There`s plenty of good news on the charts this week for the English group Tears for Fears, whose first No. 1 hit, ”Everybody Wants to Rule the World” held on to the top spot despite a blistering challenge from three other big songs.
Two of those hits–Harold Faltermeyer`s ”Axel F” and Billy Ocean`s
”Suddenly”–had alternated at No. 1 on the adult contemporary list for the last three weeks, and appeared ready to bump ”Everybody” from its lofty position on the main pop charts.
But those two songs failed to gain in popularity this week, allowing a newer, hotter single–Bryan Adams` classy ballad ”Heaven”–to jump ahead of them into the No. 2 spot. That kept Tears for Fears at No. 1, because
”Heaven” still hasn`t reached peak airplay.
The continuing success of ”Everybody Wants to Rule the World” has helped Tears for Fears on the album charts, where the group`s LP ”Songs from the Big Chair” had been making a rather slow climb. But this week, ”Big Chair” jumped from No. 6 to No. 4 (dropping Bruce Springsteen`s ”Born in the U.S.A.” to No. 5) for its first appearance in the Top 5.
But next week, the party`s over for Tears for Fears, because ”Heaven”
looks like a sure bet to give Adams his first No. 1 from his ”Reckless”
album, which has produced several moderate hits (the latest, ”Somebody,”
peaked at No. 11). The only song in the Top 20 with the power to challenge
”Heaven” in weeks to come is Phil Collins` ”Sussudio,” which jumped from No. 12 to No. 6 this week.
Here are predictions for next week`s singles charts (last week, this column placed 3 of the Top 10 songs in the correct positions): 1. ”Heaven,” 2. ”Everybody Wants to Rule the World,” 3. ”Sussudio,” 4. ”Suddenly,” 5. ”Things Can Only Get Better,” 6. ”Angel,” 7. ”Axel F,” 8. ”Raspberry Beret,” 9. ”A View to a Kill,” 10. ”The Search Is Over.”
This week`s pick hit is ”Like a Surgeon,” the latest in a line of amusing parody songs by Weird Al Yankovic, who reached his zenith a year or so ago with the masterful ”Eat It” (a wicked send-up of Michael Jackson`s megahit ”Beat It”). This time around, Weird Al takes aim at Madonna`s ”Like a Virgin,” and comes up with enough funny material to make this worth a listen. (One example: At the end of ”Like a Virgin,” Madonna coos sweetly,
”Can`t you feel my heart beat/for the very first time?” At the same spot in ”Like a Surgeon,” Weird Al sings, with a nasal whine, ”I can see your heart beat/for the very last time.”) There`s not enough novelty to make
”Like a Surgeon” as big a smash as ”Eat It,” but there are enough people sick of Madonna mania to give Weird Al another hit.
