47 minutes ago, TheSnake said:

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.

I love Birdy. Such an underrated artist.

I loved it that year/summer. I haven't really gone back to it that much since for some reason, but I do still love it!

As an outfit, they ended up having a bigger career than I expected.

I'm pretty neutral to 'Nobody To Love' but the idea that Kanye West, Brenda Lee and One True Voice all contributed in some way to a drum-and-bass song that went to #1 in 2014, that sounds like a wild fever dream, doesn't it?

6. Sigma ft. Paloma Faith – Changing

Chart run: 1-2-4-8-7-8-11-15-19-27-42-45-46-42-53-33-32-37-36-45-47-52-57-55-62-67-73 (27 weeks)

Sales at number 1: 104,191

Year End: 34

Number 2 peaks behind the chart topper: None

I don’t know, you wait ages for one Sigma then two come along at once! Double drum and bass too.

Following the huge success of Nobody To Love, Sigma finally found someone to love with the wonderful Paloma Faith by recruiting her to sing on the follow up. Changing was co-written by Ella Eyre from Rudimental/dance songs fame.

It was about time Paloma had a number 1. She was well known for soulful ballads like Only Love Can Hurt Like This, New York, Stone Cold Sober and her cover of INXS’s Never Tear Us Apart. I adore Paloma Faith – her voice is fantastic and she seems such a genuinely lovely person.

She showed that her voice fits a dance song perfectly and her strong vocal really goes well with the sweeping beats on Changing making it a successful crossover for her. I particularity like the quieter parts of the song that lead into Paloma belting out the chorus with the drum and bass beat behind it.

This was an instant one for me and it outstrips Sigma’s other number 1 easily. The downside was it was X Factor/BGT sound bed friendly and was played often on the show. Despite this, it hasn’t suffered from overplay and to this day it remains a cracker of a tune.

'Changing' is wonderful. Love the choir and drum n bass elements and Paloma sounds exquisite on it too. I did have this lower than the other Sigma track in my EOY that year but checking them both again today I think this is my preferred choice now too.

Absolutely love Charging and Palma Faith. It was great to see her finally get that #1 hit.

Nobody to Love definitely takes me right back to 2014 where it felt inescapable, Drum'n'bass in the charts these days feels much more of a rarity and it's a shame. I still really like this one, I did enjoy Changing too if not as much, it's very euphoric and Paloma gives a great energetic performance.

I do enjoy Summer as well as generic as it is, tracks with Calvin's vocals were always so much better, and it came at the right time of year that it sounded so much better.

Changing I prefer over Nobody To Love - very good song - due to competition only at #16.

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)

16. Sigma ft. Paloma Faith – Changing (6)

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)

'Changing' is better than 'Nobody To Love', euphoric!

1 hour ago, Paddington James said:

Absolutely love Charging and Palma Faith. It was great to see her finally get that #1 hit.

Paloma has a good voice and it sounds like her vocal style influenced Skye Newman and maybe Sienna Spiro too! Wish one of them would appear on a dance track.

Absolutely incredible track, I've gone back to it much more often than the other one in the years since and I was overjoyed to see Paloma score a #1.

I was hoping the huge success of 'Only Love Can Hurt Like This' and this would set her up for a good run with what followed, but sad lee knot.

Proper classic, top 5 of the year for me and potential number one. Paloma was never going to get a chart-topper on her own, though she's had loads in my charts, always quirky and offbeat - just don't murder her in plain sight in Traitors unless you want to incur her indignant wrath! 😄

INTERLUDE 3

So as a last interlude, here is my rank of the number 2 peaking songs of 2014 (the internet is rubbish at producing a proper list of these, I had to go through the OCC website a week at a time!):

1. Duke Dumont – Won’t Look Back

2. Taylor Swift – Shake It Off

3. Clean Bandit and Jess Glynne – Real Love

4. Zedd ft Hayley Williams – Stay the Night

BIG GAP

5. 5 Seconds of Summer – Don’t Stop

6. The Vamps – Last Night

7. Union J – You Got It All

8. Maroon 5 – Maps

BIIIIG GAP

9. will.i.am ft Miley Cyrus, Wiz Khalifa and French Montana – Feelin’ Myself

GRAND CANYON SIZED GAP

10. John Legend – All of Me

The top 4 stand out in this year of generally disappointing number 2 peakers, I especially love Won’t Look Back with its 80s and 90s dance vibes and it would have made a great 3rd chart topper for the Duke. Shake It Off really should have been Taylor’s first chart topper, its such a shame it didn’t quite make it. As for All Of Me, its one of the worst songs of all time!

Here is a cut and paste chronological list if you want to post your top 5/10:

will.i.am ft Miley Cyrus, Wiz Khalifa and French Montana – Feelin’ Myself

Zedd ft Hayley Williams – Stay the Night

John Legend – All of Me

The Vamps – Last Night

5 Seconds of Summer – Don’t Stop

Maroon 5 – Maps

Duke Dumont – Won’t Look Back

Taylor Swift – Shake It Off

Clean Bandit and Jess Glynne – Real Love

Union J – You Got It All

Retrospectly, it is strange that Shake It Off not made it to #1 - it is among my 5 favourite songs from Taylor. I have a weak spot for All Of Me, eventhough it is supercheesy. Behind that three great dance songs from Zedd, Clean Bandit and Duke Dumont. The Vamps' Last Night is quite enjoyable too. Don't Stop is OK and the other 3 are no for me.

Order:

1. Taylor Swift – Shake It Off

2. John Legend – All of Me

3. Zedd ft Hayley Williams – Stay the Night

4. Clean Bandit and Jess Glynne – Real Love

5. Duke Dumont – Won’t Look Back

6. The Vamps – Last Night

7. 5 Seconds of Summer – Don’t Stop

8. will.i.am ft Miley Cyrus, Wiz Khalifa and French Montana – Feelin’ Myself

9. Maroon 5 – Maps

10. Union J – You Got It All

I'm sure the Sales Vault used to have a list of UK No.1, 2 and 3 singles sales pinned, which would give the list of No.2s. Can't find it now though of course! Surprising the number of No.2 singles was so low, but many of the No.1s were big hits that only moved down a place to give way to a new release so maybe it makes sense.

Definitely not a vintage set, this is my rank:

1. Taylor Swift – Shake It Off

2. Clean Bandit and Jess Glynne – Real Love

3. Duke Dumont – Won’t Look Back

4. Zedd ft Hayley Williams – Stay the Night

5. Maroon 5 – Maps

6. 5 Seconds of Summer – Don’t Stop

7. John Legend – All of Me

8. The Vamps – Last Night

9. Union J – You Got It All

10. will.i.am ft Miley Cyrus, Wiz Khalifa and French Montana – Feelin’ Myself

Shake It Off sounded like a No.1 but ran into All About That Bass I think. Real Love was no Rather Be, but still a good song. Duke Dumont was strong dance, and so was Zedd/Hayley. Then it gets patchy. Maps is fine, as is Don't Stop. All Of Me is not my bag, but a good melody, Last Night is a filler for me, as is You Got It All. I couldn't even remember Feelin' Myself and not missing much when I re-checked it.

@gooddelta yes, it was the fallers/risers that hogged the number 2 spot for four-fifths of the year.

22 hours ago, gooddelta said:

I'm sure the Sales Vault used to have a list of UK No.1, 2 and 3 singles sales pinned, which would give the list of No.2s. Can't find it now though of course!

They're still in the Chart Vault, but linked to this resource thread instead: https://www.buzzjack.com/forums/topic/284584-the-chart-vault-resource-thread/

5. Secondcity – I Wanna Feel

Chart run: 1-3-9-13-22-40-46-60-64-63-66 (11 weeks)

Sales at number 1: 82,050

Year End: 78

Number 2 peaks behind the chart topper: None

A classic non-number 1 next and probably forgotten by a few of you. But, I love it!

Secondcity is US born but British producer Rowan Harrington. Before becoming 2nd, he was part of a house duo called Taiki & Nulight – his production partner still goes by this name.

Some interesting facts about I Wanna Feel:

It’s an interpolation of Toni Braxton’s You’re Making Me High from 1996

The female vocalist is Kelli-Leigh Henry-Davila (so many names!) who will appear again in this rate

The male vocalist is Daniel Bedingfield (!!!) WHAT!!

I Wanna Feel is right up my dance street. It is very reminiscent of the classic mid-90s dance music and is sooo Chicago piano house with a sprinkling of Garage. The Toni Braxton sample of ‘I wanna feel/your heart and soul/inside of me’ plus an ‘oooh baby’ as the hook really works against the house backdrop. The 90s were back and I loved it.

This is a perfect example of where the charts were in 2014, especially the number 1s. It was common for a previously unheard of dance song to get to the top of the charts from nowhere selling close to 100,000 copies then return to obscurity soon after.

I still listen to this song a lot (especially in the summer) so at least I remember it! This a classic 'non number 1’ though and I suspect @DaTilt 's number 32 ranking.

You are absolutely right @Jester . I find this song quite generic and exchangeable - nothing really hooks for me here. My least favourite dance #1 of 2014.

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)

16. Sigma ft. Paloma Faith – Changing (06)

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)

32. Secondcity – I Wanna Feel (05)

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)

It was more upbeat than most of the other deep house songs at the time so I preferred it at the time.

Edited Saturday at 20:123 days by TheSnake

Oops I do agree with Da Tilt on this one. Pretty lazy sounding and generic for me. The same things looping without much of a progression Imo. I've now put together my rank ready to post when it's finished and also have this down at 32 as well whoops. Each to their own though!