Jaz13music

Oh no, not Dolly! 😢 Such a wonderful artist, and seemingly an even better person. RIP

Thanks so much for this, it’s really interesting. But so many of my favourites are outside the top 150 here! It's My Party, My Camera Never Lies, Doctorin' the Tardis, Jack Your Body, Use It Up and Wear It Out, Beat Surrender, I Owe You Nothing, I Don't Wanna Dance, Pump Up the Volume, the Adam & The Ants number ones and especially Theme From S’Express! All bangers.

Really loving this countdown @Gezza! Fantastic to finally get some more accurate best seller figures for the 70s.

Yes, the best debut album of the year. Fantastic live too, if you get the chance to see them.

X Blurred Lines - Robin Thicke Feat. T.I. and Pharrell Williams. Number one for 5 weeks Year end number 1 Number 2 watch - The Other Side - Jason Derulo First, an apology for a bit of a cop out! So I’ve decided to get Blurred Lines out of the way first, it is definitely the one I was least looking forward to assessing. Ironically it’s also the one I’ll almost certain to write the most about. I’m afraid it’s going to be a bit heavy but I didn’t feel in all conscience I could just brush over its impact. When Julian asked me if I wanted to choose one of the early 2010s years as my number 1 ranking, I jumped at 2013 primarily due to my love of the songs towards the top of my list, and hope a that I could write enthusiastically about them. However I forgot it included this song and all its issues. With most artists with extremely objectionable histories (Glitter, R Kelly etc) or questionable opinions (Kanye, Morrissey etc) I often try to separate the people from their art when discussing the music, though at times Thicke appears to fit in both those categories too. However the problem with Blurred Lines is that it’s the song that is the issue. I found it so difficult to know where to pitch it in the countdown that I’m breaking with tradition and not ranking it at all. I hope that’s okay?! (Otherwise just count it as last). It’s especially sad we’re talking about the biggest single of the year which, on the surface is musically okay but lyrically is obviously very suspect. Funnily enough the thing it probably became most famous for, the ensuing plagiarism case, bothers me the least. I never really saw a great similarity between Blurred Lines and Got To Give It Up, and I feel that if the writers had offered a credit to Marvin Gaye, as is the common outcome since this case (à la Ed Sheeran with Shape Of You vs TLCs No Scrubs) I think that would probably have been acceptable and the financial penalty would have been much less. I never agreed that you can copy the ‘vibe’ of a song since all pop music is indebted to others before them. Instead it changed the whole face of musicology and copyright, the effects of which we still see to this day. That could be a whole discussion in itself. Part of the reason I find it hard to rank is that I really like the music. For me, certainly at the time, it was a real earworm and I’m sure I wasn’t the only one. The bouncy electro pop minimalist funk, unusual cowbell loop percussion, contrasting vocals and the chart hogging talents (and ‘woos’) of Pharrell were all evident. Maybe it’s an instrumental version I needed? Of course the obvious issues relate to the lyrics. It was accused of promoting rape culture and objectifying women, especially lines such as "I know you want it", "What rhymes with hug me?", “Just let me liberate you”, and “I hate these blurred lines” among others, suggesting that sexual advances are justified regardless of consent. In his attempted defence, Thicke argued the song was misinterpreted and was actually about his wife (!), and Pharrell later admitted to being embarrassed by the lyrics, acknowledging they catered to a "chauvinist culture". However that doesn’t explain the video, particularly the uncensored version, which was rightly heavily criticized further for depicting nude models engaging in suggestive behavior while the artists appeared in suits (I’m not posting that here). Then came the infamous 2013 MTV Video Music Awards when Thicke performed "Blurred Lines" as a duet with Miley Cyrus, medleyed with We Can’t Stop and Give It 2 U. Miley had stripped down to a small skin-colored two-piece outfit and touched Thicke's crotch area with a giant foam finger and twerked against him. The audience reaction both in the studio and at home seemed to be both confusion and discomfort. It became the most tweeted about event in history and Miley later said she felt sexualised while twerking in the performance. Without getting too political I’d like to think we’ve come a long way since 2013, but it certainly feels like we’ve been regressing a lot as a society recently. So all in all a decent, extremely popular ‘tune’ (at the time) but with very objectionable sentiments. Interestingly enough, for the best seller of the year, it seems to have had relatively less impact over recent years, or is that just wishful thinking? With most year end number ones I can find some redeeming features or reasons for its popularity, here I find that difficult. Hope you’ll forgive me for a lack of ranking, I’ll try to be a bit more upbeat from now on. X (no score) A Quiz: Now for something less heavy! I hope you don’t mind, but as an added bonus, just for fun, I’ve made some 2013 related quiz questions for you to try between each post. Answers will be with the following post and there’s no prizes (sorry). No spoilers or cheating please, I’ll trust you to be honest on how well you’ve done! They might start off easy but will get a bit harder later on I think. Which 2013 UK number one was Song of the Year winner at the 2014 Grammy awards?

Great stuff at the top of your ranking. Together In Electric Dreams is gorgeous synth pop, right up there with any Human League single. Love Drive’s warm sentiments All Cried Out might be my favourite Alison Moyer song, a real powerhouse vocal. I’m a bit surprised Shout To The Top is the most streamed Style Council song, though I do like it a lot and the lyrics are great. I didn’t really remember Skin Deep but enjoyed it a lot in the playback. Freedom is a lot of fun.

An Apple playlist, hope it’s correct but I can change if needed. Apple Music - Web PlayerArt Pop - The Weird and Wonderful by Jarrod Schofield on...Playlist · 32 Songs

For my first ever ranking thread I’m honoured to be asked to take on the UK number ones of 2013, thanks so much Julian! In fact it’s really the first proper thread I’ve ever started, if you discount my attempts at inanely ranting into the darkness on the genre forums about some new obscure artist I’ve recently fallen in love with! As seems to be traditional, I’ve included the first and last chart toppers of the year but I have also added 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 I make that 31 to rank and discuss. A fast turnover of mostly great, mostly new songs at number one, if only 2026 could be like that! I’m also going to grade each out of ten and I wanted to keep the 8s 9s and 10s for the very best songs, so I apologise if the early scores seem a bit harsh as a result, especially if it’s one of your favourites! Having said that, I am going to try to look for some positives, even in the songs I don’t really like much. I hope I can live up to the excellent ranking threads before mine and as I go on I’d really love to hear any of your opinions, disagreements, comments or any information you might be able to add. But also please be gentle, it is my first time! So, 2013. Unlike most of the previous fantastic posters of the early 2010s number one threads I couldn’t say I was in the ‘peak’ of my journey of musical discovery, which I’d probably guess for most people would be in their teens and twenties. In 2013 I was turning 45 years old, and by that stage I admit that, though I was very much still interested in the UK charts themselves, the music that was reaching the top was becoming less appealing to me and my interest was leading me to less ‘popular’ things. And then around 2012/13 things seemed to change…. In many ways 2013 was the peak of the relatively short lived ‘download era’ before streaming became the dominant method of music consumption. I say that because the most downloaded song in history and some of the very last ‘true’ million sellers were released in 2013, in total there were 4 within the year and another 5 released that year that eventually reached the milestone. It was the second highest ever total for single sales, only just behind 2012. Most notably there was an incredible period between 27th April and 28th September when every song which reached number one sold over 100,000 copies during its first week there (just short of the all time record from 1997) and 6 other songs also managed that feat in 2013. In contrast album sales were at an all time low, it was the first time since 1984 when an artist studio album released in that period had failed to sell over a million copies by the end of the year. One Direction's third album, Midnight Memories ended the year as 2013's biggest selling album. Personally, I feel that it was the best year for music out of all the 2010s, with many of my favourite songs, some of them by groundbreaking artists, reaching number one and we’ll eventually come to those at the very top of the list. Then again, there were some (often the 1 week number ones) that I barely remembered before listening through them all for the ranking. As a result I came to many of them with new(ish) ears, so I hope you’ll forgive me a relative lack of prior knowledge of those. Before that however, we’ve got the usual (for the era) charity records, X Factor songs and cover versions to work through. And one really objectionable song…. So onto the rankings….

Tears For Fears - Shout Eurythmics - Sexcrime (Nineteen Eighty-Four) Madonna - Like A Virgin Band Aid - Do They Know It's Christmas? Foreigner - I Want To Know What Love Is

How is it the best song on such a brilliant album, is the bonus track on physical editions (not streaming)?

Fantastic debut album out today!

You once asked me Julian, what my favourite guitar solo was. Well that would be Purple Rain. Epic and only really topped by When Doves Cry. Smooth Operator is great. As others have mentioned, as shockingly low peak. Especially when you consider how successful Olivia Dean has been recently, doing similar things, but less well. Pride is one of my favourite early U2 singles, brilliantly anthemic Human Racing is lovely Tesla Girls is fun, but I can’t believe it’s not about EM! Hammer To Fall is certainly dramatic Why is good but inferior to Smalltown Boy

Excellent top 2, both great dance bangers, I too would slightly favour Don’t You Worry Child. Here’s my full ranking- Feel the Love (feat. John Newman) — Rudimental Call Me Maybe — Carly Rae Jepsen We Are Young (feat. Janelle Monáe) — fun. Beneath Your Beautiful (feat. Emeli Sandé) — Labrinth Somebody That I Used to Know — Gotye Bom Bom — Sam and the Womp Diamonds — Rihanna Don't You Worry Child (feat. John Martin) — Swedish House Mafia Gangnam Style — PSY Titanium (feat. Sia) — David Guetta Spectrum (Say My Name) [Calvin Harris Remix] — Florence + the Machine The Power of Love — Gabrielle Aplin Paradise — Coldplay Heatwave (feat. Ms D) — Wiley Hot Right Now (feat. Rita Ora) — DJ Fresh Sweet Nothing (feat. Florence Welch) — Calvin Harris Good Feeling — Flo Rida Domino — Jessie J Troublemaker (feat. Flo Rida) — Olly Murs Young — Tulisa Twilight — Cover Drive How We Do (Party) — Rita Ora Hall of Fame (feat. will.i.am) — The Script Wings — Little Mix Little Things — One Direction Call My Name — Cheryl Part of Me — Katy Perry Let Me Love You (Until You Learn to Love Yourself) — Ne-Yo Impossible — James Arthur Candy — Robbie Williams Payphone — Maroon 5 This Is Love (feat. Eva Simons) — will.i.am R.I.P. — Rita Ora & Tinie Tempah He Ain't Heavy, He's My Brother — Justice Collective Turn Up the Music — Chris Brown Sing (feat. Military Wives) — Gary Barlow & The Commonwealth Band Fantastic work @RabbitFurCoat, an excellent run down with great commentary, I really enjoyed following along! Only problem, I’ve now got to try to follow it with 2013! I hope I can be even half as good. I’m still out of the country atm, so I’ll start when I get settled back home (with decent reliable internet access)

Oh now you’re stressing me out! I think that they’re the same?!? Apologies if not…. I can change them if needed 🙏

U2 - Pride (In The Name Of Love) Prince And The Revolution - Purple Rain Giorgio Moroder With Philip Oakey - Together In Electric Dreams Chaka Khan - I Feel For You ZZ Top - Gimme All Your Lovin' A brilliant top 3, such a tough week to get first place! Completely unrelated, but I just aced the music quiz on my hols with 100% score! Thanks in no small parts to you guys and these threads, giving me great revision sessions!

I can’t see if anyone has done an Apple playlist yet? If not, here’s one I’ve just set up Apple Music - Web PlayerSinger Songwriter by Jarrod Schofield on Apple MusicPlaylist · 27 Songs

I’m about in the middle of the various rankings of Paradise, just outside the top 10. It’s probably the most recent Coldplay single I really liked, but not as great as their peak, the Rush Of Blood.. era And then my number 1! Feel The Love is a song that I really liked then, but have loved more and more as time goes by. A wonderful drum and bass banger. Dance, gospel, great vocals, euphoric drops, fantastic horns and keyboards, what more could you want! I certainly ‘feel it too’! We Are Young is also fantastic. A gorgeous old school pop song brought up to date and giving Janelle Monae a very unexpected but very welcome number 1. That’s my top 5 gone now, but your last 2 are still in my top 10. Looking forward to the order!

Thanks again, that’s great! I’ll get my thinking cap on! Friday deadline might be a push, but I’ll give it my best shot.

Ooh yes, thanks for thinking of me! I’ll have a think, see what I can come up with!

Oh Madam Butterfly is absolutely gorgeous. Like you say, it shouldn’t work but it does. Goosebumps! Ghostbusters is great fun, though I fell out of love with it at the time. I actually think Big In Japan is the best Alphaville song. William.. is one of the best early Smiths singles. With, IMO, the greatest two ‘b’ sides ever How Soon Is Now and Please Please Please…. Incredible! Even as a huge Smiths fan I never knew it was about the wonderful Billy MacKenzie though, so big thanks for that! Master and Servant is good but not among the best DM songs. I Just Called…. Is something I disliked at the time but I’ve definitely mellowed for, maybe that’s an age thing!

Call Me Maybe is fantastic, a perfect precision engineered pop song! I love Somebody That I Used To Know, such a unique number one, especially one that’s melody is essentially based on ‘Baa Baa Black Sheep’! So rare for a EOY number one to be so left field too! They would be my numbers 2 and 5. My #1 is still to come, will it be the same as yours?

Indeed, One Day Like This is one of the best singles of the decade and Seldom Seen Kid probably the best album this century. Incredibly it’s not my favourite on the album though, that would be Some Riot, especially the live version at Abbey Road with the BBC Concert Orchestra and choir. Powerful and utterly gorgeous, it reduces me to tears every time! Public Enemy are my all time favourite rap act, it was great to see them get a proper hit single later in their career

None! 😢….But it’s early days yet. I’m slowly working my way around all the forums, I didn’t realise there were so many different contests though!

Of course Careless Whispers is fantastic and would be top of this group for me too. Just falling short of a 10 though, maybe due to overplay. Love Dr Beat and its later versions, especially Mylo’s. Ink In The Well is lovely, moody is the right word. Passengers is pretty unique. Mothers Talk and The More You Live… are both songs I’d forgotten but really enjoyed on playing back

I slightly prefer Spectrum but Sweet Nothing is good too. Both great collaborations!