There are vowelsounds here undreamed-of in prior pop: “hurricaayuhn”, “hahhhihg”, “doooouuwn”, the way Jagger gulps three times at “drowned”, more desperate each one. “Jumpin’ Jack Flash&#82[…]

Girls ‘turning out to be’ underage was doubtless a very real concern for your gigging rock star of the 60s and 70s, though I suspect a don’t-ask-don’t-tell policy would be closer to the truth than Gary Puckett’s horrifie[…]

I went to a wedding at the weekend and this was their choice of first song. In that context, an occasion anyhow suffused with goodwill, it works fine. Otherwise, it’s too cloying for me – an overload of wide-eyed sincerity. Armstrong&#821[…]

Rare is the Eurovision winning country that doesn’t play safe on the follow-up. “Puppet On A String” had given Britain its first victory, and “Congratulations” keeps things unflinchingly upbeat. (It pulled in a very clos[…]

A snippy, impatient thing, “Lady Madonna” sounds compressed – not in the modern and technical sense, but everything in the song sounds like it’s squeezed in too tight, chafing against everything else like passengers stuffed on[…]

A little research on Dave Dee et al suggests they were a hard band to pin down – not a ‘manufactured’ group as we’d understand it now, but jobbing pop stars willing to turn a hand to whatever novelty their songwriters provided[…]

I find this song absolutely infuriating, but from a safe distance I can see that it gets the unselfconscious tweeness of love spot on – baby talk, fond banter, silly nicknames and all. That’s admirable, and the Ofarims are good comic acto[…]

Beginning a hot streak for mentalist bubblegum hits: I always think of this one as a children’s song, because I heard it when I was 7 or 8 and thought it was enchanting, mysterious and funny. As a grown-up I was surprised to learn it was a Bob […]

Your chance to vote on the songs you would have given 6 or more out of 10 to from 1967’s chart-toppers.

Number Ones of 1967: Which would you have given 6 or more to?
The Monkees – “I’m A Believer”
Petula Clark – “This Is My […]

I give a mark out of 10 to each track. These polls are for you to select any tracks that you would have given 6 or more to (by whatever criteria you fancy!)

Number One Hits Of 1965: Which Would You Have Given 6 Or More?
Georgie Fame […]