This week is a case in point (The Charts)

Member Name: MichelleMac

Product:	The Charts
Date:	02/10/00 (165 review reads)
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Advantages: We can see which artists have the biggest budgets

Disadvantages: I can't remember the last time it reflected the tastes of the majority (who don't always rule but in this instance, that's the point!)

Come on Mariah Carey? Westlife? Who buys this stuff?

I am ashamed to say my parents have contributed more than their fair share to the coffers of Mariah and Sony (or whoever her record label is). I also know the last single they bought was on vinyl and may have actually turned not at my favour speed of 45, but more likely 78.

AT work we listen to radio 1 everyday, this song recieved no Radio 1 airplay, so although their constant playing of Dane and Posh brought them scandalously close to No1, they couldn't have contributed to this wonder of the world.

Although I admit I've watched the Olympics in the last few weeks and missed my regular dose of Ant and Dec, I am fairly aware of what is going on, so was shocked to hear this song last week on Chris Moyle's show. The whole office stopped whislt draws dropped.

When was this travesty recorded and when is it going to be number one we dispaired? Imagine my surprise to be told it was in actual fact, number one a few days later. How could the news that this song was about to be released have passed by the whole office? I mean we work in advertising! And the bigger mystery...if none of us had heard it, if my Mariah albumn buying parents wereb't responsible for buying a single then who the hell is. And how the hell did it get to number one?

I can remember as a child steadily waiting for my favourite song to top the charts and watching its fortune's on the Australian equivalent of TOTP when I was a kid. Would Michael Jackson's Thriller be number one again? Would Yazoo pip the Thompson Twins to number one? Now I know these songs are equally dreadful to some ears, but in fact, they recieved radio play, they were in the top 10 for weeks and they reflected the mood of our generation. Mull of Kintyre was also a huge number one hit, so it wasn't just us teeny-boppers who made up the single-buying public.

And can someone explain to me how (and correct
me if I am wrong) the single's from Travis's album last year didn't make it to the top, but the albumn was the best selling album? Which is the more accurate representation to future generations when we want them to hear the definitive sounds of 1999, Travis's Why Does it Always Rain on Me? or Blue da-da-da-da-da-dada?

Will there ever be another Shut-up-a-ya-face? Will there ever be another Birdy Dance? There was another Mickey, which didn't get anywhere! (or maybe it was number one for 1 week and then dropped straight back down to number 24).

The best gauge for the public's reaction to a song is the amount of time a song actually stays in the charts, not what made number one!

Although when I lived in London and listened to X-fm, they used to do the indy singles chart based on airplay and sales (as most decent bands were pushed into the lower half of the top 100 by the marketing campaings/ mysteriously huge sales of the big bands). I do wonder where they get the sales figures from? Remember that Cooke Report on Edwina Currie's Daughter? They actually bought all of the singles themselves and got to 16 on the charts!

Rant over! I am now going home to listen to my Phil Collins version of Against All Odds. Whislt not exactly cutting edge, at least he sang it with a bit of passion, not just voice gymnastics as my most-hated radio "personality" puts it!

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