James Silkstone

26/02/2011 Rihanna S&M I love this song. I'm sorry. I know it was much maligned and censored at the time for being so obviously and proudly about "S&M" but by god*, this is probably the most fun I've had re-listening to a song again for this thread. It's just so, so, so unapologetic and Rihanna sounds like she's so into it and to be honest, that's needed if a song like this is going to work. You need to properly throw caution to the wind and go with it if you're going to sing so bluntly about being tied up for pleasure, or else it will just come across as obscenely awkward and you could destroy your career. I have a feeling that this would have wrecked the career of anyone but Rihanna, I do like that a woman was so free to sing about sex in such an open and fun away. And that's what "S&M" is at the end of the day. It's just a fun song. It doesn't really touch on the community of S&M or BDSM but I don't think it needs too, "S&M" isn't a commentary, it's just a dumb song about how much Rihanna loves sex. Maybe I'm too open and liberal, but I never found this uncomfortable in any sense of the word, and was very annoyed when the BBC opted to rename it "Come On" whenever they played it (like 'come on' doesn't sound sexual at all). I suppose in a way it's kind of ironic that this song doesn't make me uncomfortable yet the actual concept of S&M or BDSM makes me feel very uncomfortable. Also, while we're on the subject what is the difference between Bondage, Domination, Sadism and Masochism anyway? Like, don't they all just mean tied up? I have a severe case of acute claustrophobia so the whole practice just doesn't appeal to me whatsoever. But power to you Rihanna, power to you. (Also, shout out to my best friend Callum, who spent the entirety of April 2011 singing this song. Out loud. To himself. Frequently) KdS6HFQ_LUc

26/02/2011 Adele Someone Like You It may have lost its former title of 'Best Selling Song of the Decade' but I reckon when we look back on this decade in future years, it will be this song that is remembered more than any other. Adele's performance of this track at the 2011 Brit Awards was truly a moment to remember, everyone, and I mean literally everyone, I know knew of that moment and discussed it at length the next day. I've talked a little about how pre-2011 we were stuck in a rather barren artist-less era where our charts and popular music in general seemed to be completely run by non-descript, vague club songs. You'd have the odd exception creeping in, but for those most part, it was club music or some kind of RnB/Dance fusion. Not that those genres are totally without merit but if you're someone like me (ha-ha, puns) and would quite like some depth and meaning to your music, it wasn't the best era. I always believe that something becomes iconic through influence and memory, and this song, and particularly that performance, certainly influenced the following years and drove music back to a more real and honest place. 'Someone Like You' is universal, perhaps not in a very literal sense of what the lyrics are describing, but it's certainly universal in its theme. Heartbreak. Sadness. Regret. As James Corden put it before Adele began singing that night, we've all been there. This song struck a chord with people not just in Britain, but around the world, but what I'm interested in exploring is why? It's not like there haven't been ballads about heartbreak that came before 'Someone Like You' and were better. Well, my answer refers back to a previous statement. Musically, we weren't living in a particularly deep era. Whilst writing this review I tried to think back to the top ten hits of 2010 and see if there was anything in there that was like 'Someone Like You'. There wasn't. Nor was in there in 2009 or 2008. Simply put, it had been years since we'd had such a deep and emotional song touch so many people so quickly at the same time. It is that which makes 'Someone Like You' rather special; it is only every so often a song comes along is this vein that means the same thing to everyone. Music can be as eclectic as it wants to be but at the end of the day, I feel, what it is more than anything is a unifying force. The best thing about 'Someone Like You' as a song rather than an event which is how I've been describing it so far, is its honesty. I love '21' but I'll be the first to admit it's a very angry and perhaps biased record, and why shouldn't it be? There Adele's feelings? We're seeing all of this from her point of view. Of course the guys going to come off badly. That's fine. But what makes Adele such a good song writer here is that with 'Someone Like You' she makes herself the bad guy. She's the one who's not over it. She's the one who's turning up out of the blue invited when her ex is settled down with someone else. By finding "someone like him" Adele is saying that she'll never love her new boyfriend for who he is, merely for the parts of him that remind Adele of her ex. It's nasty and uncomfortable but it's honest. I like that Adele's not afraid to paint herself in that way. It's certainly a more sympathetic approach than the Taylor Swift/Cher Lloyd/Avril Lavigne model of merely criticizing the other girl in question. The fact so many people readily identify with a song this uncomfortably true, I think says a lot about who we are. It's like knowing it's ok to laugh at a rather offensive joke because everyone else in the room is also laughing at said joke. The fact so many other people identify with this song means we feel it's alright for us to do so, because we all have had those feelings on selfishness, jealousy and bitterness that Adele puts across in this track. This is what music should be. qemWRToNYJY

'Budapest' is turning into quite the sleeper hit. I can see it making the Top 100 Year-End even if it doesn't crack Top 20 at this rate.

19/02/2011 Lady Gaga Born This Way Does anyone else remember the build up to this? It seemed like it went on forever before we finally got to hear this song. It says a lot about the behemoth of a career Lady Gaga had back then and even how her tweeting a few lyrics to her next single could seemingly send the whole world into some kind of mass hysterical excited hysteria. Such was the power of Lady Gaga back at the beginning of the decade but what of me? Was I excited? Not overly. For me, Gaga was one of the better breakthroughs of the late 00s and I had loved her 'The Fame Monster' album which housed some of my favourite tracks of the era overall but I was always very aware that 90% of her success was pretty much just hype because she wore weird costumes. I never found her actual music, whilst impressive, to be particularly genre pushing or innovative it was all about image, image, image and I was not that into Gaga's image. I always felt that she was trying to make herself more exciting and standout because otherwise her music would be seen as just generic pop. Which it is. Good generic pop I grant you. But generic pop music all the same. 'Just Dance' being the worst offender there, though I'll grant you 'Poker Face' is a little odd and only Gaga could sing 'Bad Romance'. But yeah, my point remains. As a song of itself away from the context of what it's trying to be (which I'll get to later) I was always a little disappointed with 'Born This Way'. It isn't a bad song by any stretch of the imagination, but it certainly did not warrant the hype that it was given - most vocally by Gaga herself - before its premiere and it's here that I think the backlash set in and her career has never truly recovered from it. The video didn't do much good either, it was pretty much 2010 Gaga turned up to eleven and it almost felt like she was parodying herself with it, but the knowledge that she was clearly playing it ultra straight was a complete buzz kill for me. If Gaga wanted to surprise and shock but also come up with a winner, she should have gone with 'Edge of Glory'. The most shocking thing Gaga could have done back then was to come back and be normal, but 'Edge of Glory' is a good enough song that she would have gotten away with it. More on that when we get to it, but now, I want to move on to the second big issue I have with 'Born This Way' I'm not gay, and I'd hate to speak for a community of people whom's voices have always been marginalized by people of my sexuality. What I will do however is inform you that back in early 2011, I had two friends who were gay. Jake and Connor. Jake was about as stereotypically gay as you could imagine, and a Gaga fan to boot whilst Connor was about as polar opposite to that as you could imagine and I always found in interesting that these two had such different reactions to this song. This is mainly because 2011 James was an uneducated fool who seemed to think all gays were some sort of hive mind, I now realize this is untrue, but back then I was shocked by the polar opposite reactions they had to it. Jake loved it. He felt it spoke to him and Gaga was some sort of saviour queen. Connor hated it. He said it made him feel patronized and like Gaga was using the gay community as some kind of pet to further her own ends. Now, I can't speak for a community I'm not a part of, but I've always leaned towards Connor's opinion on this. It does seem patronizing and pandering, and whilst Gaga's gay fan base has clearly not dwindled, it just seems so calculated. Which, in a way, I understand. Gaga was so huge and had so much to live up to by this point that I don't suppose I can really blame her for sitting down and coming up with a perfect formula for a song to maintain both her success and image in equal measure. It's just a shame the quality suffered as a result. This record leaves me cold. wV1FrqwZyKw

19/02/2011 Chipmunk feat Chris Brown Champion It's kind of a shame that Chipmunk burned out after this single, because this is a big improvement on his 2009 output, which was rather immature and gimmicky at times to say the least. It's been four years since this now and I'd be quite interested to see what Chipmunk would be like to now if this was the progression he'd made between album one and album two. It's such a mature outlook on life, and whilst it's certainly self-aggrandizing and boastful at times, it's a refreshing effort and a lot better than anything Chip's rather obvious rival Tinchy Stryder ever did. Chipmunk puts in the best performance of his career here. Then, there's Chris Brown. I stand by absolutely everything I said about him in my previous review, but if Chris Brown insists to continue to exist post-Rihanna gate then I'd much rather he existed in a mould similar to this than the party boy misogynist douchebag act he pulls out of the bag with every record to this day. This is not simply the best thing Chris Brown has ever been involved with, it's the only good thing he's ever been involved with period, and I'll be honest - I actually think that he kind of makes this record. His vocals are as strong as they'll ever be and his half-rapped, half-sang solo verse is the best thing to have ever come from him. 'The realest shit' he ever wrote indeed. If Chris Brown was as insightful and honest as he is here, I'd likely respect him a whole lot more than I do now. Very, very, very good record. tlnMVb2XVVk

12/02/2011 Taio Cruz feat Kylie Minogue Higher http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/c/cd/Taiocruz_ft_kylie_minogue-higher.jpg/220px-Taiocruz_ft_kylie_minogue-higher.jpg It's all about the beat for this one with me. Taio Cruz seems like such old news now, he hasn't troubled the Top 40 in at least three years, and is pretty much the definition of flash in the pan. It isn't hard to see why, as good as his songs were, they weren't ones that necessarily stood you in good stead for a long career. There's personality-less and this is no more truer than it is in 'Higher' which, whilst it does have an excellent beat, is probably the least original thing Taio Cruz ever did. And that's saying something. The insert of Kylie Minogue was probably done to boost the track in the UK (I guess, otherwise it's just bloody baffling) and to date this remains her last visit to the top ten as well. Kylie sounds pretty bored on the track, though with a sense of arrogance as she clearly thinks she's being very down with the kids, which she hasn't been since around 1991, if ever. It's not bad, it's just terribly unoriginal and a clearer sign than any that Taio's career was dangling on through good fortune and pure luck. KRBS5WZMdik

344. 09/09/1995 - Alanis Morrisette - You Oughta Know (1 wk.) NPcyTyilmYY It wasn't popular Blur, it wasn't biggest female artist in the world Madonna and it wasn't the hottest things in Britiain right now Oasis that managed to dethrone TLC from the number one slot. It's 21-year old Canadian female rocker Alanis Morrisette who does the deed, knocking the girls off with her debut UK release "You Oughta Know" which has slowly been climbing up the charts for several weeks. It jumps 9-1 this week amid new entries from Celine Dion and Donna Summer as well as denying Michael Jackson of a second number one this year, he has to settle for a non-mover with "You Are Not Alone" at #2 whilst TLC slip to #3 This is the first single from the Canadian songstress, who is tipped for big things in the coming months and next year. We can't imagine this is the last time we'll be hearing from miss Morrisette

343. 19/08/1995 - TLC - Waterfalls (3 wks.) 8WEtxJ4-sh4 After narrowly missing out on a number one debut this week, T-Bone, Chilli and Left-Eye aka TLC climb to the top spot with the second single from their second album Crazysexycool. It is the girl group's first number one single as well as the first number one single by a girl group since 4 Non-Blondes' "What's Up" two years ago. Girlbands just don't seem to be that popular in the 90's. Also looking to be a number one in the States, 'Waterfalls' dethrowns Ash and manages to hold off a strong new entry in the form of The Original's "I Luv U Baby". But with big new singles from the likes of Blur, Oasis and Madonna due in the next few weeks can 'Waterfalls' keep it's reign going or will it be the latest in the line of one-week wonders?

342. 12/08/1995 - Ash - Girl From Mars (1 wk.) FkSl9GGOFHM With an average age of just 18, Ash become one of the youngest groups to reach the top of the charts for several years. Their single in question, 'Girl From Mars', is the second from their sophomore album 1977 (named so due to it being the birth year of lead singer Tim Wheeler). The track however is the group's first to reach the Top 20, their best peak previously was "Kung Fu" which managed a peak of #27 earlier this year. Ash knock Take That to number two and keep off strong competition from the likes of TLC, Boyzone and Seal all of whom either debut or climb into the top five this week, pushing last week's number one - Take That - all the way down to No.6 behind former number one Supergrass. Ash, unfortunately, don't look likely to keep their number one for another week as TLC were only a few hundred copies off the top spot themselves. Stay tuned to find out.

341. 05/08/1995 - Take That - Never Forget (1 wk.) LYjeHu27jdk Take That prove they've still got the stuff to top the charts despite the departure of Robbie Williams this week, 'Never Forget' becomes their second number one in 1995 as well as their sixth overall. However, despite all this success the nature of this song and rumours going around don't spell out good things for the future of the band - who have been together for five years now - and a split is generally considered to be announced shortly. "Never Forget" ends Supergrass's two week run at the top with 'Alright' which slips down to #2. However, it may not be a particularly long run for Take That, with three strong new entries due to head into the top ten next week

340. 22/07/1995 - Supergrass - Alright (2 wks.) GDDDoxtzhZI And the Brit Pop campaign notches up yet another number one single as Supergrass de-thrown Edwyn Collins after just one week with their new single "Alright". The single is the second top ten single for the band after "Lenny" peaked at number ten from earlier this year and is the fifth single to be taken from the band's debut album I Should Coco which is looking to become one of Parlaphone's best selling records in over 30 years 'Alright' in years ahead will probably be remembered as being the song of the summer of 1995, it's immensley chirpy and summery chorus has clearly struck a chord with a lot of Britiain's this week and with Collins' selling half of what Supergrass sold as he falls to #2, it doesn't seem like there's much that will rival these lads for at least another week

339. 15/07/1995 - Edwyn Collins - A Girl Like You (1 wk.) 7oR4tp3V0tA Well, he's done it. After two weeks stuck behind the Jackson siblings, Edwyn Collins has de-throned the family firm with his solo single "A Girl Like You". 35-year old Collins was a member of Orange Juice who's biggest hit was their 1984 no.8 peaking single "Rip It Up" which became the bands sole top forty single before they parted ways in 1985. "A Girl Like You" sold over 100,000 copies this week and is the first single to be taken from Collins' third solo album Gorgeous George and first mainstream success as a solo artist. It ends the four week run of "Scream" by Michael & Janet Jackson who slip all the way to number four behind Supergrass (#2) and Diana King (#3), both of which are looking as if they could become strong contenders for the number one slot in the coming weeks.

Without futher a due, here are the number one singles from January 1980 to July 1995 1. 05/01/1980 BARBRA STREISAND & DONNA SUMMER "NO MORE TEARS" (1) 2. 12/01/1980 THE CLASH "LONDON CALLING" (3) 3. 02/02/1980 THE PRETENDERS "BRASS IN POCKET" (2) 4. 16/02/1980 MICHAEL JACKSON "ROCK WITH YOU" (1) 5. 23/02/1980 BLONDIE "ATOMIC" (4) 6. 22/03/1980 THE JAM "GOING UNDERGROUND" (4) 7. 19/04/1980 BLONDIE "CALL ME" (5) 8. 24/05/1980 WHITESNAKE "FOOL FOR LOVING YOU" (1) 9. 31/05/1980 AVERAGE WHITE BAND "LET'S GO ROUND AGAIN" (2) 10. 14/06/1980 ROXY MUSIC "OVER YOU" (2) 11. 28/06/1980 OLIVIA NEWTON JOHN & ELO "XANADU" (2) 12. 12/07/1980 KATE BUSH "BABOOSHKA" (2) 13. 26/07/1980 DIANA ROSS "UPSIDE DOWN" (1) 14. 02/08/1980 ABBA "THE WINNER TAKES IT ALL" (4) 15. 30/08/1980 DAVID BOWIE "ASHES TO ASHES" (2) 16. 13/09/1980 QUEEN "ANOTHER ONE BITES THE DUST" (2) 17. 27/09/1980 THE POLICE "DON'T STAND SO CLOSE TO ME" (3) 18. 18/10/1980 BARBRA STREISAND "WOMAN IN LOVE" (3) 19. 08/11/1980 AIR SUPPLY "ALL OUT OF LOVE" (2) 20. 22/11/1980 ABBA "SUPER TROUPER" (2) 21. 06/12/1980 JONA LEWIE "STOP THE CAVALRY" (3) 22. 27/12/1980 JOHN LENNON & YOKO ONO "HAPPY XMAS (WAR IS OVER)" 23. 10/01/1981 QUEEN "FLASH" 24. 24/01/1981 PHIL COLLINS "IN THE AIR TONIGHT" 25. 07/02/1981 ULTRAVOX "VIENNA" 26. 28/02/1981 ROXY MUSIC "JEALOUS GUY" 27. 07/03/1981 KIM WILDE "KIDS IN AMERICA" 28. 04/04/1981 BUCKS FIZZ "MAKING YOUR MIND UP" 29. 18/04/1981 THE JACKSONS "CAN YOU FEEL IT" 30. 09/05/1981 ADAM & THE ANTS "STAND AND DELIVER" 31. 16/05/1981 KIM CARNES "BETTE DAVIES EYES" 32. 20/06/1981 ELAINE PAIGE "MEMORY" 33. 27/06/1981 THE SPECIALS "GHOST TOWN" 34. 08/08/1981 DURAN DURAN "GIRLS ON FILM" 35. 22/08/1981 SOFT CELL "TAINTED LOVE" 36. 03/10/1981 DEPECHE MODE "JUST CAN'T GET ENOUGH" 37. 31/10/1981 THE POLICE "EVERY LITTLE THING SHE DOES IS MAGIC" 38. 07/11/1981 OLIVIA NEWTON-JOHN "PHYSICAL" 39. 14/11/1981 QUEEN & DAVID BOWIE "UNDER PRESSURE" 40. 05/12/1981 THE HUMAN LEAGUE "DON'T YOU WANT ME" 41. 19/12/1981 ABBA "ONE OF US" 42. 09/01/1982 MADNESS "IT MUST BE LOVE" 43. 16/01/1982 FOREIGNER "WAITING FOR A GIRL LIKE YOU" 44. 13/02/1982 THE JAM "A TOWN CALLED MALICE" 45. 27/03/1982 TIGHT FIT "THE LION SLEEPS TONIGHT" 46. 10/04/1982 JAPAN "GHOSTS" 47. 01/05/1982 JOAN JETT & THE BLACKHEARTS "I LOVE ROCK'N'ROLL" 48. 22/05/1982 DURAN-DURAN "HUNGRY LIKE THE WOLF" 49. 12/06/1982 MADNESS "HOUSE OF FUN" 50. 10/07/1982 IRENE CARA "FAME" 51. 31/07/1982 DEXY'S MIDNIGHT RUNNERS "COME ON EILEEN" 52. 14/08/1982 SURVIVOR "EYE OF THE TIGER" 53. 11/09/1982 DURAN-DURAN "SAVE A PRAYER" 54. 18/09/1982 CARLY SIMON "WHY" 55. 09/10/1982 CULTURE CLUB "DO YOU REALLY WANT TO HURT ME?" 56. 23/10/1982 TEARS FOR FEARS "MAD WORLD" 57. 06/11/1982 DIONNE WARWICK "HEARTBREAKER" 58. 04/12/1982 DURAN-DURAN "RIO" 59. 25/12/1982 DAVID ESSEX "A WINTER'S TALE" 60. 08/01/1983 MADNESS "OUR HOUSE" 61. 22/01/1983 LAURA BRANNIGAN "GLORIA" 62. 05/02/1983 MICHAEL JACKSON "BILLIE JEAN" 63. 19/02/1983 TOTO "AFRICA" 64. 05/03/1983 EURYTHMICS "SWEET DREAMS (ARE MADE OF THIS)" 65. 26/03/1983 DAVID BOWIE "LET'S DANCE" 66. 09/04/1983 NEW ORDER "BLUE MONDAY" 67. 16/04/1983 MICHAEL JACKSON "BEAT IT" 68. 21/05/1983 THE HUMAN LEAGUE "KEEP FEELING FASCINATION" 69. 28/05/1983 THE POLICE "EVERY BREATH YOU TAKE" 70. 11/06/1983 IRENE CARA "FLASHDANCE (WHAT A FEELING)" 71. 25/06/1983 ELTON JOHN "I GUESS THAT'S WHY THEY CALL IT THE BLUES" 72. 16/07/1983 EURYTHMICS "WHO'S THAT GIRL?" 73. 30/07/1983 KC & THE SUNSHINE BAND "GIVE IT UP" 74. 13/08/1983 ELTON JOHN "I'M STILL STANDING" 75. 20/08/1983 SPANDAU BALLET "GOLD" 76. 17/09/1983 CULTURE CLUB "KARMA CHAMELEON" 77. 08/10/1983 TRACEY ULLMAN "THEY DON'T KNOW" 78. 22/10/1983 PAUL MCCARTNEY & MICHAEL JACKSON "SAY-SAY- SAY" 79. 19/11/1983 JOY DIVISION "LOVE WILL TEAR US APART" 80. 26/11/1983 MICHAEL JACKSON "THRILLER" 81. 10/12/1983 KENNY ROGERS & DOLLY PARTON "ISLANDS IN THE STREAM" 82. 24/12/1983 PRETENDERS "2000 MILES" 83. 14/01/1984 FRANKIE GOES TO HOLLYWOOD "RELAX" 84. 28/01/1984 ECHO & THE BUNNEYMEN "THE KILLING MOON" 85. 18/02/1984 QUEEN "RADIO GAGA" 86. 03/03/1984 BILLY JOEL "AN INNOCENT MAN" 87. 10/03/1984 VAN HALEN "JUMP" 88. 24/03/1984 BANANARAMA "ROBERT DE NIRO'S WAITING" 89. 31/03/1984 MICHAEL JACKSON "P.Y.T (PRETTY YOUNG THING)" 90. 14/04/1984 QUEEN "I WANT TO BREAK FREE" 91. 21/04/1984 RUFUS AND CHAKA KHAN "AIN'T NOBODY" 92. 05/05/1984 DURAN DURAN "THE REFLEX" 93. 12/05/1984 DENIECE WILLIAMS "LET'S HEAR IT FOR THE BOY" 94. 19/05/1984 KENNY LOGGINS "FOOTLOOSE" 95. 26/05/1984 WHAM "WAKE ME UP BEFORE YOU GO-GO" 96. 02/06/1984 THE SMITHS "HEAVEN KNOWS I'M MISERABLE NOW" 97. 16/06/1984 FRANKIE GOES TO HOLLYWOOD "TWO TRIBES" 98. 30/06/1984 CYNDI LAUPER "TIME AFTER TIME" 99. 14/07/1984 TINA TURNER "WHAT'S LOVE GOT TO DO WITH IT?" 100. 04/08/1984 GEORGE MICHAEL "CARELESS WHISPER" 101. 11/08/1984 HAZELL DEAN "WHATEVER I DO (WHEREVER I GO)" 102. 01/09/1984 RAY JAY PARKER "GHOSTBUSTERS" 103. 15/09/1984 U2 "PRIDE (IN THE NAME OF LOVE)" 104. 20/10/1984 SADE "SMOOTH OPERATOR" 105. 27/10/1984 CHAKA KHAN "I FEEL FOR YOU" 106. 17/11/1984 THE POINTER SISTERS "I'M SO EXCITED" 107. 01/12/1984 FRANKIE HOES TO HOLLYWOOD "THE POWER OF LOVE" 108. 08/12/1984 MADONNA "LIKE A VIRGIN" 109. 15/12/1984 WHAM "LAST CHRISTMAS" 110. 29/12/1984 BAND AID "DO THEY KNOW IT'S CHRISTMAS?" 111. 26/01/1985 BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN "DANCING IN THE DARK" 112. 16/02/1985 DEAD OR ALIVE "YOU SPIN ME ROUND (LIKE A RECORD)" 113. 09/03/1985 MADONNA "MATERIAL GIRL" 114. 30/03/1985 TEARS FOR FEARS "EVERYBODY WANTS TO RULE THE WORLD" 115. 13/04/1985 REO SPEEDWAGON "CAN'T FIGHT THIS FEELING" 116. 20/04/1985 PAT BENATAR "LOVE IS A BATTLEFIELD" 117. 27/04/1985 SIMPLE MINDS "DON'T YOU (FORGET ABOUT ME)" 118. 18/05/1985 DURAN-DURAN "A VIEW TO A KILL" 119. 25/05/1985 KATRINA & THE WAVES "WALKING ON SUNSHINE" 120. 22/06/1985 BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN "BORN IN THE USA" 121. 29/06/1985 TEARS FOR FEARS "HEAD OVER HEELS" 122. 27/07/1985 MADONNA "INTO THE GROOVE" 123. 24/08/1985 KATE BUSH "RUNNING UP THAT HILL (A DEAL WITH GOD)" 124. 07/09/1985 BONNIE TYLER "HOLDING ON FOR A HERO" 125. 21/09/1985 STEVIE WONDER "PART TIME LOVER" 126. 12/10/1985 A-HA "TAKE ON ME" 127. 02/11/1985 KATE BUSH "CLOUDBUSTING" 128. 16/11/1985 QUEEN "ONE VISION" 129. 23/11/1985 DEE C. LEE "SEE THE DAY" 130. 30/11/1985 WHITNEY HOUSTON "SAVING ALL MY LOVE FOR YOU" 131. 14/12/1985 PET SHOP BOYS "WEST END GIRLS" 132. 28/12/1985 SHAKIN' STEVENS "MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE" 133. 11/01/1986 A-HA "THE SUN ALWAYS SHINES ON TV" 134. 08/02/1986 WHITNEY HOUSTON "HOW WILL I KNOW" 135. 01/03/1986 DIANA ROSS "CHAIN REACTION" 136. 08/03/1986 KATE BUSH "HOUNDS OF LOVE" 137. 15/03/1986 PRINCE & THE REVOLUTION "KISS" 138. 29/03/1986 SAMANTHA FOX "TOUCH ME (I WANT YOUR BODY)" 139. 19/04/1986 JANET JACKSON "WHAT HAVE YOU DONE FOR ME LATELY?" 140. 26/04/1986 MADONNA "LIVE TO TELL" 141. 03/05/1986 WHITNEY HOUSTON "THE GREATEST LOVE OF ALL" 142. 24/05/1986 ROBERT PALMER "ADDICTED TO LOVE" 143. 21/06/1986 JANET JACKSON "NASTY" 144. 28/06/1986 MADONNA "PAPA DON'T PREACH" 145. 26/07/1986 STEVE WINWOOD "HIGHER LOVE" 146. 09/08/1986 SINITTA "SO MACHO" 147. 23/08/1986 JERMAINE STEWART "WE DON'T HAVE TO TAKE OUR CLOTHES OFF" 148. 06/09/1986 JANET JACKSON "WHEN I THINK OF YOU" 149. 13/09/1986 CUTTING CREW "I JUST DIED IN YOUR ARMS (TONIGHT)" 150. 04/10/1986 MADONNA "TRUE BLUE" 151. 11/10/1986 CYNDI LAUPER "TRUE COLOURS" 152. 01/11/1986 DURAN-DURAN "NOTORIOUS" 153. 08/11/1986 BON JOVI "LIVIN' ON A PRAYER" 154. 22/11/1986 EUROPE "THE FINAL COUNTDOWN" 155. 13/12/1986 MADONNA "OPEN YOUR HEART" 156. 10/01/1987 STEVE HURLEY "JACK YOUR BODY" 157. 14/02/1987 BEN E. KING "STAND BY ME" 158. 21/02/1987 CARLY SIMON "COMING AROUND AGAIN" 159. 14/03/1987 MEL & KIM "RESPECTABLE" 160. 28/03/1987 U2 "WITH OR WITHOUT YOU" 161. 25/04/1987 STARSHIP "NOTHING'S GONNA STOP US NOW" 162. 23/05/1987 WHITNEY HOUSTON "I WANNA DANCE WITH SOMEBODY" 163. 06/06/1987 U2 "I STILL HAVEN'T FOUND WHAT I'M LOOKING FOR" 164. 27/06/1987 THE PETSHOP BOYS "IT'S A SIN" 165. 01/08/1987 HEART "ALONE" 166. 15/08/1987 RICK ASTLEY "NEVER GONNA GIVE YOU UP" 167. 12/09/1987 U2 "WHERE THE STREETS HAVE NO NAME" 168. 26/09/1987 MICHAEL JACKSON "BAD" 169. 24/10/1987 BANANARAMA "LOVE IN THE FIRST DEGREE" 170. 31/10/1987 FLEETWOOD MAC "LITTLE LIES" 171. 14/11/1987 WHITESNAKE "HERE I GO AGAIN" 172. 21/11/1987 WHITNEY HOUSTON "SO EMOTIONAL" 173. 05/12/1987 MICHAEL JACKSON "THE WAY YOU MAKE ME FEEL" 174. 12/12/1987 THE PETSHOP BOYS "ALWAYS ON MY MIND" 175. 26/12/1987 THE POGUES FEAT KIRSTY MACALL "FAIRYTALE OF NEW YORK" 176. 09/01/1988 BELINDA CARLISLE "HEAVEN IS A PLACE ON EARTH" 177. 30/01/1988 DEBBIE GIBSON "SHAKE YOUR LOVE" 178. 06/02/1988 TAYLOR DAYNE "TELL IT TO MY HEART" 179. 05/03/1988 THE PRIMITIVES "CRASH" 180. 26/03/1988 WHITNEY HOUSTON "WHERE DO BROKEN HEARTS GO?" 181. 09/04/1988 FLEETWOOD MAC "EVERYWHERE" 182. 14/05/1988 KYLIE MINOGUE "GOT TO BE CERTAIN" 183. 11/06/1988 ERASURE "CHAIN OF LOVE" 184. 18/06/1988 BROS "I OWE YOU NOTHING" 185. 25/06/1988 ROSE ROYCE "CAR WASH" 186. 02/07/1988 TRACY CHAPMAN "FAST CAR" 187. 16/07/1988 DEBBIE GIBSON "FOOLISH BEAT" 188. 30/07/1988 MICHAEL JACKSON "DIRTY DIANA" 189. 20/08/1988 KIM WILDE "YOU CAME" 190. 10/09/1988 THE PROCLAIMERS "I'M GONNA BE (500 MILES)" 191. 01/10/1988 U2 "DESIRE" 192. 15/10/1988 WHITNEY HOUSTON "ONE MOMENT IN TIME" 193. 22/10/1988 KYLUE MINOGUE "JE NE SAIS PAS POURQOI?" 194. 12/11/1988 INXS "I NEED YOU TONIGHT" 195. 26/11/1988 MICHAEL JACKSON "SMOOTH CRIMINAL" 196. 14/01/1989 FINE YOUNG CANNIBALS "SHE DRIVES ME CRAZY" 197. 04/02/1989 BOBBY BROWN "MY PREROGATIVE" 198. 25/02/1989 MICHAEL JACKSON "LEAVE ME ALONE" 199. 04/03/1989 JASON DONOVAN "TOO MANY BROKEN HEARTS" 200. 11/03/1989 DONNA SUMMER "THIS TIME I KNOW IT'S FOR REAL" 201. 18/03/1989 MADONNA "LIKE A PRAYER" 202. 29/04/1989 THE CURE "LULLABY" 203. 06/05/1989 KYLIE MINOGUE "HAND ON YOUR HEART" 204. 27/05/1989 NATALIE COLE "MISS YOU LIKE CRAZY" 205. 03/06/1989 GUNS N ROSES "SWEET CHILD O'MINE" 206. 10/06/1989 SOUL II SOUL "BACK TO LIFE" 207. 01/07/1989 U2 "ALL I WANT IS YOU" 208. 15/07/1989 BETTE MIDDLER "WIND BENEATH MY WINGS" 209. 05/08/1989 ALICE COOPER "POISON" 210. 19/08/1989 BLACK BOX "RIDE ON TIME" 211. 09/09/1989 RICHARD MARX "RIGHT HERE WAITING" 212. 16/09/1989 DEPECHE MODE "PERSONAL JESUS" 213. 23/09/1989 MADONNA "CHERISH" 214. 07/10/1989 BILLY JOEL "WE DIDN'T START THE FIRE" 215. 14/10/1989 CHER "IF I COULD TURN BACK TIME" 216. 04/11/1989 LISA STANSFIELD "ALL AROUND THE WORLD" 217. 11/11/1989 KYLIE MINOGUE "NEVER TOO LATE" 218. 09/12/1989 TINA TURNER "I DON'T WANT TO LOSE YOU" 219. 16/12/1989 MADONNA "DEAR JESSIE" 220. 06/01/1990 NEW KIDS ON THE BLOCK "HANGIN' TOUGH" 221. 20/01/1990 MANTRONIX "GOT TO HAVE YOUR LOVE" 222. 27/01/1990 SINEAD O'CONNOR "NOTHING COMPARES 2 U" 223. 10/02/1990 DEPECHE MODE "ENJOY THE SILENCE" 224. 31/03/1990 THE B-52'S "LOVE SHACK" 225. 07/04/1990 MADONNA "VOGUE" 226. 28/04/1990 ALANNAH MYLES "BLACK VELVET" 227. 05/05/1990 ADAMSKI "KILLER" 228. 12/05/1990 KYLIE MINOGUE "BETTER THE DEVIL YOU KNOW" 229. 09/06/1990 ENGLANDNEWORDER "WORLD IN MOTION" 230. 23/06/1990 WILSON PHILLIPS "HOLD ON" 231. 14/07/1990 THE STONE ROSES "ONE LOVE" 232. 28/07/1990 DNA FEAT SUZANNE VEGA "TOM'S DINER" 233. 01/09/1990 MARIAH CAREY "VISION OF LOVE" 234. 15/09/1990 THE STEVE MILLER BAND "THE JOKER" 235. 29/09/1990 MARIA MCKEE "SHOW ME HEAVEN" 236. 20/10/1990 THE BEAUTIFUL SOUTH "A LITTLE TIME" 237. 03/11/1990 KYLIE MINOGUE "STEP BACK IN TIME" 238. 10/11/1990 THE LA'S "THERE SHE GOES" 239. 08/12/1990 CHRIS ISAAC "WICKED GAME" 240. 05/01/1991 EMF "UNBELIEVABLE" 241. 12/01/1991 THE RIGHTEOUS BROTHERS "YOU'VE LOST THAT LOVIN' FEELIN'" 242. 26/01/1991 QUEEN "INNUENDO" 243. 02/02/1991 MARIAH CAREY "SOMEDAY" 244. 09/02/1991 KYLIE MINOGUE "WHAT DO I HAVE TO DO?" 245. 02/03/1991 THE CLASH "SHOULD I STAY OR SHOULD I GO" 246. 16/03/1991 R.E.M "LOSING MY RELIGION" 247. 06/04/1991 JAMES "SIT DOWN" 248. 11/05/1991 CHESNEY HAWKES "THE ONE AND ONLY" 249. 18/05/1991 CRYSTAL WATERS "GYPSEY WOMAN" 250. 25/05/1991 R.E.M "SHINY HAPPY PEOPLE" 251. 22/06/1991 AMY GRANT "BABY, BABY" 252. 13/07/1991 BRYAN ADAMS "EVERYTHING I DO (I DO IT FOR YOU)" 253. 20/07/1991 HEAVY D "NOW THAT WE'VE FOUND LOVE" 254. 27/07/1991 EXTREME "MORE THAN WORDS" 255. 24/08/1991 ZOE "SUNSHINE ON A RAINY DAY" 256. 14/09/1991 SALT N PEPPA "LET'S TALK ABOUT SEX" 257. 28/09/1991 R.E.M "THE ONE I LOVE" 258. 12/10/1991 MONTY PYTHON "ALWAYS LOOK ON THE BRIGHT SIDE OF LIFE" 259. 02/11/1991 DON MCLEAN "AMERICAN PIE" 260. 16/11/1991 MARIAH CAREY "EMOTIONS" 261. 23/11/1991 MICHAEL JACKSON "BLACK OR WHITE" 262. 30/11/1991 NIRVANA "SMELLS LIKE TEEN SPIRIT" 263. 21/12/1991 QUEEN "BOHEMIAN RHAPSODY" 264. 25/01/1992 2 UNLIMITED "TWILIGHT ZONE" 265. 08/02/1992 SHAKESPEARE'S SISTER "STAY" 266. 07/03/1992 GUNS N ROSES "NOVEMBER RAIN" 267. 14/03/1992 U2 "ONE" 268. 28/03/1992 CROWDED HOUSE "WEATHER WITH YOU" 269. 11/04/1992 ANNIE LENNOX "WHY" 270. 25/04/1992 CECE PENISTON "FINALLY" 271. 02/05/1992 VANESSA WILLIAMS "SAVE THE BEST FOR LAST" 272. 16/05/1992 EN VOGUE "MY LOVIN' (YOU'RE NEVER GONNA GET IT)" 273. 13/06/1992 TAKE THAT "IT ONLY TAKES A MINUTE" 274. 04/07/1992 SNAP "RHYTHM IS A DANCER" 275. 01/08/1992 BILLY RAY CYRUS "ACHY BREAKY HEART" 276. 22/08/1992 THE SMITHS "THIS CHARMING MAN" 277. 29/08/1992 ANNIE LENNOX "WALKING ON BROKEN GLASS" 278. 05/09/1992 THE SHAMEN "EBENEEZER GOODE" 279. 19/09/1992 EAST 17 "HOUSE OF LOVE" 280. 10/10/1992 TASMIN ARCHER "SLEEPING SATTELITE" 281. 07/11/1992 CHARLES & EDDIE "WOULD I LIE TO YOU?" 282. 05/12/1992 WHITNEY HOUSTON "I WILL ALWAYS LOVE YOU" 283. 02/01/1993 TAKE THAT "COULD IT BE MAGIC" 284. 23/01/1993 FAITH NO MORE "I'M EASY" 285. 30/01/1993 2 UNLIMITED "NO LIMIT" 286. 06/03/1993 ANNIE LENNOX "LITTLE BIRD" 287. 13/03/1993 K.D. LANG "CONSTANT CRAVING" 288. 27/03/1993 SYBIL "WHEN I'M GOOD AND READY" 289. 03/04/1993 ROBIN S "SHOW ME LOVE" 290. 24/04/1993 R.E.M "EVERYBODY HURTS" 291. 22/05/1993 ACE OF BASE "ALL THAT SHE WANTS" 292. 29/05/1993 SPIN DOCTORS "TWO PRINCES" 293. 19/06/1993 HADDAWAY "WHAT IS LOVE?" 294. 26/06/1993 GABRIELLE "DREAMS" 295. 17/07/1993 4 NON-BLONDES "WHAT'S UP?" 296. 31/07/1993 TAKE THAT "PRAY" 297. 14/08/1993 CULTURE BEAT "MR. VAIN" 298. 18/09/1993 RADIOHEAD "CREEP" 299. 02/10/1993 M PEOPLE "MOVING ON UP" 300. 09/10/1993 TAKE THAT FEAT LULU "RELIGHT MY FIRE" 301. 16/10/1993 MEAT LOAF "I WOULD DO ANYTHING FOR LOVE" 302. 13/11/1993 MARIAH CAREY "HERO" 303. 11/12/1993 DINA CARROL "THE PERFECT YEAR" 304. 08/01/1994 PEABRO BRYSON "A WHOLE NEW WORLD" 305. 22/01/1994 TORI AMOS "CORNFLAKE GIRL" 306. 29/01/1994 TONI BRAXTON "BREATHE AGAIN" 307. 05/02/1994 RED HOT CHILLI PEPPERS "GIVE IT AWAY" 308. 19/02/1994 MARIAH CAREY "WITHOUT YOU" 309. 26/02/1994 ACE OF BASE "THE SIGN" 310. 05/03/1994 BECK "LOSER" 311. 19/03/1994 BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN "STREETS OF PHILADELPHIA" 312. 09/04/1994 TAKE THAT "EVERYTHING CHANGES" 313. 30/04/1994 THE PRETENDERS "I'LL STAND BY YOU" 314. 07/05/1994 RED HOT CHILLI PEPPERS "UNDER THE BRIDGE" 315. 21/05/1994 TONY DI BART "THE REAL THING" 316. 11/06/1994 DAWN PENN "YOU DON'T LOVE ME" 317. 02/07/1994 ALL 4 ONE "I SWEAR" 318. 23/07/1994 LET LOOSE "CRAZY FOR YOU" 319. 20/08/1994 OASIS "LIVE FOREVER" 320. 10/09/1994 KYLIE MINOGUE "CONFIDE IN ME" 321. 24/09/1994 CORONA "THE RHYTHM OF THE NIGHT" 322. 01/10/1994 LISA LOEB & NINE STORIES "STAY" 323. 08/10/1994 THE CRANBERRIES "ZOMBIE" 324. 22/10/1994 BON JOVI "ALWAYS" 325. 05/11/1994 SHERYL CROW "ALL I WANNA DO" 326. 12/11/1994 THE REAL MCCOY "ANOTHER NIGHT" 327. 03/12/1994 EAST 17 "STAY ANOTHER DAY" 328. 24/12/1994 MARIAH CAREY "ALL I WANT FOR CHRISTMAS IS YOU" 329. 07/01/1995 REDNEX "COTTON EYE JOE" 330. 21/01/1995 OASIS "WHATEVER" 331. 28/01/1995 GREEN DAY "BASKET CASE" 332. 18/02/1995 ANNIE LENNOX "NO MORE 'I LOVE YOU'S'" 333. 11/03/1995 THE BOO RADLEYS "WAKE UP BOO" 334. 01/04/1995 ALEX PARTY "DON'T GIVE ME YOUR LIFE" 335. 08/04/1995 TAKE THAT "BACK FOR GOOD" 336. 06/05/1995 OASIS "SOME MIGHT SAY" 337. 13/05/1995 LIVIN' JOY "DREAMER" 338. 10/06/1995 MICHAEL & JANET JACKSON "SCREAM"

Not so much a personal chart as a re-modeling of our own official one. I've always felt a lot of the UK number one's are rather naff to be honest, we've had some of the best records ever made top our charts, but there's also been a lot of crap, charity records, parody records and reality television winners particularly within the last decade and a bit. Because I'm sad and because my final Uni assignment for the year is over leaving me with four months of nothing and soul crushing job hunting I have decided to present this thread now; my own personal re-shuffle of the records to reach number one on the UK charts since 1980. Since 35 years is a lot to cover, I've decided that for 1980-mid 1995 I'm just going to list the records I chose to reach number one. Why mid-1995? Well, that was when I was born, so I thought a good starting point would be the week I came into being. Mainly because I'm not at all amused by the record that was number one on Thursday 13th July 1995. There are a few criteria I used to outline this last; 1) The record must've been charting within The Top 40 2) It's not so much a week by week look at my favourite record within every Top 40 chart from 1980 to now, there are times when my favourite won't be number one as I wanted quite a speedy turn over of the chart. There are no records I hate or even really dislike at the top though, I must admit 3) No re-peaking at #1. 4) Re-entries however are allowed as long as they had not been number one in a previous stint. 5) For double a-side singles, unless I like both, I will only list the one I preferred 6) I will be presenting these number one's in a "real time" format i.e. posting as if we're in 1995 and this record has just climbed to number one.

12/02/2011 Enrique Iglesias feat Ludacris Tonight I'm Lovin' You http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/c/c4/Tonight+(I'm+lovin'+you).jpg/220px-Tonight+(I'm+lovin'+you).jpg Or you know, the title we all know it really is. Back in my review for 'I Like It' I kind of tore Enrique apart for his descent from soulful, romantic guy to sleazy, douche, letch guy but when I look back at his back catalogue I see that 'Hero' itself was the anomaly and that a majority of Enrique's songs have been more in this vein than a soulful, romantic one. He followed up 'Hero' with 'Escape' which is pretty much a song about him stalking and refusing to let a woman go until she gave into his whims. So yeah, this wasn't exactly new territory for Enrique, it's just that he's basically still so known just for that one song that you'd be forgiven for thinking it as encompassing his entire career. He's always had a bit of the sleaze about him, though I maintain that his 2010's output, at least here, turns it up to eleven. I prefer this song to 'I Like It', weirdly, even though this one is a lot more openly vulgar than that. I think my main issue with 'I Like It' is that it was still too tame and wholesome to really get across what Enrique was trying to be, say and do. In essence, for a track about a pretty horrible guy, it was way too nice. If Enrique is portraying a character here, I much prefer him. This guy is worse than the 'I Like It' guy but he at least is upfront about what a sleaze ball he is whilst 'I Like It' dude tries to hide behind a wall of false charm. If you're gonna go full out with a song like this, you need to go full out, and I think Enrique manages it. I'm not sure it's done wonders for his career in the long run but hey ho. I never liked Enrique that much anyway. Jx2yQejrrUE

'Say My Name' is such a classic - the only song Beyonce has ever been involved with that I'd give a 10/10.

2009-2005 2009 01: Lady Gaga - Poker Face 02: Cheryl Cole - Fight For This Love 03: Lily Allen - The Fear 04: Lady Gaga - Bad Romance 05: Lady Gaga - Paparazzi 06: Beyonce - Halo 07: Taylor Swift - Love Story 08: Lily Allen - Not Fair 09: Beyonce - Single Ladies 10: Agnes - Release Me 11: Beyonce - Sweet Dreams 12: Alesha Dixon - Breathe Slow 13: Ke$ha - Tik Tok 14: Kelly Clarkson - My Life Would Suck Without You 15: Alexandra Burke - Hallelujah 16: Pixie Lott - Mama Do 17: Leona Lewis - Run 18: Shakira - She Wolf 19: Rihanna - Russian Roulette 20: Little Boots - Remedy 2008 01: Alexandra Burke - Hallelujah 02: Duffy - Mercy 03: Katy Perry - I Kissed a Girl 04: Leona Lewis - Run 05: Pink - So What 06: Beyonce - If I Were a Boy 07: Rihanna - Disturbia 08: Rihanna - Take a Bow 09: Katy Perry - Hot N Cold 10: Rihanna - Don't Stop The Music 11: Gabrielle Cilmi - Sweet About Me 12: Adele - Chasing Pavements 13: Duffy - Warwick Avenue 14: Britney Spears - Womanizer 15: September - Cry For You 16: Leona Lewis - Better In Time 17: Britney Spears - Piece Of Me 18: Alesha Dixon - The Boy Does Nothing 19: Kelly Rowland - Work 20: Sara Bareillis - Love Song 2007 01: Leona Lewis - Bleeding Love 02: Kate Nash - Foundations 03: Avril Lavigne - Girlfriend 04: Fergie - Big Girls Don't Cry 05: Nelly Furtado - Say It Right 06: Rihanna - Shut Up and Drive 07: JoJo - Too Little, Too Late 08: Alicia Keys - No One 09: Leona Lewis - A Moment Like This 10: Britney Spears - Gimme More 11: Avril Lavigne - When You're Gone 12: Amy Winehouse - Rehab 13: Mutya Buena - Real Girl 14: Christina Aguilera - Candyman 15: Kylie Minogue - 2 Hearts 16: Amy Winehouse - Back To Black 17: Amy Winehouse - Tears Dry On Their Own 18: Mariah Carey - All I Want For Christmas Is You 19: Natasha Bedingfield - Soulmate 20: Amy Winehouse - You Know I'm No Good 2006 01: Leona Lewis - A Moment Like This 02: Sandi Thom - I Wish I Was a Punk Rocker 03: Nelly Furtado - Maneater 04: Rihanna - S.O.S 05: Lily Allen - Smile 06: Rihanna - Unfaithful 07: Corrine Bailey Rae - Put Your Records On 08: Beyonce - Irreplaceable 09: Pink - Who Knew 10: Christina Aguilera - Ain't No Other Man 11: Madonna - Sorry 12: Cassie - Me & U 13: Madonna - Hung Up 14: Pink - U & Ur Hand 15: Kelly Clarkson - Because Of You 16: Amy Winehouse - Rehab 17: Pink - Stupid Girls 18: Fergie - London Bridge 19: Lily Allen - LDN 20: Emma Bunton - Downtown 2005 01: Madonna - Hung Up 02: Mariah Carey - We Belong Together 03: Jennifer Lopez - Get Right 04: Kelly Clarkson - Since U Been Gone 05: Rihanna - Pon De Replay 06: Charlotte Church - Crazy Chick 07: Amerie - 1 Thing 08: Gwen Stefani - Hollaback Girl 09: Katie Melua - 9 Million Bicylces 10: Jem - They 11: KT Tunstall - Suddenly I See 12: Kelly Clarkson - Behind These Hazel Eyes 13: Mariah Carey - It's Like That 14: Jessica Simpson - These Boots Are Made For Walkin' 15: Natalie Imbruglia - Shiver 16: Ashanti - Only U 17: Kelly Clarkson - Because Of You 18: Mariah Carey - Get Your Number/Shake It Off 19: Britney Spears - Do Somethin' 20: KT Tunstall - Otherside Of The World

Some Year-End Charts For You: 2010's 2014 01: Ella Henderson - Ghost 02: Idina Menzel - Let It Go 03: Meghan Trainor - All About That Bass 04: Kiesza - Hideaway 05: Taylor Swift - Shake It Off 06: Rita Ora - I Will Never Let You Down 07: Sia - Chandelier 08: Paloma Faith - Only Love Can Hurt Like This 09: Ellie Goulding - How Long Will I Love You 10: Katy B - Crying For No Reason 11: Katy Perry - Roar 12: Lorde - Royals 13: Charli XCX - Boom Clap 14: Jess Glynne - Right Here 15: Taylor Swift - Blank Space 16: Ellie Goulding - Burn (2014 does not seem to have a Y/E 200 posted yet so this only lists the applicable songs from the Top 100. If anyone knows where/if there is a T200 that'd be very helpful) 2013 01: Katy Perry - Roar 02: Ellie Goulding - Burn 03: Taylor Swift - I Knew You Were Trouble 04: Miley Cyrus - We Can't Stop 05: Lily Allen - Somewhere Only We Know 06: Miley Cyrus - Wrecking Ball 07: Lorde - Royals 08: Emeli Sande - Clown 09: Ellie Goulding - How Long Will I Love You 10: Rihanna - Diamonds 11: Christina Perri - A Thousand Years 12: Bridgit Mendler - Ready Or Not 13: Demi Lovato - Heart Attack 14: Lady Gaga - Applause 15: Taylor Swift - 22 16: Sam Bailey - Skyscraper 17: Adele - Skyfall 18: Ellie Goulding - Explosions 19: Pink - Try 20: Ke$ha - Die Young 2012 01: Carly Rae Jepsen - Call Me Maybe 02: Nicki Minaj - Starships 03: Jessie J - Domino 04: Rihanna - Diamonds 05: Emeli Sande - Next To Me 06: Adele - Skyfall 07: Taylor Swift - We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together 08: Rihanna - Where Have You Been 09: Cheryl - Call My Name 10: Kelly Clarkson - What Doesn't Kill You (Stronger) 11: Tulisa - Young 12: Rita Ora - How We Do (Party) 13: Gabrielle Aplin - The Power of Love 14: Katy Perry - Part Of Me 15: Emeli Sande - Read All About It, Part III 16: Nicki Minaj - Pound The Alarm 17: Katy Perry - Wide Awake 18: Paloma Faith - Picking Up The Pieces 19: Lana Del Rey - Video Games 20: Pink - Blow Me (One Last Kiss) 2011 01: Adele - Someone Like You 02: Adele - Rolling In The Deep 03: Christina Perri - Jar Of Hearts 04: Rihanna - S&M 05: Lady Gaga - Born This Way 06: Alexandra Stan - Mr. Saxobeat 07: Jessie J - Do It Like a Dude 08: Lady Gaga - The Edge of Glory 09: Adele - Set Fire To The Rain 10: Nicki Minaj - Super Bass 11: Nicole Scherzinger - Don't Hold Your Breath 12: Beyonce - Best Thing I Never Had 13: Katy Perry - Last Friday Night 14: Charlene Soraia - Wherever You Will Go 15: Jessie J - Nobody's Perfect 16: Ke$ha - We R Who We R 17: Pixie Lott - All About Tonight 18: Adele - Make You Feel My Love 19: Katy Perry - Firework 20: Rihanna - Only Girl (In The World) 2010 01: Rihanna - Only Girl (In The World) 02: Alicia Keys - Empire State of Mind Part II 03: Rihanna - Rude Boy 04: Katy Perry - Firework 05: Ellie Goulding - Your Song 06: Eliza Doolittle - Pack Up 07: Lady Gaga - Bad Romance 08: Katy Perry - Teenage Dream 09: Cheryl Cole - Promise This 10: Ellie Goulding - Starry Eyed 11: Lady Gaga - Alejandro 12: Adele - Make You Feel My Love 13: Cheryl Cole - Parachute 14: Kylie Minogue - All The Lovers 15: Alicia Keys - Try Sleeping With a Broken Heart 16: Ke$ha - Tik Tok 17: Katy B - Katy On a Mission 18: Alexis Jordan - Happiness 19: Alexandra Burke - Broken Heels 20: Inna - Hot

Duffy is probably the best example of this. 2008 belonged to her but she never saw any kind of success outside of those 12 months. I have an awful feeling 2014 will turn out to be this for a number of artists; George Ezra being the main one.

12/02/2011 Jessie J feat B.O.B Price Tag http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/5/52/Price_tag_cover.png/220px-Price_tag_cover.png I said in my review of 'Do It Like a Dude' that Jessie J wouldn't become a particularly hated artist of mine until later in her career, and it's true, and for most of 2011 I actually quite liked her. I wouldn't have called myself a fan of hers or anything, but I quite liked a lot of her stuff this year, and wouldn't have an issue with her whatsoever had she stuck to a more honest and personal method of song writing but that's an issue for another day. After the damage that its predecessor did to my impression of Jessie J, her next single would've had to be seriously good to have turned around my opinion of her in some way, and low and behold, it was and did 'Price Tag' remains the tightest and most well-rounded record that Jessie J has ever done. I like it's stance and at a period in time when most were struggling for money, hearing an anthem about decrying capitalism, over spending and the overall significance put on one's financial situation was a welcome change because popular music does have that sense of disillusionment with it sometimes. As much as I jammed to 'Billionaire' back in the summer of 2010, it leaves me a little cold nowadays when I go back and listen to it, because it just seems crass and completely out of the loop for its audience. Maybe they intended it as escapism, I don't know, but I do know that in the middle of a pretty bad recession, the last thing I want to hear is a millionaire saying how much he wishes he was a billionaire. I don't even wish I was a millionaire, I just need a tidy 200K to sort me and my family out Anyway, songs like that just made me appreciate 'Price Tag' even more and on top of its theme it's just a very nice sounding pop record. Jessie J's voice is sweet and not pushed to eleven as it is done on most of her songs nowadays, B.O.B slots in quite nicely and the whole thing is rather joyful. I'm still bitter I had to pay for it however. qMxX-QOV9tI

05/02/2011 Chris Brown Yeah 3x http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/8/8d/Chrisbrownyeah3x.png/220px-Chrisbrownyeah3x.png Chris Brown is one of my least favourite people on Earth. Ever. I'm not kidding. I just don't like the guy, away from the fact that he's somehow managed to get away with straight up domestic violence and retain a career, I also happen to think he's not a particularly talented performer either. Sure, he can dance but his voice is weak and it doesn't help that his songs are pretty much always awful. I have friends who think I'm too hard on Chris Brown because the whole Rihanna incident happened six years ago, he's moved on, she's moved on, why can't I? I'm not an unforgiving person and whilst I do believe in second chances, I've never thought that they should just be doled out to bad people without question. The very essence of a second chance means somebody has f***** up so badly that they have broken whatever trust you had in them, I believe such people can and should be allowed a second chance, but only after they've earned them. There's no point in giving someone a second chance when they've done nothing to prove that they deserve one and won't do whatever they did in the first place again. I haven't seen such behaviour from Chris Brown that I believes warrants him a second chance in my eyes. He's never made a public apology about what he did (I'll get to why the fact it has to be public in a bit) but not only that, he's continued to be a general twit and got himself sent to prison. He's not learnt his lesson because we've not aptly punished him. The wider hip-hop community with the exception of a few have forgiven him and welcomed him back, which, if he's apologized in person or whatever, I guess is fair enough. Now, about that public apology. It's been a point of contention amongst me and a few of my friends who feel that it is Chris Brown and Rihanna's private business. I agree, however I'm also aware of how the media works, and Chris Brown's position makes him a role model, whether he likes that or not. People, especially a demographic of young men, look up to him and whilst Chris Brown continues to run around unpunished for what he did, and has never himself publicly acknowledged it, what kind of message is that sending out to impressionable youths? It doesn't make for a good public image either, he'll never be able to move past the stigma of what he did without one. Now, I reckon a few reading this have thought 'why are you talking about this? get to the song'. I can't. Chris Brown's attack on Rihanna remains the single most known thing he's ever done, because his music is terrible and forgettable, and as it's gone unpunished and continues to do so, it's impossible for me to separate artist from person. It doesn't help that whilst he's never directly addressed what he did, he's made references to it in his own music, but it's never about regret or sorrow. It's always about how he is now. If you want a prime example, go to the hideous 'Look At Me Now' that thankfully flopped in the UK but went top ten in America. That song is full of Chris Brown talking about his own comeback and resurgence, which I wouldn't begrudge him, had he ever acknowledged just why he needed a comeback and re-brand in the first place. 'Yeah 3x' is a nothing of a song. It's bright and poppy and I don't think it's an unfair assumption to say that it was strategically used to re-brand Brown as someone who wasn't dangerous. I'd maybe even liked it in the hands of a different singer. Maybe it worked. The most annoying thing about this whole affair is that post-attack Chris Brown has a had a lot more success than pre-attack Chris Brown. I don't doubt that some of you are weary of me taking what may be perceived as a high horse hear but I'm tired of mincing my words when it comes to this a-hole. Until he steps up, takes responsibility for what he did and genuinely apologizes, I'm never going to be able to give him that second chance he and a lot of his fans seem to think he's automatically entitled too. James out. (Note: For the sake of these reviews I will attempt in the future to just look at the music. I just needed to get this out of the way as some form of disclaimer) 3mC2ixOAivA

05/02/2011 Chase & Status feat Liam Bailey Blind Faith http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/3/36/BlindFaithSingleCover.jpg/220px-BlindFaithSingleCover.jpg This is a song that I always want to like more than I actually do, and for the main reason being that I totally adore the music video. It's not a perfect video for any means but I do appreciate its efforts to visualise and accurately represent the Northern clubbing/party lifestyle. I wasn't doing much of that back in early 2011 (give it a year) mainly because I was 15 and still looked about 9, but I can at least now look at this and smile fondly because I recognize so much of what goes on. Not that I was ever particularly involved in the 'laddish' culture that this video puts across. The unfortunate thing is that out of every song covered so far in 2011, this is the one I genuinely can find very little to say about, its utterly unremarkable. It has a good beat I guess and parts of it sound like some sort of lost 1990s club banger but that's pretty much everything I can muster about this. zYpDJw7fThU

About two weeks from when I first had the idea. It would've taken longer had I not realized that I didn't need to look at every single chart when there were singles by female artists at number ones (i.e. when Whitney was number one for ten weeks, I didn't need to look at those ten charts, because I knew what would have been number one on this chart)

I did notice that really up until the late 1990's there were only a few big hit singles by female artists a year, hence the longer runners of the 80's/early 90's. There were weeks in the early 80's where I was having to scroll into the #41-75 zone to find the number one for that week. However, since around 1997, I noticed there were at least two or three singles by female solo artists in the Top 40 weekly.

As did Toni Braxton's "Unbreak My Heart" Madonna's "Crazy For You" also had an 11 week run with 6 weeks in 1985 and 5 weeks in 1991. "My Heart Will Go On" was number one for 10 non-consecutive weeks also