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Posted by: awardinary 31st March 2024, 10:51 PM

Thank you for all the suggestions for your chart flops of 2007, now we look at the next year, 2008. What songs do you remember from this time and why do you remember them fondly? These could be songs that failed to make the UK Top 40 Singles Chart, or even the Top 75, but they have to have been released as a single at some point during the year.

I will nominate something in a little while that I personally enjoyed in this year, but for now, it’s over to you.

Posted by: Roba. 31st March 2024, 10:55 PM

A trio of Alicia Keys songs, this one firstly reached 53 in early 08.



and these other two both missed the top 100, TLA just scraping in at #199.



My personal fave of the three, gorgeous track which made #128.

Posted by: TheSnake 31st March 2024, 11:00 PM

#50 in August 2008, this was part of the bassline genre which was popular at the time.

Posted by: Roba. 31st March 2024, 11:30 PM

Solange's follow up which I found a bop which despite promo on Paul O Grady show and Jools Holland's Hootenanny only charted at a poor #149

Posted by: Scene 31st March 2024, 11:41 PM

#94


#52


DNC/wasn't released


#42


#72

Posted by: Cody Scobell 1st April 2024, 03:17 AM

MASSIVE in the US, only scraped in at #48 in the UK... Imma need to call the cops bc I just witnessed a ROBBERY



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This was one of the first songs that popped into my head when I saw this thread... like HOW DID THIS NOT CHART IN THE UK



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Another two songs by Paramore that only popped in at the 50s... strange how "That's What You Get" peaked higher in the UK than it did stateside. Side note: "Decode" might be on my list for the best songs ever made




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I remember really liking Tokio Hotel back in middle school. These guys won Best New Artist at the VMAs last year, they never set the charts alight in English speaking countries but I'm glad their songs existed in the mainstream

Posted by: Last Dreamer 1st April 2024, 07:29 AM

Amanda Seyfried - Honey, Honey



Girls Aloud - Theme To St.Trinians

Posted by: jimwatts 1st April 2024, 08:08 AM

One of my top 10 songs of the decade had a #55 peak!

Posted by: T Boy 1st April 2024, 09:26 AM

The downfalls of my faves but I still love them.

Posted by: gooddelta 1st April 2024, 09:35 AM

The biggest star in the world started here - well actually in 2007 but the track got an initial UK push and play on some of the music video channels in 2008, and did absolutely nothing. It resurfaced the follwing year with a slightly spruced up remix for the UK market and at least charted that time, albeit low down. A lovely little country song but not on the main Eras setlist, so clearly not a fan or artist favourite. I imported the album in early 2008 after hearing this track on MySpace and loved it, but thought she was 'just another good country singer' at the time - lol. Shame those early pressings aren't worth anything now.



Not going to share Andy Abraham's Eurovision flop, but this song that was in the UK national final and was released and had a video. It did nothing of course but fit so well the soul/Motown sound dominating the UK charts at the time and would have been a suitable entry for us at this time.



I think this was maybe my favourite Sandi Thom song of all, very KT Tunstall...But it had an uneventful chart run of 59-58.



I'd like to share this because it had at least something of a small UK push, having charted in the top 10 in Germany, Austria and Switzerland. Sadly it didn't chart here, but such a beautiful ballad.



BWO were back and bigger than ever with this Hung Up sound-a-like, which was one of their two UK No.69 hits in 2008. This is one of the rare (only?) non-winners of Melodifestivalen to chart in the UK. It finished third in the Swedish national final.



The follow up to Love Song, Bottle It Up was a bit more edgy and rocky, but did nothing for the eternally underrated Sara Bareilles.



Cascada was an act that defined hit or miss in the charts, going top 10 or missing the top 40 altogether depending on the song. Their second album, Perfect Day, had plenty of good tracks including the title track and Runaway. Thankfully they avoided releasing the naff P!nk and Avril covers, but this fairly average song wasn't going to do much better, and only peaked at No.51.



I know this got as high as No.26, but maybe with all of the artists on this you might have expected a little more? I wish it had been released in the social media era as memes from this (mostly ropey) performance still live on to this day. Some good turns from Beyoncé, Carrie Underwood, Leona Lewis and Mary J Blige though, and I still love Nicole's reaction to Natasha's shrieking vocal.

Posted by: Roba. 1st April 2024, 10:07 AM

Here was their other #69 charting track. Made it to my top 20.



'I Thought It Was Over' was number one in my chart for like 5 or 6 weeks but didn't like the follow up 'Without You' which could be put here too as it peaked in the 50's but will post the superior follow ups to that.

#67



#87



Lead single from Daniel Powters next album reached #70. I did like this one a lot and would say it's his best as 'Bad Day' was never that great for me.

Posted by: Scene 1st April 2024, 11:36 AM

To be fair, I don't think it was ever pushed in the UK which I remember thinking was so stupid at the time since it was a top 5 hit in the US. It could have easily charted higher than both 'Babies' and 'Soulmate' if it had promo and radio support.

Posted by: Jessie Where 1st April 2024, 10:40 PM

I truly believe they screwed themselves out of a potential top 5 hit by not releasing 'Pocketful of Sunshine' here as a single in 2008. So stupid.

Posted by: Riser 2nd April 2024, 12:43 AM

Already mentioned in the Jem thread, but might as well mention it here!

Posted by: Tafty³³³ 2nd April 2024, 12:56 AM

Incredible song from a really beautiful artist! Just so DAMN GOOD!

What a song!! My favourite "made solely for Charity" single by quite some margin. Just so damn good and that performance is iconic! I still listen to and talk about this song a lot!

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Following on from their absolute MONSTER HITS 'Apologize' and 'Stop & Stare', OneRepublic followed them up with 2 songs which were just as brilliant and honestly, I think I prefer over the singles! Both 'Say (All I Need)' & 'Mercy' deserved way way WAYYYYY more than they got. Both of these are those songs that is 10x better when enhanced on full blast with headphones on!

Say (All I Need) - UK #51


Mercy - UK DNC


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Same Difference were such a fun act on X Factor in 2007. Something pop was missing at the time. They were launched into the big time with a STORMING pop single. We R One was given a huge X Factor performance slot and were primed to have a solid smash on their hands. It debuted and charted at #13, but had a very short shelf life </3 It's just a SOARING POP BANGER!!! Deserved way better </3



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Following on from Scene mentioning the (fantastic!) Cherish 'Killa', I HAVE to mention another 'Step Up 2: The Streets' BANGER... Cassie's 'Is It You?'! This and 'Killa' really should have joined 'Low' in being absolute SMASHES from one of my favourite soundtracks! But unfortunately this only got to #52. FOR SHAME </3



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Gone for a boy band next and it includes two men who went to join other boy bands to far greater success just a couple of years or so later. Avenue were being primed to be the next big boy band, but unfortunately it just wasn't meant to be as their lead single 'Last Goodbye' only charted at #50!



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Finally, a song that heads one of my favourite Destiny's Child related albums... Michelle Williams released the synth-pop masterpiece We Break The Dawn! I was CERTAIN this would be an absolute SMASH but unfortunately it limped in to a lacklustre #47! The album this comes from is excellent. I really think this song was ahead of it's time by a year or so and would have been a bigger hit in 2009/2010 when that pop was really dominating the mainstream charts! Genuinely one of my favourite songs of all time!

This song walked so Alexandra Burke's (fantastic & best single!!!) 'All Night Long' could RUN!!!

Posted by: Dotty New Year 2nd April 2024, 03:21 AM

I'll never understand this one. A travesty when it so deserved to be a hit.

Posted by: Scene 2nd April 2024, 07:53 AM

@Tafty didn’t Avenue go on X Factor (in 2006-07?) and get kicked off for lying about a management deal? also, I remember Max George in the group but don’t remember a second future boyband star.

Posted by: Tafty³³³ 2nd April 2024, 03:16 PM

Yes, I think you're right now that you mention it! The 2nd star is the guy who starts the song off! He went on to lead the band called Lawson!

Posted by: Cowboy Cody 2nd April 2024, 06:31 PM

“Just Stand Up!” was one of those “you had to be there” songs it was like the Avengers of female singers at the time. That performance is kinda iconic: a 15 year old Miley standing with TITANS, the cameraman not even showing Ciara during her one half-line… truly a once in a lifetime deal.

Posted by: gooddelta 2nd April 2024, 07:44 PM

Oh I loved the song itself too btw, I definitely bought it on iTunes (was there a CD single issued in the UK?) The studio version is a lovely listen.

Forgot about Avenue, that was a great pop song but boybands weren't *quite* back in vogue yet (JLS would bring them back later that year).

Posted by: Tafty³³³ 2nd April 2024, 07:47 PM

Funnily enough, there's a band in 2004 that was short-lived and the main male singer from the group POP was actually the member that Andy (Lawson) took over from. So the guy from POP was in the group for their X Factor stint, but was replaced with Andy for the launch of Avenue's career!

Posted by: Scene 2nd April 2024, 10:16 PM

Oh never knew that! I remember seeing Avenue on XF and thinking they would win it.

VS was mentioned in the other thread and I think Marvin from JLS was in that?

Posted by: Dotty New Year 2nd April 2024, 10:33 PM

omg what a memory unlocked moment.

I don't think i've thought about this song for a solid 15 years but instantly recognised the artist and song title combo and sure enough it came flooding back to me with one listen.

Posted by: Roba. 2nd April 2024, 11:26 PM

It did make the top 40 peaking at 32 but considering Gnarls Barkley had the 9 week megasmash 'Crazy' two year prior. Feels like all that plummeted drastically.



Also am a fan of both those OneRep tracks!

Posted by: BillyH 4th April 2024, 09:07 AM

I'm not sure if this one counts, but this 80s cover randomly got a lot of music channel airplay in late 2008 despite the song being four years old (a #2 hit in Germany in 2004) and sounding completely out of step with pop by the end of the decade:



One of my earliest Buzzjack posts was about it and wondering why something so "90s sounding" was being pushed! If it did get a release it didn't chart.

Posted by: Tafty³³³ 4th April 2024, 04:35 PM

LOOOOVE that song! I was certain it’d be a major hit! It was one of the early Tik Tok songs too!

Posted by: TheSnake 4th April 2024, 06:42 PM

I was expecting it to be one of the mid 00s Eric Prydz style 80s remixes/covers.

File it next to Gigi D'Agostino - The Riddle and Clea - We Don't Have To Take Our Clothes Off!

Posted by: lewistgreen 5th April 2024, 07:18 PM

Break My Stride just reminds me of Clubland TV as it was played over and over again on there that year. Also on Fizz (Starz) too, remember that!?

T2 followed up Heartbroken with duo Addictive but it missed out on a Top 40 placing landing at #47



Ultrabeat were still appearing in the chart with Sure Feels Good and Discolights but between those was this which failed to do anything



One of my favourite Pendulum singles but it couldn't quite live up to the success of its predecessor

Posted by: Roba. 5th April 2024, 09:01 PM

Some more flops that didn't crack top 40 or in Sharleen or Lenny's case even top 100!

Posted by: gooddelta 5th April 2024, 09:23 PM

The follow up to Hold On and Saving My Face from KT Tunstall, I really liked If Only and the skiing video was cool, but it only got to No.45:

Posted by: Jessie Where 6th April 2024, 09:52 AM

I wasn't as keen on Sharleen's solo material, but I did really like this one which also didn't chart at the end of 2008:

Posted by: awardinary 7th April 2024, 10:37 PM

Lots of songs already mentioned in this thread, but here’s some from the first quarter of 2008 that nobody has mentioned;

Bodyrox & Luciana – What Planet You On [Peaked at #54 in January 2008]
This winning combination were a force to be reckoned with in 2006 on the #2 hit single Yeah, Yeah. It wasn’t to be a repeat with this single though.



Plain White T’s – Hate (I Don’t Really Like) [Peaked at #53 in January 2008]
These guys were not destined to have another hit after their 2007 hit Hey There Delilah. The peak this one reached was not enough to make it into the Top 40.



Out Of Office – Break Of Dawn [Peaked at #41 in February 2008]
This dance single was a reissue in 2008, following another flop from 2007, but this was a position short of being a Top 40 hit, but it’s one I enjoyed at the time. This type of dance genre was already on its way out by this point.



MGMT – Time To Pretend [Peaked at #35 in March 2008]
Deserved to be much higher, these guys were one of the best new artists around in 2008, and the album was great. Such a shame they weren’t able to get into the charts again after this era.



Envy & Other Sins – Highness [Peaked at #65 in March 2008]
I did enjoy this song at the time, it feels like it could have charted higher but perhaps its peak was about right. No other singles charted inside the Top 100 afterwards.

Posted by: awardinary 8th April 2024, 09:29 PM

Moving onto the second quarter of 2008, here’s some unmentioned flops I liked;

The Wombats – Backfire At The Disco [Peaked at #40 in April 2008]
Reissued as a single in 2008 after charting at #67 the previous year, this debut era for The Wombats was mixed with low hits and flops, and sadly, this indie disco single wasn’t able to chart any higher.



The Ting Tings – Great DJ [Peaked at #33 in May 2008]
Whilst this was a Top 40 hit for an unknown artist at the time, Great DJ remains one of my favourite alternative singles from the decade and deserved a higher chart peak than it got.



Elbow – One Day Like This [Peaked at #39 in June 2008]
The fact it took four years and promotional content in the London Olympics for this song to be recognised enough to chart inside the Top 10 is criminal. What a song, and one of the best singles ever! The biggest flop of 2008.



I might have had others to mention from this quarter, but they’ve already been said.

Posted by: lewistgreen 8th April 2024, 09:34 PM

For some reason I thought Time to Pretend did better on its re-release in 2009 but it didn't (#36). It's certainly one that's stood the test of.time though

Posted by: jimwatts 9th April 2024, 06:58 AM

This one didn't go Top 40, and although I prefer their two songs which did in early 2009, it's still great and reached #52:

Posted by: Tafty³³³ 9th April 2024, 02:32 PM

Incredible song and it's used in the movie 'A Girl Walk Home Alone at Night' in one of my favourite need-drop movie moments ever!

Just soooo good!

Posted by: awardinary 15th April 2024, 11:21 PM

Better late than never, here’s some overlooked flops from the third quarter of 2008;

Sam Sparro – 21st Century Life [Peaked at #44 in July 2008]
Considered by many to be a one hit wonder, Sam Sparro, who reached #2 with Black And Gold just a few months earlier, followed it up with a misfire that failed to reach the Top 40. No other charting hits followed.



Bob Sinclar pts. Fireball – What I Want [Peaked at #52 in August 2008]
Having ridden the success wagon for a couple of years, the relevance of Bob Sinclar inside the Top 40 was all but a distant memory as this flop confirmed.



Kylie Minogue – The One [Peaked at #36 in August 2008]
Only a single week inside the Top 40 before dropping out of the Top 75 altogether. This was not Kylie’s finest hour, and it spelled the end to the X era for her.



Blackout Crew – Put A Donk In It [Peaked at #91 in August 2008]
What a bop, and for it to chart so low is criminal. Remember, these guys are responsible for some of the recent Jax Jones remixes that have been released in 2024.



Sam Beeton – What You Look For [Peaked at #41 in September 2008]
Always quite liked this song for some reason, just a nice pop song that I thought could have peaked a bit higher, but it was not to be for the British singer. No official links exist of the song now, but some live video recordings are available.



Radiohead – Reckoner [Peaked at #74 in September 2008]
The eerie vocals of Thom Yorke weren’t able to work any magic getting this post-album single into the Top 40. It followed Jigsaw Falling Into Place and Nude which both peaked higher.

Posted by: Jessie Where 16th April 2024, 11:04 AM

Kylie's 'The One' may have gone top 10/top 15 if they hadn't cancelled the physical release of it days beforehand. I'll never understand why they did that, especially as in that era she relied on them quite heavily.

Posted by: Mack. 17th April 2024, 02:18 PM

Thought this would have been a massive follow-up for Gabriella Climi

Posted by: Roba. 17th April 2024, 02:27 PM

Deserved to do better than 33 and only two weeks top 75 for sure!

Posted by: One_For_Sorrow 17th April 2024, 09:10 PM

Yeah, I’m surprised she only had the one big single.

Posted by: awardinary 17th April 2024, 10:28 PM

Ok let’s finish this, here’s the last quarter of 2008 flops;

Keane – The Lovers Are Losing [Peaked at #52 in October 2008]
By this point in their career, Keane were struggling to find hits that would go mainstream. This single, released as the second single from Perfect Symmetry, was the start of the decline.



Will Young – Grace [Peaked at #33 in November 2008]
It was not like Will to flop with his singles, with every single reaching inside the Top 10 bar one previously (and that reached #11) so this #33 flop was certainly noticeable for quite a well written song too for the Pop Idol winner.



Craig David – Insomnia [Peaked at #43 in November 2008]
Sadly this would be the last sighting of Craig in the charts for 7 years, but he left his hiatus on a high with an upbeat single that shamefully failed to peak inside the Top 40.



The Verve – Rather Be [Peaked at #56 in November 2008]
This single was much better than the one which peaked inside the Top 10 a few months earlier. The last charting single by The Verve it proved to be.



Madonna – Miles Away [Peaked at #39 in December 2008]
A bit of a misfire from Madge, this wasn’t really the best choice of single, but it did enough to just make it inside the Top 40, but it was not up not the standards of her other hits of the time.

Posted by: Jessie Where 18th April 2024, 01:24 PM

In fairness to Madge, I don't really think there was a better choice of single available... they also fudged the release of it somehow but I can't quite remember how.

Posted by: Cow P 18th April 2024, 06:44 PM

Sub Focus - Rock It / Follow The Light. Peaked at #38:



An absolute bomb when I heard it for the first time at Pro Evolution Soccer 2012.

Scooter - Jumping All Over the World. Peaked at #28:



Deserved higher, but did they give a young, 23 year-old, Headhunterz enough recognition (as the melody heavily sampled Heady's Rock Civilization)?

Posted by: Roba. 18th April 2024, 10:02 PM

'Jumping All Over The World' is a tune!

Posted by: jimwatts 29th April 2024, 04:05 PM

R.E.M.'s last charting single was a welcome return to a heavier sound and reached #54:

Posted by: Jessie Where 29th April 2024, 09:29 PM

I thought that Scooter one was considered a bit of a surprise hit for them at the time than a flop per se.