Just read on Wikipedia that Rick Astley supposedly started off as the recording studio 'tea boy' :lol:

 

Yup, that was the big news at the time. Think he might have actually been trying to get a job at the label as opposed to actually pushing a trolley containing an urn around S/A/W towers, but that's how I always pictured him.

20 - Soul II Soul "Back To Life (However Do You Want Me)" (1989) (+32)

 

Their only number one single which was ontop the charts for four weeks. They scored four more T10 hits after this song.

 

19 - Pet Shop Boys "Always On My Mind" (1987) (+33)

 

This was the third number one for the boys and it stopped The Pogues from getting Christmas Number One in 87'. Chartwise, it was their most successful single.

 

18 - Dead Or Alive "You Spin Me Round (Like A Record)" (1985) (+35)

 

The only top ten single for DOA was this. It spent 2 weeks at the top spot and took seventeen weeks to peak (debuting at 79 and entering the T40 on its 13th week) In 2006 a re-issue was released and it peaked at number 5.

 

17 - Kylie Minogue "I Should Feel So Lucky" (1988) (+36)

 

Kylie is one of the best breakthroughs of all time, spending 5 weeks at number one with her debut single (this) and following up with 3 number 2 hits in the same year (1988) and then getting to number one with Jason Donovan the next year as well as a number one hit of her own.

 

16 - Madonna "La Isla Bonita" (1987) (+36)

 

The fourth number one hit for Madge of thirteen is this. Despite the foreign title, this is an English language song. In the song she sings 'last night I dreamed of some bagel', that must have been her favourite food at the time.

 

I do like Always on My Mind, although it could have at least gave ONE of its weeks at number 1 to the Pogues :(

15 - John Lennon "Imagine" (1981) (+39)

 

This song went to number one after John Lennon sadly died and stayed there for four weeks. At the end of those weeks John Lennon knocked himself off the top spot with 'Woman'. There would have been three Lennon songs at number one in a row if 'There's No-One Quite Like Grandma' didn't steal the Xmas Number One spot.

 

14 - Soft Cell "Tainted Love" (1981) (+39)

 

The debut hit for Soft Cell was at number one for two weeks and sold a million (it's the 51st best selling song in the UK [John Lennon is 21]) They followed up with four Top 5 hits before leaving the top 10 with all their other songs.

 

13 - George Michael "Careless Whisper" (1984) (+43)

 

This is George's debut solo single, which spent 3 weeks at number one and is the 32nd best selling song in the UK. His follow up (in 1986) also went to number one and he had 23 T10 hits

 

12 - The Specials "Ghost Town" (1981) (+46)

 

The Specials scored their second and last number one hit with this song. It was also their last T40 hit (and their last hit at all until 'Hypocrite' got to 66 in 1996)

 

11 - Pet Shop Boys "West End Girls" (1986) (+50)

 

This was the debut hit for the boys, it peaked on it's ninth week and spent two weeks at the top. I've run out of things to say about the PSB, because this is their third appearance (they have one more in the T10)

 

 

+++++++++++

 

Results so far:

 

11. +50 1986 Pet Shop Boys "West End Girls"

12. +46 1981 The Specials "Ghost Town"

13. +43 1984 George Michael "Careless Whisper"

14. +39 1981 Soft Cell "Tainted Love" (+247 indv.)

15. +39 1981 John Lennon "Imagine" (+154 indv.)

16. +36 1987 Madonna "La Isla Bonita" (+212 indv.)

17. +36 1988 Kylie Minogue "I Should Be So Lucky" (+176 indv.)

18. +35 1985 Dead or Alive "You Spin Me Round (Like A Record)"

19. +33 1987 Pet Shop Boys "Always On My Mind"

20. +32 1989 Soul II Soul "Back To Life (However Do You Want Me)"

21. +31 1980 David Bowie "Ashes To Ashes"

22. +29 1987 M/A/R/R/S "Pump Up The Volume/Antina (The First Time I See She Dance)"

23. +28 1989 The Bangles "Eternal Flame"

24. +26 1984 Nena "99 Red Balloons"

25. +25 1988 Yazz & The Plastic Population "The Only Way Is Up"

26. +24 1982 The Jam "A Town Called Malice/Precious" (+261 indv.)

27. +24 1985 Eurythmics "There Must Be An Angel (Playing With My Heart)" (+208 indv.)

28. +24 1982 Dexy's Midnight Runners with The Emerald Express "Come On Eileen" (+191 indv.)

29. +22 1986 Berlin "Take My Breath Away (Love Theme From "Top Gun")"

30. +21 1981 Queen & David Bowie "Under Pressure"

31. +20 1984 Band Aid "Do They Know It's Christmas?" (+189 indv.)

32. +20 1980 The Jam "Going Underground/Dreams of Children" (+176 indv.)

33. +18 1986 Madonna "Papa Don't Preach"

34. +17 1982 Kraftwerk "The Model/Computer Love" (+209 indv.)

35. +17 1983 Bonnie Tyler "Total Eclipse of The Heart" (+174 indv.)

36. +17 1982 Culture Club "Do You Really Want To Hurt Me?" (+169 indv.)

37. +16 1988 Tiffany "I Think We're Alone Now" (+170 indv.)

38. +16 1987 T'Pau "China In Your Hand" (+158 indv.)

39. +14 1981 Adam & The Ants "Stand And Deliver"

40. +13 1986 Madonna "True Blue"

41. +12 1988 Pet Shop Boys "Heart"

42. +10 1980 ABBA "Super Trouper"

43. +09 1983 Culture Club "Karma Chameleon"

44. +07 1980 Blondie "Call Me"

45. +06 1984 Frankie Goes To Hollywood "Two Tribes" (+190 indv.)

46. +06 1985 Foreigner "I Want To Know What Love Is" (+147 indv.)

47. +03 1984 Frankie Goes To Hollywood "Relax"

48. +02 1983 David Bowie "Let's Dance"

49. +00 1985 Paul Hardcastle "19"

50. -01 1984 Duran Duran "The Reflex"

 

The Top 10, in alphabetical order:

 

ABBA 'The Winner Takes It All'

A-ha 'The Sun Always Shines on TV'

Belinda Carlisle 'Heaven Is A Place On Earth'

Black Box 'Ride On Time'

Blondie 'Atomic'

Madonna 'Into The Groove'

Madonna 'Like A Prayer'

Michael Jackson 'Billie Jean'

Pet Shop Boys 'It's A Sin'

The Human League 'Don't You Want Me'

 

Predict the top 10, I still don't know if I'm revealing them tonight or tomorrow. But I can tell you that there is a clear winner and only one tie in the T10. ;)

 

A shame to see those two just miss the top 10, although PSB have another one in there. I hope neither Abba or MJ make the top 5.

Boo, Specials just outside the top 10 - I thought they were going to make it for a second. C'mon PSB for #1 although I suspect it'll be bloody Madonna.

Both Bowie songs should have been far higher, as should Dead or Alive. "Don't You Want Me" for the win :D

Black Box winning would be the best result for me :D although I would be happy with most of these tbh, I hope its not Madonna- just for the sake of something different

 

a shame Imagine isn't top 10, but it did really well anyway :D

 

 

Black Box winning would be the best result for me :D although I would be happy with most of these tbh, I hope its not Madonna- just for the sake of something different

 

a shame Imagine isn't top 10, but it did really well anyway :D

Ah, but the winners of the other games were Oasis and Pulp - so Madonna winning would be something different :kink:

 

Fairly happy with the results so far. Two of my top 3 are still in. Blondie FTW, but I expect Like A Prayer - which wouldn't be too bad, it's an undisputed pop classic and it only just missed out on my votes (I would have put it like 12th or something) - so Blondie for runner-up!

 

Surprised A-ha made the top 10 - another one that just missed out on getting votes from me though so it's good.

I'll be upset if Blondie miss by a few points, I forgot to put them in my 10 and they should have had five or six from me.

The Top 10, in alphabetical order:

 

ABBA 'The Winner Takes It All'

A-ha 'The Sun Always Shines on TV'

Belinda Carlisle 'Heaven Is A Place On Earth'

Black Box 'Ride On Time'

Blondie 'Atomic'

Madonna 'Into The Groove'

Madonna 'Like A Prayer'

Michael Jackson 'Billie Jean'

Pet Shop Boys 'It's A Sin'

The Human League 'Don't You Want Me'

 

I voted for 8 out of that remaining 10 (no A-ha or Belinda Carlisle on mine)

 

 

 

Like A Prayer is the obvious one but I half suspect that this site is quite likely to go for Blondie maybe?