Popchartfreak

all one short of a full house there. I blame Morrissey. round 1: same name different act: 36 one year out doh! round 2: down: 39 3 in 10: Rubber Bullets, Dreadlock Holiday, Donna

1 1 32 TOKYO RAIN - Loaded Honey 1749200 And so to the top track of the year, the third and biggest of Loaded Honey's tracks and a single that never even got as far as getting one radio play that I'm aware of. Tragic! All 3 Loaded Honey's in the top 20 are gorgeous, but this is the most melodically gorgeous of all, and with yet another great video. The swirling intro has vibes from the early 00's sample-heavy and tuneful hits like The Avalanches' Since I Left You, Lydia Kitto sounds wonderful, and J Lloyd is ever-present in the video not stealing the centre-stage, and Love Made Trees is probably album of the year for me too. Every track is great, many are brilliant. That garage/motel which all the videos are themed around, also features in the current Jungle single video, and first cropped up in previous USA band's videos and media, and still looks iconic.

2 1 33 LOTUS - Rose Gray 1517450 Rose makes the top 10 for a second year, and with another great dance pop track. Her tracks are as good as any hitmaker of the 2020's so it's a little frustrating she isn't getting a break-through. Lotus is subtle, urgent, builds beautifully and has a melody to kill for. Fab production. It has that classic complete feel to it, it's more of a melodic journey that ebbs and flows but does it seamlessly. Her best record to date, and runner-up of 2025.

I'm afraid I OD'd on this at the time, Uni friends first dance song at the wedding and all that, and non-stop radio play since. Just too plodding and overly-familiar, I have to turn it off. OTOH very happily hear A Spaceman Came Travelling, Don't Pay The Ferryman, and some other earlier songs. I really dislike Missing You, that's way worse than Lady In Red - like what you did with the title, literally missing "You" 😄

3 1 34 SECRETS - Miley Cyrus featuring Lindsey Buckingham and Mick Fleetwood 1437050 Mileys 4th and last on the 100, and she basically joins Fleetwood Mac on a very 1970's-sounding track that echoes Christine McVie's Hold Me and other Mac tracks of the 70's and 80's. That'll because it has Mick Fleetwood and Lindsey Buckingham on it, then, and is the closest we are likely to get to another Fleetwood Mac record. Miley does a great vocal, she always sells a song well, and her background harmonies could easily be Stevie & Christine, notwithstanding Miley has already made my year-end with Stevie on her mash-up Edge Of Midnight. Ah, if only she could get them together and jump in to fill-in for the much-missed Christine. It would def work for a hit album even if not the singles chart (this wasnt a hit).

4 1 31 SUNSET BLVD - Selena Gomez & Benny Blanco 1368600 Selena's been around as a decent pop star for a fair while, not to mention actor, but she has reached a new peak for me of late with this naughty track off her latest album with Benny Blanco - who has a hand in a lot of her best stuff - it's just a shame the lyrics make it more difficult for airplay, even though there's no bad language as such - it's about doing "it" in public, but in a sultry lyric rather than an indecent one. Delicious and insistent and subtle. Oh, and Selena's fabulous in Only Murders In The Building, with Martin Short and Steve Martin.

5 1 24 ORDINARY - Alex Warren 1339400 Well this passionate statement of love came along after an already good year for Alex Warren and launched him into a massive global hit with the video and radio-friendly earnestness. I found it charming, and it's fairly clearly the biggest hit of 2025 (still in the top 40 over a year later) and a future Our-Tune for a generation of young couples. Over-played at this stage - but that's a fault of streaming charts and radio programmers, and the best I can hope for is it ebbs and flows in the coming years so it doesn't get too stale. Far and away his best record amongst a crop of good ones.

6 1 33 BRAND NEW ME - Saint Etienne featuring Confidence Man 1301650 Saint Etienne announced very sadly that this year would be their final album release (International), but what a good one to go out on, two great singles (one in 2024's list) and an interesting goodbye. This track is pure pop, a collab with current act Confidence Man - another that can't get a hit - and very retro pop, 90's by way of 60's as the video suggests with it's very endearing trip down memory lane for those of us old enough to remember old Hannah-Barbera animated shows aimed at kids - in this case it's totally The Archies' TV show of Sugar Sugar fame, with a splash of Josie And The Pussycats, a girl group in cartoon form who ended up in outer space in series 2. Guests on the album include Nick Heyward (undergoing his own Haircut 100 comeback this year), Vince Clarke, and members of Orbital, and Chemical Brothers - in the actual charts this very week.

7 1 27 WALK OF FAME - Miley Cyrus featuring Brittany Howard 1256700 Miley's 3rd on the list with added guest wailing from Brittany Howard in the style of a Bronski Beat 80's synth track, a powerful pumping track and another criminally ignored track from Miley in 2025. This is brilliant, exciting, driving and Brittany (from Alabama Shakes) makes it even better. I remain mystified why an act can be huge one year, and then suddenly nothing much hitwise without any significant drop in quality whatsoever. I say "mystified" - it's actually par for the course for pop music as new kids come up to dominate charts on the Next Big Thing as older ones have work and other things to distract them.

8 1 24 OVER - Loaded Honey 1180000 Loaded Honey's second track on the list wasn't a single, but it's just gorgeous and moody, almost Gospel in vibes, and the video is moody, inventive and typically more-ish as per Jungle and Loaded Honey's habit of making clever thematically-linked videos for all tracks on the album. And there's nothing going to make more of a habit out of it than a bunch of nuns. Lazy summer vibes, and just lovely.

9 1 22 RUN WITH U - Mamagama 1076300 Eurovision has been a bit less packed with goodies the last year or two, but this was the best record in the contest. Not claiming best performance, cos it wasn't and it didn't do well, but it's a great track. Azerbaijan invariably bring in quality music writers and producers that often make the UK's look amateurish in comparison. Great little track, lots of bits going on, though some folk not keen on his vocal, I like it.

10 1 20 DIVINE FEELINGS - Vance Joy 970800 Riptide is still huge on streaming. I alone seem to prefer this one over a decade later....fabulous track, not a hit.

11 1 29 DIE WITH A SMILE - Lady Gaga & Bruno Mars 959250 Bruno's second in the top 20, and the one that had a 2024 run that went top 30 in that year's list. Unusually, I got even bigger on it, possibly nostalgia for the Florida holiday - it was THE song of that holiday - but also it's just a brilliant old-fashioned ballad and Gaga's second on the list this year, and quite possibly the best record from both. Combined 2024 and 2025 "sales" comfortably place it top 3 in either year. Gorgeous and emotional, even if Gaga looks like my much-missed grandma with that ciggie in her mouth while doing other stuff. Naughty Gaga!

12 2 17 BROKENHEARTED - Gabry Ponte & Train 954650 Gabry Ponte had a go at Eurovision in 2025. This is not that, nor his Eiffel 65 Blue era, but it gives Train yet another Year-End listing 24 years on from the first of many. Dance banger.

13 1 23 DON'T SPEAK - Loaded Honey 937650 The radio lead single from Loaded Honey's fabulous album, a side-project from two key members of Jungle, and just as wonderful as the best of Jungle, but in a softer, 60's melodic Easy Listening vibe. Unique.

14 1 19 LIFE IN A NORTHERN TOWN - Justin Hayward & Mike Batt 901800 Mike Batt has just released a Symphony for Ukraine, crowd-funded, and still Wombling free and busy 52 years on and counting, including this lovely nostalgic take on The Dream Academy classic with legendary Moody Blues' Vocalist Justin Hayward on lead. Mike's first credited year-end 100 appearance since 1975 (gulp!) and Justin's since 1978 (barring remixes). The video is some of my childhood, pretty much.

15 1 17 HAMMER TO THE HEART - Teddy Swims 889150 Teddy Swims was huge in 2025, but this track oddly wasn't. How Bizarre!

Kosheen were under-rated and Sian is a great singer, criminal she's faded from view even as a guest vocalist. This is a big dubstep-ish dance track and I'm ashamed to admit I'd forgotten it and how good is it, her second-best track after Kosheen's Harder, and DJ Fresh's top tune too. Someone should do a mash-up and call it Louder, Harder, tho' the big tempo and mood difference would be a challenge!

Not sure I've ever reviewed 1983 into a favourite list, but I do have my End Of Year "Sales" Chart as I still do 'em and with acculated "sales" from re-entry to my personal charts since they will be something like this: BILLIE-JEAN - Michael Jackson LET'S DANCE - David Bowie MOONLIGHT SHADOW - Mike Oldfield OUR LIPS ARE SEALED - Fun Boy 3 I'M STILL STANDING - Elton John EVERY BREATH YOU TAKE - The Police SWEET DREAMS (ARE MADE OF THIS) - Eurythmics 1999 - Prince SPEAK LIKE A CHILD - The Style Council TOTAL ECLIPSE OF THE HEART - Bonnie Tyler THRILLER - Michael Jackson BLUE MONDAY - New Order (KEEP FEELIN') FASCINATION - Human League MY OH MY - Slade HEARTACHE AVENUE - The Maisonettes CHINA GIRL - David Bowie WHEN WE WERE YOUNG - Bucks Fizz THE STORY OF THE BLUES - Wah! KARMA CHAMELEON - Culture Club VICTIMS - Culture Club THEY DON'T KNOW - Tracey Ullman MAMA - Genesis TEMPTATION - Heaven 17 AFRICA - Toto CLUB TROPICANA - Wham! BABY JANE - Rod Stewart DEAR PRUDENCE - Siouxise & The Banshees WINGS OF A DOVE - Madness STEPPIN' OUT - Joe Jackson THE LONG HOT SUMMER - The Style Council SAY SAY SAY - Paul McCartney & Michael Jackson MODERN LOVE - David Bowie FLASHDANCE - Irene Cara LITTLE RED CORVETTE - Prince LOVE IS A STRANGER - Eurythmics WRAPPED AROUND YOUR FINGER - The Police PIPES OF PEACE - Paul McCartney I GUESS THAT'S WHY THEY CALL IT THE BLUES - Elton John CHURCH OF THE POISON MIND - Culture Club HEART AND SOUL - Huey Lewis & The News

top notch classics and many having to fall short 😱 Frankie Goes To Hollywood - Relax Echo And The Bunnymen - The Killing Moon Madonna - Holiday Rockwell - Somebody's Watching Me Queen - Radio Ga Ga

round 1: 70's smoochers: 39 round 2: his n hers: 30 (Got the word Change wrong for Glen Medeiros and went for Nothing's Gonna Hmfmf My Love For You); The Smiths 3 in 10: Sexual Healing, Heard It Through The Grapevine, Too Busy Thinkin Bout My Baby

29th June 1976 It's the long hot scorching summer continuing as Beatles tracks drop into another contained side chart from the main chart to free up space for more current tracks, and which leaves Peter Frampton on top for week 2, and Bryan Ferry as runner-up on his highest-peaking solo track...ever! Demis Roussos bounds up to 4 with Forever And Ever's lazy musical vibes suiting the hot weather, and Candi Staton gets her first Top 10 at 6 with the classic Young Hearts Run Free. That leaves The Beach Boys getting 1966's epic Good Vibrations into the top tier for a 5th top 10 in 8 years, B side Wouldnt It Be Nice up to 32, and new cover song Rock And Roll Music in at 31. The band had a hit album at 1, a new album due out soon, and ruling the summer airwaves with the surf sound. Starbuck leap into the 20, The Sensational Alex Harvey Band chart The Boston Tea Party at 38, not an obvious topic for a hit record, their second after Delilah topped my chart in 1975, and Linda & The Funky Boys disco dance into my chart with the little-played Sold My Soul, it didn't get much airplay even at the time and it's pretty good. In at 43 with added synth solo mid-track, just ahead of Johnny Cash's last hit for 25 years or so, One Piece At A Time with an amusing lyric about stealing a car from work, one piece at a time and putting it together at home. In bottom rung Silver Convention get a 4th entry with Tiger Baby, I'm assuming the double A side didn't get airplay for t'other track No No Joe, as I didn't list it. Oddly, as it's a bit more upbeat, more fun than laid-back Tiger Baby. 1 ( 1 ) SHOW ME THE WAY Peter Frampton 2 ( 4 ) LET'S STICK TOGETHER Bryan Ferry 3 ( 2 ) THE CONTINENTAL Maureen McGovern 4 ( 25 ) FOREVER AND EVER Demis Roussos 5 ( 7 ) THE BOYS ARE BACK IN TOWN Thin Lizzy 6 ( 12 ) YOUNG HEARTS RUN FREE Candi Staton 7 ( 3 ) JOLENE Dolly Parton 8 ( 5 ) SHAKE IT DOWN Mud 9 ( 8 ) LEADER OF THE PACK The Shangri-Las 10 ( 21 ) GOOD VIBRATIONS The Beach Boys 11 ( 13 ) IT ONLY TAKES A MINUTE 100 Ton & A Feather aka Jonathan King 12 ( 15 ) THE WANDERER Dion 13 ( 10 ) YOU'RE MY EVERYTHING Lee Garrett 14 ( 18 ) I LOVE TO BOOGIE T. Rex 15 ( 43 ) MOONLIGHT FEELS RIGHT Starbuck 16 ( 19 ) YOU'RE MY BEST FRIEND Queen 17 ( 14 ) YOU TO ME ARE EVERYTHING The Real Thing 18 ( 11 ) LET YOUR LOVE FLOW The Bellamy Brothers 19 ( 36 ) GOT TO GET YOU INTO MY LIFE The Surprise Sisters 20 ( 22 ) DANCIN' KID Disco Tex & The Sex-O-Lettes 21 ( 26 ) SHOTGUN WEDDING Roy C 22 ( 41 ) HOLD YOUR HEAD UP Argent 23 ( 27 ) LOVE STEALER Hello 24 ( 35 ) YOU JUST MIGHT SEE ME CRY Our Kid 25 ( 31 ) SOUL CITY WALK Archie Bell & The Drells 26 ( 20 ) SILLY LOVE SONGS Wings 27 ( 42 ) LOOP DI LOVE Shag aka Jonathan King 28 ( 16 ) THIS IS IT Melba Moore 29 ( 17 ) MORE MORE MORE Andrea True Connection 30 ( 9 ) STAR TREK The Charles Randolph Greane Sounde 31 ( NEW ) ROCK AND ROLL MUSIC The Beach Boys 32 ( 47 ) WOULDN'T IT BE NICE The Beach Boys 33 ( 44 ) YOU ARE MY LOVE Liverpool Express 34 ( 24 ) LOVE HANGOVER Diana Ross 35 ( 23 ) STRANGE MAGIC Electric Light Orchestra 36 ( 28 ) COULD IT BE MAGIC Donna Summer 37 ( 30 ) FERNANDO ABBA 38 ( NEW ) BOSTON TEA PARTY The Sensational Alex Harvey band 39 ( 32 ) MY RESISTANCE IS LOW Robin Sarstedt 40 ( 29 ) IT'LL BE ME BABE The Shadows 41 ( 48 ) LITTLE PIECE OF LEATHER Donnie Elbert 42 ( 37 ) GLAD I WAITED FOR YOU Nancy Ryan 43 ( NEW ) SOLD MY SOUL FOR ROCK'N'ROLL Linda & The Funky Boys 44 ( NEW ) ONE PIECE AT A TIME Johnny Cash 45 ( RE ) WHAT A WONDERFUL WORLD Johnny Nash 46 ( 50 ) TAKE THE MONEY AND RUN The Steve Miller Band 47 ( 33 ) HEART ON MY SLEEVE Gallagher & Lyle 48 ( 34 ) C'MON MARIANNE Donny Osmond 49 ( 49 ) I'M MANDY FLY ME 10cc 50 ( NEW ) TIGER BABY Silver Convention 29th June 1976 THE BEATLES REISSUES CHART And with it returning, I had bought two Beatles singles - Eleanor Rigby/Yellow Submarine and I Feel Fine - and Back In The USSR/Twist And Shout was in the UK chart, so Eleanor grabs a week on top, I Feel Fine hits a new peak of 2, ditto Back In The USSR and Twist And Shout, and that blistering vocal from John at 5. 1 ( RE ) ELEANOR RIGBY The Beatles 2 ( RE ) I FEEL FINE The Beatles 3 ( 6 ) BACK IN THE U.S.S.R. The Beatles 4 ( RE ) YELLOW SUBMARINE The Beatles 5 ( 46 ) TWIST AND SHOUT The Beatles

Example, I'd forgotten that one entirely until I played it, and immediately liked it but I rated it as a top 40 peak as opposed to top 3 for the previous Example chart-topper. Doesn't sound dated to me at all, because I consider 2011 to be recent and I still enjoy dance bangers of any sub-genre😄It seems about 7 or 8 years ago, oops! One Direction OTOH sounds even more recent, and still annoying by virtue of not having the good taste to stop being played on the radio. I always found their stuff bland, predictable and Paint By Numbers, OK for two or three weeks and then of little interest beyond that. What Makes You Beautiful was about average for them, peaking at 59 for me, but not one of their 10 singles I bothered to chart ever made my top 40, their grown-up solo singles by every member are generally often much better, and many are brilliant pop tracks. This, I would rate near the bottom of the list as I still would prefer not to hear it. My word but they sold records though!

Awww I really like True Blue, fun pastiche of the late 50's/early 60's melodic pop era but with that 80's synth beat. She disowned it when she split up with Sean Penn and has stayed Not True Blue ever since, banning it from the Immaculate Collection and all other hits collections to my annoyance. Nice background harmony melodies going on, that key change is great, and lyrically sums up the teen songs of the past and her girlie vocals suit the material. Beats Wham to my Best To Drop Out title so far.

2000 Miles is an under-rated Christmas song - just one year if we could have an entire Christmas chart of over-looked oldies classics they might get more of a chance to make a permanent dent into the Usual Suspects. Maybe a SCR year for any christmas song that hasnt gone top 40 every bloody year for a decade! 9/10. Victims is a 10/10 for me, George could do dark ballads beautifully back in the day, and this carried through into his solo work. His voice always convinced, before it went. 10/10. Blancmange, great production but I was less convinced by the song 8/10. Tears For Fears ditto 7/10. Marguerita Time is Quo's last great party hit, still a fun tune and a rare shining traditional Quo song in a post-1980 cloud of mostly ho-hum-ness. 8/10. Elvis' cover of I Can Help isnt a patch on the original, but for that Elvis 1975 period it was one of his better efforts 7/10. I love Pipes Of Peace, or as The Tube's resident Scottish presenter opined at the time, Pipes Of Piss. The WW1 video made a point nicely, and the song will remain relevant until the end of the human race. Plus the tune is fab, peak Macca with a hint of Let 'Em In. Sentimental optimism is fine by me :) 9/10. Cold As Christmas was an odd choice from the rather good album, as it's not really a Xmas song. Crystal was the stand-out non-single and that could have been big. 5/10 Tell Her About It never one of my fave Joel songs, though I like the retro vibes 5/10. Frank Kelly has been struck from my brain cells. No idea. Kool & The Gang, actually the hook for this one has stayed with me, and one of their better efforts 7/10. Read 'Em And Weep is one of Bazza's best singles, Jim Steinman suits his OTT slushy ballad style more than his usual drivel 8/10. Jimmy Cliff's original of Many Rivers To Cross is heart-wrenching and fab, and UB40 gave a semi-obscure classic a platform with a decent version, so an 8/10 from me, much rather hear this than Red Red Wine yet again. Sweet Surrender I recall as a dull ballad 4/10. Christmas Spectre I dont recall either, but a fan of the originals so it's bound to be a 5/10. The Minder duet I hated, got on my nerves very quickly 2/10. Ditto singing Santa.