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’
Author: Aidan Curran
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’
One Direction – ‘Story Of My Life’
31 October 2013 When I grow up and become mature, I plan to move away from writing about Ireland's bad music purchases into doing something more respected and respectable, like crime. For boybands, maturity tends to mean wearing suits and singing sentimental ballads about being married. In the '90s this meant piano ones by The … Continue reading One Direction – ‘Story Of My Life’
Lulu – ‘Boom Bang-A-Bang’
19 April 1969 If Franco thought he could simply rock up to London, steal a home 1968 Eurovision victory from Cliff, and actually get away with it, then he was in for a land. Summoning up the spirit of Dunkirk, D-Day and The Italian Job, the Brits went to Madrid in 1969 to give those … Continue reading Lulu – ‘Boom Bang-A-Bang’
Peter Sarstedt – ‘Where Do You Go To (My Lovely)?’
5 April 1969 Remember those footballer questionnaires in Shoot! and Match magazines? "Favourite meal: Steak and chips. Most desirable date: The missus!" Anyway, I remember in one of them the '90s Man United winger Lee Sharpe was asked which song he hated most and, instead of a noted novelty irritant like 'The Birdie Song' or … Continue reading Peter Sarstedt – ‘Where Do You Go To (My Lovely)?’
