**IJ's Anniversary Top 200**

[Milliways]

I have been compiling a Top 200 Songs chart every year since 1999, meaning that last year's Top 200 was the 10th.

This is the mathematically-compiled 10th Anniversary Top 200, worked out from the lists put together from 1999 until 2008 using the following formula, adapted from Earl Purple's suggestion:
Points=3000/(x+ 29) - where x is the position in each year's Top 200.

The first installment will be posted shortly, with links to the song on YouTube or elsewhere wherever possible.

There were 742 songs in total that were found to have reached the Top 200 (different versions of the same song, such as The Cars and Ghoti Hook - 'Just What I Needed', were merged). #742-740 in the anniversary countdown had spent exactly one year at #200. #201 had 4 years in the Top 200, peaking at #59 in 2006, and scored 96.01 points. The Top 200 follows...:

[Milliways]

200. 'There's A Guy Works Down The Chip Shop Swears He's Elvis' - Kirsty MacColl
[-,-,-,-,-,-,-,26,115,107] (97.44pts)
The Anniversary Top 200 kicks off with a wonderful upbeat pop song that came to my attention relatively recently - in early 2006 - and has stuck around in the Top 200 since then. Hear Kirsty MacColl here...

199. 'It's Different For Girls' - Joe Jackson
[107,145,-,-,-,66,83,-,-,-] (97.66pts)
Radio-friendly pop song that I knew and liked long before I started compiling Top 200s (thanks to said radio), and for reasons I don't quite recall gave a strong showing in 2004 and 2005 that led to its accumulating enough points to feature here. Hear Joe Jackson here...

198. 'Simple Plan' - The Go-Sheilas
[-,-,-,-,-,-,-,-,48,22] (97.78pts)
The Go-Sheilas are one of my favourite recent discoveries - I found them on MySpace by searching for bands that 'sound like', IIRC, the Go-Gos. When it comes to a band that builds on a winning formula, this lot really hit the spot. Hear a clip of this song here. Visit their MySpace here.

197. 'Kick The Bucket' - Robot
[-,-,-,-,-,-,71,109,101,101] (97.89pts)
I'm not entirely sure how I discovered this rather odd band - a Swedish group specialising in a unique type of retro synth-pop - but another of their songs, the bizarre 'Gross', appears, looking back, to be the first song of theirs I heard. That only made #403 in this countdown. This one did so well because of its storming chorus, beginning "Fantasize about your name in a golden frame", making it one of the most fun songs to sing along to that I know of. Hear Robot here.

196. 'Second Class Citizens' - TV Smith
[-,-,-,-,-,-,-,-,26,39] (98.66pts)
I've charted a few songs with 'political' lyrics over the past few years, but no such-inclined artists have done so well in the Top 200 as TV Smith, former lead singer of The Adverts, who at over 50 years of age is still coming up with some real hard-rocking original punk tracks such as this, from his 2006 'Misinformation Overload' CD. Hear a (rather muffled) TV Smith here.

[Milliways]

195. 'Love Of The Common People' - Paul Young
[29,75,136,-,-,-,-,-,-,-] (98.75pts)
Two versions of this song featured in its 3-year run in the Top 200, this - the version I heard first on the radio - and Nicky Thomas'. This is the version that made the song's peak, in the first chart in 1999, and you can hear it here.

194. 'As I Said' - Dover
[-,-,-,-,-,-,-,21,116,131] (99.44pts)
The first of many songs in this chart by a female-fronted, English-speaking punk rock band from Spain. This short and very raucous track is from their 'I Was Dead For Seven Weeks In The City Of Angels' CD. When I was at my lowest ebb on my PhD in spring 2006, this was my 'getting away at the end of the day' song. Hear it here.

193. 'Stuck With Me' - Green Day
[60,77,111,152,-,-,-,-,-,-] (100.01pts)
When I saw the video of this song played live in Stockholm (Link) back in 1995 I couldn't wait for the record to come out - this was probably the best punk-rock song I'd ever heard. That was a while ago, but this still presses buttons. There's more to come from Green Day, too...

192. 'Cruel To Be Kind' - Letters To Cleo
[143,170,-,-,160,150,133,144,-,-] (101.01pts)
This song's odd run in the chart over the past 10 years is explained by the fact that two different versions have been merged. The original, by Nick Lowe (here) was another of those songs I thought was great from hearing it on the radio in the mid-90s, and it featured in 1999 and 2000. The cheery punk-pop of Letters For Cleo's cover (here) brought the song back into the chart in 2003. 'Cruel To Be Kind' is the first song in this countdown to have featured in 6 Top 200s.

191. 'Picture This' - Blondie
[-,164,6,-,-,-,-,-,-,-] (101.26pts)
'Picture This' is only the second song in the anniversary countdown to have spent a year in the Top 10 (the first was Frank Turner's 'Photosynthesis', which made it to #261 through its single year at #10 in 2008). I'm not entirely sure how it got so high, or indeed how come it plummeted out of the IJ Top 200 all the way from #6 in 2002. You can hear 'Picture This' here.

[Milliways]

190. 'Kitchen TV' - Astrid
[-,169,79,45,136,-,-,-,-,-] (101.65pts)
Anyone who's followed my Top 200 in the past 9 years will have heard of this band, and think of another song - that one will be much higher up this countdown. This punky track from the same album ('Strange Weather Lately') also had a creditable run, however. You can hear a clip of 'Kitchen TV' at 7digital.

189. 'Another Year Another Day' - Dashboard Saints
[-,103,9,-,-,-,-,-,-,-] (101.67pts)
I came across this alt-country song on a compilation CD, 'Certain Damage 68', in 2000. It was one of my most-played songs of the winter, and reached the top 10 of the following year's Top 200, before falling foul of the great shift that coincided with my finishing sixth form and starting university. It's still a lovely song, and I regard it as an all-time favourite despite the fact it did not return to the Top 200 after 2001. Hear it here.

188. 'Father And Son' - Boyzone
[49,41,115,-,-,-,-,-,-,-] (102.15pts)
This is of course a cover of the Cat Stevens ballad. It's another one I heard and enjoyed in the mid 90s that held on in the Top 200 until the 2002 turn-over occurred and many songs like it departed from the chart, and as with the previous track it never made a return following that. Hear 'Father & Son' here.

187. 'The Actress' - The Delgados
[74,56,108,157,-,-,-,-,-,-] (102.45pts)
This is one of several tracks from The Delgados, an indie band that made use of orchestral arrangements, that made the Top 200. This is from their second album, 'Peloton', and is a fine example of why they were one of the most under-rated bands of the late 90s. You can hear a clip of 'The Actress' (and the other songs on this album) on 7digital.

186. 'Head Over Feet' - Alanis Morissette
[50,92,94,-,-,-,-,-,144,-] (104.5pts)
Not the last song from Alanis' 'Jagged Little Pill' CD. The version that spent 4 years in the Top 200 is the album version, however this does not appear to be available on YouTube. Hear a live, acoustic version here.

[Earl Purple]

I have the Strange Weather Lately album but I don't remember that song and I think that album was never really a hit for me. Their big hit album for me was Play Dead in 2001.

[frag]

I'll check these out when I get a chance... this week's going to be pretty busy.

Have you stopped doing weekly charts, KingB?

[Milliways]

185. 'The Whole World Lost Its Head' - The Go-Go's
[-,-,-,-,-,200,110,73,122,117] (104.51pts)
This song actually featured in my weekly personal chart when it was released in 1995 and reached the UK top 40. It was then forgotten about until I re-discovered it in 2004, during my Finals revision and shortly before the compilation of that year's Top 200. It fit my mood at the time, and so sneaked into the 2004 chart. It has become part of my memories of the closing stage of my degree, and stayed in the chart since that time. Hear The Go-Go's here.

184. 'Rock Me Gently' - Andy Kim
[122,40,42,-,-,-,-,-,-,-] (105.6pts)
Another all-time favourite that fell at the 2002 hurdle. This is one of a group of songs that did well in the first 3 years thanks to their presence on "car tapes" - tapes that were played in the car when I travelled with my parents. This one featured on a cassette compilation called '50 Favourites of the Seventies'. You can see and hear a performance of this song here. 35 years is certainly a long time in music!

183. 'Life' - Des'ree
[-,-,-,-,-,-,178,71,65,73] (105.82pts)
This song is, like #185, one that I first heard long before it hit the Top 200. 'Life' was a weekly-chart IJ#1 in 1998, but didn't trouble the Top 200 until 2005. It became a summer anthem not just for me, but for the whole family around that time, and as such secured a place in the chart that has held steady for the latest 3 years. This song is perhaps best known for the daftness of its lyrics - they're part of its charm IMO, helping make it one of the best summer songs I know of. See the video for this song here.

182. 'Santa Poca's Dream' - Rosita
[-,-,-,-,25,52,-,182,-,-] (106.81pts)
Rosita were a project of two former members of Kenickie, and if you liked Kenickie you would probably dig this slice of upbeat, tuneful indie-pop as well. Unfortunately the video has been removed from YouTube, and there don't seem to be any clips to link to.

181. 'Sexuality' - Billy Bragg
[-,-,-,-,-,-,-,83,31,70] (107.09pts)
Songs that were 'rediscovered' seems to be a theme of this evening's set, and this is another one. I just about remember this song (and its line referencing 'Red Star Belgrade') from its time in the charts back in the early 90s. Its appeal was limited back then, and not until 2006 did it go into rotation and start heading for the Top 200. Once there, it's shown its staying power, and has been well within the top half of the chart each year. How long will this "stick around"?
Again, YouTube hasn't really come up with the goods on this one - the actual video has no audio because of WMG. Here's a live version, but its missing the first 20 seconds and some of the lyrics are different. You can hear a clip of the studio version at last.fm.

[Milliways]

180. 'Hail to Whatever You Found in the Sunlight That Surrounds You' - Rilo Kiley
[-,-,-,-,-,-,-,24,103,79] (107.11pts)
The first of a few entries by this Californian indie band, and also the song with the longest title in this countdown (beating the song at #200 by a nose). This is a really, really nice song. Hear Rilo Kiley here.

179. 'Free Man In Paris' - Joni Mitchell
[19,71,170,-,-,-,-,-,-,-] (107.58pts)
This song about record label head David Geffen is another one I heard on the radio in the mid-90s, enjoyed and charted before falling victim to the 2002 turn-around. I still play it from time to time but it has not troubled the Top 200 since then. See and hear a live performance of 'Free Man In Paris' here.

178. 'Game Of pr**ks' - Jimmy Eat World
[-,-,-,48,87,94,131,-,-,-] (107.96pts)
B-side complementing another song that will appear further along the countdown, 'Game Of pr**ks' is one of the songs that marked the second rough 'phase' of the Top 200, lasting from 2002 until 2005. The song fit with Jimmy Eat World's style so well I was quite surprised when I found out that its actually a cover. The original artist is Guided By Voices, whose 'Teenage FBI' was at #525. You can hear a clip of this song at lastfm..

177. 'Because The Night' - Patti Smith
[28,63,102,-,-,-,-,-,-,-] (108.14pts)
Can't say I have much to talk about here. It's another one I enjoyed in my sixth form years, although quite how it got as high as #28 I am not sure. Sure it has a great intro but it isn't all that great after the first 30secs. It's unlikely to make a return to the Top 200. Hear Patti here.

176. 'Try Not To Think' - Easyworld
[-.-.-.30,117,99,-,196,-,-] (108.17pts)
This is the first of several entries by this band, who were the top band of my time at university. I went to see them live 4 times, and was very disappointed when they split up in 2004. This is very typical of the side of their sound that led me to love them so much, and you can hear it in full at last.fm.

[Earl Purple]

I don't know that Rilo Kiley song... their biggest hit in my chart was Portions For Foxes and that was also the song that got me a 2nd place in Havenvision 3. Jenny Lewis had a hit in my chart featuring Elvis Costello last year.

[Milliways]

'Portions For Foxes' has not featured in my Top 200, though I do like it. If you haven't listened to 'Hail To Whatever...' yet, I suggest you do as I do think you'd like it. It is lighter than most of the Rilo Kiley songs I've heard, with quite a folksy sound.

[frag]

200. 'There's A Guy Works Down The Chip Shop Swears He's Elvis' - Kirsty MacColl
Heard this one before. A decent start to the run-down, but it wouldn't make my top 200.

199. 'It's Different For Girls' - Joe Jackson

;D 198. 'Simple Plan' - The Go-Sheilas

197. 'Kick The Bucket' - Robot
Hmm... it's ok. Closer to a 6 than a 7.

;D 196. 'Second Class Citizens' - TV Smith
A bit too muffled to give a proper score, but it sounds like I'd like it if I heard it live in the cellar.

[Earl Purple]

Because The Night reached NM #1 in 1978. I was just 13 and didn't even know who Bruce Springsteen was at the time!
At the time I got this magazine called "Disco 45" and it said that they were pleased it was a hit because "Born To Run" hadn't been and I hadn't yet heard Born To Run at this point, but I think I got to hear it on Capital Radio's "Hall of Fame" later and it subsequently becamse his only NM #1 with the live version in 1987.

As for Kirsty, I was always sure at the time nobody seemed to "get it" with that song, i.e. that she was using the guy at the chip-shop as an analogy. I also had a feeling at the time it wouldn't be the last we'd hear from her.

[Milliways]

Thanks for the comments; next 5 coming up soon...

[Milliways]

175. 'Living In America' - The Sounds
[-,-,-,-,-,-,12,118,173,-] (108.43pts)
Exuberant power-pop track that I came into contact with through a compilation that a member of another message board I post on sent me. Hear The Sounds here.

174. 'Libel' - Tilt
[-,-,-,-,23,61,140,-,-,-] (108.78pts)
I came across this excellent female-fronted US punk-rock band through one of those 'Fat Music' compilations, and built up quite a collection of their songs in 2003. This is one of their songs that came out of that shuffle in front. See the video for it here.

173. 'Mono' - Courtney Love
[-,-,-,-,-,25,27,-,-,-] (109.13pts)
It's ladies' night so far tonight on the Anniversary Top 200! Of the three pieces of female-fronted rock we've had tonight, this one undoubtedly rocks the hardest. This one came along just as my liking of this sort of thing was at its height. Hear Courtney here.

172. 'The Boxer' - Me First & The Gimme Gimmes
[61,97,73,103,-,-,-,-,-,-] (109.28pts)
This band (who don't have a female singer) specialise in punk covers of the kinds of songs you might be likely to hear on Radio 2 - their 'Seasons In The Sun' and 'Uptown Girl' are also worth a listen; this Paul Simon cover was however my favourite of their oeuvre, managing 4 years on the Top 200. Hear it here.

171. 'Apply Some Pressure' - Maximo Park
[-,-,-,-,-,-,-,168,39,31] (109.35pts)
'Apply Some Pressure' was my chart (i.e. UK Top 40) song of the year for 2006. In my book it's easily one of the best hit singles of the decade; one of the shining stars of its genre; and it has risen in the Top 200 for 3 consecutive years. Don't bet against this being even higher in 10 years' time! See Maximo Park's video here.

[Milliways]

170. 'Galileo' - Indigo Girls
[-,-,-,-,-,-,-,78,40,50] (109.49pts)
Some of these songs are tracks that I like or have liked a lot, but don't really expect other people to dig. This one, though, is I believe a true classic song that deserves to be much more widely-known. The video is quite something as well. See it here.

169. 'Devil Came To Me' - Dover
[-,-,-,-,-,-,-,-,53,12] (109.76pts)
I don't actually know how this chart is going to pan out (I've set up the compilation in such a way that I didn't see the outcome). I can however say with a high degree of confidence that Dover are the band who're going to finish up with the highest combined score. This is one of their songs that entered the chart more recently, and you can see them playing it live at a festival here.

168. 'Up The Junction' - Squeeze
[68,65,112,179,186,-,-,-,-,-] (112.5pts)
This one is a bona fide classic hit song, and one that I had TBH expected to come quite a lot higher in the list. It's a real period piece; it's hard to imagine anything like it hitting the UK Top 10 nowadays. See the vid here.

167. 'Queen For A Day' - Dance Hall Crashers
[-,-,-,-,-,-,-,38,55,64] (112.75pts)
Perhaps it seems strange to say about a song that has come ahead of over 500 others in a countdown; but this ska-punk romp is the inferior relative of the first song I heard by the band, which will appear far higher. It's manically upbeat and you can hear a clip of last.fm.

166. 'The Man Who Loved Beer' - Lamb Chop
[-,-,54,83,-,172,127,154,-,-] (113.48pts)
I guess its not obvious from the artist-title combination (if you haven't heard of them), but this is a downbeat ballad with beautiful atmospheric musical arrangement that is really quite atypical of the styles represented in most of the rest of this countdown. Unfortunately there's no video, but you can hear a clip at last.fm

[Earl Purple]

I generally find it disappointing watching live performances on youtube. Live performances are great if you're actually there but when you're not, the quality is generally poor compared with the studio version and the lead singer's singing ability often shows up, plus the mix of sound is not always totally well balanced.

Anyway I decided to check out Dover because of your comment that they're going to make many appearances and that they're a band I've never even heard of. Wasn't totally impressed with Devil Came To Me. They're a bit ugly too, not that that matters, apart from the blonde one who introduced the song (and then I'm not sure what she does on it).

I should really use this topic to check out ones I don't know rather than just comment on those that I do. The latter is so "lazy" but it's so much easier. I can see why that is the response I normally get on my own topics.

[Milliways]

Earl Purple: I know its disappointing to not get comments after putting the effort into compiling the chart and finding the links etc. The reason I haven't been posting on your 2008 chart is because I've heard and commented on almost all of the songs through listening to your weekly chart at least once a month through last year. This month I have been busy and haven't had a chance to listen to your weekly chart - I'll try and catch up with it later in March...

[Milliways]

165. 'Camp Hill Rail Operator' - Cotton Mather
[-,-,-,43,81,79,-,-,-,149] (113.57pts)
I'm posting this installment from a train going from London to Newcastle, so the appearance of this song seems apt. This is a rather American-sounding melodic indie-rock track that I heard as so often through Steve Lamacq's Evening Session. I found the album going for a song in a second-hand shop, rediscovered the song and charted it highly in 2002. The rest of the album was rather dull, though. (No link. If you can be bothered, you can hear a 30sec clip from 05:34 in this compilation video)

164. 'Waltz #2' - Elliott Smith
[111,104,14,-,-,-,-,-,-,-] (113.75pts)
The character of my Top 200 compiled in June 2001 was quite different in many spots to other years, and the appearance of this song at #14 is one of the clearest indications of that. It was 'out with the old' the following year, however, and this was unceremoniously kicked out. Not that there's anything wrong with it, but for me it's a song of its time, and that time is the winter of 2000. Hear 'Waltz #2' here

163. 'The One And Only' - Chesney Hawkes
[27,45,114,-,-,-,-,-,-,-] (115.09pts)
I surprise myself sometimes. Not with the inclusion of this song, but with the years it rode high in my yearly chart. 'The One And Only' is a student anthem, a song I played just about every time I DJ'd at a student party - yet it departed from my top 200 in 2002 and did not reappear during the period I was at uni. So, this is another song of its time - but that time doesn't correspond to the dates indicated above! See the video here.

162. 'Mother & Child Reunion' - Paul Simon
[32,58,63,-,-,-,-,-,-,-] (116.27pts)
Ha! Another apt one. This is another '99-'01er. This song was high up on the list of family favourites in our car (and still is, occasionally); the highlight of the 'Paul Simon tape'. My appreciation of 'Mother & Child Reunion' was heightened still further when I learnt through a question on University Challenge that the title was inspired by an item on a Chinese restaurant menu - chicken with egg! This YouTube vid has the song (with people talking over it in places)

161. 'My Secret People' - Dover
[11,79,183,-,-,-,-,-,-,-] (116.93pts)
No other act has appeared more than once thus far in the Anniversary Top 200; this is Dover's third entry. This, the first track on 'I Was Dead For Seven Weeks In The City Of Angels' is one of the first songs I'd choose to play for someone who had never heard of the band, it has all the elements that make me love them so much. Highly singable, great guitar piece, and rocks like crazy. Here's a YouTube with the studio version of the song.

[Earl Purple]

Waltz #2 (XO) was the full title I had for that song and I remember it as being released just after dotmusic forums started in December 1998. I named that as my "single of the week" the same week that the Spice Girls released "Goodbye" and was trying to tell the other few posting there that there was better music around than those that were reaching the top end of the chart.

Cotton Mather had hits in my chart around the turn of the millennium too although I don't remember how they go.

[Earl Purple]

Mar 6, 2009 2:08:24 GMT 1 Milliways said:

Earl Purple: I know its disappointing to not get comments after putting the effort into compiling the chart and finding the links etc. The reason I haven't been posting on your 2008 chart is because I've heard and commented on almost all of the songs through listening to your weekly chart at least once a month through last year. This month I have been busy and haven't had a chance to listen to your weekly chart - I'll try and catch up with it later in March...

Well I'll recommend you two from my current top 10 that I think you'll like:

Priscillas - All The Way To Holloway (#4)
Bouncing Souls - We All Sing Along (#8)

Watch out for the other Bouncing Souls songs this year. They are doing a "Wedding Present" and releasing a single a month. "Gasoline" already reached NM #5. They've also been around about 20 years so if you like what you hear you might want to check out their back catalogue.