Official Charts Pop Gem #52: Will Young – Jealousy

Will Young's comeback Top 10 hit from 2011, produced by Richard X, gets the Pop Gem honour!

Every week, we our Facebook fans and Twitter fam help us pick a Pop Gem – those overlooked classics that used to be all over the radio but have somehow not quite got the attention they deserve. Until now.

This week, to mark the grand final of BBC The Voice UK tonight, our theme was on aTalent Show Stars tip – winners, losers, auditionees, judges, coaches, mentors, presenters. Anyone who’s ever been anywhere near a singing contest, basically.

This was our toughest shortlist to put together ever.

In the end, this terrific 12 made the cut. And they were…

We almost picked two, which we have done before with Abba and Dannii, as we really, really, really couldn’t choose between two amazing songs. It was like asking Cookie Monster to choose between a KitKat and a Hob Nob. Impossible.

In the end, though, someone had to knock some sense into us, and we went for THE TV talent show winner, our very own OG: Mr. Will. Young. It certainly feeeeeels like the right choice.

Watch the video for Jealousy before we take some time to explain ourselves. 

Why it had to be Will

When it comes to TV talent shows, Will is the master. While singing contests on telly were nothing new, Will Young was the very first winner of Pop Idol, the big show that kicked off the Noughties trend for shiny-floored, super-glitzy, razzle dazzle Saturday night talent shows.

While his career has been decent enough to shake off the talent show tag, he still appreciates his roots, and we do love a popstar who keeps it mega real. Also, he wasn’t even the favourite to win at the time. Fellow shortlisted contestant Gareth Gates looked all set to take the crown, which just goes to show you should never rule out our Will. Where there's a will, there's a… (Don't even bother – Bad Jokes Ed)

The song

Produced by previous Pop Gem winner Richard X, Jealousy was a big comeback for Will in a new direction. Famed for his emotional ballads, Will brought out his big guns with this sophisticated slice of dance-pop in 2011. The lead single from chart-topping album Echoes, the song reached Number 5 and has sold 360,000 copies. Why did we pick it? Because sooo many of you said we should, we were worried about the implications. Also, we love love love it.

Will’s chart story

Will’s chart career got off to a flying start – his debut single Anything In Possible/Evergreen topped the Official Singles Chart for three weeks and has sold over 1.7 million copies in the UK. It was the first of three consecutive Number 1s for Will in 2002 – Light My Fire and The Long And Winding Road (with Gareth Gates) make up the trio. Leave Right Now also topped the charts the following year. (This is a very good video.)

Will’s enjoyed 13 Top 40 hits, including a run of nine consecutive Top 10s (he’s had ten altogether). Over on the Official Albums Chart, he’s had three Number 1s – debut From Now On (2002), Friday’s Child (2003) and Echoes (2011).

Video playlist

Take a look at our pick of the very best 12 amazing tunes by Talent Show Stars.

Your Pop Gem needs you

Got a Pop Gem of your own? Want to suggest a theme for another week? Find out how you can get involved in the Pop Gem party.