Official Charts Pop Gem #86: Katy B – Crying For No Reason

Katy's sleeper hit from early 2014 is crowned our favourite Unsung Hero of the year.

Every week we ask for your Pop Gems, those overlooked classics or massive hits of yesteryear that deserve a bit more attention in the present day.

This week, as we get ready to say goodbye to 2014, we reckoned it was time to celebrate some UNSUNG HEROES from this year. Which songs were hits but should’ve made it all the way to Number 1? What about tunes that missed the Top 40 altogether? Which one could be a worthy winner of a place in the Pop Gem Hall Of Fame?

We got it down to this fantastic mix of excellent hits and overlooked masterpieces, but who would we crown the Pop Gem?

ARTIST	TRACK
SIA	CHANDELIER
KAISER CHIEFS	COMING HOME
KATY B	CRYING FOR NO REASON
ROYKSOPP & ROBYN	DO IT AGAIN
LEAH MCFALL FT WILL.I.AM	HOME
KYLIE MINOGUE	INTO THE BLUE
PIXIE LOTT	LAY ME DOWN
BECKY HILL	LOSING
FERRECK DAWN & REDONDO	LOVE TOO DEEP
PALOMA FAITH	ONLY LOVE CAN HURT LIKE THIS
CHER LLOYD	SIRENS
LA ROUX	UPTIGHT DOWNTOWN
SATURDAYS	WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR?
MNEK	WROTE A SONG ABOUT YOU

After much deliberation at Official Charts HQ, repeated plays of every song and exclamations of “That should have been Number 1 for 100 years!” we got it down to one perfect Pop Gem: Katy B’s Crying For No Reason.

Watch the video for this understated classic before we explain why Katy took the crown from this esteemed shortlist.

Why it had to be Katy B

2014 was always going to be a big year for Katy B. The former BRIT School pupil had already made an impact with debut single Katy On A Mission in 2010 and now it was time to unleash what some artists dread – the “difficult second album”.

If she was fazed, she didn’t show it, releasing a brace of classy and confident dance singles and an accomplished album Little Red, that had critics salivating and many a hip shaking on the dancefloor. 2014 was the year she cemented her star potential.

The song

Out of all the songs on our shortlist, Crying For No Reason did indeed chart the highest, but if ever a song on our list sounded like a Number 1 it was this one. A true gem, Crying For No Reason entered the chart at Number 5, before dropping only to rise again back to fifth place, going no further. The haunting, rousing electro-ballad builds and builds until the final, euphoric minute – and then it’s gone, begging you to skip back so you can listen to it again straightaway.

It’s sold over 270,000 copies in the UK and is Katy’s third bestselling single. It was her third and most recent Top 5 hit.

Katy’s chart story

While Katy had been bubbling under as an artist for a while thanks to collaborations with DJ NG and Geeneus, her first chart hit came in 2010 with dubstep classic Katy On A Mission, which also peaked at Number 5. Three more Top 10s would follow: Lights On FT Ms Dynamite (4), Broken Record (8) and Crying For No Reason (5).

She’s had 8 Top 40 hits altogether, with Crying For No Reason the most recent. Her bestselling single is her debut, Katy On A Mission, with over 400,000 copies sold. Her highest chart peak was Lights On – that's her second bestseller – over 360,000 copies shifted.

Over on the Official Albums Chart, debut release On A Mission peaked at Number 2, while follow-up Little Red was a Number 1!

Playlist

Check out our very best of the Unsung Heroes of 2014:

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? Find out how you can get involved in the Pop Gem party.

Every Pop Gem ever

Fancy reliving those perfect Pop Gems we already picked all over again? No worries, get your ears wrapped round these playlists on Spotify and Deezer. SLAY.

Spotify

Deezer

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