CHART: UK Top 40 Analysis - Year End 1993
James Masterton
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So 1993 draws to a close. It's been a year of surprises and
achievements for the unexpected. The singles scene in the UK, predicted
dead after 1992, rallied this year and single sales overall rose
year-on-year for the first time since 1989. It was a year of
long-running No.1 records - only 15 songs topped the charts compared to
a mere 12 in 1992, 17 in 1991 and 17 in 1990. Virtually every musical
genre imaginable was represented at the summit as well: Techno, Rap,
Ragga, Reggae, Rock, Soul, Pop and reissued oldies all had their turn
as the nation's favourite track. So here then is the story of the year,
the Top 40 of 1993.
Analysis:
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No. 40: Sub Sub featuring Melanie Williams - Ain't No Love (Ain't No Use)
A hit in the spring, this 70s styled dance track was one of a
number of dance records to chart big in their first week,
making No.10 first time out. Once in it peaked at No.3 and
spent 6 weeks in the Top 10 overall. It was the only hit of the
year for them though and it remains to be seen whether this
single was more than a one-off.
No. 39: Sybil - When I'm Good And Ready
One of the longer-running singles of the year, this slice of
soul/pop from the Chicago-born singer now based in Britain
spent 11 weeks in the Top 40 in the spring, 5 of those in the
Top 10 peaking at No.5. It was also significant in being the
last ever Top 10 hit to be written and produced by Matt Stock
and Pete Waterman. The semi-legendary production team from PWL
had dominated pop music from 1986-1990 but had seen their
fortunes wane in recent times and the team finally split in
November leaving only PWL records as a reminder of what once
had been a veritable hit factory and which had launched the
careers of artists such as Kylie Minogue and Rick Astley and
revived others such as Bananarama and Donna Summer.
No. 38: East 17 - Deep
Fated to spend their entire careers as second best in the teen
stakes to Take That, East 17 here score their biggest hit of
the year. In a way to define them as a teen band is to
underrate the twentysomething South Londeners who actually have
more dancefloor credibility than many other bands. This single
was a case in point, promoted as an underground white label
pressing for months beforehand credited to 'Levi and Friends'
and consequently exploding onto the chart when officially
released in January. Ultimately peaking at No.5, the
sophistication of the rap track ensures it is probably the one
record they will be remembered for, long after their stars have
faded.
No. 37: Bee Gees - For Whom The Bell Tolls
Back in the summer the Bee Gees released their latest album
'Size Isn't Everything'. The British have always had a soft
spot for the group, ensuring they have a hit every couple of
years and sending their 1987 track 'You Win Again' to No.1.
Surprisingly though the first single from the album 'Paying The
Price Of Love' could only falter at No.23 and it took this
classy ballad to slice through the Christmas market to peak at
No.4 at the end of the year and become the brothers' biggest
selling single since that No.1 five years previously.
No. 36: Cappella - U Got 2 Let The Music
Dance music did not have quite the domination of previous years
in 1993 but that still did not stop the odd track breaking big.
Italian production team Cappella were previously known for
their 1989 Top 20 hit 'Helyom Halib' but bounced back to score
two big hits this year, 'U Got 2 Know' made No.6 in April and
this track became their biggest hit ever, making No.2 in early
November.
No. 35: Snap - Exterminate
Only two hits this year for Snap, all eyes on them to see how
the group would manage without the distinctive vocals of Turbo
B. Rather well it happens, switching tack from Euro-rap to
uptempo semi=instrumentals. 'Exterminate' was their new year
offering, making No.2 for three weeks in January.
No. 34: M People - Moving On Up
M People began as an experiment in 1991 by Hacienda DJ Mike
Pickering to see if he could recreate the best traditions of
Northern Soul. By the end of 1993 the experiment had been
judged a raging success as M People scored hit after hit with
their brand of classy pop. 'Moving On Up' was perhaps not quite
as distinctive as the summer hit 'One Night In Heaven' yet this
was the one that sold the most, making No.2 in October.
No. 33: Shabba Ranks - Mr Loverman
One style of music did dominate the start of the year though
and that was ragga. The harder edge of modern reggae, ragga had
previously dwelt underground but this year crossed over in a
big way. This hit though was unusual. Shabba Ranks had arguably
crossed over in a small way before 1993 and indeed 'Mr
Loverman' had made No.23 in August 1992. Reissued as part of
the wave of ragga hits in March though it improved dramatically
on that placing, making No.12 first week out and peaking at
No.3 a week later. Other hits followed but none had quite the
impact of this one.
No. 32: SWV - Right Here (Human Nature)
The US charts in 1993 were by and large dominated by what
Billboard had affectionately tagged 'New Jill Swing', a series
of all-girl soul groups giving a softer edge to what had been
previously a male-dominated arena of New Jack Swing. The
Sisters With Voices were by far the biggest across the pond but
took time to break over here and by the time the US smash
'Weak' had faltered at No.33 in June it looked as if the UK
would pass them by. All that changed with the radical remix of
the album track 'Right Here', replacing the old backing track
with Michael Jackson's 'Human Nature' to turn it into one of
the most sophisticated soul hits of the year, peaking at No.3
in September.
No. 31: Goodmen - Give It Up
Well if any smash had the longest gestation period of the year
it was this one. First heard in the spring as an underground
white label, 'Give It Up' smashed its way from nowhere to No.29
when officially released in August. Despite extensive radio
play it could only stagger to No.23 before sinking. The track
refused to die however and still featured on DJ returns for
months afterwards. On the back of this support it was
re-released in exactly the same form and at the end of October
made a dramatic return to the Top 30. From there there was no
stopping it and it eventually peaked at No.5 and spent 4 weeks
in the Top 10 - its sales for the year combined means it makes
No.31 on the year end chart.
No. 30: Elton John and Kiki Dee - True Love
It was the reunion of the year. The combination that had scored
the million selling smash in 1976 with 'Don't Go Breaking My
Heart' teamed up again for the first single from Elton John's
new album of duets. Elton and Kiki's rendition of the old Bing
Crosby/Grace Kelly song from the film 'High Society' was tailor
made to be a major seasonal smash, complete with festive video.
Despite all predictions however the song could only peak at
No.2 but sold well enough in the last few weeks of the year to
make the bestsellers list and gave the song itself the
distinction of being one of the most charted compositions of
all time - well over 50 weeks in the charts by all its recorded
versions.
No. 29: West End featuring Sybil - The Love I Lost
The only womam to have two singles in the Top 40 of the year,
this was Sybil's first hit of the year peaking at No.3 in late
January. Her cover of the Harold Melvin and the Bluenotes
classic had been an underground dance smash for months
previously. These two tracks were to be Sybil's only hits of
the year though, subsequent releases missed the Top 40
altogether.
No. 28: Take That and Lulu - Relight My Fire
The first appearance on the chart for the band who in most
respects can be said to have dominated the year. This cover of
an old Dan Hartman disco classic smashed its way to No.1 in its
first week on release in early October. Despite being in many
ways the best Take That single of the year it could only manage
2 weeks at the top before sinking rapidly. It's the smallest
selling No.1 hit of the year. For Lulu though it was a triumph,
ending a year which had seen her return to the Top 40 with a
new hit since 1982 and the first time she had had a No.1 in any
respect in a chart career that dates back to 1964.
No. 27: Billy Joel - River Of Dreams
What you could describe as a sleeper hit, the title track from
the new Billy Joel album did not seem like a smash single at
first but the gospel tinged track sold slowly but steadily to
peak at No.3 in September and spend a massive 12 weeks in the
Top 40 to give Billy Joel his biggest hit single since 'Uptown
Girl' made No.1 in 1983. It may have been a fluke though - the
followup could only manage to reach No.32.
No. 26: Annie Lennox - Love Song For A Vampire/Little Bird
Annie Lennox's biggest hit single since the days of the
Eurythmics was a marketers dream. Combining the haunting ballad
specially recorded for the film of 'Dracula' along with a set
of new club-friendly remixes of the fifth single from the
year-old 'Diva' album meant the single appealed to two
different markets at the same time. The single went straight in
at No.3 and held there for four weeks, spending 10 weeks in the
Top 40 overall.
No. 25: Spin Doctors - Two Princes
After having flopped the first time round and following in the
wake of another dead single, the potentially classic 'Two
Princes' finally made a belated UK debut in May. It climbed
slowly and steadily, gradually embedding itself into the public
consciousness until it peaked at No.3 in late June. The Spin
Doctors had to work hard to avoided becoming one-hit wonders
though. A reissue of 'Little Miss Can't Be Wrong' stalled at
No.23 whilst 'Jimmy Olsen's Blues' could only manage a solitary
week at No.40 in early October.
No. 24: Bitty McLean - It Keeps Rainin'
An astonishing summer for Bitty McLean who started the year as
an engineer at UB40s studios in Birmingham. After singing
backing vocals on their new album he got the chance to record
his own material. The first single was this lilting reggae
version of an old Fats Domino track and raced past all
opposition to peak at No.2 in early September. He has yet to
consolidate on that initial success but most critics agree a
major new reggae talent has burst on the scene.
No. 23: Dina Carroll - Don't Be A Stranger
1993 was the year it finally happened for Dina Carroll. It
seemed she had been around for ages. Her album 'So Close' had
been released in mid-1992 and had spawned a succession of
moderate hit singles. 'Don't Be A Stranger' was a half-hearted
one-off attempt to shift a few more units of the by now
moribund platter. For some reason though this ballad captured
the imagination of the public like no other Dina Caroll single
had done before, selling by the bucketloads to ultimately peak
at No.4 and make the former singer with Quartz a major British
soul star at last. The single sold so well that the record
company in the end had to resort to deleting the track as it
was harming the sales of her Christmas release 'The Perfect
Year'. Her perfect year ended with 3 Brits nominations, with
this track nominated for Best British Single and the favourite
to win the award by a mile.
No. 22: Urban Cookie Collective - The Key: The Secret
One of the biggest underground dance smashes of the year was
this one. 'The Key: The Secret' entered in July at No.40 and
crept up the charts without anyone really noticing until it had
peaked at No.2 in early September. In doing so it became the
biggest hit single ever for tiny Pulse-8 records and spawned a
near-identical followup in the shape of 'Feels Like Heaven'
which peaked at No.5 in November.
No. 21: Take That - Babe
The third No.1 single of the year for Take That, like the two
previous ones it charged straight into the No.1 slot upon
release. Their hopes for a Christmas No.1 were dashed though
when they were swept aside by Mr Blobby the following week and
could never manage to outsell it, despite coming close in
Christmas week itself. It was not too much of a disappointment
for them though - no other act had ever had 3 consecutive
singles go straight in at No.1.
No. 20: 4 Non Blondes - What's Up?
One of the more surprising hits of the year, 4 Non Blondes
screamed their way to the No.2 slot in late July with this
track which is destined to be regarded as a rock classic for
years to come. The success of the track though has to be seen
as a fluke - several singles later they are still without a Top
40 followup.
No. 19: Freddie Mercury - Living On My Own
The death of Freddie Mercury in late 1991 prompted a demand for
his old material that has yet to really abate. Few could have
predicted the source of this smash though. 'Living On My Own'
was an old song which had peaked at No.50 in September 1985.
Remixed by a team of German DJs the track had become a
continental smash when picked up for release here. Once out it
powered to the No.1 slot, staying there for two weeks and
giving Freddie Mercury a solo posthumous No.1 - the first
artist to 'achieve' this since Jackie Wilson in 1986. The
remixers themselves went onto further success when in the
autumn they remixed Motorhead's 'Ace Of Spades' sending it onto
the dancefloors and back into the Top 30.
No. 18: Inner Circle - Sweat (A La La La La Long)
In a similar manner to fellow reggae artists Aswad before them,
Inner Circle had been around for years but had never had a big
hit, their previous best being 'Everything Is Great' which made
No.37 in February 1979. 'Sweat' had been a major continental
smash in the autumn of 1992 but had flopped here, only able to
reach No.43. Re-released in the spring on the wave of a series
of reggae hits, the party tune sold by the bucketload, peaking
at No.3 for 3 weeks and spending 8 weeks in the Top 10 alone
before becoming an American hit later in the year.
No. 17: Take That - Pray
The biggest hit of the year for the biggest group of the year
Take That. From an inauspicious beginning, the five lads have
been cleverly marketed and promoted to achieve a teen appeal
that has not been seen since the days of Bros in 1988.
Combining that with a genuine songwriting talent that has seen
them achieve critical support as well, the boys swept all
before them in 1993. 'Pray' was the first of their record
breaking string of 3 instant No.1 hits, staying 4 weeks at the
top in July.
No. 16: Snow - Informer
Arriving on the wave of ragga crossovers which saw this track
part of the three reggae records that dominated the entire Top
3 for the first time ever back in March. 'Informer' was
actually riding high in the US charts as well by the time it
charted in March. Eventually to reach No.2 of two occasions the
record spent an incredible 5 weeks in the Top 3 and 14 weeks in
the Top 40 overall. Despite successive releases and radio
support for tracks like 'Girl I've Been Hurt' and 'Uuuhh In
You', Snow remains a one-hit wonder.
No. 15: Bryan Adams - Please Forgive Me
A cynic might say this is a basic retread of 'Everything I Do',
the track which in 1991 became the longest running No.1 hit
ever, but this ballad from Bryan Adams' greatest hits
collection 'So Far So Good' became his biggest hit since
charting instantly at No.3 and staying at No.2 for three weeks,
unable to dislodge Meat Loaf from the No.1 slot. Still on the
chart at the year end, it is yet another success for Adams who
before 1991 had only made the UK Top 20 once in his entire
career.
No. 14: Jazzy Jeff and the Fresh Prince - Boom! Shake The Room
Despite consistent success in the US, commercial rap had a
rough year in the UK. The biggest non-hybrid rap hit of the
year though was a massive No.1, marking the biggest hit ever
for the duo who had started in the mid-80s as teenagers and who
first charted in 1986 with 'Girls Ain't Nothing But Trouble'.
By the end of the year Will Smith was well on the way to
matching his US celebrity over here, being asked to present the
televised 'Smash Hits Awards' in November during which time he
ended up taking part in a dancing contest with members of East
17.
No. 13: Chaka Demus and Pliers - Tease Me
Chaka Demus and Pliers had been virtual superstars on the
underground reggae scene but were vitually unheard of in the
mainstream. All that changed in 1993 with a string of Sly and
Robbie produced hits that began with this, a cheeky lilting
party track that outsold and outlasted many No.1 hits of the
year despite only peaking at No.3. This was largely due to a
run of 10 weeks in the Top 10 that saw them go
6-6-4-3-4-4-4-4-7-10, the longest stay inside the Top 10 by any
record to fail to make No.2 since 1978 (that statistic
incidentally not coming from me since I have no idea what the
last record to achieve that feat was!).
No. 12: Bluebells - Young At Heart
Television has proven consistently over the years that it has
the potential to make massive hits. TV ads can capture the
attention and imagination of large sections of the population
very quickly and if marketed properly can produce hit singles,
no matter how old the record. That was the case for 'Young At
Heart'. Originally a No.8 hit in the summer of 1984 for the
Scottish band, it was featured in the spring in a jokey TV ad
for Volkswagen cars. Upon its reissue the band reformed to
promote it and were rewarded with a No.1 hit in early April,
staying there for 4 weeks.
No. 11: George Michael and Queen - Five Live EP
With George Michael involved in heavy litigation with his
record company his output is restricted to charity outings such
as this. This EP of five songs was recorded live at the Freddie
Mercury tribute concert in April 1992. A year later it was
released in aid of AIDS charities and became the second
consecutive EP to go straight in at No.1 following Erasure's '
Abba-Esque' in May 1992. Standout tracks were George's
rendition of 'Somebody To Love' and his duet with Lisa
Stansfield on 'These Are The Days Of Our Lives'. It remained at
No.1 for 3 weeks.
No. 10: Whitney Houston - I Will Always Love You
Proving just what a megahit it was, the bestselling single of
1992 sold well enough to make the Top 10 bestsellers of the
year in 1993, helped in part by a reissue for Christmas which
saw it make the Top 30 for a second time. Whitney Houston was
overall the top selling female artist of the year with a
further 4 Top 20 hits to her credit.
No. 9: Culture Beat - Mr Vain
Formed in the mid-80s in Germany as a concept in poetry set to
dance music, by 1993 Culture Beat had evolved into a classy
European dance act but had only ever charted briefly in 1990
with 'Cherry Lips', an instrumental version of which appeared
on the flip side of their biggest hit ever. A massive European
club smash, 'Mr Vain' was released in August just in time for
record buyers returning from their holidays to snap up the
record that had dominated continental discos. The tactic had
worked in the past and could not fail now and the record sped
to No.1 where it stayed for 4 weeks. It was the first No.1 hit
ever to be unavailable on 7-inch vinyl, a fact mourned by
record collectors countrywide. In a year where the number of
acts scoring 3 hits or more ran into single figures, Culture
Beat followed up with another Top 10 hit 'Got To Get It',
despite the death in the Autumn of producer mastermind and
writer of their hits Torten Fenslau.
No. 8: Haddaway - What Is Love
European dance had a good year overall. The biggest selling
single of the year not to reach No.1 was this one, Haddaway
only able to make No.2 in late June/early July. A 9 week stay
in the Top 10 though meant that the young singer outsold some
of the biggest No.1 hits of the year and proved that the hit
was not a fluke by scoring 2 more Top 20 hits by the year end.
No. 7: Shaggy - Oh Carolina
Prime beneficiary of the springtime domination of the charts by
reggae acts was young unknown Shaggy who had released a string
of underground hits without once achieving chart success. All
that changed with 'Oh Carolina'. Startling in its ethnicity,
Shaggy climbed slowly but steadily to make No.1 for two weeks
in March and wound up the second biggest reggae hit of the
year. He remains a one-hit wonder though, further singles in
1993 missed the chart altogether. By a strange coincidence the
track also joined the biggest reggae hit of the year on the
soundtrack of the Sharon Stone film 'Sliver'.
No. 6: Mr Blobby - Mr Blobby
By far the fastest selling single of the year, Mr Blobby had
been on general release just 4 weeks by the end of the year and
yet still wound up the sixth biggest seller. Originally
conceived as a joke to help wind up celebrity guests on the
top-rated BBC TV show 'Noel's House Party', by the end of the
year the latex pink blob with no sense of balance and a
permanent accident prone streak had become a zeitgeistian
phenomenon and the subject of lengthly articles in the Sunday
supplements about why a man in a rubber suit should be the most
famous person in Britain. Not only this he was the star of his
own hit record, which shot to No.1 in December and despite
being briefly deplaced by Take That's 'Babe', became the first
record since 1968 to return to the No.1 slot to eventually
become Christmas No.1.
No. 5: Gabrielle - Dreams
By the time Gabrielle's 'Dreams' was released in June it had
created such a demand on the nation's dancefloors that it shot
straight in at No.2 to give the lady with the eyepatch the
highest ever new entry by an unknown artist. She followed that
with 3 weeks at No.1 and had scored two smaller hits by the end
of the year to establish herself as a major new British soul
talent for the 1990s.
No. 4: 2 Unlimited - No Limit
'Technotechnotechnotechno' shouted Ray Slijngaard in January
and gave rave music a new clarion call. 'No Limit' swept aside
all opposition after just 2 weeks in the charts and remained at
No.1 for five weeks whilst unusually for a new year hit,
becoming one of the biggest sellers of the year. It was the
biggest hit ever for the Dutch duo who had been charting hits
since late 1991 and by the year end had also had Top 10 hits
with 'Tribal Dance' and 'Faces' whilst 'Maximum Overdrive' made
the Top 20 to make them far and away one of the most successful
club acts ever.
No. 3: Ace Of Base - All That She Wants
The labels of 'the new Abba' became tedious after a while,
particularly to the group themselves but when Ace Of Base
exploded onto the chart at No.5 in May with 'All That She
Wants' it looked to be that way for the Swedish foursome. Two
weeks later they were No.1 to become only the third act from
that country ever to top the UK charts. They were only there
for 3 weeks yet sold enough to be No.3 on the chart of the
year. Further success was difficult to come by as the followup
'Wheel Of Fortune' stalled at No.20 and 'Happy Nation' missed
the Top 40 altogether. They cannot have been too worried though
as 'All That She Wants' made the US chart too in the autumn.
No. 2: UB40 - (I Can't Help) Falling In Love
More than any other record released this year, UB40s gorgeously
treated version of the Elvis Presley classic was made to be
No.1. It had to wait though, spending 2 weeks at No.2 before
pushing Ace Of Base aside and grabbing 2 weeks of glory for
themselves. It was the third No.1 hit for the band from
Birmingham who since 1980 had become the most successful reggae
band ever. Coincidentally their two previous No.1 hits had also
been cover versions, Neil Diamond's 'Red Red Wine' and Sonny
and Cher's 'I Got You Babe'. They can also have hits with their
own material though as the Top 10 followup 'Higher Ground'
proved later in the summer. '(I Can't Help) Falling In Love'
was also the biggest British hit of the year in America where
it duplicated it's British success with ease.
No. 1: Meat Loaf - I'd Do Anything For Love (But I Won't Do That)
And so to the biggest and in many ways the most surprising No.1
hit of the year. Despite continuing popularity in Britain, Meat
Loaf had never really been a big singles artist, his only
previous Top 10 outing being in 1981 with 'Dead Ringer For
Love'. All that changed with the new 'Bat Out Of Hell II' album
marking his reuinion with producer/mentor Jim Steinman. The
epic ballad crashed into the chart at No.8 at the end of
September and was No.1 within 2 weeks, staying there for a
massive 7 weeks overall. The success of the track was even more
surprising given that its release as a single came a full 6
weeks after the release of the album from which it was culled.
Both single and album sold in tandem though, for much of its
stay at No.1 the album joined it at the top of the LP charts -
confounding those who said the UK had no such thing as a
singles market any more. At 7 minutes 58 seconds it was also
the longest No.1 hit ever, surpassing the Beatles' 'Hey Jude'
which had held the record since 1968. It was a double glory for
Meat Loaf as 'Bat Out Of Hell II' was also the biggest selling
album of the year. By the year end the total sale for the
single was well over 800,000 units and it was still in the
charts.
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James Masterton - January 1994
All comments and questions welcomed.
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| James Masterton | Give me some time, Lend me your hand |
| hid...@cent1.lancs.ac.uk | Reach into the dark and you'll understand |
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