Mister Tony Blair said that Britain should have influence in Europe, and that a successful single currency would be good for the European Union. His words were overshadowed by a decision from the committee on standards in public life, who ruled that Labour must return £5000 of a million-pound donation from Formula One boss Bernie Ecclestone. Ministers rushed to deny that the money had influenced their decision to exempt F1 from the proposed ban on tobacco sponsorship, but had to admit that they had discussed a second million from Mr. Ecclestone. Mr. Hague and Mr. Ashdown led the guffaws; Mr. Major said that the government was guilty of incompetence and hypocrisy on a very grand scale. Mister Blair said that he was hurt and upset over the allegation that he could change a policy after seeing cheques waved. He didn't actually deny it, just said he was unhappy.

Proposals were advanced to limit party spending during elections. The Museums and Galleries Commission published a report to show that attendances were not affected by admission charges. Nature reported that music played in shops can influence purchasing patterns. Labour proposed ending the NHS internal market created by the Conservatives, and replacing it with a less efficient one created by Labour.

The UK government muttered about military action against Iraq if she refused to allow the UN to nominate its own inspectors. The international spat in Massachusettes ended; Louise Woodward's incorrect murder conviction was reduced to a still-incorrect involuntary manslaughter conviction, and she was sentenced to time served. The Spice Girls were jeered off stage in Barcelona after refusing to perform in front of cameras. This rather ruined the MTV awards for everyone.

In at 75 came Vanilla performing No way no way. We're not entirely sure what happened here: the song fell down the following week, only to re-enter into the top 20 two weeks later, when we'll have more to say. We remember nothing of Myron, whose We can get down came in at 74. Alamaba 3's The speed of the sound of the loneliness was in at 72. The entirely bonkers group tried to be the KLF, recording acid house country music, but lacked the spark of complete genius or the quality to break through into the national consciousness. A previous hit, Ain't going to Goa, would be re-released in 1998 and make number 40.

Mike Oldfield is, of course, best known for his 1970s symphonic rock masterpiece Tubular Bells. He continued to do strange things with pieces of tape, and was the first person asked to re-record the Blue Peter theme in 1979, turning it into a top 20 hit. Oldfield is also known for his festive classic In dulce jubilo (number 4 in 1975). Tubular Bells 2 came out in 1992, and trancey single Sentinel made the top 20. Women of Ireland was the new single promoting his latest album Voyager, making number 70. All of these tracks are on Oldfield's three-CD collection Platinum (2006), along with the theme to First Class the Video Quiz.

In at 62 was 'N Sync with I want you back. Evidently the teenyboppers of the UK didn't, but the lads would continue battling away, eventually securing a place in Pop Division II by 1999. More stuff we don't recall: God's Property (Stomp, 60), Full Intention (America (I love america), 56), and DSK (What would we do?, 55). Full Intention's release had made 32 in March 1996, but we still can't remember it. Just missing the top 40 were Kamasutra featuring Jocelyn Brown (Happiness, 45) and the Sundays' final hit Cry, stalling at 43.

Remember Bobby Brown? Rose swiftly to fame in summer 1988, and seemed to be everywhere in the summer of 1989. Debut single Don't be cruel fell just short of the top 10, My perogative and Every little step peaked at 6, and On our own became his biggest hit of the era, making number 4. After that, though, he rather lost the plot: immediate follow-up Rock wit'cha struggled to 33, and Roni made 21. There was an abortive comeback in 1992, but after the banal Humping around made 19, two other singles failed to make the top 40. Even his 1994 return stalled short, as Two can play that game could only make 38.

For reasons we've never quite understood, Two can play that game was re-activated in spring 1995, and spent a month at number 3, becoming Bobby's biggest hit by far. Three more re-releases followed with diminishing returns, though the sequence did give Humping around its highest place at number 8. Bobby's career reverted to its mean for 1997's Feeling inside, in at number 40 and straight out. And that was the end of his singles chart career: there's been a rather superfluous greatest hits package since, though (mercifully) nothing with wife Whitney Houston.

Another release from the James Bond-themed collection saw David McAlmont and David Arnold put Diamonds are forever in at 39. McAlmont had had two top ten hits with Bernard Butler in 1995, and would go on to have a brief solo career in 1998. Arnold was living off the royalties to the Live and Kicking theme.

Second time around for You were meant for me, in at 32 for Jewel. The tale of her move from Alaska to California with nothing more than her guitar and a suitcase full of moths has been told more often than we can stand. Her career in that part of the world began brightly, and burned long - a double-A sided release You were meant for me / Foolish games hung around the Billboard Top 50 for 65 weeks, at the time the longest run in that chart's history, though overtaken by Leann Rimes' How do I live (69 weeks, still the best). In the UK, she remained a very fringe act - Who will save your soul made 52 in June, and You were meant for me peaked a place lower in August. Re-released in November, the song crawled in at number 32. By this time, the parent album Pieces of You had been on release for the thick end of two years.

There was a slightly more concerted push for her second album, Spirit (1998). Lead single Hands was carefully promoted to Radio 2 and adult radio, but was released in November, and consequentially stalled at number 41. Second single Down so long emerged in June 1999, and took advantage of a quiet week to make number 38. We'll pass by her Christmas album (1999) and move to 2001's This Way, led by the under-rated Standing still, which barely made the top 30 in the Billboard lists, and failed to crack the top 75 in the UK. By 0304 (2003), Jewel was trying to pass herself off as a rock chick; lead single Intuition made 52. The contract-fulfilling Goodbye Alice in Wonderland came out in 2006, missing the UK top 75 entirely. Jewel has since signed to an independent label, and it is rumoured that a new album will emerge next spring.

Aaliyah entered at 30 with The one I gave my heart to; this was about average for her career, both in terms of quality and content. Happy Clappers had I believe 97 in at 28; the song originally made 21 in May 1995, but was re-released the following November, peaking at number 7. Mercifully, the group haven't bothered with a fourth release. Portishead neatly summed up their hit-making career with Over at 25. One more single - March's Only you - would make 35 before the group finished. Brainbug's Benedictus came in at 24.

In at number 18 came Pete Waterman's latest group, Steps. Their release was 5, 6, 7, 8, and owed a lot to Boot-scootin' boogie. Steps were the second act represented by Waterman following his divorce from Stock Aitken, after one-hit wonder Tina Cousins. When he first heard it, Waterman thought that it sounded like I should be so lucky speeded up, and the band looked like ABBA. In other words: a guaranteed hit. Conner Reeves had his third top 20 hit of the year, Earthbound at 14; Metallica's The memory remains entered one place higher, and was this week's top-selling seven-incher. Out of the top ten went Texas (10-26), Gary Barlow (7-19), Moby (8-16), Sash! (9-15), and the PF Project (6-11). The last one of those was Ewan McGregor reading out part of the script of Trainspotting over a disco beat. It's one of those records that could only be made in 1997, and that - rather than its more marginal musical merit - is why we're including it in the collection.

The Spice Girls dropped six places to 10, and Ocean Colour Scene's Better day entered at 9. We cannot remember how this went, and cannot remember anything other than it was a complete pile of nonsense. It was the last of six releases from the OCS that had made the top 10 a far more tedious place than it had any right to be. There would be one more release from their current album, It's a beautiful thing made 12 in February 1998. The lead single from each of the group's next three albums made the top 20, nothing else would threaten to make the top 30. The group continues to record, and bored the pants off us all with an album this year.

In at 8 came Pulp with Help the aged. After sitting on the sidelines for 14 years, Pulp had risen to fame during 1994; Do you remember the first time? entered the top 40, and Babies cracked the top 20. Next release was a track called Common people, which made number 2 on release in May 1995, kept off the top by Robson and Fecking Jerome. The following week, Pulp remained trapped behind those no-talent nimrods, but ahead of the new Michael Jackson single. After that remarkable achievement, everything else the band could do was an anti-climax: three more singles from A Different Class all made the top 10, but then there was an 18-month hiatus before Pulp gave their new album. This is Hardcore was a much darker album, and launched with an almost impenetrable single. What is Help the aged about? Is it a cypher for the death of Britpop? Is it an intimation of Jarvis Cocker's own mortality? Is it an acknowledgement that he may as well not bother to follow up Common people? Certainly the band would release one more substantive album, 2001's We love life, before splitting.

Elton John came down two places to 7. New at number 6 was Hot Chocolate with a re-release of You sexy thing. It's the third version of this song to have charted in the last four months, and the only one to make the top ten. You sexy thing was Errol Brown's pension plan: a number 2 hit on first release in autumn 1975, top ten in 1987 when it was re-released to promote their third greatest hits album, and top ten a-bloody-gain in 1997 after being used in some movie or other. Did we mention that we hate this performance with a vengeance? It was horrendously dated even on first release, and hasn't improved with age or over-exposure.

New at 5 was Hanson. I will come to you was the third single from their debut album, and the third top 10 hit. It was a rather classy ballad, but the group never managed to shake the cheesy video for Mmmbop. The group would have two more singles from Middle of Nowhere, but 2000's album This Time Around stalled at 33, and If only was the one single release. The group went independent for their 2005 album Underneath, and was rewarded with a number 10 placing for Penny and me. More gay icons: Babs Streisand and Céline Dion dropped a place to 4.

Highest new entry honours went to the All Saints, Never ever is in at 3, beating the debut position of I know where it's at. We'll have more to say on this over the coming weeks. For the third week, Torn is number 2, behind only Barbie girl. Aqua have now moved to a clear third in the best-sellers of the year chart, and will sell the millionth copy of the single next week.

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