Go to main content

UK #1 Sales Are You Lonesome Tonight?

February 07, 2005 | Music
From Music Week: Elvis is perfectly timed to catch a wave, not only from the current Presley singles reissues campaign but also from its suitability as a Valentine's Day gift. Not surprisingly, the album "Love, Elvis" debuts at number nine, after selling 23,995 copies. It's Presley's 107th hit album - the most by any artist - but the first to add to his total since Christmas Peace, which reached number 41 in both December 2003 and December 2004. "Love, Elvis" includes "Are You Lonseome Tonight" which looked likely to provide Presley with his fourth number one single in five weeks when it claimed a commanding midweek lead but despite registering the highest weekly sale yet for an Elvis Presley reissue - exactly 28,500 - it failed to deliver, having its initial 14,318 lead over Eminem's Like Toy Soldiers turn into a deficit of 996 by the end of the week. "Are You Lonesome Tonight" topped the sale of previous Presley reissues because BMG has belatedly scrapped its decision to make them limited editions. With new stock available, "One Night/I Got Stung" and "Jailhouse Rock" rebound 40-26 and 57-27 respectively, while "A Fool Such As I" falls only 20-22 but last week's number one, "It's Now Or Never", still takes a dive, sliding 1-14.

Like Toy Soldiers provides Eminem with back-to-back number one singles for the second time in his career. The second single from his current album Encore, it sold 29,496 copies last week - less than half the 63,312 tally which won Encore's introductory single Just Lose It the singles crown 13 weeks ago. [...] Brian McFadden and Delta Goodrem's Almost Here was also in close attendance, and managed to sell 25,751 copies to debut at number third on the singles chart. [...]

#1 Eminem 29,496
#2 Elvis 28,500 (only 996 sales less than Eminem)
#3 Brian and Delta 25,751
Source:Music Week

Related links


Buy at Amazon.co.uk
data wrote on February 07, 2005
Well the numbers tell it all. No copys and a good 1000 short of number 1. This is a rip of. No Eminem you should not have got the number 1 if things woulsd have gone fair. I can not believe this.
RobIreland wrote on February 07, 2005
BMG get off the Hash and open yer eyes!!
pacer1965 wrote on February 07, 2005
I am really mad guys now. What happened to the extra singles of AYLT at the weekend. I could not find any.This was not a fair contest. Elvis should have got to no 1
Jim Semple wrote on February 07, 2005
Absolutely appalling.
ranger wrote on February 07, 2005
The last copy of AYLT which I saw was at 9.06am on Monday 31st January; it was my copy. For the rest of the week I was virtually falling over Eminem singles to see how the 'invisible' Elvis singles were doing. Elvis would have easily cleared 996 singles in London alone (EASILY!!!!!) if they'd been available.
I am Buffalo-Horn! wrote on February 07, 2005
The fault yet another bitter disappointment lies squarely with RCA. They will claim a number 2 is a success, but a miss is as good as a mile. Had the records been available for us to buy there is no doubt Elvis would have gained another valuable Number One. As such he did not fail, but both he & his fans were once more badly failed by his record company. We await their next letter of excuses with interest on their UK 18 number ones web site. More lies about extra copies being widely available doubtless. Actually no extra copies of Wooden Heart left today in Dorset, & doubtless it's the same everywhere else. This is the 7th single & they are still letting everyone down... quite appalling.
Mal wrote on February 07, 2005
anyone got a vinyl copy of wooden heart from hmv's yet, seen alot of posts on other forums that virgins got them but no hmv's.
glynalone wrote on February 07, 2005
Here in North Wales the situation is just as bad as ever. No copies of any of the singles in the local Woolworths or HMV. This week the HMV store has replaced That's All Right with 30#1's in it's chart singles display. When I questioned why the staff told me they'd given up trying to get the singles and recommended the 30#1's album as much better value as it contained all 18 singles plus more for about the price of three singles. True, but missing the point somewhat. All this aggravation ain't satisfactionin' me!
Viva wrote on February 07, 2005
How sick is that? I give up. What a complete bunch of illiterates BMG are. Don't they have a calculator? Why oh why does it always have to be like this. There is no excuse for this not being Elvis 5th consecutive No1 in as many weeks. It's like they have never distributed a recording before.
Aarons wrote on February 07, 2005
Why is everyone sweating over this Elvis still has more Number 1s than everybody else. No-one can beat Elvis. Still I would like to see Elvis getting 5 Number 1s in a row.
phantom3428 wrote on February 07, 2005
People are annoyed about this because if the single was distributed properly Elvis would without doubt have been number one with every release so far. It's great to see him in the charts again, but I feel cheated by what is going on., knowing full well that if these singles were readily available, the man would be outselling everything in sight.
job wrote on February 07, 2005
enaem is good as well
pacer1965 wrote on February 07, 2005
Cant say i like eminem. I would rather hear Elvis singing Old Macdonald.The reason I am mad is because it was hard to get the single of AYLT.If eminem had sold 50,000 I would not be so mad about it.AYLT only had to sell 1,000 more singles and it would have been no 1. I know what BMG are up to and its working.They are holding back some of these singles on purpose
Shaky wrote on February 08, 2005
No copies supplied at all in my local ASDA today they have been getting less and less each week - the reverse of the hype saying more and more - me thinks the establishment has a restraining order on our quest!
kal wrote on February 08, 2005
hi everyone,i have a friend who works for virgin records and according to him they are not going to be recieving the unumbered singles at all.he also said that they have been told that they cannot order extra copies and that they have been recieving less copies each week at his branch.according to him its the record company that is controlling all of this.this is what i have been told.you all can make your own conclusions from this.
ranger wrote on February 08, 2005
Thanks for the info, Kal. I can't say I'm surprised. What's the point of pressing 'extra singles' if they're not making it onto the shopfloor? As someone who naturally leans towards conspriracy theories anyway, can anyone convince me that this isn't all deliberately set up to stop Elvis having too many No.1s?
pacer1965 wrote on February 08, 2005
I dont think BMG care if Elvis gets to no 1 or not.All there trying to do is flood the charts with all the Elvis singles at once.I have heard that hmv are keeping the singles in the stock rooms and not putting them on the shop floor.I have gone in on mondays and have asked if there got any and they say if you came in earlier you would have got one.And then sunday I go in and they were all availible except for AYLT.I have not even seen an unumbered copy of any of these singles yet.I have had no luck with Wooden Heart either.BMG think we are stupid but we are not.I know what there up too.Now you got the box you will want the rest of them.They are holding these singles back on purpose.I dont think they realised this was going to be such a big success.
Buddy Holly wrote on February 08, 2005
The problem probably is that Elvis getting the no. 1 again and again makes all the current artists look stupid. That's not in the best interest of the record companies and other pop-related industries who make a living by hyping the current crap that's supposed to be relevant for pop-culture.
RobIreland wrote on February 08, 2005
In Belfast this week there was loads of Wooden Heart in Virgin and HMV , only Virgin had the vynil though. HMV had lots on display as well, people just walking in and picking it up like an ordinary single, I was hoping it would be like this all over, apparently not. As for Elvis getting to number one over and over , well most people just think its a fix by the record company or whoever. I was asking alot of people in town on Saturday night about this and that was the main reaction.
Son Of Mark 64 wrote on February 08, 2005
been to woolies every week told no stock and we dont sell vinyl how as he got to no 2
MauriceColgan wrote on February 08, 2005
Today I called into our local HMV store and lo and behold got two numbered singles. INON 28911 and One Night 29006. The stack of "Love Elvis" was gone and no replacements yet! What a way to run a sales campaign:-) BMG! Just let's hope this weekend Bono of U2 has to say, "Elvis U1".
ElFan wrote on February 08, 2005
Actually, Bono is a big Elvis fan!
glennd wrote on February 09, 2005
I tell you what: The BIG problem is BMG cause they didn´t promote the singles well and they didn´t watch to release enough at the right time. Did only BMG have this problem ? TCB.
dailyone wrote on February 12, 2005
look everyone it would be a nightmare for sony to promote this. and take this from me except for a few only elvis fans will buy them. should look out for allc and see how it goes for a lot of other people will buy this single i think??