Kit Curran

Chart commentary. A new number one but not much new chart action as 2009 still seeks its own musicl identity. It's a song first heard in the last weeks of 2008 that knocks Girls Aloud off the top spot, as 'Let It Rock', Kevin Rudolf's raucous collaboration with Lil' Wayne, which was held out of the charts before Christmas by the collection of festive fluff, finally gets its reward. Entering the chart at sixteen two weeks ago, it gained huge momentum with a thirteen place climb last week, and now climbs to the top. Of Montreal, the underground band who have been a hit with their quirky 'An Eluardian Instance', might have expected to be number one, having gone up ten places to 2 last week, but have been overtaken not only by Kevin Rudolf, but by Lily Allen's new single 'The Fear', which jumps from 7 to 2. It's been a steady growth in support for Lily's song, on the chart for a fourth week, and could have enough momentum to ease past 'Let It Rock' next Tuesday. But also watch out for this week's highest climber. A song released in January 2006 which went virtually unnoticed, but has since been included on 'MoodMedia' retail instore playout systems all over the area. Despite the retail slump, those who have been working in or spending money in shops this year have been hearing the beautiful 'Warm Sand' by Tina Dico, which today climbs twenty places to number five. It's a big surprise to see an unknown singer in this position. Dico comes from Denmark and the song was a big hit in her homeland three years ago, but new exposure could see it become the biggest hit of all on Radio Newtown next week. 'MoodMedia' exposure also helps an old Keane track into the Top 20 at 18, while a local TV station organising a mass regionwide-singalong has assisted the re-emergence of 'All You Need Is Love' by The Beatles. So the only genuine new song to enter the chart today is 'Get On Your Boots' by U2... a good song, but not in the instant classic bracket of 'Beautiful Day' or 'Vertigo', possibly explaining its low initial impact for a U2 debut song off a new album. Comeback stars Starsailor and Daniel Powter cement their revivals with places in the Top Ten, but the much hyped solo single by Daniel Merriweather, the highest new entry at ten last week, has stalled at 7, and doesn't look to have the momentum to go higher. So 2009 still seeks its first big new star, though as far as the Radio Newtown chart is concerned, it could well be the girl for whom success is coming three years late, but success none the less with a lovely song. This week's chart: http://www3.hmv.co.uk/hmv/Large_Images/HMV/1796243.JPGhttp://www3.hmv.co.uk/hmv/Large_Images/HMV/CDR6764.JPGhttp://www3.hmv.co.uk/hmv/Large_Images/HMV/PRC1602.JPGhttp://www3.hmv.co.uk/hmv/Large_Images/HMV/1794885.JPG http://i260.photobucket.com/albums/ii35/Merlo2001/tina.jpg 1 (3) Let It Rock - Kevin Rudolf ft Lil' Wayne (New number one) 2 (7) The Fear - Lily Allen 3 (2) An Eluardian Instance – Of Montreal 4 (1) The Loving Kind- Girls Aloud 5 (25) Warm Sand – Tina Dico 6 (5) Circus – Britney Spears 7 (10) Change – Daniel Merriweather 8 (4) La Soireé - David Ordini 9 (14) Tell Me It's Not Over - Starsailor 10 (16) Best Of Me – Daniel Powter 11 (6) Broken Strings- James Morrison and Nelly Furtado 12 (20) We Walk – Ting Tings 13 (9) Single Ladies (Put A Ring On It) - Beyoncé 14 (13) Ulysses - Franz Ferdinand 15 (8) Greatest Day- Take That 16 (NEW) Get On Your Boots - U2 17 (11) Issues – Saturdays 18 (36) Sunshine – Keane 19 (12) Use Somebody - Kings of Leon 20 (NEW) All You Need Is Love – Beatles A live version of this week's highest climber - Tina Dico's 'Warm Sand' 70D0VpGpG74

Chart commentary. Finally, some competition at the top end of the Radio Newtown Top 20. Girls Aloud stay at number one for a second week with 'The Loving Kind', but two songs make massive leaps into the top three to promise a tough scrap for the top spot next Tuesday. Underground band Of Montreal see the title track from their current EP 'An Eluardian Instance' leap up ten places to number two. Following in the footsteps of King of Prussia, these North American heroes combine a New Order bassline with Beatle-esque vocals and the best of brass for a studio epic in a very different vein to their popular, jangly live version. A great success for a band who have been threatening success for over a year, and what better way could there be than grab themselves a number one hit? But that's also what Kevin Rudolf will be hoping for as 'Let It Rock', his powerful collaboration with Lil Wayne, leaps up thirteen places to 3. Lily Allen won't have given up hopes of a chart topper completely, as 'The Fear' climbs into the Top 10 at seven, but maybe they all need to look out for this week's highest new entry, from Daniel Merriweather. The excellent uncredited vocalist on hits by such as Mark Ronson and Wylie finally gets the chance to put his name on his own record, and leaps straight into the chart at ten with 'Change'. Interesting to see two chart stars from a few years ago get good progress in this week's chart. Starsailor might have thought their hit-making days behind them, but their excellent new single 'Tell Me It's Not Over' finds favour as a new entry at 14, while Daniel Powter's in and out chart career, which has never fulfilled the early promise of his debut number one 'Bad Day' has one of its good days, as 'Best of Me' climbs to 16. Making up the new songs in the Top 20, The Ting Tings will be surprised to see 'We Walk' make the chart ahead of the preferred single release, 'Fruit Machine'. This week's chart: http://www3.hmv.co.uk/hmv/Large_Images/HMV/1794885.JPGhttp://www3.hmv.co.uk/hmv/Large_Images/HMV/PRC1602.JPGhttp://www3.hmv.co.uk/hmv/Large_Images/HMV/1796243.JPGhttp://i260.photobucket.com/albums/ii35/Merlo2001/football.jpghttp://www3.hmv.co.uk/hmv/Large_Images/HMV/BRITNEYCIRCUS.JPG 1 (1) The Loving Kind - Girls Aloud (Second week) 2 (12) An Eluardian Instance - Of Montreal 3 (16) Let It Rock – Kevin Rudolf feat Lil Wayne 4 (4) La Soirée- David Ordini 5 (5) Circus – Britney Spears 6 (3) Broken Strings – James Morrison and Nelly Furtado 7 (15) The Fear – Lily Allen 8 (2) Greatest Day - Take That 9 (6) Single Ladies (Put A Ring On It) - Beyoncé 10 (NEW) Change – Daniel Merriweather 11 (9) Issues- Saturdays 12 (10) Use Somebody – Kings of Leon 13 (14) Ulysses - Franz Ferdinand 14 (NEW) Tell Me It's Not Over - Starsailor 15 (11) Perfect Symmetry- Keane 16 (29) Best of Me - Daniel Powter 17 (7) No Smoke – Queensberry 18 (18) I Believe In Miracles – Jackson Sisters 19 (8) Warm This Winter - Gabriella Cilmi 20 (26) We Walk – Ting Tings

When I used to do a show on Hospital Radio, I used to take twenty songs that were current and that I like, and roll percentile dice live on air to work out positions. :lol: To get realistic chart runs, songs that had done well the previous week as well as the number one, got extra rolls, which often created tension as we got to the top of the chart, with two songs left, one of the final two contenders would have to roll a certain total or higher to push the other one to number two. Reggie and Fearne never have that much tension! :naughty: Nowadays, the chart I do on Buzzjack is based solely on what I like and am listening to at the time. Often it's current chart hits or new releases, but I also like a fair bit of foreign pop music which does well, and retro hits. The retro hits are always there for a reason, never random. Often it's because they've appeared in a TV advert, such as The Jackson Sisters and Frankie Goes To Hollywood songs that are in my Top 20 at the moment, or they're featured in a TV show... the current showing of 1970s football matches on ITV4 led me to hunt out the Big Match theme music on the internet, download the full version in its technicolour cheesy glory off ITunes, and it's currently number four in my chart cause I love listening to it right now! Sometimes, it doesn't even have to be off a TV show or advert, it could just be an old song I've recently heard for the first time. That was how Can got to number one last year with 'I Want More' - stumbled on it on YouTube, and even though it was from 1976 it sounded so cool and fresh... downloaded it and listened to it obsessively on my IPod for a few weeks as if it were a new release - well, it was new to me. Hence a number one hit. That said, I am unlikely to chart a random old song that I've loved for years without good reason - don't expect to see Bohemian Rhapsody in the Radio Newtown Top 20 anytime soon, for instance. And I won't chart the current fad, no matter how popular it is, if I don't happen to like it. So no 'Just Dance' in my chart... didn't mind Lady GaGa a few months ago, but sick of hearing her now, so I won't be charting the current song even if it's number one for nine weeks on the BBC.

Chart commentary. Yes, change has finally come on this momentous day. After eight long, long weeks :lol: , Take That finally left the number one position in the Radio Newtown Top 20, to be replaced by Girls Aloud, who get their second successive chart topper - and at last the first new number one of 2009 - with 'The Loving Kind'. Many thought that the girls' chance of getting to the top had gone when, having gone straight in at number four, their single climbed to number two last week, but they were merely giving Gary and the boys one more week of chart topping glory, before today's well-deserved inauguration. James Morrison and Nelly Furtado stay at number three with 'Broken Strings', while leaping up an amazing thirteen places to four, thanks to ITV4's 1970s football repeats, is David Ordini's 'La Soirée', an instrumental better known as the theme from The Big Match. Could it top the chart next week? Well, even if it doesn't, this week it beats the likes of Britney Spears (5) and Beyoncé (6), who nevertheless see strong songs continue to climb. As always, interest surrounds the new entries in the lower half of the 20. Following on from the success of King of Prussia, another North American underground band with a jangly guitar sound, Of Montreal, go straight in at 12 with their current release, 'An Eluardian Instance', an interesting EP with catchy tracks. Meanwhile, Lily Allen climbs to 15, hoping to live up to expectation with her new release, 'The Fear', while at 16 there's a big jump for Kevin Rudolf's collaboration with Lil Wayne, 'Let It Rock', with a video eerily reminiscent of the watered down offering 25 years ago by Frankie Goes To Hollywood after their original promo for 'Relax' was banned... and whaddya know, 'Relax' is back in the Top 20 for the Frankies, brought in by an ingenious advert for a 25-year old airline. But for now, all eyes are on Girls Aloud, once again top of the tree... This week's chart: http://www3.hmv.co.uk/hmv/Large_Images/HMV/1794885.JPGhttp://www3.hmv.co.uk/hmv/Large_Images/HMV/1787445.JPGhttp://www3.hmv.co.uk/hmv/Large_Images/HMV/1792152.JPGhttp://i260.photobucket.com/albums/ii35/Merlo2001/football.jpghttp://www3.hmv.co.uk/hmv/Large_Images/HMV/BRITNEYCIRCUS.JPG 1 (2) The Loving Kind - Girls Aloud (New Number One) 2 (1) Greatest Day - Take That 3 (3) Broken Strings – James Morrison and Nelly Furtado 4 (17) La Soirée- David Ordini 5 (6) Circus – Britney Spears 6 (9) Single Ladies (Put A Ring On It) – Beyoncé 7 (4) No Smoke – Queensberry 8 (7) Warm This Winter - Gabriella Cilmi 9 (14) Issues - Saturdays 10 (10) Use Somebody – Kings of Leon 11 (5) Perfect Symmetry- Keane 12 (NEW) An Eluardian Instance – Of Montreal 13 (8) Grace - Will Young 14 (16) Ulysses -Franz Ferdinand 15 (27) The Fear- Lily Allen 16 (37) Let It Rock - Kevin Rudolf feat Lil Wayne 17 (12) I'm Outta Time – Oasis 18 (20) I Believe In Miracles – Jackson Sisters 19 (13) Shades of Hippiedom - King of Prussia 20 (22) Relax – Frankie Goes To Hollywood

Chart commentary: Everyone was wondering if Girls Aloud, straight in at number four in last week's chart, could pip the high climbing song from James Morrison and Nelly Furtado to take the first new number one of 2009. Well, they were able to outpace James and Nelly, but their popularity was surprisingly not enough to displace the mighty Take That and 'Greatest Day', which spends an amazing eighth week at number one. In a slow moving chart, German reality TV stars Queensberry seem to be big winners, moving up five places to four with 'No Smoke', and also Beyoncé, whose quirky 'Single Ladies' leaps into the top ten. 'Issues' finally presents girl group The Saturdays with a top 20 hit at 14, while the only brand new entry in the chart is the new single by Franz Ferdinand - 'Ulysses' is straight in at 16. And, as ever, retro hits make their mark. Leaping up to 17 is 'La Soirée' by David Ordini, an instrumental track better known at the theme to ITV football coverage 'The Big Match' during the 70s. The track appears as a high climber due to its appearance in an ITV4 weekly retrospective of football from thirty years ago, while an even older track from The Jackson Sisters re-appears due to an advert for £199 holidays (yeah, right ^_^ ) Tipped for a big revival in the next few weeks is 'Relax' by Frankie Goes To Hollywood, due to an advert for an airline which, like the pounding dance track, celebrates its 25th Anniversary this year. But we await to see if genuinely new releases from the likes of Lily Allen, or maybe even the fondly-remembered A-Ha, can kick start the year into action, and finally topple a song that has been reigning supreme since November, given that singles by such as Lady Ga-Ga have not found favour on Radio Newtown as yet. But can Girls Aloud, James Morrison or Queensberry still capture that elusive first number one of 2009? This week's chart: http://www3.hmv.co.uk/hmv/Large_Images/HMV/1787445.JPGhttp://www3.hmv.co.uk/hmv/Large_Images/HMV/1794885.JPGhttp://www3.hmv.co.uk/hmv/Large_Images/HMV/1792152.JPGhttp://i260.photobucket.com/albums/ii35/Merlo2001/queensberry.jpghttp://www3.hmv.co.uk/hmv/Large_Images/HMV/1783624.JPG 1 (1) Greatest Day - Take That (Eighth week) 2 (4) The Loving Kind - Girls Aloud 3 (3) Broken Strings – James Morrison and Nelly Furtado 4 (9) No Smoke- Queensberry 5 (5) Perfect Symmetry – Keane 6 (8) Circus – Britney Spears 7 (6) Warm This Winter – Gabriella Cilmi 8 (14) Grace - Will Young 9 (23) Single Ladies (Put A Ring On It) - Beyoncé 10 (11) Use Somebody – Kings of Leon 11 (2) Run- Leona Lewis 12 (7) I'm Outta Time – Oasis 13 (13) Shades of Hippiedom - King of Prussia 14 (24) Issues - Saturdays 15 (17) Rain On Your Parade- Duffy 16 (NEW) Ulysses - Franz Ferdinand 17 (45) La Soirée – David Ordini 18 (12) Heilige Nacht – Helene Fischer 19 (15) Human - Killers 20 (21) I Believe In Miracles – Jackson Sisters

Chart commentary: The first chart of 2009 presents Take That with a seventh consecutive week at number one for 'Greatest Day', the longest chart topper since Rihanna's 'Umbrella' in 2007. But below the Manchester lads is a frenzy of activity as Christmas songs fall away to make room for slow burners finally blazing a trail to the top... Such as 'Broken Strings' by James Morrison and Nelly Furtado, which has been around for ages, but today makes a huge leap into the top three from number sixteen, just behind No 2 hit 'Run' by Leona Lewis, which is making for the top again, having briefly having had to make way for the rash of Christmas hits. Britney Spears' album title track 'Circus' finally makes the top ten with a good climb from 21 to 8, while another song that has been bubbling under the top 20 for a while, 'Grace' by Will Young, finally gets in, climbing twelve to No 14. 'Review of the Year' fever seems to be behind the freakish climbs by Duffy (17) and the summer hit by Coldplay (19), while a glut of Christmas publicity for the show and film Mamma Mia - including an appearance by the cast on Christmas Top of the Pops - sees Abba make a surprise climb into the 20... all of which is into space vacated by Christmas hits from last week's (unpublished) chart... George Michael managed a week at 8 with his 'December Song', uniquely released for a day on his website, but now the only seasonal songs remaining, from Helene Fischer (12) and Wombats (18) look set to disappear with the decorations. But probably the main feature of the chart this week it high new entries from two scarily similar girl groups. Straight in at number nine are Queensberry, formed last month from the German programme of 'Pop Stars-Just 4 Girls' in which producers set out to find the next, ahem, Girls Aloud. From their optimistically titled album 'Volume 1', 'No Smoke' is typical yet enjoyable girl band fare, and might be in with a chance of topping the chart if it were not for... the original and still the best 'reality' girl band - assuming you don't count the awful Clio - yes, Girls Aloud themselves. The delicious 'The Loving Kind' has gone straight in at number four, and looks pretty certain of becoming number one next week, providing it can hold off the momentum of the James Morrison single. Also notable is the absence of the much-hyped 'Just Dance' by Lady GaGa, which has not proved popular on Radio Newtown. So how do we line up to open 2009? This week's chart: http://www3.hmv.co.uk/hmv/Large_Images/HMV/1787445.JPGhttp://i260.photobucket.com/albums/ii35/Merlo2001/tmpphpGOglbI.jpghttp://www3.hmv.co.uk/hmv/Large_Images/HMV/1792152.JPGhttp://www3.hmv.co.uk/hmv/Large_Images/HMV/1794885.JPGhttp://www3.hmv.co.uk/hmv/Large_Images/HMV/1783624.JPG 1 (1) Greatest Day - Take That (Seventh week) 2 (3) Run - Leona Lewis 3 (16) Broken Strings – James Morrison and Nelly Furtado 4 (NEW) The Loving Kind- Girls Aloud 5 (7) Perfect Symmetry – Keane 6 (4) Warm This Winter – Gabriella Cilmi 7 (9) I'm Outta Time – Oasis 8 (21) Circus - Britney Spears 9 (NEW) No Smoke - Queensberry 10 (11) Live Your Life – TI feat Rihanna 11 (10) Use Somebody- Kings of Leon 12 (2) Heilige Nacht – Helene Fischer 13 (12) Shades of Hippiedom - King of Prussia 14 (26) Grace - Will Young 15 (13) Human- Killers 16 (15) Make You Feel My Love - Adele 17 (28) Rain On Your Parade – Duffy 18 (5) Is This Christmas – Wombats 19 (49) Viva La Vida - Coldplay 20 (29) Mamma Mia – Abba New entry at number nine- Queensberry KJkt-gEcyqk

So, before we get to my surprise number one song of the year, here's a recap of 2008's twenty through to two... 20. Brakes - Royworld 19. Heilige Nacht - Helene Fischer 18. Stop and Stare - One Republic 17. Don't Stop The Music - Rihanna 16. The Promise - Girls Aloud 15. I Kissed A Girl - Katy Perry 14. Dance With Me - Dizzee Rascal, Calvin Harris and Chrome 13. 3 Days Awake - Luetzenkirchen 12. Chasing Pavements - Adele 11. Hooray - Delays 10. Love Made Visible/We Together Make A City - Delays 9. Du Fängst mich auf und lässt mich Fliegen - Helene Fischer 8. I Want More - Can 7. If I Had Eyes - Jack Johnson 6. Misadventures of the Campaign Kids - King of Prussia 5. Lass mich in dein Leben - Helene Fischer 4. Greatest Day - Take That 3. Mercy - Duffy 2. 4 Minutes - Madonna feat Justin Timberlake And so, we get to the number one. A song that took over Latin America in 2007 took over the Radio Newtown chart for more than a month in 2008. It was first heard in this country when watching Setanta TV coverage of football's Copa Libertadores, the South American version of the Champions League. From Argentina to Mexico, from Chile to Brazil, fans could be heard singing their own songs to the same tune... 77TybCv1LiY But what was it? Much Googling and YouTubing revealed that it was 'Pasos Al Costado', a 2007 hit for Argentine band Turf, which had become as ingrained in the culture of Latin American football as 'You'll Never Walk Alone' had once been in the UK. And within weeks, an obsession with the song took off. It entered the Radio Newtown Top 20 at number one on 8 June, remained there for five weeks, and became by far the most listened to IPod download for the year. And today, I can reveal that Kit Curran's top song for 2008 is 1. Pasos Al Costado - Turf WSbxALVMN7E The Radio Newtown Top 20 will return, with its mix of chart hits, obscure indie, foreign language and retro revivals, on Tuesday, January 6th. Happy New Year to all my readers! :yahoo:

2. 4 Minutes - Madonna feat Justin Timberlake Okay. So you get the most successful female artist of all time, with a string of number ones going back over twenty years, to unleash yet another new musical direction and image. Add one of the most popular ex-boy band pin-ups who has created a new following with his grown-up R n B Style. And to produce it, get music's current Midas man, for whom everything turns to gold, from the zillion selling new-look Nelly Furtado, through his own solo chart-topping feats, up to kick starting the career of a solid but dull US AOR band. So when Madonna met Justin Timberlake and Timbaland, it would have been a major surprise if it hadn't been good and hadn't been a number one. No surprises, as this topped the chart for five weeks from late March to early May. Just one question, though. If, at the beginning of the song, Timbaland claims he is 'out of time', how come he still had four minutes? Of course, 2008 was also the year in which this very song almost brought down YouTube... you will not find the official video of this *anywhere* on the site... but I think we have a very good substitute... :lol: uG85PnQXw1E

3. Mercy - Duffy In January, everyone said that Adele would be the biggest female star of 2008. In fact the biggest female star ever. Not even close. With her album Rockferry, the 'new Dusty Springfield' out of Wales, Duffy, blew everyone away and continues to do so with 'Rain on My Parade' still in the charts. But 'Mercy' was the huge breakthrough track, that topped Radio Newtown's chart for four weeks in March. The question is, will Duffy be able to follow up such huge success in years to come? Maybe a question for another day, as for now, let's enjoy a fantastic talent at work, with more wonderful retro imagery as well! 6QSm5f1eiIk

4. Greatest Day - Take That It entered the chart at number one. It got the prestigious Christmas number one. It's still number one, after six weeks at the top. Yet it still just comes in as the 4th most successful song of 2008 on our chart. But what a song! From their chart topping album The Circus, the Take That boys have followed up 'Rule The World' with an even bigger Autumn/Winter epic. Somehow, you just couldn't imagine 'Greatest Day' (or 'Rule The World' for that matter) being a hit in the summer. Both songs seem to conjure up firework displays on dark winter nights, and Sky Sports montages after particularly important live football games. For a band of hyper-active boys we thought we'd seen the last of at the turn of the century, we now prepare for its second decade with four dignified gentlemen as the wise men of pop, in steady yet fashionable M & S clothing, and belting out gems like this... Here's their performance on X Factor. M9Xzmt0DsPs

And so we enter the home strait of our Radio Newtown Top 20 of 2008, here comes the Top 20... 5. Lass mich in dein Leben - Helene Fischer How I just love Schlager musik! Helene Fischer missed out on the chance to put all her first three hits at number one when Mittem in Paradies reached number three in May. But she finally notched the hat-trick in July, when this first single from her album Zaubermond went to number one for three weeks. If you switched on German public TV during the summer, or went to certain hotels in Arenal, Mallorca, this song and this gorgeous babe were everywhere. Helene even graced Mallorca with her presence during the summer, and will continue to play to enthusiastic audiences throughout Germany in the early weeks of 2009. And to top it all, she's a thoroughly nice, unassuming lady who speaks and can sing in excellent English... so who knows what's in store for Helene Fischer in 2009? Maybe a Radio Newtown Top 20 hit with one of her English language recordings, or maybe even an entry into a forthcoming Buzzjack Song Contest? Watch this space... e1Gdh75g56I

Yep, did a chart on Hospital Radio from 1999-2006, all written down in books, but I seem to have lost my second half of 2004 book. I was going to post in the 'what were your Christmas number ones?' thread, but as I have absolutely no recollection of my 2004 Xmas number one - it defo wasn't Band Aid 20 - I decided not to bother. I have dozens of C90 cassette tapes with my HR chart shows (and other shows) on, and I figure I must have Christmas 2004 among them. But until I find the time to sort the tapes out and transfer the best bits to mp3, that chart will have to remain buried in mystery.

Hi Nick, here's what I enjoyed in 08 105| Sharleen Spiteri - Stop! I Don't Love You Anymore 103| Roisin Murphy - You Know Me Better 92| Ashlee Simpson- Outta My Head (Ay Ay Ay) 88| Chris Brown - Forever 80| Leona Lewis - Forgive Me 74| Sugababes - Girls 72| Katie Melua - Ghost Town 71| Sarah Connor - Under My Skin 69| Madonna – Give It 2 Me 65| Gabriella Cilmi - Sweet About me 63| Eric Prydz - Pjanoo 62| Jennifer Hudson - Spotlight 58| No Angels - Disappear 57| Kelly Rowland - Work (Freemasons Edit) 51| Alicia Keys - Like You'll Never See Me Again 50| Lady Gaga feat. Colby O'Donis – Just Dance 48| The Saturdays - If This Is Love 44| Cascada - What Hurts The Most 39| Adele - Hometown Glory 37| Amy MacDonald - This is The Life # 33| Madonna - Milles Away 31| Robyn - Be Mine 30| The Script - The Man Who Can't Be Moved 24| The Automatic - Steve McQueen 22| Leona Lewis - Better In Time #16 Kings Of Leon - Sex On Fire #15 Gwen Stefani - Early Winter #11 Katy Perry – I Kissed A Girl #2 Britney Spears - Womanizer #1 Britney Spears - Piece Of Me Am loving these charts of the year, they show that we all had very different 2008s! :lol:

6. Misadventures of the Campaign Kids - King of Prussia In the year of an historic US Presidential Election, this song kind of caught the mood of the political mania like no other, and was Radio Newtown's number one for five weeks in September and October, at the height of the campaign. Yet the song is hardly about politics, more of a hormone-fuelled teen joining an election campaign to further their love life with one of the other campaigners. An amusing lyric and a 1960s' almost Mersey-style jangly guitar completed the feel-good quality of this track from King of Prussia, a band of self-proclaimed 'method actors' from Athens, Georgia, US of A. 7dWOWf-Hu9A Stick around for a few hours to discover the top five most popular songs on the Radio Newtown Top 20 of 2008.

7. If I Had Eyes - Jack Johnson One of the coolest men on the planet had a number one single for two weeks in February on the Radio Newtown chart. Releasing a fantastic album called Sleep Through The Static, he chose this as his headline single, and it became the epitomy of cool during the early part of 2008, even surpassing Estelle's New Yorker tinged hit American Boy. Johnson was a professional surfer before an accident trying to catch a wave turned him to music. And although he somehow manages to look as though he really ought to be holding a tennis racket on a hardcourt than a rock guitar (looking like a strange amalgam of Greg Rusedski and Andre Agassi), his mellow sounds are always a joy to listen to, and maybe he provided the inspiration for another Hawaiian-born celebrity to reach number one in his chosen field later in the year... qsYKlNi4UXI ... which leads nicely onto...

8. I Want More - Can And just ahead of Helene, more German music, the third of the Teutonic acts to make the Top 20 of 2008, but not through holiday travel, but from the clicking of a random YouTube link. Discovery of this track - originally out on vinyl in 1976, then on CD in 2006 - was better late than never and it became a hypnotic anthem that topped the Radio Newtown chart for two weeks in November. The sound reportedly influenced Johnny Marr's famous riff on The Smiths 'How Soon Is Now?', and was a shining beacon in a month of dire new releases. Funnily enough, the song at number 2 at this time was also from 1976, the advert-revived 'Let Your Love Flow' by Bellamy Brothers. Sadly, even with all this 1976 music around, there was no chance to enjoy a 1976-style summer... Mc7Ua3W9GkM

And just ahead, the song that beat Love Made Visible to the top spot in January... 9. Du Fängst mich auf und lässt mich Fliegen - Helene Fischer A second chart topper from the German Schlager-musik babe, almost exactly twelve months on from her first, Helene Fischer's cheery, undemanding music is like a souvenir from pre-Christmas trips to authentic German Christmas markets (ie, ones actually in Germany), and weeks in sunny Majorca spent in mainly German dominated hotels. Well, if you can't beat em (apart from 5-1 in Munich, 2001), join em, and Schlager musik continues to prove its worth as fun, inoffensive entertainment whilst being bought pints and pints of lager - which funnily enough rhymes with Schlager - by ageing Bavarians... Still one more to come from Helene, the big Majorca summer hit of 2008. tz6oxVLX42Y

Halfway through the countdown of the year on Radio Newtown, we're inside the top ten and it's a second appearance for these guys... 10. Love Made Visible/We Together Make A City - Delays A hangover track from late 2007 finally made its big impact in the early weeks of 2008, entering the first chart of the year at 5, and eventually reaching number two - and bizarrely beating the band's own chart topper in 08's final countdown. Released as an EP, the main track Love Made Visible, shown here, was backed with a Torchteam re-mix, 'We Together Make A City', and displayed Gregg Gilbert's unique vocals to their maximum effect. The official Love Made Visible video is a bit creepy, and may put you off your dinner, but the song certainly deserves to take its place among the very best of Delays' repertoire. RDKrR5h-SeE

11. Hooray - Delays Having created some of the all-time classic songs of the 2000s, and having had two number twos in the Radio Newtown chart, ironic that Delays should get their first number one with one of their weaker songs. Yet even Delays' worst is better than most bands' best and the first single from 'Everything's The Rush', their brilliant new album, was possibly the most attention grabbingly commercial song from it, and was easily able to present them with their first chart topper in a weak field in May. It was number one for three weeks, and creates a happy-go-lucky sound for the sometimes melancholy Southampton band, who have fans all over the world and one of the best live shows around. Sadly, a tour in the autumn was curtailed by illness, but hopefully 2009 will present more people with the opportunity to experience the power of Delays. LUrcMd8t9ko And Delays are the other act with more than one song in the Top 20 of 2008, look out for them in the Top Ten shortly, but here's a recap of the chart so far... 20. Brakes - Royworld 19. Heilige Nacht - Helene Fischer 18. Stop and Stare - One Republic 17. Don't Stop The Music - Rihanna 16. The Promise - Girls Aloud 15. I Kissed A Girl - Katy Perry 14. Dance With Me - Dizzee Rascal, Calvin Harris and Chrome 13. 3 Days Awake - Luetzenkirchen 12. Chasing Pavements - Adele 11. Hooray - Delays Still to come, music from Duffy, Take That, Can, Madonna, Turf, King of Prussia and more from Delays and Helene Fischer. But who will have Radio Newtown's Top Song of 2008?

12. Chasing Pavements - Adele Blimey. After that mind-bending slice of German mania, we come back down to earth with the relaxing voice of Adele. Adele was the subject of unsustainable hype during the first couple of weeks of the year as 'The Voice of 2008', with one BBC show even suggesting that her autograph could become as valuable as Elvis or John Lennon in years to come. Cut through the hype - always generated by any new artist releasing in January, as there is simply nothing else to talk about - and you find a nice album by a nice artist who won't change anyone's life, but is like a cosy comfort blanket in troubled times. Awwww. Here's her first single, which reached number two in January. YimdPxZrfiM

13. 3 Days Awake - Luetzenkirchen After the supposed 'controversy' over Katy Perry snogging her own sex, it's difficult to know where to start with this one. Binge drinking, possible drug use, and explicit language in the English lyric made this track from German producer Tobias Luetzenkirchen a true trouble causer. But it shot to the top of the chart in late summer and stayed there for four weeks. Even ignoring the subject matter of the track - it's hard to call nihilistic techno a 'song' - it's still notable for its highly amusing video featuring a rabbit and a dog on a night out in Berlin. The second of three German acts in the Top 20 of 2008, it's impossible to find an artist more unlike Helene Fischer than Luetzenkirchen, but he had major success both in this chart and performing live in the UK during the autumn, and there could be more for dance officianados from the Munich Deckmeister in 2009. Warning: Do not watch if easily offended, will re-post as German language version if this breaks any T an Cs. FsAON-HYcSo

14. Dance With Me - Dizzee Rascal featuring Calvin Harris and Chrome The first ever hit for Dizzee in the Radio Newtown chart, on its initial release, as a 'new single from Dizzee Rascal' it attracted little attention. However, it gradually started to pick up support due to its soulful vocal from Chrome but, probably vitally, also its wonderfully deadpan contribution from Calvin Harris, the man behind two of the most oddball hits of 2007. It eventually climbed to the number one spot for a week on 3rd August and gave Harris his second number one, after 'Acceptable In The Eighties' had been such a success last year. GibLntdLiJA

Continuing our countdown of the year, numbers 15 to 11 bring us two of the most controversial hits of 2008. Firstly... 15. I Kissed A Girl - Katy Perry. Not sure why this should have been controversial. She kissed a girl. She liked it. So? But more than a few people were stirred up by this TATU-style flirtation with girl on girl action. The song spent a month climbing the Top Ten before finally reaching the summit on 7 September, the week of its physical release. It looked set to be the start of a golden career for the dark-haired temptress, until her image was tarnished by... a string of horrific fashion howlers at the MTV Awards in Liverpool. It's difficult to pick up what was worse... the American footballers uniform, the mindless bandwaggon jumping of her Barack Obama dress, or the wearing of the letters of her name down the side of what was more a swimsuit than a dress. Add to this the rather simple look of continual surprise, and it's little wonder than Hot N Cold didn't make the same impact in the Radio Newtown chart. Still, it was fun while it lasted, so enjoy the pounding glam rock beat of one of those hits out of nowhere (and ignore the childish and totally unfunny parodies that clog up YouTube to this day). 7DAEiAfSBAg

Hello Here's what I still like from your year's end chart! :lol: 40. Robyn - Be Mine - Peaked at #1 for 1 week 39. Take That - Up All Night - Peaked at #1 for 1 week 36. Duffy - Warwick Avenue - Peaked at #4 35. Katy Perry - I Kissed A Girl - Peaked at #4 34. Mira Craig - Headhunted - Peaked at #1 for 1 week 31. Miley Cyrus - See You Again - Peaked at #2 29. Britney Spears - Womanizer - Peaked at #4 28. Sash! feat Stunt - Raindrops - Peaked at #3 27. Dizzee Rascal feat Calvin Harris - Dance Wiv Me - Peaked at #2 26. Alphabeat - Boyfriend - Peaked at #2 25. The Killers - Human - Peaked at #2 24. Kelly Rowland - Work (Freemasons Mix) - Peaked at #1 for 1 week 23. Leona Lewis - Run - Peaked at #1 for 3 weeks 22. September - Cry For You - Peaked at #1 for 2 weeks 21. Mariah Carey - Touch My Body - Peaked at #1 for 1 week 20. Girls Aloud - The Loving Kind - Peaked at #2 17. Eric Prydz - Pjanoo - Peaked at #1 for 2 weeks 16. Katy Perry - Hot 'N' Cold - Peaked at #2 11. H 'Two' O feat Platnum - What's It Gonna Be - Peaked at #1 for 1 week 8. Gabriella Cilmi - Sweet About Me - Peaked at #2 7. Alphabeat - Fascination - Peaked at #2 4. Girls Aloud - The Promise - Peaked at #1 for 6 weeks 2. Jordin Sparks & Chris Brown - No Air - Peaked at #1 for 6 weeks 1. Sara Bareilles - Love Song - Peaked at #1 for 5 weeks Good stuff! :dance:

16. The Promise - Girls Aloud And so we finish today's segment with the first chart topper, courtesy of those five pop poppets who are singers, actresses, comediennes, arbiters of musical excellence and virtually anything ITV wants them to be. A string of catchy songs has kept the band in the charts constantly since 2002, when they were formed from 'PopStars - The Rivals' reality TV series. Strangely enough, rivals One True Voice don't have any songs in the Top 20 of 2008... This reached number one in October. In case you missed it, here's their performance from yesterday's Christmas Top of the Pops. QAwAk7zmkmQ Look out for numbers 15 to 11 tomorrow!