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: 17 bands, 14 lasses, 8 blokes and one duet. There are 15 United Stations, 15 Brits, 4 Canadians, 2 Irish and one act each from Australia, Germany, Belgium and the Netherlands in the 40.

This	Tot wks	TITLE album Act	Peak
Number One
1	7	IF I COULD TURN BACK THE HANDS OF TIME R R Kelly	1 x1
When the first single from this album was released, Liverpool and Newcastle were involved in European football, Geri was still a Spice, and John Major was prime minister. "I Believe I Can Fly" spent three weeks at the top in April 97, since when there have been five more singles off R's double album. This, though, is the biggest since, and is his greatest ballad with the possible exception of "...Fly". Import sales of this single helped it spend three weeks on the sales 75 before release, but the UK release only features a 4 minute radio edit, losing the 90 second introduction. It's showed strong sticking powers, sneaking a week at the top of the monthly pile. By a strange quirk of fate, this record returned to the top for November, before being overtaken by Cliff Richard at the end of the week.
Sureshot
2	4	SHE'S THE ONE / IT'S ONLY US I've Been Expecting You The Ego Has Landed Robbie Williams	1 x1
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.
October's Single Of The Month
3	9	I TRY On How Life Is Macy Gray	2
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. Macy's been one place behind R Kelly on every weekly chart this month.
4	7	WAITING FOR TONIGHT On The 6 Jennifer Lopez	4
The second single is an upbeat dancey number, though still one that tries to show her vocal talents. It helps to have some, though. Jennifer's spent three weeks atop the Canadian countdown.
5	3	THE MILLENNIUM PRAYER Cliff Richard	5
On the long-running Radio 4 comedy show "I'm Sorry, I Haven't A Clue", there's a round where panellists are challenged to sing one song to the tune of another. Unusual combinations abound: "I'm Too Sexy" to the tune of "The Toreador Song", perhaps. The combination of "The Lord's Prayer" to "Auld Lang Syne" was rejected as not being funny enough. Even though Graeme Garden won't be singing that, Sir Cliff will. This becomes his biggest hit since the Contemporary Christian classic "Saviour's Day" topped the list in 1990, and makes #2 on the weekly sales survey without picking up any significant airplay. Climbing to the top the following week, it became Cliff's first chart-topper in nine years, and the 14th of his career. It also means that the follow-up, "The Lord Is My Shepherd" to the tune of "Here We Go", will now not be recorded.
6	5	LIFT ME UP Schizophrenic Geri Halliwell	5
The third single from Geri's solo debut is a sort of in between song. It's not uptempo, but it's not downtempo. It's not a ballad, but it's not disco, either. It just exists in a little world of its own, not unajacent to the brilliance of "Look At Me", but not too far removed from the disappointing "Mi Chico Latino" either. Anyhow, this is a sizable hit.
7	5	KEEP ON MOVIN' Invincible Five	6
This was the single that finally gave the fans still following the outmoded Units Shifted countdown reason to cheer, their first topper on that list after three years of trying. This is a slightly new direction, as the band pretend to be light-rockers, in a sort of Heart-wannabe phase. It won't last.
8	20	GENIE IN A BOTTLE Christina Aguilera Christina Aguilera	1 x4
Another American teen sensation, spending five weeks atop the chart over there. She wasn't released onto an unsuspecting UK market until the beginning of October, but managed to enter the sales 75 a full month before her scheduled release. When she did come out, it was straight to the top, and she's hung around well since.
9	3	KING OF MY CASTLE Wamdue Project	9
Originally released by terminally cool label Creation's dance offshoot in summer 98, this stiffed. But it's been all round Europe on a promo tour of trendy clubs and becomes a hit over here. It's limp, wet noodlings over a tedious backing track.
10	13	MAN! I FEEL LIKE A WOMAN Come On Over Shania Twain	2
Single five (count 'em!) from Shania's breakthrough album. This is not the track one found on original pressings of the album, with the guitar pushed to the fore at the expense of the country beat. Indeed, this has happened with many other tracks; so much so that the version available here would rightly be called the European Remix Album. The original is still available in the USA and her native Canada. And the video takes a pastiche of Robot Palmer's 1986 "Addicted To Love" clip, the one with the nasty-looking womyn.
11	4	WILL2K Willennium Will Smith	11
The most sanitised man in rap takes one of the worst Clash tracks, "Rock the Casbah", strings his own brand of kindergarten rap round it, and makes some oh-so-funny puns that must have been written by Richard Whitely.
12	5	I KNEW I LOVED YOU Affirmation Savage Garden	12
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".
13	10	HEARTBREAKER Rainbow Mariah Carey	9
Mariah-by-numbers, right down to the warble at the end. Two weeks at the top in the USA.
14	5	WHAT I AM Eleven To Fly Tintinout feat. Emma Bunton	14
The second single from Tintinout's new album is nowhere near as good as the first. Two reasons: 1) "Eleven To Fly" is an absolute gem of a song, full of Shelly Nelson's soaring, swooping vocals and a divine backing track. 2) This is a cover of another neglected pop classic that doesn't quite live up to the original. "What I Am" was originally recorded by Edie Brickell and the New Bohemians, and was the first single off their 1989 album "Shooting Rubber Bands At The Stars". Though it could only reach #31 in a quiet February, the song has remained an airplay staple, coming out just often enough to remind everyone of how brilliant it is. Tintinout's is the first cover version, and it reinforces the notion that one cannot do a completely rubbish version of a classic song. Vocals are provided by Emma Bunton, aka Whimsey Spice. She's the third Spice to have her own solo recording project; only Surly is yet to turn her talents to someone else's band. Assuming she has any talents, that is. Anywhoo, Tintinout have their biggest hit to date with this, bettering the March 98 cover of The Sundays' "Here's Where the Story Ends".
15	13	BLUE 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 soars from 40 to 9 to 2 on this listing, missing the top by one week. The burnout has been slow, with a new lease of life coming from crossover success in North America.
16	17	MAMBO NUMBER FIVE A Little Bit of Mambo Lou Bega	1 x5
It's not unusual for a record to crack this chart based on overseas success. It is absolutely remarkable for one to make #31 on the sales pile based on import copies alone. But that's what happened to this track; the UK release was brought forward a week to stem the import tide, one of the imports was so long it gave him the #1 budget album for a fortnight, and the song looks set to storm quickly up on release. Though why so many people should want the theme song for Channel Four's cricket coverage, when they've shown two losses in the worst season ever, is beyond me. Anyway, this track stormed to the top after two weeks on release, stuck there for the rest of September, and will probably be with us most of the way till Christmas. Lou's also made #4 on airplay alone in the USA, and topped the Canadian survey for a fortnight.
17	7	LARGER THAN LIFE Millennium Backstreet Boys	5
Single two from the album is a loud, almost rocking number. It's not a huge departure from their previous work, but reminds us of Take That's flirtation with Jim Steinmann on "Never Forget". They split eight months later.
18	7	FLYING WITHOUT WINGS Westlife Westlife	7
Westlife have managed to have three big singles without showing much in the way of talent. This is probably the best of a ropey bunch - a soaring ballad that could just about cut the mustard as a Michael Jackson number. R Kelly could turn it out in his sleep. Westlife remains the bookies' favourite for the Christmas chart-topper, with a Terry Jacks and ABBA cover. A re-issue of John Lenin's "Imagine" is second favourite, ahead of Steps and Sir Cliff.
19	11	YOU DRIVE ME CRAZY ...baby one more time Britany Spears	5
A return to the upbeat Eurodisco of "Baby One More Time" for hit #3. While she's not quite shaken off the accusation of One Album Wonder, Spears does seem to have a good shot at sticking around. Spears will not be entering the Christmas singles race this year; her next release is scheduled for release in the third week of January.
20	13	SMOOTH Smooth Santana feat Rob Thomas	13
Rob is the vocalist from Matchbox 20, joining the rest of Carlos' group on a laid-back but still charged hit. This became the longest-running American chart topper of the year, making eight weeks after deposing Mariah, and four weeks at the top in Canada, but struggled to #75 on this sales chart this side of the pond.
21	9	TWO TIMES Ann Lee	5
The woman responsible for writing Whigfield's 1994 summer smash "Saturday Night" records a single of her own. It beats the Dane's entry in the Most Trite Lyric competition, sounding like one cliche after another set to an annoying bleep machine. Yet it's catchy.
22	17	UNPRETTY Fanmail TLC	2
The second single off the girls' album may be the most commercial piece of New Jill Swing ever to feature a guitar solo. But then, with lyrics about how Society (read: men) expect womyn to look like models all the time, the track works on many levels. I'm waiting to see someone claim that TLC, not the Spices, invented Girl Power... I expected a major fall this month, but airplay is still around, as there's no follow-up due till well into the new year.
23	7	I NEED TO KNOW Marc Anthony	21
The latest US dance sensation is a young bloke with a decent single. You don't need to know any more. You do? OK. Marc is a top-selling salsa act in the USA, but has never taken off in the UK at all. This has really turned heads in the US, but stiffed on sales here. Such is the woeful nature of the market that its poor first week showing condemned it to an early grave. Ripe for a re-issue in May next year, I suspect.
24	4	BOMBDIGGY Another Level	23
The group come back with a more attractive than usual upbeat number that goes on about something or other. We haven't the faintest what.
25	2	EVERY DAY I LOVE YOU MORE Boyzone	25
The third single of the year for Ronan Keating's side project, and the last - if we're to believe the rumours. While Boyzone has been unashamedly marketed to the pop fans, their output has mainly been strong but not quite anthemic ballads. This is another example of the genre - unusually, not a cover of a country number - and possibly their weakest song for a very long time.
26	2	NORTHERN STAR Northern Star Melanie C	26
Her debut solo single, "Goin' Down", certainly lived up to its name, plummetting out of the lists within minutes of release at the end of September. While the re-invention as Punky Spice didn't work, she's now gone all k d lang on us, singing a pretty little torch song. One of the songs that "Down" beat on that week's release roster, only to lose on the long-term view, was a little ditty by Macy Gray...
27	3	EVERYTIME A1	25
Boy band by numbers. Completely forgettable.
28	24	MY LOVE IS YOUR LOVE My Love is Your Love Whitney Houston	3
Eyebrows all over Chart City were raised when Whitney's last single, "It's Not Right But It's OK", turned out to be the best thing she's released in over a decade. With this classy track, soft soul at its finest, Whitney finally stakes the claim to singing high ground that she vacated after the bombastic "One Moment in Time" in October 88. And we've missed her, as a counterweight to the over-wrought Mariah and the icy Celine. This song has been performing well in the US, but retains a fair airplay presence in the UK.
29	3	WHEN WE ARE TOGETHER The Hush Texas	28
The third single from their latest album wears its Motown roots on its sleeve, just as 97's "Black Eyed Boy" did. This, though, is a slightly stronger track, and easily the best of the three singles so far from this album.
Sureshot
30	5	BACK AT ONE Brian McKnight	28
Brian's a great soul singer, popular in the States, but with no profile over here. This record, charting on import success only, might just be the soul groove that launches his career. It's a romantic number, charting a way to woo a lady. UK release is due early in January.
31	3	TURN The Man Who Travis	31
Single four from Travis' critical and popular smash is similar to, but a little less than, their previous works.
Sureshot
32	3	(IF YOU) STEAL MY SUNSHINE You Can't Stop The Bum Rush Len	32
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.
33	6	BUG A BOO The Writing's On The Wall Destiny's Child	21
The second single from their sophomore set sees The Destiny's still in a bit of man trouble. This time, he just won't take no for an answer, and calls our heroines at all times of day and night. What an awkward person. Like all their work, this is presented in a managable, almost slick package, but one that does have the odd rough edge.
Sureshot
34	1	THAT'S THE WAY IT IS All The Way: A Decade Of Hits Celine Dion	34
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.
35	5	WHEN THE HEARTACHE IS OVER Twenty Four Seven Tina Turner	27
Though she's been around since the 60s, this is the first decade that Tina has consistently made hits. The 60-year-old remains as popular as ever; this is her biggest hit since 1995's "Goldeneye" appeared in the Bond movie of the same name. It's a shame that this sounds so much like Cher's "Believe" as to call her future into question.
36	1	LOVE ME / TALKING IN YOUR SLEEP Martine Martine McCutcheon	36
Covers of two 70s numbers for Martine's third single release; a Bee Gees album track and a Crystal Gayle minor hit. This is a tedious, over-sweet pairing.
Sureshot
37	3	BEFORE YOU Before You Chantal Kreuvizak	32
Though she sounds a Quebecois, Chantal is Ontario born and bred. This is a great little number, bouncing along with twice the pace and oodles more zip than Celine's track. I've no idea if anyone's going to work with Chantal in the UK, but this track shows they have a hit on their hands.
38	8	I SAVED THE WORLD TODAY Peace Eurythmics	17
It's been ten years, give or take, since we last had something new from Annie Lennox and David Stewart. The duo split in 1991, both launching solo careers of some success before spending more time with their family (Annie) Brian Poole's daughters (David). Back together for this year's Brit awards, the two decided to make a new album. This is the first single, and it's as good as anything they've ever done, picking up exactly where the lush string arrangements of "Angel" left off in summer 1990. The US release, "Seventeen Again", is an even stronger track, and surely a contender for single release.
39	2	ANOTHER WAY Paul Van Dyk	35
Trancey stuff from a Belgian that's not as memorable as Robert Miles but is perfectly listenable.
Sureshot
40	1	THE WORLD IS NOT ENOUGH The World Is Not Enough OST Garbage	40
Almost identikit Bond theme from Shirley and the boys. Swirly, almost growly vocals over a lush string orchestration. Another classic.

UK acts in blue;Canadian acts in red;Irish acts in green. Orange backgrounds indicate no UK availability as of the end of this month.

breakers...

dec 6 99