Selling a million records really isn’t an indicator of quality. But that’s the supposition of NOW THAT’S WHAT I CALL A MILLION. Classic songs like Queen’s “Bohemian Rhapsody” and Whitney Houston’s “I Will Always Love You” rub up against more obscure million sellers like James Arthur’s “Impossible” and Boyzone’s “No Matter What.”
The compilers of this 3-CD set weren’t afraid to go way back to Paul Anka’s “Diana” and Bill Haley And His Comets’ “(We’re Gonna) Rock Around the Clock” for early million selling hits. Elvis is represented by “It’s Now or Never”–one of his lesser songs.
There are plenty of One-Hit Wonders on these CDs: Irene Cara’s “Fame,” Gotye’s “Someone I Used to Know,” and Shaggy’s “It Wasn’t Me” stand out.
Some songs I wasn’t familiar with. Have you heard Atomic Kitty’s “Whole Again”? Or All Saints’ “Never Ever”? Or New Order’s “Blue Monday 88”?
Despite the filler songs, there are plenty of hits here to bring back a lot of memories. How many of these 61 songs do you remember? Any favorites here? GRADE: B
TRACK LIST:
| 1-1 | Queen– | Bohemian Rhapsody | 5:56 |
| 1-2 | Oasis (2)– | Wonderwall | 4:19 |
| 1-3 | Wings (2)– | Mull Of Kintyre | 4:40 |
| 1-4 | Robbie Williams– | Angels | 4:23 |
| 1-5 | Whitney Houston– | I Will Always Love You | 4:27 |
| 1-6 | Céline Dion– | Think Twice | 4:08 |
| 1-7 | Alexandra Burke– | Hallelujah | 3:35 |
| 1-8 | George Michael– | Careless Whisper | 4:58 |
| 1-9 | Take That– | Back For Good | 3:58 |
| 1-10 | Elton John– | Something About The Way You Look Tonight | 5:07 |
| 1-11 | Natalie Imbruglia– | Torn | 4:03 |
| 1-12 | James Arthur (2)– | Impossible | 3:26 |
| 1-13 | Robson & Jerome– | Unchained Melody | 3:17 |
| 1-14 | Wet Wet Wet– | Love Is All Around | 3:55 |
| 1-15 | Jennifer Rush– | The Power Of Love | 4:22 |
| 1-16 | Will Young– | Evergreen | 4:08 |
| 1-17 | Boyzone– | No Matter What | 4:34 |
| 1-18 | Paul Anka– | Diana | 2:15 |
| 1-19 | Bill Haley And His Comets– | (We’re Gonna) Rock Around The Clock | 2:10 |
| 2-1 | Pharrell Williams– | Happy (From “Despicable Me 2”) | 3:51 |
| 2-2 | Maroon 5 Feat Christina Aguilera– | Moves Like Jagger | 3:20 |
| 2-3 | The Black Eyed Peas*– | I Gotta Feeling | 4:03 |
| 2-4 | Clean Bandit Feat Jess Glynne– | Rather Be | 3:44 |
| 2-5 | Robin Thicke Feat Pharrell*– | Blurred Lines | 3:46 |
| 2-6 | Gnarls Barkley– | Crazy | 2:56 |
| 2-7 | Fugees– | Killing Me Softly With His Song | 3:57 |
| 2-8 | Coolio Feat L.V.*– | Gangsta’s Paradise | 4:00 |
| 2-9 | Gotye Feat Kimbra– | Somebody That I Used To Know | 4:03 |
| 2-10 | Ed Sheeran– | The A Team | 4:17 |
| 2-11 | Passenger (10)– | Let Her Go | 3:35 |
| 2-12 | Take That– | Rule The World | 3:54 |
| 2-13 | All Saints– | Never Ever | 3:54 |
| 2-14 | Britney Spears– | …Baby One More Time | 3:29 |
| 2-15 | Atomic Kitten– | Whole Again | 3:01 |
| 2-16 | Kylie Minogue– | Can’t Get You Out Of My Head | 3:46 |
| 2-17 | Cheryl Cole– | Fight For This Love | 3:40 |
| 2-18 | Steps– | Tragedy | 4:28 |
| 2-19 | Hear’Say– | Pure & Simple | 3:44 |
| 2-20 | Shaggy Feat Ricardo “Rik Rok” Ducent– | It Wasn’t Me | 3:46 |
| 2-21 | RUN-DMC Vs Jason Nevins– | It’s Like That | 4:09 |
| 3-1 | John Lennon– | Imagine | 3:01 |
| 3-2 | Elvis Presley– | It’s Now Or Never | 3:14 |
| 3-3 | Journey– | Don’t Stop Believin’ | 4:06 |
| 3-4 | Survivor– | Eye Of The Tiger | 3:49 |
| 3-5 | Cher– | Believe | 3:58 |
| 3-6 | Frankie Goes To Hollywood– | Relax | 3:56 |
| 3-7 | Soft Cell– | Tainted Love | 2:37 |
| 3-8 | The Human League– | Don’t You Want Me | 3:56 |
| 3-9 | Blondie– | Heart Of Glass | 4:12 |
| 3-10 | New Order– | Blue Monday 88 | 4:03 |
| 3-11 | Irene Cara– | Fame | 3:48 |
| 3-12 | Village People– | Y.M.C.A. | 4:44 |
| 3-13 | Boney M.– | Rivers Of Babylon | 4:17 |
| 3-14 | Ray Parker Jr.– | Ghostbusters | 3:58 |
| 3-15 | Spice Girls– | Wannabee | 2:53 |
| 3-16 | Whigfield– | Saturday Night | 3:41 |
| 3-17 | Aqua– | Barbie Girl | 3:14 |
| 3-18 | Culture Club– | Karma Chameleon | 4:09 |
| 3-19 | Dexys Midnight Runners– | Come On Eileen | 4:00 |
| 3-20 | UB40– | Red Red Wine | 3:01 |
| 3-21 | Tony Christie– | (Is This The Way To) Amarillo | 3:12 |
A bit of a mish-mash, along with versions of songs that were bigger hits for other artists (“Hallelujah”, “Unchained Melody”). “Blurred Lines”, with its catchy beat (but unfortunately date-rapey lyrics) got in legal trouble for being a blatant rip-off of Marvin Gaye’s “Got to Give It Up”. As for New Order’s “Blue Monday”, well George, it’s obvious you weren’t a Reagan-era Go-Go Girl in the 1980s or you would definitely know the songs, especially its iconic opening passage.
Deb, I plan on listening to “Blue Monday” and some of the other songs I’m not familiar with…after Diane’s Bills Party on Sunday. Right now, Diane’s cleaning and I’m running errands in preparation for the Opening Game bash!
Admittedly I am an old, out of touch fogey, but there are a lot of songs and artists here I never heard of. Are you sure you didn’t just make them up to pull my leg, George?
There are a few songs here I would listen to and not throw up, and even I few I kind of like. But…
Has there been anyone who is A) not drunk, and B) on a dance floor who would admit to liking Y.M.C.A.?
And as for Whitney Houston…Never could stand her. Never could stand for her music. and especially never could stand for her rendition of I WILL ALWAYS LOVE YOU, which Dolly had already done to perfection.
Pardon me, but the Crankypants Express is about to leave the station.
Jerry, Y.M.C.A. has been played at every wedding reception Diane and I have attended over the past 10 years. “I Will Always Love You” has driven some people to violence: https://www.baltimoresun.com/1994/03/07/i-will-always-love-you-drives-some-to-violence/
This is an even more random grab bag than usual! The Journey, Survivor, and Culture Club tracks receive heavy replay on the “hits of the 80s, 90s, and today” stations. Never liked the two covers by the Fugees and UB40. Maroon 5 and Ed Sheeran are categorically awful.
Fred, I agree with you on the random grab bag of this 3-CD set. Yet, somehow, a million people or more bought these songs…
Jackie is a fan of “It’s Now or Never.”
Irene Cara was NOT a one-hit wonder. “Fame” was #4, but “Flashdance -What a Feeling” was #1.
I recognized 27 of 61, though some in other renditions. Speaking of renditions, if you want to torture someone (me, for instance), Cher’s “Believe” would do it. It would not be possible for me to hate a song more, even “Honey.”
Deb called this a “bit of a mish-mash” and that’s an understatement. Paul Anka and Elvis and Bill Haley along with Kylie Minogue and Britney Spears? Hard pass. Overall, I’m with Jerry, though I don’t mind Whitney’s “I Will Always Love You” (though I prefer the versions by Dolly and Linda Ronstadt).
Songs I like? Bohemian Rhapsody, Don’t You Want Me pretty much does it, though I’m OK listening to Careless Whisper (just to make fun of the “Guilty feet have got no rhythm” line), Come On Eileen, I Will Always Love You (in the previously mentioned versions), Don’t top Believin’, Love is All Around (the original version), Eye of the Tiger, Rivers of Babylon (Jimmy Cliff version).
Lastly, with all of his hits, who picked this Elton John song as representative?
Jeff, I also wondered how “Something About The Way You Look Tonight” was chosen from all of Elton John’s hits.
I agree with the others re this being a total mish-mash.
But anyway I remember less than half of the titles – were these really all million sellers?
Wolf, yes, all these songs sold a million copies. Of course, musical tastes have changed over time so it’s doubtful that many of these songs would be successful today.
Every song I questioned and looked up turned out to have indeed been a massive hit. Mull of Kintyre is McCartney’s best-selling single. Something About the Way You Look Tonight was doing well as a single, but then the Princess Diana version of Candle in the Wind was put on the other side and it exploded. The greatest selling single of all time (except for maybe the pre-chart White Christmas by Bing Crosby). Candle in the Wind 1997 is probably not licensable, but the original A-side was. It was indeed a hit, but wouldn’t have sold a million copies on its own.
So, a mish-mash, but a deliberate one. The songs were chosen for their commercial success, not for any artistic reason. As such, it’s an interesting collection, listenable as background music, hard to pay attention to. Top three tracks for me personally: Bohemian Rhapsody (which I still enjoy, overplayed as it is), Imagine, and Relax by Frankie Goes to Hollywood.
Jeff, thanks for confirming that NOW THAT’S WHAT I CALL A MILLION is really legit. I hadn’t considered Elton John’s “Candle in the Wind” version for the death of Lady Di and its A-Side.
Mostly utterly disposable, bland when not annoying, with some more amiable exceptions.
“Mull of Kintyre” would be an example of something that sold most of its copies in the UK, likewise the Boney M. track in Europe (they never sold much in the US). Hence some of the obscurity of some of these to some.
The Human League and Blondie songs, for me, are examples of what they could do, if not the best examples, but the tracks that help make up (a little) for the Journey inclusion.
The Soft Cell cover hit is something I’m improbably fond of. I tend to think of the synthesizer track there as an avatar of the Beep Fart school of musicianship.
“Saving All My Love for You” is probably the Whitney Houston hit that I’d retain first, as perhaps her best entry in the jazz-pop efflorescence of the early ’80s.
Todd, Whitney Houston was a polarizing figure in pop music. Some groups accused her of “not being Black enough”–a charge that was leveled at The Fifth Dimension, too.
Eh. I think more were more disturbed by the family dynamics she had to put up with as a kid. All sympathies there, though IIRC she had it much worse.
Todd, I still marvel that the songs you refer to sold a million or more copies…
Well, a dollar or so for a 45 made for a very quick impulse purchase…
Todd, my sisters bought 45s and I bought albums. Now, I buy CDs, which are rumored to be discontinued in the next few years like VHS.
Life is full of concidences.
Looking at the last entry on the song list.
In a German US travel forum we just discussed Texas. You maybe remember I was there 20 years ago on a road trip following one of my favourite Rock artists – Steve Winwood.
And I told the guys that Is This The Way To Amarillo was written and performed by Neil Sedaka, also one of my favourite performers.
Wolf, I thought of you last month when we saw Steve Winwood open for Santana at Madison Square Garden. He was older and a little stooped but still sounds good. After all, he’s my age. We enjoyed his 70 minute set.
But he’s still 5 years younger than I!
I envy you a bit because:
Trips like I did to the USA 40, 20 and 15 years ago are to much for us now but fond memories will always remain!
It’s good that many of these older musicians even in their 70s are still active – and still have fans.
I have problems with the young performers of today, can’t really enjoy them.
Wolf, I play more “Classic Rock” music than new music.
Wolf, Neil Sedaka occasionally shows up on these compilation CDs. But too often the Sedaka song is “Having My Baby”–a song that sends shudders through me!