A kung fu fighter in a disco

The clear favourite at the start, Madonna's 'Like A Prayer' topped the pops in 1989 with 39 ticks. Cor! 'Ferry Cross The Mersey' on the other hand, got fewer ticks than either of the Jive Bunny megamixes, oh dear. Today's year was so good, er... James Blunt wrote a song about it? Perhaps he was a big fan of G4ry Gl1tt3r? Behold! It's 1973.

[Poll #1129274]

(If you haven't been following them, check out freakytigger's Popular entries for 1973!)

Way back at the end of July, you voted Frankie Lymon & The Teenagers the pick of '56, with 'Why Do Fools Fall In Love' gathering 18 ticks. Fast forward 48 years to the death throes of Pop Idol and the birth of McFly. Ladies and gents: 2004!

[Poll #1042742]

Oooooo-oo-ooooo-oo! 'Baby Love' was the top of the ticks for 1964, Diana & co just beating the Kinks and Sandie Shaw. The Bachelors didn't get a single vote, and will slomp off home infront of the telly with a microwave meal for one. Between all of them! This week we bid adieu to Girl Power, welcome back Madge and ponder the ultimate question: what would one resemble with a 'chimney' bestowed upon one in the near future? It's 1998!

[Poll #1002381]

Last week was a high scoring battle with poptimist perennial Billie Jean eventually grabbing 42 ticks to win the premium pop year of 1983 - Rod Stewart's Baby Jane is the highest scoring loser so far* with respectable 7. Yet MORE Rod this week - will the tick fatigue set in? Only YOU can decide! It's 1971.

[Poll #981484]

*I totally haven't checked this.

I know it's early, but wipe the cobwebs from your eyes and crack your knuckles out, it's another Number Ones poll!

Last week the Shadows rocked the bottom with their Apache song to claim the crown of 1960 ticky-love. Poor Me? Poor you, Adam Faith! Not a tick to be had for him. But without further ado, lets find the best number one of 2002! Plenty of Pop Idol action, plus double dosage of Ver 'Loife in case you'd been missing them. And what's this? Blazin' Squad and Atomic Kitten? It's like teen pop never died, kids!

[Poll #973612]
(Daniel Beddingfield was no.1 in 2001 as well so he's been left off here)

Last week's pop pinnacle poll placed Take That AND Coolio as the joint best picks of 1995, with 35 ticks each. Tie-breaker below! This week: The King Is Dead, God Save The Queen? It's 1977 and not a Sex Pistol in sight!

[Poll #959505]

(never let it be said that poptimists is short of polls...)

I've decided to resume the #1s polls for no better reason than that I am a completist and it pains me to see a half-finished list. We're over half-way, so press on we must.

Way back in December you voted Dead Or Alive your favourite number 1 of 1985, beating Madge and the Pet Shop Boys to a grand total of 45 ticks. The Crowd's You'll Never Walk Alone charity effort fared least well. Number one polls in reflecting canon results shocker!

The official charts kicked off in November 1952, when a list of the top 12 singles sold in a handful of record shops was published in the NME. This may seem a bit rub but according to your friend and mine Wikipedia there wasn't really a reliable chart until 1969, so YA BOO SUCKS to h8tas. Anyway, I've combined 1952 and 1953 to make sure there is a ticky or two to be had...

[Poll #950264]

Last week Marvellous Marvin and his Gayers topped the ticks of '69 with 29 smackers for Heard It Through The Grapevine. Marmalade trailed in last with just 3. That's what you get for covering the rubbishest Beatles song! This week it's a new millennium and we have an ENORMOUS amount of songs for you to choose from, largely thanks to the major labels cottoning on to the fact that they could buy up a bunch of 99p singles themselves and propel their latest act straight to the top. But corporate spending power is no match for the legion of Manics fans...

[Poll #876983]

A thrilling conclusion to last week's number ones poll saw Ace Of Base pip 2 Unlimited to the 1993 crown by two votes. Unsurprisingly the large pink blob suffered badly. This week's poll is dominated by dodgy male singers but sprinkled with pop gems nonetheless. Don your sparkly blue caps kids, it's 1974!

[Poll #867293]
*For some reason I left BOTH of these off the 1975 poll! Shocking, isn't it.

1981 was a veritable tick-orgy with the pride of place going to the Human Leg, who got 100% tickylove with 49! Marc Almond & Adam Ant couldn't quite keep up. Whilst Imagine garnered the most hatred in the comments box it was poor old Julio Iglesias who sadly scored lowest with his overlooked cheesebox masterpiece. This week we have two versions of the same song, oooh-weee-oooh just like Buddy Holly and Jerry Lee Lewis having trouble keeping it in his trousers. 1957 people, c'mon!

[Poll #857170]
(*JLL added onto 1957 thanks to erroneously being missed off the 1958 poll. Sorry Jez!)