#566. A1 - Take On Me

1 week at #1 in 2000 (#41 of 42 for '00)

 

 

Yeah...no. I'll take the original any day over this. A1 adds absolutely nothing to this song. It somehow manages to be incredibly bland despite not being a cover song of a ballad, like every other cover song that's gone #1 in this list so far. Their voices are so robotic, and almost sound bored singing this. This is so bad, and worst of all, it's not bad in an enjoyable way. It's bad because it's bad. It's like a Kidz Bop version of the song.

#565. Westlife - Mandy

1 week at #1 in 2003 (#21 of 22 for '03)

 

 

This was the point in Westlife's career when it all started going downhill, in my opinion. Brian McFadden leaving the group the following year further cemented that. But this was the beginning of a long string of boring ballad cover songs. I'm getting a bit bored of reviewing all these boring cover songs now lol. This has the same faults that "The Rose" had, and I just find it really blah. Not much else to really say.

 

 

 

#564. The Notorious B.I.G. feat. Diddy, Nelly, Jagged Edge & Avery Storm - Nasty Girl

2 weeks at #1 in 2006 (#23 of 24 for '06)

 

 

A hip hop song about objectifying women. Yawn. What is this dreck and why does it feature every rapper in existence? This song features such classy lyrics as "Fingers in your mouth, open up your blouse; Pull your G-string down South", "Grab your t***ies for B.I.G", "Lift your shirt; You know how I flirt", etc. I don't necessarily mind sexy songs, but this one is just too much for me. And it's not even really sexy; more like smut lol.

Edited June 12, 201411 yr by n4yr

#563. The Justice Collective - He Ain't Heavy, He's My Brother

1 week at #1 in 2012 (#35 of 36 for '12)

 

 

Wow, I've completely forgotten what this version even sounds like, already. Such a forgettable nothing of a cover. Though it's cool to see Mel C get another #1. And Paloma Faith and Rebecca Ferguson *-* I do like the harmonica parts, though. And the song itself does have a great message to it. But I'd rather listen to The Hollies version.

#562. Five & Queen - We Will Rock You

1 week at #1 in 2000 (#40 of 42 for '00)

 

 

NO!

 

At least they add something different to the song, though (the raps). And it's cool to see Brian May and Roger Taylor be a part of it. But, still.

#561. DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince - Boom! Shake the Room

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

 

 

Ugh, this is just sooooooo bloody annoying. The chorus is grating. I especially hate the "TICK TICK TICK BOOM" parts. The stuttering parts are annoying too. I don't think I've ever liked a single song Will Smith has been involved with, to be honest. Also, I'm one of the few people that's never watch Fresh Prince lol, so that doesn't help.

I'm LOVING this thread! What a task though with all these songs! The #1 the day I was born was the Puff Daddy version of I'll Be Missing You. :P

 

I agree with everything so far pretty much apart from the fantastic Three Lions/'98 & Impossible.

 

Keep it up! :heart:

^ Thanks for the comments :) (and thanks to anyone else that's commented so far too)

 

#560. Kid Rock - All Summer Long

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

 

 

This song samples “Werewolves Of London” and “Sweet Home Alabama”, and I hear a bit of “Magic Carpet Ride” in there (and probably 20 other songs.) It's about reminiscing over his youth where he met this girl one summer, they made memories, etc etc. And he associates this memory with the song "Sweet Home Alabama". Taking the specifics out, it's a common, relateable theme. How a song can trigger memories. And also a summer crush you never got to see again. I get that's why this was a hit. But, I think my issue is that this song makes so many references to southern American culture (the songs being sampled reinforce this), and since that's not where I'm from, it doesn't click with me in the same way? I don't know. This is a borderline country song, too (I believe it even received a lot of airplay on US country radio.) What's worse; you know those songs you hate, but are just so catchy you can never get out of your head and it annoys you to no end? Yeah, this is one of those songs.

Edited June 12, 201411 yr by n4yr

#559. Lou Bega - Mambo No. 5

2 weeks at #1 in 1999 (#34 of 35 for '99)

 

 

So we just saw Bob's version and here's the original. Not much better. Anything annoying #1. This is like a 90's version of Pitbull's "I Know You Want Me" or "Hotel Room Service.". I hate “AHHHHHHH” parts. I hate the "TRAWMPIT". How many women does this guy need? I swear he lists every girl he's ever met in his life in this song. Ugh, we get it, you're a womanizer. Next.

 

#558. R. Kelly - I Believe I Can Fly

3 weeks at #1 in 1997 (#24 of 24 for '97)

 

 

The fact that this knocked “Block Rockin' Beats” off the top spot is hilarious, as this song couldn't be any more different. From loud and noisy.. to coma inducing. Seriously, this song is so dull. And lyrically it's the definition of corny. It tires so hard to be an inspirational anthem but it fails in every regard because of it, and it just goes on and on and on. And the choir at the end doesn't help at all.

#557. Stiltskin - Inside

1 week at #1 in 1994 (#15 of 15 for '94)

 

 

This was the closest thing to a grunge #1 the UK had up to this point. This went #1 after being used in a Levi's ad. But the song was made specifically for that ad, and it just feels rather fake because of it. Now, fakeness doesn't have to matter in pop music. As long as it's a catchy song, it serves its purpose. But grunge was a genre that was made to not be commercial; yet "Inside" does everything it can to be commercial. The lyrics just seems like a bunch of random words and phrases tossed together. And I don't like the aggressive vocals in this either.

#556. Band Aid 20 - Do They Know It's Christmas?

4 weeks at #1 in 2004 (#28 of 29 for '04)

 

 

As if the 1989 S/A/W remake wasn't awful enough, they had to do this a third time. This features a slew of popstars of the modern day (such as Chris Martin, Dido, the Sugababes, Robbie Williams, Busted, Jamelia, Rachel Stevens, Snow Patrol, the Bedingfield siblings; to name just a few). It features a piano and guitar instrumental, and an added rap section from Dizzee Rascal. And Bono pointlessly re-recording his “well thank god it's them instead of you” line. Cuz well.. he's Bono. This version feels soooooo lifeless. I don't know what is, but they all sound a bit apathetic when they recorded this. The instrumental isn't strong enough and it goes too slow. Dizzee's rap doesn't flow with the rest of the song. The "Feed The World" chant feels too subdued. Nothing in this song really sticks with you.

#555. Joe McElderry - The Climb

1 week at #1 in 2009 (#30 of 32 for '09)

 

 

I do consider this to be the final #1 of the 2000's since it was revealed on 27 Dec. And, yes, this is lower than Rage Against The Machine (guess you know which side I was rooting for in that chart battle.)

 

Anyway, Joe had the better voice than Olly, but Olly had the starpower. It's not surprising the way things turned out. Doesn't help that "Ambitions" was kinda 'meh'. Joe's version of "The Climb" is just really middle-of-the-road. I don't really have an opinion one way or the other on this. It's just kind of there. It's not particularly memorable. It's formulaic like all X Factor winner's singles (a mid-tempo ballad; the choir; the key change.) But it's not as bad as the other winner's singles I've already eliminated. Why “The Climb” of all songs, though?

 

And with that, I'm off the enjoy my birthday ^_^

#554. Chaka Demus & Pliers - Twist And Shout

2 weeks at #1 in 1994 (#14 of 15 for '94)

 

 

For some reason, there was this big reggae explosion in the UK in 1993/1994. This is a reggae cover version of the Beatles classic, and a song that's been covered numerous times. It's a fun song, and this version is a bit of fun too, but there's just not enough going on to make it a big tune you can dance to. And I feel like there's other reggae hits of the time that do it better.

#553. Boyzone - When The Going Gets Tough

2 weeks at #1 in 1999 (#33 of 35 for '99)

 

 

Ah, the first of many entries from Boyzone. They (and Ronan Keating) are always so hit and miss for me. I either really like their songs or really dislike them. This is one of the latter, obviously. It doesn't help that I HATE the Billy Ocean version of this song, and generally despise Billy Ocean's music. I don't know why, but I just find his songs incredibly annoying. Boyzone's version is more tolerable than the original, but it's not enough to make me like the song.

#552. PJ & Duncan - Let's Get Ready To Rhumble

1 week at #1 in 2013 (#30 of 30 for '13)

 

 

Surely the most shocking #1 of the decade so far? I just don't get this. It's rather cringe to me.

#551. Sam Bailey - Skyscraper

1 week at #1 in 2013 (#29 of 30 for '13)

 

 

I'm not a big Demi fan, and her version is so screechy, but this song is so deeply personal to her. It has a huge meaning, and she expresses so much emotion in her version. She's really broken when she sings it. Sam Bailey expresses no emotion whatsoever. This is the definition of boring cruise ship karaoke. It's an utterly bizarre, and I'll even say utterly stupid, song choice for a winner's single. It just doesn't work knowing the context. Sonically, it's a typical X Factor winner's single. Insert key change. Insert choir. Yawn. I actually like Union J's version better.

 

Alright, it won't be so cover song heavy after this point. And that should be it for X Factor winner's singles for a while, since I don't mind the other 5 so much.

Edited June 14, 201411 yr by n4yr

#550. Busted - Crashed The Wedding

1 week at #1 in 2003 (#20 of 22 for '03)

 

 

So my least favourite of their four #1's. The song is simple - he regrets letting this girl go; so he crashes her wedding and steals her back. And that's really it. It's a bit *too* simple for my liking. The lyrics don't explore much emotion and I wind up not really feel any sympathy towards him. It comes off as like a 13-year-old regretting letting go of his crush. But they're not 13 years old since the girl is getting married; unless he's dating a girl way older than him (which would just make it even more awkward.) So the childish lyrics don't really work. And I don't find it that believable that this girl would so easily call off an entire wedding to go back to her ex. I know it's not meant to be a super serious song, but that awkward feeling is always there when I listen to this.

#549. Cee Lo Green - F**k / Forget You

2 weeks at #1 in 2010 (#33 of 34 for '10)

 

 

A song that mainly became a hit because of its excessive use of expletives. It attempts to be humours, but I don't find this funny so much as I find it annoying. I especially hate his whiny "whyyy" and "I love youuuu" crying on the bridge. This also feels a bit too upbeat for a song about being so angry. Cee Lo has revealed that this song is actually targeted at the music industry. Lol.

#548. Aloe Blacc - The Man

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

 

 

My least favourite #1 of 2014 so far. The Elton John sample doesn't work for me here. Especially since “Your Song” is so overdone. “I'm the man, I'm the man, I'm the man; Yes I am, yes I am, yes I am” is one of the laziest lyrics I've ever heard. How long did it take to come with that? I think this song is trying to define what it takes to be "the man", but it just comes off as him trying to justify his own arrogance (especially with the repeated "this is my world"). I find it re-enforces gender stereotypes. I don't see how being a leader makes you "the man." And why worry about a label, anyway. This song just rubs me the wrong way.