The History of Pop Music – 1995

Featured song:

 
Oasis – Some Might Say

This is a series of articles looking at pop music from 1955 when in my opinion proper pop music began up to 1999 when they stopped making it. One article for each year.

I am only going to select one featured song for each article, which makes it hard. I am going to try and select a different artist for each year.

For many people, and I include myself, you tend to still like the tunes you heard during childhood, which your parents often played. So rather than just pick the top 10 hits of each year, I shall let you know what they were, but also the tunes of that year not necessarily in the top 10 or so, what were in my view classics.  I also add a couple of events in history for that year, it helps bring back memories, and hopefully happy ones.

Not everyone will like my choices of course, and you may remember some from each particular year that you feel should have been included, so do please post a link to the song.

So, on we go with memories from 1995: (Thank you Wiki)

This year was about:

Fred West suicide and Rose West sentenced.  OJ Simpson.  Frank Bruno.  Princess Di and the split.  One of the crapiest years on record.

What was I doing: Not much really.

TV programmes included:

OJ Simpson murder trial, I watched a lot of that. Conservative MP Jonathan Aitken calls a televised press conference three hours before the transmission of a World in Action film, Jonathan of Arabia, demanding that allegations about his dealings with leading Saudis be withdrawn.  He promises to wield “the simple sword of truth and the trusty shield of British fair play … to cut out the cancer of bent and twisted journalism.  After launching a subsequent libel case against the makers of the film Aitken is sentenced to 18 months in prison for perjuring himself.  That was funny.  First episode of Father Ted, most excellent.  First episode of Friends starts on channel 4, I loved this.  Mirror Group Newspapers launches the cable channel L!VE TV. The channel’s programming quickly earns it a reputation as tabloid television. It is perhaps best remembered for its mascot News Bunny who, among other things, stood for Parliament at the 1996 South Staffordshire by-election and polled 85 votes, me though, it was the topless darts.  Star Trek: Deep Space Nine makes its debut on BBC2, with the feature-length episode “Emissary”.   Jim Davidson succeeds Bruce Forsyth as presenter of The Generation Game.  During an hour-long interview with Martin Bashir for the BBC’s Panorama programme, The Princess of Wales speaks openly for the first time about her separation from The Prince of Wales and admits to an adulterous affair with her riding instructor, James Hewitt.

Events:

Prime Minister – John Major (Conservative)

1 January – Fred West, the 53-year-old Gloucester builder charged with killing twelve women and children (including two of his own daughters), is found hanged in his cell at Winson Green Prison, Birmingham. He was due to go on trial this year, along with his 41-year-old wife Rosemary, who is charged with ten murders. – Thanks Fred saved us a fortune.

16 February – Neil Kinnock, former Leader of the Labour Party, resigns from Parliament after twenty-five years to take up a new role as a European Commissioner trougher.

8 May – The fiftieth anniversary of VE Day is celebrated across Britain.

22 June – In an attempt to reassert his authority, John Major resigns as leader of the Conservative Party (but not as Prime Minister) triggering a leadership election.

4 July – John Major wins the Conservative Party leadership election, gaining 218 votes to John Redwood’s 89.

19 July – Pensions Act 1995 receives Royal Assent, proposing to phase in a state pension age for women at 65 (equalising it with that for men) over a ten-year period and introducing measures intended to safeguard occupational pension schemes.

2 September – Boxer Frank Bruno wins the WBC world heavyweight championship – Good man is Frank.

16 October – Julie Goodyear, who joined the ITV soap opera Coronation Street nearly thirty years ago and had been a regular in the series since 1970, departs from the show.

22 November – Rose West is found guilty of murdering ten women and children, including her 16-year-old daughter Heather and seven-year-old stepdaughter Charmaine, after a trial at Winchester Crown Court. She is sentenced to life imprisonment with a recommendation that she is never released.

2 December – “Rogue trader” Nick Leeson is jailed for six-and-a-half years in Singapore on a double fraud charge relating to the recent financial collapse of Barings Bank.

8 December – Head teacher Philip Lawrence is murdered outside St George’s Catholic School in London.

Of note, during the year, 1% of the UK population (some 600,000 people) now have internet access.

The Top 10 Singles with a You Tube hyperlink on the title:

Top Tip: Right-click and open in new tab

Top Hits of 1995
   1 Robson & Jerome Unchained Melody / White Cliffs of Dover
   2 Coolio featuring LV Gangsta’s Paradise
   3 Robson & Jerome I Believe
   4 Take That Back For Good
   5 Celine Dion Think Twice
   6 Simply Red Fairground
   7 Michael Jackson You Are Not Alone
   8 Michael Jackson Earth Song
   9 Everything But The Girl Missing
   10 Blur Country House

Oasis had 4 big hits this years, Wonderwall, Roll with it, Whatever and this one Some Might Say.

This song “Some Might Say” is a song by the English rock band Oasis. It was released as the first single on 24 April 1995 from their second studio album, (What’s the Story) Morning Glory? (1995). The song was written by the band’s lead guitarist Noel Gallagher. “Some Might Say” provided Oasis with their first number one on the UK Singles Chart and reached the top 10 in Finland, Iceland, Ireland and Sweden.

The track was inspired by the Small Faces and/or T-Rex.[2] It was the last Oasis track to feature original drummer Tony McCarroll, who was asked to leave the band before the main recording sessions for (What’s the Story) Morning Glory? when tensions arose between McCarroll and Noel Gallagher. The rest of the tracks on the album feature his replacement Alan White on drums.  Oasis performed the song on two episodes of Top of the Pops, the first being McCarroll’s final performance with the band and the second being White’s first.

More writings on this song here:  – “Some might Say

In my view the best songs of the year, after the featured track:

Firstly, I would have chosen my all-time favourite band, Smokie, but I suspect a lynch mob may have been formed had I not chosen the Brit pop classics.  Also, I really do like most of their stuff.

Smokie & Roy Chubby Brown – Living Next Door To Alice no2 – Love Smokie, love this tune, the ToTP version with Roy was all bleeped out, so I found a proper version.

Céline Dion – Think Twice – pretty awesome

Oasis Wonderwall Lyrics

Oasis – Roll With It

Oasis – Whatever

Blur – Country House – great tune, big “Brit Pop” battle, Oasis did slaughter Oasis though.

Rednex – Cotton Eye Joe – Still like this,

Take That – Back for Good – Do not care what you say, they did do some good stuff.

Robson & Jerome  – I believe – ( Lyrics ) – They really could not sing, but Simon worked his magic, and their stuff was most bigly good.

Robson & Jerome – Up On The Roof – None of their songs were as good as the originals or other copies, but I did like them, a respite from the usual shite that was around.

Pulp – Common People – twat, but good song though.

Boyzone – Father And Son – I liked this band as well, great tune.

East 17 – Stay Another Day – Bit Christmas, but good song, played far too much.

Björk – it’s oh so quiet – Chris Evans was pushing this all the time, it just gets to you.  Good tune.

The Beatles – Free As A Bird – Found at last, great song.

Bon Jovi – This Ain’t A Love Song – One of their best in my opinion.

Just 16 songs for 1995 in my favourites list.  I think they are great, but the rest of the so called top 100 are pretty dire.

Hat tips to:

http://www.uk-charts.top-source.info/  these give the top 100 selling charts for each year

http://www.everyhit.com/chart1.html   these give the top 10 songs for each year

https://www.youtube.com/  you know them.

Next Time 1996 – We are well into the second barrel to get to the bottom of.
 

© Phil the test manager 2019
 

The Goodnight Vienna Audio file