Put together a CDR 80 of songs that only got to #2

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1. The Pogues featuring Kirsty MacColl- Fairytale of New York
2. The Cardigans- Lovefool
3. Busta Rhymes- Fire It Up
4. Sophie Ellis Bextor- Murder On The Dancefloor
5. Deee-Lite- Groove Is In The Heart
6. Jackson 5- I Want You Back
7. M- Pop Muzik
8. Suzanne Vega vs DNA- Tom's Diner
9. Prince- Little Red Corvette
10. Heaven 17- Temptation
11. The Police- Can't Stand Losing You
12. A-Ha- Take On Me
13. The Sweet- Ballroom Blitz
14. Spandau Ballet- Gold
15. Eddy Grant- Electric Avenue
16. Sparks- This Town Ain't Big Enough (For The Both of Us)
17. Tony Christie- I Did What I Did For Maria
18. Eurythmics- Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)
19. Kim Wilde- Kids In America
20. Petula Clark- Downtown
21. Stevie Wonder- Sir Duke

Dom Passantino (Dom Passantino), Saturday, 1 May 2004 23:13 (twenty-one years ago)

That's the UK. Feel free to go crazy-go-wild with your own nation's chart, or those weird departmentalised charts they have in the states.

"Sir Duke" really doesn't sound like a #2 single.

Dom Passantino (Dom Passantino), Saturday, 1 May 2004 23:14 (twenty-one years ago)

It would be nice to live in a country where "Fairytale of New York" made it to number two...of any chart.

You scumbag, you maggot
You cheap lousy faggot
Happy Christmas your arse
I pray God it's our last

Ah...so sweet.

Evanston Wade (EWW), Sunday, 2 May 2004 01:06 (twenty-one years ago)

Creedence Clearwater Revival to thread.

earlnash, Sunday, 2 May 2004 03:00 (twenty-one years ago)

erasure - drama (or was it "stop"?)

fernando, Sunday, 2 May 2004 05:11 (twenty-one years ago)

Re "Sir Duke": it's good to be an American.

"Girls Just Want to Have Fun"
"Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me" (if only 'cause it seemed to spend all summer behind "Annie's Song," ick)
"Can't Help Falling in Love"
"Purple Rain"
"U Got the Look"

UK chart: "Penny Lane"/"SFF," "19th Nervous Breakdown," "Live to Tell," no?

Rickey Wright (Rrrickey), Sunday, 2 May 2004 05:48 (twenty-one years ago)

The Move to thread. Didn't they threaten to break up if "Blackberry Way" didn't go all the way? Which it did . . .

Rickey Wright (Rrrickey), Sunday, 2 May 2004 05:50 (twenty-one years ago)

The Cardigans record got so much play here in the U.S. that it seemed to hurt everything they did afterward . . .

Rickey Wright (Rrrickey), Sunday, 2 May 2004 05:53 (twenty-one years ago)

"Common People"!!!

Barry Bruner (Barry Bruner), Sunday, 2 May 2004 05:59 (twenty-one years ago)

"Common People" is the best argument for rewriting history ever . . .

Rickey Wright (Rrrickey), Sunday, 2 May 2004 06:21 (twenty-one years ago)

I mean, what was No. 1 that/those weeks?

Rickey Wright (Rrrickey), Sunday, 2 May 2004 06:22 (twenty-one years ago)

Oh yeah, add "Burning Love."

Rickey Wright (Rrrickey), Sunday, 2 May 2004 08:27 (twenty-one years ago)

Robson and Jerome held "Common People" off number one.

Dom Passantino (Dom Passantino), Sunday, 2 May 2004 11:02 (twenty-one years ago)

Justified And Ancient
Better The Devil You Know
MILKSHAKE

Alex in Doncaster (Alex in Doncaster), Sunday, 2 May 2004 11:15 (twenty-one years ago)

FWIW, BBC2 was advertising a holiday monday playlist of songs that peaked at #2. Their promo for it included the Darkness (I Belive In a Thing Called Love) and Dido (whatever her first single was aoff her latest album) being pipped by Black Eyed Peas last year.

gspm (gspm), Sunday, 2 May 2004 18:25 (twenty-one years ago)

Good question. Heres some I would add to the list in no paticular order

Beatles-Twist And Shout
Stones-19th Nervous Breakdown
David Bowie-Fame(#2 club play 1975)
Bob Dylan-Like A Rolling Stone

nycguy7, Sunday, 2 May 2004 22:33 (twenty-one years ago)

Actually, the one song I was pissed off at having to cut due to time restraints: "Some Girls" by Racey.

Dom Passantino (Dom Passantino), Sunday, 2 May 2004 22:36 (twenty-one years ago)

'some girls' was the biggest song of 1979 in New Zealand..

chris andrews (fraew), Monday, 3 May 2004 00:53 (twenty-one years ago)

well I guess I shoulda known by the way you parked your car sideways that it wouldn't last

uh, Monday, 3 May 2004 02:54 (twenty-one years ago)

too bad i didn't get that 'Almost Popular - #2 singles' type thing going already

mine would have 'Everybody In The Place' and 'I Wanna Give You Devotion' on it naturally, i'll have to look at everyhit again at work later and figure out the rest

stevem (blueski), Wednesday, 5 May 2004 02:42 (twenty-one years ago)

so, so many grebt songs only made No.2 in UK

there's a good site here that lists them all (hasn't been updated for six months though):
http://freespace.virgin.net/sharon.persky/uknumbertwos.htm

Going back only as far as 1980, I came up with this, um, birthday-party-themed CD80:

Altered Images - Happy Birthday
P!nk - Get The Party Started
Eminem - My Name Is
Kid Creole & The Coconuts - Annie I'm Not Your Daddy
Lipps Inc - Funky Town
Bomb The Bass - Beat Dis
Shanice - I Love Your Smile
Diana Ross - Upside Down
Kylie Minogue - Confide In Me
Supergrass - Richard III
Shut Up And Dance - Raving I'm Raving
Culture Club - The War Song
Destiny's Child - Bootylicious
Busted - Year 3000
Stardust - Music Sounds Better With You
Rachel Stevens - Sweet Dreams My LA Ex
Girls Aloud - No Good Advice
Stevie Wonder - Happy Birthday

zebedee (zebedee), Wednesday, 5 May 2004 13:51 (twenty-one years ago)

P.S. old ILE thread on similar subject:
Great Number Twos (that's the singles chart, not Chris Ofili's elephants)

zebedee (zebedee), Wednesday, 5 May 2004 13:52 (twenty-one years ago)

eight years pass...

I didn't try to include every US#2, but I did put together this anyway:
http://open.spotify.com/user/pplains/playlist/2jx6znAhsG9rC3oG7INGh0

pplains, Monday, 5 November 2012 04:46 (twelve years ago)

Madonna UK & US #2 singles

"Holiday" (UK)
"Borderline" (UK)
"Material Girl" (US)
"Crazy For You" (UK)
"Live To Tell" (UK)
"Causing A Commotion" (US)
"Express Yourself" (US)
"Cherish" (US)
"Hanky Panky" (UK)
"Justify My Love" (UK)
"I'll Remember" (US)
"Frozen" (US)
"Ray Of Light" (UK)
"Beautiful Stranger" (UK)
"American Life" (UK)
"Hollywood" (UK)

LeRooLeRoo, Monday, 5 November 2012 05:44 (twelve years ago)

seven years pass...

Been doing this for a few days.

TikTok to the (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Monday, 20 July 2020 14:31 (four years ago)

Is there actually a comprehensive list of U.S. #2s somewhere? The Billboard book is long out of print.

Get the point? Good, let's dance with nunchaku. (Eric H.), Monday, 20 July 2020 17:53 (four years ago)


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