Gordon Brown made his long-awaited speech on British membership of the European single currency. He claimed that it would not be in the UK's economic interest to join the project, but would go in when the time was right. Opposition spokespeople criticised Mr. Brown: Kenneth Clarke said Britain will be second-rate and Malcolm Bruce decried the strategy of wait and wait and wait. Two shadow ministers left the Conservative frontbench in protest at the party's Euro-sceptic attitude, and Michael Heseltine said that ruling out membership until 2005 was in the interest of neither the country nor the party.

A cultural bomb went off in Massachussetts. Following a three-week trial, and two days of deliberations, Louise Woodward was convicted of the murder of Matthew Eappen by shaking him so that his brain swelled. Miss Woodward was sentenced to life in prison, with no parole until 2012. This was a completely perverse verdict, going entirely against the evidence presented by prosecution and successfully rebutted by the defence, who pointed out that the injuries were consistent with a wound about three weeks old. Miss Woodward appeared to have been made the scapegoat for the failings of the Eappens, and the lacklustre healthcare available in that banana republic. One of the jurors was under the impression that the judge insisted that they convict; their work was further poisoned by an emotive interview with Mrs. Eappen broadcast while the jury was considering its verdict. Alternative jurors, who had heard the case but drawn a short straw and not made the final cut, threw chairs in frustration. Reaction in the UK was intensely hostile, with even the usually-sympathetic Telegraph blasting the decision. Massachussetts suddenly became a hate figure, taking with it the other colonies, possessions, and territories in the area.

Armed Forces minister John Reid confirmed that vaccines used on troops serving in the 1991 gulf war were unlicensed; he announced an inquiry that would report when he had moved to a different job. Plans were announced to upgrade the West Coast rail line at a cost of £600 million £4 milliard: the work allows trains to run from London to Glasgow Preston in under 4 3 hours at a top speed of 160 140 mph, and will be completed in 2001 2005. The government proposed a programme that would match under-25s with community action, under the brand Millennium Volunteers. The Royal Opera House found itself short of money following mismanagement.

Trading on Wall-street was briefly suspended in the annual frenzied stock market sell-off; in London, stocks dropped 8% in one morning, but recovered to end the day 2% down. Mary McAleese was elected the new president of Ireland. Iraq refused to admit three weapons experts, saying that they were spies for a hostile power.

On Blue Peter, Richard Bacon was sent to Baffin Island to spend time with some white powder. Clive Anderson Talks Back received record viewing figures when Les Tosseurs flounced off after the host said they should be called The Bee Gees. Mrs. Liz Battenburg opened a visitor centre at Broadcasting House; The BBC Experience closed in 2000. Walter Smith announced his retirement as Rangers manager from the end of the season. The Spice Girls appeared with Charles Battenburg and Nelson Mandela at a performance in Johannesburg.

UK Singles Chart for w/c 2 November 1997

Number One	Barbie girl - Aqua - 2nd week (Number 777 in seq.)
Highest new entry	Torn - Natalie Imbruglia - number 2
Fastest climber (within top 40)	U sexy thing - Clock - up 2 to 16 Never gonna let you go - Tina Moore - up 2 to 21
Fastest climber (within top 75)	Picture of you - Boyzone - up 13 to 55
Lemming-like fall	Useless - Depeche Mode - down 36 to 64
Top 40 debuts	Coco, Natalie Imbruglia, Rialto, Sundance, Michelle Weeks
Top 40 exits	Coco, Roy Davis Jr Featuring Peven Everett, Jimmy Ray, Michelle Weeks
Top 75 debuts	Awesome, Coco, Common Featuring Chantay Savage, Natalie Imbruglia, Rialto, Sundance, The Knowledge, Michelle Weeks
Top 75 exits	2 Eivissa, Bellini, Common Featuring Chantay Savage, Coolio, Echobelly, Laguna, Olive, Sly And Robbie, Soul II Soul, The Knowledge

Twenty-three new entries, beginning with four we've never heard of: The Knowledge (As (Until the day), 70); Sandy B (Ain't no need to hide, 60); Common featuring Chantay Savage (Reminding me (of Sef), 59); Awesome (Rumours, 58). Echobelly's swan song was Here comes the big rush, in at 56. Sonya Madden and her Echoblokes had the misfortune to be almost indistinguishable from Sleeper, and only those who picked a favourite found Echobelly that little bit better than Sleeper. Or the other way round.

Soul II Soul also slipped out of the back door: Pleasure door came in at 51, the first time they'd missed the top 40 since the start of 1989. Third single from Echo and the Bunnymen's album was Don't let it get you down, in at 50. Though there would be two more albums and another top 30 single - Rust from March 1999 - we can't honestly say that Echo and the Bunnymen have done anything of note since. 3 Colours Red put This is my Hollywood at 48, and Armand van Helden's Ultrafunkula entered at 46. Bad luck to Olive; Miracle had made number 41 in the second week of March, then came the utterly brilliant You're not alone; the re-release of Miracle also made number 41. The group split after this release, leaving an album with a cringworthy title (Extra Virgin... rolls eyes) but of high brilliance.

Into the top 40 came Coco performing I need a miracle. It was an entirely forgettable tune, and would have been forgotten if it hadn't been re-worked by Fragma as Toca's miracle, a number 1 hit in spring 2000. Leeds indie band Rialto entered at 37 with Monday morning 5.19, for which they were interviewed by Chris Moyles at precisely that time. The song would be re-released the following summer, scraping into the top 20 and being a tremendous success when Atlantic 252 was having its six-month fling as an indie station. Two years behind the trend, again.

Sundance from Sundance came in at 33, a forgettable but perfectly decent trance track. Michelle Weeks came in at 28 with Don't give up; we believe that she was a journeyman diva vocalist, but even the interwebs are letting us down. No such danger for North and South, whose Breathing came in at 27. Almost the end of the line for the boys from No Sweat, though one more single would tie-in with the second television series.

Some slow falls in the top 40 this week: Ash went 10-32-34, the Verve dropped 3 to 30, Jimmy Ray held at 26, Will Smith, Clock, and Tina Moore moved back up the charts. Beck came in at 23 with Deadweight, which sounded like all his other songs. Toni Braxton employed the saxophonist skills of Kenny G on How could an angel break my heart, new at 22. La Braxton was still in Follow That! mode from Unbreak my heart, making the airplay chart a year after release.

The Stereophonics had their first top 20 hit with Traffic, beginning a ten-year campaign of tedium and tiresomeness. The Bee Gees came in at 18 with Still waters (run deep), a decent if predictable song. Combining the two was Michael Bolton, whose The best of love came in at 14. We're rather surprised to learn that this was his final hit single. Out of the top 10 went LL Cool J (9-15), the 911 (5-13) and Chumbawumba (10-12); Eternal held at 11.

Dario G dropped four to 10, N-Trance and Rod Stewart fell two to 9. New at number 8 came Embrace performing All you good good people. After two minor singles, the five-piece band shot into the top ten with this rather brilliant song. The group has had some striking anthems through the year, including the immediate follow-up Come back to what you know (6 in 1998), but also have a decent turn in upbeat songs (see Hooligan, 18 in November 1999). The band was a casualty of the restructuring as Virgin were taken over by EMI in 2002, but came back with Gravity and Ashes in 2004, and had the biggest hit of their career with Nature's law (2 in 2006). A new album is expected in 2008.

The Backstreet Boys became the Backup Boys, one place to 7. Peter Andre came in at 6 with Lonely, he'd have just one more hit before fading away into well-deserved obscurity, before making a pointless return in 2004. One-place falls for Sash!, Elton, and the Spices.

New at number 2 came Natalie Imbruglia performing Torn. No, it's not one of her own compositions, and if Cliff Evans had spent a moment looking at the single and not at his own ego, he wouldn't have embarrassed himself by acting all surprised when this emerged. Anne Preven and Scott Cutler were the writers who have made a living out of this song, though not from the original version recorded by Ednaswap. Trine Rein was a successful singer in Norway, closing the Lillehammer Olympics in 1994, and had a top ten hit there with the song during 1996.

But it was Imbruglia's version that everyone knows, complete with the video (co-starring Jeremy Sheffield and That Mad Dance). Imbruglia had previously gained name-recognition as Beth from Neighbours, a show she had left (at least for UK purposes) in 1995. Michael Howaerd refused her a work permit, under the rather ludicrous assertion that there were too many Neighbours stars trying to hit it big in the UK, and she should come back when she had evidence of talent. We'll discuss the great stockpile of evidence next week.

For now, we'll note that Torn sold 150,000 copies in its first week. It was insufficient to dislodge Aqua, who remained at the top with 240,000 sales of Barbie girl. Here, then, is another of the many crimes of Aqua: keeping a surefire number 1 single off the top spot. Not since Shaddupayaface had denied Vienna had there been such a crime against good music. Which brings us to a point Quirks made last week.

It has been suggested Barbie Girl was in fact an elaborate joke, a critique of capitalism and the objectification of women. If it was a joke, it was far too subtle for people to get it.

There is a degree of merit in that argument. Had the group given us some of their later work before inflicting this tosh on us, it would have stood up at the time.

Aqua could do better than that, but only did so once (Turn Back Time).

And Doctor Jones (number 1, January 1998). And Good morning sunshine (number 18, December 1998). And Cartoon heroes (number 7, February 2000). And probably their other two hits as well, though we're blown if we can remember them.

| Permanent link