41. HALLELUJAH Alexandra Burke (2009)

 

 

If nothing else this gave the original and the best cover of it a chart hit, and Leonard Cohen was never going to get a hit single any other way, what with his dark songs, sombre lyrics, poetry and gravel voice. He probably made more money from this cover than his entire career, so well done Alexandra. It's a decent effort, I think, though I prefer her own follow-up's.

'Hallelujah' is 24 places too high there. x

 

I quite like the Iron Maiden song but it's not their best. Steps, The Flying Pickets (I actually like their version more than Yazoo's) and Ava Max are the best songs you've eliminated so far... and Bob The Builder of course :D

 

Hard agree on ranking Whitney so low, I'm glad I'm not alone in my dislike of that on here.

'Hallelujah' is 24 places too high there. x

 

I quite like the Iron Maiden song but it's not their best. Steps, The Flying Pickets (I actually like their version more than Yazoo's) and Ava Max are the best songs you've eliminated so far... and Bob The Builder of course :D

 

Hard agree on ranking Whitney so low, I'm glad I'm not alone in my dislike of that on here.

 

Glad there's not too many faves dropped so far for you at least, Bob The Builder was quite the surprise for me doing so well :lol:

40. WHEN WE COLLIDE Matt Cardle (2011)

 

 

I liked this at the time, haven't heard it since then - it's not at all bad. I mean, there were better records around in 2011 but by X-Factor standards there were worse...

39. TWIST AND SHOUT Chaka Demus & Pliers (1994)

 

 

This is not the best version of the classic Twist & Shout - That's the jaw-dropping never-a-single Beatles cover - nor is it up to Isley Brothers standards, but it's essentially a reggae rewrite, it's a bit fun, a bit unmemorable, but a decent reggae-revival-era 90's makeover and I'm in favour of anything that brings reggae into the charts.

38. MERRY CHRISTMAS Ed Sheeran & Elton John (2022)

 

 

Early days to judge how annoying this may be after charting for the next decade each Christmas, but it ticks all the right boxes and makes a change from Step Into Christmas for the 49th year in a row. Step Into Christmas is a better record though...

37. LILY THE PINK The Scaffold (1969)

 

 

A childhood fave though I can understand the horror at it being this high. I was 11, Mike McGear is Macca's half-brother and Roger McGough is a renowned Scouse poet, the other bloke was on cult 70's kids show TISWAS which took the piss out of kids and guest stars, and I have fond memories of being 11. MY fave record this week in 1969 though was Build Me Up Buttercup by The Foundations and 11-year-old me has been proved right with time, that's a singalong classic and should have topped the charts instead (it peaked at 2).

36. MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE Shakin’ Stevens (1986)

 

 

Destined to chart and fill the christmas airwaves until the end of time (in the UK), Shaky hit gold with this one, and it's way better than his other chart-toppers, though You Drive Me Crazy should have topped the charts instead. I've gone full circle on this, I got sick to death of hearing it over a decade ago, then he did a stripped-down bells-free version which I liked, and I regularly get to hear Matt the DJ do this karaoke each christmas in Gran Canaria, and after a couple of bacardis it's impossible not sing along and enjoy. Try it, and I guarantee it.

35. GRANDAD Clive Dunn (1971)

 

 

Clive Dunn was aping his Dad's Army Corporal Jones "Don't Panic!" character for this Herbie Flowers song, which I find charming, a recreation of the turn of the 20th Century images and sound. Herbie Flowers was in the fab band Blue Mink, played with T.Rex and did the bassline on Walk On The Wild Side for Lou Reed, so all is forgiven, he deserved some cash from a hit song, this one. Plus, pop music for me that week was largely via Two-Way Family Favourites, the Radio 2 request show broadcast across the Forces networks around the world to those stationed abroad and missing their families back home - Singapore was among the last bases of British RAF troops in those days in the dying days of the Empire, and this reminds me of lazy tropical Sunday Mornings taping new music off the radio with dad's new reel-to-reel tape recorder, and we all enjoyed hearing Grandad!

Agree Twist And Shout is meh.

 

When We Collide isn’t as good as the original but nonetheless might be my favourite X Factor winner’s single. Quite like Geordie Joe’s as well but guessing his dates missed.

 

I really like Merry Christmas - more than Step Into Christmas in fact. Hopefully I can erase the LadBaby mangling from my head so I can fully enjoy it again in future years.

 

Would have put Shaky higher. And Clive Dunn much lower hehe. Lily The Pink is a tune so not horrified by that doing relatively well. :)

34. TOO MUCH Spice Girls (1998)

 

 

Here's the first track that topped my personal charts to drop, and the first of 2 from The Spice Girls. I think it must have been a soft chart for this to peak at 1 for me, or I was just feeling romantically christmassy, as this isn't one of their classic pop hits. It's perfectly nice and all that, but it's no Say You'll Be There, Spice Up Your Life or the other better Xmas song still to appear.

Agree Twist And Shout is meh.

 

When We Collide isn’t as good as the original but nonetheless might be my favourite X Factor winner’s single. Quite like Geordie Joe’s as well but guessing his dates missed.

 

I really like Merry Christmas - more than Step Into Christmas in fact. Hopefully I can erase the LadBaby mangling from my head so I can fully enjoy it again in future years.

 

Would have put Shaky higher. And Clive Dunn much lower hehe. Lily The Pink is a tune so not horrified by that doing relatively well. :)

 

Shhh don't tell anyone but I also think it's the best winning X-Factor effort :lol: I can see Merry Christmas as a xmas classic, and Shaky might have done better in the rundown 2 weeks ago when I was singing along to it :lol:

 

33. REET PETITE Jackie Wilson (1987)

 

 

Well this was an unexpected 80's treat seeing the late Jackie Wilson belatedly grab a UK number one with his 1959 happy, singalong rock'n'roll soul gem Reet Petite. I'd always liked it and it's the penultimate 50's track on the list, though to be honest I'd've preferred Higher & Higher to have been the number one, what a great record that one is. Fun though! Enjoyed the new video to it in 1986.

32. STAY ANOTHER DAY East 17 (1995)

 

 

Another over-played xmas song, I like it less than I used to due to the that, and would rather hear any of their upbeat non-cover-version pop dance beat hits. Thunder maybe, or Alright? It's still a good record, but I could do with a break from it for a few years or so. That's not going to happen!

31. HAPPY Pharrell Williams (2014)

 

 

Well this one was a monster! I downloaded this after seeing Despicable Me 2 at the cinema, and charted it, and considered sending it into Buzzjack Song Contest, but bailed. Doh! Ah, well, at least I got to see the entire world come round to my way of thinking 6 months later, and it's never stopped popping up on radio, TV, the internet, ever since, so another one that's just not as fresh as it was at the mo.

Matt Cardle was definitely the best of the XF winner's singles to reach #1 by some distance, it was a decent cover of a good song. Always liked Matt on the show and he deserved better chart wise.

 

'Merry Christmas' is a solid enough addition to the recent Christmas canon but unfortunately only got to enjoy it unsullied for a couple of weeks, and I now can't hear it without hearing the sausage rollified lyrics in my head <_< also not a patch on 'Step Into Christmas' indeed.

 

Too low for Shaky! That's one of my favourite Christmas songs, always joyful. (Although yes, his other #1s weren't nearly as good)

 

Love the Jackie Wilson song too, and 'Happy' was fun if destroyed by overplay.

37. LILY THE PINK The Scaffold (1969)

 

 

A childhood fave though I can understand the horror at it being this high. I was 11, Mike McGear is Macca's half-brother and Roger McGough is a renowned Scouse poet, the other bloke was on cult 70's kids show TISWAS which took the piss out of kids and guest stars, and I have fond memories of being 11. MY fave record this week in 1969 though was Build Me Up Buttercup by The Foundations and 11-year-old me has been proved right with time, that's a singalong classic and should have topped the charts instead (it peaked at 2).

I loved this at the time. I was seven. It's still good fun!

35. GRANDAD Clive Dunn (1971)

 

 

Clive Dunn was aping his Dad's Army Corporal Jones "Don't Panic!" character for this Herbie Flowers song, which I find charming, a recreation of the turn of the 20th Century images and sound. Herbie Flowers was in the fab band Blue Mink, played with T.Rex and did the bassline on Walk On The Wild Side for Lou Reed, so all is forgiven, he deserved some cash from a hit song, this one. Plus, pop music for me that week was largely via Two-Way Family Favourites, the Radio 2 request show broadcast across the Forces networks around the world to those stationed abroad and missing their families back home - Singapore was among the last bases of British RAF troops in those days in the dying days of the Empire, and this reminds me of lazy tropical Sunday Mornings taping new music off the radio with dad's new reel-to-reel tape recorder, and we all enjoyed hearing Grandad!

Ten-year-old me enjoyed this at the time. And don't forget Herbie Flowers' work with Sky (not the TV conglomerate).

Matt Cardle was definitely the best of the XF winner's singles to reach #1 by some distance, it was a decent cover of a good song. Always liked Matt on the show and he deserved better chart wise.

 

'Merry Christmas' is a solid enough addition to the recent Christmas canon but unfortunately only got to enjoy it unsullied for a couple of weeks, and I now can't hear it without hearing the sausage rollified lyrics in my head <_< also not a patch on 'Step Into Christmas' indeed.

 

Too low for Shaky! That's one of my favourite Christmas songs, always joyful. (Although yes, his other #1s weren't nearly as good)

 

Love the Jackie Wilson song too, and 'Happy' was fun if destroyed by overplay.

 

Yeah I liked Matt too, though he may have overdone the gratitude and constant use of the praying hands saying thank you. Too nice for showbiz! :)

I loved this at the time. I was seven. It's still good fun!

 

Yay 2 of us 60's kids love it! :yahoo: I also loved Thank U Very Much and Liverpool Lou, which is about as Scouse as the UK charts have ever got, Scouse act, Scouse referring, Scouse accents and me living in or visiting Liverpool from 1965 through to Feb 2023, or May 2023 if I can get tickets to Eurovision :lol: If only Cilla's touching Liverpool Lullaby had been a hit - that was my childhood that was, street urchin roaming the streets of Waterloo and Kirkdale with dog and little brother and gangs of kids, single parent family in a flat with shared toilet between 4 flats, no heating, no phone, mice in the floorboards, bunk beds in bedroom, fold out settee for mum in Living Room, a TV, no hot water that didnt come out of a kettle. Ah, memories :D Dad, when he got back from a year in the Aden trouble-zone snapped at me and my brother "Why are you talking like that? Stop it!" Cos we were proper Scouse by then. :lol:

 

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