Popular: My Top 25 Regrets

[freakytigger.livejournal.com]

As most of you know I run a blog called Popular, whose quixotic aim is to review, in order, every record to get to No.1 in the UK - currently I'm on 1967. Some discussion in the comments box led me to ask myself about songs that I wish had got to No.1, and I came up with this list of the 25 songs I most regret not making it. The criteria was:

- must have got to No.2
- must be something I really like, i.e. would certainly get 8 or more if written up on Popular
- should be something that would have let me write about things I otherwise might not get the chance to

There are plenty of things that fulfil 2 of these criteria but not 3. Here are my 25 tracks that tick all 3 boxes. Some of them are pretty obvious, some maybe not. There is a bias against the 50s, 60s and early 70s because I know them far less well.


Teddy Bears - To Know Him Is To Love Him
Beatles - Penny Lane/S Fields Forev
Stevie Wonder - Yester Me Yester You Yester Day
Mr Bloe - Groovin With Mr Bloe
Elvis Costello - Oliver's Army
M - Pop Muzik
Squeeze - Up The Junction
Janet Kay - Silly Games
Diana Ross - Upside Down
Kim Wilde - Kids In America
Laurie Anderson - O Superman
Imagination - Just An Illusion
Bardo - One Step Further
Phil Collins - Against All Odds
Wham - Last Christmas
Spagna - Call Me
Pet Shop Boys - What Have I Done To Deserve This? (this is pushing criteria #3 but it's just too good)
The Pogues ft Kirsty Mac - Fairytale of NY
Salt N Pepa - Push It
SL2 - On A Ragga Tip
N Trance - Set You Free
Pulp - Common People
Daft Punk - One More Time
Scooter - Ramp! (The Logical Song)
Rachel Stevens - Some Girls


Obviously I still could write about all of these, and I have written about some, but it's - choke! - not the same...

Comments

[chezghost.livejournal.com]

what a great compilation that would make.

i would love to read your thoughts on these tracks.

a good question perhaps: which occasion of a song stalling at #2 were you most disappointed by? i'm trying to think. i was disappointed about The Prodigy's 'Everybody In The Place' not making it but then it felt quite unexpected for it to jump that high at all (at this point many people figured they'd be one hit wonders). i think there may be better examples though.

'Justified And Ancient' would've been a great Christmas #1. As would Madonna's 'Justify My Love'!

[katstevens.livejournal.com]

Probably not "Hanky Panky" though. Dere god I saw the video for that on TMF's King and Queen ov Pop weekend (back 2 back Madge and Jacko arrrgh) and it was FRIGHTENING.