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"Uptown Top Ranking" is a song by Jamaican teenage singers Althea Forrest and Donna Reid, recorded when they were 17 and 18 years old respectively.[1] Released in 1977, the song comprises the girls ad-libbing to deejay track "Three Piece Suit" by Trinity. The lyrics were written by the duo and Errol Thompson.[1][2] It was produced by Joe Gibbs,[1] using a re-recording of the riddim of the 1967 Alton Ellis song "I'm Still in Love", which had already been re-popularised in the 1970s by Marcia Aitken's cover "I'm Still in Love With You Boy", and "Three Piece Suit" by Trinity, to which "Uptown" was an "answer record".[3]

"Uptown Top Ranking"
Single by Althea & Donna
B-side"Calico Suit"
Released1977
GenreReggae
Length3:53
LabelLightning
Songwriter(s)
  • Althea & Donna
  • Errol Thompson
Producer(s)Joe Gibbs
Althea & Donna singles chronology
"Uptown Top Ranking"
(1977)		 "Puppy Dog Song"
(1978)
Official audio
"Uptown Top Ranking" on YouTube

The record was initially recorded as a joke. It was accidentally played by BBC Radio 1 DJ John Peel resulting in numerous requests for additional plays.[4] With early championing by Peel and a performance on Top of the Pops, it soon became a surprise hit, reaching number one on the UK Singles Chart in February 1978.[1] The track spent a total of 11 weeks in the charts. Althea & Donna became the youngest female duo to reach the number-one spot on the UK chart.[2]


Charts



Weekly charts


Chart (1977–1978) Peak
position
Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)[5] 23
Ireland (IRMA)[6] 2
Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)[7] 24
Netherlands (Single Top 100)[8] 25
UK Singles (OCC)[9] 1

Year-end charts


Chart (1978) Position
UK Singles (OCC)[10] 44

Certifications


Region CertificationCertified units/sales
United Kingdom (BPI)[11] Silver 200,000

Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.


Sampling


The song was sampled in Abs Breen's 2002 UK top 10[citation needed] hit single, "What You Got".[12]


See also



References


  1. Rice, Jo (1982). The Guinness Book of 500 Number One Hits (1st ed.). Enfield, Middlesex: Guinness Superlatives Ltd. p. 188. ISBN 0-85112-250-7.
  2. Roberts, David (2001). British Hit Singles (14th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. p. 47. ISBN 0-85156-156-X.
  3. Colin Larkin (1998) The Virgin Encyclopedia of Reggae, Virgin Books, ISBN 0-7535-0242-9, p.10-11
  4. "One-Hit Wonders at the BBC". ... at the BBC. 17 April 2015. BBC. BBC Four.
  5. "Althia & Donna – Up Town Top Ranking" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Retrieved 16 October 2020.
  6. "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Up Town Top Ranking". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved 16 October 2020.
  7. "Nederlandse Top 40 – week 9, 1978" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40. Retrieved 16 October 2020.
  8. "Althia & Donna – Up Town Top Ranking" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved 16 October 2020.
  9. "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 16 October 2020.
  10. Scaping, Peter, ed. (1979). "Top 200 Singles in 1978". BPI Year Book 1979 (4th ed.). London, England: The British Phonographic Industry Ltd. pp. 186–89. ISBN 0-906154-02-2.
  11. "British single certifications – Althea & Donna – Uptown Top Ranking". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 16 October 2020.
  12. "Abs — What You Got". www.discogs.com. Retrieved 13 April 2012.


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