A Spaceman Came Travelling
The Ballroom Of Romance
We have another first. Whilst it's not unusual for an act to have both a number 1 and a number 40, this is the first time we've had someone make their Top 40 debut with a number 1 and follow it up with a number 40.
That number 1 single was "Lady In Red" which had topped the charts in August. This reached its number 40 peak at the end of December, just 4 months after he'd topped the charts. However, he actually failed to make the Top 40 "Fatal Hesitation", his follow up to "Lady In Red" which hit it's peak of 44 in September before "Lady In Red" had left the Top 40.
What is perhaps surprising though is that "A Spaceman Came Travelling" only made number 40 when it's a well known Christmas song that you still hear today. Despite this, it's yet to be amongst the Christmas records that now make a return to the Top 40 every year. Even if it did, it would effectively be a different single because it would appear as itself rather than as part of a double a-side.
The song originally appeared on his 1975 album "Spanish Train And Other Stories" and failed to chart when originally released as a single in 1976. It did however top the charts in his native Ireland.
It was following the success of "Lady In Red" that this got released. "The Ballroom Of Romance" was one of his current songs at the time, taken from his "Into the Light" album.
Making the Top 40 could be considered a success given that "A Spaceman Came Travelling" failed to chart the first time around. The way that "Lady In Red" divides opinion though means perhaps it's no surprise this got no higher than 40.
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