Tag Archives: Simple Minds

THE SOUND OF 2022

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I’ll save you all the usual boring cliches about what a year it’s been and go straight to the chart.

Put together over an afternoon, here’s the 50 Best Songs Of 2022.

  1. Taylor Swift – Anti Hero
  2. Harry Styles – As It Was
  3. Sam Ryder – Space Man
  4. Wallows – Especially You
  5. Jamie T – The Old Style Raiders
  6. Sigrid ft Bring Me The Horizon – Bad Life
  7. Arlo Parks – Softly
  8. Confidence Man – Holiday
  9. Ed Sheeran – Overpass Graffiti
  10. The Feeling – There Is No Music
  11. Feeder – The Healing
  12. Harry Styles – Late Night Talking
  13. Sam Fender – Getting Started
  14. Liam Gallagher – More Power
  15. Pretty Cartel – Dominick The Donkey
  16. Paul Weller and Noel Gallagher – Birth Of An Accidental Hipster
  17. Griff x Sigrdi – Head On Fire
  18. Paul Weller and Suggs – Ooh Do U Fink U Are?
  19. Simple Minds- Traffic
  20. Tegan and Sara – Yellow
  21. Idles – All You Need Is Love
  22. Lewis Capaldi – Forget Me
  23. Rosa Linn – Snap
  24. Sigrid – It Gets Dark
  25. Alfie Templeman – Broken
  26. Let’s Eat Grandma – Watching You Go
  27. Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds – Pretty Boy
  28. Pixey – I’m Just High
  29. The Killers – Boy
  30. Lauren Spencer-Smith – Fingers Crossed
  31. Holly Humberstone – Sleep Tight
  32. Simple Minds – First You Jump
  33. George Ezra – Green Green Grass
  34. Steve Lacey – Bad Habit
  35. Liam Gallagher – Everything’s Electric
  36. George Ezra – Anyone For You
  37. Hot Chip – Broken
  38. Maisie Peters – Not Another Rockstar
  39. Bruce Springsteen – Nightshift
  40. Nina Nesbitt – I Should Be A Bird
  41. Paul Heaton and Jacqui Abbott – Too Much For One (Not Enough For Two)
  42. Beabadoobee – 10:36
  43. Jamie T – Between The Rocks
  44. The 1975 – Part Of The Band
  45. Beabadoobee – Talk
  46. Sinead O’Brien – Holy Country
  47. Soda Blonde – Mandinka
  48. Tom Chaplin – Midpoint
  49. Foals – 2001
  50. Warmduscher – Fatso

Congratulations to Taylor Swift, a two time winner having won it in 2012. I know you’re all eager to see if she’ll win it again in 2032.

If you haven’t heard the winning song, the video is embedded below.

And if you wish to look at archive charts, i’ve listed all the previous winners below.

2021 : Maneskin – Zitti E Buoni
2020 : Tame Impala – Lost In Yesterday
2019 : Vampire Weekend – Harmony Hill
2018 : Lovelytheband – Broken
2017 : Liam Gallagher – For What It’s Worth
2016 : The Strumbellas – Spirits
2015 : Blossoms – Charlamagne
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 (AND IT’S A EURO 2021 SPECIAL) – 11.6.2021

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  1. Alphabeat – Danmark’s Dynamite
  2. The Alarm – The Red Wall Of Cymru
  3. Olivia Rodrigo – Good 4 U
  4. Marshmello X Jonas Brothers – Leave Before You Love Me
  5. Holly Humberstone – The Walls Are Way Too Thin

You may or may not have noticed, but an international football tournament starts today.

As is tradition, here’s a group by group chart by acts from the competing countries.

GROUP A

  1. Yello – Oh Yeah
  2. Spagna – Call Me
  3. Stereophonics – Dakota
  4. Bonnie Tyler – Total Eclipse Of The Heart
  5. Ryan Paris – Dolce Vita

GROUP B

  1. Tatu – All The Things She Said
  2. Alphabeat – Boyfriend
  3. The Rasmus – In The Shadows
  4. Lordi – Hard Rock Hallelujah
  5. Rasmussen – Higher Ground

GROUP C

  1. Falco – Rock Me Amadeus
  2. George Baker Selection – Little Green Bag
  3. Shocking Blue – Venus
  4. Focus – Hocus Pocus
  5. Opus – Life Is Life

GROUP D

  1. Simple Minds – Don’t You Forget About Me
  2. Duran Duran – Ordinary World
  3. Del Amriti – Always The Last To Know
  4. Echo and the Bunnymen – Nothing Lasts Forever
  5. Karel Fialka – Hey Matthew

GROUP E

  1. Roxette – Joyride
  2. Ace Of Base – The Sign
  3. Robyn – Who’s That Girl?
  4. Baccara – Yes Sir I Can Boogie
  5. ABBA – Supertrouper

GROUP F

  1. Daft Punk – Robot Rock
  2. Nena – 99 Red Balloons
  3. Freiheit – Keeping The Dream Alive
  4. Desireless – Voyage Voyage
  5. Lena – Satellite

MAGAZINE ARCHIVE : SMASH HITS – 19.4.1989

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Wendy James of Transvision Vamp is the cover star of Smash Hits, having broken into the charts during 1989.

As you open the magazine, there is a poster of Fleetwood Mac and Rolling Stones haters The Reynolds Girls.

Smash Hits asks various pop stars if they are O-Zone friendly. Simon Le Bon states that the situation is “Bloody frightening”.

A Spokesperson for Prince Charles says he has given up using O-Zone damaging products.

Jim Kerr of Simple Minds will be hosting a show on Radio 1 about ecological concerns. There is also a cut out letter to send to lobby the Minister for the Environment.

Nathan Moore of Brother Beyond is subject to a questionnaire asking if he is a thug or a weed, with the result putting him in the middle.

There was a token for readers to get free badges – Kylie Minogue, Yazz, Rick Astley and Michael Jackson.

Smash Hits previews Madonna’s new album with a poster and an interview. The interview isn’t with Madonna, but the Songwriters she worked with on the album.

As well as hosting a show on Radio 1, Jim Kerr and his band Simple Minds have a new single out, This Is You Land, which gets the Lyrics Poster treatment.

Cover star Wendy James gets a two page interview, with the headline asking if she is the new Kylie Minogue, revealing that she was suspended from school for knocking over chairs in assembley.

Holly Johnson is the Singles Reviewer, wanting to sit on the fence for songs he doesn’t like such as Texas, Kylie Minogue and Cher. He awarded Best Single to I’m Every Woman by Chaka Khan.

There is a feature on Duran Duran, as they try to regain their status as biggest band in the world.

The magazine ends with a poster of The Bangles.

THE FRIDAY FIVE – 5.1.2018

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1. Anteros – Bonnie
2. Manic Street Preachers – International Blue
3. Vic and Bob – Trousers
4. Simple Minds – Magic
5. U2 – What’s Going On?

It’s cold, it’s wet, people are moaning about FA Cup ties not being shown on TV and grief junkieing over David Bowie. That can only mean one thing ……… it’s January.

At this time of year, there is one question we all ask, and this year, the answer is once again yes. If you haven’t worked it out yet, BBC Four’s Top Of The Pops repeats will continue into 1985.

You will be glad to know that The Story Of 1985 will be on BBC Four at 9pm. It’ll be a lot more entertaining that Liverpool 0-0 Everton on BBC 1.

To commemorate this, here’s a 1985 chart for you

FIVE SONGS FROM 1985

1. A-Ha – Take On Me
2. Simple Minds – Don’t You (Forget About Me)
3. Stephen Duffy – Kiss Me
4. Kate Bush – Cloudbusting
5. Baltimora – Tarzan Boy

THE FRIDAY FIVE – 1.12.2017

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1. Tom Grennan – Found What I’ve Been Looking For
2. Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds – If Love Is The Law
3. Sia – Santa’s Coming For Us
4. Embrace – Wake Up Call
5. The Divine Comedy – Something For The Weekend

First of all, an apology. To the entire nation of Scotland. Yes.

Yesterday was St Andrew’s Day and I forgot to do a themed chart last week. So, belatedly, here is a St Andrew’s Day chart, celebrating two of the best things on earth – Scotland and people called Andrew.

FIVE SONGS BY SCOTTISH ARTISTS

1. Pilot – Magic
2. Simple Minds – She’s A River
3. The View – Blondie
4. Aztec Camara – Somewhere In My Heart
5. Strawberry Switchblade – Since Yesterday

FIVE SONGS BY BANDS FEATURING AN ANDREW

1. Wax – Bridge To Your Heart
2. Wham – Freedom
3. Depeche Mode – Never Let Me Down Again
4. INXS – Afterglow
5. Primal Scream – Jailbird

Sorry to Oasis, Duran Duran and OMD, but this chart is for Andrews only, no Andys.

It was announced that Blossoms will be supporting Noel Gallagher on his European tour next year. Fingers crossed they’ll be supporting him on his UK dates as well. The fact they’ll be touring in 2018 means we can hopefully expect new music from them as well. They’re brilliant by the way. If you haven’t already, you should check them out.

If there are any readers in the South-East of England, Victorious looks like it has a decent line-up on the Friday night : Lightning Seeds, Shed Seven and Kaiser Chiefs all playing on the Friday. Admittedly, Libertines headlining is underwhelming. Still, you can just use the time to get a bite to eat/go to the bar/go home early. Not going to lie, i’m jealous of that line-up.

….. and talking of Shed Seven, they’ve announced a Belfast gig to go with their rearranged concerts that were recently cancelled. Now that’s what I call a stroke of luck. I’ll be trying to get a ticket later this morning.

Finally, it’s the World Cup draw today. I’ll be doing a themed chart for each group with songs by artists from the countries when it comes along in June. I’d rather be including Baltimora than Yello to be honest. I’m over it, i’m over it. Ok, i’m still not over it. If Switzerland end up in a group with Panama, Russia and Iran, I might just cry.

MAGAZINE ARCHIVE : SMASH HITS – 23.10.1985

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It’s a double sided issue of Smash Hits this week, with Arcadia on the cover on one side, and The Cult on the other.

Simon and Nick from Arcadia are interviewed. You may remember them more as Simon Le Bon and Nick Rhodes from Duran Duran.

Simon reveals he can fix a puncture on a bicycle, while Nick dyed his hair black to avoid attention.

Iron Maiden are interviewed, where they reveal they cry at lassie films, and quite like Wham!

Keith Chegwin is the subject of a Q and A, where he reveals that he borrow’s Sarah Green’s make-up.

As you turn the magazine around, there is an interview with Echo and the Bunnymen, back after a year off, and all four members tell Smash Hits what they were up to.

Cover stars The Cult get a double page interview.

Paul King, lead singer of King and future VH1 presenter reviews the singles, giving his vote for Best Single to The Fall.

In album reviews, Blancmange get 8 out 10, while Simple Minds only managed 7 out of 10.

THE FRIDAY FIVE – 3.2.2017

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1. Cast – Faith
2. Rose Elinor Dougall – Hell and Back
3. London Grammar – Big Picture
4. Blondie – Fun
5. The 1975 – Chocolate

Been an interesting week for gig announcements. The 1975 will be playing Belsonic. That’ll do nicely. I know they’ll be at the tail end of a tour they’ve been doing for eighteen months, nut it’s a tour that hasn’t taken in Belfast or Northern Ireland so far, so it’ll be great to belatedly have them here.

Simple Minds announced KT Tunstall as support for their Waterfront Hall gig. Not that surprising, she is supporting them in Europe. The down side is that it’ll lessen the chances of KT Tunstall doing her own gig in Belfast this year.

I was planning on going to that but decided I couldn’t be bothered once it turned out to be an all seated gig. Anyway, i’ll be otherwise engaged, as i’m going to see Limmy at Mandela Hall that night.

Rose Elinor Dougall has announced a tour for April but there’s no Belfast gig. Got her album this week but haven’t got round to listening to it in full yet.

If you’re planning on going to Scotland this summer, TRNSMT line-up looks decent, especially the Saturday.