Can you think of any?
Can't imagine this one got much airplay - at least not during the daytime....
Kerri-Ann - Irreplaceable
One from Louis Walsh's "stable of stars", Kerri-Ann had two hits in Ireland in during 1998. The first was Do You Love Me Boy? which reached number 2 here and number 58 in the UK. It also appeared on the Now 40 compilation. This was the follow-up, which failed to chart in the UK but made it to number 1 here in November 1998. Louis being Louis, he did what he could to keep Kerri-Ann in the papers, including a "showmance" with Stephan Gately and planted rumours she was to replace Denise van Outen as The Big Breakfast host. All lies of course, and by 1999, everyone had lost interest in Kerri-Ann.
Whigfield - Close to You
The "follow-up to a massive hit" is a category where you're guaranteed to find forgotten hits. This wasn't the immediate follow-up to Saturday Night, that was Another Day and then Think of You, neither of which I can remember, but I can remember this one from September 1995. Reached number 13 in the UK and number 18 here, but definitely had some airplay. I recall hearing it on Top 30 Hits, which was on Network 2 on Monday nights back then.
East 17 - It's Alright
Released in December 1993, a year before their biggest and best-known hit. This reached number 1 here (in January 1994) and number 3 in the UK, but unlike their other non-Christmas hits, such as House of Love or Around the World, this one rarely comes up on 90s nostalgia shows.
"It's Alright" was used in a Muller advert a few years back.
The Tallaght lady also mistakenly had her track posted in the 00s forum.
Peter Gabriel - Steam
This was constantly on MTV Europe back in 1993, no surprise given that the video was, in 1993 terms, pretty impressive with its computer-generated effects. Reached number 10 in the UK and number 7 here.
Natalie Imbruglia - Big Mistake
Another from the "follow-up to a massive hit" category, this was the follow-up to Torn. Released in March 1998, this actually matched the chart performance of Torn in the UK, reaching number 2 in the charts. It reached number 17 here. Torn still frequently pops up on radio, this one…not so much.
Zucchero & Paul Young - Senza una donna
Paul Young had been a massive chart force in the first half of the 80s. He sung the first line of Do They Know It's Christmas? in 1984, an honour apparently given to him because he was the biggest star at the time. The second half of the 80s were less successful for Paul, but this duet (sung in English but with an Italian title) with Italian singer Zucchero brought him back into the UK top 5 in spring 1991. It reached number 4 in the UK, and made it to number 2 here.
Paul Young is touring small Irish venues this year.
Released in August of 1991 it reached No.5 here and 6 in the UK. George Harrison was meant to play the guitar solo on this but was consoling Eric Clapton at the time, instead sending a rough demo to be followed.
Julian Lennon - Saltwater
Bad Boys, Inc. - "More to This World"
It does sound very like "Things Can Only Get Better" by D:Ream.
Ultra - "Say It Once"
Only #16 in their native UK in July 1998 but #8 in New Zealand and #4 in Australia the following year.
Whilst Stop the Rock and Ain't Talkin Bout the Dub were well known through Playstation games and the likes of Soccer AM, I was surprised to see this was their most successful single. Reaching No.18 here and 4 in the UK from the movie of the same name.
Apollo 440 - Lost in Space
Cher - One By One
Cher realised her 21st studio album It’s a Man’s World in November 1995. It was mainly an album of covers of songs originally sung by men, but it did have some original tracks. This song, released in January 1996 as the second single from the album, was one of them. It reached number 7 in the UK, but does not appear to have charted here, despite receiving a decent amount of airplay on 2FM.
Ace of Base - Beautiful Life
This was released around the same time as the Cher song, January 1996. The Sweden group weren’t quite the chart force they were in 1993/94, but this did very well for them in the US, reaching number 15 in the Billboard Hot 100. It also peaked at number 15 in the UK and number 12 here.
Banderas - This Is Your Life
I’m too young to remember this one, but I discovered it recently after stumbling across a 2FM Hotline Hitlist from April 1991. Banderas were a British duo, formed by two backing musicians from The Communards. This was their only UK top 40 hit, peaking at number 16. Their follow-up She Sells just missed out, charting at number 41. It doesn’t appear This Is Your Life made the charts here.
30 years ago today, one of the funniest moments of Top of The Pops when Chris Eubank introduced Suggs Cecilia.
Suggs - Cecilia
That Cher covers album also had a cover of Paul Brady's Paradise is here, which was released as a single in the U.S.
Tina turner previously covered it in 1986, on her Break every rule album.
No.27 in the UK it was co-written by Johnny Marr and featuring Kirsty MacColl on backing vocals. Fun fact despite the lyrics no british player has ever played for Red Star Belgrade let alone his Uncle.
Billy Bragg - Sexuality
Alanis Morissette - Thank U
Alanis Morissette's 1995 album Jagged Little Pill, the third biggest-selling album of all time by a female artist, produced hits such as Ironic, Hand in my Pocket and Head Over Feet. Interestingly, of the six singles released from Jagged Little Pill, only Head Over Feet reached the UK top 10, peaking at number 7. This song, the lead single from her 1998 album, Supposed Former Infatuation Junkie, remains Alanis's best-charting single in the UK, reaching number 5 in October 1998. It reached number 13 here. Like Ironic or Hand in my Pocket, it received lots of airplay at the time it was released, but unlike the songs from Jagged Little Pill, you never hear it on the radio now.
Savage Garden - The Animal Song
A completely forgotten hit from the Australian duo. Written for the soundtrack of the film The Other Sister (which bombed at the box office), this reached number 18 in the UK and number 19 here in the summer of 1999.
Bon Jovi - Something for the Pain
From September 1995, this peaked at number 8 both here and in the UK. With a video that poked fun at other big names in music from the same time, like Courtney Love or Eddie Vedder from Pearl Jam, this received heavy airplay on MTV. I also recall it getting frequent play on Aidan Leonard's 10pm weeknight 2FM show.
With regards to the point about Jagged Little Pill being the third biggest selling album by a woman - three of the top five are by Canadians.
Vanilla
"No way, no way, ma numma nah!"
First released in Summer 1990 it reached No.21 here it went to No.10 in the UK. Mc Tunes later went on to form Dust Junkys who's B side Rinse it became Fatboy Slim's Gangster Trippin.
Mc Tunes Vs 808 State - The Only Rhyme That Bites
And since we are in the subject of 808 State, here is another, this time utilising UB40's One in Ten.
And the followup, "True to Us", which fared less well.
From a summer in the States in 96 these been played all the time don't think hits this side of the Atlantic
Standing Outside a Broken Phone Booth with Money in My Hand - Primitive Radio Gods
C'mon N' Ride It(The train) - Quad city DJs
Quad City DJs also did a song for the Space Jam soundtrack.
Wendy Moten 'Come on in out of the rain'. This was on VERY high rotation on Atlantic 252 in in 1993 / 1994.
I remember this getting some airplay around it's release in 1990 despite only reaching No.43 in the UK charts. I think I've heard it once since, about 10 years ago.
Elvis Costello - The Other Side of Summer
Set Adrift on Memory Bliss - P.M. Dawn (1991)
Catchy tune which sampled Spandau Ballet's "True"
DJ Luck & MC Neat - "A Little Bit of Luck"
December 1999
And the sonorous lyricism of the Bards of Barnet was put to excellent use here...
Mario Più - Communication (Somebody Answer The Phone)
Just about a 90s song, given it was released in December 1999 and was still floating around in the early weeks of 2000. Mario Più is an Italian DJ who built an entire track around the interference you'd hear on your speakers just before your Nokia 3210 rang. UK number 5, Irish number 17.
There was this too at the same time…
Fun fact: the singer on the chorus, Tessa Niles (that's not her in the video), was also on Ronan Keating's "When You Say Nothing at All" earlier that year. She's sung with a list of music stars as long as your arm.
Reaching the Heights of No.28 here, from the Aaron Spelling TV show of the same name. It was one of only 12 songs to reach No.1 on the Hot 100 in 1992, knocking Boyz II Men's End of The Road off before being replaced two weeks later by Whitney's I Will Always Love You. It didn't save the show as it was cancelled with 1 episode unaired a week after it fell off top spot.
The Heights - How Do You Talk to an Angel
The guitars are very "Don't Dream It's Over"-esque.
