Gezza

#48 SOMEWHERE YEAR: 1997 PEAK POSITION: 9 You wanna live in this lousy world? A track from the musical “West Side Story”, this was picked as a single to promote their residency at the Savoy Theatre and in which the track would play a starring role as the new single. It was also used to promote a repackaged “Bilingual” album and wasn’t the first time they had worked on a Stephen Sondheim track as Liza Minelli’s cover of “losing Mt Mind” had also been produced by the group. AI: “Somewhere” is one of the boldest choices in the PSB catalogue: taking West Side Story’s most fragile, hopeful ballad and blowing it up into a widescreen, orchestral‑dance anthem. Where the original is intimate and trembling, the Boys make it public, collective, and unmistakably queer. The song’s dream of a place “for us” becomes, in their hands, a coded promise of belonging for anyone who’s ever felt outside the norm. It’s PSB doing what they do best: turning longing into architecture. It’s “Go West”’s spiritual sibling: a vision of a better world delivered with camp sincerity and political undertones. Highest score: 9- @King Rollo Lowest score: 2- @Julian_

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#49 DJ CULTURE YEAR: 1991 PEAK POSITION: 13 Consider for a minute who you are What you'd like to change, never mind the scars This track was based around Tennant’s thoughts on how DJ’s would sample songs and how that aligned with people who would also sample the attitudes of the past, or as he put it “"Political postures and social attitudes are glibly sampled from the past and the present like beats on dance records" The, then, most recent example of this was the speeches of George Bush who quoted Churchill during the first Gulf War, the concept of reinvention to escape mistakes most obviously in the lyrics “Like Liz before Betty, She after Sean” referring to Elixzabeth Taylor before her visit to the Betty Ford Clinic and Madonna’s new image after her divorce from Sean Penn. The song was recorded as one of two new songs for their first compilation “Discography” and the end refrain “And I My Lord, May I Say Nothing?” was famously Oscar Wilde’s words after being sentenced to hard labour at his trial for homosexuality in 1895 (a scene recreated in the promo). It also charted as a remix by The Grid at No 40 charting separately due to regulations around the number of formats at the time. AI: DJ Culture is a commentary on how fame, image, and narrative distort reality. Released in 1991 — just as superstar DJs were beginning to eclipse the music itself — the song skewers the idea that DJs (and by extension, celebrities) rewrite their own histories to appear more authentic, more tortured, more profound. It’s not an attack; it’s an observation. But it’s a sharp one. it’s not really about DJs. It’s about: · image · reinvention · self‑curation · the stories we tell to survive in public In an era of social media, the song feels more relevant than ever. Everyone is a DJ now — remixing their own life. Highest score: 9.5 @dandy* @mαngo Lowest score: 2 @Ghoulian

#50 DON’T DROP BOMBS YEAR: 1989 PEAK POSITION: 46 I know you carry on, behind my back With your secretary, you'll have a heart attack A collaboration that came together when the duo’s manager discovered that the label had signed Minelli and that she wanted to make a pop record, he suggested that the two acts should meet and they hit it off so well that a whole album was the result. Minelli was already a fan particularly loving their song “Rent”, and the first release was a cover of “Losing My Mind” which stormed into the top 10, the follow up was this track which just missed the top 40. Rate wise we hit an average of 6/10- not bad going for No 50! AI: “Don’t Drop Bombs” is Liza Minnelli at her most theatrically ferocious — a Pet Shop Boys‑engineered collision of camp, confrontation, and high‑gloss late‑80s synth‑pop that turns emotional cruelty into a dance‑floor spectacle. Minnelli doesn’t just sing this song — she attacks it. Her delivery is sharp, clipped, and almost exasperated, perfectly matching a lyric built on frustration and emotional exhaustion. The narrator is dealing with a partner who lies, cheats, and delights in dropping emotional “bombs” — revelations designed to destabilise her. The vocal tone is half‑plea, half‑threat, and entirely theatrical, which suits Minnelli’s stage‑honed instincts. The result is a performance that feels like a showdown: Minnelli refuses to be the wounded ingénue. She’s furious, fed up, and ready to “start playing rough.” This aligns with interpretations that frame the song as a demand for honesty and an end to destructive behaviour. The metaphor of “bombs” is blunt but effective. Each revelation — affairs, lies, secretaries, “other girls on your expense account” — is framed as an explosion designed to destabilise her life. The song’s meaning has been widely read as a portrait of deception, betrayal, and the emotional toll of a destructive relationship, with the narrator pleading for calm and honesty. What makes the lyric compelling is its mix of bitterness and theatricality. Minnelli isn’t quietly suffering; she’s staging a musical confrontation Highest score: 9- @gooddelta Lowest score: 2.5 @chartjack2

15TH JULY Becoming a major commercial act throughout 1998-1999 selling over 3 million albums in those two years, The Corrs return to the charts was always going to be an event and teaming up with Robert “Mutt” Lange fresh from his work with wife Shania Twain must be commercial gold. And so it turns out to be, the outcome is “Breathless” which charges straight to No 1 this week on a sale of 80,869 to instantly become their biggest hit yet and first chart topper. Despite all of that, the tally is the 6th lowest of the year and accounts for only 6.5% of all singles sold last week, a low for 2000, parent album “In Blue” is out in a fortnight. Eminem moves back to the top of the album charts but misses out on the chance to do the double as “The Real Slim Shady” dips 1-2 (71,000). US rock band Limp Bizkit have quickly earned themselves a reputation for causing controversy with their views and live appearances which have resulted in raucous scenes along with a No 1 album Stateside. The reception here was rather more muted with the band failing to score a hit single at all and the first two albums failing to break the 100,000 mark combined, however the band hooked up with the makers of the “Mission: Impossible II” to provide the theme for the flick “Take A Look Around”. The film currently sits at No 1 in the Cinema listings whilst the single becomes their first hit at No 3 (56,000) and CD also contains one of their previous singles, a cover of George Michael’s “Faith” for those interested. Meanwhile it’s time for Oasis’ 13th straight top 10 single in the shape of “Sunday Morning Call” which may or may not (depending on who you believe) be inspired by Kate Moss. The track comes with a promo based on the film “One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest” and marks the first time Noel Gallagher takes on lead vocals on an Oasis single since “Don’t Look Back In Anger”, it enters at No 4 (53,000). Forming their own string of ten consecutive top 10 singles are Steps and their third double A-Side “When I Said Goodbye/ Summer Of Love”. The former is a ballad taken from the “Steptacular” album whilst the latter track is a new composition which heralds a third album from the group before Christmas- together they enter at No 5 (52,500). After a pair of No 2 hits in “Re-Rewind” and “Movin Too Fast” the Artful Dodger re-unite with former collaborator and now solo chart topper Craig David on “Woman Trouble”. It also features the introduction of Robbie Craig who will doubtless be launching a solo career too at some point but as the production team work on that first album they see their third single power in at No 6 (46,000). Also coming back with a third hit single are Alice Deejay, “Will I Ever” looks like it could become their smallest hit yet at No 7 (44,000) but will act as an appropriate boost for them with their album due in a fortnight. A record equaling seventh new entry into the top 10 comes from a third act scoring their third hit! With the Spice Girls currently on hiatus the girl group field has room for another big name and Atomic Kitten are trying to fill that with a third top 10 single “I Want Your Love”. The single features a sample of the theme music from the 1958 film “The Big Country” which was also used on MC Rhymes “The Only Rhyme That Bites” (#10, 1990) and Ricardo Da Force’s input into the KLF’s “Justified And Ancient”, a combination which propels the song in at No 10 (33,000). Eminem aside, the only survivors from last week are Samantha Mumba 2-8 (41,000) and Darude 5-9 (34,000). 1- BREATHLESS- The Corrs (80,869) 2- THE REAL SLIM SHADY- Eminem (71,000) 3- TAKE A LOOK AROUND (THEME FROM MI 2)- Limp Bizkit (56,000) 4- SUNDAY MORNING CALL- Oasis (53,000) 5- WHEN I SAID GOODBYE/ SUMMER OF LOVE- Steps (52,500) 6- WOMAN TROUBLE- Artful Dodger Ft Robbie Craig & Craig David (46,000) 7- WILL I EVER?- Alice Deejay (44,000) 8- GOTTA TELL YOU- Samantha Mumba (41,000) 9- SANDSTORM- Darude (34,000) 10- I WANT YOUR LOVE- Atomic Kitten (33,000)

8TH JULY Eminem’s back- did you notice? Yes creating controversy with his every quote meant that publicity for his new single “The Real Slim Shady” was never in short supply helped of course by the lyrics to the track dissing people like Britney Spears, Christina Aguilera and Will Smith among others. The track sold 86,000 copies to make the top impacted a little by the fact that the parent album “The Marshall Mathers LP” has been available for 6 weeks already charting 2-3-2-3-1-2 so far with over 200,000 sales itself, he’s the first solo white rapper to hit the top since Vanilla Ice ten years ago. Eminem wasn’t the early leader though, that was Samantha Mumba. She’s the new protégé of Louis Walsh who has already been No 1 in Ireland for the last three weeks with her debut single “Gotta Tell You”, the 17 year old was discovered on an Irish talent show and now seems set for pop stardom. Her single fell way behind Eminem by the end of the week posting a sale of 68,500. Coldplay are the newest indie darlings to be hailed as the next big thing thanks to a string of low key EP releases throughout 1999 (their biggest hit of these was “Brothers & Sisters, #92) and a growing reputation live. First full release “Shiver” made No 35 earlier this year but it was Radio 1 support for their new single “Yellow” coupled with their recent Glastonbury set which has really propelled them into the top 10 this week after selling 45,000 copies. Their first album “Parachutes” is released in a fortnight. The signs are worrying for the Vengaboys, after five straight top 4 singles their last single “Shalala Lala” only made No 5 and now “Uncle John From Jamaica” crashes in at No 6 (40,000). Regardless it’s a 7th straight top 10 hit and a third from their album “The Platinum album” which looks like it won’t be living up to that title spending only 5 weeks in the top 30 though it rallies a little 34-31 this week. Fast emerging this year as a real rival to the “Ibiza” route of breaking a hit is Ayia Napa, see case in point Lonyo. The British DJ’s hit “Summer Of Love” was broken there and makes its way back to the UK to debut at No 8 (34,000) this week, the sample running through incidentally is "La Critica" by Disilusion. Kylie spins 1-3 (54,000), Darude lose their way 3-5 (43,000) and Black Legend are in trouble 2-7 (37,000). David Gray descends 5-9 (33,000) and Sonique drops 4-10 (30,000) but “It Feels So Good” is now a massive hit and as it’s half way through the year here’s the YTD top 10: 1- PURE SHORES- All Saints 682,000 2- IT FEELS SO GOOD- Sonique- 530,000 3- TOCA’S MIRACLE- Fragma- 511,000 4- FILL ME IN- Craig David- 471,000 5- RISE- Gabrielle 446,000 6- NEVER BE THE SAME AGAIN- Melanie C Featuring Lisa “Left-Eye” Lopes 393,000 7- OOOPS I DID IT AGAIN- Britney Spears- 392,000 8- AMERICAN PIE- Madonna 373,000 9- THE BAD TOUCH- Bloodhound Gang- 370,000 10- REACH- S Club 7- 353,000 Sonique moving up to No 2 this week though overtaking All Saints may ultimately prove a big ask. On a side note there have been 111 new entries into the top 10 this year making second only to 1997 on that front by 13 debuts on a YTD comparison. 1- THE REAL SLIM SHADY- Eminem (86,000) 2- GOTTA TELL YOU- Samantha Mumba (68,500) 3- SPINNING AROUND- Kylie Minogue (54,000) 4- YELLOW- Coldplay (45,000) 5- SANDSTORM- Darude (43,000) 6- UNCLE JOHN FROM JAMAICA- Vengaboys (40,000) 7- YOU SEE THE TROUBLE WITH ME- Black Legend (37,000) 8- SUMMER OF LOVE- Lonyo (34,000) 9- BABYLON- David Gray (33,000) 10- IT FEELS SO GOOD- Sonique (30,000)

#51 IT DOESN’T OFTEN SNOW AT CHRISTMAS YEAR: 2009 PEAK POSITION: 40 Christmas is not all it’s cracked up to be Families fighting around a plastic tree Nothing on the TV that you’d want to see And it’s hardly ever snowing Technically part of their “Christmas EP”, lead track “It Doesn’t Often Snow At Christmas” dated back to 1997 when it was fan club exclusive single and was remixed for this release. The EP also contained their mash up of “Domino Dancing” and “Viva La Vida” which also garnered some attention. It was their last top 40 single as the noughties came to an end. AI: Unlike most Christmas songs, this one doesn’t pretend everything is magical. Instead, it leans into the disappointment, the commercialism, the forced cheer. But rather than sounding cynical, it’s affectionate—like someone rolling their eyes at the season while still secretly loving it. He sings about the lack of snow, the lack of magic, the lack of sincerity, but he does it with a twinkle. It’s a Christmas song for people who don’t trust Christmas songs. It’s a rare thing: a Christmas song that feels honest, witty, and emotionally grounded. It acknowledges the season’s flaws while still finding joy in it. It’s festive pop for grown‑ups, outsiders, and anyone who prefers their Christmas with a side of irony and a disco beat. Highest score: 9 @MangoOoOoOo @AH Gold Lowest score: 1- @Ghoulian

I'd certainly recommend the album as it is very PSB sounding and some of rhe reworks are fantastic!

I would add, as much as I love the PSB original, the version of "Rent" she does on the album takes it to a whole new level. See also the version of twist in my sobriety.

Hurrah for @MangoOoOoOo . You all did this song the dirty. I must admit I wasn't much fussed on it when i bought "results" but over the years I've grown to love it, and it's certainly better than DDB even if it seems most don't agree with me 😁

#52 SO SORRY I SAID YEAR: 1989 PEAK POSITION: 62 I bought my freedom after all that we have shared I couldn’t leave you Think of the skins I’d have to shed Third release from the “Results” album was another Lowe/Tennant composition which the boys had performed on the 1991 tour, it was handed to Minelli for her album and the single got lost somewhat in the pre-Christmas rush and because the single contains nothing new for fans to buy. It was originally envisaged as a duet between Minelli and Frank Sinatra (whom Minelli had recently been on tour with) however Minelli wanted Tenant as a duo partner, in the end the compromise was that it was a solo Minelli track. AI: “So Sorry I Said” is the quietest, saddest, and most emotionally precise moment on Results — a miniature Sondheim‑esque drama where Liza Minnelli turns apology into self‑imprisonment. At its heart, the song is about staying in a damaged relationship because leaving feels harder than enduring it. The narrator apologises not out of guilt, but out of exhaustion — a pattern of capitulation that keeps the relationship intact but corrodes her sense of self. This reading is strongly supported by commentary noting that the song depicts someone who finds it “easier simply to apologise and continue on as before,” even when the relationship feels like a ghetto or a prison. The final line — “think of the skins I’d have to shed” — is devastating. It suggests that leaving would require a total reinvention, a painful peeling away of identity. Critics have rightly called this metaphor “brilliant” for how it captures emotional entanglement. Minnelli’s performance is unusually controlled, almost conversational. Where other Results tracks let her unleash theatrical fire, here she leans into fragility. That restraint becomes its own form of drama — a woman holding herself together through politeness. Highest scorer: 10- @Gezza Lowest scorer: 2 @Pting Rollo

Tomorrow we lose our first 80s track!

#53 LEAVING YEAR: 2012 PEAK POSITION: 44 Our love is dead, but the dead don't go away They made us what we are, they're with us everyday A song which at least returned the group to the top 50 if nothing else. Drawing from the death of his parents in 2008 and 2009, Tennant drew inspiration for the lyrics and the song was salvaged from another track they wrote “Heaven Is A Playground” which they wrote a new chorus. This is officially our favourite PSB post 2009 "hit". AI: Where many breakup songs lean into catharsis, Leaving does the opposite. It’s about the moment when the relationship is already over, the arguments have stopped, and all that’s left is the slow, painful process of detaching. They avoid grand statements and instead focus on the small, human truths of a relationship’s end. Highest score: 8- @dandy* @MangoOoOoOo Lowest score: 2.5 @chartjack2

#54 THURSDAY YEAR: 2013 PEAK POSITION: 61 And when I wake I’ll call it fate that it’s not over, over, over Marking their final single to chart, and hooking up with Example, this was actually a fourth release from the “Electric” album but their only to chart. The duo wanted a rap in the single and initially sampled a Nicki Minaj track to see how it would sound, they liked it enough to play to Stuart Price who was producing the album and was also working with Example, he suggested using the latter on the single and hey presto. AI: At heart, “Thursday” is about the tiny, precious window between obligation and release. Thursday isn’t the weekend; it’s the promise of the weekend. That liminal space—anticipation rather than fulfilment—is where the Pet Shop Boys thrive. The lyrics are deceptively simple, but they capture something very real: the way routine shapes emotion. Thursday becomes a metaphor for hope in the middle of monotony, a reminder that joy often arrives in small, predictable doses. (Example free version for @Jester ) Highest score: 8.5 @gooddelta @Popchartfreak Lowest score: 0- @Jester