The Guardian are currently listing the best-ever UK number one singles, with today’s entry, number 12, being Nothing Compares 2 U by Sinead O’Connor. But what do you think will be number one? Fancy a prediction? Care to try your hand at a top three, perhaps? With fingers crossed that these haven’t been mentioned already (I don’t *think* so) I’ll kick off with…
1. Two Tribes
2. Ghost Town
3. Going Underground
I can’t help but feel the Guardian will want something a bit more modern in there, though…
https://www.theguardian.com/music/series/the-100-greatest-uk-no-1-singles
Going Underground is at number 39. Frankie Goes To Hollywood are at number 13 (the rules state only one song per artist). Winner’s gonna be The Beatles, innit? Always bleedin’ is. Or John Lennon’s Imagine. Or Oasis and Wonderwall. (Having said that, I don’t know if Imagine or Wonderwall got to number 1).
Here’s the list so far:
https://www.theguardian.com/music/2020/apr/27/the-100-greatest-uk-no-1s
Imagine did (after his death), Wonderwall didn’t.
Bo Rhap?
You’ve seen what happens when you let the public loose on a vote.
It’ll be Bo Rap, surely? Or Dancing Queen.
Bo Rap at 46. I don’t think this is the public. I think it’s just journos.
Edit: Yep, says on article “our team of critics”.
Thank goodness for that!
So, Beatles it is then. But which one? And what’ll be at number 2? I’d say Ghost Town, as Leicester predicts, is a strong contender for the coveted number 2 spot.
Their best single didn’t get to no. 1. So I guess Hey Jude, if the charm of that one has worn out then an early one, She Loves You probably.
You mean like a referendum?đŚšââď¸
It’s The Grauniad, so whatever the list is Fleabag will get the top spot.
Oops. So no Two Tribes then (which is WAY better than Relax, FFS), and no Going Underground. Hence…
1. Ghost Town
2. Vienna
3. Band Aid
No. Vienna was kept off the top slot by:
a) John Lennon
b) Joe Dolce
Ashes To Ashes would be my choice and maybe theirs. If not they are clearly wrong.
Bowie’s already in there with Let’s Dance at number something-or-other.
Also great I suppose. Ok I’ve read it now.
I Feel Love should be quite high. What about Abba? Winner Takes It All or Dancing Queen?
Never felt the love for Dancing Queen. It’s always seemed a bit too slow, and lacks the Abba theatrics on full display in Winner Takes it All. There were some great singles in 1980. Mind you, that single’s cover is nothing to shout about. Take a peek if you dare.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Winner_Takes_It_All
Picking Let’s Dance ahead of Ashes to Ashes is so wrong I’ve lost all confidence in this poll. If I’m honest I can’t stand Let’s Dance. Too jolty and shouty with the rolling brass sound adding an unpleasant sea-sickness quality. I’m always glad when it’s over. Ashes to Ashes, on the other hand, might be the most perfect piece of pop weirdness ever to reach 45rpm. It stands alone, and deserves to be celebrated.
Couldn’t agree more.
Ashes to Ashes was so ahead of its time. Let’s Dance, though a great song, was 80’s throw away pop by comparison
Love them both, I think Let’s Dance had more impact though as a no. 1 which seems to be important in this poll.
1. Strawberry Fields Forever/Penny Lane
2. God Save The Queen
3. Je t’Aime
But, as Dai pointed out (I think), Strawberry Fields wasn’t a number one. Am I the only one paying attention here?
Famously not. But he knows that I think as God Save the Queen didn’t make it either.
And Je T’Aime was banned.
So you were just responding in jest? As though this were a laughing matter? May I remind you… etc. etc.
Before I clicked on the link I thought you lot were talking b*ll*cks as usual.
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Have they already had Heart Of Glass and Donât You Want Me? Iâd say Ghost Town is in with a shout, what with being The Guardian and – as mentioned – Strawberry/Penny not being numero uno..
*edit* found the list so not HOG.
Iâm lumping on
3. Firestarter
2. Donât You Want Me?
1. Ghost Town
Wuthering Heights ?
Edit @dai
Sorry yes, memo to self. Check before thinking youâre smart.
Already in there check link above.
Strange list.
It has to be the Beatles. I’m going to stick my neck out and say that I can sense a cultural shift recently favouring the early moptop sound over the later rock stuff. So I say it won’t be Hey Jude or anything like that.
I say:
She Loves You.
It was the match that lit sixties pop, wasn’t it? And cemented that “yeah, yeah, yeah” refrain and beat sound, etc etc etc.
@Arthur I doubt The Grauniad would elect, as their number one single, a group of white cis-male singers with their typically-privileged patriarchal account of an incident, where a vagina-owner’s emotional attitude is being assumed on their behalf? Over music and vocal stylings culturally appropriated from POC performers and musicians? đ
1. Brotherhood Of Man / Save Your Kisses For Me
2. Clive Dunn / Grandad
3. Tight Fit / Lion Sleeps Tonight
In all seriousness, my guess of the most likely would be…
Band Aid
Beatles / She Loves You
Ghost Town
Although there could be chance for Another Brick In The Wall or the two mega weeks at no1 from the 90s – Bryan Adams / The Wets
The lyrical wonder of No Limits by 2Unlimited must be a contender, shirley
“There’s No Lyrics by 2Untalented”
1. Ghost Town
2. Lose Yourself
3. Hit Me with Your Rhythm Stick
Hit Me with Your Rhythm Stick is at number 18.
I’m not being paid for this, you know.
Well thatâs wrong. But Iâm just pleased to have got one in the 100. Iâm not very good at this cool stuff.
It’s The Guardian. Heterosexual (whatever Bob Wooler might have said) men are unlikely to win. Ghost Town has to be close, though, nonetheless. I suspect I Feel Love by Donna Summer will be there or thereabouts.
A lady, and not necessarily Caucasian, you say?
Wottabout Queen BeyoncĂŠ, and her blerk with Crazy In Love?
Its already in the list
Got a dim view on journalists, got a dim view on the great unwashed!
Seriously though, when Mojo did a Greatest Singles list (in the late 1990s?), the readers’ list was much better than the “experts'” list.
Beatles
Abba
Human League
Specials
Pet Shop Boys
Michael Jackson
Oasis
Radiohead
Girls Aloud
Pharell Williams
Adam & The Ants
Culture Club
Prodigy
The Beach Boys – are all in with a shout at the top ten I’d say
Marvin Gaye/Grapevine
MARRS/Pump Up The Volume
Madness/House Of Fun
Re Marvin Gaye’s “I Heard it through the Grapevine”
Yes – this is certain to be among the top few singles.
What no. 1 did Radiohead have?
None. But, you knew that already, didn’t you.
I was going to say Packt Like Sardines In A Crushd Tin Box but I’ve jusr checked and apparently it was kept off the top spot by Joe Dolce.
My guess for the top three, in no particular order, is âShe Loves Youâ, âGhost Townâ and something like âUptown Funkâ or âGet Luckyâ.
Mull of Kintyre?
Disclaimer: this may be possibly considered trolling.
Outsiders –
Blur
Boomtown Rats
Clash
Cornershop
Creedence
Lonnie Donegan
Drake
Fugees
Soul II Soul
Gnarls Barkley
Cee Lo Green
Supremes
Monkees
New Order
Amy Winehouse
Mark Ronson
Stormzy
If you name every single one you will be correct.
DIS Generation
Rules The Nation
With Veeeerrrrrrrsszzzzzzhun!!!!!!
Bloody lefties!
As with all of these things, who are you asking & how do you define âgreatest?â
The blurb says itâs only 3 critics, not based on âsales or longevityâ but those âwe as critics, fans and lifetime listeners think are the most brilliant songs to top the UK charts.â
Yes, itâs designed to get lots of comments, arguments, and follow up articles but itâs just the opinion of 3 people.
Those three people will clearly be wrong in the view of everyone here.
The correct answer is Wuthering Heights.
If left to the British public (or civilians): Bohemain Rhaposdy, Hey Jude, or Imagine
My Generation
Ballroom Blitz
God Save The Queen
Strawberry Field / Penny Lane
Vienna
Great choices. I’d add Louisiana Rain by Tom Petty and Peter Gabriel 3 (Melt).
Jase from Accounts writes :
THIS LISTS R BULLSHT !!! CANDLE IN THE WINH WAs NUMBER 1 FOR EVA AND WAS ABOUT PRICESS DI WHO WILL ALWAYS BE QUEEN OF ARE HEARTS JASE
That reminds me, I was once in McDonald’s in Harlow. Look, don’t judge me – I’d nipped into town at lunchtime to buy the new Kate Bush LP (it would have been The Red Shoes) and time was short. Anyhow…
I was in the queue, it was busy and things were going slowly at the counter. A young man in a shell suit and baseball cap ahead of me was being served a small mountain of ground meat, processed cheese, and fries.
The door opened and his fragrant lady, similarly attired, loudly provided encouragement to the young gentleman (and to the whole establishment):
“URRY UP, DARREN, I’M DYIN’ FOR A DUMP!”
1. Nice to see Althea and Donna holding down the coveted No.31 spot.
2. Erm … have we had a Slade single yet?
Merry Christmas!
Althea and Donna should be way higher than that – one of my favourite singles.
Havenât had The Beatles or The Who yet, and I agree re the Fabs – itâll be an early one.
And Cee lo Greenâs Forget You will be up there I reckon
The Who never had a no. 1 either.
Ah, true. Good Vibrations by The Beach Boys was, though, so Iâll say thatâs bound to be top 3
Wrong again
No Shakin Stevens either – I is miffed. The best selling solo artist of the 80s absent.
Don’t tell me. Hot Chocolate.
The Chocs (as no-one calls them) did manage a hit single for every year of the 70s (in fact they kept it going until 1984)
Cuh. My memory is obviously failing. In my head they were the same decade as Shakin’. Wait. Wasn’t he Seventies too?
70s with The Sunsets, and no success. He landed a part as Elvis in the touring musical, appeared on Blue Peter, and signed to Epic. A wobbling double denim legend was born
Does rather hammer home the idea of selective memory.
Shakin’ Steven (4 no. 1s), Bucks Fizz (3 no. 1s), Adam Ant (3 no. 1s), Boy George/Culture Club (3 no. 1s), Duran (2 no.1s) are presumably going to be side-lined/shut out completely by more (supposed) hip acts who they outsold 25-1!
Why?
Because the NME told them to.
Mercifully, such received doctrine didn’t exist in the 50s and 60s.
Still, it passes the time.
I wouldn’t be surprised to see a Wham! or George Michael song, I’m not a fan, but the songs have aged well I think compared to the acts named above.
I’d be very surprised if it wasn’t at number 27.
The Sunsetz if I remember correctly. I saw him/them on TV enough times to have heard of him when he started to have hits.
“You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feelin'” by the Righteous Brothers is 100% guaranteed to be in the Top 11.
Has to be Alice Cooper – School’s Out, epitomises what a chart record should be, teen friendly, sarky rebellious lyrics, caused outrage in the parents, catchy whistle-able tune.
Stones – Satisfaction
26
I don’t like the song very much but would Under Pressure be in the top 10 as well as Bo Rap given that Queen and David Bowie is a different artist to (just) Queen and (just) David Bowie?
Also David Bowie and Bing Crobsy for Littke Drummer Boy could also qualify. Little known fact that it was meant to be on Low but someone made a mistake on the Master tape and substituted it with Subterraneans. David and Bing were livid!
I doubt it and their Christmas offering was not a no. 1
Bing was very Crobsy indeed. đ
Iâm voting for the Wurzels.
It won’t be anything by Jackie Trent. She’s bubbling under at number
I think it is a wonderfully eccentric list with lots of outsiders: tAtU, Black Box, Lieutenant Pigeon…They obviously had fun putting it together,
More Jackie? My pleasure
My money is on Al Bowlly
Or of course the timeless beauty of Acker Bilk’s Stranger on the Shore.
What is it with the brits and their lists? Are they responsible for Litz mania?
Lists are the 27th best thing ever! Just between gravy, at 26, and meerkats, at 28.
I don’t see Otis Redding’s “(Sittin’ On) The Dock of the Bay” in the list so far. Therefore it’s bound to be in the Top 11.
Number 11 is in, and it’s….
Good Vibrations!
Funny, I’m sure I can remember Mojo magazine calling GV the best single ever. Not just the best number one, the best single.
Wasnât that a bit of a fudge?
Strawberry Fields actually polled more, but they were able to get a cover mount CD of Good Vibrations, an interview with Brian Wilson…and a recount of the results!
It’s going to have to be The Real Thing’s “You to me are everything.” Best #1 record ever.
Oh baby
None of my favourite singles ever made number one. In fact most of them hardly troubled the Top 40.
Bridge Over Troubled Water must be a dead cert for top ten.
Or for number 45, depending on whether you read the list or not.
Do you know the list off by heart?
Swot!
âđťMods! âđť
Like other hear I’m not a fan of No. 1 singles, grammy winning albums or oscar winnng films. That said, I’d find it amusing if the Grauniad put this one at the top. The Below the Line comments would be nuclear.
The fabs – I wanna hold your hand?
Has Joe Dolce showed up in the list yet? Or Stars on 45?
I am going for Crazy by Gnarls Barkley.
Hamper for Leicester!
Though his policing of this thread and enforcing of its notional rules has been a little lax to my mind, frankly, if I might say so.
Hamper provision has been outsourced to Serco (it’s the times we’re living in) so don’t expect a genuine wicker basket. More likely a few Dairylea triangles in a Ziploc bag. But it’s the thought that counts.
Think West End Girls or Itâs A Sin will make top ten.
Apologies if Iâve missed it, but not seen a shout out for Donât You Want Me by Human League – got to be a contender?
Is this thing on? See above, my friend. My three are still in play and, if the bookies werenât all shut, Iâd be expecting to retire early on my winnings…
Good work @Native !
I’m tipping these 10 nuggets:
Grapevine
Heartbreak Hotel
Lovin’ Feeling
Knowing Me
I Feel Love
Ghost Town
Queen Boh. Rap.
Walker Bros. Sun
Beatles’ Hand
Be Lucky
Care to wager a little dosh? I’ll give you odds of 1,000 to 1 on Heartbreak Hotel, Boh Rap, Walker Bros. Sun and Be Lucky (sic) not being in the top ten. No maximum bet. Stake your house if you want. 1000 to 1. You could win a fortune.
Heartbreak hotel didn’t make number 1 in the UK
Shush.
Will you look at that, Elvis only made #2. It’s a fair cop, guv, society’s to blame..
Get Lucky might well though, to represent the, ahem, post-noughties. The Sun Ain’t Gonna Shine Anymore, yeah, unlikely. When’s the last time you heard it? What a tune, what a production.
Okay, Lose Yourself for Elvis.
đ
Get Lucky is already at number something or other, As are The Walker Brothers (no double entries allowed.)
When Elvis carved up the U.K. charts in 2005 (the record company didn’t check to see how few sales were needed to get a no. 1 in 2005!), it was apparent that quite a few of his original no. 1s were his more M.O.R. releases.
No Blue Suede Shoes, no Hound Dog, no King Creole, no Guitar Man, no In The Ghetto; plenty of It’s Now or Never, Are You Lonesome Night, Wooden Heart, Crying in the Chapel and The Wonder of You.
A core group of his fan base wanted Frank Sinatra Elvis rather than Little Richard Elvis.
Strange choice.
OK, I’ll have a go at tipping those 10 nuggets, too. How frustrating that we have to wait until Monday morning for the Grauniad to unveil the No. 10 single.
So … in no particular order:
The Specials – Ghost Town. We’re all agreed on this one.
A Beatles single. Probably one of the early ones. Say “She Loves You”.
Marvin Gaye – I Heard it Through the Grapevine. Again, this is absolute cert.
Righteous Brothers – You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feelin’. A prime slice of Phil Spector.
An ABBA single. Probably Dancing Queen, although it wouldn’t be my personal choice.
Human League – Don’t you Want Me. Well, it hasn’t been among nos 100 to 11, so it must be in the Top 10.
Donna Summer – I Feel Love. A classic disco single.
Right, so the above seven singles are all nailed-on certainties for the top 10.
The remaining three might come from these six records…
Jimi Hendrix Experience – Voodoo Child/Chile. Surely they can’t leave Hendrix out? Maybe they can….
Otis Redding – (Sittin’ on) The Dock of the Bay. Well, it would be in my 10, anyway.
A Pet Shop Boys single. Maybe “West End Girls”, because it was their first.
A Michael Jackson single – probably Billie Jean
Gnarls Barkley – Crazy
Prodigy – Firestarter
OK, if you twist my arm, then I’ll go for Gnarls Barkley, the Pet Shop Boys and Michael Jackson to fill the final three places.
What a pity there wasn’t any room for St. Winifred’s School Choir, Clive Dunn, Telly Savalas, and Isla St. Clair.
Most sensibly informed comment on this thread. Words cannot adequately express my unbridled esteem.
I think the clue is in the heading. These are UK number ones. That doesn’t mean the acts have to be British, just the impact on UK society has to be, erm, what’s the word?, noticeable.
I’m at a distinct disadvantage because I haven’t read the article. Somewhat unusually, Gary hasn’t just glanced at the OP, he’s devoured it and paid close attention to the detail in the link provided.
Much as I love your top ten, Robson and Green are more likely than The Righteous Brothers. I can’t see Otis getting in either.
Bohemian Rhapsody must be a shoe-in, though.
Can’t see Hendrix getting in with that one. Better tracks from him didn’t make number 1.
This is The Guardian’s top ten, don’t forget. At least one, possibly more, will be by black artists.
Strange comment
Pardon?
Black Artists Matter.
Welll … the Guardian’s Number 10 best No.1 single has just been revealed.
And it’s one that we all called: Marvin Gaye’s I Heard it Through the Grapevine.
Originally a Gladys Knight song, of course.
Originally a song for The Miracles. They recorded it first in 1966 but their version was only released as an album track in 1968.
The usual Motown method. Quite a few acts would have a go at a song, and Berry Gordy would decide which to get behind.
Hmmm … I’ve just realised that New Order’s “Blue Monday” hasn’t appeared in nos 100-10 of the chart. That could be a contender….
And what of Band Aid’s “Do They know It’s Christmas?”
I don’t think Blue Monday was ever top of the official charts.
1. Re: chart position of Blue Monday.
You are of course correct, Gatz. I “checked” on Wikipedia, but accidentally checked the Indie Chart placing instead.
2. We haven’t had Culture Club’s “Do You Really Want To Hurt Me” yet. that could be in with a shout…
Okay … the Guardian have just revealed no.9, and it’s another one that most people correctly predicted.
It’s the inevitable ABBA single, and they’ve gone, not surprisingly, for Dancing Queen.
Did I ever tell you about that time in 1998 when I bumped into Benny Andersson outside Hasselbacken restaurant in Stockholm?
That’s not by any chance the place that gave its name to Hasselback potatoes, is it?
It most certainly is, Mr Yorkio, sir.
Hasselbacken is on the island of DjurgĂĽrden in Stockholm, not far from the Skansen open-air museum, should you find yourself in the Swedish capital at any point in the future.
Hasselback potatoes. All those thinly sliced bits. Nice.
Mmmmm. That’s one to add to my Trip Advisor places I want to visit list.
I think I always just assumed they were American and named after an anglicised version of a German name, or something.
If they smell of cordite and have tank tracks running over them, they’re Sven Hasselback potatoes.
This story should end â…so I said âWhat are you doing here, Benny?â and he replied âWell, have you seen the queue for Nandoâs?ââ
Okay ⌠the Guardian have just revealed no.8, and itâs a single that was exclusively predicted by Sewer Robot six days ago, namely The Prodigy’s “Firestarter”.
Hmmm … quite a few classic singles are jostling for those Top 7 positions….
The Prodigy…
Hopefully the rest of the list will bear some resemblance to music…
Nice to get a name check, but Ver Prodge at 8 means my forecast is up in smoke!
If itâs going to be one from the Fabs, then I Want To Hold Your Hand must be a strong contender. It wouldnât necessarily be my choice (Day Tripper/We Can Work Out probably), but the impact that record had home and abroad was extraordinary. Having said all that, the civilian choice would be Hey Jude….after all, they are the HJHs…
Okay ⌠the Guardian have just revealed no.7, and it’s a single that Native, Sewer Robot and I all plumped for in our predictions, namely “Don’t You Want Me” by the Human League.
A few years ago at a birthday party here in Stockholm, I was chatting for about 15 minutes to a woman from Sheffield. It was only later that someone told me that the lady in question was Joanne Catherall. Incredible!
Now that is incredible, Duke. You are my go-to guy for salacious showbiz gossip, so I am astonished you missed that. Didn’t you begin to suspect something when she mentioned her previous job at a cocktail bar??
Did you see her dance?
Wasnât it Suzanne who sang about working as a waitress?
Unless I missed it, weâve had no Michael Jackson or Gary Glitter yet… (*gulp*)
You’re right. we’ve had no Michael Jackson or Gary Glitter yet.
As I wrote a few days ago, I’m pretty sure that Jackson will figure in the Top 6 (with Billie Jean).
But not Glitter.
Yes, the failure of the J 5 to have a U.K. number one nixes the easy way out and means The Guardian must bite the Jacko bullet, but Iâm surprised the âfunk of forty thousand allegationsâ didnât have a similar tumble-down-the-chart-to-a-less-conspicuous-spot effect to the one Mozzerâs little Englander turn has had on The Smithsâ albums in our own poll. Hard to believe weâre more sniffy than the G…
One person on the Guardian BTL comments today sums up the situation nicely, with only 6 spots to go. He/she writes thus:
“By my reckoning, you still have yet to include:
1. Billie Jean by Michael Jackson
2. That’ll Be the Day by Buddy Holly and the Crickets
3. You’ve Lost that Lovin’ Feelin’ by The Righteous Brothers
4. Ghost Town by The Specials
5. Crazy by Gnarls Barkley
6. A single by The Beatles
7. Every Breath You Take by The Police
8. I Feel Love by Donna Summer
9. West End Girls by Pet Shop Boys
10. Another Brick in the Wall by Pink Floyd
11. Tears of a Clown by Smokey Robinson
12. Baby Love by the Supremes”
Only 6 out of those 12 can make it. It’s clear from that list that some really big/popular/significant singles are going to miss out completely.
Personally, I’d say that nos 7 and 10 in that list are a little unlikely, but that still leaves another 4 that won’t even merit a place in the Top 100, according to the Guardian.
No.5 will be revealed sometime after 9 a.m. UK time tomorrow…
I am impressed @Sewer Robot. I was fuzzy about the facts, as always When it comes to pop music trivia, you are in a different league to me.
I think youâll find thatâs pretty lady trivia KFD.
Mind, anyone who knows me will tell you Iâm no expert in that area…
Yes she was a waitress but the girls were famous for their dancing once they joined The Human League.
Billie Jean is at number 6. Still room for Shaky!
Yeah – and still room for “The Streak” by Ray Stevens (“DON’T LOOK, ETHEL!!”).
How about Chuck Berry? The finest songwriter Rock has ever seen, who has influenced generations of guitarists, must have had a number one in the UK.
Indeed he has. What’s the betting on My Ding-A-Ling being top five?
Have we had Band Aid yet?
Yes, it’s sad that My Ding-a-Ling was berry’s only UK no.1. so no Chuck in the Guardian’s top 5.
Although the Band Aid record was ‘significant’ in many ways, I still can’t see it being included in the Top 5.
We haven’t had Smokey Robinson’s “Tears of a Clown” yet, either. And if that turns out not to be among the 100 best UK No.1 singles, then Smokey will have been robbed.
Okay ⌠the Guardian have just revealed no.6 on the list, and sure enough, it’s Michael Jackson’s Billie Jean. A great single, but my desire to listen to it has …. erm …. waned somewhat in recent years.
Only the Top 5 to go now, with number 5 being announced on Monday morning.
Why don’t you want to listen to it, because of his reputation? This old argument again about separating the art from the artist, or is popular music a special case?
Okay ⌠the Guardian have just revealed no.5 on the “auspicious” list of the 100 greatest UK No.1 singles, and it’s Dead or Alive â You Spin Me Round (Like a Record).
I wouldn’t have guessed that in a hundred years. And, naturally, I don’t agree with it. ‘Tis a foolish choice.
I didn’t see that coming! Absolute banger though, as those of us old enough to dance to it at the time say.
I agree. A banger. It is self absorbed, exciting, fizzing with sex and makes the feet itch to get on the dance floor. Although, Pete scared the shit out of me as a record salesman, he made a spellbinding frontman/mystery gender. It took 17 weeks to get to number one, getting there curtesy of word of mouth and stomp of feet in the night clubs.
Mixes very well with Blue Monday. I ‘dropped’ & indeed ‘mashed’ that twosome many times, BITD
edit – now I think of it it was usually a threesome with Two Tribes
Lest we forget the club focussed TDF mix.
(translation: two dogs fucking – I always knew Pete Waterman had a sense of humoir)
Can’t see any reason why this one ahead of any other track from the SAW catalogue.
It’s a level above Kylie’s The Locomotion, for sure.
What I struggle with is who, apart from those
nuttersenthusiasts on the SDE site, would want a 19CD Dead Or Alive box set. I’d stuggle to fill one greatest hits CD.Ha! I bought one of those supermarket DoA “Best of” compos, a cheap way to get the one or two decent tracks put out by many an otherwise non-league band. 14 tracks with no repeats. I can hum 2 without prompting.
So, four to go. What’re we thinking? Ghost Town and I Feel Love have to be two of them, and obv the HJH…
West End Girls, Ghost Town, She Loves You/I Want to Hold Your Hand/Hey Jude (hedging bets there…), I Feel Love, in that order, surely. Maybe.
Dead or Alive a definite curveball but brilliant on revisiting. I’m enjoying this list.
Ticket To Ride, We Can Work It Out, Paperback Writer. One of these would be my preference over the above.
Is uptown funk been listed yet?
I think that is my favourite number one of this century (&truth be told probably the last number one I remember).
I had thought âI Feel Loveâ for number one. It still stands out sonically. The harsh percussive synths against Donna Summerâs disco cooing leaves it still sounding contemporary in a way that most mid seventies songs donât.
However; playing around with the average year in Excel (sum all of them & divide by 96) gives 1986.021 so second week of 1986 Pet Shop Boys âWest End Girlsâ
The next number one was âThe Sun Always Shines On TVâ which reminds me we havenât had âTake On Meâ yet.
Well, the Guardian has announced the no.4 on its list, and it’s the oft-mentioned “I Feel Love” by Donna Summer.
Although it’s not one of my personal favourites, I can certainly recognise why people love it so, and that it was a significant, groundbreaking single.
To the surprise of absolutely nobody I have never ever heard I Feel Love. I imagine in 1977 I was far to po-faced and serious to listen to that there “pop” music.
ps just played it and of course I have heard it but honestly I couldn’t have told you the artist, year of release etc. I may be very dull.
I didn’t realise B sides count. Here’s the A side:
Flipped and reissued then became no 1. Keep up!
Just like Yellow Submarine.
… and Rod’s “Maggie May” as well, I think.
Yellow Submarine was a double A side with Eleanor Rigby wasn’t it?
And Boney M’s “Rivers Of Babylon”/ “Brown Girl In The Ring” IIRC
I think that one was deliberately flipped by the record company to keep sales going
Very much an outside bet I think the White Town song âI could never be your womanâ from the mid 90s was the first number one song to be done entirely on a normal PC.
The 90 year old sample on the White Town record is prominent on the sh*t hot Dua Lipa LP, which could nudge it into the front-brain of the Guardianâs opinionistas. But I reckon – as fab as it is – White Town, like Musical Youth is just too cool for a top spot..
I met Mr Town once, he’s pals with my friend Pete.
I am available for after-dinner speeches/radio interviews/etc.
So it’s Pistols, Clash and Sly and the Family Stone 1, 2 and 3. I’ll take that.
Sorry to be a pedant, but only one of those acts had a UK number one, though God Save The Queen was clearly cheated.
Should I Stay Or Should I Go?
You are of course right, I was confusing popularity with quality. My new prediction is that the top 3 won’t be as good as Family Affair.
I’m beginning to think whoever at the Guardian did this is wrong.
They should have asked us.
so The Beatles at 3 with She Loves You. Ghost Town and West End Girls to come?
Yes, definitely Ghost Town and probably the Pet Shop Boys, too.
I suppose Gnarls Barkley might still come up on the rails with a furlong to run.
My hope – Smokey Robinson’s “Tears of a Clown” (wearing the sheepskin noseband) – looks like a rank outsider now.
My money is on Ghost Town now.
I didn’t realise West End Girls is so highly regarded these days. I always thought of it as the “all right” single from the Pet Shop Boys before they went on to better things. I much prefer the more tuneful ones like Left To My Own Devices and What Have I Done To Deserve This.
PSB are very Guardian-friendly, and probably list-compiling-reviewer friendly too. They shouldn’t be number one if it comes down to them vs “Ghost Town” though.
Nah, West End Girls is glorious. I wouldn’t place it in the top 2 ever of UK number ones though (if that’s where it indeed ends up).
Damn, that was my guess for the top spot! Well at least I guessed the correct Beatles song.
I think you are on the right path there
Speaking of Ghost Town, does anyone remember that Father Ted episode where there is a parish disco and the DJ forgets to bring his records. The only record he has is Ghost Town… (That sounds stupid when I write it out like that but it’s absolutely hilarious….)
That’s weird. I’m sure I can remember an episode of the Ralph Bates sitcom Dear John where the DJ only had Green Door by Shakin’ Stevens. He would also occasionally say ‘boogaloo’.
Dazzling Darren
The piano key lapels! Brilliant.
TMFTL
Luckily a local act saves the day.
I know it well. Absolutely hilarious indeed. A great scene, amongst so many.
â..and now, letâs all stand for the national anthem…â
I have this awful feeling in the pit of my stomach that number one is going to be Do They Know It’s Christmas?
Who will give me odds on Dead Kennedys – Nazi Punks F*ck Off!
It’s A Sin.
That was a very exciting number one. We had established that they were good – but It’s A Sin took it to another level. Instantly memorable, impressive, confident and tuneful.
It’s A Sin gives me actual goosebumps, every time. Imperial period Pet Shops are about as good as anyone gets, but It’s A Sin is something truly majestically special.
Rent is my favourite. A bit of Bach and domestic horror. Perfect.
Being Boring for me…a work of art.
I have that suspicion as well and I was avoiding mentioning it in case it came true.
That was my call further up the thread…..
Band Aid
Beatles / She Loves You
Ghost Town
You might well turn out to be the prophet of the Afterword.
I’ve grown my beard and washed my robes in readiness……
Well, sure enough, “Ghost Town” by the Specials has claimed the silver medal in the Guardian’s chart.
An outstanding single. Almost “too good to be a UK No.1″ if you get my meaning.
The extended 12” version of the single is particularly fab.
Just one song to go…
I never really rated it as a song…. I mean it’s all right, but I doubt it would even be in my top 100! I was totally unaware people held it in such high regard.
It’s definitely looking like no 1 will be West End Girls or Band Aid…..
Could Mr Tambourine Man surprise us? Not sure it’s been mentioned above. Would get my vote as the single greatest sound ever recorded, though also fairly happy if it’s West End Girls, but not Band Aid (not much of a ‘song’ is it)…
It would be great if it was something that blindsided us all, something that no one has predicted. If we are now submitting unexpected, left-field choices that might actually be in with a chance, I have two proposals:
– Shakin’ All Over by Johnny Kidd and the Pirates
– Something in the Air by Thunderclap Newman
I would be happy with either of those instead of Pet Shop Boys or Band Aid!
[sings]
“Woh
I’m going to Barbados
Woh
Back to the palm trees
Woh
I’m going to see my girlfriend
Woh
In the sunny Caribbean sea”
And there’ll probably be an interview with Captain Tobias Wilcox in the Grauniad tomorrow, to celebrate Typically Tropical capturing the top spot …
We have marvelled at ABBA’s coldly precise EFL lyricism, but we may yet see the Goombay Dance Band take the top spot:
“…and if dreams were eagles I would fly
But they ain’t …”
I know turkeys don’t vote for Christmas, but have we got the actual runners and riders who put together this pile of shite? I want to avoid them.
Was thinking about buying The Guardian’s sister paper, The Observer, more regularly, but this list is definitely going to be saving me ÂŁ3.20 a week.
Number Ones are not my usual cup of tea (far too elitist for that) but given the rules of this particular game and bearing in mind we still have to see the actual Number 1 I think they have by and large made a pretty good fist of it.
And save yourself a lot more than ÂŁ3.20 and get one of the Guardian/Observer digital packages – an absolute bargain and rolling news updated by the minute
Or just look at the website for free.
The website carefully paces itself throughout the day so you don’t get all the stories/articles at once. And also howsabout giving a few pence each month to an organisation that actually cares?
I care.
It was so much cheaper in the 60s.
I hope it’s ‘West End girls’, such an unusual song – is it a pop record or a rap song? Neil Tennant has often said that he believes it was the first rap record to go to number one in the USA.
And they have released a new lockdown version in the last few days…
People conventionally say Rapture by Blondie – although I suppose you could argue thatâs a regular singy song for the first half. Cool that it got to number one in the U.S. though, as they tended to fare less well chartwise at home compared to the U.K.
There suddenly seems to be collective amnesia about the Queen-shaped behemoth hovering ominously over the No 1 spot.
Seems to be a policy of one number one per artist and Queen have already appeared. You could have Living On My Own, I suppose, just as you could have Mull Of Kintyre or Imagine. Or Wham!
Queen were way down the list. They appeared on one of the earlier days when a batch was released, some places below East 17âs Stay Another Day. I thought at the time that this made a mockery of the positions, and I canât stand Queen.
Anyway, Iâll be surprised if Come Up and See Me (Make Me Smile) is top of the list, but very pleased.
I have not looked through 100-2, so I donât know if uptown funk is on the list, but if it isnât then I think it could be number one.
One of the Guardian writers popped up in their comments section the other day and confirmed it would NOT be Uptown Funk!
Judging by the first edition of The Guardian front page, it looks like it is a PSB track.
And it’s … WEST END GIRLS
Fair enough. I’m of that section who think the Pet Shop Boys made a few interesting and unusually smart singles in the mid 80s and nothing much else, but I know there are large numbers who revere them.
https://www.theguardian.com/music/2020/jun/05/the-100-greatest-uk-no-1s-no-1-pet-shop-boys-west-end-girls
Wow. I would never have predicted that. I had no idea it was so highly rated a song. How did any of you guess that would be the one?? Truly baffling.
And congratulations to Chris “The Prophet” F, who guessed the entire top three. He’s either a psychic or a secret Guardian mole.
Plus – no Band Aid in the chart at all! Surely it deserved an entry on cultural significance alone?
Hard to beat the opening couplet:
“Sometimes you’re better off dead
There’s gun in your hand and it’s pointing at your head”
Er…. I only got 2 out of 3 right (I had Band Aid not West End Girls). My prophet credentials are not fully holding up – Iâll either lose the beard or the robes.
Oops. So you did.
Time for my pills again!
Seeing as this is theafterword surely some brave soul will now volunteer to compile our own list of greatest number ones…? There’s still a bit of lockdown left after all.
I’d love to take part! But…. er… not to organise it. I did that for a poll once before and it was a nightmare!
There’s the best of 21st century to do first I think you’ll find.
Iâm always pleasantly surprised at the retrospective praise that Pet Shop Boys seem to get in the media. Their popularity, both now and in their imperial 80s phase, never seems to marry up with the perception of them I have had for years.
I really liked them as a young teenager and I recall been slightly frustrated at middle school, when âHeartâ was the number one single at the time, and it seemed to me that absolutely nobody else liked them. Iâve always felt this; I remember been sat in a local working menâs club in 1993 and the video for âGo Westâ came on the tv. Looking at the faces of a different generation watching this, it was a mixture of sheer horror and comedy! I actually remember my parents been genuinely worried about me when I was thrilled watching them perform âRentâ on the London Palladium thing hosted by Jimmy Tarbuck, Chris dressed in this ridiculous outfit and a painted scare on his face, as they refused to bow to the Royal Box after the performance.
Somebody once described them as a mainstream cult band, and I think that sums them up nicely.
Like Elton when Your Song was the voted the peopleâs favourite- I wonder if there is bittersweet feeling that one of their very earliest songs is the one that gets the nod when theyâve been at it for decades?
In true PSB fashion, they’ve skewered that.
https://youtu.be/4L-XDTNCqx4
Yeah, I know what you mean. So much of their work is still very good, including their latest album. Suppose recognition like this might get a younger audience curious in their, it has to be said, vast back catalogue.
And it says a lot about the quality of their early singles that the debate wasn’t just would it be PSB, but if so, which track.
I come from a different universe apparently. Always quite liked PSB in a quite like kinda way but Best No1 Of All Time? Not arguing with the choice cos my knowledge of Number Ones is more or less restricted to 1956 – 1969 but I am genuinely baffled by the reverence PSB seem to have gained.
Ah. Sorry. Me and Dan read it wrong. Obviously the best Number 1 is https://youtu.be/fPO76Jlnz6c
An interesting read about how the song got to be made and that sort of clinched the appropriateness of the top placing. Sure, sure, not even their best song etc etc, but without it, or without itâs recalled first attempt, and new production, there would probably not have been those later songs. Argues the case as hit singles being product to entice in the market. Made them world famous âovernightâ.
How on earth can Dusty and Sandie not get in, but Jackie Trent can!
Time to luxuriate far away from the great unwashed and lump on the largely untrampled field of Rock ‘n’ Roll ⌠Buddy, Eddie Cochran, Everly Brothers all had no. 1s, none mentioned.
That’ll do me.
Confucius say: “If it is reckoned in 2020, it must be shite.”