Jaz13music

19 Happy - Pharrell Williams. Number one for 4 weeks (total) Year end number 85 (1 in 2014) First a point of order. As I discussed at the very start of the thread, Happy was number one in a week in which both all of the sales, and the chart were announced in 2013, and even though the OCC present it as a week ‘ending’ in 2014, I think that makes it a 2013 number one?! So, arriving at number one at the very end of the year, was this juggernaut of a song. A song this big leaves a large footprint, so there’s a lot to get through here. It was, obviously, released off the back of the soundtrack of the movie Despicable Me 2, and interestingly, considered its success, was the only single taken from it. The soundtrack was first released in July 2013 and the single only followed in the November, alongside a music video. It also, later served as a lead single from Pharrell’s second solo album Girl in 2014. Williams originally wrote the song for CeeLo Green and he felt Green's recording of the song was better, but Green's record label, decided against it since he was on the verge of releasing his own Christmas album. I haven’t yet sought out his version but I can see how that would work. The music video was billed as being "the world's first 24-hour music video." It consists of the four-minute song repeated multiple times, with various, often famous, people dancing around Los Angeles and miming along. An associated website allowed users to dip into any of the 360 four-minute sections. To highlight just how popular this song was, if only to remind myself, here’s some mega statistics :- The most downloaded song in UK history Total UK (true) sales of over 1.93 million The 9th best ‘selling’ single of all time in the UK Spent a record equaling, at the time (thanks Rein Me In!), 3 separate spells at UK number one in a single chart run Number one in 22 different countries and in most of the English speaking world, including the US, UK, Canada, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand. It was the best-selling song of 2014 in both the United States with 6.45 million copies, and in the United Kingdom with 1.5 million copies sold in that year. The song was Billboard’s number-one single for 2014. It was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Original Song. It lost to Let It Go. It was the most successful song of 2014 worldwide with 13.9 million units (sales plus equivalent streams). At the Grammys it won Best Music Video, and a live rendition of the song won Best Pop Solo Performance. The music video was nominated for Best Male Video and Video of the Year at the MTV Video Music Awards. It was Pharrell’s 3rd 2013 UK number 1, the most of any artist that year. The most downloaded song in UK music history, really only took off properly in 2014. For the era it had a relatively gradual climb up the charts through December (71<30<4<2<1) increasing popularity as it went. And obviously the success of the film helped massively, but I think it was so ubiquitous that it would probably still have been huge without that. So you’d think a song with such success would be a great one wouldn’t you? Maybe groundbreaking musically? Sonically exciting? Or lyrically expansive? However, as is often the case with songs that are so successful crossing over to the mainstream public it comes across as quite bland, if not a bit boring. Perhaps some of that comes from overplaying but it feels like a limp pastiche of 60s pop and soul but with no oomph. It’s a nice enough uptempo and very catchy soul/ Motown tribute, and has a quite sparse arrangement, which I usually like. Just programmed drums, bass, simple keyboard and the signature ‘happy’ clapping, along with Pharrell’s admittedly great exuberant falsetto and a group of backing vocalists. I’m a big Pharrell fan and it was great to see him have so much success in 2013 at the age of 40. I like the positivity in both the lyrics and sound and its celebration of lighthearted fun in music and life in general. But it really does come across as what it is, a children’s song from a children’s film. Lyrics like ‘Clap along if you feel like that’s what you wanna do?’ are hardly inspiring, and ‘Clap along if you feel like a room without a roof’ just makes no sense. And it keeps on running back the chorus without any bridge, it’s so repetitive… And maybe I’m just a miserable old git but singing ‘happy’ over and over and over doesn’t really make me happy! 5 Quiz - 12. Answer - Beauty And A Beat - Justin Bieber & Nicki Minaj Which female pop icon released her self-titled visual album with absolutely zero prior announcement in December 2013?

Oh dear, I’m getting a bit worried there is one (or maybe it’s more than one) dance record that I’m ranking highly but everyone else hates. And looking at previous comments I think there are going to be some appearing soon that also won’t be popular decisions! 😬.

I love (Don’t Fear) The Reaper. Jangly guitars and driving rhythm, it sounds like a modern indie song, very ahead of its time. I’ve never heard Cargo Culte before, I’m afraid I wasn’t around the forum in 2023 😔, but it’s a great new discovery for me, thanks. Really atmospheric and almost sinister in sound, I’m wondering should I look up a lyric translation or is it not advisable given the subject matter?!😆

I certainly understand everyone’s nostalgia for songs from school productions though. For me it’s the lyrics of Johnny Mathis’ When A Child Is Born that are permanently burnt onto my brain… whether I like it or not! 😆

Not really a fan of Any Dream Will Do, it’s not something I’d choose to seek out. I’m sure Jason is great in the live show but I have to agree that his recorded vocals on this seem a bit uninspiring.

20 Under Control - Calvin Harris & Alesso Feat. Hurts Number one for 1 week Year end number 114 Number 2 watch - Let Me Go - Gary Barlow Under Control is Harris paired with Swedish DJ Alesso and features vocals from Theo Hutchcraft which are credited to his duo Hurts. The song was the first single from Harris's fourth studio album, Motion and the second single from Alesso's debut Forever. It became Harris's fifth number-one single, and the first for both Alesso and Hurts. Look, I love a lot of Calvin’s hits, especially his earlier successes, but I have to admit there are a few less impactful dance music ‘by numbers’ in their midst, and this is one of those. The position in the end of year chart perhaps points to its lack of a longstanding footprint. Musically the Harris hallmarks are there, euphoric EDM, epic drops and I do like the change up to male vocals, I was certainly a fan of Hurts in the early 2010s. It does however have a feel of Harris repeating his successful formula again, with diminishing returns, I’m afraid it just doesn’t stand out much for me. But we’ll certainly see Harris’ influence on the music of this era throughout this list. 5 Quiz - Answer - Jay-Z Which 2012/13 hit duet reached a new peak in the UK top 10 this year?

Oh, the ‘Grocer Jack’ song, I haven’t heard that in years. Great choice!

Gathering all your brilliant choices into a ‘best of the 60s’ playlist, that I’ve been wanting to motivate myself to do for ages!

Three fantastic songs in that group! Sunday Girl is probably my favourite of Blondie’s poppier singles, love the French version too. Rat Trap the first new wave number one is great, quite unusual with its spoken lyrics and odd song structure. Maggie May is easily Rod’s best single, his vocals are excellent

Do The Bartman is okay for what it is. I never hated it but wouldn’t choose to listen either. It feels lyrically a ‘novelty’ song but one that wants to be taken seriously musically, so an odd position to be in. I took a sneaky peek at the 1991 number ones. It seems like a very polarised list for me, lots of dross but also lots of great songs. I’m curious to find out which run of three number ones you mean Julian, and whether they are also my favourites.

21 What About Us - The Saturdays Feat. Sean Paul. Number one for 1 week Year end number 37 We’re now getting into the realms of songs that I like. I’m sad that this remains the Saturday’s only UK number 1 single (and also Paul’s 2nd). I first must say that I like the Saturdays and most of their hit singles and I apologise to fans for the lowish position. My problem here lies with the jarring and, at the time, seemingly obligatory Sean Paul appearance in the UK version giving it a ‘reggae rap vibe’. Plus more dodgy accents, this time the annoying faux Caribbean accents from the girls. There was a ‘solo’, more ‘US centric’ version, which I actually enjoy much more. I also like the singalong chorus with its ‘na, na, na’ refrain. Otherwise it has a lot of EDM energy but even this felt a bit like bandwagon jumping, perhaps aiming for that US audience as it was used in their reality TV show over there. I prefer their other more pop based singles much more. 5 Quiz - Answer - I Love It" – Icona Pop ft. Charli XCX Which rapper was featured on Justin Timberlake's 2013 comeback single "Suit & Tie"?

Really interesting, thank you!

I suppose true ‘sales’ at the time? Has it changed much since then?

So is Take A Chance On Me the best selling ABBA song? Or maybe Super Trouper or Winner Takes It All from the 80s?

I have to say I’m really jealous of some of you getting to explore the Velvet Underground back catalogue for the first time. I’d say their debut is the most consistent but all their albums are fantastic (even the live one) but in very different ways, and they all have at least one or two of my absolute favourites on them. I think my streaming figures will show I’ve listened more to them than even the Beatles in recent years. Maybe I should have sent some of their more obscure stuff into contests on BJ?!

Debut album from the excellent London band due out January 27. Latest great single is called Tiny Feet

I suppose I see it as, if the Beatles are the foundation of modern pop music, and the Stones probably the same for rock music, then the Velvet Underground are alternative music’s equivalent.

Not much to say about The Stonk that hasn’t already been mentioned. It made some money for charity….

22 Counting Stars - OneRepublic. Number one for 2 weeks Year end number 9 (44 in 2014) Number 2 watch - Can We Dance - Vamps The second single taken from the bands third studio album Native, giving them their first and so far only number one single. Songwriter and frontman, Ryan Tedder, described the song as being about lying awake at night worrying about money and the future, but looking forward positively, by counting stars instead of sheep. Its video, which features the band performing in the ground floor of a building beneath a church congregation on the upper floor, is one of the top 20 most watched of all time. It has over 4.2 billion views on YouTube, and is one of the most watched for any band. It’s certainly an infectious song with its folk pop sound and driving rhythm, it also has a little R&B feeling to it. Tedder, who is obviously a very accomplished pop song writer (Adele, Beyonce, Leona Lewis, Ella Henderson) sprinkles a bit of this across the song and I especially like the gospel like ‘take that money, watch it burn..’ refrain in the middle. I could easily see that working in an Adele song. It’s not that I don’t like it, it just washes over me with little impact, maybe suffering from overplaying. So.. 4 Quiz - Answer - Just Give Me a Reason - P!nk feat. Nate Ruess Which 2013 UK number one contains the lyric: “You're on a different road, I'm in the Milky Way. You want me down on earth, but I am up in space"?

Ha, Tomorrow Never Knows is also my favourite Beatles song! As you can probably guess by now I’m a sucker for 60s psychedelia. Coming from Northwest England the Cavern was my parent’s lodestar and that had a huge influence on my childhood musical memories obviously including the Beatles. Be My Baby is excellent, especially that intro that has been copied so many times since, and the wonderful Spector production. I’ve been quickly trying to think what else might go in my favourite 60s songs, aside from the brilliant songs and artists you’ve already highlighted. I think I’d include Waterloo Sunset - The Kinks, Itchycoo Park - The Small Faces, Like A Rolling Stone - Bob Dylan, These Boots Are Made For Walkin’ - Nancy Sinatra, His Latest Flame - Elvis Presley, Moon River - Danny Williams, You’ve Lost That Loving Feeling- Righteous Brothers, Mr Tambourine Man - Byrds, I Got You Babe - Sonny & Cher, I Heard It Through The Grapevine - Marvin Gaye, The Sun Ain’t Gonna Shine Anymore - Walker Brothers, Daydream Believer - Monkeys, Baby Love - Supremes, The Dock Of The Bay - Otis Redding Sorry it’s such a long list, so many great songs and I got a bit carried away. I feel a playlist coming on!

Dancing Queen is one of the rare occasions where an artist’s most famous/played/successful song is also their best!

Love House Of The Rising Sun, especially Burdon coming across all evangelical preacher and of course the wonderful keyboards Hard to resist California Dreamin’s gorgeous harmonies. Dedicated… may be even better for me. Love your signed photos too!

I can’t be upset at this being last, it’s a bit, shall we say ‘flaccid’. The only redeeming features are the intro and the harmonies. And using ‘sex’ as a verb, always irritated the language nerd in me 😆. Echoing the view that Baby Baby would have made a much better number one.

23 I Could Be The One - Avicii & Nicky Romero. Number one for 1 week Year end number 27 This song is credited to Avicci and Dutch DJ Nicky Romero and features uncredited vocals from Swedish singer Noonie Bao. It was given the working title ‘Nicktim’, which is a combination of both producers' (Nick Rotteveel and Tim Bergling) first names. After fully mastering the track, they settled on using the track name I Could Be the One (Nicktim) while the artists are stated as Avicii vs Nicky Romero. It became both Avicii and Nicky Romero's first chart-topping singles in the UK. The first and, in my opinion, least of many really great dance records reaching number one in 2013, it seems a real peak period for the genre and the best thing is that they all have a different sound and influences. Needless to say there’s some real bangers to come. This one, however, feels a bit EDM by numbers with some chart friendly pop thrown in to sweeten it. The vocals and twinkling synths are nice but I don’t find it too impactful and to be truthful didn’t remember much of it before re listening, and forgot it again soon after. Avicii would have a better more memorable and much bigger hit to follow 4 Quiz - Answer - 30 Which duet single won the 2013 MTV Video Music Award for Best Collaboration?

Two more great songs! A Whiter Shade.. is one of my dad’s favourites of the 60s so I pretty much grew up with it being played regularly. A really beautiful but dramatic song. Stand Be Me I really only grew to know and love on its rerelease, probably due to its criminally low 1961 peak. I wonder why it wasn’t a bigger hit at the time? For me it’s the soaring strings that lift it to greatness.