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On 17th February 1997 I walked into the HMV record store in Portsmouth, where I was a student at the time, and purchased a CD-single titled White Ribbon Day. The following Sunday I tuned my radio into Radio 1 and listened to the charts. The disappointment of the single missing out on a place in the all important top 40 by just one position was erased three months later when Deeper exploded into the charts at number 20, against all expectations. It was a euphoric moment for Delirious? fans. A new dream was born, to see Delirious? should to shoulder with all the other big-name mainstream bands and singers in the charts, on the radio and on the TV.

Since Deeper, Delirious? have entered the Top 40 of the UK singles charts on 6 further occasions, peaking at number 16 in March 1999 with See The Star. In December 2001, Delirious? surprised a lot of people when they announced the release of their eight single, I Could Sing Of Your Love Forever. The single scrapped into the charts at number 40, and in the four years that have passed since then it has never looked likely that they'd have another opportunity to get played on Radio 1.

That is until now. It's been a long wait, but finally Delirious? are back with a new single. Paint The Town Red was released on Monday. The memories came flooding back when I popped into my local Virgin Megastore on Monday and saw a Delirious? CD sharing a shelf with the likes of U2. But what makes this single even more intriguing than ever before is that for the first time, you can also download the single online, and it will count towards the chart position.

Some people might be wondering exactly WHY Delirious? are releasing a single at the moment. Is it for the money? Certainly not. Every time a single has been released in the past, Delirious? have lost substantial amounts of money because it costs more money to make, distribute and promote a single than it raises in revenue. Tim Jupp, the Delirious? keyboardist and caretaker manager had this to say on the subject:

"This is not a money making exercise for us but more a means of wanting to create opportunities where we can then talk about all that God is up to, whether this be to TV and press or just to people behind the scenes who are influencers to this generation." The point is, if Delirious? sell enough copies of Paint The Town Red, either through CD sales or iTunes downloads, to reach the Top 40 of the UK Singles Chart, it will guarantee that the song will be played on national, mainstream radio this Sunday. It might be just that once - but the significance is still huge. Getting into the charts gets you heard. It gets you noticed. And that is what Delirious? are trying to do - get their message heard by the masses.

Many fans like myself have had a long standing dream since that first single in 1997 of seeing Delirious? make progress in the mainstream. Well, this is the opportunity we've been waiting for. Delirious? have set the foundations, but now it's down to the fans to make it count. Don't leave it till next week - BUY IT NOW! The easiest way is to click over to iTunes and buy the single. You may never get another chance to see Delirious? in the charts - so don't waste the opportunity now.