Hot Chocolate, ‘No Doubt About It’: Britain’s UFO flap year
Britain’s favourite funk band spent 1980 talking about UFOs. So did everyone else.
1990-1994
Corona, ‘The Rhythm of the Night’: When did men stop dancing?
Straight men are sometimes reluctant to get on the dancefloor. Why is that?
Shampoo, ‘Trouble’: Who was the third member of Shampoo?
Shampoo released a perfect album, changed the world, and then vanished. But who was behind their success?
Manchester United, ‘Come On You Reds’: How Man U became pop icons
Football changed drastically in the 90s, allowing people like David Beckham to become pop culture icons.
Stiltskin, ‘Inside’: The rapid rise (and rapid fall) of Stiltskin
How Inside by Stiltskin became the first original hit song from a Levi’s ad.
Crash Test Dummies, ‘Mmm Mmm Mmm Mmm’: The monster behind most novelty songs
How notorious British impresario Johnathan King helped Crash Test Dummies to an unlikely success
Hole, ‘Miss World’: What Courtney did next
Kurt Cobain died just as Courtney Love and Hole were launching Live Through This. What happened next?
Beck, ‘Loser’: How Beck emerged from NY’s antifolk scene
The lo-fi local scene that gave us Beck and many others
The Cranberries, ‘Linger’: In search of of Dolores O’Riordan
The first kiss that inspired ‘Linger’
Snoop Doggy Dogg, ‘Gin & Juice’: When Snoop terrified Britain
Britain was terrified of Snoop Doggy Dogg in 1994…until the Queen stepped in
Cher with Beavis and Butt-Head, ‘I Got You Babe’: Beavis and Butt-Head Do The Charts
When MTV hit a crossroads, two idiots helped save the network.
Pearl Jam, ‘Daughter’: Eddie Vedder and life after Kurt
Did Courtney Love really say “It should have been Eddie”?
Mr Blobby, ‘Mr Blobby’: The monsters of Saturday night
A look at the strange career of Noel Edmonds
Blind Melon, ’No Rain’: Blind Melon vs The Bee Girl
No Rain created two new celebrities. Who enjoyed it more?
M People, ‘Don’t Look Any Further’: The wonderful world of Siedah Garrett
The story of Siedah Garrrett, one of pop’s sweetest success stories.
Soul Asylum, ‘Runaway Train’: Did Runaway Train help find any missing kids?
Soul Aslyum’s video highlighted the plight of missing kids. But did they really help?
Mariah Carey, ‘Hero’: Mariah and the Mafia
Mariah Carey’s record industry ex had some shady mob connections.
Leftfield, Open Up: Johnny Rotten vs John Lydon
John Lydon’s long, painful struggle to escape from Johnny Rotten’s shadow.
Aerosmith, ‘Cryin’: Alicia Silverstone was The Aerosmith Girl and people were weird about it
Calm down everyone, she’s a teenager.
Meat Loaf, ‘I’d Do Anything For Love (But I Won’t Do That)’: What happened to Meat Loaf’s money?
It was the biggest hit of 1993. But who kept all the money?
The Lemonheads, ‘Into Your Arms’: Inside Yorkshire’s secret School of Rock
How Minsthorpe High School became England’s coolest venue.
Take That, ‘Relight My Fire’: Lulu’s long path to victory
Lulu was one of the first live acts on Top Of The Pops. It’d be decades before she appeared as Number One.
DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince, ‘Boom! Shake The Room!’: Will Smith’s career goes Boom!
Will Smith became the biggest star in the world, then it all fell apart.
Radiohead,’Creep’: The skeleton in Thom’s closet
Thom Yorke’s incel phase became a key part of music history.
Pet Shop Boys, ‘Go West’: The queer utopia of Go West
Go West started as a dream of a gay utopia. When the Pet Shop Boys covered it, that dream had been crushed by AIDS.
Nirvana, ‘Heart-Shaped Box’: Grunge gets real
The fax from Steve Albini that returned Nirvana to their punk roots.
Billy Joel, ‘River of Dreams’: Quiet quitting with Billy Joel
Our laziest superstar calls it a day
The Breeders, ‘Cannonball’: The ultimate quiet/loud song
Kim Deal escapes the gravitational pull of Frank Black.
Freddie Mercury, ‘Living On My Own’: Freddie’s fun side
Remembering Freddie’s wildest birthday party.
Daniel O’Donnell, ‘Whatever Happened to Old Fashioned Love’: The king of the Irish soft boys
The mild-mannered Irish crooner launches one of pop’s most resiliant careers.
Cypress Hill: ‘Insane In The Brain’: The N-Word goes mainstream
Mainstream rap exits its family-friendly phase.
4 Non Blondes, ‘What’s Up?’: A protest song about nothing
4 Non Blondes write the perfect anthem for mid-90s politics
Gabrielle, ‘Dreams’: The cost of chasing your dreams
Gabrielle refuses to quit until she has a hit.
Sade,’No Ordinary Love’: The golden age of Sexy Date Movies
A look back on the golden age of racy adult dramas.
Haddaway, ‘What Is Love’: Making the shareholders happy
The annoying trend of artists selling song rights.
Spin Doctors,’Two Princes’: Gen X’s trolley problem
Spin Doctors grapple with the fear of selling out.
Ace Of Base, ‘All That She Wants’: Were Ace of Base secretly Nazis?
Probably not, but let’s talk about the theory while listening to All That She Wants.
Janet Jackson, ‘That’s The Way Love Goes’: The Queen of Pop
Michael’s little sister usurps him in 90s R’n’B,
Sonia, ‘Better The Devil You Know’: Eurovision 1993, live from “a cowshed in Ireland”
The 1993 Eurovision had a chaotic start and a thrilling climax.
New Order, ‘Regret’: The fight for New Order’s name
Acrimony and legal backbiting undermine one of New Order’s biggest hits
Sub Sub, ‘Ain’t No Doubt, Ain’t No Use’: Doves’ miraculous escape from the 90s
Ain’t No Love Ain’t No Use was followed by a string of bad luck.
David Bowie, ‘Jump They Say’: The man who fell to earth
Our favourite alien learns how to live on earth
Robin S, ‘Show Me Love’: The Harper Lee of House Music
If you get it right first time, why try again?
Snow, ‘Informer’: The white rapper backlash
Snow was more street than some others, but he still fell into the white rapper trap.
Therapy?, ‘Screamager’: It’s loud up North
If the 80s were grim for Northern Ireland, the 90s were a time of hope and kickass rock music.
Shaggy, ‘Oh Carolina’: The Reggae-naissance begins
Shaggy scores the first hit in a new wave of pop-reggae.
Rage Against The Machine, ‘Killing In The Name’: What are you rebelling against?
It’s the most incendiary protest song of the 90s. But what’s it about?
Annie Lennox, ‘Love Song for a Vampire’: Old monsters die hard
The ancients story of the vampire becomes a modern metaphor for grief.
2 Unlimited, ‘No Limit’: No Lyrics, No Problem
2 Unlimited‘No Limit’ Highest UK Top 40 position:Number One on February 7, 1993 1. No no “The lyrics aren’t supposed
Duran Duran, ‘Ordinary World’: A proper Top Of The Pops
Duran Duran‘Ordinary World’ Highest UK Top 40 position:#6 on January 31, 1993 Folks, we’re getting close to 100 issues of
Arrested Development, “Mr. Wendal”: Clumsy liberalism hits the chart
A look at hamfisted songs about homelessness.
Paul McCartney, ‘Hope Of Deliverance’: Pop’s biggest conspiracy theory
You think Paul McCartney is still alive? That’s what they WANT you to think.
The Lemonheads, ‘Mrs Robinson’: Closing out a year of cover versions
Why did 1992 have so many cover versions?
WWF Superstars, ‘Slam Jam: Simon Cowell suplexes the chart
A novelty song introduces us to pop music’s ultimate heel.
Whitney Houston, ‘I Will Always Love You’: The Complete History of a Classic
Dolly Partner wrote it in an afternoon, but Whitney made it an all-conquering hit.
Charles & Eddie, ‘Would I Lie To You?’: The beginning and end of a beautiful friendship
Charles & Eddie were a beautiful story of friendship. Then they became a tale of grief.