Milestone UK number one singles

100th Do You Mind? - Anthony Newley (April 1960)
200th Help! - The Beatles (April 1965)
300th Knock Three Times - Dawn (May 1971)
400th Don't Cry For Me, Argentina (February 1977)
500th A Little Peace - Nicole (May 1982)
600th China In Your Hand - T'Pau (November 1987)
700th Twist And Shout - Chaka Demus & Pliers featuring Jack Radics and Taxi Gang (January 1994)
800th Bootie Call - All Saints (September 1998)
900th Lady Marmalade - Christina Aguilera / Lil' Kim / Mya / P!nk (June 2001)
1,000th One Night / I Got Stung - Elvis Presley (January 2005)
1,100th Evacuate The Dancefloor - Cascada (July 2009) TODAY!



Michael Jackson's 'Man In The Mirror' was leading the midweek charts every day this week, but Cascada's new single was closing in on it every day, at a rate which made it look as if they would claim today's number one spot and the 1,100th UK number one, and indeed they have. At least they're alive and available for any PR that the Official Charts Company may want to do with them. The OCC had to put up with Elvis Presley posthumously claiming the 1,000th number one in 2005, so they may have been dreading another dead artist claiming the 1,100th today. (And it's not as if Michael Jackson needs any more publicity at the moment.) The OCC could start by mentioning this milestone to Radio 1. Reggie Yates has presented the Top 40 for three hours this afternoon without mentioning this chart milestone at all, even when he announced Cascada as the number one at the end. The team behind the Radio 1 chart show really is useless.

Cascada are German and Elvis Presley was American, as were the four acts on 'Lady Marmalade', the 900th number one, so the last UK act to claim a 'century number one' remains All Saints, who secured the 800th with Bootie Call in 1998.

'Man In The Mirror' therefore fails to make number one (although there's always next week, with the continued Jacko publicity that his memorial service and funeral will bring in the coming days). This will no doubt surprise the many people who are convinced that it's number one already. Two of my colleagues last Monday informed me that Michael Jackson was number one. I pointed out that Man In The Mirror was number 11, the highest of his six tracks in the top 40, but "it was on Sky News" that Jacko had topped the chart, therefore it must be true, in their eyes. Sky News (and also independent radio) was quoting the 'Big Top 40', which was solely based on iTunes last week. It was not the official chart, which included the (admittedly minimal) physical sales and a much wider range of download outlets. Some people seem to think iTunes IS the UK's music retail industry, but it's not there yet, and history so far will not record a posthumous Michael Jackson number one.

Jackson has however, shattered Presley's record of seven concurrent top 40 hits, with an incredible thirteen of today's Top 40 being by him, up from last week's six entries. All of them climb today and four of them are in consecutive positions #32 to #35. 'Thriller' almost outpeaked its original 1983 peak of #10, but fell away towards the end of the week to land at #12 today. 'Man In The Mirror' at #2 has easily surpassed its original peak of #21.

Michael Jackson hits in today's Top 40:

02 (11) Man In The Mirror

10 (25) Billie Jean

12 (23) Thriller
13 (28) Smooth Criminal

19 (30) Beat It

25 (45) Black Or White
26 (50) Dirty Diana

32 (67) They Don't Care About Us
33 (38) Earth Song
34 (47) The Way You Make Me Feel
35 (44) You Are Not Alone

38 (48) Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough

40 (57) Bad

Michael Jackson has also replaced himself at the top of today's album chart, as 'The Essential' pushes 'Number Ones' down to #3, with La Roux's eponymous début album entering at #2. 'King Of Pop' at #5 completes three top five albums for Jacko.

While I was listening to the Top 40 via the earpiece on my mobile, I was multi-tasking, watching the amazingly long Wimbledon final between Federer and Roddick. Pete Sampras was there to see Federer rub Sampras's name from the record books as he moved up to fifteen Grand Slam titles, beating the record of fourteen titles which they held jointly since last month, when Federer won the French Open for the first time. Federer has now won six of the last seven Wimbledon titles, only one behind Sampras himself, while Andy Roddick has lost three Wimbledon finals, all to Federer. I felt so sorry for him. He's never won it, and this looked like it may have been his best chance ever. Federer didn't break Roddick's service at all until right at the end, as he only won two earlier sets on tie breaks, whereas Roddick had won his two sets by breaking Federer's serve twice. It's all part of the glorious unfairness of tennis, where you can win a match by wining fewer games overall, or by breaking your opponent fewer times. Roddick was in tears after losing the final set 16-14. It's not surprising, the poor thing. This picture says it all.

Labels: charts, Number One, Wimbledon

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Chart history has been made this evening, as 'Number 1' by Tinchy Stryder featuring N-Dubz makes number one in the singles chart.

Amazingly, in nearly 57 years of the UK singles chart, no song called Number 1 (or Number One) has ever become the self-fulfilling prophesy that the artists would have liked. The Tweenies and Goldfrapp came closest, both taking songs called 'Number 1' into the top ten, at #6 and #9 respectively. You won't be surprised to hear that these two and Mr Stryder's are three different songs.

Today's chart-topper is an all-London collaboration, as Tinchy Stryder hails from Bow in East London while N-Dubz are from St. John's Wood and Camden. Dappy from N-Dubz will be familiar to many TV viewers as 'that man with the stupid hat' on Never Mind The Buzzcocks. Their collaboration includes the line, "I don't understand how you're number one" and I'm sure many people will feel the same way.

Labels: chart, Goldfrapp, N-Dubz, Number One, Tinchy Stryder, Tweenies

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Another person from the list of UK Number One hitmakers has shuffled off their mortal coil. Mrs Slocombe's pussy and Mr Papadopoulos have yet to comment.

RIP Wendy Richard (1943-2009). (Mike Sarne is still alive.)

'Come Outside' - Mike Sarne with Wendy Richard - #1 - 1962

This knocked Elvis Presley's 'Good Luck Charm' off the top spot and stayed there for two weeks from late June 1962. Wendy Richard, bless her, thought it was six weeks, as we've mentioned before.

Labels: Mike Sarne, Number One, Wendy Richard

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...which probably explains everything.



Former bible-bashing singer Katy Perry continues her transformation and her path to world domination today as her bi-curious anthem* 'I Kissed A Girl' makes its inevitable climb from #4 to number one and sees off the copycats at the same time. The two cover versions which crept into the UK charts last week and led to Perry's track being released early and midweek last week have both disappeared from the chart today.

The song, which includes Max Martin and Cathy Dennis amongst its four co-writers, has been number one for nine weeks in Canada and seven weeks on Billboard's Hot 100 in America. 'I Kissed A Girl' is also number one in Australia and climbs from #10 to the top in Sweden this week. It's number two in Denmark and New Zealand and climbs from #16 to #2 this week in Ireland. It's #3 in the Netherlands and #4 in Finland and Norway.

There's a chance this may become the biggest-selling song of the year in the UK until the X Factor winner hits us in December. The CD version isn't released here until Monday 1st September, so there's every chance of this song 'doing an Umbrella'.

It has also spawned more YouTube cover versions than you can shake a cherry chapstick at, with variations including 'I kissed a frog/horse/squirrel/your mother...' etc. This 'gay version' (like the original isn't entertaining enough already to gay men) is typical of the rubbish that's around, but it has some nice pictures:



* Can you think of any other song which can be referred to as a 'bi-curious anthem'? I think Katy Perry has carved a niche all of her own here. One of her previous songs is called 'UR So Gay'.It's a song to her boyfriend who is adopting 'gay ways' despite not actually fancying men. ("You're so gay and you don't even like boys.") Her album's called 'One of the Boys'. Are you sensing a running theme of gender confusion here?

Labels: chart, Katy Perry, Number One

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The most amusing thing happened to me yesterday. I'm going on a stag weekend, this Friday to Sunday. (Yes, then flying to Zurich and Belgrade at 8am on Monday. It could all end in tears, or broken limbs, or vomiting. I know.)

Now I've known the marrying couple for about six years, I think. But yesterday I had a call from the groom, to ask one very simple question.

He wanted to know my real name! (For the organisers of one of the activities we're doing.)

Some people have only ever known me as Chig, and as he is also one of the few people I know who has resisted the facebook revolution, my real name has never been an issue. How very modern.


* And the fantastic single of that name, by the Ting Tings, is currently Number One after yesterday's sales, holding off Madonna and JT. Hurrah!

Labels: Chig, name, Number One, Ting Tings

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Leona Lewis is bleeding well Number One in America! Well done. It's quite an achievement, as the first video below was the last single by a British woman to make number one in the States. Twenty-one years ago! Kim Wilde's achievement in 1987 was all the sweeter for her because she never topped the charts in the UK at all, with singles or albums. 'You Keep Me Hangin' On' made #2 for two weeks here in 1986, blocked by the theme from Top Gun, before it topped the US chart in June the next year. Her 'Kids In America' début also made #2 here.

Poor Kim can't even claim a number one via the original Band Aid single, because she wasn't on it, possibly because her career was big before and after 1984, but in 1984 itself was having a bit of a dip. Or maybe it was because Geldof and Ure failed to invite any women who weren't in Bananarama or, er, Shalamar.

Anyway, this song is fab, and so is 'Bleeding Love'. What a great excuse to post Leona's stunning performance from this year's Brit Awards. The choreography is amazing, which can't quite be said for Kim Wilde's efforts. Watch the beginning and cringe. I think she's left the hangers in that jacket.


Kim Wilde - You Keep Me Hangin' On (The Wide Awake Club - 1986)




Leona Lewis - 'Bleeding Love' (The Brit Awards - 2008)

Labels: charts, Kim Wilde, Leona Lewis, Number One, usa

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Dermot O'Leary made a surprising announcement tonight at the start of The X Factor. If it's true, it looks like the winner of this series won't be aiming for the Christmas Number One this year. He said the final takes place in four weeks' time, making it the 22nd of December and not the 15th; the date which would be necessary in order to register shop sales for the Christmas chart. (I thought there would be a double eviction soon, or the return of the three-act final, in order to cater for this.)

With Christmas Day on Tuesday 25th, the Christmas Number One will be announced on Sunday 23rd, meaning that an X Factor final on Saturday 22nd would have no impact at all, unless... unless...

Are they planning to take a massive gamble and release the winner's song as a download immediately after the programme? This would give two hours at the most for the song to outsell everything else from the last seven days before the midnight cut-off point for the chart week. However, if it sold at the same rate as Leona's download did in its first hour, it would be more than enough to top the charts.

Leona's single was released as a download after midnight last year, but it didn't matter because last year's final was on Saturday 16th December, giving a whole week of sales before she easily claimed the Christmas Number One on Christmas Eve.

If Dermot was right, this will add another twist to the annual race for the Christmas Number One, but he may be wrong. After all, last week he said the theme of today's show would be Motown, but that's been ditched in favour of love songs. Perhaps the X Factor people just don't know what they're doing?

This feeling will be heightened by the bemusing caption they put on screen tonight during Hope's travels back home. Did it really say, 'Sunderland, County of Durham'? For a start, it's called 'County Durham', not 'County of Durham'. More importantly, Sunderland isn't in it. It remains in the county called Tyne & Wear, unless I missed an announcement somewhere. A shocking mistake to make.

While I'm here... Rhydian gave a series-winning performance tonight, of one of my favourite songs ('Somewhere' from West Side Story), while Niki struggled with a few notes, especially near the start. I think Hope are in danger again tonight, after performing an unknown song (unless you're a Christina Aguilera fan), with some wavering vocals, despite what the judges said. (They can't hear a thing in the studio; we are in a much better position to hear the vocals on TV.) Surely Hope will be in the bottom two? However, it will probably be with Leon, in which case he may go, thereby keeping the girls in with a chance of winning, which is what some of the former contestants believe the programme-makers have wanted all along. (Ooh, it's a World of Chig exclusive!)

Labels: chart, Christmas, geography, Number One, X Factor

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Methinks Wendy Richard is going senile. She's just told Dermot and us BBLB viewers that her Number One single (with Mike Sarne) was at the top for six weeks. In the real world - of 1962 - it was two weeks. Still better than Northern Line, admittedly, but quite an outrageous exaggeration of the truth.

Labels: BBLB, Big Brother 8, Number One, Wendy Richard

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