jimwatts

A reminder that this resumes tomorrow as we move into 1985! There'll also be plenty of bonuses that we've been looking forward to catching up with, plus Stella Lefty.

'Aperture' did with 1,557,996 and 'American Girls' also did over a million on its first day (and 'drop dead' also opened with more than 'Patient Zero' as noted). Fourth highest of the year isn't bad for a deluxe track though!

My full list: 1 U2 - The Fly 2 The Clash - Should I Stay Or Should I Go 3 The KLF feat. The Children Of The Revolution - 3AM Eternal 4 Queen - Innuendo 5 Enigma - Sadeness Part I 6 Bryan Adams - (Everything I Do) I Do It For You 7 Queen - These Are The Days Of Our Lives 8 Michael Jackson - Black Or White 9 Cher - The Shoop Shoop Song (It's In His Kiss) 10 Chesney Hawkes - The One And Only 11 George Michael and Elton John - Don't Let The Sun Go Down On Me 12 Vic Reeves and The Wonder Stuff - Dizzy 13 Iron Maiden - Bring Your Daughter... To The Slaughter 14 Jason Donovan - Any Dream Will Do 15 The Simpsons - Do The Bartman 16 Hale And Pace and The Stonkers - The Stonk / Victoria Wood - The Smile Song 17 Color Me Badd - I Wanna Sex You Up Thank you to everyone who has commented or followed this thread! I wasn't originally planning to write as much in these commentaries as I did for 2009, and even then I hadn't expected activities like The Pop Factor, RotD and the quiz season to spring up simultaneously once I had started, so it has been a struggle to keep finding time for this, even with the break in the 80s listening sessions which resume tomorrow! However once I started, these reviews just felt like the natural amount I wanted to write about each song. I've enjoyed reading all your thoughts on them as well, and finding out, as ever, where you would have rated songs higher or lower, so I look forward to seeing many of your finished lists now!

1 U2 - The Fly 1 week in October 1991: {1}-2-5-27-52-62R(5)->6 Kept off #1: none #54 in EOY 1991 Weekly sales at #1: 66k So this countdown concludes, unlike 'Bad Romance' in my 2009 rate, with a song which I'm aware will not be among the favourites for many of you! Irish band U2 had bestrode the 80s, with four UK #1 albums, the latter two having reached #1 virtually across the board - 1987's The Joshua Tree and 1988's Rattle And Hum. The first of those remains much-loved in their monumental sound and houses three huge singles including two US #1s. However the latter - a hybrid studio and live album conceived as a tribute to their musical heroes - did not have as favourable reception, despite containing their first UK #1 in 'Desire'. At the end of 1989, in a concert in their hometown of Dublin, lead singer Bono remarked that it was "the end of something for U2" and they had to "just dream it all up again". And that they did. For their first album of the 90s, Achtung Baby, the band worked in Berlin with producers Daniel Lanois and Brian Eno. Drawing on an influence of alternative rock, industrial and electronic dance music, they constructed an earthier and darker record, frequented by a more flippant tone but more personal and introspective than previously. The lead single from this project encapsulates their new sound, and was conceived as the persona making a phone call from hell. As a hugely anticipated release, it instantly became their 10th UK Top 10 hit in a row (excluding an import) and their second #1, ending the 16-week reign of Bryan Adams (although not single-handedly as his single dropped to #4 that week). It charted higher than the other four singles from the album in the UK, but conversely in the US it was the lowest charting at #61. The band had intended for the single to be available for three weeks only, to allow for a second single before Christmas in 'Mysterious Ways', therefore it fell down the chart quickly, and in fact shared the accolade with Iron Maiden's #1 and 'Innuendo' as the only UK #1s to have spent only 4 weeks in the Top 40 for a while. The album was released after those 4 weeks to a huge opening sale, although landing as it did in the same week as Michael Jackson's similarly awaited 90s comeback Dangerous, it had to settle for #2 in the UK album chart. When I was asked about which year I wanted to review, I was drawn to 1991 as I knew it would have a great mix of #1s near the top end, with two of my biggest favourites from the years not yet covered, however I was aware that this one in particular would be quite a difficult one to sell. I have two big favourites from 1992 as well, but I know those are more in line with the forum in general. I don't remember this one from the time, as it wasn't until 1997 that my curiosity to discover U2's catalogue after finding most of the singles from Pop, their album of that year, a little underwhelming - so Achtung Baby was their first album I bought. It quickly became one of my favourite albums of all time, and my later purchase of The Johsua Tree couldn't shake that - this sounded like where it all fell into place for them. Except to begin with, this was my least favourite of the five singles - I liked it, but more or less bought into its non-#1 status that it only got there by fanbase fervour. It has taken a long time for me to shift that view - but, with the benefit of the digital era when I effectively reappraised my entire CD collection with regular rotation on my iPod, I started to come back around to it. Now it only trails two other of the album's singles for me - 'Who's Gonna Wild Your Wild Horses' is up there with my all-time favourite songs, and although 'One' has been heavily appraised over the years it certainly earned it. Of the other tracks, 'Until The End Of The World' and 'So Cruel' are definite U2 highlights and could easily have been singles too, but for 'The Fly' to make even the top five of such a classic album has demonstrated incredible tenacity. Larry Mullen Jr's drumming gives it a danceable sheen, while The Edge embodies the light and shade with the bassy riffing through the verses and ascension in the chorus, alongside Bono as he switches from the hushed tones of the protagonist to an elegant falsetto, as if playing both devil and angel. An organ enters the mix on the bridge as we drop back to the second verse, and distorted effects ground The Edge's guitar as it tries to break free for a solo in his trademark playing style. However it is Bono's hell-bound persona who senses the inevitable: "It's no secret that our world is in darkness tonight" and that mankind's attempts to escape are fleeting. The song ends with one of my all-time favourite closing rhymes, backed against the last squeals of guitar: "Look I gotta go, yeah I'm running outta change / There's a lot of things if I could I'd rearrange". And on that note, so ends my reviewing of 1991!

2 The Clash - Should I Stay Or Should I Go 2 weeks in March 1991: 62-33-24-24-{17}-18-25-37-72 // 5-{1}-1-2-9-13-24-47-73 // 42-{40}-46-54-62->9+9+5 Kept off #1: Madonna - Crazy For You #19 in EOY 1991 Weekly sales at #1: 56k; 60k And just like my 2009 #1s rate, the song at runner-up spot is the one which was originally a hit in the previous decade! The Clash were arguably the most important band to arise from punk, given their relative longevity (compared to The Sex Pistols), influence and international recognition. They are one of my favourite bands of all time, and I recommend especially their 1977 self-titled debut album and 1979's expansive London Calling, as well as any "best of" or singles compilation of theirs. In all, they had 15 UK Top 40 hits in the 70s and 80s without quite breaking into the Top 10 - the title track from 'London Calling' came closest at #11. By 1982, under the established line-up of Joe Strummer, Mick Jones, Paul Simonon and Topper Headon, they had become an internationally successful stadium band. Their 5th studio album Combat Rock reached #7 in the US as well as #2 in the UK, from which the singles included this Jones-penned song on a double A-side with Strummer's 'Straight To Hell' (whose riff was later sampled throughout M.I.A's 'Paper Planes') which had peaked at #17. Tensions within the band were taking their toll however, resulting in Jones leaving the band as well as Headon who had provided the project's other sizeable hit in 'Rock The Casbah'. Strummer and Simonon continued the band with new members for one further album before calling it a day in 1986. Then in the early 90s, jeans company Levi's asked the former band members' permission to use 'Should I Stay Or Should I Go' on one of their UK commercials. These had been notable for reviving a number of older songs in the late 80s and 90s, often resulting in their re-releases and in many cases charting higher than they had originally. Despite the band's stance for prioritising creativity and idealism over commercial exploitation, they nominated Jones as the song's main writer to make the final decision, to which he agreed. Following the exposure of the adverts, the song was re-released as a single A-side and duly became their first to go Top 10 in the UK. The following week it ascended to the top, becoming the third song to hold Madonna's 'Crazy For You' (also an 80s re-release at that point) to #2 in the process. It has since become far and away The Clash's most commercially successful song in the digital era, and earlier this month attained triple platinum status, having featured in the final series of Stranger Things earlier in the year. I would say this song isn't one of my absolute top favourites by The Clash, and lyrically it isn't really representative of most of their output. However as a vehicle for their ongoing legacy, it has performed miracles and has surely introduced them to more people than any other song. I vaguely remember this being played at a friend's house in 1991 as another friend was learning it on the guitar, though it wasn't until the 2000s that I started to delve into them, first the London Calling album and then a singles collection on which I came back around to this. It almost feels like it exists in a different sphere to the rest of their hits, but I absolutely enjoy it for that and it remains one of the great UK #1 rock songs, especially from a band rooted in punk (have there been any others?) Lead guitarist Jones is the star player - the opening and triple-pluck intro, the bluesy continuation of the crunching riff, the faster chorus - and his vocals strike a fine balance between defiance and the vulnerability at the subject of the song's question, although he has denied that it is about him leaving the band. The stomping singalong and memorable rhymes "If I go there will be trouble / If I stay there will be double" are accompanied with little ad libs - the prophetic shout of "Split!", the howling and Spanish backing vocals - and the committed playing from the rest of the band belies any underlying tension. In Gezza's 2021 poll of Buzzjack's Favourite UK #1 Single of the 90s (here - the full ranked list is on p.44), I was the only one to vote for this in my 30 songs, placing it 10th for the decade - I think it has a few more fans now (though I also acknowledge some didn't feel it fit into a 90s rate). There were just two other voters for the song that's left, although all three of us put it in our top 10s - 7th in my case, and I have been consistent with its top placing here...

KATSEYE's multichart #1 is also their first top 10 hit! KATSEYE: 2025 57 Gnarly 2025 15 Gabriela 2026 17 Internet Girl 2026 23 PINKY UP 2026 39 ICONIC BY MISTAKE (LE SSERAFIM, ILLIT and KATSEYE) 2026 01 Animal 2026 36 Hootie Frutti

Well it was 'Frozen' I had expected to appear in the top two, which was also a #1, but the other one I wasn't sure of and had thought maybe one of The Prodigy or Chemical Brothers' #1s, or just maybe one of that trilogy of #1s from early 1991. I hadn't really considered Depeche Mode, but 'Enjoy The Silence' is a fantastic pick for #1 - very dark and atmospheric, I enjoy the instrumental sections as mush as the song itself. I'll draft my own 80s and 90s top 10s at some point - I realised I left 'The Model' out of the 70s but I'm not sure there'll be much room in the 80s either so may have to rejig the 70s too... anyhow I look forward to reading about your favourites of the 2000s!

'Loser' scoring exactly 0 points on its only ever Reshuffle week is iconic. Well done Liam on completing 100 Reshuffles so far! +5 Dua Lipa - Training Season +4 Sienna Spiro - Great Expectation +3 sombr - My Body Isn’t Ready +2 Ashe - Stop The Wedding +1 Olivia Rodrigo - the cure -1 Sam Fender & Olivia Dean - Rein Me In -2 ADÉLA - Nicole Kidman -3 Ella Langley - Choosin’ Texas -4 Stella Lefty - Boston -5 Jamie Miller - Babydoll

This week's new peaks on the Audio Streaming chart for songs either on ACR or starred out: 73 P!nk feat. Nate Reuss - Just Give Me A Reason ('Can't Hold Us' is at #86, its highest position since 2014 when it made it as high as #72 after the chart was introduced)

Sienna taking Ella's record of lowest selling #1 since 2008, by 9 sales!

Looks like the Top 3 and 'Die On This Hill' all increased this week, 'the cure' decreased and 'Training Season' is down very slightly.

Tove #42, so close again

If you're counting Hugel for last week, may as well count Sam & Olivia at #7 this week.

The UK and US united in having record-breaking 23 week #1s in 2026 (for now)

15 new peaks for 'Boston', this one will possibly be the last though