"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.[2] 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.[2][3] It was produced by Joe Gibbs,[2] 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".[4]
| "Uptown Top Ranking" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single by Althea & Donna | ||||
| B-side | "Calico Suit" | |||
| Released | 1977 | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 3:53 | |||
| Label | Lightning | |||
| Songwriter(s) | ||||
| Producer(s) | Joe Gibbs | |||
| Althea & Donna singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
| 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.[5] 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.[2] 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.[3]
Charts
editWeekly charts
edit| Chart (1977–1978) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)[6] | 23 |
| Ireland (IRMA)[7] | 2 |
| Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)[8] | 24 |
| Netherlands (Single Top 100)[9] | 25 |
| UK Singles (OCC)[10] | 1 |
Year-end charts
edit| Chart (1978) | Position |
|---|---|
| UK Singles (OCC)[11] | 44 |
Certifications
edit| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| United Kingdom (BPI)[12] | Silver | 200,000‡ |
|
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone. | ||
Sampling
editThe song was sampled in Abs Breen's 2002 UK top 10[13] hit single, "What You Got".[14]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ a b Bradley, Larry (November 4, 2014). "The 1970s: Althea & Donna - "Uptown Top Ranking". The Alternative Jukebox. Cassell. p. 94. ISBN 978-1-84403-789-6.
- ^ a b c d 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.
- ^ a b Roberts, David (2001). British Hit Singles (14th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. p. 47. ISBN 0-85156-156-X.
- ^ Colin Larkin (1998) The Virgin Encyclopedia of Reggae, Virgin Books, ISBN 0-7535-0242-9, p.10-11
- ^ "One-Hit Wonders at the BBC". ... at the BBC. 17 April 2015. BBC. BBC Four.
- ^ "Althia & Donna – Up Town Top Ranking" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Retrieved 16 October 2020.
- ^ "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Up Town Top Ranking". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved 16 October 2020.
- ^ "Nederlandse Top 40 – week 9, 1978" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40. Retrieved 16 October 2020.
- ^ "Althia & Donna – Up Town Top Ranking" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved 16 October 2020.
- ^ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 16 October 2020.
- ^ 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.
- ^ "British single certifications – Althea & Donna – Uptown Top Ranking". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 16 October 2020.
- ^ "What You Got - A B's". www.officialcharts.com. Retrieved 10 September 2024.
- ^ "Abs — What You Got". www.discogs.com. Retrieved 13 April 2012.