Rewind and Replay: The Winners and Losers
Some artists are one hit wonders and others delight their audiences with hit after hit. The results of YSJ Replay and Ripon Rewind show the diversity of music taste, including how our alumni love good music from big name artists. But some of our music memories are not what you’d expect.
The winner takes it all
Who doesn’t love ABBA? Surprisingly, not many of our community! From catchy hits to slower songs, and a musical and film full of their work, ABBA has a wide audience. But, out of the many entries we received, only three named an ABBA hit as their music memory. Thank You For The Music indeed!
It was a similar fate for Queen. With several well-known songs like Bohemian Rhapsody, Killer Queen and I Want to Break Free, Queen received only two nominations despite their continuing popularity and the 2018 film Bohemian Rhapsody.
However, other household names did slightly better, with Robbie Williams’ Angels gaining four nominations, The Killers’ Mr Brightside gaining thirteen and Rod Stewart’s Maggie May earning twenty separate nominations. It seems our Alumni aren’t loving angels instead.
But it’s not just household names that have got more votes than anticipated; Daft Punk managed four mentions, spanning nearly a decade between 2000 and 2019 whilst The Foundations and The Mamas and Papas gained three each.
The loser’s standing small
From startling stage performances to infamous meat dresses and songs we all know and love, some famous artists and bands didn’t get nominated at all. From the iconic David Bowie to the well-known Guns ‘N’ Roses, artists like Lady Gaga, and bands like The Human League and Roxy Music failed to gain a single mention from our alumni.
Other well known artists fared slightly better despite their fame. Madonna, Elton John and Britney Spears all gained one nomination alongside Joy Division and Justin Bieber. From catchy songs to careers spanning decades, even Beyonce only gained two votes despite her popularity.
Beside the victory
From the well known bands and household names to the more obscure, Ripon Rewind and YSJ Replay have shown how much our alumni community loves good music, and how it shaped their time at university in music memories. On playlists full of good songs, our alumni still know how to choose the best.
Enjoyed this post? Why not read our post on the popularity of Mr Brightside? Listen to the playlists on Spotify here.
