38. Rihanna - If It's Lovin' That You Want

 

 

Peak: 11

Top 40 weeks: 5

 

Yes! Easily one of Rihanna's least remembered songs, 2nd single and follow up to monster debut smash Pon De Replay, from very first album Music Of The Sun. I've always enjoyed this track, it has a light poppy-reggae feel to it, in stark contrast to some of her other earlier material. It was one of her's that I didn't find instant at the time but have grown to like more since. It's by no means my favourite single of hers but it always stands out to me with it's clear native feel, of which we haven't seen as much of as I'd like! It's just a really simplistic, feelgood, summery track I've always got time for, although it's a shame there doesn't appear to be a video as it's one of my favourites from her!

 

Edit: I have since found the video I somehow couldn't before, ^added^ :)

Edited November 7, 201410 yr by Dobbo

37. M.V.P. - Roc Ya Body (Mic Check 1 2)

 

 

Peak: 5

Top 40 weeks: 11

 

Well, this is undeniably catchy. Another "anthem" from 2005 this time belonging to New York group M.V.P. This really was unlike anything else around at the time, with the possible expcetion of Gasolina which may appear later on this list (hint, hint). The blend of hip hop and latin/electronic really works well for me! I like the infectious beat and the "chant-able" chorus which really dictates the track, along with the guitar intro at around 2:15 followed by the female vocal verse. The only part I'm not too keen on is the clapping before the just mentioned guitar intro. Believe it or not they did record a follow up which also charted in the UK the following year but I literally have no recollection of it. Meanwhile, this one is certainly a track I haven't forgotten down the line and has one of the most instantly recognisable intros of any song that year. Also, who could forget that video? :D

Edited October 13, 201410 yr by Dobbo

36. Scissor Sisters - Filthy/Gorgeous

 

 

Peak: 5

Top 40 weeks: 7

 

Next up we have American band Scissor Sisters with their 5th single from debut eponymous album. This track is unbelievably camp but a whole barrel of fun at the same time. I remember when Scissor Sisters broke onto the scene in 2004 and I found them rather interesting to say the least, but little did I know they were to produce a quite amazing first album! (One of the rare few from the time I actually bought). I liked pretty much every track, my favourites being Laura and Take Your Mama, but this one as said is a very enjoyable song also and curiously their highest peaking from that album. It's just a song I've never really took too seriously and simply just enjoyed the catchiness and quirkiness of. Another memorable (and really quite hilarious) video for this one too...

35. Sean Paul - Ever Blazin'

 

 

Peak: 12

Top 40 weeks: 6

 

Rounding off this section it's Sean Paul with 2nd release from 3rd album The Trinity. Now, Sean Paul is most certainly one of those marmite-y artists as I know people who absolutely love him and others who loathe him. For me, he falls nearer the former side. Most of his songs, especially his earlier ones have really aged well in my opinion and still don't sound out of place today. His unique Jamaican dancehall/reggae style makes his music instantly recognisable and for the most part, I like much of his discography! This particular track is one of his lesser-known efforts but still has that Sean Paul sound and flavour, and it's a very enjoyable one. Granted, I can barely make out one word he's saying but with his songs I've always overlooked that :lol: It's not as good as We Be Burnin' but it's still a fun and catchy tune that I had a lot of time for in the particular era of release.

34. Inaya Day - Nasty Girl

 

 

Peak: 9

Top 40 weeks: 5

 

Kicking off this next section we have American singer Inaya Day (vocalist on Mousse T's Horny) with her cover of Vanity 6's 80s track Nasty Girl. This one is just a whole heap of fun, with a really infectious sound and a catchy melody. I do prefer this version as well to the original, it's just a lot more goey and packs more of a punch. It's most likely one confined to the forgotten pile for most but I still enjoy the odd listen. It's funky house sound was a real breath of fresh air to the charts at the time. Sadly, there was to be no more commercial success for Inaya but her distinctive vocals are still featured on many the dance track even to this day!

33. Daddy Yankee - Gasolina

 

 

Peak: 5

Top 40 weeks: 6

 

Well, I did warn you it was coming! :P Now this really was EVERYWHERE at the time and strangely enough I hated it at first. But it eventually wore me down and nowadays, I just laugh and embrace the madness when I hear it. A very rare occasion where a 100% foreign language song breaks into the UK charts and as with most of them (La Bamba, Gangnam Style, Pa pa l'americano!) there was only really one quotable lyric. By the way, the anglicised lyrics barely make any sense themselves! It was certainly very different having a reggaeton-like sounding song in the UK charts and for that reason alone this track was more standout and memorable from that year. I'd really have to call this a guilty pleasure of mine, but there's no way I can deny such an irresistible beat!

32. Nizlopi - JCB Song

 

 

Peak: 1

Top 40 weeks: 13

 

With surely one of the most surprising number 1's (ever?) we have Nizlopi with their only hit JCB Song. This is a strange one for me, I loved it as a youngster but if I were my age now at the time I probably would have hated it! Still, like with a lot of songs of that ilk you appreciate it for the song you loved at the time so hence the ranking. It was quite a unique track to say the least but that was part of the appeal (and how much I'd rather have this got Xmas number 1 than Shayne Ward!) This song probably also was memorable for its video depicting a touching story of a 5 year-old at work with his father. What I found interesting about this band is that in a lot of their other songs you can clearly hear the influence it had upon artists such as Ed Sheeran, particularly follow up track Girls. Wonder what they're up to these days?

31. Stereophonics - Dakota

 

 

Peak: 1

Top 40 weeks: 10

 

Just missing out on a top 30 placing, it's Welsh band Stereophonics with lead single from 5th album Language. Sex. Violence. Other? This to date remains their sole UK number 1 single but I'm glad it is this one because it's easily one of my favourite tracks of theirs. I much prefer their "harder" sounding songs such as this and The Bartender And The Thief. Stereophonics are another quite hit and miss band for me, but they do have a very strong back catalogue overall as shown by their very good Greatest Hits compliation. I really like the melody in this one, particuarly in the chorus where Kelly Jones shows off his distinctive growly tone, and also the instrumental, with the drumbeat and that bendy guitar riff. In all, it's just a really solid track that will always get me belting out "you make me FEEL like the one" :D

30. Audio Bullys (feat. Nancy Sinatra) - Shot You Down

 

 

Peak: 3

Top 40 weeks: 14

 

Kicking off this next section it's the Audio Bullys with their electronic number Shot You Down, the lead single from their second album Generation. Sampling Nancy's Sinatra cover version of Bang Bang (My Baby Shot Me Down) originally by Cher, this stormed into the top 10 during the summer. I really enjoy this track, with the way it brings together the chilling vocals and the instrumental breakdowns, and the overall production on this is very solid. They'd had a few smaller hits before, but this is overwhelmingly the one they are remembered for the most and quite rightly so. It's a fuse of numerous dance-based sub-genres and was definitely one of my favourite tracks around at the time. Of course, David Guetta would go on to have a hit of his own this year which largely uses the same vocal sample (although re-covered) and I actually like that version too, so smiles all round. :)

29. Sugababes - Push The Button

 

 

Peak: 1

Top 40 weeks: 16

 

Lead single from fourth album Taller In More Ways, next up it's Push The Button from Sugababes. Now this is just a near perfect pop song for me, fits all the right characteristics, ticks all the right boxes. Of course, I can understand why people would find this one irritating (and do) but not for me, this is far FAR too catchy to be put in that folder. There's definitely more of an electropop feel to this in comparison with some of their earlier singles but it completely worked, as also demonstrated by its commercial success. I really like the bridge on this track in particular and it sets up the earworm of a chorus. This is probably my second favourite Sugababes song after About You Now. This was also quite notable for its rather racy (and iconic!) video whereby if we were more into the YouTube era at the time there would most likely have been endless lift-based parodies :lol:

28. Sunset Strippers - Falling Stars

 

 

Peak: 3

Top 40 weeks: 9

 

Another dance track, another very good use of a sample! This re-working of Boy Meets Girl's 80s track Waiting For A Star To Fall by electronic group Sunset Strippers is a really well produced record and always reminds me of early secondary school years. I like the use of the vocal loop and the way they interpolate it into the production. For me, it just works brilliantly! It's also just the right length to not be too repetitive. This song was perhaps notable for being involved in a "sample-off" with Australian group Cabin Crew, who also sampled the original and added their own dance twist (although they do both sound vaguely similar). I much prefer this version however, and it quite rightly outperformed it (at least in the UK). This was to be the group's only hit single however, but what a single it is!

27. Akon - Locked Up

 

 

Peak: 5

Top 40 weeks: 10

 

Rounding off this batch we have Akon, with his debut single from first album Trouble. Now, Akon certainly isn't everyone's cup of tea but I personally like most of his singles, he has some real jams in his back catalogue! This is another track I wasn't overly keen on at the time (and was certainly less instant for me than Lonely) but it has definitely grown over time and I give this the odd listen even nowadays. I quite like the lyrics on this one (whereas some of his later work is very typically R&B-like) and the general smooth production. It's got quite a chilling side to it too which sets it apart from his other records. I really didn't expect him to have such sustained success throughout the rest of the noughties but he seems to have gone a bit quiet these days (Play Hard aside), is his fourth album Stadium ever going to be released?

Nice idea this! Even though I was only 10 at the time, some songs like Don't Cha and Push the Button take me straight back to primary school :lol: In terms of songs I actually listen to, Mockingbird, Feel Good. Inc, Roc Ya Body, Ever Blazin' and Locked Up are all jams :)

That was such a weird situation with Falling Stars/Star to Fall...from what I can see Cabin Crew had the initial idea, but due to some problems clearing the sample (which ended up being solved by getting the original Boy Meets Girl singer to re-record it) the Sunset Strippers version was some sort of rush-record/release by the record label who owned the original song. And then Mylo did a third version very shortly after with In My Arms - imagine if the original Boy Meets Girl track had been re-released, there'd have been four songs in the chart with the same vocals!

 

It was the Sunset Strippers one that got all the radio play, which seems deeply unfair on Cabin Crew but to be fair Sunset Strippers did actually improve on it with their version. It was similar to the December 2000 Phatt Bass/Operation Blade situation of two songs using the same sample, and it happened again a year later with two remixes of the Baywatch theme.

Apologies for the lack of updates! I haven't given up on this I just managed to lose the file with all the data on (whoops) but have found it again so next lot coming up shortly ^_^

26. Rihanna - Pon De Replay

 

 

Peak: 2

Top 40 weeks: 8

 

So just missing out on a top-half placing we have Rihanna again, this time with very first hit Pon De Replay. Now when I first heard this song I didn't think a great deal of it and merely placed in the throwaway R&B/urban anthems category, from an artist we'd probably only see/hear from for a few years at most and then fade away (along the likes of the Ashantis/Christina Milians/Cassies of the music world), but I was to be proved completely wrong about the latter as she turned into one of the biggest global superstars. Over time this track really grew into one of my favourites from her and listening back it's good to hear her in her early dancehall-like sound. It's a really infectious track with a great beat and, although highly unlikely, it would be very refreshing to hear her do something along the lines of this when she makes her highly anticipated return!

I love Dakota, such a great song

Push the button is one of my favourite ever Sugababes songs and a classic pop song and I also really like pon de replay

25. The Black Eyed Peas - My Humps

 

 

Peak: 3

Top 40 weeks: 15

 

Into the top half now and we have the first of THREE Black Eyed Peas tracks on this list. My Humps was the 3rd single released from their 4th album Monkey Business. Now, of all the tracks on this list the was the probably the one I disliked the most at the time (and therefore the track that has also grown the most over time for me too!) I just didn't get the appeal and found it far weaker than their other songs around this period, but nowadays I love it! It's just so catchy. The beat/production is very minimalist and much of the song focuses on the "duet" between will.i.am & Fergie. I tend to just take this track at face value and just enjoy the cheekiness of it. Check it out!

24. The Black Eyed Peas - Don't Lie

 

 

Peak: 6

Top 40 weeks: 7

 

So just like London buses, two Black Eyed Peas tracks turn up together. I slightly prefer this one to the one track above but unlike that one I have always liked Don't Lie right from the first listen. This was, of course, the preceding single to My Humps also taken from Monkey Business. I really enjoy their sound on this track and indeed much of the album and it just has a nice laid back feel to it which reminds of the Summer holidays that year :) Fergie's chorus really seals it too. It's perhaps one of their most generally forgotten singles but certainly not from myself and the summery vibes it gives off always guarantees annual plays. A real gem in their discography!

23. James Blunt - You're Beautiful

 

 

Peak: 1

Top 40 weeks: 28

 

The song that really was EVERYWHERE mid-2005. But I really liked it (and still do) so that didn't bother me at all! This track, taken as the 3rd single from monster debut album Back To Bedlam, had a rather bizarre chart run up until its peak but held firm to become the years' 3rd biggest selling single. Not really a genre I'd normally take to, something about this track I just found really standout. I particularly like the melody, and with the very memorable and quotable chorus along with the rather "iconic" music video, it just worked! The lyrics are rather relatable too, perhaps indicating more to its overwhelming success. I really liked his first album and all of its singles and it was of course going to be nigh on impossible to replicate its success thereafter, but he's usually been a solid artist for me, I just didn't particularly like his most recent output. This, however, is without doubt one of THE defining songs of 2005 and for me, that's absolutely fine!

Edited November 7, 201410 yr by Dobbo