8. Calvin Harris – Summer

Chart run: 1-2-4-7-10-11-15-17-16-16-15-17-23-23-24-28-33-35-42-44-51-55-58-61-66-72-64-52-63-73 (30 weeks)

Sales at number 1: 100,168

Year End: 19

Number 2 peaks behind the chart topper: None

Onto Calvin Harris’s first number 1 of 2014 now, this was his 6th to date and was actually in the middle of a hat trick of chart toppers over late 2013 to late 2014. He really did have a great 2010s.

This is one of the few tracks that Calvin actually sings on himself – other notable tracks are the wonderful I’m Not Alone and Feels So Close. I seem to prefer these rather than the rent-a-singer songs and I would put this comfortably in my Calvin Harris top 5. Doing some research, I see this is quite a polarising song with some reviewers rating it as one of the worst songs of the year to average at best. I am clearly on the other side of the debate.

Summer is not entirely about summer (though at the time we had emerged from a pretty cold winter so the thought of summer was very welcome), it’s more a reminisce of how a relationship started in the summer and then changed as the seasons progressed:

When I met you in the summer

To my heartbeat sound

We fell in love

As the leaves turn brown

And we could be together baby

As long as skies are blue

You act so innocent now

But you lied so soon

When I met you in the summer

Of course, all this is attached to a banger of a synth beat in typical Calvin Harris style, which is not exactly subtle but it does the job and made it summer festival and holiday ready.

As an aside, this was the track that interrupted Mr Probz’s number 1 run (see number 9 in the rate).

As mentioned, I am on the love side of this, I am not a massive Calvin Harris fan but this does grab me still and it sounds immense to this day. It helps that he looks pretty fine in the video as well haha.

I think 'Summer' is absolutely horrific, I can't stand it.

'Waves' is gorgeous though.

Waves is a pleasant song, I like Tropical House, but it usually doesn't get the blood pumping with excitement. Robin Schulz still has the gift of the producer though - see his current collab with Watermat, Take It Slow, which is better than both the number ones here. That has a bit more oomph, current top 20 for me where this one peaked at 58 - it would still be down the lower to mid region of the rate for me.

Summer was fun, catchy and upbeat. Prob around the top 20 region on the rate, though amongst Calvin's back catalogue it's on a par with Acceptable In The 80's, Ready For The Weekend rather than top tier Promises, Under Control, Pray To God. Good though!

I love the sound of 'Prayer in C' by Lilly Wood. Perfect chilled, summer drivetime anthem. I'm not a fan of the tropical house sound but this is from the early days and has good production so it holds up better than 2016-17 when every other DJ and pop star was copying the sound.

I think 'Summer' is Calvin Harris' weakest single. It does not stand out as much as 'Outside' and 'Pray To God' which were better singles from that album.

Edited November 1Nov 1 by Charlielargepotatoes

I thought Summer would be one that most of you disagree on! 🤪😂

Summer is a great synth-pop-dance banger from Calvin - one of his best. My #14 in a very strong field.

02. Sam Smith - Money On My Mind (34)

04. Meghan Trainor - All About That Bass (32)

05. Rixton - Me And My Broken Heart (27)

06. Oliver Heldens x Becky Hill – Gecko (Overdrive) (15)

07. Mr Probz – Waves (Robin Schulz Remix) (09)

08. Lilly Wood & Robin Schulz – Prayer In C (10)

09. Ella Henderson - Ghost (11)

10. Mark Ronson ft. Bruno Mars – Uptown Funk (13)

11. David Guetta ft. Sam Martin – Lovers On The Sun (20)

12. Cheryl Cole - I Don't Care (29)

13. Nico & Vinz - Am I Wrong (19)

14. Calvin Harris – Summer (08)

15. Pitbull ft. Ke$ha – Timber (12)

17. DVBBS & Borgeous ft. Tinie Tempah – Tsunami (Jump) (28)

18. Sam Smith - Stay With Me (31)

21. Ed Sheeran - Sing (18)

22. Magic! - Rude (33)

24. Pharrell Williams – Happy (14)

25. Calvin Harris ft. John Newman – Blame (16)

26. Rita Ora – I Will Never Let You Down (25)

27. 5 Seconds of Summer – She Looks So Perfect (22)

28. Ed Sheeran - Thinking Out Loud (21)

29. Cheryl Cole ft. Tinie Tempah – Crazy Stupid Love (30)

30. Aloe Blacc - The Man (23)

31. Take That - These Days (17)

33. Ariana Grande ft. Iggy Azalea – Problem (26)

34. Jessie J, Ariana Grande & Nicki Minaj – Bang Bang (24)

35. Gareth Malone’s All Star Choir – Wake Me Up (36)

36. Will.i.am ft. Cody Wise – It's My Birthday (37)

37. Ben Haenow – Something I Need (38)

38. Band Aid 30 – Do They Know It's Christmas? (35)

'Waves' is decent but not a big fave or anything.

'Summer' the same too actually but enjoyable. 'Pray To God' is my fave of this era for him and became his 1st #1 for me. Deserved better in the official chart that.

'Ghost' was a decent debut for Ella although it sounded a little played out after a while. 'Budapest' and 'Chandelier' are my favourites of the interlude section.

The two Robin Schulz remixes would have been #2 and #3 for me - in both cases the guitar over beats works a treat, but 'Prayer In C' hits harder with the lyrics and the production shifting to match it, so I'd rank it just above. That's all of my top 6 out, although there are certainly some I quite like out of the dance hits left.

'Summer' is fine and works with Calvin's own vocals, it just feels like it's missing something in the instrumental bits.

I like Summer, though perhaps not top tier Calvin. I have a soft spot for the songs he uses his own vocals on.

A trio of pretty good dance songs since I last commented! 'Prayer In C' is my favourite of them. That song always reminds me of when Jameela Jamil would frequently mention on the chart show that Lilly Wood and the Prick met in a Parisian café

Both 'Chandelier' and 'Crying For No Reason' are stunning from your detour away from the #1s ❤️ I've also grown to appreciate 'Blank Space' a lot more over the years, it's quite Lorde-esque. I think Taylor and her were really good friends at the time.

1 hour ago, Jade said:

A trio of pretty good dance songs since I last commented! 'Prayer In C' is my favourite of them. That song always reminds me of when Jameela Jamil would frequently mention on the chart show that Lilly Wood and the Prick met in a Parisian café

Both 'Chandelier' and 'Crying For No Reason' are stunning from your detour away from the #1s ❤️ I've also grown to appreciate 'Blank Space' a lot more over the years, it's quite Lorde-esque. I think Taylor and her were really good friends at the time.

Flashback!!

'Summer' and its euphoric riff is good, Silva Bumpa used a similar but much less euphoric riff in On 2Nite.

7. Sigma – Nobody To Love

Chart run: 1-2-3-4-5-7-11-18-19-24-26-31-31-32-33-39-42-45-49-54-54-61-61-65-71-74 (26 weeks)

Sales at number 1: 121,176

Year End: 17

Number 2 peaks behind the chart topper: The Vamps – Last Night (Year End N/A outside the top 100)

Drum and Bass - that’s a new dance genre for 2014 number 1s. Uh huh honey!

Sigma are British DJs and producers Cameron Edwards and Joseph Lenzie, who met at drum and bass nights at Leeds Uni. They initially collaborated with DJ Fresh of Hot Right Now fame on Lassitude but this only peaked at number 98 in 2010. They then went on tour with DJ Fresh were his support act at his first live UK tour in 2012.

This put them in good stead to remix songs for Skepta, Eric Prydz and Ellie Goulding and they then released some singles with 3Beat including Rudeboy which peaked at number 56 in 2013.

Onto 2014, Nobody To Love was released, which contains a sample of Kanye West’s Bound2. Incidentally, Bound2 itself contains a sample of Brenda Lee’s (yes that Brenda Lee) Sweet Nothin’s in the form of the uh huh honey which is a key vocal hook in the song. The vocals are by Daniel Pierce who was in One True Voice of all things! He finally got on a number 1 record. As another sample, the piano at the start is from Kanye’s Bound2 instrumental, but actually played by John Legend. I have always thought that piano has a Charlie Brown/Peanuts style to it.

The video was almost a reinvention of Thelma and Louise with models on a road trip in South Africa. Its sunny enough to go well with the song. It’s great that a drum and bass song got to number 1 in 2014 to add to the proliferation of EDM and House (piano and tropical) and it’s peppered with great beats and hooks. This is one that has grown on me massively over time and it well deserves its placing here.But, it is not the highest Sigma number 1 on my rate……….!

A word on the number 2 that peaked behind Sigma, I am not a fan of the Vamps and never will be. I have not relistened to it to quantify this but I recall enough from the time to justify this. Not sorry and I am glad it wasn’t the chart topper that week.

A bit too standard D&B production for me, but the vocals are good and catchy. This ended up at #23 for me still in the good range, but the competition in 2014 was incredible.

02. Sam Smith - Money On My Mind (34)

04. Meghan Trainor - All About That Bass (32)

05. Rixton - Me And My Broken Heart (27)

06. Oliver Heldens x Becky Hill – Gecko (Overdrive) (15)

07. Mr Probz – Waves (Robin Schulz Remix) (09)

08. Lilly Wood & Robin Schulz – Prayer In C (10)

09. Ella Henderson - Ghost (11)

10. Mark Ronson ft. Bruno Mars – Uptown Funk (13)

11. David Guetta ft. Sam Martin – Lovers On The Sun (20)

12. Cheryl Cole - I Don't Care (29)

13. Nico & Vinz - Am I Wrong (19)

14. Calvin Harris – Summer (08)

15. Pitbull ft. Ke$ha – Timber (12)

17. DVBBS & Borgeous ft. Tinie Tempah – Tsunami (Jump) (28)

18. Sam Smith - Stay With Me (31)

21. Ed Sheeran - Sing (18)

22. Magic! - Rude (33)

23. Sigma - Nobody To Love (07)

24. Pharrell Williams – Happy (14)

25. Calvin Harris ft. John Newman – Blame (16)

26. Rita Ora – I Will Never Let You Down (25)

27. 5 Seconds of Summer – She Looks So Perfect (22)

28. Ed Sheeran - Thinking Out Loud (21)

29. Cheryl Cole ft. Tinie Tempah – Crazy Stupid Love (30)

30. Aloe Blacc - The Man (23)

31. Take That - These Days (17)

33. Ariana Grande ft. Iggy Azalea – Problem (26)

34. Jessie J, Ariana Grande & Nicki Minaj – Bang Bang (24)

35. Gareth Malone’s All Star Choir – Wake Me Up (36)

36. Will.i.am ft. Cody Wise – It's My Birthday (37)

37. Ben Haenow – Something I Need (38)

38. Band Aid 30 – Do They Know It's Christmas? (35)

So 5 of the remaining 6 songs are also in my Top 20 including my numbers 1 and 3, but also my #32 is still missing.

Pretty sure I know what your number 32 is @DaTilt - I’m not sorry about it though as it’s very underrated and I love it!

I never knew about the One True Voice connection and this didnt ring a bell till I played it, still an exciting production. It went top 20 for me and would prob rate top 20 of the year for me too, but it's too repetitive to be top tier, it doesnt bear repeated plays so much. Sigma not done so much in the 2020's for me but had some real bangers with Jack Savoretti, Paloma Faith, Take That, Rita Ora and Labrinth.

Loved this one myself, it's so uplifting, and a good choice of sample.

'Nobody To Love' is a proper tune!

'Nobody To Love' is an anthem and I never got bored of that.

However, Sigma is one of those groups who sounded great at the beginning but then lost their spark (e.g. collaborating with Take That and Louisa Johnson).

Edited November 4Nov 4 by Charlielargepotatoes

Yeah I liked their first two hit singles but after that everything Sigma started to sound similar and generic with the orchestral light drum and bass production. 'Find Me' ft Birdy I have a soft spot though for because of the emotive vocal and use on TV.

Edited November 4Nov 4 by TheSnake