Yes, it is a bit of a Kylie Minogue day today :) To celebrate the princesses return to the Official Charts, we count down each of Kylie’s UK Number 1 singles, from the very first in 1988, all the way up to her most recent in 2003 – in order of sales.
7. Slow (2003)
Coming off the back of Kylie’s
million-selling album Fever, "Slow" was something of a surprise. Veering off from
Fever’s energetic modern disco and taking a mean and moody electro direction, "Slow" saw Kylie at her sensuous best, with a sultry video filmed at the former
Olympic aquatics centre in Barcelona. It spent just a week at Number 1 in
miserable November – thank goodness for that super sunny video.
SALES: 130,000
WHO SHE BEAT: Kylie saw off competition
from Blazin’ Squad’s anthem to playing old cassettes in your Walkman, "Flip
Reverse" and knocked Fatman Scoop’s "Be Faithful" off the top in the process.
CHART FACT: Slow was kicked off Number 1 by
Busted’s "Crash The Wedding"
6. Tears On My Pillow (1990)
Kylie managed to do with her second album
what she couldn’t with her first: score two Number 1s off it. Although Kylie
was enjoying herself as a popstar, she didn’t want to leave acting behind for
ever, and so acted in coming of age movie The Delinquents. Notable mainly for
Kylie’s quite frankly dreadful hair throughout, and a very tame love scene in
the middle, the movie was essential viewing for any hardcore Kylie fan. "Tears
On My Pillow" was a cover of the Little Anthony & The Imperials song from 1958,
which had never been a hit in the UK before. The song was also on the Grease
soundtrack – it can be hard in the background as the Rydell kids get ready for
their dance-off (not Kylie's version, obviously; she was only 10 at the time).
SALES: 260,000
WHO SHE BEAT: Kylie chucked New Kids On The
Block’s "Hangin’ Tough" of the top spot. After just a week at Number 1, "Tears On
My Pillow" was deposed by another blubfest – Sinead O’Connor's "Nothing Compares
2 U"
CHART FACT: Kylie wouldn’t have a Number 1
after "Tears On My Pillow" for another ten and a half years! Until…
5. Spinning Around (2000)
If there’s one thing Kylie knows how to
pull off, it’s a comeback. After a few years of moderate chart success with
singles from two albums Kylie Minogue and Impossible Princess, Kylie decided it
was time to turn the pop factor back up to 100 with this breezy, empowering
track, co-written by none other than Paula Abdul. Spending a week at Number 1
in July, "Spinning Around" was Kylie’s first chart-topper in a decade and the
perfect song to let everyone know La Minogue was back in business. And there
were those famous hotpants, of course…
SALES: 300,000
WHO SHE BEAT: Kylie replaced Black Legend’s
Barry White-inspired "You See The Trouble With Me" and was eventually nudged out
of pole position herself by Eminem with "The Real Slim Shady".
CHART FACT: The week Kylie went in at
Number 1, she beat four other new entries in the Top 10, including Big Reunion
stars Damage and, famously, Girl Thing.
EXTRA CHART FACT: If Kylie’s 2010 hit "All
The Lovers" had got to Number 1 – and some say it really, really should’ve done
– it would’ve sat right here on her countdown, with almost 370,000 copies sold.
4. Hand On Your Heart (1989)
Kylie mania was in full swing by the time
Kylie released her sixth single – the first off her second album Enjoy
Yourself. Kylie kept it sweet and simple – no need to mess with the formula
that had made her a megastar in just a year. Not yet, anyway. The video saw
Kylie in a dazzling array of dresses that all looked rather similar. Well,
sometimes, when you like something, you just want one in every colour, don’t
you?
SALES: 488,000
WHO SHE BEAT: "Hand On Your Heart" despatched
Bangles’ "Eternal Flame" off the top spot, seeing off competition from Queen’s "I
Want It All" and London Boys’ "Requiem".
CHART FACT: "Hand On Your Heart" was Kylie’s
third Number 1, and the first of four Kylie chart-toppers that would spend just
a week at the top.
3. I Should Be So Lucky (1988)
The one where it all began, in the UK at
least. Kylie’s very first chart-topper was a phenomenon, leaping from 31 to 16
to Number 2, before finally jumping into pole position. With an arguably iconic
video featuring Kylie in her best nightie and looking every inch the girl next
door, the bittersweet "I Should Be So Lucky" was the sun-drenched soundtrack to a
grey and dreary February. Kylie distanced herself from the song somewhat a
little later in her career, although she did recite some lines from it at the
Poetry Olympics in 1996, but she has since embraced her first worldwide hit and
has been known to perform it on tour. Lucky lucky lucky us! (That’s quite
enough ‘lucky’ puns, thanks – Good Fortune Ed)
SALES: 695,000
WHO SHE BEAT: "I Should Be So Lucky" made
sure Tiffany’s "I Think We’re Alone Now" tumbled to the ground and right off
Number 1. Not far behind was Taylor Dayne’s "Tell it To My Heart", which had to
settle for telling it to Kylie’s hand instead.
CHART FACT: "I Should Be So Lucky" kept two
records off the top during its five weeks at Number 1: "Beat Dis" by Bomb The
Bass and Rick Astley’s "Together Forever".
2. Especially For You (1989)
It was the duet they said would never
happen, but the world demanded it. Although Kylie and Jason were keeping their
real-life romance under wraps, the swoonsome pair happily played along with
press speculation by recording this devoted duet with accompanying cutesy
video. It was released with the Official Christmas Number 1 spot in mind, but
veteran rocker Cliff Richard had other ideas – it was his festive ditty "Mistletoe And Wine" that took the glory. Luckily, Ramsay Street’s hottest duo
weren’t to be deterred, and they made it to be the first chart-topper of 1989
and stayed there for three weeks.
SALES: 997,000
WHO SHE BEAT: "Especially For You" got its
own back on "Mistletoe And Wine" and sent it packing from Number 1, Kylie and
Jason also beat Erasure’s "Crackers International", keeping it off top for 3 weeks,
along with Neneh Cherry’s "Buffalo Stance". The song was finally removed from
Number 1 by Marc Almond and Gene Pitney's new version of "Something's Gotten
Hold Of My Heart".
CHART FACT: In 1998, TV presenters Johnny
Vaughan and Denise Van Outen covered the track for BBC Children In Need and
took it all the way to Number 3.
1. Can't Get You Out Of My Head (2001)
SALES: 1.17 million
WHO SHE BEAT: Kylie knocked DJ Otzi’s party
classic "Hey Baby (Uhh Aah)" off Number 1. Other new entries, and having to
settle for a week in Kylie’s shadow, were Victoria Beckham’s debut solo single "Not Such An Innocent Girl" (6), Shaggy’s "Luv Me Luv Me" (5) and a cover of
Michael Jackson’s "Smooth Criminal" by Alien Ant Farm (3).
CHART FACT: After four weeks at Number 1, "Can’t Get You Out Of My Head" was finally deposed by Afroman’s "Because I Got
High". While at the top, Kylie held off Steps’ "Chain Reaction"; DJ Otzi (again)
and Michael Jackson’s comeback single "You Rock My World".
In her other biggest market, Australia, Kylie has had 10 Number 1 singles: "The Locomotion", "I Should Be So Lucky", "Got To Be Certain", "Confide In Me", "Spinning Around", "On A Night Like This", "Can't Get You Out Of My Head", "In Your Eyes" "Slow" and "2 Hearts".
3 comments:
D'ya know, I really, really thought that "All The Lovers" had got to Number 1 in the charts? You live and learn...
And of course, "Confide in Me" and "Two Hearts" should have done.
Jx
"Condfide In Me" peaked at #2 and "2 Hearts" at #4 in the UK.
"All The Lovers", however, would have been a #1 had the record not fucked up the release. Instead putting out the physical releases and putting all the digital shit on sale at the same time, the only thing people could buy in release week was the digital version of the song-only (no remixes, etc). As a result, the song made it's debut at #4 and peaked at #3. Had it all been made available at the same time, the song would most like have gone straight to #1...
Typical... Jx
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