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OASIS – “Lyla”
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Popular: #1011, 28th May 2005
— 14 April 2025 Tom 5 comments

The long twilight of Oasis is reaching its end, at least in Popular terms. The 00s took them from the kings of English rock to a drab fixture and finally a running joke, bigmouths promising a return to form which never comes. This is almost the last […]

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AKON – “Lonely”
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Popular: #1010, 14th May 2005
— 4 April 2025 Tom 12 comments

This is going to be one of those annoying reviews which takes the billion-view signature hit of a highly successful artist and picks away at production choices which – objectively! – have been extremely successful. “Lonely” is not a o[…]

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Omargeddon #52: Solid State Mercenaries
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— 4 Apr 2025 Bec Comment

The Jeopardy! category is “Before and After”: ANSWER: They’ll use semiconductor technology to amass an army for hire, if the remuneration is right. QUESTION: Who are Solid State Mercenaries? Why yes, I have been sitting on that one for near[…]

About Popular

I'm writing about every UK number one single, in order. It's taken a while, it'll take a while longer. Wander around in the archives, or join in with the marvellous bunch of commenters we've managed to attract - new voices always very welcome!

Popular is funded by the generosity of my Patreon patrons. They get early posts, exclusive material, and more. You could be one of them! Index of reviews and scores so far Popular FAQ

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  2. I wonder if Noel spent the 00s stockpiling his best songs for his eventual solo album? Most of the songs…

  3. I never bought a copy of this, but it felt strangely inescapable at the time, to the point where it…

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