17 August 1968 No one gets murdered in the 'Help Yourself' universe, which already makes it an improvement on 'Delilah' and 'Green, Green Grass Of Home'. So, how goes Tom Jones, cabaret pop's most prolific killer, when he contains his chart-topping bloodlust to focus on mere lust? 'Help Yourself' isn't as brash as I had … Continue reading Tom Jones – ‘Help Yourself’
James Arthur – ‘Impossible’
13 December 2012 How come we never have X Factor winners' singles back in the charts every Christmas? After all, they dominated the Christmas number one spot in the UK and Ireland for the guts of a decade. Surely someone somewhere gets a warm seasonal glow of nostalgia for these soundtracks to their Yuletide '00s … Continue reading James Arthur – ‘Impossible’
Des O’Connor – ‘I Pretend’
3 August 1968 'Baby Come Back' by The Equals peaked at number two in Ireland in August 1968. Other well-known singles in that month's Irish top ten were Simon and Garfunkel's 'Mrs Robinson', proud Irishwoman Dusty Springfield with 'I Close My Eyes And Count To Ten', 'Fire' by The Crazy World Of Arthur Brown, and … Continue reading Des O’Connor – ‘I Pretend’
Various Artists – ‘Tiny Dancer – A Song For Lily-Mae’
29 November 2012 Let's start with the happy ending and the most important thing here. Lily-Mae Morrison, the four-year-old beneficiary of this charity single, made a full recovery from the aggressive neuroblastoma cancer that required her to travel to America for the expensive trial treatment that necessitated this fundraising drive. Elton John's 'Tiny Dancer' had … Continue reading Various Artists – ‘Tiny Dancer – A Song For Lily-Mae’
Labrinth ft. Emeli Sandé – ‘Beneath Your Beautiful’
25 October 2012 We're Backing Brave! Let's Make Possible! Just like your favourite 'inspirational' marketing slogans that used random adjectives as nouns, here's the title of Labrinth and Emeli's chart-topping 2012 collab. The minor-key strings and piano stir plenty of maudlin heartache in with the personal development stuff - plus we get a big ol' … Continue reading Labrinth ft. Emeli Sandé – ‘Beneath Your Beautiful’
Don Partridge – ‘Blue Eyes’
13 July 1968 Okay, I get the whole '60s Dylan-acoustic-folk scene. And despite his '50s teddy-boy look, English folkie Don Partridge on the sleeve of 'Blue Eyes' (above) cuts a suave figure. But this is rubbish. 'King of the Buskers' - that was Don, and you can also see on the cover that he's got … Continue reading Don Partridge – ‘Blue Eyes’
Calvin Harris ft. Florence Welch – ‘Sweet Nothing’
18 October 2012 Aside from words like 'austerity' and 'bailout', is there anything that could sound more early-'10s than Calvin Harris and Florence Welch on the same track? 'Sweet Nothing' combines their signature styles: his electro-pop production; her soaring choruses. If you know, you know. Alas, the Calvin Harris sound and the Florence sound that … Continue reading Calvin Harris ft. Florence Welch – ‘Sweet Nothing’
Bobby Goldsboro – ‘Honey’
15 June 1968 For years I thought 'Honey' was meant to be a comedy song. This was because I first heard it as performed by a theatrical troupe who, for reasons not clear to us, played at our secondary school one random midweek morning. The singer threw to us with gurning reaction faces at certain … Continue reading Bobby Goldsboro – ‘Honey’
Adele – ‘Skyfall’
11 October 2012 The archetypal James Bond title song has Shirley Bassey, or her most available equivalent, bellowing along to the strains of a buttoned-up orchestra. However, sometimes the franchise dips its toe into the bubble-bath of contemporary chart sounds - with mixed results. Duran Duran's hi-octane 'A View To A Kill' and Lulu's brassy … Continue reading Adele – ‘Skyfall’
Gary Puckett & The Union Gap – ‘Young Girl’
1 June 1968 Well now. I know this song because it was still being played regularly on the radio when I was as young as the title subject. Today it has over 41 million plays on Spotify, so it clearly still has a user group. Maybe it's being listened to by older folk who bopped … Continue reading Gary Puckett & The Union Gap – ‘Young Girl’
