28 November 1997 There wasn't a Band Aid in the '90s but this was the closest thing. It was for a worthy cause too: the BBC Children in Need appeal, although it was originally conceived and broadcast as a public service announcement for the BBC licence fee. So, despite its Irish contingent, Ireland's 1997 Christmas … Continue reading Various Artists – ‘Perfect Day’
Nilsson – ‘Without You’
11 March 1972 I checked Harry Nilsson's figures on a well-known streaming service, and was unsurprised to see that 'Without You' and 'Everybody's Talkin'' were doing around five to ten times the numbers of his other songs. Even my awareness of him in the '90s was just for those two tracks and little in the … Continue reading Nilsson – ‘Without You’
Ed Sheeran – ‘Shape Of You’
13 January 2017 Welcome to 2017, the year Ed Sheeran broke the Irish singles charts and they had to change the rules. It's also the year that, aside from a week's carry-over of 'Rockabye' from the end of 2016, only eight songs went to number one in Ireland; since three of them are his that's … Continue reading Ed Sheeran – ‘Shape Of You’
Wings – ‘Give Ireland Back To The Irish’
4 March 1972 The immediate responses to Bloody Sunday included the burning of the British Embassy in Dublin, Bernadette Devlin slapping Tory minister Reginald Maudling on the floor of the House of Commons, and Paul McCartney writing 'Give Ireland Back To The Irish'. Also: Irish people buying 'Give Ireland Back To The Irish' all the … Continue reading Wings – ‘Give Ireland Back To The Irish’
Clean Bandit ft. Sean Paul and Anne-Marie – ‘Rockabye’
18 November 2016 Gawd. The knuckle-gnawingly naff title and chorus alone were enough to put me off 'Rockabye' at the time. Yet this was a genuine heavyweight smash: eight weeks at the top of the charts in Ireland, nine weeks in the UK, and in both countries the 2016 Christmas number one. Not being a … Continue reading Clean Bandit ft. Sean Paul and Anne-Marie – ‘Rockabye’
T. Rex – ‘Telegram Sam’
12 February 1972 You can still send a telegram today. Isn't that cute? Less cute is how anyone nicknamed Telegram Sam today is more likely to be an avid user of a certain social media site frequented by right-wing knuckle-draggers with lEgiTiMaTe qUeStIoNs. There are a few competing footnotes as to who the Telegram Sam … Continue reading T. Rex – ‘Telegram Sam’
Little Mix – ‘Shout Out To My Ex’
28 October 2016 Going by the tepid take-up for their debut solo releases in 2024-25, next on the Little Mix agenda may well be the perfunctory reunion and greatest hits tour. That's a pity. Okay, Perrie's tracks were safe and unmemorable chart-pop, but I liked Leigh-Anne's dip into garage and Afrobeat, and Jade's intriguing 'Angel … Continue reading Little Mix – ‘Shout Out To My Ex’
Barleycorn – ‘The Men Behind The Wire’
22 January 1972 This chart-topping original of 'The Men Behind The Wire' has a spoken-word introduction: On Monday the ninth of August 1971 at 4:30 a.m., Irish men from all over the six counties were taken from their homes. Hundreds of these men are now imprisoned without trial. This song is borne of the civil … Continue reading Barleycorn – ‘The Men Behind The Wire’
James Arthur – ‘Say You Won’t Let Go’
14 October 2016 Getting done for copyright infringement by The Script feels ignominious, like losing a table quiz to a team of farmyard animals. Anyway, the law has spoken, and James Arthur's 'Say You Won't Let Go' is now obliged to show in the ingredients that it contains traces of creepy pushy-guy dad-rock anthem 'The … Continue reading James Arthur – ‘Say You Won’t Let Go’
The Chainsmokers ft. Halsey – ‘Closer’
2 September 2016 It throws a wee bit more trap into the pot, but otherwise 'Closer' is yet another mid-'10s sad-boy trop-house number one. It topped the US charts for twelve weeks and the Irish charts for six, so the good folk of 2016 clearly couldn't get enough of that sound and vibe. Halsey gets … Continue reading The Chainsmokers ft. Halsey – ‘Closer’
The New Seekers – ‘I’d Like To Teach The World To Sing (In Perfect Harmony)’
8 January 1972 Shannon Airport's role as the site of the real-life inspiration for Coca Cola's "I'd Like To Buy The World A Coke" jingle will turn out to be one of Ireland's more benign contributions to our chart-topping singles of 1972. Irish coffee was invented in the '40s at the nearby Foynes transatlantic seaplane … Continue reading The New Seekers – ‘I’d Like To Teach The World To Sing (In Perfect Harmony)’
