eyewishuheaven said:

Pokeno4Money said:

Ummm ... sorry, no. Abba was indeed popular, but I have never in my life heard of "Boney M" until just now. And I was very much involved in the music scene back then.

A quick Google search confirms what I stated, they never had a song reach higher than 30 in the states.

Really?!?

Wow... you couldn't escape it up here. "Rah, rah, Rasputin!"

Some things do stop at the border, apparently the popularity of that group was one of them.

Pokeno4Money said:

eyewishuheaven said:

Really?!?

Wow... you couldn't escape it up here. "Rah, rah, Rasputin!"

Some things do stop at the border, apparently the popularity of that group was one of them.

Well, like our boy once said, "I stand corrected!"

Since our charts are basically your charts just with a few Canadian acts thrown in, I assumed y'all were also aboard the Night Flight to Venus.

Pokeno4Money said:

eyewishuheaven said:

WHAT.

Okay I'll admit I'm Canadian, but America's right next door and over here these two acts were HUGE.

Ummm ... sorry, no. Abba was indeed popular, but I have never in my life heard of "Boney M" until just now. And I was very much involved in the music scene back then.

A quick Google search confirms what I stated, they never had a song reach higher than 30 in the states.

Abba had one Top 10 with Mamma Mia in the USA in 1976, they had many more hits in the UK - 19 Top 10 hits including 10 number ones to 2002.

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Boney M, a German disco group made up of English speaking West Indians had one Top 40 hit with Rivers of Babylon in the USA, that same song spent 14 weeks at #1 in New Zealand, and thatw as when homosexuality was illegal and we had a South African apartheid style government under Piggy Muldoon. They had 9 Top 10 hits in the UK with 2 number ones - Rivers of Babylon/Brown girl in the ring and Marys Boy child. Hugely successful and known for abusing gold lame and singing camp songs in perfect English voices but the songs were written by Germanic and Italian speakers and had ESOL lyrics!

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Canada is British Commonwealth and under British influence hence the success of Abba and Boney M, but remember the USA went through a phase of country music in 1980/82 with stuff like Eddie Rabbitt and Chris Cross, as a reaction to gay and black disco music dominating the waves to our good ol american boys - yee haw.

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Rasputin actually stalled at #2 in the UK and New Zealand. Our charts are more a mix of UK and USA music with a good mix of local and Australian acts. In late 1978 Rasputin was kept out of the top by a Maori disco act called Mark Williams.

[Edited 5/10/16 15:34pm]

eyewishuheaven said:

Pokeno4Money said:

Some things do stop at the border, apparently the popularity of that group was one of them.

Well, like our boy once said, "I stand corrected!"

Since our charts are basically your charts just with a few Canadian acts thrown in, I assumed y'all were also aboard the Night Flight to Venus.

Are you saying We Oughta Know that listening to Boney would be like Heaven? Well even though I Wear My Sunglasses At Night, For What It's Worth That Don't Impress Me Much... it's Complicated, but with the Power of Love maybe in 2112 I'll change my mind

We have always had a thing in the UK for keeping decent music off the top of the singles charts and to add insult to injury they are usually kept off No. 1 by some godawful novelty record.

Also, aside from occasionally performing in London, Prince didn't tour the UK in earnest until the late '80s, which perhaps impacted sales .

Adorecream said:

Yeah, a lot of number 2s as well. Prince was not really big there until 1986, when he toured. In 1981 when he played the Lyceum he was barely known and he famously snubbed the UK in 1983 with his cancelled show at the Hammersmith Odeon and then again in his Feb 1985 award ceremony, where his bodyguards pushed everyone aside and he said "Show me some respect", possibly as he had the #2 hit while two middle aged fruit flies controlled the #1 spot

.

Still he had plenty of Top 10s before then.

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Prince first hit the English chart in January 1980 with I wanna be your lover which peaked at #41 after a 3 week stay. 1999 peaked at #25 in February 1983 and When Doves Cry peaked at #4 in August 1984. A double aside of 1999/ Little Red Corvette was #2 in Feb/Mar 1985, kept out of the top spot by "I know him so well" by Elaine Paige and Barbara Dickson and "You spin me around" by Dead or Alive. Yes the good old UK - gay and gay themed songs keeping Prince locked out of the top.

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Other Top 10s include

1984

When Doves Cry #4

Purple Rain #8

1985

1999/Little Red Corvette #2

Lets go crazy #7

1986

Kiss #6 (Although girls and boys got to #11)

1987

Sign o the Times #10

1988

Alphabet Street #9

1989

Batdance #2 (Kept out of the top by Jive Bunny and Blackbox!)

1990

Thieves in the Temple # 7

1991

Gett Off #8

1992

Sexy MF/ Strollin #4

My name is Prince #7 (All 3 of these rose and dropped fast though)

1993

Controversy/Peach #5 (Maxi single released to tie in with the Hits/Bsides)

1994

TMBGITW #1 2 WEEKS - 23 and 30 April

1995

Gold #10

1999

1999 song reissue by WB #10

.

Data from my British chart book that goes to 2002 only. - Guiness British hit singles 16th edition 2003. In all he had 47 hit singles to that date and was the 33rd most successful artist of all time there. Number 1 was Elvis, #2 was Cliff Richard a name most Americans have barely heard off, but he is a king here in the UK/British Commonwealth - #3 is his group the Shadows, and the top 10 are 4. Elton John, 5. Madonna, 6. Diana Ross, 7. Michael Jackson, 8. Rod Stewart, 9. Beatles, 10. David Bowie - But remember this was 13 years ago and things may have changed since then.

[Edited 5/8/16 21:08pm]

Not a bad chart history.