25 November 2010 You Irish people of 2010 must have really loved the British Army, since this is the second charity fundraiser for injured British military personnel that you sent all the way to the top of the charts in Ireland—my country—in two years. I had emigrated then, as all true sons and daughters of … Continue reading The X Factor Finalists 2010 – ‘Heroes’
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The Johnstons – ‘The Travelling People’
15 August 1966 They never had an Irish number one single, but any mention of the Irish folk boom of the '60s should include The Clancy Brothers. I get the sense they were more loved in the US than by traditionalists back home, but they still sold albums here by the truckload. Their influence on … Continue reading The Johnstons – ‘The Travelling People’
Gregory and The Cadets – ‘More Than Yesterday’
25 July 1966 This is indeed the same showband with whom Eileen Reid in 1964 became the first Irish woman to go to number one in Ireland, with 'Fallen Star'. Eileen is still there, now becoming the first woman to have two number one singles in Ireland - and so far in the almost four … Continue reading Gregory and The Cadets – ‘More Than Yesterday’
Rihanna – ‘Only Girl (In The World)’
4 November 2010 I remember the spectacular skyscraping chorus of 'Only Girl (In The World)' but not much else of it. That's me having listened to it just now, by the way, not casting my mind back to 2010. Scrunching up my face and listening another time really, really hard, the verses here could be … Continue reading Rihanna – ‘Only Girl (In The World)’
The Kinks – ‘Sunny Afternoon’
18 July 1966 England's mythical summer of 1966, when London swung and the years-of-hurt counter still said zero, seemed to involve a good deal of pop-star whinge about paying tax, what with the first line of The Kinks' 'Sunny Afternoon' and the opening track of The Beatles' Revolver. Alas, we in Ireland couldn't help; our … Continue reading The Kinks – ‘Sunny Afternoon’
The Beatles – ‘Paperback Writer’
20 June 1966 The novel in 'Paperback Writer' is churned-out hackwork: "It's a thousand pages, give or take a few / I'll be writing more in a week or two". Alas, I have to say that 'Paperback Writer' itself, like some other made-to-order Beatle hits we've seen at number one so far, has the same … Continue reading The Beatles – ‘Paperback Writer’
Cheryl – ‘Promise This’
28 October 2010 It might seem unfair to suggest that the only explanatory factor for 'Promise This' topping the Irish and UK charts was the celebrity status of its singer, as seen on prime-time TV every Saturday night and in the gossip-hungry tabloid press all the other days of the week. For one thing, the … Continue reading Cheryl – ‘Promise This’
Frank Sinatra – ‘Strangers In The Night’
6 June 1966 The modern-era pop charts and pop culture have really done no favours to Frank Sinatra's legacy. He was a star since the '40s, recorded his imperial-phase classics in the '50s... and yet our perception of him today seems to be for dreary late-era kitsch like 'Theme From New York, New York' and … Continue reading Frank Sinatra – ‘Strangers In The Night’
Manfred Mann – ‘Pretty Flamingo’
9 May 1966 So, you're the same shade of pink as Barbara Cartland's boudoir, you stand around for ages on one foot at a time, and everyone incorrectly thinks you urinate down your legs: you big flamingo, you! No, I wouldn't be too flattered either. That said, I reckon I'd wear the pink well: it … Continue reading Manfred Mann – ‘Pretty Flamingo’
Bruno Mars – ‘Just The Way You Are’
7 October 2010 Remember when Bruno Mars was a fresh, exciting new act? Hah! Trick question. Yes, unlike the latter-day Martian retro soul schtick, its faddish-for-2010 mix of beats and piano make 'Just The Way You Are' sound like it was made by people who acknowledge the existence of pop music made after 1975. Otherwise, … Continue reading Bruno Mars – ‘Just The Way You Are’
