three huge faves of 2024 for me so far, in Die With A smile, Tinlicker and Starburster, with goodies I also bought from The Cure, Dua Lipa...

 

my rundown as always is delayed until all the peaking 2024 tracks have finished their chart runs :lol:

Hello again Jim :hi:

 

My favourites since last commenting:

 

#89 Pictureplane - Velvet Lies (Metallic Garden) [#8, Aug]

#86 Tove Lo - No One Dies From Love [#8, Dec]

#73 Fontaines D.C. - Starburster [#7, Apr]

#69 MRD, Flawless Issues - i fall apart [#6, Nov]

 

Brilliant to see 'Starburster' here especially, I was instantly hooked :wub: it's refreshing that Fontaines' latest album seems to be holding up really well officially.

 

'No One Dies From Love' is one of my favourite pop songs of the decade so far, never too late to include it tbh *.*

Beaches was a decent song from earlier in the year! I had no idea Camera Obscura were still releasing music so just listening to The Light Nights now, it's a nice folky song!

I'm glad you checked out 'The Light Nights' and liked it! 'Big Love' is the other Camera Obscura song I charted from their album last year, but I'd not heard of them before - looks like their previous album was in 2013.

 

three huge faves of 2024 for me so far, in Die With A smile, Tinlicker and Starburster, with goodies I also bought from The Cure, Dua Lipa...

 

my rundown as always is delayed until all the peaking 2024 tracks have finished their chart runs :lol:

Good to see plenty of shared favourites, hope there'll be a few more in the second half of this! Look forward to yours in a few weeks.

 

Hello again Jim :hi:

 

My favourites since last commenting:

 

#89 Pictureplane - Velvet Lies (Metallic Garden) [#8, Aug]

#86 Tove Lo - No One Dies From Love [#8, Dec]

#73 Fontaines D.C. - Starburster [#7, Apr]

#69 MRD, Flawless Issues - i fall apart [#6, Nov]

 

Brilliant to see 'Starburster' here especially, I was instantly hooked :wub: it's refreshing that Fontaines' latest album seems to be holding up really well officially.

 

'No One Dies From Love' is one of my favourite pop songs of the decade so far, never too late to include it tbh *.*

'Starburster' was the first Fontaines song I really took notice of on release, it was an instant favourite, and it's fab to see the album becoming a solid seller.

 

Thanks all ^_^

 

Monthly #5s

 

#60 Otik - Downcast [#5, Apr]

#59 Glass Animals - A Tear In Space (Airlock) [#5, Jun]

#58 Mandaworld - U CANT STOP ME NOW [#5, Jan]

#57 Pom Pom Squad - Downhill [#5, Jul]

#56 Funk Tribu - Viento [#5, Dec]

#55 Rose Gray - Angel Of Satisfaction [#5, Aug]

#54 Vintage Culture - Find A Way [#5, May]

#53 Izzy Camina - Seraphim [#5, Sep]

#52 DJ_Dave - World's Hardest Game [#5, Mar]

#51 Talking To Shadows - Valentina [#5, Oct]

#50 Violent Vickie, Echoberyl - Gaslight [#5, Nov]

#49 Chelsea Wolfe - House Of Self-Undoing [#5, Feb]

 

Into the second half of this countdown with electronic producer Otik and this instrumental which is atmospheric and imposing, even if not quite as memorable a tune as the Grum one here for example. Glass Animals have my most scrobbled song to date with, yes, 'Heat Waves' - their album last year had a few singles in debt to that song, although this one stands out on its own with a theremin-styled opening and some sonic shifting in the verses. The dreamlike vocal delivery and danceable synthpop of Mandaworld was my favourite new discovery from last year's PFSC: Best Pop of 2023 contest. Next from Pom Pom Squad is a minimal pop-rock song around a circling melody, simple but very catchy and effective. Another EDM instrumental arrives from Funk Tribu and as well as being one of the catchiest tunes of its kind here, the little touches of eastern instrumentation allow plenty to keep coming back for. Rose Gray makes her only solo entry to this countdown here, in the continuing lead-up to her debut album out tomorrow which (sadly) doesn't include 'Ecstasy' (my EOY #1 of 2023), and I haven't been the most excited by some of the singles which are on it, but this one holds its own with great songwriting, the spoken word title bit and some interesting "be, be, be, be-be-be-be" vocal effects.

 

Four BJSC entries appear next, starting with the first of five of my own in this countdown, from Vintage Culture which slips in elements of classic trance and a strong lyrical theme - it performed reasonably to finish 21st and especially to reach 25 voters, but was one of my more hasty entry choices in hindsight. I gave 15 points to the other three, although I knew and had charted the songs from Izzy Camina and DJ_Dave (female producers both) pre-contest - the bass, swirling production and "tell me now!" shouts of the former are a blast, while the echoey vocals of the latter swirl as if navigating a maze within the circling riff. Talking To Shadows were an in-contest discovery and this indie song with a hint of shoegaze builds slowly until the guitar and vocals take off halfway, then there's some sweet lyrical imagery too. There's more BJSC adjacency with the last two of this section: Violent Vickie has a Saint Etienne-like vocal style and the lyrical premise is set out by the title - the repeated "make me think I'm pretty" is particularly impactful - although it's the remix courtesy of Echoberyl (whom I entered in BJSC with a song still to come) which brought it onto my radar as a shimmering darkwave beauty. And it's Chelsea Wolfe who rounds things off as her vocals shine in the storm of blistering drums and haunted house bass on the focus track from her release of She Reaches Out To She Reaches Out To She which also houses my BJSC 160 entry from her, as well as another song yet to come, and quickly became my favourite album of the 2020s to date.

'Valentina' that received 10pts from East Rukahavian in BJSC.

Just re-familiarising myself with Find A Way - I must have pointed it as it appeared in my Personal Chart! - it is a good song, quite different from the usual dance fare and manages to convey quite a lot of emotion with only a few lyrics.

'Valentina' that received 10pts from East Rukahavian in BJSC.

Great choice for double figure points there *.*

 

Just re-familiarising myself with Find A Way - I must have pointed it as it appeared in my Personal Chart! - it is a good song, quite different from the usual dance fare and manages to convey quite a lot of emotion with only a few lyrics.

Looks like you gave it 8 points *.* happy it made such a good impression! I agree that the emotion it conveys elevates the song.

 

Thanks both ^_^

 

Monthly #4s

 

#48 Lady Gaga - Disease [#4, Oct]

#47 Lewis Capaldi - A Cure For Minds Unwell [#4, Jan]

#46 Ela Minus - BROKEN [#4, Nov]

#45 Billie Eilish - CHIHIRO [#4, Jun]

#44 Christopher Anton - Don't Cry Tonight [#4, Apr]

#43 Social Order - Miss You [#4, Dec]

#42 Cage The Elephant - Neon Pill [#4, Feb]

#41 The Happy Fits - Achey Bones [#4, Mar]

 

In the ongoing success of 'Die With A Smile', Lady Gaga made her comeback 'proper' with a production throwback to the Born This Way era and even some lyrical touchpoints of 'Bad Romance' revisited. It made my monthly chart (and subsequently the multichart) within less than 48 hours of release and on the back of much hype, so is maybe a little fortunate to be this high. Lewis Capaldi had a huge debut album with many songs I still have a lot of time for, though the follow-up era largely felt a bit flat in comparison, and I didn't expect much from the extended edition, but from it this non-focus extra track with lyrics of mental health struggles and his vocal delivery hit hard. I didn't know of Ela Minus until I saved this song down from a New Music Friday listen after the swooshing danceable production undercut the heartbreak in her lyrics, so it had a headstart to my 18 points when it turned up in BJSC 169. The third album from Billie Eilish was one of the success stories of the year and created four Top 10 hits, most pleasing of all this one with its entrancing production which gently grows in intensity over 5 minutes, reflecting her metaphorical claustrophobia and need for release ("can you open up the door") - only one more UK chart hit from 2024 remains in this countdown.

 

Christopher Anton is the singer in Information Society whose 1988 minor UK hit 'What's On Your Mind' was sent to BJSC in 2023 - this solo song is mellower but neatly paved in synths of light and shade, most effective of all the riff towards the end interspersed with the title. More darkwave in hue, with lots of high bass, punchy verses and a fabulous chorus, Social Order got my 15 points in BJSC 170. Cage The Elephant have a 1 billion Spotify streamer in 'Cigarette Daydreams' and were a regular fixture in my charts last year starting with this, their album title track and best tune, with theremin-like effects keeping up the momentum. Another indie band, The Happy Fits have the last spot before the top 40 and the jauntiest 3 minutes 20 in the whole countdown - the video looks a lot of fun too. I'll post the last of the monthly #4s in a few days to begin the top 40!

I love Disease! :wub: Obviously called back to past Gaga eras but still felt really fresh to my ears, what a stomper of a pop song.

Hi there Jim!

 

Here are my favourites from your Year-End list so far:

#45 Billie Eilish - CHIHIRO [#4, Jun]

#48 Lady Gaga - Disease [#4, Oct]

#70 Felix Jaehn, Leony - Waking Up [#6, Jan]

#73 Fontaines D.C. - Starburster [#7, Apr]

#86 Tove Lo - No One Dies From Love [#8, Dec]

#88 Dua Lipa - Falling Forever [#8, May]

#100 Dua Lipa - Training Season [#9, Feb]

#101 The Marías - No One Noticed [#9, Dec]

#111 Lady Gaga & Bruno Mars - Die With A Smile [#10, Aug]

#113 Ariana Grande - we can't be friends (wait for your love) [#10, Mar]

#114 Everything Everything - The End Of The Contender [#10, Feb]

 

I will return to finishing my Year-End list as well as commenting on all of your Year-end charts!

Hi Jim, just playing catch-up with the last couple of sections and these are my favourites to appear:

 

#53 Izzy Camina - Seraphim [#5, Sep]

#52 DJ_Dave - World's Hardest Game [#5, Mar]

#51 Talking To Shadows - Valentina [#5, Oct]

#49 Chelsea Wolfe - House Of Self-Undoing [#5, Feb]

#48 Lady Gaga - Disease [#4, Oct]

#46 Ela Minus - BROKEN [#4, Nov]

#45 Billie Eilish - CHIHIRO [#4, Jun]

 

‘CHIHIRO’ is a stunner 💙 I wanted to love it due to the Spirited Away connection so I was happy that it really was a highlight.

 

Ela Minus is great, really looking forward to checking out her new album in the coming days, haven’t had the time yet.

 

Once again your Chelsea Wolfe BJSC entry made me sit up and take notice of her, what an album *.*

 

Gaga returning with some dark dance-pop healed my inner child somewhat :lol: intrigued for the album.

 

Dan has found such a good alternative lane in BJSC with the rockier stuff, ‘Valentina’ was an 18 from me :wub:

I love Disease! :wub: Obviously called back to past Gaga eras but still felt really fresh to my ears, what a stomper of a pop song.

Agree it's a very refreshing sound and one of the pop songs of the year!

 

Hi there Jim!

 

Here are my favourites from your Year-End list so far:

#45 Billie Eilish - CHIHIRO [#4, Jun]

#48 Lady Gaga - Disease [#4, Oct]

#70 Felix Jaehn, Leony - Waking Up [#6, Jan]

#73 Fontaines D.C. - Starburster [#7, Apr]

#86 Tove Lo - No One Dies From Love [#8, Dec]

#88 Dua Lipa - Falling Forever [#8, May]

#100 Dua Lipa - Training Season [#9, Feb]

#101 The Marías - No One Noticed [#9, Dec]

#111 Lady Gaga & Bruno Mars - Die With A Smile [#10, Aug]

#113 Ariana Grande - we can't be friends (wait for your love) [#10, Mar]

#114 Everything Everything - The End Of The Contender [#10, Feb]

 

I will return to finishing my Year-End list as well as commenting on all of your Year-end charts!

Glad to see so many of your favourites throughout the list, including the Dua single that could have been, and Leony who is think is suited to the pop/dance crossover.

 

Thanks both ^_^

 

Monthly #4s (continued)

 

#40 Debbii Dawson - Happy World [#4, Jul]

#39 Kim Wilde - Trail Of Destruction [#4, Aug]

#38 Florrie - Kissing In The Cold [#4, May]

#37 FKA twigs - Eusexua [#4, Sep]

 

Resuming with a song I'd found from Debbii Dawson and pegged as a BJSC potential, though I was ultimately beaten to it and subsequently gave it my 15 points in BJSC 166, and while it would have been more pop for me than usual, it's blessed with brilliant ABBA-esque minor/major key transformations around the sadness of the verses and a bridge that bears more than a little resemblance to the aforementioned legends' 'Lay All Your Love On Me'. Of the many veteran pop artists still active in 2024, Kim Wilde had a standout moment with this delightful mid-80s synthpop throwback ascending to a huge chorus that wouldn't have sounded out of place with The Killers. The Florrie song was my entry for PFSC: Best Pop Of 2024 whose results were delayed until earlier this week (hence my stalling the countdown until after I was announced as the sender) and in which it placed an admirable 16th given its relative obscurity in the competition :kink: I knew of Florrie before finding it, but here the believable longing for simpler times and sad synths spoke to me differently - it might sound ridiculous to say the instrumental bridge reminds me of 'Enjoy The Silence' but... the instrumental bridge reminds me of 'Enjoy The Silence'. No doubting my favourite of this section though as FKA twigs has absolutely one of the songs of the year, and had I not been on holiday for much of September, I'd likely have given it enough listens to rank it higher than #4 for the month - the contemplations of feelings not to be called love are beautifully sung and the trancey pivot around halfway is magical.

Hi Jim, just playing catch-up with the last couple of sections and these are my favourites to appear:

 

#53 Izzy Camina - Seraphim [#5, Sep]

#52 DJ_Dave - World's Hardest Game [#5, Mar]

#51 Talking To Shadows - Valentina [#5, Oct]

#49 Chelsea Wolfe - House Of Self-Undoing [#5, Feb]

#48 Lady Gaga - Disease [#4, Oct]

#46 Ela Minus - BROKEN [#4, Nov]

#45 Billie Eilish - CHIHIRO [#4, Jun]

 

‘CHIHIRO’ is a stunner 💙 I wanted to love it due to the Spirited Away connection so I was happy that it really was a highlight.

 

Ela Minus is great, really looking forward to checking out her new album in the coming days, haven’t had the time yet.

 

Once again your Chelsea Wolfe BJSC entry made me sit up and take notice of her, what an album *.*

 

Gaga returning with some dark dance-pop healed my inner child somewhat :lol: intrigued for the album.

 

Dan has found such a good alternative lane in BJSC with the rockier stuff, ‘Valentina’ was an 18 from me :wub:

Spirited Away is another film I haven't yet seen, but however it inspired the song, 'CHIHIRO' was a stunning hit from Billie's album release. I've now heard 'ONWARDS' from Ela Minus' album and the title obviously complements 'UPWARDS' very well, but it certainly is great too. Delighted to hear that 'Dusk' led to you discovering more from Chelsea Wolfe, and awesome that it's the closing track to her album, which is fantastic from start to finish. Intrigued for LG7 also. I agree on the rockier stuff Dan has sent, a couple more of those in the next section too!

 

Thanks Jade ^_^ look forward to seeing how high 'Eusexua' appears in your EOY!

 

Monthly #3s

 

#36 Third Party - Believe [#3, Jun]

#35 Sky Ferreira - Leash [#3, Dec]

#34 Ethel Cain - American Teenager [#3, Nov]

#33 anna luna - house [#3, Sep]

#32 Adrianne Lenker - Ruined [#3, Jan]

#31 Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds - Long Dark Night [#3, Jul]

#30 The Decemberists, James Mercer - Burial Ground [#3, Mar]

#29 Calva Louise - Over The Threshold [#3, Feb]

#28 Castle Rat - Cry For Me [#3, Apr]

#27 Pixel Grip - Stamina [#3, Oct]

#26 Requiem's Embrace - Nightmares [#3, Aug]

#25 Valencia Grace - Skin [#3, May]

 

Third Party kick off the monthly #3s, maybe a little too appropriately - I have to be in the right mood for this kind of EDM, but when I am it certainly pushes in a euphoric direction. Sky Ferreira made my EOY top 20 of 2023 with 'Don't Forget' from the year before and this, her first song since, is forged in a similar firepit of synths and escape from a toxic relationship, but truly comes into its own after the middle eight, ending with "I know I'll never get in my way". Ethel Cain appears next, and although her 2024 comeback 'Punish' made #13 in my chart, it's her most streamed song from two years earlier that I charted 10 places higher as I'd only recently discovered it from Record of the Decade, and her story of teenage alienation with an almost country chorus - a sound she has very much eschewed on her new album - is what had really drawn me in. A couple of BJSC entries are next: anna luna (not to be confused with Anna Lunoe, or Anna Prior for that matter) got my 18 points in BJSC 167 with some ghostly techno and a maze of vocoder. Adrianne Lenker was my 15 pointer in BJSC 161, and as I'd previously discovered and charted Big Thief in 2023, to hear the same unmistakeable vocals in a ballad (the off-key piano notes towards the end are the most gut wrenching of all) was a more significant discovery in the contest for me. Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds needed no introduction for me - again it's a piano ballad, like many songs from their 1997 album The Boatman's Call which is one of my favourites of all time, and for someone who has been through as much loss as Nick Cave has, every word and inflection in his voice feels like it comes from somewhere in the depths.

 

The Decemberists have been going for some time and opened their 2024 album alongside guest James Mercer with a cheery song about, well, death, and while the trumpet later on fits the theme, the guitar throughout could have come straight from mid-80s R.E.M. which I could happily listen to all day. Calva Louise melded electro and rock with a thrilling chorus and neat guitar solo in what became my second Unknown Pleasures entry - it winding up in 4th place was a hugely pleasant surprise, rivalled only in last year's Buzzjack contests by my entry to the first Bop Idol winning the thing. A couple of my 18 pointers from BJSC 163 and 168 respectively follow - Castle Rat could have been a long-lost 70s rock band as this is so convincingly performed with the singer's vocals pushing the edges of the thin production, especially when let loose midway through. Also with an impeccable female vocal but this time against industrial-strength electro are Pixel Grip and while I'm often not keen on swearing in music when it's just to add some extra syllables or signal some otherwise absent emotion, there's really no other way to put the hysteria into words here. Requiem's Embrace were another journey into melodic metal for me while sitting on my own BJSC 168 entry in a similar vein which is coming later - I half-considered this one for the Halloween contest, but had second thoughts when my aforementioned BJSC entry didn't fare too well, although aside from the title and some foreboding guitar it's more anthemic than spooky. The top song in this section from Valencia Grace is one I long considered for BJSC, but as a pop ballad in 3/4 time and especially with such personal lyrics of struggle and renewal, I couldn't bear to risk it there, but maybe I should have, her vocals after "it's always been true" hit me every time.

 

Monthly #2s

 

#24 Daniel Merriweather - Orbit [#2, Oct]

#23 Seycara Orchestral - If You Were Mine [#2, Jan]

#22 jacket., Bunny X, Jenny Bates - Any Day And Every Night [#2, Jul]

#21 Ehrah, LAU - Everything I Want [#2, Apr]

#20 Syntronix, Warptronic - Soulless [#2, May]

#19 Manic Street Preachers - Decline & Fall [#2, Sep]

#18 Kalte Liebe - Tränen stillen keinen Durst [#2, Dec]

#17 Twin Tribes - Monolith [#2, Jun]

#16 akiaura, LONOWN & STM - Sleepwalker [#2, Mar]

#15 Anthony McCaffrey - The Dark [#2, Nov]

#14 JJ Wilde - Best Of Me [#2, Aug]

#13 TR/ST - Slug [#2, Feb]

 

Not much commentary needed for some of these so I'll keep it fairly brief. Daniel Merriweather unexpectedly struck a chord with this mellow ballad, Seycara Orchestral had my 18 points in BJSC 161 with a beautiful cello-led instrumental, and the next three are all modern day synthpop delights - go and listen if that's your thing. Manic Street Preachers may be long past their peak relevance and acknowledge it "I know our time has come and gone / At least we blazed a trail and shone" with their anthemic bombast helmed by piano and a melody not dissimilar to The Mighty Wah's 1984 hit 'Come Back'.

 

My three favourite in-contest BJSC discoveries of the year, all of which got 18 points from me, come next in various shades of thrilling darkwave. They are followed by my own doomed BJSC 170 entry from Anthony McCaffrey with stunning uncredited female vocals and, despite the trance on a budget production, many textures in the sound that are very much to my liking. JJ Wilde appears again and it's a stomping anthemic rock song riding the wave of loud guitar and an unforgettable melody. The top song in this section from TR/ST actually dates back to 2015, but a 2024 release of his self-titled EP saw it added to Spotify and it's the best I've heard from him so far with his vocals standing out over the kicking beats, stuttering synths and winding guitar. That just leaves my monthly #1s still to come!

my faves since my last comment:

 

#81 No Mana - Solarpunk [#7, Oct]

#80 Block & Crown - Raise The Roof [#7, Feb]

#77 NTO & Vitalic - Cœur Noir [#7, Mar] :wub: -> this was very nearly a Danævii entry, really top tier electronica

#73 Fontaines D.C. - Starburster [#7, Apr]

#70 Felix Jaehn, Leony - Waking Up [#6, Jan]

#69 MRD, Flawless Issues - i fall apart [#6, Nov]

#68 Ben Hemsley, Rose Gray - Tidal [#6, Oct] :wub: -> doesn't quite top 'Closer' for me as that's an incredibly high bar but is excellent stuff and I'm so excited for Ben as a producer now

#55 Rose Gray - Angel Of Satisfaction [#5, Aug]

#51 Talking To Shadows - Valentina [#5, Oct]

#48 Lady Gaga - Disease [#4, Oct] -> this had a fairly quick run for me, peaked about 30 spots higher than DWAS but without half its longevity oop

#45 Billie Eilish - CHIHIRO [#4, Jun]

#40 Debbii Dawson - Happy World [#4, Jul]

#37 FKA twigs - Eusexua [#4, Sep]

#36 Third Party - Believe [#3, Jun]

#32 Adrianne Lenker - Ruined [#3, Jan]

#29 Calva Louise - Over The Threshold [#3, Feb]

#28 Castle Rat - Cry For Me [#3, Apr]

#23 Seycara Orchestral - If You Were Mine [#2, Jan]

#17 Twin Tribes - Monolith [#2, Jun]

#16 akiaura, LONOWN & STM - Sleepwalker [#2, Mar]

 

yay for the multiple Danævii entries appearing too and some higher up than they are in my list even

 

^ Indeed a great year for Danævii entries and 'Cœur Noir' would have got big points from me for sure had it been another. Hoping that Ben Hemsley can have some commercial success to continue the trance mini-revival in the chart of the last couple of years. 'Disease' would have had far less longevity than 'Die With A Smile' if I'd been doing weekly charts too - now that I've gone back to them, 'Abracadabra' could outdo both of them here in my EOY of 2025, we shall see!

 

Thanks Dan ^_^

 

Monthly #1s

 

#12 Sunday (1994) - Blonde [#1, May]

#11 Chelsea Wolfe - Everything Turns Blue [#1, Jan]

#10 The Horrors - Lotus Eater [#1, Dec]

#9 Etta Marcus - Skin Parade [#1, Nov]

#8 Gabby Martin - Cologne [#1, Mar]

#7 Attractive Chaos - Words On A Letter [#1, Sep]

#6 ROSÉ & Bruno Mars - APT. [#1, Oct]

 

The first of my monthly #1s to depart is from Sunday (1994) (whose brackets I needed to remove for the purpose of mulitcharting), and it's not a million miles from 1990s indie band The Sundays, but while the singer's desire to bring back her ex by dyeing her hair is probably not something Harriet Wheeler and co would have gone for, there are some humorous lines to lift the despair. Chelsea Wolfe led up to her debut album with another stunning single, as slow as 'Dusk' but intense throughout as the lyrical desires burns like a firestorm. The Horrors ensured 2024 ended strongly, and while I still haven't really got into 'The Silence That Remains' from them, this follow-up was instant for me with the existential lyrics and sonic shifts from darkwave synths to industrial-edged techno. Following on from Valencia Grace a couple of sections ago, just a week later Etta Marcus also released a 3/4 time ballad with 'Skin' in the title, and I had both songs on my BJSC potentials for a while without realising how similar they were at first, however where Valencia sings of regrowth, Etta addresses the baring of skin, and a resigned going through of the motions that follow. Also in 3/4 time, the Gabby Martin song centres around a conventional break-up theme, but suggests she has come out of it hardened and resilient as the music builds over 4 minutes - I first heard it in the middle of a long drive and had to relisten at the end of the journey. Attractive Chaos have one of several of my BJSC entries in the top 10, and it's the melodic metal one as the soprano vocal soars above the churning guitars and drums - as for its somewhat disappointing performance in the contest, I could risk venturing into yelling at cloud territory, but at least it qualified and finished higher than another entry yet to come.

 

Finally for now, it's the song I suspect many of you have been waiting for, as the only UK Top 100 hit to make my EOY top 40 comes from ROSÉ and Bruno Mars and it's such a joy, with a hook-filled chorus and as poppy a production as Bruno has appeared in since 'Locked Out Of Heaven', while ROSÉ sells the "kissy face" lyrics with much sass and the two combine with some wonderful harmonies. It became only the third UK hit to top my personal chart and improved on the UK chart #7 and #9 peaks of the previous two, but agonisingly just missed out on becoming the first song to top both the UK charts and mine, and means that from a reversal of those fortunes, The Beatles - Now And Then remains the highest peaking UK #1 on my chart where it reached #2.

 

The top 5 will follow in the next week or so!