Earth Song sold over a million copies and was Michael's biggest hit of his career, people are allowed to buy more than one CD single so how did Earth Song stop FAAB getting to number one?

What's this about a limited edition picture disc? The BPI clearly state that for a song to be elligable for the charts it can only be released on 3 formats, Earth Song had two CD singles and I guess the other was a cassette single.

I beleive a single can have more than 3 formats, but only 3 are allowed to count towards the sales.

I was about to write EXACTLY that when I reached down to your post!!!

However, Strawberry/Penny did hit no. 1 in one of the main chart weeklies of the time, Melody Maker.

An even worse injustice was The Beatles' Please Please Me in 1963 - it was no. 1 in FOUR of the FIVE main weekly chart magazines (New Musical Express,
Melody Maker, Disc and Pop Weekly) which between them covered a far larger sample of record shops than the so-called "official" charts magazine of the time, Record Retailer (RR). RR was the ONLY one to keep Please Please Me off the top, yet Guinness Book of Hit Singles insists on sticking to their minority chart placing. This sort of injustice makes my blood boil.

There's a brilliant thread about no. 1 injustices from the early days of the charts by asm, here at UKMIX from where I got my information (but I DO remember it from the time! )

Dave

Sorry about that, I knew there was something controvesial about it - it wasn't the picture disc (which was available, but not part of the sales) but it was the fact he made front page news in that week.

The Beatles were ahead in the mid weeks, then Michael "died" (apparently for a few seconds) on stage while performing. The publicicity resulted in a huge increase in sales - and he got the top spot.

theres a definate pattern forming
i bet nixzvpliy is no1 with the 3cx song

Their follow up single "Real Love" never got the airplay it deserved either, but still managed #4. Free as a Bird getting to #2 was still hugely impressive, and it did win a couple of grammy awards for the vocal and video performances. "Earth Song" was a terrible song, and #1 singles have generally been noveltys over the years. The best Beatles songs ever made were never released as singles, apart from Strawberry Fields, which reached #2 anyway.

I think the Beatles will notch up more #1 singles as well. Their entire catalogue will probably get the full remastering it deserves and then re-released into albums and singles. I'd imagine once Paul and Ringo croak, there will be a flurry of re-issued singles.

The Beatles were always more of an albums act than Elvis or Westlife as well. They were probably THE first studio-only based band ever when they stopped touring in '66.

Real Love was much stronger than Free as a bird and should have been their first single. They should have also not given it (Free as a Bird) a premier so far ahead of its release date.

I personally don't think the Beatles will ever get a #1 single again, unless they find another lost track. When Paul passes on, they will probably re-release his solo stuff and when Ringo's goes they probably will not do that much.

They should have released Here comes the sun instead of My Sweet Lord when George died. It was never a UK #1 and in my opinion a song that always reminds me of George - although My Sweet Lord is fantastic aswell.

Stu, i don't think getting another #1 single is important for the Beatles, they are beyond that now. Their legacy is their 200+ brilliant recordings that people will buy until the human race ceases to be! Bands like Westlife's only legacy might be how many UK #1 singles will be, but you can guarantee it won't be down to their "quality" music, and you can also guarantee that people won't be keen to buy truckloads of their "bootlegged" material 30 years after they split up!!

Agree about Real Love though, its a great song. Sounds very Beatley! Also agree with My Sweet Lord, its a good tune, but I prefer Something which is totally George and brilliant, Here Comes The Sun was also excellent.

I know some people find it blasphemous to say anything against the Beatles, but "Earth Song" was a much better song in my opinion.

Agree, "Here Comes The Sun" is a beautiful song, def my favourite Beatles record.

The biggest injustice is that Bon Jovi havent had a No.1 single, with Always coming closest, being beaten by, I believe, Pato Banton in 1994.

Fairytale of New York not getting the top spot.

And I always believe that I Don't Want to Miss a Thing should of been number 1.

yes, you're right. it is blasphemous to music, not just the beatles to say such a thing.

That tripe from Eamon & Frankee keeping other songs from getting to number 1.
I couldn't believe that Christina Milian charted at number 2 cos of FURB by Frankee

Wonderwall being beaten to Number 1 by Robson+Jerome.

Didn't Wonderwall only get to #3? I seem to remember the Mike Flowers Pops version charted higher at #2.

Oh, god. That Mike flower Pops verison was Awful. I saw it on VH1 yesterday, and it's just as bad as I remember it.

Nah, it managed to hold on to Number 2.