Top 40 Hits - Not Abba, British, N American, Jamaican or Australasian - Until 2000

[Lat-Literal]

Also from the 1950s:
Winifred Atwell (Trinidad)
Perez Prado (Mexico)

And from the 1970s - has anybody mentioned 'Baccara' (Spanish)?

Winifred Atwell is officially listed as British.

Perez Prado and his Orchestra certainly qualify but as Cuban.

So do Baccara who are Spanish.

Baccara - Yes Sir I Can Boogie - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VSQjx79dR8s
Baccara - Sorry I'm a Lady - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_-rlXGvMiNA

Perez Prado - Cherry Pink and Apple Blossom White - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zj64NlRnpDY
Perez Prado - Guaglione - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kA8x9uPEYWw
Perez Prado - Patricia - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DljamkfDlHc

Spain, Spain, Cuba, Cuba, Cuba - 139

[Lat-Literal]

Harold Faltermeyer - Axel F - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qx2gvHjNhQ0

Robert Miles - Children - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6QEPrDBMqJ0

Plus also Fable and One & One by Robert Miles.

Germany, Italy, Italy, Italy - 143

Yannis Markopoulos - Who Pays the Ferryman?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hGGtSkyasNA

Greece - 144

[Lat-Literal]

Apart from Lovefool, the Cardigans had Sick and Tired, Carnival, Rise and Shine, Your New Cuckoo, My Favourite Game, Erase/Rewind and Burning Down the House. That's another 7. And apart from the two from A-ha already listed, they had Train of Thought, Hunting High and Low, I've Been Losing You, Cry Wolf, Manhattan Skyline, The Living Daylights, Stay on These Roads, The Blood that Moves the Body, Touchy, You Are the One, Crying in the Rain, Dark is the Night and Shapes That Move the Body. That is another 13. Both are obvious loopholes for claims of only a small number of hits in the category as indicated by the thread title and also not including the Irish. Just a couple of clips from these here as examples:

Cardigans - My Favourite Game - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fh1q3uZcOJw
A-ha - Hunting High and Low - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s6VaeFCxta8

Sweden times 7, Norway times 13 - 164

[Lat-Literal]

Un homme et une femme - Francis Lai score to the 1966 Claude Lelouch film
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lsv6sgPbagU

It's immediately recognisable but did it chart? I can't find any reference to it.

(1) Does anybody know which recording of 'Also Sprach Zarathustra' - well, the opening - featured in the charts after its use in '2001 A Space Odyssey'? I have a feeling it was conducted by Lorin Maazel.
(2) Does Roger Whittaker (Kenyan/British) count? I think he had some chart success.
(3) Hugo Alfven's 'Swedish Rhapsody' was a big hit in the early 1950s. Different versions - admittedly not recorded by Swedes - reached 2nd and 4th positions in the chart.
(4) Emile Ford (St Lucia) and the Checkmates. If memory serves, the Number 1 spot was contested by 'What Do You Want To Make Those Eyes For?' and Adam Faith's 'What Do You Want?'

On 1, I have posted the Deodato from the 1970s which is the one I remember and am not sure quite what you want me to do re 2001 or the references to the Blue Danube etc in a follow up post. Do you have any more information? 2 is interesting as I reckon he is Kenyan really and he was one who stood out in my mind as possibly bumping up the figures. More in a minute. Swedish Rhapsody was by (a) Mantovani and his Orchestra and (b) Ray Martin and his Concert Orchestra. Emile Ford and the Checkmates are officially listed as American.

nb:

Actually, I've just checked Whittaker and he is officially listed as British so I think we will have to accept that; surprisingly only 6 hits from him, one of which was with Des O'Connor.

(Mentioned above)
Properly Nel blu dipinto di blu, by Domenico Modugno, who recorded it, and Franco Migliacci. It came third in Eurovision 1958. The 45 I was given at the time (and still have somewhere) was pressed in blue vinyl, possibly a first.

Chan Chan - Buena Vista Social Club

BVSC was a hugely successful album but I suggest Chan Chan wasn't a top 40 single.

[Lat-Literal]

Last three from me otherwise this could get too obsessive !

Have we had Topol - If I Were a rich Man ? Israel

Not sure if the presence of Paul Young disqualifies Senza Una Donna by Zucchero, Italy ?

But this is good, Orange Blossom Special by The Spotnicks from Sweden, who are still going apparently !

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0DhLnuh7TQI

Ok, a fourth....Azymuth - Jazz Carnival. BrazilThat goes in as does Zucchero

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C9n02sGMaiU

And a fifth....Aqua - Barbie Girl. More Swedes.

Some interesting ones among those. The Spotnicks also had The Rocket Man, Hava Nagila and Just Listen to my Heart, We had not had Topol. That goes in as does Zucchero with Paul Young and Azymuth. Aqua too regrettably although they are Denmark/Norway. They had another four hits - Doctor Jones, Turn Back Time, My Oh My and Good Morning Sunshine.

Topol - If I Were a Rich Man - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RBHZFYpQ6nc

Zucchero/Paul Young - Senza Una Donna - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V69vs8JmXYM

Aqua - Doctor Jones - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-1jPUB7gRyg

Israel, Italy/UK, Sweden times 4, Brazil, Denmark/Norway times 5 - 176

[Lat-Literal]

The Scorpions:

Wind of Change - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n4RjJKxsamQ

plus Is There Anybody There?/Another Piece of Meat and Send Me an Angel.

Europe:

The Final Countdown - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9jK-NightNcRmVcw

plus Rock the Night, Carrie, Superstitious and I'll Cry For You.

Germany times 3, Sweden times 5 - 184

They were Danish (not sure they'd want to claim them, though...)

Before you get to 200, must include Ride On Time by Black Box (all Italians, including alleged 'singer') and No Limit by 2 Unlimited (Dutch-Belgian), two of the biggest No 1 sellers of all time, I think.

Black Box - Ride on Time, I Don't Know Anybody Else, Everybody Everybody, Fantasy, The Total Mix, Strike It Up, Rockin' To the Music, Not Anyone and I Got the Vibration/A Positive Vibration. 9. Just goes to show the knock on effect of a huge hit single. 2 Unlimited - listed as Holland - Get Ready For This, Twilight Zone, Workaholic, The Magic Friend, No Limit, Tribal Dance, Faces, Maximum Overdrive, Let the Beat Control Your Body, The Real Thing, No One, Here I Go, Do What's Goof For Me and Wanna Get Up. A horrifying 14. Most unmemorable.

Then in not dissimilar vein there is Whigfield from Denmark - Saturday Night, Another Day, Think of You, Close to You and Last Christmas/Big Time - all these I had managed to forget.

Black Box - Ride On Time - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M0quXl_od3g
2-Unlimited - No Limit - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RkEXGgdqMz8
Whigfield - Saturday Night - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8DNQRtmIMxk

Italy times 9, Holland times 14, Denmark times 5 - oh dear, 212

[Lat-Literal]

The Trinidad Oil Company:

The Calendar Song - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YRLpTBOuEgA

Trinidad - oh dear, 213

Osibisa - Dance the Body Music - https://www.youtube.com/?v=4fTuxaFBAo8

Ghana/Nigeria - oh dear, 214

Joao Gilberto (Brazil, with Stan Getz) - The Girl from Ipanema.

This was mentioned earlier. I am not sure that we included it.

It's listed under Stan Getz who is American although I take the point about the Gilbertos.

[Lat-Literal]

Danyel Gerard - Butterfly - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m7cqmHVjXgQ

France - 215

I was wrong. We have found 215 rather than less than 100. It remains the case that in a chart spanning nearly half a century, these figures are paltry. The number of artists if we can call some of them that is not very much higher than a hundred. And while there are some good discs here, there is an awful lot of what might be called Eurotrash. It sold in millions.

[zola]

And while there are some good discs here, there is an awful lot of what might be called Eurotrash. It sold in millions.

And that's without considering home grown Eurotrash ( or covers of trash ) Agadoo anyone ? Or Una Paloma Blanca ?

[Lat-Literal]

And that's without considering home grown Eurotrash ( or covers of trash ) Agadoo anyone ? Or Una Paloma Blanca ?

Yes - so in all but a dozen or so exceptions, 30 at the most - this and that isn't World Music!

Sorted!

(I wasn't having a go at non British Europeans as such; rather it indicates how internationalism in this sphere was principally in the domain of what was enjoyed on the Costa Blanca)

[cloughie]

The Trinidad Oil Company:

The Calendar Song - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YRLpTBOuEgA

Trinidad - oh dear, 213

Osibisa - Dance the Body Music - https://www.youtube.com/?v=4fTuxaFBAo8

Ghana/Nigeria - oh dear, 214



This was mentioned earlier. I am not sure that we included it.

It's listed under Stan Getz who is American although I take the point about the Gilbertos.

Although it would probably not have been a hit without Astrud - but then I love her sound even if at times its not quite on the note or even the one note!

[Lat-Literal]

Although it would probably not have been a hit without Astrud - but then I love her sound even if at times its not quite on the note or even the one note!

It's on a Brazilian note which is a key part of that equation. There was a re-release or re-tread around 1984/1985 in which Astrud's name was to the fore but I'm not sure it charted.

[LMcD]

While we're in Brazil, has anybody mentioned Los Indios Tabajaras / Maria Elena?

[cloughie]

While we're in Brazil, has anybody mentioned Los Indios Tabajaras / Maria Elena?

Yes I did several posts back. I guess you are a similar age to me - ‘twas a lovely different chart hit back then, but then there was a good range of stuff in the charts then, unlike today. I think I bought the single. Just as an aside had there been such a thing as downloads back then the Beatles would have changed chart history with the number of LP tracks that would probably have made it, Ed Sheeran’s record would have paled into insignificance!

[kernelbogey]

It's immediately recognisable [Un homme et une femme] but did it chart? I can't find any reference to it....

BVSC was a hugely successful album but I suggest Chan Chan wasn't a top 40 single.

They were intuitive suggestions, rather than evidence-based, as I don't know how to check the top 40.

BTW my recollection is that in the 50s and 60s, and maybe later, there was only a top twenty. When did the top 40 start?