The Hangover Top 10 (Top 10 Singles)

Member Name: Daisybelle

Product:	Top 10 Singles
Date:	02/09/01 (348 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: ne ner ner ner ne ne ne

Disadvantages: .

Ever feel hung over and need to write as a diversion? Well that’s me at the moment. Think I’m getting a cold too, so be prepared for some maudlin stuff ;-) Anyway, this looked like a nice straightforward category, and as I haven’t attempted to write anything about music before, straightforward’s a good place to start. Some rules here. Haven’t included more than one track by any artist, and they aren’t in any order, apart from the No.1. I’ve tried to look at various genres, eras and nationalities, as my tastes are eclectic anyway. Notably there’s nothing from the 80’s, probably because the entire decade sucked.

MORNINGTOWN RIDE by Australian folk band THE SEEKERS is here, probably because of when it was released more than anything. It was their 4th No.1 single at Christmas 1966. This was a year before I was born, and my Mam used to sing it me as a baby. Hearing it still makes me feel safe and happy, and even teary sometimes, which are pretty good reasons for making my TT. It’s a very basic song written by Malvina Reynolds. Seeker Athol Guy found it on an album by the Limelighters, Through Children's Eyes, and they adopted it as their own. For anyone who’s not sure what I’m on about, here’s the first verse and chorus. Train whistle blowin', Makes a sleepy noise; Underneath their blankets, Go all the girls and boys. Rockin', rollin', ridin', Out along the bay, All bound for Morningtown, Many miles away. Cool or what <g>

DON’T LOOK BACK IN ANGER by Mancunian Indie poets (OK, slight hyperbole:-) OASIS shoots to Daisybelle fame not because of its lyrics, which are pretty good, but by virtue of having one of the best intros ever, and being the track that was used as the curtain call for the fantastic “Our Friends In The North”, the best TV serial of the ‘90s in my opinion. Very evocative of everything that was going on in British po
p culture in the mid 90’s, and sung every weekend by a million drunks for about 2 years, it was written by Noel Gallagher for the “(What’s The Story) Morning Glory?” album. It made No. 1 in 1996 for a week before being toppled by Take That, proving conclusively that singles did not reflect the adult zeitgeist any more.

The album version of VOICES, by British Dance trio DARIO G, is here because of its captivating beat and beautiful melodies. The use of the mandolin in it is just so appropriate, giving the track its exotic feel. It just makes me feel loved up when I hear it, for want of a better expression. The vocals are by the multi-talented French Jungle/Dance artist Vanessa Quinones, and the song, from their album “Sunmachine” found fame as part of the superb soundtrack to the 2000 film “The Beach”. It was subsequently released as a single, I’m not sure how well it did, but would be grateful if anyone could tell me so I can add it in.

70’s Supergroup ABBA had numerous hits that at the time had many peoples stomachs churning, they were the Spice Girls of the era in some respects, retro coolness has prevailed though, and you can whistle Waterloo without being reviled nowadays. For sentimental reasons I’ve chosen I DO, I DO, I DO, I DO, I DO from the 1975 Album “Abba”. Co-written by Benny, Bjorn and their manager Stig Anderson, it wasn’t a big success in the UK, and charted highest at No. 3 in Australia, where it was later revived in the wonderful P.J. Hogan 1994 film, “Muriels Wedding”. In 1997 I got married to the tune – corny and kitschy I know, but no regrets.

Anarchic Brighton punk/folk band THE LEVELLERS made a huge contribution to Indie music in the 90s, and one track I’ve played to death is from the 1991 album “Levelling The Land” It’s FAR FROM HOME, a vital, clear sounding, folksy song that was the fir
st Levellers single to make the Radio 1 play list, although it never made the Top 40. Written, as well as played, by the Levellers, who became much loved by those disillusioned with how depressingly cynical society was and is, it’s nevertheless a happy tune scattered with plucky Mandolin riffs. Great stuff.

THE DRUGS DON’T WORK was a sublime song from British band THE VERVE. Released in 1997 it appeared on their final album, Urban Hymns. Hot on the heels of the exquisite UK No2 “Bittersweet Symphony”, it hit the No1 spot on the 1st of September. Gripped in a national fever of “Killer Drug Syndrome”, it was criticised in some tabloid quarters as being about drugs, when it’s really a tear jerker about a loved one slipping away. A truly beautiful, haunting song, such a pity they didn’t stay together.

60s folk hippies THE MAMAS AND THE PAPAS had numerous successful tracks, but one of the most delightful to my mind was CREEQUE ALLEY. A folk guitar song written by John and Michelle Phillips, it showed off the harmonising abilities of the two women, Mama Cass and Michelle Phillips as well as any of their songs. Released as a single in April 1967, from their “The Mamas and The Papas Deliver” album, it was a biopic of the band that they used as a warm up at concerts, it reminds me in some ways of Arlo Guthries’ cult epic “Alice Restaurant”, although “Creeque Alley” was written first. The tale includes their eviction from the Virgin Islands by the authorities, who got sick of them dossing on the beach living an acid fuelled lifestyle. Again, I don’t know where the single charted, as it’s so difficult to find info from this far back, if anyone knows please share.

BOB DYLAN’S 1963 album “The Freewheelin Bob Dylan”, his second at the age of 22, included one of his most famous tracks, BLOWIN’ IN THE WIND. I'm fairly sure i
t wasn't released as a single by him, as he was more of a glorified pub singer back then, but the lyrics, sang in his timelessly gravelly, nasal voice, are brilliant, Bob knew what it was all about. It was covered by Peter, Paul and Mary, and made No. 2 in the US charts, which did his reputation as a writer a lot of good, and the rest, as they say, is history.

The multifaceted talent of DAVID BOWIE deserves a mention, and it’s in the form of the obvious one, ZIGGY STARDUST, from the 1972 album “The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars”. Orange haired and androgynous, he was knocking out around four albums of original work a year at this point, and managed 7 single releases that year. Released as a double A with “Jean Genie”, great its own right, it went straight in at No. 2 in the UK and remained in the charts for 13 weeks. Can’t say I’ve ever figured out the lyrics but this is simply a top piece of rock. It was later covered by Bauhaus, who didn’t dare change it apart from tweaking the tempo slightly, which is a tribute to how good a song it is.

Lastly, the winner is, and it’s an obvious one in that it was voted no.1 single of all time on Channel 4s excellent top 100 of all time charts, is IMAGINE, by JOHN LENNON. It appeared on the album of the same name in 1971 and was released as a UK single in 1975, as a double A with “Working Class Hero”, and re-released in 1988 as a double A with Jealous Guy, though in between times it topped the UK charts following his murder. I’d never heard of John Lennon until he was killed, something I find amazing in retrospect, but the words to this song always make me feel so sad that he died, because, well, listen to them if you haven't already.

Well that’s that. Hope it caused some wry smiles and brought back the odd memory or two. I suppose I sound like a bit of a smelly old hippy, looking at wh
at I’ve selected, but what the heck. Don’t know why I thought this would be a remotely easy category to write in, as it’s taken me about 5 hours to pull all the facts together, but at least the hangover’s gone. Cheers, Daisybelle.

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