Pop stars to have stars named after them :

Paul Anka
Mike Oldifled
Enya
Def Leppard
Frank Zappa
Neil Diamond
Geri Halliwell
Dan Fogelberg

Charting Belgians :

Lasgo
Jacque Brel
Technotronic
Telex
The Singing Nun
Plastic Bertrand

Real Names :

Goldie - Clifford Price

LATEST PHACTOID

  • The lady dancing in Men Without Hats' 'Safety Dance' video is Louise Court, the current editor of UK's Cosmopolitan magazine.

    CHRISTMAS

  • The first hit that contained the word Christmas was Mantovani's - White Christmas in December 1952
  • The NYPD does not have a choir.
  • Actor Frank Kelly released 'Christmas Countdown' in 1983, it reached number 26.
  • Wizzard's 'I Wish It Could Be Christmas Everyday' has the full credit : Wizzard featuring vocal backing by The Suedettes plus the Stockland Green Bilateral School First Year Choir with additional noises by Miss Snob & Class 3C
  • Jona Lewie's 'Stop The Cavalry' hasn't anything to do with Christmas. It is an anti-war song and only released by the record company due to the line : 'Wish I could be home for Christmas'


    POP

  • Abba have allowed their songs to be sampled only twice: by The Fugees & Madonna
  • In Christina Aguilera's "Genie In A Bottle" video, one of her backing dancers is wearing a top, which disappears and reappears several times during the routine

    00's

  • All Saints' Appleton Sisters are Canadian.
  • Appleton's 'Honest' film was directed by Eurythmic David A. Stewart
  • Gwen Stefani's "Hollaback Girl" was the first single to sell 1 million downloads
  • The first song to reach number one purely on download sales was Gnarls Barkley's 'Crazy'.The first download inclusive number one album : Morrissey - 'Ringleader Of The Tormentors'.

    90's

  • Radio 2's Janey Lee Grace was the featured vocalist on Cola Boy's 1991 hit "7 Ways To Love".

    INDIE & BRITPOP

  • Oasis' "What's The Story Morning Glory" had to be repressed with an extra songwriting credit after nearly being taken to court by...Gary Glitter.

    DANCE


    DISCO

  • As a session singer, Tina Charles used to sing on the Top Of The Pops albums. She even sang cover versions of her own songs on them.
  • Earth Wind & Fire's previous name was 'The Salty Peppers'.

    ROCK

  • Lenny Kravitz's mother starred in the American sitcom "The Jeffersons"
  • The end of Mike Oldfield's "Amarok" contained morse code. It reads "F@#k off Branson", a comment on his dispute with Virgin.

    THE BEATLES

  • "Come Together" was originally banned by the BBC as it contained the name 'Coca-Cola', infringing it's advertising ban. The same happened to the Kinks who changed it to 'cherry cola' to release "Lola".

    MISC

  • The shortest single released was 1 minute, 28 seconds long. It was "Stay" by Maurice Williams And The Zodiacs. The longest : 39 minutes, The Orb's "Blue Room"
  • Only 2 one-hit-wonders have sold more than 1 million copies - Simon Park Orchestra's 'Eye Level' and The Teletubbies - 'Say Eh-Oh'
  • The Eurythmics have had 9 top 10 hits ; They have all reached different chart positions. The only position not reached: number 7.
  • The first band to be featured on the cover of "Smash Hits was Plastic Bertrand
  • The Who - "Pictures Of Lily", Divinyls -"I Touch Myself", Undertones - "Teenage kicks", Pointer Sisters - "Slow Hand" & Tori Amos - "Icicle" all songs about masturbation
  • All done military service : Elvis, Jimi Hendrix, John Mayall, Billy Bragg & Shaggy.
  • The fist song to chart with the word 'rave' in the title was from 1958. It was Buddy Holly's "Rave On"

    80's

  • The lady dancing in Men Without Hats' 'Safety Dance' video is Louise Court, the current editor of Cosmopolitan magazine.
  • The 1st simulaeneous lp and cd relase in the USA was Eurythmics - 'Touch'
  • Toni Basil co-produced Talking Heads' "Once In A Lifetime" video
  • Kraftwerk's "The Model"; Smiths' "How Soon Is Now" & Dire Straits' "Walk Of Life" were all b-sides before being released as singles in their own right
  • The 12" single of M's "Pop Muzic" had a double-groove b-side. Depending on which groove you placed the needle on, you heard either the b-side or an extended remix.
  • Groups that put 'secret messages' on the run-out groove of their singles include Madness, The Smiths & Kirsty MacColl
  • During the final chorus of "Tempted" by Squeeze, after the line "Tempted by the fruit of another" the word 'lesbian' is slightly audible at 3:22 & every 5 seconds after.

    NEW ROMANTICS

  • The Human league used to be called 'The Future'.

    70's

  • 10cc's 'I'm Not In Love' contains 256 multi-tracked backing vocals, all provided by the four band members. It took 3 weeks to record.
  • Lasse Hallstrom, director of 'The Cider House Rules' and 'Chocolat', was ABBA's video director
  • David Bowie's "Jean Genie" was kept off the number 1 spot by Chuck Berry's "My Ding-a-Ling"
  • When The Police had their first number 1, guitarist Andy Summers was 36
  • Peter Gabriel backwards. At the end of "Solsbury Hill" what sounds like jibberish is actually Gabriel shouting "you fool! you play records backwards?" backwards.

    PUNK & NEW WAVE

  • Former Clash drummer Terry Chimes is now a chiropractor.

    60's

  • Tommy Facenda released a single called High School USA in the US. It had different lyrics for different cities on release with local high schools mentioned.
  • 60's singer Twinkle's niece is 'Cold Feet's' Fay Ripley
  • The Righteous Brothers' "Unchained Melody" only featured one 'brother' - Bobby Hatfield
  • Kris Kristopherson used to play American Football professionally.

    MOTOWN

  • Marvin Gaye started his career as a session drummer

    MYTHS

  • Rod Stewart never played harmonica on Millie's 'My Boy Lollipop'
  • KATE BUSH, the EMI rep & the cakes. Inviting a company rep (anticipating new material in the late 90's) around "to see what I've been working on", then producing a tray of cakes from the oven. It never happened. (Unfortunately)
  • Longest note held in a hit single is not by Bill Withers. It's by A-ha's Morten Harket on 'Summer Moved On' from 2000. It beat Bill Withers by two seconds.
  • People still believe that Bob Holness played the saxophone on Gerry Rafferty's "Baker Street". He didn't, it was Raphael Ravenscroft

    NAMES

  • David Gray's real name is Eric. Born in Manchester, he grew up in South Wales.
  • I don't know which name is worse - Rubbish rapper Ice-T was born Tracy Morrow.

    TV & RADIO

  • Harry Shearer, who provides voices for 'Grandpa', 'Mr. Burns' & 'Smithers' (amoungst others) on The Simpsons, was Spinal Tap's bass guitarist.