Happy Birthday PCF!

 

The only ones I like you have covered so far are James Arthur's cover of Impossible (on the contrary this actually stood out for me as a decent effort among all the winners song shit) and Love Yourself.

 

Thanks Dot! I know James has quite a few fans on here - if he didn't try so hard I'd prob like his vocal style more. It's a bit like Whitney I guess, I liked her best when she didn't strain for the big notes and went for lower key vocal class circa 1998 onwards. :)

I'd agree with that, but Simon may have had to sit through rather a lot of school xmas kids singing do's and the charm wears off :lol:

TAs are under no obligation to attend these things, so I've been able to avoid them :lol:

 

That said, the Year 7 Christmas assembly was great fun, including Santa being played by a very camp drama teacher.

56. I HAVE A DREAM Westlife (2000)

 

 

It's incredible that an Abba chart-topper for me in 1979 should be this low. Yet this is the better track of the double A monstrosity, Seasons In The Sun is even worse and gets no mention (but it would prob be last if it were listed). This is as high as it is because it's an Abba song.

TAs are under no obligation to attend these things, so I've been able to avoid them :lol:

 

That said, the Year 7 Christmas assembly was great fun, including Santa being played by a very camp drama teacher.

 

Ha, that sounds like a good-natured Are You Being Served Xmas special :D

55. A MOMENT LIKE THIS Leona Lewis (2007)

 

 

An actual great singer, X-Factor produced a proper star, and then her career fizzled out after some good and a couple of great records. She does her best here but the song is so dreary and plodding it's an uphill battle...

54. WHEN YOU BELIEVE Leon Jackson (2008)

 

 

I'll be honest, I don't recognise him, the song scraped into my top 40 at the time and I barely recall it. Not really a success after X-Factor then...

53. THAT’S MY GOAL Shayne Ward (2006)

 

 

Yet more X Factor formulaic ballad pop. It's clearly Westlife-a-like, not bad, not great, just middlingly bland. I haven't heard it in 15 years or so. I don't hate it.

 

 

52. I WILL ALWAYS LOVE YOU Whitney Houston (1993)

 

 

The template for X-Factor winners, take a classic song (Dolly Parton's original touching version will never be beaten) and turn it into an overblown big ballad, then keep it at number one over christmas long past it's sell-by date into the following year. Haven't seen the film, my mum loved it and this, but I loved Dolly first and always will.

51. CAN WE FIX IT Bob The Builder (2001)

 

 

Yes it's a kiddie song, it's a jolly nursery rhyme, and I was turning 43 at the time so clearly not the target age group, but it's fun and I'd rather hear it than any of the previous. I make no apologies and offer up as an excuse I have spent my life with kids around me enjoying kids TV (we are very prolific as a family), so enjoying it second hand and that includes 2023 - just got Happy Birthday singing from 6-year-old Conor on What's App. At least it wasn't Teletubbies or Mr Blobby, have to draw the line somewhere.... :lol:

50. WHAT DO YOU WANT TO MAKE THOSE EYES AT ME FOR Emile Ford & The Checkmates (1960)

 

 

singalong rock'n'roll era doowop-ish fun, in the early 70's this was a staple oldie on radio and popped up on 50's and 60's hits compilations, TV advertised, so I knew it quite well and enjoyed it. Still do. Short n sweet.

49. SAVE YOUR LOVE Renee & Renato (1983)

 

 

I stlll firmly believe this was tongue-in-cheek cheese, and a parody of of old-fashioned Italian-styled duet ballads. But even if it was unintentional, my grandma loved it and that's good enough for me!

48. DO THEY KNOW IT’S CHRISTMAS? Band Aid II (1990)

 

 

Flattered by being for a wonderful cause, and a cover of a much-better original, but the Stock Aitken Waterman production-line effort does it no favours, and nor does the video which falls between serious and ridiculous. Chuck in Marti Pellow and lesser singers warbling and over-doing it and it's not hard to see why this never gets played anymore. I bought it, so am partly to blame, but I didn't play it much. If it wasn't for charity it would be bottom 10....

47. TRAGEDY Steps (1999)

 

 

OK, calm down, calm down, I know it's an iconic 90's cheesy pop track, but this really annoyed me, cos, y'know, The Bee Gees is the real deal and creative drive behind it, and a cheesy cover with a catchy dance routine beloved of kids of the time will never, ever change my mind that The Bee Gees version is genius and this is tongue-in-cheek. I preferred Heartbeat at the time, and I'm not as annoyed by Tragedy these days, give me 2 bacardi cokes in a pub and I'll be singing along to it with a smile on my face though...

Tragedy and What Do You want To Make Those Eyes At Me For are the first songs revealed here that I really like. This really wasn’t a great time in the calendar for #1s all in all was it? At least you’re presumably spared LadBaby.

46. ONLY YOU The Flying Pickets (1984)

 

 

Here's another inferior cover, the Yazoo original topped my chart in 1982, but this odd cover by a leftie acapella rock'n'roll-era band took the song to a whole new audience: our parents. My dad loved it his whole life afterwards. At least in this case it's not copying the original too much, it does its own thing, and it's still quite pleasant. Much-covered since then.

Tragedy and What Do You want To Make Those Eyes At Me For are the first songs revealed here that I really like. This really wasn’t a great time in the calendar for #1s all in all was it? At least you’re presumably spared LadBaby.

 

Yes Ladbaby free, and a double Last Christmas lfor 2 of the last 3 years so that keeps it down to a round 65 rather than 66. I assume Last Christmas will be number one for all my remaining birthdays unless they create a chart for tracks over a year old :lol:

45. MOON RIVER Danny Williams (1962)

 

 

This is a terrific song from movie Breakfast At Tiffanys, written by the wonderful Henry Mancini, a man who could compose a magnificent lush melody at the drop of a hat. Danny does a great job of it...but I grew up with Andy Williams being the famous version, or the sparse touching Audrey Hepburn version, or best of all the reggae version by Greyhound, love that one. So it's a bit lower than it deserves by virtue of me not being that familiar with it.

44. OWN IT Stormzy ft Ed Sheeran & Burna Boy (2020)

 

 

A decent chart-topper from 3 years ago, and just to prove I can and do like Ed Sheeran-related records. As a song, though, it's no Moon River, it's more a Stormzy groove-beats thing. Doubt people will be covering this one to the same degree....

43. THESE ARE THE DAYS OF OUR LIVES Queen (1992)

 

 

Freddie's sad farewell, it really got to the top on the back of Bo Rap, but as that features on its original run, this slots in lower. Classy to the end, but in all truth not one of my fave Queen records, I'd go for Innuendo or Under Pressure of their other chart-toppers, or any of their singles that hit my number one (Seven Seas, Killer Queen, Radio Ga Ga, We Will Rock You). Good though.

42. SWEET BUT PSYCHO Ava Max (2019)

 

 

Ava's had a handful of decent pop tracks to date, this was the biggest though, it's fine. I don't see it as a longterm classic but it's not bad.