Chalk up a great chart week for Minneapolis` top pop star, Prince, who is finally back in form after struggling for several years to regain the hit power he enjoyed after his ”Purple Rain” heyday in the mid-`80s.
On the singles list, Prince and his new band, the New Power Generation, took over the No. 1 spot with the slinky dance track ”Cream,” which moved up from No. 3 to end the one-week reign of Karyn White`s ”Romantic” (now No. 2).
And on the albums chart, Prince`s new ”Diamonds & Pearls” jumped from No. 4 to No. 3 in its fourth chart week, showing greater staying power than two other hot new releases that entered the charts at the same time: Motley Crue`s ”Decade of Decadence” (down from No. 3 to No. 6) and Public Enemy`s
”Apocalypse 91 … the Enemy Strikes Black” (down from No. 4 to No. 8 in the last two weeks).
The two top albums remained unchanged, with Garth Brooks` ”Ropin` the Wind” scoring a fifth week as champ and Guns N` Roses hanging on to No. 2 with ”Use Your Illusion II.” G N` R also made a resurgence this week with the other half of their double release, ”Use Your Illusion I,” which rebounded from No. 8 to No. 5.
How long will Prince`s new hot streak last? Probably not for long on the singles chart, where there already is a powerhouse challenger poised to take over: Michael Bolton`s soulful ”When a Man Loves a Woman,” which made another huge leap-from No. 15 to No. 5 in just its fifth chart week-and appears unstoppable for No. 1. (It`s already in its second week as leader on the adult contemporary list.) That would match the song`s performance back in 1966, when Percy Sledge`s original version spent two weeks at No. 1.
There were few fireworks elsewhere in the Top 10, with only three songs making moves of note: Bryan Adams` ”Can`t Stop This Thing We Started” (up to No. 3 after two straight weeks at No. 5), Jesus Jones` ”Real Real Real” (up from No. 7 to No. 4), and Boyz to Men`s ”It`s So Hard to Say Goodbye to Yesterday” (up from No. 12 to No. 8). But there was one big mover farther down in the Top 20: P.M. Dawn`s quirky ”Set Adrift on Memory Bliss,” which in the last two weeks has zipped from No. 34 to No. 11.
Here are predictions for next week`s pop singles chart: 1. ”When a Man Loves a Woman,” 2. ”Cream,” 3. ”Can`t Stop This Thing We Started, ” 4.
”Real Real Real,” 5. ”Romantic,” 6. ”O.P.P.,” 7. ”It`s So Hard to Say Goodbye to Yesterday,” 8. ”Set the Night to Music,” 9. ”Set Adrift on Memory Bliss,” 10. ”Emotions.”
