Throwback Thursday: 19/01/17

1964 – I Want To Hold Your Hand by The Beatles

Fifty three years ago, Beatlemania was well and truly sweeping the nation, as the Fab Four spent one of five weeks at number one with the catchy I Want To Hold Your Hand – the previous number one had also been a Beatles tune, She Loves You. With many of the hallmarks of the group’s early, world-conquering sound, and described as “very much co-written” by McCartney and Lennon, it was the first Beatles tune to be written on four-track equipment. It was also their first number one in America as word spread about the group across the Atlantic. To date, it has sold a rather impressive 12 million copies!

1985 – I Wanna Know What Love Is by Foreigner

One of the ultimate power ballads, British-American rock band Foreigner displaced the original Band Aid’s version of Do They Know It’s Christmas? at the top of the British charts this week in 1985. It hit number one in eight different countries as thousands of music lovers shared Lou Gramm’s desire to know what love is. The song’s popularity has endured throughout the years, featuring in several films, being named one of Rolling Stone’s best 500 songs ever and even getting a Mariah Carey cover. Altogether now, “I WANNA KNOW WHAT LOVE IS, I WANT YOU TO SHOW ME…”

1998 – All Around The World by Oasis

On 18 January 1998, Oasis were a new entry to the top spot with All Around The World, taken from their polarising third album Be Here Now which had been released the year before. The song clocks in at nine minutes and thirty eight seconds, making it not only the longest Oasis tune but also the longest UK number one single ever! Embellished with lots of instrumentals and typical Gallagher “NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA” sections, building to a ‘wall of sound’ before fading away at the end, the song embodies what a lot of people both love and hate about Be Here Now as an album.

2004 – Take Me Out by Franz Ferdinand

This week in January 2004 saw Scottish group Franz Ferdinand’s Take Me Out enter at number three, the highest chart position that it achieved. To this day it remains the group’s best known track, a festival favourite and a staple of playlists at indie clubs and nights across the country. The song’s tempo changes were all recorded live, it started life as two distinct tracks (hence the drastic change when the main riff kicks in) and the song featured on the group’s self-titled debut album as part of what was a strong few years for new indie acts making their way into the charts.

2010 – Replay by IYAZ

The first of two big hits (we’ve not heard much from him since its follow up Solo) for Virgin Islands-born R&B singer IYAZ, Replay was absolutely inescapable throughout 2010. It’s easy to understand its mass appeal; typically crisp R&B vocals, a catchy melody (in my head...) and a memorable chorus line. “It’s like my iPod’s stuck on replay”, IYAZ sings yearningly, seemingly oblivious to the fact that iPods have ‘repeat’, rather than ‘replay’, functions. In keeping with the song being as 2010 as it got, there was even a version of the song featuring Flo Rida!