8
May 20
The People’s Pop Poll: Day 4
These are the groups for Day 4 of the People’s Pop Poll! Obviously it contains SPOILERS for the day’s matches so if you’d prefer to be surprised read no further! As usual, these are in order from the group with the most-streamed tracks to the one with the least.
Division 1 GROUP 4:
THE CARDIGANS – “Lovefool”: Best-known single by the Swedish indiepop act who surfed the wave of Britpop. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NI6aOFI7hms
LIPPS INC. – “Funkytown”: Unrepeatable and untouchable global hit by the Minneapolis disco group. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s36eQwgPNSE
PET SHOP BOYS – “Always On My Mind”: Elvis cover that was Christmas No.1 for the synth duo, marking the height of their “Imperial Phase”. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wDe60CbIagg
SOPHIE ELLIS-BEXTOR – “Murder On The Dancefloor”: No.2 disco revival hit for the former theaudience singer in 2001. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hAx6mYeC6pY
Division 2 GROUP 4:
BARRINGTON LEVY – “Here I Come”: Title track from the dancehall veteran’s 1985 LP, since featured on multiple soundtracks, including Grand Theft Auto. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cBmklfK1gVs
CHIC – “Good Times”: Lead single from the disco maestros 1979 LP Risque, and became the backbone of “Rapper’s Delight” that same year. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Er9xGRolrT4
JAMIROQUAI – “Virtual Insanity”: 1996 megahit by behatted British funkster, famous for its scenery-shifting video. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4JkIs37a2JE
LABELLE – “Lady Marmalade”: Earthy 1974 funk/disco smash by soul trio. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t4LWIP7SAjY
Division 3 GROUP 4:
AIMEE MANN – “Save Me”: Single from the Magnolia soundtrack which became a signature solo hit for the ‘Til Tuesday singer. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6s_FG1FZteM
THE BLUE NILE – “A Walk Across The Rooftops”: Title track from the Scottish melancholists’ 1984 debut album. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qxK7AZEdVbU
THE PROCLAIMERS – “Sunshine On Leith”: Title track from the Scottish duo’s 1988 LP, and already a World Cup winner, having won the cup of Football Anthems in 2018. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZmELS03_4So
REM – “The Great Beyond”: The Athens, GA indie legends’ highest-charting UK single, from the 2001 Man In The Moon film. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k_JnCWT-_O8
Division 4 GROUP 4:
BLACKOUT CREW – “Put A Donk On It”: Boshing advice from Mancunian bouncy house outfit, from their 2009 LP Time 2 Shine. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c8ApkhtSchY
JEFF WAYNE – “Eve Of The War”: Rock-operatic adaptation of the H.G.Wells’ invasion tale, with Richard Burton providing the intro. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WsPoCMDEWeE
THE RUBBERBANDITS – “Horse Outside”: Irish comedy act’s stab at the 2010 Xmas number one, a near miss. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ljPFZrRD3J8
URBAN HYPE – “A Trip To Trumpton”: Toytown techno duo’s 1992 hit, built around the theme from rural village puppet show Trumpton. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sXYa_qklKPc
Division 5 GROUP 4:
BLACKALICIOUS – “Swan Lake”: 1994 debut single from rapper Gift Of Gab and DJ Chief XCel. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sGEkP1F-tgQ
L’TRIMM – “Cars That Go Boom”: Florida hip-hop duo Lady Tigra and Bunny D bring you a 1988 paean to the automotive low end. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pIRVDJzqD64
MEGAN THEE STALLION ft BEYONCE – “Savage (Remix)”: Hot rapper Megan Thee Stallion brought Beyonce in for this remix of her 2020 TikTok hit “Savage”. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lEIqjoO0-Bs
THE ROCK STEADY CREW – “Hey You! The Rock Steady Crew”: 1983 hit from breakdancing crew who appeared in films like Wild Style and Flashdance https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V52KxeK-KcI
Division 6 GROUP 4:
CAM’RON – “My Job”: 2009 song about the trials of working life by the New York rapper. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CNviq9qadrs
DEXYS MIDNIGHT RUNNERS – “This Is What She’s Like”: The longest song in the poll, a 12-minute epic and the lead single from the Birmingham band’s Don’t Stand Me Down. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zWvq7CnxJ2w
DJ RASHAD – “In The Club Before Eleven O’Clock”: 2007 track by Chicago producer and footwork pioneer. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8u8Cj_ZGO_Q
THE MOUNTAIN GOATS – “Andrew Eldritch Is Moving Back To Leeds”: This fantasia about the Sisters Of Mercy frontman comes from the indie veterans’ 2017 LP Goths. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KYGyC-kF06w
Results! Group 1 – Pet Shop Boys (36%) and The Cardigans (26%) went through. Not unexpectedly, as both were strong performers in previous polls – which is what linked all these four songs.
Group 2 – Chic (50%) and Labelle (23%) progressed. “Good Times” was always likely to crush anything it was put with, but it had to be put with something – sorry Johnny Nash and Jamiroquai in this case.
Group 3 – Aimee Mann (29%) and REM (27%) qualified. An intriguing group for me because I had no strong preferences at all (especially after it turned out I’d put the wrong Blue Nile song in – oops. Day 9 will remedy that.) Early on it looked like it would be a Scottish deathmatch but the group changed completely as the rest of the world voted and Aimee and REM pulled into a solid joint lead.
Group 4 – Blackout Crew (39%) and Jeff Wayne (29%) qualified. The first of two all-novelty groups in the poll, I was surprised but pleased with the surge of support for bouncy house’s finest here. Despite fervent support from some quarters, neither Urban Hype or The Rubberbandits could muster enough general approval to get the job done.
Group 5 – Rock Steady Crew (39%) and L’Trimm (24%) qualified. I wasn’t surprised Rock Steady Crew got through – it’s a very likeable track! – but was a bit surprised by how easily it dominated this group, as L’Trimm’s hit is a touchstone for me (but perhaps only in my bubble…) – both the other tracks in a strong group (Blackalicious and Megan Thee Stallion) appealed to me too in very different ways.
Group 6 – Dexys (41%) and The Mountain Goats (29%) got through. This was the last group I finalised and was pretty much an odds-and-sods of tracks I couldn’t find room for anywhere else. It ended up working fairly well, though I thought Dexys were always likely to win it on name recognition alone (the track is also fantastic, but, let’s say, takes a while to get going). I felt bad for DJ Rashad, one of the most uncompromising and exciting tracks in the poll, who I couldn’t find a more suitable slot for.