Number Ones – willowdot21

Its Sunday and time for Jim Adam’s Song Lyric Sunday. This week Jim is back from his vacation welcome back Jim and thank you to Fandango who kindly stepped in to Jim’s shoes. So the challenge is songs that hit number one in the chart.

Okay songs that hit number one in the charts well that could be the longest ever post? So I have chosen two unusual number one songs. The first one really should not of beaten the competition but did because it is brilliant. Firstly Royals by Lorde.

Ella Marija Lani Yelich-O’Connor (born 7 November 1996), known professionally as Lorde (/lɔːrd/ LORD), is a New Zealand singer-songwriter. Taking inspiration from aristocracy for her stage name, she is known for her unconventional musical styles and introspective songwriting. Her music is primarily electropop with elements of dream pop and indie-electro.

Royals” is the debut single by New Zealand singer-songwriter Lorde, included in her debut extended play (EP) The Love Club EP (2012) and debut studio album Pure Heroine (2013). Lorde wrote the song with producer Joel Little. “Royals” is a minimalist art pop and electropop song with influences of hip hop, R&B, and indie pop. The track’s lyrics express disapproval with the sumptuous lifestyle presented in songs and music videos by pop and hip hop-influenced artists.

Royals” received widespread acclaim from music critics, who praised its songwriting, production, and Lorde’s vocal performance. Since its release, the track has appeared on critics’ year-end and decade-end song lists. The single attained international chart success, reaching number one in Belgium, Canada, Ireland, Israel, Italy, New Zealand, Spain, Sweden, and the United Kingdom. In the US, “Royals” spent nine weeks atop the Billboard Hot 100 and was certified Diamond by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). It sold 10 million units worldwide, making it one of the best-selling singles of all time. It also was the second-most consumed song of 2013 in New Zealand and is certified nine-times platinum in Australia, seven-times platinum in Canada, and six-times platinum in New Zealand. In the media, the song has been credited for inspiring some artists to adopt its minimalist sound, and has been called an anthem for millennials.

The music video for “Royals” was directed by Joel Kefali and premiered on Lorde’s YouTube channel on 12 May 2013. It shows teenagers in a suburban neighbourhood interspersed with minimal shots of Lorde. The track won awards for Song of the Year and Best Pop Solo Performance at the 2014 Grammy Awards, and the APRA Silver Scroll Award. Lorde performed “Royals” on her Pure Heroine (2013–14), Melodrama (2017–18) and Solar Power (2022-23) concert tours. Critics have credited the song for paving the way for other alternative-leaning pop artists.

more info here.

I’ve never seen a diamond in the flesh
I cut my teeth on wedding rings in the movies
And I’m not proud of my address
In a torn up town, no postcode envy

But every song’s like
Gold teeth, Grey Goose, trippin’ in the bathroom
Bloodstains, ball gowns, trashin’ the hotel room
We don’t care
We’re driving Cadillacs in our dreams
But everybody’s like
Cristal, Maybach, diamonds on your timepiece
Jet planes, islands, tigers on a gold leash
We don’t care
We aren’t caught up in your love affair

And we’ll never be royals (royals)
It don’t run in our blood
That kind of luxe just ain’t for us
We crave a different kind of buzz
Let me be your ruler (ruler)
You can call me queen bee
And baby, I’ll rule (I’ll rule, I’ll rule, I’ll rule)
Let me live that fantasy

My friends and I, we’ve cracked the code
We count our dollars on the train to the party
And everyone who knows us knows
That we’re fine with this, we didn’t come from money

Oh
Oh (oh, oh)
We’re bigger than we ever dreamed
And I’m in love with being queen
Oh
Oh (oh, oh)
Life is great without a care
We aren’t caught up in your love affair

Source: LyricFind

Songwriters: Ella Marija La Yelich O’Connor / Joel Little

*****

My second Choice is Running up That Hill, real title Deal with God. Released in 1985 made Number one 2022 it’s taken Thirty Seven years to get to number one. Madness really as it’s one of the best songs ever! Thanks to being featured in the Netflix latest series of Stranger Things it is number one now.

“Running Up That Hill” is a song by English singer and songwriter Kate Bush from her fifth studio album, Hounds of Love (1985). Written and produced by Bush, the song was released in the United Kingdom as the lead single from Hounds of Love on 5 August 1985 through EMI Records.^[4] The B-side of the 7-inch single contains the song, “Under the Ivy”. The 12-inch single, Bush’s first release in that format, contains an extended remix and an instrumental version of “Running Up That Hill”, as well as “Under the Ivy”. A limited 7-inch single gatefold sleeve edition was also released. The song’s title on the Hounds of Love album and all subsequent releases was “Running Up That Hill (A Deal with God)“.

Upon its original 1985 release, “Running Up That Hill” reached number three on the UK Singles Chart and number 30 on the Billboard Hot 100 in the United States, and was Bush’s first Top 40 hit in the latter country. Bush performed the song live for the first time in 1987 at The Secret Policeman’s Third Ball event accompanied by Pink Floyd guitarist David Gilmour. This was the only time the song was performed live until 2014 Before the Dawn series of concerts. All other appearances from 1985 were promotional lip sync performances on television, which were common at the time.

The song was featured as the main theme song for the 1986 BBC 1 children’s drama serial, Running Scared. In 2012, a remix featuring newly recorded vocals premiered during that year’s Summer Olympics closing ceremony, and entered the UK top 10 for one week, at number six. In 2022, “Running Up That Hill” received renewed attention when it was prominently featured in the fourth season of the Netflix series Stranger Things. Its appearance led to the song’s resurgence on charts around the world, reaching the top five on the Billboard Hot 100 and topping the charts in eight countries, including the United Kingdom for three consecutive weeks and Ireland for five weeks.