Best Song: The Prodigy - Breathe
When The Prodigy made their comeback earlier on in 1996 with "Firestarter" I was really disappointed. Despite "Breathe" being similar in nature I thought it was miles better. I remember this being the first record they played when I saw them in concert one time and I was straight into it.
Worst Song: Madonna - Don't Cry For Me Argentina
The most boring and painful film I've ever watched in my life was "Evita". The main reasons were that it was nothing but shit music and it went on forever. It's only fitting that I therefore pick a song from said movie as worst song.
Top 40 Review
There was one key difference between the start of the Top 40 at the beginning of July 1996 and at Christmas time, The Spice Girls. They were yet to make their Top 40 debut at the beginning of July but had the Christmas number one plus one other record in the Top 40 at Christmas.
No other girl groups in the Top 40, but boy band wise there was East 17 who get a point and Boyzone and Damage who don't. There was also former boy band member Mark Owen with a solo hit.
Faithless had 2 records in the Top 40 with "Insomnia" and "Salva Mea". Both records had originally charted in 1995 but fared better when rereleased in 1996 and both get full marks. They were also both singles I bought at the time.
All of the dance records in the Top 40 get some points which is quite something really given we've often had cheesy shit ones to go alongside the decent ones. This includes records from Chicane and Heller and Farley Project.
Rap wise the only one I don't like is the Salt-N-Pepa one, with decent records coming from 2Pac, Snoop Doggy Dogg and Warren G.
The Fugees had gone reggae with their cover of "No Woman No Cry" by Bob Marley which I think is an excellent cover that I even liked at the time when I was listening to nothing but rave.
There were novelty records in the Top 40 being Christmas time. There was a Christmas one from The Sumrfs with "Your Christmas Wish". Robson & Jerome had their final Top 40 hit with "What Becomes Of The Brokenhearted". Some Emmerdale actors went under the name The Woolpackers with "Hillbilly Rock Hillbilly Roll". Finally Mike Flowers Pops had another bid for Christmas number one that was nowhere near getting there with a version of "Don't Cry For Me Argentina".
It's the usual 90s conclusion of some decent records with a lot of crap to even it out.
Score: 16
Table
The rise of the mid-90s charts had fallen by the Christmas of 1996 it would seem:
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