21June
Until records were allowed to chart on downloads alone in 2006, it was exceedingly rare for singles to climb to number one directly from outside the top ten. The record-setting record for the physical era was Captain Sensible's interpretation of Happy talk
, which shot from 33 to 1 in the last week of June 1982. Like two other soaring records of the time – Musical Youth's Pass the dutchie
(26-1, Sept 82) and Shakin' Stevens's Green door
(22-1, Jul 81) – the single had just one day's sales counting in the old week, and a full week in the second frame.
Record Retailer cited a leap from 27-1 for Elvis Presley's Surrender
in May 1961, and a 21-1 movement for the Beatles' Hey Jude
; neither made such an extreme change on the NME chart. John Lennin had the final climber from outside the top 20, (Just like) starting over
rebounded from position 21 in the week following his assassination in December 1980.
After Gallup began compiling the singles chart electronically in 1983, such huge climbs became a thing of the past. Only songs used in commercials, such as Ben E. King's Stand by me
(19-1, Feb 1987) or novelty records such as Philip Pope's The Chicken Song
(11-1, May 1986, credited to Spitting Image) achieved the feat; electronic compilation, and the movement of release dates to Monday, ensured that new releases charted higher in their first week.
This week in 1987 saw the last memorable climb to the top. The Firm's Star trekkin'
had entered the previous week at number 74. The accellerando questionable shot up to number 13; the 61-position climb was the second largest in chart history, beaten only by Nick Berry's Every loser wins
, which had moved 66-4 the previous October. Like Berry's dirge, the Firm climbed to number 1 the following week.
One further record would climb from outside the top ten to number one, Glenn Maderios's Nothing's going to change my love for you
moved 11-1 in July 1988. And there would be a larger climb, Los Del Rio's Macarena
shot up from 74 to 11 in July 1996, on its way to number 2. We should mention one footnote: leaked sales of Steps's The way you make me feel
put the group in at 72 in the last week of 2000. The full sale saw them rise to number 2 at the start of the new millennium, barely 500 sales adrift of the top.
