14th January 1984
New Year and a new No 1 as the Flying Pickets don’t quite create a new chart record but they do tumble 1-10 (33,000) with “Only You” as the former chart topper feels the cold winter chill. The record remains with Harry Belefonte’s “Mary Boy Child” which fell 1-12 back in early 1958, The Flying Pickets’ fall is also mirrored by last week’s runner-up Slade who similarly falls 2-11 in the January reshuffle.
So that’s what’s out but what’s in? Well the main news is that Paul McCartney scores his first solo No 1 single as “Pipes Of Peace” ascends 9-1 on a rather middling sale of 77,000 copies which is significantly below the 115,000 registered by Phil Collins in the same week last year. McCartney has now had a No 1 single as a solo act, as part of a duet (with Stevie Wonder), as a trio (Wings) and a quartet (The Beatles) something that no other act can claim. He’s now had 22 top 10 singles since the Beatles split, which is still three less than the fab four had, but is on target to final top that tally at some point in the decade.
[video=youtube;J7ErrZ-ipoE]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J7ErrZ-ipoE[/video]
From the old to the new with Howard Jones chasing McCartney all the way with “What Is Love” which is only his second single but it now becomes his biggest seller as it flies 10-2 on a sale of 62,000 to eclipse the No 3 peak of debut “New Song”. His first album will be out in March this year for those waiting impatiently. Completing an all climbing top 3 Status Quo rise 5-3 (54,000) with the party themed “Margarita Time” which despite their 16 year chart career becomes just their 4th top 3 and first since 1980’s “What You’re Proposing”.
Only one new entry to discuss this week and that comes from Frankie Goes To Hollywood. The genesis of the group stems from the late 70s punk scene in Liverpool and through several name changes and members eventually formed in its current line up a few years back. A John Peel session and an appearance on the tube convinced wizard producer Trevor Horn that something could be done with them and he wasn’t wrong with “Relax” powering 35-6 (43,000) thanks to a memorable TOTP performance. The song has been accompanied by some rather suggestive marketing ads and a video which was refused by both the BBC and MTV for being too offensive, a new video is currently in the making to help promote the track, indeed the song is now in its eighth week on the chart and has so far sold 113,000 copies to date.
Elsewhere good news for Billy Joel with “Tell Her About It” continuing to improve 6-4 (49,000) but a festive hangover engulfs the other tracks as fallers include Paul Young (3-5, 45,000), Culture Club (4-7, 41,000), Dolly Parton & Kenny Rogers (7-8, 38,000) and Thompson Twins (8-9, 35,000). Some can celebrate though, Paul Young now has his biggest seller in “Love Of The Common People” and Culture club move over the 300,000 mark with “Victims” though they will still be disappointed with a marked comedown from the sales of their previous hit.
