Thirty years ago, Damon and the Blur lads won that silly battle for Number One with the Neanderthal Brothers... but lost the battle in the album charts. The Friends theme tune made it into the charts, thanks to The Rembrants. And Take That had a song called Never Forget doing the rounds... but thankfully, I've forgotten it.
Better tunes were available in the late summer of 1995...
It's hard to believe any one of those songs is thirty years old.
Here's a song from 2025, all about 1995. The Tumbling Souls are from Stornoway in the Outer Hebrides. And that's about all I know... except this one's a cracker.
I think we'll call this week pretty much unanimous, shall we, and just spend the rest of the morning sat out in the garden?
With apologies to The Connells, who were cheated out of a place on the countdown for the second week running, and Mott The Hoople who had a great lyrical offering with Saturday Gigs... although, as Charity Chic pointed out, they can enter this song again for the next five weeks.
C was the first to suggest this week's winner, but she soon found support from Lynchie, Charity Chic, Rigid Digit and Alyson. I don't think any song has ever received so many votes on this feature, and while that wouldn't always sway the judge... I have to admit, Teenage Lament '74 may well be my favourite Alice Cooper song (although I do also have a soft spot for his cheesy 80s output).
Here's something you might not know about Teenage Lament '74. (I didn't, until now.) Who sings backing vocals?
Only Ronnie Spector, Labelle, the Pointer Sisters... and Liza Minnelli. No, I'm not making that up.
I ran into my room And I fell down on my knees Well, I thought that fifteen Was gonna be a breeze I picked up my guitar To blast away the clouds But somebody in the next room yelled "You gotta turn that damned thing down!"
Will '73 be as easy to call? I doubt it. Your suggestions welcome...
We all know what Dave Grohl did after the sad death of Kurt Cobain and the end of Nirvana. Bassist Krist Novoselic was slightly less successful in maintaining a career in the music industry. His own post-Nirvana band Sweet 75 lasted one album, but it does give us an image to open this week's entry in the Hot 100...
Onto your suggestions for #75, the most popular of which was this...
A fine tune, but is it a 74 song or a 75 song? What a dilemma. It's definitely a year song. I'm not saying I won't use it next week if I get desperate... but it's not my obvious winner this week.
As well as suggesting this, Martin also offered the following. I'm not sure if any of them are in his record collection, or whether he's just resorting to google. If he does own them all, well...much respect.
Joe Nichols - Sunny & 75 (Martin told me not to youtube it. I did. I think I liked it more than he does. But then, I love cheese. Joe Nichols does seem a bit smug in the video though... but I guess I would too if I was him.)
Aaron Lewis - 75 ("Better", says Martin, "if you like that kind of thing". Aaron Lewis is the lead singer of metal band Staind, but this track is acoustic country if anything. Whisper it, but I think I enjoyed Joe Nichols more.)
Brenda and Eddie were still going steady in the summer of '75...
...and to be honest, this would have been in serious contention most other weeks. But lyrics will always be trumped by titles, if the title song is good enough. That's not to say this week's winner is better than Scenes From An Italian Restaurant, since clearly few songs are. But the selection process is very complex in this feature. I can't even begin to explain the hierarchy of it all.
Sticking with lyrics, The Swede had another T-Rex suggestion this week (Mr. Bolan is doing very well out of this feature)…
If I'm honest though, I'm not sure I get Stereolab. They're one of those bands I own music by because people in the know keep telling me I should dig them.
This, on the other hand, I love. One of the bands that rode the coat-tails of the Arctic Monkeys (they were both from Sheffield) but failed to make it out of their shadow. I still have great affection for the music they recorded before they packed it all in though.
So then... do I award week 74 to The Connells? Or do you (or I) have a better suggestion? Answers on the back of a stuck-down envelope, please...
