26 December 1981 'Don't You Want Me' stayed at number one in the UK charts into the New Year, but in Ireland it ceded the floor after a week, allowing us an extra chart-topper and post-Christmas treat. Of ABBA's singles in the '80s, 'The Winner Takes It All' seems to take all the critical love, … Continue reading ABBA – ‘One Of Us’
Tag: Christmas
The Human League – ‘Don’t You Want Me’
19 December 1981 Our 1981 number ones have been pretty thin gruel: solo Lennon; folk ballads; Shakin' Stevens; Joe Dolce; Pepé Le Pew. But thanks to some Christmas miracle, unlike the previous year's abomination this festive chart-topper is a genuine '80s classic, maybe even the greatest Christmas number one single of them all. There's isn't … Continue reading The Human League – ‘Don’t You Want Me’
St Winifred’s School Choir – ‘There’s No One Quite Like Grandma’
20 December 1980 John Lennon had been shot dead on the street in New York by a crazed fan just a few weeks before, so maybe people were craving some cosy escapism. (The flood of Lennon solo number ones awaits us like a Chapman in early 1981.) I also suspect the dread hand of some … Continue reading St Winifred’s School Choir – ‘There’s No One Quite Like Grandma’
Pink Floyd — ‘Another Brick In The Wall (Part 2)’
15 December 1979 The last number one of the '70s was the first of the '80s, so there's a temptation to check it for remnants of the decade past and harbingers of the one we know to come. Granted, a similar exercise for 1999-2000 will enable us to review the '90s, the 20th century and … Continue reading Pink Floyd — ‘Another Brick In The Wall (Part 2)’
