In November 2023 we celebrated NOW’s 40th anniversary with a collection of 100 massive Pop hits – but with 40 years of hits to choose from we had to leave out so many fantastic tracks – so it’s time to continue that celebration with NOW That’s What I Call 40 Years - Part 2 – 100 more essential hit tracks across 5 CDs – again honouring the legacy with a stellar selection from the past four decades of NOW. Embark on a musical journey from 1983 right up to the present day, making at least one memorable stop in each year along the way.
Opening with Duran Duran’s 1983 #1 ‘Is There Something I Should Know?’, which featured on the first NOW album along with ‘Temptation’ by Heaven 17. Unforgettable hits including ‘Here Comes The Rain Again’ by Eurythmics, and Synth-Pop smashes from Howard Jones with ‘What Is Love?’ and ‘Smalltown Boy’ by Bronski Beat are up next. ‘Two Tribes’ by Frankie Goes To Hollywood spent 9 weeks at #1 in 1984 and features ahead of covers including the #1 collaboration between UB40 and Chrissie Hynde, and Kim Wilde’s version of ‘You Keep Me Hangin’ On’ which hit #1 in the U.S. The production team Stock, Aitken and Waterman hit Pop gold in the late ‘80s and huge hits they produced for Bananarama and Hazell Dean are included. The first disc closes with 1989 classics from Fine Young Cannibals, and the first #1 from Simple Minds ‘Belfast Child’.
Disc Two opens with Neneh Cherry’s Pop/Hip-Hop fusion ‘Buffalo Stance’ and includes floor-fillers ‘Gonna Make You Sweat (Everybody Dance Now)’ by C+C Music Factory, and ‘Happenin’ All Over Again’ from Lonnie Gordon. The sophisticated Soul of Seal’s ‘Crazy’ and Oleta Adams’ ‘Get Here’ follow before a Rock classic from Lenny Kravitz, Pop anthems ‘Joyride’ by Roxette, and the global smash ‘All She Wants Is’ from Ace Of Base. ‘What’s Up?’ from 4 Non Blondes, the debut hit and #1 ‘Dreams’ from Gabrielle, the beautiful ‘Don’t Be A Stranger from Dina Carroll, and the superb cover of ‘Go West’ from Pet Shop Boys highlight the diversity of the 90s charts. The disc finishes with essential tunes from M People and Pato Banton – and ‘When Do I Get To Sing “My Way” from Sparks which has been increasingly celebrated as a true Pop classic.
Kicking off with Boyzone, one of the ‘90s biggest Pop acts, the third disc includes timeless gems including ‘Wonderwall’ by Oasis, ‘Wake Up Boo!’ from The Boo Radleys, pure Pop magic from the Spice Girls and Gina G, euphoric club classics ‘Born Slippy (Nuxx)’ by Underworld, Faithless with ‘Insomnia’, and the captivating alt anthem ‘Paranoid Android’ by Radiohead. Run DMC and Jason Nevins hit #1 with a fantastic remix of ‘It’s Like That’, and as the ‘90s came to a close there was an explosion of huge Pop hits from new and established stars including Pop royalty Kylie Minogue with ‘Spinning Around’, Robbie Williams with ‘Rock DJ,’ and new favourites S Club, Westlife and into the new millennium with crowd-pleasers from Sugababes and Blue.
Disc Four opens with ‘Are You Ready For Love?’ by Elton John – which hit #1 over 20 years after it was originally released, the explosive #1 ‘Toxic’ by Britney Spears and the contemporary classic ‘Run’ by Snow Patrol. ‘Rehab’ from Amy Winehouse confirmed her star status, and the anthemic ‘Patience’ by Take That saw the reformed band back at #1 ten years after they split up. Duffy had a massive year in 2008 – and the same year saw Girls Aloud’s ‘The Promise’ become a landmark in their Pop story. ‘X Factor’ alumni JLS, Olly Murs and One Direction achieved huge Chart success and there’s also space for fantastic collaborations : Maroon 5 & Christina Aguilera enjoyed a world-wide smash with ‘Moves Like Jagger’ and P!nk partnered with Nate Ruess on the bittersweet ‘Just Give Me A Reason’.
The final disc opens with the electrifying remix of ‘Summertime Sadness’ by Lana Del Rey & Cedric Gervais, and features the #1 ‘Counting Stars’ by OneRepublic and the anthemic ‘A Sky Full of Stars’ from Coldplay. Modern classics ‘Stay With Me’ by Sam Smith and ‘Sorry’ by Justin Bieber feature alongside hits from Little Mix, Ariana Grande and George Ezra….and from the past five years the fantastic ‘Nothing Breaks Like A Heart’ from Mark Ronson feat. Miley Cyrus - plus Dua Lipa, The Weeknd, Lil Nas X, Lewis Capaldi and another massive #1, ‘Bad Habits’ from Ed Sheeran.
NOW That’s What I Call 40 Years - Part 2 – a further spectacular celebration of NOW’s legacy with a
timeless collection of Pop hits from the past four decades.
