7 May 2009 Tinchy Stryder's 'Number 1' isn't the first Irish number one single with 'number 1' in the title: that'd be Zig and Zag's 1990 Christmas number one 'Christmas No. 1'. More acts should try this sort of nominative determinism. Granted, fall short of topping the charts ('Number One' by X Factor finalist Tabby … Continue reading Tinchy Stryder ft. N-Dubz – ‘Number 1’ →

22 May 1964 No prizes for guessing which Liverpool four-piece pop group the Irish record-buying public of 1964 loved most. That's right, it's The Searchers, here with their third Irish number one in only nine months and our eighth chart-topping single from a Merseyside act in a year. Their version of 'Don't Throw Your Love … Continue reading The Searchers – ‘Don’t Throw Your Love Away’ →

23 April 2009 The Pride-Is-Protest artwork and the intersectional feminist lyrics really show Eminem's creative and personal development as - ha ha! Just kidding! I did a '00s bantz! 'We Made You' is more of the exact same sexism, misogyny and homophobia as the rest of his useless, rotten, craven chart-topping output. It's all targeted … Continue reading Eminem – ‘We Made You’ →

29 May 1964 Here's the first Irish number one single by an Irish woman. You'd think that Irish pop-cultural landmark would be more widely known and recognised, but prior to this I really only knew Eileen Reid from her TV appearances in the '80s and after, some of which were religious in subject. The only … Continue reading Eileen Reid and The Cadets – ‘Fallen Star’ →

8 May 1964 Not quite nepo-baby level, but it's sure handy if in 1964 you're in a pop group looking for a hit, your sister's boyfriend is Paul McCartney, and he's even sharing a room with you in your family home. That's how Peter Asher, brother of actress and then-Beatle-partner Jane, gets an unused Lennon-McCartney … Continue reading Peter and Gordon – ‘A World Without Love’ →

17 April 1964 I'll be honest: I thought we'd be seeing more Beatles number ones than this. Anyway, it's mid-1964 and Ireland gets only its second Fab Four chart-topper. For comparison, in America 'Can't Buy Me Love' was the third number one in a row by The Beatles, after 'She Loves You' and 'I Want … Continue reading The Beatles – ‘Can’t Buy Me Love’ →

9 April 2009 A.R. Rahman isn't the first Irish number one act who was born in India—that'd be child of the Raj, Cliff Richard—but he provides our first chart-topping representative from the rich Indian tradition of music for cinema. The feature credit breakout to Nicole Scherzinger is odd, since she was still a member of … Continue reading A.R. Rahman & The Pussycat Dolls ft. Nicole Scherzinger – ‘Jai Ho! (You Are My Destiny)’ →

27 December 1963 Did Brendan Bowyer have an Elvis franchise for Ireland? Here he is following up his first Irish number one, 'Kiss Me Quick', with another chart-topping Elvis cover - this time a whimsical acoustic ditty from the movie Blue Hawaii. Yes, it's pretty much the same thing as his 'Kiss Me Quick', but … Continue reading Brendan Bowyer and The Royal Showband – ‘No More’ →

27 March 1964 I've just noticed on the record sleeve above how eerily similar Jim Reeves looks to Jim Jones, the '70s US cult leader of the Jonestown massacre, and now I can't unsee it. Anyway, here's another chart-topper from the '60s US cult leader of country & Irish. Not that any Jim Reeves record … Continue reading Jim Reeves – ‘I Love You Because’ →

20 March 2009 Sounding like the answer to the question "what if Timbaland got hit on the head and woke up thinking he was in the Black Eyed Peas?" here's Flo Rida again. Who's he dragging into his hot mess this time? Why, Kesha at the start of her hit-making career and Dead Or Alive … Continue reading Flo Rida ft. Kesha – ‘Right Round’ →