My Top 500 Songs (complete!!)

funky said:
Wasn’t “Think Twice” the one with the ridiculous chart run? Or was that “The Power Of Love” ?
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Yes and yes. Think Twice took 16 weeks to reach number 1 and then spent 7 weeks on top.

But the original version of The Power of Love by Jennifer Rush took 17 weeks and then spent 5 weeks on top.

Ironically Celine Dion had recently covered The Power of Love reaching no.4 in the UK and no.1 the USA.
 
Watching Think Twice edge up the charts to a triumphant 7 week run at the top was a joy that was becoming increasingly rare by early 1995.

7 Seconds by Youssou N'Dour & Neneh Cherry also had a similar slow burn chart trajectory shortly before Celine.
 
207 Madonna - Music (2000)

Tell me this is not a red hot banger, and I'll slap you in the tits. She was still interesting in 2000, utilising the talents of Mirwais, whose track Naive Song I have posted below.

Shame about the video. Ali G aside, the cowboy hat is pretty cringe. I feel like it wasn't quite mums on a hen do yet, but god it's aged like eggs.



 
206 Culture Beat - Inside Out (1996)

Culture Beat were well into their "post-success" era. This did hit the UK top 40, but only just, helped by my good self. It appears here primarily due to the Livin Joy-esque Not Loveland Remix on the b-side.

Another I'm seeing in May (well Tania Evans anyway), and I have pre cum already.



 
205 Madonna - Frozen (1998)

I remember the expectations around this album were sky high, with regards to production and styling. There was reason to be equally cynical and excited.

Then it dropped, cynicism fell away and fans were absolutely spoiled. The introduction to a young Ag of the concept of icy ethereal soundscapes was a revelation, accompanied with the wistful, haunting vocals, beautiful strings and a video that matched every note.

A genuine masterpiece.

 
I will try to get to 201 by the end of the day. I'm really shattered today, so it's all a bit of a struggle. The write ups are very phoned in.
 
Frozen still in my Top 5 Madonna songs. I think. I probably have 12 songs in my Top 5 at any one time.
 
Agneeta said:
205 Madonna - Frozen (1998)

I remember the expectations around this album were sky high, with regards to production and styling. There was reason to be equally cynical and excited.

Then it dropped, cynicism fell away and fans were absolutely spoiled. The introduction to a young Ag of the concept of icy ethereal soundscapes was a revelation, accompanied with the wistful, haunting vocals, beautiful strings and a video that matched every note.

A genuine masterpiece.

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This is the first time I ever heard about a song leaking on the internet.
 
I remember putting the ROL album on at work in Woolies the week it came in and being very NONPLUSSED about it.

I didn’t get it. I was like, why has Madonna released a Bjork album? I nearly didn’t go back to it but the Frozen single grew on me massively so I persisted.

Now my favourite album of all time, of course.
 
funky said:
I remember putting the ROL album on at work in Woolies the week it came in and being very NONPLUSSED about it.

I didn’t get it. I was like, why has Madonna released a Bjork album? I nearly didn’t go back to it but the Frozen single grew on me massively so I persisted.

Now my favourite album of all time, of course.
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I remember being obsessed from first listen.
 
Agneeta said:
400 Mini Viva - Left My Heart In Tokyo (2009)

Who better to launch the top 400(!) than Mini Viva with a Girls Aloud reject. The team behind it were peak noughties pop and dance geniuses Fred Falke, Brian Higgins and Annie.

But what of Mini Viva? Indeed. They both still exist online, but are really rather uninteresting.

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I bought a single, debuted on my weekly Top 100 at number one. Was sure about being it a smash hit all over the world … and sadly it was only top 20 in the UK
 
204 Evelyn Thomas - High Energy (1984)

A song I vaguely knew, but never paid attention to. Everything changed when old TOTP had her on a couple of times. Pounding camp pure Hi-NRG in name and nature. What was I missing?

I was going to discuss one of writers and producers Ian Levine who was key to the British Hi-NRG movement, however I want to mention Evelyn herself, who I'm sure was a lovely person. The visual of the late Evelyn with terrible 80s make up and fashion, performing with a perma-grin is a video I want played at my funeral.

 
203 Adele - Hometown Glory (2008)

Ok, first things first - I have no interest in the original. It's nice, but I've barely played it. What I was interested in is the High Contrast, stunning DnB remix. Introduced to me on Christmas Day 2009 by my friend who was sharing the day with me and a whole lot of ketamine.

 
202 Dannii Minogue - Disremembrance (1997)

The first Dannii track on the list and nowhere near the last. In the middle 90s Dannii was cooler, sexier and a bigger chart force than Kylie. Sadly this wasn't the smash the should have been. The previous single All I Wanna Do was lovely early trance style track about, well lust. This was a far more ethereal moment about about remembering?

You could drop this in a gay club today and the kids wouldn't have a clue this icy sad bop was almost thirty years old.

Comparisons between Dannii and William Shakespeare for creating words are absolutely fair.

 
I love post like this. It’s all about charts charts charts. I have been making my weekly top 100 every Friday since March 1986. A lot of memories also with the songs u present here! Remember myself watching UK Top 40 on good old MTV Europe. The strange chart run for Think twice made this song present in my personal top 100 for many weeks ( that was a grower). Left my heart in Tokyo, Je t’adore, Pour que t m’aimes encore, voyage voyage, verona, turn it into love, losing you, wildest moments etc were all huge hits in my list.
Confide in me was 28 weeks at number 1, with every heartbeat by Robyn - 26.
I don’t care about charts anymore (uk, us etc) but love seeing the chart like yours . Great songs included.
My weekly top 100 this week is so Scandinavian :
1 3 6 talk to me - Robyn
2 5 6 sexistential - Robyn
3 8 14 dopamine - Robyn
4 5 5 trigger - Agnes
5 1 3 iconic - A*Teens
 
Agneeta said:
202 Dannii Minogue - Disremembrance (1997)

The first Dannii track on the list and nowhere near the last. In the middle 90s Dannii was cooler, sexier and a bigger chart force than Kylie. Sadly this wasn't the smash the should have been. The previous single All I Wanna Do was lovely early trance style track about, well lust. This was a far more ethereal moment about about remembering?

You could drop this in a gay club today and the kids wouldn't have a clue this icy sad bop was almost thirty years old.

Comparisons between Dannii and William Shakespeare for creating words are absolutely fair.

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My favourite track by her!
 
201 Caroline Polachek - So Hot You're Hurting My Feelings (2019)

Rounding up the 300-201 section, it's the highly under-rated but fantastic singer Caroline Polachek with her most popular song.

Absolutely leaning into internet hyperbole, with that stunning vocal, that works as well as the original or the A.G. Cook remix.



 
250-201

201. So Hot You're Hurting My Feelings – Caroline Polachek
202. Disremembrance – Dannii Minogue
203. Hometown Glory – Adele
204. High Energy – Evelyn Thomas
205. Frozen – Madonna
206. Inside Out – Culture Beat
207. Music – Madonna
208. Dreams – Fleetwood Mac
209. Think Twice – Celine Dion
210. All the Things She Said – t.A.T.u.

211. Get-a-Way – Maxx
212. Maria – Blondie
213. Only Girl (In the World) – Rihanna
214. Dreams – Gabrielle
215. Living On My Own – Freddie Mercury
216. Smells Like Teen Spirit – Nirvana
217. Mysterious Times – Sash!
218. Bizarre Love Triangle – New Order
219. Stop Me From Falling – Kylie Minogue
220. Seasons (Waiting On You) – Future Islands

221. Turn It Into Love – Kylie Minogue
222. True Faith – New Order
223. Never Give Up On You – Lucie Jones
224. Gimme More – Britney Spears
225. Dance Your Pain Away – Agnetha Fältskog
226. The Power of Love – Frankie Goes to Hollywood
227. You'll Never Stop Me From Loving You – Sonia
228. Born This Way – Lady Gaga
229. Knowing Me Knowing You – ABBA
230. Dirty Talk – Wynter Gordon

231. Heat Waves – Glass Animals
232. Murder on the Dancefloor – Sophie Ellis-Bextor
233. I Wanna Dance With Somebody – Whitney Houston
234. Toxic – Britney Spears
235. Heartworms – The Shins
236. One More Time – Daft Punk
237. Wildest Moments – Jessie Ware
238. Don't Give Up – Chicane
239. Call Me Maybe – Carly Rae Jepsen
240. Désenchantée – Kate Ryan

241. Say Hello Wave Goodbye – Soft Cell
242. Lovefool – The Cardigans
243. Obsessed – Mariah Carey
244. Angeleyes – ABBA
245. The Visitors – ABBA
246. Remember To Forget Me – Sonikku
247. Only Time – Enya
248. Bleeding Love – Leona Lewis
249. Sweet Dreams (Are Made Of This) – Eurythmics
250. It's A Sin – Pet Shop Boys
 
Shame it's not the full performance where she walks down the spiral platform thing, but I always liked this, which has vanished off the net almost as often as Hakuna "these people are just like us, but with more flies" Matata.



Also key Disremembrance promo is sulking at Richard Medley on This Morning.
 
200 Liza Minnelli - Losing My Mind (1989)

Back after the weekend and starting off the top 200, one of campest pieces of art ever produced.

Sondheim meets Pet Shop Boys meets one of humanity's 10 most ridiculous human beings. It was doomed to be a hit, back when the charts were more permissive.

The melodrama of it all, is absolutely obsessive. Of course the whole Results album is packed with delicious nibbles for theatrical/ sensitive types.

See the Love Pains TOTP performance, which was never broadcast, but obviously expected to be a hit.





 
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199 Vargas & Lagola - Selfish (2018)

My one ASFM entry that I genuinely believe was robbed. They're of good Swedish pop pedigree, one is married to Agnes and his father is Melodifestivalen and Eurovision legend Roger Pontare. They're both behind tracks recorded by Agnes, Lady Gaga and PRETTYMUCH (@dUb)

 
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198 Soul II Soul - Back To Life (1989)

@funky get yourself back here right now.

Talk about setting a scene, dropping a mandate and having a megahit. I'm sure I can't do it justice or say anything a thousand talking head shows or Guardian articles haven't said already. I still here it on the radio and out and about, covered at gigs etc and it still sounds as fresh now as it did to my young ears, 37 years ago(!)

 
197 Kylie Minogue - Speakerphone (2007)

Kylie has a glittery wheelbarrow full of songs that should have been singles. And this sits up there with Your Disco Needs You and Turn It Into Love.

It really should not work in any way, but Kylie has played with so many genres that electronic funk came easily to her. It was basically a Blackout track, talk about choices.

 
196 Girls Aloud - Sound of the Underground (2002)

What a moment in pop. I am fairly sure Girls Aloud are among the most beloved pop acts for millennials, and yet their origin story never suggested they would be much more than a hit single.

I never watched Pop Stars: The Rivals, so don't have that connection with their formation, however when this dropped their was a collective gasp and a nation reached for their cash and trotted along to HMV. I refuse to believe that Louis Walsh genuinely had anything to do with this, he is after all a man with so little imagination or as we now know no human decency either.

The credit must go to Xenomania, who really broke through here (imagine breaking through five years after producing Believe!). It's still remarkable that they had the foresight to give a girl band who just won a reality show a drum n bass, electro, rock pop track which then steamedrolled itself to no.1 and one of pop's greatest relationships was born.

 
Agneeta said:
246 Sonikku - Remember To Forget Me (2020)

I'm not sure who anyone involved is, or how it came into my consciousness. It's typical early 20s queer 80s synth pop.

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Weirdly, I have a bunch of pre-this Sonikku including an EP on Lobster Theremin which is inspired by Final Fantasy “field music”.
 
194 George Michael - Fastlove (1996)

I came out the summer of the Older project. It can't be a coincidence, because this analogue hook up anthem, a fabulous disco bop was top of the charts just weeks before.

The Patricia Rushen sample does some of the heavy lifting, but George really goes to work narrating nights of endless pleasure, with a nod to the loss of his boyfriend.

A genuinely huge track, even went top 10 in the USA. Make this the national anthem.

 
193 Sash!, La Trec - Stay (1997)

I had a dream last night.

If you don't respond to this sentence with "and you were there" we can't hang out.

Thinking about what La Trec did to deserve a Wiki link that links back this song. Hopefully she's not in the files.

 
Agneeta said:
194 George Michael - Fastlove (1996)

I came out the summer of the Older project. It can't be a coincidence, because this analogue hook up anthem, a fabulous disco bop was top of the charts just weeks before.

The Patricia Rushen sample does some of the heavy lifting, but George really goes to work narrating nights of endless pleasure, with a nod to the loss of his boyfriend.

A genuinely huge track, even went top 10 in the USA. Make this the national anthem.

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Perfection
 
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