Just had a sneaky look at the remaining number 2's of 2007 - I like them all!

I love Brianstorm. :wub: I definitely appreciate the song more than I did in 2007!

26TH MAY- MAKES ME WONDER- Maroon 5 (2 wks)

 

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/8/87/Maroon5-makes-me-wonder.jpg

 

Quite why Maroon 5 chose this as a lead single for a second album will forever be lost in time but there is no mistaking that this is the sound of a band running on empty. On the surface it was far from a disaster in the charts of 2007 peaking at No 1 in the US and launched the parent album to the top spot on both sides of the Atlantic, yet by the end of the year they were a shadow of the band they had become in 2004. This is paper thin, the band apparently struggled to write the chorus of the track for years and it became a labour of love and perhaps that tells here, Levine's vocal appears to be rather unsure on it as well as the track meanders to a chorus that we all lost interest in along the way.

 

While ostensibly serving up more of what we got in 04 there is little allowance here for the changing pop landscape that had elapsed in the interim, it has a kind of 80s funk to feel it but is far too clunky to pull that trick off convincingly, all of which makes their resurrection in 2011 all the more surprising suggesting that may have learned the lessons of this period in their career. Levine sings "I wonder if it even makes a difference, It even makes a difference to try" and you have to agree, the supposed sub context about the war in Iraq can't even muster my interest- I told you it was bad....

 

09 JUNE- REAL GIRL- Mutya Buena (2 wks)

 

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/f/f9/Mutya_buena_real_girl_cd1.jpg

 

Something of a forgotten gem these days, this is a rather endearing little ditty. Fresh from that Sugababes departure Buena quit to spend more time with her new baby in early 06 but had clearly had enough of watching "In the Night garden" by early 07 and returned to entertain us, stir in a very healthy dollop of Lenny Kravitz's "It Ain't Over Til It's Over" from 1991 and bingo a top 10 hit. It's always rather interesting seeing the first move made by an artist who is breaking out from their successful group and in some ways this is no more than you'd expect, a sugababe choosing a critically acclaimed serious artist to sample, but the fact that it is so reliant on that sample would seem to indicate this was a tentative step indeed and Buena chooses not to rely on her own star status to sell something entirely new, having said that the follow up "Song 4 Mutya (Out Of Control)" was brimming with the kind of confidence and if that had of been released first then perhaps that 10 wk reign of "Umbrella" might have been shorter.

 

A light dusting of urban pop seals the deal and Buena looks suitably earnest in delivery, all told this isn't going to go down in the annals of history as the best song ever but it is a rather pleasant distraction from the rather serious male fronted MOR/ Indie path we seem to have tread for the larger part of 2007 thus far in this thread.

 

I recall really being into Makes Me Wonder at the time but it was very much a rose tainted glass kind of thing. I had adored them back in 2004 with Harder to Breathe, She Will Be Loved and This Love and I was excited about the new album. It's no Songs about Jane but it's OK though I do prefer Wake Up Call and If I Never See Your Face Again to Makes Me Wonder. That said I can't say I've listened to them for 3/4 years but I'd still happily take them over the dross they put out these days. Songs about Jane will always be one of my favourite album of all-time though

 

Real Girl passed me by at the time can't say I care too much for it

23RD JUNE- ICKY THUMP- White Stripes (1 wk)

 

http://ec2.images-amazon.com/images/I/61qDrZyO1KL._SL500_AA300_.jpg

 

Always slightly too left field for my personal tastes I confess I've never grasped the hype or the praise for this group ("My Doorbell" aside) and this did nothing to spark my interest. Not enough melody going on here for my liking and the whole peice seems oddly disjointed and interrupted, lyrically it's a tale about US Immigration policy which, while worthy, seems too heavy a theme to tackle in 4 minutes and 13 seconds.

 

Listening now this seems something of a fanbase track, big for 7 days then quickly forgotten (I couldn't have told you how this went before I heard it again, and now I still couldn't tell you how it went) maybe I'm missing something big but this is just noise to me sorry!

 

30TH JUNE- ANY DREAM WILL DO- Lee Mead (1 wk)

 

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/7/71/Any_Dream_Will_Do_single_cover_-_2007.jpg

 

And now prepare yourself for words I never thought I'd write.........this isn't Jason Donovan is it? Meaning of course that Donovan's version has finally been made good by what can only be described as a much lamer version, of course it's here courtesy of Mead's victory in the BBC singing competition of the same name in which "The Lord" decided who to cast in his production of "Joseph and his amazing technicolour dreamcoat" as a reward.

 

Make no mistake this version is quite "stage" Mead enunciates every word in a rather theatrical manner and I'm not quite sure that transfers well into the world of pop, the great "benefit" of the Donovan version was of course that he (or the producers) at least attempted to make the track into a pop song, one that wouldn't appear out of place on the radio stations of 1991, here no such attempt is made, and it just sounds....strange. Mead went on to star in other west end productions, "Casualty", and of course to become Mr Denise Van Outen making this a rather eccentric epitaph to his pop career, definitely one of 2007's more unusual No 2 hits.

 

 

I rather like "Makes Me Wonder" and I think it's a little harsh to blame it for M5's declining fortunes towards the end of the decade, but "If I Never See Your Face Again" probably would have been a slightly better lead single even without Rihanna.

 

I continue to love "Brianstorm" but, as you said, it's an "impact" single if there was ever one.

Some strange #2's in the low sales climate of 2007 indeed, Any Dream Will Do is actually a really strong pop song when not fronted by Lee Mead :lol: Makes Me Wonder is limp and If I Never See Your Face Again definitely should have fronted the era (if it was even recorded at that point!). Real Girl was lovely but Song 4 Mutya was of course FAR superior and one of the best songs of the 00s, how on earth it only peaked at #8 I to this day have absolutely no idea.

I remember being quite sad at the time that Icky Thump missed number 1, but it was only because I was sick to death of that brolly and I was quite a fan back then. Looking back, its clear which of the two have aged better, but its a bit like what Harlem Shake is to this week's chart, totally random, but still sounding different to everything else out there.

 

Still, the song was way too derivative for them as were the other singles that era and outpeaking Seven Nation Army/My Doorbell/Fell In Love With a Girl etc. was an injustice , I doubt even the most hardcore fans would say Icky Thump's their best...

Edited February 18, 201312 yr by Chez Wombat

07TH JULY- FOUNDATIONS- Kate Nash (5 Wks)

 

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/8/8c/FoundationsKateNash.jpg

 

So close, just 16 copies in fact from No 1, but it wasn't to be and so Nash ends up in this thread. Often compared to Lily Allen at the time the comparison is an obvious one but there is a lot of difference if you listen closely and don't let the narrator's voice distract. The same jocular and bitter tone pervades much of the song much like Allen's "Smile" but in the latter track the protagonist exacts her revenge and is happy to jettison the wayward lover by the end of the track. Nash is leaving her man too, but the whole key to this song is at 2.33 "Dear God I hope I'm not stuck with this one" she sings with real lament and despair in a way that Allen would never allow herself to express, the vulnerable underbelly of this relationship being torn apart is what makes it a tangibly better record and a much realisitic exploration of the thought process behind break ups.

 

The outro here which lasts for some 30 seconds allows the listener to think about what has occured in those 3 and a half minutes after being dazzled by the words from the the first two verses and then allowing them to actually permeate, it actually rewards far better than "Smile". Ok it's not earth shattering stuff but as a break from the whole Destiny's Child thing of "I don't need no man" it hits the spot, the lack of front and attitude when all is said is done makes this rather plaintive and direct after the comedy-esque start, barriers have fallen and credit has to be given to Nash to allow such a personal piece into the public arena.

 

21ST JULY- BIG GIRLS DON'T CRY (PERSONAL)- Fergie (1 wk)

 

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/8/82/Fergiebgdc.jpg

 

Now anyone who pays attention to my posts will know that I'm not a fan of BEP (playing to the lowest common denominator music wise and Will.i.am is no different) and true to form her first solo single here "London Bridge" didn't endear me to here at all. "Big Girls" is better and a step in the right direction towards something approaching a ong instead of a shouted catchprase over electronica. It isn't great though, in part because it plays to the opposite side of the Nash record, whilst "Smile" (to coninue my comparator) was all cocky revenge, and "Foundations" concerned itself with the mixed feelings of break up, "Big Girls" is far too sentimental and perhaps American to really hit the spot in a meaningful way. Fergie also looks way too good looking in the video to be someone who is upset about a break-up.

 

The guitar twangs gently in the background and everything is in place but it feels empty where its heart should be, kind of like it was written to be played over the ending of "Dawson's Creek" or something (showed my age there). Not a song that I ever return to, but then I don't dislike it either, so quite a recommendation given my thoughts on her other work!

 

I love, love, love Foundations so much!!!! I was into Kate Nash for the six months she was considered cool before everyone forgot her

 

Big Girls Don't Cry is a song that means a lot to my sister as she can lyrically relate to it - our father died around this time and she said the lyrics spoke to her. Never really got that, for me it was When You're Gone by Avril Lavigne. Personally, I don't mind the song but I agree it's not something I'd go back and listen to

Some strange #2's in the low sales climate of 2007 indeed, Any Dream Will Do is actually a really strong pop song when not fronted by Lee Mead :lol: Makes Me Wonder is limp and If I Never See Your Face Again definitely should have fronted the era (if it was even recorded at that point!). Real Girl was lovely but Song 4 Mutya was of course FAR superior and one of the best songs of the 00s, how on earth it only peaked at #8 I to this day have absolutely no idea.

It's on the album so it must have been!

It's on the album so it must have been!

The original was on the album, but the Rihanna version was added to the re-release in 2008 I think.

15TH SEPTEMBER- HEY THERE DELILAH- Plain White T's (2 wks)

 

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/d/dd/Plain_white_t's_here_there_delilah.jpg

 

Like a "More Than Words" for the noughties this is indeed proof not all American sentimentality has to be either saccherine or airbrushed and all it took was a guitar and some heartfelt words (take note Fergie). This was the sole top 50 entry for the band and I have to confess that I rather like it now, NOT however at the time due to the fact it appeared to played to death for many months on end which made me rather tired of it but after a break revisiting it re-enlightens me to its charms.

 

The plea to his long distance lover that they'll be reunited soon and a better life will ensue is believable enough yet there's something more here, the sense that deep down this is a reminder that he exists, fears of infidelity also seem to be an undercurrent certainly in the first verse. Through the song however he seems to grow more confident that she's not gadding about in the big apple, and the promises to her become more extreme as the verses go by ("this world will never be the same" etc) this is an emotional rollercoaster ladies and gentleman and if you climb on board I'm sure we can all relate here.....

 

29TH SEPTEMBER- AYO TECHNOLOGY- 50 Cent Featuring Justin Timberlake (1 wk)

 

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/9/93/50_Cent_-_Ayo_Technology-single_.jpg

 

There is NOTHING original here, let me say that first, yet despite that there is something really beautiful about "Ayo Technology"- yes I said it. 50 Cent is not an artist that I love and the theme of the voyeur finally seeing a woman in real life that matches up to his (considerable) experience of internet porn may be slightly humourous I suppose, but this is 2007 and of course a certain Mr Timbaland on production and uncredited vocals. Timbaland was of course the producer of the moment and could do little wrong, and certainly here there is a lot going on production wise, this is the producer throwing the kitchen sink into the mix and there's a lot that says this SHOULDN'T work yet incredibly it just does.

 

Constant companion Justin Timberlake is also present but contrary to his appearence on Snoop Dogg's 2005 No 2 "Signs" here it isn't to add a pop touch and keep the tone light, it's to indulge the filthiness of Mr Cent's tale. There's some element of the seediness here, it's an ode to basically getting down to it but it doesn't descent into crassness like some of the genre but communicates clearly, anyone having doubts as to the greatness of the song should check the Milow version on Youtube which transposes it into a much more acoustic version and went top 10 on the continent though it sadly did nothing here, nevermind, for a genre which isn't my usual bag I have a lot of time for this one.

 

God, I had Ayo Technology on constant repeat at the time and Hey There Delilah is a nice little song though Plain White T's did a lot better on the album

I used to hate 'Foundations' and Kate Nash back in 2007/08 - mainly because the former threatened the reign of 'Umbrella' at the top of the charts and the latter beat Leona Lewis to Best British Female at 2008 BRITs. :P In hindsight, 'Foundations' is not that bad a song and is actually quite infectious. I remember having it randomly stuck in my head over the next couple of years. I think her best song (and video) is 'Do Wah Do' though. "I'll just read a book instead" has to be one of the funniest lyrics of recent times. :lol:

 

I used to LOVE 'Big Girls Don't Cry' but, except the chorus, it does come across as quite dull now. Definitely one of Fergie's better solo offerings.

 

Can't say I have an opinion on the PWTs/50C tracks. Both failed to ignite much excitement in me at the time of release. I'm trying to remember what's coming up but can only recollect two #2s - one which is a cover, and another by a boyband.

6TH OCTOBER- NO U HANG UP/ IF THAT'S OK WITH YOU- Shayne Ward (1 wk)

 

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/5/53/Ifthatsok2.jpg

 

Though he had a longer career than either Steve Brookstein or Leon Jackson, the writing was clearly on the wall for Ward as early as 2006 when third single "Stand By Me" failed to make the top 10 and even this double A-side (his first release from a second album) had difficulties in even getting off the ground.

 

Originally penciled in as an August release, only "If That's OK With You" was the sole A side but performed poorly at radio and was held back in search of something more commercial. This perhaps explains why the track has a reggae lite feel to it in an attempt to make Ward into a Sean Paul Mk II, in truth that could never happen with truly awful lyrics like "I'm gonna make you feel like you are heaven on earth/ I'm gonna thank your mother just for giving you birth" he was onto a loser from the start, Ward had already been cast as a balladeer and that's what the public wanted and expected. The song is catchy enough but the package as a whole is just dire, a fact that even his good looks can't overcome.

 

So onto "No U hang Up" a far slicker peice of RNB pop which plays much more to his strengths, slowed down pace and an attempt to push Ward as a sex symbol. Ok his personallity which had a whiff of paint drying didn't help (the Beckham complex) but it's smoothly executed in a rather souless pop way, there isn't much sincerity going on here, the kind of thing you know was written for him (as indeed all his songs were) but it's still an enjoyable three minute romp, though you feel kinda dirty after it- but isn't that how you're meant to feel?