) STEAL MY SUNSHINE (You Can't Stop The Bum Rush)
Len 3 Dec
This one seems to have been bubbling around since the year dot. It's actually been around as an import airplay track since August, finally getting a UK release at the end of November. Based on the hook from "More More More", a top 5 hit for the Andrea True Connection in 1977 - and Bananarama's farewell hit from 1993 - the Canadian five piece forms their own rap / singalong slab of genius.
18 1 CARTOON HEROES (Aquarius)
Aqua 6 SS
When this group mess up, they mess up big time. (Barbie Girl. 'Nuff said.) But when they get it right, they really get it right. This falls into the latter category, with sweeping strings and booming guitar bringing the sensibilities of 50s cartoons back home.
19 25 SMOOTH (Supernatural)
Santana feat Rob Thomas 13 SS
Rob is the vocalist from Matchbox 20, joining the rest of Carlos' group on a laid-back but still charged hit. America knows this is great; it spent a record-cracking twelve (12) weeks on top of the Billboard survey, the longest run since Brandy and Monica in the summer of 98, and just three weeks adrift of Mariah's all-time record. Just for good measure, "Smooth" spent four weeks at the top in Canada and led Santana to nine Grammy awards, including Record and Song of the Year for this track. In the UK, self-proclaimed home of great music, it made #75 on this sales chart last October, shifting around 3000 copies. But, just as it was dying Stateside, British radio suddenly leaped on "Smooth" with all the fervour of a new convert, and it began to move back up the listings ahead of an April re-release.
20 3 OOH STICK YOU!
Daphne & Celeste 13
Two pre-teen rappers from New York release a record of petulant defiance to grown-ups. I'm reminded of Girl Power originators Shampoo, who carved a small career with proto-punk songs circa 1994. They got eclipsed by the Spice Girls after two albums; this pair may not get to one.
21 21 I TRY (On How Life Is)
Macy Gray 5 Oct
Where Lauryn Hill has picked up flak for being too rich to have been miseducated, Macy appears to be the real item. She sounds like R&B diva Hill after a few too many ciggies - though her voice is entirely natural - and has come out with an absolute belter of a track. If you've never heard it, do so at once; if you've turned it off halfway through because it's going nowhere, go back and listen to it in full. The song projects a big city, late at night, and received hyper-enthusiastic airplay on London's breakfast show. It also set eyebrows aflame on the UK sales chart, for daring to climb up the chart for seven consecutive weeks. Such is the abuse of the sales list by record companies that no record has managed this trick since Celine Dion in 1994-5. Just to confuse matters further, this track has been making an upswing owing to new success in foreign markets.
22 5 DESERT ROSE (Brand New Day)
Sting 13
Just for a change, Sting does African music, with help from a genuine Moroccan star. Shame the result is almost unlistenable.
23 2 MARIA MARIA (Supernatural)
Santana 17 NB
Vocals this time from Wyclef Jean, under the name "The Product". This is more of a showcase for Carlos Santana's languid guitar skills than the frenetic "Smooth", and would sound utterly wonderful on a hot summer's afternoon with a cool breeze and cool drink to hand. UK release is very provisionally scheduled for July, when we'll be in the height of the rainy season.
24 13 REWIND
Artful Dodger 2
Two DJs in Southampton combined to make this insanely catchy track, which doesn't tread any new ground - Shanks and Bigfoot did something similar in the spring - but is almost irresistable. This shot from 36 to 9 here in its second week.
25 4 IN YOUR ARMS (RESCUE ME)
New Generation 16
The sample is from Fontella Bass' "Rescue Me", a minor hit and major classic from 1965. Add the obligatory annoying drum beat, and the approval of Ms Bass, and voila - a minor hit and non-classic for 2000.
26 2 BYE BYE BYE
N'Sync 19 SS
With only one major hit to their credit, almost a year ago, the Sync needs another breakthrough to be taken seriously in the UK. This could be the barnstorming track to do just that. It reminds of such recent upbeat power pop classics such as "Larger Than Life" and "Keep On Moving", and deserves to be as massive a hit.
27 25 BLUE (Europop)
Eifell 65 1
x2
Another of the records that hit before release; in this case, a #39 single plus a #1 budget album. On release it topped the sales charts, and soared from 40 to 9 to 2 on this listing, missing the top by one week. The burnout has been exceptionally slow, with a new lease of life coming from crossover success in North America. However, this looks like the final month for one of the most irritatingly catchy numbers of the past year.
28 2 DON'T BE STUPID (I LOVE YOU) (Come On Over)
Shania Twain 9
How many singles hast thou released from this album? Let us count the ways. Here, we've had "Still The One" (2/98); "When" (6/98); "From This Moment" (11/98); "Impress" (5/99); "Man!" (9/99). Then there was the country radio tasters "Black Eyes Blue Tears" (10/97), and "Honey I'm Home" (9/98); the Canadian pushes for "If You Wanna Touch Her" (6/98) and "Come On Over" (11/99). That makes this the tenth track (of 16) to be issued to promote the album. The version used here is a long way from the original concept, having turned from a reasonably upbeat country number into an upbeat rock number. The video confuses matters further, with Mrs Lange and her chums performing the Riverdance in a large puddle. The single lacks Twain's traditional staying power, slumping out of the weekly 20 after just one week.
29 17 I KNEW I LOVED YOU (Affirmation)
Savage Garden 10
The second single from ver Garden's comeback album is another soft, slushy ballad. It's nowhere near as high quality as "Truly Madly Deeply", and won't be remembered three months from now, never mind the two years that TMD has spent on Billboard's AC chart. Sadly, the Great British Public seems to prefer this mush to truly great songs, such as "The Animal Song". The United Stations seem to agree, sending this to the top of the Billboard countdown for three weeks before it made way for Mariah and her boy band friends. The Aussies had the last laugh, coming back to spend one final week at the summit.
30 13 BACK IN MY LIFE
Alice DJ 4
See their previous hit, "Better Off Alone" in the summer. This is a little less catchy, but might have a few more depths to it. If I could be bothered to explore them, that is.
31 12 RADIO (MTV Unplugged)
Corrs 18
While we await the third proper album from Britain's biggest band of 1998, there's this novelty to be getting along with. MTV Unplugged sessions were almost obligatory for acts around 1993, with Nirvana, Mariah Carey, Rod Stewart and k d lang amongst the most fondly remembered. The tracks here are very little different from the studio albums, though radically different from the lightly-dancified singles last year. "Radio" has not received such treatment, and is sold on its own merits. It's been heading back up the survey on airplay since the new year, and made a new peak at the start of February.
32 1 MOVING TOO FAST
Artful Dodger 4
Even before "Rewind" had left the 40, Dodger was back with a second hit. This is more tinkly and laid-back than the previous effort, capped with a restrained female vocal. It's still not up to much, though.
33 2 BREATHE (Breathe)
Faith Hill 25 NB
Lead single from Faith's latest album looked like it would settle for a minor placing in the US. Then it became available to buy, and rocketed to #3, eclipsing the peak of "This Kiss". A massive UK hit surely follows.
34 1 ALL THE SMALL THINGS (Enema Of the State)
Blink 182 24 NB
The Blinksters are yet to establish themselves in the UK, but that could well change with the release of this catchy single. The video spoofs boy bands, while the track itself is an upbeat number.
35 7 RHYTHM DIVINE (Enrique)
Enrique Iglesias 23 NB
The second release from Iggles Minor was a very minor hit in the UK, bombing at #56 sales. It's a far larger hit elsewhere in the world, prompting thoughts of a re-release in a few months.
36 1 TAKE A PICTURE
Filter 35 NB
The mumbled vocals! The annoyingly catchy refrain! The sweeping guitar! Yes, Nirvana are back, and they sound like this.
37 1 NEVER LET YOU GO
Third Eye Blind 30 NB
Which one is this, again?
38 16 SHE'S THE ONE / IT'S ONLY US (I've Been Expecting You / The Ego Has Landed)
Robbie Williams 1
x1 SS
A curious double A-sided single for Williams. On one side, a sweet little ballad that radio is leaping over itself to play; on the other, an upbeat, powerful number that declines to take itself too seriously. "She's The One" attracted most airplay initially, in spite of being available for over a year on his album, while "It's Only Us", the first new Robbie in a long time, fell somewhat shorter. That side gets the Sureshot.
39 1 DOLPHINS WERE MONKEYS
Ian Brown 13
Former Stone Roses frontman continues his fixation with the closest relation to the human, following on from his last album, "Unfinished Monkey Business" and his cover of Michael Jackson numbers on the B-sides.
40 1 AMERICAN PIE (The Next Best Thing OST)
Madonna 23
A long, long time ago, a plane crash killed three rock stars. A paperboy was moved to write a tale covering the next decade or so, and made a record out of it. There have been cover versions of Don McLean's classic in the past, but none of them have stood any sort of comparison to the original. Now the High Priestess of Pop turns her hand to the previously-untouchable for her 50th UK single and (hopefully) 47th Top 10 hit. Critics have savaged the recording, which takes only the opening stanza, second and final verses but only drops two minutes from Don's running time. For my money, this is as good a remake as we're ever likely to have, but it's still a pale shadow of the orignial.
SureShots on yellow, Singles of the Month on red, records Not British hits on green.

Ps	wk	TITLE (album) Act	Peak	Hon
1	5	RISE (Rise) Gabrielle	1x1	SS
The second single lifted from Gaby's third album becomes her second track to top the weekly sales lists. Like her breakout hit, 1993's "Dreams", this is a soft soul track, based on a classic sample. Then, it was Tracy Chapman's "Fast Car"; now, it's Bob Dylan's "Knockin' on Heaven's Door". This is the first time that the patron saint of folk rockers has allowed his work to be sampled, and marks the third time in the last decade that a variant of the tune has ridden high in the UK. Back in 1992, Guns & Roses took their metal cover to #2. A variant of the song with changed lyrics hit the top in 1996, and is generally regarded as the most crass chart-topper of the decade.
2	3	GO LET IT OUT (Standing on the Shoulder of Giants) Oasis	1x1
The first single in two years from the Gallagher brothers and session musician backing band is a carbon copy of anything from their '97 album. How crushingly dull. We recall one of the brothers saying in 1998 that there would be nothing more from his group before the end of the century, yet this appears with almost a year to go. Wretched liars.
3	2	PURE SHORES (The Beach OST) All Saints	1x2	SS
The biggest individual weekly sale of the year so far doesn't go to new Oasis but to new Saints. This is a quiet, contemplative number that bears all the hallmarks of producer William Orbit. It's the first new material from the Saints since 1998, and becomes their third number one, following "Never Ever" and "Under the Bridge / Lady Marmalade" earlier that year.
4	6	BORN TO MAKE YOU HAPPY (...Baby One More Time) Britney Spears	1x1	SS
Single four from the former Mouseketeer is another upbeat, poppy track, with slightly dodgy lyrics. Shifting 91,000 copies first week out was enough to give it the sales #1 that week, and climb from 53 to 5 on the monthly review. It hit the top one week later.
5	8	WHAT A GIRL WANTS (Christina Aguilera) Christina Aguilera	3
Single two is clearly a dance number, and shocked many people by hitting the US top spot for a fortnight. It shocked almost as many by failing to rise above #3 in the UK.
6	5	THE GREAT BEYOND (Man on the Moon OST) REM	3	SS
One of the tracks on 1992's "Automatic for the People" was an affectionate tribute to US comedian Andrew Kauffmann. In true Hollywood style, there's now a movie of that man, taking its name after the song. REM have recorded the entire soundtrack to the film, including this lead single. It's become their biggest sales hit in a long time, but hasn't yet surpassed 1991's "Shiny Happy People".
7	3	MOVE YOUR BODY (Europop) Eifell 65	3	SS
The second single from the Eifell boys is almost a carbon copy of their first, with only the most subtle of changes to the lyrics and backing track to differentiate the two.
8	5	SHOW ME THE MEANING OF BEING LONELY (Millennium) Backstreet Boys	2
This one's a soft ballad, but with the usual power pop punch we've come to associate with the band. It's come in for a lot of critical stick, primarily for not being "Larger Than Life"; comparisons between the two records may be too similar to chalk and cheese.
9	4	GLORIOUS (Liebling) Andreas Johnson	5	SS
Think of U2 in one of their more upbeat, bombastic moods, meeting the clear-as-a-bell vocals of Erasure or a boy band, and you're part way to this track. The Swede has one of those plangent and soaring songs that can well be called "epic". While the album is weak, the single is great.
10	3	ADELANTE Sash!	6
It's Spanish gypsy rhythms this time for the Belgian techno-wizard who takes European beats and turns them into surprisingly similar dance hits.
11	7	U KNOW WHAT'S UP Donell Jones	2	Jan
This slow-burning track has one of those hooks that just lands in the ear and refuses to dislodge itself. The UK version features Lisa "Left Eye" Lopez from TLC, who contributes a rap that is absent from the US release.
12	8	A LITTLE BIT OF LUCK DJ Luck	7
In chart perfomances, this was the new Macy Gray, hitting before we'd worn the old one out! Every year throws up one record like this; entering just before Christmas, it grows and grows over the festive period to become a serious smash early in the new year. Steps' debut "5-6-7-8" from 97-98 is the most famous example of this phenomenon, but DJ Luck is giving them a run for their money. It's a relatively forgettable piece of ragga, saved only by the ethereal vocals of MC Neat, but the chart performance is something else. It went up the sales chart for three straight weeks from release, something not done since Donna Lewis managed it in 1996, before becoming the first record to climb into the top 10 since Aerosmith in 1998.
13	4	GIRL ON TV (Lyte Funky Ones) LFO	9	SS
The second single from the new New Kids is a paean to all those attractive lasses on the goggle box, and how an unrequitable crush can be mind-altering.
14	4	SWEET LOVE Fierce	5
The first substantial hit for the British R&B threesome is a cover of Anita Baker's "Sweet Love". While the original has a deserved tag of classic, that's not stopped bad covers in the past - jungle pioneers M-Beat scraped a top 20 place at Christmas 94 with their noisy version. Though this version lacks the warmth and emotion of Baker's original, the promotional machine secured radio play before Christmas, and a high first-week entry six weeks later. The push didn't last, and the girls slipped down quickly.
15	14	THAT'S THE WAY IT IS (All The Way: A Decade Of Hits) Celine Dion	8	SS
If we're to believe her, this will be the last release from la Dion for quite some time. For the first time since the re-release of "Misled" in 1995, Celine's charting with an upbeat, bouncy, groovy number. Four weeks on top of the World Singles Survey, and seven days in her native Canada.
16	3	HAMMER TO THE HEART Tamperer featuring Maya	10	SS
After taking a year away from the group to sing in the (now-closed) London musical Rent!, Maya returns to vocals on the Tamperer's singles. This was originally rostered for release in September last year, but got held up for no obvious reason. It's based around a sample from ABBA's "Gimme Gimme Gimme (A Man After Midnight)" and marks the first time a loop from that group has been turned into a new tune.
17	15	(IF YOU) STEAL MY SUNSHINE (You Can't Stop The Bum Rush) Len	3	Dec
This one seems to have been bubbling around since the year dot. It's actually been around as an import airplay track since August, finally getting a UK release at the end of November. Based on the hook from "More More More", a top 5 hit for the Andrea True Connection in 1977 - and Bananarama's farewell hit from 1993 - the Canadian five piece forms their own rap / singalong slab of genius.
18	1	CARTOON HEROES (Aquarius) Aqua	6	SS
When this group mess up, they mess up big time. (Barbie Girl. 'Nuff said.) But when they get it right, they really get it right. This falls into the latter category, with sweeping strings and booming guitar bringing the sensibilities of 50s cartoons back home.
19	25	SMOOTH (Supernatural) Santana feat Rob Thomas	13	SS
Rob is the vocalist from Matchbox 20, joining the rest of Carlos' group on a laid-back but still charged hit. America knows this is great; it spent a record-cracking twelve (12) weeks on top of the Billboard survey, the longest run since Brandy and Monica in the summer of 98, and just three weeks adrift of Mariah's all-time record. Just for good measure, "Smooth" spent four weeks at the top in Canada and led Santana to nine Grammy awards, including Record and Song of the Year for this track. In the UK, self-proclaimed home of great music, it made #75 on this sales chart last October, shifting around 3000 copies. But, just as it was dying Stateside, British radio suddenly leaped on "Smooth" with all the fervour of a new convert, and it began to move back up the listings ahead of an April re-release.
20	3	OOH STICK YOU! Daphne & Celeste	13
Two pre-teen rappers from New York release a record of petulant defiance to grown-ups. I'm reminded of Girl Power originators Shampoo, who carved a small career with proto-punk songs circa 1994. They got eclipsed by the Spice Girls after two albums; this pair may not get to one.
21	21	I TRY (On How Life Is) Macy Gray	5	Oct
Where Lauryn Hill has picked up flak for being too rich to have been miseducated, Macy appears to be the real item. She sounds like R&B diva Hill after a few too many ciggies - though her voice is entirely natural - and has come out with an absolute belter of a track. If you've never heard it, do so at once; if you've turned it off halfway through because it's going nowhere, go back and listen to it in full. The song projects a big city, late at night, and received hyper-enthusiastic airplay on London's breakfast show. It also set eyebrows aflame on the UK sales chart, for daring to climb up the chart for seven consecutive weeks. Such is the abuse of the sales list by record companies that no record has managed this trick since Celine Dion in 1994-5. Just to confuse matters further, this track has been making an upswing owing to new success in foreign markets.
22	5	DESERT ROSE (Brand New Day) Sting	13
Just for a change, Sting does African music, with help from a genuine Moroccan star. Shame the result is almost unlistenable.
23	2	MARIA MARIA (Supernatural) Santana	17	NB
Vocals this time from Wyclef Jean, under the name "The Product". This is more of a showcase for Carlos Santana's languid guitar skills than the frenetic "Smooth", and would sound utterly wonderful on a hot summer's afternoon with a cool breeze and cool drink to hand. UK release is very provisionally scheduled for July, when we'll be in the height of the rainy season.
24	13	REWIND Artful Dodger	2
Two DJs in Southampton combined to make this insanely catchy track, which doesn't tread any new ground - Shanks and Bigfoot did something similar in the spring - but is almost irresistable. This shot from 36 to 9 here in its second week.
25	4	IN YOUR ARMS (RESCUE ME) New Generation	16
The sample is from Fontella Bass' "Rescue Me", a minor hit and major classic from 1965. Add the obligatory annoying drum beat, and the approval of Ms Bass, and voila - a minor hit and non-classic for 2000.
26	2	BYE BYE BYE N'Sync	19	SS
With only one major hit to their credit, almost a year ago, the Sync needs another breakthrough to be taken seriously in the UK. This could be the barnstorming track to do just that. It reminds of such recent upbeat power pop classics such as "Larger Than Life" and "Keep On Moving", and deserves to be as massive a hit.
27	25	BLUE (Europop) Eifell 65	1 x2
Another of the records that hit before release; in this case, a #39 single plus a #1 budget album. On release it topped the sales charts, and soared from 40 to 9 to 2 on this listing, missing the top by one week. The burnout has been exceptionally slow, with a new lease of life coming from crossover success in North America. However, this looks like the final month for one of the most irritatingly catchy numbers of the past year.
28	2	DON'T BE STUPID (I LOVE YOU) (Come On Over) Shania Twain	9
How many singles hast thou released from this album? Let us count the ways. Here, we've had "Still The One" (2/98); "When" (6/98); "From This Moment" (11/98); "Impress" (5/99); "Man!" (9/99). Then there was the country radio tasters "Black Eyes Blue Tears" (10/97), and "Honey I'm Home" (9/98); the Canadian pushes for "If You Wanna Touch Her" (6/98) and "Come On Over" (11/99). That makes this the tenth track (of 16) to be issued to promote the album. The version used here is a long way from the original concept, having turned from a reasonably upbeat country number into an upbeat rock number. The video confuses matters further, with Mrs Lange and her chums performing the Riverdance in a large puddle. The single lacks Twain's traditional staying power, slumping out of the weekly 20 after just one week.
29	17	I KNEW I LOVED YOU (Affirmation) Savage Garden	10
The second single from ver Garden's comeback album is another soft, slushy ballad. It's nowhere near as high quality as "Truly Madly Deeply", and won't be remembered three months from now, never mind the two years that TMD has spent on Billboard's AC chart. Sadly, the Great British Public seems to prefer this mush to truly great songs, such as "The Animal Song". The United Stations seem to agree, sending this to the top of the Billboard countdown for three weeks before it made way for Mariah and her boy band friends. The Aussies had the last laugh, coming back to spend one final week at the summit.
30	13	BACK IN MY LIFE Alice DJ	4
See their previous hit, "Better Off Alone" in the summer. This is a little less catchy, but might have a few more depths to it. If I could be bothered to explore them, that is.
31	12	RADIO (MTV Unplugged) Corrs	18
While we await the third proper album from Britain's biggest band of 1998, there's this novelty to be getting along with. MTV Unplugged sessions were almost obligatory for acts around 1993, with Nirvana, Mariah Carey, Rod Stewart and k d lang amongst the most fondly remembered. The tracks here are very little different from the studio albums, though radically different from the lightly-dancified singles last year. "Radio" has not received such treatment, and is sold on its own merits. It's been heading back up the survey on airplay since the new year, and made a new peak at the start of February.
32	1	MOVING TOO FAST Artful Dodger	4
Even before "Rewind" had left the 40, Dodger was back with a second hit. This is more tinkly and laid-back than the previous effort, capped with a restrained female vocal. It's still not up to much, though.
33	2	BREATHE (Breathe) Faith Hill	25	NB
Lead single from Faith's latest album looked like it would settle for a minor placing in the US. Then it became available to buy, and rocketed to #3, eclipsing the peak of "This Kiss". A massive UK hit surely follows.
34	1	ALL THE SMALL THINGS (Enema Of the State) Blink 182	24	NB
The Blinksters are yet to establish themselves in the UK, but that could well change with the release of this catchy single. The video spoofs boy bands, while the track itself is an upbeat number.
35	7	RHYTHM DIVINE (Enrique) Enrique Iglesias	23	NB
The second release from Iggles Minor was a very minor hit in the UK, bombing at #56 sales. It's a far larger hit elsewhere in the world, prompting thoughts of a re-release in a few months.
36	1	TAKE A PICTURE Filter	35	NB
The mumbled vocals! The annoyingly catchy refrain! The sweeping guitar! Yes, Nirvana are back, and they sound like this.
37	1	NEVER LET YOU GO Third Eye Blind	30	NB
Which one is this, again?
38	16	SHE'S THE ONE / IT'S ONLY US (I've Been Expecting You / The Ego Has Landed) Robbie Williams	1 x1	SS
A curious double A-sided single for Williams. On one side, a sweet little ballad that radio is leaping over itself to play; on the other, an upbeat, powerful number that declines to take itself too seriously. "She's The One" attracted most airplay initially, in spite of being available for over a year on his album, while "It's Only Us", the first new Robbie in a long time, fell somewhat shorter. That side gets the Sureshot.
39	1	DOLPHINS WERE MONKEYS Ian Brown	13
Former Stone Roses frontman continues his fixation with the closest relation to the human, following on from his last album, "Unfinished Monkey Business" and his cover of Michael Jackson numbers on the B-sides.
40	1	AMERICAN PIE (The Next Best Thing OST) Madonna	23
A long, long time ago, a plane crash killed three rock stars. A paperboy was moved to write a tale covering the next decade or so, and made a record out of it. There have been cover versions of Don McLean's classic in the past, but none of them have stood any sort of comparison to the original. Now the High Priestess of Pop turns her hand to the previously-untouchable for her 50th UK single and (hopefully) 47th Top 10 hit. Critics have savaged the recording, which takes only the opening stanza, second and final verses but only drops two minutes from Don's running time. For my money, this is as good a remake as we're ever likely to have, but it's still a pale shadow of the orignial.

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00-feb-28