Their year in lists (part one)

All year, for want of something better to fill weekdays with, we've been keeping track of the last.fm stats thrown up by leading national radio stations. Now we've got to the end of the year, let's take the proper temperature of pop broadcasting in 2010 with their twelve year artist and track figures to near enough the end of 31st December.

Radio 1

1 Tinie Tempah 672
2 Plan B 669
3 Biffy Clyro 610
4 Rihanna 603
5 Vampire Weekend 568
6 Pendulum 537
7 Mumford & Sons 534
8 Ellie Goulding 527
9 Muse 505
10 Florence + the Machine 494
11 Marina & the Diamonds 466
12 30 Seconds to Mars 465
13 You Me At Six 456
14 Paramore 449
15 Example 444
16 Jason Derülo 435
17 Kings of Leon 416
18 Pixie Lott 405
19 JLS 404
19 Katy Perry 404
21 Lady Gaga 388
22 Eminem 386
23 Black Eyed Peas 373
24 Scouting for Girls 356
25 The Saturdays 343
26 Paolo Nutini 337
26 The xx 337
28 Lostprophets 332
29 Kasabian 329
29 Cheryl Cole 329
31 Professor Green 328
32 Roll Deep 313
33 Eliza Doolittle 311
34 The Pretty Reckless 305
35 All Time Low 298
36 Ke$ha 286
37 Owl City 283
38 The Wombats 280
39 Swedish House Mafia 272
40 3OH!3 271
41 Dizzee Rascal 265
41 N-Dubz 265
43 Yolanda Be Cool & DCUP 262
44 Mark Ronson & The Business Intl 259
45 My Chemical Romance 256
46 Inna 254
47 Cee Lo Green 251
48 Take That 250
49 Alicia Keys 244
50 The Script 243

You do underestimate how big Vampire Weekend are to the youth, don't you? The emergence of Tinie Tempah seems to be being used as a stick to beat BBC Sound Of... with as he wasn't in the fifteen strong shortlist last year, but there was no reason he should have been - he'd had a couple of small scale EPs out and while 1Xtra had been supporting his cause he'd only been signed in October 2009. Not realising months in advance that he was going to breeze through the UK urban-as-pop fire door that others had kicked open and overtake the lot of them isn't lack of knowledge, it's lack of time travelling capability.

1 Yolanda Be Cool & DCUP – We No Speak Americano 259
2 Tinie Tempah – Pass Out 251
3 Gramophonedzie – Why Don't You 237
4 Mumford & Sons – The Cave 227
5 Owl City – Fireflies 221
6 The xx – Islands 219
6 Ellie Goulding – Starry Eyed 219
8 Marina & the Diamonds – Hollywood 212
9 Pendulum – Watercolour 207
10 Brandon Flowers – Crossfire 206
11 You Me At Six – Underdog 195
12 Florence + the Machine – Dog Days Are Over 194
12 Scouting for Girls – This Ain't A Love Song 194
14 You Me At Six – Liquid Confidence 191
14 Duck Sauce – Barbra Streisand 191
16 Katy B – Katy On A Mission 190
17 Professor Green – I Need You Tonight 188
18 Example – Kickstarts 185
19 Kids In Glass Houses – Matters At All 180
20 Eliza Doolittle – Pack Up 178
21 The Wombats – Tokyo (Vampires & Wolves) 176
22 Boys Like Girls – Love Drunk 175
23 Kings of Leon – Radioactive 173
24 Biffy Clyro – Bubbles 172
24 Plan B – Stay Too Long 172
26 Eminem – Love The Way You Lie 163
27 Muse – Resistance 162
28 Labrinth – Let The Sun Shine 161
29 Cee Lo Green – Forget You 160
30 Plan B – She Said 159
30 Tinie Tempah – Frisky 159
30 Taio Cruz – Dynamite 159
33 Inna – Hot 158
33 Diana Vickers – Once 158
33 Roll Deep – Good Times 158
36 Dizzee Rascal – Dirtee Disco 157
37 The Pretty Reckless – Make Me Wanna Die 155
38 Magnetic Man – I Need Air 150
39 All Time Low – Weightless 148
39 All Time Low – Lost In Stereo 148
41 Paolo Nutini – 10/10 146
41 Chiddy Bang – Opposite Of Adults 146
41 Rihanna – Only Girl (In The World) 146
44 Far East Movement – Like A G6 144
44 Katy Perry – Teenage Dream 144
46 3OH!3 – Don't Trust Me 143
47 Black Eyed Peas – Rock That Body 141
47 Chase & Status – Let You Go 141
49 Mumford & Sons – Roll Away Your Stone 139
50 Vampire Weekend – Cousins 137

What a very odd list. Two of the top six are from albums released in 2009 (and let's face it, you'd have got long odds on the xx being that much daytime material this time last year), and two of the top three are dance tracks that sample jazz records and sound like novelties in doing so. This is where dance pop lies in 2010. And all pop, for that matter. Note, by the way, that there's three Yolanda Be Cool & DCUP tracks they've played other than the single.


Radio 2

1 The Beatles 513
2 Amy Macdonald 398
3 Take That 347
4 Kylie Minogue 346
5 Bruce Springsteen 342
6 Michael Bublé 337
7 The Rolling Stones 334
8 Scouting for Girls 330
9 David Bowie 309
10 KT Tunstall 278
11 Robbie Williams 274
12 Elvis Presley 273
13 Lissie 270
14 Stevie Wonder 267
15 ABBA 263
16 Scissor Sisters 257
17 Queen 256
17 Fleetwood Mac 256
19 Madonna 254
19 Michael Jackson 254
21 Rumer 247
22 Paolo Nutini 244
23 Elton John 236
24 Paloma Faith 233
25 Fyfe Dangerfield 228
26 Coldplay 223
27 Eliza Doolittle 220
28 Cee Lo Green 215
29 Rod Stewart 210
30 Lady Antebellum 201
30 Owl City 201
32 James Blunt 196
33 Electric Light Orchestra 195
34 The Beach Boys 194
35 Pet Shop Boys 188
36 Goldfrapp 187
37 Neil Diamond 185
38 Harper Simon 184
39 Blondie 183
39 Sheryl Crow 183
39 Brandon Flowers 183
42 a-ha 180
43 Mika 176
43 Katie Melua 176
45 Rox 171
46 U2 169
47 Bee Gees 168
47 Nell Bryden 168
49 Oasis 167
49 Gabriella Cilmi 167

See, that's why the iTunes campaign was so prevalent. Given that amount of support, more than the more obvious likes of Rumer, you have to wonder how successful Lissie has been.

1 Amy Macdonald – This Pretty Face 143
2 Scissor Sisters – Fire With Fire 142
3 Brandon Flowers – Crossfire 134
4 Scouting for Girls – This Ain't A Love Song 132
5 Michael Bublé – Hollywood 131
6 Scouting for Girls – Famous 129
7 Alicia Keys – Empire State Of Mind (Part II) Broken Down 128
8 Train – Hey, Soul Sister 127
8 Katie Melua – The Flood 127
10 Eliza Doolittle – Pack Up 124
11 Rumer – Slow 122
12 James Blunt – Stay the Night 121
12 Take That – The Flood 121
14 Goldfrapp – Rocket 118
14 The Hoosiers – Choices 118
16 Owl City – Fireflies 116
17 Tone Damli – Butterflies 114
17 Paolo Nutini – 10/10 114
17 Kylie Minogue – All The Lovers 114
20 Katy Perry – California Gurls 113
21 Lissie – When I'm Alone 112
22 Little Big Town – Fine Line 111
23 Rick Astley – Lights Out 110
24 Amy Macdonald – Don't Tell Me That It's Over 109
25 Manic Street Preachers – (It's Not War) Just The End Of Love 108
25 Cee Lo Green – Forget You 108
25 Manic Street Preachers / Ian Mcculloch – Some Kind Of Nothingness 108
28 Eli "Paperboy" Reed – Come And Get It 107
29 Biffy Clyro – Many Of Horror (Where We Collide) 103
30 Lady Gaga – Alejandro 102
30 KT Tunstall – Fade Like A Shadow 102
32 Sheryl Crow – Summer Day 98
33 Rumer – Aretha 97
33 I Am Arrows – Green Grass 97
33 Cee Lo Green – It's OK 97
36 Mika – Blame It On The Girls 96
37 Fyfe Dangerfield – She Needs Me 95
38 Lady Antebellum – I Run To You 93
38 Caro Emerald – Riviera Life 93
38 KT Tunstall – (Still A) Weirdo 93
41 Boyzone – Love Is A Hurricane 92
42 Joshua Radin – I'd Rather Be With You 90
43 Paloma Faith – Upside Down 89
43 Robbie Williams – Morning Sun 89
45 OneRepublic – All The Right Moves 88
45 Diane Birch – Valentino 88
45 Jamiroquai – Blue Skies 88
48 Lady Antebellum – Need You Now 87
48 Paul Weller – No Tears To Cry 87
50 Corinne Bailey Rae – Paris Nights/New York Mornings 86

Imagine a station that played so much Scouting For Girls all year. Amy Macdonald is evidently some sort of new Eddi Reader. Brandon Flowers' name turns up a lot in these rundowns, strange for someone whose solo work seems to have deliberately passed most people by. Quite a few supposed crossover hits that didn't happen here - Corinne Bailey Rae's much vaunted return doesn't seem to have amounted to much, Mercury nomination notwithstanding.


Absolute

1 Oasis 1,248
2 Kings of Leon 1,226
3 U2 1,146
4 Florence + the Machine 1,134
5 Mumford & Sons 1,080
6 Coldplay 1,069
7 R.E.M. 1,035
8 Snow Patrol 1,027
9 Muse 1,020
10 Paolo Nutini 966
11 Queen 951
12 Manic Street Preachers 934
13 Stereophonics 930
14 The Beatles 839
14 Biffy Clyro 839
16 David Bowie 827
17 The Rolling Stones 818
18 Bon Jovi 813
19 The Killers 807
20 Blur 805
21 Green Day 741
22 Bruce Springsteen 733
23 Red Hot Chili Peppers 703
24 Keane 685
25 Brandon Flowers 683
26 The Police 679
27 Amy Macdonald 650
28 INXS 626
29 30 Seconds to Mars 608
30 The Script 590
31 Kaiser Chiefs 561
32 Travis 530
33 Paul Weller 521
34 The Jam 518
35 Foo Fighters 501
36 AC/DC 495
37 James 488
38 The Cure 484
39 Blondie 483
40 Train 471
41 Razorlight 468
42 Guns N' Roses 451
43 Nirvana 450
43 Kasabian 450
45 Madness 444
46 Scouting for Girls 440
47 Lily Allen 431
48 The Who 427
49 Nickelback 424
50 Simple Minds 418

Oasis. A band that don't exist any more, and still that hold over that demographic. We know we've just covered the Beatles' hold on Radio 2, but at least they have a story and a cultural and critical importance. Oasis are a band who as far as their posthumous notices go could have split in 1996 without denting anything. And when did INXS become that worthy of revitalisation for the ages?

1 Mumford & Sons – Roll Away Your Stone 668
2 Brandon Flowers – Crossfire 575
3 Florence + the Machine – Dog Days Are Over 520
4 Muse – Uprising 402
4 Train – Hey, Soul Sister 402
6 Paolo Nutini – Candy 394
7 Owl City – Fireflies 387
8 Paolo Nutini – 10/10 374
9 Snow Patrol – Just Say Yes 372
10 Manic Street Preachers – (It's Not War) Just The End Of Love 348
11 The Temper Trap – Sweet Disposition 345
12 Scouting for Girls – This Ain't A Love Song 344
13 The Script – For The First Time 330
14 Biffy Clyro – Bubbles 310
15 Kings of Leon – Sex On Fire 304
16 Amy Macdonald – Don't Tell Me That It's Over 303
17 Journey – Don't Stop Believin' 297
18 30 Seconds to Mars – Closer to the Edge 276
19 Keane – Stop For A Minute 271
20 Joshua Radin – I'd Rather Be With You 262
21 Biffy Clyro – Many Of Horror (When We Collide) 259
22 Florence + the Machine – You've Got The Love 258
23 Kings of Leon – Use Somebody 250
24 30 Seconds to Mars – Kings and Queens 247
25 Fyfe Dangerfield – She's Always A Woman 244
26 Kasabian – Fire 243
27 Lissie – When I'm Alone 218
28 Elbow – One Day Like This 216
29 Paramore – The Only Exception 209
30 Kings of Leon – Radioactive 207
31 Kings of Leon – Pyro 204
32 Florence + the Machine – Cosmic Love 191
33 Hurts – Wonderful Life 180
34 Muse – Neutron Star Collision (Love Is Forever) 179
35 Muse – Resistance 176
35 KT Tunstall – (Still A) Weirdo 176
37 AC/DC – Rock and Roll Train 168
38 Lily Allen – The Fear 165
39 Marina & the Diamonds – Hollywood 164
40 Mumford & Sons – The Cave 161
40 Paul Weller – No Tears To Cry 161
42 The Killers – Mr. Brightside 160
43 Coldplay – Viva la Vida 158
44 The Wombats – Tokyo 153
45 AC/DC – Highway to Hell 152
46 MGMT – Kids 148
46 The xx – Islands 148
48 Lily Allen – Not Fair 147
48 Robert Plant – Angel Dance 147
50 I Am Kloot – Northern Skies 144

Only comment necessary: Four songs released in 2009 are among Absolute's eleven most played songs (technically six, but two were reissued).

Specialist radio tomorrow.