Low was everywhere at the time. I even danced to it at a talent show. Won though :D

Low remains his best moment for me, never fails to be a lot of fun (the same can be said of Right Round, in fairness) and far moreso than most of his output since. Plus, you can't go wrong with a bit of T-Pain.

a quick lil overview of the '08 numbero dos hits so far:

 

Crank That - No.

Piece of Me - Awful

Chasing Pavements - Brings back some better memories from 2008 :heart:

Rockstar - Not great, but never really had any grudge against it (at least not as much as most other people, yikes!)

What's It Gonna Be - Really weak song, reminds me of the kind of music my 14 year old schoolmates were blaring out their phones at the time

Better In Time - ....meh

Low - 'annoying' doesn't even cover it

Black & Gold - Awesome :heart:

 

The next number 2 hit is a total BANGER. :D

Man, I'd forgotten how much I loved 2008 at the time...loads of songs I bought (on the swiftly dying form of CD single as I considered the sound quality better than iTunes!) and played a ton, but then 2009 came and completely blitzed almost everything released in the last half-decade or so, and so they've barely been played since.

 

'Rockstar' was fun. 'What's It Gonna Be' I absolutely adored as a 19 year old clubber, along with their follow-up hit Loveshy, it continued the mini 'bassline garage' trend that chartwise seemed to last for about two songs (that and T2's 'Heartbroken') before fizzling out :lol: 'Low' didn't really appeal to me (still played today though) and 'Black and Gold' I overplayed to death to the point where I was a bit sick of it by the end of the year. Still in my top 25 most played iTunes songs even though I've prob only played it a handful of times since '08...as someone said earlier it really stood out at the time from the fag end of landfill indie and pre-Guetta urban/R&B. Listening to it again now I really had forgotten how ace it was...the years I haven't played it have really helped as I'm somewhat loving it again now :dance:

17TH MAY- WEARING MY ROLEX- Wiley (1 wk)

 

http://userserve-ak.last.fm/serve/_/5560147/Wearing%20My%20Rolex%20Wiley.jpg

 

One of the pioneers of bringing "grime" to the masses, Wiley was releasing tracks as early as 2004 (putting him as near the beginning as say Dizzee Rascal in terms of the movement) and of course was a member of Roll Deep (again a founding member with Rascal) who would rise to fame in 2010. For that of course you have to give credit, the development of new sub genres of music is always pivotal to advancing music and the ever evolving shape of the charts as we know them, it's also worth noting that this record is in a way is a harbinger for the likes of "Dance Wiv Me" which was just around the corner and transformed Rascal from cult status to mainstream star thanks to a dance overhaul by Calvin Harris. Here however Wiley is already fusing grime with electronic dance with a sound that wouldn't be out of place in today's charts, I wonder if he felt annoyed that the likes of Rascal and Stryder, both former members of Roll Deep, eclipsing him by the end of the decade.

 

No matter as he's now a star in his own right with chart toppers to his name, but back in 2008 this sounded quite a fresh tune but for all that not one that I cared for (regular readers will have been expecting that)- a nice sample of DSK's "What Would We Do" holds it all together admirably in this tale of hedonistic love with a girl who might not be all she first appears, top it off with a cheeky little video and hey presto the charts await!

 

19TH JULY- ALL I EVER WANTED- Basshunter (1 wk)

 

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/7/7f/All_I_Ever_Wanted_Basshunter_single.jpg

 

With origins dating back to 1999 the melody was courtesy of Daddy DJ whose hit of the same name was a pan euro hit throughout 2000 (though not in the UK) and formed the basis of Basshunter's 2006 Swedish hit "Vi sitter i Ventrilo och spelar DotA" which was re-written with English lyrics and sold to us again in 2008 as this track. There's not an awful lot going on here pretty much generic club fodder with minimal lyrical input making it a hard song to review.

 

Certainly if you like the genre of music then it has a lot to recommend it, but it seems very curiously 2008 in a way that Wiley doesn't, perhaps its real roots in 2006 betray it here but then it did the trick of extending his career beyond the confines of one hit wonder status but you do have to ask why he bothered really?

 

Now You're Gone was awesome, All I Ever Wanted was terrible. Basshunter did redeem himself in my eyes with Angel In The Night though

Two songs I unashameably loved at the time, and, erm, slightly shameably love now :P

 

'Wearing My Rolex' mostly reminds me of a huge party I attended on, of all things, the London Underground Circle Line, to celebrate the last night that alcohol was legally allowed to be drank on the tube before they banned it the next day (although I don't think I've ever seen anyone get it trouble for it since?). This kinda became the soundtrack of the night with everyone singing along whenever it played. The first minute or so is fantastic but then I was always a bit annoyed the lyrics just repeat in full after that for the rest of the song, couldn't he be bothered to write another verse?

 

Basshunter sees us in the brief but awesome Eurodance revival of 2008, occuring at the same time Scooter scored one of the most brilliant shock album #1s I can remember and Ultrabeat/Cascada still doing pretty well too. Actually saw this guy live in Birmingham early in 2009 :lol: but he was pretty good!! Like 'Now You're Gone' it's another song which has terrible English lyrics but they're completely overshadowed by the kickass melody. As with Black and Gold I think I was just so happy to hear this type of music chart highly again after years of indie and R&B, and while we never quite got this cheesy again, the true return of high-energy synth dance music was just around the corner...

26TH JULY- ONE FOR THE RADIO- McFly (1 wk)

 

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/2/2e/Mcflyonefortheradiocd2.jpg

 

Back in 2008 McFly were coming to the end of the chart glory days when their singles zoomed into the No 1 position to languish at No 40 some 4 weeks later, and this could easily have joined. It was released a week before the parent album "Radio:ACTIVE" was given away free with copies of the "Mail On Sunday" thusly meaning that anyone that wanted the song would have to wait just 6 days before they needn't have to pay for it. In a way this proves that McFly still had a substantial enough fanbase to propel this to No 2 despite that fact, and explains the song's descent to No 21 the week after.

 

In terms of the music, it's very much as you were for the band, a shouty attempt to unify fans against the serious music press and media who, they felt, had never really supported them, it was by way of irony, the first song since their debut single "5 Colours In Her Hair" to actually be A-listed by Radio 1 and also marks the last time the band were in the top 3. For my money McFly were always considerably better on the ballads when the vocals felt much more sincere and proved the lads could sing rather than shout (a trait they seemed to learn from mentors Busted) so their legacy therefore lies in songs such as "Obviously" "Room On The Third Floor" and "All About You", although "Thunderbirds" is a slight guilty pleasure......

 

Back in 2008 McFly were coming to the end of the chart glory days when their singles zoomed into the No 1 position to languish at No 40 some 4 weeks later, and this could easily have joined. It was released a week before the parent album "Radio:ACTIVE" was given away free with copies of the "Mail On Sunday" thusly meaning that anyone that wanted the song would have to wait just 6 days before they needn't have to pay for it. In a way this proves that McFly still had a substantial enough fanbase to propel this to No 2 despite that fact, and explains the song's descent to No 21 the week after.

 

I remember my grandparents giving me this CD from their copy of The Mail On Sunday (yes, I know...)! I remember it sounding decent to my 11 year old ears. :blush:

Wearing My Rolex = TUNE.

 

I also remember dancing to Wearing My Rolex at my last school at a school disco the day before I left and I won something for dancing the best out of everyone! :D

 

Aah, the memories of being 11 years old. :wub:

26TH JULY- ONE FOR THE RADIO- McFly (1 wk)

 

For my money McFly were always considerably better on the ballads when the vocals felt much more sincere and proved the lads could sing rather than shout (a trait they seemed to learn from mentors Busted) so their legacy therefore lies in songs such as "Obviously" "Room On The Third Floor" and "All About You", although "Thunderbirds" is a slight guilty pleasure......

"Thunderbirds" is a Busted song! :P I like a lot of McFly's back catalogue, but you're right about the shoutier singles being their worst, this included (along with "Please, Please"). "Star Girl" is my favourite single of theirs by far though.

"Thunderbirds" is a Busted song! :P

of course it is! see I even got them mixed up! :lol:

Lies is easily the best McFly song ever!

Following the charts from early 2006, it seems 2008 is the only year where I can't remember what was big over that summer. I know 'I Kissed A Girl' was big but that's about it. :lol: The next few posts in this thread will be a complete surprise to me then.

30TH AUGUST- THE MAN WHO CAN'T BE MOVED- The Script (1 wk)

 

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-d8PBtxwrf1w/UU84f4D0z7I/AAAAAAAALvA/Y2SO3GbDmQ4/s1600/the%20script.jpg

 

Ok if we try to forget the evilness they've come out with since, and Danny's "performance" on "The Voice" (where clearly he considers himself of a lothario) then this is actually quite a good little number. The story of a man who camps out in the spot where he met his lover and refuses to move until she comes back to him is, as a notion, quite romantic if slightly disturbing, and the tune's not bad either. Fair enough we're treading on Maroon 5 territory here with bland MOR AOR but every genre is capable of delivering up the goods on occasion, and I don't think the Script have done badly here.

 

There's enough sincerity to convince and overall the package of song, video and performance is consummate enough, it isn't the finest moment on the debut album but it certainly did the trick in establishing them as a chart force though a No 1 would still be another 4 years away!

 

06TH SEPTEMBER- PJANOO- Eric Prydz (2 wks)

 

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/e/e7/Pjanoo_Album_Cover.jpg

 

I confess I quite liked a few Prydz singles, "Call On Me" and "Proper Education" weren't at all bad, but this one leaves me rather cold, perhaps the lack of a recognisable sample that fails to hold my attention, or I don't find the repeated synth line captivating enough? Dating back to 1996 when Prydz started the tune it takes inspiration from the 1982 Patrice Rushen track "I Was Tired Of Being Alone" itself only a No 39 hit when released but it says a lot that this was the first No 2 hit I didn't recall of the top of my head since the White Stripes, if I recall correctly I was pretty obsessed with "I Kissed A Girl" at this point so was more than happy that this didn't depose it!

 

 

Nice selection there, Wearing My Rolex used to have a GREAT Heather Mills parody video and I rather liked the tune. Was obsessed with All I Ever Wanted and Pjanoo and even rather enjoyed that McFly song. The only two McFly songs that I can say that I LOVE and happily retain a place on my iPod though are Obviously and of course Star Girl.