We've probably discussed this before, but....

[bengraham.livejournal.com]

Which is the best pop song (that had an official single release) never to reach #1 in the UK singles chart?

I only ask because this morning, my iPod randomly played one of the songs that I consider an all time great, and it occurred to me that it never reached #1 in the UK (confirmed by Wikipedia, although it did reach #1 in the US). The song in question is 'Black Velvet' by Alannah Myles. Can anyone better that?

Comments

[jauntyalan.livejournal.com]

cue lots of "this number 2 was robbed" chat. "Common People" etc

ech

[blue-russian.livejournal.com]

would rather listen to lots and lots of 80s hair metal than hear Alannah Myles again. sorry. (at the time i always got her confused with Mariah Carey, isn't that odd?)

[chezghost.livejournal.com]

In terms of 'songs that actually had a decent chance of being #1' only...

'Blue Monday' is my standard response. it's novel, reverential (perhaps too much) and crucially ubiquitous...implicitly pop in these respects, if not others...

numerous 'soul classics' like 'Nothing But A Heartache' also spring to mind for me.

lots of 80s Prince singles. it's a shame that Prince did not have a single #1, er, single, at the height of his powers.

[freakytigger.livejournal.com]

My stock answer is "On A Ragga Tip"

[koganbot]

Thousands upon thousands of candidates, really: "Anarchy In The U.K.," "Hooray, Hooray, It's A Holi-Holiday," "Mother's Little Helper," "It's My Life," "Hunter Gets Captured By The Game," "Come Clean," "96 Tears," "Papa's Got A Brand New Bag," "Back That Azz Up," "Get Ur Freak On," "Get Low," "In Da Club," "Beware Of The Boys," "Since U Been Gone," "4ever," "Be My Baby," "Waterloo Sunset," "Victim," "Welcome To The Jungle," "Pour Some Sugar On Me," "Get Down Tonight," "Love Hangover," and on and on and on.

[therealjo.livejournal.com]

I can't better it but I can confirm that Black Velvet was the first 7" I ever bought. Pop credentials intact.

[getbacknow.livejournal.com]

'Some Girls'...I'm not enough of a historian to go back much further. Some Girls has to be pretty competitive though!

[boof-boy.livejournal.com]

Easy. God Save the Queen by the Sex Pistols.

[(Anonymous)]

I heard "Black Velvet" in the supermarket last week. Amazing. I preferred "Love Is". I always used to say there were too many female singers with AM as their initials but damned if I can remember any actual popular ones apart from she and Alanis nowadays.

[lockedintheatti.livejournal.com]

Salt n Pepa - Push It
Technotronic - Pump up the Jam

I pick on those two because I remember being particularly annoyed at the time they missed out on the top, and that was the era I *cared* most passionately about the charts.