Hits 21 - 1994 (6): The Race for Christmas Number 1

Episode Date: June 20, 2025

Email: [e-mail]: https://x.com/Hits21UK

Hits 21 It's 20. Hi there everyone and welcome back to Hits 21 The 90s where me, Rob, me, Father Christmas and me, the other one, are looking back at every single UK number one of the 1990s if you want to get in touch with us, please do hits 21 podcast at gmail.com And I've also resurrected the Twitter account as well. That's at hits 21 UK thank you ever so much for joining us again. We are currently looking back at the year 1994 It's our last episode of 94 though because we'll be covering the race for Christmas number one in 1994. Last week the poll winner, there was only two to pick from but Baby D managed to sneak away on the polls, so well done there. So it's time to press on with this week's episode, as always, not a lot happening around Christmas, so pretty quiet on the news front there. Andy, is all of the UK album charts business done

for 94? Yes, we have shut-up shop for this year. Busy years are coming 95, but for now you've got Christmas off from the album charts, yep. So Ed, the US charts and the year review for 94. How's everything going there? The 10th of December to Christmas Eve. Ooh. With the Billboard number one albums. It's two weeks of placeboid honking with Kenny G

and Miracles, the holiday album takes the stage, which would return on the 31st of December to be the last number one album of 1994. However, dominating the Saviors Day itself with po-faced grunge-adjacent yarling, it's Pearl Jam with Vitalogy. The singles similarly book-ended, our Christmas number one sits hemmed in by crouching boys to men who continue to make more cushion disingenuous gestures of deference to about seven million women at a time as on bended knee takes over from is it okay if I sit here and let me help you with that. There are two weeks at the top though, amidst all this billing and cooing bullcrap, where our Christmas number one stands up and says enough

is enough, I'm not fucking you and you're not gonna, you're gonna do your back in with accents like that. But what is it? What is the number one? We will find out very shortly. But first of all, let's look at the whole year of albums, all of them, well not all of them, 11 really. Best selling US albums of 1994. I include number 11 because it's usually weirdly interesting. So at number 11, and it does surprise me to see this

doing that much business, YAYAYAYAYA, it's pretty fly for some proto-skater punk Californians, as Smash by The Offspring sells 12 million copies. That's early! Yeah, it's a bit like Green Day, their trajectory, two indie albums that sold about 50 copies each, and then a massive smash hit. First band I ever actually paid tickets to go and see live. The offspring were the very first I actually went

to go and see of my own accord. At number 10, selling a fractionally more thanks to the undeniably dulcet, husky tones and unharried guitar work of Dave Gilmore, is The Division Bell by Pink Floyd. At number nine, it's only Courtney Love's Husband's Band. They turn a load of stuff off on MTV Unplugged in New York, which sold nearly 13 million copies. Number eight, Oh Boy! Oh Men! And Twice! and twice. Boys to Men sell 14 million copies of horizontal lethargic listless

sophomore classic 2. At number 7, fuck an Irish group out does Boys to Men and Courtney Love's Husband's band and it isn't you two. No need to argue with the Cranberries in your head and exceeding 14 million units. It's pretty bloody impressive, didn't know they were ever that big in the States. Number six, climbing to the big leagues and breaking into the mainstream. It's crazy sexy cool by tables, ladders and chairs. Before, number five, a moment of true pride for the Lion King soundtrack, which rolls to the top of the US charts for the tune of 14 and a half million copies. And I'm not lion. Number four, sneaking into the top five just before Christmas.

And just before anyone notices, there's only one song anyone knows of it. It's Christmas by Mariah Carey. Or that song and an inedible metal donut. 15 million for the floral coral queen and her spooky throat machine. And number three, I don't care, it's Bon Jovi. At number two, do you have the time

to listen to the story of Our Lord and Savior, that that guy from Green Day, it's Dookie, looking flukie at 20 million copies sold. And at number one, the band a generation of young Brits thought was made up for a sitcom it's Hootie and the Blowfish and the Blowfish selling at 22 million copies of Cracked Rearview featuring the hits and right now finally you've been very good you've suffered through my stumbling, my bad puns, my attempts at self-deprecation, even though I know I am brilliant.

It's the Christmas Top 10 Singles, the Billboard US Top 10 Singles, no less. At number 10, Black Stre's black blal right? Bliv- I'm not even going to fucking continue that joke. It's Black Street, alright, they're at number 10. Remember them, they did the thing with the what's it. Right, number 9, Madonna's secret is in at number 9. And Sheersmith and Pemberton are trying to work out what the spooky fuck it is. At number eight, you want this apparently, at least according to Janet Jackson. At number seven, Brandy, the cause of and solution to all life's problems,

ends the pretense with, I wanna be down. At number six, it's boys to fucking men. At number five, they are creep, they are weirdo. What the hell are they doing here? They won't be long here though, it's TLC. At number four, I want a New Jersey hair metal hangover singing above his register for about five and a half minutes. A very torpid balladeering.

Wow, thanks, it's Bon Jovi with always! At number three, wow! Even the Americans liked this and this genuinely does shock me. Maybe they thought it was funny. It's the generic bordering on parodic Eurobeat strains of Another Night by the Real McCoy. At number two, Oh Fuck Off, Bending Now It's Boys to Men again. And at number one, the Christmas number one in America in 1994, it's a one hit wonder and a pronounced change of pace

for Hit Guns the Hot Stepper by Inika Mozi who would soon step off the hotness at a rate of knots but for now, he leaves a pretty indelible sort of hip-hop thingy song I've run out of notes, Rob, save me So Andy, Christmas 94, what's on telly? Yes, yet another TV Christmas. Say yet another though, it's actually Rob's first TV Christmas, in fact. It is, yeah.

Although I am sure you won't remember it being six months old. And pleasantly enough, for me at least, certainly I imagine for Ed, but sort of for me, we're getting into the sort of era where my first memories of TV lie. I mean, I can't remember this period, but give it another year or two and I will. And we'll be really getting into the sweet spot for my childhood. But going through this, I just noticed particularly the early morning schedules

really started to ring true with me. I saw Play Days, Williams Wish Wellingtons, Live and Kicking, Pingu, The Animals of Farthing Wood and Brom, all on the same morning from one of these days. We're getting into the good stuff. Pingu. Be prepared are Farthing Wood and Brom all on the same morning. Oh wow. From one of these days. We're getting into the good stuff.

Pingu. Be prepared for a couple years time. Pingu for life. What a show. And it's aged beautifully I think. Absolutely. Yeah. But as for what the adults were watching.

Well as usual we'll start with BBC One and for Christmas night they lead with a special of One Foot in the Grave followed by a Victoria Wood variety special we've had a few of those now and then taking us through to bedtime after the Victoria Wood show is a repeat of the 1971 Morecambe and Wise special that is the one with Andre Preview as they say. However in retrospect by far the biggest thing the BBC did in Christmas 1994, still beloved to this day, aired at tea time. It was of course the premiere of Wallace and Gromit, The Wrong Trousers. Ooh.

Exactly 30 years later, to the day, Wallace and Gromit, Murder Most Foul, would be broadcast on BBC One. Aww, isn't that nice? It is and I just I've just had a slightly terrible realization. I have seen a grand day out about 45 times. I've seen a close shave about 20 times. I don't think I've ever seen the wrong trousers. Oh wow! That would be great for you then. Yeah I don't know how but it's a bit like I managed to completely avoid I think I've ever seen the wrong trousers. Oh wow! That would be great for you then. Yeah, I don't know how, but it's a bit like I managed to completely avoid hearing

let it go from Frozen for two years. Murder Most Foul was great by the way. I don't know if you've ever commented on that since it's been broadcast. Murder Most Foul was really good. I've not seen that either. I need to catch up, I need to catch up. Well you'll need to watch the wrong trousers first.

I do? Oh yeah, I've realised there's a little bit of toy in there, haven't there? Over to ITV and can I get a massive whoop and a cheer please because at last they're not throwing out movies, they're actually making TV! Ooooooooh! Blind Date senses the night with a lot a lot of singles looking for love. Oh, bring back the movies for fuck's sake!

Hosted of course by Arsilla, freshly de-honked from her album Silla's World, which is a sort of Songs in the Key of Silla style project that came out the year before this that Lizzie got us all obsessed with. It's a big time for Silla, the 90s, we'll be talking about her again over the years I'm sure. Anyway, that's followed up by an hour of heartbeat. And then, taking us into nighttime, well taking us into bedtime basically, is Robin Williams in the wild with dolphins. Yes that's the Robin Williams who is at his absolute peak right around this time. Like mid-90s getting Robin Williams to do a show that seemed to be just for ITV from what I

can see. Quite an impressive thing to get for Christmas Day. Over to the battle of the movies and it's a bit different this year because they're on at very different times, they didn't go head to head but there's still a clear tent pole film for each channel at a time where there's going to be loads of audiences watching and they've cleared the decks for it so we'll still compare the two. And BBC normally wins this easily I've found, we always go with BBC's choice, but I think ITV has pipped it this year. It's very relevant to Hits 21 as far as BBC is concerned because they've got the TV premiere of Robin Hood Prince of Thieves, which of course gave us everything I do, I do it for you, do, do, do, do, do, back in 1991. ITV though go for

a classic. They go for Mary Poppins for their big Christmas film and I should say that Mary Poppins is my husband's absolute number one Christmas choice he never ever lets Christmas go without watching it and weeping along to feed the birds and this big Christmas Day TV appearance for it in primetime comes five weeks after he was born on his very first Christmas. Isn't that nice? So I'm biased obviously but I think this is very easy Robin Hood versus Mary Poppins who would win? Not in an actual fight that Mary would win that hands down but who would win? Robin Hood Prince of Thieves versus Mary Poppins. Who are you going for? Oh Mary Poppins. Yeah it's not even the normal

thing I gravitate towards but yeah probably Mary Poppins, easy. Yeah, it's not even the normal thing I gravitate towards, but yeah, probably Mary Poppins, aye. Pretty straightforward, that one. Into Soap Land we venture now, and on EastEnders it's a typically cheery Yule tide as Sharon assigns her divorce papers, leaves Grant Mitchell and departs the square. Temporarily, of course, as she's still around in 2025, they just can't shake her. On Corrie, it's an iconic Christmas moment that I know very well actually, I've seen it on clip shows and the like a million times, as Kelly Watts

buys Raquel a star for Christmas and they look out to spot the star in the sky, it's very sweet actually. And on Emmerdale several characters pay their respects to the recently killed off Archie Brooks and the first American character appears in Emmerdale this Christmas as well. The Queen reflected on the importance of peacemaking and post-war efforts both past and present, bigging up her own state visit to Russia while also celebrating the 50th anniversary of the D-Day landings, and interestingly enough she emphasises the importance of continuing to commemorate these events long into the future,

quite eerily seeming to predict the possibility that British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak would of course partly skip the 80th anniversary commemorations 30 years later. So yes, she did seem to have a point there. So props to her for that one. Despite proving the existence of her inherent genetic psychic powers, the Queen chooses not to use her speech to share the week's lottery numbers, tell us what was in the hatch in Lost, or save Diana. Finally, you may remember last time that I noticed I've been neglecting Channel 4 a bit, who really, they just, I'm kind of obsessed now with Channel 4 at Christmas because they put out some spectacularly random and inventive things to really just aggressively counter-program against the usual fare in these days always give you

something genuinely different and this year we've got some more gems so nearly three hours right through the prime time of Christmas day are giving to a showing of the Piccini opera Turrando, airing directly against EastEnders and Blind 8. The full opera. The whole thing. Well, credit to them for going off-piste with that. Yeah. On Boxing Day they air a three-hour reminiscence package thing about people's memories of the

moon landing which was celebrating its 25 year anniversary at that time. And perhaps I should have included Channel 4 in our film showdown because right up against Mary Poppins and Robin Hood Prince of Thieves, what do they put up? Well of course it's 1921 classic The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse. Wow, okay. What a Christmas for them. What a Christmas, yeah. So whether it's Cockney actors pretending to divorce each other,

American actors pretending to be Cockneys, massive operas, biblical epics, or Scouse TV hosts who could gnaw open the gates of Fort Knox in one good bite, this Christmas has everything for you. Ho, ho, ho. Thank you both very much for that little rundown there. Obviously we would normally be doing the toys and games stuff, but it's a little harder to come by data from more than 30 years ago. Although it seems that some magazines were predicting Power Rangers to be the biggest toy of 94.

Don't know if that actually turned out to be the case, but I noticed that the predicted ninth biggest selling toy of the year according to Harrods or something was a model of Butthead from Beavis and Butthead which I thought was quite funny. So that means that it's now time for the Christmas Day top 10 from 1994. Now of course our previous episode only went up to December 3rd, so whatever gets number 1 at Christmas was there for a while, but I'll cover that over the next few minutes. So at 10 he might have all the time in the world, but Louis Armstrong's time in the top 10 is hanging by a thread. He's down 3 places this week. The Mighty Morphin Power Rangers are down 5 places this week from number four with the Power Rangers anthem at number nine. At eight, Zig and Zag are neither zigging nor zagging. They are a non-mover this week with them girls, them girls.

I owned that. Simon Cowell's first signing, Zig and Zag. His crocodile shoes have been in the top ten for six weeks, but Jimmy can't nail down a place in the top 5 this week. He's at number 7. At 6 it's another dropper, one place from number 5, but Celine Dion's fans might be about to think twice as to whether it's time on the chart is done yet. And into the Christmas 94 top 5. We finally have a climber up two places. Where did it come from? Where did it go? At 5, it's Rednecks with Cotton Eye Joe. At 4, Boyzona down one place, and

coincidentally, one is the least amount of reasons that Ronan and Co will accept for love. Into the top 3, and we have a brand new entry from Oasis but it's too short of the main prize. Maybe the skies really don't want to snow this Christmas for whatever. And at number two, it's not the last we'll see of this song, it's Mariah Carey telling us that all she wants for Christmas is you, which means that at number one on Christmas Day in 94, it was... THIS! Baby, if you've got to go away Don't think I it's the final kiss Or would you stay another day? Don't you know we've come too far now

Just to go and try to throw it all away But you know we've come too far now Just to go and try to throw it all away Thought I heard you say you love me That your love was gonna be here to stay I've only just begun to know you All I can say is won't you stay just one more day Baby, I've got to go away Don't think I could take the pain Won't you stay another day?

Oh, don't leave me alone like this Don't you say it's the final kiss Won't you stay another day? I touch your face while you are sleeping and hold your head Don't understand what's going on Good times we had returned to haunt me Though it's for you, all that I do seems to be wrong Baby, if you've got to go away Don't think I could take the pain

Won't you stay another day? Won't you stay another day? Oh, don't leave me alone like this Don't you say it's the final kiss Won't you stay another day? Baby, if you've got to go away Don't think I could save the day Won't you stay another day Oh girl, we need one like this

Don't you say it's the final kiss, don't you stay another day Maybe you're going to go away, I think you can take the mistake Won't you stay another day? Won't you stay another day? Won't you stay another day? Won't you stay another day? Won't you stay another day? Won't you stay another day? Won't you stay another day?

Won't you stay another day? Won't you stay another day? Okay, this is Stay Another Day by East 17. Released as the third single from the group's second studio album, titled Steam, Stay Another Day is East 17's ninth single overall to be released in the UK and their first to reach number one, however, as of of 2025 it is their last. Stay another day, first enter the UK charts at number seven, reaching number one during its second week. It stayed at number one for five weeks. Across its five weeks atop the charts it sold 744,000 copies beating competition from

the songs you just heard about and other chart hits including Please Come Home for Christmas by Bon Jovi, Another Day by Wigfield and Here Comes the Hot Stepper by Inika Mozi. When it was knocked off the top of the charts, Stay Another Day fell three places to number four. After initially leaving the top 100 in April 1995, it has 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2022, 2023, and 2024. As of the summer of 2025, it has been inside the top 100 for 59 weeks the song is currently officially certified two times platinum it is double platinum in the uk as of 2025 ed you can go with e17 first uh when i was little i guess this was i remember most of that Top 10, as I say, I bought fucking Zig and Zag.

You know, I was a big breakfast viewer in its first iteration and they were on that. But I must have watched a lot of videos, because the videos for this is etched in my head, even though again, like the bloody Wet Wet Wet video, it's not very impressive, especially by modern standards, but I think it just matches the feel of the song so well. It's, because they're sort of floating in this sort of snowy void, and the song doesn't have any percussion

except for some slightly distorted sort of big crash cymbals at one point. And it has this grandeur which is rather interestingly kind of created, not through traditional bombast and horns and things like that. I mean, although you could say that the bells at the end add a bit of that. It's oddly restrained while still sounding very, very big. No one's really screaming There isn't as I say, there's no martial drumming or anything. There's no children's choir to be seen

It's elegant. It's sort of elegant. It's It's melancholy in a very pleasing way. It's never quite resolved and I'll admit they're not the greatest vocalists in the world this is a bit a bit off model for them as it were but they work well enough and I think the backing vocals fucking make it the stay now stay now what would this song be without those I mean you've got to say it's interesting I don't know if we'll ever actually cover them again on this program, Ys XVII, but they were always around in the Jards. And weirdly, it's...

They kind of succeed at something that Take That never did, which is just in the opposite direction, where, you know, while Take That pretty much fucking fell on their arse when they were trying to be a bit edgy and quote unquote urban, that's kind of what Ys E17 were meant to be and so this is really kind of out of their comfort zone. I mean it's sort of soft and slow even by take that standards but it's really good. I mean it's it's an unusual Christmas song in its feel because it is strangely atmospheric

and I am an absolute sucker for an atmospheric Christmas song I am super fond, although a lot of people in different musical contexts have mixed feelings about it I am super fond of Steeleyspan's version of Gaudete because it sounds like something you would hear echoing through the streets of the medieval village the smell of smoke from the fires and the distant echoing footsteps on the cobbles, etc. I mean, this isn't that, but it's a very unique single

and I'm pleased to say that I loved it when I was eight and I still really like this song. I think it's held up pretty bloody well to be quite honest. Andy, how about you? Yeah, just on Gaudetay, I can't judge that one fairly because I'm a brass player. I've been a brass player since I was a kid and it's one of those songs that for some reason just always always always was on the setlist for breastbands and I must have done about 100 carol concerts and village fundraising fates at Christmas and stuff like that and just oh I'd say it was just ruined because it felt like a song I was

imprisoned by every Christmas to be honest. I was thinking of you because you told me that before when you said that. Yeah, I mean there's plenty of other stuff but I've escaped that for some reason because there's all the usual stuff like Ocomalee Faithful, Half the Herald Angels Sing, those were like two of the biggies as well for the Christmas carol concerts and I love to play in them. They're just really fun to play both those songs. So maybe it's because Gaudi Tate wasn't very fun to play so it just felt like the opposite of Christmas cheer to me, to be honest. But I can't really fairly judge it. I'm sure it is quite good.

Anyway, I pretty much agree with everything that Edda said about this. Some like to greater extent or lesser extent, but yeah, I pretty much entirely agree. I think for me, the thing that really interests me about this that we haven't really had an example of this before is that the non Christmasy element of it the fact that this isn't a Christmas single that it's packaged

after the fact to make it into a Christmas song but has permanently and very firmly stuck around in the Christmas canon we haven't had one of these before we've had plenty of Christmas number ones and songs around the time that are not Christmassy whatsoever. You know, we've had a million of them. We've had Bob the Builder, we've had Girls Aloud, we've had all the X Factor bollocks, we've had Bohemian Rhapsody, you know, we've had loads of them but they never stick around as part of the Christmas canon. Like even the Spice Girls ones, like it's two become one to a very very small extent but certainly not the other two. We have this understanding

in this country that like yeah we're fine with stuff that isn't Christmasy stealing the Christmas number one but it doesn't get the airplay next year, it doesn't enter those you know hallowed halls of Spotify playlists that get you know the full top 40 every year. But this is an exception. This is a song that is not a Christmas song but they stick some church bells on it, they do a very, very wintery, snowy, Christmassy feeling video and it makes it. It becomes a Christmas song. And the only comparison I can think of is Never Had a Dream Come True by S Club 7, which attempted to do the same thing, didn't quite make it you do

occasionally see that on Christmas music channels and stuff like that it sort of pops up a bit but it never quite pulled off the trick of pretending to be a Christmas song when it wasn't this absolutely manages it and is probably the main example I can think of the power of love by Frankie Goes to Hollywood would be another one but this is the main example really where it's clearly not a Christmas song but it is in the Christmas canon and that's one of the reasons why my husband absolutely detests this because he really really doesn't like that of non-Christmassy songs being on Christmas playlists he really doesn't like

it at all he likes songs that go balls to the wall on the Christmas you know like Dominic the Donkey and Feel His Navidad like stuff that really is like cheesy Christmas you know, like Dominic the Donkey and Felix Navidad, like stuff that really is like cheesy Christmas, you know, just rubbish but in a good way. And I agree with him, I just don't really care that much. But like this really bothers him. And that's why I was really sitting and thinking about it and thought, why is it that this made it and no other non-Christmassy stuff did? And I think it's because it may not be about Christmas, but I think it really does feel like Christmas and so we as a nation took it into our hearts as a Christmas song because it fit the bill even if it didn't walk the walk it well other way around really even if it didn't talk the talk it did sort

of walk the walk as a Christmas song because I think about how you feel at Christmas and for me personally part of the Christmas experience, part of that Christmas feeling is a... you feel everything a bit more strongly there's an emotional vulnerability to it, everything is kind of heightened you feel your feelings more sharply and everything's a bit sentimental but that means that the good gets emphasized and we get cheery cheery sleigh bells ho ho ho stuff But it also means that the sadder things feel that much more sadder that there's a melancholy to Christmas There's a that there's an emotional rawness to it. I find especially as you get older as you as you become an adult There's a certain sense of sadness that lingers around Christmas as well as happiness that they are in equal parts

There's a melancholy there and I think this actually really captures exactly that tone where it's like, yeah, there is an unusually vulnerable boy band song happening here from the least likely emotionally vulnerable boy band that there is on the scene at this time, because they are, you know, supposed to be your cool kids, as far as boy bands are concerned. It's got this really, really stripped back production, relatively speaking, you know, no percussion in this, that it's mostly about the vocals, it's very earnest lyrics but not so earnest that it's gloopy, it's just like kind of very naked and raw. And it feels like there's genuine heart to it and that there is genuine sadness to it.

And I also think the general theme of Stay another day that's something that I associate with Christmas as well that there's lots of songs that sort of talk about the time factor of Christmas like I wish it could be Christmas every day or one more sleep by Lewis or whatever where you know the idea of making Christmas stretch out a little bit longer is quite a well-worn trope and this isn't talking about Christmas it's talking about a relationship but it is still playing with that same idea of I wish I could make this time last a little longer because it's not gonna be the same tomorrow it's not gonna come back that magic won't be here. I just feel like

this song captures that idea of a particular mood a particular magic that's in the air around Christmas time whether you like like Christmas or not I think it's fair to say that there is a certain mood in the atmosphere of the country around Christmas and this gets. This really does hit it quite precisely. And that's my favourite thing about this. I think there is a lovely sense of melancholy, warmth and fragility to this that I do associate with Christmas. It's not the best thing in the world. Like, it's, I think, it's very cyclical in nature, which is quite nice, but also means it gets quite boring quite quickly. I do think the church bells are like, you don't need to try that hard to be a Christmas

song like that's a bit silly to be honest, that's a bit sort of Disney to do that, I don't like that at all. But overall, yeah, I enjoy this. It's very, very weird listening to this at the time of recording which is one day short of the summer solstice, where the sun is so hot that a building nearby also caught on fire apparently. Oh my god, really? Like the furthest possible point from Christmas that we could have listened to this, so that's been weird, but no, this is really pleasant. I quite like this.

Oh, yeah. It's so funny, isn't it? Because I've been listening to you both and I realized we've all basically come to roughly the same conclusions about the song, but with slightly different words. Because over the years, I've really come to love this. I remember being a small kid listening to this on Christmas compilations and such, not really knowing who was singing, whether it was a male or a female voice and that androgyny got me to eventually look up that it was E17 and their whole thing. So when I looked this up, I went into the rest of E17's catalogue, I'm about 13 at this point and I was really surprised that basically none of it was like this, you know, they didn't really go for soft songs, they were a more aggressive and loud group than that, especially compared to Take That, you know,

it feels like they were more into the hip hop and dance adjacent stuff than anything else. So this must have felt like a total curve ball at the time in 94. And I appreciated it more because of that straight away. As soon as I found out this was something different for them, you know, I'd always kind of considered it as part of the Christmas furniture without paying any more attention than that, but it means that looking at it specifically away from Christmas out of that context, it meant that it was probably the first time I'd ever looked at it closely, and the more I looked when I was about 13, the more I found about this that I enjoyed. In terms of comparison points over the years, I've gone from it sounding like prog pop acts like 80s Phil Collins Genesis and Marillion through to things like Wet Wet Wet,

you know, the lack of drums apart from the occasional like timpani rolls or symbol crashes, you know, it's all kind of textual percussion rather than rhythmic. A lot of the rhythm tends to come through in the pluck strings and then eventually the church bells. It gives it quite a special character, you know? In terms of its arrangement, I think it's kind of brave for this sort of thing. It resists percussion as much as possible and it's all very ornate and pretty and it's all very different for a boy band setting. The way this piles so many orchestral instruments and whatnot on top of each other. It's like going for a Phil Spector 60s wall of sound thing actually. And then years later I found out that this was originally written for Tony Mortimer's brother who had committed suicide shortly before the song was recorded. And then they tweaked some of the lyrics to make it more about an ending relationship,

you know, as if to say that a relationship breakup and a death can hit you in the same way in the same place. I think, you know, grief in the end is kind of like your heart searching for something that's not there anymore. And the pain comes from the same spot in my experience. So I like how strongly it draws those lines together. I think Brian Harvey approaches this with a kind of naivety and a sort of questioning, slightly confused and bewildered tone that I think is appropriate for the subject matter.

I think it works as well in a Christmas context like you were saying Andy, as though this, you know, the girl in question in the relationship is, is going to leave on Boxing Day. You know, like, it doesn't matter if they're together or in a long-distance relationship or if they're going to break up the next day, but it's like, this is somebody on Christmas afternoon, like you were saying, Andy, desperate for time to just stop for a minute, because Boxing Day is when the magic ends. It's when the, you know, the kind of loving, melancholic, warm, tinsel-flavoured stupor kind of lifts and everybody kind of like goes, oh yeah, new year next week and then we're back into January blues and the whole thing starts again. You know, Christmas is when it feels like everything slows down a bit. I don't think

it's perfect. I think that the Christmas bells suddenly being plonked in at the end is more of a cynical thing than a genuine thing. I don't know if it comes to any major conclusions or teaches me much that I don't already know, but it's something different this, for Christmas number one. There aren't many songs out there like this in that market. It yearns, which I think is the best thing a pop song can do. It's tender and melancholic. It's something that has slowly worked its way under my skin over the years. And I'm kind of glad that it's become part of this Christmas canon. And you bring it up, S Club, Never Had a Dream Come True, is sort of the perfect example of like to bring up, to explain like why this works. And that sort of doesn't like you say this sounds

wintry it sounds frosty they don't need the coats in order to in the video to put this across already but the coats don't feel out of place either this has never been anything other than a Christmas song to me whereas like i've had over the years I've kind of lost the connection between Frankie Goes to Hollywood and Christmas with the Power of Love. This has always stayed pretty firm with me, you know. I remember speaking to my mum about Frankie Goes to Hollywood years ago and she was saying, oh it was just a song that got big at Christmas and so everyone associates it with Christmas. Whereas with this, I don't think you could just say that about this. It feels of a piece with Christmas because of the way that it does feel suitably cold.

It feels like it's in search of warmth at a particularly cold time of year. And yeah, I have not always been a big fan of this, but over time, definitely, definitely, I'm gonna be vaulting this. I don't know about you two. No, I'm not vaulting it, but it's not too far away to be honest.

I think, I just don't think there's anything particularly special about it. I just, in the context of Christmas, I think this is a really interesting chapter. And, you know, if you were to look at all the kind of what the 50 big Christmas songs are, I think this is quite a unique angle on it, to be honest, on like one of the big Christmas songs. I think this is a perspective that we haven't looked at before. So I really enjoyed that about it. But as a song, I don't think it's anything special,

so I didn't want to be overly generous. It's just getting a vault from me, I think, because I get where you're coming from, Andy, in terms of, you know, it does, aside from the bells, which are, yeah, kind of, it's coming out near Christmas, let's do that kind of thing. I don't mind the bells, I just think they had

a bit of atmosphere, but yeah, it is pretty, you know, it's pretty much done after the first minute and a half and then it just cycles through it again. But I think it is, I love the solemnity of it because it has the chill and solemnity of something that feels a bit more spiritual and a bit more kind of, yeah, well, solemn. That was dumb. But at the same time it is, you know, it's secular but it is about a relationship that matters to you more than anyone. I did

not know that context about his brother. That does add a little bit of extra poignancy to it and the fact that it does just feel like it's caught in the air like it's floating like a cloud that's an aspect about it I really like. Anyway I'm just babbling on about the the feel of the song. Well you know on that point though I've actually got some mild evidence for myself at least to back up the idea that this feels like Christmas because if I had to pick one song that sort of explains me early on what Christmas feels like, like the feeling of it for me, it's the main theme to Home Alone from, you know, by John Williams. Not the kind of not that one. I mean the Somewhere in My Memory song from Home Alone, which is really just

that's exactly what it feels like for me because it's got the right mix of sentimentality and melancholy and is a cheerjerker in like both happy and sad kind of ways. And this like doesn't sound that far away from it to be honest, like it's a ballad at the very similar kind of meter, It's in the same key. It has a lot of the same chord progressions. Like, this is not that far away from it, to be honest. So I do think it has the musical elements you require for it to feel like Christmas in this song.

Because I can't really compare any higher compliment than comparing it to somewhere in my memory, which to me is like, that's the standard there for what Christmas feels like so yeah. I think what we are going to do next is Born to Runner Up. I think that's right. The uh well I say annual, annual in terms of the calendar we're covering but not annual in terms of Hits 21 schedule so Andy Born to Runner Up you can take it away. Yes another year over a new one just, but Be True is our constant.

Yes, we had 14 songs this year, so not a huge amount, we've had plenty more than that in the past, but it was quite a tight competition. We all picked a different favourite and we all picked a different least favourite, which I think is a first, that we didn't agree on either the bottom or the top in any way but we did all really love all of the top three we just did them in a different order and we didn't disagree too much on the ones at the bottom but there's a few shocks for a couple of us but anyway so our very worst number two single of 1994, We Decided Collectively, was Compliments On Your Kiss by Red Dragon with Brian and Tony. Just one of the worst band names I've ever heard in my life.

Yeah, that was collectively our least favourite. That was followed by Always by Bon Jovi, which I feel like is still going on because that's just kept going. And then Another Night by MC Star and the Real McCoy, which I had mentioned before, and Always as well, you you mentioned before didn't you and then if it's you know not enough Bon Jovi for you and you want more middle-of-the-road heartthrob crooners then this has all the makings of your lucky day because our 11th place number two single is Brian Adams Rod Stewart and Sting with All For Love, which I thought was awful.

Anyway, into our top 10 for 1994. In 10th place it's Breathe Again by Tony Braxton, which I can tell you Rob liked a lot more than either me or Ed. That was Ed's worst of the year. Okay, I'll explain. In ninth place, it's Crazy for You by Let Loose. Okay. In eighth place, I saw the sign

but I did not shoot the deputy by Ace of Bits. Just every time I hear it, that's what I think. I hear it. We're gonna have, I saw the sign don don't mind move your butt, it's Sex on the Beach. It's the same fucking song with the same chords. And also, it's basically all that she wants done for a second time as well. So yeah, it's not the most original thing I've ever heard, but yeah, it's so like Sex on the Beach.

I'm glad that's not just me. In seventh place, Oh Baby I Love Putting You in Se seventh place by Big Mountain. Baby. I love your way Sixth favorite song of the year is I swear which to my shock is not by boys to men I have I think I probably said it on the air I've always always thought that that song is by boys to men because you can forgive me for that I think like yeah, not not a particularly surprising thing to think that was Boys To Men but it is of course by All For One which I'm sure plenty of you knew but I didn't that's our sixth favorite of the year then we've got

by Crash Test Dummies or should I say Crash Test Dummies by Crash Test Dummies or should I say Crash Test Dummies because I think we all agree that that one was pretty good but we would have liked it more if not for the frankly absurd vocals that sounded like Johnny Braga. Into our top four then so these are the four that we all we all agreed that we all loved these. In fourth place it's Love Spreads by The Stone Roses. Okay, yeah, not too bad there, yeah. Into our top three, and I'll reveal this as we go, what everyone's favorites were. So in third place, Rob's number one pick of the year.

It's Streets of Philadelphia by Bruce Springsteen track. Okay, yeah. Which myself and Ed both loved as well, but just not quite enough. In second place, it's my favourite of the year, and it wasn't particularly close to be honest. It's Rhythm of the Night by Corona. Just adore that song. And what does correct mean?

Which means that, correct me if I'm wrong, I may be wrong, but I think this is the first time that someone has won the record of the year and Born to Runner Up in a different year. Yeah, could be likely, yeah. Because Kylie Minogue takes the Born to Runner Up trophy for 1994 with Confide in Me. One of the best Bond themes we've never had, I have to say. Yeah. Yeah. I saw her perform that live a few weeks ago when she played Manchester and it was very, very good. So Kylie wins with Confide in Me. Well done, Kylie.

God, I was just surprised to... I didn't know this song. I couldn't remember it. And I was surprised to hear her going in this direction so early. You know, everyone always says, oh, you know, she does a weirdy, you know, arty album with the Impossible Princess. And that's where the quote unquote critical look at her starts. But this is great.

This is a really, really good single. Yeah, and it was my second favorite. So, you know, I'm perfectly happy about it and Rob loved it as well. So yeah, fairly like tight race, but a bit of a consensus choice. Yeah, we all enjoyed that one. Any comments about the other number twos? Our compliments on your kiss was truly terrible.

Oh, almost unlistenably awful, I thought. Why did you hate that breathe again one so much Ed? Well, the thing is, it's as I said said in the chat Tony Braxton's got a great voice it's all this is an this is an inverse Mariah Carey situation which is the vocals are actually great but it's the song that just sounds like a singing and scales exercise it is the most fucking half-assed song I've ever heard. It's like, you can hear the process of someone writing, it's like, uh, you know, just move up the scale and then just kind of peter off at the end. But she's got a great voice, so who gives a fuck?

Rob, you really liked it. Do you want to defend it a bit? Um, I just thought it was a particularly nice piece of sort of like understated 90s R&B I suppose. I wouldn't go into bat for it massively but I was a fan but I totally see where it's coming from. I'm not particularly attached to any song in this list to be honest. No big emotional attachment, that changes big time next year. But I think next year is going to have a pretty clear winner for Born to Run Her Up I don't know about you guys but yeah yeah but I do think that with this year I wasn't particularly that enamored with any of them like I do love Rhythm

of the Night but it doesn't mean much to me I just really like it as a song but I do think that the quality at the top was really high in general like consistently a quite a good bunch at the top. That little micro genre that emerged here that Streets of Philadelphia and Crash Test Dummies that this sort of very quiet, understated, thoughtful, soft rock thing, I think I really enjoyed the vibes of both those songs, really enjoyed them. Yeah. As I said before, we'll make a Bruce Springsteen fan out of you yet Andy. Maybe, maybe if he does more stuff like that I would be interested. enjoyed them yeah as i said before we'll make a bruce springsteen fan out of you yeah andy maybe maybe if he does more stuff like that i would be interested all right then so now ordinarily we'll be we will be doing the bottom five songs of the year and the top 10 songs of the year but

there were 15 songs this year so we're just gonna start from the bottom work our way up and andy you will be able to finish off and tell us the biggest song in our vote the best song in our vote for 1994 so here we go in 15th place pie hold by me and Andy with an average score of 3.2 it is come on you reds by the Manchester United football squad at the bottom of the table I bet you're made up about that in 14th

Pie-holed by Andy and Ed with an average score of 3.7 without you Mariah Carey in 13th place pie-holed by Ed an average score of 4.5 Twist and shout by Shaka Damis and Plyers featuring Jack Radix and the Taxi Gang. In 12th place Pie Hold by Andy and an average score of 4.7. It is Shaw by Take That which means that in 11th place just missing out on the top 10 for the year With an average score of four point seven pie hold by Rob by me. It is dupe by Do I feel so sorry for dupe like I don't love it

And actually if you look at my personal rankings it falls in exactly that place But I just feel that's a bit harsh on to this they're expecting expecting to come higher one might say that they were Dooped. No! Into our top 10 and in 10th place it's Baby Come Back by Pato Banton with an average score of 5.7 and not pie hold or vaulted by anyone. Also not pie-hold of altered by anyone is everything changes by Take That with an average score of 6.2 coming in in ninth place. I think Take That might do quite well in our rankings next year. I'm gonna put that in as a prediction. In eighth place here's one I bet you don't remember that we covered. It's The Real Thing by Tony DeBart. Oh shit, I forgot that. With an average score of 6.3. Yeah.

Genuinely slipped my mind quicker than anything we've ever covered. And then in 7th place with an average score of 6.7 and vaulted by Ed, it's Love Is All Around by Wet Wet Wet. Well I felt it in my fingers anyway. In 6th place, not vaulted or piled by anyone, with an average score of 6.8. Not quite making the top five but I guess boys, things can only get better right? Into our top five. Not a classic, I think we'll all agree but it's a decent top five this year. In fifth place, it's Inside by Stiltskin with an average score of 7.

In fourth place with an average score of 7.3 and not vaulted by anyone it's Let Me Be Your Fantasy by Baby D. In our top three and in third place vaulted by Rob with an average score of 7.5 It's the most beautiful girl in the world by Prince In second place Vaulted by Rob and Ed but not by me with an average score of 7.8 With a hell of a good showing it it is Stay Another Day by East 17. Yeah. Aww, which means... Down the annals of the year, I'm just gonna say that that is quite rare.

Like, Bohemian Rhapsody won the year and got Christmas number one, but generally the Christmas songs are nowhere. Generally, they're near the bottom or in the middle somewhere. Quite impressive that, actually, for East 17 to get that close to winning the whole year with A Christmas Number 1. So props to them. But a relatively clear winner this year, the only song that was vaulted by all three of us with an average score of 8.2. I'm gonna quickly bring on last year's winner, 2Unlimited. I don't know how many of you there are, so find a space, all of you. I can see that one of you is keeping a very tight hold of the tiara and the scepter,

but I'm going to ask you to hand that over now. I said hand it over. Thank you. Out you go. No, no, no, no, no, no! Oh, that's what they mean. That's what they mean. Oh, make some room.

Much crowd. Yes, so they are handing over this year's tiara and scepter and whatever jewellery you want to imagine is being handed over to Wigfield who have won the year with Saturday Night. Yeah, I think that's very convincing. That's clearly the best number one isn't it? Possibly any other year it might not have done it, like this has been not the most competitive of all. But yeah, I'm happy for Wakefield that's it I mean we all vaulted it you know definitely definitely the best of this year by quite a long stretch I think so

yeah good year I think it's gonna be much more competitive next year and certainly once we get into the late 90s we're gonna have some closer finishes so be prepared for tighter races than this one for the rest of the 90s I think all right then so that is the end of our journey through 1994. When we come back we will be taking our first steps into 1995 and just to let you all know that we will be finalizing them and announcing them in the first episode for 95 but there's gonna be a couple of changes to Hits 21 going forward. Nothing major, still the same show as always, but we just add some chats away from the microphones and

we'll be letting you all know about them next week, so we'll see you for it. Bye bye now! CCoSp4 3.50 Shadows paint in the ceiling. Gazing back a far gone...