My Random Music

The reality is the charts have been fighting a losing battle for 20 years now. I was still in my 20s in 2006 and for the first time in living memory I couldn't of told you what was number one. It wasn't a conscious decision to stop following the charts, just happened naturally. Nowadays I work with several people in their 20s and into music and none of them could tell me what's in the charts now, I know more about it than they do and I'm old. Similarly it seems the youngsters don't watch Christmas Top of the Pops these days, just us oldies who keep the tradition and afterwards talk about how dreadful the music on it was. I can't see a way back. In the beginning it was a way of informing the public what the popular records to go out and buy were. These days the kids can just go on the internet and see what their favourite tiktok person has to say.

Well Pete Waterman was the man who brought 2 Unlimited to the UK for a start. It's also quite normal to not like the modern equivalent of something you do like. Both served the same purpose, cheesy catchy music for the dancefloor but lacking any depth.

Not really a fan of Hi-NRG and I can't say I like Divine either, to me it's the 80s equivalent of 2 Unlimited.

Top 5 Phil Fearon And Galaxy - Everybody's Laughing Windjammer - Tossing And Turning Jeffrey Osborne - On The Wings Of Love Break Machine - Are You Ready Level 42 - Hot Water Worst Hazell Dean - Whatever I Do (Wherever I Go)

It's only really relevant to a niche audience of music nerds these days. Many of those who remember the good old days have reached the "modern music is rubbish" stage of their life whilst many youngsters don't even know there's such a thing as the charts. I've written a post about it myself: https://myrandommusicblog.blogspot.com/2026/07/18-week-number-1.html

5 best: Howard Jones - Pearl In The Shell Change - Change Of Heart Grandmaster And Melle Mel - White Lines (Don't Do It) Ollie And Jerry - Breakin'... There's No Stopping Us The Bluebells - Young At Heart Worst: The Pointer Sisters - Jump (For My Love)

The best: Phil Collins - Against All Odds (Take A Look At Me Now) Cameo - She's Strange The Gap Band - Someday Billy Joel - The Longest Time Break Machine - Breakdance Party The worst: The Pointer Sisters - Automatic Tiebreak: Depeche Mode

"Tha Crossroads" by Bone Thugs N Harmony. I couldn't really take to the rap singing style at first but when it came on the music channels a few years later I started to love it and ended up buying some of their albums.

Your Top 2 are probably my numbers 3 and 4. Whilst on a par with each other the A-ha song only has "Take On Me" to rival as the best of their songs but wins because it's not as overplayed. "West End Girls" on the other hand is far from my favourite Pet Shop Boys song but that's due to the high standards they set with other songs.

"Chain Reaction" is the final one of those 5 I really don't like. Diana Ross is quite possibly the best female solo artist there's ever been. She had some great records in the 70s but "Chain Reaction" is so poor in comparison. Even when I used to hear a Diana Ross compilation as a kid with no knowledge of when the songs were from or have any background information on any of them "Chain Reaction" stood out as the weak link. To me it's her equivalent of "I Just Called To Say I Love You" by Stevie Wonder.

"Papa Don't Preach" is another of those records I can't stand so that just leaves one left. Like I previously said I only like a handful of Madonna songs and this is one of several of her hits which sounds painfully squeaky.

The 5 best: The Alarm - Where Were You Hiding When The Storm Broke Break Machine - Street Dance Nik Kershaw - Wouldn't It Be Good Whitesnake - Give Me More Time Joe Fagin - That's Livin' Alright (From 'Auf Wiedershen Pet') Worst: Madonna - Holiday

I like all of the songs since my last reply. "Reet Petite" is my other contender for my number one so we won't agree on the best one. Still some decent records to come though but also still 2 remaining of those ones I really don't like to come.

Nothing in the first year I remember the charts in 1987 stands out as being something I really despised at the time. Likewise nothing on Now 11 which was my first Now. At the start of 1988 though there's "I Think We're Alone Now" by Tiffany but I can't remember if I really despised it when it was at number 1 or from hearing it often on Now 12. The other songs on Now 12 I particularly hated were: Natalie Cole - Pink Cadillac Bananarama - I Want You Back Heart - These Dreams Hazell Dean - Who's Leaving Who It was the Hazell Dean song I hated the most but it makes me judder thinking back to listening to all of those songs.

That's the one I thought it would be and you sum it up the way I view it. In my early memories of music and the charts from 1987 onwards I remember there being 2 Chris's and the way I differentiated them was the naff one with the funny hair and the cool one with the guitar. I was too young to really know what a love song was let alone what the lyrics were about. Musically I found it both cheesy and boring at the same time. On a more positive note about De Burgh I do think he has a better Christmas song than the other Chris.

"True Blue" is also one of those five songs I speak of and concur there's only a handful of Madonna hits that are any good. I'm a fan of Motown but more often than not I get irritated by non-Motown songs from much later pretending to be Motown.

"Spirit In The Sky" is one of the 5 irritating records I speak of but not the one I think many others will agree with. The song itself has always bugged me for some reason whatever version it is.

Here's mine year by year, not necessarily my favourites but songs that take me back to those summers for the right reasons 1987: Los Lobos - La Bamba 1988: Glen Medeiros - Nothings Gonna Change My Love For You 1989: Danny Wilson - The Second Summer Of Love 1990: Blue Pearl - Naked In The Rain 1991: Color Me Badd - All 4 Love 1992: Incognito - Don't You Worry Bout A Thing 1993: Urban Cookie Collective - The Key The Secret 1994: Red Dragon ft Brian & Tony Gold - Compliments On Your Kiss 1995: Outhere Brothers - Boom Boom Boom 1996: Pet Shop Boys - Se A Vida E 1997: Mighty Dub Katz - Magic Carpet Ride 1998: Energy 52 - Cafe Del Mar 98 1999: Masters At Work - To Be In Love 2000: Moby - Porcelain 2001: Daft Punk - Digital Love 2002: Tim Deluxe - It Just Won't Do 2003: Wayne Wonder - No Letting Go 2004: Lou Reed - Satellite Of Love 04 2005: Deep Dish - Say Hello 2006: Red Hot Chili Peppers - Tell Me Baby 2007: Axwell - I Found U 2008: Kid Rock - All Summer Long 2009: Chicane - Poppiholla I gave up on modern music after this so would be older songs for the remaining years.

That is surprising. I remembered Garth Brooks being heavily pushed onto UK audiences in the mid-90s but we were having none of it, there just wasn't the demand for country music. Also it's been said that a factor in Robbie Williams lack of success is the similarity in name between him and actor Robin Williams, with Garth Brooks in the UK it was the similarity with footballer/pundit Garth Crooks. A decade later few people in the UK had heard of Tim McGraw until he collaborated with Nelly, but then when he released his own song about skydiving and rocky mountain climbing it flopped.

Billy Ocean is one of the contenders for my favourite. I get where you're coming from but the bland safe mid-80s production was effectively what got me into music in the first place. My movie knowledge is virtually non-existent so I didn't know this was a movie song until much later on in life. I would also say Communards is OK but not one I'd choose to listen to and the Harold Melvin & The Bluenotes version is much better. My guess is it's the one of the five I find irritating that I'm sure others will agree with. I'm surprised said song hasn't appeared yet because I've never heard anyone say anything positive about it and even said music act has acknowledged it damaged their reputation.

I know all the number ones of 1986 but because the charts didn't come on my radar until 1987 I don't have the nostalgic memories that help me like certain song I maybe would have liked if I was older. Not keen on any of those featured so far. The 3 novelty ones are meant to be rubbish so can give them some lenience. The Boris Gardiner one bugs me, very bland compared to "Elizabethan Reggae". There were quite a few decent artists from the 60s/70s who were past their best by the 80s but still sold records. The only difference is Boris Gardiner had nothing in between to show the decline. The Wham! record was always going to number one given the circumstances, not as bad as some of the other number ones of the year though. I've looked at the list and there's 5 that are yet to feature that really irritate me. None are novelty records, it's quite possible I'll be the only one who doesn't like 4 of them but I'm certain people will agree with me on the other one. In fact I even think some may have that as their bottom song. I have a Top 5 in no particular order and my favourite is a toss up between 2 songs.

As someone else said not a great selection to choose from but the quality of music in the charts does tend to go downhill around Christmas. My 5 picks: Ozzy Osbourne - Bark At The Moon Tom Robinson - Listen To The Radio - Atmospherics Tears For Fears - The Way You Are Status Quo - Marguerita Time UB40 - Many Rivers To Cross Worst song: Kenny Rogers And Dolly Parton - Islands In The Stream

I 100% agree that Tina Turner was far more worthy of a number 1 than Geri Halliwell and B*Witched but that in itself shows how the charts can be misleading. Maybe Tina Turner was bigger as a solo artist but it's not that clear cut. I've been to the Tina Turner musical and it was roughly 50/50 between Ike & Tina Turner songs and Tina Turner solo. You've got to remember Ike & Tina Turner were unknown when they started out and took a long time get to the heights they reached. I know it didn't immediately click for Tina Turner as a solo artist but she always had that legacy there which is always going to help.

I did say she has a case but whilst I can't say for sure I'd hazard a guess that Bruce Springsteen and Bon Jovi have played more stadium concerts than Tina Turner did. Yes she had more hits on her own but Ike & Tina Turner were bigger than their Top 40 career suggests.

"Come On Eileen" by Dexys Midnight Runners. I was too young to know anything about it but figured it out to be the oldest amongst the handful of record my parents had bought me and when I discovered the charts they explained it had been a number 1 because lots of other people also bought that record that week.