Populist
I’m marking each of the singles out of 10. Marks will vary according to my mood and circumstances as well as by the quality of the record. No consistency is intended and none should be assumed – take them as seriously as you like. If you’re registered and logged in, you can give your OWN mark out of 10 to each record, and the aggregate shows up on the FT Readers Top 100 view.
Showing highest standard deviations
- 4.19 T.A.T.U. - "All The Things She Said" 7 (8th February 2003)
- 3.54 GARY JULES ft MICHAEL ANDREWS - "Mad World" 3 (27th December 2003)
- 3.47 R. KELLY - "Ignition (Remix)" 0 (17th May 2003)
- 3.39 OZZY AND KELLY OSBOURNE - "Changes" 2 (20th December 2003)
- 3.29 SAINT ETIENNE - "Popular" 10 ()
- 3.25 DAVID SNEDDON - "Stop Living The Lie" 1 (25th January 2003)
- 3.16 BUSTED - "Crashed The Wedding" 8 (22nd November 2003)
- 3.16 EMINEM - “Lose Yourself” 8 (14th December 2002)
- 2.98 FATMAN SCOOP ft CROOKLYN CLAN - "Be Faithful" 7 (1st November 2003)
- 2.88 BEYONCÉ - "Crazy In Love" 9 (12th July 2003)
- 2.82 LIEUTENANT PIGEON - "Mouldy Old Dough" 9 (14th October 1972)
- 2.78 GIRLS ALOUD - "Sound Of The Underground" 9 (28th December 2002)
- 2.77 WESTLIFE - "Unbreakable" 2 (16th November 2002)
- 2.76 THE SEEKERS - "The Carnival Is Over" 4 (27th November 1965)
- 2.73 DAVID WHITFIELD - "Cara Mia" 2 (2nd July 1954)
- 2.73 THE RUBETTES - "Sugar Baby Love" 8 (18th May 1974)
- 2.7 CHARLENE - "I've Never Been To Me" 7 (26th June 1982)
- 2.66 GUY MITCHELL – 'She Wears Red Feathers' 2 (13th March 1953)
- 2.63 JULIE COVINGTON - "Don't Cry For Me Argentina" 8 (12th February 1977)
- 2.62 BONNIE TYLER - "Total Eclipse Of The Heart" 8 (12th March 1983)
- 2.62 MARIAH CAREY AND WESTLIFE - "Against All Odds" 2 (30th September 2000)
- 2.6 EVANESCENCE - "Bring Me To Life" 6 (14th June 2003)
- 2.58 STILTSKIN - "Inside" 3 (14th May 1994)
- 2.58 JOHN LENNON - "Imagine" 2 (10th January 1981)
- 2.57 2 UNLIMITED - "No Limit" 7 (13th February 1993)
- 2.56 PETULA CLARK - "This Is My Song" 1 (18th February 1967)
- 2.56 GARY PUCKETT AND THE UNION GAP - "Young Girl" 5 (25th May 1968)
- 2.54 SIMON AND GARFUNKEL - "Bridge Over Troubled Water" 5 (28th March 1970)
- 2.54 BAND AID - "Do They Know It's Christmas" 6 (15th December 1984)
- 2.53 DJ OTZI - "Hey Baby (Uhh, Ahh)" 1 (22nd September 2001)
- 2.52 DON McLEAN - "Vincent" 1 (17th June 1972)
- 2.52 JOHN TRAVOLTA AND OLIVIA NEWTON-JOHN - "Summer Nights" 6 (30th September 1978)
- 2.51 MIDDLE OF THE ROAD - "Chirpy Chirpy Cheep Cheep" 4 (19th June 1971)
- 2.51 CHARLES AZNAVOUR - "She" 3 (29th June 1974)
- 2.51 DANIEL BEDINGFIELD - "If You're Not The One" 4 (7th December 2002)
- 2.51 WIZZARD - "See My Baby Jive" 6 (19th May 1973)
- 2.51 THE FIRM - "Star Trekkin" 1 (20th June 1987)
- 2.5 WIZZARD - "Angel Fingers" 7 (22nd September 1973)
- 2.5 DREAMWEAVERS - "It's Almost Tomorrow" 7 (16th March 1956)
- 2.49 THE STARGAZERS - "I See The Moon" 1 (12th March 1954)
- 2.49 SHAKIN' STEVENS - "Merry Christmas Everyone" 2 (28th December 1985)
- 2.49 THE BOOMTOWN RATS - "I Don't Like Mondays" 2 (28th July 1979)
- 2.48 DAVID CASSIDY - "How Can I Be Sure?" 6 (30th September 1972)
- 2.47 PINK FLOYD - "Another Brick In The Wall (Part 2)" 5 (15th December 1979)
- 2.47 CHICAGO - "If You Leave Me Now" 5 (13th November 1976)
- 2.46 SO SOLID CREW - "21 Seconds" 9 (18th August 2001)
- 2.46 DAVID SOUL - "Silver Lady" 6 (8th October 1977)
- 2.46 TELLY SAVALAS - "If" 3 (8th March 1975)
- 2.45 EMINEM - "Stan" 8 (16th December 2000)
- 2.45 THE JIMI HENDRIX EXPERIENCE - "Voodoo Chile" 6 (21 November 1970)
- 2.45 BAZ LUHRMANN - "Everybody's Free (To Wear Sunscreen)" 1 (12th June 1999)
- 2.45 THE ARCHIES - "Sugar, Sugar" 8 (25th October 1969)
- 2.45 THE SEX PISTOLS - "God Save The Queen" X (7th June 1977)
- 2.44 MICHAEL JACKSON - "One Day In Your Life" 5 (27th June 1981)
- 2.43 TOMCRAFT - "Loneliness" 7 (10th May 2003)
- 2.43 BADDIEL AND SKINNER AND THE LIGHTNING SEEDS - "Three Lions" 6 (1st June 1996)
- 2.43 BARBRA STREISAND - "Woman In Love" 5 (25th October 1980)
- 2.43 JACKIE TRENT - "Where Are You Now (My Love)?" 3 (22nd May 1965)
- 2.43 THE BEATLES - "Hey Jude" 4 (14th September 1968)
- 2.42 GERRY AND THE PACEMAKERS - "You'll Never Walk Alone" 3 (2nd November 1963)
- 2.42 CHRISTINA AGUILERA - "Beautiful" 6 (8th March 2003)
- 2.42 THE BLACK EYED PEAS ft JUSTIN TIMBERLAKE - "Where Is The Love?" 7 (13th September 2003)
- 2.42 THE CHEMICAL BROTHERS - "Setting Sun" 9 (12th October 1996)
- 2.42 ELVIS PRESLEY - "Crying In The Chapel" 2 (19th June 1965)
- 2.42 FRANKIE LAINE - "I Believe" 3 (24th April 1953)
- 2.42 SINEAD O'CONNOR - "Nothing Compares 2 U" 10 (3rd February 1990)
- 2.41 SLADE - "Cvm On Feel The Noize" 8 (4th March 1973)
- 2.4 GERI HALLIWELL - "Bag It Up" 4 (25th March 2000)
- 2.4 LONNIE DONEGAN - "Cumberland Gap" 8 (12th April 1957)
- 2.4 DOOP - "Doop" 7 (19th March 1994)
- 2.4 BRITNEY SPEARS - "...Baby One More Time" 9 (21st February 1999)
- 2.39 FRANKIE GOES TO HOLLYWOOD - "Two Tribes" 10 (16th June 1984)
- 2.39 DEXYS MIDNIGHT RUNNERS - "Come On Eileen" 10 (7th August 1982)
- 2.39 WESTLIFE - "Flying Without Wings" 3 (30th October 1999)
- 2.39 SPITTING IMAGE - "The Chicken Song" 2 (17th May 1986)
- 2.38 BRIAN POOLE AND THE TREMELOES - "Do You Love Me?" 6 (12th October 1963)
- 2.38 GARY GLITTER - "I'm The Leader Of The Gang (I Am)" 4 (28 July 1973)
- 2.38 TAMMY WYNETTE - "Stand By Your Man" 6 (3rd May 1975)
- 2.38 EUROPE - "The Final Countdown" 7 (6th December 1986)
- 2.38 OASIS - "Don't Look Back In Anger" 4 (2nd March 1996)
- 2.37 GLORIA GAYNOR - "I Will Survive" 7 (17th March 1979)
- 2.37 TELETUBBIES - "Teletubbies Say Eh-Oh!" 5 (13th December 1997)
- 2.36 AFROMAN - "Because I Got High" 4 (27th October 2001)
- 2.36 MR BLOBBY - "Mr Blobby" 2 (11th December 1993)
- 2.36 GEORGE MICHAEL - "A Different Corner" 8 (19th April 1986)
- 2.36 AQUA - "Barbie Girl" 6 (1st November 1997)
- 2.36 CILLA BLACK - "You're My World" 3 (30th May 1964)
- 2.34 DESTINYS CHILD - "Survivor" 9 (28th April 2001)
- 2.34 DJ PIED PIPER AND THE MASTER OF CEREMONY - "Do You Really Like It?" 7 (2nd June 2001)
- 2.34 OXIDE AND NEUTRINO - "Bound 4 Da Reload (Casualty)" 8 (6th May 2000)
- 2.33 BABY D - "Let Me Be Your Fantasy" 8 (26th November 1994)
- 2.33 LORD ROCKINGHAM'S XI – 'Hoots Mon' 9 (28th November 1958)
- 2.32 TERRY JACKS - "Seasons In The Sun" 6 (6th April 1974)
- 2.31 CULTURE BEAT - "Mr Vain" 7 (28th August 1993)
- 2.31 JOE DOLCE MUSIC THEATRE - "Shaddap You Face" 3 (21st February 1981)
- 2.31 CHER - "Believe" 8 (31st October 1998)
- 2.3 GEORGE MICHAEL - "Jesus To A Child" 9 (20th January 1996)
- 2.3 THE ROLLING STONES - "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction" 9 (11th September 1965)
- 2.3 THE PIPES AND DRUMS AND MILITARY BAND OF THE ROYAL SCOTS DRAGOON GUARDS - "Amazing Grace" 5 (15th April 1972)
- 2.29 THE VENGABOYS - "Boom Boom Boom Boom" 4 (26th June 1999)
Hello all – I’ve been reading Popular for the last 3 years (came in around the time of Earth Song) and it has fast become my favourite music site, particularly after reading Mr Lineman’s wonderful hostory of pop, Yeah Yeah Yeah.
I was really taken aback by my own anticipation levels for an upcoming bunny this Easter (one that I Find Hard To Expunge From My Mind), and it got me thinking about the whole Popular enterprise, and how much it’s enriched my appreciation of music.
Over the years I’ve generally relied on my memory of these songs while reading Popular, playing them back in my mind rather than actually listening to them. Thar changed recently when I discovered the option to list the entries by score – I put all the 9s and 10s on a playlist, LOVED it, added the 8s and 7s, in quick succession, and suddenly I had 10 hours of wonderful pop music spanning 50 years!
As someone who listens mainly to albums, hearing these hits back-to-back has been a revelation. No filler tracks to grimly push through – every song sparkles with vitality, and the range of styles is astonishing, even in a single year. I’ve rediscovered many songs I thought my Uni disco had ruined forever (ABBA, The Buggles) and songs that my teenage indie self would have dismissed out of hand (Backstreet Boys and, unbelievably, Livin’ Joy), as well as digging some old favourites out for the first time in far too long.
I’ve now cut the list down even further to my own selection of the 100 best, and it’s just terrific. I’m going to get so much fun out of these songs – soundtracks to exercise, making my siblings mix CDs that they’ll actually play, and (most importantly) introducing my baby daughter to the wonder of pop music.
So thankyou Tom and all you marvellous comments people – you’ve reminded me how amazing pop music can be!
Thankyou Neil! I missed this comment when you posted it!
Early days of course but we currently have a new 00s number one. I can see it holding that position too.
Very cool toy here – http://polygraph.cool/history/ – which lets you play through a visualised rundown of the US top 5 from 1956-2016, not sure where to put it but sure a lot of people on here might spend an evening playing with it. Hope we can get one for the UK top 5 too.
is so good
[…] by Tom Ewing’s “Popular” (which traces the history of UK #1 singles) and Tom Breihan’s “The Number Ones” (which […]
[…] by Tom Ewing’s “Popular” (which traces the history of UK #1 singles) and Tom Breihan’s “The Number Ones” (which […]
[…] by Tom Ewing’s “Popular” (which traces the history of UK #1 singles) and Tom Breihan’s “The Number Ones” (which […]
[…] by Tom Ewing’s “Popular” (which traces the history of UK #1 singles) and Tom Breihan’s “The Number Ones” (which […]
[…] by Tom Ewing’s “Popular” (which traces the history of UK #1 singles) and Tom Breihan’s “The Number Ones” (which […]
Is something awry with the readers’ scores? I note that Dirrty has the third (!) highest score whilst pretty much everything else posted of late is tied in last place with a score of zero. I always rather liked seeing what the Popular community rated and the extent to which that correlated with Tom’s score. Is nobody scoring tracks anymore (other then whoever gave Christina a 9) or is there something up with the system?
I suspect it’s because so many of us are locked out by the filtering system and can no longer log on to vote. Meanwhile the filtering system seems to let an assortment of bots to post
Fantastic site! Keep up the great work Tom.
Congrats on commenting on all of them except 5 :)
(6 if you count Telegram Sam, which could probably be unlocked at this stage?)