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’ →

29 March 1973 Okay, 'Get Down' is not really about a dog. That would merely be a dad joke. Instead, this is a whole Dad Stand-Up Comedy Special, baby! So, we have a song called 'Get Down' that sounds funky so you think it's about getting down on the dancefloor, but then it starts off … Continue reading Gilbert O’Sullivan – ‘Get Down’ →

15 February 2019 The word 'bored' in the title of Ariana Grande's third chart-topping track in three months is an open goal, and I'm not one to turn down a tap-in. ‘Break Up With Your Girlfriend, I’m Bored’ also follows the Taylor Swift playbook of leaning into Ari's public private life, with flavours of bad-girl … Continue reading Ariana Grande – ‘Break Up With Your Girlfriend, I’m Bored’ →

15 March 1973 You made it. At least we know now that your parental control settings aren't on, and that this sort of language is par for the course with your web browsing. Anyway, welcome: hope you're not at work. Spicy title spelling aside, my main surprise with an attentive full listen to 'Cum On … Continue reading Slade – ‘Cum On Feel The Noize’ →

25 January 2019 When Tattoos Go Wrong is always great entertainment for the schadenfreude in our hearts. To tie in with the release of her hip-hop track '7 Rings' and its Japanese-themed video, Ariana Grande got herself a tattoo of the song's title in Japanese characters. However, it turned out that the phrase in Japanese … Continue reading Ariana Grande – ‘7 Rings’ →

9 November 2018 Much as how a Justin Bieber hat-trick dominated the top of our charts in late-2015 and early-2016, here's the first of three number ones in quick succession from Ariana Grande. We can also draw parallels between Bieber and Grande as teen idols whose personal lives have been played out in public—though Ari … Continue reading Ariana Grande – ‘Thank U, Next’ →

1 March 1973 'I Know You're Married But I Love You Still' was co-written by Dolly Parton, and among its recordings is a duet by her with her long-time double-act partner Porter Wagoner. The shortened title of Big Tom's version seems like an effort to ensure provincial '70s Ireland didn't think this was a song … Continue reading Big Tom and The Mainliners – ‘I Love You Still’ →