World of Chig   

7.11.02

Birthday bonanza


It may only be the 7th of November here in Blighty as I write this, but it's the 8th in Australia, which means its time to say Happy 30th Birthday to Martin; close personal friend, former colleague, and contributor to this here Number Ones Project. The #1 single when Martin was born is one of those we would all rather forget; 'Clair' by Gilbert O'Sullivan (although I'd be interested to see how many girls born in 1972 were lumbered with that). No doubt Martin will be celebrating by writing on his blog (ahem) and dancing around Darlinghurst (with the athletes currently there for the Gay Games) to some of his favourite number ones. In Martin's own words, here is his top ten:

"I have really struggled with this, given that so many bands/artists I like or used to like have never had No 1s e.g. New Order (ignoring that dodgy football song), The Smiths, REM etc. Given those restrictions, my top ten is not a very good reflection of my broader taste in music, but hey. I've sort of chosen a mixture of songs with important associations for me, those which I think are classics, and some that I just like. Looking at the list now, it looks incredibly camp... but then having reviewed the whole list of no. 1s, I realise just how much crap has reached the top of the charts!"

1. Blondie - Atomic (I thought no.1 should be a classic)
2. Madonna - Vogue (for services to feminism, queens, and popular music)
3. Pet Shop Boys - West End Girls (one of the first singles I ever bought)
4. Abba - Dancing Queen (raised on it, still enjoy it)
5. Bee Gees - Night Fever (reminds me of the Moseley Dance Centre)
6. Spiller - Groovejet (If This Ain't Love) (I think the summery vibe on this will last longer than we might expect)
7. Donna Summer - I Feel Love (another classic)
8. Michael Jackson - Billie Jean (he was good back then)
9. T Rex - Get It On (Marc Bolan is my fave glam rock star)
10. All Saints - Pure Shores (a lovely pop moment)

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