1994 in British music

1990s in music in the UK
Number-one singles
Number-one albums
Best-selling singles
Best-selling albums
Summaries and charts
1990, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994
1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999
←1989 2000→
Top 10 singles
1990, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994
1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999
←1989 2000→

This is a summary of 1994 in music in the United Kingdom, including the official charts from that year.

Summary

The first number 1 single of the year was the 700th since charts began, a reggae version of "Twist and Shout" by Chaka Demus & Pliers. The next month saw Mariah Carey get her first (and, to date, only) solo UK number 1 with "Without You", after having 8 previous chart-toppers in the United States. Coincidentally, "Without You" did not top the US Billboard Hot 100.

In late May, Wet Wet Wet reached number 1 with "Love Is All Around", from the film Four Weddings and a Funeral. It would remain at number 1 for fifteen weeks, the second longest consecutive run at No. 1 ever in the UK Singles Chart, and become the biggest selling single of the year. When Danish singer Whigfield replaced it in September with "Saturday Night", she became the first ever act to enter the UK singles chart at No.1 with their debut single.

Manchester rockers Oasis found their success on their debut album, Definitely Maybe, which shot to number No. 1 on its first week out in September.

December saw the debut of Boyzone to the charts, with a No. 2 cover of The Osmonds 1974 No. 1 "Love Me For a Reason". They would go on to have another fifteen singles, six reaching No. 1 and the rest reaching the top five, as well as four No. 1 albums.

Aside from Wet Wet Wet and Whigfield, the only other million selling single this year came from Céline Dion, with "Think Twice" (though it wouldn't reach number 1 until 1995). In all, 15 singles topped the chart this year, the second lowest number for any year in the decade.

1994 also saw a first for Prince, who scored his only UK No.1 single with "The Most Beautiful Girl in the world"

This was the year when Karl Jenkins, soon to be the UK's favourite classical composer,[1] launched his crossover project, Adiemus, with the album, Adiemus: Songs of Sanctuary. Popularized through its use in TV commercials, the title track became known to classical and popular music fans alike. It also made the name of vocalist Miriam Stockley.

Another British composer, Stephen Warbeck, won the Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Music in a Play, awarded for achievements in Broadway theatre; the award was made for his music for a production of An Inspector Calls.

A record was broken in 1994 for the longest song to become a UK top 10 hit when Bon Jovi released the single "Dry County" in March, when it peaked at #9. The song was 9 minutes and 52 seconds long.

Charts

Number-one singles

Issue Date Song Artist(s)
2 January "Twist and Shout" Chaka Demus & Pliers
9 January
16 January "Things Can Only Get Better" D:Ream
23 January
30 January
6 February
13 February "Without You" Mariah Carey
20 February
27 February
6 March
13 March "Doop" Doop
20 March
27 March
3 April "Everything Changes" Take That
10 April
17 April "The Most Beautiful Girl in the World" Prince
24 April
1 May "The Real Thing " Tony Di Bart
8 May "Inside" Stiltskin
15 May "Come On You Reds" Manchester United Football Squad
22 May
29 May "Love Is All Around" Wet Wet Wet
5 June
12 June
19 June
26 June
3 July
10 July
17 July
24 July
31 July
7 August
14 August
21 August
28 August
4 September
11 September "Saturday Night" Whigfield
18 September
25 September
2 October
9 October "Sure" Take That
16 October
23 October "Baby Come Back" Pato Banton
30 October
6 November
13 November
20 November "Let Me Be Your Fantasy" Baby D
27 November
4 December "Stay Another Day" East 17
11 December
18 December
25 December

Number-one albums

Issue Date Album Artist(s)
2 January Everything Changes Take That
9 January So Far So Good Bryan Adams
16 January One Woman: The Ultimate Collection Diana Ross
23 January Tease Me Chaka Demus & Pliers
30 January
6 February Under the Pink Tori Amos
13 February The Cross of Changes Enigma
20 February Music Box Mariah Carey
27 February
6 March
13 March
20 March Vauxhall and I Morrissey
27 March Music Box Mariah Carey
3 April The Division Bell Pink Floyd
10 April
17 April
24 April
1 May Parklife Blur
8 May Our Town - The Greatest Hits Deacon Blue
15 May
22 May I Say I Say I Say Erasure
29 May Seal Seal
5 June
12 June Real Things 2 Unlimited
19 June Everybody Else Is Doing It, So Why Can't We? The Cranberries
26 June Happy Nation Ace of Base
3 July
10 July Music for the Jilted Generation The Prodigy
17 July Voodoo Lounge The Rolling Stones
24 July End of Part One: Their Greatest Hits Wet Wet Wet
31 July
7 August
14 August
21 August Come Prince
28 August End of Part One: Their Greatest Hits Wet Wet Wet
4 September Definitely Maybe Oasis
11 September The Three Tenors In Concert 1994 José Carreras, Plácido Domingo & Luciano Pavarotti,
with Orchestra Conducted by Zubin Mehta
18 September From the Cradle Eric Clapton
25 September Songs Luther Vandross
2 October Monster R.E.M.
9 October
16 October Cross Road Bon Jovi
23 October
30 October
6 November MTV Unplugged in New York Nirvana
13 November Cross Road Bon Jovi
20 November
27 November Carry on up the Charts The Beautiful South
4 December Live at the BBC The Beatles
11 December Carry on up the Charts The Beautiful South
18 December
25 December

End of Year Charts

Top 50 Singles of 1994

Position Song Artist Sales Highest Position
1 Love Is All Around Wet Wet Wet 1,752,000 1
2 Saturday Night Whigfield 1,092,000 1
3 Stay Another Day East 17 778,000 1
4 Baby Come Back Pato Banton 727,000 1
5 I Swear All-4-One 706,000 2
6 Without You Mariah Carey 580,000 1
7 Always Bon Jovi 547,000 2
8 Crazy for You Let Loose 506,000 2
9 Things Can Only Get Better D:Ream 485,000 1
10 Doop Doop 467,000 1
11 The Sign Ace of Base 453,000 2
12 Come on You Reds Manchester United Football Squad 423,000 1
13 The Rhythm of the Night Corona 399,000 2
14 All I Want for Christmas Is You Mariah Carey 395,000 2
15 I Like to Move It Reel 2 Real featuring the Mad Stuntman 390,000 5
16 7 Seconds Youssou N'Dour featuring Neneh Cherry 387,000 3
17 Swamp Thing The Grid 385,000 3
18 Let Me Be Your Fantasy Baby D 380,000 1
19 Love Me for a Reason Boyzone 376,000 2
20 Everything Changes Take That 367,000 1
21 (Meet) The Flintstones The BC-52's 359,000 3
22 Streets of Philadelphia Bruce Springsteen 345,000 2
23 Inside Stiltskin 349,000 1
24 The Most Beautiful Girl in the World Prince 348,200 1
25 Searching China Black 347,400 4
26 Crocodile Shoes Jimmy Nail 346,800 4
27 Compliments on Your Kiss Red Dragon with Brian and Tony Gold 332,000 2
28 Return to Innocence Enigma 330,000 3
29 We Have All the Time in the World Louis Armstrong 323,000 3
30 Baby I Love Your Way Big Mountain 317,000 2
31 Another Night (MC Sar &) The Real McCoy 312,000 2
32 The Real Thing Tony Di Bart 310,000 1
33 Breathe Again Toni Braxton 308,000 2
34 Think Twice Celine Dion 306,000 5 *
35 Regulate Warren G & Nate Dogg 300,000 4
36 Sweetness Michelle Gayle 295,000 4
37 All for Love Bryan Adams/Rod Stewart/Sting 291,000 2
38 Hey Now (Girls Just Want To Have Fun) Cyndi Lauper 285,000 4
39 Around the World East 17 275,000 3
40 Stay (I Missed You) Lisa Loeb and Nine Stories 270,000 6
41 Shine Aswad 262,000 5
42 Sure Take That 210,000 1
43 No Good (Start The Dance) The Prodigy 208,000 4
44 Get-A-Way Maxx 206,000 4
45 Come Baby Come K7 200,000 3
46 Mmm Mmm Mmm Mmm Crash Test Dummies 195,000 2
47 You Don't Love Me (No, No, No) Dawn Penn 194,000 3
48 She's Got That Vibe R. Kelly 190,000 3
49 I'll Make Love To You Boyz II Men 185,000 5
50 Welcome to Tomorrow (Are You Ready?) Snap! Feat. Summer 175,000 6

* Reached No.1 in 1995

Top 10 albums

Position Album Artist Sales Highest Position
1 Cross Road Bon Jovi 1
2 Carry on up the Charts The Beautiful South 1
3 Music Box Mariah Carey 1
4 Always & Forever Eternal 2
5 End of Part One: Their Greatest Hits Wet Wet Wet 1
6 Monster R.E.M. 1
7 The Division Bell Pink Floyd 1
8 Parklife Blur 1
9 Live at the BBC The Beatles 1
10 The Three Tenors In Concert 1994 Carreras, Domingo & Pavarotti, with Orchestra 1

Classical music: new works

Opera

Film and Incidental music

Musical films

Music awards

BRIT Awards

The 1994 BRIT Awards winners were:

Mercury Music Prize

The 1994 Mercury Music Prize was awarded to M People – Elegant Slumming.

Births

Deaths

References

  1. ↑ Classic FM: Karl Jenkins: The Armed Man (‘Mass for Peace’). Accessed 7 June 2014
  2. ↑ Independent obituary. Accessed 7 June 2014

External links