Jade's favourite top 40 hits of each year ● 1997 onwards

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Jade's favourite top 40 hits of each year ● 1997 onwards, 2005: 40-21 posted

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Jade View member profile	22nd December 2020, 11:52 AM Post #441
Alone and wounded Pronouns: She/her Joined: 18 January 2011 Posts: 60,171 User: 12,810	Next section coming tonight! But first, wow, thanks for the love guys: QUOTE(James Frost ☃️ @ Dec 16 2020, 03:11 PM) Oh yeah all the waaaaay back. The first time I heard One Step Closer I was in the car with my dad and I remember hearing it on the radio but never caught the name and I was so annoyed because I thought the song was so catchy. Caught it on a music channel about a week later. Oh those were the days! Fool No More of course was an absolute bop! Loved it so much as well. I see! The days before a quick Google or Shazam on your phone God bless the music channels. I was introduced to 'One Step Closer' by a school friend (so I was clearly associating myself with the right people x) and I don't think I properly knew 'Fool No More' until it used to be spammed on plug.dj 'Sundown' always a big favourite though! QUOTE(Rob S Claus @ Dec 17 2020, 01:29 PM) I have been following this but it'll look pretty spammy if I posted my favourites from your top 40's per year but I'm glad to see 'Muder On The Dancefloor', 'Pure Shores', 'Love At First Sight', 'White Flag', 'Automatic High' among many many other tunes inside your top 5, 10, 40 etc. All classics imo. 'Automatic High' I've been listening to on Spotify this year and was in my top 60 songs of the year haha . also own the single AND album too along with Sophie's album. Read My Lips is a superb album that I haven't hunted out in like forever. Might give it a listen some when. This is a such a big task to do so kudos to you Jade on so much hard work. Your detailed commentary is fab stuff. Love how much analysis there Is about the artists /songs as well. Certainly keeps the reader engaged! that's understandable, already completed 6 years and now on to a 7th so that's a lot to comment on! People feel free to jump in and comment whenever you want even if you've missed a fair amount - there's still a lot to cover as it is. Anyway, love that you've been returning to 'Automatic High' and had the accompanying single + album'! I had a bit of an S Club Juniors/8 spamming phase about 5 years ago once plug.dj properly introduced me to their singles catalogue - surprisingly great, mature pop for the most part for a teen band. I've never checked out 'Read My Lips' before but probably should as Sophie has rarely put a foot wrong for me with her singles. Haha yes in a few months time it'll be 2 years since I opened this thread my own fault for unnecessarily dragging it out after having a long break during the latter half of last year. But I've felt fully motivated this year and hopefully it's the same going into 2021 and beyond I dread to think how many words I've written so far What a lovely thing to say, thanks so much, really pleased that you're enjoying the commentary! It's fairly time consuming but I absolutely love doing it. QUOTE(Mack @ Dec 17 2020, 04:01 PM) 'Seven Nation Army' the ultimate anthem at sports stadiums across the world. I know this from a darts player called Michael van Gerwen who uses this as his walk-on music. S Club 8- I do wonder what the other members of them, there were good at the time. 'Breathe' up there with my favourite songs of 2003 the ultimate R&B anthem for me. 'Forever More' sounding great. vbirds 'Virtuality' this is all right, never heard this before. 40-36 all perfect but especially 'Crazy In Love' <3 hope to see 'I'm With You' make an appearance in this countdown. I knew that 'Seven Nation Army' was heavily linked to sporting but forgot to mention the Michael van Gerwen connection so thanks for pointing that out! I was actually familiar with that on top of the aforementioned QPR player chant haha. I owe most of my sporting knowledge to my dad and brother Your comment resulted in me Googling 'S Club Juniors where are they now 2020?" Frankie, Daisy AND Stacey all ended up marrying footballers it looks like they're collectively doing well for themselves in the world of showbiz - TV presenting, musical theatre, make-up artist, acting etc. good on them! Elsewhere, I'm glad that you're a big fan of 'Breathe' and 'Crazy In Love'. 'Forever More' deserved a lot better in BJSC haha yes 'Virtuality' is a bit of a quirky inclusion here as a random kids TV show thing but the nostalgia was off the charts and I do enjoy it as a song still anyway. Avril has had a great track record so far, stay tuned to see if that extends to 'I'm With You'! QUOTE(Popchartfreak @ Dec 17 2020, 05:25 PM) Hey Jade! Awww those 5 to 6-year-old memories, sweet My equivalent would be getting obsessed by pop ditty Bobby's Girl, a new scary TV show called Doctor Who and Pop Music TV shows/pop stars, and comics. Moving house each year was also the norm for me. Until I was into my 20's Wham bam! 2 classics right off the bat! The gorgeous White Flag was my 8th track of 2003, and the uplifting gem Crazy In Love my 4th. Still both gems, and lately listening to the Chi-Lites original of that sample for Beyonce, it's very weird hearing it and then an entirely different song coming after it Good though. Britney & Madonna underwhelmed me at the time, peaking at 47 in my charts, but both would be bouncing back with classic chart-toppers, so it all balances out. Losing Grip managed one lonely week at 75 for me, oops, and True managed 56 for 2 weeks. I don't remember either of them at all, as I have never reviewed 2003 so it's been 17 years for me! Batch 2, though, I'm overjoyed to see Moloko in there, so glad you like it that much - one of my all-time fave dance bangers. As you say, that hypnotic backdrop is just to die for, and I spent many times grooving in my bedroom along to it at full-blast, wishing I could dance like Roisin does in the video. I danced along to loud music until mum and dad were too fragile to cope with it about ten years ago. I miss it! My 10th fave at the time, but my BJSC boosted it back into my charts, and it's currently the top-rated track of 2003 including re-entries. Sundown peaked at 30 in my charts, pretty good considering they were basically aimed at pre-teens, Breathe was fab, I got very pissed off with Radio 1 at the time - commercial radio basically played this one and Radio 1 ignored it, no playlisting even while topping the chart for weeks. I couldnt understand why, as it wasn't in any way too-old-fashioned, they just didn't like it! 26th of 2003 and peaked at 2. V-Birds? No memory of this, and I didn't chart it! Which brings to White Stripes. 7 Nation Army is brilliant - but it only peaked at 20 and ended 2003 in the 150-170 bracket. It's one of those "I under-appreciated at the time" tracks for me, deserved top 10 easily, and prob top 5. So, 30% of my top 10 already featured. I would imagine 2 more are certs and the others you don't know Hey there John! Haha it has been sweet to relive these childhood memories so far (not that the ceiling falling down was fun at the time ) and the house moves definitely didn't end there, more of that to come in 2004 and 2005 oh wow, Doctor Who beginning, that's amazing. I think my only taste of early Who was that scene that includes the Beatles TOTP performance - I think I was first made aware of the show during the start of the David Tennant era, it was absolutely everywhere. Glad you rate both 'White Flag' and 'Crazy In Love' so much! Both of them seem popular on the forum, which isn't too surprising when the collective taste is pop leaning, but good to see anyway. A shame that 'Me Against The Music' was underwhelming for you, but to be fair it was the same for me for years, that song was such a late bloomer in my affections. I think 'Losing Grip' has stood the test of time really well - 'True' seems a bit more of its time, despite there being a bit of a garage revival lately. Definitely screams 2000s 'back of the bus bluetooth banger' Yay I was definitely hoping you'd see this section for Moloko alone thanks so much for introducing that to me, a big Singerpurear favourite! Love that you tried to imitate Róisín's moves she's so cool, I love her just doing her thing in the 'Sing It Back' video as well. Great to see BJSC giving it a new lease of life for you. A good result for 'Sundown' too - as you said, you weren't really its target audience, but as a 6 year old at the time I very much was not so much nowadays but hey, a good pop song is a good pop song. Oh wow, I had no idea that 'Breathe' was snubbed by Radio 1 at the time what were they thinking?! glad it was so huge even without their blessing. Haha 'Virtuality' is probably the most random inclusion so far and on my radar at the time due to watching so much Cartoon Network. Wow, that's an impressive revision for 'Seven Nation Army' - I wholeheartedly approve. It already feels like a classic QUOTE(PeteFromLeeds @ Dec 17 2020, 07:48 PM) Seven Nation Army is an interesting one, I don't think I heard it too much growing up (I remember my dad playing the first few lines of it in a quiz when I was areound 8 and me thinking it was SexyBack by Justin Timberlake ) but it is quite a nice song. Breathe is one I'd never heard until around 2014 on 4Music and the Sean Paul fan I was at the time very much liked it! Omg living for that 'SexyBack' confusion I can vaguely remember 'Seven Nation Army' when growing up but I don't think I knew what the song was called until the Marcus Collins version came out :') ooh I do remember 'Breathe' at the time but definitely became more familiar with it thanks to 4music also - they loved a good noughties countdown!


Jade View member profile	22nd December 2020, 11:59 PM Post #442
Alone and wounded Pronouns: She/her Joined: 18 January 2011 Posts: 60,171 User: 12,810	30. D. Kay & Epsilon - Barcelona (feat. Stamina MC) (chart-run: 14-20-27-42-60) 29. Richard X - Finest Dreams (feat. Kelis) (chart-run: 8-20-28-43-63) 28. Röyksopp - Eple (chart-run: 16-34-51) 27. Busted - Sleeping With The Light On (chart-run: 3-6-14-22-37-38-39-39-50-75) 26. Evanescence - My Immortal (chart-run: 7-18-19-20-22-28-30-41-68) 5anLPw0Efmo Today's section begins with a song that was brought to my attention via Kisstory! I'm not sure if they still spam 'Barcelona' nowadays but it was a fixture of their playlist back in my sixth form days. It also popped up again in my life thanks to Radio 1's One Hit Wonders of the Millennium show! D. Kay & Epsilon only made a dent on the chart once but vocalist Stamina MC did have a hit prior to 'Barcelona' - this was the #17 peaking 'LK (Carolina Carol Bela)' with DJ Marky & XRS the previous year. So this second and final charting song for him would be a new personal best with a #14 peak. MC Stamina is still involved in great music nowadays - Q4 of 2018 brought us the brilliant Shy FX, Lily Allen & Stamina MC team-up 'Roll The Dice', a #2 hit in my personal chart. That deserved more! Thankfully, as mentioned, 'Barcelona' did chart well and was an appropriate hit for that hot summer of 2003. 'Barcelona' is an escapism anthem as the narrator talks about getting lost in a song that takes him back to good times in the Spanish city. I'm sure, 17 years on, 'Barcelona' probably triggers a similar feeling for listeners who once enjoyed listening to this song during a summer holiday! 'Barcelona' is a drum & bass hit so you can bet that the chorus is an absolute banger. MC Stamina has a really soulful voice that delivers the verses in a lost, emotive way. But then, once the song progresses to the fast chorus - he effortlessly glides across that production and creates a feel-good atmosphere. There is some subtle brass instrumentation throughout as well which makes this style feel like a bit of a blueprint for Rudimental 10 years later. Well, I do adore 'Feel The Love' too I must say. Anyway, back to 'Barcelona' - this song never fails to put me in a great mood! Although it does make me want to be in Spain, without a care in the world. Especially when coupled with the beachy video. That won't be happening for a while in this Corona-hit world, so instead I will enjoy this high octane escapism at home. At #28 the dance party continues with a little help from Richard X and Kelis! The 2002 countdown concluded with 'Freak Like Me' by Sugababes which was born out of a genius mash-up concoction from Richard X. Here he's working his magic again but under his own name. The British producer has this time taken the production from 'The Things That Dreams Are Made Of' by The Human League and mixed it with a cover of 'The Finest' by The S.O.S. Band - this time of course sang by American vocalist Kelis. 'The Finest' is a song about adoration and how no-one else will ever compare to the narrator's love interest. Kelis' focused vocal delivery and Richard X's commanding electro-pop style results in quite a sophisticated and addictive pay-off. The video feels a bit druggy and of its time with all the citizens in it adopting quite cartoonish movements. I'm pretty sure that I was introduced to this song through Now! That's What I Call Music! 56 in later years as it definitely passed me by at the time of release. I was instantly taken in by Richard's animated and cool production style and the chorus was soon lodged in my brain. Admittedly I have never heard the original 'The Finest' neither the production that 'Finest Dreams' samples - which I should probably rectify, especially the latter song, as I generally love what I know from The Human League. 'Finest Dreams' was the second top 10 hit for both Richard X (under his own name) and Kelis - sadly the former would then fade away (again, under his own name - 'Some Girls' by Rachel Stevens was just around the corner) but this was just the start for Kelis and we'll be getting into a rather huge time in her career next year. 'Finest Dreams' was able to peak at #8. The previous top 10 for Richard may or may not still be on the way for 2003! Now it's time for electronic music once more. But the featured artists have now been dropped. In fact all vocals have. At #27 we have duo Röyksopp from Norway with arguably their signature song 'Eple'. This translates to apple in Norwegian so you can bet that the company Apple wanted a piece of this - it was featured as background music for the Mac OS X v10.3 'Setup Assistant'. It's been used in various TV shows as well so chances are you may have come across it before but just never known what it was called. That was the case for me for a long time! It had been a while since I last listened to this but Dandy* chose Röyksopp as his representative for BuzzJack's AF Idol spin-off contest this year and sent this as one of their entries. Therefore I fell in love all over again. To some 'Eple' may just be bleepy bloopy nonsense best left as background noise. But to me it's a really gorgeous instrumental that is brought to life even more by its video. The visuals include various old school postcards which give this melodic ambient beauty even more of a pulse. It's trippy and charming so it was only natural that I would gravitate towards this. What an absolute tune that makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside without a single lyric in sight. I feel like I have slept on Röyksopp as an act in general so I greatly appreciate the fact that Dandy expanded my horizons with their output this year. It feels so weird that there was a time in the 21st century when songs like this could be hits. But there we go, it did the business and secured Röyksopp a #16 peak. This was their third top 40 hit to date and they would achieve more down the line - with their final bow in that regard taking place in 2005 with the also wonderful 'What Else Is There?'. 'Eple' is another song, following 'Finest Dreams', that was based on the work of another - in this case the melody was inspired by 'You're as Right as Rain' by Bob James, from 1975. It feels fitting for this to have retro inspirations when the postcards in the video are old themselves. I wouldn't become a full on music nerd for a couple of years yet but Busted were definitely amongst the small pool of artists that I was religiously into back in 2003. I can recall having conversations about them with my neighbours Sophie and Jade (yep, another one!!) and would play their debut album in a CD player during mornings before school. I wouldn't have any of my own CDs for a couple of years so this album definitely belonged to my dad. I certainly remember him being into the likes of Busted and McFly during their commercial peaks. I did enjoy the album but most of my attention went towards 'Year 3000' as a kid. I was truly obsessed with it back then. Will it show up later on? Stay tuned! However, in the noughties I feel like I was a bit unappreciative of 'Sleeping With The Light On'. In general I think my taste as a young child mostly gravitated towards fun pop - see the obsession with S Club 8's 'Sundown' also. So 'Sleeping With The Light On' was certainly a late bloomer in my affections but I got there eventually. All of Busted's first three hits were uptempo but 'Sleeping with the Light On' showed off a different side to the album, as this one is a ballad. The pop-rock trio are looking back on a failed relationship here. It reminds me of 'Amnesia' by 5 Seconds of Summer a little in terms of subject matter, tempo and genre. The delivery feels really heartfelt which has probably helped this to stand the test of time. The chorus is a real anthemic moment. I think the ultimate magic for me lies in the way the song progresses. Our introduction to the story is quite lowkey but the vocals and guitars become more and more heightened throughout. I really love the harmonies too and the guitar solo towards the end. 'Sleeping With The Light On' reached #3 in the U.K. chart and was the fourth in a eight-song run of unbroken top 3 hits for the boys. How incredible is that! They then disappeared from the charts for 10 years and returned for #12 hit 'Air Guitar' under the McBusted name. So, unintentionally these 5 songs have pretty much perfectly descended in order of feel. 'Barcelona' is a full-throttle drum & bass song. Then 'Finest Dreams' turns that frantic feel down a notch but still keeps up the feel-good electronic feel. Next 'Eple' is still electronic and chirpy but more ambient. Then you have 'Sleeping With The Light On' that is a ballad. Now we have a power ballad that punches you in the gut. So yeah, we pretty much went from feel-good rave to cry in your bedroom alone. We transitioned from 'Barcelona' to a video shot in Barcelona. 'My Immortal' is one of the most depressing and chilling songs I've ever come across. This is understandable as the subject matter is about a spirit haunting you after death and you actually wishing it would go because it just won't leave you alone. There's a lot of emotional intensity to unpack here. My parents owned a copy of the 'Fallen' album and I do remember 'Bring Me To Life' quite well from the time - maybe boosted by its #1 status - however 'My Immortal' passed me by a little. There's absolutely no way that I would've been into it back then anyway. I generally struggled with sad songs as a small child and even cried whenever I heard 'Leaving On A Jet Plane'! I discovered 'My Immortal' properly when growing up and felt so drawn to Amy Lee's haunting delivery and the gorgeous piano melody - plus, if things weren't already sad enough, the stunning strings too. I feel like I'd probably never be able to listen to this song again if I associated it with a particular death. But that hasn't really happened. I've definitely lost people when growing up but this song didn't really cross paths with me at the same time ever. So I've been able to separate my own experiences of death and get lost in the band's stories to tell. Perhaps one day I will end up resenting 'My Immortal' if a future pit of sadness happens to collide with this song at all. Or I could end up clinging on to it. Who knows - human emotions are too complex and unpredictable - much like the depths of this song itself. Sometimes people think of spirits as a comfort but this single goes to the distressing place of wanting them to go away. The video took an unprecedented turn also. Member Ben Moody left Evanescence a couple of weeks after it was shot. The band found it spooky, watching back, how much the video seemed to parallel this impending event. Amy Lee said: "Obviously we filmed it before this happened and it's amazing irony, how much it makes sense. We're all separated and wandering the streets looking like it's the day after a funeral, with Ben in a suit and bare feet, and I'm never touching the ground. I'm sitting on a phone booth or lying on a car, to hint that I'm dead, that I'm singing from the dead. It's all about separation. It's almost like the director knew what was going to happen, but he can't have known. It's just one of those fate things." The visuals were shot in black and white which mirrored the darkness of the record well. It's a tough listen, I certainly have to be in the right mood for it, but when it does hit the spot I really appreciate how moving it is. 'My Immortal' existed in demo form as far back as 1997 and made it onto an EP, then a demo album - before finally seeing the light of day as a single 6 years later after its appearance on 'Fallen'. It reached the same position in the chart both in the United Kingdom and the United States - this was #7.


Roba. View member profile	23rd December 2020, 12:45 AM Post #443
Rob aah Joined: 3 July 2007 Posts: 38,289 User: 3,804	'Sleeping With The Light On' is my favourite or 2nd fave Busted song at least probably with 'Year 3000' & 'You Said No' (the latter I own again) but I also like 'What I Go To School For' & 'Crashed The Wedding' as well so they'd round out my top 5. I prefer them to McFly as well. This was a nice change for them with all the uptempo stuff and it showed they could really pull off a ballad well. 'Amnesia' is a good comparison now I think about it. 'My Immortal' is haunting. Always had the album playing in the car when I was younger. It's certainly a deep song on the feels front. I know the song was about Ben's grandfather and how hard it was for him but certainly relatable for others too. I get the feeling this is one of those rare times you and bray might disagree as I recall him hating evanescence (think he still does).


Jade View member profile	29th December 2020, 06:43 PM Post #444
Alone and wounded Pronouns: She/her Joined: 18 January 2011 Posts: 60,171 User: 12,810	#25 - #21 coming tonight QUOTE(Rob S Claus @ Dec 23 2020, 12:45 AM) 'Sleeping With The Light On' is my favourite or 2nd fave Busted song at least probably with 'Year 3000' & 'You Said No' (the latter I own again) but I also like 'What I Go To School For' & 'Crashed The Wedding' as well so they'd round out my top 5. I prefer them to McFly as well. This was a nice change for them with all the uptempo stuff and it showed they could really pull off a ballad well. 'Amnesia' is a good comparison now I think about it. 'My Immortal' is haunting. Always had the album playing in the car when I was younger. It's certainly a deep song on the feels front. I know the song was about Ben's grandfather and how hard it was for him but certainly relatable for others too. I get the feeling this is one of those rare times you and bray might disagree as I recall him hating evanescence (think he still does). Hey there Rob Fantastic choices - I think those three would be my Busted top 3 as well in some order! 'Sleeping With The Light On' has aged so well and the other two fill me with so much nostalgia, on top of already being fun pop songs. I'm not as crazy about the other two you mentioned but not bad by any means! I think I just about prefer Busted to McFly as well - I like both but my absolute favourite Busted songs are higher in my affections than the equivalent for McFly, plus the latter have more lows. Yeah it was a great change of pace - really paid off as yet another top 3 hit for them . glad you can see that too! Tell me about it <3 always gives me chills. Awesome, my parents definitely owned the album too but I don't really remember it soundtracking many car journeys, it was more Busted and Sugababes For sure - there's a lot to unpack with it. Yeah that's right! Such a sad story but the emotion is totally universal. Also, you're sort of right - I think Bray likes some Evanescence songs but not 'Bring Me To Life' or 'My Immortal' thank you for commenting <3


Mack. View member profile	29th December 2020, 11:08 PM Post #445
It's still will be the return of the Mack 4eva Joined: 1 February 2011 Posts: 53,727 User: 12,915	'Sleeping With The Light On' the song that yes has held up well for Busted. 'You Said No' and 'Year 3000' in my Top 3. 'My Immortal' as Rob said it is haunting and sounds great. Not familiar with the other three but will listen to at some stage.


Jade View member profile	30th December 2020, 12:11 AM Post #446
Alone and wounded Pronouns: She/her Joined: 18 January 2011 Posts: 60,171 User: 12,810	^ Thanks for commenting Mack! I feel like you'd probably enjoy 'Barcelona' the most from the ones you don't know. 25. t.A.T.u. - Not Gonna Get Us (chart-run: 7-14-26-36-43-58-54-54) 24. Richard X vs. Liberty X - Being Nobody (chart-run: 3-6-11-16-26-38-43-54-64-49-55) 23. Robbie Williams - Come Undone (chart-run: 4-11-15-24-33-33-46-54-52-49-55) 22. Evanescence - Bring Me To Life (chart-run: 1-1-1-1-2-5-4-5-9-13-20-24-32-37-47-68-73) 21. The Black Eyed Peas - Shut Up (chart-run: 2-3-7-6-4-8-10-12-19-23-47-64) KRzMtlZjXpU TW: mentions of addiction ('Come Undone') and abuse ('Bring Me To Life') (sorry if I haven't been doing this in the past when needed, it was being reminded of the context behind 'Bring Me To Life' that made me stop and think that some of the subjects covered could potentially be a tough read, will try my best) Today we kick off with a duo who had a huge commercial breakthrough in 2003! t.A.T.u. comprised of Russian singers Lena Katina and Julia Volkova. These two ladies were originally part of a children's music group name Neposedy before splitting away from that to become t.A.T.u. in 1999. Their debut record was a Russian language one that arrived two years later - it was named '200 Po Vstrechnoy'. They swiftly moved away from their mother tongue for album two which would provide the hits. This one was '200 km/h in the Wrong Lane' and charted at #12 in the U.K. Albums chart. The first single was the gigantic 'All The Things She Said' which spent multiple weeks at #1 here. It generated controversy due to their school girl lesbianism portrayal in the music video. I must admit that I find 'All The Things She Said' merely okay. It just doesn't excite me very much. However, the less successful follow-up is a different story. 'Not Gonna Get Us' was still a hit in its own right, with its #7 peak, but doesn't have the same legacy and did experience a pretty short chart-run. But it very much appealed to my taste and no amount of spamming Now 55 was ever going to make me tire of it. I must admit that the lesbian rhetoric that they continued to peddle in the storytelling and video for this one quickly grew tiresome - it just feels like a shameless marketing ploy. But, aside from that, musically this is way more thrilling for me. Firstly, a huge draw for me is the production due to the left-field choice of incorporating BREAKBEAT elements! This stands out for miles amongst other chart hits of 2003 and is a sound that has held up really well all these years later. Trevor Horn was the mastermind behind this breakbeat and Eurodance fusion and helped to co-write the song too. The lyrics are about the group running away from people as they don't understand their love for each other. I try to not think about these specifics when listening - as I said the fake lesbian relationship leaves me a bit cold and the girls have actually publicly feuded - but as a general point of discussion it's good material for the accompanying production. "They're not gonna get us" is quite an exhilarating concept which feeds into the "thrill of the chase" feel of the high-octane production. The high pitched vocals in the chorus feel über effective as an emotional tool also. This is definitely my favourite t.A.T.u. song but I also quite like 'All About Us' and BJSC winner 'Gomenasai'. The girls experienced three top 10 singles in a row here in the U.K. but would then fade away quickly as attempt #4 - 'Friend Or Foe' - limped in at #48. So, I touched upon marketing for 'Not Gonna Get Us' albeit not in the most positive fashion. However, I'm totally on board with the marketing genius of two acts who did both have the X Factor. Producer Richard X is quickly back after featuring in the previous section with Kelis collaboration 'Finest Dreams'. This time he joined forces with pop group Liberty X on another interesting mash-up. Liberty X have already appeared in my countdown with their huge #1 single 'Just A Little' in 2002 and now a year on they were still going, not bad for the runner-up act on a talent show. Most importantly the hits were still flowing as 'Being Nobody' charted at #3. Both acts chose to lead their respective albums with this - Richard had 'Richard X Presents His X-Factor Vol. 1' and Liberty X the more closely tied 'Being Somebody'. This song was a new version of 'Ain't Nobody' by Chaka Khan. They weren't the first to do it - off the top of my head LL Cool J took the track all the way to #1 six years prior. They wouldn't be the last either, with Felix Jaehn's 2015 version charting at #2. Many iterations of this have touched the top 3 but this does not include the original which peaked at #8! Would it be scandalous to admit that the Richard X vs. Liberty X version is my favourite, even eclipsing the original? Well there we go, I just did. Once again Richard X borrowed from The Human League as the 'Being' part of the title stems from this sampling 'Being Boiled' by the 80s new wave sensations. The production also stays faithful to the original 'Ain't Nobody' by keeping the recognisable synth line but putting a Richard X spin on it. I think we know by now that I'm a huge fan of his production style! Those squelchy synths are so addictive and futuristic sounding. Then Liberty X bring the fun with the equally forward-thinking video and their strong vocal take on an eternally joyful chorus. I just think this version was really creative and surprisingly cool. Richard X was done charting under his own name after 2003 (but continued to produce for acts like Annie and Rachel Stevens) however, Liberty X still had a couple of years worth of hits left in them! Now Robbie is back at #23 after not hearing from him in here since 'Rock DJ' in 2000! I find it hard to pick my favourite Robbie song - on the surface it would seem like 'Angels' as that scraped the top 10 in my 1997 countdown, but as I said, the competition seems to be getting tougher every single year so I think 'Come Undone' is still my favourite Robbie song. I don't remember this at the time at all - which is probably for the best as the video alone would definitely be a bit much for a six year old. However, both of my parents are big Robbie fans so I would eventually hear this in my dad's car quite a bit. I was always quite fascinated by the lyrics - lines like "they're selling razor blades and mirrors on the street" caught my attention as a kid and felt uniquely Robbie. I didn't truly understand the dark side of this song until I grew up though. It's of course an autobiographical retelling of Robbie's own struggles that came with rising to fame. I think the title is supposed to represent the media waiting around like leeches for a celebrity to "come undone" so they can get their headline. Away from fame, it also seems to touch on the dark place that Robbie went to with addiction, through lines such as: "I'm not scared of dying, I just don't want to." which is also explored on previous single 'Feel' through the lyric: "I don't wanna die, but I ain't keen on living either.". He gave us two quite hard-hitting singles in a row and then came out of it with the uplifting 'Something Beautiful'. Away from the lyrics, the musical style of 'Come Undone' is soft rock and takes quite a stadium approach - with a rousing chorus backed by prominent guitar production. It's a fascinating 4 and a half minute insight into the crazy world of Robbie - who seemed to have it all, being a part of a successful boy-band and then an impressive solo career. But here he really lays it all out on the table and with a strong vocal performance too. The talking points expanded to the video as well and it ended up being banned or blurred due to its sexual nature. Let's just say that Robbie has a lot of fun with two women but by the end these ladies become men in drag - which was thought to be a dig at the media's obsession with his sexuality. 'Come Undone' became another top 5 hit for Robbie with its #4 peak. Richard X isn't the only one to appear in two sections in a row! Now Evanescence are back for their second and final appearance of 2003 with the biggest hit of their career. 'Bring Me To Life' was a U.K. chart topper and also hit #5 in the United States. This feels like quite a historical #1 when looking back. This group were flying the flag for nu-metal music and with a female lead singer at that - something that was scoffed at. Amy was actually told that nobody would listen to their music as a girl in a rock-band was something that nobody was doing at the time - so they'd need a male to sing back-up. That's where the uncredited vocals by Paul McCoy from the band 12 Stones come in. I mistakenly thought that these male vocals were just a different member of Evanescence for years. Anyway, looking back I find it pretty infuriating for Amy that she was in this position. But I do think the back-and-forth exchanges between the two actually worked really well and gave it a bit of a Linkin Park feel with the rap-rock crossover. So, the circumstances that created the duetting are degrading but at least it worked. Soon Amy would get to shine on her own with 'My Immortal' at least. I didn't know the context behind 'Bring Me To Life' for a while as a very young me did genuinely listen to this at the time - largely thanks to its iconic video that was getting a lot of rotation. But I did twig that it was pretty dark with lyrics like "I've been living a lie, there's nothing inside" and "...where I've become so numb". So it was heartbreaking to find out where they originated from. Amy was at a really low point in her life where she was trapped in an abusive relationship and just felt like she was going through the motions of life. But she had a quick exchange in a restaurant that changed everything - a man in there asked her if she was okay, she lied in response and said she was fine, but her heart was racing and she could tell that he knew that wasn't the case. This moment of realisation really helped her. Leading on from this, she also said that the song is about open-mindedness and waking up to all of the things she'd been missing. So it must've been an incredibly tough writing process and it's clear to see that she's putting her heart and soul into her vocal performance. She begins the song, backed by haunting piano, with this really ethereal singing style. The song progresses into a dramatic vocal showdown between herself and the male vocalist. Crunchy guitars also really help to advance the song effectively. The video is striking too - Amy dreams of falling through the air below a skyscraper and soon this becomes reality - or so we think - as McCoy opens the window and she subsequently loses her balance - he was trying his best but she ends up falling. However, by the end she is shown to be sleeping, so we can breathe a sigh of relief. Amy impressively did her own stunts for this video and was hanging on to his arm for hours. This was a really standout moment for 2003 chart-toppers and continues to be their signature song. Rounding off this section is a SingStar classic! Therefore, it will always remind me of fun childhood memories where I tackled Fergie's dramatic vocals and my brother played the part of... all the males, unbeknownst to us that this was a squabbling song between lovers - we just thought it was over-the-top and funny. Indeed a song called 'Shut Up' was always going to be confrontational and loud. But I do have a really nostalgic soft spot for it. From the first few seconds we already have a stunning violin intro and the production morphs into these toe-tapping hip-hop type beats. I enjoy all of the vocal contributions but especially Fergie with her soulful runs. She had really solidified her place in the group now after taking more of a back-seat for 'Where Is The Love?' - I'm sure she could've tackled that chorus no problem but it was actually Justin Timberlake who got the top job there. 'Where Is The Love?' was their biggest mark on 2003, in fact becoming the biggest selling single of the year, but turns out I preferred sassy BEP rather than sentimental in this battle of two big hits. They fit a whole lot of story into these 5 minutes and illustrated it with an opera themed around a battle of the sexes - where Fergie is the leading lady, with will.i.am and Taboo as her suitors, while apl.de.ap conducts this whole shebang. I suppose they revisited a similar theme for the 'Don't Phunk With My Heart' video - there are some really fun ideas in their videography. I must also mention that this music video is easily the most HD one I've re-watched so far for this project, yay! Aside from the Peas, there are some cameos to be spotted - Kimberly Wyatt and Carmit Bachar from the Pussycat Dolls, Travis Barker from Blink-182 and Shifty Shellshock from Crazy Town. Not bad for only your second single including Fergie - aka the moment where the tides turned for their commercial success. 'Shut Up' was a respectable follow-up to 'Where Is The Love?' as it charted at #2 and experienced a healthy run in the top 10 that would carry over into 2004. The song that blocked it from #1? Well that was 'Leave Right Now' by Will Young, as I said earlier, reality TV stars were still very much thriving!


Roba. View member profile	30th December 2020, 12:53 AM Post #447
Rob aah Joined: 3 July 2007 Posts: 38,289 User: 3,804	What a strong bunch here. 'Not Gonna Get Us' is stupidly underrated and I think it greatly suffered from 'All The Things She Said' success even though I love that too but I feel like NGGU deserved to be a more enduring hit than it was. Love 'All About Us' & 'Friend or Foe' by them too. Kinda forgot about their Eurovision performance though I J'adore 'Bring Me To Life'. Great memories of seeing it on the music channels waaay before it took off and it was theme to a couple of sporting events months before it took off in the UK too. The video is iconic as well. Them and t.A.T.u. were so different from the rest of the charts back then I thought. It was incredible to see songs by them both rule the charts because they were so out there and different! 'Come Undone' wouldn't be anywhere amongst Robbie's best songs but it''s still pretty good. I found the opening lyrics quite humorous too. 'Shut Up' is amazing. One of their best and whilst I love 'Where Is The Love'.. I actually prefer SU over it nowadays and even then thought it was equal with it at the time. It's an extremely catchy song and i remember just singing along the Shut Up just shut up shut up lyrics all the time great song for lipsynching to.


Brer View member profile	30th December 2020, 04:21 AM Post #448
is my brain across your walls? Joined: 14 February 2009 Posts: 115,078 User: 8,300	Any discussion of covers / samples of 'Ain't Nobody' cannot be complete without a mention of Delilah's 'Go' xx 'Not Gonna Get Us' is one of those songs that I think I discovered via the Now! sessions but unlike most of the other such songs which I have pretty much entirely forgotten again since, that one has definitely stuck with me as I was shocked at how much I actually loved a song by t.A.T.u. who I know best for a song that I infamously do not like at all The last few sections do have quite a few songs that I don't know very well (and a couple that I'm not a fan of but we know that, justice for 'Going Under' xx), showing some love though for 'Shut Up' (remembering when BEP were actually good!), 'Eple' (), 'Seven Nation Army', 'Breathe' and OF COURSE the most iconic of all 'Virtuality' . (plus 'Sundown' for the plug memories x).


Jade View member profile	5th January 2021, 06:21 PM Post #449
Alone and wounded Pronouns: She/her Joined: 18 January 2011 Posts: 60,171 User: 12,810	Kicking off the 2003 top 20 tonight QUOTE(Rob S Claus @ Dec 30 2020, 12:53 AM) What a strong bunch here. 'Not Gonna Get Us' is stupidly underrated and I think it greatly suffered from 'All The Things She Said' success even though I love that too but I feel like NGGU deserved to be a more enduring hit than it was. Love 'All About Us' & 'Friend or Foe' by them too. Kinda forgot about their Eurovision performance though I J'adore 'Bring Me To Life'. Great memories of seeing it on the music channels waaay before it took off and it was theme to a couple of sporting events months before it took off in the UK too. The video is iconic as well. Them and t.A.T.u. were so different from the rest of the charts back then I thought. It was incredible to see songs by them both rule the charts because they were so out there and different! 'Come Undone' wouldn't be anywhere amongst Robbie's best songs but it''s still pretty good. I found the opening lyrics quite humorous too. 'Shut Up' is amazing. One of their best and whilst I love 'Where Is The Love'.. I actually prefer SU over it nowadays and even then thought it was equal with it at the time. It's an extremely catchy song and i remember just singing along the Shut Up just shut up shut up lyrics all the time great song for lipsynching to. Hey there Rob Yay, glad you liked this section so much! I agree that 'Not Gonna Get Us' deserved better. I mean, it did go top 10, but that top 40 run was pretty short and it doesn't have the same modern classic status as 'All The Thing She Said'. It's aged SO well . I'm also a fan of 'All About Us' but have never heard 'Friend or Foe' before, will have to check that out. I knew that they'd done Eurovision but I just looked it up and had no idea that it was during 2003 as well - what a year for them! 'Bring Me To Life' is brilliant! It feels so standout in amongst a list of 2003 #1s or even for that whole decade. That video is indeed very striking to match the song - I definitely remember seeing it on the music channels too. I didn't really think about how t.A.T.u. would've stood out so much in the chart as well, but yes, they definitely had their own style going on too! Aw 'Come Undone' is so underrated one of his most memorable songs for me lyrically! 'Shut Up' appreciation ftw <3 Black Eyed Peas were genius for catchy hooks - "shut up, just shut up shut up", "my humps, my humps my humps my humps", "boom boom boom" etc glad I'm not the only one who loved singing along to it!! thank you for commenting <3 QUOTE(Bré @ Dec 30 2020, 04:21 AM) Any discussion of covers / samples of 'Ain't Nobody' cannot be complete without a mention of Delilah's 'Go' xx 'Not Gonna Get Us' is one of those songs that I think I discovered via the Now! sessions but unlike most of the other such songs which I have pretty much entirely forgotten again since, that one has definitely stuck with me as I was shocked at how much I actually loved a song by t.A.T.u. who I know best for a song that I infamously do not like at all The last few sections do have quite a few songs that I don't know very well (and a couple that I'm not a fan of but we know that, justice for 'Going Under' xx), showing some love though for 'Shut Up' (remembering when BEP were actually good!), 'Eple' (), 'Seven Nation Army', 'Breathe' and OF COURSE the most iconic of all 'Virtuality' . (plus 'Sundown' for the plug memories x). Hey there Brer I totally forgot about 'Go' actually which would definitely be right up there too how is that nearly 10 years old now tbh Yesssss I remember that moment when you discovered 'Not Gonna Get Us' for the first time! It does sound up your street though with the breakbeat production so I'm glad that was the case. Them showing up with a song you do like here but not quite the same for Evanescence oops Yeah the current direction for the Black Eyed Peas is... a choice :') but they provided the bops once upon a time . yesssss someone who can appreciate 'Virtuality' with me thank you for commenting <3


PeteFromLeeds View member profile	5th January 2021, 07:06 PM Post #450
Buy yourself a car, and a house in Devon Joined: 6 May 2016 Posts: 23,892 User: 23,247	I thought I was quite familiar with The Black Eyed Peas' back catalogue but listening to Shut Up and don't think I've ever heard it before! It's okay but I think I do prefer both the other songs you mentioned to it (Where Is The Love + Don't Phunk) unfortunately!


Jade View member profile	5th January 2021, 07:15 PM Post #451
Alone and wounded Pronouns: She/her Joined: 18 January 2011 Posts: 60,171 User: 12,810	QUOTE(Prince of Pete @ Jan 5 2021, 07:06 PM) I thought I was quite familiar with The Black Eyed Peas' back catalogue but listening to Shut Up and don't think I've ever heard it before! It's okay but I think I do prefer both the other songs you mentioned to it (Where Is The Love + Don't Phunk) unfortunately! Ah well there you go I actually prefer ‘Don’t Phunk With My Heart’ to it too (my favourite BEP song!) but we’ll get to that in 2005


Last Dreamer View member profile	5th January 2021, 07:25 PM Post #452
With Kristina in heart Joined: 28 March 2017 Posts: 3,803 User: 28,104	I strongly dislike Tatu for blocking Sinead Quinn - I Can't Break Down from her deserved # 1 in UK.


Jade View member profile	5th January 2021, 11:52 PM Post #453
Alone and wounded Pronouns: She/her Joined: 18 January 2011 Posts: 60,171 User: 12,810	^ Oops I think I've only heard that song once so don't have a strong opinion on it but it was pretty nice from what I can recall! 20. Missy Elliott - Pass That Dutch (chart-run: 10-16-24-34-51-59-51-57-65-63-73) 19. Sugababes - Too Lost In You (chart-run: 10-10-15-15-19-25-32-30-30-42-53-50-69) 18. Justin Timberlake - Rock Your Body (chart-run: 2-6-9-14-20-23-25-31-40-35-45-57-74) 17. Girls Aloud - No Good Advice (chart-run: 2-5-11-17-26-36-46-55-55-55-41-42-54-75) 16. Linkin Park - Numb (chart-run: 14-26-36-41-54-66) kXYiU_JCYtU Today we kick off the top 20 with the return of Missy Elliott! This follows her appearance in 2001 with 'Get Ur Freak On'. That scraped in at #38 so she's done a whole lot better this time. The competition continues to get tougher so I'm glad that my favourite Missy song has received a more respectable placing. I first discovered 'Pass That Dutch' through the film Mean Girls, released the following year, as the instrumental is featured in a scene when 'The Plastics' are slow-mo walking. Unfortunately it doesn't appear on the soundtrack for the film but I will always associate the two nevertheless! I didn't question what this song might be at the time but I do remember thinking that this beat sounded cool. Fast forward several years and I finally found out what it actually was through a friend playing it! I immediately downloaded it and it's been a huge favourite ever since. Missy is an undisputed Queen of rap although I must confess that the production is still my favourite element of this song! Still, she was involved with the production of it alongside Timbaland. It's an absolutely massive ground-shaking looped hip-hop beat that is married with quickfire hand claps - therefore the ultimate toe-tapper. It's fitting that she worked with Timbaland here as in the video Missy mentions Aaliyah who also famously worked with him. The Dave Meyers directed video is a real whiplash of emotions actually - it opens with this touching scene paying tribute to those involved with the hip-hop/R&B scene that are no longer with us. But then that instantly recognisable dirty beat begins and everything descends into chaos. Missy is seen dancing under a UFO, as a beauty queen being cheered on by a crowd of Bratz dolls (another crossover with my childhood on top of Mean Girls!) and even in a car where a man is eaten by a passenger for setting off the car alarm. Casual. Missy videos are always so creative and fun and this is no different! 'Pass That Dutch' is a drug reference I presume, much like 'Pass The Dutchie' that came over 20 years prior. This point is broadened to having fun in general though so there are a lot of lyrics about dancing. Even a Michael Jackson reference for good measure. The song actually begins with the announcement that an "unknown virus is hitting all clubs" so that feels a little eerie right now! But, that aside, this is a total hoot - Missy attacks her lyrics with confidence as ever and that beat is seriously addictive. The song actually contains samples from Santa Esmeralda, War and De La Soul so there's a whole spectrum of genre influences going on - with the latter being the most close to home for her. As mentioned, this somehow didn't make the Mean Girls soundtrack, but was released as the lead single from Missy's album 'This Is Not a Test!' - a record that missed the top 40 here! Thankfully it proved more successful in the U.S. - although we were more kind to 'Pass That Dutch' specifically, as it charted at #27 there while it became Missy's latest top 10 hit here - charting at #10 specifically. This has a criminally short chart run but at least has that top 10 status and an instrumental place in one of the most quotable teen movies of all-time. Could be worse! Now we move on from one #10 single to another! Sugababes released this late in 2003 so they were included in the "race to Christmas #1" publicity. They would settle for the other end of the top 10 for not one but two weeks. Then they stayed at #15 for a fortnight too! An interesting chart run. Not only is this another #10 single in the countdown but a movie song again too. I'd say the links between this and the movie 'Love Actually' are a lot more apparent than the Missy and Mean Girls connection. 'Too Lost In You' got to be on the 'Love Actually' soundtrack for starters - in fact handpicked by director Richard Curtis. The music video includes film clips too so this is well and truly a movie song. Something more debatable is its status as a festive song as it does continue to receive music channel rotation during December. Either way, the Sugababes pulled a fantastic ballad out of the bag. It was another favourite of mine much like 'Stronger' in 2002. They were a girl group who could nail both an uptempo or a ballad - they certainly have the vocals to pull it off and the harmonies here are particularly haunting. The song can be perceived in one of two ways - so the narrators are obviously in love but is it head over heels true love or maybe unrequited or unhealthy out of control love? Well, to me I associate it with the former as I attended the wedding of a family friend about 5 years ago and it was used as their first dance. So I can't help but think of this in a soppy way. The lyrics are heartfelt and backed with interesting pop-rock and R&B influences. There is even an orchestral arrangement to make it sound all the more epic. Of course Heidi gives it her all during yet another famous Heidi Range middle 8 too. Definitely one to get lost in much like the title of the song itself. I mentioned slow-mo walking in my commentary for 'Pass That Dutch' and that is swiftly back in the music video for this, as the girls are walking in London Stansted Airport for the whole duration. During that time they individually fantasise about three different men they encounter in the airport and things heat up. Annoyingly the video cuts off 30 seconds early on YouTube so they should really sort that out! Dianne Warren was the genius behind this beautiful ballad as she turned the French song 'Quand j'ai peur de tout' by Patricia Kaas into this English rendition. It was the second single to be released from the 'Three' album following the #1 hit 'Hole In The Head'. This album was yet another triumph for the Sugababes 2.0 line-up so you can bet that there'll be more to come. At #18 the 'Justified' era continues after beginning in my 2002 countdown with 'Like I Love You'! Timberlake was on fire this era although still could not bag a #1 from it. 'Rock Your Body' stalled at #2 once more - this time to 'Ignition (Remix)' by R Kelly. Oops. Obviously the latter is cancelled nowadays but at the time both of these songs were massive party hits. I can recall 'Ignition' at several house parties and 'Rock Your Body' at a birthday barbecue at the time - my cousin and her neighbour actually stood up and performed a dance for us and I remember being very jealous that I couldn't join in!! Speaking of dancing... the music video is pretty much a showcase for Timberlake's dance moves and feels quintessentially noughties with the rainbow lighting. This song was originally intended for the legend of the dance world though. The Neptunes and Timberlake penned the track together but with Michael Jackson in mind. However, he rejected this so it went to Justin. I'm surprised that Michael didn't want it himself as the style isn't too dissimilar to his 'Off The Wall' era. Maybe another 'Rock' song would've been a step too far in a discography already containing 'Rock With You' and 'You Rock My World'. This song has a further connection to the Jackson family. The "bet I'll have you naked by the end of this song" line infamously soundtracked Janet's wardrobe malfunction at the Super Bowl - a moment that would ruin her career. So I do cringe a little when I hear that line as it just makes me feel for poor Janet in that moment. That event aside, it was another great single from Justin that definitely feels like one of his signature songs. The production is incredibly funky and you can spot the Pharrell influence from a mile off. It's not too dissimilar to 'Beautiful' really. It's a very feel-good beat anyway and Justin works his way around it effortlessly - from impressive falsetto to an instructional, dramatic bridge. This is another from this year that feels really nostalgic for me. It appealed a lot as a kid and I still love all of its groovy charm now as a 23-year-old. It was a success here as aforementioned and also hit #5 on the Billboard Hot 100. We still have one more excellent 'Justified' moment to visit so stay tuned! Next at #17 we have another single that just missed out on the top spot. Once again it was a release up against the juggernaut 'Ignition (Remix)' which ended up locking in that #1 position for 4 weeks. It was a risky time for Girls Aloud. They had released their massively successful coronation single 'Sound of the Undergound' towards the end of 2002. But what now? Their next move was crucial to ensure that they weren't going to fade away. So the girls really took their time picking a follow-up single - five months in fact. They initially did not even want 'No Good Advice' with the reason being that it was not "their sound". However, Brian Higgins quickly shot down any talk of this safe approach. This was the beginning of a relationship between Xenomania and the girls where they were constantly challenging their sound. Lene Nystrøm Rasted from the band Aqua was on board for this one too. The track was conceptualised out of frustration by Higgins when a lucrative deal had fallen out of his hands a few years prior. He came away from this situation feeling determined and willing to prove people wrong. He certainly did as Girls Aloud were here to stay - 'No Good Advice' respectfully followed up their huge debut with a #2 placing. This was another edgy pop moment for the girls. The lyrics - such as "dirty hands, I don't give a damn" are seriously rebellious and moody. It could've come across bratty and cold but the public knew who these girls were - they had been more than happy to embrace an attitude-ridden "buy girls, bye boys" slogan. Plus that make-or-break second single was obviously going to be approached with determination - the girls were ready to fight for their place in the industry and prove the people who voted for them right. Of course they were going in all guns blazing. That production is an absolute riot also. It's like a dance-rock song really as it contains a commanding guitar riff throughout. Even the bridge was a guitar solo! That interesting choice precedes a spoken outro. They really had their own cool, unexpected lane for a girl-group. This was the song that made me fall in love with Girls Aloud even if I did vaguely know of 'Sound of the Underground's existence at the time. Me and a neighbour were playing a 2003 karaoke game and I had so much fun singing along to this so wanted to know who actually sang it! The rest is history - I was desperate to borrow a different neighbour's copy of Now 55 just for this and it would soon soundtrack the homepage of x-jade-cat-x.piczo.com, the predecessor to jades-kool-website, of course. The music video is pretty simple as the girls are hanging around a car park. I think they were going for a futuristic angle with the metallic outfits and hologram effects. The girls speak negatively of the video, saying that both Cheryl and Sarah ripped their trousers and were shouted at by a make-up artist. Ouch! Thankfully they have not disowned the song itself as far as I'm aware. It was definitely my favourite Girls Aloud single back in the day but ultimately I think I overplayed it a bit too much. Others have now overtaken, we'll get to those in later years, but I'll always enjoy this and it's sounding great now that I haven't overplayed it in well over a decade. Rounding off today's section is the lowest peaking of the bunch. However, I'd say it eclipses the rest in terms of overall impact as it's the most watched rock music video on YouTube. It has so far amassed a staggering 1.4 billion views. So it may have peaked at #14 here and #11 on the Billboard Hot 100 but its legacy shines a lot brighter than that. The late Chester Bennington tackles the subject of children who are sick of living up to the high expectation of their parents. I feel like I hang on to every word of Linkin Park lyrics, thanks to Chester's hard-hitting delivery, but "every step that I take is another mistake to you" particularly illustrates that frustration and mind-messing that they tackle ever so well. The music video explores the daily life of a school-girl protagonist who is shown doing what she loves but is relentlessly mocked for it. Her responses are a tough watch for sure and really illustrate the frustration brought about by a world where "different" can be your downfall. But as Chester says: "All I want to do is be more like me and be less like you" which is such an important and helpful lyric. The end of the video is quite touching as the girl runs into the church where the band was playing, as if she heard them, only to find it empty. Such a simple but effective moment that perfectly demonstrates the power of music. It's been around 3 and a half years since the world lost Chester but the raw lyrics about mental health will resonate with people forever. His delivery was truly one of a kind too. He switches from vulnerable to shouting in mere seconds and it doesn't feel grating in the slightest, far from it. The nu metal instrumentation develops in a really similar way so really ramps up for the chorus. Linkin Park have some really powerful, poignant moments and this one tops all the rest for me. An obvious choice? Perhaps, but it's a classic for a reason and gives me strength. Surprisingly, this was only the third single from the 'Meteora' campaign. It would breathe a second wave of life in the form of Jay-Z mash-up 'Numb'/'Encore' - taking their rock-rap schtick to the next level! Chester's death in 2017 meant that several songs from their back catalogue re-emerged in the U.K. Singles chart - this managed #20, the second highest after 'In The End'. That song has 1.1 billion views on YouTube so another mammoth signature song for Linkin Park. Their highest peaking single 'What I've Done' (#6) has just under 500 million views so the lasting effect isn't correlating with the ordering of chart peaks at all, even if still impressive amounts!


Mack. View member profile	10th January 2021, 10:35 PM Post #454
It's still will be the return of the Mack 4eva Joined: 1 February 2011 Posts: 53,727 User: 12,915	'Not Gonna Get Us' this is a underrated tune, wow I think I preferred this to 'All The Things She Said' back then. 'Being Nobody ' that was good, 'Come Undone' a welcome addition to one I haven't heard from a while from Robbie Williams. 'Bring Me To Life' is incredible, fantastic song this it was different to the charts at a time and the music video is incredible. 'Shut Up' one I don't hear often but great from Black Eyed Peas. 'Pass That Dutch' yes enjoy this from Missy Elliott. 'Too Lost In You' I have appreciated this song more than it went first came out this is one of my favourites from Sugababes, it is a great girl group song, would have preferred this as the Christmas No 1 from that year. 'Rock Your Body' this is a classic from Justin Timberlake, one I would never tire of, incredible production from the Neptunes on this one, this appealed to me as well as a kid and will continue to do so. 'No Good Advice' underrated this from Girls Aloud, I first heard this on a episode of Coronation Street , 'Numb' sounds poignant to me after the sad passing of Chester Bennington, one song that has grown on me throughout the years it is a great song, blimey this is a tune. And I agree that chorus tops it for me. Great section, Jade


Jade View member profile	12th January 2021, 01:59 PM Post #455
Alone and wounded Pronouns: She/her Joined: 18 January 2011 Posts: 60,171 User: 12,810	Top 15 coming tonight! The weeks are flying by QUOTE(Iceman501 @ Jan 10 2021, 10:35 PM) 'Not Gonna Get Us' this is a underrated tune, wow I think I preferred this to 'All The Things She Said' back then. 'Being Nobody ' that was good, 'Come Undone' a welcome addition to one I haven't heard from a while from Robbie Williams. 'Bring Me To Life' is incredible, fantastic song this it was different to the charts at a time and the music video is incredible. 'Shut Up' one I don't hear often but great from Black Eyed Peas. 'Pass That Dutch' yes enjoy this from Missy Elliott. 'Too Lost In You' I have appreciated this song more than it went first came out this is one of my favourites from Sugababes, it is a great girl group song, would have preferred this as the Christmas No 1 from that year. 'Rock Your Body' this is a classic from Justin Timberlake, one I would never tire of, incredible production from the Neptunes on this one, this appealed to me as well as a kid and will continue to do so. 'No Good Advice' underrated this from Girls Aloud, I first heard this on a episode of Coronation Street , 'Numb' sounds poignant to me after the sad passing of Chester Bennington, one song that has grown on me throughout the years it is a great song, blimey this is a tune. And I agree that chorus tops it for me. Great section, Jade Hey there Mack Great to see a lot of appreciation for those past two sections - especially the fact that 'Too Lost In You' and 'Numb' have grown on you more over the years! I did like the 2003 Christmas #1, 'Mad World', but appreciate 'Too Lost In You' more so agree with your sentiment about that being the preferred option from the contenders. I always liked 'Numb' but all of Chester's lyrics hit way harder now we know the full extent of his suffering - very powerful indeed, he's left some incredible music behind. Also I agree that The Neptunes were on fire right now - some great work for both Britney and Justin in the early 00s haha some interesting ways of discovering 'No Good Advice' - you through Corrie and me hearing it without any words on a karaoke CD thank you for commenting <3


Jade View member profile	12th January 2021, 11:38 PM Post #456
Alone and wounded Pronouns: She/her Joined: 18 January 2011 Posts: 60,171 User: 12,810	15. Sean Paul - Get Busy (chart-run: 4-6-7-7-7-19-49) 14. Coldplay - Clocks (chart-run: 9-17-24-33-48-50-59-67) 13. Room 5 - Make Luv (feat. Oliver Cheatham) (chart-run: 1-1-1-1-4-9-16-25-24-37-45-48-61-53-58) 12. Busted - Year 3000 (chart-run: 2-4-6-10-12-7-11-12-17-27-33-37-44-47-63) 11. Plummet - Damaged (chart-run: 12-19-13-21-28-26-39-53-63-74) eaWO9HBU7Aw TW: themes of child abuse in Plummet - 'Damaged' Sean Paul popped up earlier in 2003 as the featured artist on Blu Cantrell's summer smash 'Breathe' and now he returns with a solo hit! 'Breathe' may have taken the U.K. by storm but it had a pretty lowly #70 peak in the U.S., whereas 'Get Busy' connected with a lot more of the world on top of here. So this feels like it's had the biggest lasting impact - with more YouTube views and a somewhat culturally significant album attached to it in the form of 'Dutty Rock'. The release of 'Get Busy' here preceded 'Breathe' by a few months and Sean bagged his second top 5 hit with it - following the re-release of 'Gimme The Light'. It has a weird chart run as it peaked at #4 here, spend another four weeks in the top 10, then exited the top 40 two weeks later! It saw huge success in the States as 'Get Busy' actually topped the Billboard Hot 100. It knocked the gargantuan hit 'In Da Club' by 50 Cent off in the process, spent three weeks at #1, then was replaced by 50 Cent once again but with '21 Questions' featuring Nate Dogg. Sean Paul was really making his mark thanks to an addictive dancehall stamp. The snappy handclap beat was taking over during 2003 as Wayne Wonder's 'No Letting Go' and Lumidee's 'Never Leave You (Uh Oooh, Uh Oooh)' would both adopt the same style. But 'Get Busy' just about got there first out of this trio of hits! That beat coupled with Sean Paul's distinctive and inviting delivery is bound to get any dancefloor going. This is illustrated by the video where a basement house-party takes place - resulting in annoyance from the homeowner when the heaters are being hit in the process! Kardinal Offishall, of Texas and Akon features fame, makes a cameo. The video ends with a snippet of impending single 'Like Glue' which would actually go on to out-peak 'Get Busy' here. He was really racking up all of these floor-fillers in quick succession and they've aged really well. That 2003 beat still sounds good in 2021, especially coupled with the determined strings. Sean Paul has an impressive chain of hits to his name and I'd say this is the best of the best - an instant pick-me-up about partying, much like 'In Da Club' actually, so the world was clearly ready to have a good time that year. Fast forward to 2021 and house parties and clubbing are not quite permitted - how times have changed! I shall instead enjoy this in the comfort of a blanket at home - any time is Sean Paul time. This applies for his chart timeline too as you can never really write him off - 'Boasty' scored him a top 40 hit just two years ago as a feature! It remains to be seen if he'll be topping up that tally once more any time soon. At #14 we move away from dancehall and instead become more serious with a psychedelic rock direction from British band Coldplay. The group say they were influenced by Muse when creating 'Clocks'. It almost didn't see the light of day as part of the 'A Rush of Blood to the Head' project as lead singer Chris Martin initially wanted to file it away and come back to it. This is because the group felt that their record was already nearing completion. However, they were soon dissatisfied with the album and made tweaks including a slot for 'Clocks'. It became an important enough piece of the puzzle to get the single treatment. It was released as the third single here after 'The Scientist' and bettered its peak by one place - charting at #9. In the United States it reached #29. Chris Martin and his bandmates were inspired to compose 'Clocks' after the riff came to Martin one night while in Liverpool. Thank goodness that happened as said piano riff is such a pivotal element of the song. It actually inspired me to very briefly take up the keyboard. We had one lying around in the house so I learned the 'Clocks' riff on it and then that was literally it - never came back to it! Well, at least I picked a good'un for that one experience. The lyrics appear to be about urgency and contrast with striking lines such as "Tides that I tried to swim against" and "Am I a part of the cure or am I part of the disease?". The content can be traced back to the simple concept of time and how we choose to spend it which links to the 'Clocks' title very well. Alternatively, it could be about a relationship that isn't healthy but that he doesn't want to escape from. The beautiful piano riff is instantly commanding no matter what the lyrical content may be. The entire experience seems to straddle the line between calm and dramatic which feeds nicely into the contrast theme. For every breath-taking riff there are calming falsetto vocals from Chris. Once again, these visuals are an experience that feels alien right now as the concept is simply a concert. But the laser show brings it to life a little more. The record was a real triumph for the band and actually won them a Grammy for 'Record of the Year'. Fast forward to 2021 and their last album, 'Everyday Life', is now nominated for the latest ceremony - well, I thought Sean Paul was still killing it, but I think Coldplay have swiftly stolen that longevity thunder! Now we transition to a video that is even more Covid unfriendly than the last two as it features both partying and travelling by plane! However, it's merely an animated video, one that I can remember pretty vividly from my childhood. The cartoon fashion and flip phone just scream early 2000s. Speaking of this decade, I'm pretty sure this song was recently under-appreciated in a poll as part of BuzzJack's 2000s retro forum, so here I am to give it some love instead! 'Make Luv' is the biggest hit of this section as it topped the chart for 4 weeks here in the U.K. - what a smash. This soundtracked my childhood not only through the video but also because it featured in the 'Now! That's What I Call Music' DVD game when you get to the stage where you climb the chart. So much nostalgia! I definitely could not relate to the first half of the "make love and listen to the music" hook as a 6-year-old but the latter half clearly spoke to me as a music obsessive. I've never changed in that regard and neither have my affections towards this song. As you all know by now I do love a looped dance record. Room 5 is an alias of Junior Jack who has a little help from vocalist Oliver Cheatham here. 'Make Luv' samples Cheatham's 1983 hit 'Get Down Saturday Night' so that provides an old school flavour to a nu disco hit. Unfortunately Oliver Cheatham passed away in 2013 due to a heart attack but his legacy will live on through a very soulful and memorable vocal performance. I very recently became the owner of a 'Make Luv' vinyl during a pre-Covid shopping trip where I decided to pick up a handful of dance records at my biggest local independent shop. So now I can become a funky house DJ for 5 minutes up in my bedroom if I want to. I can see why this did so well as the hook is ridiculously catchy and feel-good, sounds brilliant in summer and is backed by very groovy and melodic production. It was also handily featured in a Lynx Pulse deodorant advert which gave it fantastic exposure. Room 5 only scored one more top 40 hit after this - 'Music And You' at #38 - but achieved 6 under the Junior Jack name, including the pretty well-known 'Stupidisco'. Oliver Cheatham has a very satisfying top 40 chart history with his 3 appearances - 'Get Down Saturday Night', the song 'Make Luv' samples, is first at #38 - then sandwiched in the middle is #1 'Make Luv' - then it rounds off with his vocal contribution to the aforementioned 'Music And You' - with its #38 peak. Therefore, this career started and ended with #38 hits - 20 years apart - with a very successful moment in the middle. Next we move from a fully animated video to a partially animated one as Busted are back and find themselves in an aquatic adventure in the year 3000! I remember this music video in question being uploaded in potato quality for years but this memory is actually older than I remembered, as a good quality upload has now been around since 2014. Glad that got rectified! 'Year 3000' was released as the second single from their self-titled album and one-upped the debut - as 'What I Go To School For' hit #3 while this reached #2. Third single 'You Said No' then went to #1 - what a satisfying trajectory! This entire Busted album is incredibly nostalgic for me but I think 'Year 3000' truly takes the biscuit. It was one of the first songs I remember adoring and singing along to - even if probably in bad 5 year old phonetics for the most part. My neighbours were obsessed with Busted and I definitely remember tackling this one on Singstar with them. Plus, strange coincidence, I just mentioned 'Make Luv' as a song on the 'Now! That's What I Call Music' DVD game and 'Year 3000' is the one other track that recurrently appears - this time on the home menu. How funny that both of those have landed next to each other! I must say that I have absolutely 0 memories at the time of the #1 single that beat it - namely 'Stop Living The Lie' by Fame Academy winner David Sneddon. That won the battle but 'Year 3000' wins the war as a longstanding pop-rock guilty pleasure in a similar vein to 'Sk8er Boi'. It also experienced a whole new generation of fans when the Jonas Brothers covered it and took it all the way to the Billboard Hot 100. It always makes me feel old when people think that version is the original. Well, I suppose Americans were probably only exposed to that version and not this one, but still! As the title suggests, 'Year 3000' is about time travel to the future - James Bourne was inspired by 'Back to the Future' and Robbie Williams' 'Millennium' when composing it. They boldly predicted "boybands... and another one... and another one... and another one" but I'd argue that this boom ended up happening a whole lot earlier! They also predict that their seventh album will outsell Michael Jackson which I am eagerly anticipating. I absolutely love that they referenced this recently with their fourth album 'Half Way There' - keep going boys! The song takes the mind-bending concept of time travel and makes it fun instead of scary which I'm totally here for. It's always great escapism to bathe in this über infectious nostalgia for a few minutes. The chorus is very singalong and I always feel like I'm being egged on by the enthusiastic "woooooah"s that precede it - this must be great fun at their concerts. I love the energetic guitar work here and the unique electronic layers too. Long live this Busted era! Rounding off this section is the only one to miss the top 10 but it's a good'un! I was introduced to 'Damaged' by Plummet through Radio 1's 'One Hit Wonders of the Millennium' show - as Plummet did have one more top 40 appearance ('Cherish The Day', a Sade cover, at #35) but Radio 1's criteria was top 20 hits, so it made the cut. I remember feeling absolutely entranced by this song and swiftly downloaded it and spammed it a lot for a few weeks - later returning to it over the years. It took me a while to realise that this was actually a cover! The original from 1999 was performed by Christian singer Plumb. My heart sank when I found out what it was about but also didn't surprise me too much from paying attention to the lyrics. Plumb aka Tiffany Arbuckle Lee wrote it about a girl who was molested as a child and is still coping and healing years later. Hence the song title due to her being "damaged". The lyrics such as "I'm scared and I'm alone" and "you can't take back what you've taken away" are really quite chilling with that context. The final line being "I can't go back... I must go on" is a really triumphant and comforting ending. The following year Tiffany wanted to leave the music industry but was convinced to stay after a girl wrote to her letting her know that she'd changed her life. It's a stunning song. The Plummet version turns it into a trance hit but it feels respectfully done with emotive vocals, as is common for the genre. They evolve from quite delicately vulnerable to quickfire. The echoing additional layers of vocals and dramatic production make it feel all the more haunting. It's the Antillas Remix Radio Edit that I'm most familiar with. Unfortunately vocalist Cheramy Burgess from Plummet died back in 2015. She was joined by producer Eric B. Muniz as part of the duo. The music video reminds me of the 'Another Chance' one a bit - instead of a woman wandering the streets with a giant heart, this time she has giant balloons. This lady looks quite lost throughout and at one point is joined by a child who plays with one of the balloons, a real picture of childhood innocence. I find both the original and this version hard-hitting in their own ways - this one more stereotypically aligned with my taste. A highlight of its genre. 7 weeks in the top 40 for a #12 hit was a pretty good result - more weeks in there than #4 hit 'Get Busy' by Sean Paul earlier!


Roba. View member profile	12th January 2021, 11:57 PM Post #457
Rob aah Joined: 3 July 2007 Posts: 38,289 User: 3,804	'Year 3000' and 'Clocks' are some of more highlights. I'd even go on to say that the latter would be up there with their best along with 'Yellow', 'Fix You', 'Paradise', Violet Hill' & 'Every Teardrop Is A Waterfall'. 'Lost', Talk' & 'The Hardest Part' would be my faves of their underrated tracks! This post has been edited by Rob S: 12th January 2021, 11:58 PM


Chez Wombat View member profile	13th January 2021, 02:37 PM Post #458
The owls are not what they seem Pronouns: He/him Joined: 11 July 2009 Posts: 37,127 User: 9,232	Great stuff so far, you've covered quite a few of my all time favourites from this year. Excellent in particular to see Numb (like all Linkin Park songs these days, hits a bit different after Chester's death, but it's my favourite song from them), Bring Me To Life (glad Bre's weird opinions on that haven't rubbed off on you xx) and Seven Nation Army (not even the worst football chants could ruin this song, the parent album Elephant is also really good if you're interested ) Love seeing the V Birds here, I watched those Cartoon Network breaks too, what a shame we never found out what 'dance prison' they were in D: Clocks and Get Busy from the recent section are both solid favourites too, for very different reasons!


PeteFromLeeds View member profile	13th January 2021, 07:22 PM Post #459
Buy yourself a car, and a house in Devon Joined: 6 May 2016 Posts: 23,892 User: 23,247	Giving Damaged a listen now, I don't think I've heard it before although it could have well featured on one of the many compilations I bought as a child, sounding nice anyways! Other favourites from this section are Numb and Clocks (now I've reminded myself which Coldplay song that is )


Doctor Blind View member profile	13th January 2021, 08:12 PM Post #460
#38BBE0 otherwise known as 'sky blue' Joined: 27 October 2008 Posts: 16,170 User: 7,561	I'm way behind here but excellent to see “Seven Nation Army” (obvious choice but a fantastic one) and “Finest Dreams” here - went to No1 for me on the hottest day ever in the UK (well, it was the hottest day ever until summer 2019 of course). Kelis featuring on dance tracks always works well, recently with Disclosure but the Breach remixed “The Key” (remix of “Rumble”) and of course her dance inspired Flesh Tone in 2010 are also bangers. Great also to see “Clocks” and its instantly familiar piano melody that was somewhat cough nabbed by David Guetta in 2009 for his massive #1 hit with Kelly Rowland. I'm sure it was just a coincidence.. anyway, it's a beautiful song and not even the best ballad on the album which was “The Scientist” - written about Chris Martin's grandfather and released when my own grandfather passed on. That album means a lot to me, and it feels a lot more genuine than it's follow-up which misteps by badly trying to recreate the atmosphere of A Rush of Blood to the Head, the clunky “Fix You” being a prime example. Looking forward to the Top 10, hoping for “Maps” by the Yeah Yeah Yeahs and “Hurt” by Johnny Cash!