3 April 1971 It happened on 24 March 1971, according to biographer Lesley-Ann Jones in her book Ride A White Swan. T. Rex were at the BBC to record 'Hot Love' for that week's Top Of The Pops as the new UK number one. They had performed the track on the show before, but this … Continue reading T. Rex – ‘Hot Love’ →

17 April 2015 Paul Walker's death in a car crash in November 2013 was the motivator for this rap-pop ballad from the movie he was making at the time, the seventh instalment of the Fast & Furious series. From its use on the film's elegiac coda, the sentiment behind it was clearly heartfelt, plus I … Continue reading Wiz Khalifa ft. Charlie Puth – ‘See You Again’ →

27 March 1971 Lynn Anderson is not Canadian. This information is for any other '80s kids like me who first encountered her singing 'Rose Garden' as a sample on 'I Beg Your Pardon' by dour Canuck electro act Kon Kan, a sort of New-foundland Order. Their name comes from the regulation that music radio stations … Continue reading Lynn Anderson – ‘Rose Garden’ →

10 April 2015 Even if you don't recognise the artist's name—and Omi won't be gracing the Irish charts again—or the song title, you'll surely remember the distinctive trumpet hook that heralds this global one-hit wonder. What we get here at the top of planet Earth's 2015 charts is actually a deep house remix by a … Continue reading Omi – ‘Cheerleader’ →

20 March 1971 Surprisingly, Paul McCartney won't have a post-Beatles UK number one single until 'Mull Of Kintyre' in 1977 - and that's his only UK chart-topping single of the entire '70s. It's surprising not only because he was a Beatle and was still having loads of hits, but also because Paul's sentimental, whimsical old-fashioned … Continue reading Paul McCartney – ‘Another Day’ →

3 April 2015 Here's our final number one from an Irish boyband. I'd never have envisaged it back in the '90s and '00s when Boyzone and Westlife roamed the top of our charts like buffalo, and sounded like buffalo too. But it's true: as I write this in 2025 Ireland's number one spot has been … Continue reading HomeTown – ‘Cry For Help’ →

30 January 1971 Ireland's first solo Beatle number one is also our first chart-top encounter with copyright controversy. Since then we've had loads of hugely entertaining courtroom action: singer shenanigans with 'Ride On Time' and 'Return To Innocence'; riff-based rifts with 'Ice Ice Baby' and 'I'll Be Missing You'; vibes-based karmic retribution for 'Blurred Lines'. … Continue reading George Harrison – ‘My Sweet Lord’ →

26 March 2015 Back in 2015 I doubt you'd have predicted the decade to come would feature a global pandemic shutdown or major democracies trying out fascism. On a slightly lesser order of bleakness, who'd have thought we'd still have bland male folk-pop dominating our charts? Mumford & Sons and George Ezra wouldn't sound out … Continue reading James Bay – ‘Hold Back The River’ →

6 February 2015 Ah, the firm but playful thwack of riding crop on buttocks. If this for you is the sound of sexy-time, then good luck to you and your co-consenting adult(s) - don't let anyone kink-shame you. Of course, there's no subculture weird or subversive enough that it can't be exploited by mainstream big-budget … Continue reading Ellie Goulding – ‘Love Me Like You Do’ →