Today is gonna be the day that they're gonna throw it back to you

Continuing my trip up the list of the most streamed songs for each year.  

1995 : Wonderwall - Oasis

Unlike last year, this is a track I'm perfectly familiar with and I have no problem imagining it winning the year - I think we sometimes forget how big Oasis were back then.

I didn't remember the video, but it's exactly like I'd imagine it - it's 4:37 of arty black and white shots with Liam looking moody.  Oh, and there's a clown as well.  Obviously.  It's a good track though - I think we also forget that Oasis have done some fine stuff in their time.

Wikipedia tells us that Noel originally said it was written about Meg Mathews (his then girlfriend and later wife) but when they got divorced he rolled that claim back saying it was about an imaginary friend because "how do you tell your Mrs it's not about her once she's read it is?".  Chinny reckon, Noel.  Apparently Liam was given the choice between singing this and "Don't Look Back In Anger" and picked this one - I think he made the right choice.

It probably won't surprise you to hear that the critics loved it - Oasis could do no wrong at the time.  The public kinda thought it was OK as well - it's sold over 3.5 MILLION copies, just in the UK.  What - 5% of the population own a copy of it?!?  But, it never made it to #1 in the UK - it was kept off the top spot by Robson & Jerome's "I Believe".  I'm not sure it's a huge consolation, but it did make it to #1 in Australia and New Zealand - I suspect they were more excited about getting to #8 in the US.  And, in October 2020, it became the first song from the 90s to reach one billion streams on Spotify.

Wikipedia does mention a few cover versions, with the most successful one being the Mike Flowers Pops version (it's terrible, but in a good way) which also got to #2 in the UK, kept off the top by Michael Jackson's "Earth Song", which really ain't a great track.  Other covers that are mentioned are by Ryan Adams (Noel actually likes this one and it's nicely different), Paul Anka (again terrible in a good way), Cat Power (I think this might be my favourite version) and Brad Mehldau (I don't mind this, but 8:44?!?).  secondhandsongs.com also offers up Mike Peters (he doesn't really add anything here), Gregorian (this is quite, errr, something), The Sons Of Pitches (I bet Oasis HATE this) and Hurts (I didn't mind this, but wanted more of an 80s spin on it).

I'm quite happy to give this the year, but I'm intrigued to see what else there was - I'm expecting a decent selection of songs.  The best selling track of the year was Robson & Jerome's "Unchained Melody", which isn't a dreadful version but didn't quite deserve to be #1 for seven weeks.  The rest of the top five were Coolio's "Gangsta's Paradise", Robson & Jerome's "I Believe" (only #1 for four weeks), Take That's "Back For Good" and Celine Dion's "Think Twice" - it has to be a special kind of list for Take That to be my favourite.  The top track I like is Everything But The Girl's "Missing" at #8, "Wonderwall" is #10, Blur's "Country House" is #12, Pulp's "Common People" at #37 and my favourite track of the year is at #18 - Rednex's "Cotton Eye Joe".  Apart from that, it's a surprisingly rubbish or forgotten selection of tracks in the top 50 - let's hope for better from the weekly top tens.

They manage to throw up Green Day's "Basket Case", Annie Lennox's "No More "I Love You"'s", The Boo Radleys' "Wake Up Boo", Björk's "Army Of Me", Black Grape's "Reverend Black Grape", Edwyn Collin's "A Girl Like You", Paul Weller's "You Do Something To Me" (our first dance at our wedding), TLC's "Waterfalls", Oasis' "Roll With It" (the loser in the battle of Britpop), Shaggy's "Boombastic", Pulp's "Sorted For Es And Whizz" and "Disco 2000".  There are some decent tracks in there but it's not exactly a bumper haul.

The best selling song in the US was Coolio, with TLC taking the next two spots with "Waterfalls" and "Creep" - most of the rest of the chart was R&B, with a load of the artists never troubling the charts over here (or my memory) in the slightest, although it was a surprise to see Nikki French's cover of "Total Eclipse Of The Heart" at #18 and Del Amitri's "Roll With Me" at #55.

Unlike last year, I don't think I can argue with this track taking the year - it was massively popular then and it's stood the test of time well.   Unlike Oasis - some might say (do you see what I did there?).

1994 - No way did this win the year
1996 - A wannabe winner.  Apparently.