20 years have passed since 1993! Jurassic Park was the top grossing movie, but there was always a fresh singles chart – every week. Check out the top five tracks on the Swedish singles chart in 1993 on WelcheMusic’s Chart Rewind:
5. Twenty 4 Seven feat. Stay-C and Nance – Slave to the Music
Dutch group Twenty 4 Seven was created by the producer Ruud van Rijen back in 1989. They debuted with ‘I Can’t Stand It’ that very year, ultimately racking up no less than 15 singles and four albums. ‘Slave to the Music’ was their biggest singles, lifted off the sophomore set carrying the same name. The track was written by Twenty 4 Seven with van Riijen as co-writer and producer. Twenty 4 Seven continued to release music until 2007 when ‘Like Flames’ was released – a cover of US new wave group Berlin most famous for ‘Take My Breath Away.’ Time for a comeback? Unfortunately, I couldn’t find a good version of the original video, explaining why Li-Ann is the featured artist in this version.
4. 4 Non Blondes – What’s Up?
‘What’s Up?’ was unquestionably the biggest hit for the San Francisco rock group 4 Non Blondes. Included on the debut album Bigger, Better, Faster, More!, the track was written by singer Linda Perry. It topped the Swedish singles chart for 4 weeks, was a runner-up in the UK and missed out the top ten in the US (it peaked at No.14). While 4 Non Blondes might not be around, Linda Perry is a successful songwriter haven penned hits such as ‘Get the Party Started’ (P!nk), ‘Beautiful’ (Christina Aguilera) and ‘What You Waiting For?’ (Gwen Stefani).
3. Pet Shop Boys – Go West
Peaking at No.2, ‘Go West’ was originally a hit for the Village People in 1979. It was written by Jacques Morali, Henri Belolo, Victor Willis, while Morali helmed production. The track was chosen when the Pet Shop Boys performed on an AIDS charity event at the Hacienda nightclub in Manchester. Following the success of ‘Can You Forgive Her?,’ ‘Go West’ was the second single off Very. The set spawned no less than five hit singles!
2. Soul Asylum – Runaway Train
A giant hit back in 1993, amassing no less than 23 weeks Soul Asylum’s ‘Runaway Train’ missed out on the top position. It was written by lead singer David Pirner and produced by Michael Beinhorn (of Hole and Marilyn Manson fame). The fourth single off the album Grave Dancers Union, the track was awarded a Grammy for Best Rock Song in 1994. Focusing on missing children, the video was adapted to different markets showing pictures of children that had disappeared. Soul Asylum released their tenth album last year named Delayed Reaction.
1. Freddie Mercury – Living on My Own
Topping the Swedish singles chart for 5 weeks, ‘Living on My Own’ became an enormous hit in its remixed version by No More Brothers. The track was originally produced by German producer Mack and written by Freddie Mercury. It topped the charts in several markets, including the UK, France, Norway and Italy. The footage in the video is taken from Freddie Mecury’s 39th birthday. The song was originally featured on Mercury’s debut solo album Mr. Bad Guy (1985), peaking at No.50 in the UK upon its single release that year. Returning to the charts 8 years later, this was Freddie Mercury’s first and sole UK No.1 as a solo artist.
