Yaaay Love Runs Out and 3 Words, I like both those songs. 3 Words was my jam back then

 

Thanks Tombo :cheer: I still love both those tracks, never get bored of hearing them which is always a good sign :dance:

744. HI HO SILVER LINING - The Jeff Beck Group (1967) 986,350

 

No party was complete without this singalong stomping classic in the 60s and 70s, and it was so popular it hit big in 1972 again. It's still fab but Jeff was not a fan, being as it was pure pop and he was an admired guitarist in the blues rock genre. I still think Jeff is embarrassed by the Micky Most creation, and much as I admire his other stuff he needs to just give in and love the party fun! Written by Scott English, already in the countdown with Brandy. Oh yes that's Rod Stewart on backing vocals, soon to be doing lead vocals for the band..

743. SHOULD I LAUGH OR CRY - Abba (1982) 986,550

 

 

An Abba B side which could easily have fit onto The Visitors and added to the album, the low-key quality ballad deserved better than b-side obscurity. The Abba boys think the structure jars which is presumably why its not on youtube in its original form, sadly. I dont see it myself, i like the downbeat chorus and odd upbeat pretty verse, or vice versa, its kinda hard to pick out a hook as such, which seemed to be where they were creatively heading as they split up: subtlety.

742. HAPPY NEW YEAR/THE WAY OLD FRIENDS DO - Abba (1980) 986,900

 

 

A double-A side (actually bonus tracks to a reissue of Thank You For The Music in the 90's) of 2 tracks from the Super Trouper album, and a major missed opportunity with Happy New Year to become an annual new years anthem. It clearly should have been the quick follow-up to Super Trouper in December 1980 (it's still a Russian perennial and if it can work there...), it's gentle, wistful and tinged with regret and hope both, and quite, quite lovely.

 

 

and the closing track of the album is another lost single, this has a Thank You For The Music feel to it, only more anthemic, full-on orchestra and choir and accordion, and a better tune, positive and uplifting. This should have been the early Spring 1981 single - and as so often is the case with Abba, they instead release nothing! 3rd and 4th Abba tracks so far, or 3rd depending on how you view it. This is aching to be a charity cover version....organisers take note!

741. FOX ON THE RUN - The Sweet (1975) 987,850

 

 

The Sweet's first self-written single, after leaving the hit-machine that was Chinn-Chapman for 4 years, and it really was more what Sweet wanted to be (metal pop) but was still enough glamrock-ish to give them a new lease of life after the disaster of the previous flop single. It's not quite up to the classic glamrock run of singles, but it's still pretty good, and set them up for even better self-penned singles, absent in this chart: Action and Love Is Like Oxygen, in particular. First of 6 in the list....

740. CONSTANT CRAVING - k.d. Lang (1992) 987,900

 

 

kd came out of nowhere, out of fashion, with a classic honey-perfect voice, sort of alternative country with an Easy Listening crooner overtone, and this single was just gorgeous, the achingly sweet vocal has a sense of yearning, and a sense of understated adult class. kd never quite managed to top this, but she was never less than good, and could hold her own even against the soon-to-be-late Roy Orbison on his Crying, which is not an easy one to pull off convincingly. Terrific!

739. LAST FRIDAY NIGHT (T.G.I.F) - Katy Perry (2011) 988,750

 

 

One of the most-consistent singles acts of the last decade, Katy Perry is pure pop fun, with a varied catalogue of catchy pop, her biggest tracks not necessarily matching equally in my charts, but all doing well. This one was rather oddly one of her minor hits in the UK, which I find rather mystifying, as it's pretty damn fine and the video is one of her funnest best. First of 3.

738. WALKING ON THIN ICE - Yoko Ono (1981) 990,600

 

 

The track John Lennon was working on with wife Yoko the day he was brutally murdered, and I can't ever view the record without that knowledge. It's Yoko's best record, harrowing and exciting and moving, a sort of disco alternative art rock slab of genius, and showed Yoko was a musician in her own edgy right, and her solo albums pretty good. Quite apart from losing John Lennon and all his future works, we probably also lost fab Yoko tracks in the aftermath of loss.

737. DO YA THINK I'M SEXY - Rod Stewart (1978) 990,600

 

 

These days often much-reviled, as much for the arrogant, egotistical lyrics as the disco-bandwagon beats, this was actually Rod's first chart-topper for me, despite better earlier self-written tracks. By 1978 everyone was having a go at disco, cos disco was HUGE - and the sax-synth chord riffs at the key to fabness of the track, so hookily delicious with the disco rhythm, the melody's not bad either. These days I'll take the previous year's Killing Of Georgie in preference, but it's still a good pop record anyhows.

 

736. (TO BE) YOUNG, GIFTED AND BLACK - Bob And Marcia (1970) 990,750

 

 

Jamaican reggae music was new and exciting, and black empowerment was rightly all the rage in music of the period. Mix them up, with a brilliant melody, string-laden reggae-rhythms, and you have one of the great pop tracks of the 70's. I missed this at the time, being out of the country and all, but caught it on reissue in 1974 when I went big on it. Marcia Griffiths in 1974 was one of the I-Threes, Bob Marley's backing singers, which was about as Reggae Royalty as you can get....

735. CRAZY HORSES - The Osmonds (1972) 990,800

 

 

Osmondmania was in full swing, and I'd gone from loving the Osmond Brothers as regulars on the Andy Williams Show, to being annoyed by the pre-teen girlie Donny Osmond OTT screaming, not to mention Little Jimmy's Liverpool monster. In the middle of this the lads let out Crazy Horses, a fab slice of pop metal with even-more-social-relevance anti-pollution lyrics than it had in 1972. I under-rated it for a decade or so, preferring some of their other singles like One Bad Apple, Going Home or The Proud One, but came around in the end as it kept coming back into the UK charts until I gave in!

734. DO YOU REALLY WANT TO HURT ME - Culture Club (1982) 991, 300

 

 

Picture the scene: Top Of The Pops, androgynous singer in a frock, the nation tries to decide if he is boy or girl, and throws him into worldwide stardom. George sabotaged his own career with substances, but for a while he was the darling of the media and Culture Club had a run of fantastic singles, starting with this heart-aching slow-reggae ballad, and George had quite the voice for it. Not the last time Culture Club will feature...

733. OUTLINES - Mike Mago & Dragonette (2015) 991,400

 

 

A Spinnin' Records recent dancepop gem, it didn't quite become the huge hit it deserved to be, but did OK. I love this record, the melody is swoonsome, the whole package is just a beautifully-packaged whole, oh and the video is fab too. It has a certain sweetness and sadness to it, and you can still dance to it. It also allows us old folk to have a laugh at having Mr Magoo in the charts... (sort of) :lol:

732. TO SIR WITH LOVE - Lulu (1967) 991,650

 

 

Lulu was 19 and had a few years of hits behind her already when this was released, the theme song to Sidney Poitier's black-teacher-in-the-UK movie. It was a huge North American hit, and in the UK it was stuffed away on the B side of a forgettable pop single, one of producer Mickie Most's worst decisions, cos it's just SO wonderful. Sweet, brilliant melody, great vocal performance from Lulu, and the song is pure teen appeal for girls with crushes on teachers, wistful and engaging. First of 2 from Lulu, one of pop's survivors who has 50 years of genre-varied material, some of it great (Bowie, Take That, soul-period) and one of the biggest label-hoppers of all-time for charted acts, each one a come-back with a new style.

731. HE AIN'T HEAVY...HE'S MY BROTHER - The Hollies (1969) 992,450

 

 

The Hollies were one of the big singles acts of the 60's, and this slow ballad track marked a move towards more adult, less pop sounds, after co-singer Graham Nash had left to form Crosby Stills & Nash, leaving Allan Clarke as lead singer. The trademark harmonies were still present, and the message of the song inspirational, so good, in fact, it topped the UK chart - 19 years after hitting the top 3! The power of beer ads, and just being great. First of 3 for The Hollies in the list.

730. HOLD ON TIGHT - E.L.O. (1981) 994,000

 

 

Jeff Lynne's final big chart hit, an exuberant retro pop rocker with a hint of La Belle Francaise, I was an instant fan, and still am, of Electric Light Orchestra, and most things Jeff Lynne from his Move days through the Wilbury's and his latest stuff via Beatles fabdom. After this single and a decade or so of hits, they started to decline in UK chart positions as they went out of fashion pretty much for 20 years. Not in my charts though, as I don't let minor things like being uncool change my opinion: there are quite a few more ELO's to come in the rundown, and the follow-up Twilight only just missed the run-down by 2 places. Doh!

I really enjoy reading this. Very eclectic taste in music!

Stay :wub:

I really enjoy reading this. Very eclectic taste in music!

 

Thanks Fgiboy appreciate that, I will keep on keeping on :lol:

 

There's been another current million seller which knocks everything down a place so far, and a correction to xmas perennial which just dropped out my chart and will slip in between Good Luck and Message In A Bottle - so everything will drop down two places below it. More tomorrow:)

Stay :wub:

 

Yay! I musta been predicting it's 90's No.1 victory :lol: