Jadaver

I'll forever associate The Saturdays with BuzzJack as their artist forum was so popular on here when they were an active group. The loud fans on the forum, in addition to Flo Rida previously getting in their way a couple of times, meant it felt like a moment when they finally achieved that #1. However, I agree it's far from their best work - pretty bland, ill-fitting and sounds dated now. Their "up" songs are their best for me as my Saturdays top 3 is genuinely 'Up', 'All Fired Up' and 'Not Giving Up'! I quite like 'Under Control', hardly re-inventing the wheel for Calvin and does feel forgotten but it's decently atmospheric, largely thanks to the commanding vocal performance. It was great to see Hurts on a chart-topper. 'Happy' has always been irritating for me so I'm pleasantly surprised to see it fairly low down here. I LOVED the follow-up 'Marilyn Monroe' though! I wasn't aware that Cee Lo Green had originally recorded 'Happy' so that was interesting to learn, I wonder how that version would've done. I think I liked 'Burn' at first but tired of it very quickly. I'd been a big fan of the Lights era and enjoyed the standard Halcyon ('Figure 8' is still my favourite song of hers), but this felt like a decidedly more generic direction.

Hi DaTilt Yay, 'Marianne' is getting better and better with each listen. glad you're back on board with this Angèle era - bring on the album. *.* thank you for commenting <3 Hi Piran! :) Glad you're also a fan of these songs Both of those really take me back to summer 2023, as there was of course the Barbenheimer phenomenon and '(It Goes Like) Nanana' is a perfect summer song! thank you for commenting <3 Hi James! It really is great isn't it 😍 excited for the accompanying album to come out next month. Such a shame that 'serena joy' seems to be missing out on a U.K. top 40 position indeed </3 although at least she's still had loads of success this year. thank you for commenting <3 Hi Sergej! Glad you're into all these songs too Olivia's album is one of my favourites of the year so far and this is another strong addition. thank you for commenting <3 such a beautiful song! thank you for commenting <3

Six consecutive weeks in the top 5 now! Thanks all. week ending 06/09/26: 05 Ariana Grande [36 posts]

Phoebe Bridgers stable

Hi Sergej, hope you're good Great new entries this week for Angèle, Fontaines and Olivia 🤩 I'm particularly pleased to see 'Marianne' straight in your top 10!

Hi James, hope you're doing well ❤️ Ooh we have a snap position for Slayyyter this week *.* pleased this song has clicked for you so much! Loving the new entry for Fontaines this week 🤩 I wasn't expecting them to dip into a synth sound but they pulled it off.

Hi Piran hope you're good! 'serena joy' is yet another great song from Olivia, she's on fire right now. *.* I also appreciate the Dolly impact this week <3 the circumstances are sad but great that '9 to 5' is a U.K. top 5 hit now after previously missing the top 40 here. 'breathin' is my favourite from your throwback chart

Hi DaTilt hope you've had a good weekend! Great to see that strong debut for Angèle. I'm so excited for her upcoming album especially now features with the likes of Caroline Polachek and Soulwax have been announced *.*

p.s. here are some Blondie bits from my retro Smash Hits magazine collection 🤩 The band on the cover of the first ever issue (25p!!!) plus specific 'Heart Of Glass' lyrics and advertisment from a couple of different 1979 magazines :)

His drumming is particularly sensational on 'Dreaming' indeed that song is right up there as well but nice that we have a snap favourite!

1970s #08 Pink Floyd - 'Another Brick in the Wall, Pt. 2' (1979) #07 Blondie - 'Heart of Glass' (1978) Pink Floyd were not a singles band but 'Another Brick in the Wall, Pt. 2' was an undeniable smash, so they made their only '70s appearance on the singles chart with this, right at the end of the decade. Floyd's eleventh studio album The Wall is a rock opera experience that follows a protagonist named Pink. 'Another Brick in the Wall' is a three part composition on the record and was written by bassist Roger Waters, using some of his own personal experiences as inspiration. Part 1 involves Pink building a metaphorical wall around himself, following the death of his father. Waters lost his own dad to war when he was just five months old. In part 2, Pink experiences trauma through his overprotective mother and abusive schoolteachers - who become bricks in this wall. These lyrics were inspired by the harsh methods used by teachers during Waters' time at Cambridgeshire High School for Boys, when he was 12. Finally, part 3 rounds off with a violent breakdown, where Pink now dismisses everyone he knows as bricks in the wall. Part 2 is the most commercial section of the composition and was cut as a single towards the end of 1979. Producer Bob Ezrin suggested the group should incorporate disco sounds of the time into 'Another Brick in the Wall'. The band were hesitant, but ultimately agreed that the end product still sounded like a Pink Floyd song. Ezrin also wanted a children's choir on the track. He had previously produced 'School's Out' by Alice Cooper so had some experience in the field. Several children from Islington Green School, near Pink Floyd's studio, were recruited for this. The head of music at the school was enthusiastic about the idea but wasn't sure how the headteacher would feel, so initially hid the lyrics from her. In the end, all agreed it was a rich musical education for the children. The kids received Pink Floyd concert tickets, an album and single, but royalties for them were not arranged at the time. However, they successfully lodged a claim with Performing Artists' Media Rights Association as adults, in 2004. I particularly like the headline "Payout after Pink Floyd leaves them kids alone" from the media coverage at the time. The anti-corporal punishment lyrics produced several iconic, hard-hitting rebellious lines such as: "teacher, leave them kids alone" and "we don't need no education". That use of language, with the double negative, is notable as the children are rejecting "proper" English but their message is still crystal clear and powerful. Lyrically, I really like the vivid "no dark sarcasm in the classroom" line as well. Children's choirs can be hit or miss for me, but I think using their voices to sing about the education system is highly effective here. Elsewhere, Roger Waters and David Gilmour provide an equally haunting lead vocal performance. The instrumentation is also interesting - with steady, unsettling drums throughout and a fantastic guitar solo from Gilmour towards the end, ahead of Waters imitating a Scottish head teacher. The song ends with the ringing of a phone, perhaps as Pink tries to distance himself from his school struggles. The visuals for the music video are pretty unforgettable, especially the uncanny use of hammers to represent conformity. 'Another Brick In The Wall' is also used in the acclaimed Pink Floyd - The Wall film and features equally memorable and harrowing scenes of masked children walking towards a meat grinder. My first run in with this song was when Eric Prydz sampled it for 'Proper Education', a #2 hit in 2007. I enjoyed that dance iteration at the time and still do but the original is definitely my version of choice now. It has a more foreboding presentation yet is catchy enough to be a hit single. 'Another Brick in the Wall, Pt. 2' was an idiosyncratic choice of Christmas #1 for the most festive time of the year, but the British Public spoke. This was the final chart-topper of the 1970s and first of the 1980s as it spent 5 weeks at #1. This is the only Pink Floyd single to top the chart both here and in the United States. ••• Blondie are one of my favourite groups, as illustrated by my choice to use them in BuzzJack's Pop Factor competition earlier this year, where they were sadly booted out earlier than hoped after 'One Way Or Another' was paired against Nelly Furtado's 'Maneater'. Then 'Call Me' couldn't do enough as their last chance song. So, as you can imagine, I had so many options for them here! But ultimately, sad banger 'Heart of Glass' was the song that first got me into them and still remains my favourite to this day... This song was written by Blondie members Debbie Harry and Chris Stein but originally existed as a track called 'Once I Had a Love', also known as 'The Disco Song'. It was first recorded as a demo in 1975 and later re-recorded in 1978 with a heavier pop influence. The band had attempted the song in many different guises, such as a ballad or a reggae track, but nothing quite worked until they met with producer Mike Chapman to put together their classic Parallel Lines album. He loved the song and started to pull it into focus. 'Heart of Glass' still has the spirit of Blondie's earlier new wave roots but was ultimately packaged with a disco sound. The group were initially accused of selling out despite covering disco songs like Donna Summer's 'I Feel Love' during their live sets. The song's final title 'Heart of Glass' was apparently not influenced by the film of the same name by German filmmaker Werner Herzog. The group were into fellow German talents Kraftwerk though and had them in mind when evolving the song's initially more basic production into what it became. The use of the Roland CR-78 drum machine for 'Heart of Glass' was one of its first outings in popular music. The band effectively fused their rock-meets-dance visions as they used real drums in addition to the electronic sounds present on the song, which was quite unusual at the time. The track also incorporates separate synth sounds by using Roland SH-5 and Minimoog synthesisers. They recorded three different parts on these synthesisers due to the lack of music sequencers at the time. I love the dreamy, rhythmic groove of these components and the guitars throughout. Debbie Harry said 'Heart of Glass', along with 'Rapture', is the song she's most proud of writing. Harry claims the lyrics weren't about anyone in particular but instead just a "plaintive moan about lost love". Much like the group's mix of sounds, I also enjoy the duality of the vocals and messaging. Debbie Harry's higher register sounds playful and charismatic yet she also has this laidback style going on in the song. The lyrics are both funny and laced with heartbreak. I particularly enjoy the Spanglish mix of "mucho mistrust" as I sometimes slip into that kind of writing myself on here. Overall it's an utterly charming package. I distinctly remember falling in love with this song when playing one of those Just Dance Wii games with my friends. Moving along to 'Heart of Glass' was a dopamine hit and it has remained a pick-me-up song ever since! 'Heart of Glass' was a huge hit for Blondie and became their first number 1 on both the U.K. Singles Chart and Billboard Hot 100. It existed since 1978 on the Parallel Lines album but impacted the U.K. as the album's third single in early 1979, where it became the second best-selling song of the year here. They spent four weeks at the top of the U.K. singles chart.

Sent in my answers! I feel like there's one I really should know but I'm stumped

Thanks Bré for the belated '60s thoughts! I'm over the moon that you made a good discovery out of 'Venus in Furs' 🖤 funny you should bring up Lankum when they're in the current BJSC. 'I Get Around' feels correct as your Beach Boys favourite just based on the "I'm making real good bread" lyric alone tbh 🍞 Poor brave 'Be My Baby' though even if you do still like it :'( hopefully you'll be more into some of my other #1 picks. I'd say 'Je t'aime moi non plus' and 'Telstar' are my favourite sixties U.K. #1s that didn't quite make the top 10 - those cuts were brutal.

I was intrigued to see what you thought of my song too as my artist apparently opened for Eartheater in the past!

From a quick glance Thunder Bae is also in that contest!

I recognise a decent handful here! Herbilore hype from the opposite semi as that is a trip-hop classic ❤️

I forgot to mention that I was shocked when I first discovered '(Don’t Fear) The Reaper' was from 1976, I initially presumed it was an '80s song - ahead of its time for sure! Glad 'Cargo culte' was a good discovery for you 🖤 I'd say the final line elicits an internal "eek" as one of the words translates to "minor", but overall it isn't too bad, as it's more about the plane crash element of the story.

1970s Next up it's time for the seventies! My dad was born this decade so I'm a step closer to existing. The 1970s generally starts off well for me as there is some psychedelic sixties hangover. The number one hit 'Woodstock' by Matthews Southern Comfort springs to mind as an example. My interest in the chart toppers this decade begins to wane during the middle part of it, which is usually a slog during a #1s marathon. However, there is vast improvement, as the later part of the 1970s is by far my favourite portion of this time period in general. The invasion of genres such as disco and punk shakes things up well. But most of all, I like that the later years are laying a lot of ground-work for the synth-tastic '80s. My favourite film of the 1970s is another Stanley Kubrick title, A Clockwork Orange. It is deeply disturbing yet fascinating to me from a film-making and psychological perspective. Musically, the moog synth soundtrack by Wendy Carlos feels insanely ahead of its time for 1971. Other pioneers in this field will emerge too, from Yellow Magic Orchestra to Kraftwerk. So, although this decade doesn't have my heart as much as the sixties on the whole, there's still plenty to get excited about... #10 Blue Öyster Cult - '(Don’t Fear) The Reaper' (1976) #09 Serge Gainsbourg - 'Cargo culte' (1971) I gushed over the later 1970s years in that blurb but am actually starting off with tracks from the middle and early period! Cult and culte, no less. Rest assured there is still plenty from 1977-79 on the way. American rock band Blue Öyster Cult released '(Don't Fear) The Reaper' as the lead single from their fourth album Agents of Fortune. The track was written and sung by lead guitarist Buck Dharma and explores themes of eternal love, in addition to the inevitability of death. Dharma was inspired to write this after being diagnosed with an irregular heartbeat, as he thought he might not live much longer. Instead, he is still with us today, currently 78 years old! The romantic side of the song is trying to convey the message that love transcends death, using Romeo and Juliet as a metaphor. The storyline of the track was wrongly interpreted by some as a suicide pact but Dharma fiercely denies this. There are some intriguing lines in this song, such as the "40,000 men and women everyday" part, which has been theorised as a representation of how many people were dying daily at the time. However, this would've only been accurate for the period if the intention of repeating 40,000 three times in that verse is because it equals 120,000, as that was roughly the correct figure. Away from the interesting lyrics, I also enjoy the production, especially the classic guitar riff and quirky cowbell addition. There are two instrumental bridges and I love the darker mood of the second one, as if the reaper has now arrived. I also enjoy the calm delivery of the vocals as they match up well with the writer's acceptance of death. This song is a firm favourite on my Halloween playlist. Blue Öyster Cult remain one hit wonders on the U.K. singles chart as this is their sole entry, peaking at #16. ••• As aforementioned, Wendy Carlos was working her futuristic magic in 1971, but there was another ahead of their time musical genius who also put out an influential body of work that year. Serge Gainsbourg had already brought a touch of the future to the Eurovision Song Contest when he wrote France Gall's 1965 winner 'Poupée de cire, poupée de son', which sounded decidedly more edgy than your average entry. Then, in 1969, he along with Jane Birkin (at the time Serge's girlfriend and later his wife) shocked yet intrigued the British public - as their steamy duet 'Je t'aime... moi non plus' was banned by the BBC, but still went to #1. I was seriously considering that for my 1960s list but decided to keep Gainsbourg for this decade instead. In 1971, he released a controversial but important body of work that would go on to inspire many well-loved artists, from Jarvis Cocker to Portishead. This project in question was a concept album called Histoire de Melody Nelson. Like A Clockwork Orange, it's a disturbing yet intriguing piece of art. Perhaps fellow Kubrick film Lolita is a better comparison, as the story of Histoire de Melody Nelson follows a messed up tale of the middle-aged narrator's illicit romance with a 14-year-old girl called Melody Nelson, albeit portrayed by an adult Jane Birkin on the cover art and promotional films. She looks unrecognisable with her dark wig and also has rolled down jeans on to help cover up early stages of pregnancy. Perhaps it's for the best that I'm not fluent in French so I can have some disconnect from the heavy themes, as this is the first non-English language track to appear in the countdown. Never has "I can't speak French so I let the funky music do the talking" resonated so hard. Still, even without translating the lyrics, the intense delivery of Gainsbourg's spoken word vocals helps to effectively convey the darkness of the narrator's twisted mind. This concept album follows a similar template the whole way through but the sprawling, almost 8 minute long closer 'Cargo culte' commanded my attention the most. The track is a particularly dark end to the project as Melody dies in a plane crash, so the mood is very intense, as the narrator is lamenting her death. The spoken word vocals might be an acquired taste but I find Gainsbourg's delivery captivating. Jane Birkin also turns up for a chilling line or two in character as Melody beyond the grave. I adore the instrumental which was produced by Jean-Claude Desmarty. The ghostly choral parts and strings are incredible and so haunting. I think the bass and electric guitars shine through as well. Overall, this is remarkably ahead of its time for 1971 and feels like a precursor to trip-hop music. I was not aware of this project until I did a deep dive into the music side of Jane Birkin's career, following her death. A particularly fun piece of information I found out when listening through everything is that her song 'Je m'appelle Jane' is sampled in the Pussycat Dolls hit 'Whatcha Think About That'. I stumbled across the Melody Nelson album while diving into her work with Serge and my mind was blown. It is revered critically and was influential for many musicians but doesn't feel that widely discussed, possibly because it's a French language project, on top of the controversial subject matter. I sent 'Cargo culte' to the 1970s rock edition of The Best Song Contest in the World.....Ever! on this forum in 2023 and it only finished 11th out of 15 participants, but did receive points from some of the posters in this thread so far, so I shouldn't be totally alone with my appreciation of this.

+05 Olivia Rodrigo - the cure +04 Dolly Parton - 9 to 5 +03 Dolly Parton - Jolene +02 Sam Fender & Olivia Dean - Rein Me In +01 Olivia Dean - Man I Need -01 Sienna Spiro - Great Expectation -02 Ella Langley - Choosin’ Texas -03 Kenny Rogers & Dolly Parton - Islands In The Stream -04 Stella Lefty - Boston -05 HUGEL, Imael Angel & Ultra Naté - Movin’ To The Sun

Wow completely forgot that just about made the top 10, thanks Bré (just realised that and Oasis' 'Falling Down' both reached #10)

^ omg I swear Gail Porter was wearing this exact same Playboy Bunny shirt tonight as well?? Melanie C had my favourite solo Spice career and 'Never Be The Same Again' is one of her best moments, so I approve of that chart-topper! I quite like 'The Time Is Now' and 'Smooth' from that top 5 as well. The return of Santana is a great chart story but not quite sure where Rob Thomas was in tonight's TOTP episode...! Wow I didn't realise how close that Westlife vs. Melanie C battle was. Shame the latter didn't hang on again as 'Fool Again' is pretty dull. On the subject of Westlife, I see both Brian McFadden and Kerry Katona performed on tonight's episode! Michelle now arriving in the Destiny's Child line-up *.* 'Say My Name' has really grown on me over the years so I approve of it being their most streamed nowadays.

Thanks so much for the comments TheSnake, Rollo, Jaz, Julian_, Chez and Jim - they're much appreciated 😊 glad these sixties picks have generally gone down well. Me too, a #27 peak would've been criminal for this! I'm happy the public later rectified the original non-top 20 peak of 'California Dreamin' as well. I did think you would approve of 'A White Shade Of Pale' being here! Great to see my #1 pick also amongst your highlights. Thanks for later posting your own top 10 as well. Love the Keith West and Walker Brothers book-ends of that list! Go for it, I think "I feel a playlist coming on" is my life motto! One of my favourite playlists I've curated is a 'chilled 1960s' one and some of those songs you mentioned are on it, namely: 'Waterloo Sunset' (it pains me that I didn't have enough room for The Kinks in this countdown), 'Mr. Tambourine Man', 'I Heard It Through The Grapevine', 'The Sun Ain't Gonna Shine Anymore', 'Baby Love' and '(Sittin' on) the Dock of the Bay' 🤩 I'm pleased this thread has given me the opportunity to be louder about my love for 'Stand By Me'! I did place it 2nd when Jester ranked the 1987 #1s but it was a weird one to rank as it stuck out like a sore thumb against the rest of those '80s songs. That instrumental break really is a thing of beauty. 🥹 If I've tracked down the right 1001 list then it looks like 'Venus In Furs' was on there, so the curator has taste. 🤩 That video is gold Thanks for later sharing your top 10 also! Great to see The Ronettes in there for you too. Otis Redding is my favourite of those that didn't quite make my own top 10 <3 Thanks for sharing your own list, love that you rate Revolver so much in general 'And Your Bird Can Sing' is one of many gems. Good to see 'I Heard It Through The Grapevine' getting a couple of shoutouts in these replies as that wasn't too far off making my own top 10. I love 'Suzanne' as well and have you to thank for introducing it to me. Thanks for the reminder of your list - 'Nights In White Satin' is a fab favourite, not enough room for me but I really rate both that and 'Melancholy Man' by them. Love the instrumental representation in your list with 'Telstar' and 'Theme From 'A Summer Place' both being top 10 😍 the latter is the very first song I loved when listening to 1960s charts from the beginning. 'Sukiyaki' some awesome non-English language representation too, which my own '60s list lacked, but may be present in other time periods... I feel like I was a bit late to the party with 'Downtown' (maybe I needed to shake off knowing the Emma Bunton version first) but it has crept up on me so much over the years, great song. 'Space Oddity' is genius and one of my favourite Bowie songs but his appearance will have to wait for a different decade!

Couldn’t agree more I also like the Gina / Harry / Kojo unit so don’t want that to implode

Probably, the closest I can think of at the moment is the vocalists of 'Fairytale of New York' since Shane MacGowan passed away a few years ago!

Sienna was my preferred choice from this top 3 but I do prefer the Ella song to the HUGEL one at least!