Here’s a list of the songs that I performed in public for the first time during August 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 August 2026 (and in 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 19-Aug-2026 | When Will I See You Again (Three Degrees, 1974) | Played in C: C G Am F |
Songs that reached #1 somewhere else
| Date | Song (Artist, Year it reached #1) | Notes |
| Wed 19-Aug-2026 | Goodbye Yellow Brick Road (Elton John, 1973) | #1 in Canada and in Ireland / Selected by Shania Twain on “Desert Island Discs” recently, which prompted me to learn it / Played in G: Am7 Am7/C D / G G/F# C / F D G // Cm F Bb Eb Cm D G B7 C G |
Songs that have not reached #1 anywhere
| Date | Song (Artist, Year it reached #1) | Notes |
| Thu 20-Aug-2026 | Young Hearts Run Free (Candi Staton, n/a) | UK #2 in 1976, kept off the top by “You to me are everything” (Real Thing) / Played in F: F F6 Fmaj7 / Bb Bb6 BbMaj7 / Bb/C / Bb6 Bb |
Running Total of all songs played at least once, without referring to chord charts or lyric sheets:
UK #1s: 228 / Non-UK #1s: 118 / Not #1 anywhere: 124 / Grand Total: 470
