Week commencing 20 May 1991

Of the eight new entries from this week in 1991, five of them are from artists we will never see 'bubble under' again!  So let's say hello to these new tracks before we bid the artists goodbye...

 

Chesney Hawkes: Australia seemed like the one and only country he couldn't land a hit in.

 

Top 150 debuts:

 

Number 142 "Bow Down Mister" by Jesus Loves You

Peak: number 142

Peak date: 20 May 1991

Weeks in top 150: 3 weeks

Top 150 chart run: 142-145-149

Weeks on chart: 7 weeks

 

Jesus Loves You, fronted by Boy George, have visited us on two previous occasions, in October 1989 and September 1990.  In keeping with their one-bubbling-under-'hit'-in-Australia-per-year charting pattern, "Bow Down Mister" - the third single from The Martyr Mantras (number 136, June 1991) - was the act's third release to peak outside the top 100 in Australia.  In keeping with the band's religious name, "Bow Down Mister" contains numerous lyrical references to the Hare Krishna movement.

 

"Bow Down Mister" was Jesus Loves You's highest-peaking single in Australia, and internationally.  The single reached number 27 in the UK in March 1991, number 29 in France in May 1991, number 2 in Austria in June 1991, number 44 in the Flanders region of Belgium in June 1991, number 15 in Switzerland in July 1991, and number 6 in Germany in July 1991.

Within Australia, "Bow Down Mister" performed strongest on the Victoria/Tasmania state chart, where it reached number 120.

"Bow Down Mister" was Jesus Love You's last unique single to be released in Australia, although their two previous singles "Generations of Love" and "After the Love" were re-issued in August 1991 and November 1991, respectively.

A further single, "Sweet Toxic Love" - not from The Martyr Mantras - was released in Europe in late 1992, and reached number 65 in the UK in December of that year.  A second Jesus Loves You album never eventuated.

While Jesus Loves You would not join us again, we will see solo Boy George again in 1992.

The video embedded below contains three music videos from Boy George’s More Protein labes.  “Bow Down Mister” is the first video shown.

 

 

Number 149 "Happy" by Ned's Atomic Dustbin

Peak: number 101

Peak date: 3 June 1991

Weeks in top 150: 8 weeks

Top 150 chart run: 149-113-101-116-127-102-120-131

 

British band Ned's Atomic Dustbin formed in 1987, taking their name from an episode of a radio comedy program The Goon Show.  "Happy", lifted from the band's debut studio album God Fodder (number 95, March 1992), was the first Ned's Atomic Dustbin single released in Australia.

"Happy" had greater success in the band's native UK, where it peaked at number 16 in March 1991.  "Happy" also peaked at number 19 in Ireland during the same month.

 

Ned's Atomic Dustbin would land only one top 100-peaking single in Australia, with "Grey Cell Green" (number 93, February 1992).  I think I caught this one once on the ABC's The Afternoon Show, which would play one or two music videos in between other programs aimed at tweens and teens.  Ah, remember when the ABC used to air such things, and not just wall-to-wall news programs, panel discussion shows and cartoons aimed at youngins on a separate channel?

We shall see Ned's Atomic Dustbin again in 1993.

 

 

 

Number 150 "The One and Only" by Chesney Hawkes

Peak: number 103

Peak date: 10 June 1991

Weeks in top 150: 16 weeks

Known chart run: 179-150-134-133-126-103-107-106-106-107-117-123-128

Re-entrered 21 October 1991: 127-129-133-143

Weeks on chart: 18 weeks

 

Chesney Hawkes - yes, that's his real name - hails from Windsor, Berkshire in England.  I vividly recall a quote from the Australian edition of Smash Hits - perhaps from a single review - stating that Chesney's name sounded like a make of caravan.  I agree.

 

"The One and Only" was written and co-produced by Nik Kershaw, who landed four top 20 singles in Australia in 1984-5, with his biggest hit, "Wouldn't It Be Good" (number 5, May 1984), reaching the top five.  If you are familiar with Nik's music, his DNA is all over "The One and Only", and he also sings backing vocals on the chorus.  I think Nik probably could have done a better job with the song than Chesney, but alas, Nik's 15 minutes was up, and he was probably starting to get on a bit for a one-time teen idol pop star at the ripe old age of 33.  Enter 19 year-old "heart throb" Chesney Hawkes into the fray, and voila.  Yes, before Enrique Iglesias's facial mole, there was Chesney...

"The One and Only" was Chesney's debut single, and was also used in the 1991 film Chesney starred in, Buddy's Song, where he plays the role of an aspiring pop star.  The single was huge in the UK, topping the singles chart for five consecutive weeks in March and April 1991.  "The One and Only" also topped the Austrian singles chart in June 1991.  The single was a top 5 hit in Ireland, Switzerland, the Flanders region of Belgium, Sweden and Norway, and a top 10 hit in Germany and even the US.  It seems that Australia was "the one and only" (ho ho ho) country this song wasn't a top 10 hit in.  Well, us and New Zealand.

 

Domestically, "The One and Only" peaked within the top 100 on four of the five state charts, with Western Australia being the only exception.  Despite this, and a chart run lasting four months, the single could not dent the national top 100 chart.  "The One and Only" was most successful in Victoria/Tasmania, where it reached number 75.

 

In addition to its long - for a single peaking outside the top 100 - chart run, "The One and Only" was still bubbling within the top 150 as late as November 1991.  It fell out of the top 150 at the start of August 1991, only to return again towards the end of October for another four weeks, rebounding to number 127.  This presumably happened due to the single being re-issued in Australia in September 1991.

"The One and Only" shares a three-way tie with two other singles, which we will see in July and October, for the third-longest chart run within the top 150 for a single peaking outside the top 100 in 1991.

 

There were two music videos filmed for "The One and Only".  I have embedded the second one below, which is the one I saw on Coca-Cola Power Cuts, where I first heard/saw this song - a prominent source for my musical discoveries in 1991.  You can view the original UK version of the video, which I think is awful, and incorporates scenes from Buddy's Song, here.

 

I remember leafing through UK pop magazine Number One (but not buying it - my pocket money only extended so far) in the newsagents' in 1991, and Chesney seemed to be in every issue.  He was being touted as the new Jason Donovan, if I remember correctly.

 

And just like Jason, Chesney's pop career was short-lived, although much more so than Jason's.  Chesney's second single, "I'm a Man Not a Boy" - which appears to have given Britney Spears' songwriting team some ideas - peaked at only number 27 in the UK, in June 1991.  It was his last single to make the top 50 there.

 

"The One and Only" would be Chesney's one and only release to chart in Australia.  The single fared marginally better on the Australian Music Report singles chart, where it reached number 99.

 

 

Bubbling WAY down under:

 

Number 155 "The Kiap Song" by Not Drowning, Waving

Peak: number 155

Peak date: 20 May 1991

Weeks on chart: 1 week 

We last saw Melbourne band Not Drowning, Waving bubble under in 1989.

 

"The Kiap Song" was the second single issued from the band's fifth studio album Tabaran (number 80, February 1991).  It followed "Pila Pila", which was released in March 1991 but failed to chart.  On the state charts, "The Kiap Song" performed strongest in Victoria/Tasmania, where it reached number 142.

 

I hadn't heard this song until listening to it to write this post.  It's nice enough; the acoustic elements of the song remind me a little bit of Things of Stone & Wood.

 

We'll next see Not Drowning, Waving in 1993.

 

 

Number 166 "Brave New World" by Ana Christensen

Peak: number 166

Peak date: 20 May 1991

Weeks on chart: 1 week

 

American-born Ana Christensen emigrated to Australia in the late 1970s.  She released her debut album Deep in the Night in 1988, but neither the album nor the only single issued from it, "Afraid of the Dark" (May 1988), charted.

After signing to CBS, Ana released the single "Isolate Your Heart" (number 66, April 1991) in August 1990.  Although it did not reach a high chart placing, the single spent 34 weeks on the chart, taking eight months to reach its eventual peak.  "Isolate Your Heart" reached the top 30 on the Victoria/Tasmania and South Australia/Northern Territory state charts, although five months apart, which dashed its chances of becoming a top 40 hit nationally.

"Brave New World" was released as the second single from Ana's second album, also titled Brave New World (number 104, April 1991).  The track did not receive as much attention as "Isolate Your Heart", and I do not recall hearing it at the time.  The single performed strongest on the Victoria/Tasmania state chart, reaching number 146.

 

Ana would only have one other charting single in Australia, her version of Bob Dylan's "Like a Rolling Stone" (number 94, September 1991), which you can listen to in this upload of the whole Brave New World album, at 27 minutes and 43 seconds in.

 

Ana's third album Not All Monkeys Are Right Handed (number 164, November 1994) was released through Festival Records.  Neither of the two singles issued from it, "Cultivate the Wild" (July 1994) and "I Will Hold You Up" (November 1994), charted.  Following the release of this album, Ana returned to the US.

 

 

Number 171 "Dangerous" by The Doobie Brothers

Peak: number 171

Peak date: 20 May 1991

Weeks on chart: 1 week

 

American band The Doobie Brothers last graced our presence in September 1989.  "Dangerous" was the lead single from the band's eleventh studio album Brotherhood, which was released in Australia in July 1991 but did not chart.  Interestingly, "Dangerous" does not appear to have charted anywhere else - other than reaching number 2 on the US Billboard Mainstream Rock Airplay chart in May 1991, for whatever that is worth.

 

On the ARIA state charts, "Dangerous" peaked highest in Western Australia, where it reached number 145.

 

"Dangerous" was The Doobie Brothers' last single of new material to chart in Australia.  A remix of their 1973 single "Long Train Runnin'" reached number 67 on the ARIA singles chart in March 1994, and we will see a cover version of that song bubble under in July 1991.

 

 

Number 186 "Could You Be Loved" by Bob Marley and The Wailers

Peak: number 186

Peak date: 20 May 1991

Weeks on chart: 1 week

 

Jamaican reggae legend Bob Marley, born Robert Nesta Marley, was the lead singer and founding member of the band Bob Marley and The Wailers, who formed in 1963.  Despite Bob holding significant name/image recognition, their highest-charting single in Australia, "Is This Love" (number 11, July 1978), peaked just outside the top 10.  The group first made minor ripples on the Australian singles chart with a 1975 live rendition of "No Woman, No Cry" (number 97, November 1975).  During Bob's lifetime, the group only landed four singles on the Australian top 100, with "Is This Love" being the only one peaking higher than the 90s!  Posthumously, Bob and The Wailers had greater commercial success, with the Legend compilation album (number 2, June 1984) being certified 6 times platinum in Australia in 2022.

 

"Could You Be Loved" was originally released as the lead single from the twelfth Bob Marley and The Wailers studio album Uprising (number 46, September 1980).  Internationally, the single peaked at number 5 in the UK in July 1980, number 3 in Ireland in August 1980, number 4 in the Netherlands in August 1980, number 3 in the Flanders region of Belgium in August 1980, number 13 in West Germany in September 1980, number 11 in Sweden in October 1980, number 10 in Norway in October 1980, number 2 in Switzerland in October 1980, and number 2 in New Zealand in October 1980.  In Australia, the 1980 release of "Could You Be Loved" peaked at number 95 in September 1980.

 

Bob fell ill not long after the 1980 release of the single, with what was discovered to be a recurrence of a melanoma found on the nail bed of his right big toe, initially diagnosed in July 1977.  Due to his Rastafarian religious beliefs that the body should be buried "whole", Bob refused to have his toe (or possibly his whole right foot) amputated, against medical advice, instead opting for local removal of the cancer and a skin graft in its place.  Of course, such an amputation would also have hindered Bob’s energetic movement during live performances.  After collapsing while out jogging in September 1980, the cancer was found to have spread to Bob's lungs, liver and brain.  Bob would ultimately die of the disease in May 1981, aged 36.

 

One of Bob Marley and The Wailers' better-known hits, "Could You Be Loved" was re-released in certain territories in 1991, I assume to commemorate the tenth anniversary of his passing.  The 1991 release of the single peaked at number 27 in the Netherlands in June 1991, and number 46 in France in August 1991.

 

In Australia, the 1991 re-issue of "Could You Be Loved" performed strongest in South Australia/Northern Territory, where it reached number 141 on the state chart.  The Legend album returned to the chart, reaching number 44 nationally in August 1991.

 

I didn't hear Bob's version of "Could You Be Loved" until some time in the 90s, catching the music video on rage.  I was familiar with Shakespears Sister's cover version of it on their Sacred Heart (number 22, May 1990) album, however.

 

We'll next see Bob bubble under, on his own, in 1993.

 

 

Number 194 "I've Got News for You" by Feargal Sharkey

Peak: number 193

Peak date: 10 June 1991

Weeks on chart: 2 weeks

Northern Irish singer Seán Feargal Sharkey, known as just Feargal Sharkey, started his musical career as the frontman of punk rock band The Undertones in 1976.  While chart success eluded The Undertones in Australia, they landed seven top 40 singles in the UK and four top 30 hits in Ireland between 1978 and 1981.  The group's biggest hit in the UK was "My Perfect Cousin" (number 9, May 1980), which sounds very different to Feargal's later solo hits.

Feargal pursued a solo career after The Undertones split up in 1983.  He sang lead vocals on "Never Never" (number 95, February 1984), the only single released by The Assembly, which was a Vince Clarke (ex-Depeche Mode and Yazoo, and future Erasure band member) project.

Feargal's solo career proper began modestly on the Australian chart, with "Loving You" reaching number 97 in November 1985.  Feargal's next single, "A Good Heart" - written by Maria McKee and produced by Eurythmics' Dave Stewart, however, would top the Australian singles chart for two weeks in February 1986.  The next single, "You Little Thief" (number 4, March 1986), also reached the top five.  The Feargal Sharkey (number 7, March 1986) album reached the top ten, and was the twentieth biggest album of 1986 in Australia.

Unfortunately for Feargal, nothing else he released troubled the top 60 in Australia.  His second solo album Wish peaked at number 66 in March 1988.  It was a similar story in the UK, where nothing from Wish cracked the top 40, and the album missed the top 100.

"I've Got News for You" was the lead single from Feargal's third - and last, to date - solo album Songs from the Mardi Gras (number 183, June 1991).  The single gave Feargal somewhat of a comeback in Europe, reaching number 12 in the UK in April 1991, and number 8 in Ireland.

On the ARIA state charts, "I've Got News for You" peaked highest in Western Australia, where it reached number 158.

I don't recall hearing this one at the time, so it presumably did not receive much promotion in Australia.  "I've Got News for You" would be Feargal's final single to chart in Australia.  A second single from Songs from the Mardi Gras, "Women & I", was released in Australia in August 1991 but failed to chart.  It also did not chart in the UK, or anywhere else.

Next week (27 May): Four new top 150 debuts, two of which are by the same artist!  Plus six bubbling WAY down under entries.

< Previous week: 13 May 1991                                    Next week: 27 May 1991 >

Week commencing 3 September 1990

This week in 1990 we have another mixed bag of debuts, including a mellow dance groove track with a flute solo (!), a serious 'adult' sounding charity single from two artists whose personalities were more akin to red cordial, a soul songstress who scored consecutive top 5 albums in the US but could do no better than number 97 locally on the singles chart, and a dance re-working of a recent massive number 1 ballad that was itself a cover.

But before we dive in to this week's post, 'please know' (thanks, Gladys!) that I have updated an earlier post:

• 21 May 1990 - with a bubbling WAY down under entry from The Stranglers added.

Now onto this week in 1990...

The Chimes: still haven't found the second hit they were looking for.

 

Top 150 debuts:

 

Number 133 "True Love" by The Chimes

Peak: number 106

Peak date: 17 September 1990

Weeks in top 150: 9 weeks

Chart run: 133-131-106-112-126-125-126-115-114

Weeks on chart: 9 weeks

 

Pauline Henry, who emigrated to England from Jamaica when she was 10, was working as a hairdresser when she landed the gig of being The Chimes' vocalist.  A friend put Pauline in touch with Scottish studio boffins Mike Peden and James Locke, who were looking for someone to sing some songs they had written.  Pauline was offered the job after singing down the phone line to the pair; they were so impressed with her voice.

 

Pauline's initial meeting with Mike and James got off to a bad start, when they collected her in a rented truck, after she travelled to Edinburgh to meet them.  She was not impressed.  Mike and James had envisaged Pauline's role in the band to be just providing vocals, while they would take care of the creative side of things.  Pauline had other ideas, and the trio evolved into a songwriting partnership.

 

The Chimes started playing gigs in Scotland, and a representative from CBS Records who was at one of their performances got them a recording contract.  The group's debut single "1-2-3" (number 73, February 1990) was produced by Soul II Soul's Jazzie B and Nellee Hooper, who were hot property at the time.  While it didn't land the group major chart success in Europe or Australia, the single reached the top 5 in New Zealand, becoming the first of three top 10 hits The Chimes notched up in the land of the long white cloud.  "1-2-3" also made ripples on the US Billboard Hot 100, peaking at number 86.

The Chimes' second single, "Heaven", peaked at number 62 in Australia in March 1990, and initially at number 66 in the UK in December 1989.  It became the band's second and final top 40 hit in the UK after a re-release, peaking at number 24 in October 1990.

Meanwhile, the band's third single, the U2 cover version "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For" (number 26, August 1990) was easily The Chimes' biggest and most-recognisable hit, going top 10 in the UK, Ireland, New Zealand and Norway, and top 20 in Germany, Austria, Belgium and the Netherlands.  Bono from U2 also gave this version of the song his approval.

"True Love" was issued as the fourth single from The Chimes (number 16, August 1990), the group's only album.  It must be one of only a handful of dance-orientated tracks from this era to feature a flute on it.

 

Frustratingly, "True Love" peaked within the 90s on all five of the ARIA state charts, but could not break into the top 100 nationally.  "True Love" performed strongest in New South Wales/Australian Capital Territory, where it reached number 93.  "True Love" dented the Australian Music Report top 100, peaking at number 95.

 

In the UK, the single peaked at number 48 in July 1990, and also reached number 42 in the Netherlands during the same month.

I'm not sure why The Chimes scored only one real hit; their singles deserved to do a lot better.  The album, however, performed reasonably well, being certified silver in the UK, and gold in Australia, where it was also the 86th highest-selling album of 1990.

Mike Peden from The Chimes went on to produce for other artists, including Lighthouse Family, Des'ree and Emma Bunton.  Mike produced Lighthouse Family's Australian number 1 single from 1998, "High".

 

After The Chimes split in 1991, Pauline Henry launched a solo career.  Her biggest hit and only top 50 single in Australia, "Feel Like Making Love", peaked at number 13 locally in May 1994, and at number 12 in the UK in November 1993.

We will see The Chimes bubble under on two more occasions, with the next one being in November 1990.

 

 

 

Number 139 "Pump That Body" by Mr. Lee

Peak: number 139 

Peak date: 3 September 1990

Weeks in top 150: 2 weeks

Top 150 chart run: 139-(out for 5 weeks)-142

Weeks on chart: 5 weeks

 

American rapper Mr. Lee bubbled WAY down under on the Australian chart in March 1990, and his second Australian single, "Pump That Body", became his first and only release to dent the ARIA top 150.

 

"Pump That Body" took six weeks to break into the top 150, after debuting at number 156 on 23 July 1990.  On the state charts, "Pump That Body" performed strongest in Western Australia, where it reached number 98.  Despite spending 5 weeks on the chart in total, "Pump That Body"'s chart run extended over approximately three months, as it re-entered the top 150 for a second week, at number 142, on 15 October 1990.

 

Internationally, "Pump That Body" peaked at number 79 in the UK in May 1990, number 7 in the Netherlands in June 1990, number 21 in the Flanders region of Belgium in June 1990, and number 41 in New Zealand in July 1990.  As often seemed to be the case around this time, New Zealand was much more receptive than Australia to urban/r&b and hip-hop music.

 

The album "Pump That Body" is lifted from, Get Busy, was released in Australia in August 1990, but failed to chart. 

We shall see Mr. Lee next in December 1990.

Number 144 "Talk to Me" by Anita Baker

Peak: number 139

Peak date: 17 September 1990

Weeks in top 150: 2 weeks

Chart run: 144-(off chart for 1 week)-139

Weeks on chart: 2 weeks

Between 1986 and 2004, American singer Anita Baker notched up four US Billboard 200 top 5 albums.  In contrast, only one of Anita's singles - "Sweet Love" (number 97, November 1986) - dented the top 100 in Australia, and only one of her albums - Rapture (number 35, June 1988) - made the top 40.

We saw Anita bubble WAY down under in 1989.  "Talk to Me" was the lead single from Anita's Compositions album (number 54, September 1990).  "Talk to Me" had greater, though still minor, success overseas, peaking at number 44 in the US in July 1990, number 68 in the UK in June 1990, and number 50 in Canada.

 

In Australia, "Talk to Me" performed strongest in New South Wales/Australian Capital Territory, where it reached number 130.

Anita next graced the ARIA top 150 when her album Rhythm of Love peaked at number 128 in November 1994.  We will also see Anita on the singles chart again in 1994.

Number 146 "Nothing Compares 2 U" by Chyp-Notic

Peak: number 140

Peak date: 24 September 1990

Weeks in top 150: 3 weeks

Top 150 chart run: 146-149-(out for 1 week)-140

Obviously, from the title, this track is a cover of the Prince-penned song Sinéad O'Connor took to number 1 in Australia in February 1990, which was originally an album track recorded by The Family in 1985.

 

Prince's original 1984 studio recording of "Nothing Compares 2 U" was eventually released posthumously in 2018.  Before that, Prince released a live duet version of the track with Rosie Gaines on his 1993 The Hits/The B-Sides compilation (number 4, May 2016), which peaked at number 112 on the ARIA singles chart in May 2016, following Prince's death.

 

Chyp-Notic were a German eurodance band who formed in 1988, under the name Toys.  I don't recall hearing this version of the song before.  Listening to it now, it seems the music backing is quite similar to Sydney Youngblood's "If Only I Could".  It sounds like the kind of thing that might have done well in the UK, but does not seem to have charted there - probably owing to the success of Sinéad O'Connor's version.

Chyp-Notic's version of "Nothing Compares 2 U" reached number 16 in Germany in June 1990, where it was one of two contemporaneous covers of the track charting - the other version being by MXM, which reached number 26 on the German chart in June 1990.  The Chyp-Notic version also reached number 18 in New Zealand in June 1990, number 9 in Austria in August 1990, and number 21 in the Flanders region of Belgium in August 1990.

Vlad Mint, the band's singer, passed away in 1998, aged 29, though I was not able to find any information about this.  There is some speculation that Vlad did not perform all of the vocals on the Chyp-Notic tracks.

Number 147 "Generations of Love" by Jesus Loves You

Peak: number 145

Peak date: 24 September 1990

Weeks in top 150: 3 weeks

Top 150 chart run: 147-150-(out for 1 week)-145

Weeks on chart: 5 weeks

Boy George project Jesus Loves You previously bubbled WAY down under in October 1989, and their second single, "Generations of Love", became their first to break into the ARIA top 150.  It was the second release from their The Martyr Mantras (number 136, June 1991) album.

"Generations of Love" is notable for featuring two artists signed to Boy George's More Protein label: MC Kinky, who 'sang' lead on E-Zee Possee's "Everything Begins with an "E"", and Amos, whom we shall see in 1994.

In the UK, "Generations of Love" initially peaked at number 80 in June 1990, before achieving a much higher peak of number 35 in July 1991 when re-issued.  The single was also re-issued in Australia in August 1991, and while it re-entered the chart, achieving a peak of number 139 in Victoria/Tasmania, it did not re-appear in the national top 150.  On the state charts, "Generations of Love" performed strongest in South Australia/Northern Territory, where it reached number 84.

Internationally, "Generations of Love" peaked at number 27 in the Flanders region of Belgium in September 1991, number 12 in the Netherlands in October 1991, and 30 in Austria in November 1991.

 

Although Jesus Loves You were not credited on the album covers, "Generations of Love" made its way onto two Boy George/Culture Club best-of albums: Spin Dazzle: The Best of Boy George and Culture Club (number 122, August 1992) and At Worst... The Best of Boy George and Culture Club (number 185, January 1994).

Jesus Loves You will join us again in May 1991.

 

 

Bubbling WAY down under:

 

Number 162 "You've Got a Friend" by Big Fun & Sonia featuring Gary Barnacle

Peak: number 157

Peak date: 10 September 1990

Weeks on chart: 2 weeks

 

Stock Aitken Waterman-produced artists Big Fun and Sonia were approached by the UK charity Childline (analogous to Australia's Kids' Helpline) to record a single to help raise funds for their cause.  

 

Initially, a cover version of the Carole King song "You've Got a Friend" was recorded, but this was shelved in favour of a more-sombre original Stock Aitken Waterman composition with the same title.  As the artwork for the single had already gone to the printing press by the time a decision was made to scrap the cover version, it was necessary for SAW to write a song with the same title.  Saxophonist Gary Barnacle also performs on the track and receives a featuring credit.

The original cover version of "You've Got a Friend" remained unreleased until the 2010 expanded re-issue of Big Fun's only album A Pocketful of Dreams.

 

"You've Got a Friend" was a moderate hit in the UK, peaking at number 14 in June 1990.  It also reached number 12 in Ireland.

On the ARIA state charts, "You've Got a Friend" performed strongest in Western Australia, where it reached number 122.

I remember seeing this single in the shops, but for some reason didn't buy it, despite buying all of Sonia's other locally released singles - often before even hearing them.  It probably didn't help that I never heard the song, or saw the video, until 2005 when tracking down Sonia's Everybody Knows: The Video Hits VHS tape.  I was quite surprised at the mellow and 'adult'-sounding vibe of the track, given the frothy, 'bubbly' personalities portrayed by Big Fun and Sonia during this era.  Perhaps this disconnect between the artists' usual style and the song was partly to blame for "You've Got a Friend" not becoming a bigger hit.

 

"You've Got a Friend" was Big Fun's final release in Australia.  The trio released a final Stock Aitken Waterman-produced single in the UK, "Hey There Lonely Girl", peaking at number 62 in August 1990.

Big Fun bubbled under previously in May 1990, and we have seen Sonia twice before this year, in February and May.  Sonia will return to this region of the chart again in October 1990.

 

 

 

Next week (10 September): Six new top 150 debuts and two bubbling WAY down under entries.

 

< Previous week: 27 August 1990                                    Next week: 10 September 1990 >

Week commencing 16 October 1989

A loose theme tying this week's new entries together is second chances... that don't amount to much.  Whether that be a re-issued single (currently or in the future), a new musical venture, or having your 15 minutes (seconds in this instance?) of 'fame' still being written about years later, you can't knock this week's artists for giving it another go.  Let's take a look.

 

Jesus Loves You: If it was good enough for Kiss to ditch (most of) the make-up...

 

Top 150 debuts:

 

Number 143 "Sit Down" by James

Peak: number 141

Peak date: 30 October 1989

Weeks in top 150: 3 weeks

Top 150 chart run: 143-143-141

Weeks on chart: 13 weeks 

I first became acquainted with James - who, for those unfamiliar, are a Mancunian group and not a mononymous solo artist - in 1992, via their number 28 hit in May of that year, "Sound".  Although it was not their highest-peaking single, I assume their most well-known song down under would be "Laid" (number 40, June 1994), which spent 26 weeks on the chart.  Prior to both of those hits, James bubbled under with "Sit Down"- their debut single locally, but they had been releasing material as far back as 1983 in their homeland.

Although "Sit Down" went on to become a number 2 hit for the group in the UK in April 1991, one thing I didn't realise until now is that this original 1989 release was a different recording to the 1991 re-issue, and that it also had a different music video (embedded below).  Oddly, the 1991 music video is not currently on James' official Vevo YouTube channel.  The 1989 release of "Sit Down" peaked at number 77 in the UK in July 1989.  The re-recorded version of "Sit Down" appears on the group's Gold Mother album (number 174, August 1991).

 

As the ARIA database usually conflates separate releases of the same title into one entity, and the 1991 re-issue of "Sit Down" (issued locally in June 1991) failed to reach the top 150, I cannot give you an Australian peak for its 1991 release.  I can tell you, however, that some of "Sit Down"'s 13 weeks on the chart are from 1991, as it peaked on the Queensland state chart in July of that year.  Also, interestingly, "Sit Down" performed much better on the Western Australian state chart than in other states, where it peaked at number 38 in October 1989.  "Sit Down" also performed stronger on the Australian Music Report singles chart, where it registered at number 88.

We will next see James in 1992.

 

 

 

Number 146 "Tell Him I'm Your Man" by Marcus Montana

Peak: number 146

Peak date: 16 October 1989

Weeks in top 150: 1 week 

Top 150 chart run: 146

I'm pretty sure I've never heard of Marcus Montana before, but some quick research reveals that he hails from Sydney.  In quite a stroke of luck, some kind soul uploaded a video of the 7" vinyl single playing just the other week - without which I would not be able to hear the song or embed a video for it into this post.  It sounds, to my ears, like a throwback to an earlier era, a la Shakin' Stevens' rockabilly-'inspired' hits from earlier in the decade.

 

Somehow, despite having no hits, Marcus has a wikipedia page, from which we can glean the following 'facts': this single was launched with a poster campaign proclaiming "Marcus is here!", which apparently didn't go down well with music journos; that he promoted the single's release with a number of live performances, including at Westfield (did they exist then?) shopping centres; and that he is "long remembered" after this one single, and was still being written about years later in the Sydney press (I guess you have to be from there).  Make of that what you will.

 

 

Number 148 "The Downtown Lights" by The Blue Nile

Peak: number 148

Peak date: 16 October 1989

Weeks in top 150: 1 week 

Top 150 chart run: 148

Another act I didn't hear of at the time, but have become acquainted with in recent years, is The Blue Nile.  Hailing from Glasgow, The Blue Nile seem - to me, anyway - to be one of those acts who are under-appreciated at the time, but maintain a loyal, devoted fan-base and are viewed favourably by critics in retrospect.  Although the group had three singles, plus a re-issue of one of those ("Stay"), released locally in between May 1984 and April 1985, "The Downtown Lights" was their first single to register a chart placing in Australia.

 

The Blue Nile had greater, albeit modest, success on the UK singles chart, where this track peaked at number 67 in September 1989; but they managed to notch up three top 20 albums there.  This track was lifted from the album Hats, which peaked at number 12 in the UK in October 1989, and number 101 in Australia in November 1989.

 

 

 

Bubbling WAY down under:

 

Number 160: "After the Love" by Jesus Loves You

Peak: number 160

Peak date: 16 October 1989

Weeks on chart: 4 weeks

 

Jesus Loves You were an act I had heard of at the time, but didn't hear any of their music until this track appeared on a various artists VHS compilation I bought in 2006.  Until then, I had wrongly assumed that the music would be religious in nature, owing to the band's name - although a later single, which will bubble down under in 1991, has a Hare Krishna theme.

 

Jesus Loves You, fronted by Boy George under the pseudonym of 'Angela Dust', was formed in the aftermath of the commercial failure George's two most-recent albums, Tense Nervous Headache (number 145, February 1989) and High Hat (number 126, June 1989).  Jesus Loves You's releases were issued on George's More Protein label (on which the recent E-Zee Possee bubbling under 'hit' was released), and the music was not primarily focused on making the charts.  Just as well, really, as "After the Love" peaked at number 68 in the UK in November 1989, and almost 100 places lower in Australia.

 

On the state charts, "After the Love" performed strongest in South Australia/Northern Territory, where it reached number 131.

 

Despite not being a huge commercial success, the song was an artistic triumph in my view, with serious lyrics and an intense, brooding mood.  George wrote the song with former partner and Culture Club bandmate Jon Moss, who also appears briefly in the music video.

 

Oddly, "After the Love" appears to have been released in Australia (11 September 1989) before it was issued in the UK, and also entered our chart a couple of weeks before it did there.  I'm not sure why, but "After the Love" was re-issued in Australia in November 1991.  The track was lifted from the group's only studio album, The Martyr Mantras (number 136, June 1991).

 

We will see Jesus Loves You next in 1990.

 

 

Next week (23 October): Three new top 150 debuts, including an Australian-only single from a soundtrack album that was big in 1989, and one bubbling WAY down under entry.  You can also follow my posts on instagram and facebook.

 

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