6 March 2020 You can still see them here and there: old decal signage and path markings asking us to keep two metres apart. Other effects from March 2020 onwards have also endured. The Covid pandemic changed lives, upended lives, and took lives. Lockdown and social distancing brought an almost instant move for millions to … Continue reading Saint Jhn – ‘Roses’ →

28 February 1974 Would it be doing the dog on my ongoing "Chinn & Chapman, the Stock Aitken & Waterman of glam" narrative to suggest that with Suzi Quatro they even had their own Kylie? Maybe not. After all, she had star quality and seemed perfect for their writing-production style, but only ever seemed to … Continue reading Suzi Quatro – ‘Devil Gate Drive’ →

14 February 1974 The key information you need in advance for 'Teenage Rampage' is that, this time around, Steve Priest's pre-chorus bit is not camp. I repeat: not camp. Even in the TV appearances, such as the video below, he's not fluttering his fingers while staring down the camera straight into your there-to-be-corrupted soul. Without … Continue reading The Sweet – ‘Teenage Rampage’ →

21 February 2020 I was intrigued, back in early 2020, when the writer and performer of the title song for the imminent new James Bond film was announced to be Billie Eilish. Wouldn't it be gas, I though, if the song turned out to be 'Bad Guy'-style bleepy, mopey lo-NRG electro-pop full of angsty teenage … Continue reading Billie Eilish – ‘No Time To Die’ →

31 January 1974 Here's the first of three chart-topping singles in a row in early 1974 for the writer-producer duo of Chinn & Chapman - the Stock Aitken & Waterman of glam, and I mean that to hurt. We already saw their wares at the top of the Irish charts in 1973 with The Sweet's … Continue reading Mud – ‘Tiger Feet’ →

31 January 2020 I live almost five miles away from Croke Park. Nonetheless, I caught the faint but familiar strains of 'Blinding Lights' in the night air from the first of The Weeknd's back-to-back August 2026 shows there. It must have been some kind of echoing effect caused by a half-empty stadium. I'm not sure … Continue reading The Weeknd – ‘Blinding Lights’ →

24 January 1974 We know these songs today from retro clip shows, but what exactly was the new bubblegum pop of 1974? The Americanised "darn well" in its pre-chorus suggests 'You Won't Find Another Fool Like Me' took its pop with a splash of late-'60s Broadway showtune bluster and a dash of Nashville country sentimentality. … Continue reading The New Seekers – ‘You Won’t Find Another Fool Like Me’ →

24 January 2020 Our trip through 2020 begins on a morbid note. Juice Wrld here joins Jim Reeves, Elvis Presley, John Lennon, Jackie Wilson, Jim Morrison, Graham Chapman, Freddie Mercury, Chris Moore, Pérez Prado, Tupac Shakur, Stephen Gately, George Michael, Shane MacGowan and Kirsty MacColl on the list of people who've had posthumous number one … Continue reading Eminem ft. Juice Wrld – ‘Godzilla’ →

10 January 1974 You fans of Big Tom and Brendan Shine may be galled to learn that for number one singles in Ireland in 1974 your guys trailed in behind Joe Cuddy. Some others of you may be learning about the existence of an Irish singer called Joe Cuddy. I only knew his name because … Continue reading Joe Cuddy – ‘I’m Gonna Make It’ →