Sexy Boy is a great song to start with. Whenever the subject of Air comes up on here, I have been the only one who says they prefer their second album, 10,000 Hz Legend, so I'm pleased to see that Jaz agrees with me.. I would certainly put it in my top 10 albums from the 21st Century. Born Slippy is another great choice, a song to play really loud, and Viva Forever is my favourite single by the Spice Girls.

21 hours ago, Colm said:

The absolute best songs from those two bands. Both incredible and certainly highlights of the decade. Mel C's harmonies are so perfect and really poignant. And the video! ❤️

❤️ I remembered you were a fan of 'Viva Forever' too but wasn't sure about your opinion on 'Live Forever', so hooray for both going down well.

20 hours ago, TheSnake said:

Oh great 'Live Forever' really hit me how good as a song it was during the TOTP reruns for 1994. Definitely one of the best Britpop songs for me along with Ocean Colour Scene - The Day We Caught The Train and Cast - Walkaway.

'Viva Forever' is a lovely song and a big change from the upbeat brash sound of 'Wannabe' and 'Spice Up Your Life'. I like both styles though.

Happy to hear that 'Live Forever' clicked for you with the TOTP repeats! I've consistently watched them weekly since the start of the 1990s re-runs (catching the odd older episode now and again too) and loved watching Oasis' career play out during the decade, amongst other acts.

'Spice Up Your Life' is my second favourite of their singles so I agree they had some strong upbeat moments too!

19 hours ago, Jaz13music said:

Ha, my middle daughter has Viva Forever as her birthday number one!!

Obviously that means I have a special emotional attachment to the song, though aside from that it is a lovely melody, and along with 2 Become 1, my favourite Spice Girls ballad.

Live Forever was number one in my songs of the year list back in ‘94, so I absolutely love it. At the time it felt like a real step up in their progress as a band, and is certainly still one of my favourite Oasis songs. Most of all I have a soft spot for Some Might Say because I saw them live (supported by Pulp, who played Common People for the very first time!) on the week it became their first number one, and there was a great celebration energy around. They also debuted a new song called Don’t Look Back In Anger for the first time on the same night, one of the best concerts I’ve ever been to!

That is so sweet regarding your daughter! I've really grown to appreciate '2 Become 1' more over the years, definitely my favourite of their Christmas #1s.

Thank you for sharing those anecdotes, how amazing to have witnessed the first live outing of 'Common People' and the debut of 'Don't Look Back In Anger' as well, two classics 😍 I don't have such a special connection to 'Some Might Say' but do love it nevertheless, a fab one to become their first #1.

16 hours ago, King Rollo said:

Sexy Boy is a great song to start with. Whenever the subject of Air comes up on here, I have been the only one who says they prefer their second album, 10,000 Hz Legend, so I'm pleased to see that Jaz agrees with me.. I would certainly put it in my top 10 albums from the 21st Century. Born Slippy is another great choice, a song to play really loud, and Viva Forever is my favourite single by the Spice Girls.

I gave 10,000 Hz Legend a fresh listen yesterday and do admire it, but will have to stick with the more predictable opinion of preferring Moon Safari. can definitely see why that album would be up your street with the prog influences. Hooray for a snap Spice favourite and couldn't agree more that 'Born Slippy' is one to turn up loud!

---

Thanks all for the comments! 1990s #6 and #5 coming tonight ❤️

1990s

#06 White Town - 'Your Woman' (1996)

#05 Massive Attack - 'Unfinished Sympathy' (1991)

Turns out 'Sexy Boy' isn't the only gender bending song to make my top 10!

'Your Woman' originally existed on a 1996 EP called Abort, Retry, Fail?_, a title inspired by Jyoti Mishra's (the sole member of White Town) computer issues while working on the project. The EP was sent to various U.K. DJs and soon picked up by Radio 1's Mark Radcliffe, on his late night show. However, the song did not catch the attention of major labels until Radcliffe once again played it while standing in on Radio 1's Breakfast show, a timeslot that garners a much wider audience. This airplay lead to a re-release of 'Your Woman' in January 1997 by Chrysalis, Brilliant! and EMI Records.

This song feels so layered from every angle. Firstly, it's difficult to box into any single genre, as it's arguably alt-pop or indietronica but has clear influences of funk and hip-hop too. The track's catchy instrumental hook is built around a trumpet sample taken from the 1932 song 'My Woman', performed by Lew Stone but written by Bing Crosby. White Town's Jyoti Mishra had discovered it on the soundtrack for Dennis Potter's 1981 film Pennies from Heaven. The music video similarly has a retro feel with its silent film style direction. That sample is fantastic but I also enjoy the atmosphere created by the beats and guitar licks throughout. 'Your Woman' has quite a lo-fi feel as it was produced on an Atari ST computer in Mishra's bedroom.

Mishra delivers the fluid lyrics in quite a soft, charming way. He interestingly subverts gender expectations with the chorus line "I could never be your woman". His own personal, dead on arrival crush was towards a lesbian when he was younger, so it can be interpreted that way. But it's vague enough to be shaped in other forms, like a gay man crushing on a straight man, or a man singing from the perspective of a female Marxist character ("so much for your highbrow Marxist ways"). It is a captivating tale of lust and hypocrisy from whatever angle.

The song has catchy components, but is also pretty eerie and unusual, so it is perhaps one of the most left-field U.K. chart-toppers of the 1990s, if not all-time. It spent one week at the top and experienced a satisfying 1-2-3 descent during its first few weeks of charting.

'Your Woman' has since been covered by artists such as Tyler James and Princess Chelsea, while the idea to sample 'My Woman' has also been recycled, most notably in Dua Lipa's 'Love Again' from her huge Future Nostalgia era.

...

'Unfinished Sympathy' was released as the second single from Massive Attack's debut album Blue Lines, albeit at a time when they were instead billed as Massive, to avoid a radio blacklist during the Gulf War. My mum once told me she used to own this album on cassette so her often good taste was on full display there! That was long thrown out so my introduction to Massive Attack was actually through school instead. I vividly recall watching the music video for 'Teadrop' in a Humanities lesson on abortion. I also discovered 'Paradise Circus' in the same environment as it soundtracked a video we watched about Chernobyl in a science lesson! I long considered 'Teardrop' my favourite Massive Attack song and still think it's excellent, but 'Unfinished Sympathy' has usurped it over time.

The featured vocalist Shara Nelson had been working on a song called 'Kiss and Tell'. Massive Attack's members overheard Nelson singing the melody to herself while they were working on Blue Lines in Bristol's Coach House studio. They and producer Jonny Dollar saw potential and encouraged her to develop it. So they all came together in a jam session and this song turned into 'Unfinished Sympathy'. This title, a pun based on Schubert's 'Unfinished Symphony', was originally suggested as a joke but stuck, as they felt it suited the song perfectly.

Massive Attack, much like White Town, also borrowed from elsewhere to create this masterpiece. There is a percussion break sample taken from JJ Johnson's 1974 song 'Parade Strut'. Elsewhere, some vocal parts, including the effective, pleading "hey, hey, hey, heeeeey", are taken from another seventies song - this time 'Planetary Citizen' by Mahavishnu Orchestra. The swelling, live string arrangement (which the group had not budgeted for, so sold their car to pay for it) is my favourite element of the production. But, as a huge fan of trip-hop music, there's a lot to love in the instrumental - from the beats to the piano stabs - and this song was a landmark moment for the genre.

That chilled yet intense soundscape is wonderful on its own but is taken to another level with the deeply emotive vocals of Shara Nelson. She soulfully yearns for someone who has hurt her in return. I particularly love the evocative "like a soul without a mind..." third verse which highlights the dangers of falling so hard for someone, to the point of losing yourself. She's an absolute star and also the face of the iconic music video which was shot in one continuous take.

Much like 'Sexy Boy', 'Unfinished Sympathy' is another '90s electronic favourite that peaked at #13 in the U.K., the first of six top 20 hits for Massive (Attack).

Your Woman is a great choice, one of most unusual unique number ones, very lo-fi. It’s a pity I can’t imagine anything like that happening nowadays. The sing/talking vocals remind me of Neil Tennant.

Massive Attack are brilliant, Blue Lines is still my favourite album of theirs, even though Mezzanine is probably the most popular. And although Teardrops is now their most streamed song, I still think of Unfinished Sympathy as the signature song. I love the way it flows, and that deep bass, along with Shara’s gorgeous vocals. The video inspired The Verve’s equally iconic Bittersweet Symphony one.

'Your Woman' is a good and unusual song, the vocal style/effect reminds me of the first verse of the also very good Space - Female of The Species too.

The quality of the chorus and riff of 'Your Woman' is such that the 2010 cover/sample with Shy Fx, Naughty Boy, Emeli Sande and Wiley was quite good too.

'Unfinished Sympathy' is epic vocally and is a song I have liked for a long time, since the late 90s when its music video was still played a lot on the music channels.

Edited Monday at 21:525 days by TheSnake

10 hours ago, Jaz13music said:

Your Woman is a great choice, one of most unusual unique number ones, very lo-fi. It’s a pity I can’t imagine anything like that happening nowadays. The sing/talking vocals remind me of Neil Tennant.

Massive Attack are brilliant, Blue Lines is still my favourite album of theirs, even though Mezzanine is probably the most popular. And although Teardrops is now their most streamed song, I still think of Unfinished Sympathy as the signature song. I love the way it flows, and that deep bass, along with Shara’s gorgeous vocals. The video inspired The Verve’s equally iconic Bittersweet Symphony one.

I can see the Neil Tennant comparison! Some good soundalikes mentioned on the forum recently, with Rollo also pointing out that the vocals of '60s hit 'Winchester Cathedral' by New Vaudeville Band are similar too. Much love for both Blue Lines and Mezzanine 🖤 oh yes, indeed, then 'Vindaloo' too

10 hours ago, TheSnake said:

'Your Woman' is a good and unusual song, the vocal style/effect reminds me of the first verse of the also very good Space - Female of The Species too.

The quality of the chorus and riff of 'Your Woman' is such that the 2010 cover/sample with Shy Fx, Naughty Boy, Emeli Sande and Wiley was quite good too.

'Unfinished Sympathy' is epic vocally and is a song I have liked for a long time, since the late 90s when its music video was still played a lot on the music channels.

Oh yes, forgot about the Naughty Boy iteration but I'm pretty sure that's the first version I knew, so had to slowly get used to the tempo of the original!

Glad you're also a fan of both 'Your Woman' and 'Unfinished Sympathy' 😊

1990s

#04 Radiohead - 'No Surprises' (1997)

#03 Fatboy Slim - 'Right Here, Right Now' (1998)

I was first introduced to Radiohead through 'Pyramid Song' on Now 49 and loved it so I'm not sure why it took me so long to check out more of their material, especially the much lauded OK Computer. But I got there eventually and it was such an impactful listen that I knew it'd turn out to be an all-time favourite record. I could've picked anything, from 'Paranoid Android' to 'Exit Music (For A Film)', but ultimately settled on fourth single 'No Surprises' as my number one from that project - which may or may not be a surprise.

Lead singer Thom Yorke wrote 'No Surprises' in its earliest form while Radiohead were touring with R.E.M. in 1995. The lyrics went through some re-writes and several takes were later recorded, but ultimately the group stuck with the first one. Producer Nigel Godrich got the band to record the song at a faster tempo then slowed down the playback for Yorke's vocal overdubbing. This track has a connection to one of my favourite '60s albums as the band said they wanted the guitars to capture a similar sound to The Beach Boys' Pet Sounds.

This song follows on from the rather terrifying 'Climbing Up the Walls' on the track list of OK Computer, an intentional choice to comfort listeners. 'No Surprises' is another track in the countdown that I appreciate for its duality, because the lyrics are very dark, but it has a soothing, child-like innocence musically. I particularly love the use of the glockenspiel throughout.

Yorke delivers the emotional numbness present in the lyrics perfectly. They read as someone who has been crushed by the weight of depression, a monotonous cycle in their daily life and a society that is failing to support these issues adequately. The metaphors used, like "a heart that's full up like a landfill" and "a handshake of carbon monoxide" are tragically compelling.

The music video is a difficult watch as someone with claustrophobia but is striking all the same. I also appreciate the nod to another one of my aforementioned '60s favourites, 2001: A Space Odyssey, in the costume department for the video.

'No Surprises' was pushed as a single in 1998 and became the band's third top 5 hit when it peaked at #4 in the U.K. chart.

...

'Right Here, Right Now' by Fatboy Slim, much like a couple of aforementioned Massive Attack tracks, was another song I discovered in school! I had one teacher who was obsessed with putting this song in the background of her PowerPoint presentations, so I'm forever grateful to her. I remember rummaging through my parents' CD collection as a kid and putting this straight on my iPod when I found it on a dance compilation! So, while 'No Surprises' was more of a revelation in my 20s, this song is one that's been with me for a long, long time and has never waned in my affections.

Norman Cook has an impressive list of guises. His chart-toppers alone fall under multiple projects: from '80s a cappella hit 'Caravan of Love' as part of The Housemartins, to a more comfortable electronic lane with 'Dub Be Good to Me' as a member of Beats International, before scoring a #1 as Fatboy Slim, with 'Praise You'. This was released as the third single from his sophomore album You've Come a Long Way, Baby, following earlier hits with 'The Rockafeller Skank' and 'Gangster Tripping'. But he rounded off the era with a particularly epic song for me, 'Right Here, Right Now'.

This track, much like 'Unfinished Sympathy', is an electronic song that utilises a production and vocal sample from two separate sources. The gorgeous string melody on 'Right Here, Right Now' is lifted from a '70s song called 'Ashes, the Rain & I' by James Gang, which I also enjoy. Meanwhile, the titular vocals are taken from a line delivered by Angela Bassett in the science fiction film Strange Days.

The sampled components, in addition to the Big Beat production elements, come together to create a hypnotic, urgent track. I think Fatboy Slim masterfully crafts the build-up of the song, as it begins with ticking clock style tension and works up to a euphoric drop with a big pay-off.

The song has an apocalyptic edge to it which is probably heightened in my mind due to the brilliant music video, which speed runs us through evolution, albeit not in an entirely accurate way. This video was directed by the Hammer & Tongs duo who also did 'Coffee & TV' by Blur and Supergrass' 'Pumping on Your Stereo', amongst others.

Fatboy Slim had to settle for #2 when this song was pushed in 1999 as he was blocked by Westlife's first of many chart-toppers, 'Swear It Again' - boo!

I hadn't noticed the similarity between the opening of Wouldn't It Be Nice and No Surprises before. No Surprises is a great pick, Paranoid Android would be my favourite track from OK Computer. Right Here Right Now and Your Woman are both solid choices while Unfinished Sympathy is a fantastic song, certainly my favourite by Massive Attack and I always like watching the video for it. Using a proper orchestra for the strings instead of trying to replicate the sound in the studio paid off for them.

OK Computer is such a brilliant album I’d love any song you could have chosen from it. No Surprises is beautiful and understated and that video is excellent. Maybe Karma Police might be my fav?!

I could say the same about the You’ve Come A Long Way Baby singles too, each one is ace. Right Here Right Now is full of drive and energy and great drops. I’ve got a real soft spot for Gangster Trippin’ so that might just edge it for me

I’m not sure I should mention another anecdote because I feel I’ve been name dropping too much during your thread, it’s probably just that the 80s/90s are right in my wheelhouse of musical loves and concert going. But maybe I can get away with another about Norman Cook, and the Housemartins specifically? Before they had any releases or even a record deal they toured a lot around the north of England, and following one gig in my hometown they couldn’t afford any accommodation so ended up sleeping on my friend’s bedroom floor, so I got to meet and spend a bit of time with them. They were really lovely. Fantastic band too.

12 hours ago, King Rollo said:

I hadn't noticed the similarity between the opening of Wouldn't It Be Nice and No Surprises before. No Surprises is a great pick, Paranoid Android would be my favourite track from OK Computer. Right Here Right Now and Your Woman are both solid choices while Unfinished Sympathy is a fantastic song, certainly my favourite by Massive Attack and I always like watching the video for it. Using a proper orchestra for the strings instead of trying to replicate the sound in the studio paid off for them.

I quickly became fixated on OK Computer after I finally listened to it in full, then read around it a lot and saw the band talk about The Beach Boys' influence on the project. My mind was blown to hear that similarity! 'Paranoid Android' is a fantastic favourite pick as well, love its unusual structure. Glad you approve of these choices! Yeah, not fun that the group had to sell off a car to budget for the orchestra, but it paid off as that sound is glorious.

12 hours ago, Jaz13music said:

OK Computer is such a brilliant album I’d love any song you could have chosen from it. No Surprises is beautiful and understated and that video is excellent. Maybe Karma Police might be my fav?!

I could say the same about the You’ve Come A Long Way Baby singles too, each one is ace. Right Here Right Now is full of drive and energy and great drops. I’ve got a real soft spot for Gangster Trippin’ so that might just edge it for me

I’m not sure I should mention another anecdote because I feel I’ve been name dropping too much during your thread, it’s probably just that the 80s/90s are right in my wheelhouse of musical loves and concert going. But maybe I can get away with another about Norman Cook, and the Housemartins specifically? Before they had any releases or even a record deal they toured a lot around the north of England, and following one gig in my hometown they couldn’t afford any accommodation so ended up sleeping on my friend’s bedroom floor, so I got to meet and spend a bit of time with them. They were really lovely. Fantastic band too.

All of us singling out different favourite OK Computer songs so far is a testament to its quality

Haha no worries, I'm loving your musical anecdotes and that is another really cool one, wow 🤩 pleased to hear they were lovely to spend time with!

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The '90s concludes tonight 💙

Lots of favourites in the top 10 as expected - Moon Safari was rarely far from our stereo in 1998 and 'Sexy Boy' was an awesome first glimpse into this soundscape. I was entranced by 'Born Slippy' long before I was old enough to drink or see the film Trainspotting - though I eventually saw it on video on my 17th birthday - but the beats and stream of consciousness vocals are so relentless. 'Live Forever' is such a vital anthem and second only to 'Some Might Say' in the Oasis catalogue for me - the falsetto vocals and two different choruses are so uplifting, but also grounded in the world they lived in. 'Your Woman' was a brilliantly unique #1 - the ambiguity of the protagonist is fascinating and it sounded unlike anything in the charts at that time.

'Unfinished Sympathy' is my favourite to appear so far ❤️ there's so much to love here as the beats, piano and strings all carry their own stories, and Shara's emotive vocals counter with the eerie "hey hey hey hey" sample. Radiohead's OK Computer was a huge album that changed the path of British guitar music post-Britpop and refined my own tastes - 'Paranoid Android' may well make my top 10, but 'No Surprises' is a highlight also with the contrast between the stark lyrics and music box like sound. I think my favourite of the Fatboy Slim singles from this era may also be 'Gangster Trippin', but they were all great. I'm fairly sure of one of the songs still to come but not the other, though I have a few songs in mind, all of which were #1s...

^ thanks Jim for sharing your thoughts and memories, excellent that you really rate some of these songs / eras too <3 let's see if one of the chart toppers you had in mind for my top 2 was correct.. 😮

1990s

#02 Madonna - 'Frozen' (1998)

#01 Depeche Mode - 'Enjoy the Silence' (1990)

The track voted as BuzzJack's Favourite Song in the Lounge a few years ago has to settle for my #2 spot of the 1990s! But a storming result for the Queen of Pop nevertheless. The Ray of Light album is her magnum opus for me with its irresistible soundscape. The whole singles run is bulletproof but the campaign kicked off with the very best of the lot in my eyes.

'Frozen' was chosen to lead Ray of Light in early 1998. This track demonstrated a more introspective depth to Madonna's material now she had gained fresh perspective as a new mother, to Lourdes Leon. Side note: Lourdes is a nepo baby I can get behind as I've really liked her tracks 'Lock&Key' and 'T Shirt', under the names Lolahol and Lola Leon respectively.

'Frozen' is about an emotionless person who Madonna is trying to get through to. Some of the lyrics feel like a callback to her '80s smash 'Open Your Heart', with the "you're broken when your heart's not open" and "you hold the key" lines. She further explores themes of freedom and hurt during the second verse with the bird imagery. I appreciate this darker, spiritual side to her both lyrically and in the music video, where she is an ethereal, witchy figure in the desert who shape-shifts, which feels appropriate for an artist so associated with reinvention. I absolutely love the fact that she wanted to work with director Chris Cunningham due to coming across his video for 'Come to Daddy' by Aphex Twin, what a visual that is too...!

Madonna's vocals have never sounded better than this era for me. Her delivery feels more mature and really benefitted from the vocal training she had recently undergone for Evita.

This song of course comes together with the stunning production by the late William Orbit, a tragic loss this year. His icy, ambient beats fit 'Frozen' like a glove and I adore the haunting, cinematic feel of the strings too, particularly during the instrumental break.

'Frozen' was an impressive 8th #1 single for Madonna and is therefore my favourite chart-topper of the 1990s.

...

Words are very unnecessary but I shall not short change you with merely a blank space for my favourite song of the entire nineties

Depeche Mode's Violator is a much loved record in my vinyl collection and second single 'Enjoy the Silence' is my absolute favourite of theirs, even if many tracks on that album feel worthy of praise. This song feels a bit out of place in my 1990s list, even though it was released right at the start of the decade, as its dark synth-pop sound would've slotted in well alongside some of my early '80s favourites! Having said that, there is a house influence to the beats on 'Enjoy the Silence' that does give it more of a current standing in the early '90s all the same.

The original vision for the track was a slow, ballad sound on Martin Gore's demo. But fellow Depeche Mode member Alan Wilder, plus Flood (aka Mark Ellis), who were producing the accompanying album had other ideas. Wilder said he could picture Neil Tennant singing the "all I ever wanted" lyric in his head. The duo agreed the song had a lot of commercial potential so went away for a couple of days to transform the sound of it. The rest of the band were not pleased about this, particularly Gore who had written the song, with a serene atmosphere in mind. But they came around once the track all pulled together, including the drums, piano and New Order-esque guitar parts. That hooky riff mixed with the dark synths is a pleasingly atmospheric combination for me.

Dave Gahan leads the vocals in a commanding, dramatic yet intimate way. What a performance. Gore's higher harmonies are an effective, contrasting peaceful layer. I adore the choral effect on the isolated backing vocals too.

Lyrically, this can be interpreted in one of many ways, especially when the majestic music video is thrown into the mix. However, the hopeless romantic in me holds on to the theme of lovers, where "all I ever needed is here in my arms" is quite literally being in a partner's arms physically, escaping the noise from the rest of the world.

Depeche Mode achieved their sole U.S. top 10 entry with this song and it was a roaring success back home too, bagging them a Brit Award, plus was their sixth top 10 hit when it peaked at #6.

The Susan Boyle version of this song passed me by at the time but yes, that is a thing that exists.

Congrats Depeche Mode who join The Ronettes, Kraftwerk and Visage in my hall of fame so far 🖤 all I ever wanted, all I ever needed... is dark synths and the wall of sound, apparently.

1990s

TOP 10 RECAP

#01 Depeche Mode - 'Enjoy the Silence' (1990)

#02 Madonna - 'Frozen' (1998)

#03 Fatboy Slim - 'Right Here, Right Now' (1998)

#04 Radiohead - 'No Surprises' (1997)

#05 Massive Attack - 'Unfinished Sympathy' (1991)

#06 White Town - 'Your Woman' (1996)

#07 Oasis - 'Live Forever' (1994)

#08 Spice Girls - 'Viva Forever' (1997)

#09 Underworld - 'Born Slippy .NUXX' (1995)

#10 Air - 'Sexy Boy' (1998)

Honourable mentions: SO many painful electronic cuts as I love the likes of: Aphex Twin, Basement Jaxx, The Chemical Brothers, Daft Punk, The KLF, Portishead, The Prodigy etc... an amazing decade for dance music, Nirvana were also a difficult chop as I love all three of their albums, a couple of breezy poppier favourites like 'Kiss Me' by Sixpence None the Richer and 'Crush' by Jennifer Paige which has become a slow burn favourite, some loopy dance like 'Sunchyme' by Dario G and 'Music Sounds Better With You' by Stardust, Britpop favourites like Pulp's 'Common People' and Blur's 'Coffee + TV', my favourite ever Eurovision winner 'Nocturne' by Secret Garden, most songs from Fiona Apple's Tidal and When The Pawn... albums, similarly pretty much anything from Primal Scream's Screamadelica album, highlights from a couple of eras that spilt over both the late '80s and early '90s like The Cure's Disintegration and Janet Jackson's Rhythm Nation 1814, some hip-hop favourites such as 'Gangsta's Paradise' by Coolio and Ice Cube's 'It Was a Good Day', the weird and wonderful talents of Björk, some more specific favourites such as: 'A Design For Life' by the Manics, 'Closer' by Nine Inch Nails, 'Sadeness (Part 1)' by Enigma, 'Stay' by Shakespears Sister and so so so much more!!

1900s portion of the countdown complete 🥳 see you at the weekend for the 21st century. Thanks again for the support on this project so far, it is appreciated. 🖤

That's a very good top two. Frozen and Like A Prayer are the two songs by Madonna I really like while Depeche Mode, of course, have lots of fantastic songs and Enjoy The Silence is one of their best ones and also the forum's favourite number 6 single.

8 hours ago, King Rollo said:

That's a very good top two. Frozen and Like A Prayer are the two songs by Madonna I really like while Depeche Mode, of course, have lots of fantastic songs and Enjoy The Silence is one of their best ones and also the forum's favourite number 6 single.

Those are my top two Madonna songs as well 🥳 with 'Justify My Love' maybe rounding out the trio.

BuzzJack showed very good taste there *.* intrigued to see what Depeche Mode's mentor will unleash in Pop Factor.

Both fantastic artists in your top 2!

Amazing to think how long Madonna was at the top commercially and critically. I love Frozen too especially that William Orbit production, absolutely gorgeous,

and a worthy winner of Buzzjack’s Favourite Song! I’m with Rollo saying Like A Prayer is just about my absolute favourite Madonna single.

Depeche Mode are another wonderfully consistently great band over so long, managing to reinvent themselves repeatedly. Enjoy The Silence is one of my favourites too, dark and brooding but also very beautiful. But, OMG I forgot/blocked out about the Susan Boyle version, thanks so much for the reminder!!!

Your list of honourable mentions is great too, some fantastic songs there!

This was my list of 40 that I made back in 1999, I think it mostly still holds up well.

1 Motorcycle Emptiness – Manic Street Preachers

2 Some Might Say – Oasis

3 Common People – Pulp

4 Firestarter – The Prodigy

5 Smells Like Teen Spirit – Nirvana

6 High and Dry – Radiohead

7 Tender – Blur

8 Yes – McAlmont & Butler

9 Killing Me Softly With His Song – Fugees

10 This Is How It Feels – Inspiral Carpets

11 Bitter Sweet Symphony – The Verve

12 Ice Hockey Hair – Super Furry Animals

13 Groove Is In the Heart – Deee-Lite

14 Come Together – Primal Scream

15 Killer – Adamski

16 The Drowners – Suede

17 People Everyday – Arrested Development

18 Cherub Rock – The Smashing Pumpkins

19 Nightswimming – R.E.M.

20 Killing In The Name – Rage Against the Machine

21 Nothing Can Stop Us – Saint Etienne

22 Play Dead – Björk & David Arnold

23 World In Motion – New Order

24 Sometimes – James

25 Glory Box – Portishead

26 Connection – Elastica

27 Hallelujah – Jeff Buckley

28 Goddess on a Hiway – Mercury Rev

29 Protection – Massive Attack

30 Caught By the Fuzz – Supergrass

31 Gangsta's Paradise (feat. L.V.) – Coolio

32 Sense – The Lightning Seeds

33 Lovefool – The Cardigans

34 Setting Sun – The Chemical Brothers

35 Brimful of Asha – Cornershop

36 Nancy Boy – Placebo

37 Doo Wop (That Thing) – Lauryn Hill

38 Rendez-Vu – Basement Jaxx

39 Fight the Power – Public Enemy

40 Searching – China Black

20 minutes ago, Jade said:

intrigued to see what Depeche Mode's mentor will unleash in Pop Factor.

It’s not you then, I wasn’t sure?!😆

23 hours ago, Jaz13music said:

Both fantastic artists in your top 2!

Amazing to think how long Madonna was at the top commercially and critically. I love Frozen too especially that William Orbit production, absolutely gorgeous,

and a worthy winner of Buzzjack’s Favourite Song! I’m with Rollo saying Like A Prayer is just about my absolute favourite Madonna single.

Depeche Mode are another wonderfully consistently great band over so long, managing to reinvent themselves repeatedly. Enjoy The Silence is one of my favourites too, dark and brooding but also very beautiful. But, OMG I forgot/blocked out about the Susan Boyle version, thanks so much for the reminder!!!

Your list of honourable mentions is great too, some fantastic songs there!

This was my list of 40 that I made back in 1999, I think it mostly still holds up well.

1 Motorcycle Emptiness – Manic Street Preachers

2 Some Might Say – Oasis

3 Common People – Pulp

4 Firestarter – The Prodigy

5 Smells Like Teen Spirit – Nirvana

6 High and Dry – Radiohead

7 Tender – Blur

8 Yes – McAlmont & Butler

9 Killing Me Softly With His Song – Fugees

10 This Is How It Feels – Inspiral Carpets

11 Bitter Sweet Symphony – The Verve

12 Ice Hockey Hair – Super Furry Animals

13 Groove Is In the Heart – Deee-Lite

14 Come Together – Primal Scream

15 Killer – Adamski

16 The Drowners – Suede

17 People Everyday – Arrested Development

18 Cherub Rock – The Smashing Pumpkins

19 Nightswimming – R.E.M.

20 Killing In The Name – Rage Against the Machine

21 Nothing Can Stop Us – Saint Etienne

22 Play Dead – Björk & David Arnold

23 World In Motion – New Order

24 Sometimes – James

25 Glory Box – Portishead

26 Connection – Elastica

27 Hallelujah – Jeff Buckley

28 Goddess on a Hiway – Mercury Rev

29 Protection – Massive Attack

30 Caught By the Fuzz – Supergrass

31 Gangsta's Paradise (feat. L.V.) – Coolio

32 Sense – The Lightning Seeds

33 Lovefool – The Cardigans

34 Setting Sun – The Chemical Brothers

35 Brimful of Asha – Cornershop

36 Nancy Boy – Placebo

37 Doo Wop (That Thing) – Lauryn Hill

38 Rendez-Vu – Basement Jaxx

39 Fight the Power – Public Enemy

40 Searching – China Black

I think the first Madonna era I can remember as it happened was Confessions on a Dancefloor and I was amazed to discover how much of a successful career she'd already had up until that point! Very impressive indeed. Glad you also rate both 'Frozen' and 'Like A Prayer' <3 the whole Ray of Light album still feels influential even now. A couple of recent-ish examples that come to mind is ROSALÍA's 'Dolerme' sounding quite like 'Swim' from that album + Addison Rae's 'Aquamarine' reminding me a bit of 'Nothing Really Matters' <3 what a genius William Orbit was.

Brooding is a great word to describe 'Enjoy the Silence'! Hahaha that is burnt into my brain following Bré's revelation that he knew the SuBo version before the original

That's a fantastic top 40 list btw I think plenty would be in my own if it expanded to forty songs. So, there are too many favourites to list there, but I just want to particularly shout out 'Rendez Vu' by Basement Jaxx, as I feel like that is a bit underrated in their catalogue nowadays despite being their highest charting song, plus 'Play Dead' - my fave Björk album is Vespertine but I'd say that is a contender for my favourite song by her overall <3

23 hours ago, Jaz13music said:

It’s not you then, I wasn’t sure?!😆

Unless I'm bluffing #mysteryandintrigue

This would be my top 10 from the decade, I've saved Yes for now as their best song is from the 90s. No 'Born Slippy' as there's a better song from Underworld in another decade.

1. Endless Dream - Yes

2. One Night Stand (The Long Night And The Samba) - The Aloof

3. Lonely Soul - Unkle

4. No Connection (Demo Version) - Sophie B Hawkins

5. Unfinished Sympathy - Massive Attack

6. November Rain - Guns'n'Roses

7. Paranoid Android - Radiohead

8. Salva Mea (album version) - Faithless

9. Hey Boy Hey Girl - The Chemical Brothers

10. Vigil - Fish

Enjoy the Silence was an early Buzzjack discovery for me (think it might have been dandy) and I still love it to this day, an incredibly haunting and atmospheric piece of synth music. Frozen is a great piece from a period of brilliant artistry by her (RIP William Orbit </3), it's close between Hung Up, Like a Prayer and that for my favourite from Madonna and can never quite decide which.

Right Here Right Now is an all time favourite and would be in my top 10 of the decade too, the strings and gradually evolving production are fantastic and I have always enjoyed the video too, I had never known where the samples came from either!

It took me a while to get into Radiohead too, but OK Computer was one of my favourite discoveries from my album bucket list and definitely made me wonder what the hell I was missing, it's such a timeless album thematically and with some gorgeous haunting and strikingly diverse moments, I think No Surprises would be my favourite, the riff and slow build is fantastic, though I could easily also give that title to Paranoid Android, Exit Music or Climbing Up the Walls too.

Unfinished Sympathy is what I first think of with that Trip Hop sound and still sounds phenomenal. As it turns out all of your top 5 are songs from albums on my first or second bucket list, I have heard and enjoyed You've Come a Long Way Baby and Blue Lines from my first, and Violator and Ray of Light from my second certainly sound like they'd be my thing x

Enjoy all of the rest of the top 10 too but keeping it brief so I'm not rambling too much...Oasis of course one of my favourite bands and Live Forever's a great pick (I first heard this in a video about gardens in a Geography lesson at school *__), I think I narrowly prefer Don't Look Back in Anger but it's close. Born Slippy (.NUXX though I never knew it as that originally) is an exhilarating listen and Trainspotting is a classic film that matches that. I was fairly late to get into Air (think I heard Moon Safari on a synctube listenthrough), but Sexy Boy and Kelly Watch The Stars are both trippy and great examples of how good 90s dance can be.

My own rough top 10 (again I have probably forgotten a ton) does look just a little different, but that goes to show how good the decade was!

1. Robert Miles - Children

2. Dario G - Sunchyme

3. Chemical Brothers - Setting Sun

4. Fatboy Slim - Right Here Right Now

5. Manic Street Preachers - If You Tolerate This, Your Children Will Be Next

6. Massive Attack - Unfinished Sympathy

7. Oasis - Don't Look Back in Anger

8. Pulp - Common People

9. William Orbit - Barber's Adagio for Strings (Ferry Corsten Mix)

10. The Cranberries - Zombie

    Sinead O'Connor - Nothing Compares 2 U

    Stardust - Music Sounds Better With You

    Air - Sexy Boy

    Radiohead - No Surprises

    Coolio feat. LV - Gangsta's Paradise

    Eiffel 65 - Blue (Da Ba Dee) (I have to give something to my childhood fondness here!)

    The KLF - Justified and Ancient

    Nirvana - Smells Like Teen Spirit

Every decade so far has had one slightly surprising choice at either #9 or #10, and this time it’s “Sexy Boy”. I love what I know of Air and I included “Kelly Watch The Stars” in my songs that peaked at their year minus 1980 quiz haha.

I’m very basic when it comes to favourite Oasis songs - “Don’t Loon Back In Anger” followed by “Wonderwall” followed by “Live Forever”, so I’m quite aligned with the streaming public.

“Born Slippy” received my gold in the favourite #2 of the ‘90s poll. “Frozen” is my favourite from Madonna and got my silver behind “Don’t Look Back In Anger” in the favourite #1 of the ‘90s one. “2 Become 1” was also high in my votes but I think “Viva Forever” is creeping up now. I actually had a period in my early teenage years when I only listened to classical music so I do have nostalgia for “2 Became 1” and only really got to know “Viva Forever” as an adult, but am coming round to it being superior now.

BJSC non qualifier “Unfinished Sympathy” is my other big favourite. That contest seems to have made some choices over the years!