Birthday Number 1s: 2015 - Black Magic

Well, this is a banger!

Black Magic - Little Mix

Sometimes, songs are just really fun, and there's not that much more to say, but, you know, here I go.

Little Mix won The X Factor in 2011. I was all over the X Factor in 2011. I still quite often declaim "Sophie Habibis" or "Frankie Cocozza" in the voice of Peter Dickson. Little Mix were put together by Kelly Rowland, originally called Rhythmix, mentored by Tulisa, not particularly fancied early on, beat Marcus Collins in the final vote, hit Number 1 with an odd cover of Damien Rice's Cannonball, and then, over time, turned out to be great, and have several big hits, and are, I think, the second most successful X Factor act after One Direction

I am not sure I particularly love the whole sound, or think there is an outstanding USP, but this is an undeniable banger, and that's all there is to say on the matter. It is also a very quizworthy fact that two members of Little Mix gave birth to children whose fathers are footballers whose names begin with A in the same week.

It's shouty, infectious, pop-rock, there's nothing magical about it, it doesn't have the pizzazz of Girls Aloud, or even All Saints, but no matter. There aren't any Number 1s I particularly love from 2015 - Bieber had a few massive 1s at the end of the year, and someone tried to persuade me those were good, but not for me, really. 

It was the year of To Pimp a Butterfly and Carrie and Lowell, and I remember listening to those a lot. 

2015 was the year Cameron won a majority and committed to a vote on Brexit. I remember going to see the reformed SFA the day after that. People there knew. 2016 it all started to kick off.

We did a lot in 2015. We bought a house. We went by train to Scandinavia, we went to New York, we went to France.  Even at the time, we felt we were taking the chance to do things while we could.. We haven't left the UK since then.

I have a feeling this is the last birthday Number 1 I really and truly like. In any case, next year. Ooh, I have some strong words for next year ....