20 November 2014 Let's first jump forward to Band Aid 40 in 2024. It won't be featuring here in its own right, since it didn't get to number one in Ireland or the UK. Okay, it was just a mash-up of Band Aids 1, 20 and 30, harshly omitting Band Aid II, so there was … Continue reading Band Aid 30 – ‘Do They Know It’s Christmas? (2014)’ →

14 November 1969 The Archies are our first encounter with a hit-making cartoon act, paving the way for The Simpsons, Chef, MC Skat Kat, Gorillaz and Eminem. What you hear on 'Sugar, Sugar' are the vocals of session singer Ron Dante, co-writer Andy Kim (who goes on to become a flesh-and-blood one-hit wonder in 1974 … Continue reading The Archies – ‘Sugar, Sugar’ →

19 December 2013 Previous winners and finalists will continue to top our charts: Little Mix; James Arthur; Ella Henderson; One Direction together and solo. 'Skyscraper' by Sam Bailey, though, is the last X Factor winner's single to go to number one in Ireland. It's also the end of an annual tradition; 'Skyscraper' was Ireland's eighth … Continue reading Sam Bailey – ‘Skyscraper’ →

21 November 2013 They said it couldn't be done. However, on a TV commercial just now I've heard a sad cover version of the ultimate '90s dayglo Eurodance banger, 2 Unlimited's 'No Limits'. I think it was an ad for some telecommunications product and its generous user tariff, hence the connection. (Correction: it's actually for … Continue reading Lily Allen – ‘Somewhere Only We Know’ →

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’ →

16 December 1967 The Airchords were a showband formed by members of the Irish Air Corps, and singer Pat Lynch is the first Cork act to have an Irish number one single. This is also one of two records that keep 'Hello Goodbye' by The Beatles off the Irish top spot. However, my unexpected main … Continue reading Pat Lynch and The Airchords – ‘Treat Me Daughter Kindly’ →

15 December 2011 First thing I checked: was there an anti-X Factor counter-movement behind the original 'Cannonball' at Christmas 2011? If there was, it didn't get far. Damien Rice's version re-entered the Irish charts at a mere no. 19 before gravity and nominative determinism took hold. (It had already entered the Irish and UK charts … Continue reading Little Mix – ‘Cannonball’ →

12 December 1987 and 8 December 2023 Kirsty MacColl herself sings "you're cheap and you're haggard" in the version of 'Fairytale Of New York' in the video below. You'll also hear her sing that line in what we can call an alternative official version posted on The Pogues' own YouTube channel. So, "you're cheap and … Continue reading The Pogues ft. Kirsty MacColl – ‘Fairytale Of New York’ →

5 December 1966 'Green, Green Grass Of Home' starts something of an Irish Christmas tradition: our Christmas number one record sung by—spoiler alert—someone in a police or prison cell ('Whiskey In The Jar', 'Fairytale Of New York') and, since he's about to be executed, presumably a killer too ('Whiskey In The Jar' also, 'Bohemian Rhapsody' … Continue reading Tom Jones – ‘Green, Green Grass Of Home’ →