THE FRIDAY FIVE – 4.1.2019

1. Lovelytheband – Broken
2. Marc Almond and Jools Holland – Tainted Love
3. Rudimental – These Days
4. Brian May – New Horizons
5. The 1975 – It’s Not Living

Tonight, sees The Story Of 1987 on BBC Four, marking the start of the 1987 repeats of Top Of The Pops on the channel.

As is tradition, when the Top Of The Pops repeats reach a new year, I do a chart. So here, is a chart from 1987.

FIVE SONGS FROM 1987

1. Bee Gees – You Win Again
2. Starship – Nothing’s Gonna Stop Us Now
3. Madonna – Who’s That Girl?
4. Climie Fisher – Love Changes Everything
5. Curiousity Killed The Cat – Misfit

I’m not suggesting that 1987 was the undisputed year of the banger, but look at some of the songs that weren’t included.

INXS – Need You Tonight
Depeche Mode – Strangelove
Depeche Mode – Never Let Me Down Again
REM – It’s The End Of The World As We Know It
Belinda Carlisle – Heaven Is A Place On Earth
MARRS – Pump Up The Volume
Spagna – Call Me
Bananarama – Love In The First Degree
Madonna – La Isla Bonita
Fleetwood Mac – Little Lies
Glenn and Chris – Diamond Lights
U2 – Where The Streets Have No Name
U2 – I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For
Fleetwood Mac – Everywhere
Squeeze – Hourglass

THE SOUND OF 2018

Better late than never, I decided to wait until the first day of 2019 to post my favourite songs of 2018.

It would have been a shame not to continue the tradition of this award* (*Disclaimer, no actual trophy) that goes all the way back to 2006.

I cobbled this up after browsing through my Friday Fives from 2018 with absolutely no scientific methodology whatsoever. So, here it is, the Top 50 Songs Of 2018.

1. Loveleytheband – Broken
2. Alice Merton – No Roots
3. Kyle Falconer – Family Tree
4. Rasmussen – Higher Ground
5. AJR ft Rivers Cuomo – Sober Up
6. Mumford and Sons – Guiding Light
7. Pale Waves – Eighteen
8. Jade Bird – Uh Huh
9. Kyle Falconer – Poor Me
10. Richard Ashcroft – That’s When I Feel It
11. George Ezra – Shotgun
12. Kylie Minogue – Dancing
13. Tom Grennan- Sober
14. Chvrches – Graffiti
15. Kyle Falconer – Kelly
16. Rudimental – These Days
17. Manic Street Preachers – Hold Me Like A Heaven
18. The Coral – Reaching Out For A Friend
19. Portugal, The Man – Feel It Still
20. Snow Patrol – Don’t Give In
21. Sam Fender – That Sound
22. Madame Monsieur – Mercy
23. James – Coming Home (Part II)
24. Manic Street Preachers – Distant Colours
25. Blossoms – I Can’t Stand It
26. Christine and the Queens – Girlfriend
27. Kylie Minogue – Stop Me From Falling
28. Snow Patrol – Empress
29. Dennis Lloyd – Nevermind
30. The Kooks – Four Leaf Clover
31. Blossoms – There’s A Reason Why
32. APRE – All Yours
33. Ash – Annabel
34. Pound Shop Boys – Fireman Sam
35. Editors – Cold
36. Vampire Weekend ft Danielle Haim – Sone Of A Preacher Man
37. Weezer – Africa
38. Natalie Prass – Short Court Style
39. Hozier – Nina Cried Power
40. Sleeper – Look AtYou Now
41. Turin Brakes – Lifeforms
42. Arctic Monkeys – Four Out Of Five
43. Yonaka – Creature
44. Florence and the Machine – Hunger
45. Courtney Barrett – Nameless Faceless
46. Weezer – Roseanna
47. Ten Tonnes – G.I.V.E
48. Razorlight – Carry Yourself
49. Ash – Confessions In ThePool
50. Aurora – Queendom

So, congratulations to Loveleytheband on winning this year’s poll.

If you haven’t heard it, the video is below.

They join an illustrious list of former winners, listed below.

2017 Liam Gallagher – For What It’s Worth
2016 The Strumbellas – Spirits
2015 Blossoms – Charlemagne
2014 Jamie T – Zombie
2013 Haim – The Wire
2012 Taylor Swift – We Are Never Getting Back Together
2011 Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds – AKA … What A Life
2010 Marina and the Diamonds – Shampain
2009 Little Boots – New In Town
2008 Sons and Daughters – Darling
2007 Feist – 1, 2, 3, 4
2006 Kasabian – Empire

THE FRIDAY FIVE – 20.3.2015

1. Coasts – Modern Love
2. Modest Mouse – Lampshades On Fire
3. Muse – Psycho
4. Florence and the Machine – What Kind Of Man
5. Angry Anderson – Suddenly

For some reason, I totally forgot about it being St Patrick’s Day coming up and thus, forgot to do a chart. Consider that corrected, and a bonus chart

TOP FIVE PATRICKS

1. Starfish
2. Sharpin (more commonly known as Pat Sharp)
3. Stewart
4. Swayze
5. Duffy

FIVE SONGS BY ACTS FROM NORTHERN IRELAND

1. Baltimora – Tarzan Boy
2. Wonder Villains – TV
3. Duke Special – Freewheel
4. Ash – Envy
5. Briana Corrigan – Love Me Now

FIVE SONGS BY ACTS FROM REPUBLIC OF IRELAND

1. Phil Lynott – Yellow Pearl
2. U2 – The Fly
3. Hozier – Take Me To Church
4. Kodaline – Honest
5. The Strypes – Blue Collar Jane

The line-up for Belsonic 2015 was announced last night. Stereophonics and Paloma Faith are the ones that appeal to me. Here’s five songs to look out for in August

FIVE SONGS BY BELSONIC PERFORMERS

1. Stereophonics – Dakota
2. Bastille – Pompeii
3. Stereophonics – Indian Summer
4. Rudimental – Free (ft Emeli Sande)
5. Paloma Faith – Thirty Minute Love Affair

And finally, The Charlatans have been announced to be coming to Belfast in May as part of Cathedral Quarter Arts Festival. So, Charlatans Top Five anyone?

FIVE SONGS BY THE CHARLATANS

1. Love Is The Key
2. Blackened Blue Eyes
3. Forever
4. The Only One I Know
5. North Country Boy

THE FRIDAY FIVE – 29.11.2013

1. U2 – Ordinary Love
2. Birdy – Light Me Up
3. Bruce Springsteen – High Hopes
4. Imagine Dragons – On Top Of The World
5. Rudimental ft Emeli Sande – Free

So, last week’s X-Factor celebrated ten years of X-Factor. X-Factor. Yep, lots of nice Product Placement for X-Factor. X-Factor.

FIVE SONGS BY ACTS FROM X-FACTOR

1. Matt Cardle – It’s Only Love
2. Olly Murs – Army Of Two
3. Little Mix – Wings
4. Leona Lewis – Forgive Me
5. Jedward – Lipstick

And don’t worry Scottish folk, I haven’t forgotten you. Happy St Andrew’s Day.

FIVE SONGS BY SCOTTISH ACTS

1. Simple Minds – Don’t You Forget About Me
2. Biffy Clyro – The Captain
3. Pilot – Magic
4. Bay City Rollers – I Only Want To Be With You
5. Strawberry Switchblade – Since Yesterday

THE SOUND OF 2012 : 76-100

It’s December, which can only mean one thing …… time to look back at the year just past. As is tradition on this blog, the best 100 songs of the year, in a four part series over the next three Thursdays, and then on Christmas Eve.

If you need a refresher, the list of former winners are :

2011 Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds – AKA …… What A Life.
2010 Marina and the Diamonds – Shampain
2009 Little Boots – New In Town
2008 Sons and Daughters – Darling
2007 Feist – 1, 2, 3, 4
2006 Kasabien – Empire

Curiously, four of the last five winners have been solo artists.

Anyway, less chat, more chart. Here’s the first 25.

76. The Killers – Miss Atomic Bomb
77. Newton Faulkner – Write It On Your Skin
78. Rudimental – Not Giving In
79. Ladyhawke – Sunday Drive
80. Devlin ft Ed Sheeran – Watchtower
81. Katie Melua – Moonshine
82. Rita Ora – How We Do
83. Stooshe – Waterfalls
84. Stereophonics – In A Moment
85. Girls Aloud – Beautiful Because You Love Me
86. Lana Del Ray – Born To Die
87. Chiddy Bang – Ray Charles
88. Little Mix – DNA
89. Sleigh Bells – Comeback Kid
90. Ben Howard – Only Love
91. Paul Weller – Dragonfly
92. Red Hot Chilli Peppers – Brendan’s Death Song
93. Jake Bugg – Two Fingers
94. Everything Everything – Cough Cough
95. Maroon 5 – Payphone
96. Marina and the Diamonds – Primadonna
97. Ed Sheeran – Small Bump
98. Naughty Boy ft Emeli Sande – Wonder
99. Josh Osho – Redemption Days
100. Foster The People – Don’t Stop

Sound Of 2011

Sound Of 2010

Sound Of 2009

Sound Of 2008

Sound Of 2007

Sound Of 2006