Few people realize just how different the music across the pond is from that we listen to in America, that the Hot 100 doesn't exist in the UK, and that its equivalent to our singles chart doesn't just feature a whole bunch of American artists with even more One Direction and Ellie Goulding tracks. Music Times is looking back at the last five decades of music, and at the no. 1 hits on April 2 every ten years on the spot, going back to 1975. The ultimate contest, of course, is which country has better taste. Last month the win went to the UK in the best-of-five showdown. This month features Wiz Khalifa, Gwen Stefani, Oasis and more in the field.
1975: "Oh Boy" by Mud (UK) vs. "He Don't Love You (Like I Love You)" by Tony Orlando & Dawn (U.S.)
There's certainly an air of the '70s on both of these singles—"Oh Boy" by Mud and "He Don't Love You (Like I Love You)" by Tony Orlando & Dawn. Ultimately Mud's glam rock approach comes across as just a tad more humorous than Orlando's bedecked pop...just check out the band's album artwork sometime. The British rockers were covering Buddy Holly and The Crickets on this single, and as much as we appreciate the band attempting to "make it theirs" by adding a sexy voiceover during the bridge, we're going to have to give Orlando & Dawn the victory in Round 1 for this heartbreak ballad. Parenthetical phrases must've been big in the U.S. at the time...the song that was at no. 1 before "He Don't Love You" was "(Hey Won't You Play) Another Done Somebody Wrong Song" by B.J. Thomas.
ROUND ONE: United States
1985: "Move Closer" by Phyllis Nelson (UK) vs. "We Are The World" by USA For Africa (U.S.)
This is one of those situations where we could be made to feel guilty if we didn't choose "We Are The World"...after all, that single was done for the kids and Phyllis Nelson's "Move Closer" just wasn't. Fortunately reality has done the work for us, and we can name "We Are The World" as the better single. No offense to Nelson...well, maybe a bit of offense...but quiet storm R&B lines such as "smoochin' and swayin'" doesn't come close to comparing with a virtual Dream Team of American recording artists. The game was over as soon as Stevie Wonder stepped up to the microphone and Lionel Richie sang harmony for him. In the UK's defense, the "We Are The World" concept was pretty much stolen from Bob Geldof's Band Aid project, which had gathered the best of the UK for "Do They Know It's Christmas?" during the previous holiday season.
ROUND TWO: United States
1995: "Some Might Say" by Oasis (UK) vs. "This Is How We Do It" by Montell Jordan (U.S.)
No band better sums up the clash of band-based music and hip-hop than Oasis, as the Gallagher brothers have both taken the time to trash every form of music that doesn't feature a guitar. Appropriate then that the band's first no. 1, "Some Might Say," faces off against Montell Jordan and the '90s classic "This Is How We Do It," which was at no. 1 in the U.S. at the same time. Keep in mind that our decision reflects no agreement with the band's feelings on hip-hop, but we're going to stick with Oasis in this case. "Some Might Say" was the first single off of the iconic (What's The Story) Morning Glory and did well to capture everything the band was trying to bring back to British rock music, airing on the side of psychedelic rock during the bridge. Granted, if this were a competition between music videos, Jordan would have no problem squashing the competition.
ROUND THREE: United Kingdom
2005: "(Is This The Way To) Amarillo" by Tony Christie/Peter Kay (UK) vs. "Hollaback Girl" by Gwen Stefani (U.S.)
We can easily choose Tony Christie's dated "(Is This The Way To) Amarillo" (which went to no. 1 more than 40 years after its release over Gwen Stefani's "Hollaback Girl" without any hesitation. Sure, the former song only got to no. 1 because of a comedy campaign by British stand-up Peter Kay, but at least his accompanying music video for the song was intended to be a joke. Stefani's first single as a solo artist took all of her more over-the-top moments during No Doubt and made an grand tribute to them. It's tough to listen to "that sh*t is bananas" (followed, of course, by the spelling of "bananas") ten years later and not think it was some sort of sick joke. Not to mention, Kay's treatment of Christie's single was used during 2005 to raise funds for Comic Relief, a charity using comedy to raise funds for numerous charities. And again, when you do it for the kids, you win.
ROUND FOUR: United Kingdom
2015: "Cheerleader (Felix Jaehn Remix)" by OMI (UK) vs. "See You Again" by Wiz Khalifa (U.S.)
Oh man...it looked like the U.S. had things wrapped up early after winning the first two rounds, but the UK bounced back and now the modern singles charts are going to make things tough. On one hand is "See You Again," the hit single from the Furious 7 soundtrack featuring Wiz Khalifa and Charlie Puth paying tribute to deceased star Paul Walker in an unusually touching no. 1. On the other hand, relative newcomer OMI has topped the British charts with the Felix Jaehn remix of "Cheerleader," a reggae-tinged pop track where he sings about having found the perfect woman. Frankly, we're amazed that two songs of such admirable content made this high on both charts simultaneously...but ultimately we're going to give the nod to Khalifa and "See You Again." The rapper did get help from Puth in bringing this song together, so we're not taking points from OMI for his remixed entry, but we feel Khalifa does deserve a nod for his role in breaking the single-week record for most streams with this song.
ROUND FIVE, MATCH: United States
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