'Afrika Shox' is the first of my votes to depart then! Surprised I gave that 100% of its points.

Afrika Shox and Govinda were both late cuts from my shortlist. This whole rate is making me nostalgic for the 90s, when listening to the top 40 every week, several tracks I'd never heard of nor knew to expect would appear as high new entries. The two I've just mentioned are good examples.

Misfit and Say I’m Your Number One were close to getting points from me. Don’t think I’ve ever heard Too Nice To Talk To before- I do like The Beat’s other big hits (Mirror In The Bathroom and the Can’t Get Used to Losing You and Tears of a Clown covers) anyone got any other recommendations of The Beat hidden gems?

Best Friend, Hands Off She's Mine, Whine And Grine/Stand Down Margaret and their version of Can't Get Used to Losing You are all worth a listen

17 points

 

Aqua - Cartoon Heroes

Sarah Brightman and Steve Harley – The Phantom of the Opera

DJ Quicksilver - Free

Jason Derulo - Take You Dancing

Eminem featuring Beyonce - Walk On Water

Robert Howard and Kym Mazelle - Wait

Junior - Mama Used To Say

KC and the Sunshine Band - Queen Of Clubs

Lady Gaga - Disease

Neil Sedaka - Breaking Up Is Hard To Do

Tchami featuring Kaleem Taylor – Promesses

Paul Weller - The Changingman

Xpansions – Move Your Body (Elevation)

 

 

From 1982, this was Junior's debut single. He went on to have one more top 10 hit, with help from Kim Wilde. Queen Of Clubs was the first hit single for KC and the Sunshine Band and going further back to 1962, Breaking Up Is Hard To Do was the last of seven top 10 hits for Neil Sedaka. The Changingman by Paul Weller interpolates the guitar riff from ELO's 10538 Overture which gets its second mention of the week from me.

 

 

18 points

 

Deepest Blue - Deepest Blue

Damian - The Time Warp (remix)

David Essex - Limelight

Sonny Fodera with MK featuring Clementine Douglas - Asking

Rita Ora - Your Song

Diana Ross - Remember Me

 

Don't Need The Sun To Shine (To Make Me Smile) by Gabrielle scored 18 points but is disqualified as it peaked at number 9.

 

 

This song goes back to the first Rocky Horror Show in 1973. Damian's cover version was a hit at the third attempt thanks to this remix in 1989. Elton John's 'Your Song' is still to come but Rita Ora's drops out here (not a cover). From 1973, Lamplight was David Essex's follow up to his first hit single, 'Rock On', which had reached the top 3.

19 points

 

George Benson - In Your Eyes

Perry Como - For The Good Times

David Essex - Stardust

Jess Glynne - All I Am

Hermes House Band - Country Roads

 

 

David Essex is back again. Stardust came out just a year after Limelight and was the theme song to the film in which he starred. No one voted for Give Me The Night by George Benson but his other number 7, In Your Eyes, appears here. Perry Como had fourteen top 10 hits from 1953 to 1973 (including two number 1s) and For The Good Times was the last of them.

20 points

 

Melanie C - Here It Comes Again

The Dooleys - The Chosen Few

Desiigner - Panda

Erasure - Victim Of Love

Maroon 5 featuring Cardi B – Girls Like You

Queen - Breakthru'

Point Break - Stand Tough

Red Hot Chili Peppers - Love Rollercoaster

The Singing Nun (Soeur Sourire) - Dominique

 

 

Queen have four number 7 singles and they all received votes. Written by Roger Taylor, Breakthru' was the second single taken from their 1989 album 'The Miracle'. Victim Of Love only finished 14th in the recent Erasure rate so it's not too much of a surprise to see it struggling here. The Chosen Few was one of three top 10 hits for the family group The Dooleys in the late 70s. Dominique was a big seller for The Singing Nun in 1963, reaching number 1 in the US.

 

 

 

There's my third one gone. Can't believe they haven't put "Love Rollercoaster" on Spotify. Assuming it's label drama (RHCP are on Warner and the song was released by Geffen) also the band don't seem to have a big attachment to their material with Dave Navarro so wouldn't bother fighting for it to be on streaming

Lost two more of my votes since my last post - I'm really surprised that I was the only person to vote for 'Govinda', it's quite a standout song! (At least it has moral points from Chez too). On the other hand I provided (just) under half of the points 'Panda' got, Desiigner never really did anything else of value but that song remains a banger x

 

Others that I like which have gone out include 'Star Wars Theme/Cantina Band' (iconic), 'my future', 'How Do You Sleep?', 'Promesses' and 'Deepest Blue' but none were especially close to my points IIRC.

21 points

 

Arthur Conley - Sweet Soul Music

Phil Collins - Both Sides Of The Story

David and Jonathan – Lovers Of The World Unite

Kendrick Lamar, Blxst and Amanda Reifer - Die Hard

Olivia Newton-John - Physical

 

 

From 1993, this was Phil Collins' twelfth top 10 single. He played all the instruments on the song and on the whole album, 'Both Sides', from which it came. Physical by Olivia Newton-John spent ten weeks at the top of the US chart, equalling the record for consecutive weeks at the time. The songs by Arthur Conley and David and Jonathan (whose real names were both Roger) both date back to the 1960s.

 

22 points

 

Big Country - Look Away

Beatmasters featuring Betty Boo – Hey DJ! I Can't Dance (To That Music You're Playing) / Ska Train

Foxes – Let Go For Tonight

Fuse ODG - Antenna

The Lemon Pipers - Green Tambourine

Martine McCutcheon - On The Radio

 

 

This was the fourth and last top 10 hit for Big Country, arranged in the right peak position order of 10, 9, 8 and 7. The Beatmasters released singles with different guest singers. Betty Boo, who featured on this one, has her own song still to come. Green Tambourine was a US number 1 in 1967 for the Lemon Pipers.

23 points

 

Embrace - Gravity

Billie Eilish - Chihiro

Billy Idol - Mony Mony

Kicks Like A Mule - The Bouncer

Jack Penate - Torn On The Platform

Matt Willis - Up All Night

 

 

"Your name's not down, you're not coming in". This rave record was the only hit single for the duo of Nick Halkes and Richard Russell although they have had many more behind the scenes. We have another US chart topper in the form of Billy Idol's cover of the Tommy James and the Shondells song.

24 points

 

Carter The Unstoppable Sex Machine – The Only Living Boy In New Cross

Golden Earring - Radar Love

Hot Chocolate - Brother Louie

Whitney Houston and Enrique Iglesias – Could I Have This Kiss Forever

John Martin - Anywhere For You

The Maisonettes - Heartache Avenue

Tom Odell - Real Love

The Sex Pistols – No One Is Innocent (A Punk Prayer By Ronald Biggs) / My Way

Status Quo - Pictures Of Matchstick Men

Tom Walker - Leave A Light On

 

 

From 1982, this was the only top 40 hit for the Birmingham group. Pictures Of Matchstick Men was the first of many for Status Quo while Brother Louie was the fifth of many for Hot Chocolate. There's also some classic rock from the Dutch band Golden Earring with Radar Love.

 

Oops looks like I gave 'Green Tambourine' all 22 of its points! That is a big psychedelic 60s favourite :wub:

 

Jumping to the 80s, I awarded 'Heartache Avenue' about 96% of its points. I first knew it via being sampled on Roll Deep's 'The Avenue' and then fell in love with the original.

 

Lastly, 'CHIHIRO' was one of my most up-to-date votes. Thankfully the quality lived up to the Spirited Away connection, beautiful vocals and synths.

'Torn On The Platform' is only my second vote to appear (just my 1 and 3 pointers gone), though 'CHIHIRO' and 'Disease' are among my favourite Top 10 hits from last year.

Just catching up with this. Looks like I've lost three of my votes so far, my highest scoring being 'Cats In The Cradle' by Ugly Kid Joe - such a brilliant cover of a 70s classic (for ages I thought the original was by Cat Stevens but it was actually by folk singer Harry Chapin).

Oops I overlooked 'The Bouncer' entirely in my votes (I think I just didn't immediately recognise the artist name and was going through the list very quickly!), would have got around 16 points from me but I presume the cutoff will be well above 39 points anyway so probably no harm done.

 

Nothing that I actually did vote for dropping out today but quite a few that were very close - 'Antenna', 'Green Tambourine', 'CHIHIRO' and 'Torn On The Platform' are all great tunes too. Surprised to see 'Physical' getting so few points :o felt a little wrong for me to snub the one Kendrick song on this list but 'Die Hard' is one of his less essential hits for me, nice that it got some points though x

 

And it wasn't close to my points but have to acknowledge Tom Odell's appearance here with an obligatory stan post for Monty the penguin x

25 points

 

Rick Astley - Cry For Help

Toni Braxton - You're Makin' Me High

Captain and Tennille - Do That To Me One More Time

Dollar - O L'Amour

Prince - Let's Go Crazy / Take Me With U

Mica Paris - My One Temptation

Lucie Silvas - What You're Made Of

The Temptations – Ball of Confusion (That's What The World Is Today)

Thompson Twins - We Are Detective

 

 

From 1983, We Are Detective was the second of five top 10 singles for the Thompson Twins with all of them charting in the space of just fifteen months. This is the last we will see of Prince with the last of his three number 7 singles dropping out. Dollar's cover of the Erasure song O L'Amour was their final top 40 hit. Also here are US number 1 singles by Toni Braxton and Captain and Tennille.

 

 

 

26 points

 

Blonde featuring Melissa Steel – I Loved You

Cliff Richard - Visions

 

 

This deep house tune came out in 2014. Both artists had one other top 10 single. Cliff Richard has six number 7 singles to his name and Visions, from 1966, was the only one to get a vote.

27 points

 

Ashanti - Rock Wit U (Awww Baby)

Adamski - The Space Jungle

Iron Maiden - Run To The Hills

The Ruts - Babylon's Burning

10cc - Life Is A Minestrone

 

 

With Lol Creme on lead vocals, this was released ahead of 'I'm Not In Love' as the lead single from 10cc's third album 'The Original Soundtrack'. From 1982, Run To The Hills gave Iron Maiden their first top 10 hit. Babylon's Burning is the best known song by the punk rock group The Ruts and their only top 20 single.