#196. Calvin Harris feat. Florence Welch - Sweet Nothing

1 week at #1 in 2012 (#12 of 36 for '12)

 

 

Calvin's production on this is much stronger than his production on the "Spectrum" remix (but I have my reasons for that one ranks higher than this). The meaning of this song is simple. She wants something from this man, but all he gives in return are empty words. I especially like the opening line "You took my heart, and you held it in your mouth"; says it all. I was annoyed when this went #1 when "Bounce", "Feel So Close", "Let's Go", and "We'll Be Coming Back" all got blocked. I preferred all four of those to this at the time. Two years later, and I'd rank this above "Let's Go", but probably below the other three. But putting all that aside, judging "Sweet Nothing" by itself, this feels like the right placing.

I've never ever been able to stand 'That's Not My Name', way too repetitive and irritating for me

Edited August 25, 201410 yr by James Silkstone

#195. Blu Cantrell feat. Sean Paul - Breathe

4 weeks at #1 in 2003 (#9 of 22 for '03)

 

 

I had never heard of this song before I started following the UK charts. This didn't do much of anything here (#41 peak in the US), and I assumed Blu was just a one hit wonder with "Hit Em Up Style". So seeing this spend 4 weeks at #1 was a surprise for me. But it's a pretty cool song, though. And I love the beat. As usual I have no idea what Sean Paul is saying.

#194. Blue - If You Come Back

1 week at #1 in 2001 (#13 of 30 for '01)

 

 

Boybands + ballads are not usually a good combination for me. But I really like this one. I really like their voices on the pre-chorus and chorus for some reason. Like "so if I did something wrong.." and "..the one I want".

#193. Kaiser Chiefs - Ruby

1 week at #1 in 2007 (#7 of 17 for '07)

 

 

So he's hung up over this girl named Ruby, and can't get the thought of her off his mind; and that's probably why the name "Ruby" is repeated so many times. What makes this song is that chorus. It just gets stuck in your head so easily.

Edited August 25, 201410 yr by n4yr

#192. Whitney Houston - I Will Always Love You

10 weeks at #1 in 1992 / 1993 (#4 of 8 for '92)

 

 

I said this before with "My Heart Will Go On" (and maybe a few others) that I always find it extremely difficult to rank such big songs like this. "My Heart Will Go On" was easy to rank low because I found too cheesy. Though I do find "I Will Always Love You" overrated to an extent, and it's nowhere near my favourite Whitney song, I don't hate it or anything. To say this song was a mega smash hit would be an understatement. According to MediaTraffic, this is the second biggest World Wide hit EVER (behind "Candle In The Wind"). It's the only song to spend 10+ weeks at #1 in all three of the US, the UK, and Australia. It's a very well known song. That final chorus is epic and iconic.

#191. Madonna - Music

1 week at #1 in 2000 (#17 of 42 for '00)

 

 

Madonna's last US #1 to date. After the "Ray Of Light" era, which is probably Madonna's best album, she takes a more dance approach with her next one. "Music" is that one Madonna album that's kind of just there for me. I enjoy it but I usually forget about this era for some reason. The production on this song is a bit harsh on the ears. But other than that, it's a fun song about the power of music. How it's universal and brings people together etc. It sounds like a song made right for the clubs. I prefer "Don't Tell Me" and "Impressive Instant", though. Apparently this song was leaked early on the internet on Napster, and Madonna was really upset about it lol.

Edited August 25, 201410 yr by n4yr

#190. Route 94 feat. Jess Glynne - My Love

1 week at #1 in 2014 (#4 of 16 for '14)

 

 

It's a bit repetitive, but I love the piano bits, and I love Jess' parts on this. Brilliant production.

#189. Arctic Monkeys - When The Sun Goes Down

1 week at #1 in 2006 (#10 of 24 for '06)

 

 

This song is about the prostitution scene, and about how the scumbags (pimps) treat their hookers. I like how the song starts kind of slow, and then explodes at the "I said he's a scumbag, don't you know" line.

#188. Take That - Never Forget

3 weeks at #1 in 1995 (#6 of 17 for '95)

 

 

The song that should've been their final single; and not that Bee Gees cover. Though it was the final single with Robbie. This song feels really big, and it has the send off message "never forget (about us)". I like that they end on a positive, uplifting note. They go all out with the choir and everything, and the song is like 6 minutes long. Take That were one of those acts to call it quits while they were still on top of their game. This was their 7th #1 single in as little as 3 years. They had a massive fanbase. The announcement of their break up was a huge deal at the time. To the point where the government had to set up telephone suicide hotlines for distraught fans.

Edited August 26, 201410 yr by n4yr

#187. Nero - Promises

1 week at #1 in 2011 (#10 of 30 for '11)

 

 

So, going into 2011, I never understood the appeal of dubstep. When "Louder" by DJ Fresh went #1, I started to warm up to it, and it slowly became one of my songs of the summer. But this was the key song that made me change my mind on the genre. I gave their "Welcome Reality" album a try, and it became one of my most played albums. "Promises" isn't the best song on the album, it's a little overly repetitive, but the production is amazing, and it still holds a place in the history of my music habits; I guess you could say. It had such an awful chart run though.

#186. Beyoncé feat. Jay-Z - Crazy In Love

3 weeks at #1 in 2003 (#8 of 22 for '03)

 

 

Easily my favourite of her #1's, but not my favourite single of hers. That'd probably be "Halo" or something. I'd say this up there with "...Baby One More Time" and "Genie In A Bottle" for huge iconic debut singles from a female solo artist (I'm not counting that Austin Powers song). This song is very infectious, mostly due to those horns, the "wah oh we're gonna [or whatever she ad libs]", and the words "crazy" and "right now" being used a lot in the chorus. And that bridge. It's a very upbeat track. This song is about how whenever you're around the person you like, you act completely different than you normally do. And that's all there is to it. It's simple, and it's universal.

#185. The Pussycat Dolls - Stickwitu

2 weeks at #1 in 2005 (#7 of 25 for '05)

 

 

The only thing I really dislike about this song is the usage of the word "stickwitu" (this is NOT a word). So I previously talked about how I disliked "Don't Cha" because I hated the entire concept of the song. But having said that, I enjoyed most of PCD's other singles, and "Doll Domination" was a fantastic album for the most part. But, really, it could've been Nicole going solo for all those years and I wouldn't have noticed the difference. Starting off with a song like "Don't Cha" was never going to give this group a good reputation, but following it up with a ballad for their second single was a good move in my opinion. This song ensured they wouldn't be one hit wonders. I like this one because it doesn't feel cheesy or lazily written, and Nicole really brings it in that middle 8.

#184. Fedde Le Grand - Put Your Hands Up For Detroit

1 week at #1 in 2006 (#9 of 24 for '06)

 

 

This was the time period when the single versions of dance songs all had annoyingly short time lengths. Though a longer version of this would get too repetitive, so it's fine. I really like the production on this, but there's better dance songs to come. Lol at this video.

#183. Stereophonics - Dakota

1 week at #1 in 2005 (#6 of 25 for '05)

 

 

It's about remembering their ex, and wondering if they'll ever recapture that moment again. It's one of those songs where I don't really know why I like it (and like it so much.) I just do lol.

#182. LeAnn Rimes - Can't Fight The Moonlight

1 week at #1 in 2000 (#16 of 42 for '00)

 

 

Glad this went #1 instead of that dreary "How Do I Live". I think this was the year-end #1 in Australia in 2001. LeAnn is, of course, a country artist, but this doesn't sound very country. Except for her voice. But other than that, it's a pure pop song. The song is about how she knows it's impossible for her love interest to resist her. She sings it in a very strong and.. confident manner I guess you could say? She sounds very certain that it's going to happen. You believe her. Almost scared that she's going to track you down.

 

#181. Bruno Mars - Just The Way You Are

2 weeks at #1 in 2010 (#8 of 34 for '10)

 

 

I'm just going to repeat one of my previous comments on this from another forum:

 

I was intrigued by this song when I first heard it in the middle of the summer. It wasn't a hit yet, and I thought it was a great song and had great lyrics. I was a real sucker for the "feel good about yourself" type of message behind it. I remember thinking it was nice to have this type of song compared to the 200 party songs about putting your hands in the air at the time. I thought it was a nice little underrated song, and then it quickly rose to #1 and wouldn't leave the radio til like New Years lol. I've heard this song so many times in my life that I don't even know what to think of it anymore.

 

But I will add onto that by saying: I think this works well as an empowerment anthem because Bruno comes off as a respectful gentleman, with the right intentions and is looking out for this girl's happiness. It's just the way it's written I guess. It comes off sincere. The lyrics might be a bit cheesy (ok maybe a lot), but that's perfectly fine.

Edited August 27, 201410 yr by n4yr

#180. Robbie Williams & Nicole Kidman - Somethin' Stupid

3 weeks at #1 in 2001 (#12 of 30 for '01)

 

 

A very well done cover. Robbie & Nicole's voices blend together well. This was from Robbie's first swing album. It's a cover of a song made famous by Frank & Nancy Sintra in the 60's. It comes from a time period when songs were short and simple, and this is no exception. It's a story about how those 3 words can spoil everything sometimes.

#179. Example - Stay Awake

1 week at #1 in 2011 (#9 of 30 for '11)

 

 

The opening line "If we don't kill ourselves we'll be the leaders of a messed up generation" grabs your attention right from the start. It's a blatant warning. And it makes you wonder what on Earth is he talking about. I've played this song many times and I'm not even really sure. This song is obviously attempting to convey some sort of message. I mean, yeah, he's saying humanity is destroying their own world. But there's a lot of cryptic lyrics. Like the whole Alice In Wonderland reference. And I'm still a bit confused as to what he's on about in half this song. But the unclear and dark nature of his lyrics are one the reasons why I used to play his songs so much (I've gone off him lately). Nero produced this song, and their production is amazing as always.

#178. Fatboy Slim - Praise You

1 week at #1 in 1999 (#10 of 35 for '99)

 

 

Incredible music video. Coupled with an incredible song. There's so many interesting sounds thrown into this. It has the 70's sound blended with late 90's dance, some piano, and what sounds like 90's alternative.