Hey Hun :heart: This is the year in really got into the charts. I distinctly rember writing down songs on a piece of paper as they were read out on the chart show and making my own chart that I preferred. I really was destined for the PC forum on Buzzjack.

 

01. Sugababes - Freak Like Me jsgsinghj!!!!!! What a #1. Not their best by any means... I mean hole in the head. Hello! But freak like me is fab!

02. Aaliyah - More Than A Woman

03. Sugababes - Round Round :wub: OOFT. A bop! A pure bop! It's superb. Sugababes really were amazing, looking back retrospectively.

04. Puretone - Addicted To Bass

07. Holly Valance - Kiss Kiss mwah mwah.

08. Liberty X - Just A Little I never liked Liberty X sadly but this song was alright. Hear'Say were actually good.

09. Kylie Minogue - Love At First Sight :wub: Kylie is superb and this era of her music was amazing. She never set a foot wrong aside from Can't Get You Out Of My Head which I regard as one of her worst singles.

10. Eminem - Lose Yourself

11. Girls Aloud - Sound of the Underground GAH. I only left this song in sonincouod say I hated it and this whole first album lol. It really was of its time.

12. Avril Lavigne - Sk8er Boi He was a sk8er boi. She said see ya later boi. Ooft. One of Avril's best and the video is genius.

13. P!nk - Just Like A Pill

14. Coldplay - The Scientist

15. DB Boulevard - Point of View I feel like i should know this?

16. Christina Aguilera - Dirrty (feat. Redman)

17. Shakira - Whenever, Wherever

19. Lasgo - Something omg. Lasgo were amazing. I think I liked every song they every did as well.

20. Avril Lavigne - Complicated

22. Sugababes - Angels With Dirty Faces :wub: Power Puff Girls. This song is amazing. I didn't realise it was from their first album though?

25. Elvis vs. JXL - A Little Less Conversation

27. Coldplay - In My Place

28. Kylie Minogue - In Your Eyes

29. Sugababes - Stronger

30. Nickelback - How You Remind Me

31. Nelly - Dilemma (feat. Kelly Rowland)

33. Vanessa Carlton - A Thousand Miles

35. S Club Juniors - Automatic High :yahoo: what a bloody bop although this does remain my least favourite SCJ single. I'll never forget the first time I heard One Step Closer though :heart:

37. Britney Spears - Boys (The Co-Ed Remix) (feat. Pharrell Williams)

38. No Doubt - Hey Baby

39. Oasis - Stop Crying Your Heart Out

 

Fantastic selection Jade x

Oops sorry that this has gone quiet! I think I'm going to resume with it after I'm A Celeb is done in a couple of weeks, as that being on each night eats into the evenings a little.

 

Oops I had to rush to my A-Z of 21st century tracks to check out Love Story, as I don't remember it at all - peaked at 63 in my charts, so I'm sure it'll come back to me when I hear it! Addicted to Bass was a great club track, though, and it almost made my year-end top 100. More Than A Woman was fab, so was Try Again and Rock The Boat - such a tempestuous and tragic short life Aaliyah had. MTAW was 21st of 2002 for me, Round Round was 13th and Freak Like Me 12th, so an all-round good end to a top of 2002 list.

 

If I had some additions to nominate, I'd go the under-rated A1 Caught In The Middle, Kosheen's fab Harder, Santana's Game Of Love, Richard Ashcroft's Check The Meaning, Kylie's Come Into My World, Del Amitri's Just Before You Leave, and George Michael's Shoot The Dog as essential picks.... :)

Hey there John :hi: :heart:

 

No worries, judging by the replies so far it looks like 'Love Story' is making people scratch their heads a bit, was definitely a random pick but one I adore! Glad you remember and approve of the rest. Aaliyah's story is so tragic indeed, she was younger than I am when she died which is just stupidly young :( her great music shall live on though :heart:

 

Interesting to see your additions - I really like 'Come Into My World' too, this is quickly getting harder and harder to cut down :lol:

 

thank you for commenting <3

 

Hey Hun :heart: This is the year in really got into the charts. I distinctly rember writing down songs on a piece of paper as they were read out on the chart show and making my own chart that I preferred. I really was destined for the PC forum on Buzzjack.

 

01. Sugababes - Freak Like Me jsgsinghj!!!!!! What a #1. Not their best by any means... I mean hole in the head. Hello! But freak like me is fab!

02. Aaliyah - More Than A Woman

03. Sugababes - Round Round :wub: OOFT. A bop! A pure bop! It's superb. Sugababes really were amazing, looking back retrospectively.

04. Puretone - Addicted To Bass

07. Holly Valance - Kiss Kiss mwah mwah.

08. Liberty X - Just A Little I never liked Liberty X sadly but this song was alright. Hear'Say were actually good.

09. Kylie Minogue - Love At First Sight :wub: Kylie is superb and this era of her music was amazing. She never set a foot wrong aside from Can't Get You Out Of My Head which I regard as one of her worst singles.

10. Eminem - Lose Yourself

11. Girls Aloud - Sound of the Underground GAH. I only left this song in sonincouod say I hated it and this whole first album lol. It really was of its time.

12. Avril Lavigne - Sk8er Boi He was a sk8er boi. She said see ya later boi. Ooft. One of Avril's best and the video is genius.

13. P!nk - Just Like A Pill

14. Coldplay - The Scientist

15. DB Boulevard - Point of View I feel like i should know this?

16. Christina Aguilera - Dirrty (feat. Redman)

17. Shakira - Whenever, Wherever

19. Lasgo - Something omg. Lasgo were amazing. I think I liked every song they every did as well.

20. Avril Lavigne - Complicated

22. Sugababes - Angels With Dirty Faces :wub: Power Puff Girls. This song is amazing. I didn't realise it was from their first album though?

25. Elvis vs. JXL - A Little Less Conversation

27. Coldplay - In My Place

28. Kylie Minogue - In Your Eyes

29. Sugababes - Stronger

30. Nickelback - How You Remind Me

31. Nelly - Dilemma (feat. Kelly Rowland)

33. Vanessa Carlton - A Thousand Miles

35. S Club Juniors - Automatic High :yahoo: what a bloody bop although this does remain my least favourite SCJ single. I'll never forget the first time I heard One Step Closer though :heart:

37. Britney Spears - Boys (The Co-Ed Remix) (feat. Pharrell Williams)

38. No Doubt - Hey Baby

39. Oasis - Stop Crying Your Heart Out

 

Fantastic selection Jade x

Hey there James :hi: :heart:

 

Welcome to this thread *.* I am fond of 'Hole In The Head' too so watch this space for 2003! They had so many killer singles during the 2.0 line-up. Btw I meant that 'Angels With Dirty Faces' was from the first 2.0 line-up album, 'One Touch' of course being the debut album from Sugababes overall.

 

I'm sure you'd recognise 'Point of View' if you checked it out - the title isn't the most recognisable but the "aaaaaaah" during the chorus feels particularly standout I think.

 

'Can't Get You Out Of My Head' one of Kylie's worst? :o shame on you!! -_- :kink: glad we agree on 'Love At First Sight' though x

 

I love 'Sound of the Underground' also of course but agree that the accompanying album was underwhelming - thankfully they'd get much better on the albums front!

 

thank you for commenting <3

'Freak Like Me' what a mash-up this was from Sugababes, what a tune this is, great #1 Jade. 'Round Round' liked this as well. 'More Than A Woman' a great song from the much missed Aaliyah sounded brilliant and maybe in my view ahead of its time with some genius from Timbaland. 'Addicted To Bass' fantastic club track. Not familiar with 'Love Story ' sorry.

Well, there is now an I'm A Celeb void in my life, which means this will be continuing tonight as promised :cheer:

 

'Freak Like Me' what a mash-up this was from Sugababes, what a tune this is, great #1 Jade. 'Round Round' liked this as well. 'More Than A Woman' a great song from the much missed Aaliyah sounded brilliant and maybe in my view ahead of its time with some genius from Timbaland. 'Addicted To Bass' fantastic club track. Not familiar with 'Love Story ' sorry.

Hey there Mack :hi: :heart:

 

Glad you approve of all the ones you know and especially the #1 *.* a genius mash-up indeed, I'm a huge fan of Richard X. More of you are unfamiliar with 'Love Story' than I was expecting, despite its low peak! Well, I'd of course highly recommend ^_^

 

thank you for commenting <3

So now it's time to finally get into 2003! I felt that the colour of this year had to be a blazing orange due to the scorching summer it provided. I spent most of the year being just 5 years old, turning 6 in August, yet was still experiencing so much change. Another year meant another house move. I finished year 1 of school in Northampton, experienced the summer holidays, began year 2... then carried on this year at a different school in Bushey during the autumn and winter months. Already this was the FOURTH house I'd lived in! For now, we moved into a rented place - this was a bit of a disaster and the kitchen ceiling actually ended up falling down...! But aside from that, I was enjoying school and had a lot of friends at this point. I was academic but also a bit of a rascal and got in trouble a few times - this included announcing that my tamagotchi had a baby, during class, in earshot of my teacher. Tut tut! My musical memories are really forming now - while still in Northampton I would listen to S Club 8 with my neighbour, dance to Justin Timberlake with my cousin and blast out Busted's album in the comfort of my own room. Plus I was starting to watch the music channels for the first time! The aforementioned Timberlake album was one of the biggest selling of the year, alongside the likes of Dido and Christina Aguilera. The Black Eyed Peas had the best selling single of the year with the sentimental 'Where Is The Love?' but Gareth Gates wasn't too far behind with 'Spirit In The Sky', so reality TV mania clearly wasn't going anywhere for a while...

40. Dido - White Flag
(chart-run: 2-2-3-4-5-6-12-14-18-16-22-29-34)

39. Beyoncé - Crazy In Love (feat. Jay-Z)
(chart-run: 1-1-1-2-5-10-12-16-19-25-36-35-40-46-64)

38. Britney Spears - Me Against The Music (feat. Madonna)
(chart-run: 2-6-11-20-30-41-40-36-45-55-59-75)

37. Avril Lavigne - Losing Grip
(chart-run: 22-41-50-64-71-74R(2))

36. Jaimeson - True (feat. Angel Blu)
(chart-run: 4-9-14-19-25-34-42-53-58-69)



Kicking off 2003 is a single that already feels too low so that says it all about the quality of 2003. These are getting more competitive every year. I suppose it helps that I'm recognising a larger pool of songs each time as I grew up more as every year went by. But the quality really does hold its own too. 2 of my all-time favourite songs are unlucky enough to face competition from each other for this year, for example. English singer Dido is back now after an earlier appearance for Eminem's 'Stan'. She provided the chorus for that monster hit but is now standing tall on her own. 'White Flag' is about not wanting to give up on a relationship no matter how doomed it may be. The "I will go down with this ship..." lyric is particularly memorable and a stalwart in fandom culture. She wrote the song alongside older brother Rollo (from Faithless!) and Rick Nowells. The desperate, heartfelt lyrics in 'White Flag' are delivered just beautifully with Dido's wistful tone. The rich production compliments them well with several layers of ambience, from strings to soft electronic beats. The video, directed by Joseph Kahn, feels equally as dramatic as the whole experience is viewed through a rotated screen. We see Dido pining for an ex who still adorns her bedroom walls. This guy, played by David Boreanaz, appears to not notice her in various scenarios. However, the plot twist at the end is that he too still has various images of her. So this situation is more complicated than what meets the eye. 'White Flag' charted at a very respectable #2 here in the U.K. and was so unlucky to be up against the biggest selling single of the year - the aforementioned 'Where Is The Love?' by The Black Eyed Peas. I do remember 'White Flag' at the time and it's held up really well over the years. I didn't realise until now how successful it was on an international scale as it was also a top 20 hit on the Billboard Hot 100, wow! The song helped Dido to shift an eye-watering amount of copies of the accompanying album 'Life For Rent'. So, she may have missed out on this #1 single, but instead she bagged the #1 album of the entire year. She also won 'Best British Single' at the 2004 Brit Awards ceremony. Unfortunately Dido only had 3 top 40 hits left in her after this, with the last one being just the following year in 2004. But her album sales speak for themselves and her signature hits have stood the test of time.

Once again, #39 feels far too low for 'Crazy In Love' but that is the way the cookie has crumbled. I mistakenly presumed that this was Beyoncé's debut into the solo spotlight for years, but no, 'Work It Out' and '03 Bonnie & Clyde' got there first. However, 'Crazy In Love' was the lead single to be taken from her debut album 'Dangerously In Love', so in a way it was still a launch pad. It took some time for Bey to get to this point as her album was delayed several times. This was due to the unprecedented success of Nelly's 'Dilemma' in 2002, as this featured fellow Destiny's Child bandmate Kelly Rowland. Kelly's album was therefore bumped up in the schedule ahead of hers. But 2003 was all about Beyoncé now. 'Crazy In Love' was quickly a massive hit - spending an impressive 3 weeks at #1 here and a staggering 8 in the States. It has held up really well 17 (!) years later as a Beyoncé signature hit and a pop song that the critics go, er, crazy for. So what was all the fuss about? Well, 'Crazy In Love' is about a protagonist who is so romantically obsessed that it causes her to act out of character. Beyoncé plays up to this role perfectly with her confident and energetic delivery. The hooks here are ridiculously catchy - from the iconic "uh-oh, uh-oh, uh-oh, oh-no-no" refrain to the action-packed chorus. Husband Jay-Z slots in effortlessly too and their chemistry shines in the video especially. Unsurprisingly, "Starr like Ringo" is a line from his rap that I've always appreciated. The 'Crazy In Love' video is actually one of the earliest music videos I ever remember watching on the TV. I suppose Beyoncé is great at delivering striking visuals. This one involves a series of looks, dance routines, a mock photo-shoot and flames. She had really arrived properly as a solo artist with this whole package. Away from the vocals, 'Crazy In Love' has quite a retro feel to it thanks to the use of horns especially. They were certainly a bold move and one that Beyoncé herself was unsure about. But every element fell into place in the end and helped to cement Beyoncé as a future legend. I'm sure she will be sticking around for a while in this countdown as my favourite of hers wasn't released until the 2010s decade.

Now Britney continues to kill it as she's shown up in every single year of this countdown since 1999! She was lucky to make it this time as I've only developed a soft spot for 'Me Against The Music' in recent years. Eventually, the quick-fire verses became so irresistible that they shifted my entire perspective on the song. The rest soon followed. I can understand why this is largely forgotten and branded a disappointment. I mean, this collaboration wasn't Britney and just anyone... it was MADONNA, her first time ever as a credited feature. This was a big deal. Brit played her the song during rehearsals of the 2003 MTV Video Music Awards. She responded favourably to it so savvy Britney wasted no time in asking her to jump on it, then the rest was history. With a legend like Madonna on board - whose repertoire included defining pop songs such as 'Like A Prayer', 'Vogue' and 'Frozen' just to name a few, you'd expect only the best. Especially as Britney herself was churning out her fair share of pop smashes. This... just wasn't a pop classic. That would instead be follow-up single 'Toxic' - which was a baffling choice of 2nd single and actually took a decent amount of convincing to even be released! But, this still did fine here and could sell on name power alone. 'Me Against The Music' hit #2 in the United Kingdom, being blocked by Busted's 'Crashed The Wedding'. Its performance was a little disappointing in the States as it only reached #35, but she'd soon be back on form with the follow-up. 'Me Against The Music' is about letting go on the dance-floor and battling against the music - so I think the fast-paced delivery works so well with those themes. I also really enjoy the percussive elements to the production. The chorus isn't a Britney classic, but still good. Overall... it's a lot of fun and under-appreciated. The video feels quite iconic though - it acts as a cat-and-mouse tease between Britney and Madonna. Brit particularly shines as she attacks her dance moves as ever. Glee actresses Heather Morris and Naya Rivera recreated this video for the Season 2 episode 'Brittany/Britney', which was one of the most watched in the show's history, so introduced it to a whole new generation. I'm so excited that we've reached the 'In The Zone' era now as it's my favourite Britney album. More of that to come in 2004 with a certain 1-2 punch of follow-up #1 singles! What a hitmaker.

Next up we have the only song in this section that did not reach the top 10. In fact, it charted outside the top 20 too - at #22. But hey, it was released as late as the fourth single from a huge album. Avril Lavigne is back now to continue her 'Let Go' era into 2003. 'Losing Grip' is a real turning point on the record. Avril slips away from the more poppy leaning guitar music and instead enters this really interesting post-grunge sound. I love the intensity of the instrumentation as a result. It suits the words well as she's singing from a really emotional place, where her relationship is crumbling. She exclaims hard-hitting lyrics such as "why should I care? 'cause you weren't there when I was scared, I was so alone...". The song also really allows her to explore her vocal range. The middle 8 alone features a portion of distorted angsty vocals and softer, more vulnerable ones before launching into that final chorus. Incredible! It feels decidedly less commercial than its preceding singles but is still unmistakably an Avril song. Fun fact, Billie Eilish once said that 'Losing Grip' is her favourite ever Avril song and that it was a huge part of her childhood, so hopefully that quote introduced it to some new fans. 'Losing Grip' was actually not an immediate highlight for me from 'Let Go', I always thought of it as the weak link of the singles, but it's really crept up on me over the years. I know Avril was only 17 herself when she was singing this, but I was barely 10 when getting into her music, so maybe it was all a bit too much for me to properly connect with at the time. I definitely get where she's coming from now as a somewhat mature individual and I appreciate this general sound more these days. The music video for 'Losing Grip' isn't a particularly exciting one - it's Avril playing to a crowd basically. The most interesting part of it is her crowd surfing. I suppose such a simplistic video allows the viewer to really focus on the words. That was another trip to the 'Let Go' era following 'Complicated' and 'Sk8er Boi' in 2002... but that is not all yet, we still have one more stop to take before 2003 is done! Stick around to find out where that song places too.

Rounding off this section is a song that doesn't currently have a music video on YouTube! So that's pretty boring for the embed. Well, no worries, we shall let the song do the talking and it's an absolute TUNE! Jaimeson is a British producer, who also provides a rap for this song, then Angel Blu is the female vocalist. The two come together for a stomping UK Garage single. I did not discover this until I listened to a copy of Now! That's What I Call Music 54, years after it came out. It proved to be very instant and went on my iPod that same day. Both Jaimeson and Angel fiercely take on their verses but the latter adopts more of a soft direction when the lyrics become a bit more vulnerable. She is into a guy and lays her feelings out on the table - but what will he provide in return? Will he be true to her? The question is never really answered as Jaimeson's parts are just hyping the track up really. He's definitely acting more like a DJ than a love interest here. Away from the chorus, I enjoy how many game references there are - I spy "domino", "dice" and "snakes and ladders", so that's a pretty fun way of illustrating the chase. Ultimately it's a thrilling dance effort and you can't really go wrong with UK Garage production. Especially when it has a thumping drop and sparkly nuances elsewhere. This did very well for Jaimeson as it hit #4 in the chart and lives on as a bit of a Kisstory favourite. This wasn't the end of the road for him though as he satisfyingly followed up 'True' with another #4 hit called 'Complete', with a softer production style on the whole and a different vocalist named Xara. He brought Angel Blu back for a third and final crack at the top 20 with 'Take Control' - this one hit #16. He has not returned to the chart since 2004.

Ooft. White Flag :wub: One of the best songs of all time IMO, although I really don't like the video, it's very very of is time I feel.

Me against the music :o Madonna really was a massive for e to be reckoned with at this point!

 

Nice picks!

I enjoy all of that top 5 from 2002, Love Story is a great track which I only discovered in recent years too, Addicted To Bass I've known and loved for many years.

From 2003 so far my fave of that lot would have to be White Flag, one of the very few Dido songs I like. Crazy In Love is rather good too although overplayed.

Sorry it's been a little while since I last commented here! 2003 is off to a great start with 'White Flag' and 'Crazy In Love' <3 and I have a feeling the Jaimeson one is one that was at a Now! session and I was a fan of it iirc? I'm much more familiar with 'Complete' due to it being sent to BJSC though. But still, basically any retro UK garage hit is probably getting a thumbs up from me x

 

'Star Guitar', 'Kiss Kiss', 'Lose Yourself', 'Just Like A Pill', 'The Scientist', 'Whenever, Wherever' and 'Something' are my faves from the 2002 sections that I didn't reply to yet!

Ooft. White Flag :wub: One of the best songs of all time IMO, although I really don't like the video, it's very very of is time I feel.

Me against the music :o Madonna really was a massive for e to be reckoned with at this point!

 

Nice picks!

Hey there James :hi: :heart:

 

Oh wow, I had no idea that you held 'White Flag' in such high regard! Well, minus the video :lol:

 

Yeah I was too young to remember 'Me Against The Music' coming out but it must've been such a big deal as Madonna's first credited feature! What a legend.

 

thank you for commenting <3

 

I enjoy all of that top 5 from 2002, Love Story is a great track which I only discovered in recent years too, Addicted To Bass I've known and loved for many years.

From 2003 so far my fave of that lot would have to be White Flag, one of the very few Dido songs I like. Crazy In Love is rather good too although overplayed.

Hey there Dan :hi: :heart:

 

Pleased about that top 5 clean sweep and especially some appreciation for 'Love Story'! I'm the same with 'Addicted To Bass' - was too young to remember it when it was released but growing up with noughties Now albums helped a lot. 'White Flag' seems to be really appreciated on BuzzJack in general which is great to see. I do agree that 'Crazy In Love' is pretty overplayed, I remember going through a phase where I was a bit sick of it but thankfully that is not the case these days.

 

thank you for commenting <3

 

Sorry it's been a little while since I last commented here! 2003 is off to a great start with 'White Flag' and 'Crazy In Love' <3 and I have a feeling the Jaimeson one is one that was at a Now! session and I was a fan of it iirc? I'm much more familiar with 'Complete' due to it being sent to BJSC though. But still, basically any retro UK garage hit is probably getting a thumbs up from me x

 

'Star Guitar', 'Kiss Kiss', 'Lose Yourself', 'Just Like A Pill', 'The Scientist', 'Whenever, Wherever' and 'Something' are my faves from the 2002 sections that I didn't reply to yet!

Hey there Bray :hi: :heart:

 

No worries, I appreciate you taking the time to comment no matter what the frequency between each one is. Glad that 2003 is off to a good start for you and eagerly anticipate future opinions! Oh yes of course 'True' would've been played at a Now plug session :o my mind has gone a bit fuzzy here but I can't imagine you disliking it, so I'm sure that was the case. Of course 'Complete' was sent to BJSC! Before my time when a noughties top 5 hit would've been allowed :lol:

 

The Jadakissnia impact of both 'Kiss Kiss' and 'Something' in that list of favourites *.*

 

thank you for commenting <3

40. Dido - White Flag

(chart-run: 2-2-3-4-5-6-12-14-18-16-22-29-34)

 

39. Beyoncé - Crazy In Love (feat. Jay-Z)

(chart-run: 1-1-1-2-5-10-12-16-19-25-36-35-40-46-64)

 

38. Britney Spears - Me Against The Music (feat. Madonna)

(chart-run: 2-6-11-20-30-41-40-36-45-55-59-75)

 

37. Avril Lavigne - Losing Grip

(chart-run: 22-41-50-64-71-74R(2))

 

Those four there are like perfect more or less.

 

White Flag, I think was my favourite song of the 00's. Dido has a gorgeous voice but I really wish she would appear with some more music :(

New section coming tonight :cheer: getting back into the groove of this yay.

 

40. Dido - White Flag

(chart-run: 2-2-3-4-5-6-12-14-18-16-22-29-34)

 

39. Beyoncé - Crazy In Love (feat. Jay-Z)

(chart-run: 1-1-1-2-5-10-12-16-19-25-36-35-40-46-64)

 

38. Britney Spears - Me Against The Music (feat. Madonna)

(chart-run: 2-6-11-20-30-41-40-36-45-55-59-75)

 

37. Avril Lavigne - Losing Grip

(chart-run: 22-41-50-64-71-74R(2))

 

Those four there are like perfect more or less.

 

White Flag, I think was my favourite song of the 00's. Dido has a gorgeous voice but I really wish she would appear with some more music :(

Oh wow such high praise :wub: a very female pop heavy start to this year! I agree that Dido's voice sounds amazing on it.

White Flag has grown on me a lot over the years, certainly brings back the nostalgia! Giving the Jaimeson one a listen now, don't think I've heard it before but this style of music really takes me back to the days of listening to music on my iPod and buying cheap compilation CDs from Sainsburys - feels like an age ago now.

^ great to hear that 'White Flag' has proven to be a grower and I'm living for the mental images that 'True' conjures up for you :lol: simpler times!

 

 

35. S Club 8 - Sundown

(chart-run: 4-8-14-23-29-43-50-67-65-74)

 

34. Blu Cantrell - Breathe (feat. Sean Paul)

(chart-run: 1-1-1-1-2-5-7-12-12-11-13-18-25-32-38-49-68-69)

 

33. Moloko - Forever More

(chart-run: 17-30-47-73)

 

32. VBirds - Virtuality

(chart-run: 21-32-46)

 

31. The White Stripes - Seven Nation Army

(chart-run: 7-14-34-58-74R(213)-71R(258))

 

 

Well I've certainly just jumped straight into a time machine back to 2003 after re-watching the video for my #35 pick. Not only is the YouTube upload for 'Sundown' a potato quality rip from The Box but also has a "meet Gareth Gates" competition in the top right corner. Incredible. S Club Juniors had now evolved into S Club 8 for their second studio album as a reflection of their more mature, developing sound. These kids were still only about 14 years old but they were definitely growing up quickly compared to that debut 'One Step Closer' music video. A lot of my appreciation for 'Sundown' is rooted in childhood memories as I was their exact target audience at the time of release. It was my next door neighbour Sophie's favourite song at some point in 2003 and we used to play the Sims at hers and blast it in the background on repeat. Her adoration of it rubbed off on me and it never really went away. I may be a 23-year-old woman now but I maintain that this is a great pop song. Both this and 'Fool No More' from their sophomore album are fabulous but I sadly did not have enough room in this top 40 for the latter. 'Sundown' is an earworm about love and that euphoric Friday night feeling. You could argue that some of the lyrical themes are a bit mature for these teens (such as partying) but it's hardly anything controversial. Stacey takes the lead on this one but both Frankie and Calvin make vocal appearances too. It can be easy to fob off teen vocals as 'annoying' but they sound fine - Stacey in particular has quite a soulful voice. The production is a huge selling point too as it has quite a funky disco-pop sound to it. The music video features the eight singers engaging in very cheesy dance moves on what appears to be the roof of a building. I mean, the song is quite cheesy too, but it's all good fun and never fails to put a smile on my face. S Club 8 developed really well from their first to second album so it's a shame that they'd call it a day soon after. The next move was Calvin and Frankie releasing a single together. Then Frankie and Rochelle would eventually end up in a certain girlband who we may hear from later in the decade. 'Sundown' was the group's last top 10 hit as their final bow 'Don't Tell Me You're Sorry' stalled at #11. Both 'Sundown and 'Fool No More' hit #4 in 2003. Their consistency was impressive as the S Club Juniors era spawned three consecutive #2 positions!

 

Next up we have one of the biggest hits of the year! I wrongly assumed that this was Blu Cantrell's debut for years and was surprised to discover that she'd already had a hit single in 2001 named 'Hit 'Em Up Style (Oops!)'. 'Breathe' was instead released as the lead from her sophomore album 'Bittersweet' in remix form. Sean Paul hopped on this while at a similar stage of his career - as his breakthrough hit 'Gimme The Light' had only occurred the year before. 'Breathe' samples the instrumental of 'What's the Difference' by Dr. Dre featuring Eminem and Xzibit, which in turn samples 'Parce Que Tu Crois' by Charles Aznavou - dating all the way back to 1966. So this production has a really old-school R&B feel with the bold brass from the original and hip-hop sensibilities of the Dr Dre song. It sounds massive already before we've even got to the vocals. Indeed the U.K. latched on to this in a big way as it charted on import sales alone! It then spent 4 weeks at #1 when officially released during that summer - a great birthday chart topper for me that year. Sadly it failed to catch on properly in the United States and stalled at #70. 'Breathe' is about a pretty tumultuous sounding relationship with plenty of make-ups and break-ups. The narrator, Blu Cantrell, is frustrated by her partner, Sean Paul, and wants to call time on their relationship due to this. However, Paul shuts down the accusations flying at him and protests his innocence and love for her. So such a fiery, passionate situation results in an equally exciting toe-tapper. Blu Cantrell has some serious pipes on her and provides a particularly engaging bridge, with Sean Paul's chorus response being every bit as melodic. These two really worked some magic here. I'm listening to this on Spotify right now and thankfully the credits aren't as messy as they once were - something to the effect of 'Breathe (feat. Sean Paul, Sean Paul & Sean Paul)'!! This was the case on YouTube too once upon a time but not nowadays. Curiously, Wikipedia states that the music video is blocked in the United States. Blu and Sean have great chemistry in the video which sells the song even more. Blu's looks are quintessentially 00s - especially with those shades and even a denim cap. Her eyes are a dazzling shade of blue to match the back-drop. Sadly her chart career would extend to just one further top 40 hit but Sean Paul is still charting as recently as 2019!

 

At #33 we have the return of Moloko! 'Forever More' wasn't a big enough hit for me to have come across it at the time - peaking at #17 and dropping out of the top 40 just 2 weeks later. I'm pretty sure it was also never included on a Now! That's What I Call Music album either. Therefore I wouldn't discover this until it was sent to the BuzzJack Song Contest! So thanks to John aka popchartfreak and his Singerpurear nation in the contest for submitting it. I remember quite liking it the first time and then it grew in a big way with every further listen. It would remain an under-appreciated gem for a little bit longer as it did not qualify for the contest's final, but did get a "top of the flops" redemption arc in the BJSC Rejects competition at least. 'Forever More' has this insanely hypnotic wobbly electronic production style which really helped me fall in love with it. The drums and horns are also very welcome additions. The lyrical content seems to be about loneliness but taking this hang-up and moving forward (..."don't want to see me crying, just want to see me flying"). So really it seems to be designed as an uplifting, entrancing dancefloor moment. The music video is seriously cool as well. It features singer Róisín Murphy busting out some effortless choreography in a tunnel as a swarm of people build up around her throughout and join in. The back-up dancers were added in at a later date and are purposely out of time in places, adding to the casual amateurish effect. The sound quality of the video isn't brilliant but thankfully I can listen to the full 7 minutes of glory on Spotify. 'Forever More' was released as the second single from the group's fourth album 'Statues'. This would be Moloko's final dent on the top 40 chart as this was their last album. What a song to go out on a high with!

 

Oh my... #32... time for the biggest NOSTALGIA KLAXON so far *.* now this one well and truly takes me back to my childhood. I spent many hours after school watching Cartoon Network with my brother. VBirds were a virtual girl-band created as a promotional tool to keep children engaged during ad breaks on the channel. It certainly worked as I am still fond of their one charting single all of these years later! We were robbed of proper VBirds content as all that exists are 6 one minute episodes that were shown in amongst long-form programming. 'Virtuality' (and the almost-as-boppy B-Side 'Dance With Me') was released as a single and managed a #21 peak despite the girls not actually having a proper show. Their impact! I remember the 6 minutes of footage all being squeezed together and lumped on to the PowerPuff Girls Movie VHS. The virtual group consists of members Boom, Wow, Bling and D:Lin who were colourful, out-of-this-world characters that could easily appeal to kids. The premise of the limited VBirds story is the girls being exiled from Planet V, shrunk down in size and put into a dance machine that is sent to Earth. 'Virtuality' got its own music video that is actually up on YouTube in full HD glory! The song has a surprisingly impressive fat dance beat and is full of positive, empowering girl power lyrics. They were interviewed on SMTV and compared their output to Destiny's Child, Mis-teeq and Sugababes. I mean, an SMTV slot, an actual charting single, PowerPuff Girls Movie promo... and we only got 6 minutes of content?! This is the show that I was always truly deprived of. But at least their music still exists on YouTube. 'Virtuality' is sadly not on Spotify but maybe one for Pop Music Activism to look into. What can I say, this is an utter bundle of joy that takes me back to much simpler times.

 

Wow, transitioning from 'Virtuality' to 'Seven Nation Army' just now was quite the listening experience *.* today I round off this section with something truly epic. This is the song that really put The White Stripes on the map. 'Seven Nation Army' was their first top 10 hit and thankfully the 2012 version by X Factor runner-up Marcus Collins didn't quite eclipse it, as that charted at #9 while the original achieved #7. The track opens with a menacing riff that is instantly recognisable. A cool fact about this is that Jack White originally created this riff with the James Bond franchise in mind. He soon incorporated it into a White Stripes song after realising that his chances of ever being asked to create a Bond theme were slim. However, five years later he would write and perform 'Another Way To Die' with Alicia Keys for the films! What a success story. 'Seven Nation Army' could've been a great fit for Bond as the production throughout feels like a constant stream of urgency, perfect for an action-packed movie. Jack White's vocals are focused and pleasingly distorted. The subject matter is about gossip, White specifically said: "It's about me, Meg and the people we're dating." - Meg of course being the other member of the group until their split in 2011. The gossip in question leads the protagonist to leave town, only to return due to a feeling of loneliness. So it feels like a mix of raw emotions that are being captured as The White Stripes were dealing with a rise to fame. The song is delivered in such a determined way with lyrics that immediately include "I'm gonna fight 'em off, a seven nation army couldn't hold me back". These words, coupled with that famous riff and charging accompanying production, truly makes you feel like you can take on the world. A song to get you pumped for sure. It has transcended the world of music and has become an essential part of the sporting world (I can tell you off the top of my head that my QPR supporting household definitely chanted "ohhhh, Bobby Zamora" on several occasions in the past!!) and even soundtracked politics - including the lead up to the 2017 General Election, plus a pro-Donald Trump campaign video for the 2016 U.S. election, much to the disdain of the band members! Away from images of sporting events and politicians - the actual visuals for the song are simple but engaging, as we see alternating band members in the midst of continuous triangular shots, with the speed of the triangles determined by the dynamics of the song. There are also skeletons and elephants thrown in for good measure - the latter an homage to the 'Elephant' album that 'Seven Nation Army' is taken from. What an anthem to end today's section on. Well, today was a wild ride - teen dance-pop, male/female R&B, flat-out electronica, Cartoon Network pop and garage rock!

Omg Jade! SUNDOWN :cheeseblock:

 

Fun fact. I had every single CD & every album CD and of course my infatuation with The Saturdays stemmed frommthe fact that Frankie was also in S Club 8. I remember vividly, (at this point I stayed with my mum, sisters and brothers) that I'd played the sundown album so many times in my bedroom that my brother had had enough and snapped my CD :lol: the birth of S Club Juniors coincided with the start of of my own infatuation with the charts back then as well. A great pick and I'm so glad to see it here.

Omg Jade! SUNDOWN :cheeseblock:

 

Fun fact. I had every single CD & every album CD and of course my infatuation with The Saturdays stemmed frommthe fact that Frankie was also in S Club 8. I remember vividly, (at this point I stayed with my mum, sisters and brothers) that I'd played the sundown album so many times in my bedroom that my brother had had enough and snapped my CD :lol: the birth of S Club Juniors coincided with the start of of my own infatuation with the charts back then as well. A great pick and I'm so glad to see it here.

OMG that is brilliant :rofl: I can't imagine how annoyed you must've been at your brother!! I remember you being a hardcore Saturdays stan on here back in the day but I had no idea that it stretched back to the S Club 8 days *.* I'll always have time for 'Sundown', 'Fool No More' and 'Automatic High' from them especially :heart:

OMG that is brilliant :rofl: I can't imagine how annoyed you must've been at your brother!! I remember you being a hardcore Saturdays stan on here back in the day but I had no idea that it stretched back to the S Club 8 days *.* I'll always have time for 'Sundown', 'Fool No More' and 'Automatic High' from them especially :heart:

 

Oh yeah all the waaaaay back. The first time I heard One Step Closer I was in the car with my dad and I remember hearing it on the radio but never caught the name and I was so annoyed because I thought the song was so catchy. Caught it on a music channel about a week later. Oh those were the days!

Fool No More of course was an absolute bop! Loved it so much as well.

I have been following this but it'll look pretty spammy if I posted my favourites from your top 40's per year but I'm glad to see 'Muder On The Dancefloor', 'Pure Shores', 'Love At First Sight', 'White Flag', 'Automatic High' among many many other tunes inside your top 5, 10, 40 etc. All classics imo. 'Automatic High' I've been listening to on Spotify this year and was in my top 60 songs of the year haha *.* also own the single AND album :kink: too along with Sophie's album. Read My Lips is a superb album that I haven't hunted out in like forever. Might give it a listen some when.

 

This is a such a big task to do so kudos to you Jade on so much hard work. Your detailed commentary is fab stuff. Love how much analysis there Is about the artists /songs as well. Certainly keeps the reader engaged!

Edited December 17, 20204 yr by Rob S Claus

'Seven Nation Army' the ultimate anthem at sports stadiums across the world. I know this from a darts player called Michael van Gerwen who uses this as his walk-on music.

 

S Club 8- I do wonder what the other members of them, there were good at the time. 'Breathe' up there with my favourite songs of 2003 the ultimate R&B anthem for me. 'Forever More' sounding great. vbirds 'Virtuality' this is all right, never heard this before.

 

 

40-36 all perfect but especially 'Crazy In Love' <3 hope to see 'I'm With You' make an appearance in this countdown.

Hey Jade! :)

 

Awww those 5 to 6-year-old memories, sweet :) My equivalent would be getting obsessed by pop ditty Bobby's Girl, a new scary TV show called Doctor Who and Pop Music TV shows/pop stars, and comics. Moving house each year was also the norm for me. Until I was into my 20's :lol:

 

Wham bam! 2 classics right off the bat! The gorgeous White Flag was my 8th track of 2003, and the uplifting gem Crazy In Love my 4th. Still both gems, and lately listening to the Chi-Lites original of that sample for Beyonce, it's very weird hearing it and then an entirely different song coming after it :lol: Good though.

 

Britney & Madonna underwhelmed me at the time, peaking at 47 in my charts, but both would be bouncing back with classic chart-toppers, so it all balances out. Losing Grip managed one lonely week at 75 for me, oops, and True managed 56 for 2 weeks. I don't remember either of them at all, as I have never reviewed 2003 so it's been 17 years for me! :o

 

Batch 2, though, I'm overjoyed to see Moloko in there, so glad you like it that much - one of my all-time fave dance bangers. As you say, that hypnotic backdrop is just to die for, and I spent many times grooving in my bedroom along to it at full-blast, wishing I could dance like Roisin does in the video. I danced along to loud music until mum and dad were too fragile to cope with it about ten years ago. I miss it! My 10th fave at the time, but my BJSC boosted it back into my charts, and it's currently the top-rated track of 2003 including re-entries.

 

Sundown peaked at 30 in my charts, pretty good considering they were basically aimed at pre-teens, Breathe was fab, I got very pissed off with Radio 1 at the time - commercial radio basically played this one and Radio 1 ignored it, no playlisting even while topping the chart for weeks. I couldnt understand why, as it wasn't in any way too-old-fashioned, they just didn't like it! 26th of 2003 and peaked at 2. V-Birds? No memory of this, and I didn't chart it!

 

Which brings to White Stripes. 7 Nation Army is brilliant - but it only peaked at 20 and ended 2003 in the 150-170 bracket. It's one of those "I under-appreciated at the time" tracks for me, deserved top 10 easily, and prob top 5.

 

So, 30% of my top 10 already featured. I would imagine 2 more are certs and the others you don't know :D

Seven Nation Army is an interesting one, I don't think I heard it too much growing up (I remember my dad playing the first few lines of it in a quiz when I was areound 8 and me thinking it was SexyBack by Justin Timberlake :blush:) but it is quite a nice song. Breathe is one I'd never heard until around 2014 on 4Music and the Sean Paul fan I was at the time very much liked it!