'Everybody (Backstreet's Back)' is definitely an all-time classic boyband song *.* I think that and 'I Want It That Way' may be the only songs I have ever heard by BSB though.

 

Love the Biggie and Puff Daddy songs as well! I actually knew 'I'll Be Missing You' before 'Every Breath You Take' and I still always expect it to say 'missing' instead of 'watching' whenever I hear the latter lmao. Very tasteful sample usage anyway. And I think the sample is the only reason it got the Heart FM pass haha, similar to 'Gangsta's Paradise' with its Stevie Wonder sample. Although Heart is slowly lightening up a bit and playing a few more rap songs now (I've heard Flo Rida's 'Low' on there lol *_*).

I'm glad you agree with me on that one *.* oh wow, have you never heard 'Quit Playing Games (With My Heart)', 'As Long As You Love Me' or 'Larger Than Life'? ;o the latter in particular is a certified tune. But fair enough, I guess these two songs have seemingly eclipsed everything else they've done. Them being inspiration for 'The Ebay Song' though >>>

 

Yay *.* I am also another who heard 'I'll Be Missing You' first and would have 'missing' as the default expectation :lol: The Police hu? xo But yeah that's how you do a tribute song folks, very classy. Ooh that would actually make a lot of sense, never thought about that! :o I am so here for Heart FM playing 'Low' :lol:

 

Never Gonna Let You Go *.* That intro is kind of iconic even though it's annoying too :kink: One of the finest Garage songs ever.

 

I'll Be Missing You is so touching, such a great use of the sample. Such a classic!

 

Backstreet's Back... BOP! Not my favourite by BSB, but certainly up there. Remember this going down a storm at a school disco :lol:

Haha it is certainly a unique intro *_* otherwise 'Never Gonna Let You Go' is a highlight of the genre indeed <3

 

Quite <3 everything just falls into place perfectly with it. Can see why it did so well!

 

Yessss *.* what is your favourite of theirs? :o omg I'm sad that it never came on at a school disco when I was a kid now :lol: just DJ Casper and Las Ketchup x1000 x

 

“Make The World Go Round”! :wub:

That bassline was later sampled by Camisra on “Let Me Show You” which became a Top 10 hit (#5) in February 1998.

 

Can't deny the original though, and I also love “Never Gonna Let You Go” - yes the Kelly G remix was the big one and that was in the clubs from around 1995.

 

This is like listening to Kisstory on a night shift... !

 

Ooh yay Doctor Blind I'm glad someone appreciates my obscure Kisstory faves :wub: :kink:

 

I had no idea about the bassline of 'Make The World Go Round' being sampled in that song :o will make sure to check it out!

15. Spice Girls - Too Much
(chart-run: 1-1-3-9-19-30-42-51-36-41-53-59-64-62-53)

14. Blur - Song 2
(chart-run: 2-13-23-45-74)

13. Brainbug - Nightmare
(chart-run: 11-24-39-50-55)

12. Spice Girls - Who Do You Think You Are
(chart-run: 1-1-1-2-6-15-19-25-38-47-53-56-40-58-66)

11. The Verve - Bitter Sweet Symphony
(chart-run: 2-5-6-12-14-12-19-23-36-50-70-70R(17)-72)



We kick off the top 15 with the first of three appearances from the Spice Girls! 'Too Much' feels extremely nostalgic to me as a Spice fan, despite only being mere months old when it was released. This is because it is the opening song for 'Spice World' the movie and much of my childhood was spent wearing out my poor copy of the film. I was transfixed by these larger than life personalities and their music. However, I must confess that it took me years to properly appreciate 'Too Much'. It was their biggest grower for sure. But I definitely have positive feelings towards this more mature release from them nowadays. The production is so classy with its more R&B and doo-wop influences, compared to their usual in-your-face pop direction. Lots of fantastic sounds in amongst the fairly intricate production such as strings and brass instruments. But it also has the Spice stamp with bold lyrics in places that sound decidedly Geri. This was the group's sixth UK number one single in a row (the first act to ever achieve this!) and their second Christmas number one in a row too. Simply unstoppable! But they weren't the only phenomenon of the 90s UK music scene. Another one of these was the Britpop movement of the mid-1990s. Blur (and their rivalry with Oasis) played a huge part of this and here they are at #14. I must confess that I am a huge Oasis fan but Blur created some rather awesome music themselves. 'Song 2' is a short but snappy release from the group for sure. It's truly electrifying when the famous "Woohoo!" pops up in the chorus each time. The ramped up distorted bass serves as the perfect accompanying production too. It wouldn't surprise me if many people didn't know what this song was called but recognised the "woohoo!" part. Indeed it is called 'Song 2' though, a working title that stuck. On the whole 'Song 2' has a very Nirvana feel to it, which makes sense as it is often described as a parody of the grunge genre. A pretty marvellous one at that. In 1998 BBC Radio 1 listeners had already voted 'Song 2' as the 15th best track ever so it picked up its fans very quickly. Next up is 'Nightmare (Sinister Strings Radio Edit)' - the ONLY dance song of this section, oh my! I discovered this gem due to Dan sending it to the BJSC Halloween spinoff back in 2015. It picked up high points from me in that contest and went straight on my Halloween playlist! This is an instrumental trance song with prominent (sinister!) string production throughout. I adore the intense build-up of this! Especially when the speed increases more and more as we get close to the chorus. Then bam, we're hit with a magnificent creepy electronic drop. I've just discovered that Brainbug sadly passed away in 2016 :( but he leaves behind the legacy of this banger that was so close to hitting the top 10.

Now we have the second Spice Girls offering of this section! It's quite a contrast to 'Too Much' as it's one of their more vibrant songs. 'Perfect Day' wasn't the only charity release to appear in this 1997 countdown as 'Who Do You Think You Are' was released as a double-A side single with 'Mama' for Comic Relief. 'Mama' is a slow heartfelt tribute to all of the mothers out there, whereas 'Who Do You Think You Are' is the uptempo half of the single, with disco and euro-pop influences. It's so easy to get swept up in the fun of this song really! The theme of it is actually quite negative (about people getting trapped in the world of fame) but they manage to turn it into this euphoric party anthem with bold lyricism and other in-your-face components. I love the retro feel of the production, quickfire delivery of the swing it / shake it / move it / make it parts and Melanie C particularly shines on vocals as ever! This song would provide an absolutely iconic Brit Awards performance in 1997, the famous Geri Union Jack dress one! Rounding off this section is something quite a bit different to the bubblegum feel of this Spice Girls song. This is 'Bitter Sweet Symphony' by The Verve, which infamously samples Andrew Loog Oldham's orchestral cover of 'The Last Time' by The Rolling Stones... as there was some legal controversy surrounding this, resulting in Mick Jagger and Keith Richards being added to the songwriting credits. But away from all that drama, this song introduced me to the sample and what a stunner it is. I know the original as well but I feel like this version really polished the production and gave it this beautiful timeless feel. But the rest of the experience is a powerful one too. Richard Ashcroft sounds great as he appears to be singing about the conflict of following the path you want to follow and the one you are obliged to to follow. The iconic video is an homage to the wonderful 'Unfinished Sympathy' by Massive Attack, where Ashcroft walks down a busy path without changing anything at all, except where he is forced to stop for a moving car. Simple but effective. This feels like a modern classic for sure. But unfortunately it couldn't quite make my top 10 of 1997. Find out what did make it in the coming days!

Owning less and less now that we're getting higher! :o

 

I didn't buy anything from the previous section - although I do adore the Sandy B track, so much that it features on my ultimate house music mixtape[/geek]

 

From the most recent section it's Song 2 that is my clear favourite - I bought that one on purple 7" and it's one of my favourite purchases ever! Also got the Verve and Brainbug too and both are great :wub:

 

You'll probably have gathered by now that pop wasn't really my thing back then, being about 17 and in the midst of the indie revival following Britpop meant that all us supposedly cool kids didn't really go near Spice Girls etc.

from 25-11:

24 yes, such a tune and probably Sash's best ever. I even downloaded this on iTunes earlier in the decade.

21 quite enjoy this though it's all about the

version with BB Diamond on vox for me

20 one of the few boyband songs I actually enjoy, alongside their 'I Want It That Way'

19 this was #1 in the US when I was born, not a huge fave of mine but it's a nice tribute

18 good pick, only recently discovered it myself too, was already familiar with the bassline from 'Let Me Show You' but this sounds better

17 another tune - and interestingly the Spotify version seems to remove most of the vocal but I actually quite like it like that too :lol:

14 an indie banger! seems quite out of place amongst the rest of their discography though but it is one of their best

13 love this!! woo at it being a great discovery too, for me I discovered it from a trance compilation (I bought quite a few of those in 2010-11 before switching to Spotify in 2012!)

12 this is my fave of theirs actually, doesn't seem to be a popular opinion but I think it's aged better than Wannabe and Spice Up Your Life

11 one of my faves of the year too, an undeniable classic. hopefully 'The Drugs Don't Work' also features here - that's also amazing.

Owning less and less now that we're getting higher! :o

 

I didn't buy anything from the previous section - although I do adore the Sandy B track, so much that it features on my ultimate house music mixtape[/geek]

 

From the most recent section it's Song 2 that is my clear favourite - I bought that one on purple 7" and it's one of my favourite purchases ever! Also got the Verve and Brainbug too and both are great :wub:

 

You'll probably have gathered by now that pop wasn't really my thing back then, being about 17 and in the midst of the indie revival following Britpop meant that all us supposedly cool kids didn't really go near Spice Girls etc.

Oh my! :o maybe I'm too much of a mainstream hoe now, I count two #1 singles and two #2 singles in that runner-up section! :kink: I see anyway, well, I'm very pleased to see another fan of the Sandy B song in this thread as well as myself and Doctor Blind (edit: now Dan too!) *.* why did you not buy that one at the time out of curiosity? Ultimate house music mixtape omg!! That sounds potentially incredible *.* I fully embrace musical geekery in this thread. <3

 

'Song 2' on purple 7" sounds absolutely amazing, colour me extremely jealous!! :wub: and haha yes I have noticed that a lot of your favourites so far have either been dance or indie, I shall forgive you for the Spice Girls snubs, I'm sure Jay will make up for that if he continues to comment x

 

from 25-11:

24 yes, such a tune and probably Sash's best ever. I even downloaded this on iTunes earlier in the decade.

21 quite enjoy this though it's all about the

version with BB Diamond on vox for me

20 one of the few boyband songs I actually enjoy, alongside their 'I Want It That Way'

19 this was #1 in the US when I was born, not a huge fave of mine but it's a nice tribute

18 good pick, only recently discovered it myself too, was already familiar with the bassline from 'Let Me Show You' but this sounds better

17 another tune - and interestingly the Spotify version seems to remove most of the vocal but I actually quite like it like that too :lol:

14 an indie banger! seems quite out of place amongst the rest of their discography though but it is one of their best

13 love this!! woo at it being a great discovery too, for me I discovered it from a trance compilation (I bought quite a few of those in 2010-11 before switching to Spotify in 2012!)

12 this is my fave of theirs actually, doesn't seem to be a popular opinion but I think it's aged better than Wannabe and Spice Up Your Life

11 one of my faves of the year too, an undeniable classic. hopefully 'The Drugs Don't Work' also features here - that's also amazing.

- Great pick of best Sash! song if I say so myself *.* he has such a consistently brilliant discography but I thiiiink I'd plump for 'Mysterious Times' as my ultimate favourite <3

- Wow, I had never heard that version of 'Closer Than Close' until now! I am usually pretty critical of most dance reworkings these days (hi Big Pineapple x) but that sounds like one of the better ones in recent times tbh.

- Glad that these BSB classics are boyband anomalies for you, I've made my feelings clear enough about 'Everybody' so far but 'I Want It That Way' is also pretty good, enjoyable cheese x

- Snap albeit on different sides of the pond then! Definitely one of the most touching tribute songs I've heard.

- Right I need to check out this 'Let Me Show You' song after two mentions in the thread now :lol: but I'm glad that you're enjoying Sandy B's banger *.*

- Oh yes I knew there was something off with the Spotify version, mess :lol:

- Yesss it is certainly an outlier with the more grunge sound for sure! Such a highlight for them <3

- Haha I thought you'd approve of the Brainbug inclusion *.* god bless trance compilations then so you could unleash it to us, was love at first listen!

- Ooh I definitely approve of your Spice favourite! Mine shall not appear until 1998 but that's a solid choice, it does get a bit predictable when people have 'Wannabe' as their fave (including my own mum, no shade xo) so it's interesting to hear some variation. It has aged pretty well indeed!

- Glad we have this song in common as a big favourite *.*

 

Goes without saying but thanks once again to everyone who has commented so far :heart: I love reading them, it's really motivating!

Everybody (Backstreet's Back) an pop classic. Shame there isn't a boyband like them in the US now. 'I'll Be Missing You' a rap classic, one of my favourite hip-hop songs of all time. 'Make The World Go Around' that's a gem I haven't heard in a long time wow what a floorfiller. 'Never Gonna Let You Go' indeed echoing what Jay said, one of the finest gargage songs ever. 'Hypnotize' a hip-hop classic from Biggy this and 'Mo Money Mo Problems' from that year both songs that I would listen to anyday. 'Too Much and 'Who Do You Think You Are' both Spice Girl offerings good in their way, 'Too Much' because it sounded mature from them and is one of those great movie songs as well and 'Who Do You Think You Are' this was a fun track for Comic Relief and quite funny in the music videos with cameos from French and Saunders if I remember correctly. 'Song 2' that beginning legendary sounded very different from them but that chart run, thought that had been a sleeper hit surprised how quickly dropped down the chart. 'Nightmare again not familiar with this but this is probably underappreciated it just sounds great. 'Bitter Sweet Sympathy 'one of the great songs from 1997, this one of my favourites from that year, somehow now this is used in football as part of ITV's intro for England games, quite a personal song for me this. and also used for this:

 

Everybody (Backstreet's Back) an pop classic. Shame there isn't a boyband like them in the US now. 'I'll Be Missing You' a rap classic, one of my favourite hip-hop songs of all time. 'Make The World Go Around' that's a gem I haven't heard in a long time wow what a floorfiller. 'Never Gonna Let You Go' indeed echoing what Jay said, one of the finest gargage songs ever. 'Hypnotize' a hip-hop classic from Biggy this and 'Mo Money Mo Problems' from that year both songs that I would listen to anyday. 'Too Much and 'Who Do You Think You Are' both Spice Girl offerings good in their way, 'Too Much' because it sounded mature from them and is one of those great movie songs as well and 'Who Do You Think You Are' this was a fun track for Comic Relief and quite funny in the music videos with cameos from French and Saunders if I remember correctly. 'Song 2' that beginning legendary sounded very different from them but that chart run, thought that had been a sleeper hit surprised how quickly dropped down the chart. 'Nightmare again not familiar with this but this is probably underappreciated it just sounds great. 'Bitter Sweet Sympathy 'one of the great songs from 1997, this one of my favourites from that year, somehow now this is used in football as part of ITV's intro for England games, quite a personal song for me this. and also used for this:

 

I appreciate you sharing all of these thoughts Mack *.* the positivity towards 'Make The World Go Round' was great to read in particular, as bringing back forgotten gems was definitely one of my intentions with this, in amongst the familiar faces. You are correct about French and Saunders being involved with the Spice Girls' Comic Relief release btw, a parody of the video was created - featuring a comedic version of the girls called the Sugar Lumps, which involved them :lol: also I can't believe how ridiculously short the chart-run of 'Song 2' is as well... at least it has stood the test of time despite having such a fleeting presence in the chart!

I'm glad you agree with me on that one *.* oh wow, have you never heard 'Quit Playing Games (With My Heart)', 'As Long As You Love Me' or 'Larger Than Life'? ;o the latter in particular is a certified tune. But fair enough, I guess these two songs have seemingly eclipsed everything else they've done. Them being inspiration for 'The Ebay Song' though >>>

 

Don't recognise any of those by the titles at least! ('As Long As You Love Me' just brings the Bieber song to mind). The eBay version is defo superior to the original of 'I Want It That Way' x (not so much the Slashstreet Boys version though xx)

 

Also a little late as I meant to reply last time I posted in here but forgot, but yes, 'Smack My Bitch Up' was the video that 'Bad Trip' seemed inspired by, I doubt it was just a coincidence since the song sounded a lot like The Prodigy as well.

 

~

 

'Bitter Sweet Symphony' and 'Song 2' are big faves from this section :heart: (I prefer 'The Drugs Don't Work' out of The Verve's pair of mega hits but I would probably pick 'Song 2' as my favourite Blur song). Brainbug was another great BJSC discovery as well. Can't say I'm a fan of either of those Spice Girls songs but of course I expect to see pretty much all of their singles making it into these lists!

So, heard that James Bond theme from Moby on Youtube, it's good! Really like it, even though nothing beats the original!

There are many songs I like from your #20-#11 section:

20. Backstreet Boys - Everybody (Backstreet's Back) What a classic song from the group!

19. Puff Daddy & Faith Evans - I'll Be Missing You (feat. 112) It uses the sample of The Police very good, also I hear this sometimes on the radio in my working station, so I'm happy about it!

16. The Notorious B.I.G. - Hypnotize What an amazing rap song!

14. Blur - Song 2 Seriously enjoying this song, it's great that it became a classic!

11. The Verve - Bitter Sweet Symphony Another great classic! (Fun Fact: I've heard a german rap song from 2018 recently, which uses a sample from this song!)

Don't recognise any of those by the titles at least! ('As Long As You Love Me' just brings the Bieber song to mind). The eBay version is defo superior to the original of 'I Want It That Way' x (not so much the Slashstreet Boys version though xx)

 

Also a little late as I meant to reply last time I posted in here but forgot, but yes, 'Smack My Bitch Up' was the video that 'Bad Trip' seemed inspired by, I doubt it was just a coincidence since the song sounded a lot like The Prodigy as well.

 

~

 

'Bitter Sweet Symphony' and 'Song 2' are big faves from this section :heart: (I prefer 'The Drugs Don't Work' out of The Verve's pair of mega hits but I would probably pick 'Song 2' as my favourite Blur song). Brainbug was another great BJSC discovery as well. Can't say I'm a fan of either of those Spice Girls songs but of course I expect to see pretty much all of their singles making it into these lists!

Ah okay then! I must admit that I thought of Bieber while I was typing that :kink: God bless Weird Al <3 I think that was the first parody of his that I ever heard, my young mind was blown. Oh yes, Slashstreet Boys not quite being as much of a moment as the artist name suggested. Also, I see, thought I'd remembered that correctly! Well slay at them taking inspiration from The Prodigy in both the musical and visual sense for this song as it worked sooo well, one of your best entries *.*

 

Hooray :heart: I'm pretty sure that 'Song 2' is my favourite Blur song as well so #nsync *.* ofc I much prefer Gorillaz as a Damon project but Blur did have their moments. That Halloween spinoff was quality in general tbh <3 and haha fair enough :kink: will Holler or Hollier make an appearance I wonder???

 

So, heard that James Bond theme from Moby on Youtube, it's good! Really like it, even though nothing beats the original!

There are many songs I like from your #20-#11 section:

20. Backstreet Boys - Everybody (Backstreet's Back) What a classic song from the group!

19. Puff Daddy & Faith Evans - I'll Be Missing You (feat. 112) It uses the sample of The Police very good, also I hear this sometimes on the radio in my working station, so I'm happy about it!

16. The Notorious B.I.G. - Hypnotize What an amazing rap song!

14. Blur - Song 2 Seriously enjoying this song, it's great that it became a classic!

11. The Verve - Bitter Sweet Symphony Another great classic! (Fun Fact: I've heard a german rap song from 2018 recently, which uses a sample from this song!)

I'm pleased that you liked the Moby song Serge *.* I introduced it to Bray as well last weekend and he also liked it, I call that a success!

 

Yayyyy for you picking a decent handful of recent highlights there <3 I'll Be Missing You has definitely played on a station I've been listening to recently (called Gem) at work as well, this impact 21 years later *_* also I am intrigued for this German rap song :lol:

 

Song 2 and Bitter Sweet Symphony are fantastic, glad they've finished quite high here!

 

also I am intrigued for this German rap song :lol:

I think he's referring to

!

Song 2 and Bitter Sweet Symphony are fantastic, glad they've finished quite high here!

I think he's referring to

!

Yaaaaaaay *.*

 

I'm shook at that song existing :lol: I wonder if Mick Jagger knows? xo

 

(I totally flopped at doing a new section yesterday but hopefully tonight after a Skype call and a run ^_^)

Song 2 and Bitter Sweet Symphony are fantastic, glad they've finished quite high here!

I think he's referring to

!

Yes, that's the one!

Hi jade, enjoying the rundown - Verve outside the top 10 though, wot!? :o :D

 

Highlights so far, Tubthumping, Blueboy, Perfect Day, Song 2 - which I under-rated at the time - and some others.

 

This is what I liked I the time (or at least 60 of 'em - I think my tastes are MOR than yours these days, but if you don't know any of the following maybe check them out - based on chart "sales" in my points system, and some did better total sales in later years (which are in brackets) but which I haven't sorted by as this was what I liked at the end of 1997, not what I like now, chart peak and wks on chart follow the chart position year-end. I am an unashamed fan of everything musically, so opera, Bally Sagoo, girl/boy bands, indie - check out Eels, Sneaker Pimps and Mansun if you don't know them! - dub, dance, r'n'b, rock.

 

Oh and dandy - wot no Sunny Came Home and Robyn!! :o :lol:

 

1 1 75 BITTERSWEET SYMPHONY Verve 1848950

2 1 74 TIME TO SAY GOODBYE Sarah Brightman/Andrea Bocelli 1734000

3 1 28 HALO Texas 1589050

4 1 33 TORN Natalie Imbruglia 1435250

5 1 23 PUT YOUR ARMS AROUND ME Texas 1292950

6 1 33 ALONE Bee Gees 1215500

7 1 41 WHAT DO YOU WANT FROM ME Monaco 1077450

8 1 25 SAY WHAT YOU WANT (+655550) Texas 1059400

9 1 20 PERFECT DAY Lou Reed & friends 1022100

10 1 21 LUCKY MAN Verve 1012900

 

11 2 25 WHERE DO YOU GO No Mercy 947750

12 1 39 6 UNDERGROUND Sneaker Pimps 923900

13 5 48 TUBTHUMPING Chumbawamba 920900

14 1 33 YOU GOT THE LOVE 97 Source/ Candi Staton 901950

15 2 18 BLACK EYED BOY Texas 880300

16 1 19 WHERE HAVE ALL THE COWBOYS GONE? Paula Cole 818950

17 1 22 DISCOTHEQUE U2 750850

18 2 21 EVERYBODY (BACKSTREET'S BACK) (1420750) Backstreet Boys 743750

19 1 14 A RED LETTER DAY Pet Shop Boys 740200

20 3 24 SPICE UP YOUR LIFE Spice Girls 731100

 

21 1 20 I WANT YOU (1082150) Savage Garden 716300

22 2 15 WHERE'S THE LOVE Hanson 714850

23 2 32 THE DRUGS DON'T WORK Verve 667400

24 7 40 STARING AT THE SUN U2 659100

25 3 19 DO YOU KNOW (WHAT IT TAKES) Robyn 608750

26 2 22 DON'T LET GO En Vogue 600100

27 1 18 LOVE IS ALL WE NEED Mary J. Blige 597200

28 6 24 YOU WERE MEANT FOR ME Jewel 583400

29 3 19 LAZY DAYS Robbie Williams 582800

30 2 14 SHOUT Ant & Dec 581600

 

31 2 13 EVERYTHING Mary J Blige 558900

32 1 18 SALVA MEA Faithless 545800

33 3 12 AVENGING ANGELS Space 516250

34 3 17 ALL I WANNA DO Dannii 515850

35 6 18 C U WHEN U GET THERE Coolio 507400

36 2 12 YOU SHOWED ME Lightning Seeds 476300

37 6 13 WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE Spice Girls 475000

38 3 19 YOU'RE THE ONE I LOVE Shola Ama 471850

39 3 18 A PRISONER OF THE PAST Prefab Sprout 464900

40 4 16 WALK ON BY Gabrielle 451950

 

41 4 10 ELEGANTLY WASTED INXS 444500

42 6 21 JUST FOR YOU M People 442450

43 5 19 MMMBOP Hanson 441450

44 4 13 WALTZING ALONG James 438800

45 5 15 I WILL COME TO YOU Hanson 429950

46 3 14 ASCENSION DON'T EVER WONDER Maxwell 422550

47 4 16 TUM BIN JIYA Bally Sagoo 415250

48 7 18 REMEMBER ME Blue Boy 415150

49 3 14 RAINCLOUD Lighthouse Family 409550

50 3 12 SUSANS HOUSE Eels 406600

 

51 2 8 TAXLOSS Mansun 405700

52 7 16 NIGHT NURSE Sly & Robbie/Simply Red 404550

53 3 15 IT'S NO GOOD Depeche Mode 402850

54 10 22 TOGETHER AGAIN Janet Jackson 393550

55 5 14 ONE HEADLIGHT Wallflowers 392650

56 3 10 PONY Ginuwine 391950

57 7 18 MOUTH Merril Bainbridge 379450

58 8 17 YOUR WOMAN White Town 377250

59 6 18 NEVER EVER All Saints 372400

60 7 19 ANGELS (1083650) Robbie Williams 371000

Hi jade, enjoying the rundown - Verve outside the top 10 though, wot!? :o :D

 

Highlights so far, Tubthumping, Blueboy, Perfect Day, Song 2 - which I under-rated at the time - and some others.

 

This is what I liked I the time (or at least 60 of 'em - I think my tastes are MOR than yours these days, but if you don't know any of the following maybe check them out - based on chart "sales" in my points system, and some did better total sales in later years (which are in brackets) but which I haven't sorted by as this was what I liked at the end of 1997, not what I like now, chart peak and wks on chart follow the chart position year-end. I am an unashamed fan of everything musically, so opera, Bally Sagoo, girl/boy bands, indie - check out Eels, Sneaker Pimps and Mansun if you don't know them! - dub, dance, r'n'b, rock.

 

Oh and dandy - wot no Sunny Came Home and Robyn!! :o :lol:

 

1 1 75 BITTERSWEET SYMPHONY Verve 1848950

2 1 74 TIME TO SAY GOODBYE Sarah Brightman/Andrea Bocelli 1734000

3 1 28 HALO Texas 1589050

4 1 33 TORN Natalie Imbruglia 1435250

5 1 23 PUT YOUR ARMS AROUND ME Texas 1292950

6 1 33 ALONE Bee Gees 1215500

7 1 41 WHAT DO YOU WANT FROM ME Monaco 1077450

8 1 25 SAY WHAT YOU WANT (+655550) Texas 1059400

9 1 20 PERFECT DAY Lou Reed & friends 1022100

10 1 21 LUCKY MAN Verve 1012900

 

11 2 25 WHERE DO YOU GO No Mercy 947750

12 1 39 6 UNDERGROUND Sneaker Pimps 923900

13 5 48 TUBTHUMPING Chumbawamba 920900

14 1 33 YOU GOT THE LOVE 97 Source/ Candi Staton 901950

15 2 18 BLACK EYED BOY Texas 880300

16 1 19 WHERE HAVE ALL THE COWBOYS GONE? Paula Cole 818950

17 1 22 DISCOTHEQUE U2 750850

18 2 21 EVERYBODY (BACKSTREET'S BACK) (1420750) Backstreet Boys 743750

19 1 14 A RED LETTER DAY Pet Shop Boys 740200

20 3 24 SPICE UP YOUR LIFE Spice Girls 731100

 

21 1 20 I WANT YOU (1082150) Savage Garden 716300

22 2 15 WHERE'S THE LOVE Hanson 714850

23 2 32 THE DRUGS DON'T WORK Verve 667400

24 7 40 STARING AT THE SUN U2 659100

25 3 19 DO YOU KNOW (WHAT IT TAKES) Robyn 608750

26 2 22 DON'T LET GO En Vogue 600100

27 1 18 LOVE IS ALL WE NEED Mary J. Blige 597200

28 6 24 YOU WERE MEANT FOR ME Jewel 583400

29 3 19 LAZY DAYS Robbie Williams 582800

30 2 14 SHOUT Ant & Dec 581600

 

31 2 13 EVERYTHING Mary J Blige 558900

32 1 18 SALVA MEA Faithless 545800

33 3 12 AVENGING ANGELS Space 516250

34 3 17 ALL I WANNA DO Dannii 515850

35 6 18 C U WHEN U GET THERE Coolio 507400

36 2 12 YOU SHOWED ME Lightning Seeds 476300

37 6 13 WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE Spice Girls 475000

38 3 19 YOU'RE THE ONE I LOVE Shola Ama 471850

39 3 18 A PRISONER OF THE PAST Prefab Sprout 464900

40 4 16 WALK ON BY Gabrielle 451950

 

41 4 10 ELEGANTLY WASTED INXS 444500

42 6 21 JUST FOR YOU M People 442450

43 5 19 MMMBOP Hanson 441450

44 4 13 WALTZING ALONG James 438800

45 5 15 I WILL COME TO YOU Hanson 429950

46 3 14 ASCENSION DON'T EVER WONDER Maxwell 422550

47 4 16 TUM BIN JIYA Bally Sagoo 415250

48 7 18 REMEMBER ME Blue Boy 415150

49 3 14 RAINCLOUD Lighthouse Family 409550

50 3 12 SUSANS HOUSE Eels 406600

 

51 2 8 TAXLOSS Mansun 405700

52 7 16 NIGHT NURSE Sly & Robbie/Simply Red 404550

53 3 15 IT'S NO GOOD Depeche Mode 402850

54 10 22 TOGETHER AGAIN Janet Jackson 393550

55 5 14 ONE HEADLIGHT Wallflowers 392650

56 3 10 PONY Ginuwine 391950

57 7 18 MOUTH Merril Bainbridge 379450

58 8 17 YOUR WOMAN White Town 377250

59 6 18 NEVER EVER All Saints 372400

60 7 19 ANGELS (1083650) Robbie Williams 371000

Hey there John :hi: :heart:

 

Thank you for commenting *.* it's so cool to see the likes of you and Dandy posting your charts from the time, sadly I won't have any of those until 2011 :lol: can confirm that a couple of the songs in that top 60 may or may not be in the next section... :o

10. Robbie Williams - Angels
(chart-run: 7-5-7-6-7-6-9-7-6-7-4-9-12-15-21-23-32-43-58-71-57R(36)-57-62-73-75R(5)-75R(3)-71R(41)

09. Bellini - Samba De Janeiro
(chart-run: 8-12-17-23-33-45-67)

08. Will Smith - Men In Black
(chart-run: 1-1-1-1-2-4-5-9-8-14-16-25-24-41-58-69)

07. The Chemical Brothers - Block Rockin' Beats
(chart-run: 1-8-20-34-53-67-69R(7)

06. White Town - Your Woman
(chart-run: 1-2-3-11-15-23-36-54-65)



Top 10 time! Kicking things off is none other than Robbie Williams. He had to appear here, with me being a former moderator of the Robbie forum and all! My parents are massive Robbie fans and I'd say this is probably the song I heard more than any other when growing up. Whether that was in the car or due to my dad requesting it at every party or wedding we've ever been to! Away from that nostalgic connection, I just find it to be a rather beautiful and timeless ballad from Robbie. The public often thinks of him as this outrageous entertainer but this was a refreshingly emotional offering from him away from all of that bravado. He really pulled it off. That chorus in particular is a stormer! I absolutely adore the long build up to the final chorus where the song features nothing but a guitar also. Robbie was apparently inspired to write the chorus when he and Guy Chambers were watching a water fountain. I'm sad that my Bratz water dispenser never inspired me to write a hit single tbh. This is a song adored by the masses, as it was voted best song of the past 25 years at the 2005 Brit Awards. In the same year us British folk also voted this as the song we most want played at our funeral! I can understand why, it tugs on the heart strings but is also euphoric at the same time, so doesn't tread the line of being horribly sad. Plus, 'Angels', of course. It'll always baffle me how this was never a #1 single but that longevity in the top 10 is of course nothing to be sniffed at! Next at #9 it's back to dance with the wonderful 'Samba De Janeiro' by German group Bellini. However, this song is not German at all (Sash! teas) as instead it's a latin house song. Yep, it's obvious why I love this one already! 'Samba De Janeiro' is an instant pick-me-up really with its highly energetic production and infectious repetitive hooks. So euphoric it hurts. If this seems unfamiliar on the surface then you may know it through popular culture. For instance, it was played every time a goal was scored in the Euro 2008 matches. It was also featured in a Simpsons episode called 'You Don't Have to Live Like a Referee'. Lastly, in case Cody is lurking, it was also featured in the Dance Dance Revolution series! Phew, it gets around a lot. 'Samba De Janeiro' heavily samples Airto Moreira's 1972 song 'Tombo In 7/4' so you may know it from there too. If you don't, then get on this joyful song right away! Next at #8 is an enormous guilty pleasure in the form of 'Men In Black' by Will Smith! I discovered this song (and the Spice Girls - who knew this would have such importance?) in a nineties themed leavers assembly at my school and was instantly hooked. I've always generally enjoyed Will Smith as a rapper and think this is his best moment. This did pretty well, spending four weeks at #1 in the UK and winning a Grammy award for Best Rap Solo Performance. My highlight, however, is the chorus courtesy of the uncredited Coko from the band SWV. It's so smooth and soulful! It is based around the song 'Forget Me Nots' by Patrice Rushen. I don't care much for the Men In Black movies (randomly, I've only seen the third one) but this as a song is a lot of fun.

Next up we have one of my absolute favourite electronic acts, The Chemical Brothers! Listening to this right now has got me ridiculously hyped to see them live for the first time, even if that moment will not be until November. Anyway, 'Block Rockin' Beats' is an absolute riot with its big beat and alternative rock influences. I love the funky bassline, thrilling LOUD instrumental chorus, drum sample and of course the minimal vocals. The Chemical Brothers are just absolutely ace at consistently producing exciting music. The Now! franchise acted as Mystic Meg with this one, as they included 'Block Rockin' Beats' on Now 36 prior to its release and predicted that it would be a #1 single in the booklet. Sadly it did not quite have the longevity of 'Men In Black' up there and tumbled to #8 the following week. But, something like this getting to #1 at all is incredible. We could only ever dream nowadays! Next is the third #1 single in a row (#commercialhoe *_*) and the final single of this section, 'Your Woman' by White Town. I must confess that I originally discovered this song through 'Never Be Your Woman' by Naughty Boy presents Emeli Sandé and Wiley back in 2010! I really liked this song and even own it on CD single. However, my teenage mind was blown when I figured out that this was the original. Gosh I love this so much! There's something haunting about both the alternative dance productions and the vocals. The silent film themed video works well too. Plus it reminds me so much of something Gorillaz would release - one of my favourite groups. Jyoti Prakash Mishra, the man behind the one man band White Town, explains that he wanted to write a song that had more than one perspective. From "being a gay guy in love with a straight man" to "being a member of an orthodox Trotskyist / Marxist movement." Well, however you want to take it, we have a fantastically eerie and hypnotic song here.

1997 will hopefully conclude tomorrow!

The first 3 songs (Angels, Samba De Janeiro and Men In Black) all of them are great songs!

Never know that "Angels" was released in 1997 though.

"Samba De Janeiro" is the main theme of carnivals in Brazil. Also it's a fun dance-y song!

And I wouldn't consider "Men In Black" a guilty pleasure. You know, it's a masterpiece compared to the theme song to the sequel of Men In Black.

The first 3 songs (Angels, Samba De Janeiro and Men In Black) all of them are great songs!

Never know that "Angels" was released in 1997 though.

"Samba De Janeiro" is the main theme of carnivals in Brazil. Also it's a fun dance-y song!

And I wouldn't consider "Men In Black" a guilty pleasure. You know, it's a masterpiece compared to the theme song to the sequel of Men In Black.

Woop woop *.* and interesting, did you think 'Angels' was older or more recent than 1997? :o

'Samba De Janeiro' sounds extremely fitting for a carnival so I can definitely imagine that, how cool! It's so much fun indeed <3

Lmao you make a good point there *_*

 

(btw guys I was listening to the radio at work today (to a station called Gem) and they had a 'guess the year' segment and I knew it was 1997 from the first second of 'Never Gonna Let You Go' :lol: I feel like an expert of this year now haha!!)

05. Adam F - Circles
(chart-run: 20-36-62)

04. Olive - You're Not Alone
(chart-run: 1-1-3-6-15-18-27-37-44-54-57-64-69)

03. Oasis - D'You Know What I Mean?
(chart-run: 1-2-5-10-16-18-23-31-47-60-59-50-55-63-55-65-57-69)

02. Spice Girls - Spice Up Your Life
(chart-run: 1-2-3-4-10-20-24-29-34-37-29-37-50-59-65)

01. Dario G - Sunchyme
(chart-run: 2-3-2-3-5-6-10-15-21-34-43-58-65-60-54-62-59-65)



Starting off the top 5 is record producer and DJ Adam F with (mostly) instrumental top 20 scraper 'Circles'. You guys may or may not already know how much I love this because I decided to enter it to the BuzzJack Song Contest last year! It finished in 17th place in BJSC 104, not too shabby. I discovered this song while I was listening to an old chart on Mixcloud and it was truly love at first listen. This chart was supposed to be background music while I was writing an article during a news day at University, but this song was a rather large distraction and became an instant favourite! I came home and spammed it for the ENTIRE night. Then I played it on plug.dj and it went down well, so I thought you know what, let's go all 90s for BJSC. This is a Drum & Bass/Jungle song and what an exhilarating one at that! It starts off fairly calm, albeit with a bit of a bouncy beat, but then Adam shows that he's not messing around and chucks in this highly energetic production that is very typical of D&B music. There are very small vocal portions too for good measure, namely a woman saying the title and a man repeating the word "check", I believe. This whole package is highly up my street with its 3am Radio 1 vibes and has a really timeless feel to it. J'adore. Now it's time to go from one timeless electronic song to another. Except this one was a lot bigger, as it reached the top of the chart, plus it has a rather different vibe. Much like 'Never Be Your Woman', I actually discovered 'You're Not Alone' through a new version... that being by Tinchy Stryder! But I'd eventually stumble across the original and love absolutely everything about it. Firstly, it contains a mixture of trip-hop and breakbeat elements and if a fusion of those two genres doesn't scream me then I don't know what does tbh. I think the lady on vocals has a beautiful voice, the production is top notch and the lyrics are really powerful to me. Despite a generally dark feel, as trip-hop music often sounds, this actually puts me in a really good mood and gives me some inner strength. A song where everything from vocals to production to lyrics are just all perfect. This sounds ridiculously ahead of its time and I'm pleased that the British public rewarded it with a two week stay at the top. I will still never like olives though.

Taking the bronze position for 1997 is my second favourite band of all-time with an absolute gem from their discography. Oasis were INSANELY massive at the time, coming off the back of the highly successful '(What's The Story) Morning Glory?' era. The world was now eagerly anticipating their next move. I say this as if I was even alive at the time but c'mon, those first week sales for 'Be Here Now' were eye-wateringly huge. However, the album would soon tail off. I must admit that I'm not the biggest fan of the album myself (I actually wrote an in-depth analysis of it for a piece of my A Level English Language coursework *_*) - it's quite bloated. But THIS was a huge moment. What a way for them to come back, being so bold as to release an almost 8 minute single (but no-one cared because they were so big) where you have to wait 2 minutes for the drums to even come in. The production here is such a treat, particularly the guitar in the chorus and also the rather mangled guitar noises during the outro. Noel also said that the morse code in the background was inspired by 'Strawberry Fields Forever' which makes me a very happy Beatles fanatic. But it doesn't end there as the song references both 'The Fool On The Hill' and 'I Feel Fine' too <3 Then we get to the vocals and Liam owns it with his signature cool and confident delivery. It's nice to have a bit of Noel layered against his vocals during the chorus as well to give it more depth. The lyrics are fairly ambiguous, but this is a song that definitely makes me feel on top of the world, what a triumph! Taking the silver position is the Spice Girls with their third and final appearance for 1997 with the irresistible 'Spice Up Your Life'! What I love about this is how energetic and inclusive it is. The girls apparently all recorded the chorus together, instead of separate takes, which explains why it feels like such a manic and fun experience. I am a sucker for the latin influences, ridiculously catchy chorus and uplifting lyrics that unite us all around the world. So much fun!! The music video is one of their absolute best as well, being self aware about their crazy amount of sponsorships and featuring the girls controlling everything in a setting that looks dark and futuristic. Can't wait to spice up my life at Wembley in June <3 Now... it's time for my FAVOURITE song of 1997 :o Dario G receives the first of these crowns in my countdown with the absolutely glorious house beauty 'Sunchyme', taken from their debut album 'Sunmachine'. This is 4 minutes of unadulterated JOY I tell you. It makes me feel so warm and like everything's okay in the world while it's on. I clearly have a penchant for loopy dance songs based on samples (also see... my favourite song of all time... which we shall get to in 2001) as this is based on the also lovely 'Life in a Northern Town' by The Dream Academy. This takes that dream pop song and turns it into this stunning dance anthem. I just have no words for how brilliant this is. My #1 by miles, as much as I love the Spice Girls and Oasis. Such blissful production and equally soothing vocals. I must say that the video is an absolute gem as well, it depicts a tribe of African people having their bodies covered in paint to portray the animals of their land. The choreography is amazing too. Incredible. The only shame is that this never made #1. In fact... it wasn't even close. Not at all. This was behind the juggernaut 'Candle In The Wind' by Elton John and this top 2 has the record for biggest sales gap between a top two in the UK ever... oops :lol: well, this gets the last laugh as my #1 tbh.

recap ~ full 1997 top 40:

 

01. Dario G - Sunchyme

02. Spice Girls - Spice Up Your Life

03. Oasis - D'You Know What I Mean?

04. Olive - You're Not Alone

05. Adam F - Circles

06. White Town - Your Woman

07. The Chemical Brothers - Block Rockin' Beats

08. Will Smith - Men In Black

09. Bellini - Samba De Janeiro

10. Robbie Williams - Angels

 

11. The Verve - Bitter Sweet Symphony

12. Spice Girls - Who Do You Think You Are

13. Brainbug - Nightmare

14. Blur - Song 2

15. Spice Girls - Too Much

16. The Notorious B.I.G. - Hypnotize

17. Tina Moore - Never Gonna Let You Go

18. Sandy B - Make The World Go Round

19. Puff Daddy & Faith Evans - I'll Be Missing You (feat. 112)

20. Backstreet Boys - Everybody (Backstreet's Back)

 

21. Rosie Gaines - Closer Than Close

22. All Saints - I Know Where It's At

23. Moby - James Bond Theme

24. Sash! - Ecuador (feat. Rodriguez)

25. Orbital - The Saint

26. DJ Shadow - High Noon

27. Daft Punk - Around The World

28. Michael Jackson - Blood On The Dance Floor

29. The Age Of Love - The Age Of Love

30. The Prodigy - Smack My Bitch Up

 

31. Sash! - Encore Une Fois

32. Tori Amos - Professional Widow (It's Got To Be Big)

33. Aphex Twin - Come To Daddy

34. Blue Boy - Remember Me

35. Various Artists - Perfect Day

36. Todd Terry - Something Goin' On (feat. Martha Walsh and Jocelyn Brown)

37. DJ Quicksilver - Bellissima

38. Lamb - Gorecki

39. Chumbawamba - Tubthumping

40. Janet Jackson - Got 'Til It's Gone (feat. Q-Tip & Joni Mitchell)

 

Thanks for the overwhelming amount of support in the thread so far, much love :wub: 1998 commencing in the not too distant future :o

 

Spotify Playlist so far <3