Chez VampireBat

Based purely on the song, Rooftops is one of the best here, but I can’t ever listen to nor support anything featuring that scumbag even remotely so it has to go. I will resume voting on song merit after this x

Call on Me and Take Me to the Clouds Above were both decent songs, there was a much better dance number 1 this year (which I'm pleased to see in your top 10 x), but I'd rank them a fair bit higher. Dry Your Eyes is probably my favourite so far and would be in my top 10, it's definitely not in the same league as the songs on Original Pirate Material which were groundbreaking, but the use of monotone spoken word and heavy strings really gives it an authentic emotional feel. I agree it is such a shame that Girls Aloud's many pop classics that year like Love Machine or The Show didn't get to number 1 and instead a boring, charity cover got there, that's the UK public for you x Although I do appreciate that it has acquired new meaning in recent years as a tribute for Sarah. Both Thunderbirds Are Go and Cha Cha Slide are pure nostalgic classics, I'm not sure they'd be that high for me but I enjoy hearing them both. The Thunderbirds movie was utterly terrible, but man that theme song was always on our car radio x

Oh dear, Lisaturday Night Fever is an embarassing miss, wrong artist + didn't read the question right! Oops *___ I have terrible facial recognition of most musicians, but it was in my mind for most of it that it was only the last few letters of the word that could be smashed rather than the whole one, Chase & Status Quo is so obvious in retrospect x Oh no at not recognising the Doors too, annoyed at myself for that x

While I'm glad for the genocide to stop even momentarily, This just reads as Trump's attempt at a Nobel prize and good PR , there's far too many unknowns about this deal that Hamas haven't agreed to and Israel have violated their word too much over the last few years for me to be sure they'll stick to it.

Catching up x The Magician's Apprentice/The Witch's Familiar - This was generally very solid, some quite naff elements that didn't work so well (take those glasses off, Doctor x) but I really liked the Doctor/Davros connection and feel that's the best presentation of him we've got this era. The Snowmen - One of the best Christmas specials, Moffat did them very well as it really felt like there was a scary threat and got the emotion right, it sits in between the season arcs so doesn't lend itself the best to rewatches, but I did really like Clara here, better than she was with Smith. Listen - This is actually a hot take from you I share - I've always found this episode a bit overrated, it's very emotional and I do think it does bring out the human in the Doctor's very cold character at the time, but I just never liked Danny Pink and it was just too slow paced for me to really get into. I do understand it's esteem and appeal, but it's just never quite clicked. The Christmas Invasion - Probably still my favourite Christmas special, though it is the one I remember the best. My only issue with it is the pacing is really languid before Ten wakes up. The threat is really strong and for a generally silly outing with murderous Santa robots and Christmas trees, the dark images of the population walking close to their deaths and the Doctor's opening ramble and subsequent swordfight and ultimate merciless act I think made him stand out instantly as a more perky yet still PTSD-driven version. My favourite is the ending though, goes very dark after the celebratory scenes and how the Doctor reacts to such a cruel act is such a subtle yet very pertinent way of showing how politicians can become undone by rumours. Under the Lake/Before the Flood - The classic Doctor Who two parter formula of a very intriguing and tense first act undone by quite an uninteresting second act, I barely remember the conclusion and how it was resolved it was so brushed over, a shame, the Doctor's cue cards were indeed a standout little moment I remember. The Caretaker - I find this one quite underrated actually, the villain is silly, but the tension building between the Doctor and Clara and Danny is a good set-up for Kill the Moon, and the comedy is excellent, Clara shouting 'HUMAN BEINGS ARE NOT OTTERS' in response to the Doctor does make me laugh for some reason x Voyage of the Damned - I think this is one that I really liked at the time as it was seen as a bit of a blockbuster with the show in it's imperial phase and Kylie featuring, it's not stuck in my mind as well, but I have still got some nostalgic fondness for it. Kylie was a much better character than I was expecting, her death was very sad. The Hungry Earth/Cold Blood - I get this confused with the Crimson Horror in my mind, I think their aesthetics are similar. I recall both parts being one of those decent but not too memorable episodes of the Smith era. A Good Man Goes to War - Like most of arc-based S6, very timey-wimey and confusing, but I do recall this being better than how it concluded. Need to revisit this era really so I can give it a fresh perspective. Demons of the Punjab - Chibnall definitely did the edutainment historical episodes very well, this is a really good episode, at the time, I thought it was just retreading the same paths as Rosa did, but on reflection, I do prefer it to that one. Not only is the concept something that hasn't always had the same level of exposure as the US Civil Rights movement, but the deceiving aliens, as well as having very good designs, have more of a purpose and aren't superfluous and the ending scene hits a lot harder and is more brutal. Plus, I do like that we finally learn something about Yaz (Ryan and Graham are useless as a result of this, but that was par for the course at this point). I think this is my favourite episode from S11 actually, a diamond in the rust x

30; London Grammar - Baby It's You 29; Taylor Swift & Bon Iver – Exile 28; Dua Lipa - Physical 27; Weeknd - Blinding Lights 26; Miley Cyrus - Midnight Sky 25; Lykke Li - BRONN 24; Taylor Swift - Cardigan 23; Jessie Ware - What's Your Pleasure 22; HAIM - The Steps 21; Doja Cat - Say So 20; Eric Prydz - NOPUS 19; Royal Blood - Trouble's Coming 18; Chappell Roan - Pink Pony Club 17; Dua Lipa - Levitating (Original / DaBaby Remix) 16; Phoebe Bridgers - I Know The End 15; Taylor Swift - Willow 14; aamourocean - Parmi les Mortels 13; Nora En Pure - Wetlands 12; Megan Thee Stallion - Savage (Remix) [feat. Beyoncé] 11; Weeknd - In Your Eyes 10; Cardi B (feat. Megan Thee Stallion) - WAP 09; Christine and the Queens - People, I've been sad 08; Everything Everything - Violent Sun 07; Taylor Swift (feat. HAIM) - No Body, No Crime 06; Rina Sawayama - XS 05; Miley Cyrus - Angels Like You 04; Taylor Swift - August 03; Harry Styles - Watermelon Sugar 02; SAINt JHN - Roses (Imanbek Remix) 01; Powfu (feat. Beabadoobee) - Death Bed (Coffee For Your Head)

Youth is one of my favourites from Dobago, love the tranquil piano bursting into harsh drops, it definitely captures the vibe of the title <3

Ooft that wheel was close for comfort x defying the odds (well one set of them), thank you all (fantastic to see Danaeviia through as well, not that I doubted it would)

Another SF1 DNQ in my votes, Lookylion's sounded very Human League-esque and deserved better. Pleased to see Harmonica make it though, Song to the Siren is a classic and this one was fab too x

Literal wheel of fortune, love it Oh no, I thought Cow would be OK this month, was a great D'n'B-esque track. Other SF1 Qs are mainly great, not certain I'll be amongst them, but here's hoping x

I guess it helped that I never saw the advert as I was still too young, but I've always found Spaceman to be a banger all the way through, I quite like the thought that it trolled people at the time x Return of the Mack is also a bit of a classic, everything else so far has been pretty turgid. There are some of the best 90s number 1s this year but a lot of subpar, flash-in-the-pan fanbase number 1s as well.

Votes in! I was expecting your standard Pop semi vibes, but actually there were several diverse and fantastic entries here that I'll be hoping can make it through x

I was quite into that garage sound so love a bit of Babycakes (it was on the trashier end of that genre though x) I would rank Eamon's one over Frankee's crass cash-in, but both are tiresome.

Whoops no, edited x

Great choice for number 1, it's another beautiful, dramatic moment in a year where there were a lot of them at the top! The video/marketing around it is very much a gimmick so maybe it came inadvertantly, but the song itself has aged very well. Crazy in Love is a classic too, quite insane that that was over twenty years ago and yet she's still arguably producing her most interesting work, not many artists can boast that x My own top 10 for the year (I did a draft of this as I was considering ranking this year myself, I'm not personally counting runovers from previous years so no GA x) 1. Evanescence – Bring Me to Life 2. Michael Andrews feat. Gary Jules – Mad World 3. Black Eyed Peas – Where is the Love? 4. t.A.T.u – All the Things She Said 5. Beyonce feat. Jay-Z – Crazy in Love 6. Sugababes – Hole in the Head 7. Tomcraft - Loneliness 8. Christina Aguilera – Beautiful 9. Elton John – Are You Ready for Love 10. Busted – Crashed the Wedding Thanks for running, look forward to the next one x

30; Billie Eilish - Everything I Wanted 29; Post Malone - Circles 28; Haim - Now I'm In It 27; Vampire Weekend - Harmony Hall 26; Taylor Swift - Lover 25; Billie Eilish - Bad Guy 24; CamelPhat & Cristoph (feat. Jem Cooke) - Breathe 23; Lil Nas X - Old Town Road 22; Billie Eilish - Bury a Friend 21; Miley Cyrus - Mother's Daughter 20; ROSALÍA & J Balvin - Con Altura (feat. El Guincho) 19; Coldplay - Orphans 18; Roddy Ricch - The Box 17; Mark Ronson (feat. Lykke Li) - Late Night Feelings 16; Sam Fender - Hypersonic Missiles 15; Ava Max - Sweet But Psycho 14; Sadness - I Want To Be With You 13; Stormzy - Vossi Bop 12; Lana Del Rey - Doin' Time 11; Taylor Swift - Cruel Summer 10; Vampire Weekend - This Life 09; Tones and I - Dance Monkey 08; Harry Styles - Adore You 07; Dominic Fike - 3 Nights 06; Lizzo - Juice 05; Miley Cyrus - Slide Away 04; Coldplay - Champion Of The World 03; Katy Perry - Never Really Over 02; Calvin Harris & Rag'n'Bone Man - Giant 01; Sam Smith – How Do You Sleep?

Children Of Tansley School - My Mum Is One In A Million Kim Wilde - Kids In America New Order - Ceremony Yoko Ono - Walking On Thin Ice Ennio Morricone - Chi Mai (Theme From 'The Life And Times Of David Lloyd George') Public Image Ltd - Flowers Of Romance Not as big a week for classics, but a few decent discoveries, Reward, Planet Earth and D-Days were just outside. Week 8 tiebreak: Visage - Fade to Grey (painful x)

I think I'd struggle to pinpoint a turning point in culture that was brought upon by just peaceful protests, the suffragettes didn't get the right to vote by not jumping in front of horses. A lot of (mainly conservative) historical accounts of the likes of Indian independence and the Civil Rights Movement like to pretend because Gandhi and MLK were non-violent in principle, that those movements were all done by good old quiet persistence and those woke mobs of today should learn a few things, when really if you read further, that was far from the truth and there was a hell of a lot of more disruption and violence that the oppressed had to use to get their voice heard, oh for what social media would've been like then... We live in a society where the controllers of the Media dictate the narrative, whether it's supported by political figures or not, and going against that (say for Palestine or Trans rights to name a few recent examples) is always an uphill battle that is never going to be solved by just placards. You have to disrupt and make a statement, I'd never advocate violence, but I can't help bu echo Bob Vylan in that it's sometimes the only language some can understand.

Bring Me to Life would be my number 1<3 As with many rock number 1s, I'm not sure what happened that allowed that to go to number 1 as it's so different to everything else , I guess it's use in Daredevil and the peak popularity of Nu Metal helped (though I'd think of them as more of a gothic rock group). It's a beautiful song with touching lyrics and a wonderful melodrama to the whole thing, it's a shame that she experienced sexism as apparently no one would listen to a female singing a rock song without a male, but I like to think she absolutely blows away any doubts with that vocal performance (with that said, the duet before the last chorus is a great dramatic high point).

Congrats Doctor Blind! Was my ten pointer and a very worthy winner, I voted for 2nd and 3rd too and happy to see my 12 finish 5th after falling back a bit briefly, well done for being me Oh dear, I am definitely in my flop era for anonymous song contests I was actually hopeful that it wouldn't fade into the background after the positive Synctube reaction, but turns out that translated to only small points to nothing even from people that said they liked it -___ Ah well, in a theme like this I'm taking it as a sign it was too out there and thus fitting the theme the best B-) Thanks Leww for a great contest!

Antifate was a potential of mine for BJSC that I just never got round to sending so I was pleased for a theme like this so that I can finally try it. Has a wonderful atmosphere with the changes of style and abrupt changes in tone...although now I'm thinking it would've better in BJSC when the surrounding entries are less weird :') Whoever sent Christopher Chaplin did a very good job at masquerading as me, would make an amazing winner <3

Hope you all enjoy my first ever foray into hip hop/rap this month (if not, it's never happening again x), I'm separated from pretty much all of my usual crowd, but then this is a different sound for me so who knows. The brutal lyrics, Lynchian references and murky atmosphere really stood out to me. I'm familiar with Isabella Lovestory, but not this song yet, I have loved her material this year though so more good stuff from the host x

I think this ranking is about right so far (I guess that's not too surprising given I was one of just four voters oops x) - Both finales let the seasons down, as I documented in Joseph's thread, and the others, the obvious duff Space Babies aside, were all decent but missing something that made them great, Boom did have a great concept and start, but the ending was so cheesy and convoluted, I had to deduct it points. Now from the top 6, I think we're getting somewhere. Dot and Bubble is really good, I mean it is essentially Black Mirror, but it feels the most contemporary and challenging to the usual message of Doctor Who it's been in a while, there are flaws, but they seem intentional and add to the overall narrative. Lux was a really clever episode as well, even if I do wish there was more they could've done with breaking the fourth wall.

I have also grown to appreciate the Tears for Fears original of Mad World a lot more after initially being a bit confused by it knowing the stripped version better, both versions are still fantastic though and Michael Andrews' version really brings the stark, gloomy reality of the song to life, in contrast to the chaotic and enigmatic sound of the original. Most of these stripped cover versions are pointless, but this is an exception, I think it would rank 2nd for me overall (my favourite is pleasingly still to come x), and of course appreciate the contrast of the Christmas top 2, in what was sadly probably the last fully organic Christmas chart battle. Enjoy everything else in the top 10 too so far, Beautiful is a really strong moment from Christina and continued her sound maturing after Dirrty.

Oh I was sure you weren’t going to count Flo Rida as he wasn’t actually credited on the song, I would’ve gone with him otherwise, blast x