As I said yesterday, Chig's project to find The Blogging Community's favourite number one singles of the last fifty years, really got me thinking. I started by going through the list backwards, from the current number one, back to Darius, back to the other Pop Idol finalists. Back to when I met Marcus, to when I was going out with Roger, to when I was ill, to my holiday in Amsterdam, to coming to live in the UK, to breaking up with Pano, to going out with him, to my first gay club, to leaving home, to the boys in the showers, to high school...

...then I attacked the list from the other end. A hundred or so songs from my pre-history, from pop's pre-history. Then the year I was born, to the song my mum used to love, to the song me and Catherine Fisher used to sing hiding under the tables in infant school, to watching Top Of The Pops, to moving to South Africa, to the song I sang in a primary school revue, to high school, to the boys in the showers...

...meeting myself coming back, my memories caught up with my life.


I'm having great difficulty narrowing down my favourites to just ten. Chig wants to keep everyone's votes secret, but I don't think I'd be spoiling things too much by posting a shortlist of some of my favourite UK number one singles. Please head over to Chig and cast your vote.

Cilla Black - Anyone Who Had A Heart [1964]
Roy Orbison - It's Over [1964]
Sonny And Cher - I Got You Babe [1965]
Rolling Stones - Get Off Of My Cloud [1965]
Nancy Sinatra - These Boots Are Made For Walking [1966]
Dusty Springfield - You Don't Have To Say You Love Me [1966]
Rolling Stones - Paint It Black [1966]
Beach Boys - Good Vibrations [1966]
Union Gap - Young Girl [1968]
Marvin Gaye - I Heard It Through The Grapevine [1969]
Freda Payne - Band Of Gold [1970]
Sweet - Blockbuster [1973]
Carl Douglas - Kung Fu Fighting [1974]
Steve Harley & Cockney Rebel - Come Up And See Me [1975]
David Essex - Hold Me Close [1975]
Donna Summer - I Feel Love [1977]
Althia & Donna - Uptown Top Ranking [1978]
Blondie - Heart Of Glass [1979]
Pretenders - Brass In Pocket [1980]
Blondie - Atomic [1980]
ABBA - The Winner Takes It All [1980]
Specials - Ghost Town [1981]
Soft Cell - Tainted Love [1981]
Human League - Don't You Want Me [1981]
Jam - A Town Called Malice [1981]
Michael Jackson - Billie Jean [1983]
Frankie Goes To Hollywood - Relax [1984]
Dead Or Alive - You Spin Me Round [1985]
Madonna - Into The Groove [1985]
Pet Shop Boys - West End Girls [1986]
George Michael - A Different Corner [1986]
M/A/R/R/S - Pump Up The Volume [1987]
Madonna - Like A Prayer [1989]
Sinead O'Connor - Nothing Compares [1990]
White Town - Your Woman [1997]
No Doubt - Don't Speak [1997]
Cornershop - Brimful Of Asha [1998]
Britney Spears - Baby One More Time [1999]
S Club 7 - Don't Stop Movin' [2001]
Kylie Minogue - Can't Get You Out Of My Head [2001]