Wowww thanks for the massive round of comments again! 2004 kicking off in a week, just putting together the list tonight ^_^

 

That top 3 is all good imo. The video to 'Hey Ya' is so funny :lol: and is quite a nice change of pace for Outkast after 'Ms Jackson'. I honestly thought they'd be one hit wonders after that song so good to know they weren't really. 'Move Your Feet' brings back those dance mat memories (the nostalgia *.*) and 'Slow' seems to be not as remembered much these days but I always quite liked it.

 

'Hole In My Head' would be amongst my top 5 Sugababes songs. What a sassy banger :wub: 'I'm With You' is lovely too. It's definitely one of her best for me and the video is simple but does the job. 'Scandalous' also great too. Another sassy girl group single. Shame they faded out so quickly though.

 

Unpopular opinion though.. I never liked the Rachel Stevens track oops. Can't put my finger on why because the production is solid but I think it just didn't impress me much overall. Probably that I didn't rate her as a solo singer might be a reason too :kink: 'More More More' was decent though.

Hey there Rob :hi: :heart:

 

Glad you approve of the entire top 3! Yeah the 'Hey Ya!' video is so brilliant :lol: this is very true, with 'Ms. Jackson' all smooth and chilled out and then this song being the massive ball of energy that it is. Thank goodness they weren't one hit wonders! More great songs from them to come in 2004 too - they were on fire *.* haaaa love that 'Move Your Feet' nostalgia for you too <3 such a shame that 'Slow' has quietly been a forgotten #1, well minus the video I guess, it's so mesmerising <3

 

Ooh I'm pleased that you rate 'Hole In The Head' to that extent, would be in my Sugababes top 5 too :wub: when I think of 'I'm With You' I definitely picture Avril walking dramatically in front of a dark background so the video clearly did its job haha. 'Scandalous' <3 I know right?! I was shocked that they had so little singles after it :o

 

Aw shame that you could never get into the Rachel song! I suppose that just sometimes happens, there are probably 2003 songs that people are surprised aren't here based on my taste, like 'All The Things She Said', but yeah I guess we all have those exceptions.

 

thank you for commenting <3

 

I do like Hey Ya! by OutKast but it doesn't make it into my top 20 for the year. Move Your Feet is really infectious and I have to include it along with a few others that you have in your top 40. So here are my top 20 chart hits for 2003:

 

1. Syntax - Pray

2. t.A.T.u. - Not Gonna Get Us

3. t.A.T.u. - All The Things She Said

4. Lost Brothers featuring G Tom Mac - Cry Little Sister (I Need You Now)

5. Jurgen Vries featuring CMC - The Opera Song (Brave New World)

6. UNKLE - Eye For An Eye

7. Goldfrapp - Strict Machine

8. Muse - Hysteria

9. Royksopp - Eple

10. Tomcraft - Loneliness

11. Underworld - Dinosaur Adventure 3D

12. Massive Attack - Special Cases

13. Muse - Time Is Running Out

14. Radiohead - There There

15. Johnny Cash - Hurt/Personal Jesus

16. Elbow - Fallen Angel

17. No Doubt - It's My Life

18. Junior Senior - Move Your Feet

19. Will Young - Leave Right Now

20. Dave Gahan - Dirty Sticky Floors

Hey there Rollo :hi: :heart:

 

Aw, well I'm glad that you at least like 'Hey Ya!' too even if there wasn't quite room in your top 20 for it. I'll take 'Move Your Feet' sneaking in there though *.*

 

'The Opera Song (Brave New World)', 'Special Cases', 'It's My Life' and 'Leave Right Now' are all really good too - Massive Attack came really close to making mine.

 

There are some I don't know - I think it's going to be like this for a few more years until I was a little bit older and religiously following the chart!

 

thank you for commenting <3

 

Great top 2, Hey Ya is such a classic of its genre, even as a kid at the time, I was at least aware of it. Move Your Feet is definitely one of my all time favourites, truly the song equivalent of joy :wub: Cry Me a River is great too, can never decide if that, Rock Your Body, Sexyback or Mirrors is my favourite but they're all top class tunes.

 

My rough top 10 for the year:

 

01. Johnny Cash - Hurt

02. Muse - Hysteria

03. Junior Senior - Move Your Feet

04. Linkin Park - Numb

05. Coldplay - Clocks

06. The Darkness - I Believe in a Thing Called Love

07. Evanescence - Bring Me to Life

08. XTM & DJ Chucky - Fly On The Wings of Love

09. Sean Paul - Get Busy

10. Lemon Jelly - Nice Weather for Ducks

 

and Christina Aguilera - Beautiful, No Doubt - It's My Life, Royksopp - Eple, White Stripes - Seven Nation Army, Beyonce - Crazy in Love, t.A.T.u - All the Things She Said close behind, argh what a year. Johnny Cash's incredible cover of Hurt and some of Muse's best material took centre stage for me in this year. I don't know if you're familiar with XTM, feels like the kind of forgotten top 10 hit you would be aware of, but it's kinda awesome!

 

2004 was certainly not as good, but a fair few favourites, after that though, you're getting into my favourite period of music in my lifetime *.*

Hey there Chez :hi: :heart:

 

I knew that you loved 'Move Your Feet' too (rightly so *.* a total joy as you say) but wasn't sure about your opinion on 'Hey Ya!', so hooray, taste once more! JT has really built up a great singles back catalogue over the years - any of those you mention would be a great choice of favourite.

 

Fab list of songs and honourable mentions. I am aware of 'Fly On The Wings of Love' and do like it, but yeah, just didn't have enough room :'( that Lemon Jelly song too *.*

 

Yay, for 2005 I can already think of a few massive favourites off the top of my head!

 

thank you for commenting <3

 

3 of my picks in the top 5, not bad! :lol:

 

Cry Me A River topped my chart during one of the worst episodes of my life, so I can't look beyond that, but it was everything you say about it. I still prefer t.A.T.u though, that's my 3rd top single of the year, so exciting! Justin was 5th.

 

Gotta say I don't remember the tune for Husan - though it made my top 100 of the year, and went top 10 :o - but I do remember Mundian Te Bach Ke which peaked at 39 in my charts! So I agree you, it needs more love (from me as well soon as I next play it!). Asian music generally creates feelings of nostalgia for me (of being 11 to 13) as Singapore was a right old melting pot culturally. I was big into a more world-music vibe in the early 90's, Bally Sagoo's album was a goodie, especially Dil Cheez.

 

We differ a bit on Slow! :o :o It was her lowest-charting track for me (17) since Manic Street Preachers-donated Some Kind Of Bliss peaked at 20 in 1997. But it had a long run, being a slow burner, arf, and only just missed out on the year end top 50, bigger than Spinnin' Around and On A Night Like This a couple of years earlier.

Top 2 are flawless party records. The Junior Senior haters are clearly fun-haters! :lol: Infectious and perfectly-formed. Hey Ya is just brilliant in a pub or club played loud, also loved the videos for both too, and I was errr 45, hah! I'm still 5 at heart... :P A great record is a great record, I say!

 

Of the suggestions, a big yes to Johnny cash's Hurt, a masterpiece!

 

My top 20 of the time (my tastes change all the time):

 

1. Can't make Up My Mind - Sonique

2. Miracles - Pet Shop Boys

3. All The Things She Said - t.A.T.u

4. Crazy In Love - Beyonce/Jay-Zee

5. Cry Me A River - Justin Timberlake (snap!)

6. How Did You Know - Kurtis Mantronix/Chamonix

7. On The Horizon - melanie C

8. White Flag - Dido

9. Good Dancers - The Sleepy Jackson aka part-Empire Of The Sun

10. Forever More - Moloko

 

11. Hey Ya - Outkast

12. Superstar - Jamelia

13. Sunrise - Simply Red

14. Move Your Feet - Junior Senior

15. Thugz Mansion - 2-Pac

16. Summer Wine - The Corrs & Bono

17. Good Boys - Blondie

18. Get It Together - Seal

19. Hurt - Johnny Cash

20. Thank You Baby - Shania Twain

with Evanescence, Electric Six, Justin T just missing out among many other fabulous tracks lower down. Some of those listed won;t be known cos they werent hits, but are well-worth checking out - I'm much more loyal to older acts than the charts are! :)

Hey there John :hi: :heart:

 

Sorry to hear about the low points you've been through. But God bless music for being a happier topic to talk about <3 love that 'Cry Me A River' was in exactly the same position in our rankings, wow *.* Poor forgotten 'Husan' - my commentary feels validated now after you confirming that :lol: Glad that you have such positive words to say about my top 2, that seems to be the case in general in this thread so far, Junior Senior haters stay away :kink: from your list I do particularly like 'Superstar' as well, good fun!

 

thank you for commenting <3

 

Stellar Top 2 there! Hey Ya is obviously a classic but Move Your Feet is the one that brings back more childhood memories for me, a brilliant track.

Hey there Pete :hi: :heart:

 

Yay, glad you like both! Can definitely relate to your feelings of nostalgia for 'Move Your Feet', particularly combined with the video *.*

 

thank you for commenting <3

 

Hey Ya is a great pick for #1, one of the few songs of that year that have really been remembered in a big way and a standout of its genre.

Move Your Feet was a big fave for me when I was a child too, I'm not as fond of it now but it's a good song for nostalgia every now and then.

Loneliness is my fave of that top 10 though, a great trance classic!

Hey there Dan :hi: :heart:

 

Why thank you *.* for sure, it has definitely gone down as a modern classic! Hopefully that standout status will continue for many years to come.

 

Ha 'Move Your Feet' seems to really be bringing back childhood memories for people here! Shame that it's not quite held up so well for you over the years but tbh that's the case for me with a good chunk of 00s songs too - I suspect this list would've looked a bit different even just 5 years ago!

 

Yesssss 'Loneliness' one of the high up dance representatives here - so good :heart:

 

thank you for commenting <3

 

Love the #1 there. :heart: It was my obsession with 'Hey Ya' that prompted my Dad to buy me Speakerboxxx/The Love Below as my first ever album. I think I probably didn't appreciate a 2 hour experimental Hip-Hop album that much at the time but I've grown to absolutely adore it. Especially Big Boi's side of the album.

 

Sweet Dreams My LA Ex would be my next favourite in your top 10. I can't say I've particularly enjoyed any of S Club or Rachel Stevens other music but I've always loved that one.

 

My other faves from your 2003 list would be Year 300, Get Busy, Numb, Rock Your Body & Barcelona.

Hey there Lewis :hi: :heart:

 

So pleased that you're so enthusiastic about 'Hey Ya!' too *.* oh wow haha, a nice gesture from your dad back in the day! Lmao :kink: I haven't heard the album in so long, will have to revisit it in the coming weeks as it's great indeed.

 

I definitely would've imagined that you were into 'Hey Ya!' but not so much 'Sweet Dreams My LA Ex' for some reason, well, I'm glad to be pleasantly surprised there then! *.*

 

thank you for commenting <3

 

That Top 5, wow!

 

'Cry Me A Rover' a classic from Justin Timberlake. I thought when I was younger when Timbaland says 'the damage is done, I guess I'll be leaving ' it was 'cabbages, I guess I'll be leaving'. Easily.in my Top 3 of Justin Timberlake songs there.

 

'Husan ' yes!!,.this is such a tune, never tire of this for sure. 'Slow' by Kylie, a great music video choreographed well. 'Move Your Feet another big favourite for.me and wouldn't tire of this, I know their other.hit.'Rhythm Bandits ' as it was in the soundtrack for FIFA 2004. 'Hey Ya' it is a great pick for.#1, and that chart run was quite remarkable at the time.

Hey there Mack :hi: :heart:

 

I howled at your "cabbage" mishearing omg :rofl: that's brilliant haha. Glad you regard it so highly too - would definitely also be in my JT top 3.

 

Ooooooh glad to have some love for 'Husan' in here, yesss!! The 'Slow' music video has gotta be one of my favourites from Kylie, it's executed so well. Pleased that 'Move Your Feet' has held up well for you too, I could never tire of it *.* oh wow - that FIFA impact! Yeah I'm blown away by that 'Hey Ya!' chart run even now :o

 

thank you for commenting <3

 

Hello, Jade! Congrats on finishing another year! Let's have a look:

 

01. OutKast - Hey Ya! Okay, if anything has to beat 'Move Your Feet' here, it really could only be this song! I love how it followed no trends whatsoever, was just as catchy as could possibly be and they absolutely nailed it! Honestly it hasn't aged a day in 17 years. I hope Outkast appears at least once on your 2004 list!

02. Junior Senior - Move Your Feet Two irresistible tunes in a row :wub:

05. Justin Timberlake - Cry Me A River

06. Sugababes - Hole In The Head This completely passed me by at the time despite its brief chart appearance in the US. Unfortunately, not one of my faves of theirs, so I don't feel like I missed out.

07. Mis-Teeq - Scandalous Now this, on the other hand, did not pass me by...you say it could've been a US smash in the hands of Destiny's Child, but it actually was a respectable top 40 hit here! :o That said, I've never heard any other Mis-Teeq songs

08. Tomcraft - Loneliness

09. Avril Lavigne - I'm With You Interesting to think this could've been released earlier due to its hit potential. Personally I think they got the order of singles completely right for Avril's debut era! Can't imagine it doing as well if it was the first or second single.

14. Coldplay - Clocks

15. Sean Paul - Get Busy

16. Linkin Park - Numb

18. Justin Timberlake - Rock Your Body

19. Sugababes - Too Lost In You

20. Missy Elliott - Pass That Dutch

21. The Black Eyed Peas - Shut Up

22. Evanescence - Bring Me To Life

25. t.A.T.u. - Not Gonna Get Us The t.A.T.u. album is a big, big, big fave of mine so I'm pleased to see either of its singles here. I agree that the breakbeat is amazing on this! I do wish they had more hits since we were getting such interesting production from them. Also, I'm amazed at how well their songs translated from Russian to English.

26. Evanescence - My Immortal

31. The White Stripes - Seven Nation Army

34. Blu Cantrell - Breathe (feat. Sean Paul) As much as I like this, it was one of the most surprising UK #1s of the whole decade for me. Can't believe it managed four weeks at the top when it struggled so much here! Certainly makes up for 'Hit 'Em Up Style' missing the top 10 though.

37. Avril Lavigne - Losing Grip

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

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

40. Dido - White Flag

Hey there Jordan :hi: :heart:

 

Thank you! Slowly getting there :kink:

 

- Yesss it was horrible having to choose between that top 2 :cry: but ultimately OutKast had the edge with a very unique song indeed <3 they released some more great stuff in 2004 so I'm really hoping that I'll have room for more OutKast, shall find out shortly when I make the list!

- 'Move Your Feet' is truly irresistible <3 the day I ever choose to skip that is when my heart has turned to stone x

- Shame that 'Hole In The Head' isn't quite up there for you in the Sugababes' discography </3 still plenty more years for some of their others to potentially shine here of course!

- Whaaaat :o NOT me knowing that 'Hole In The Head' was a top 100 scrape but having no idea that 'Scandalous' was a top 40 there :rofl: wow, thanks for that!

- Yeah it's always interesting to look back on how an era could've been handled and what the talks were behind the scenes! Top 10 for a 3rd single was a great result *.*

- The breakbeat influence really is incredible from them *.* need to check out that album in full if there's more of the same on there :o

- Wow, see I didn't know any different with 'Breathe' being a big #1 as I do vaguely remember it being a smash at the time, so it's interesting to have the perspective of someone outside of the U.K. - it sure was an amazing rebound for her after 'Hit 'Em Up Style'!

 

thank you for commenting <3

Hi Jade :heart: :heart: Been a while since I checked in here but these are my favourites from 2003:

 

03. Kylie Minogue - Slow This feels quite underappreciated for a Kylie lead single despite its #1 peak! I have a lot of time for it, and all three Body Language singles actually.

06. Sugababes - Hole In The Head

07. Mis-Teeq - Scandalous :heart:

09. Avril Lavigne - I'm With You

10. Rachel Stevens - Sweet Dreams My L.A. Ex Queen *.*

17. Girls Aloud - No Good Advice :cheeseblock:

19. Sugababes - Too Lost In You

21. The Black Eyed Peas - Shut Up

34. Blu Cantrell - Breathe (feat. Sean Paul) Don't forget Sean Paul, Sean Paul and Sean Paul :(

35. S Club 8 - Sundown

37. Avril Lavigne - Losing Grip

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

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

40. Dido - White Flag

 

Fabulous stuff :wub:

Excited to kick off 2004 tonight :wub:

 

Hi Jade :heart: :heart: Been a while since I checked in here but these are my favourites from 2003:

 

03. Kylie Minogue - Slow This feels quite underappreciated for a Kylie lead single despite its #1 peak! I have a lot of time for it, and all three Body Language singles actually.

06. Sugababes - Hole In The Head

07. Mis-Teeq - Scandalous :heart:

09. Avril Lavigne - I'm With You

10. Rachel Stevens - Sweet Dreams My L.A. Ex Queen *.*

17. Girls Aloud - No Good Advice :cheeseblock:

19. Sugababes - Too Lost In You

21. The Black Eyed Peas - Shut Up

34. Blu Cantrell - Breathe (feat. Sean Paul) Don't forget Sean Paul, Sean Paul and Sean Paul :(

35. S Club 8 - Sundown

37. Avril Lavigne - Losing Grip

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

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

40. Dido - White Flag

 

Fabulous stuff :wub:

Omg hi Joseph :hi: :heart: :heart: great to have you back in here especially as Girls Aloud are coming through now *.*

 

I agree that 'Slow' feels underrated for a #1! I seem to remember reading on here that it's one of several chart toppers that hasn't been certified? :( the rest of the 'Body Language' singles were released in 2004 so we'll see if they make it... *.*

 

Sean Paul, Sean Paul and Sean Paul :cheeseblock:

 

thank you for commenting <3

“Hey Ya!” was a big anthem for me growing up so very pleased to see it strike a chord with you too Jade and become your #1 for 2003.

 

“Ms. Jackson” remains my favourite Outkast single - can't believe that was exactly 20 years ago now!!

 

Looking forward to 2004.

^ Pleased that you're a fan of 'Hey Ya!' and 'Ms. Jackson', Doctor B! Both modern classics.

 

 

Time for a brand new year! Now I would be turning 7 years old and moving up into year 3 at school. Tamagotchis, Bubblegum Club cartoons and Pokémon WAPs (err, not that WAP) were all the rage. We thankfully got out of the dodgy rented house from last year and moved into a much nicer one. This was already house #5 for me but it was thankfully my penultimate moving adventure... nearly there with a stable education experience! I can remember more and more musical memories now from dancing to Christina's 'Car Wash' with friends in a talent show to discovering the wonders of Basement Jaxx at a dance club. Reality TV was still dominating as we had Michelle McManus with her Pop Idol chart topper, Peter Andre bagging a #1 hit with 'Mysterious Girl' after a stint on I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here and Steve Brookstein winning the first ever series of X Factor UK. I didn't watch this but still jumped on the bandwagon pretty early as Shayne Ward the following year was the first champion I recall. A third attempt at Band Aid was created to great success as 'Do They Know It's Christmas?' by the Band Aid 20 incarnation sold enough to be the best-selling hit of the year. We also had squabbles between Eamon and Frankee, a school disco classic from DJ Casper, a Westlife member going solo and several chart-toppers for Britney and Usher. Over in the albums it was Scissor Sisters who got the EOY glory with their self-titled record - both Keane and Robbie were hot on their heels though. Let's turn the clock back 17 years now and jump straight into the beginning of my top 40 singles of 2004...

 

40. Keane - Everybody's Changing

(chart-run: 4-16-27-26-32-34-43-58-65R(7))

 

39. Girls Aloud - Love Machine

(chart-run: 2-2-8-18-21-32-34-48-54-75)

 

38. Gladiator - Now We Are Free (feat. Izzy)

(chart-run: 19-32-43-58)

 

37. Sugababes - Caught In A Moment

(chart-run: 8-17-24-31-40-50-70)

 

36. Basement Jaxx - Good Luck (feat. Lisa Kekaula)

(chart-run: 12-17-22-28-33-41-57-74-xx-14-20-30-34-41-42-64)

 

 

In the above introductory blurb I mentioned that Keane were in the running for the EOY #1 album in 2004. This 'Hopes And Fears' record is very familiar to me because my dad was a big fan and played it a lot in the car. It's definitely a glaring omission in my record collection right now. That will be rectified at some point. It seems that I'm very in touch with the 2004 mainstream trends as that album is certainly a highlight of the year for me too. This is one of several appearances for the group in this 2004 countdown. At #40 we have the second single from this massive era - 'Everybody's Changing' - which reached #4 in the chart. This was the second top 5 hit in a row for Keane and a third top 10 was around the corner too. A big selling point of 'Everybody's Changing' is the standout melodic piano riff much like Coldplay's 'Clocks' in 2003. This single is backed by soft synths too. Tom compliments these elements well with a meaningful vocal performance, particularly during the chorus. As a kid this was a pretty, soaring singalong moment and it may still be that but also the lyrics are painfully relatable in my 20s. I obviously can't mirror the experiences of a band who were struggling to get where they wanted to be. But I can fully empathise with the theme of not knowing your place in the world and watching others around you doing their own thing. I enjoy my job and have several hobbies but I have no idea about my long-term career. I'm much more of a "live in the moment" kind of person... I do think that planning is healthy but the amount of pressure to have your life figured out really is too high. I'm generally a happy and grateful person but you can't help but have that niggle about the future each day and it's exhausting. Once you've achieved something there's always brief celebration and then expectation for the next step. Maybe I shouldn't be so hard on myself because I'm lucky in many ways but this song really does hit home. It's comforting to hear someone else singing these words. "Trying to make a move just to stay in the game, I try to stay awake and remember my name" - ha, yes. I don't like constant change so the wider world does overwhelm me a lot. Maybe I'll find my place eventually. If this year has taught us anything it's to be grateful for what you do have and that the world is an unpredictable place, so who knows. Wow that was strangely cathartic. Is this my diary or a public forum? Well, something more lighthearted is coming up next at least! #40 feels a bit low for Keane but it's another tough year and they'll be back anyway as aforementioned.

 

As Heart would say, it's time to "turn up the feel good" as Girls Aloud are swiftly back for the third year in a row at #39. 'Love Machine' was released as the second single from their 'What Will The Neighbours Say?' album in all of its WordArt glory. It became the girls' sixth consecutive top 3 smash with its #2 peak. The song responsible for blocking it was fellow adrenaline rush 'Call On Me' by Eric Prydz so the British public were ready to have a good time that week. 'Love Machine' has a strange chart run with its two week stay at #2 and then plummet to #8. Despite that trajectory this has actually held up really well and is considered a signature song of theirs. But the girls couldn't envisage that success when plans to release this as a single were initially laid out on the table. They begged label Polydor not to release it because it would be "career suicide" and turn them into a laughing stock. I watched a documentary where they talked about this and they were particularly not on board with the twangy guitar intro. However, this taught them that they were not always right when it came to picking singles. 'Love Machine' isn't right up there as a 10/10 Girls Aloud essential for me but it's still great fun and wildly nostalgic. In school I rounded up four other friends who also liked the girls and we were planning to go on Stars In Their Eyes Kids as them! I had the role of Nicola. However, two of the girls fell out and I think the whole plan dissolved after that. Oops. A particularly precious moment from that experience was my dad blowing my mind by printing out the lyrics for the song. I clearly wasn't too technologically advanced yet so I found it fascinating that you could find any lyrics on the Internet and print them out. Aww. 'Love Machine' saw the girls standing out from the crowd as usual with a real 80s pop vibe to it mixed with the whacky flair of the guitar. It's quirky lyrics galore too - I mean, "let's go, Eskimo?" - well, that made the cut. It's a flirty song that was probably a bit too provocative for a 7-year-old to be singing on Stars In Their Eyes Kids. But it stayed with me into more age appropriate years and is always an instant pick-me-up. Particularly the bridge to chorus transition with Nadine's killer vocals. The video sees the quintet in some kind of night club / restaurant hybrid with colourful clothes and a LOT of fake tan. The girls delivered elsewhere during this era so more is on the way.

 

Next we dip outside of the top 10 and reach a #19 hit instead. At #38 it's trance duo Gladiator who have teamed up with operatic vocalist Izzy. This does seem like a strange team-up on paper but Izzy apparently loves dance music so it's more natural than what meets the eye. This definitely passed me by at the time so instead my first listen was via the Now! That's What I Call Music 58 compilation. One moment I was jamming along to The Rasmus, then bam, I am hit with this peculiar single. But I was very much into it from the word go and can retrospectively appreciate how idiosyncratic it is as a chart hit. Sadly trance is out of fashion these days but that genre mixed with soaring opera vocals? Even more wild a prospect. The idea for this hit revolved around the film Gladiator. It was the first song based on this movie to get the green light from its original composer, Hans Zimmer. I'm a big fan of his work actually and have a newfound layer of respect for allowing this song into our lives. The airy trance beats alone are feel-good but the melodic vocals take that feeling of euphoria to a new level. It's a bit of an out of body experience to listen to this and remember that it was once played on the chart show, but I'm always here for the ride. The music video is even more larger than life and theatrical than expected. You see two gladiator-style men battling it out while the singer is doing her own thing in the clouds. Sure, why not. I don't think Gladiator or Izzy ever troubled the charts again unless there are some aliases that I'm missing. The top comment on the YouTube video claims that Charlotte Church is the actual vocalist... are they just confusing this with 'The Opera Song' by Jurgen Vries? As far as I'm aware Izzy a real person of her own called Izzy Cooper, the recipient of a Classical Brit Award. This erasure!

 

At #37 it's back to some girl group magic with Sugababes who return for a third consecutive year. Four in total though thanks to the appearance of 'Overload' in 2000. 'Caught In A Moment' was released as the fourth and final single from 'Three'. It bagged the girls yet another top 10 peak with its #8 charting position. Previous singles 'Hole In The Head' and 'Too Lost In You' featured in my 2003 countdown. It remains to be seen if there'll be a full house - that would require 'In The Middle' popping up for 2004 too. We'll see. I do really enjoy 'Caught In A Moment' but can't help but feel like it'd be more of a favourite if 'Too Lost In You' didn't exist. That already covered similar ground thematically and in a slower tempo too. I suppose 'Caught In A Moment' is a bit more confident and hopeful. But essentially we have more infatuation balladry this era. Which is fine - a surprisingly mature turn for the girls but this album did still bring the fun too with its more uptempo singles. 'Stronger' was also a grown up moment from them during the 'Angels With Dirty Faces' era - although the message of strength was more universal. Anyway, we live in a world where 'Too Lost In You' does exist and steals the spotlight away from this a bit, but 'Caught In A Moment' is still pretty stirring in its own right. The girls are on top form vocally - particularly Mutya. They've gone down a similar trip-hop production route to 'Stronger' which is a real selling point too. The orchestral backing gives it a really dreamy layer not too dissimilar to girl-group peers All Saints or even Massive Attack. It's a soothing effort from the girls that really reminds us of their individual talents. Especially following 'In The Middle', as that was such good fun that the beat and energy take over what the girls are bringing to the table, really. The video for 'Caught In A Moment' is about as classy as they could get with these lyrics - the suggestive themes are tastefully done with backdrops, glamorous shots of the girls and even a black and white filter to take us back in time. The 'Three' era was truly a triumph for the girls with a top 3 album and singles run of 1-10-8-8. It would set them up well for the next album as the Heidi, Keisha and Mutya line-up still had a couple of years left in them.

 

Rounding off this section is a song that had not one, but two top 40 stints! 'Good Luck' by Basement Jaxx, plus the vocal talent of Lisa Kekaula, was originally released in early 2004 and reached #12. They had another crack at it with a re-release later in the year, following single treatment for 'Plug It In' first, however it stalled at #14 so sadly didn't re-peak. I'm sure they weren't mad about an influx of extra sales though. This was during the 'Kish Kash' era that didn't spawn any top 10 singles this time - 'Good Luck' was the biggest hit. Basement Jaxx are often known for their kooky balls to the wall dance approach, however, this was more of a soulful dance-pop moment from them. Lisa takes the reins with a powerhouse vocal performance. She commands the video too with some passionate lip-synching. The lyrics are about a woman who has now left a relationship that she wasn't happy in and wishes her ex "good luck in your new bed". She hints to some nasty turns in the relationship such as "pinning me up against the wall" and "no more lies" so I really find myself rooting for her new single, independent woman life. The video plays out metaphorically with the protagonist dressed up as a police officer and presumably the love interest as the prisoner. She spends most of the video driving around which is always a suitable fit for a high-octane song. The video then concludes with her locking him away in a cell, walking away with a smile and an utter glow that screams freedom! She then goes back home. This woman is out of this messy relationship and can wholeheartedly move on. I salute you! The chorus is up there as one of Basement Jaxx's most thrilling moments with the combination of big beat production and vocals with a real hunger to them. There are further interesting touches elsewhere during the moments where we have more room to breathe, such as the strings and beatboxing. There's always a Basement Jaxx stamp to be found even if the execution of the song feels more 'ordinary' on the surface. What an absolute tune from them. I gave it an 8 out of 10 during the Singles Rate I hosted on here a couple of years ago, but it's only gotten better since - I would bump it up to a 9 now.

'Everybody's Changing' is probably my favourite Keane track actually. They were really on top form with their first two albums. 'Love Machine' is pretty good too and 'Caught In A Moment' whilst nothing overly amazing is decent enough as well.

Everybody's Changing great start to the countdown from Keane. 'Love Machine' still unashamedly enjoy this. 'Good Luck' was used as the BBC Euro 2004 intro:

Need to listen to 'Now We Are Free'.

2004 was another mixed year for me, we lost my sister-in-law and my grandad, and work was being reorganised around me yet again, so when things get tough music becomes more important to help get through it. I can sympathise with the feelings of "what am I heading for?" in life, it's only in the last 10 years it stopped being an issue for me - I always felt like a failure because I just sort of drifted into my jobs and stayed because I liked the people more than anything else. If it helps I can say all my guilt and self-criticism for under-achieving was just a complete waste of time, the greatest achievement in life is to learn to like yourself and be happy that those you love are still around to go through life on the journey despite the ups and downs. And along the way do stuff you love and get enthusiastic, and don't listen to anyone that says you "should" be doing such and such at whatever age. In practical terms, though, learn from my mistakes and buy a flat if you get the opportunity, money in a bank never keeps up with property in value no matter how long you save to buy it cash! :lol: :o

 

I only recently bought Hopes & Fears but have come to appreciate it and Keane more as time goes by (see my "old albums reviews"). Everybody's Changing was fine, but Somewhere Only We Know is the masterpiece. It made my year-end top 150 though :) Girls Aloud Love Machine is fab, but also fell short of my top 100 for the year. I think I under-rated it. Gladiator peaked at 71 in my charts and I don;t remember it now, oops! Caught In A Moment did even worse, peaked at 72, oops! I do remember that one though, and picked up a few Sugababes albums from charity shops recently so I'll get to review it before long. Basement Jaxx, though, was one of my fave tracks of the year, awesome record still, what a vocal! 9th for 2004.

Just catching up here, glad to see the Coldplay double of The Scientist and In My Place in the 2002 countdown, the backwards video for the former is still amazing as well as the song itself of course. And for 2003, the Evanescence double in there is great, plus Numb and Clocks of course.

 

For the beginning of 2004, Everybody's Changing is definitely the best out of those five, from such a good album! I love how you also had Hopes and Fears on in the car loads, for me that may well have been THE most played album in the car! :lol: There are still so many songs on that album I'm a fan of, the run of singles was brilliant (and I'm looking forward to seeing their further appearances!) and even album tracks like Bend and Break and Can't Stop Now were really good. :wub:

Oops sorry I've fallen a bit behind with this! Plug (or, SyncTube now) sessions keep popping up in the evenings and I've been sorting out my room this week too. Will resume soon ^_^

 

'Everybody's Changing' is probably my favourite Keane track actually. They were really on top form with their first two albums. 'Love Machine' is pretty good too and 'Caught In A Moment' whilst nothing overly amazing is decent enough as well.

Hey there Rob :hi: :heart:

 

Great favourite Keane song! It's definitely in my top 5 of theirs <3 more 'Hopes & Fears' to come as teased and I really liked some other singles too like 'Spiralling'. Generally positive words for the girl-group songs there although more Girls Aloud and Sugababes to come - so we shall see if you prefer their other representation!

 

thank you for commenting <3

 

Everybody's Changing great start to the countdown from Keane. 'Love Machine' still unashamedly enjoy this. 'Good Luck' was used as the BBC Euro 2004 intro:

Need to listen to 'Now We Are Free'.

Hey there Mack :hi: :heart:

 

Pleased that you think 2004 is off to a good start! 'Good Luck' being part of a sports campaign makes sense with its high-octane power.

 

Also makes sense that 'Now We Are Free' is the least well-known of that bunch but it's certainly standout *.*

 

thank you for commenting <3

 

2004 was another mixed year for me, we lost my sister-in-law and my grandad, and work was being reorganised around me yet again, so when things get tough music becomes more important to help get through it. I can sympathise with the feelings of "what am I heading for?" in life, it's only in the last 10 years it stopped being an issue for me - I always felt like a failure because I just sort of drifted into my jobs and stayed because I liked the people more than anything else. If it helps I can say all my guilt and self-criticism for under-achieving was just a complete waste of time, the greatest achievement in life is to learn to like yourself and be happy that those you love are still around to go through life on the journey despite the ups and downs. And along the way do stuff you love and get enthusiastic, and don't listen to anyone that says you "should" be doing such and such at whatever age. In practical terms, though, learn from my mistakes and buy a flat if you get the opportunity, money in a bank never keeps up with property in value no matter how long you save to buy it cash! :lol: :o

 

I only recently bought Hopes & Fears but have come to appreciate it and Keane more as time goes by (see my "old albums reviews"). Everybody's Changing was fine, but Somewhere Only We Know is the masterpiece. It made my year-end top 150 though :) Girls Aloud Love Machine is fab, but also fell short of my top 100 for the year. I think I under-rated it. Gladiator peaked at 71 in my charts and I don;t remember it now, oops! Caught In A Moment did even worse, peaked at 72, oops! I do remember that one though, and picked up a few Sugababes albums from charity shops recently so I'll get to review it before long. Basement Jaxx, though, was one of my fave tracks of the year, awesome record still, what a vocal! 9th for 2004.

Hey there John :hi: :heart:

 

Sorry to hear about those losses at the time </3 and I appreciate those words about life in general so, so much. I think the social media age has only amplified open judgement from others which really doesn't help. But yeah I'll try to focus on myself and what I truly want and not always abide by society's timelines and expectations. <3

 

'Somewhere Only We Know' might be on the way... :o really happy that you appreciate 'Good Luck' so much! It was a grower for me even in the past couple of years but I'm totally on board now. I agree that the vocals really sell it!

 

thank you for commenting <3

 

Just catching up here, glad to see the Coldplay double of The Scientist and In My Place in the 2002 countdown, the backwards video for the former is still amazing as well as the song itself of course. And for 2003, the Evanescence double in there is great, plus Numb and Clocks of course.

 

For the beginning of 2004, Everybody's Changing is definitely the best out of those five, from such a good album! I love how you also had Hopes and Fears on in the car loads, for me that may well have been THE most played album in the car! :lol: There are still so many songs on that album I'm a fan of, the run of singles was brilliant (and I'm looking forward to seeing their further appearances!) and even album tracks like Bend and Break and Can't Stop Now were really good. :wub:

Hey there coi :hi: :heart:

 

Glad that you could pick out some big favourites for 2002 and 2003! Coldplay were really killing it back then.

 

Good to see all this Keane love so far <3 haha this car journey impact for both of us *.* I think both that and 'American Idiot' must've been my dad's most rinsed albums of the 00s when it came to car music :lol: I remember a topic on BuzzJack before asking us for some of the best ever run of singles and I definitely mentioned the 'Hopes & Fears' run, so good! I'll need to revisit that album soon and get it in my vinyl collection *.*

 

thank you for commenting <3

Sorry for the delay, my 2004 list was wiped off my laptop so I had to redo it but now it should be smooth sailing again :lol:

 

 

35. Destiny's Child - Lose My Breath

(chart-run: 2-2-2-2-3-4-6-12-16-32-59)

 

34. McFly - 5 Colours In Her Hair

(chart-run: 1-1-6-9-13-16-28-38-47-53-62-69)

 

33. Armand Van Helden - My My My

(chart-run: 15-17-22-26-30-41-52-55-63-66-71-54R(8)-72-74-71R(22))

 

32. Uniting Nations - Out Of Touch

(chart-run: 12-16-13-15-13-7-10-9-8-13-10-13-16-22-24-33-42-61-67-65-69R(2))

 

31. Rachel Stevens - Some Girls

(chart-run: 2-3-5-7-11-18-23-37-38-47-49-65)

 

 

Destiny's Child return to this countdown for the very last time! 'Lose My Breath' was chosen as the lead single for their fifth studio album 'Destiny Fulfilled'. This was seen as their 'comeback' album, following a focus on blossoming solo careers, but it would also become their final. 'Lose My Breath' was a smart choice to kick off the era as it charted as high as #3 in the United States and #2 here in the United Kingdom. However, it was unlucky enough to stall at this position for four consecutive weeks. The songs responsible for blocking it were: Eminem's 'Just Lose It', U2's 'Vertigo' and Girls Aloud's 'I'll Stand By You'. The Eminem battle was particularly gutting as it was only 2000 copies behind. It kept overtaking former opponents only to be met by new ones. Success aside, 'Lose My Breath' also feels like a suitable era opener due to its urgent nature sonically. The first line is the command "hit me!" which is instantly attention grabbing. Then we're swiftly introduced to marching-band style production with relentless drumming and hand claps. Plus synth interjections for good measure. Darkchild and co. did a cracking job with this rich explosion of sounds. The lyrics are every bit as striking as Beyoncé immediately asks "can you keep up? baby boy, make me lose my breath". With additional breathy vocals to emphasise the point. Jay-Z composed the chorus but the song in general draws on experience from the girls' disappointing dates in the past. They want their man to step up and not be full of empty promises. Michelle gets the middle 8 treatment a la 'Survivor' as each girl is awarded the chance to shine. They certainly dominate the video as it contains three different versions of themselves engaging in dance battles! The video shoot wasn't looking good originally as Beyoncé suffered a hamstring injury but thankfully recovered from it quicker than expected. I think this just about pips 'Survivor' as my favourite Destiny's Child song as it's just too infectious. It reminds me a little of 'Pass That Dutch' by Missy Elliott, a song previously featured in this countdown, which is definitely high praise. This era continued into 2005 too, 16 years ago (!) and the girls certainly went out on a high with it. Well, I guess they'd be back in the 2010s when 99 Souls featured them in a mash-up alongside Brandy and Monica. But new material was finished.

 

Now we go from an all female group to an all male one! Plus the chart position jumps from #2 to #1 in the United Kingdom. This was the first of many chart toppers from McFly, seven to be exact, so it was time to get used to them. 'Five Colours In Her Hair' was their debut single taken from 'Room on the 3rd Floor' so they were smashing right out of the gate. They were all so young at this point. Especially drummer Dougie Poynter who was only 15 years old. I was just transported back to the very start of the McFly juggernaut by watching this music video on Youtube, although had to settle for potato quality. In this video it's clear to see that they are paying homage to 60s groups such as The Beatles and The Beach Boys. They couldn't resist an Abbey Road-style zebra crossing tribute for the former. But they also bring the lyrics to life too for the main story. It revolves around a girl looking sad in her black and white world. But she soon joins them on TV with a very colourful set. The song was inspired by a character in the TV show 'As If' who wore coloured dreadlocks. The main selling point of this song for me is definitely the surf guitar. But I also like the early Beatles-esque "Doo, Doo, Doo, Doo, Doo, Doo!" refrain and general catchiness elsewhere like the elongated notes. Plus lyrically everyone is calling her a "weirdo", someone to gawk at, but these guys seem to be into her style and individuality. The song takes an unexpected, dramatic turn in the middle 8 when she decides to shave off the five colours. It's a fun song on the surface but that deeper bit at the end does make you think a bit about how someone's differences can cause them pain too. McFly are known for big drops from the top but 'Five Colours In Her Hair' was different and actually spent two weeks at #1. This single was accompanied by a cover of 'Lola' by The Kinks so those 60s influences continued. This is up there for me but still not quite my favourite McFly song!

 

Well, early-to-mid-2000s dance has now well and truly landed as the accompanying videos with scantily clad women are starting to appear. I shall exclusively reveal that 'Somebody To Love' by Boogie Pimps was close to making it, but not quite there, so I'm at least relieved that I don't have to revisit that creepy video! This one is not as bad as that at least and tries to inject some humour. But looking at women through binoculars as a concept is still a bit on the questionable side. It does turn out to be a dream of the geeky main character though and he just ends up kissing his dog instead. So there we go! This video was deliberately supposed to resemble scenes from 'Windowlicker' by Aphex Twin and also features the same beach house used in the video for 'Bear Hug' by The 2 Bears - aka minor iTunes smash and Persephonia BJSC entry back in the day. Anyway, it's all about the song for me and Armand is a pretty reliable producer for a good tune. Way back in the 1998 countdown we had 'U Don't Know Me' and even in 2016 he was still topping my personal chart with 'Wings'. If only that had been a hit. Fortunately 'My My My' was although I'm surprised that it 'only' managed #15 as it sounds a lot bigger than that. It was re-released in 2006 though under the name 'MyMyMy' featuring vocals from Tara McDonald - where it charted at #12. However, I slightly prefer the original version of this song so I have decided to include that one. 'My My My' is a house song that relies on looped samples from 'Comin' Apart' by Gary Wright. Lyrics taken from that song include: "How we gonna make it through it? What's it gonna take to do it?" which ramps up the drama of the song along with the backing vocals. The noughties looped house sound is a euphoric one that I'm generally fond of so do expect more on the way. I'd say this is most enjoyable during the summer months but I'm still very much enjoying it on this rainy day in March too.

 

I really wasn't joking when I said more looped house music would be on the way. Because at #32 we have 'Out Of Touch' by Uniting Nations! 'My My My' and this back-to-back are going to sound great together on my playlist. It's laughable how formulaic this route was - once again there's a looped interpolation, house beat and a video objectifying women. There's one guy and several ladies sitting around a table playing poker but it turns into more of a strip poker type affair. The man ends up with less clothes on at the end too but it's a very brief shot compared to all the screen time the women got - aka the rest of the entire video! I'm so glad we've moved past these videos... it's sad how the female role in dance music was to be objectified in videos or often added as vocalists without credit, plus female producers being wildly underrated too. But yes, the aesthetic is something I very much associate with the 2000s and I'm more than happy to leave it behind. But the music in isolation is still good at least. It was hard to separate 'My My My' and this but I do like the sample in 'Out Of Touch' slightly more. It was originally by Hall & Oates and is a total classic. I discovered this version before the original and loved how addictive the hook was. I must admit that for years I thought the lyrics were: "You're out of touch, I'm out of touch" only to later realise it's: "You're out of touch, I'm out of time" which makes so much more sense! That's a great lyric. Elsewhere, the funky house production straddles the line of being both thumping and a bit twinkly too. I now love the original as well but it hasn't killed my enjoyment for this female vocal dance version. I think they both offer something worthy. I miss the days when dance remakes were fully fledged bangers instead of watered down versions. 'Out Of Touch' was released in late 2004 but would later peak at #7 early in 2005. It actually topped the chart in Romania and became the best selling single of the year there! Uniting Nations had another 3 top 75 hits in the U.K. but I couldn't tell you how any of them go.

 

Rachel Stevens is back for another appearance now! This time it's her Sport Relief single 'Some Girls'. It's easy to see why I'd be into this as it was produced by Richard X who I've gushed about enough already. Plus there was a glam rock influence to this particular production work. It was compared to T.Rex, Adam Ant and Goldfrapp by critics. I can hear all of these influences actually, especially T.Rex's 'Hot Love' in the "u-huh, huh" parts. What a classic that is. Despite this slight switch-up, its general icy feel is still textbook Richard X. Rachel really plays to her strengths too as her vocal performance naturally fits in. The song was born out of anecdotes heard by Richard X about women who have dreams of stardom and performed sexual favours to try and get there. Which is... really sad and continues to highlight further issues for women in the industry, but instead behind the scenes. Away from the seediness, the line "dreams of #1 last forever" was painfully true for Rachel as this was another time that she stalled at #2 following 'Sweet Dreams My La Ex'! However, it was beaten by 'Lola's Theme' by Shapeshifters which is great so I can't complain too much. That is a fantastic top 2. At least she had chart toppers with S Club 7! Richard X originally had Girls Aloud in mind when writing and producing this song. I could totally imagine that as his exciting dance/electropop style wasn't a million miles away from what Xenomania were also achieving. I suppose his production was a bit colder but both were really shaping the standard of what 00s female pop music could be. It could have a really cool edge to it. This obviously didn't happen so then it boiled down to Geri Halliwell vs. Rachel Stevens. It was reported that Geri locked herself in a car over the decision to give it to Rachel instead...! I'm a big Spice Girls fan but this song works so well for Rachel that I'm glad it fell in her hands instead. It was the Sports Relief official single for 2004 and its #2 peak is one of the highest achieved for them. Leona Lewis also hit #2 with 'Better In Time' / 'Footprints In The Sand' but none other than McFly outshone them both, with 'Don't Stop Me Now' reaching #1. Well, Rachel definitely has my favourite Sport Relief single out of them all so she wins on the quality front. 'Some Girls' was also included on a re-issue of her debut album 'Funky Dory' AND on sophomore album 'Come and Get It' - so there was plenty of ways of owning it. The way I consumed it was... through none of these options! Instead I owned a copy of Now 58 and I remember it being the leading track on Disc 1. Shapeshifters then came after. So they won the chart battle but Rachel won the Now war! Finally, I remember this only being available as a potato quality music video for years but it looks like a good quality one was finally uploaded to YouTube in 2018. Hurrah! It features a big crowd of women, alongside Rachel, who walk through an underground sewer and emerge out of it through manholes and whatnot. They parade down the streets while men observe them. Richard X publicly trashed the video. Well... RachelStevensVEVO still preserved it at least!

Hi Jade

 

'Lose My Breath' an incredible song from Destiny's Child shame it missed on the #1 spot four times by four songs. This is still fantastic from them. '5 Colours In My Hair' not one I listen to regularly but it was a solid debut from McFly. 'That Girl' not for me sounded the weakest. But '5 Colours In Her Hair', 'Obviously' and 'Room On The Third Floor' were ones I listened to throughout 004. 'My My My' and 'Out of Touch' both songs are tunes and sound great but the music videos were at that era where music videos of dance songs were heavily sexualised, the thumbnail for 'Out of Touch' on YouTube leaves a lot to be desired not sure what Halls & Oates would have thought of the music video also I hope when CBBC had their UK Top 40 that the music video wasn't shown!! 'Some Girls' one of the best charity songs and sounded great especially for Sports Relief

 

I'm so glad we've moved past these videos... it's sad how the female role in dance music was to be objectified in videos

 

I agree with that completely.

A big YES at the idea of revisiting the Keane album and getting it into that vinyl collection! :wub:

 

Anyway onto the list itself (yikes at having to redo that too), 5 Colours In Her Hair and Out of Touch are my two favourites from that section. The former was a fun introduction to McFly and the latter is indeed a good example of 2000s dance remakes being better than some of them we have seen recently! :lol: Poor Uniting Nations only being remembered for one song now though, I'm quite familiar with one of their other hits at least and that is Ai No Corrida which was repeating the same trick with another remake of an 80s track!

My My My (the original) is probably fave here, a proper funky house classic, although Now We Are Free comes close, shame that one wasn't a bigger hit and seems very forgotten now (very overshadowed by the original non trance version which has 127m Spotify)

Hi Jade

 

'Lose My Breath' an incredible song from Destiny's Child shame it missed on the #1 spot four times by four songs. This is still fantastic from them. '5 Colours In My Hair' not one I listen to regularly but it was a solid debut from McFly. 'That Girl' not for me sounded the weakest. But '5 Colours In Her Hair', 'Obviously' and 'Room On The Third Floor' were ones I listened to throughout 004. 'My My My' and 'Out of Touch' both songs are tunes and sound great but the music videos were at that era where music videos of dance songs were heavily sexualised, the thumbnail for 'Out of Touch' on YouTube leaves a lot to be desired not sure what Halls & Oates would have thought of the music video also I hope when CBBC had their UK Top 40 that the music video wasn't shown!! 'Some Girls' one of the best charity songs and sounded great especially for Sports Relief

I agree with that completely.

Hey there Mack :hi: :heart:

 

It really is a shame that 'Lose My Breath' missed out on the top spot several times! Feels like an iconic hit from that period for sure. I had actually never heard 'That Girl' before until the McFly singles rate on here...! Totally passed me by despite charting quite high. I agree that it's nothing special really, whereas the three songs you mention are all great, they've held up well. Yup the one downside about being such a fan of 00s dance is the unfortunate music video formula. I'm glad we've moved on from that! It's been such a heavy week for women's rights and that even extended to this countdown. Agreed that 'Some Girls' is one of the best charity songs *.* really stands out from the balladry crowd while being an original song too, much like 'Sound of the Underground' in the winning singles list.

 

Thank you for commenting <3

 

A big YES at the idea of revisiting the Keane album and getting it into that vinyl collection! :wub:

 

Anyway onto the list itself (yikes at having to redo that too), 5 Colours In Her Hair and Out of Touch are my two favourites from that section. The former was a fun introduction to McFly and the latter is indeed a good example of 2000s dance remakes being better than some of them we have seen recently! :lol: Poor Uniting Nations only being remembered for one song now though, I'm quite familiar with one of their other hits at least and that is Ai No Corrida which was repeating the same trick with another remake of an 80s track!

Hey there coi :hi: :heart:

 

Love that 'Hopes & Fears' discussion has even extended to the chart forum this week now *.* looking forward to revisiting it soon!

 

Omg tell me about it :drama: thankfully all laptop issues seem to be dealt with now :lol: will definitely be keeping a spare copy of my lists going forward just in case :kink: x glad you're a fan of the McFly and Uniting Nations songs too! I'll have to give 'Ai No Corrida' a listen to see if I actually do know it but just forgot.

 

thank you for commenting <3

 

My My My (the original) is probably fave here, a proper funky house classic, although Now We Are Free comes close, shame that one wasn't a bigger hit and seems very forgotten now (very overshadowed by the original non trance version which has 127m Spotify)

Hey there Dan :hi: :heart:

 

Some bangers already and we're only in the 30s *.* I had no idea that the original 'Now We Are Free' was so popular on Spotify, woah :o

 

thank you for commenting <3

30. Eric Prydz - Call On Me
(chart-run: 1-1-1-2-1-1-2-8-8-13-17-21-23-24-21-20-24-35-40-49-58-57-63-71-75R(23))

29. Kylie Minogue - Red Blooded Woman
(chart-run: 5-8-13-19-27-39-50-62-69)

28. Kelis - Milkshake
(chart-run: 3-2-2-2-2-4-5-11-15-23-25-30-42-55-69)

27. The Killers - Mr Brightside
(chart-run: 10-26-38-60-73R(158)-64R(21)-60R(50)-73-70R(29)-59R(30)-75-48R(121)-47-52-50R(10)-47-58R(3)-52-59-57R(17)-75R(49)-29-28-36-67-74R(51)-69R(15)-73-53R(49)-65-49R(39)-73R(2)-73-75R(3)-69R(19)-55-45-45-53-55-50-72R(10)-74-72R(10)-54R(78)-68-75R(25)-72R(26)-68R(31)-71-74)

26. Deep Dish - Flashdance
(chart-run: 3-6-6-10-13-19-24-35-39-38-40-42-45-47-53-65)



Time to dive back into dance today and it's a big one! I've already introduced the discussion about 00s dance music videos and the common trend of objectifying women in them. Well, 'Call On Me' by Swedish DJ Eric Prydz has got to be the poster child of that drawn out phase. The music video was so marketable that it received its own DVD single release. It centres around a suggestive aerobics class featuring a room of scantily clad women and one man, who has his eye on the class leader and vice versa. This video is spoofing a scene from the 1985 movie 'Perfect' featuring John Travolta and Jamie Lee Curtis. But the 80s inspiration doesn't stop there! The song itself revolves around a sample of 'Valerie' by Steve Winwood. Steve was impressed by the technical switch-up of his song and agreed to re-record the vocals of the original for Eric, who took this song and transformed it into a club ready smash. The looped hook and thumping progressive house production marry together to create one euphoric experience. The general 80s aerobics idea is a good fit really as it's quite a motivating workout song. The U.K. certainly latched onto it as it scored 5 non-consecutive weeks at #1 that year, the most for any chart topper in 2004. However, due to a period of particularly low sales, at the time Eric Prydz broke the record for lowest sales week at #1 on multiple occasions. There is a 2004 BBC News article still out there with the headline 'DJ has lowest selling number one'. But, unfortunate temporary record aside, it was still one of the biggest singles of the year as the market was suffering in general. I am still baffled that Now 59 Disc 1 kicked off with 'Curtain Falls' by Blue instead of this! 'Call On Me' was as low down as song #6. I mean, a few of the songs above it make some sense, like fellow #1 'These Words', but Blue is still a head scratcher! 17 years later (oh gosh...) and the video still feels well remembered now. I actually recall it being referenced in Glee. It's had a fresh lick of paint recently with an HD upload to YouTube.

At #29 the 'Body Language' era continues following Kylie's very impressive showing in 2003 with 'Slow'! 'Red Blooded Woman' may not be quite as high but it's still another gem from this era. It was another top 5 success for her although does feel quite underrated online. At least on here anyway! I find that a bit baffling as it's such a dynamic pop song with an equally exciting video in a "simple but effective" way. Kylie is confidently doing her own thing and it follows the pacing of the song perfectly. Perhaps the production was a bit too much of a departure for fans? As it borrows hip-hop elements that don't sound too dissimilar to work by Timbaland. Personally I really love the extra touches like beatboxing and choral backing vocals. The song in general is flirty and fast-paced following the more relaxed, pulsating 'Slow'. A lyrical highlight for me is the thought provoking yet dreamy "you'll never get to heaven if you're scared of getting high" - which is further elevated in practice as Kylie leads into the chorus with the elongated "hiiiigh". I also enjoy the homage to both Dead or Alive and her very own 'Spinning Around' with "you got me spinning round, round, round, round... like a record!". It's all very dramatic and camp, music that Kylie typically excels in, with a slight production shift and an interesting one at that. No qualms here! It's not just 'Fever' that had a stellar singles run in the 2000s. Oh no, we still have one more 'Body Language' song to come and that is back to the more slowed down, mesmerising 'Slow'-esque feel. But for now I'm enjoying the re-listen of this uptempo Kylie smash following on from Eric Prydz at #30. A feel good section for sure. Time to continue with that...

Kelis is now back on her own with a very fun song at #28! She previously appeared with Richard X as the vocalist for 'Finest Dreams' in my 2003 countdown. 'Milkshake' was her extremely bold entrance into the 'Tasty' era. It has her stamp all over it so it feels weird to know that this was originally intended for Britney's 'In The Zone' era. That wasn't meant to be after Brit's rejection and instead Kelis welcomed it with open arms, thinking it was a good song from the moment she heard it. The Neptunes are behind the production here and I've already discussed their relationship with Britney throughout the years, so it makes sense that they were cooking up something for her. The most memorable aspect of this song has got to be the very quotable "my milkshake brings all the boys to the yard" line but The Neptunes also did a mighty fine job of standout production. That blaring R&B rhythm is so infectious. It took me until now to realise what a couple of the instruments used are called. One, that gives the belly dancing-esque drumming sound, is called the darbuka. Then the manjira was chosen for the bell sound used to signify an upcoming order in the diner - a location used for the music video. I love how this has been crafted. The song itself is of course extremely cheeky with its euphemisms. But there's more to it than meets the eye as Kelis explained that it also represents self confidence: "A milkshake is the thing that makes women special. It's what gives us our confidence and what makes us exciting". She certainly looks confident in the video as she dances while the milkshake machine causes havoc to customers. Rapper Nas also makes an appearance. I have already featured music from the movie 'Mean Girls' and this is another song that appears in it! A lot of that music selection from 'One Way Or Another', to 'Pass That Dutch' to this, is appropriately fierce. 'Milkshake' had to settle for an agonising four weeks at #2 in the U.K. much like 'Lose My Breath' earlier. This time its competition was Michelle McManus (! *.*) for two weeks and also LMC vs. U2 for the other two. Very unlucky once more. It peaked at #3 in the U.S. so again another parallel with 'Lose My Breath'. It may have missed out on the top but it's a dead cert for her signature song. What a shame that Kelis stalled at #2 on three occasions without ever making #1! One of those other three times was with Calvin Harris and the remaining one was another solo song, that may be coming up soon...

At #27 it's time for a big act (with an even bigger chart-run) to debut! American band The Killers have arrived although I did presume they were British for a long time. Before I start talking about 'Mr Brightside', I just want to get what could be a potential elephant in the room out of the way. 'Somebody Told Me' won't be featuring in 2004 but should definitely be making an appearance in 2005, don't you worry. I associate it way more with its re-release in 2005 so that's why. Makes sense when it was catapulted to #3 second time round. Its original #28 peak was their first dent on the chart although 'Mr Brightside' was actually their first single. It became a lot more popular following the re-release in 2004. It is up there with 'Thriller' and 'The Scientist' as iconic songs that *only* peaked at #10. It has truly grown into a modern classic in our society as you can see from its chart run. I think the overplay has hampered its position here a little but nevertheless it's a great song. It actually passed me by a little at the time as I recall 'Somebody Told Me' being the first single of theirs that I heard a lot. I remember 'Mr. Brightside' being played at my prom in 2013 and that feeling like such a fun, unifying moment during the night. I think it was only just starting to take on a life of its own around this time. So I'm glad that memory happened before it would start to pop up everywhere. 'Mr Brightside' is about a guy who is highly suspicious of his significant other cheating on him. This is channelled perfectly with the manic word vomit throughout the song. That chorus is absolutely anthemic so no wonder it's a karaoke favourite or "chant along while jumping in the air" moment at events. It feels like a staple of British culture by this point. It features in those "songs white people get turnt to" playlists for a reason! I'll always appreciate everything about this from the intensity to the slightly off kilter structure. Society just needs to let it breathe a bit I think. Once again - that chart run!!! The video reminded me that guyliner was strong this year, with Green Day on the way too, as Brandon rocks this striking look in amongst a fun Moulin Rouge theme.

Rounding off this section is a fantastic dance song! Deep Dish are a production duo who first made a very minor splash on the U.K. chart in the 90s. However, 'Flashdance' was their big break as it debuted all the way up at #3 and spent four weeks in the top 10. The uncredited vocalist is Anousheh Khalili who also prominently appears in the video. The song is a cover of 'He's a Dream' by Shandi Sinnamon from the 'Flashdance' soundtrack. I adore the continuous guitar riff mixed in with house music flair. Anousheh was an inspired choice of singer too. I feel like her voice really conveys mystery. The lyrics are interesting to look at as I think she's trying to play it cool and is convincing herself that she doesn't actually care about the guy in question. But she seems to reel off an awful lot about him. I like the whole dark, unknown nature of it right down to the song structure. 'Flashdance' remains at a stable pace throughout, never really pushing itself too far and ending without a familiar climax. I feel like that could be extremely frustrating but it really works for this song. A total one of a kind in this era. I do love my feel-good mindless loopy dance but this having a bit of an edge to it is also a welcome change. Deep Dish would go on to have two more hits that both spookily peaked at #14! These were the rather dreamy 'Say Hello' the following year and then 'Dreams' featuring Stevie Nicks in 2006. They had these few annual noughties appearances and then just disappeared from the chart completely. However, this is because they split up that year! The members are Dubfire and Sharam - the latter would of course go on to have a top 10 hit of his own in 2006 too. They reformed in 2014 and are apparently still together. They should look into getting 'Flashdance' on Spotify properly! I can put up with a 7 minute Club Mix from a random compilation being on there for now but I do wonder if it'll get taken down.

More good songs in there, Call On Me was a solid first hit for Eric Prydz but he would go on to make better songs later on, of course the #2s he had a few years afterwards which I'm glad we'll see here later but also the more recent stuff that has been slept on commercially which is brilliant too (Liberate, Generate, Opus and NOPUS in particular).

 

Milkshake is of course iconic but my favourite of the five is predictably Mr Brightside (although I do agree on it being a bit overrated and much prefer Somebody Told Me and All These Things That I've Done from that era), and you won't be surprised at all to know that it wasn't only your prom that had Mr Brightside played there as I had the same experience a few years later! :D Similarly that also had people going mad for it, that coming straight after Pitbull's Don't Stop The Party (?!) made it quite a memorable five minutes or so with almost everyone jumping and chanting along to both! :lol:

More good songs in there, Call On Me was a solid first hit for Eric Prydz but he would go on to make better songs later on, of course the #2s he had a few years afterwards which I'm glad we'll see here later but also the more recent stuff that has been slept on commercially which is brilliant too (Liberate, Generate, Opus and NOPUS in particular).

 

Milkshake is of course iconic but my favourite of the five is predictably Mr Brightside (although I do agree on it being a bit overrated and much prefer Somebody Told Me and All These Things That I've Done from that era), and you won't be surprised at all to know that it wasn't only your prom that had Mr Brightside played there as I had the same experience a few years later! :D Similarly that also had people going mad for it, that coming straight after Pitbull's Don't Stop The Party (?!) made it quite a memorable five minutes or so with almost everyone jumping and chanting along to both! :lol:

Hey there coi :hi: :heart:

 

Yeah I think 'Call On Me' used to be my favourite song of his in the past but it's dropped a bit in my affections compared to others, so my favourite nowadays is still to come! All of those underrated songs are great shouts - especially 'NOPUS' <3

 

'Milkshake' really is so iconic and quotable *.* yeah I think 'Mr Brightside' could've been a lot higher without the overplay! I'm sure I'll appreciate it even more again one day if the popularity ever dies down, although maybe it's already at the 'Wonderwall' stage of just being forever ubiquitous now :lol: Omg Pitbull and The Killers back-to-back, amazing!! :rofl: 'Mr Brightside' is such a jumping and chanting song lmao but living for Pitbull getting that treatment too!

 

thank you for commenting <3

'Call On Me' is good from Eric Prydz but two of his from 2007 and 2008 are better. 'Red Blooded Woman' great from Kylie, different sound from her but it worked well for her and it is a tune from her. 'Milkshake' probably didn't appreciate it at the time but what a tune it is from Kelis. A R&B classic. 'Mr Brightside' possibly one of my favourite songs, could never tire of it, it is a classic. 'Flashdance' what a song that is that sample is fantastic, I think 'Faster Kill Pussycat' by Paul Oakenfold ft Brittany Murphy sampled it as well?

Next batch of 10 :)

 

Lose My Breath hit 7 in my personal charts and top 60 for the year, a pretty good effort for a final comeback. I still regret not insisting on going to the Florida Mall in the late 90's when they did a PA just before they broke huge, while I was on holiday :lol:

 

McFly didn't impress me much for a long time (not fanbase age-group etc) and it took them 4 years to get a top 20 out of me - but their recent stuff is really good! I didn't even bother to chart 5 Colours, oops!

 

My My My was OK, falling short of my top 40, though not a patch on You Don't Know Me, and that goes double, if not treble for Out Of Touch - I was a big fan of Hall & Oates original, and miffed it was never a big UK hit (Huge in the USA) but the repetitive-sampled cover just rubbed me the wrong way, I guess, as it peaked at 73 for me :lol:

 

Rachel Stevens grabbed another top 10 for me, and year-end top 100, with Some Girls, I really liked her pop singles, shame her career was so short!

 

Call On Me, oops here we go again, another dance cover that annoyed me, only this time I was never a huge fan of Valerie, either, in the first place, but much preferred it to this, sorry! Peaked at 75 for me. :lol:

 

Kylie. Of course I like it! Top 75 of the year and peaked at 7, Red Blooded Woman. Kelis was a pop culture moment, shaking her milkshake to the boys in the yard. Being immune to that sort of thing, top 40 was the best I could offer, though :D

 

Goodness I'm clearly losing touch with the 2004 pop scene as Mr Brightside didn't chart for me (maybe related to events that year putting me not in the mood for stuff like The Killers, cos I went big on them for the next single, and bought the album in Florida. I know I hated their name when I first heard it). It has charted top 20 for me since, but Greatest Record Of The Noughties?! I still don't get it! Not even in my top 30 Brandon Flowers/Killers tracks. I'll take Somebody Told Me (coming up in 2005 :cheer: ) and All These Things That I've Done any day of the week...

 

And finally, one I don't recall. Flashdance, I have no memory of whatsoever. Yet it charted for me at 55 and had a 7-week run. Playing it now. Ooh yes this sounds good, I under-rated it, I could go for that on a dancefloor, hypnotic rhythm but not annoyingly repetitive, variations on a theme rather than the same sample on endless loop.