2 minutes ago, TheSnake said:

Gnarls Barkley Smiley Faces beats both!

Oh I agree there!

12. Pitbull ft. Ke$ha – Timber

Chart run: 1-2-2-5-6-5-8-8-13-12-16-18-23-23-25-26-29-33-36-44-41-36-41-44-44-50-47-45-49-55-65-65-73-62R(20) (34 weeks)

Sales at number 1: 138,891

Year End: 9

Number 2 peaks behind the chart topper: None

It’s going down, I’m yelling TIMBEEEER! What a song!

This was a bit of a superstar collab in 2014 terms with K E DOLLAR SIGN HA and Mr Worldwide combining to make something much greater than the sum of their parts.

Armando Christian Perez (aka Pitbull aka Mr Woldwide) who is shockingly around 5 years younger then me, had been releasing hits for a few years before Timber became his 3rd UK number 1. His first hit was I Know You Want Me (Calle Ocho) followed by Hotel Room Service which unforgivably sampled the Nightcrawlers Push The Feeling On. He followed this as Mr rent a rapper for Jennifer Lopez and Ne*Yo amongst others and souped up Alexandra Burke’s All Night Long.

Ke$ha (the dollar sign was removed after 2014) had already had a UK number 1 with the nightmare-for-grammar song We R Who We R and a huge hit with Tik Tok (with the unfortunate mention of P Diddy). Timber gave her a 2nd and last UK number 1 and after this her career died down, largely due to her personal struggles with rehab and an unsuccessful lawsuit against Dr Luke for, among other things, assault.

Back to Timber, the song interpolates Lee Oskar’s 1978 track San Francisco Bay which is harmonica heavy (played by Paul Harrington on Timber in Oskar’s style) giving it the country-folk-EDM sound. It is reminiscent of Cotton Eye Joe with a 2010s twist and it has aged particularly well especially given the recent Country music explosion.

It was huge Mr Worldwide hit, a 3 week US Billboard chart number 1 but this would be the last spell at the top of the UK charts for either artist. Going out with a Timbeeeeeeeeeer!

What a great song though, chock full of earworms both with the lyrics of timbeeer and the harmonica parts. I really shouldn’t like Pitbull, on paper he really isn’t my sort of artist but I cannot help but liking the sparkle he adds to music and he seems incredibly likable. Hurrah for Pitbull!

Uptown Funk is a classic retro pop single and top track so far I think, though I agree it is overplayed. Bruno is one of pop's great Soul Music recyclers, keeping that vibe alive in a music industry that has moved on for the most part - so I presume that accounts for all the claims on the song, unfairly probably as everybody ripped off everybody else in those days and since: see The Supremes' bassline for You Can't Hurry Love popping up everywhere or the Bo Diddley rhythm, but it's expected to credit the original these days.

Timber is fun in the same way Pitbull's recent almost-hit Fireball is catchy and fun - doesn't reward hearing it for months on end, but great for a month or two. Kesha works well on this one with the Country cowboy vibes. Playing it now it's pretty fresh and eminently memorable in a way quite a few on this list aren't 12 years later. Top 20, and maybe even top 10 for me in the rating.

Love Timber, great fun!

I loved both Uptown Funk and Timber, both topped my personal chart at the time. Certainly the latter has been affected less by overplay in the years since but on balance I think I still prefer Uptown Funk, a brilliant timeless record. Timber was such fun though.

I'm yelling Timberrr. A cracking tune that is. Not sure where I'd put this yet but I'd imagine in or near the top 10 for me too!

Its a bit of a cheap tacky attempt to recreate the country-dance vibe of Rednex - Cotton Eye Joe.

Edited Sunday at 23:131 day by TheSnake

'Blame' isn't a Calvin highlight for me, very run of the mill. 'Gecko (Overdrive)' is a better dance hit and a great vocal from Becky, but still not really one I go back to.

I ranked 'Happy' top for 2013 but it would merely be 4th for me in this rate, and 'Uptown Funk' would come in 6th. I don't reappraise songs I like this much downwards due to overplay, though if songs appeal to me more over time I'll move them up. Anyway that just leaves 2nd and 3rd from my top 6, unless I've missed something.

'Timber' should be a fun bop, but I just find the tune too repetitive.

11. Ella Henderson – Ghost

Chart run: 1-1-2-2-3-4-3-4-6-5-10-12-12-18-17-17-21-22-16-18-21-29-37-45-49-43-37-33-30-30-38-42-44-50-50-51-49-50-51-59-63-74-72R(2) (43 weeks)

Sales at number 1: 132,360; 83,022

Year End: 6

Number 2 peaks behind the chart topper: 5 Seconds Of Summer - Don’t Stop

Ella Henderson finished sixth (!) on the 9th series of the X factor in 2012, despite being the hot favourite to win. Though by that time winning was a handicap to a career, so swings and roundabouts!

She signed with Simon Cowells SyCo label in 2013 and was teamed up with Ryan Tedder off OneRepublic who she co-wrote Ghost with (plus others) and it was actually recorded in Denver on Ella’s 18th birthday. Ghost was a huge success and was one of few number 1s in 2014 to stay at the top of the charts. It was number 1 across Europe and did fairly well in America (possibly due to the Tedder effect). Ella would go on to have several more top 10 hits in the dance vein and as guest spots on other songs but she would never come close to the heights of Ghost again.

This is a great track – its reminiscent of Leona’s Bleeding Love probably due to Ryan Tedder being involved, but its much funkier with a twanging guitar giving the hook and US sounding folk beats with the gospel. It’s a heartfelt tune as well, very well sung but there is a depth to it when she needs to go to the river to pray to wash out her pain.

The music video was appropriately filmed in New Orleans – given the southern US sound to it and involves a serial killer at a motel (less on brand perhaps!).

This just falls short of my top 10 as it has had less replay value since its heyday, but it is still a cracking tune as this, along with Gecko (Overdrive) goes to show you didn’t need to win, or even make the final of a reality TV show to have a number 1 in 2014 and a decent career in the music business.

A word on the 5SOS song that peaked at number 2 behind it - nothing too special, not up to the quality of their number 1 in 2014.

Ghost might be my favourite single from any of the X Factor alumni. Excellent vocals and great gospel vibes.

Good soulful song with Mark Ronson/Duffy influenced production I liked it at the time.

Ryan Tedder seemed to like rivers around this time, he mentioned them in 'Counting Stars' too.

Edited 16 hours ago16 hr by TheSnake

Fantastic debut for Ella in 'Ghost'. Would be top 10 for me. I also really liked 'Glow' too which actually was higher for me in my EOY. She's been solid since then too however I've not really checked anything of hers in recent times.

Uptown Funk, Timber and Ghost are all fantastic songs. All three would be in my top 10, potentially top 5. I can’t remember what else is to come.

Quality pop, and still sounds good, as does anything Ryan Tedder related. Glow and 2022's Brave are just as good, and Ella still makes my charts in the 2020's. Which is more than I can say for most other X Factor acts, bar the One Direction and Little Mix solo careers, mostly.

'Timber' hasn't aged thaaat well for me but it does still have a special place in my heart, as it really takes me back to a NYE house party I attended to see in 2014, carefree memories.

Like Rob, I was more of a 'Glow' fan at the time and still think that's a great song, but I've come to appreciate 'Ghost' a lot more over the years. A high quality debut for Ella and challenging Oliver Heldens as my favourite to drop out so far.