And so here we have the first of five boybands to top the charts in 1999. Brace yourself for fist clenches and key changes aplenty…
A Little Bit More, by 911 (their 1st and only #1)
1 week, from 17th – 24th January 1999
911 were very much in the second-tier of ‘90s boybands, never reaching the heights of Take That, East 17, or indeed many of the groups to come; but they plugged away, workmanlike, with a presumably dedicated fanbase, to finally spend a week on top of the charts. The AFC Bournemouth of boybands, if you will.
They certainly plug away on this workmanlike Dr. Hook cover (making it already the second cover of a seventies classic to make #1 this year). It’s not truly terrible, but it adds nothing to the glossy horniness of the original, which had spent five weeks at #2 in 1976. 911’s producers make decent work of the soaring chord changes, but the boys’ voices are very lightweight. They sound like little kids, which isn’t ideal when trying to sell lines like Come on over here, And lay by my side, I’ve got to be touching you…
‘A Little Bit More’ is a famously raunchy song, in fairness, about an all-night sex session that just won’t end. Yes it has a very MOR sound, and an attempt to recreate the gloopy production that was ubiquitous in the mid-seventies, but I bet there were parents across the land wincing as they listened to their eight year olds blithely singing along to the lyrics. Still it’s a canny and well-worn boyband strategy, covering an oldie to attract both the kids and their mums, and the group also had success with covers of ‘More Than a Woman’ and ‘Private Number’.
911, formed in Glasgow although all three members are English, had been around since 1995, and had visited the UK Top 10 eight times before finally scoring a number one (doing so with the lowest weekly sales of 1999). I found myself struggling to name a single other 911 song, until I checked their discography and was reminded of the fun ‘Party People… Friday Night’ – their crowning glory. They had split by the end of that year, but have since reformed for the nostalgia circuit. They remain interestingly popular in southeast Asia, with number one albums in Malaysia and duets with Vietnamese star Ðúc Phúc (which is definitely not pronounced the way it reads…)
Before we finish, I should recognise that 911 actually set something of a record here. Every #1 since B*Witched’s ‘To You I Belong’ has spent just one week at the top and, as this is the sixth in a row, ‘A Little Bit More’ makes history by beating the previous longest stretch of one-weekers set in February 1997. It’s a record that will be broken again, very soon, as these turn-of-the-century charts hit breakneck speed.
The UK Number Ones Blog 
What an unfournate name. But that’s not their fault…or is it?
Also, what a generic ass song. The music and lyrics feel like stock. I get no character or personality from this song or this group. Sounds like a song even Boyzone would release as a B-side.
Lol I think its 911 as in the north american emergency services number. Because they’re such bad boys….? Had they not split up before 2001, though, a name change might well have been in order.
The original was one of the biggest selling singles of the 70’s not to make number one, and a quite well respected country crossover hit. This version is awful. I believe worse is to come when another z list boy band will cover another legendary number 2 hit next year. This really was the point I stopped listening to the charts entirely. I’m interested to hear your thoughts on the 70’s new wave band’s comeback hit and the debut of a certain Kentucky teenager, in my opinion the last two good number ones of the 90’s. After that, apart from the comebacks of Kylie, Madge (again) and Take That, and Mr Mather’s murder ballad there’s really nothing I like. Was it reaching my 30’s at this time I wonder? Interesting fact, whilst B*Witched, Westlife etc were scoring consecutive number ones, No Scrubs by TLC, a genuinely great piece of R&B that’s still well known and well thought of now, charted, but only just made the top 5. Seems that whereas it was teenagers whose musical tastes had dictated the charts since Elvis first charted, by 1999 it was 5 year olds. Rant over 😂
Without giving too much away, I love both the upcoming number ones that you mentioned. ‘Stan’ I’m interested to analyse and see how I feel about it all these years on. Madonna has a real crime against music coming up, as well as some bangers, and Kylie is and always will be an unimpeachable icon : ) I have to admit, though, aside from the horror that is ‘C’est La Vie’, I’ve been quietly impressed by B*Witched’s other three chart-toppers… (I say, as I slowly pull down the shutters….)
I’m probably obsessively down on them, as I explained previously. I just think they didn’t ‘deserve’ to have 4 number ones when people like Tina Turner and The Who had none. Totally illogical I know! I’d forgotten about Madonna’s musical heresy, absolutely awful. Puts this cover and the mangling of Aha in the shade
I assumed your were talking about Westlife and Mariah’s attempt at ‘Against All Odds’, having clean forgotten about A1 and ‘Take on Me’! It really was the age of classic #2s making #1 in inferior versions!
It’s the way the charts were operating at the time, with heavy airplay pre-release and discounted first week prices, that meant acts like B*Witched (or their management) could strategically plan when best to release and make #1. Had this tactic existed in the 60s then The Who would have racked up the chart-toppers, surely.
911 were pretty consistently naff, I think, not annoying enough to turn off the radio, but not interesting enough to buy anything they did. The Dr Hook original is fab, pure Long Hot Summer Of ’76, so I do at least appreciate the song finally gets a number one slot and an excuse to refer back to it. Re, other comments, TLC should have had a chart-topper, yes – Unpretty or Waterfalls were both classics, never mind No Scrubs. As for Madonna’s cover, ooh we will be differing a bit there. My rule of thumb: if you’re going to do a cover, at least make it very different from the original! It might be brilliant, it might be terrible, but at least it’s not a knock-off lazy cheap cover that might have come from one of those soundalike cheap 70’s albums that Elton used to do on the quiet 🙂 Yes, Reg Dwight did cheap covers while he was coming up with Border Song!
To be fair, I’m writing off Madonna’s ‘American Pie’ despite not having heard it since, ooh, 2001. She’s kept it off the two greatest hits albums released since then, so she may not remember it too fondly herself. I am ready to be proven wrong about it!
Oh it got royally slagged off at the time, I should imagine that’s why it’s kept a low profile, but it’s more like a Ray Of Light vibe to me – and she did after all do the same with the title track of the album, just more upbeat than American Pie – my advice would have been to speed it up more and make it out and out dance rather than the mellow chill-out vibe it had. 🙂
When you have a song with sexual lyrics being sung (or sang, or…fill in the blank. I could never get that right) by such a clean cut harmless looking trio…it’s hard to take seriously. There is no danger behind it all.
‘Being sung’ is correct (that’s English teacher in me)
Yeah, Dr Hook looked like the sort of guys who could go all night. 911 not so much…
12 year olds squawking about creepy sex is not cool. This was an appalling #1 in every sense. The only 911 song that I could substitute for a #1, if we have to concede them one, would be ‘Don’t Make Me Wait’.
Justice for ‘Party People… Friday Night’, I say!