20 March 1964 'Anyone Who Had A Heart' is the first Irish number one single to be performed by a woman. Unfortunately, that woman isn't Dionne Warwick, who had the original US hit with this song. Instead, before any release on this side of the pond, future TV matchmaker Cilla Black (real name: Cilla White) … Continue reading Cilla Black – ‘Anyone Who Had A Heart’
Author: Aidan Curran
Lady Gaga – ‘Poker Face’
26 February 2009 Ha! So busy were you tittering and guffawing at the mild sauce of "'cause I'm bluffin' / With my muffin" you didn't notice that in the chorus of 'Poker Face' Lady Gaga actually sings "puh-puh-puh-poker face / Fuh-fuh-fuck her face". Granted, I didn't notice it either, and it's not very noticeable in … Continue reading Lady Gaga – ‘Poker Face’
The Dave Clark Five – ‘Bits And Pieces’
13 March 1964 Give a man a hammer and every problem becomes a nail. Give that same man a drumkit and his own band, as with Dave Clark and his plus-four, and this Merseybeat-ish record becomes a stompy thumpathon. Apparently there's actual stomping of feet on a wooden surface here, so at least we know … Continue reading The Dave Clark Five – ‘Bits And Pieces’
The Searchers – ‘Needles And Pins’
14 February 1964 Here's our first Irish number one single written by someone called Bono - Sonny Bono, along with wall-of-sound and Wrecking Crew associate Jack Nitzsche and the song's original singer, Jackie DeShannon. Sonny will soon also team up with the redoubtable Cher, and all those names will be rubbing elbows with the vanguard … Continue reading The Searchers – ‘Needles And Pins’
U2 – ‘Get On Your Boots’
19 February 2009 'Get On Your Boots' is U2's 21st Irish number one single - and their last. (Those 21 U2 Irish number ones fall neatly: seven in the '80s, seven in the '90s, and seven in the '00s.) What's more, 2009 is also the last time U2 had an Irish top ten single, with … Continue reading U2 – ‘Get On Your Boots’
The Dave Clark Five – ‘Glad All Over’
31 January 1964 Football watchers will know the stompy, shouty chorus of 'Glad All Over' from being played pre-match and post-goal by Crystal Palace, the song's early adopter, and several other club sides since, including Shamrock Rovers. To be honest, that second career in football cheerleading is probably the only reason anyone still thinks of … Continue reading The Dave Clark Five – ‘Glad All Over’
Lady Gaga ft. Colby O’Donis – ‘Just Dance’
15 January 2009 As the launchpad for a sensational new chart superstar, 'Just Dance' really didn't do much for Colby O'Donis. He'll have another 'featuring' credit later in 2009 on a top 20 single by another Irish number one act and serial featurer himself - Akon, the unlikely co-writer of 'Just Dance'. After that we … Continue reading Lady Gaga ft. Colby O’Donis – ‘Just Dance’
Dickie Rock and The Miami Showband – ‘There’s Always Me’
3 January 1964 I don't know who I expected to find as Ireland's biggest pop star of the '60s, but I was still surprised to see that it was Dickie Rock. The guy singing cabaret schmaltz on Live At 3 in the '80s? Well, yes: over the next two years he has six Irish number … Continue reading Dickie Rock and The Miami Showband – ‘There’s Always Me’
Alexandra Burke – ‘Hallelujah’
18 December 2008 Has any song seen its stock rise so high and fall so hard as Jeff Buckley's 'Hallelujah'? (Sorry, Leonard Cohen fans, but that's how the world thinks of it now.) Buckley's 1994 debut album Grace was fresh, thrilling, and the hit of '90s student-bedsit Dublin - I was there; I can even … Continue reading Alexandra Burke – ‘Hallelujah’
Cliff Richard and The Shadows – ‘Don’t Talk To Him’
20 December 1963 Uh-oh. Here's Cliff with his first Irish Christmas number one. Thankfully, 'Don't Talk To Him' isn't his latter-day Jesus-based creepery like 'Mistletoe And Wine' but instead the unlikely tale of a male hater fibbing to Cliff's girl that he's playing the field by "walking round with Sue and Jean". Listen up, haters: … Continue reading Cliff Richard and The Shadows – ‘Don’t Talk To Him’
