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Vote for the nation’s favourite Number 2 single

 

 

19/11/2012

By Dan Lane

 

 

Vote for the nation’s favourite Number 2 single!

 

 

The Official Charts Company have teamed up with BBC Radio 2 to find the nation’s favourite Number 2 single.

 

To celebrate 60 years of the Official Singles Chart, BBC Radio 2 have launched a nationwide poll to find the UK’s best loved track which never quite made it to the top of the chart!

 

Legendary DJ Tony Blackburn announced the poll this morning (Monday, November 19) on Ken Bruce’s show on Radio 2. From today, listeners will be able to vote for their all-time favourite Number 2 single via the Radio 2 website.

 

The results of the poll will form the basis of a special New Year’s Day Radio 2 show, presented by Tony Blackburn, who will count down an Official Top 40 of the nation’s favourite singles which never quite made it to the top of the Official Singles Chart. As a climax to the programme, the nation’s favourite Number 2 single will be bestowed with an honorary Number 1 by the Official Charts Company.

 

A panel consisting of industry experts including Radio 2 presenters Ken Bruce, Tony Blackburn and Janice Long, Official Charts Company managing director Martin Talbot and charts director Omar Maskatiya, Radio 1 presenter Annie Nightingale, BBC Radio 6 Music presenter Steve Lamacq, George Ergatoudis Head of Music, Radio 1 & 1Xtra and a number of other key industry figures whittled a list of 941 number two tracks down to 107 tracks. The list is made up of every number two record since 1952.

 

“We are delighted to be working with BBC Radio 2 to find the UK’s great ‘lost Number 1’,” said Martin Talbot. “The list of singles which almost-but-never-quite-made the Number 1 spot is almost as impressive as those which did. Certainly, the ‘Official Number 2’ singles include some absolute corkers - including Hound Dog, Strawberry Fields, Lola, Masterblaster, Oliver’s Army, Wonderwall, and many others. I certainly know my favourites, but am looking forward to seeing what the great British public verdict is.

 

“To mark the 60th anniversary of the Official Singles Chart we will be even be breaking new ground and bestowing the ultimate accolade on the nation’s top choice - and crowning it as an honorary Official Number 1. For the first time in history!”

 

The full list of nominees is as follows:

 

1950s

 

THAT'S AMORE - DEAN MARTIN

SMILE - NAT 'KING' COLE

UNCHAINED MELODY - AL HIBBLER

(LOVE IS) THE TENDER TRAP - FRANK SINATRA

HEARTBREAK HOTEL - ELVIS PRESLEY

HOUND DOG - ELVIS PRESLEY

WHEN I FALL IN LOVE - NAT 'KING' COLE

LAST TRAIN TO SAN FERNANDO - JOHNNY DUNCAN & THE BLUE GRASS BOYS

WAKE UP LITTLE SUSIE - EVERLY BROTHERS

DON'T BE CRUEL - ELVIS PRESLEY WITH THE JORDANAIRES

VOLARE - DEAN MARTIN

BIRD DOG - EVERLY BROTHERS

MOVE IT - CLIFF RICHARD & THE DRIFTERS

TO KNOW HIM IS TO LOVE HIM - TEDDY BEARS

A TEENAGER IN LOVE - MARTY WILDE

THE BATTLE OF NEW ORLEANS - LONNIE DONEGAN

 

 

1960s

 

SAVE THE LAST DANCE FOR ME - DRIFTERS

THE LOCO-MOTION - LITTLE EVA

PLEASE PLEASE ME - BEATLES

CAN'T GET USED TO LOSING YOU - ANDY WILLIAMS

THEN HE KISSED ME - CRYSTALS

ALL DAY AND ALL OF THE NIGHT - KINKS

DOWNTOWN - PETULA CLARK

WE GOTTA GET OUT OF THIS PLACE - ANIMALS

MY GENERATION - WHO

NINETEENTH NERVOUS BREAKDOWN - ROLLING STONES

GOD ONLY KNOWS - BEACH BOYS

MATTHEW AND SON - CAT STEVENS

PENNY LANE/STRAWBERRY FIELDS FOREVER - BEATLES

WATERLOO SUNSET - KINKS

MAGICAL MYSTERY TOUR (DOUBLE EP) - BEATLES

LAZY SUNDAY - SMALL FACES

IN THE GHETTO - ELVIS PRESLEY

SUSPICIOUS MINDS - ELVIS PRESLEY

 

1970s

I WANT YOU BACK - JACKSON 5

LET IT BE - BEATLES

ALL RIGHT NOW - FREE

LOLA - KINKS

RIDE A WHITE SWAN - T REX

BROWN SUGAR/BITCH/LET IT ROCK - ROLLING STONES

AMERICAN PIE - DON McLEAN

ROCKET MAN - ELTON JOHN

CRAZY HORSES - OSMONDS

THE JEAN GENIE - DAVID BOWIE

YESTERDAY ONCE MORE - CARPENTERS

THIS TOWN AIN'T BIG ENOUGH FOR THE BOTH OF US - SPARKS

LOVE IS THE DRUG - ROXY MUSIC

THE KILLING OF GEORGIE - ROD STEWART

BOOGIE NIGHTS - HEATWAVE

SIR DUKE - STEVIE WONDER

GOD SAVE THE QUEEN - SEX PISTOLS

WE ARE THE CHAMPIONS - QUEEN

DENIS - BLONDIE

OLIVER'S ARMY - ELVIS COSTELLO & THE ATTRACTIONS

UP THE JUNCTION - SQUEEZE

 

1980s

 

MASTERBLASTER (JAMMIN') - STEVIE WONDER

HAPPY XMAS (WAR IS OVER) - JOHN & YOKO & THE PLASTIC ONO BAND WITH THE HARLEMCOMMUNITY CHOIR

VIENNA - ULTRAVOX

KIDS IN AMERICA - KIM WILDE

GOLDEN BROWN - STRANGLERS

TEMPTATION - HEAVEN 17

GOLD - SPANDAU BALLET

GHOSTBUSTERS - RAY PARKER Jr

LAST CHRISTMAS/EVERYTHING SHE WANTS - WHAM!

1999/LITTLE RED CORVETTE - PRINCE & THE REVOLUTION

HOLIDAY - MADONNA

TAKE ON ME - A-HA

WHAT HAVE I DONE TO DESERVE THIS - PET SHOP BOYS & DUSTY SPRINGFIELD

FAITH - GEORGE MICHAEL

FAIRYTALE OF NEW YORK - POGUES FEATURING KIRSTY MacCOLL

 

1990s

 

LOVE SHACK - B-52's

TOM'S DINER - DNA FEATURING SUZANNE VEGA

GROOVE IS IN THE HEART/WHAT IS LOVE - DEEE-LITE

SIT DOWN - JAMES

LAST TRAIN TO TRANCENTRAL - KLF FEATURING THE CHILDREN OF THE REVOLUTION

JUSTIFIED AND ANCIENT - KLF, GUEST VOCALS TAMMY WYNETTE

FINALLY - CE CE PENISTON

MOVING ON UP - M PEOPLE

COMMON PEOPLE - PULP

ALRIGHT/TIME - SUPERGRASS

ROLL WITH IT - OASIS

WONDERWALL - OASIS

A DESIGN FOR LIFE - MANIC STREET PREACHERS

BORN SLIPPY (REMIX) - UNDERWORLD

SONG 2 - BLUR

BITTER SWEET SYMPHONY - VERVE

RAY OF LIGHT - MADONNA

MUSIC SOUNDS BETTER WITH YOU - STARDUST

RIGHT HERE RIGHT NOW - FATBOY SLIM

 

2000s/2010s

 

ALL THE SMALL THINGS - BLINK 182

TEENAGE DIRTBAG - WHEATUS

MURDER ON THE DANCEFLOOR - SOPHIE ELLIS-BEXTOR

IN MY PLACE - COLDPLAY

MILKSHAKE - KELIS

LOVE MACHINE - GIRLS ALOUD

FEEL GOOD INC - GORILLAZ

GOLD DIGGER - KANYE WEST FEATURING JAMIE FOXX

PUT YOUR RECORDS ON - CORINNE BAILEY RAE

VALERIE - MARK RONSON FEATURING AMY WINEHOUSE

RULE THE WORLD - TAKE THAT

CHASING PAVEMENTS - ADELE

USE SOMEBODY - KINGS OF LEON

IN FOR THE KILL - LA ROUX

EMPIRE STATE OF MIND - JAY-Z FEATURING ALICIA KEYS

LOVE THE WAY YOU LIE - EMINEM FEATURING RIHANNA

ROLLING IN THE DEEP - ADELE

MOVES LIKE JAGGER - MAROON 5 FEATURING CHRISTINA AGUILERA

 

Vote for your favourite Number 2 at www.bbc.co.uk/radio2.

 

 

SOURCE: OCC

 

 

 

So what do you think the honorary number one would entail, is the shortlist missing any of your favourite number twos? And who will you vote for?

Edited by Leonardo

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I voted for Fairytale Of New York as my favourite song . :wub:

 

But I would have voted for Common People as the best 'lost #1'.

I see no Runaway, Set You Free or Better Off Alone in the 90s list. Null and void :(

 

Nevertheless, Rule The World will get my vote.

Coldplay on there with 'In My Place' but not 'Speed Of Sound'? Odd!

 

Not sure who the winner will be here but I imagine 'Let It Be', 'Fairytale Of New York', 'Vienna', 'Common People', 'A Design For Life', 'Wonderwall', 'Bitter Sweet Symphony' and 'Rolling In The Deep' should all do rather well? Not sure how it being a Radio 2 thing will affect it but all of those bar 'RITD' are absolute classics, 'Vienna' being perhaps the most iconic #2 so probably in with a shot of winning. Dunno though.

 

Personal favourite on there is 'Born Slippy', with 'Gold Digger', 'Fairytale Of New York' and 'A Design For Life' not far behind. All up there with my favourite songs of all time. 'In My Place' is also among my faves on the list and it's not even anywhere near my favourite by Coldplay :kink: 'Speed Of Sound' would be better.

 

Clearly though it should be The Prodigy 'Everybody In The Place' winning :angry: :D

Edited by Bré

No Robert Miles 'Children' :cry:

 

And less importantly N-Trance 'Set You Free', Right Said Fred 'I'm Too Sexy', Mariah Carey 'All I Want For Christmas Is You', any song by Sash, Gala 'Freed From Desire', Chumbawamba 'Tubthumping', Dario G 'Sunchyme', Natalie Imbruglia 'Torn', Eminem 'My Name Is', DJ Jurgen ft. Alice Deejay 'Better Off Alone'

 

And that's from the 90s alone. :drama:

I voted for Madonna's Ray of Light, but it was closely followed by Sophie Ellis-Bextor's Murder on the Dancefloor. Both of them were childhood classics for me! :wub:
Personal favourite Vienna and Kids In America :wub:

Greatest UK # 2 + song from my all-time top 5.

 

Edited by AlexRange

Normally I wouldn't be able to decide between 'Set You Free' and 'Common People'...but as the former isn't on the list, Common People it is.

 

But then to be honest, every one in that 1990s list is a classic!

I voted for Kanye West 'Gold Digger'. 1 - it's a brilliant rap song that should've gone to #1 (I forgot what stopped it from doing so) and 2 - I'd love to hear it on R2 :lol:

Some of my faves:

Fairytale of New York

Vienna

Right Here Right Now

Bittersweet Symphony

In for the Kill

Rolling in the Deep

 

And out of those, i'd personally pick RITD.

Although I imagine either Vienna, Common People or Wonderwall will have the best shot of winning

 

O Superman should totally be on this list though

 

 

I'm disappointed 'White Flag' isnt there. that was only beaten by the biggest selling song of that year....

I certainly expected "Stop" by Spice Girls to appear on the shortlist. I thought the way it was (until 2007) their only single that didn't make #1 was quite dramatic at the time.

 

I voted for Corinne Bailey Rae...just because.

Torn is the really obvious glaring omission.

 

I'd also speculate that Chasing Pavements isn't really there on it's own merit, and simply because of where Adele is today.

'Kids in America'! Although I'm voting for 'Last Christmas/Everything She Wants' - two of the finest songs of all time, especially the latter. "MY GOD! I don't even think that I love you!"

The Birdie Song not included? OUTRAGEOUS :arrr:

 

On a slightly more serious note, whilst all of these are clearly classics, there are still some rather notable emissions from the 90s: Torn being the main one, but also What is Love, Always, Streets Of Philadelphia, Stop, Tubthumping, More Than Words, All I Want For Christmas Is You, Better Off Alone, Children, Go West, I'm Too Sexy, amongst quite a few others. Obviously the 90s was a classic decade for number 2s and all, so I can see how this would be a tad difficult.

 

Anyway, some of my all time favourites were massive number 2s:

 

KIDS IN AMERICA - KIM WILDE

GHOSTBUSTERS - RAY PARKER Jr

LAST CHRISTMAS/EVERYTHING SHE WANTS - WHAM!

TAKE ON ME - A-HA

FAIRYTALE OF NEW YORK - POGUES FEATURING KIRSTY MacCOLL

SIT DOWN - JAMES

COMMON PEOPLE - PULP

ALRIGHT/TIME - SUPERGRASS

WONDERWALL - OASIS

A DESIGN FOR LIFE - MANIC STREET PREACHERS

BORN SLIPPY (REMIX) - UNDERWORLD

SONG 2 - BLUR

BITTER SWEET SYMPHONY - VERVE

MUSIC SOUNDS BETTER WITH YOU - STARDUST

RIGHT HERE RIGHT NOW - FATBOY SLIM

ALL THE SMALL THINGS - BLINK 182

TEENAGE DIRTBAG - WHEATUS

ALL MY PLACE - COLDPLAY

 

Dam, it will be hard narrowing that list down, but probably Take on Me will get my vote. I'm thinking that or Wonderwall will top this list (and I would fully endorse them both)

Edited by C.W

No Robert Miles 'Children' :cry:

 

Oh I COMPLETELY forgot that somehow! :( 'Torn' is a glaring omission as well as pointed out several times already.

 

I quite like that 'All I Want For Christmas Is You' was left off while 'Fairytale Of New York' wasn't. Justice :D

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