In two previous posts I have written about a favourite pop trivia challenge of mine, namely:

What do the songs “Virginia Plain” and “Up the Junction” have in common with each other, and with no other singles that have reached the UK Top 10?

The second of these pieces was posted in September 2020. The answer to the question was originally posted here, in April 2018:

“Virginia Plain” and “Up the Junction” are the only two songs to reach the UK Top 10 in which the title appears only once, as the final words of the song. The concluding lines are: “What’s her name? Virginia Plain” and “And so it’s my assumption / I’m really up the junction”. There are no other examples, unless you know better.

I now know better. It turns out that “The Rose”, a 2006 #1 for Westlife, also mentions the title only once, as the final words of the song. The last few lines are as follows: “Just remember in the winter far beneath the bitter snows / Lies the seed / That with the sun’s love / In the spring / Becomes the rose”.

The song was originally recorded by Bette Midler in 1979, and as things stand the Westlife version is the last of their 14 UK #1s.

The last time that anyone mentioned this trivia challenge to me was in 2021. He started asking, “What are the only two songs that …” and I answered “Virginia Plain” and “Up the Junction” without hearing the rest of the question. Next time someone brings it up I’ll try to remember that “The Rose” is the third song UK Top 10 that fits the bill, and the only one to reach #1.