I'm having so much fun with this on MB I'm gonna do it here too. For those who don't know, what I do is take a random hit from the current chart (top 40) and then listen to and write a little about it. I then go back in time fifty years, in ten year chunks - so 2023/2013/2003/1993/1983/1973 - and check out what was at that spot in each of those years, around the same time. I then write about those too. I also then come back and do the number one for this week (or some week in this current year) and go fifty years back on that to see how different the chart was then.

Anyway, my RNG has given me the number 5, so what is currently, as I write, at number five? N.B. these are the official UK charts only. This one: https://www.officialcharts.com/charts/singles-chart/

So let's go.



Title: "Messy in Heaven"
Artist: Venbee and Goddard
Nationality: English
Genre: Drum and Bass
Written by: Andrew Goddard, Dan Fable, Erin Doyle, Matteo Cinti
Original release date: September 23 2022
Highest chart position (at time of writing): 3
Chart position (at time of writing): 5
Status (at time of writing): Falling
Chart Progress: Entered the top forty at number 38 on October 13, moved to number 14 the next week, held steady there for another week, then on what would have been its fourth week inside the top 40 it scraped the top 10, reaching the number 11 spot on November 10. The following week it entered the top 10 at number 9, climbing to 5 the next week and holding there for two, before reaching its highest point, number 3 on December 8. The following week it fell to 8, then 10, until exiting the top 40 on Dec 29. It then fell to 65 the following week but inexplicably, to me anyway, had a sudden resurgence as the new year hit and on January 12 it shot back to the number 3 slot, since when it has been falling, back to 5 last week and remaining there this week (at time of writing; January 23.
From the album: N/A
What do I know about this artist? Nothing at all.
What do I think of this single? Meh, it's all right I suppose. Stupid autotune again, and it's very repetitive. Wouldn't be my thing now at all. Doubt I'd be bothered listening to it again. Would I turn it off if I heard it again? You know, I just might. It's not terrible, mind, but it's nothing that makes me want to hear it a second time.
What have I learned about this single? Apparently written by Venbee, who I assume is the Erin Doyle in the credits above, since she's the only woman, about a dream she had in which Jesus was walking down the streets drunk or high or maybe both. Sounds like it might have been controversial, but it doesn't say that it was. A drum and bass track, which isn't great for me, but the song did well in the UK, even topping the dance charts and getting to number 3 in the regular ones. Venbee says it's to be seen as an anti-drug anthem. Okay. The Goddard in the credits is Andrew Goddard, a music producer, so it's sort of a collaboration between them. And two other people, neither of whom I know anything about.
My rating: B






Going back ten years then to 2013, at number five we find this.



Title: "Drinking from the Bottle"
Artist: Calvin Harris feat. Tinie Tempah
Nationality: Scottish/English
Genre: Hip House (?)
Written by: Calvin Harris, Patrick Okogwu, James F. Reynolds, Mark Knight
Original release date: January 27 2013
Highest chart position (at time of writing): 5
Chart position (at time of writing): 5
Status at time of writing: Static
Chart Progress: Entered the top 40 on Jan 12 at 15, jumped to 5 the next week then spent the next three bouncing from 6 back to 5 and then back to 6 before beginning its slow descent on Feb 16, falling to 7 and then over the next eight weeks sliding slowly from 8 to 15 to 20 and then 26 to 28, 33; slight bounce for some reason on April 6 when it clawed its way back to 30 before falling again, this time to 35, and then finally exiting on April 20 as it hit number 43.
From the album: 18 Months
What do I know about this artist? Harris: Just the little I've heard about him being a DJ and producer and having hits with various people as well as on his own. Tempah: know the name; was not even sure if they were male or female. They're male, apparently.
What do I think of this single? You know, I really expected to hate it, and I don't. It's got a lot of energy, a lot of that kind of fuck-the-world-let's-have-fun vibe, a live for today kind of thing, and the music from Harris is pumping and resonating. The rap is good (what does he know about rap, you say, and you're right) and overall I'm pretty impressed. I'd listen to it again.
What have I learned about this single? Most of the information centres around its video, which reportedly had a lot of "bad stuff" in it - scantily-clad women, boozing, drugs, conversations with the Devil - you know, the usual thing, and came with a Parental Advisory, which no doubt helped its sales no end. When will they learn? The more you ban something or say it's bad, the more people want it.
My rating: A




So back to 2003 we go, as we prepare to greet again the tail-end of the twentieth century. But not quite yet. What was at number 5 twenty years ago? Glad you asked.


Title: "The Way (Put Your Hand in My Hand)"
Artist: Divine Inspiration
Nationality: English
Genre: Dance/Electronica/Pop
Written by: Lee Robinson, Paul Crawley, Dave Lewin, Sarah-Jane Scott
Original release date: January 6 2003
Highest chart position (at time of writing): 5
Chart position (at time of writing): 5
Status at time of writing: Static
Chart Progress: Entered at number 5 on January 18 and quickly slid down the chart, going from 14 to 15 to 23 to 28 over the next four weeks, exiting the top forty the following week.
From the album: N/A
What do I know about this artist? Nuffin
What do I think of this single? It's pretty okay really. Standard uptempo dancey electronic thingy, maybe like, I don't know, Steps maybe? Not that familiar with this genre, whatever it is. Pleasant enough. Nothing ground-breaking, but good no doubt to dance to and nice to listen to. Not bad at all.
What have I learned about this single? Nothing really.
My rating: A




That takes us back to the twentieth century, as we check out the number five single in the charts during January in 1993. It was this.

Title: "Heal the World"
Artist: Michael Jackson
Nationality: American
Genre: Pop Ballad
Written by: Michael Jackson
Original release date: November 23 1992
Highest chart position (at time of writing): 2
Chart position (at time of writing): 5
Status at time of writing: Descending
Chart Progress: Entered at number 3 on December 5 and quickly rose to number 2 the following week, where it remained for five weeks before dropping to number 5 on January 16. After this it began a pretty rapid drop, falling to 12 the next week, then 28 and then 38, and finally falling out of the top forty just before Valentine's Day.
From the album: Dangerous
What do I know about this artist? Never 'eard of 'im mate! :shycouch:
What do I think of this single? Yeah it's a very touching ballad without I think too much sugar or empty sentiment. It hangs tight onto the coat-tails of "We Are the World", certainly, as noted below, but so what? A worthy goal indeed, to heal the world. Not sure it can be accomplished with a bit of sticking plaster though.
What have I learned about this single? Notwithstanding the charges against him of interfering with children (which he was cleared of, but you know, mud sticks and all that) and not particularly wishing to denigrate his memory, it must be allowed that Jackson donated this song to the James Bulger Trust, in honour of the poor little kid tortured and killed by those animals who called themselves children, and he also set up the Heal the World Foundation to help children worldwide. Now, there could be ulterior motives behind that, I'm not saying there weren't, but it was still a decent thing to do, and I imagine many children have had a better chance of a decent life thanks to that foundation. Reviews were mixed, with many critics pointing to its similarity to his answer to Band Aid's "Do They Know it's Christmas?", the USA for Africa let's-jump-on-this-bandwagon-before-someone-asks-why-we-didn't, "We Are the World", and you can hear it, sure, but it's hard to deny the simple and honest - and, one would have to assume, heartfelt and sincere - message in the song. There's nothing wrong with music that tries to change the world for the better. Just a pity this wasn't seen as his legacy after he passed on, with other, less salubrious elements of his character displacing it.
My rating: A++