My Festive 40 from 1994

Like with 1993, my list of favourite songs for the year was only a Top 40. Looking at it, my reaction is “Uh-oh! Here comes Britpop.” There are entries for Shed Seven and Echobelly! I was back living in the UK when I compiled this Festive 40 and had just completed my first term at Hull University. I felt a bit out of step with the direction British popular culture had taken at that point. Blur were suddenly very popular. How did that happen? It seemed like everybody in my University Halls of residence had Parklife. I couldn’t see the appeal myself. I viewed them as a bunch of chancers and didn’t like the way a band from Colchester seemed to be pretending they were from East London. I’m less hostile to Blur’s music these days but I still find the song ‘Parklife’ irritating. Needless to say there’s no Blur in this list (and no Oasis either). I’ve reproduced the top 22 this time as I think no. 22 is worth mentioning.

1. Prettiest Eyes – The Beautiful South
2. Your Favourite Thing – Sugar
3. Kinder Murder – Elvis Costello
4. Your Ghost – Kristen Hersh
5. Do You Remember the First Time? – Pulp
6. Bang and Blame – R.E.M.
7. One Last Love Song – The Beautiful South
8. Believe What You’re Saying – Sugar
9. Insomniac – Echobelly
10. Sunflower – Paul Weller
11. What’s the Frequency Kenneth? – R.E.M.
12. Babies – Pulp
13. Sometime Always – Jesus & Mary Chain
14. This is Hell – Elvis Costello
15. Today Tomorrow Sometime Never – Echobelly
16. Big Star – Letters to Cleo
17. Especially for You – The Beautiful South
18. Houdini Blues – Kristin Hersh
19. Speakeasy – Shed Seven
20. I Don’t Sleep I Dream – R.E.M.
21. Can’t Get Out of Bed – The Charlatans
22. Saturday Night – Whigfield