The good news for Frankie fans is that “Two Tribes” is the No 1 single for a ninth week, the longest chart topper in six years, and that it sold a further 58,000 copies last week bringing it to just 70,000 short of the figure required to overtake “Karma Chameleon” as the 2nd biggest seller of the 80s- truly phenomenal numbers! However its total sales of 1,316,000 look unlikely to overtake “Relax” which this week ebbs 3-6 (40,000) and has sold 1,401,000 this year alone, both tracks have created a gulf between them and the remainder of the field and should comfortably end the year as the top 2.
Now for the bad news, George Michael’s first solo single “Careless Whisper” arrived at No 12 last week and though it was heading to the top 5 anyway TOTP saw sales of the singles explode in the last 48 hours of chart action and it was unlucky not to bound 12-1, coming within just 6,000 of “Two Tribes” and outselling it easily at the end of the week. Michael has confirmed that the single is being released as a solo single to contrast with the upbeat tempo of Wham!’s work and that the duo are still very much still together with a second album in the offing. Indeed to prove this the song is co-written by Ridgeley, a fact that doesn’t occur on most Wham! Tracks.
Even if you aren’t particularly enamoured with “Careless Whisper” be thankful for its arrival otherwise next week’s No 1 could possibly be Black Lace’s “Agadoo” which flies 19-4 (45,000). The origins of the song date back to 1971 when a French version of the track was recorded by Michel Delancray and Mya Symille and subsequently has been covered by a few acts without troubling the UK charts until now. Black Lace apparently picked up on the song during a PA in Derby where bar staff had made up a dance routine to accompany the track and the current version of “Agadoo” was formed. Though it has been blasted and lauded in the music press depending on which side of the “ironic” fence you sit, it now proves popular at retail. The song was actually released three months ago when it missed the charts but those returning holiday makers started to buy it and it’s back with a vengeance.
Hazell Dean proves that she is the leading lady of UK Hi-NRG music as she scores herself a second top 10 single this week with “Whatever I Do (Wherever I Go)” as it launches 13-8 (38,000). The song was apparently entitled “Dance Your Love Away” but Dean hated the lyrics so much that she insisted on a change and so it transformed into the hit single we have today. Dean’s second album is due before Christmas so we’ll see if the old adage that dance music doesn’t sell albums comes true or not. Incidentally if you think this sounds a lot like Divine’s “You Think You’re A Man” (No 18) then you’d be right as they’re both produced by new producers Stock Aitken & Waterman.
Elsewhere Tina Turner has the biggest hit of her career on her hands as “What’s Love Got To Do With It” rises 5-3 (49,000) thanks to TOTP and a slight sales bump, everything else though goes into reverse. Prince falls 4-5 (43,000) and Neil hurtles 2-7 (39,000) in a distinct fall from grace, Queen slide 6-9 (38,000) and even the formerly resistant “White Lines” gives up the ghost 7-10 (33,000).
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