32. Julee Cruise - Falling 187pts

 

Writers - Angelo Badalamenti, David Lynch

Top points - marcinjaro 23, seven. 22, AH Gold 20

 

An instrumental version of this song was the theme to Twin Peaks in which Julee Cruise had a recurring role as a roadhouse singer. An attempted follow-up single only got as far as number 66.

 

31. The Magician featuring Years & Years – Sunlight 189pts

 

Writers - Stephen Fasano, Olly Alexander, Mark Ralph

Top points - My...Tuppence!! 22, ElectroBoy 22, RabbitFurCoat 21

 

From 2014, this was the only top 40 hit for the Belgian producer Stephen Fasano.

 

Ooft four great songs in row there! Much love to the stunning 'Winter In July' especially. :wub:

30. Cyndi Lauper - I Drove All Night 190pts

 

Writers - Billy Steinberg, Tom Kelly

Top points - Mango 24, Liamski689 24, Leonardo 23

 

Roy Orbison's original is waiting to go in the second semi-final. Will it do better or worse than this version which was the first to be released so the song was new to everyone who heard it on the radio. It gave Cyndi Lauper her third top 10 hit, five years after the first two.

 

 

 

I’m fully expecting Roy’s “I Drove All Night” to finish near the bottom! I really wanted to give my wildcard to something that likely wouldn’t make it otherwise though. Not so hot on Cyndi’s version but otherwise a pretty great bunch today - particular the beautifully gentle “Winter In July” and “”Falling”! RIP Julee. :heart:

37. The Rolling Stones - Start Me Up 175pts

 

Writers - Mick Jagger, Keith Richards

Top points - Jaz13music 22, Mark223 21, Uls2000 18

 

Different versions of Start Me Up had been recorded as early as 1975 before the group were finally happy with this one from 1981. It turned out to be their final 10 ten hit.

 

Since this became the Stones’ final top ten hit (to date) they have had singles peak at numbers 11, 12, 13, 14 and 15

Love Twin Peaks (both the soundtracks and TV shows) plus Julee Cruises singles but especially her album Floating Into The Night, an underrated classic.

I've got so much love for 'I Drove All Night', it's up there with my favourite songs ever, so I'm disappointed it's gone out relatively early. Because I've always loved the original so much, I'm not too keen on Roy's version, but I already know it's going to do better than Cyndi's :(

'Winter In July' is a masterpiece too, the production and vocals and everything about it are incredible :wub:

Pretty sure that Roy Orbison’s version is the original of I Drove All Night as he had died before Cyndi’s version was released

Roy’s is the original recording but was only released posthumously several years after Cyndi’s (apparently it became popular through a Super Mario World themed compilation album!)

Winter In July the biggest loss so far, just gorgeous. Plenty of great tracks too, though, Wordy Rappinghood is fun though radio hammering it for weeks on end can cause annoyance, unlike Genius Of Love. Soul Asylum is great always takes me back to a Florida holiday where it was getting blanket plays on XL106.7, Cyndi's version I loved until I heard Roy's original and while I love Cyndi's vocal quirkiness, nobody can sing like Roy. Start Me Up is the Stones still being great, something we wouldnt see much more of, bar Undercover Of The Night, Ghost Town and a couple of decent tracks off their recent album. Mostly they were "OK, but nothing special" going forward.

 

Twin Peaks I loved, but the instrumental is even better, and I preferred her follow-up, in a minority there though. Madonna's is good, but she's had much better records flop since then, like Ghostown, Medellin f'rinstance.

^ Yeah I knew Roy recorded it originally but I always refer to Cyndi's as the original because it was the first released version of the song, so it's the first version people were familiar with. I know Roy's version is generally better regarded though and that I'm in the minority who hugely prefer Cyndi's version!

29. Kenny Rogers and Dolly Parton – Islands In The Stream 199pts

 

Writers - Barry Gibb, Robin Gibb, Maurice Gibb

Top points - AaronTM 21, Maestro 20, Jaz13music 19

 

The Bee Gees wrote this for Diana Ross, intending it to be in an R&B style, but later reworked it as a duet for these two. It received 22 votes, a lot more than the songs just above or below it, but many of these were single figure scores.

 

Assumed this one would be a shoe-in for the final so that's why I gave it a low score. Shame it's just missed!

28. Love Inc. – You're A Superstar 211pts

 

Writers - Vincent De Giorgio, Chris Sheppard, Brad Daymond

Top points - ElectroBoy 25, West 22, danae 20, rio309 20

 

First released in 1998, this wasn't a hit in the UK until 2002/3 when it spent four consecutive weeks at number 7. The Canadian group had one other top ten hit. The song was in a good position to qualify but none of the last ten voters gave it any points.

 

27. Missy Elliott featuring Ciara and Fatman Scoop - Lose Control 216pts

 

Writers - Melissa Elliott, Ciara Harris, Juan Atkins, Curtis Hudson, Isaac Freeman, Richard Davis

Top points - AaronTM 24, CowTzy 22, vancey 22

 

From 2005, this was the lead single taken from Missy Elliott's sixth album 'The Cookbook'. It contained samples from 'Body Work' by Hot Streak and 'Clear' by Cybotron.

 

26. Alicia Keys - Try Sleeping With A Broken Heart 219pts

 

Writers - Jeff Bhasker, Alicia Keys, Patrick 'Plain Pat' Reynolds

Top points - AaronTM 25, vibe 24, West 23

 

In 2010, this had spent five weeks in the top 40 before climbing from number 13 to number 7 after being performed on Britain's Got Talent. It finishes ten points behind the song in 25th place.

 

So these are the 25 singles to qualify for the final, in chronological order:

 

I Get Around

Let's Stay Together

Let Your Love Flow

Play That Funky Music

Le Freak

Another One Bites The Dust

Lay All Your Love On Me

White Lines (Don't Don't Do It)

A New England

Domino Dancing

We Didn't Start The Fire

Creep

Head Over Feet

Da Funk / Musique

Lucky Man

Forgot About Dre

Dancing In The Moonlight

Strange And Beautiful (I'll Put A Spell On You)

I'm With You

Seven Nation Army

She Moves In Her Own Way

Get Together

Smokers Outside The Hospital Doors

One (Your Name)

Angel Of My Dreams

Only lost my 1 pointer right at the end since Thursday, 17 of my votes this round through and I like most of the other 8 - good result!

Managed to avoid losing any of my big favourites there so that's a great result. Although I feel bad and a bit stupid that I somehow never realised there was a vocal version of a Twin Peaks theme...especially as I've seen that artist throughout the show :lol: Still, one to add to my list of retro discoveries!