Just been thinking and it would be interesting to make a comprehensive list of these. I know they caved in with a few things like Padam Padam and Moves Like Jagger and have ignored Maroon 5, OneRepublic and P!nk over recent years. Candy is one of the most famous ones. What else can you think of?

Not Like Us until it went number 1

'Moves Like Jagger' never actually did get playlisted. (although it did start getting the occasional play later on)

I don't believe Elton and Britney's Hold Me Closer ever touched the Radio 1 playlist? I might be misremembering. That was a #3, Platinum-certified song.

Yeah, Hold Me Closer wasn't playlisted but got spot plays. Moves Like Jagger may have never been officially playlisted but Christ they played it to death as a recurrent for the next five years to make up for it. I remember Mills opening his show with it after the 'snubbing' had been a big story for weeks, felt really exciting even though I am no Maroon 5 fan.

It's one of three M5 songs I don't mind along with This Love and Payphone. Then I think they became a big Radio 1 band again for many years. It's not often they bring bands back, Everything Everything being welcomed back with open arms last year was great.

It feels a little bit icky to me that Everything Everything needed to sign with a big label again to return to getting Radio 1 support. Of course not complaining that they are being played again but there were so many great singles from the previous couple of albums that surely should have been well up R1's alley!

They seem to hardly ever truly snub any hit song, hits that aren't on the playlist usually seem to still manage 1 or 2 (non-chart show) spins a week at their peaks. Whether they are played in special genre shows, listener requests, a particular DJ wants to play the song, etc.

Padam Padam was getting played every week on one of their dance shows before it was on the playlist, for example.

They never playlisted Shakira's Hips Don't Lie which is ludicrous. They used to make the hits, now they're behind the curve by so much in this landscape.

If I remember correctly I Wish I Was A Punk Rocker, Since U Been Gone and Waka Waka (This Time For Africa) were all snubbed at the time of release, even though it could be argued there is a Radio 1 audience appeal for these songs.

I think Now You’re Gone by Basshunter too, at least initially

Always remember Moyles playing Basshunter ironically on his breakfast show!

Obviously Shallow

It’s always quite amusing when they don’t playlist a popular song. The DJs don’t always like every song on the playlist-Basshunter was case in point as they played them a lot and yet every presenter clearly couldn’t stand them.

Padam Padam is the only one I can think where they playlisted it due to pressure.

Moves Like Jagger-they sort of caved here though it never made the playlist. They had dropped both Maroon 5 and Christina by the time this was released and even when it was played on the chart, it used to get no fanfare whatsoever compared to other songs in the top ten. But it arguably gets played on Radio 1 more now than it did back then and they then playlisted every Maroon 5 song for the next decade.

Hips Don’t Lie wasn’t playlisted and whilst it was no.1, they did a segment where they asked people in the street why they like the song so much. She Wolf was then playlisted in 2009.

Alexandra Burke was dropped after Broken Heels which seemed extremely premature given they kept other similar artists going. Much longer.

Likewise Paloma Faith stopped getting playlisted after Picking Up The Pieces which seems really odd.

I think Anastacia only ever got playlisted with I’m Outta Love but I’m not sure. I do remember she got a few plays when the album chart got more focus back in 2004, I remember Wes playing Sick & Tired before it charted and saying that listeners had texted in about how good the song was.

I’m amazed Pink got playlisted as long as she did. Shame though that she got dropped given Trustfall would have slotted in perfectly but this was the point I jumped ship to Radio 2 anyway.

They ignored Blondie's Maria and tried to catch up when it went to #1

12 hours ago, Ne Plus Ultra said:

They never playlisted Shakira's Hips Don't Lie which is ludicrous. They used to make the hits, now they're behind the curve by so much in this landscape.

I was gonna say that and also "Whenever Wherever" were both snubbed. To add insult to injury with the latter they exorcised all but the last panpipe interlude on the version they played on the top 40 as well!

They eventually playlisted her when "She Wolf" came out.

The Millennium Prayer!

54 minutes ago, chartjack2 said:

The Millennium Prayer!

Teletubbies Say Eh-Oh!

On 09/03/2025 at 10:30, T Boy said:

Likewise Paloma Faith stopped getting playlisted after Picking Up The Pieces which seems really odd.

Paloma feels like a good case study of how bad Radio 1's artist-level playlist policy is and how much more sensible their playlist would be if they made decisions more consistently based on song. I actually think it made sense for them to drop her when they did - her second album was a pretty sharp turn into Radio 2 territory and the single they dropped her for ('30 Minute Love Affair') really didn't have any business on the Radio 1 playlist. But she returned to making much more contemporary music after this album and continued having hits, and it would have made sense to return to supporting her when her music fit in with the Radio 1 audience again. Instead she was essentially blacklisted forever for the sin of briefly going a bit MOR.

The idea that everything or nothing by an artist should be playlisted, regardless of sound or commercial success, has always been stupid. I'm glad that such bad policy no longer has such an outsized impact on the charts.

I followed the R1 playlists in the early 2000s - of those mentioned in the thread, 'I'm Outta Love' wasn't playlisted (nor were any of Anastacia's subsequent hits), but 'Whenever, Wherever' was, albeit only C-list iirc.

A few others that weren't, some less surprising than others:

Baha Men - Who Let The Dogs Out? [and more obviously Bob The Builder, Cheeky Girls...]

Bon Jovi - It's My Life

Cascada - Everytime We Touch [at least early on]

Santana feat. Rob Thomas - Smooth

Scooter - The Logical Song

The Calling - Wherever You Will Go, I can't remember 100% if it didn't or just got C-listed - they were quicker to playlist the follow-up so perhaps they realised they missed out there, similar to Wheatus - Teenage Dirtbag only getting C-list but then 'A Little Respect' got B-listed and 'Leroy' A-listed before they went back into obscurity.

Edited March 11Mar 11 by jimwatts