January Charts: 1990

Here are the new entries ranked from best to worst:

1. Wreckx-N-Effect - Juicy

2. Adamski - N-R-G

3. Del Amitri - Nothing Ever Happens

4. And Why Not? - The Face

5. Deacon Blue - Queen Of The New Year

6. Quincy Jones - I'll Be Good To You ft Ray Charles And Chaka Khan

7. Mantronix - Got To Have Your Love ft Wondress

8. Public Enemy - Welcome To The Terrordome

9. Lonnie Gordon - Happenin' All Over Again

10. Cher - Just Like Jesse James

11. Quireboys - Hey You

12. Fish - Big Wedge

13. The Beloved - Hello

14. Eric Clapton - Bad Love

15. Phil Collins - I Wish It Would Rain Down

16. Sinead O'Connor - Nothing Compares 2 U

17. Kym Mazelle - Was That All It Was

18. Sybil - Walk On By

19. Gino Latino - Welcome

20. Megadeth - No More Mr. Nice Guy

21. The Mission - Butterfly On A Wheel

22. Raze - All 4 Love (Break 4 Love 1990)

23. D:Mob - Put Your Hands Together

24. Martika - More Than You Know

25. Janet Jackson - Come Back To Me

26. Jimmy Somerville - You Make Me Feel (Mighty Real)

27. Lil' Louis And The World - I Called You

28. New Kids On The Block - Hangin' Tough

29. Yell! - Instant Replay

30. Rod Stewart - Downtown Train

31. Kylie Minogue - Tears On My Pillow

There was a lot going on in 1990 but if I had to pick one thing it's best remembered for I'd say it's the Soul II Soul beat. The best of these came from American producer Quincy Jones, not someone who you thing would be influenced by a collective from London but he clearly was here.

I can also see a Soul II Soul influence in "Got To Have Your Love" by Mantronix, a new sound for them having had hits with rap records previously. Further down the table we have "Walk On By" by Sybil which I do like, there are just better records.

Nellee Hooper was a member of Soul II Soul at the time and he produced "Nothing Compares 2 U" which is the only decent thing Sinead O'Connor has ever done.

For my top pick though it's in the world of new jack swing with "Juicy" by Wreckx-N-Effect. It's a cover of the record by Mtume which Notorious BIG also famously did a version of, but this is the best  version for me.

In 2nd place we have the Adamski debut hit "N-R-G". He was already an established name in the rave scene and was one of the early British producers of techno music.

Completely different sound in 3rd place with Del Amitri debuting with "Nothing Ever Happens" which has got better with age. Some Birmingham reggae in 4th that's not UB40. And Why Not? were short lived and "The Face" was their biggest hit.

In 5th we have Deacon Blue with "Queen Of The New Year" where the only bad thing I can say about it is that it's not "Real Gone Kid". Similarly with Public Enemy in 8th with "Welcome To The Terrordome" which is solid Public Enemy but they've done better.

In 9th we have "Happenin All Over Again" which I fell should go in the guilty pleasure category because it's Stock Aitken & Waterman wanting to make a Donna Summer record but getting someone else to dress up as Donna Summer and sing it.

Stock Aitken & Waterman find themselves down the bottom via "Tears On My Pillow" by Kylie Minogue which I very much remember hating at the time and still haven't changed my mind.

At 2nd from bottom we have Rod Stewart doing one of his many shit covers. At the time I remember thinking he was an old duffer who needed to retire. Little did I know he'd still be going 35 years later.

I remember the silly lyrics of "you set my lips on fire" in "Instant Replay" by Yell! and also remember New Kids on the Block being uncool to like when they did "Hangin Tough".

Perhaps a surprise one 5th from bottom with "I Called You" by Lil Louis & the World given it's a house record, but I just find it irritating.

Going into mid-table territory we have Phil Collins drumming for Eric Clapton on "Bad Love" and Eric Clapton playing the guitar for Phil Collins with "I Wish It Would Rain". Both good records, but "Bad Love" edges it because of the tempo.

A solid start to the decade with music records getting at least 3 and the Top 2 both get 5.

Score: 57

UK Number 40s: Dua Lipa - These Walls (2024)

 

Dua Lipa made her Top 40 debut in 2016 and has clocked up a Top 40 hit every year between then and 2024 but she's yet to have one in 2025.

I also note that 2025 was the year she turned 30 so maybe she's over the hill now. She's still very much a celebrity though and given nobody listens to chart music anymore it won't make a difference to the general public.

UK Number 40s: Meghan Trainor ft T-Pain - Been Like This (2024)

 

Meghan Trainor has had both a number 1 and a number 40 and these could be the positions of her first and last Top 40 hits. She debuted in 2014 with chart topper "All About That Bass" and by 2018 she'd clocked up 6 Top 40 hits. A 4 year gap then followed before another 3 Top 40 hits came.

T-Pain made his debut in 2006 with "I'm Sprung" which is his only Top 40 hit to date on his own. By 2011 he'd clocked up 9 Top 40 hits but didn't return until 2019 when he was a credited artist on a remake of "I'm Sprung" by Tory Lanez titled "Jerry Sprunger". Then came this, his final Top 40 hit to date. I'm expecting his next to come around 2030.

Top 30 in 1999 Reviewed: Week 51

Here's my weekly look at the Top 30 from 26 years ago. The plan is for these posts to go out at 17:30 on a Sunday.

Here is the Top 40 in full.

I've decided against repetition from previous weeks moving forward so will only feature the records I'm reviewing for the first time. I also won't repeat the reviews from the Top 20 in 1999 Reviewed posts.

Once again my opinions are inevitably going to differ from other people, but I'm not trying to convince anyone something is good or rubbish, I'm simply giving my opinion.

So this is the records new to the top 30 from this week in 1999 with my verdict on each record:

28. Beastie Boys - Alive

This was the 10th Top 40 hit for the Beastie Boys which made them the 6th rap act to make it to double figures in terms of Top 40 hits. Their music got better as time went on, it was questionable in the beginning but then records like this are what I call proper hip hop.

Verdict - Good

If we give the records which were good 1 point each and those which were OK half a point, the final score is 8/30, or 27%. Just one more week to go.

January Charts: 1989

Here are the new entries ranked from best to worst:

1. Ten City - That's The Way Love Is

2. Marc Almond - Something's Gotten Hold Of My Heart ft Gene Pitney

3. Royal House - Yeah! Buddy

4. Roy Orbison - You Got It

5. Then Jerico - Big Area

6. Fine Young Cannibals - She Drives Me Crazy

7. The Stranglers - Grip '89 (Get A) Grip (On Yourself)

8. Rob Base And DJ E-Z Rock - Get On The Dance Floor

9. Mike And The Mechanics - The Living Years

10. New Model Army - Stupid Questions

11. Tone Loc - Wild Thing/Loc'ed After Dark

12. Will To Power - Baby I Love Your Way/Freebird

13. The Waterboys - Fisherman's Blues

14. Gary Moore - After The War

15. Simply Red - It's Only Love

16. Hue And Cry - Looking For Linda

17. Holly Johnson - Love Train

18. Roachford - Cuddly Toy

19. Robert Howard And Kym Mazelle - Wait!

20. Adeva - Respect

21. Sheena Easton - The Lover In Me

22. Level 42 - Tracie

23. The Darling Buds - Hit The Ground

24. Duran Duran - All She Wants Is

25. Brother Beyond - Be My Twin

26. Cookie Crew - Born This Way (Let's Dance)

27. Michael Ball - Love Changes Everything

28. Mica Paris And Will Downing - Where Is The Love?

29. Debbie Gibson - Lost In Your Eyes

30. Samantha Fox - I Only Wanna Be With You

I have very fond memories of pop music as a kid in 1989. By this point I was reading Smash Hits magazine and listening to and taping the Top 40 countdown on Radio 1 on a Sunday.

My number one pick though isn't really connected to those memories. I do remember "That's the Way Love Is" by Ten City at the time but it wasn't until I had it on a rave compilation that it really made an impact on me. It's also one of those dance records where I even think the vocals are good.

My number two pick on the other hand is very much connected to those memories. The moment Gene Pitney sang "and a feeling unknown took my heart..." had the biggest impact on me the way he sang it. Incidentally years later the same person who got me into rave got me into Gene Pitney as well.

More rave in 3rd place with Todd Terry under the alias Royal House with "Yeah! Buddy". Then in 4th we have "You Got It" by Roy Orbison which charted just after he'd passed away, a fact I remember well from the time.

Then Jerico could of only worked in the 80s and "Big Area" was a record I loved at the time. Equally I loved the strange singing of Roland Gift of the Fine Young Cannibals on "She Dives Me Crazy" and this was also when I learned what a cannibal was.

Next up is an old punk record by The Stranglers making the Top 40 for the first time. Then we have some hip house from Rob Base & DJ E-Z Rock with "Get On The Dancefloor" which is one of the good examples of the genre. 

Mike & the Mechanics may have been considered old mans music even in 1989, but my young boy self liked it. 

Down the bottom of the table we have Samantha Fox with "I Only Wanna Be With You". Even my young self could see this was a joke record and even at primary school people would take the piss out of her.

Debbie Gibson was one of those singers I couldn't stand and the only positive thing I can say about "Lost In Your Eyes" is that it's not as bad as Samantha Fox. "Where Is The Love" by Mica Paris and Will Downing is another record that's always irritated me.

I don't think I had any idea who Andrew Lloyd Webber was at the time or if I even knew there was such a thing as musicals but what I do remember was how bad "Love Changes Everything" by Michael Ball was.

Overall though I like most records in this batch so some of the lower places is simply due to the competition. We therefore end up with a decent score.

Score: 52

Now we've reached the end of the decade lets take a look at the table:

The 80s were at their best at the start, middle and end. The 60s and 70s each have a year better than the best 80s year but then the 80s have 2 in the Top 4. 7 of the Top 9 years either end with 0, 5 or 9 with the only post-Beatles year end with one of these numbers and not being in the Top 9 is 1975.

The interesting question is how will 1990, 1995 and 1999 do?

UK Number 40s: Nicki Minaj - FTCU (2024)

 

In early 2010 there was a Top 40 hit called "Bedrock" by Young Money, the only Top 40 hit to date for said group. What's significant was that 2 of it's members were yet to have a Top 40 hit of their own accord but would both make their respective Top 40 debuts later in the year. Furthermore both artists would clock up Top 40 hits every year between 2010 and 2024.

The artists in question were Nicki Minaj and Drake. The only other artists who can claim to of done the same is Calvin Harris.

This record was released at the end of 2023 and initially charted outside the Top 40 but scraped in at the start of 2024. Whilst it along with 2 other singles released at the same time ensured Nicki Minaj would clock up another year of consecutive hits. However she's yet to have one in 2025 but both Drake and Calvin Harris have.

Still if this is the end of her UK Top 40 career then 14 years and 46 Top 40 hits is a pretty respectable chart record even if you might struggle to name any of the 46.

UK Number 40s: Headie One - 50s (2023)

 

We're in an era where pretty much every number 40 seems to come from a rapper. This one is no exception. Headie One made his Top 40 debut at the start of 2019 with fellow UK rapper Dave with "18Hunna".

The majority of his Top 40 hits to date have been collaborations. This was his 13th Top 40 hit but only his 2nd on his own. Generally speaking his chart positions have depended on the profile of who he's collaborated with.