One of the most interesting things about the UK music charts in the 2010s – well, certainly for a chart geek like me – is the way the rules are continually tweaked in response to the evolving way that people consume music.
When I was a kid, it was a lot simpler – you went to a physical shop like Virgin or HMV and bought a single on physical media, either on vinyl (which was fading in popularity by the time I was starting to buy singles in the early ’90s), cassette (this was known as a ‘cassingle’ – I have lots of them because they were a quid cheaper than the CD versions and my pocket money didn’t stretch very far!), or CD. One purchase of a physical piece of media equalled one sale.
In the late ’00s – after the music industry’s decade-long fight against illegal downloading that had finally been mitigated by the likes of iTunes and Amazon MP3 – download sales started counting towards the chart (who else remembers Radio 1 DJ Chris Moyles’ attempt to test the new rules by getting all his listeners to download Billie Piper’s Honey To The Bee and get it back into the charts?) This spawned the golden era of internet campaigns to get certain songs to number one, the highlight being the infamous Christmas 2009 triumph of the campaign to get Rage Against The Machine’s Killing In The Name to Christmas number one instead of the X Factor single.
That era has been over for a few years now, because of streaming. With downloads, it was still the case that one purchase equalled one sale. Streams are more complicated, and this is where all the tweaking has come in. For a while, it was set out that a hundred streams equalled one sale. Then, after every single track on Ed Sheeran’s Divide album entered the Top 20 in early 2017, it was decided that only tracks that were expressly promoted as singles would be eligible for the charts. This last week, there has been another change.
It’s now the case that paid streams count more than free streams (so if you have a paid Spotify account, your streams count more strongly towards the chart than if you have the free version with the homicide-inducingly irritating adverts). It’s also now the case, more interestingly, that video streaming counts towards the charts as well. Having listened to the latest chart from Friday 6th July, it’s not clear that this has had any immediate impact, but I’m hopeful that this new rule will encourage music artists to make more exciting videos in the hope that they’ll go viral – videos have, on the whole, been very uninspiring for a good few years now, and some artists don’t seem to bother making them at all anymore.
It’ll be interesting to see how this continues to evolve.
Day 89 means Now! #89, which was released on 24th November 2014.
This is how the world looked in November 2014. Buffalo Bill’s was our favourite restaurant in Southampton, and so we went there for our wedding anniversary. I was wearing that silver top (which I originally bought for Millennium Eve in 1999 and is one of the many things I only just got rid of – I can’t remember whether I binned it or put it in storage) because I always wear my wedding shoes (which are silver) for our anniversary date, and my style is very matchy-matchy.
Let’s see what was in the charts during our final few months in Southampton.
Track 1: Meghan Trainor – All About That Bass
Love this one! Great mid-century retro tinge, brilliant theme, and it’s another one to which my Southampton Zumba class did a really fun routine.
Track 2: Olly Murs and Travie McCoy – Wrapped Up
Love the retro feel, but I could do without the rap.
Track 3: Jessie J, Ariana Grande and Nicki Minaj – Bang Bang
Good solid pop track – really like this one.
Track 4: Nico & Vinz – Am I Wrong
I really like the tune on this track.
Track 5: Magic – Rude
I can’t stand this one – the theme’s just awful! Irritatingly, it was constantly stuck in my head at the time as well.
Track 6: Sam Smith – I’m Not The Only One
Too slow for me.
Track 7: Tom Odell – Real Love
This one was the 2014 John Lewis Christmas advert song (it was the year of Monty the penguin), so it still gets played on the music channels at Christmas time. Again, it’s too slow for my liking.
Track 8: Gareth Malone and All Star Choir – Wake Me Up
Gareth Malone’s project for Children In Need 2014 – a choir of celebrities doing a cover of Avicii’s Wake Me Up. It’s not that exciting, but the voice-spotting can be quite fun.
Track 9: Ed Sheeran – Don’t
Good rhythm, interesting vocals – quite like this one.
Track 10: George Ezra – Blame It On Me
I’m not too keen on the tune on this one.
Track 11: The Script – Superheroes
It’s got a good epic feel, but it’s a bit cheesy.
Track 12: OneRepublic – Love Runs Out
I really like this one – the atmosphere is great.
Track 13: Maroon 5 – Maps
Pretty tune, quite summery.
Track 14: Hozier – Take Me To Church
Beautiful track – the tune, atmosphere and theme are all absolutely stunning.
Track 15: Charli XCX – Boom Clap
I find this one pretty generic.
Track 16: One Direction – Steal My Girl
Irritating tune, irritating theme.
Track 17: The Vamps and Shawn Mendes – Oh Cecelia (Breaking My Heart)
Uninspired cover of the Simon & Garfunkel classic with new verses. Not a fan.
Track 18: 5 Seconds Of Summer – Amnesia
Too slow and saccharine for me.
Track 19: GRL – Ugly Heart
I really like this upbeat pop song. Sadly, group member Simone Battle passed away during the promotion of this track, and they’ve not really had any hits since.
Track 20: Katy Perry – This Is How We Do
It’s got a good beat, but the tune’s pretty repetitive.
Track 21: Cheryl and Tinie Tempah – Crazy Stupid Love
It’s got a good beat, but the tune’s a bit annoying.
Track 22: Ella Henderson – Glow
Pretty tune, but it’s a little slow for my liking.
Track 23: The Veronicas – You Ruin Me
Dull and depressing.
Track 24: Calvin Harris and John Newman – Blame
It’s an okay tune, but it’s a bit forgettable.
Track 25: Sigma and Paloma Faith – Changing
Nice upbeat, feelgood track. Quite like this one.
Track 26: Lilly Wood and Robin Schulz – Prayer In C
It’s not the kind of thing I usually like, but I’ve got a soft spot for this tune.
Track 27: Clean Bandit and Jess Glynne – Real Love
I like some of the instrumentals, but the tune on the vocals irritates me.
Track 28: Jeremih and YG – Don’t Tell ‘Em
The beat on the various lines of this is very jarring. Not keen. Also, that Rhythm Is A Dancer interpolation is done really badly.
Track 29: David Guetta and Sam Martin – Lovers On The Sun
Great Western-tinged instrumentals, and the tune’s quite nice. Good stuff.
Track 30: Waze & Odyssey and R Kelly – Bump And Grind 2014
Reworking of R Kelly’s 1994 song. I’m not keen on the original anyway, and this dance version is just messy.
Track 31: Ariana Grande and Zedd – Break Free
Repeated artist alert! We’ve already had Ariana Grande on track 3.
Very uninspired and irritating tune.
Track 32: Nicole Scherzinger – Your Love
Another track where the tune is so bland I’m not sure it even counts as a tune.
Track 33: Pitbull and John Ryan – Fireball
Good beat on this one – very danceable.
Track 34: Wankelmut, Emma Louise and Mark Kinchen – My Head Is A Jungle [MK Remix]
That chorus is horribly irritating!
Track 35: ZHU – Faded
I like the retro-sounding bassline, but in general it’s too repetitive for me.
Track 36: Duke Dumont – Won’t Look Back
One of those ’90s-sounding dance track from the mid-’10s. It’s a bit too generic for my liking.
Track 37: Parra For Cuva and Anna Naklab – Wicked Games
Guitar-driven dance cover of Wicked Game by Chris Isaak. It’s not a patch on the original, which is beautiful – somehow this version manages to be dull.
Track 38: Fuse ODG and Angel – TINA
Nice feelgood tune, quite like this one.
Track 39: Ten Walls – Walking With Elephants
Takes ages to get going. When it does, it’s okay, but nothing special.
Track 40: Kiesza – Giant In My Heart
Some interesting lines on the backing track, but I’m not keen on the tune.
Track 41: The Magician and Years & Years – Sunlight
Another generic, bland tune.
Track 42: Melissa Steel and Popcaan – Kisses For Breakfast
I had this one stuck in my head for years afterwards. Thankfully it’s an okay tune.
Track 43: Professor Green and Tori Kelly – Lullaby
The tune on the sung vocals is pretty, but I find the theme too depressing.
Track 44: Iggy Azalea and Rita Ora – Black Widow
Good atmosphere, but the tune is fairly uninspired.
Track 45: Nicki Minaj – Anaconda
Repeated artist alert! We’ve already had Nicki Minaj on track 3.
I’ve done the Great North 10k in Gateshead twice before. The first time was in 2016, which was the first and (hopefully!) last time I ever came dead last in a race. That was a special day, strangely. Last year was better for me, but Geth was running it with a broken toe, which wasn’t ideal.
Today was a fairly good race for both of us – it was a hot day, so no overall PBs, but we both got course PBs – mine by about five minutes, so I’m pretty pleased with that. I find the Great North 10k to be quite a pleasant race, as the bulk of it is an out-and-back section where I’m always too preoccupied with looking out for people I know running the other way to dwell too much on my own discomfort, and the views of the Tyne bridges are very pretty. The ninth kilometre, meanwhile, goes through a nice bit of park – there’s a short steep hill at the end of that section that everybody makes a really big deal out of (it’s nicknamed the ‘Slog on the Tyne’, but it only takes a minute or so to jog up it, and it’s really not that hard), and then the last kilometre is a nice flat run into Gateshead Stadium and round the track.
I don’t know if I’ll do it for a fourth time next year, but definitely at some point.
Day 88 takes us to Now! #88, which came out on 21st July 2014.
This is how the world looked in July 2014. The Wetherspoons cider festival was one of my summer highlights for a few years – I’ve not partaken in a while. Too much going on in July these days! That beetroot cider remains the most interesting one I’ve ever tasted.
Let’s see what would have been blasting on the Wetherspoons sound system that summer.
Track 1: Ella Henderson – Ghost
The tune on the chorus is very atmospheric, but unfortunately the verses are very dull.
Track 2: Ed Sheeran – Sing
Nice epic track – really like this one.
Track 3: Sam Smith – Stay With Me
Saccharine ballad. It’s very highly lauded but it’s not my kind of thing.
Track 4: George Ezra – Budapest
Interesting style, good tune – great track.
Track 5: Mr Probz – Waves [Robin Schulz Remix]
This is the kind of summer chillout I can get behind. Great, melancholy tune.
Track 6: Ariana Grande and Iggy Azalea – Problem
Very danceable pop track with some awesome trumpet instrumentals – really like this.
Track 7: Rita Ora – I Will Never Let You Down
It’s got a good beat, but I find the tune irritating.
Track 8: Coldplay – A Sky Full Of Stars
Extremely grating – nothing redeeming here.
Track 9: Aloe Blacc – The Man
I do like the interpolation of Elton John’s Your Song on the chorus, but the verse is a bit bland.
Track 10: Michael Jackson and Justin Timberlake – Love Never Felt So Good
Posthumous Michael Jackson release, cobbled together from a 1983 demo track and with Justin Timberlake drafted in to add extra vocals. Obviously, I love that ’80s sound.
Track 11: will.i.am and Cody Wise – It’s My Birthday
I really like this one – it’s actually replaced 50 Cent’s In Da Club as the song that gets stuck in my head on my actual birthday.
Track 12: Iggy Azalea and Charli XCX – Fancy
Repeated artist alert! We’ve already had Iggy Azalea on track 6.
The song is pretty dull, but the Clueless-homage video is quite fun.
Track 13: Chris Brown, Lil’ Wayne and Tyga – Loyal
I quite like the electro hook, but the rap is fairly boring.
Track 14: Clean Bandit and Sharna Bass – Extraordinary
Too slow for my liking, and the tune is pretty forgettable.
Track 15: Jess Glynne – Right Here
Very bland, irritating song.
Track 16: Ella Eyre – If I Go
There’s a bit too much going on with this track, and I don’t find the tune very interesting.
Track 17: MKTO – Classic
Good solid pop track – it’s a bit cheesy, but I quite like it.
Track 18: 5 Seconds Of Summer – Don’t Stop
Another good bit of pop-rock from 5 Seconds Of Summer. Happily chair-dancing here.
Track 19: Little Mix – Salute
I can’t stand this song. For some reason it still constantly ends up in my head four years later! I would pay good money to be able to forget about this one.
Track 20: Rixton – Me And My Broken Heart
I love the tune on this one – nice and epic.
Track 21: The Vamps and Demi Lovato – Somebody To You
Some highly irritating chanting throughout, and the tune’s pretty uninspired.
Track 22: Idina Menzel – Let It Go
The big musical number from Frozen. Awesomely epic, great to attempt at karaoke (not that I ever go anywhere near karaoke these days).
Track 23: Clean Bandit and Jess Glynne – Rather Be
Double repeated artist alert! We’ve already had Clean Bandit on track 14 and Jess Glynne on track 15.
The vocals are a little irritating, but the instrumentals are immense.
Track 24: Kiesza – Hideaway
Great beat, great tune. Big fan of this one.
Track 25: Oliver Heldens and Becky Hill – Gecko (Overdrive)
This one’s a generic dance track with some very irritating instrumental lines.
Track 26: Sigma – Nobody To Love
I quite like that piano at the start, but the vocals annoy me.
Track 27: Calvin Harris – Summer
Probably my favourite summer-themed dance track of the decade. The tune is gorgeous and it builds beautifully.
Track 28: Secondcity – I Wanna Feel
I do like the ’90s-influenced trend that was big in dance music around this time, and it works nicely here, but I find the tune very repetitive.
Track 29: Klingande – Jubel
Interesting track, and I always appreciate a bit of saxophone.
Track 30: Faul & Wad Ad and Pnau – Changes
This track’s got some incredibly annoying kiddie vocals throughout, but it does also have saxophone, so I don’t know whether I like it or not.
Track 31: Fuse ODG and Sean Paul – Dangerous Love
This was another track to which we did a really good routine at my Zumba class in Southampton. I have a real soft spot for this one.
Track 32: DJ Fresh, TC and Little Nikki – Make U Bounce
I like the videogame-esque instrumentals at the start, and the track’s got a good beat, but there’s a bit too much going on.
Track 33: Shift K3Y – Touch
Boring tune, and I find the theme pretty awkward.
Track 34: MK and Alana – Always [Route 94 Remix]
I don’t like this tune at all – there’s something that sounds slightly offkey about it, and the vocals jar unpleasantly with the backing track.
Track 35: Tiësto and Matthew Koma – Wasted
Irritating theme, irritating tune.
Track 36: John Martin – Anywhere For You
Another boring song.
Track 37: Cash Cash and Bebe Rexha – Take Me Home
I like the ’80s-tinged synth on the backing track, but the vocals are super annoying.
Track 38: Matrix & Futurebound and Tanya Lacey – Don’t Look Back
The tune is fairly dull, but again I quite like some of the lines on the backing track.
Track 39: Jason Derulo and Snoop Dogg – Wiggle
I like the atmosphere on this one, but the theme is super creepy.
Track 40: DJ Cassidy, Robin Thicke and Jessie J – Calling All Hearts
Great ’70s-tinged disco sound on this one!
Track 41: Neon Jungle – Welcome To The Jungle
Another awesome atmosphere – great stuff.
Track 42: Sia – Chandelier
Gorgeous, epic track. It’s a little overplayed these days, but the vocals are just wonderful.
Track 43: The Vamps – Last Night
Repeated artist alert! We’ve already had the Vamps on track 21.
The tune’s a bit generic, but I quite like the pop-rock style.
Track 44: Tove Lo and Hippie Sabotage – Stay High
Too slow for me, and I find the tune boring.
Track 45: Paloma Faith – Only Love Can Hurt Like This
I find this ballad a bit overblown and irritating.
This is another cider that I picked up at Sainsbury’s recently.
Henney’s Dry Cider.
It’s another cider that is just as dry as the bottle suggests. It’s got a slightly cheesy taste that reminds me of West Country real ciders, but there’s still something very smooth about it. Probably a bit too dry to become a regular in my fridge, though.
Day 87 equals Now! #87, which came out on 7th April 2014.
This is how the world looked in April 2014…on a slightly overcast day in Salisbury. That hoodie, along with most of my hoodie collection, is far too big for me now and has been relegated to the pyjama drawer.
Into the mid-’10s already! 2014 was my last full year living in Southampton. Let’s see what the chart sounded like.
Track 1: Pharrell Williams – Happy
It’s a bit cheesy, but it’s very joyful and danceable, so I quite like it.
Track 2: Route 94 and Jess Glynne – My Love
Annoying tune, generic track. Not keen on this one.
Track 3: Enrique Iglesias and Pitbull – I’m A Freak
Good beat, but the tune’s pretty uninspired, and the chorus is really irritating.
Track 4: Avicii – Hey Brother
Another of Avicii’s EDM-bluegrass crossovers. Quite like this track.
Track 5: Katy Perry and Juicy J – Dark Horse
Great atmosphere, and it’s got an okay tune.
Track 6: Sam Smith – Money On My Mind
I find this tune pretty irritating, and I’ve never been a fan of Sam Smith’s falsetto vocals.
Track 7: Little Mix – Word Up!
Pointless cover of the Cameo classic, released as the official Sport Relief single for 2014. While the cover is pointless, the video is great – highlights include Chris Barrie reprising his role from The Brittas Empire and Melanie C showing she can still do those Spice Girl cartwheels.
Track 8: 5 Seconds Of Summer – She Looks So Perfect
Great bit of pop-rock – really like this tune!
Track 9: Miley Cyrus – Wrecking Ball
Irritating overblown ballad, not a fan.
Track 10: Pixie Lott – Nasty
Great beat, good big band feel – very danceable.
Track 11: One Direction – Story Of My Life
Boring, slow, cheesy, and too acoustic-y for me. Everything I dislike.
Track 12: Gary Barlow – Let Me Go
Okay beat, but the tune is dull.
Track 13: Alesso and OneRepublic – If I Lose Myself
Generic tune – nothing exciting going on here.
Track 14: Gorgon City and MNEK – Ready For Your Love
Another very uninspired track, with a dance beat that’s the same as every other dance beat from this decade.
Track 15: The Vamps – Wild Heart
Too cheesy for me, but it’s got quite a good rhythm.
Track 16: Lady Gaga and R Kelly – Do What U Want
The atmosphere’s okay, but again the tune’s not very interesting.
Track 17: Elyar Fox – Do It All Over Again
‘Not on Spotify’ Type 2: YouTube Pause (TM).
It’s an okay pop song with a good beat, but it’s pretty forgettable.
Track 18: Katy B – Crying For No Reason
This one’s a bit depressing, but the tune is quite pretty.
Track 19: John Legend – All Of Me
It’s very saccharine, but parts of the tune are absolutely beautiful, so I quite like it.
Track 20: A Great Big World and Christina Aguilera – Say Something
Another boring, mood-killing ballad.
Track 21: Ellie Goulding – How Long Will I Love You
And yet another one.
Track 22: Sam Bailey – Skyscraper
The 2013 X Factor winner, this year doing a pointless cover of a Demi Lovato song. Nothing interesting here.
Track 23: The Chainsmokers – #Selfie
That title is going to look so dated in decades to come. Mind you, I don’t think anyone makes pop music with the thought that it’s going to be listened to in the future anymore – it’s all a bit disposable these days. Anyway, this is interspersed throughout with the most annoying spoken word sample ever, which I think is meant to be the point, but it doesn’t make it in any way pleasant to listen to.
Track 24: Pitbull and Kesha – Timber
Repeated artist alert! We’ve already had Pitbull on track 3.
At my Zumba class in Southampton, we used to do a really fun, high energy, line dance-inspired routine to this, which I absolutely loved. As such, I’ve got a soft spot for this song.
Track 25: DVBBS, Borgeous and Tinie Tempah – Tsunami (Jump)
Great rhythm – happily nodding along right now.
Track 26: Calvin Harris, Alesso and Hurts – Under Control
Repeated artist alert! We’ve already had Alesso on track 13.
This is another one with a very unmemorable tune.
Track 27: Martin Garrix and Jay Hardway – Wizard
The hook’s okay, but everything that surrounds it is off – it could have created quite a good atmosphere if the track weren’t so messy.
Track 28: Tiësto – Red Lights
Depressingly generic tune.
Track 29: Duke Dumont and Jax Jones – I Got U
I like the steel drums, but otherwise it’s fairly boring.
Track 30: Bastille – Of The Night
Track completely made up of interpolations of Snap’s Rhythm Is A Dancer and Corona’s The Rhythm Of The Night, so I guess it’s sort of a cover. I love both tracks so I don’t mind – this compilation has had so many boring forgettable tunes on that it’s a relief to hear a tune I like, even if it’s not original.
Track 31: Example – Kids Again
I like the backing track, but again I’m just not enthused by the tune.
Track 32: Little Mix – Move
Repeated artist alert! We’ve already had Little Mix on track 7.
This one’s a nice solid bit of pop – good stuff.
Track 33: Neon Jungle – Braveheart
Good solid pop tune – this one’s quite danceable.
Track 34: DJ Fresh, Jay Fay and Ms Dynamite – Dibby Dibby Sound
Bit of a Zumba theme to this playlist, because this is one that we danced to in a Zumba class I was attending in Newcastle last year. I really need to go back to dance class – I fell out of the habit during the move and am a bit too busy at the moment. Maybe in the autumn.
Anyway, this one’s a bit repetitive to listen to, but it’s got a good beat.
Track 35: Tujamo, Plastik Funk and Sneakbo – Dr Who!
I’m a bit surprised I ignored this one when it was in the charts, because I’m always looking for daft vaguely Doctor Who-related songs to add to that Doctor Who playlist I’m going to create at some point in the future.
It’s a bit tuneless, but it’s got a good beat. It’d be nice if the lyrics were slightly more relevant to the title.
Track 36: Busta Rhymes, Q-Tip, Kanye West and Lil’ Wayne – Thank You
I find the rap a bit awkward. Good rhythm, though, and the sample of Alicia Myers’ 1981 hit I Wanna Thank You is awesome.
Track 37: Fuse ODG – Million Pound Girl (Badder Than Bad)
Great atmosphere, good tune. Really like this one.
Track 38: John Newman – Out Of My Head
Too slow for me, and the tune’s pretty depressing.
Track 39: Sub Focus – Turn Back Time
Bit of ’90s-tinged dance – great atmosphere.
Track 40: Matrix & Futurebound and Max Marshall – Control
Good beat, but this is another forgettable tune.
Track 41: Foxes – Let Go For Tonight
I like that piano at the start, and the chorus is epic.
Track 42: Paloma Faith – Can’t Rely On You
Interesting tune, good beat. Not a bad track.
Track 43: Le Youth and Dominique Young Unique – Dance With Me
Great beat, and it’s got a welcome ’80s tinge. Love the No Scrubs interpolation too. Good stuff.
Track 44: London Grammar – Hey Now
I quite like the backing track, but the tune’s boring and it’s too slow.
Track 45: Vance Joy – Riptide
Endearingly daft lyrics, feelgood tune. Big fan of this.
Like the rest of the UK, we’ve been enjoying glorious weather here in Newcastle for the past fortnight. Last weekend, we were able to make the most of it; as I mentioned previously, we were celebrating Geth’s birthday a couple of weeks late, and so on Saturday we went into town for some shopping and food, interspersed with a visit to our favourite beer garden seeing as how it was so nice.
View of the bridges of the Tyne from the Free Trade Inn beer garden.
We were fairly lucky to get a space in the Free Trade Inn beer garden – it was a hot Saturday afternoon, which is a rarity, and so the people of Newcastle were out in force in the centre of town – but we did manage it, and Geth immediately made a start on the bar snacks.
Geth with beer and some kind of pasty/samosa/thing? I wasn’t really paying attention.
I’m not quite sure what’s going on with the light in these pictures – I blame the sun. Clearly my smartphone camera has become accustomed to British weather and can’t cope with bright light!
Enjoying the heat! Also very pleased with the way my new Punk Masters T-shirt matches my tattoo.
We’d got all our shopping done fairly efficiently, so we were able to enjoy a good few hours in the sun before our restaurant booking.
I actually like plastic glasses, even if they’re not very solid to hold – they feel like summer to me!
We then headed to Uno’s Trattoria, one of our favourite Italian restaurants in Newcastle, which Geth had selected for his birthday meal.
Geth had been looking forward to that pork belly for weeks.
The reason Geth chose Uno’s Trattoria is that, for the last year or so, they’ve had pork belly on the menu, which is one of his favourite foods. Apparently most Italian restaurants don’t cook meat dishes properly (being a vegetarian I’m generally unaware of these things), but this restaurant must be an exception, as the pork belly went down very well.
Just looks like meat to me, but I’m informed it was very special meat!
I, meanwhile, went for my favourite Italian restaurant treat of pizza:
That rocket and parmesan topping was immense.
We also had dessert – we both went for the white chocolate cheesecake – but we were so keen to get stuck into it that I forgot to take a picture.
A lovely day out overall. Happily the weather has continued, and it looks like it’ll be similar this weekend – so we’ll need to take it carefully when running the Great North 10k on Sunday!
Day 86 means Now! #86, which brings us to 18th November 2013.
This is the way the world looked in November 2013 (actually December). I call this look ‘goth squeezes into too-small clothes and goes to a wedding’. Not a style highlight. Mum looks nice though!
On with the party season hits!
Track 1: Katy Perry – Roar
It’s nice and feelgood, but I find the tune a bit irritating and the theme too cheesy.
Track 2: OneRepublic – Counting Stars
Gorgeous tune, wonderful rhythm. Love this one.
Track 3: Jason Derulo and 2 Chainz – Talk Dirty
It’s very danceable, with a great beat. The trumpets are awesome too.
Track 4: Miley Cyrus – We Can’t Stop
This one is really irritating and a bit depressing.
Track 5: Avicii – Wake Me Up
The first of Avicii’s EDM-bluegrass crossovers. Great stuff.
Track 6: Storm Queen – Look Right Through [MK Vocal Edit]
Boring dance track, very forgettable tune.
Track 7: Martin Garrix – Animals
This dance tune, on the other hand, is great! Love the hook.
Track 8: Ellie Goulding – Burn
One of my favourites from this decade – it’s a stunning tune, and the atmosphere is beautiful.
Track 9: Drake and Majid Jordan – Hold On, We’re Going Home
Quite like the tune on this – there’s something a bit ’80s retro about it. The video is apparently also set in 1985, although I have to say I never noticed that when watching it at the time!
Track 10: James Arthur – You’re Nobody ‘Til Somebody Loves You
Moving decades, there’s a slight mid-century tinge to the intro of this rock-edged track. The theme’s awful, but I quite like the song.
Track 11: Arctic Monkeys – Do I Wanna Know?
A very welcome bit of rock in this pop/EDM/hip-hop dominated decade. Good stuff.
Track 12: Lorde – Royals
I like the theme, but I’m not hugely keen on the tune, and it’s a bit slow for me.
Track 13: Foxes – Youth
Good atmosphere, but the tune’s really boring.
Track 14: Lady Gaga – Applause
Great track – I love the edge on this. Another epic atmosphere.
Track 15: Bruno Mars – Gorilla
Again, there’s a great atmosphere on this, but it’s a little slow for me.
Track 16: One Direction – Best Song Ever
Horribly cheesy theme, generic tune.
Track 17: Jessie J – It’s My Party
Not a cover of the Lesley Gore song, despite the name. It’s got a good beat, but the tune’s very uninspired.
Track 18: The Vamps – Can We Dance
It’s a bit of a generic pop-rock track, but I quite like it.
Track 19: Lawson – Juliet
Good atmosphere and slight reggae tinge! Great to hear an actual interesting track from Lawson.
Track 20: The Wanted – Show Me Love (America)
Saccharine ballad, dull tune, though the chorus is okay.
Track 21: James Blunt – Bonfire Heart
Too acoustic-y for me, and the tune’s not very exciting.
Track 22: Lily Allen – Somewhere Only We Know
Melancholy piano cover of the Keane song, released to soundtrack the John Lewis Christmas advert for 2013. As I mentioned when reviewing the Keane version on Now! #57, I actually prefer it to the original.
It’s perfectly danceable, but there’s not much of a tune.
Track 24: Calvin Harris and Ayah Marar – Thinking About You
Boring beat, boring tune. Very generic track.
Track 25: Avicii – You Make Me
Repeated artist alert! We’ve already had Avicii on track 5.
This one’s got some interesting instrumentals, but the tune on the vocals is a bit irritating.
Track 26: DJ Fresh, Diplo and Dominique Young Unique – Earthquake
Great beat – I really like this one.
Track 27: Klangkarussell and Will Heard – Sonnentanz (Sun Don’t Shine)
I find this kind of summer chillout electro really depressing.
Track 28: Lana Del Rey and Cedric Gervais – Summertime Sadness
Stunning tune, lovely melancholy theme. Big fan of this.
Track 29: will.i.am and Leah McFall – Bang Bang
Awesome jazz-inspired track, released for the soundtrack of The Great Gatsby. Really like this one.
Track 30: Ben Pearce – What I Might Do
There’s nothing exciting going on here – it’s very forgettable.
Track 31: Chase & Status and Moko – Count On Me
Very ’90s-tinged, which I appreciate, but the tune’s pretty bland.
Track 32: Tinie Tempah and John Martin – Children Of The Sun
I find the tune on the chorus a bit irritating, but the rap is good.
Track 33: Sean Paul – Other Side Of Love
Nice tune – quite like this one.
Track 34: Conor Maynard – R U Crazy
Great rhythm – happily nodding along here.
Track 35: Naughty Boy and Emeli Sandé – Lifted
Good beat, but the tune is boring.
Track 36: Rizzle Kicks – Lost Generation
Nice eerie atmosphere – good track.
Track 37: Ray Foxx and Rachel K Collier – Boom Boom (Heartbeat)
Nice tune, and the beat’s great once it gets going.
Track 38: John Newman – Cheating
Some interesting instrumentals going on here.
Track 39: Eliza Doolittle – Big When I Was Little
This one is insanely annoying – I actively dislike both the theme and the vocals.
Track 40: The Saturdays – Disco Love
Awesome classic pop feel, and great 20th century retro references throughout, with a highly recommended video to match! I remember actually being quite spooked by the accuracy of the 1999 scene in the video, as the hair and makeup is so well done it gave me flashbacks.
Track 41: Wilkinson – Afterglow
I find this tune pretty bland and repetitive.
Track 42: Showtek, We Are Loud and Sonny Wilson – Booyah
Another one that’s pretty unmemorable.
Track 43: Dizzee Rascal and will.i.am – Something Really Bad
Repeated artist alert! We’ve already had will.i.am on track 29.
Some interesting lines going on here – quite like this track.
Track 44: Ylvis – The Fox (What Does The Fox Say?)
Each of the phone boxes is very well preserved, so clearly Leeds city council have put some work into these ones.
The four phone boxes are all in good condition – no smashed windows or graffiti here.
They frame the restaurant building very nicely!
Handy if you’re eating at the restaurant, need to make a phone call, and are so much of a 20th century throwback that you don’t have a mobile (I salute your dedication if so!)
Join us again next week for more Leeds phone boxes.
Day 85 takes us to Now! #85, which was released on 22nd July 2013.
This is how the world looked in July 2013. Geth and I were on a trip up to Edinburgh when one of those rare-for-Scotland 30°C days arrived, and the one thing I’d not packed was a swimsuit, so all I could do on this beach trip was paddle. Since then, I’ve packed one every time I’ve gone away during the summer, just in case.
I believe this was a good year for summer hits. Let’s see if I’m remembering correctly.
Track 1: Daft Punk, Pharrell Williams and Nile Rodgers – Get Lucky
Great feelgood funk track – love this tune.
Track 2: Robin Thicke, TI and Pharrell Williams – Blurred Lines
Repeated artist alert! We’ve only just had Pharrell Williams on track 1.
This track…urgh. Infamously and rightly banned by the University of Edinburgh student union, among various other music-playing organisations, because the lyrics are really rapey and gross. The sad thing is that it would be a really great track if it weren’t for the lyrics, ’cause the tune is great and it’s really danceable.
Track 3: Passenger – Let Her Go
Gorgeous, introspective tune – really like this one.
Track 4: Justin Timberlake – Mirrors
Nice epic atmosphere, great track.
Track 5: Naughty Boy and Sam Smith – La La La
The theme is slightly irritating, but overall it’s an interesting song, which is unusual for an era where most things are really samey.
Track 6: Icona Pop and Charli XCX – I Love It
Great chant-along track – I’ve always really liked this one!
Track 7: John Newman – Love Me Again
Another song that I really like. The instrumentals are great.
Track 8: Jason Derulo – The Other Side
Forgettable tune, but the chorus is nice and epic.
Track 9: Pink and Lily Allen – True Love
I find this one a bit cheesy and annoying.
Track 10: Taylor Swift – 22
Good solid pop track – very danceable.
Track 11: The Wanted – Walks Like Rihanna
Every time I run the Great North Run, I find that because it’s the biggest race in the UK and the biggest half marathon in the world – nearly 60,000 runners these days – there’s no shortage of characters to keep me entertained (and believe me, you need that when running along miles and miles of identical-looking motorway). One guy runs the race with a portable karaoke machine, and last year, when I encountered him, he was doing this song – except he’d changed the lyrics to ‘I can’t sing, I can’t dance, but who cares, I run like Mo Farah‘. It’s possible you had to be there, but I found it hilarious, and it really got me through the rest of the race. Thanks for that, portable karaoke guy!
Anyway, it’s another solid pop song.
Track 12: Bruno Mars – Treasure
Bruno Mars still doing his 1980 pastiches – today he’s aping Michael Jackson. Good stuff.
Track 13: Olly Murs – Dear Darlin’
This one’s a bit of a dull ballad, so I’m not keen.
Track 14: Demi Lovato – Heart Attack
Great song with an awesome epic chorus. Love it.
Track 15: Selena Gomez – Come And Get It
Great tune – love the rhythm on this one.
Track 16: PJ & Duncan – Let’s Get Ready To Rhumble
’90s classic, back in the charts to raise money for Childline. It actually got to number one this time round, probably because Ant & Dec had promised to perform it on Saturday Night Takeaway. It’s still as enjoyably daft as it was in 1994.
Track 17: Iggy Azalea – Bounce
Good beat, but there’s not enough melody for me.
Track 18: Fuse ODG – Antenna
Love the rhythm on this one – very danceable.
Track 19: Nelly – Hey Porsche
The theme really irritates me, and the tune’s very uninspired.
Track 20: Paramore – Still Into You
Great tune, though the theme is a bit cheesy.
Track 21: Imagine Dragons – Radioactive
I was talking about this one yesterday when reviewing the identically-titled Rita Ora song. On the whole it’s a bit dull, but it’s got a great chorus.
Track 22: Gabz – Lighters (The One)
Cringeworthy kiddie vocals, appallingly cheesy theme. Just awful.
Track 23: Rudimental and Ella Eyre – Waiting All Night
Great beat, okay tune, but it’s pretty repetitive.
Track 24: Jessie J, Big Sean and Dizzee Rascal – Wild
Bland tune on the verses, but the chorus is okay.
Track 25: Duke Dumont and A*M*E – Need U (100%)
I find the vocals really irritating on this one.
Track 26: will.i.am and Justin Bieber – #thatPOWER
Very generic electro lines, boring tune.
Track 27: David Guetta, Ne-Yo and Akon – Play Hard
Great rhythm, great bassline, great Better Off Alone sample. Annoying video, but you can’t have everything.
Track 28: Calvin Harris and Ellie Goulding – I Need Your Love
I’ve always found the tune on this one very irritating.
Track 29: Pitbull and Christina Aguilera – Feel This Moment
Annoying, repetitive track, but the Take On Me interpolation is quite fun.
Track 30: Sebastian Ingrosso, Tommy Trash and John Martin – Reload
Boring dance track, very forgettable tune.
Track 31: Armin van Buuren and Trevor Guthrie – This Is What It Feels Like
Fairly bland dance song with an annoying chorus.
Track 32: Chase & Status and Louis Mattrs – Lost And Not Found
Nice atmosphere, but the vocals are really dull.
Track 33: Chris Malinchak – So Good To Me
Another boring tune, one of those ‘summer chillout’ tracks that were all the rage at the time.
Track 34: Disclosure and Eliza Doolittle – You And Me
Dull and forgettable.
Track 35: Breach – Jack
Very little melody in this – just drum machine, spoken word and fairly tuneless bassline – but at least it’s something different.
Track 36: Wiley, Angel and Tinchy Stryder – Lights On
Bland tune, but at least this one’s actually got a tune. Very forgettable though.
Track 37: Dizzee Rascal and Robbie Williams – Goin’ Crazy
Repeated artist alert! We’ve already had Dizzee Rascal on track 24.
Interesting rhythm, but again the tune’s very uninspired.
Track 38: Psy – Gentleman
Follow-up to Gangnam Style that obviously wasn’t anywhere near as memorable as the original.
Track 39: The 1975 – Chocolate
Love this tune – great instrumentals, great lyrics.
Track 40: Union J – Carry You
Saccharine and bland.
Track 41: The Saturdays – Gentleman
A slightly more standard song about a ‘gentleman‘ than Psy’s attempt above. It’s actually quite edgy for the Saturdays, and I like the retro references in the lyrics. Good stuff.
Track 42: Charlie Brown – On My Way
Slow ballad, not my thing.
Track 43: Tom Odell – Another Love
Lovely piano at the start, and it’s got a nice atmosphere – quite like this tune.
Track 44: Michael Bublé – It’s A Beautiful Day
Nice and upbeat, but the song’s a bit too cheesy for me.
