23April

Fishermen voiced their objections to quota-hopping, a practice whereby foreign ships bought up the British quota. Both Conservatives and Labour said they would ignore an EU decision to reduce the size of the fishing fleet. Terry Marsh, the former boxer, stepped down as Lib Dem candidate for Basildon after being charged with deception. Peter Lilley refused to discuss Europe. Backbencher Angela Rumbold said she would have nothing to do with the single currency, but when two junior ministers broke from the official policy, Mr. Major turned a greyer shade of grey. He eventually offered backbenchers a free vote, and launched a press advertisement, showing Tony Blair on the knee of German chancellor Helmut Kohl.

Labour borrowed the image of the British bulldog for their election broadcast, sparking one of the most famous Midday with Mair skits, in which a bulldog was played sounds of various candidates. Mr. Major and sent him to sleep, Mr. Ashdown woke him up, Mr. Blair produced mild growling, and Mr. Portillo had him chewing the end off the microphone. Councillors in Redcar gave up their biscuits, after a teenager complained that it they couldn't afford to keep the swimming pool open, they couldn't afford free biccies. Will Self was sacked from the Observer after taking illegal drugs while travelling on the PM's plane.

A bomb explosion near Leeds station, and further telephone warnings, caused massive transport disruption; stations at Doncaster, Crewe, and Stoke were closed, as was the M6. An inquiry into the Dutroux paedophile scandal in Belgium reported, and severly criticised the country's police and judicial systems. 200 were killed in a fire during the Hajj. Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu was not charged with corruption, owing to a lack of reliable evidence.

As Britain basked in the warmest April for many years, scientists confirmed that spring is arriving earlier, and cited global warming. Leicester won the League Cup Final replay 1:0. There was a row between the English and German F.A. over who should bid for the 2006 world cup finals.

UK Singles Chart for w/c 20 April 1997

Number One	I believe I can fly, R Kelly, 3nd week
Highest new entry	Old before I die, Robbie Williams, number 2
Fastest climber (within top 40)	I believe I can fly, R Kelly, up 0 to 1 Bellissima, DJ Quicksilver, up 0 to 4 You might need somebody, Shola Ama, up 0 to 7
Fastest climber (within top 75)	as above
Lemming-like fall (within top 40)	Lazy, Suede, down 28 to 37
Lemming-like fall (within top 75)	Keep on keeping on, MC Lyte, down 33 to 60
Top 40 debuts	KRS-One, Robert Owens, Slacker
Top 40 ends	Gun, KRS-One, Robert Owens, SWV, The Wannadies, Zhane
Top 75 debuts	Slacker, Subcircus
Top 75 ends	Kim English, MC Lyte, Natural Born Grooves, Pianoman, Up Yer Ronson

Five new entries in the bottom half. Prog-britpop band Subcircus came in at 61 with You love you, dance diva Kim English was in at 50 with Supernatural, and Pianoman followed up Blurred, his big hit of the previous summer, with Party people (live your life be free). The record, which sampled a 1991 Belinda Carlisle hit, stalled at 43. There was greater success in the near future for Little Kim (No time in at 45, with Puff Daddy on vocals), and the more distant future for Offspring (Gone away at 42). Lisa Stansfield (down 5 at 57) benefitted from sell-offs, and Blur's Beetlebum re-entered at 59 in a belated promo with Song 2.

Sixteen new entries into the top 40, but we hear one of last week's top ten first - Suede have the second-largest fall of the year, slumping from 9 to 37. Slacker came in at 36 with Scared, David Bowie's latest attempt at a comeback failed as Dead man walking could only make 32, and he was outsold by second-week Kavana, down 19 to 27.

Six new entries in a row from 25 to 20. Robert Owens kicked off the list with I'll be your friend, a record that had spent two weeks at number 75 in late 1991; this remains his only hit. KRS-One had his one and only appearance on the hit parade as Step into a world entered at 24.

The Supernaturals were, arguably, the logical successors to Gun. Formed in Glasgow in 1993, the group also took forever to gain a modicum of the popularity they deserved. By this point in 1997, the group was up to hit single three - after last October's Lazy lover and February's The day before yesterday's man came Smile, new at 23. This was the high point of the band's career, unless you count this song turning up in a commercial for a bank. Good bunch of lads, really deserved a lot more success than they got, and certainly to be remembered more than for a throwawy line - there is lyrical depth in this single, just as there was in all their tunes. (See also: Little Man Tate.)

Four years after Zhane's debut appearance in the top 40, the biggest hit arrived when Request line came in at 22. Last orders for Scottish act Gun, with Crazy you in at 21. They had broken through in 1989 with the Taking On the World album, a small but significant part of the Glasgow Swagger scene of the time, and featuring guest vocals from Sharleen Spiteri. Five singles from the album yielded nothing more than a number 33, and the group's one commercial hit was the ill-advised cover of Cameo's Word up from summer 1994. Swedish group the Wannadies had been on the fringes of success for a couple of years, and had put the You and me song in at position 18 a year earlier. Now, their single Hit lives up to its name, entering at position 20.

Twopac and Snoop Doggy Dogg were new at 16, performing their tribute to Simon Mayo's birthday quiz, Wanted dead or alive. Michelle Gayle's new single was called Sensational; it entered at the not-entirely-unremarkable 14, but proved to be the last of her seven hit singles. Which is a shame, the girl had a decent voice. Of last week's leaders, Texas drop from 10 to 17, almost rubbing shoulders with their singer's old friends; No Doubt dip from 6 to 11, Orbital come down from 3 to 12. And, after missing out on the number one position last week by a gnat's crotchet, Blur's Song 2 sinks like a stone, landing at 13. Had it had a few more sales the week before, this would have been the fastest fall from number 1 ever.

Into the top ten, and Faithless have their first new single in over a year. Since Don't leave crept in at 34 in March 1996, the group have hit the big time, with second-re-release Insomnia spending most of the autumn in the top 20, peaking at 3, and the re-released Salve mea scoring a number 9 hit just before christmas. Now Reverence follows in the neo-spiritual footsteps of their previous hits, and joins them in the top ten. The Course come down from 5 to 9.

One act that looked destined never to hit the top 10 was the Lightning Seeds. The big breakthrough took until 1994's Jollification album, and commercial radio jumping all over the succession of pure power pop (©Dr Fox 1995) singles. Four singles just missed the top 10 then, and a further three from Dizzy Heights also stalled agonisingly close. Just when it looked as though Ian Broudie would only ever reach the heights with Baddiel and Skinner, he pulled out a cover of the Turtles' classic song, turned it into a number of dance mixes, and the CDs flew off the shelf just enough to go top ten. A slightly cynical arrangement, but we don't begrudge it. Sadly, that was the beginning of the end for the Seeds, now best remembered (if remembered at all) for Life of Riley, a permanent fixture on sports highlights; and some football record or other.

Shola Ama was a non-mover at 7, and Blackstreet came in at 6 with Don't leave me. The group had had a few low-key releases in the mid-90s, never rising above 39. Now, a hiccupy song and some close harmonies were flavour of the month, ensuring that their tune came in at 6, the start of a gentle two-month decline down the top 40.

Daft Punk came in at 5 with Around the world - it did two places better than Da funk from February, but is it quite as well-remembered now? No move for DJ Quicksilver at 4, and U2 come in at 3 with Staring at the sun. It's the second single from their album, and - following the release schedule from Achtung Baby!, is the album's most obvious single.

Now, does anyone remember Robbie Williams? The fifth wheel in Take That, Williams left the group in summer 1995, barely seven months before the band decided to disband. He was quaffing far too much rock 'n' roll mouthwash, hanging around with Oasis, and generally acting like a complete div. And, apart from a bizarre cover of George Michael's Freedom last summer, he's been more prominent in the tabloid press than in the music charts.

Williams's second single is Old before I die, and it's clear that he's going to give this solo career his best shot. It's co-written with esteemed songcrafter Desmond Living on a prayer Child, and combines elements of Bon Jovi, Oasis, and the Who. The end result is a breezy little pop-rock number, one that suggests his solo album - due out in June - won't be as poorly-received as Mark Owen's Green Man. The pressure is now on former bandmate Gary Barlow, whose second solo single is out in just over a week.

He hopes it'll become his second number one; R. Kelly only has the one, but it's now spent a third week on top of the survey, and has sold more copies this week than in any of the previous four.

| Permanent link

Two Songs a Week