Number 1 today in 1989: New Kids On The Block mania hits the UK!

“Oh-oh-oh-oh-oh. Oh-oh-oh-oh. Oh-oh-oh-oh-oh. The right stuff.” If ever there was a band who had the right stuff, it was New Kids On The Block. The five smiley, clean-cut (well, most of them – Donnie had a bit of an edge) guys from the US completed their invasion of the Official Singles Chart this week in 1989, landing their first Number 1.

It was bad news for Lisa Stansfield, who too had been a first-timer in pole position two weeks before. Her future classic All Around The World was bumped down into second place by New Kids’ boisterous super-catchy You Got It (The Right Stuff) and a new boyband phenomenon was born.

It wasn’t their first crack at the charts – an earlier release of Hangin’ Tough had stalled outside the Top 40 – but now they claimed their first of two Number 1 singles. A re-release of Hangin’ Tough would also make it to the top, but while their star burned bright, it was brief. Their ninth and final Top 10 came just two years later.

Screaming fans, rippling muscles and – we have to admit – pretty good voices were the order of the day for New Kids On The Block, and most bedroom walls had at least one of Danny, Donnie, Joe, Jordan and Jon staring down from them.

The band launched a couple of comebacks and scored a Top 40 hit in 1994 under the name NKOTB and once more in 2008 under their old name. They also teamed up with that other mega-famous US boyband Backstreet Boys for a tour. Jordan Knight went solo, scoring a Top 10 of his very own in 1999, Give It To You. New Kids scored three Top 10 albums – 1990’s Step By Step was a Number 1.

As for Lisa Stansfield, All Around The World is her only solo chart-topper so far. It was her first of eight Top 10s. She hit Number 1 again in 1993 on George Michael’s Five Live EP, duetting with the star on Queen’s These Are The Days Of Our Lives. Her first hit was 1989’s People Hold On, which just missed the Top 10… until 1997 when it was rereleased as a mashup with The Dirty Rotten Scoundrels. Lisa’s most recent Top 40 hit came later that year – it was her 17th!

But what was happening in the rest of the Top 10 that week in 1989? Wonder no more…

3: Linda Ronstadt FT Aaron Neville – Don’t Know Much

Veteran US rock and R&B stars Linda Ronstadt and Aaron Neville teamed up on this romantic duet, eventually peaking at Number 2 to give Linda a second Top 10 and her highest charting single to date. It was Aaron’s only UK chart appearance.

4: Phil Collins – Another Day In Paradise

The former Genesis drummer – and the singer – scored a 10th Top 10 to his haul with this cautionary tale of ignoring the plight of the homeless. As a solo artist, Phil has hit the Top 40 28 times, scoring 13 Top 10s and three Number 1s.

5: Kylie Minogue – Never Too Late

Eighth out an eventual 13 consecutive Top 10s for Kylie, Never Too Late was her first single not to go Top 3. It’s still as brilliant as ever – Kylie even sang some of it on her recent Kiss Me Once tour.

6: Iron Maiden – Infinite Dreams

7: UB40 – Homely Girl

8: Milli Vanilli – Girl I’m Gonna Miss You

9: Martika – I Feel The Earth Move

10: Mixmaster – Grand Piano

See the full Top 40 from this day in 1989…

And this time last year…

The countdown to Christmas was underway, with teenage star Martin Garrix going straight in at Number 1 with Animals, closely followed by Lily Allen’s cover of Keane’s Somewhere Only We Know. Ellie Goulding was in at Number 3 and Lady Gaga and R Kelly were also debuting in the Top 10. See the full Top 40 from this week in 2013 for big songs from Robbie Williams, the Poppy Girls, the Killers, Keane and the Biebs.