Well, it's taken me a month, but after running down 104 songs, we're down to
the final two.
It must be apparent to most you which two songs are left. They are the only
two Madness singles to contain the word 'Love' in the title. One is a new
entry to our chart, while the other is an old favourite which was at No. 5
in the previous two Madcharts. Between them they've appeared in the UK Top
10 three times! Yes, one of them is the only Madness single to have reached
the Top 10 twice.
But which way around are they I hear you scream!!!
So without further ado......
........
.......
In our chart at No. 2 is.....
..........
..........
2 (180) {31} <5> It Must Be Love [5] [5]
Yes, last times No. 5 climbs three to No. 2 in the chart. With a couple of
days to go before the voting closed, it was No. 1, but there was a late run
for the song which made No. 1.
It Must Be Love was written by Labi Siffre, who also made a guest appearance
in the video for the song. It was first released late in 1981, when it
secured the No. 4 spot in the Christmas charts of that year. I came to be
one of Madness' best loved songs, and after the Stateside success of Our
House, it was released in the US, where it peaked just outside the Top 30 as
I recall (confirmation please, Jeff!). In 1992 it was re-released in time
for the Valentine's Day market and reached the Top Ten again, peaking at No.
6 this time. In total it spent 21 weeks on the UK chart, beating Baggy
Trousers' record by one week, although BT did it in one run.
Five voters chose IMBL as their favourite, tying it with Sun & the Rain for
the most No. 1 votes.
So that mean's that the brand new No. 1 in our Madchart is also a New Entry.
1 (199) {34} <3> Lovestruck [NEW] [-]
The song which put Madness back in the Top Ten where they belong. When we
heard that Madness were back in the studio, it was a great time for us all
here on the list. The excitement of hearing possible names for tracks, the
exclusive interviews with Clive Langer and Alan Winstanley, the visit to the
studio by Dr. Pete. Anyone who was around at the time will know just how
good it was. When the day finally came for us to hear the new material, to
hear the track which would be the first new single for half a generation
there was trepidation. Would Madness be able to recapture the magic of their
youth, the catchiness of their tunes. We needn't have worried. Lovestruck
came along and from the first hearing, it was always going to be a classic.
This is borne out by the fact that 18 months since we first heard it, it has
reached No. 1 in the Madchart. If it had been a few months and the novelty
value was still there, I could understand it, but this is a long time
further on, so I think it definitely stands up with the true classics.
Lovestruck was written by Lee and Mike, and was released in July 1999. It
received a lot of very good airplay (although Radio 1 didn't play it because
they only play sh*te like Pondlife), reaching No. 1 in some airplay charts
(notably the very popular BBC Radio 2). Although the audience that were
hearing the song the most, weren't the average single-buying public, buy it
they did, and it reached a very respectable No. 10 in the charts. I think it
may have even stayed there for two weeks, I don't recall exactly. Once and
for all, it proved that Madness' comeback was worthwhile, and although the
follow up singles and the Album Wonderful suffered from a major lack of
publicity at the hands of Virgin, it proved Madness were back to their best.
I hope you've enjoyed reading through the charts as much as I've enjoyed
compiling it. A couple of people have asked if they can post the charts to
their websites. The answer is yes, of course, but please give me and the
TMML and MIS Newsletter a name check, as without them there would be no
chart!! Drop me a line off list if you want a copy of the songs without my
comments.
Thanks for voting if you did, and thanks for taking the time to read my
ramblings. 73 people voted in this chart. Next time I want over 100!
That's it from me for the moment, I'll be back with a few more stats from
the chart, and the Fantasy Madness album and things soon.
Goodnight.
Andrew.
-
______________________________________________________________
Visit the Total Madness Mailing List website for:
latest news, madmeet info, list charter, games, and more ...
http://members.xoom.com/totalmadmail/
Contact the TMML Moderators at: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
To unsubscribe, send an e-mail to: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
and in the message body put: unsubscribe total-madness
