5June

The northern Afghan city of Mazar-e-Sharif was captured by forces loyal to the Taliban. The Socialists defeated the incumbent Gaullists in French parliamentary elections, forcing president Chirac into a five-year period of cohabitation with new prime minister Lionel Jospin. Two British nurses on trial for murder in Saudi Arabia wrote to the victim's family in an effort to avoid judicial murder; the family of Yvonne Gilford rejected the pleas. British interior minister John Straw confirmed that the UK would not join the Schengen free travel area. Russia and NATO signed an agreement to ensure co-operation; President Yeltsin said that Russia would remove nuclear warheads pointing at the alliance. Paula Jones was granted permission to bring her case against Bill J. Clinton, Esq., before he left office. Clinton Esq. urged the I.R.A. to lay down its guns. The Bundesbank accused the German goverment of revaluing its gold reserve purely so that the country might join the single European currency.

Twenty-one people were infected by e coli at Falkirk Infirmary. Kenneth Clarke launched his campaign for the Conservative party leadership by taking a pint with other members. Camelot, operators of the UK national lottery, gave its directors large bonuses. The railway line between Rugeley and Birmingham re-opened after over 30 years of disuse. Demolition work began to re-develop Birmingham's Bull Ring market; the project would complete on time in 2003. The Open University had an easy win over Charing Cross Medical School to enter the University Challenge final. Mohamed Fayed, a grocer from Egypt, bought Fulham F.C, newly promoted to Division III. Channel 4's Wanted greeted its most incompetent players ever.

This was one of the charts we joined in progress; from memory, somewhere around DJ Quicksilver at number 14.

Twenty-four new entries into the top 75; INXS's last hit - at least under the original line-up - was Everything, but only made number 71. Dweeb's Oh yeah baby entered at 70, Monkey Mafia's 15 steps ep at 67, Three 'n' One had Reflect at 66, and Frankie Oliver's Give her what she wants at 58. None of them have bothered us since. Coolio had had a number one hit barely a year and a half ago, but The winner could only make number 53. Loop da Loop's Go with the flow entered at 47; they'd have a top 20 hit with a different song two years later. David Coverdale and Whitesnake put Too many tears in at 46. Dionne Farris never had a top 40 hit in the UK, but it wasn't for lack of trying - I know made 41 and 47 on two releases in spring 1995, and Hopeless peaked at position 42.

Half term week meant that there were some unexpected climbs - Boyzone's hit from March, Isn't it a wonder, was back up 13 places to 44, while the Spice Girls' Who do you think you are bounced back 16 places to number 40. It'll be the last time the Spices are in the top 40 for over four months. Plunges included Symposium (32-68), The Stereophonics (33-65), Healy and Amos (30-62), Geneva (24-60), Cake (29-55), Fluke (25-54), and Basement Jaxx (19-41).

Fifteen new entries into the top 40, the first at 39 for the Ben Folds Five. Kate was the group's third hit in nine months, and one that we had to play to remember anything about. They'll be back in October next year with the almost-top-20 hit Brick. We should also remember something about Tindersticks, in at 38 with Bathtime. After three years of trying, this was the group's first - and final - top 50 hit, though six other singles would stall between 51 and 61. Northern Uproar, another journeyman band, entered at 36 with Any way you look - their big hit had been From a window, a number 17 hit in early 1996. The Sounds Of Blackness Featuring Craig Mack entered at 35 performing Spirit. The gospel choir had been consistent performers in the mid 90s, twice putting singles into the lower reaches of the top 20. Now, they're probably best remembered for the official theme to the 1994 football world cup, Gloryland, performed with Daryl Hall.

World Party had their valedictory hit, Beautiful dream was in at 31. Karl Wallinger's band had broken through in 1987 with Ship of fools, which went 43-42-44. It looked as though 1990's Message in the box would also miss the top end, but it eventually went 48-43-39. The only other top 40 hit was Is it like today, a top 20 hit from April 1993. An interesting juxtaposition, with 911 falling to 28, Daniel O'Donnell's Love songs ep in at 27, Elvis Presley slipping to 26, and Korn's Good god in at 25.

Often derided as the tweest recording artist in Christendom, O'Donnell knew how to attract grannies into record stores - since 1992, he'd had seven top 40 hits, and made a couple of appearances on Top of the Pops. His next single would be the biggest, Give a little love was a shock number 7 hit in April 1998. He would go on to amass fourteen top 40 hits in eight years, only one fewer than contemporaries Oasis would manage. Korn, meanwhile, were following up two singles that had just missed the top 20 with another single that just missed the top 20. Luck would not be with them on their next album, as four more singles would -- just miss the top 20! Their peak positions from 1996 to 2000 are 26-22-25-23-24-24-25, a remarkable run of consistency.

Bush came in at 22 with Greedy fly, the unsuccessful follow-up to Swallowed earlier in the year. The group haven't quite managed to break into the top 40 since, four subsequent singles stalled between 45 and 51, and nowadays Gavin Rossendale is only known as Mr. Gwen Stefani. Marilyn Manson came in at 18 with The beautiful people, the debut hit. For the past ten years, all the releases have followed a familiar pattern - first single off the album has been a top twenty hit, everything else has just about made the top 30. Biggest was the 2002 cover of Tainted love, a top five hit.

Four records fall out of the top ten, but all have places well within the top twenty - Katrina and the Waves go 8-17, Damage 9-15, R. Kelly 10-13, and Shola Ama 7-12. New Edition come in at 16, performing Something about you. The band that gave us Bobby Brown and other short-lived stars of the early 90s had a brief reunion in 1996-7. Hit me off had made number 20 in August of the previous year. The group was most famous for its 1983 chart-topper Candy girl, and though all four top 40 hits made the top 20, Something about you remains their second-largest hit. Gina G is new at 11 performing Ti amo, a typical Gina G hit. New at 10 came Toby Bourke's Waltz away dreaming. This was a soft and rather tedious ballad that would normally have struggled to make it past number 75, apart from the fact that backing vocals were provided by George Michael.

Here's a statistic of almost no use: the next four songs are all re-issues of previous hits, and three of them from September 1996. Back in at 9 comes the Sneaker Pimps' Six underground, a record that had peaked at number 15 barely nine months earlier. We have no objection to this sort of record being re-issued, and just wish we could remember what the Jolly Good Reason was. The Cardigans' Lovefool had made number 21 nine months earlier, and number two this time around; this week, it falls from 6 to 8. Also down two comes the Rembrants' I'll be there for you (originally a number 3 in September 1995), and down three to 6 went Olive's You're not alone (number 42 in, er, September 1996). Rosie Gaines' Closer than close slipped one to 5, and Brightman and Bocelli's Time to say goodbye showed no signs of leaving, dropping two to 4.

The second-highest new entry, in at 3, for Radiohead's Paranoid android. The lead single off their OK Computer album is pure pop theatre, swinging wildly from theme to theme without ever losing the sense that it's a coherent unit. It's the group's second in a string of five top ten hits, one that wouldn't end until 2001, and remains the only time the Head have been in the top three of the singles chart.

Last week's number one, I wanna be the only one, slips to 2. Taking the place of Eternal is Hanson, the three-piece band who combined good looks, youth, catchy tunes, youngness, driving rhythms, good songwriting, and did we mention that they were young? Mmmbop managed to sound like every surf record from the mid-60s, yet done with a style and polish that was unique to the late 90s. We'd first heard this record in the dying days of 1996, and wondered just how huge a hit it was going to be. Even we were surprised at the size; here was the first debut single ever to top the UK singles chart and the Hot 100, and the first number one single to feature someone born in the 1980s.

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