The 100 greatest UK No 1s

[johncorrigan]

When I looked through the full list of no 1s , HOTRS did look an obvious omission, though it isn't a favourite of mine. It is, among other things though , a really distintive single.

Know what you mean, ts. I think 'HOTRS' is a song that I liked when it came out but I have loved more and more as the years have gone by. Poor choice for Bowie, but then I'd always go for 'Space Oddity' - Bought it when it came out...Tony Blackburn record of the week, I seem to recall. Mind you, it didn't get to No 1 first time round. Mrs C would have 'Albatross', I reckon...not that I've asked her.

[LMcD]

A list of songs that should have been No1, in a better world, would be a better exercise, IMO.

I'll kick try to subvert KB's thread by offering one off the top of my head:

Substitute. The Who.

Incidentally, the Guardian list is really dreadful. Almost impossible, but honest, only " She Loves You " by the Beatles ?

The T Rex selection is just plain wrong. Brass in pocket ? Really ? It's not even the Pretenders best song.

And, the clincher...this is missing !! Unforgiveable.

Don Maclean: American Pie
Gerry Rafferty: Baker Street
- and definitely The Animals' The House Of The Rising Sun!

[kernelbogey]

Agree. I bought and still have House of the Rising Sun. One of the longest 7" singles at the time - 4.30 mins.

I heard a short radio talk by Melvin Bragg about this record. His story was that they turned up for the recording, knowing that 4'30' was so out of the ordinary for the time that they expected to be under pressure to cut it. So they did one take, went home, and... the rest is history, as they say.

[kernelbogey]

An interesting list of suggestions from Guardian readers, including Lonnie Donnegan Cumberland Gap and Johny Kidd & the Pirates Shakin' All Over to name but two.

[johncorrigan]

An interesting list of suggestions from Guardian readers, including Lonnie Donnegan Cumberland Gap and Johny Kidd & the Pirates Shakin' All Over to name but two.

I hadn't realised that Tennessee Ernie Ford's '16 Tons' had reached Number 1. I love that song - one of those things that I remember from being a kid. It would be on my short list for the mythical desert island... and definitely for the top 100 number ones.

[Dave2002]

The whole thing is a bit of a joke, designed for the Guardian's demographic as click-bait (which will guarantee lots of online posts and reactive missives) and readership-bait at a time when consumption of their media (particularly print) is tumbling. They also regularly do things like the Top 10 films of Film Star X, or Director X.

This top 100 chart is somewhat skewed in favour of journalists (and audience) of a certain generation or two. And too many reviews discuss the band, internal politics, national politics, in fact everything except the music itself.

Aren't many of us "guilty" of the click-bait phenomenon? Well, perhaps not all of us, but some are trying to stimulate comment. In the case of the Guardian it'll be a compromise between really trying to present news in a neutral way, trying to push forward an agenda (or three), plus trying to be financially viable. The tensions between the various drivers will always be present to some extent.

[cloughie]

Don Maclean: American Pie
Gerry Rafferty: Baker Street
- and definitely The Animals' The House Of The Rising Sun!

I agree with that trio and Albatross too, and I think that either my memory plays tricks or the charts you followed - I think NME was my guide - but I am sure that Yardbirds ‘For your love’ made No1! A couple of other omissions are Joe Cocker’s ‘With a little help’ Chris Farlowe ‘Out of time’, Everly Brothers ‘Cathy’s Clown’ and Eddie Cochran ‘Summertime Blues’. But with this chosen list half of the panel probably wouldn’t register with anything before about 1980 unlike most of the forum’s pop radar which has probably disappeared about that time. Not much punk there ts!

[Padraig]

I hadn't realised that Tennessee Ernie Ford's '16 Tons' had reached Number 1. I love that song - one of those things that I remember from being a kid. It would be on my short list for the mythical desert island... and definitely for the top 100 number ones.

John, I was there! But, though 16Tons was No1, Tennessee Ernie had a No1 with Give Me Your Word a year earlier. I could sing both! When I say 'sing'...

[teamsaint]

I agree with that trio and Albatross too, and I think that either my memory plays tricks or the charts you followed - I think NME was my guide - but I am sure that Yardbirds ‘For your love’ made No1! A couple of other omissions are Joe Cocker’s ‘With a little help’ Chris Farlowe ‘Out of time’, Everly Brothers ‘Cathy’s Clown’ and Eddie Cochran ‘Summertime Blues’. But with this chosen list half of the panel probably wouldn’t register with anything before about 1980 unlike most of the forum’s pop radar which has probably disappeared about that time. Not much punk there ts!

Not sure what no 1 ‘s there were from punk bands, but one of the best known, Going Underground, was very heavily plugged, and given a very good package to get it to go straight in at No 1, though they followed up with at least one further, somewhat less plugged chart topper with Start .
I thought the Pistols had a no1 , but God Save the Queen “only “ reached no 2.

( Ghost Town, no2 on the Guardian list, and indeed the Specials records in general, are straight out of the punk / reggae tradition of course .)

[LMcD]

I hadn't realised that Tennessee Ernie Ford's '16 Tons' had reached Number 1. I love that song - one of those things that I remember from being a kid. It would be on my short list for the mythical desert island... and definitely for the top 100 number ones.

... and 'Give Me Your Word' was No. 1 in the previous year.

[johncorrigan]

John, I was there! But, though 16Tons was No1, Tennessee Ernie had a No1 with Give Me Your Word a year earlier. I could sing both! When I say 'sing'...

I can still do a pretty good '16 Tons', Padraig...in the car or in lockdown (actually, that might be imposed on me if anybody happened to hear, more like).

[kernelbogey]

I can still do a pretty good '16 Tons', Padraig...in the car or in lockdown (actually, that might be imposed on me if anybody happened to hear, more like).

Anyone for a zoom rendition? St Peter dontya call me....

[MarkG]

A list of songs that should have been No1, in a better world, would be a better exercise, IMO.

Probably the best song that nearly could have been a hit but wasn't...

https://youtu.be/gFU60VtI_70

[Padraig]

Anyone for a zoom rendition? St Peter dontya call me....

Yes, but can you do 'I owe my soo- o - ow -o - owooell - - - to the company store'?

Da da da da da-deda day.

[teamsaint]

Probably the best song that nearly could have been a hit but wasn't...

https://youtu.be/gFU60VtI_70

No 52 and fully deserving of being a hit, though I think that Acceleration might have been an even bigger hit.

But songs that should have been a hit, and songs that would be have made no 1 in a better world are different things.