This week in 1991
1 Black or White Michael Jackson
2 Dizzy Vic Reeves and The Wonder Stuff
3 Activ 8 (Come With Me) Altern 8
4 Playing With Knives Bizarre Inc.
5 Get Ready For This 2 Unlimited
6 Ride Like The Wind East Side Beat
7 Is There Anybody Out There? Bassheads
8 When A Man Loves A Woman Michael Bolton 9 Smells Like Teen Spirit Nirvana
10 When You Tell Me That You Love Me Diana Ross The first single from the late Michael Jackson’ eighth studio album ‘Dangerous’, ‘Black or White’ was the fastest chart topper in the US since The Beatles’ ‘Get Back’ in 1969 when released in November 1991. It stayed at the top of the Billboard Hot 100 right through Christmas and into the New Year, sticking at number one for seven weeks. In the UK, ‘Black or White’ also rocked the charts, becoming the first single by an American artist to enter the charts at No. 1 since Elvis Presley’s ‘It’s Now Or Never’ in 1960. The song, described by Jackson’s record company Epic as ‘a rock ‘n’ roll dance song about racial harmony’, reached number one in a total of 20 countries, including Ireland, thanks in no small part to an avalanche of pre-publicity, and a video directed by John Landis which aired simultaneously in 27 countries, drawing an audience of 500 million TV viewers.