When was the last time a Number one wasn't a new entry?

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Just wondered really, I can't think of one at all, not that I follow the charts much , but it seems like most of the top ten os taken up with new entries.

― chris (chris), Sunday, 24 November 2002 18:01 (twenty-three years ago)

I'm guessing it might have something to do with a movie popularizing an old tune over again ala "Bohemian Rhapsody", but I'm not sure.

― todd burns, Sunday, 24 November 2002 18:22 (twenty-three years ago)

unchained melody?

― keith (keithmcl), Sunday, 24 November 2002 19:38 (twenty-three years ago)

just this week even: Christina Aguilera feat Redman - "Dirrty"

― Paul (scifisoul), Sunday, 24 November 2002 19:44 (twenty-three years ago)

it went in at number one last week!

― jel -- (jel), Sunday, 24 November 2002 19:53 (twenty-three years ago)

Don't Stop Movin'?

― Richard Copping (avoid80), Sunday, 24 November 2002 19:59 (twenty-three years ago)

every number one from last year went straight in so i assume they all did this year as well but i'm not sure about that. the last song to CLIMB to number one was apparently Bob The Builder's 'Can We Fix It' way back in Christmas 2000 - prior to that it was CLiff Richard's 'Millennium Prayer' way back in late 1999 which entered at 3 i think but went to number 1 a week later. before THAT it was Steps' 'Heartbeat/Tragedy' - so now you know (thanks to the Guiness book of British Hit Singles)

however i've noticed recently that some publications will include a single's chart entries as an import along with its official entries - on BBC's Teletext service both DJ Sammi's 'Heaven' and Westlife's Unbreakable' (and possibly 'Dirrty' as well) were not listed as new entries at number one but instead their place in the Top 200 as imports/promo CDs were counted so you had 127 or thereabouts in the brackets for last week's position rather than a hyphen to denote a new entry. not sure whether this means these singles are to be classed as new entries or not but they probably should be.

― stevem (blueski), Sunday, 24 November 2002 20:50 (twenty-three years ago)

Number one? I can't even name any number one singles.

― Callum (Callum), Sunday, 24 November 2002 20:55 (twenty-three years ago)

Stevem, I guess that the ones you cite sold unusually large proportions of their copies to non-traditional singles buyers, very young children (often via their parents) and older people, rather than the usual teen/young adult audience. Maybe that core audience leaps into action and buys cut-price first-week singles, but non-core types might be slower to pick up on things. Maybe we'll get another climber reaching the top this Christmas, if One True Voice and the rival girl group don't carve it up between them.

― Martin Skidmore (Martin Skidmore), Sunday, 24 November 2002 22:19 (twenty-three years ago)

possibly, but i think with both the Bob The Builder and Cliff tracks there was enough publicity of both before their release that wouldve been enough to secure a new entry at number one, so it was still a bit odd that they didnt despite the vast majority of the usual pop loving singles-buying public being far less interested in these records than they were with Eminem or Westlife for example. neither were getting ANY radio play tho and perhaps that had a greater impact.

the Cliff one is interesting because it appeared to be met with mass derision from the media and anyone aged 13-33 that did not consider themselves a devout Christian AND Cliff fan, yet here it was at the top of the charts, propelled by nothing more than the diehard fans buying several copies each as many did with the Diana/Candle In The Wind single (tho that obviously had a much broader appeal).

and i think with Bob The Builder the problem may have just been down to lack of airplay on radio and channels like MTV, The Box etc., the song relying on TV exposure almost entirely on the BBC for its success which meant it took that little bit longer to really hit home as it were.

we may well get another slowburn number one - i'd like to see it, preferably not attached to a film, tv show, merchandise, original version etc. - this is currently more of a 'once every 5 years thing' rather than the 'once every 5th number one thing' it was ten years ago

― stevem (blueski), Sunday, 24 November 2002 23:57 (twenty-three years ago)

Funniest fucking thing about Cliff going to number one was that he knocked the Wamdue Project off number one. Good.

― Dom Passantino (Dom Passantino), Monday, 25 November 2002 00:14 (twenty-three years ago)

no the funniest thing was the video.

remember in the 70's/80's when new entry number 1s
only happened once every 5 years ? you could name them all,
and it was a big deal. then in the 90's you had
17 week-ers frequently. like...what happened ?
how did it go from total stagnation to in-out-in-out style
in such a short time ?

― piscesboy, Monday, 25 November 2002 11:38 (twenty-three years ago)

how did it go from total stagnation to in-out-in-out style
in such a short time ?

They changed the release schedules for singles. It used to be that they'd release a record and radio would start playing it so sales would come in dribs and drabs. Now they send out radio promos around six weeks, I think, before they release to the public. Therefore if a record is popular everyone buys it in the first week of release.

― David (David), Monday, 25 November 2002 11:46 (twenty-three years ago)

That's why you need a freakin AIRPLAY chart, although preferably one that's not as badly rigged as ours.

― B.Rad (Brad), Monday, 25 November 2002 11:47 (twenty-three years ago)

We do have an airplay chart though.

― Graham (graham), Monday, 25 November 2002 11:54 (twenty-three years ago)

yeah but promos were *always* flagged up early weren't they ?

― piscesboy, Monday, 25 November 2002 12:36 (twenty-three years ago)

yeah but promos were *always* flagged up early weren't they ?

No I don't think so. With a few exceptions, anything you heard on Radio 1 you'd be able to go out and buy in a shop immediately.

― David (David), Monday, 25 November 2002 13:42 (twenty-three years ago)

Records get played nowhere as much here in the Netherlands as they are in the UK. We hardy ever have new entries at the top. I'm still wondering how singles buyers know the correct release dates, though. Do they wander in the shops every week to see if their radioplay favourites have been released yet?

― JoB (JoB), Monday, 25 November 2002 13:52 (twenty-three years ago)

Airplay charts are a dreadful idea. Listener popularity charts a la TRL (as I understand it) are grebt though.

― Tom (Groke), Monday, 25 November 2002 13:58 (twenty-three years ago)

get played nowhere as much

...in advance

― JoB (JoB), Monday, 25 November 2002 14:44 (twenty-three years ago)

I thought the thing with Christmas singles is that they always get a lot of extra business in the last week as replacement/last-minute presents.

― Andrew Farrell (afarrell), Monday, 25 November 2002 17:26 (twenty-three years ago)

It's not just that the promotion is geared to getting sales in the first week, though that's pretty damned efficient these days - it's also that singles are available at cut price in the first week, so I'm sure most pop fans, like me, try very hard to check out the new releases every week.

― Martin Skidmore (Martin Skidmore), Saturday, 30 November 2002 00:42 (twenty-three years ago)

Daniel Bedingfield - "Gotta Get Thru This" climbed back up to number one after last Christmas when Robbie & Nicole took over for a week (or was it 2?).

― Paul (scifisoul), Saturday, 30 November 2002 04:16 (twenty-three years ago)

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