This double A-side single became Salt 'N' Pepa's second top five hit in the UK, but in Australia, it became their first release to miss the top 100. It seemed, to me, as though Salt 'N' Pepa were destined to become one-hit wonders in Australia, with "Push It" (number 3, October 1988) - of course, that was proved wrong in 1991. I caught their cover of "Twist and Shout" on rage a couple of times in early 1989, while waiting for the top 50 chart rundown to begin, but didn't hear the other A-side until the early 2010s. Anastacia, who would go on to have her own recording career, got an early break as one of the female backing dancer ensemble in the video - you'll be able to spot her with her trademark glasses on.
Internationally, "Get Up Everybody (Get Up)"/"Twist and Shout" peaked at number 4 in the UK in November 1988, number 18 in Ireland in November 1988, number 5 in the Netherlands in December 1988, number 11 in the Flanders region of Belgium in January 1989, and number 37 in Germany in January 1989. In the US, both tracks charted separately on the Bilboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart, with "Get Up..." reaching number 14 in December 1988, and "Twist and Shout" reaching number 45 in February 1989. "Get Up..." also peaked at number 39 on the Billboard Dance Club Songs chart in December 1988. Both tracks also registered on the Billboard Dance Singles Sales chart, with "Get Up..." reaching number 8 in January 1989 and "Twist and Shout" reaching number 18 in February 1989.
Within Australia, the "Get Up Everybody (Get Up)"/"Twist and Shout" AA-side single performed strongest in Western Australia, where it reached number 75.
We will see Salt 'N' Pepa again in 1990.
Colin Vearncombe, aka Black, scored a decent-sized, belated hit in Australia in 1988 with "Wonderful Life" (number 7, May 1988). Other, earlier-released overseas singles "Sweetest Smile" and "Everything's Coming Up Roses" failed to give Black a second hit down under when issued after the success of "Wonderful Life".
This track, the lead single from Black's second album, Comedy, peaked outside the top 50 in the UK, and was another to miss the top 100 in Australia. A 'big one' it wasn't.
Locally, "The Big One" was 'biggest' in South Australia/Northern Territory, where it reached number 78.
Colin was sadly killed in a car accident in Cork, Ireland in January 2016, aged 53.
Black will join us again in 1993.
Eighth Wonder returned to the top 150 with their third single, after we saw the second debut back in January. This track was another Pete Hammond production for PWL, the record label owned by Pete Waterman of Stock Aitken Waterman. Unlike the first two singles, which reached the top 15 in the UK, this one stalled at number 65 in the band's homeland... and that was pretty much it for Patsy Kensit's singing career.
On the state charts, "Baby Baby" performed strongest in Western Australia, where it reached number 73.
Speaking of Stock Aitken Waterman, this track saw the unlikely pairing of the trio with the punk-looking Sigue Sigue Sputnik. The single sleeve jovially changed the band's name to Sputnik Aitken Waterman. Several SAW-produced acts, such as Kylie and Rick Astley, and non-SAW acts, such as Bros and... Gary Glitter make cameos in the video. Not that any of this helped the band score a hit, really, as the single stalled at number 31 in the group's native UK in November 1988, and just scraped into the top 150 locally.
On the state charts, "Success" had a lot more 'success' in South Australia/Northern Territory, where it reached number 57, than anywhere else. The single peaked outside the top 100 on the other four state charts.
Someone reading this may know, but I'm not entirely sure why this 30 year-old track re-charted in 1989.
Update: A reader has kindly reminded me that Channel 9 had a station promo running around this time that featured a re-recorded version of 'Shout'. That's presumably why this was re-issued and re-charted... which seems a very 'British' thing to have happen!
Next week (13 March): A bumper edition, with nine new entries peaking within the 101-150 region of the chart, and three bubbling WAY down under debuts.
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Number 164 to number 3?! that's gotta be one of the biggest chart jumps ever. Thanks nathan for that piece of info that only this blog can provide.
ReplyDeleteThere are bigger chart jumps, actually. Sticking with Madonna, 'Beautiful Stranger' climbed from #302 to #8. On the albums chart, there are several albums that "debuted at number one" that actually debuted outside the top 100 - a Madonna album (Erotica) is among these (debuting at #159 before climbing to #1 the following week).
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