Official Charts Pop Gem #50: McFly – All About You

We celebrate McFly's third Number 1 single, the official Comic Relief song of 2005.

For our 50th Pop Gem, we threw the choice of theme out to our Facebook and Twitter fans. Loads of great suggestions came in, but in the end we went for Charity Singles. From the deadly serious to the superbly silly, loads of suggestions came in.

When picking our Pop Gem, the usual debate ensued. Could cover versions count? (Yes.) What about Number 1s? (Again, yes.) Once we’d deliberated, agonised and knocked back an umpteenth cup of coffee, we got it down to 10:

Bananarama – Help (Number 3 in 1989)
Big Fun & Sonia – You’ve Got A Friend (Number 14 in 1990)
George Michael & Elton John – Don’t Let The Sun Go Down On Me (Number 1 in 1991)
Pet Shop Boys (as Absolutely Fabulous) – Absolutely Fabulous (Number 6 in 1994)
Cher, Chrissie Hynde & Neneh Cherry with Eric Clapton – Love Can Build A Bridge (Number 1 in 1995)
Various Artists – Perfect Day (Number 1 in 1997)
S Club 7 – Have You Ever (Number 1 in 2001)
Rachel Stevens – Some Girls (Number 2 in 2004)
McFly – All About You/You’ve Got A Friend (Number 1 in 2005)
Leona Lewis – Footprints In The Sand (Number 2 in 2008)

Quite the bunch, and while it was a close-run thing between two contenders, in the end we went for McFly’s Comic Relief single from 2005, All About You.

Watch the video before we tell you why McFly melted our usually ice-cold hearts this week.

McFly - All About You on MUZU.TV.

Why it had to be McFly

Hot on the heels of their close personal friends Busted, McFly were launched as a boyband with a difference almost exactly a decade ago. Harry, Tom, Dougie and Danny have been Official Charts institutions ever since – and are still going strong. We’ve watched them grow up from tearaway teens into what your gran would probably call nice young men. They’re proper decent chaps and the kind of popstar you could take home to your mum. Although she’d probably ask them to keep that racket down after 10pm – they’re as boisterous as they ever were.

The song

All About You was the official single for Comic Relief in 2005, along with double A-side (ask your mum) You’ve Got A Friend. McFly had only been around for a year, so landing this honour was a big coup for them. It wasn’t exactly a gamble – the band had already enjoyed four Top 5 smashes, including two chart-toppers. All About You ended up completing a hat-trick of Number 1s – going straight in at the top in March 2005, spending a week there.

It’s their bestselling single, too, shifting over 505,000 copies in the UK, so it really is all about All About You.

McFly’s chart story

McFly’s very first hit was the Number 1 5 Colours In Her Hair in April 2004, knocking off Stereophonics’ Dakota. Their next single Obviously also hit Number 1, the second of seven McFly chart-toppers. They have three sets of two consecutive Number 1s. I’ll Be OK followed All About You in 2005, and in 2006 Don’t Stop Me Now/Please Please (another charity release) was swiftly followed by Star Girl. One more chart-topper awaited – Baby’s Coming Back/Transylvania made it all the way in 2007. They had 15 consecutive Top 10s with their first releases. They’ve had 19 altogether.

On the Official Albums Chart, their first five releases went Top 10. Debut Room On The 3rd Floor and follow-up Wonderland both nabbed the Number 1 spot.

McFly certainly know their way around a hit. They gave is their top 5 tips for writing a Number 1 single. And after seven of those chart-topping babies, they should really know.