Oh, and don't get me started on the Boyzone/Geri battle! I think I've already ranted about this before so I shan't go into it again. But it's true that it was Geri's (or at least the labels') fault really - I mean, that whole 2-CD with extras on the second thing was very common by 1999 and it was a schoolgirl error I guess. It IS kind of funny that she planned everything - the song, video, etc - to pure perfection then messed up with such a simple thing though. I bet she was FUMING. :o

Edited April 30, 201213 yr by superbossanova

Pray is easily one of my fave TT songs - never realised it was their first number 1 though. Terrible sales really for a 4 week number 1.

Pray is easily one of my fave TT songs - never realised it was their first number 1 though. Terrible sales really for a 4 week number 1.

 

Ditto for me. Together with "What is love", "Dreams" and "What's up", it was the soundtrack of my summer of 1993, the summer I discovered MTV on satelite.

57. SWEAR IT AGAIN- Westlife (348,800)

 

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/a/a8/SwearItAgainCD2.jpg

 

RELEASED: 1999

PEAK POSITION: 1

WKS ON CHART: 13

 

A chart topper just 2 weeks before “Boyzone-gate” in 99, this is of course the debut release from the band, and moreover one of only 4 chart toppers by them to spend more than a week there, though it should be noted that sales of the track in its second week (80k) were the 2nd lowest tally for the No 1 of the year. Writer Steve Mac cut his teeth on early 90s hits by Chad Jackson “Hear the Drummer” and Nomad’s “(I Wanna Give You) Devotion” before as we noted with Damage (No 124) he became Cowell’s writer of choice, by way of recognition of that the B-side to this is a cover of that self same Damage record “Forever”. Finally it’s Westlife’s only hit in the US where this made No 20.

 

56. EVERYBODY (BACKSTREET’S BACK)- Backstreet Boys (349,000)

 

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/3/35/Ebo1.png

 

RELEASED: 1997

PEAK POSITION: 3

WKS ON CHART: 11

 

Emerging very much from the field with this one, the BSB’s ploughed a lot of money into the their first big budget promo with supernatural creatures, zombies et al to mimic the likes of “Thriller” and scored a US top 5 hit to establish themselves kings of the US teen scene. In the UK it was a similar step up from the band that had produced largely forgettable hits up until now and certainly nothing that had previously sold at this level. The label were reputedly not behind the expensive promo and the band had to put their own money into it and fight to get reimbursed after it was a success.

 

55. ETERNAL FLAME- Atomic Kitten (349,100)

 

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/f/f6/Atomic_Kitten_Eternal_Flame_Cover.jpg

 

RELEASED: 2001

PEAK POSITION: 1

WKS ON CHART: 15

 

The only song to feature twice on this chart, “Eternal Flame” proved to be a second No 1 on the trot for the kittens who were top of their game in 2001. After Katona left in early 2001 on the brink of the release of “Whole Again” former Precious member Frost signed up and the band decided they were going to re-package and add tracks to their debut album which had underperformed and peaked at No 39 back in 2000. Two No 1 singles did the trick and the album went straight to the top selling in its first week MORE than it had sold in its entirety before, and in beating Destiny’s Child to No 1 with this song the kittens were part of the first ever all girl group top 2.

 

Some great tracks there. Pray is indeed one of Take That's best songs. I used to adore Everybody by the Backstreet boys. I think it's a fantastic pop track. Saw them perform it at the O2 last weekend along with NKOTB. Fantastic night. Both put todays boybands to shame! :heart:

'Everybody' is the best and one of the only tolerable BSB songs. I'm vastly surprised and respectful now that the guys put their own money into that.

Pray is my fav take that song!

 

So suprised that the Honeys song sold so well (i did purchase this gem tho)

Everybody is such a POP CLASSIC. Surely even the biggest music snob hasn't been able to resist getting up on the dancefloor and ROCKING THEIR BODY RIGHT to it at least once, even if only under the influence of alcohol at the time. An absolute joy of a song, the way good pop SHOULD BE.

 

Eternal Flame, on the other hand, is a rancid bore. One of the worst cover versions ever made surely. Also wasn't it included in a film at the time? I remember when the video was played on the music channels it was segued with clips of a film I can't remember the name of. Unfortunately this seems to have been lost in time or something as I can find nothing about it online. :thinking:

Edited May 1, 201213 yr by superbossanova

Eternal Flame, on the other hand, is a rancid bore. One of the worst cover versions ever made surely. Also wasn't it included in a film at the time? I remember when the video was played on the music channels it was segued with clips of a film I can't remember the name of. Unfortunately this seems to have been lost in time or something as I can find nothing about it online. :thinking:

 

It was 'The Parole Officer'

 

And I loved their cover of Eternal Flame, for my sins its in my top 100 of all time, I adore the production and vocals on it.

It was 'The Parole Officer'

 

And I loved their cover of Eternal Flame, for my sins its in my top 100 of all time, I adore the production and vocals on it.

I've never even heard of that film, no wonder I couldn't remember it. :lol: Although to be fair I'm almost the complete opposite of a film buff. I thought it was a big blockbuster film which I would at least have been familiar with the name even if I hadn't actually seen it... then again, this is Atomic Kitten we're talking about here, what big budget film would want them on the soundtrack? :drama:

 

The production on it is quite awful I think - so synthetic-sounding compared to the original which is beautifully understated. And Natasha & Liz have good pop voices but it's not exactly emotive. They did work well as a unit though so any song they were doing a lot of harmonies on was usually good in a nice, bland way. The only Atomic Kitten ballads I have time for are The Last Goodbye and Cradle, I think...

I've never even heard of that film, no wonder I couldn't remember it. :lol: Although to be fair I'm almost the complete opposite of a film buff. I thought it was a big blockbuster film which I would at least have been familiar with the name even if I hadn't actually seen it... then again, this is Atomic Kitten we're talking about here, what big budget film would want them on the soundtrack? :drama:

 

The production on it is quite awful I think - so synthetic-sounding compared to the original which is beautifully understated. And Natasha & Liz have good pop voices but it's not exactly emotive. They did work well as a unit though so any song they were doing a lot of harmonies on was usually good in a nice, bland way. The only Atomic Kitten ballads I have time for are The Last Goodbye and Cradle, I think...

Not the mighty "Someone Like Me"? - One of their best IMO. :(

Not the mighty "Someone Like Me"? - One of their best IMO. :(

That one is the epitome of flat and going absolutely NOWHERE, though I haven't heard it in many years so my memories of it might be overly harsh.

 

They were so irrelevant by 2003/04 anyway, once the Sugababes and Girls Aloud reminded the public that pop could still be exciting and fresh away from ropey bores like them and Blue. They were basically on a par with WESTLIFE during those years with getting top 10 hits without anybody noticing.

That one is the epitome of flat and going absolutely NOWHERE, though I haven't heard it in many years so my memories of it might be overly harsh.

 

They were so irrelevant by 2003/04 anyway, once the Sugababes and Girls Aloud reminded the public that pop could still be exciting and fresh away from ropey bores like them and Blue. They were basically on a par with WESTLIFE during those years with getting top 10 hits without anybody noticing.

Oh you're VERY harsh tonight SB, I prefer you in this mood! :lol: :D

Oh you're VERY harsh tonight SB, I prefer you in this mood! :lol: :D

:lol: The thing is, I'm not at all in a bad mood or anything - at least no more than usual! Just posting my honest opinions about Atomic Kitten/the songs.

 

My apologies to gooddelta and all the other Atomic Kitten fans out there! :D I actually don't hate them anyway (they've done more songs I like than The Saturdays, for example, who have a grand total of ONE - that being Ego, of course). I just hated what they represented more than anything. As a huge girl band loon, at least in my youth anyway, after living through the glory years post-Spice Girls I found it insulting I was supposed to take the idea of a group who were like sixth-string in the girlband league in 1999 (although I actually liked them back then and Right Now is a personal pop classic) suddenly being the hot girlband on the block. :(

"Everybody" is indeed brilliant, right up there with "Push It" as my favourite on the list.

I suppose it all goes in circles, but they pretty much were the ONLY girl group with any chart clout around 01-02, for some reason all girl groups never seem to last that long :o :D Perhaps it was a case of the last ones standing (good girl group pun there) after the glory years of the spices/ all saints before the 'babes and GA took over- a kind of transition band.

Well they were loved by me at least! They ticked a box that no other girlband could - by being MOR most of the time and therefore appealing to my Corrs-influenced music tastes.

 

As for The Saturdays, it's all about Higher and Up, Ego is massively overrated.

54. WATERFALLS- TLC (355,400)

 

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/3/3f/TLC-Waterfalls-65800.jpg

 

RELEASED: 1995

PEAK POSITION: 4

WKS ON CHART: 14

 

TLS were never frightened of tackling big issues, their 1992 breakthrough “Ain’t 2 proud 2 beg” saw them sporting condoms as accessories, adventurous for the times, and whilst they had floundered here since that top 20 hit “Waterfalls” reversed that trend. A US chart topper for 7 wks the song became their first top 10 hit here, tackling drug culture and AIDS and one of the backing singers on the track is Cee-Lo Green.