Dido – DJTim:E's Pop Music Journal

Tim’s Top 20 of Q1 2019

31st Mar 201931st Mar 2019Posted in Tim's Top 20Tagged 2019, Ariana Grande, Baby Spice, Charts, Dido, Emma Bunton, Gay, Gay UK, Jax Jones, Little Mix, Music, My Happy Place, Pop, pop music, Purple Disco Machine, Unperfect, Westlife, Years and YearsLeave a comment

1. WESTLIFE – HELLO MY LOVE (54 plays)
2. Little Mix- Think About Us // LM5 (40 plays)
3. Marina- Handmade Heaven // Love + Fear (38 plays)
4. Calvin Harris & Rag n Bone Man- Giant (33 plays)
5. Dido- Friends // Still On My Mind (28 plays)
6. Unperfect- Gots To Give The Girl (27 plays)
7. Jax Jones & Years and Years- Play (23 plays)
8. Adelphi Music Factory- Javelin (22 plays)
9. CamelPhat- Breathe (21 plays)
10. Avril Lavigne & Nicki Minaj- Dumb Blonde // Head Above Water (20 plays)
11. Purple Disco Machine- Body Funk (19 plays)
12. Jess Glynne- No One // Always In Between (19 plays)
13. Francis Rossi & Hannah Rickard- I Talk Too Much // We Talk Too Much (19 plays)
14. Pink- Walk Me Home // Hurts 2 B Human (18 plays)
15. Emma Bunton- Baby Please Don’t Stop // My Happy Place (17 plays)
16. Zedd & Katy Perry- 365 (15 plays)
17. Dido- Give You Up // Still On My Mind (10 plays)
18. Francis Rossi & Hannah Rickard- Maybe Tomorrow // We Talk Too Much (10 plays)
19. Ariana Grande- Break Up With Your Girlfriend // Thank U, Next (10 plays)
20. That Kid- Take It Off (10 plays)

Tim’s Top 20 Number 84

22nd Mar 201922nd Mar 2019Posted in Tim's Top 20Tagged 2019, Charts, Dido, Emma Bunton, Kylie Minogue, Little Mix, Music, Pop, pop music, Purple Disco Machine, UK, Unperfect, woman like meLeave a comment

There’s another big overhaul on this week’s chart, following a positive response to Status Quo founder, Francis Rossi, and duet partner Hannah Rickard’s new album “We Talk Too Much”. Tracks from the album, which sadly missed the top 50 this week in the UK album chart, make up a quarter of this week’s TT20.

“We Talk Too Much” is Rossi’s first new album since the death of the other face of Status Quo, Rick Parfitt, whose posthumous solo album hit the top 5 last April, and the first studio album to feature Rossi since Quo’s “Aquostic 2” in 2016, for which Rickard featured as violinist. This is how the latest team-up occurred. “We Talk Too Much” sounds like…if 80s Quo did country without the sad songs about someone’s man doing the dolly down the road’s daughter’s cousin behind her back rather than coming home for supper.

Dido’s dominance dwindles a bit this week, however she stil holds 2 spots on the chart this week, 1 of which is another track taken from the new album “Still On My Mind”. She is due to tour the world later this year.

Once again, Xenomania’s new girl group Unperfect’s debut single “Gots To Give The Girl” returns to the chart on the strength of another new batch of remixes being released, this time from the production house itself. Although the group are not quite making waves in the UK yet, they have hit Mexican radio charts and are releasing a 2nd single very soon.

At 6 and 7 are songs which sound like other big songs (but what doesn’t a lot of the time?) Rita Ora is on a 2nd song called “RIP” and this song sounds like “Tip Toe” like Jason Derulo. Daya’s “Insomnia” is like Kylie’s “Can’t Get You Out Of My Head” which is certainly no insult. Hopefully both tracks have some traction on streaming and download sites soon.

COMING SOON:

Will Young has brought out a song that sounds like a 2012 Rudimental song without the whine of Sam Smith over it.

The Lighthouse Family are back with an UPBEAT song!

Tim’s Top 20 Number 83

15th Mar 201917th Mar 2019Posted in Tim's Top 20Tagged 2019, Charts, Dido, Emma Bunton, Gay UK, Jax Jones, Little Mix, Music, Pop, pop music, Purple Disco Machine, Westlife, woman like me, Years and YearsLeave a comment

So, this week there are 5 new entries, 5 re-entries, 5 climbers and 5 droppers. This, of course, means there’s a brand new #1.

But, let’s begin by mentioning the influx of entries from Dido. She has the most entries on this week’s chart with 5 tracks, all taken from her 5th album “Still On My Mind”. The album is heading for a top 3 position on the UK album chart this week. This will be her best chart position for 11 years. A more comprehensive review of the collection will appear on this site very soon. But, from the dominance on this top 20, expect it to get a good report.

My new favourite, Purple Disco Machine, scores a 2nd number 1 in just 6 months with a freshly promoted track from his 2017 album “Soulmatic”. “Body Funk” was released as a remix EP and has enabled it to enter the chart right on top. It’ll be interesting to see whether its longevity on the chart will be an improvement on the last #1 he featured on- a remix of Jax Jones’ “Play”, which left TT20 just 2 weeks after also entering the chart on top position. The song has had a rebound this week, re-entering for a 3rd week on the list, at this week’s #17.

Benefitting from a neatly packaged EP of remixes on Spotify, Calvin Harris’ “Giant” climbs to its best chart position so far (#3) and, guess what, the New Purple One is one of the remixers. Bringing disco house shimmying into 2019, is this finally the end of listless dance music ruling the airwaves? Everything is crossed…

Bananarama were a pop force in the 80s and have managed to continue for a further 30 years by being a gay scene staple, with a sadly cheap sounding, kitsch pop style. Their only saving grace being a Buzz Junkies remix of a Three Degrees song from the 70s (“The Runner”). Reuniting with Siobhan Fahey in 2016 for a tour seems to have reinvigorated the 2-piece studio line-up. Following a false start with the horrendously reductive “Dance Music”, they’ve released a 2nd song from their forthcoming album. Making an effort to not be a dismissive bitch over the whole affair, “Stuff Like That”, which isn’t quite as offensive, has managed enough streams this week to enter TT20 at #20.

COMING SOON:

My review of Dido’s new album is due later in the week

New entries on TT20 are likely from Daya, Westlife and Rita Ora in the coming weeks. They are unlikely to come from Iggy Azalea.

Tim’s Top 20 Number 82

8th Mar 201917th Mar 2019Posted in Tim's Top 20Tagged 2019, baby, Baby Spice, Charts, Dido, Emma Bunton, Gay, Gay UK, Little Mix, mixers, Music, My Happy Place, Pop, pop music, Purple Disco Machine, spice, Spice Girls, UK, Unperfect, woman like meLeave a comment

So, 15 weeks after it was last at #1, Little Mix’s first single from “LM5” has returned to the top. “Woman Like Me” is now accompanied by 2 new mixes featuring a Nicki replacement in the form of Ms Banks and has helped with the track’s reversal in fortunes on this chart. Meanwhile, for the 2nd week in a row the group holds the most entries in a single week on this chart with 5.

Click here to read my post on the return of Emma Bunton and my ponderings over why she seems to be the favourite Spice Girl. Her first solo single in 13 years is this week’s highest new entry on TT20, straight in at 3. A new album follows in April.

Benefitting from curiosity plays of a remix package, Xenomania’s new girl group Unperfect’s debut single “Gots To Give The Girl” returns to the chart after a week out of it. Further, dancier remixes are confirmed to be released on 15 March.

I’ll be reviewing Dido’s 5th album “Still On My Mind” later in the week. The title track is the 5th song from it to enter the chart and is this week’s 2nd highest new entry, in at 8.

Last week’s returning chart-topper retreats to its lowest position within the chart so far, as Kelly Clarkson’s “Heat” drops 8.

Coming soon:

My new favourite mixmaster General, Purple Disco Machine has released a new single this week and is likely to enter highly next Friday. Also, Quo’s Francis Rossi and his new collaborater Hannah Rickard prepare the release of the album “I Talk Too Much” with a 3rd single release from it this week. Finally, the full remix collection of “Giant” has been released by Calvin Harris, so will this help the track reverse its downward trek this time next week?

Come back here next Friday to find out!

Tim’s Top 20 Number 80

23rd Feb 2019Posted in Music essay, Tim's Top 20, UncategorizedTagged 2019, Ariana Grande, Charts, Dido, Gay, Little Mix, Pop, Unperfect, WestlifeLeave a comment

So, Westlife have climbed back up to number 1 to score a 2nd week on top with their comeback single “Hello My Love”. It’s still selling and streaming exceptionally well in the UK, 2 months on from its release. It recently passed its 3-millionth stream on Spotify UK.

It seems my prediction for Avril and Nicki sticking around the top end of the chart for a while was absolute rubbish as it suffers an 8-place drop to #11. This is even more significant given this week was its full week to be streamed.

Little Mix’s presence at the Brit Awards has helped “Woman Like Me” climb for a 4th week, back into the top 5 for the first time in 12 weeks. The track is also this week’s longest-staying song on the chart.

Let’s attempt a few predictions for next week’s chart, for what its worth…

Marina will continue climbing with her earworm song “Handmade Heaven”, Kelly Clarkson will climb yet again following another remix of “Heat” being released this week. Also, I think “Woman Like Me” will climb once more following the release of its Ms Banks version and remix by Da Beatfreekz.

Tim’s Top 20 Number 78

9th Feb 2019Posted in Tim's Top 20Tagged Ariana Grande, Charts, Chemical Brothers, Dido, Gay, Gay UK, Jax Jones, Little Mix, Music, Pop, Purple Disco Machine, UK, Unperfect, Years and YearsLeave a comment

So, there’s a change at the top and it’s primarily due, not to primary artist Jax Jones, or even their collaborators Years and Years, but due to the stellar remix released a week ago by, who I hope provides the sound of 2019, Purple Disco Machine. A one-man gay night who, in recent months has already provided some much-missed sparkle to the charts with his 1st number 1 on the former Tim’s Top 10 in September 2018: “Dished”, which used the top line of Man2Man’s UK top 3 gay anthem in itself “Male Stripper”. Keep your ears out for another remix of his, released on Friday 8th Feb, this time refreshing Fatboy Slim’s number 1 hit from 1999 “Praise You”.

The Sound of 2019 is trying to be the Y2K Rebooted. Along with Purple Disco Machine, coming through is another artist providing a coat of sumptuous paint to the sounds of 20 years ago, CamelPhat, who could be mistaken for being Chicane for those who missed the fuss the first time round. “Breathe”, which scores the 2nd highest new entry on the chart this week, is currently a top 10 sales hit and is on a slow but, promising trajectory up the official UK charts.

The Chemical Brothers also had massive success in the late 90s with hits like “Hey Boy, Hey Girl” and “Let Forever Be”. They return after a break from the mainstream with something a little less daring but, maybe this is for the better, with their take on commercial disco: “Got To Keep On”. Unlucky for some, they enter TT20 at #13.

Saara Aalto has rerecorded her cover of the Frozen song “Let It Go” and released it on the back of her half-sung, half-ice-skated performance on ITV’s Dancing on Ice 2 weeks ago. This is Saara’s 5th hit on the chart following her Eurovision smash “Monsters”, Xenomania-produced #1 “My Touch”, “Domino” and “Walking on Nails”. She enters the chart this time at #19.

Coming soon to Tim’s Top 20:

Ariana Grande released her 5th album “Thank U, Next” on Friday 8th Feb. Can she score a hit that’ll topple the success of “Blazed” from last year’s “Sweetener” album?

The Brit Awards are presented on 20th February. Will anyone do an Adele and shit rings round the competition with an unexpectedly perfect performance?