Jade

The host lifting me off 0 is a welcome turn of events, thank you Chez 🥳 had a feeling that song might be yours.

Oops I felt quite confident when confirming 'ARCHANGEL' as I thought it hit the 'art pop' brief really well - with the opening strings, Lykke style vocals and a switch-up to boot, but lowered my expectations considerably after the listen through Indeed I accidentally linked 'GAY ALICE IN WONDERLAND' at first oops - that was the song that lead me to discover Thunder Bae (thanks YouTube algorithm) and I loved the synths, but didn't connect with the lyrics as much as I wanted to from that attention grabbing title. So I looked around the rest of her catalogue to see if anything else would hit me more as a whole package and this one did. Apparently I still had the link of the other song copied though I did notice 'GAY ALICE IN WONDERLAND' in James' chart so not surprised that's now shown up in BJSC, intrigued to see how it does. Anyway, let's hope this picks up a bit. Fantastic entry from uhsting there 🤩

'the boy is mine' has passed 700 million streams 🫶

1970s #06 Kate Bush - 'Wuthering Heights' (1978) #05 Derek & The Dominos - 'Layla' (1970) Hounds of Love is my favourite Kate Bush project overall, but 'Wuthering Heights' from debut album The Kick Inside is my top song from her wonderful, eclectic catalogue. Bush's record company EMI originally had the track 'James and the Cold Gun' pencilled in as her debut single but she was determined to get 'Wuthering Heights' out there first instead. The rest is history and 'Wuthering Heights' was introduced to the world in early 1978, following delays, as it was feared the song would get lost in the Christmas rush. It gained airplay on stations such as Radio Luxembourg and BBC Radio 1, then wowed Top of the Pops audiences, after she first broke into the top 40 at #27. A star was born. Kate Bush impressively wrote 'Wuthering Heights' in one night when she was 18 years old. Bush was specifically inspired by the 1967 BBC adaptation of Emily Brontë's 1847 gothic romance novel of the same name. She subsequently read the book itself and was also fascinated by the fact Brontë shared the same birthday as her. Bush sings from the perspective of the novel's Catherine Earnshaw, or "Cathy", who once shared a romance with fellow character Heathcliff and later passes away. Kate Bush as Cathy reminisces on her time with Heathcliff, who she views as her true love and haunts him from beyond the grave. Two music videos were shot for the song. The one chosen for U.K. audiences sees Kate as Cathy in a white dress, performing suitably ghostly choreography. The alternate video, instead filmed outdoors in a red dress, has become iconic in its own right and even inspired an annual get together called The Most Wuthering Heights Day Ever, where fans dress up like Kate in that video. Kate's poetic lyrics, unique high pitched vocal performance and piano playing are a spellbinding combination. The majestic instrumental also contains the sound of drums, celesta (an idiophone operated by a keyboard), my good friend from the '60s write-ups aka the Hammond organ, acoustic guitars, bass guitar and crotales, aka antique cymbals. The powerful, Floyd-esque guitar solo was performed by the late Ian Bairnson, who was a member of Pilot and the Alan Parsons Project. What a striking debut and all the more impressive coming from the mind of someone so young. OMD's Andy McCluskey said it was the very first song he fell in love with. I also know my mum was into Kate Bush at the time after she grew out of acts like The Bay City Rollers...! So this appreciation of her evidently passed on to me. 'Wuthering Heights' climbed to #1 in the U.K. and stayed there for four weeks. This achievement put Kate into the history books as the first female artist to achieve a U.K. #1 hit with an entirely self-written song. It was the tenth best-selling single of 1978 here. The song re-entered the top 40 this year thanks to Emerald Fennell's updated film adaptation of Wuthering Heights. ••• 'Layla' by Derek & the Dominos has an interesting release history, as it originally existed in 7:03 glory on the album Layla And Other Assorted Love Songs in 1970, then a shorter version was released in the U.S. in 1971, which was followed by a re-release in 1972 where it charted here in the U.K. for the first time, then made the top 10 again upon another re-release in 1982. Finally it charted once more in 1992, albeit lower down, in an acoustic version credited to just Eric Clapton. Phew! Clapton formed Derek & the Dominos with keyboardist and singer Bobby Whitlock, bassist Carl Radle and drummer Jim Gordon, after all four had previously been involved with the group Delaney & Bonnie and Friends. Disagreements over money led many members to leave that ensemble, so Clapton seized the opportunity to get this new group together. 'Layla' was inspired by Clapton's at the time unrequited love for model Pattie Boyd, who was married to Clapton's friend George Harrison. She would later wed Clapton after her previous marriage broke down. I became fascinated with Pattie Boyd after learning she was the muse behind songs as iconic as 'Layla', fellow Clapton composition 'Wonderful Tonight' and 'Something' by The Beatles, although Harrison did downplay her influence on the latter down the line. Whatever the truth, she still appears in the promo video for it, alongside other Beatle partners. Here are a couple of Pattie things I own, including a vintage 1960s British Vogue cover with her on the front, plus memoir Wonderful Tonight, where she came across well and respectful to her former flames: The title 'Layla' was inspired by the the poem The Story of Layla and Majnun by 12th century author Nizami Ganjavi, which in itself was based on the ancient Arab love story Layla and Majnun. Eric Clapton's friend Ian Dallas was converting to Islam and gave him a copy of The Story of Layla and Majnun, which he really connected with. This story involves a young man who goes crazy after he falls in love with a girl who is instead married off to someone she doesn't love. Clapton poured his own feelings about Boyd into 'Layla', addressing his desires, her mixed signals and the cracks in her relationship with Harrison ("I tried to give you consolation, when your old man let you down") - such as him cheating on her with Ringo Starr's then wife Maureen. What a messy musical universe. I think it's quite something that Clapton and Harrison were still friends even despite all of this, with Harrison even later attending Clapton's wedding party for him and Boyd after his own marriage was over...! 'Layla' was originally a ballad but took a turn once its signature riff was born. Duane Allman, who was invited to the Layla And Other Assorted Love Songs album sessions as a guest of Clapton, played that instantly iconic opening slide guitar riff that takes over 'Layla' for a short while. The song has an unusual structure, as the first few minutes contain extremely raw vocals by Clapton (Pattie Boyd said she was bowled over by his passion in this song) but then morphs into a very long instrumental section right until the end. This is dominated by the equally bittersweet sounding piano piece played by the band's drummer Jim Gordon. However, its origins are sketchy, as he got the credit but multiple people claim his then girlfriend Rita Coolidge instead came up with the piano melody for this iconic coda. Allman, from the opening riff, is also back for this movement of the song and impresses me once again with his high pitched guitar playing, which has been described as a "crying bird" at this point. Clapton of course contributes guitar parts of his own, as he plays acoustic and slide guitar, while Carl Radle provides the bass. Final Dominos member Bobby Whitlock can be heard on harmonies alongside Clapton's vocals and also plays the Hammond organ, in this very textured instrumental. I'm no fan of Clapton as a person but he, in addition to the talent he surrounded himself with, created something really special here. 'Layla' is a bonafide rock classic that always overwhelms me in the best way, with its intense vocals and initially frantic instrumental, that morphs into a more graceful reflection. What a stunning composition. 'Layla' achieved its U.K. peak in 1982 under the double billed Derek And The Dominos/Eric Clapton 'Layla/Wonderful Tonight (Live Version)' release, which got to #4. It previously first made the chart here as just 'Layla' in 1972, peaking at #7.

I like 'Sanctuary' and voted for it at the time but I get where you're coming from about it not necessarily being the best representation of your sound overall. I have a similar relationship with my own winners, two are on the more commercial end of dance and one is pop, which are not my typical avenues. 81 was quite an out of character month sonically for me as well, sending Sonia y Selena, but they were more childhood icons that I thought would be a fun moment. Love that 'Sock n Doll' was your 18, I think it was my 15 - what a highly memorable song and video!! Ahhh 'Alchemy' I remember giving that an 18 it was my favourite Deandria entry for a while. I thought 82 was a really strong one overall. I don't think I voted for 'Bonbon' at the time but it was a huge post-contest grower. Wow what a brutal DNQ streak for Deandria at this point and so soon after winning as well. </3 Ooh we had snap 18s in BJSC 83! I still love 'In The Flames' ❤️

Playing catch-up again. 'Sunday Girl' and 'Rat Trap' are both excellent from Friday's trio! Blondie managed to strike an impressive quality / quantity balance with their 5 #1s, all great to varying levels. I have opposite feelings on Showaddywaddy and Chuck Berry's appearances from Saturday! I'm not a fan of Showaddywaddy's formula in general but think this is their best song (admittedly a low bar), while Chuck Berry is a musical icon yet this track is dire, awful representation for his sole chart topper. 'Blockbuster' is my favourite of the three, good fun and a well used sample in 'Doctorin' the Tardis' as already mentioned by Jaz. 'One Day At A Time' is another dreadful record and particularly feels archaic for 1979 which is otherwise a superb, cutting edge year for #1s on the whole. I don't think I realised 'Dance Away' was that big, wow at it actually finishing higher here than the song that blocked it from #1 😯 I like the chugging charms of 'In The Summertime' the most of these three.

I don't really have a connection to Joseph And The Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat as I've never seen it or been involved with a production (my big one at school was Bugsy Malone!), but do prefer Jason's version to the Lee Mead one at least, even if the latter was likely the first one I came across. 'Bring Your Daughter... To The Slaughter' getting to #1, especially for two weeks ahead of its harsh drop, is an interesting chart moment (and the whiplash of this and another chart-topper back-to-back when working through a #1s marathon is quite funny) but I'm not a fan of it musically either. Shame they couldn't have reached the top with one of their more iconic songs instead. I'm normally a big sixties music advocate but do actually think 'Dizzy' works better at a faster pace, which feels apt for its title and lyrics. So I like this daft version more than the original! I think I first discovered 'Don't Let the Sun Go Down On Me' through X Factor as Joe McElderry sang it for both Wham!/George Michael week and as a duet with George in the final. I agree with your sentiments that this duet is vocally competent but just alright as a song.

Thanks all - well done for the strong scores on Friday 🥳 today's game: Round 1: 33 (didn't get: Strawberry Switchblade) Round 2: 36 (didn't get: 10cc) 3-in-10: 3 (Buffalo Stance, Manchild, Woman)

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.