Here’s a list of the songs that I performed in public for the first time during July 2026. Each month I aim to play at least one new song from each of the following repertoires:

• Songs that reached #1 in the UK.
• Songs that reached #1 somewhere else.
• Songs that have not reached #1 anywhere.

Until March 2026 I played most Sundays at an afternoon session, an ideal place to try out new stuff. Since then I have been playing less often, and only learning a few new songs per month. I am keeping my “streaks” going, but during July 2026 I only managed one song from each of these repertoires. That’s the lowest number since November 2023, the last month when I did not play any new songs in public.

Songs that reached #1 in the UK

Date	Song (Artist, Year it reached #1)	Notes
Wed 8-Jul-2026	Feels Like I’m in Love (Kelly Marie, 1980)	Just 3 chords (I IV V), played in C / It works well with just guitar and voice

Songs that reached #1 somewhere else

Date	Song (Artist, Year it reached #1)	Notes
Wed 8-Jul-2026	Denis(e) (Blondie, 1978)	#1 in Netherlands / Played in C, 3 chords, 2 key changes, to D and E

Songs that have not reached #1 anywhere

 

Date	Song (Artist, Year it reached #1)	Notes
Wed 8-Jul-2026	Big River (Johnny Cash, n/a)	Not for the first time, I have been thinking of songs that mention US States, and in this case a State Capital (St Paul, Minnesota) / Played in G: G A7 D / G G7 C A7 G D G / Also, for different reasons, thinking about songs that mention St Peter (“Viva La Vida” and “Man on the Moon”, both added to my repertoire earlier this year) and St Paul.

Running Total of all songs played at least once, without referring to chord charts or lyric sheets:

UK #1s: 227 / Non-UK #1s: 117 / Not #1 anywhere: 123 / Grand Total: 467