I personally love skyscraper, mambo no 5, forget you, crashed the wedding, do they know its Christmas and all summer long

 

But I certainly agree with you on let's get ready to rumble and especially impossible- twat Arthur killed the shontelle song s much which was and still is one of my favourite songs.

 

Great thread

#547. Michelle McManus - All This Time

3 weeks at #1 in 2004 (#27 of 29 for '04)

 

 

Well, I guess there more winner's singles; just not X Factor! Ummm... how does this go again? It's so indistinguishable from other coronation songs. Actually, it's indistinguishable from any song. There's no hook. She sounds pretty bland singing this. There's literally nothing to this song.

 

#546. Peter Andre - I Feel You

1 week at #1 in 1996 (#22 of 24 for '96)

 

 

What a snooze-fest. He's also trying too hard to sound like Michael Jackson. Nothing else to say on this one, though.

VERY strong start to this (considering the poor quality of the songs lol)! That said, I'm disappointed to see some at the bottom like Limp Bizkit and Lou Bega. I really like Steve Brookstein's 'Against All Odds' but of course it's unanimously hated :lol: 'All Summer Long', another one I think is great but can't imagine how it was liked/bought by enough people to reach #1! So baffling! And Michelle :( Her video is so bad it's good, her hand motions are everything *.* and I personally love the song.

 

Anyway, not complaining at all just giving some opposite opinions! Some excellent commentary and it's certainly more interesting than shoving all the Westlife/Pop Idol songs at the bottom. A nice variety so far ^_^

Omg I didn't even notice her hand motions til now :lol:

 

#545. James Blunt - You're Beautiful

5 weeks at #1 in 2005 (#24 of 25 for '05)

 

 

5 weeks.. yikes. I found this way too dreary then; and I still find it way too dreary now. So this song is about this stranger he ran into for about 5 seconds in the middle of his day. They didn't exchange any words, just a quick glance. He knows he'll never see her again, but he thinks he's meant to be with her forever. And so now he's going to commit suicide because he can't have her. Talk about being a drama queen. It's just so over-the-top and ridiculous. You can't bare to live your life without this girl you know NOTHING about. Right. That "f**king high" line feels so out of place.

#544. Ne-Yo - Let Me Love You (Until You Learn To Love Yourself)

1 week at #1 in 2012 (#34 of 36 for '12)

 

 

 

#1? Really?

 

What a clunky title. This song is really nothingy. There's no strong hooks. The production is generic by 2012 standards. It's one of those songs about how a girl will gain self-esteem once she finds a man to love her. Though, this one coming from the man's perspective. I will give credit to Ne-Yo as he comes off as a gentleman with good intentions here. But, I just don't think it's the right approach for someone to learn to love themselves.

Edited June 16, 201411 yr by n4yr

#543. Boyzone - You Needed Me

1 week at #1 in 1999 (#32 of 35 for '99)

 

 

Bland bland bland. Too monotonous. Covering Anne Murray is rather random. Interesting fact about Anne Murray: she's from my home province in Canada. :lol:

 

#542. Another Level - Freak Me

1 week at #1 in 1998 (#29 of 30 for '98)

 

 

This was a cover of the 1993 Silk hit, which went #1 in the US, but only went as high as #46 in the UK. My main problem is that Another Level's version sounds almost exactly the same as the original. Though the bridge is different. And not quite able to match the strong vocals on the "cause tonight baby I wanna get freaky with you" line. It's cool that the UK were finally able to find their own R&B boyband, but Blue would do it better. I'm not really a fan of either version of this song, though. Like "Nasty Girl", I guess I find it too raunchy. It doesn't come off as sexy to me. I find the line "let me lick you up and down til you say stop" more funny than anything.

#541. Mariah Carey & Westlife - Against All Odds

2 weeks at #1 in 2000 (#39 of 42 for '00)

 

 

The first of Mariah's two UK #1's. If she could only have two, why does this have to be one of them? She's done these big ballads with a boyband before ("One Sweet Day" and "Thank God I Found You"), and this doesn't really do anything that those two didn't already accomplish. I don't like her songs that get all loud and shouty towards the end. This isn't the worst offender in that category, but it still gets to that point. Other than that, this is just another boring ballad cover song.

#540. X Factor Finalists 2011 feat. JLS & One Direction - Wishing On A Star

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

 

 

I have such fondness for 2011. It was the year when I properly got into the UK charts. It might be why it's taken so long to finally eliminate a song from that year, I don't know. But I can't let this one last any longer lol.

 

2011 was one of my favourite series of X Factor. I liked so many acts that year. Even Janet for a few weeks! I get excited to see Amelia, Misha B, and of course Little Mix to show up. (1:26 - 1:44 <3). Putting that aside, does this do anything that the other 3 X Factor charity singles didn't do? No, it doesn't. So it loses points there. And then there's the infamous “JLS 1D!!” line. Which is utter cringe. Talk about roping in two hot acts of the moment to make a record sell more. And they literally don't even add anything to the song; besides everyone singing the final chorus in an odd fashion. That final chorus really doesn't flow with the rest of the song. By this point, these collective charity singles were becoming too tedious. This song has been covered enough times already; most notably by cleverly-named The Cover Girls.

Edited June 17, 201411 yr by n4yr

#539. The Outhere Brothers - Don't Stop (Wiggle Wiggle)

1 week at #1 in 1995 (#17 of 17 for '95)

 

 

Ugh the Outhere Brothers. Up to this point in time, I don't think there was ever a #1 that was this straightforward when it came to sexual lyrics. There's nothing subtle about this - he wants oral sex. Though, the radio edit omits all of the dirty lyrics (and it's what's linked here.) The uncensored version; while, like I said before, I'm not against dirty lyrics necessarily, it's just that this is too much for me. It also doesn't help that the chorus (which is basically just yelling) is rather annoying after a while.

Edited June 17, 201411 yr by n4yr

2011 was a poor year chart-wise IMO, at least as far as the number 1's are concerned, so many atrocities hit the top that year, easily the worst of the decade so far.

#538. The Black Eyed Peas - The Time (Dirty Bit)

1 week at #1 in 2010 (#32 of 34 for '10)

 

 

This is such a mess of a song. Such an annoying transition from the Dirty Dancing sampled chorus to the grating stuttering of "YOU-YOU-YOU" "DIRTY BIT!" *insert beat breakdown* Enough to give me a headache. And then comes the rap verses; which turns out to be yet another dance-pop song in 2010 about partying in a club. Not without excessive auto-tune and a Mick Jagger reference, of course. Though, Appl's "Yeah, it's gotta be the apple, I'm the Mac daddy y'all; Haters better step back, ladies, download your app" part is kinda funny.

Edited June 17, 201411 yr by n4yr

#537. DJ Pied Piper & The Masters Of Ceremonies - Do You Really Like It?

1 week at #1 in 2001 (#28 of 30 for '01)

 

 

No, I don't really like it. I try to like the production, but the “We're lovin' it lovin' it lovin' it; We're lovin' it like that” ruins the song for me. It's pretty irritating. Most of this song is pretty irritating, actually.

 

#536. Jimmy Nail - Ain't No Doubt

3 weeks at #1 in 1992 (#8 of 8 for '92)

 

 

Well I'm glad I wasn't born a month later, otherwise I'd have this as my birthday #1! The spoken word verses are okay, and Sylvia Mason-James' parts (the uncredited woman that sings the bridge) are good, but that chorus. Ugh, it is just horrendous. The song tells a story about how Jimmy can see through her lies and knows she's cheating and he's done with her. There's just something about this song that doesn't feel authentic. It's like he's trying too hard to sell this story, and trying too hard to be serious.

 

And with that, each year has now lost a song. '92 having the advantage of just 8 songs since my birth, though. "Deeply Dippy" would be much lower than "Ain't No Doubt", to be fair.

#535. Blazin' Squad - Crossroads

1 week at #1 in 2002 (#28 of 29 for '02)

 

 

So we already had Another Level take an urban US #1 and make it into UK a #1; and then Blue (who we'll see later) did it in 2001. And now we have Blazin' Squad taking on Bone Thugs-N-Harmony. Starting you career with a cover song is a bit odd since it doesn't allow you to create your own identity. Except, well, this isn't really a cover song. It's more of a sample. They keep the chorus, but add in new verses, and attempt to replicate the hyper-speed rapping. Despite that, this still doesn't sound that different from the original. Of course keeping in the "bone bone bone..." part just sounds stupid. The Bone Thugs version deals with mourning a loved one's death and questioning the meaning of life and faith and the afterlife and all that. Blazin' Squad's version is about dealing with the bad decisions you make in life, and uses faith as a coping mechanism of sorts. The message is a bit garbled, though. At the beginning it talks about being patient in life and seizing your dreams (which kind of contradict each other), and going after fame, and then it talks about killing someone and even dealing with haters. It's so all over the place. If only "Flip Reverse" went #1 instead.

#534. Will Young - Anything Is Possible / Evergreen

3 weeks at #1 in 2002 (#27 of 29 for '02)

 

 

Alright, time to deal with this one.

 

So here it is. The biggest selling song of the century so far. Like most of the biggest selling songs of any decade, this is an event single. 60's was The Beatles, 70's was Scottish hometown glory (well maybe this wasn't so much of an event), 80's was the first major charity single, 90's was Diana, and the 2000's was reality TV. Apt, as that was a storm that took over pop culture in the new millennium. At least it did over here; I'm just assuming the UK was no different. It's no surprise that Simon Fuller, Simon Cowell, Louis Walsh, Pete Waterman, etc were the masterminds behind these TV talent shows. They were the ones behind most "manufactured" pop in the last 2 decades in the first place. So it all begins with Popstars, which was more like a documentary, but I'll talk more about that later. Pop Idol, though, became a whole different beast. Reality TV was still very much in its infancy in 2001. There were so many roads yet to be crossed. People were still wondering "what could they possible do next?" Something as simple as a singing competition where the public (WE) get to decide the outcome was something truly fascinating at the time. Being the first time, curiosity and unpredictability must have been major factors, but it wouldn't have worked without the talent to back it up. I've never watched Pop Idol, but I will say that Will and Gareth had the talent and the potential. I'll talk about Gareth when we get to his million-seller. But with Will, who seemed to basically be a second-rate Robbie Williams, I will give credit that he lasted quite a while. Who would've thought he'd have a top 10 hit as late as 2011? From my understanding, this series was a close race between the two, and that's only going to bring in more interest. The final result becomes a huge spectacle.

 

Now that the back story out of the way, let's get to the single itself. “Anything Is Possible” was an original song written for the winner. What's interesting about it is that it lacks a strong melody or hook. You'd think you'd want that in an event single (not that it matters since it sold so much anyway). It has the usual corny lyrics. It's supposed to be an uplifting song, but the chorus is sung so mellow and subdued that it doesn't really work. The way he sings it doesn't really match the lyrics. It's about how someone's love makes them feel sky high. But can also be used to be about achieving one's biggest dream and feeling sky high. And then throw in a key change for the final chorus. Which sets the formula for practically every winner's single afterwards. Being the first winner is always going to be a big deal, and so this went on to debut with a staggering 1.108 mil copies in its first week. All in all, "Anything Is Possible" sounds like a boring Westlife song. Incidentally, “Evergreen” is a Westlife song. Will's rendition of it... is basically the same song as “Anything Is Possible”, but at least it has a stronger chorus. Neither of these are tracks I'd actively want to listen to, though. And they both fail the simple task of being memorable. Which is not desirable for an event single.

 

But what's interesting is that most of these original songs used for TV talent show winners are just as boring as the cover songs. "All This Time" and "Angels Brought Me Here" by Guy Sebastian are no different. "A Moment Like This" sticks with you a bit more, but I think Kelly is a major factor in that one. I have no recollection whatsoever on how Clay Aiken, Fantasia, Taylor Hicks' winners singles go (I'm only using them as examples because they're US #1's.) "Inside Your Heaven" is okay.

 

Yikes that ended up being longer than I thought.

Edited June 18, 201411 yr by n4yr

#533. Bruno Mars - The Lazy Song

1 week at #1 in 2011 (#29 of 30 for '11)

 

 

And onto a song that doesn't require nearly as much review. This is by far my least favourite Bruno Mars single. Cringe-worthy is an understatement. Lyrics such as "throw my hand in my pants", "chillin' in my Snuggie", "Teach me how to Dougie", that bizarre "Oh my God, this is great!" and "I'll just strut in my birthday suit" are just :puke2:

#532. Robson & Jerome - Unchained Melody

7 weeks at #1 in 1995 (#16 of 17 for '95)

 

 

My third birthday #1. This sold about a million more than I would've liked. There's really nothing interesting about this version. Yeah it's bland karaoke, and yeah there's not much else to say about it. It's one of the most covered songs ever, which only makes it more forgettable. Same faults as the other Robson & Jerome single from earlier in this list.

Edited June 18, 201411 yr by n4yr

#531. Manchester United Football Club - Come On You Reds

2 weeks at #1 in 1994 (#13 of 15 for '94)

 

 

lol... probably higher than it should be. This is basically a sing-a-long-song you'd sing at a bar after you've had a bit too much to drink. It makes the song catchy, at least. But, it's still a pretty terrible record. But it's hilarious just how bad it is.

Edited June 18, 201411 yr by n4yr