UK number ones of 1996

voted mark morrison

Dunblane - Knockin' On Heaven's Door

happily repressed the memory of this. the song.

xp. ditto

earth song was 1995 christmas no. 1 iirc

Yeah, it was... but it stayed at No. 1 through January.

feeling lots of love for "Fastlove," despite Adele.

But the Spice Girls, however...

that Dunblane song sounds like something that crossed over from the Brasseye universe. I honestly can't remember it tbh.

yeah i should've added that wasnt a correction, just something notable because of the cultural importance and sheer volume of sales it got (michael jackson's best selling single in the uk when it wasn't even released as a single in the US)

that Dunblane song sounds like something that crossed over from the Brasseye universe. I honestly can't remember it tbh.

― calzino, Tuesday, February 21, 2017 1:08 PM (eighteen seconds ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

yes, pure chris morris. i also genuinely don't remember it

I can't decide between 'Fastlove' and '2 Become 1' - I adored the shit out of both at the time and still do. 'Ready or Not' still sounds superb.

I remember when that Babylon Zoo track was released a single that many were disappointed because the whole song wasn't like the chipmunk intro, which was the bit that featured on a jeans advert. One guy I knew confessed to buying the cassette single and playing the whole thing with the hi-speed dubbing feature on his tape deck.

Jas Mann has some pretty good "pictures of famous people you never expected to see together" pictures on his twitter feed

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/BJFPbN_CIAAgkHn.jpg

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/BJFPSmGCAAARkU3.jpg

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/BJFPDL6CMAAI2bQ.jpg

Always loved "Return of the Mack", not just cuz it's a great tune but also because I love songs that imply a comeback when in fact it's one of their first singles. See also: "Backstreet's Back" which begins with that awesome "OH MY GOD we're back again" even though it was the first time I ever heard them on the radio.

wasn't that his first single after getting out of jail?

The only song that comes close to 'Wannabe' here has David Baddiel on it

Return of the mack all day, every day

i reckon it'll be return of the mack v wannabe

Voted for Fastlove. Probably my favourite number one single of the 90s.

Ready or Not, 2 Become 1, Say You'll Be There and Return of the Mack are all classics too.

Fugees pretty easily, of the ones I know.

Spice Girls "Say You'll Be There", mostly for the video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9ro0FW9Qt-4

Gary Barlow had a solo career even that far back?

mark owens first hit was 96 too

ah, yeah, I had a soft spot for "Say You'll Be There" at the time.
It reminded me of... Stevie Wonder (and not only because of the harmonica) !
some of these songs bring back nice memories of 1996.

Fastlove. Firestarter close second.

Setting Sun, duh

In case y'all haven't heard the acapella version of "Return of the Mack", it is incredible

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JGV8jAI03bI

re spice girls : thats a helluva triple whammy to open with.
had forgotten how much i love(d) 'say you'll be there'

yeah, it's their best song by far imo.
"Wannabe" is fun but a bit silly and I've never liked "2 become 1".

Return of the Mack a very close second to Wannabe for me.

That's a great acapella!

In retrospect, Setting Sun is better than both the Prodge tunes.

At the time, "Setting Sun" was better than the Prodigy tunes!

ranked.

The Fugees - Ready or Not
Spice Girls - Say You'll Be There
Spice Girls - 2 Become 1
Spice Girls - Wannabe
The Prodigy - Breathe

^^^10/10 classics

The Fugees - Killing Me Softly
Mark Morrison - Return of the Mack

^^^really great songs

George Michael - Fastlove
Gina G - Ooh Aah... Just a Little Bit
The Prodigy - Firestarter

^^^actively enjoyable

Michael Jackson - Earth Song
The Chemical Brothers - Setting Sun
George Michael - Jesus to a Child

^^^not actively unenjoyable

Deep Blue Something - Breakfast at Tiffany's
Take That - How Deep Is Your Love
Babylon Zoo - Spaceman
Peter Andre - Flava
Robson & Jerome - What Becomes of the Brokenhearted

^^^really bad

Gary Barlow - Forever Love
Boyzone - Words
Peter Andre - I Feel You
Boyzone - A Different Beat
Dunblane - Knockin' On Heaven's Door

^^^not the slightest memory of or inclination to rectify this but certainly better than

Oasis - Don't Look Back In Anger
The Lightning Seeds - Three Lions

^^^two of the worst songs ever committed to record, everyone involved in the creation or the buying of either should be shot

Jesus To A Child the longest song in recording history iirc

I'm listening to Peter Andre's "I Feel You" and it is making me long for the hard-hitting punch of Color Me Badd

in retrospect "Setting Sun" was kind of the logical endpoint for Big Beat. obviously it kept up a few more years but "Setting Sun" was so loud and in-yer-face that it almost comes off as a parody of the genre now. great tune though.

voted for Britpop classic "Three Lions"

Gary Barlow had a solo career even that far back?

― kinder, Wednesday, February 22, 2017 1:53 PM (three hours ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

Well, 'Forever Love' was his debut solo single - it reached #1 pretty much due to the huge fanbase that Take That had at the time, but as a song it really wasn't much cop. It was a bit of an attempt at a "mature" ballad but the end result was completely unmemorable. That Robbie ended up having greater success was no surprise at the time.

In retrospect, Setting Sun is better than both the Prodge tunes.
― chap, Wednesday, February 22, 2017 2:53 PM (two hours ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

At the time, "Setting Sun" was better than the Prodigy tunes!
― ornate orchestral arrangements (DJP), Wednesday, February 22, 2017 3:10 PM (two hours ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

Urgh, no!

I've softened on "Jesus to a Child," whose will to sadness ("I will take as long as I please to feel as sad as possible") gets steadily impressive. also, it's pretty

http://freakytrigger.co.uk/popular/2013/08/george-michael-jesus-to-a-child/

Would have voted "Setting Sun" but mmm didn't like it enough. 'Let forever be' was better..

'Say you'll be there" nearly got mine.

Went "Firestarter"

lol This list is shockingly good. UK #1s are usually bad.

Would have voted "Setting Sun" but mmm didn't like it enough. 'Let forever be' was better..

christ no

I, too, prefer 'Let Forever Be' over 'Setting Sun' ...

I love the string arrangement on '2 Become 1'

'Forever Love' has to be a contender for least-memorable #1 single of all time.

It was an eagerly anticipated track, too... a lot of people were waiting to see what the guys in Take That would do next.

Think my top 3 would be Setting Sun/Ready or Not/Fastlove

Loved both Prodigy singles at the time but they haven't held up well. Overexposure maybe.

'Breathe' and 'Firestarter' are still excellent, IMO, and both have aged well. I have heard them too much, though.

Man, y'all like the Spice Girls too much.

you like Cleveland too much

Was reading about mark morrison's various convictions which is a long tale of one bad decision after another, but this one thing is so wtf:

He was convicted of affray for his part in a brawl resulting in one fatality and sentenced to community service.[3] Morrison later was incarcerated in Wormwood Scrubs for a year for paying a lookalike to perform his court-appointed community service in his stead, while Morrison himself went on tour.[3][7]

did the lookalike go on tour while he spent the year in jail?

"2 become 1" is my favorite spice girls song, also my vote for this poll

I found Firestarter extremely annoying at the time (still do) but Breathe is unstoppable, they walked a thin line.

I'm surprised that these are almost all local British artists though, were the UK charts always like this?

Bit more Euro(dance)-friendly in the early 90s

Gina G. Motiv-8 was on an amazing trajectory in 1997 - great remixes for the Petshop Boys, St Etienne, Dubstar and others. Still love that sound.

xps tbf 2/3 isn't really "almost all"

Yeah, with Mark Morrison, I mostly seem to remember 'Return of the Mack' being everywhere, then hearing the follow-up single a couple of times, then a zillion column inches about his other activities.

Gina G - Ooh Aah... Just a Little Bit
^^hehe I remember this one

say you'll be there is probably my fav spice girl tune, but voted 2 become 1 since it seems to have a chance in this poll (and it's a beautiful song)

I fucking love the production on 'Ready or Not'

Automatic thread bump. This poll is closing tomorrow.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jXZGw7a4NrQ

I'm listening to Peter Andre's "I Feel You" and it is making me long for the hard-hitting punch of Color Me Badd

― ornate orchestral arrangements (DJP), Wednesday, February 22, 2017 3:21 PM (six days ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

This is actually the one track here that I had no memory of, so quickly had to pull it up on Youtube to try and jog my memory... but no, I really can't recall ever hearing it even at the time.

Return of the Mack is the one that sounds the least outdated in here. Also the most fun of these.

Automatic thread bump. This poll's results are now in.

There are, apparently, three Deep Blue Something fans lurking among us.

justice is served

The eternal return of the mack