Here's something I don't think we've done before. Have a look at the top 40 singles chart for the week you were born and listen to one of the songs you have never heard before, preferably by an artist who is not well known, then post a review of the song along with a youtube clip. It doesn't matter if you are young enough to be born in the 2000s, please put it here anyway.

 

I'll start with this song from May 1965:

 

It wasn't the first one I listened to but that one sounded like it belonged in the 50s, so I moved onto this one, All Over The World by Francoise Hardy, which has more of a mid 60s sound to it. It starts with a piano intro, then a double bass comes in at the same time as her vocal. No other instruments are used throughout the song, there are just some backing vocals added on. It's a lovely ballad which she sings very well, a great discovery. There was a video made for it with her floating around central London at night on some pillows. She wrote the song herself the previous year in French and this is the English language version. The single stayed in the chart for 15 weeks, reaching a peak of number 16. It was her third and final UK top 40 hit. She's much better known in France where she's had a top 5 album as recently as 2018.

 

Great idea, I've gone just outside to No.41 in early May 1987, Myfanwy by David Essex.

 

Rather a beautiful song, lovely lyrics and production (the strings!), I guess his career was pretty much washed up by this point which is why this went no higher, because based on the musical merit of the song it probably deserved to. Sounds very timeless, like it's based on a classical song or a hymn.

 

Edited October 10, 20222 yr by gooddelta

I've simply gone for the highest charting song from the week I was born that I didn't know - I thought I didn't know Cognoscenti vs. Intelligentsia by Cuban Boys at #4, but it turns out that that's the original of the Hampsterdance song, so we go down to #9 and William Orbit's Barber's Adagio For Strings:

 

 

It's quite a nice song! Feels very reminiscent of the genres of dance bobbing around at that time, and a time when a song could do very well with no vocals. I'm not sure how well I'll remember the song but it seems nice enough!

I didn’t know Love Games by Belle and the Devotions despite it being the 1984 Eurovision entry.

 

 

On my birth week it moved 39-21 en route to a #11 peak. It was the only hit for the trio. Controversially two of the singers actually mimed their parts in the competition while some off stage singers sang. The UK were booed by the audience partly for this reason and partly because there had recently been some trouble caused by rowdy English football fans (plus ça change). The song finished 7th, which sounds pretty good by today’s standards but was the UK’s 3rd worst performance in the contest to date.

 

It’s quite a nice song - I think it’s Supremes-esque in style. However it’s nothing exceptional and I can see why it didn’t set either the charts or the competition alight particularly.

Omg Pete, that's one of my favourite dance songs, I would love to be hearing that for the first time :lol: :wub:

 

You can tell mine was in the Christmas season as the highest new entry was Slam Jam by the WWF Superstars :cheeseblock: Went with another probably novelty style one that looked quite fun, climbing two places to 33. HWA feat. Sonic the Hedgehog - Supersonic

 

 

This is actually not that novelty, Sonic doesn't actually have any vocals or anything, though there are some melodies from the Green Hill Zone scattered throughout that do bring back some memories. It's honestly just your everyday cheesy 90s dance record, but I actually rather like it. What a shame it wasn't a Christmas hit (though it was steady, five weeks in the top 40 between 33 and 40) x

That William Orbit track is one of my favourites from 1999, such an epic trance track.

 

 

I was going to select Dance Away by Roxy Music which was the #2 behind Sunday Girl by Blondie - but I'm listening to it now and I do indeed recognise it, it's good though so I'll include it...

 

 

Which leaves me with this as the next one:

 

Once it got going then I realised I do sort of know it from a dance sample for 'Shine' by Lovefreekz... and it's made me realise just how little of that track was added as it's basically the same song!!! Anyway, I'm pleasantly surprised by this as I've never really paid attention to ELO and this is super catchy. I happened to have been born when this jumped up into the top 10 at #6 but it appears that was its peak with only one more week top 10 before dropping back out again.

 

 

Also in the top 10 were:

 

01 Blondie - Sunday Girl

02 Roxy Music - Dance Away

03 Anita Ward - Ring My Bell

04 Earth Wind & Fire - Boogie Wonderland

05 Peaches and Herb - Reunited

06 Electric Light Orchestra - Shine a Little Love

07 M - Pop Muzik

08 McFadden & Whitehead - Ain't No Stoppin' Us Now

09 David Bowie - Boys Keep Swinging

10 The Shadows - Theme From 'The Deerhunter' (Cavatina)

 

Reunited aside, that's a pretty solid top 10 there - very happy with that.

 

 

W/E 16/08/1997

 

#4

 

as I expected a rather pointless Beatles cover.

 

#6

 

as I expected a fairly dull R&B ballad.

 

#9

 

yeah I'd never listened to any of his other songs. and sure this ain't no Gangsta's Paradise but it's a rather good old school hiphop track anyhow. and a much better use of the Canon in D sample than what Maroon 5 did to it.

 

Gone for a Cyndi Lauper song that I don't think I've heard or at least haven't heard in full. Reached #15 in early June 1992. Decent enough tbh. I'm a fan of how it starts particularly without any music and just her voice. Typical dated 90's production on it though but even then there's decent bits as it goes on. I wouldn't say it's as good as her biggest hits obviously but not bad for a 90's song of hers and also it being her first single since the 80's too.

Love to see the Barber's Adagio For Strings appreciation, what a tune!

 

The highest song that I'm not familiar with from the chart when I was born was, fittingly, a new entry at #4 called You Are Alive :lol:

 

 

I think I've heard this once or twice before but couldn't really remember it. It does sound a bit similar to Fragma's previous single Everytime You Need Me and is easily identifiable as being from the early 2000s with various other vocal trance hits around that time (would be great if there was a trance revival in the chart soon!). Decent uplifting tune though.

 

I do recognise the rest of the top 20 from that week at least.