Official Charts Pop Gem #85: Ting Tings – That’s Not My Name

The quirky No. 1 from 2008 is the latest track to score a place in our Pop Gem Hall Of Fame.

Friday afternoons we like to throw a theme out to our Facebook pals and Twitter fam and get them – well, you – to nominate overlooked classics or big hits of yesteryear thaty deserve a spot in our Pop Gem Hall Of Fame.

Last week, we were all about the numbers, so this week is was NAMES – we love that personal touch.

Songs with names in the title, songs about specific people, songs that featured given names or pet names quite heavily – all were considered. And we got it down to this most excellent Top 10…

ARTIST	TRACK	PEAK POSITION	YEAR
TING TINGS	THAT'S NOT MY NAME	1	2008
ROBBIE WILLIAMS	SHE'S MADONNA	16	2007
FOUTAINS OF WAYNE	STACY'S MOM	11	2004
BJORK	ISOBEL	23	1995
WEEZER	BUDDY HOLLY	12	1995
SALT-N-PEPA WITH EN VOGUE	WHATTA MAN	7	1994
MARTIKA	MARTIKA'S KITCHEN	17	1991
MADONNA	VOGUE	1	1990
BEAUTIFUL SOUTH	SONG FOR WHOEVER	2	1989
KATE BUSH	BABOOSHKA	5	1980

And after all that, who did we go for? Well, there was some strong competition, but we reckoned one song that could do with another spell in the sunshine was Ting Tings’ 2008 Number 1 That’s Not My Name. Watch the video before we tell you why…

Why it had to be Ting Tings

When looking at our shortlist, we could see we had a tough decision, with 10 brilliant songs at our disposal. But when you take them in turn, you find that most of them could quite easily be a Pop Gem winner of a different theme, whereas the Ting Tings track seems tailor-made for a name-themed prize. It’s a song about names, but with a twist – they don’t like being called names.

Also that and the fact that Ting Tings were, for a short-ish period of time, something of a pop phenomenon, and celebrating those is just one of the things Pop Gem is all about. Oh, and it’s a cracking song. Need we go on?

The song

That’s Not My Name had what you might want to call “buzz” around it for quite a while before it eventually became a hit. Originally released as a double-A side with the equally terrific Great DJ in 2007, the song built up a loyal following on dancefloors and DJ booths across the UK before getting a release all of its own in 2008.

That's Not My Name zoomed straight in at Number 1, despatching none other than pop legend Madonna. Her collaboration with Justin Timberlake, 4 Minutes, had spent a month at the top until Ting Tings ding-donged at the Number 1’s doorbell and took full possession. They made a week at the top before Rihanna, who is pretty fond of the Number 1 household and does love to come to stay with us often, booted them out with Take A Bow.

That’s Not My Name has sold over 450,000 copies and is the band’s betselling single in the UK.

Ting Tings’ chart story

The Ting Tings – better known to their mates as Katie White and Jules De Martino managed another four Top 40 hits, with one of those going Top 10 – Shut Up And Let Me Go reached Number 6.

Over on the Official Albums Chart, debut album We Started Nothing was a chart-topper, selling over 630,000 copies. Follow-up Sounds From Nowheresville also made the Top 40.

Their most recent Top 40 single was 2010’s Hands, but the dynamic duo are still going. The Ting Tings latest album, Super Critical, came out in October.

Welcome to the Pop Gem Hall Of Fame, Ting Tings!

Playlist

Take a look at all the contenders for this week’s Pop Gem in our video playlist

Pop Gem Hall Of Fame

Today's Pop Gem is the latest in a long line of amazing pop songs that have been inducted into our Pop Gem Hall Of Fame. Take a look at all the tracks who've received the honour so far

Your Pop Gem needs you

Got a Pop Gem of your own? Want to suggest a theme for another week?