#398. Blue feat. Elton John - Sorry Seems To Be The Hardest Word

1 week at #1 in 2002 (#21 of 29 for '02)

 

 

This is a cover of Elton's 1976 #11 hit, but with Elton's vocals thrown into it. Elton is one of those artists whose list of #1's feels so underwhelming. So I'm glad he got a few late #1's to his name in the 2000's lol. This version: I don't love it, I don't hate it, but it's decent enough.

#397. Akon feat. Eminem - Smack That

1 week at #1 in 2006 (#18 of 24 for '06)

 

 

It's a catchy song but the lyrics leave little to be desired. Eminem's rap comes out of nowhere, and isn't that great either.

#396. Westlife - Unbreakable

1 week at #1 in 2002 (#21 of 29 for '02)

 

 

I have trouble remembering how much of this goes, but for a Westlife ballad, it isn't *that* bad. Though I don't like how it sounds like a country song in some places. It's a bit cheesy, but I don't mind the cheese in this case.

'The Power of Love' takes me right back to late 2012 too, I've always adored the song and Gabrielle Aplin's cover is pretty amazing for me

#395. Take That - Pray

4 weeks at #1 in 1993 (#13 of 15 for '93)

 

 

Ah, Take That's first #1. And it took quite a few singles for them to finally get there. I would've preferred it to be "Could It Be Magic", but this one will do. "Pray" is a pretty standard song with a clear meaning and doesn't require a lot of depth. It's carefree, it's catchy, it's decent. It doesn't need to be anything more than it is, but there's not enough in it to make me love it. The video was probably a factor in this being a hit lol.

#394. S Club 7 - Have You Ever

1 week at #1 in 2001 (#19 of 30 for '01)

 

 

This has not aged on me well at all, but I still kinda like it. It's kind of a retread of "Never Had A Dream.." Both have Jo on lead vocals, both are simple ballads with cheesy lyrics, and both were Children In Need singles. Though, this is about regretting screwing up a relationship. This was the song with all the school choirs added onto it and broke the world record for most vocals on a song; which just feels a bit.. tacky (for want of a better word).

#393. Wiley feat. Ms D - Heatwave

2 weeks at #1 in 2012 (#27 of 36 for '12)

 

 

The chorus is so irritatingly repetitive and practically ruins the song. Ms D says the phrase "on my body" literally 48 times (I counted). Giving Rebecca Ferguson a run for her money with her "I hope"'s. Other than that, this is sort of a guilty pleasure of mine, but I have to be in the right move. Definitely sounds good in the current summer heat right now. I randomly like the *clap clap* parts. Also, the ending of this song is so random (it's like in the middle of one of Wiley's verses) and catches me off guard every time.

Edited July 16, 201410 yr by n4yr

#392. Ronan Keating - If Tomorrow Never Comes

1 week at #1 in 2002 (#20 of 29 for '02)

 

 

This is a cover of a Garth Brooks song. Probably the most country we see Ronan go with his three #1's. Country is definitely not my thing, and this is very much a typical country song. Putting that aside, as well as the creepy opening line of "Sometimes late at night, I lie awake and watch her sleeping", this is okay. It's about not wanting to regret not expressing how much he truly loves this woman, because tomorrow he might not get the chance. It's haunting, but it sticks with you.

#391. Gary Barlow & The Commonwealth Band feat. Military Wives - Sing

1 week at #1 in 2012 (#26 of 36 for '12)

 

 

Gasp. A charity single I actually want to listen to again. So this is my 20th birthday #1 (of all the brilliant #1's in 2012, I get this?), and not the only time I have a song called "Sing" as one of my birthday #1's. I've got to hand it to Gary though, he knows how to make a strong catchy melody that gets stuck in your head. This song is just that; and thereby manages to be a charity single that isn't bland. The title "Sing" is apt, as you can easily sing along to it. Even the children vocals don't make me cringe, as they usually do in these types of songs. Ok, the bagpipes at the end of the video, I could do without.

 

#394. S Club 7 - Have You Ever

1 week at #1 in 2001 (#19 of 30 for '01)

 

 

This has not aged on me well at all, but I still kinda like it. It's kind of a retread of "Never Had A Dream.." Both have Jo on lead vocals, both are simple ballads with cheesy lyrics, and both were Children In Need singles. Though, this is about regretting screwing up a relationship. This was the song with all the school choirs added onto it and broke the world record for most vocals on a song; which just feels a bit.. tacky (for want of a better word).

 

My school actually took part in this. I think I was in Year 4 or 5 when they wanted us to record for it! I find this one particularly nostalgic.

 

Anyways, great list so far and a great read! Looking forward to some more!

#390. Shaggy feat. Rayvon - Angel

3 weeks at #1 in 2001 (#18 of 30 for '01)

 

 

This is my ninth birthday #1. This sounds like "The Joker" by Steve Miller (I think it might actually sample that though). "Angel" is infinitely better than that song, but that's not really saying anything. Shaggy's other songs were fun because of how non-serious they are. This is Shaggy doing a sappy cliche love song. It doesn't quite work coming from him and his shaky indecipherable vocals. He certainly likes words that end in "-tion" here. Rayvon's parts are okay and are pretty catchy. But the usage of "shorty" and "peeps" kind of ruins the sentiment, and is borderline cringe.

Edited July 17, 201410 yr by n4yr

#389. White Town - Your Woman

1 week at #1 in 1997 (#15 of 24 for '97)

 

 

I don't know. I like it, but I've never been that big on it. I don't really have much else to say about this one.

 

#388. Ne-Yo - Closer

1 week at #1 in 2008 (#14 of 20 for '08)

 

 

This has aged terribly. It sounds so stuck in 2008 and it's rather tedious listening to it now. This was my jam back in 2008; before the dance-pop domination really took over, and I think this was one of the earliest hits of it. But like I said, really boring and basic now. It's still pretty catchy, though.

#387. Olly Murs - Please Don't Let Me Go

1 week at #1 in 2010 (#22 of 34 for '10)

 

 

I really liked this at the time. It doesn't have the strongest hooks, but I liked the production and the feel of it, I guess you could say. But compared with everything Olly has done since then, this just feels rather boring and forgettable now.

 

This blocked "Teenage Dream" from #1, and I would've preferred that to be a #1 instead.

#386. McFly - Obviously

1 week at #1 in 2004 (#18 of 29 for '04)

 

 

This song is about being infatuated with someone that's completely out of your league. That's... obvious. The "Cuz he's 23; He's in the marines; He'd kill me" lyric is weird, and makes me laugh for some reason. This isn't bad but very basic and average.

#385. Rednex - Cotton Eye Joe

3 weeks at #1 in 1995 (#12 of 17 for '95)

 

 

Long before Avicii mixed country with dance, there was this. I don't have much of an opinion on this. It's definitely different in 1994/5, I'll give it that. It's fun and danceable but really repetitive. At least the shrill female parts (however unnecessary) stop it from being too repetitive.

#384. Elvis vs JXL - A Little Less Conversation

4 weeks at #1 in 2002 (#19 of 29 for '02)

 

 

Speaking of repetitive! I seem to remember this being used in a car ad or something over here. This song was used during the 2002 World Cup and took on a life of its own. It's basically a dance remix of the Elvis track. It's a great song. Very infectious. The production makes it feel modern, but still has the 50's Elvis signature sound. But, it's just so long and repetitive, especially the full album version which is over 6 minutes long. It's basically a loop of the same 30 seconds over and over again.

Just curious, are the Elvis re-releases counted here too?

#383. Tulisa - Young

1 week at #1 in 2012 (#25 of 36 for '12)

 

 

"We found love in a hopeless place"... close enough. Copycat production aside, this song is okay, but it's really lacking something for me. This wants to be an anthem of living life while you're young; but I feel like there's not enough substance to the lyrics for it fully grab me. I don't like Tulisa's voice that much, either. And her album was bloody awful.

Just curious, are the Elvis re-releases counted here too?

No, I decided to exclude them. Partly because they already went #1 before; partly because they're too difficult to rank amongst the songs of my lifetime. I excluded "My Sweet Lord" for that same reason.