Sales slump across the board this week with every song that retained its top 10 position from last week losing sales this week, except one! That track is not the No 1 single which for a third week is Nena’s “99 Red Balloons” but it loses 22% in sales terms to register 68,000 copies sold, it was still under no pressure from other songs with Kool & The Gang playing bridesmaids again but losing just 2% sales to 52,000 and even Break Machine down 3% to 45,000 despite rising 5-3. It jumps above Nik Kershaw who holds steady at No 4 with 44,000 buyers last week.
All eyes then on the No 5 spot which is where Lionel Richie stands with “Hello” a third single from his “Can’t Slow Down” album. The album is now in its 21st chart week and is yet to dip below the No 11 spot, it moves 8-7 this week buoyed by the success of the song and the video which, though saccharine in places, seems to be making a lasting impression. “Hello” jets 25-5 this week with 44,000 sales, no other Richie song has been this high after a fortnight on sale, indeed looking at his Commodores chart runs only one song can match its performance, that is “Three Times A Lady”- that song ended up spending 5 weeks at the top!
The Winter Olympics in Sarajevo produced a gold medal for the British team when Torvill & Dean scored perfect 6.0’s in the Ice Skating rink to the tune of “Bolero” by Ravel which was promptly released as an EP by Richard Hartley which this week slinks 11-10 (31,000). Hartley is a composer who is in part responsible for “The Rocky Horror Picture Show” but it’s his first excursion into the charts.
The only song to generate a sales increase this week and was in the top 10 last week is Van Halen’s “Jump” which moves 10-7 on just a 6% sales increase to 39,000 just in front of Billy Joel who holds for a third week at No 8 (37,000). Heading south are Frankie Goes To Hollywood 3-6 (42,000) and Rockwell 6-9 (37,000).
https://forum.popjustice.com/thread...-by-week-1984-1985.38232/page-10#post-3572898