A new series begins today. We are going explore numerical songs from 1-10 and then see where it goes from there. Which number is the favourite of song writers? Which unusual numbers will make it into the lists? This will be another voyage of discovery in which as usual forgetten gems are recalled and unexpected discoveries made. So today we start appropriately with Number 1 (we may come back to 0 at some point).
“Little Bitty Pretty One” is a 1957 rock and roll song written and originally recorded by Bobby Day. The same year, the song was popularized by Thurston Harris. Produced by Aladdin Records (located in Los Angeles), and featuring the Sharps on backing vocals, Harris’ version reached No. 6 on the U.S. Billboard Best-Sellers chart and No. 2 on the R&B chart.
“One” is a song written and recorded by Harry Nilsson and made famous by Three Dog Night whose recording reached number five in the U.S. in 1969 and number four in Canada. It is known for its opening line “One is the loneliest number that you’ll ever do”. Nilsson wrote the song after calling someone and getting a busy signal. He stayed on the line listening to the “beep, beep, beep, beep…” tone, writing the song. The busy signal became the opening notes.
“One Love/People Get Ready” is a reggae song by Bob Marley & the Wailers from their 1977 album Exodus. It was first recorded in a ska style by Marley’s original group, The Wailers in 1965 and was released as a single. This version was later included on their first singles compilation The Wailing Wailers in 1965. It was rerecorded as part of the 1970 medley “All In One”, which contained reggae reworkings of their early ska songs. This was released as a single.. The version on Exodus was not released as a single until 16 April 1984, promoting the forthcoming greatest hits album Legend. However, the single became one of his biggest hits and has been included on many of Marley and the Wailers subsequent compilation albums.
“Another One Bites the Dust” is a song by Queen. Written by bassist John Deacon, the song was featured on the group’s eighth studio album The Game (1980). It was a worldwide hit, charting number one in the US for three weeks, from 4 October to 18 October (their second number-one single in the country). The song spent 15 weeks in the top 10 (the longest running top ten song of 1980), including 13 weeks in the top five, and 31 weeks total on the chart (more than any other song in 1980). It reached number seven in the UK. The song is credited as Queen’s best-selling single, with sales of over 7 million copies. This version was ranked at number 34 on Billboard’s All-Time Top Songs.
“One Night in Bangkok” is a song from the concept album and subsequent musical Chess by Tim Rice. Benny Andersson and Bjorn Ulvaeus. British actor and singer Murray Head raps the verses, while the chorus is sung by Anders Glenmark, a Swedish singer, songwriter and producer. The release topped the charts in many countries, including Switzerland, Denmark and Australia. It peaked at No. 3 in both Canada and the United States in May 1985, and at No. 12 in the United Kingdom.
“One” is a song by Irish band U2. It is the third track from their 1991 album Achtung Baby, and it was released as the record’s third single in February 1992. During the album’s recording sessions at Hansa Studios in Berlin, conflict arose between the band members over the direction of U2’s sound and the quality of their material. Tensions almost prompted the band to break up until they achieved a breakthrough with the improvisation of “One”; the song was written after the band members were inspired by a chord progression that guitarist the Edge was playing in the studio. The lyrics, written by lead singer Bono, were inspired by the band members’ fractured relationships and the German reunification. Although the lyrics ostensibly describe “disunity”, they have been interpreted in other ways.
“One of Us” is a song recorded by American singer Joan Osborne for her debut studio album, Relish (1995). Written by Eric Bazilian of the Hooters. The song was released in November 1995, as Osborne’s debut single and it became a hit in November of that year, peaking at number four in the US and earning three Grammy nominations. “One of Us” was also a hit around the world, topping the charts in Australia, Belgium, Canada, and Sweden, reaching number six in the UK, and becoming a top-20 hit in at least 12 other countries. The song went on to serve as the opening theme for the 2003-2005 American television series Joan of Arcadia.
