The 70 greatest No 2 singles – ranked!
70. Mr Bloe – Groovin’ With Mr Bloe (1970)
The perfect one-hit-wonder single: an obscure American harmonica instrumental B-side re-recorded by Elton John’s backing musicians. With a touch of ersatz northern soul about the arrangement and a glam-presaging stompiness to the drums, Groovin’ With Mr Bloe is the sound of a 1970 youth club disco and a total delight.
69. Spice Girls – Stop (1998)
The Spice Girls’ legacy rests more on their empowering impact on young girls than their music, but there is a handful of punchily undeniable pop songs at the core of their appeal, among them Stop’s charming Motown pastiche – a brief dip into the kind of retromania that surrounded Britpop.
68. Rod Stewart – The Killing of Georgie Parts 1 & 2 (1976)
The Killing of Georgie – a rare self-penned Rod Stewart hit – is a remarkable single, particularly for 1976: a tender paean to a gay friend that turns into an unflinching depiction of his homophobic murder, then transforms itself into a lengthy, heartbroken coda (its melody pinched – as John Lennon noted – from the Beatles’ Don’t Let Me Down).
67. Yazoo – Only You (1982)
Yazoo were not a band built to last – they split before their second album had even been released – but they left a lasting impression: their blend of gutsy, soulful vocals and electronics was massively influential, not least on house music. Their debut single’s icy synth only accentuates the power of Alison Moyet’s emotive vocal: a genuine tearjerker.
66. CeCe Peniston – Finally (1992)
House music as pure pop-soul, Finally was a hymn to an idealised boyfriend sung by a former Miss Black Arizona. Originally released in 1991, it was a remix by New York DJ David Morales that toughened up the beats for the dancefloor, only to be kept off No 1 by Shakespears Sister’s Stay.
65. Rachel Stevens – Some Girls (2004)
It is tempting to give producer Richard X all the credit for Some Girls’ ferocious electronic update of 70s glam, but the choice of vocalist was perfect: getting the former S Club 7 star and lads’ mag favourite Rachel Stevens to sing a song about how seedy and demeaning life as a manufactured female pop star can be is genuinely inspired.
64. Donovan - Sunshine Superman (1966)
Recorded in December 1965, Sunshine Superman could have been the first psychedelic pop single – it was taped five weeks before the Byrds recorded Eight Miles High – but it wasn’t released for another seven months, by which time everyone else had caught up. It’s still a fabulous song:
