There’s a niche category of number one singles, one I’m going to name ‘much loved chart-toppers that I don’t really get’ (catchy, isn’t it?) Our next #1 belongs to this category…
Things Can Only Get Better, by D:Ream (their 1st and only #1)
4 weeks, from 16th January – 13th February 1994
I don’t dislike ‘Things Can Only Get Better’; I just don’t quite see why people love it. I think the problem is the intro, the overwrought vocals and weighty piano chords gradually building, very slowly getting to the point. Is this a gospel track? A spiritual? No, it’s just a dance tune, and once the synths and the funky bassline come in, and you know where you stand, things improve.
I have a deep suspicion for songs that could be described as ‘motivational’, which is probably where my issues with this tune lie. ‘Motivational’ means ‘uplifting’, and the next step on the ladder from that is ‘spiritual’, or ‘religious’, and I’m someone who believes very strongly in the separation of church and pop. It’s not just this song – there is a strain of thought (or clever marketing) that positions dance music as a sort of religion, with nightclubs as churches, and the Ministry of Sound as some sort of Holy Father… Religious ecstasy taking on a new meaning in this case…
But then I sit down, and properly listen to the lyrics to ‘Things Can Only Get Better’, and wonder if they aren’t to do with accepting who you are, and holding your head up through scorn and insult… Burn the bridges as you’ve gone, I’m too weak to fight you, I’ve got my personal hell to deal with… Maybe it even alludes to those with AIDS (I must learn to live with this disease…), and I’m starting to feel bad for writing this song off as mindless motivational nonsense.
My favourite part of the song is the ending (and I don’t mean that sarcastically) as the entire song deconstructs, the horn riff goes wonky, and the lyrics taper off. I still don’t love it, but I think I’m beginning to appreciate it a little more. I can see it as a musical sibling of Yazz’s ‘The Only Way Is Up’, which is every bit as positive, but doesn’t quite wear its heart on its sleeve like this one.
D:Ream were the brainchild of Peter Cunnah, a Northern Irish singer-songwriter, who sings the vocals on this track. He sounds a bit like George Michael, actually – one moment light and airy, the next hitting a throaty growl. The other members changed fairly regularly, but one of their more famous alumni is the now TV-scientist Brian Cox, who famously played keyboards when the band performed ‘Things…’ on Top of the Pops.
This was their first big hit, but D:Ream had been plugging away for a few years before breaking through. This track had been released a year earlier, making #24, but its popularity in the clubs kept growing, leading to this re-release. In many ways, this is one of the chart-toppers that sum up the mid-to-late nineties: Britpop, Cool Britannia, Noel’s union jack guitar, Geri’s dress, all that razzamatazz. It was used as a campaign song by the great political hope of the age, New Labour, as they swept to victory in the 1997 general election. It all seems like a very long time ago, now…
The UK Number Ones Blog 
I have never heard of them or this song.
From Jan. 16th to Feb. 13th, we were choking on Mariah Carey’s “Hero”, Bryan Adams “All For Love” and Celine Dion’s “The Power of Love” on Billboard Hot 100. I much preferred Billboard’s Alternative Airplay. Week of Jan. 15th, #1 was Gin Blossoms “Found Out About You.” Jan. 22nd & 29th was “All Apologies” by Nirvana. Feb. 5th & 12th was “Loser” by Beck. Beck was so popular, he ran to March 5th.
Oh god, that’s a power ballad trio… How much fist clenching and chest pumping can people take…??
The US alternative charts are interesting. The UK has an indie chart, but it’s not had the same cultural impact
And, over-the-top melisma. At least Adams can’t do the vocal runs.
Once we got into the 90s, I ditched Top 40. I was heavy into the Alternative music. That was the only place to find Rock. Top 40 was too thick with Boy Bands & Divas.
90s Country got really good.
I’m sure some rock bands – Nirvana, Pearl Jam, REM, Weezer – were getting into the Hot 100, no?
REM, yes. They’d been around before “alternative” was a thing.
Nirvana, Pearl Jam & Weezer, no. I have been digging around, looking at charts. None of the others, above, charted on Hot 100, particularly Weezer. Weezer got nowhere close to Nirvana or Pearl Jam.
I did catch a late listing for Pearl Jam where one song landed at 97 on the Hot 100 but, it was some kind of after effect of the song being in rotation for a few years.
Basically, “rock” was thrown out of the Hot 100 in lieu of Divas, Boy Bands, then Rap/Soul. Rock went to Alternative Airplay, Mainstream Rock and a category of Mainstream Top 40, that does not exist anymore. It is called Pop Airplay, now.
I think that’s where Billboard counting airplay affected rock songs. British charts were just ‘sales’, and so all the bands I mentioned have several Top 40 hits, and I’m sure at least one Top 10 each (Nirvana definitely had a few)
Billboard has shuffled so many categories around and deleted others that, research is damn near impossible. This is the only thing that I think Wikipedia is good for…tracking music rankings.
Speaking of, I happened to notice that a song from Nirvana’s first album, “Blew”, showed up on your UK Indie chart but, did not chart, here.
No offence meant but how come I’ve heard of all the (awful) songs mentioned in the post about the billboard 100 but Americans don’t seem to have heard of anything that made number one over here?
I think that applies to American pop culture in general… ‘Friends’ is huge in the UK, but US studios feel they need to remake ‘The Office’, and so on… On the flip side, many British pop stars are famous in Europe, but not many European stars have success on the British charts.
In the past, we got a LOT of Brit music over here. Now…not so much. It’s like Billboard walled itself off.
The UK music scene has regularly parted company with the more stodgy and safe US charts, a lot of our infused new music scenes and genres just made no dent at all except as influences on upcoming young acts. There were many times when the US charts had only one or two veteran UK stars on it.
Re: D:Ream, this is a good record, upbeat, and I’m a huge fan of Brian Cox to boot. This isnt their finest moment though – that’s U R The Best Thing, that’s a big classic from 1992 for me, what a tune.
The guy has a great voice for this kind of music.