5 September 1969 Not, unfortunately, the theme from that '90s US high school sitcom: this 'Saved By The Bell' is a solo Bee Gees joint. I gather Robin briefly left the group after a disagreement with his brothers, perhaps on how exactly to make their records sound so gloopy and nauseous, then re-joined after a … Continue reading Robin Gibb – ‘Saved By The Bell’
Author: Aidan Curran
Sean Dunphy and The Hoedowners – ‘When The Fields Are White With Daisies’
30 August 1969 Back in August 1969 Ireland was setting up refugee camps for families fleeing persecution and civil strife in their homeland. As it happens, those refugee families were also Irish, their homeland was the six counties of Northern Ireland, and they were fleeing loyalist attacks on nationalist areas of Belfast, Newry, Armagh and … Continue reading Sean Dunphy and The Hoedowners – ‘When The Fields Are White With Daisies’
The Rolling Stones – ‘Honky Tonk Women’
16 August 1969 Well, I certainly didn't expect to see the Stones' most debauchery-drenched single at number one in '60s Ireland - not because of prudishness or religiosity of the time and place, but because the last two years of Irish chart-toppers have been mostly twee bubblegum schmaltz. Could the same individuals who enjoyed 'Lily … Continue reading The Rolling Stones – ‘Honky Tonk Women’
Sam Bailey – ‘Skyscraper’
19 December 2013 Previous winners and finalists will continue to top our charts: Little Mix; James Arthur; Ella Henderson; One Direction together and solo. 'Skyscraper' by Sam Bailey, though, is the last X Factor winner's single to go to number one in Ireland. It's also the end of an annual tradition; 'Skyscraper' was Ireland's eighth … Continue reading Sam Bailey – ‘Skyscraper’
Lily Allen – ‘Somewhere Only We Know’
21 November 2013 They said it couldn't be done. However, on a TV commercial just now I've heard a sad cover version of the ultimate '90s dayglo Eurodance banger, 2 Unlimited's 'No Limits'. I think it was an ad for some telecommunications product and its generous user tariff, hence the connection. (Correction: it's actually for … Continue reading Lily Allen – ‘Somewhere Only We Know’
Elvis Presley – ‘In The Ghetto’
19 July 1969 Most of us would probably agree that systemic poverty is a bad thing. So, I want to be generous to the impulse behind the writing of 'In The Ghetto'. That said, this is a dreadfully manipulative, exploitative and condescending record. Its main lyrical concern is that the poor are fecklessly reproducing, growing … Continue reading Elvis Presley – ‘In The Ghetto’
The Beatles – ‘The Ballad Of John And Yoko’
21 June 1969 The coolest Beatle is Ringo, obviously, but the second-coolest is Yoko. (From top to bottom, the official Beatles Coolness Ranking goes: Ringo; Yoko; George Martin; Brian Epstein; Stuart Sutcliffe; Billy Preston; Astrid Kirchherr; Wilfrid Bramble; Aunt Mimi; the people rattling their jewellery; any other Beatles.) So, as with 'Woman', our other Irish … Continue reading The Beatles – ‘The Ballad Of John And Yoko’
Eminem ft. Rihanna – ‘The Monster’
7 November 2013 Even though the year was dominated by 'Blurred Lines', 2013 couldn't pass without the O.G. crassness of Eminem. His singles this year include 'Berzerk' (with sexist slurs and a cheap diss of a female celebrity), 'Survival' (sexist slurs) and 'Rap God' (homophobic slurs and a cheap diss of a female celebrity), all … Continue reading Eminem ft. Rihanna – ‘The Monster’
The Beatles with Billy Preston – ‘Get Back’
10 May 1969 If you've been following the plethora of Beatle multimedia product in recent years, you'll recall how one of the takeaway sequences from Get Back the documentary was Paul writing 'Get Back' the song in real time during a jam session, seemingly drawing it down from the ether. Beatles songs occupy such a … Continue reading The Beatles with Billy Preston – ‘Get Back’
Mary Hopkin – ‘Goodbye’
3 May 1969 If your favourite Beatles track is ‘Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da’ then you're going to love our impending trudge through the kitsch bubblegum pop of Ireland's chart topping singles in the '70s. Before that, though, here's a Paul McCartney composition that channels the spirit of (read: carbon-copies) 'Martha My Dear': same farting schlager two-step, same … Continue reading Mary Hopkin – ‘Goodbye’
