39 minutes ago, Paddington James said:

Ooh, I’ll have to keep an eye open for your 1998 rank! Looking forward to that one.

It will be in the 20th Century Retro Forum after Jester completes 1996 and then 1997!

1 hour ago, gooddelta said:

It will be in the 20th Century Retro Forum after Jester completes 1996 and then 1997!

Thanks! I just saw the 1996 one is currently underway. :)

On 11/10/2025 at 11:06, Paddington James said:

The a-side to this was My Place wasn’t it?

This sounds a little familiar, but I think My Place got the majority of the radio play here in Australia.

Yes, My Place is still to come - listed as a double A in the Guinness Book of UK Hits so Ive gone with that - I had no idea it even existed 😄

21 hours ago, Julian_ said:

Feeling more out of step with John’s taste than usual here.

No recollection of the Sam & Mark thing but it’s pretty poor. At least it doesn’t have the turgid getting up from stools Westlife factor I guess.

“Flap Your Wings” is a tune! OK it’s no “Hot In Herre” but I’d have it a fair bit higher than his other one.

“3am” is rather nice - again I’d put it above the other one.

“Take Me To The Clouds Above” is a decent reworking - I’d put that in the Top 20.

And my trio of horrors is STILL in!

Ooh Im really curious about the triplets of doom now! 😄

14 hours ago, gooddelta said:

My bottom two are still in and for me the one in last has always been the weakest No.1 of the year even before it became unlistenable for another reason.

That's the beauty of personal ranks though! I'm finding John's one fun to follow in that things are coming up in a more unexpected order than usual. I think my 1998 rank when I come to it might end up with some similar eyebrow raising moments.

Yes thats the beauty of personal rates, it's such fun comparing notes! 🙂

20

Eric Prydz - Call On Me (5 weeks - 25th Sept for 3 weeks, 23rd Oct for 2 weeks) 6.1/10

This decision will get heads scratching as the dance anthem of the year, and longest-runner on top goes out at 20. At least Steve Winwood did well out of the songwriting royalties 40 years after his 60's teenage heyday. Valerie, the original song sampled for Call On Me, was never a fave of mine in the first place, so Eric Prydz sampling a short section and repeating it to excess was never really going to work for me, lingering video groin shots or not. So. How does it sound to me now? It starts off wonderfully, I like the background beats and synths around the sample, and the rest isn't as annoying as it was hearing it week after week for 2 or 3 months. I'm old fashioned, I like songs to do something different within the song, lyrically, or with bridges, drops, verses as my tolerance for repetition is quite low - if that's not already obvious - even on dance bangers that don't outstay their welcome. I have softened on this one with the years though, cos it really annoyed me at the time😄

19

Eminem - Just Lose It (1 week - 13th Nov) 6.2/10

Guess who's back? Just Lose It not sounding like I remembered, it's more upbeat and back in Slim Shady having a laugh mode. Should say featuring Dr Dre really as he pops up on the track as well as the usual production duties. I'm not sure the self-referencing of quite recent Mathers life and music, albeit it tongue-in-cheek, is that special on this track. A bit flat overall, but likeable, for his 5th chart-topper. The cheeky Jacko, Madonna and Pee Wee impersonations are mildly amusing in the video, but re-playing is a tad annoying with the gutteral "ohh-ohh-ohh"s so that's a knockdown. All top 20 tracks are ones I would be quite happy to hear on t'radio as oldies, but this one rarely gets played not entirely unsurprisingly due to some of the lyrics. Fart gags included.

Two more surprises there conisdering several still in.

I will be completely honest though and say that I was never overkeen on Call On Me at the time either. I'd probably have it higher than this due to the number of weak links in this set of No.1s but the pulsing drum beat throughout is not something I get on with. For the same reason I didn't enjoy Falling Stars by Sunset Strippers a few months later which had similar production to this, yet liked Star To Fall by Cabin Crew because it didn't have the same pulsing bassline of these two that I can't really properly describe but that really annoys my ears.

The Eminem song is a bit meh for me, not even half as good as The Real Slim Shady or Without Me and Destiny's Child's Lose My Breath was a much better song that missed due to this.

18

Nelly featuring Jaheim - My Place (1 week - 11th Sept) 6.5/10

I like Soul music, or r'n'b or Urban, or whatever the current ever-updating term is, so I generally seem to rate them higher than the average person might. This is no exception! Sometimes Nelly can be fun. I don't recall this track though, and I'm sure I'm not the only one. My Place reminds of Nelly & Kelly's Boo Dilemma, but not as good. It's a bit formulaic, and how come Jaheim gets a credit but Kim Johnson doesn't? Samples galore here, Labelle, DeBarge and Teddy Pendergrass, he of the great vocals on Harold Melvin tracks. Plus side Gamble & Huff 70's superstar genius writer-producers get a writing credit to add to their number ones, and I don't dislike this - though the Teddy Pendergrass original Come Go With Me is better. So, I like the roots they've used as the basis of the song, and I like that it's not gone for obvious well-known songs and nicked the hooks (see recent ones lower down). Gamble & Huff I heard Friday night on a support to Mud, Love Train the song in question. This is not worthy of the status of that one, but it's pleasant enough to my ears in a forgettable sort of way. So, is this one of the ones some have been waiting for? 😄

My Place is nice enough, in places it felt like a half attempt to recreate Dilemma to me, but it is pleasant. Not a Nelly favourite of mine but it's quite interesting that for somebody more known for his party songs and clubby hip-hop, his three UK number one singles (not counting his feature on Nasty Girl), were slower ballads/country/R&B numbers.

Call of Me is the worst # 1 in this year.

Possibly Eminem's absolute worst for me, hate it so much.

Aaarghhhh indeed.

The more we’re seeing, the more I’m realising how hard done by 5 Colours in Her Hair was haha - I don’t love it but it’s my favourite to feature so far.

I’m another non-fan of Call On Me. Never liked it, didn’t care for the video and thought it was incredibly low brow and tacky, and generally found the song kinda irritating.

I thought Just Lose It was atrocious so I’m with Ally on that one, it’s so bad it’s like a parody

Blimey, Just Lose It really is the pits!

Like 'Obviously', 'Call On Me' and 'Take Me To The Clouds Above' from what has dropped out since last commenting though I don't love any of them.

Take Me To The Clouds Above I used to link in my mind with You're A Superstar (Love Inc.) and Listen to Your Heart (DHT and Edmee) as a trilogy of well known emotive 00s dance anthems! There's something similar in the mood between the three. All good though!

Whilst it’s nowhere near my favourite I just thought Call On Me would be a safe top 3, even #1. So that’s a big shock.

Sorry for giving you this year John - it really is pretty poor haha. But I agree poor “5 Colours In Her Hair” should be trouncing most of these.

“Call On Me” I probably would have had higher just because it’s an icon of its genre in a weak year, but it is pretty basic and I don’t disagree with the comments.

“My Place” I really find quite a lazy and dull record, and it has such lyrical garbage as “Won’t you sit yourself down and take a seat”.

And “Just Lose It” is the first of my trio of horror. I think Rich said before that Eminem is the ultimate hit and miss artist and I agree. Sometimes you get genius and other times something worthy of a 10 year old like this. It’s pretty puerile lyrically and the only catchy musical features grate very fast. I don’t find it has any of the charm or boundary pushing quality of his previous #1s. Absolutely horrid and only someone who’d had 4 classic chart toppers could have taken it to #1. “Ass Like That” is worse - that’s the only thing I can say in its favour. It might have still beaten Frankee and Eamon in my version, and my other two horrors that are still standing.

'Just Lose It' is the one I thought might be in Julian's trio of doom that I found kinda fun at the time - it is pretty infantile though, and low top 20 seems fair for it.

Enjoying the commentaries anyway, no real favourites of mine have dropped out yet.

13 hours ago, Julian_ said:

Sorry for giving you this year John - it really is pretty poor haha. But I agree poor “5 Colours In Her Hair” should be trouncing most of these.

“Call On Me” I probably would have had higher just because it’s an icon of its genre in a weak year, but it is pretty basic and I don’t disagree with the comments.

“My Place” I really find quite a lazy and dull record, and it has such lyrical garbage as “Won’t you sit yourself down and take a seat”.

And “Just Lose It” is the first of my trio of horror. I think Rich said before that Eminem is the ultimate hit and miss artist and I agree. Sometimes you get genius and other times something worthy of a 10 year old like this. It’s pretty puerile lyrically and the only catchy musical features grate very fast. I don’t find it has any of the charm or boundary pushing quality of his previous #1s. Absolutely horrid and only someone who’d had 4 classic chart toppers could have taken it to #1. “Ass Like That” is worse - that’s the only thing I can say in its favour. It might have still beaten Frankee and Eamon in my version, and my other two horrors that are still standing.

Ha no worries, it's more the sheer number of middling tracks that is the issue for me - as I'm easy to please musically, generally, especially when it comes to rubbish lyrics 😄I just treat them like instrumentals with a voice-over, it's when the lyrics are rubbish and there's not much going on musically that I bow out😇happy one of your trio is out, I expect another will be up in a mo....😆