Mirage on the charts

[Macfan4life]

Here are some fun and fast facts about Mirage.

Released July 2, 1982

Enters the charts with a bullet at #50 July 17, 1982

The following week July 24, 1982 enters the top 10 at #9

The next week July 31, 1982 it hit #3

The following week it knocks Asia from the top spot and hits #1 Aug 1, 1982


It would remain #1 for 5 weeks that summer
It gets knocked from the top spot by John Couger, American Fool on September 11, 1982

American Fool remained at #1 until November.
However what I did not know is Mirage stayed at #2 until late on November 27 it drops to #13.

American Fool also drops and Men At Work take over #1


For 4 months Mirage was #1 or #2 on the charts. If John Couger never existed Mirage could have been a #1 album for 4 months.

Imagine a MTV video for Love In Store. It could have extended its life on the charts.

Mirage sold 2 million copies in the states that year and it only hit #1 in the states. American Fool sold over twice as much 5 million.

Interesting footnote is Bella Donna dropped out of the top 40 albums chart on July 3, 1982 the exact time Mirage was released. Bella Donna would hang on in the top 200 albums for another year

BOTH Bella Donna and Mirage hit #1 just 4 weeks after release and almost exactly 1 year apart

[BLY]

Originally Posted by Macfan4life

Here are some fun and fast facts about Mirage.

Released July 2, 1982

Enters the charts with a bullet at #50 July 17, 1982

The following week July 24, 1982 enters the top 10 at #9

The next week July 31, 1982 it hit #3

The following week it knocks Asia from the top spot and hits #1 Aug 1, 1982


It would remain #1 for 5 weeks that summer
It gets knocked from the top spot by John Couger, American Fool on September 11, 1982

American Fool remained at #1 until November.
However what I did not know is Mirage stayed at #2 until late on November 27 it drops to #13.

American Fool also drops and Men At Work take over #1


For 4 months Mirage was #1 or #2 on the charts. If John Couger never existed Mirage could have been a #1 album for 4 months.

Imagine a MTV video for Love In Store. It could have extended its life on the charts.

Mirage sold 2 million copies in the states that year and it only hit #1 in the states. American Fool sold over twice as much 5 million.

Thanks for this flashback. I was a junior in college when this came out. I had a cassette tape of it (and album) I played the tape in a Walkman 24/7 walking to classes and any other chances I got to put the lp on at a party for everyone’s pleasure.

[HomerMcvie]

John Mellencamp is a sawed off, miserable piece of caca. He lives in my former town(Bloomington, IN). He's the most hateful, bitter person I've ever met. I remember I was backing into a parking space at the hardware store, and he thought I was too close to his motorcycle(he was leaning against the front of the store, watching). As I walked into the store, he just snarled at me. Funny thing is, back when he knocked Mirage off, I worshipped him. But over the years, when I gradually discovered he was a first class prick, my fandom faded.

One of the proudest moments of my 32 years of doing sound and lighting, was around 2019. He was playing a benefit, appearing with the Dalai Lama, and I got the call to provide sound for the event. I told the promoter that I needed to sleep on it, before giving him a quote. I thought and thought about it, and decided that a day of being around that first class DOUCHEBAG was going to be more stressful than any amount of money could compensate, and I called him back and passed on the show. If you'd told me at 15, that I'd someday be ABLE to work with him, and would pass on it, I'd have called you a liar, a million times over. Sometimes your heroes turn out to be douchebags, and life's too short to work with douchebags...

It made me very proud that I essentially said, "fukc that guy".

[Nathan]

Originally Posted by BLY

Thanks for this flashback. I was a junior in college when this came out. I had a cassette tape of it (and album) I played the tape in a Walkman 24/7 walking to classes and any other chances I got to put the lp on at a party for everyone’s pleasure.

Sounds like my kind of person, and my kind of party!

[Villavic]

Originally Posted by Macfan4life

However what I did not know is Mirage stayed at #2 until late on November 27 it drops to #13.
...
Imagine a MTV video for Love In Store. It could have extended its life on the charts.

The Mirage tour ended on oct. 31. I wonder how the charts would have changed if the tour had lasted longer, and if there had been that video, and maybe others, like Can't Go Back (I love that song).

[Macfan4life]

Originally Posted by Villavic

The Mirage tour ended on oct. 31. I wonder how the charts would have changed if the tour had lasted longer, and if there had been that video, and maybe others, like Can't Go Back (I love that song).

Yes it was still #2 for another 3 weeks after the tour ended and then dropped like a rock.
MTV played the hell out of Hold Me and Gypsy and even had a huge contest with the band. That promotion definitely helped. People forget there was a third single from the album that did fairly well without a video.
Its no wonder with the album's success HBO got rights to broadcast the concert that was recorded. It hit HBO just 4 months after the tour ended which in those days was record speed.
Even though Bella Donna was fading from the album charts in the summer of 1982, its last single After The Glitter Fades was in the top 40 with Hold Me at the same time. In June 1982, Hold Me leap frogged After The Glitter Fades.