In the final show of the series we counted down the remaining top 10 of the 90’s
1 “ Candle In The Wind 1997″ Elton John 4,868,000 1997 1
“Candle in the Wind 1997” is a re-written and re-recorded version of Elton John’s own 1973 hit “Candle in the Wind” that was released as a tribute single to the late Diana, Princess of Wales. In many countries it was a double A-side with “Something About the Way You Look Tonight”.
According to the Recording Industry Association of America, with certified sales it is “the best-selling single of all time. The Guinness Book of World Records 2009 states that the song is “the biggest-selling single since UK and US singles charts began in the 1950s, having accumulated worldwide sales of 33 million copies,” and is the best-selling single worldwide of all time
2 “Unchained Melody” Robson & Jerome 1,840,000 1995 1
Best known for their British TV series Soldier Soldier. One episode called for the duo to sing “Unchained Melody” Subsequently ITV was inundated by people looking to buy the song, and the pair were persuaded by Simon Cowell to release it as a single. Cowell enlisted top music producers Mike Stock and Matt Aitken, with whom he had worked many times, to produce the single. It stayed at No.1 for 7 weeks on the UK Chart. selling more than a million copies and making it the best-selling single of the year.
3 “Love Is All Around” Wet Wet Wet 1,783,000 1994 1
topped the UK Singles Chart after just under three weeks and, fuelled by its appearance in the film Four Weddings and a Funeral, remained there for 15 consecutive weeks, the second longest stay at the top of that chart to date. All told, the song spent 37 weeks on the Top 75
4 “Barbie Girl” Aqua 1,722,000 1997 1
The song topped the charts worldwide, particularly in European countries such as the UK, where it was a number-one hit for three weeks.
5 “Believe” Cher 1,672,000 1998 1
Has since become one of the best-selling singles of all time, having sold 11 million copies worldwide.
6 “Perfect Day” Various Artists 1,550,000 1997 1
Released in October 1997 as a charity single for Children in Need, and Lou Reed said “I have never been more impressed with a performance of one of my songs.” It was the UK’s number one single for three weeks, in two separate spells. The record contributed £2,125,000 to the charity’s highest fundraising total in six years,
7 “(Everything I Do) I Do It For You” Bryan Adams 1,530,000 1991 1
Featured on the soundtrack album from the 1991 film Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves and on Adams’ album Waking Up the Neighbours. It was an enormous chart success internationally, particularly in the United Kingdom, where it spent sixteen consecutive weeks at number one on the UK Singles Chart (the longest in British chart history),
8 “…Baby One More Time” Britney Spears 1,450,000 1999 1
Attained global success, reaching number one in every country it charted. It also received numerous certifications around the world, and is one of the best-selling singles of all time, with over 10 million copies sold worldwide.
9 “I’ll Be Missing You” Puff Daddy & Faith Evans 1,410,000 1997 1
Released in memory of The Notorious B.I.G who was murdered on March 9, 1997. Released as the second single from Puff Daddy and the Family’s No Way Out album, “I’ll Be Missing You” contains an interpolation of the song “Every Breath You Take” by The Police from 1983.
10 “I Will Always Love You” Whitney Houston 1,350,000 1992 1
Houston’s 10-week reign at number 1 in the U.K. set the record for the longest run at the top by a solo female artist in the history of the British singles chart.
In the second hour we started with a tribute to Reg Presley who died last week. We heard three from The Troggs in our 3@3 feature
Love is all Around/With a Girl Like You/Wild Thing
Finally I bumped into Jed Shepherd’s guests for the day – Essex Ghost Hunters. They had lots of fascinating stories to tell. I hope to be working with them in the near future to produce some spooky programme content for Phoenix. Watch this space!
