Good 1992 Vibrations. 15th November. Bettadaze for Ebeneezer Goode on a Highway to Hell

 So this week was a wild one, multiple new entries a little lower down the chart and it looks like the challenge for the number one spot is on because while "Achy Breaky Heart" by Billy Ray Cyrus maintained the number one spot but as I said last week, the sales look like they are slowing for this which makes it vulnerable to the continuing momentum of "End of the Road' by Boyz II Men which rose one place to number two and looks the most likely song to take the number one spot if not next week...soon.

It pushed "The Best Things in Life are Free" by Luther Vandross and Janet Jackson back to number three as unfortunately sales just couldn't match those of "End of the Road". The same goes for "The Day You Went Away" by Wendy Matthews which remains stuck at number four..

"Sometimes Love Just Ain't Enough" by Patty Smyth and Don Henley up two to number five but I suspect that might be because the songs behind it are fading even with "Ain't No Doubt' by Jimmy Nail steady at number six however "Erotica" by Madonna down two to number seven.

However the rest of the top ten kept the status quo for the week with "November Rain" by Guns 'n' Roses at number eight, "White Men Can't Jump" by Riff at number nine and "Keep the Faith' by Bon Jovi on number ten. 

Gains

So "Accidently Kelly Street" by Frente climbed nine spots off it's debut last week to hit 14. I would not be surprised if this goes top ten in the next few weeks. 

Felix returned to the top twenty with "Don't You Want Me' rebounding from 21 to 17 while 2 Unlimited's "The Magic Friend" also recovered up from 33 to 19 however one of the biggest gains off a debut from last week belonged to "Would I Lie to You" by Charles and Eddie which somehow jumped from 45 all the way to the cusp of the top twenty at 21...that kind of blew my mind a bit, the song is fine but for it to gain this much traction...really?

Brian May's "Too Much Love Will Kill You" continued it's upward trajectory as it surged nine places to 23 while "I Ain't Going to Eat Out My Heart Anymore" got a decent sized boost up from 46 to 32. 

Re Entries

So a re entry that doesn't really make a lot of sense here is "Everybody's Free (To Feel Good)" by Rozalla at 49...that seems really strange for it to come back..

Losers

So we have "Please Don't Go" by K.W.S on the way out down from 34 to 47 while the moon is setting on Margaret Urlich's "Boy in the Moon" down from 37  to 44.

Unfortunately "It's Not Over" by Rockmelons feat. Deni Hine just couldn't get a foothold on the chart as it slipped from 31 to 42  while Roxette's "How Do You Do" slipped ten to 36 and "Neighbour" by Ugly Kid Joe down five to 30. 

"Tennessee" by Arrested Development down from 24 to 31  while former number one "Humpin' Around" by Bobby Brown slipped from 19 to 30. "What Kind of Fool (Heard All That Before)" by Kylie Minogue skidded ten places to 28.

Sir Mix A Lot's "Baby Got Back" lost all it's gains from last week to tumble back to 22. 

New Entries

Seven new entries this week so going to keep it kind of brief for each song, let's start with...

15^th November

50. “Bettadaze” by Boom Crash Opera

The first four new entries are from Australian acts and we’re starting with the latest single from Boom Crash Opera this week, “Bettadaze” is the lead single from their third album “Fabulous Beast” to be released in 1993 and look this is fine? The guitar riff is doing a lot of heavy lifting here especially as I don’t think the song is anything all that special lyrically even if the chorus and the way it soars reminds me of U2 while the rest of the song seems very Boom Crash Opera and to degree that might be jarring but ehh, the song is fine, check it out if you are curious.

 

48. “Impossible to Fly” by Baby Animals

So here we have the first new music from Baby Animals since “One Word” charted…it’s legit impossible to find a studio version of this song so I’ll have to make do with the live version of this song and well, it’s a more chilled laidback song than what you might expect from Baby Animals with lots of jazz elements although the song does step it up with drums in the latter half but as usual it’s frontwoman Suze DeMarchi stealing the show, her vocals are just on point. I recommend checking this song out, it’s great.

 

45. “Highway to Hell (Live)” by AC/DC

Ooh wow…this is tonal whiplash, going from a chill almost jazz Baby Animals song to a live version of one of AC/DC’s more obnoxious songs is a bit much, I’ve never liked AC/DC, I find “Long Way to the Top” to be absolutely awful (put those bloody bagpipes away), as for this song, taken from the 1979 album of the same name,  sure the guitars have some good are just headache inducing, also if you are on a fucking highway to hell, shouldn’t the instrumentation sound more dark and imposing? It’s just too bright for a song where hook intimates he is on a highway to hell. Now I need some paracetamol to deal with this headache.

 

43. “Holiday” by Ratcat

So the fourth of our Aussie new entries comes from Ratcat who have taken the opportunity to make a cheeky rock song about going on a holiday and there being so much for them to do, it’s catchy but there’s about as much depth put into the writing of this song to the point it sounds like they actually took a holiday while writing the song although to be fair they do mention surfing and suntanning while on this holiday and the instrumentation does pick up on the vibe of a holiday…I guess I can tolerate this?

 

41. “Jump!” by The Movement

Oh god, another week another techno electronic song…I swear most of these songs are starting to blend together into ear grating mindless incoherence but anyway here we have American duo called The Movement with their song called “Jump!” which features clattering noise, somebody screaming “ARE YOU READY TO JUMP? JUMP JUMP!” into incoherence, shrill noises that convinced me that the studio was on fire and needed to be evacuated during the recording only for the noises to get shriller as the song went on and includes sections of 2 Unlimited’s “You Ready For This”, a song I am ambivalent on at best. No, this song has no right to steal the title of Kriss Kross’s far better hit from this year, all The Movement did was make my headache from AC/DC even worse and rather than jump, I just want to turn this song off.

 

40. “Ebeneezer Goode” by The Shamen

More electronic music this time courtesy of Scottish group The Shamen…a song that got huge in the UK going to number one there and unlike most electronic music in 1992, I can appreciate this one because at least it’s got a solid as hell groove and a bit of a melody and even if the lyrics sneak in references to the drug ectasy, I don’t mind this especially in comparison to the rest of what we have heard in terms of electronic music this year. It’s fine.

 

29. “Tequila” by ALT & The Lost Civilization

One of the other big trends of 1992…cover songs is also covered this week thanks to American rapper ALT and the Lost Civilization with this cover being of a 1958 Mexican flavoured rock and roll instrumental written by Chuck Rio and recorded by The Champs, it wound up being a considerable hit so of course what is needed in 1992 is for Alt and The lost Civilization to throw a rap verse over what is a pretty timeless groove and melody where the verses throw in the names of all the alcohol where he is chilling on the beach with his mates Jack Daniels and Jim Beam. All the others mentioned in the song are the names of various alcoholic cocktails, look, as far as covers go if you can get past some of the cringey rap bars, it’s not too bad…it is silly though.

 

And that wraps up the week and maan, bit of a rough week here but best of the week is going to “Impossible to Fly” by Baby Animals, just edging out both “Holiday” by Ratcat and “Ebeneezer Goode” by The Shamen.

As for worst…that’s going to whatever the hell “Jump!” by The Movement was…I don’t ever want to hear that again.

ARIA Singles Top Fifty Top Ten/Chart Review 15th November. One Smokin' Out The Window Right Now

 *** My thoughts and condolences to the nine people who died, to the families of those who died and to the many hundreds of people injured at Astroworld Festival in Houston as result of a crowd stampede last weekend. May those who are found didn't do enough to ensure the health and safety of all attending the event suffer the most serious of consequences.***

This week is a relative cool down week even though it really doesn't feel like it given we got one big debut in the top ten (we'll get to it) and three others outside the top ten and various moves which are interesting to say the least but anyway let's get to the top ten because for a second week we have "Cold Heart (PNAU Remix)" by Elton John and Dua Lipa at number one thanks mostly to being a behemoth on sales even if it's not leading on streaming. Seems everyone loves this song...except me.

Adele's "Easy On Me" rebounded to number two thanks to strength on streaming and doing alright on sales...the song should get a boost this week thanks to the special on Channel Seven this weekend.

"Stay" by The Kid Laroi also got a rebound up two to number three this week but this song is starting to bleed a bit and there are some really strong songs rising behind it on streaming.

That's probably also the same case for both "Shivers" by Ed Sheeran down two to number four and Ed Sheeran's other hit "Bad Habits" down one to number five, they are both on their way out now

Holding steady at number six and stubbornly refusing to fuck off is "Heat Waves" by Glass Animals. Its still got traction on streaming somehow...thanks for nothing, Tik Tok.

Also holding steady is "Industry Baby" by Lil Nas X and Jack Harlow at number seven. This song's hanging around in the top ten is impressive.

Riaing two places to number eight is "Meet Me At Our Spot" by The Anxiety, it's doing nicely on streaming and on sales. I just wish the song was better. 

The biggest debut of the week belongs to Post Malone with 'One Right Now" feat. The Weeknd. We'll get to the song's actual quality later but it's got streaming on side but sales really aren't on board just yet so this song remains an interesting proposition going forward.

However it did push "That's What I Want" by Lil Nas X down one spot to number ten and I suspect it might be the song to make way for one or two new top ten entries next week.

Gains

"Better Days" by Neiked and Mae Muller feat. Polo G climbed four places to 16 while "Acapulco' by Jason Derulo claimed five places to 30. Okay, this is not funny, we not need :Acapulco" becoming a hit, Australia. 

"Mr Brightside" by The Killers climbed five places to number 45

Losers

No real major losers this week although a couple of songs did lose five places with "Overpass Graffiti" by Ed Sheeran down to 13, "Moth to a Flame" by Swedish House Mafia and The Weeknd down five to number 20, "Leave Before You Love Me" by Marshmello and the Jonas Brothers to 37, "Out Out' by Jax Jones, Joel Corry, and Charli XCX feat. Saweetie to 39, "Peaches' by Justin Bieber feat Daniel Caesar and Giveon down to 46 and "Life Goes On" by Oliver Tree down to 49 because the virality is wearing off (thank goodness)

Drop Outs

So of the four drop outs, three of them are from Ed Sheeran with "Visiting Hours" (I don't think it will make the year end list unfortunately), "First Times" and "Tides all leaving.

The other exit belongs to "Money" by Lisa...a song I'm kind of glad is gone becaue yeah, it wasn't good at all.

New Entries

There are four new entries this week however during the week I made the decision that I wouldn't cover the two new Travis Scott songs that both charted this week nor will they be up for best or worst of the week, I can't listen to either "Escape Plan" or "Mafia" and not hear them in the context of what happened at Astroworld Festival and with everything that's piling up about what happened, I decided it's best if the focus remain on helping victims and their families rather than on Travis Scott's new music.

However both songs did indeed chart with "Escape Plan" at 22 and "Mafia" at 47 so with that out of the way, there are just two new entries to review beginning with...

34. "Smokin' Out The Window' by Silk Sonic

The newest single from the super duo Anderson Paak and Bruno Mars which released last week before their album dropped this week and...this song is GREAT. I have not been able to stop listening to it since it was released on Friday, not only is it smooth and really god damn funky. The writing here is hilarious with Bruno complaining that this woman's kids are treating his home like it's a fast food joint then there's the bridge which is basically now a meme where Anderson sings "This bitch got me payin' her rent, payin' for trips", I just love how incredibly silly and loose this feels which is appropriate with what the album as a whole is going for with that 70s soul and funk sound but with enough groove and soul to keep the song from completely being lost to the silliness. I get the feeling that this song is on the way to becoming a hit judging by how quickly the song is rising on streaming services. Although can we get a mash up of this song with "Gold Digger" by Jamie Foxx at some point?

9. "One Right Now" by Post Malone feat. The Weeknd

So after the public overwhelmingly rejected "Motley Crew", Post Malone is back and this time he has brought along one of the biggest music stars in the world right now, The Weeknd, for the apparent lead off single for Posty's new album and well this is as about as pop as I've ever heard Post Malone go with the synths and the incredibly bouncy groove that The Weeknd probably sounds way too at home over while Post Malone does well here, he seems to have lost some of that yodel that could still be prevalent in his music previously but it kind of makes sense here because this is a song where both Post Malone and The Weeknd are pissed about being screwed over by a person and how easy this person seems to think screwing Post Malone over is, the lyrics paint a rather sour and angry picture in stark contrast to the pop production. I don't hate this because yeah that groove does wonders but I do wonder how often I'll come back to it.

That ends our week, I'm not giving out worst of the week this week mostly because "One Right Now" is not that that bad however best of the week is going to "Smokin' Through The Window" by Silk Sonic and I urge you all give Silk Sonic's album "An Evening With Silk Sonic" a listen...you won't regret it.

Next week...might be a stacked one because he got a LOT of major releases including the Red re recording by Taylor Swift, Silk Sonic's album and that new Jessica Mauboy single. We'll find out how it all shakes out on Friday at 5pm.

Good 1992 Vibrations. 8th November. What's Wrong With Talking Sly on Kelly Street?

 So I can't help but think change is in the wings looking at this week's chart especially with what is rising in the top ten and looking like a threat to our current number one and speaking of that number one that remains "Achy Breaky Heart" by Billy Ray Cyrus, it held on thanks to sales that are starting to slow down a little bit however it was enough to hold up over "The Best Things in Life Are Free" by Luther Vandross and Janet Jackson which remains stuck at number two however I don't see this song as the threat to our number one.

The threat may well come from "End of the Road" by Boyz II Men which climbed four places to number three and it's got rapidly surging sales behind it, this is is looming as major player in the weeks ahead.

It forced "The Day You Went Away' by Wendy Matthews back to number four and "Erotica" by Madonna back to number five as their sales were no match for those of "End of the Road".

It was also a similar tale for "Ain't No Doubt" by Jimmy Nail back to number six and "Sometimes Love Just Ain't Enough" by Patty Smyth and Don Henley back one to seven.

Rebounding two places to number eight is "November Rain" by Guns 'n' Roses and "White Men Can't Jump" by Riff which returned to the top ten up two places to number nine.

Then we have "Keep The Faith' by Bon Jovi rounding out the top ten rising three places to number ten to spend a first week inside the top ten.

Gains

So "Baby Got Back" by Sir Mix A Lot rebounded six places to break back into the top twenty at number sixteen while Jon Secada's "Just Another Day" also broke into the top twenty up from 23 to 17.

In better news, "Digging in the Dirt" by Peter Gabriel climbed from 39 to 23 while "Too Much Love Will Kill You" by Brian May which jumped nine places to 32.

"Lead Me to Water" by Southern Sons climbed from 42 to 36 and "Dancing Queen" by ABBA climbed from 46 to 39. 

Losers

In good news, "Sesame's Treet" by Smart E's is on the way out as it fell fourteen places to 50 while "Life is a Highway" by Tom Cochrane down from 30 to 44. 

While "Breaking The Girl" by Red Hot Chili Peppers had its somewhat weird momentum slow to a halt down ten spots to 41 while "I'll Be There' by Mariah Carey is down six to 40. 

2 Unlimited's "The Magic Friend" down eight to 33 while "Humpin' Around" by Bobby Brown down five to 19. 

New Entries

Five new entries this week so let's get the show on the road with...

49. “What’s Wrong with That Girl?” by Rick Price

The third single from Rick Price’s album “Heaven Knows” and given the successful year Price has had, I am not surprised that this single has been released. “What’s Wrong With That Girl?” is definitely a catchy enough song with a pretty incredible guitar solo…the instrumentation here is really the star here because the lyrics here don’t really do much other than Price wondering what is up with this girl who is being distant and wondering how he can ‘break into her world’ because he is intensely attracted to her. It’s a step down from both “Not a Day Goes By” and “Heaven Knows”.

 

48. “Talking Sly” by The Sharp

Ahh so here’s The Sharp, a three piece pop rockabilly group hailing from Melbourne with “Talking Sly” being the lead single from their EP “Spinosity” (which ARIA credited rather than the single “Talking Sly”) and features Piet Collins, who has been writing episodes of Neighbours and well this an interesting song, it’s definitely not bad, the guitars have plenty of energy and while I think the vocals could have afforded to be louder. The song is about a person wondering if they even know their partner anymore and wonders why said partner won’t talk to them. This is fine, check it out if you are curious.

 

47. “Shake Your Head” Was (Not Was)

We revisit the year 1983 because that’s the original release date of this song as it appears on American group Was (Not Was) album “Born to Laugh at Tornadoes” from that year before it somehow got re recorded and remixed by Steve “Silk” Hurley with the song featuring Kim Basinger and rerecorded Ozzy Osbourne vocals. All I can say is the production on this song is a nightmare who decided that squealing synth between the verses and chorus was a good idea? It sounds like a cat suffering a slow painful death and when the hook literally is just ‘shake your head’, time to move on.

 

45. “Would I Lie to You” by Charles and Eddie

Okay, so this song was penned by British born songwriters Michael Leeson and Peter Vale, the pair behind Sheena Easton’s “One Man Woman” with “Would I Lie to You” being handed to American duo Charles Pettigrew  and Eddie Chacon and it’s certainly quite the pop/soul/r’n’b song that likely would work on radio as the song reassures this girl that he’d never lie to her and that she can look into his eyes and trust him, it’s fine, Charles and Eddie have good harmonies and the backing vocals give the song more of that soul tinge so if you are curious, it’s worth hearing.

 

25. “Accidently Kelly Street” by Frente

Finishing the week with Frente and given how much I am not a fan of their previous smash single from earlier in 1992, I was wary heading into this so imagine my surprise hearing “Accidently Kelly Street” and realizing that this slice of breezy indie pop was actually pretty solid, the vocals are not as obnoxious as they were on “Ordinary Angels” and the guitars give the song this next door vibe which makes sense given the song was written after a member of the band mistakenly announced to the rest of the band that he was moving to Kelly Street to which lead vocalist, Angie Hart suggested the song be called “Accidently Kelly Street” (I realize ‘accidently’ is misspelled but the band decided to keep the misspelling)

I think it’s a pretty cute, sweet song and a improvement on whatever “Ordinary Angels” was, it’s also getting the best new entry of the week.

As for the worst…that’s going to Was (Not Was) for “Shake Your Head” a pointless and unnecessary remix.

ARIA Singles Top Ten/Chart Review: 8th November. Overpass Graffiti of First Times has seen Better Days thanks to Tides

 This week was surprising in more ways than one mostly because we got a new number one that I absolutely wasn't expecting nor saw coming and while we did get some impact from Ed Sheeran's album, it was incredibly muted with only a couple of songs managing to chart this week so he definitely doesn't have the overwhelming presence on the chart that he did with "Divide" back in 2017 although I would argue "Equals" is a much better album than "Divide" however let's get to the top ten because the new number one is one of the big stories of the week. 

Riding massive digital sales momentum "Cold Heart (PNAU remix)" by Elton John and Dua Lipa took the number one spot and I guess it surprised me because it's streaming while good isn't the strongest and kind of forgot that it's an absolute titan on digital sales. It's Elton John's sixth number one and he surpasses Sir Paul McCartney as the oldest artist to have a number one hit in Australia while for Dua Lipa, it's her first number one and given my feelings about "Cold Heart" (see my worst hit songs list in January sometime), I'm disappointed it's this that gave her her first number one in Australia rather than the excellent songs on "Future Nostalgia" but anyway...

"Shivers" by Ed Sheeran rose off gains from the album release to rise three places to number two. All this saw last week's number one "Easy On Me" by Adele slip back to number three despite being the leader on streaming this week!

Then we have former chart topper "Bad Habits" by Ed Sheeran hold steady at number four and another former chart topper "Stay" by The Kid Laroi and Justin Bieber take a welcome to place slide to number five.

"Heatwaves" by Glass Animals and "Industry Baby" by Lil Nas X feat. Jack Harlow remained steady at six and seven respectively.

A new entry at number eight and the first of the three new Ed Sheeran entries from "Equals" with "Overpass Graffiti" riding solid streaming and sales to debut in the top ten, we'll talk about this song's quality a little later.

Lil Nas X's second song inside the top ten "That's What I Want" got a one place boost to number nine.

Finally, breaking into the top ten is "Meet Me At Our Spot" by The Anxiety thanks to streaming. Guess people really like this one...

Gains

The lone biggest gain of the week belongs to "Acapulco" by Jason Derulo which rose nine spots to 35 and looks like it has got traction going forwards. Folks, we do not need to be making Jason Derulo's stupidest song to date a hit!

Re Entries

So there's two returns this week with one being "Mr Brightside" by The Killers back at number 50 while the album release saw the wonderful "Visiting Hours" by Ed Sheeran return at 29 (I really want "Visiting Hours" to make the year end at this point, there's still time)

Losers

Okay so the losers this week saw "Fair Trade" by Drake feat. Travis Scott slip nine to 48 while "Way 2 Sexy" feat. Future and Young Thug fell into a puddle  down six to 39 and "Knife Talk" feat. 21 Savage and Project Pat slipped seven to 33...I actually expect the latter to rebound thanks to attention from the video.

"Money" by Lisa is going broke down nine to 46 while "Little Bit of Love" by Tom Grennan skidded ten places to 42 (I'm so god damn tired of this song so kind of glad to see it on the way out).

Finally, "Take My Breath" by The Weeknd down eight to 38.

Drop Outs

So I am not that unhappy with the exits this week, two of them being "Someone Like You" and "Rolling in the Deep" both by Adele. 

Also I do think "Get Into It (Yuh)" by Doja Cat will return next week (It's got a video coming) along  with "Alone with You" by Arz and "Obsessed with You" by Central Cee.

The only song that likely won't return is "On My Knees" by Rufus Du Sol.

New Entries

We only have four new entries this week so let's start with...

43. "Tides" by Ed Sheeran

So the first of three Ed Sheeran songs we'll discuss is the one rock leaning song that appears on every Ed Sheeran album and yeah, this is one of my favourite songs on "=". Ed makes me wish he would just cut that god damn rock album already, I would care if it was a pastiche to late 80s U2 where the guitars just go nuts like they do in the intro on "Tides", a song about the birth of Ed's daughter and how his life has changed since becoming a dad, it's a thoughtful and introspective rock song reflecting on the arrival of his little girl into the world. Definitely check this one out if you are keen on hearing the new Ed Sheeran album in any compacity.

31. "First Times" by Ed Sheeran

There's a lot of introspection and reflection on this album and this track is no different as Sheeran sings about the many things he did for the first time when he became an adult over a gentle acoustic guitar, things like achieving his dream of performing in front of 80,000 at Wembley Stadium and meeting the girl of his dreams and the moments he has had with her, yeah it's a slightly corny and dorky song but I'm not really above a gentle acoustic ballad with strings from Ed Sheeran. It's fine.

 

20. "Better Days" by Neiked & Mae Muller feat. Polo G

Oh so the person behind the ephemerally annoying "Sexual" back in 2016 returns bringing English singer songwriter Mae Muller and well known American rapper Polo G with him for a song that seems set to be a hit well into next year and well, I'm pretty indifferent on this one mostly because Mae Muller's vocals are ones that can be easily ignored, she's only a slight upgrade on the basically forgotten Bebe Rexha or hell, most of the other disposable female singers that have come and gone in recent years, sure Polo G is pretty good here but I'm not sure this is a song that's got much replay value for me.

8. "Overpass Graffiti" by Ed Sheeran

The latest single from "=" for Ed Sheeran and you know, I actually really like this one! Yeah, it's a song where Ed sings about a break up that he just can't let go of or forget about it to the point where it lingers in his mind akin to the graffiti seen on the overpass, there's a warmth and sincerity that even with the cooler instrumentation and the percussion that slightly louder than what it should be but the song reminds a lot of the mid to late 80s pop ballads, it's got this good driving rhythm that I really really like so yeah, definitely one to check out.

"Overpass Graffiti" also earns the best of the week, all the Ed songs that charted are really good...some of the hate Ed cops is serious tall poppy syndrome nonsense. 

Worst of the week is going to "Better Days" by Neiked and Mae Muller feat. Polo G, it's not that bad but when Ed's songs stand out just that little more...I'm sorry.

Next week...wow, this week's New Music Friday was loaded...likely Travis Scott, that new collab between Post Malone and The Weeknd plus hopefully some Silk Sonic, if we are that lucky but we'll find out when the chart updates at 5pm on Friday

Good 1992 Vibrations. 1st November I Wonder Why I Ain't Gonna Eat Out Dancing Queen Anymore

 Alright so we've a bit of a calmer week here however it doesn't stop the top ten from being insane with all the movement happening there so let's start there even if there's no change to the top three, "Achy Bteaky Heart" by Billy Ray Cyrus continues it's stubborn hold on the number one spot for another week ahead of "The Best Things in Life are Free" by Luther Vandross and Janet Jackson remains at number two while "The Day You Went Away' by Wendy Matthews is stuck at number three...the margins were too big for any overtaking.

That might make "The Day You Went Away" vulnerable to Madonna's "Erotica" which climbed 12 places to number four this week....I get it but come on the song isn't that good.

Remaining at number five is 'Ain't No Doubt" by Jimmy Nail however it's got "Sometimes Love just Ain't Enough" by Patty Smyth and Don Henley right behind it as it jumped four to number six.

However the song that looks to have a stack of momentum going forward is "End of the Road" by Boyz II Men up six to and into the top ten at number seven, think this has the potential to be a challenger but we will have to see.

"Love Is In the Air" by John Paul Young was a victim of all the shifting as it slipped four to number eight then to round it out, we have "My Name is Prince" by Prince and the New Power Generation steady at number nine and "November Rain" by Guns 'n' Roses down two to number ten.

Gains.

Well we're starting on a bad note this week because "Something Good" by Utah Saints somehow rose from 30 to 16 this week which is not a good sign however the tolerable "Do You Want Me" by Felix climbed eight spots to break into the top twenty at 18. 

"The Magic Friend" by 2 Unlimited jumped from 41 to 25 while "Knockin' On Heaven's Door' by Guns 'n' Roses rose from 34 to 27.  "Breaking the Girl" by Red Hot Chili Peppers climbed five to 31.

I'm happy that "Drive" by R.E.M climbed twelve off it's debut to 38 and "Too Much Love Will Kill You" by Brian May rose eight to 41 however K.W.S's cover of  "Rock Your Baby" climbed seven to 40 because of course it did.

Re Entries

Just the one re entry with "Pressure Drop" by Izzy Stradlin back at 47.

Losers

As for the losers, well there were quite a few top ten hits that fell hard this week like "Damn I Wish I Was Your Lover" by Sophie B. Hawkins slipped eleven to 49 while "Amigos Para Siempre" by Jose Carreras and Sarah Brightman fell twelve places to 37, "Please Don't Go" by K.W.S skidded like the proverbial shit stain of a song it is from 22 to 35, "Life is a Highway" by Tom Cochrane fell nine to 30 and Sir Mix A Lot's "Baby Got Back" stumbled six to 21. 

Finally "White Men can't Jump" by Riff and "Die For You" by Euphoria both fell five places to 11 and 12 respectively

New Entries

Three new entries this week, starting with...

48. “I Ain’t Gonna Eat Out My Heart Anymore” by The Divinyls

We’re starting off the week in complicated fashion as this could take a bit to explain so this song was written by Pam Sawyer and Laurie Barton in 1965 and intended to be recorded by a British Invasion artist however New Jersey act The Young Rascals had heard the song and liked it enough to subsequently record the song and release it as their debut single in November of the same year, it would only reach 52 on the Billboard Hot 100, it helped to establish The Young Rascals on the American music scene while in Australia, it would reach a peak of 48 here.

This takes us to how it appears on the chart this week in 1992 courtesy of The Divinyls recording a cover of the song for the film “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” and released as the second single from their compilation album “The Collection” and so how is the song?

Well, it’s certainly a Divinyls spin on a 1960s song which they’ve managed to make into their own courtesy of the reworking of the riff and Chrissy Amphlett killing it with the attitude that she’s not going to be made to eat her heart out anymore by anyone, I wasn’t wild about the original version but yeah, I dig this cover. Nice job, Divinyls!

 

46. “Dancing Queen’ by ABBA

I am pretty certain that this isn’t a ‘new’ entry to any such degree, it was a number one for ABBA in 1976 so I am bewildered as to why it was classified as such but anyway we do have to talk about it because “Dancing Queen” has been re released by the band to help promote the group’s greatest hits compilation and really given we are dealing with an absolute classic pop song, there isn’t that much to be said about it, it’s stood the god damn test of time which is about the biggest compliment you can give a pop song where the cycle of attention is really short so yeah, absolute classic.

 

44. “I Wonder Why” by Curtis Stigers

Okay, so here we have the debut single from American singer songwriter Curtis Stigers and it comes from his self-titled debut album and unfortunately I am not feeling this song at all, Stigers voice is really nasal which would have benefitted some rougher production but instead its really smooth and really jazz based with the saxophone etc. The lyrics also feel really really clingy…it’s not precisely terrible but given the number of ballads I’ve heard in 1992, I am not going to remember it either.

 

I am going to disqualify ABBA from best or worst mostly because it’s already a god dang classic pop song so best of the week is going to The Divinyls for “I Ain’t Going to Eat My Heart Out Anymore”. Curtis Stigers takes worst of the week for “I Wonder Why”, again it’s not precisely all that terrible but it’s forgettable.

Albums from my Childhood: "Spice" by Spice Girls

 I am going to come right out and admit it, as a eight or nine year old, who struggled with identifiable strong women to connect with who weren't my mother or my teachers at school, so when five young women appeared on ABC's Rage on one Saturday morning, I was transfixed, there was something about these five bold, brash, loud and confident women that made me take note especially as "zig a zag ahh!" was annoyingly catchy enough to be stuck in my head for the months ahead and to me it was jaw dropping that one of these young women could backflip on a table where there were food and drinks!

The music video I was so transfixed by was of course "Wannabe" by the Spice Girls, the sort of debut single that brought Geri Halliwell, Melanie Brown, Melanie Chisholm, Victoria Adams and Emma Bunton to the attention of the world with "Wannabe" going on top charts around the world and suddenly "GIRL POWER" was thing for much of 1997 and 1998 as most Spice Girls singles surged to number one in the UK and had a reasonable amount of success in Australia as the band tapped into the young girls market out there normally taken up by the boy bands of the time. 

I was one of those young girls, I know the words to "Say You'll Be There" and could even give impromptu performances of the choreography to the chorus of "Stop" when I was younger. Hell, I was always semi annoyed TV Hits always switched between Hanson and Leonardo DiCaprio on their covers rather than having five vivacious young women on the cover but regardless of all that I want to go back to 1996 and talk about the Spice Girls debut album which was released off the back of the success of ''Wannabe" and would feature several more singles and given they've just released a 25th anniversary edition of "Spice", I thought it would be fun to go track by track and see how the songs on "Spice" have held up.

"Wannabe"

The lead single that started everything, I still stand by this as being the ninth best hit song of 1996 because it's got that sweet dance pop groove with the Spice Girls being utterly in your face and really kind of just overtly obnoxious in this introduction to what the Spice Girls were about and it's up to people to take them as they are or leave and even if I think the rapping is a little unconvincing, I still enjoy this song a fair bit.

"Say You'll Be There"

The second single and wow, this one is as in your face as "Wannabe" as the girls want their partners to say they'll be there for them no matter what they are going through and promise to be there in return. I will say the harmonica solo in the middle was a nice touch. The chorus is catchy and while not as punchy at "Wannabe", the lyrics hold up fine just a shame some of the production on the first half of the song doesn't,...that squealing noise hurt my ears.

"2 Become 1"

Well we go from two uptempo in your face songs to a ballad where the girls basically have had a taste of sex and now want more. I will note that the lyrics of the song were changed during during a re record so to make it more LGBTQIA friendly but yeah I do like this song a fair bit because it proves the girls can harmonise and both Mel B and Mel C sound fantastic here. 

"Love Thing"

Okay, we're back to bratty uptempo 90s pop where the girls declare they are sick and tired of guys pushing and shoving them around to the point they don't want to know about that love thing. Emma Bunton can sell that anger and frustration pretty well in her verse, Mel C is like...well at least I've got my friends so I don't need you in her verse. I will say the rap verse on this song is confusing here as to who is taking the lead there but ehh, the song is a bit of fun. 

"Last Time Lover"

So I have my issues with song mostly how the vocals feel like they are toward the back of the mix which makes it really hard to understand the verses especially when it sounds like the lyrics are being whispered, I get the song is trying to be sexy but it sounds like nonsense when you can barely hear what's being said...anyway it's a sex song that's got a decent guitar line but yeah, this isn't the Spice Girls best song.

'Mama"

Feels weird to go from a blatant sex song to a song dedicated to the mothers of the Spice Girls. "Mama" was a single and is probably objectively the best song on this album where the girls sound great on the hook singing sincerely that they love their mothers and telling the mums that they realize that Mum parented the way she did out of love not because she wanted to ruin the child's life. Also it's good that the three best singers in the group that being Mel C, Mel B and Emma are given the most to do here. I do think it does drag on a little on the final chorus especially as it's a little repetitive but hey, the song is designed to make you cry...lol.

"Who Do You Think You Are?"

So here's the last of the singles for this album and it's a horn laden song where the girls lyrically are focussed on the trappings of fame and how fame can lead to a person forgetting who helped them get to that level of fame along the way, the song is an interesting wake up call perhaps to themselves to keep their feet on the ground and remain connected to those who helped them, its simply saying show your talent but don't forget the people who helped you especially as you are likely to see those same people when the fall inevitably comes. Sound wise I don't think this song has aged well especially with the horns on the song. Ouch.

"Something Kinda Funny"

So a guitar driven R'n'B song where Mel C and Mel B share vocal responsibilities and yeah it works well here even though the song feels like another "You can take us or leave us" song only to imply that they have a connection. It's a weird song but hey overall I don't mind as it is well performed.

"Naked"

Another song that has an R'n'B flavour is "Naked", the song where the production is dark and mysterious with the lyrics warning that this woman in the lyrics will see right through you and be able to identify and know what guys are before she dates them and even if she wanted to sleep with them, she isn't going to have sex with the guy because she knows it won't be worth and leave both of them worse off.

'If  U Can't Dance"

So over the course of their first two albums the Spice Girls saved their worst track for last and this song is an example of that especially that annoying as hell clunky and repetitive hook. Sure the verses and bridge are performed well but that hook is so god damn nasal and the production flat that the song pretty much does nothing for me. 

So this surprised me in terms of which cuts from the album have aged well,,,songs like '"Mama" and 'Naked" are pretty great while a song like "Say You'll Be There" just doesn't do as much for me as it used to. I think when the album gave more for Mel C and Mel B to do vocally the songs sounded good. I still like the album but I wouldn't say I love it as I did when I was a kid.

Best: Mama, 2 Become 1, Naked, Love Thing, Wannabe

Worst: If  U Can't Dance, Last Time Lover

ARIA Singles top 50 Top Ten/Chart Review. 1st November. I am On My Knees in Acapulco To Flame A Moth

 Well this week feels like a bit of a non event especially as Ed Sheeran is bound to have an album bomb with his new album next week and it feels like so little happened this week apart from the three new entries but anyway let's start with the top ten where of course "Easy On Me" by Adele held the number one spot for a second week but those streaming margins are closing.

Granted I still don't see how "Cold Heart (PNAU Remix)" by Elton John and Dua Lipa, which remains at number two, gets to number one especially given what I'm expecting with what is likely to happen next week.

The same goes for "Stay" by The Kid Laroi and Justin Bieber which remains at number three, its still solid on streaming but I don't see it having anywhere near the streaming to challenge Adele or Ed. 

That brings us to the likely challengers for number one next week...that being former chart topper "Bad Habits" at number four and current single "Shivers" at number five both by Ed Sheeran, the release of the album will make the race for number one interesting especially as numbers are stacking up in Ed Sheeran's favour for next week.

Then "Heat Waves' by Glass Animals held position at number six (we can make this song go away any time now) while "Industry Baby" by Lil Nas X feat. Jack Harlow remains at number seven.

Now we get to the interesting part of the top ten this week because there was a new entry at number eight..."Moth to a Flame" by Swedish House Mafia and The Weeknd, now I will write about this song later but this song got here thanks to pretty damn good streaming numbers.

It forced "Happier Than Ever" by Billie Eilish back to number nine and "That's What I Want" by Lil Nas X back to number ten.

Gains

So the gains really aren't that massive this week with only "Out Out " by Joel Corry, Jax Jones, Charli XCX and Saweetie up eight to 31 while "Way 2 Sexy" by Drake feat. Future and Young Thug rebounded 5 to 31 and 'Blinding Lights' by The Weeknd continues to hang around on the chart this week up five to 29.

Losers

Adele's two returning entries both took seven place drops with "Someone Like You" to 47 and "Rolling in the Deep" to 50.

"Fair Trade" by Drake feat. Travis Scott slipped nine to 39 while "Without You" by The Kid Laroi feat. Miley Cyrus slipped six to 35 and '2055' by Sleepy Hallow plunged six to 34.

Drop Outs

We finally said goodbye and good riddance to both "Girls Want Girls" by Drake feat. Lil Baby and "Astronaut in the Ocean" by Masked Wolf with the latter sue to make the year end, in the case of the former...I am hoping it misses.

We also lost "Traitor" by Olivia Rodrigo, I am not sure where that song stands as far as year end list goes.

New Entries

Just the three new entries this week, let's begin with...

44. "Acapulco" by Jason Derulo

I've known about this song for awhile and honestly given it got massive radio push, I am not surprised people started seeking it out on streaming and on iTunes. Just a shame that in terms of the sound, it's probably the most generic production Jason Derulo has had on a song in a long time, "Acapulco" truly sounds like something out of 2014/15 that's aged badly but it's the lyrics that put this song into the category of asininely stupid, for a start Derulo opens the song with the line "I can't read ya, my sexy Mona Lisa"...uh Jason, Mona Lisa and sexy are words that should never be used in the same god damn fucking sentence! There was nothing inherently sexy about the god damn Mona Lisa.

He then uses the bridge to call this girl dysfunctional and crazy like his mother and then reaffirms that in the chorus by singing "You're just a little loco like boats in Acapulco", I can't tell at this point whether Derulo wants this girl out of his life or if he wants to bang her at this point.

Then there's the second verse where Derulo starts shilling for cryptocurrency and name drops fashion brands. Look, the song is actively so bonkers and stupid, it's not really all that hateable but it's also not that good, I'm passing.

43. "On My Knees" by Rufus Du Sol

So it's time to deal with Rufus Du Sol, a dance/electronic pop group hailing from Sydney with this song coming from their album entitled "Surrender' that was released last week and was ultimately the reason that "On My Knees" became this group's fifth song to hit the ARIA singles chart. It's just a shame that I'm not feeling this at all..the wailing noise that sounds like a feral cat yowling to get out just doesn't make the song sound good especially as it permeates through the whole song and drives me to the point of distraction which is a shame because get rid of the yowling feral cat noise, this could have been a pretty good song in he vein of The Presets. Oh well...it happens

8. "Moth to a Flame" by Swedish House Mafia and The Weeknd.

Welcome back to the ARIA singles chart, Swedish House Mafia, this group last had a hit on the singles chart thanks to "Don't You Worry Child" feat John Martin, the song peaking at number one and hitting number 10 on the ARIA singles chart year end in 2012 so it is nice to see they have come back this time teaming up with one of the biggest stars of the 2020s so far for this song and honestly this song is about what I would expect from both acts as "Moth to a Flame" sounds pretty close to some of the darker songs on "After Hours"...it really wouldn't sound out of place on that album with Swedish House Mafia adding just enough touches of their own to ensure that this song is not completely stolen by The Weeknd, as for the content of the song, well its about The Weeknd hooking up with this girl because this other guy's back whom the girl is loyal to but knows she has feelings for the Weeknd so will always go running back to him with The Weeknd urging her to be honest with this other guy rather than sleeping with him behind this poor dude's back, I actually like this a fair bit...it's a good song....not The Weeknd's best but hey, it's still really solid.

It's also easily the best of the week. As for the worst? Ughh, I'll give it to "On My Knees" by Rufus Du Sol only because "Acapulco" so actively dumb on so many levels that it's not worth hating.

Next week...yeah...it's going to be the Ed Sheeran show...strap in for that when ARIA updates the chart on Friday at 5pm