Charts?

I was reading some comments near the beginning of the Pazz & Jop thread about how the charts are more indie-dominated or rock-dominated these days and I started looking for some statistics.
Basically I thought it would be instructive to look at (say) the top 10 singles of each year from 1985 to 2005 and see what you can see.
I feel that in the late 80s and early 90s there was a lot more dance music in evidence (number ones such as MARRS, Steve Silk Hurley, Black Box etc etc) but memory plays tricks.
It would be interesting to compare charts for the UK and US as well, I'm sure dance was a lot bigger in the UK while rock kept its grip in the US until hip hop and RnB exploded at the end of the 90s. But maybe new jack swing was big, I duno.

Anyway, the thing is I can't find a website with this kind of data on it anywhere.
Anybody?

I would be well interested....
 
Thanks, I found that well uplifting - pretty much dance music all the way from about 1989 onwards with only the odd Elton John song getting a look in.
Even the 80s contain a lot of black acts and funky stuff.
Sir Mixalot the 2nd best-selling US single of 1992!

Now is there a similar website for the UK chart I wonder?
 

Guybrush

Dittohead
www.everyhit.com is the best site for the U.K. charts, I think. It’s a little unpractical for finding a specfic week’s chart, but it’s very handy for finding out which songs by an artist have charted, and, if so, how high. Even better, you can also search by song names; here is a search for ‘White Christmas’:

6 Mantovani & His Orchestra White Christmas Dec 1952
29 Pat Boone White Christmas Dec 1957
5 Bing Crosby White Christmas Dec 1977 Notes
40 Keith Harris & Orville White Christmas Dec 1985
29 Bing Crosby White Christmas (re-issue) Dec 1998
 

swears

preppy-kei
Remember when every other number one was a one hit wonder novelty techno-pop song? Rednex, The Grid (who were actually quite good), Whigfield, Outthere Brothers, Reel 2 Real, etc...
 
Thanks guybrush, very good site.

Depressing reading though, a lot of old crap in the annual top 10s, the way I remember it was better, for example 1983 to me means herbie hancock "rock it", kraftwerk "tour de france", gary byrd "the crown", MJ "thriller", depeche mode "everything counts" etc.
here is the actual UK top 10:


1 Culture Club Karma Chameleon
2 Billy Joel Uptown Girl
3 UB40 Red Red Wine
4 David Bowie Let's Dance
5 Bonnie Tyler Total Eclipse Of The Heart
6 Men At Work Down Under
7 Michael Jackson Billie Jean
8 Spandau Ballet True
9 Lionel Richie All Night Long (All Night)
10 Phil Collins You Can't Hurry Love


guuurrgh i don't wanna hear any of them ever again except MJ and possibly david bowie on a tolerant day.

swears: wasn't the grid the bloke from soft cell? soft cell made some good tunes anyway...
 

mms

sometimes
Thanks guybrush, very good site.



swears: wasn't the grid the bloke from soft cell? soft cell made some good tunes anyway...


yep that's right, dave ball and richard norris from psychic tv.

http://www.itshouldhavebeennumber1.co.uk/

this is an interesting development in the charts now that mp3s are valid. people rebuying tracks just to try and get them to number one, that to me is absolutley absurd and really a bit sad.
 
Last edited:

tate

Brown Sugar
Thanks guybrush, very good site.

Depressing reading though, a lot of old crap in the annual top 10s, the way I remember it was better, for example 1983 to me means herbie hancock "rock it", kraftwerk "tour de france", gary byrd "the crown", MJ "thriller", depeche mode "everything counts" etc.
here is the actual UK top 10:


1 Culture Club Karma Chameleon
2 Billy Joel Uptown Girl
3 UB40 Red Red Wine
4 David Bowie Let's Dance
5 Bonnie Tyler Total Eclipse Of The Heart
6 Men At Work Down Under
7 Michael Jackson Billie Jean
8 Spandau Ballet True
9 Lionel Richie All Night Long (All Night)
10 Phil Collins You Can't Hurry Love


guuurrgh i don't wanna hear any of them ever again except MJ and possibly david bowie on a tolerant day.

swears: wasn't the grid the bloke from soft cell? soft cell made some good tunes anyway...
God, I remember that year and can say that all of those were the top hits in the US too, seems virtually identical to me. "let's dance" still sounds good to these ears, btw, as of course does MJ (my mother saw the thriller tour).

The weird thing about 1983, at least in the midwest, was that it turned out to be quite a transition: the high point of thriller was followed, near the end of the year, by the absolute takeover wrought by quiet riot's metal health, which ushered in LA hair metal with van halen's 1984 shortly thereafter, ratt and their ilk, etc etc . . . an episode which wasn't really concluded, in the heartland anyway (lol), until nevermind.
 

dHarry

Well-known member
yep that's right, dave ball and richard norris from psychic tv.
Funnily enough, I just liberated some of my old records from an attic, and the Grid LP was amongst them. I'd totally forgotten it, and despite thinking it was a little naff at the time it sounds quite good now. Even has a touch of schaffel on there, I thought, before remembering that Soft Cell pioneered electro-swing on Tainted Love/Where Did Our Love Go?.
 

shykitten

peek-a-boo
The Grid (who were actually quite good)

indeed, Electric Head is an extraordinary album. I read recently that The Grid were doing new stuff. i don't think 'Swamp Thing' made it to number one.

the charts are, as always, industrial shite.

edit: not that 'Swamp Thing' is on Electric Head; it is on the arguably less satisfying but still stimulating Evolver.
 
Last edited:

shudder

Well-known member
...um.... could I be the only one here who actually like karma chameleon?....

(backs away slowly)
 

Guybrush

Dittohead
...um.... could I be the only one here who actually like karma chameleon?....

(backs away slowly)

I like it too, on a theoretical level, but I never want to hear it again. The same goes for the rest of the songs on that list except for ‘True’, which somehow I’m not yet tired of. But I see what Edward means: all of those are over-played to the max (except maybe for that god-awful Supremes’ cover), and are in desperate need of some repose.
 

shudder

Well-known member
hmmm. how many of y'all were around them? I sure wasn't. Well, I just was, but that doesn't count.
 
I was 10/11 in 1983 and spent all my pocket money on records and tapes.
I still have my battered 7" of Tour De France!

I think most of those songs from the 83 top 10 are bad except the 2 I mentioned. Not cos they're overplayed, just cos I don't like them. Just my taste though....
I never liked Culture Club, not enough energy to the songs I can remember.

There were a LOT of amazing records in 83.

Freeez - IOU!! awesome
i could do a massive list but it would just be nostalgia....
 

swears

preppy-kei
indeed, Electric Head is an extraordinary album. I read recently that The Grid were doing new stuff. i don't think 'Swamp Thing' made it to number one.

the charts are, as always, industrial shite.

edit: not that 'Swamp Thing' is on Electric Head; it is on the arguably less satisfying but still stimulating Evolver.

Swamp Thing only got to 14, I have no idea why I thought it was a number one, I remember it being on the tv/radio constantly though.
I think one of them is doing some tunes with Erol Alkan now, like a psyche-disco project.
 
Top