28 June 2019 Time was, Kylie and Jason could sing a chart-topping romantic duet in the afterglow of a ratings-smash TV marriage and we'd all enthusiastically go: "Are they? Aren't they? Of course they are!" Today, in our cynical Internet age, such a scenario would be immediately dismissed as a celebrity fauxmance. That was the … Continue reading Shawn Mendes and Camila Cabello – ‘Señorita’ →

12 July 1973 I thought I knew Slade's ''Skweeze Me, Pleeze Me'. Turns out I didn't. Perhaps I simply forgot it. Anyway, it's here now, on my nerves. If you don't know it but you're already familiar with Slade, don't bother. 'Skweeze Me, Pleeze Me' is AI Slade: a familiar-sounding verse and chorus of screeching … Continue reading Slade – ‘Skweeze Me, Pleeze Me’ →

17 May 2019 Ed Sheeran spoke publicly in 2019 about suffering from social anxiety, the explicitly-stated theme of 'I Don't Care'. If the song helps you process or manage social anxiety too, or gets you through a challenging occasion, that's fair enough. I won't snark on you or this harmless track, in which the two … Continue reading Ed Sheeran and Justin Bieber – ‘I Don’t Care’ →

28 June 1973 Rubber bullets were developed by the British Ministry of Defence, and their first use was by the British Army in Northern Ireland. Ostensibly non-fatal rounds for dealing with riots and public disorder by being fired at the ground in front of people's legs, rubber bullets soon proved to be responsible for deaths … Continue reading 10cc – ‘Rubber Bullets’ →

10 May 2019 Lewis Capaldi's second chart-topping single within two months, and with another to follow by the end of the year, means he dominates the Irish number one spot in 2019 the way Ed Sheeran did in 2017. That's the only direct comparison I'll make between the two; Capaldi's more robust songs and style … Continue reading Lewis Capaldi – ‘Hold Me While You Wait’ →

7 June 1973 Considering the volume of songs about rose-like women from various Irish places—off the top of my head there's Mooncoin, Allendale, Clare, Castlerea and especially my home town of Tralee—it's odd that only three chart-topping singles in Ireland have 'rose' in the title, and none of them are those well-known Irish ballads. The … Continue reading Danny Doyle – ‘Daisy A Day’ →

31 May 1973 Christmas already, is it? At this point, in May 1973, the Wizzard sound wasn't yet synonymous with the festive classic they would release at the end of that year. Here on the far side of 'I Wish It Could Be Christmas Every Day', though, it's a challenge for me to peer through … Continue reading Wizzard – ‘See My Baby Jive’ →

12 April 2019 For chart stat purposes, the 'Old Town Road' that went to number one in Ireland is the solo Lil Nas X one. The well-known version with Billy Ray Cyrus, video and all, may have helped drive the song's popularity and topped the US charts, but in Ireland is considered a remix that … Continue reading Lil Nas X – ‘Old Town Road’ →

19 April 1973 The protagonist of this massive early-'70s US hit isn't returning from a tour of duty in Vietnam or protesting the proposed felling of trees for Dublin bus corridors. He's just been released from prison, the second verse makes clear. Don't panic, though. While our late-'60s pop felons, like Tom Jones in 'Delilah' … Continue reading Dawn ft. Tony Orlando – ‘Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Ole Oak Tree’ →

1 March 2019 I have a bit of time for Lewis Capaldi. He clearly has a sense of humour; the video for his 2022 single 'Forget Me' is an unlikely shot-for-shot recreation of the video for Wham!'s 'Club Tropicana'. He's had to deal with a crushing public episode of mental health difficulties while onstage at … Continue reading Lewis Capaldi – ‘Someone You Loved’ →