Agree that You Are Not Alone should be out, it tapped into a sound that was popular at the time I guess but it's accordingly very dated and difficult to get past the obvious R Kelly influences now. At the time I didn't care much for Earth Song but it's definitely the better single in retrospect.

I think Fairground is okay, thanks almost entirely to the sample of the Goodmen lifting it above most other Simply Red tracks, although the original dance track is much superior.

I do have a soft spot for “Fairground” because it’s attached to childhood memories, but absolutely irks only the sample that makes it any good and generally Simply Red are tedious.

YANA bleugh.

“Boom Boom Boom” is fun trash I guess.

'Boom Boom Boom' is probably the only song so far that I wouldn't skip. I agree that their other chart topper is irritating though so I'm glad that swiftly dropped out.

I agree with Dandy that the Goodmen sample is the redeeming feature of 'Fairground'. Simply Red have far worse but I'd never seek this out over the instrumental.

Cher, Chrissie Hynde, Neneh Cherry and Eric Clapton on board and we get... that :( I know most charity songs are nothing special but what a bland collaboration between legendary names. Still, I'm glad it finally got added to Spotify in recent times for further #1s completeness on there.

'You Are Not Alone' is also really dull and obviously the R Kelly connection aged like milk. Not a banner year for Jacko chart-toppers - justice for 'Scream' x

Absolutely love 'Boom Boom Boom' ❤️

I don't mind 'Fairground' so much but it does feel like it goes on and on forever.

I liked 'You Are Not Alone' as a kid but definitely not now.

Fairground would be in my top ten, I think it's great and like the quieter verses and the much bigger chorus (the sudden change up is like being at the top of a rollercoaster). The sample is well used.

Boom Boom Boom is catchy but annoying, I really didn't like this group.

Pass on MJ and his saccharine R Kelly song, luckily I never liked it in the first place and certainly wouldn't listen to it now.

Edited September 22, 2025Sep 22 by gooddelta

1 hour ago, dandy* said:

I think Fairground is okay, thanks almost entirely to the sample of the Goodmen lifting it above most other Simply Red tracks, although the original dance track is much superior.

I like Fairground, I thought the beat was interesting long before I found out about the Goodmen track. At least Mick Hucknall referred to 'like all good men should' in the lyrics, acknowledging the origin of the sample!

I've never lived through a better year than 1995 for both music and other things. I'll concede that Robson & Jerome were awful but nowhere near as bad as most pop music you get these days.

The Outhere Brothers though were brilliant. Hearing them just makes me want to get a time machine back to 1995 and "Boom Boom Boom" was the soundtrack to that hot summer.

The radio version of the Outhere's production sounds like it owes a lot to Reel 2 Real - I Like To Move It the year before.

Edited September 22, 2025Sep 22 by TheSnake

9 hours ago, My Random Music said:

I've never lived through a better year than 1995 for both music and other things. I'll concede that Robson & Jerome were awful but nowhere near as bad as most pop music you get these days.

The Outhere Brothers though were brilliant. Hearing them just makes me want to get a time machine back to 1995 and "Boom Boom Boom" was the soundtrack to that hot summer.

Oh I agree with you, the music and my life in 1995 we’re both amaxing and this is my favourite year for music.

Just not some of the number 1s!

Boom Boom Boom was more fun silliness, too many hearings and it gets very annoying. You Are Not Alone is a pet hate. The song was stodgy and turgid at the time and it remains so. Fairground, though, is quite simply the best thing Mick Hucknall ever did, Simply Red were rarely Euphoric (correction: NEVER Euphoric) but that sample as the backbone for this classic was inspired, very much top 3 of 1995 for me in terms of chart-toppers, and easily top 10 in absolute terms.

9 minutes ago, Popchartfreak said:

Boom Boom Boom was more fun silliness, too many hearings and it gets very annoying. You Are Not Alone is a pet hate. The song was stodgy and turgid at the time and it remains so. Fairground, though, is quite simply the best thing Mick Hucknall ever did, Simply Red were rarely Euphoric (correction: NEVER Euphoric) but that sample as the backbone for this classic was inspired, very much top 3 of 1995 for me in terms of chart-toppers, and easily top 10 in absolute terms.

Stars is pretty euphoric imo, one of the few Simply Red songs I really like.

Seems I am in a minority with Fairground disliking

I quite like Stars, that and Something Got Me Started are probably his best songs with the latter being my favourite.

10. Michael Jackson – Earth Song

6 weeks at number 1, December ‘95/January ‘96

One of two back to back number 1s for Michael Jackson in 1995 – the only time he had back to back chart toppers. The third single from History, I must say the first single, the wonderful Scream with his sister Janet deserved number 1 ahead of the two that go there.

Anyway, back to Earth Song. Environmental message? Check. Elephants killed for their tusks? Check. Futility of war? Check. Michael Jackson saving everyone and everything by chanting? Check.

Let’s not get into that Brits 1996 performance shall we?

Altogether now: Ahhhhhh ahhhhhhhh ahhhhhhh ahhhhhhhhhh ahhhhhhhhh ahhhhhhhh ahhhhhhhhh ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!

9. Take That – Never Forget

2 weeks at number 1, August

Sung by Howard Donald, this is an uplifting introspective song by a newly 4 piece Take That and was their 7th UK number 1. This has become quite the anthem for Take That and is helped by back up of a choir. This almost feels like their swansong and imo would have been much more poignant as a final single in the 90s than the insipid How Deep Is Your Love.

Glad that you placed 'Earth Song' above 'You Are Not Alone'. It's hardly MJ's best or anything but I think it's a bit overhated, even if I do get the overblown criticisms.

Totally agree that 'Never Forget' would've been a much better final moment for '90s Take That. I got the chance to see them in concert for the Progress tour and it was a euphoric end to the night for me. They did come back to do a couple more songs as the encore but we wanted to beat some of the crowds.

I love Never Forget so much, it might even be my favourite of the year without checking what else is still to come.

I love that Howard was given a filler token album track to sing and then somebody decided to give it to Jim Steinman to remix and he turned something quite pedestrian into something really spectacular and one of their signature songs and very best singles, and that during the promo trail Gary was a Howard backing vocalist - sure he loved that at the time!

It’s so nice that all five members got a line at the end too - agree that it would have been a perfect swansong.

Earth Song is very overblown but an interesting No.1, and Xmas No.1 at that. I wouldn’t say I love it but I appreciate the light and shade with the tender verses and the epic chorus and ending.

I used to hate “Earth Song” but have mellowed on it. “Never Forget” is pretty glorious actually.

Used to really like Earth Song but not so much now, its still way more preferable to You Are Not Alone though.

Never Forget is a good song!

Edited September 24, 2025Sep 24 by TheSnake

Never Forget, yes should have been the goodbye single, going out on a fairly high point - courtesy of the gospel choir, cos it's mildly dull until that kicks in, and thats what I considered the Take That Mark 1 norm - There was the actual fab song of Back For Good, the lushness of Pray, the Lulu-excitement of Relight My Fire and the rest were fairly substandard boyband fare till we got this. I suppose one might argue How Deep Is Your Love is more typical of TT! Earth Song, as I have raved before, is epic and had the added advantage of being on an overpriced album forcing one to buy Greatest Hits fans already had as they were nervous it just wasnt as good as previous albums - and fulfilling expectations by being too expensive. Michael was by this time showing signs of overblown messiah complex, but I'd loved Scream and the video, was bored by the R Kelly thing, and was fully back on board bigtime with this - yes it's overblown with added kitchen-sink thrown in, but does it work in the intended aim? One million UK sales suggest it did, helped by the conservation-video, something I believed in as a kid in the 60's, and ever since, and people continue to ignore the message, but you have to try, and Michael gave it a massive boost, so kudos to him. Still gives me goose-bumps when I see the video or play loud. ROTY, quite possibly.

'Earth Song' is my fave to drop out here so far. Such a epic song for me. I don't mind 'You Are Not Alone' sometimes. Probably liked it more as a kid but not one I'd actively seek out now and tbh not that exciting a ballad.

Never liked 'Fairground'. Always annoyed me for some reason and much prefer Simply Red's 80's hits. 'Never Forget' is a strong Take That single though.