It is the eve of The Mark Steyn Club's seventh birthday. Our little club was born on May 6th 2017 - which means we are about to begin our eighth year, which is more than Boris Johnson's premiership can say.
On this day above all, I am so grateful to those Steyn Clubbers who swing by here and keep us Number One in your daily Internet rounds. So, in lieu of more lavish observances, here's a new and expanded version of something we did on our first birthday: I've rounded up a few other people who are also one - Number One, that is, on the Hit Parade across the decades. In this compilation from the Steyn archives going back to my earliest disc-jockey days, I talk to singers and songwriters and musicians who've had Number One records - sometimes in America, sometimes in Britain, sometimes in Japan, Switzerland, South Africa, Norway, and sometimes the Number One record of the year all around the planet.
The pop stars are variously American, English, Scottish, Irish, Canadian, Australian, but, between them, they span almost a century of hits, including some of the biggest of all time - in multiple genres: rock, big band, classical, disco, new wave, and more. Among other Number Ones, we'll hear the great iconic urban valentine of the last half-century, a cartoon love song, an Australian anthem, Canada's second stuttering smash, and a winning ballad by compositors rather than composers.
Aside from the performers mentioned above, our two-hour-plus cavalcade of Number Ones also includes bestsellers from Nat "King" Cole, Aretha Franklin, Elton John and more. Some of the above guests are no longer with us, some I haven't seen for many years, some are fast friends, and a few are even members of The Mark Steyn Club. But all the above bring back happy memories, whether it's Bananarama warbling The Sound of Music, or Julio Iglesias recalling his days as an English pub singer making a tenner a week.
So we're pleased to celebrate The Mark Steyn Club's seventh birthday with an all-hit dance party of Non-Stop Number Ones. If you want actual dancing and cork-popping that will have to wait until our fifth annual Mark Steyn Cruise, on which we hope to see you.
To enjoy over two hours' worth of Number One records on this Mark Steyn Club birthday special, simply click above.
On the other hand, if you prefer your music less poppy, don't forget last week's SteynOnline special, with me and some chums celebrating great Broadway standards live at Hillsdale.
~Thank you all for seven wonderful years. We do enjoy your comments on our shows. Steyn Club members are welcome to respond below.
Don't forget Steyn's Song of the Week airs thrice weekly on Serenade Radio in the UK, one or other of which broadcasts is certain to be convenient for whichever part of the world you're in:
5.30pm Sunday London (12.30pm New York)
5.30am Monday London (4.30pm Sydney)
9pm Thursday London (1pm Vancouver)
Whichever you prefer, you can listen from anywhere on the planet right here.