14 July 2011 Wantedmania, if there was such a thing, didn't extend to my then-domicile of France in 2011, so I have no contemporary context to add to 'Glad You Came' other than passing familiarity with the tune. There's Irish interest here, of course, since one-fifth of The Wanted was Siva Kaneswaran, becoming the second … Continue reading The Wanted – ‘Glad You Came’
Author: Aidan Curran
Nancy Sinatra & Frank Sinatra – ‘Somethin’ Stupid’
15 April 1967 Yes, that's the billing on the record: full names separately, with Nancy first. In 1967 this was probably a nod to the belief that the new pop music was sweeping the old pop (literally, in the case of Nancy's old pop Frank) into irrelevancy. Okay, turns out Frank Sinatra didn't disappear into … Continue reading Nancy Sinatra & Frank Sinatra – ‘Somethin’ Stupid’
Jedward – ‘Bad Behaviour’
7 July 2011 Logic and rationale normally wither in the blinding double-flash of Jedward. However, I'll venture that this number one had cause; it was surfing the wave of 'Lipstick', which a couple of months previously had stormed to a glorious qualification for the Eurovision final and then an 8th place finish ahead of the … Continue reading Jedward – ‘Bad Behaviour’
Pitbull ft. Ne-Yo, Afrojack and Nayer – ‘Give Me Everything’
2 June 2011 What did the people of 2011 see in Pitbull, I ask myself disingenuously, knowing full well that his brand of cheap-suited, bald-headed, gruff, sexist, thuggish assholery has never gone out of fashion. Anyway, here's his second Irish number one single in two months and his third in less than a year. Itemising … Continue reading Pitbull ft. Ne-Yo, Afrojack and Nayer – ‘Give Me Everything’
Engelbert Humperdinck – ‘Release Me’
25 March 1967 In Ireland the deed was done by Petula Clark's 'This Is My Song', but in the UK the single that kept The Beatles' double-A-sided 'Strawberry Fields Forever' / 'Penny Lane' off the number one spot was this. Naturally, 'Release Me' also eventually topped the charts (with The Beatles at no. 3, still … Continue reading Engelbert Humperdinck – ‘Release Me’
Petula Clark – ‘This Is My Song’
27 February 1967 Fans of UK pop chart lore will know that The Beatles' double-A-side single of 'Strawberry Fields Forever' and 'Penny Lane' was kept off the UK number one spot by a cabaret crooner ballad which we'll see next here. As for Ireland, there isn't an official Irish chart place for 'Strawberry Fields Forever', … Continue reading Petula Clark – ‘This Is My Song’
Jedward – ‘Lipstick’
19 May 2011 Nostalgic for Ireland's Eurovision glory years? Or at least, nostalgic for Ireland reaching the final and therefore avoiding our now-annual national psychodrama at the crushing realisation that other countries may not actually love us as much as we crave? Then you're nostalgic for Jedward and their 2011-12 repping for Ireland, in which … Continue reading Jedward – ‘Lipstick’
The Pogues ft. Kirsty MacColl – ‘Fairytale Of New York’
12 December 1987 and 8 December 2023 Kirsty MacColl herself sings "you're cheap and you're haggard" in the version of 'Fairytale Of New York' in the video below. You'll also hear her sing that line in what we can call an alternative official version posted on The Pogues' own YouTube channel. So, "you're cheap and … Continue reading The Pogues ft. Kirsty MacColl – ‘Fairytale Of New York’
LMFAO ft. Lauren Bennett and GoonRock – ‘Party Rock Anthem’
21 April 2011 Fair play to LMFAO for giving good factoid. You may remember how the two lads, Redfoo and Sky Blu, are uncle and nephew. They're also the son and grandson respectively of Motown supremo Berry Gordy, so Redfoo has a half-sister who's Gordy's daughter with Diana Ross, a half-brother in '80s one-hit-wonder Rockwell, … Continue reading LMFAO ft. Lauren Bennett and GoonRock – ‘Party Rock Anthem’
Joe Dolan and The Drifters – ‘The House With The Whitewashed Gable’
20 February 1967 Challenge: listen to 'The House With The Whitewashed Gable' until the very end without cringing. It can't be done! If the twee "dum-dee-dum-dee-dum" or the shameless gable-Mabel rhyme don't get you, Joe's jaunty spoken-word "Hi!" will. (As explained before, The Drifters here aren't the US vocal group, just Joe's backing band, eventually … Continue reading Joe Dolan and The Drifters – ‘The House With The Whitewashed Gable’
