Under normal circumstances, I wouldn’t do the presentation at the same time as the listening-through, but it is what it is right now. I’ll have even less time tomorrow, so I’ll just try to post whenever I get the chance.

Thank you for reading explanations too x

Whilst we're here - a reminder that Week Two of Quiz Season is currently live in The Lounge with Matto's Guess The Album quiz!

A song that had three different versions in the UK Top 40 at the same time.

In December 2008, three different versions of 'Hallelujah' appeared in the UK Top 40 at the same time. Alexandra Burke’s version, released after her X Factor victory, reached #1, while Jeff Buckley’s 1994 recording climbed to #2 following a fan campaign. The renewed interest also pushed Leonard Cohen’s original version into the UK chart for the first time, reaching #36 - more than two decades after its release (that's criminal if you ask me #loveforcohen)

HEY JUDE

Although Wilson Pickett’s cover also became a UK Top 40 hit, reaching #16 in 1969, it didn’t overlap in the Top 40 with The Beatles’ original. I also couldn’t find a third version that charted alongside them, so there were never three different versions of Hey Jude in the UK Top 40 at the same time

Loving this, not doing as well as I thought I did though lol.

Would never have got flying pickets frank was a complete guess!

I = A song that was once considered inappropriate for BBC airplay because of its pacifist message.

During the Gulf War in 1991, the BBC circulated a list of songs that were considered potentially inappropriate for radio airplay because of the conflict. Among them was John Lennon’s 'Imagine'. Despite its pacifist message, the song was considered sensitive in a wartime context, particularly because of its vision of a world without countries or conflict.

The list was intended as guidance for broadcasters rather than a formal ban, and included dozens of other seemingly unlikely songs.

The case of John Lennon’s 'Imagine' is particularly interesting because the song was not anti-war in a traditional sense. Instead of criticizing a specific country or conflict, Lennon imagines a world without countries, borders, religion, or reasons for people to fight. Lines such as 'Imagine there’s no countries' and 'nothing to kill or die for' directly challenged ideas of nationalism and conflict.

It is also important to note that 'Imagine' was not an anti-war song in the traditional sense. Lennon does not refer to a specific war, attack any particular country, or call for political protest. Instead, he imagines a radically different world in which the very foundations that divide people have been removed. Because of this, the song could be interpreted as a political or controversial statement, even though its central message was universal and pacifist.

IRIS

By 'a 2010s single' I intended a single originally released during the 2010s, whereas 'Iris' was originally released in 1998. However, it did chart as a UK single during the 2010s and first reached the Top 5 in 2011, more than a decade after its original release, so I think the wording leaves enough room for that interpretation. Since it fits the rest of the clue perfectly, I'll accept it. But becouse of wrong letter its 2/4. (From a UK chart perspective, it does count as a 2010s single, so..)

I AM THE WALRUS

'I Am the Walrus' was indeed considered inappropriate for BBC airplay, but for a completely different reason: the BBC objected to the word knickers in the lyrics. I also couldn't find a pacifist or anti-war message in the song that would bring it close to the clue in the way some of the other answers do, so I can't award the points for the answer itself. Of course, you still get 2 points for correctly matching the clue to the letter!

IN THE AIR TONIGHT

This was actually included on the same BBC list of 67 songs considered potentially inappropriate for airplay during the 1991 Gulf War as Imagine, so you definitely connected the clue to the right event.

The reason for its inclusion was different, though. In the Air Tonight isn’t a pacifist song, it’s a personal song associated with anger and the breakdown of a relationship, and it appears to have been included because its title could carry unfortunate associations in the context of the war.

IV

The clue was matched with the wrong letter, but the answer itself is valid for that clue. There are albums titled simply IV that are indeed their respective artists’ fourth studio albums, so the answer satisfies the clue. Therefore, you get 2 points for the correct answer, but not the 2 points for matching the clue to the correct letter.

IN THE ARMY NOW / I LOVE MAN IN UNIFORM

I Love a Man in Uniform was taken off BBC airplay during the Falklands War, and Andy Gill described it as an anti-war song, with its message also described as critical of militarism. However, I couldn't find a source specifically describing its message as pacifist.

In the Army Now can likewise be interpreted as an anti-war song, particularly in relation to the Vietnam War, but I couldn't find reliable evidence that the BBC considered it inappropriate for airplay specifically because of a pacifist message.

Anti-war and pacifist aren't necessarily interchangeable: a song can criticise a particular war, the military or militarism without advocating pacifism more broadly. However, given how close both answers are to the idea behind the clue, and the understandable overlap and potential confusion between 'anti-war' and 'pacifist' in this context, I'm giving both 1 out of 2 points for the right answer + 2 for the right clue, so that's 3.

IKE TURNER

I can see the reasoning behind Ike Turner, but the issue is that Ike & Tina Turner were charted as a separate act rather than those songs being credited to Ike Turner as an individual artist duetting with Tina. The clue refers to a male artist whose own two highest-charting UK singles were duets with female artists, so the Ike & Tina Turner chart entries can't be counted as Ike Turner's individual singles, they are like band.

IAN VAN DAHL

Ian Van Dahl doesn't fit this clue because, despite sounding like a person's name, Ian Van Dahl is actually a Belgian dance project rather than a male solo artist.

Would appear me and Scene were cut off the answers for 'Hallelujah' oops, or at least from my phone shot it does anyway. That was another easy to get one though as was listening to the chart every week then :P

Glad to have only 1 point docked on that one - I had a feeling the letter was correct as it's relatively common for song titles, but wasn't sure which song, and went for 'In The Army Now' as I was deciding between that and The Manics' 'If You Tolerate This...'!

8 minutes ago, jimwatts said:

Glad to have only 1 point docked on that one - I had a feeling the letter was correct as it's relatively common for song titles, but wasn't sure which song, and went for 'In The Army Now' as I was deciding between that and The Manics' 'If You Tolerate This...'!

Interesting, while I was writing that post and waiting my ride this song came on

Video

17 minutes ago, Roba. said:

Would appear me and Scene were cut off the answers for 'Hallelujah' oops, or at least from my phone shot it does anyway. That was another easy to get one though as was listening to the chart every week then :P

waiiiiiiiitt

corrected

For the H clue, at first I was thinking it's a song from the 50s or 60s as back then the same songs by different artists did used to chart simultaneously, but it didn't take me long to cast my mind back to the X Factor days and remember that it happened for 'Hallelujah'.

Never knew that 'Imagine' had been banned from airplay, I went for 'Give Peace a Chance' for that clue!

Just now, Mangø said:

For the H clue, at first I was thinking it's a song from the 50s or 60s as back then the same songs by different artists did used to chart simultaneously, but it didn't take me long to cast my mind back to the X Factor days and remember that it happened for 'Hallelujah'.

Never knew that 'Imagine' had been banned from airplay, I went for 'Give Peace a Chance' for that clue!

It wasn't literally banned, it was just included on a list of songs considered inappropriate for airplay during the Gulf War, which I personally find pretty WTF.

J = A song that reportedly got a record executive excommunicated by the Vatican.

Recorded by Serge Gainsbourg and Jane Birkin, Je T’aime… Moi Non Plus caused considerable controversy upon its release in 1969. The song was banned by the BBC and in several countries because of its suggestive content, while the Vatican publicly condemned it and reportedly excommunicated the record executive responsible for its release in Italy. Despite the controversy, it went on to reach No. 1 on the UK Singles Chart, becoming the first non-English-language song to do so.

When it was released in 1969, its sexually suggestive vocals and lyrics caused an extraordinary amount of controversy. Radio bans or restrictions were imposed in numerous countries. Among those where it was banned from radio were the UK, Italy, Spain, Sweden and Brazil, while other contemporary accounts also list countries such as Iceland, Poland, Portugal and Yugoslavia. In France, rather than being banned outright, it could not be played on the radio before 11 p.m.

The reaction in Italy was particularly extreme. RAI refused to broadcast the record, and as the song continued climbing the Italian sales chart, presenter Lelio Luttazzi was eventually forbidden even from announcing its title or chart position. L’Osservatore Romano, the Vatican newspaper, publicly condemned the song as obscene, and the record executive/distributor responsible for its Italian release was reportedly excommunicated.

The controversy then went beyond broadcasting censorship. On 28 August 1969, prosecutors in Milan ordered copies of the record to be seized and destroyed throughout Italy on obscenity grounds. Hundreds of copies were confiscated from the distributor, but the record continued to circulate illegally and its black-market price reportedly rose dramatically.

The UK produced another remarkable contradiction. The BBC banned the song from its airwaves and even refused to feature it normally on Top of the Pops, yet the public continued buying it. 'Je t’aime… moi non plus' ultimately reached No. 1 on the UK Singles Chart, becoming a particularly famous example of censorship failing to prevent and arguably helping to fuel a record’s commercial success.

JUSTIFY MY LOVE

2 points for connecting the clue well with the letter. I can see the reasoning, especially given the controversy around the song and Madonna’s wider connection with religious/Vatican controversy. However, I couldn’t find any record executive being excommunicated because of Justify My Love.

JAY-Z

The clue was matched to the wrong letter, also Jay-Z has had several UK No. 1 collaborations with female artists, including Beyoncé and Rihanna. However, these are generally credited as featured collaborations rather than duets, and Run This Town also includes Kanye West, making it a three-artist collaboration. Since the clue specifically refers to the artist's two highest-charting singles being duets with female artists, I don't think Jay-Z quite fits this one.

JOHN TRAVOLTA

John Travolta is a very close answer, as his two highest-charting UK singles, You're the One That I Want and Summer Nights, were both duets with Olivia Newton-John. However, the clue specifically says 'duets with female artists' in the plural, referring to two different female artists rather than two duets with the same person. So while the connection is very close, it doesn't quite meet that condition.

JUSTIN BIEBER

Justin Bieber did achieve a UK No. 1 at the age of 18: Believe topped the UK Albums Chart in 2012. However, that was his only UK No. 1 at the time. Boyfriend peaked at #2, and he didn't achieve his first UK No. 1 single until 2015 with What Do You Mean?. So while he had a No. 1 at 18, he didn't hold two UK No. 1s simultaneously.

Juice WRLD

I'm assuming this was meant for the posthumous No. 1 clue. There is a connection, as Juice WRLD did achieve a UK No. 1 after his death, but he had already appeared on the UK charts during his lifetime, most notably with Lucid Dreams, which reached #10 in 2018.

Yeah I had absolutely no idea for this one, couldn't even hazard a guess!

Shame on me for fluffing up a Beatles-adjacent answer and instead guessing 'Get Back' earlier instead!

Happy my deep interest of both Jane Birkin and Serge Gainsbourg (I wrote an essay on the latter's 'Cargo culte' just the other day in my 'top 10 favourite songs of each decade' thread) came in handy here though! 'Je t'aime... moi non plus' is one of my favourite '60s #1 and has endlessly interesting lore, from its origins with Brigitte Bardot to the reactions with the public like the above, ground-breaking stuff indeed.

got Hallelujah! Imagine makes so much sense now tho

That song being #1 in 1969 will never not be the most fitting chart trivia ever.

Rats! I found E through researching wikipedia but wouldn't know if it would be cheating or not, I also knew of the Flying Pickets song so I should've gotten that as well!

Happy enough with how those first 10 have gone, I've dropped a few points but nothing I feel too bad about. I'm quite certain I've messed something up one of the ? clues that's still to come and I'm assuming in turn that means I've likely also messed up at least one other letter

Happy to get 2 points for Iris, was a bit of a Eureka moment when that came to mind (even if still wrong in the grand scheme of things!)

On the flipside, gutted to get 0 for John Travolta on an (admittedly correct) technicality, thought that was one of my safer answers!

Oh Google failed me on the pacifist hint, that's what I deserve for trying to semi-cheat I guess hehe (thanks for still giving me 3/4 points though, at least I got the right letter xx).