I have zero sympathy for that song

Edited August 22, 20204 yr by Nick F1

 

42. Girls Aloud - Call The Shots 7.78

 

 

 

 

UK peak: #3

Heat Position: #7 (2007)

 

Highest score: 11 (Jay, JosephStyles)

Lowest score: 0 (King Rollo)

 

 

At 42 we have the final of three Girls Aloud singles to appear in the final rate! Surprisingly, 'Call the Shots' has managed to finish over twenty places higher than their massive breakthrough #1 'Sound of the Underground' and their critically-lauded 'Biology'. For a Buzzjack fave who have predominantly been successful throughout the decade, it's a shock to see no Girls Aloud single finish in the top 40!

 

'Call the Shots' was released in November 2007 as the second single to their fourth studio album Tangled Up. The song debuted at #9 on downloads alone before climbing to #3 where it stayed for a fortnight. It spent 15 weeks in the top 40 - making it the girls' longest-running top 40 hit.

 

 

 

I will be posting #41 later. :cheer:

 

 

 

'Call The Shots' is one of a small group of GA songs I actually really liked!

Edited August 22, 20204 yr by Rob S

 

41. Rihanna - Don't Stop The Music 7.80

 

 

 

 

UK peak: #4

Heat Position: #11 (2008)

 

Highest score: 10 (Rob S, ...ready for it, Nick F1, Rush)

Lowest score: 1 (King Rollo)

 

 

Just missing out on the top 40 is the highest song to finish at #11 in the heats stage. 'Don't Stop the Music' is the third of 4 Rihanna singles to appear in this countdown with 'Disturbia' and 'Russian Roulette' falling out at 80 and 93 respectively while 'Umbrella' is still to come! If we take King Rollo's rate out of the equation, not a single voter rated this RiRi hit below 5!

 

'Don't Stop the Music' was released as the fourth single to Rihanna's chart-topping third album Good Girl Gone Bad and reached #4 in January 2008. The song notably samples Michael Jackson's 'Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'' and set Rih up for a successful second wind of the album campaign with the re-release the following May. I was shocked to see it fall short of the top 10 in the 2008 heat so it's good to see it manage to finish top 50 in the final vote.

 

 

 

 

 

40. Sugababes - Hole In The Head 7.80

 

 

 

 

UK peak: #1

Heat Position: #3 (2003)

 

Highest score: 10 (Rob S, ...ready for it, Nina West, Dannyboy, Nick F1, Chemistry, Sarah, Jay)

Lowest score: 2 (RabbitFurCoat, King Rollo)

 

 

Kicking off the top 40 is the first of FIVE Sugababes singles to fall out. Fun fact: All five Sugababes songs to appear reached number one - their only chart topper not voted into the final rate was their 2007 Girls Aloud collaboration 'Walk This Way': its absence is a shock to no one. :lol: 'Hole in the Head' was released as the lead single to the girls' aptly titled third album Three in October 2003 and entered the chart at #1. The song definitely feels like one of the group's least-remembered number ones and I never hear it played on the radio unlike the likes of 'Push the Button'. I'm pleased this finished top 40 here though as it is one of their best singles - containing the spunk and sass that separated them from other girl groups of the time.

 

 

 

39. Melanie C - I Turn To You (Remix) 7.80

 

 

 

 

UK peak: #1

Heat Position: #7 (2000)

 

Highest score: 11 (Bjork)

Lowest score: 3 (RabbitFurCoat, Ultra)

 

 

At 39 is Melanie C's 'I Turn To You', the fourth single from her debut solo album Northern Star. The song was remixed for its single release - giving it a more uptempo, on-trend trance sound and in my opinion completely elevates the song into something euphoric. The song was released in August 2000 and entered the chart at #1 - becoming Sporty Spice's second solo chart topper and notably made Melanie the first woman in history to have a #1 as part of a duo, a quartet, a quintet and solo. Along with 'When You're Gone', this is definitely my favourite Melanie C single. I shamefully never appreciated it back in the day and perhaps even marked it lower than I should in this rate (I gave it a 7.5)... It's worth noting that Mel is the only Spice Girl to feature in this final rate despite all the girls releasing hits during the decade! :o

 

 

 

38. Nelly Furtado - Say It Right 7.80

 

 

 

 

UK peak: #10

Heat Position: #5 (2007)

 

Highest score: 11 (Addy, Shoat, Nick F1)

Lowest score: 0 (Jason)

 

 

At 38 is the highest of two singles from Nelly Furtado to appear in this rate, after her number one 'Maneater' finished at #44. 'Say It Right' was Nelly's fourth consecutive top 10 hit from her Loose album and became the first download-only single ever to reach the top 10 - also making it the highest-charting download-only single at the time: this record was later broken by Coldplay's #1 'Viva La Vida' which appeared at #55 in this countdown. Furthermore, the song is Nelly's longest-charting hit in the UK, spending twice as long on the chart than any of her other releases! Not bad for a song that peaked at #10. And speaking of #10's...

 

 

 

37. Pink - U + Ur Hand 7.81

 

 

 

 

UK peak: #10

Heat Position: #6 (2006)

 

Highest score: 11 (troublepink)

Lowest score: 1 (King Rollo)

 

 

Here we say goodbye to the first of four Pink singles (second if we are counting 'Lady Marmalade' which finished right at the bottom of the pile). 'U + Ur Hand' was released as the third UK single from Pink's fourth album I'm Not Dead in August 2006 and although it looked as if it peaked at #11 originally, three weeks later it was able to rebound up to #10 - giving Pink her third top 10 of the year. The song was a controversial single choice, especially in the States, due to its references to masturbation. Pink was even asked to change the lyrics to "U + Ur Heart" for a live performance on American Idol which she unsurprisingly refused to do. :lol: It's a shame this is the first proper Pink single to fall out as it is my personal favourite of the four. Only two voters rated it below 5: SevenSeize and King Rollo, the latter is becoming a staple in the "Lowest Score" section. :P

 

 

I had a feeling U + Ur Hand would fall first but still impressive to see 4 Pink songs in the top 40, more than any other solo female :cheer:

Say It Right is still superb, by far the best Nelly Furtado song.

 

36. Amy Winehouse - Rehab 7.83

 

 

 

 

UK peak: #7

Heat Position: #10 (2007)

 

Highest score: 10 (Nina West)

Lowest score: 6 (Shoat, Nightcrawler, Herbs, King Rollo, dan-G)

 

 

Now we lose the one and only entry from the late great Amy Winehouse - her breakthrough hit 'Rehab'. Released in October 2006, 'Rehab' peaked at #7 for two weeks and even managed to reach #9 in the US! It must be the first song on this countdown to not receive a single score under 5! On the flipside, it only received a single 10 and no 11's so although everyone likes the song, it is not a standout for most. It finished 5th in the Back To Black rate (results still ongoing :kink:) and was rated the lowest single from the album so it would've been interesting to see where some of the album's other hits would have ended up in this rate had they qualified. It's also a surprise 'Valerie' never made it in!

 

 

 

35. David Guetta feat. Kelly Rowland - When Love Takes Over 7.83

 

 

 

 

UK peak: #1

Heat Position: #7 (2009)

 

Highest score: 10 (Addy, Lewis, Shoat, Jester, Dannyboy, gavindeejay, Ultra)

Lowest score: 3 (troublepink, King Rollo)

 

 

At 36 we lose the only appearance from either David Guetta or Kelly Rowland in this countdown. 'When Love Takes Over' seems to be THAT song which started the whole movement of pop stars featuring on a credited DJ's track... unless I'm missing an obvious precedent? The song was released in June 2009 and climbed from 7 to 1 in its second week - becoming David's first ever UK #1 and Kelly's second - and first in 7 years! It's one of those songs that I really liked at the time but the years haven't been kind to it. I just find it a bit overplayed these days. I'm surprised it only spent one week at the top though - I thought it was a four-week #1 or something lol.

 

 

 

34. Sugababes - Freak Like Me 7.83

 

 

 

 

UK peak: #1

Heat Position: #6 (2002)

 

Highest score: 11 (Dannyboy)

Lowest score: 0 (Jason)

 

 

The second of five Sugababes singles to appear is the hit that truly put the girls on the map back in 2002. After modest commercial success with their debut album, a member quitting and being dropped from their record label, it may have looked at one point as if the Sugababes were not destined for stardom. Then in April 2002 a reworked version of Adina Howard's minor 1995 hit was released as the girls' first single with new member Heidi and it became the group's first #1 single - holding off S Club Juniors' 'One Step Closer' in the process. I'm not surprised it is one of the lower ranked Sugababes hits in this countdown as I think they've bettered it with later releases - including their follow-up to it which is still to come. That said it is a solid piece of early 00's pop and did the girls wonders commercially.

 

 

Freak Like Me is just too high imo.

 

 

 

33. Shakira - Whenever, Wherever 7.92

 

 

 

 

UK peak: #2

Heat Position: #2 (2002)

 

Highest score: 10 (Rob S, Addy, Lewis, Nina West, gavindeejay, T Boy, Sarah, HausofGhibli, Ultra, JosephStyles)

Lowest score: 0 (Jester)

 

 

Finishing at 33 is Shakira's breakthrough hit 'Whenever, Wherever' - her highest ranking single in this countdown, finishing far ahead of her biggest hit 'Hips Don't Lie' which only managed #95. 'Whenever, Wherever' entered the chart at #2 in March 2002 behind Will Young's Pop Idol coronation single. The song stayed at that position for two weeks and spent ten weeks in the top 10. The video fills me with so much nostalgia. :wub: I used to think how brave she was diving into the ocean and dancing on mountains. :blush: It's a shame 'Underneath Your Clothes' couldn't qualify for the final rate - I think I rank that as my all-time favourite Shakira song. :wub:

 

 

 

32. Sugababes - Round Round 7.92

 

 

 

 

UK peak: #1

Heat Position: #8 (2002)

 

Highest score: 11 (Dannyboy)

Lowest score: 2 (Jason)

 

 

Here we lose a third 2002 track in a row and the third Sugababes single to fall out in the 31-40 section. 'Round Round' was released as the follow-up to the group's 'Freak Like Me' and the second single from their sophomore album Angels With Dirty Faces. The song was released in August 2002 and debuted at number one - giving the girls' their second chart topper in a row. It's funny how when you're younger you never give a song the time of day even if you're a fan of the group but 16 or so years later it finally clicks... that is exactly what happened with 'Round Round'. :heart: The chorus is such an earworm the song must have been an expected smash, right?

 

 

 

31. Pink - So What 7.95

 

 

 

 

UK peak: #1

Heat Position: #6 (2008)

 

Highest score: 11 (troublepink)

Lowest score: 1 (RabbitFurCoat)

 

 

Narrowly missing out on the top 30 is the third single of Pink's to appear in this countdown. 'So What' became Pink's third number one - six years after her last time at the top! I think the success of Pink's I'm Not Dead era during 2006-07 definitely contributed to the hype of a new Pink single in 2008. The song was released in October 2008 and entered the chart at 38, rising 37 places to the top the following week! I believe this makes Pink hold the record for the biggest climb to #1 from within the top 40! 'So What' is Pink at her most confrontational and sassiest which is arguably the biggest selling point of the song. Although it is perhaps her biggest song (going by chart run), it is nowhere near her best for me and I got tired of it rather quickly. Considering how big the Funhouse era was for her, I don't really regard it as anywhere near her best. More Pink is to come in the shape of 'Just Like A Pill' and 'Who Knew' - where will they land?

 

 

I do still love So What! It’s classic Pink but it’s also got a lot of hidden emotion in there that I find it often doesn’t get credit for. Always takes me back to turning 20 in uni.

 

30. Gwen Stefani - What You Waiting For? 7.99

 

 

 

 

UK peak: #4

Heat Position: #2 (2004)

 

Highest score: 11 (dandy*)

Lowest score: 1 (King Rollo)

 

 

Launching us into the top 30 is the debut solo single from No Doubt's Gwen Stefani. The song is essentially Gwen's explanation for doing the record and was written at a time she was suffering writer's block. I never knew it was co-written by songwriter of the decade Linda Perry who famously wrote Christina Aguilera's 'Beautiful'. Gwen's debut single was released in the UK in November 2004 and entered the chart at #4 behind other new entries from Girls Aloud and Lemar. The song is definitely unique and a memorable way to launch a solo career but it isn't a song that I can listen to too many times. Her later single 'Cool' will always be my favourite from her. :wub: This is Gwen's first and final appearance in this countdown.

 

 

 

29. Lady Gaga - Paparazzi 8.00

 

 

 

 

UK peak: #4

Heat Position: #8 (2009)

 

Highest score: 11 (Jonjo)

Lowest score: 3 (Jason, King Rollo)

 

 

Up next we have another #4 from the decade - Mother Monster's 'Paparazzi'. It marks the second of four appearances from Gaga in this countdown which is remarkable considering she only launched her career in the final year of the decade: a testament to her popularity! We lost the first Gaga single ('Just Dance') at 66 so her higher three singles have proven to be considerably more favoured by voters. 'Paparazzi' in a nutshell is about chasing fame and Gaga seducing the media into falling in love with her. Its accompanying music video was arguably a watershed moment for pop culture. It reintroduced the long-form music video and, at a time when YouTube's influence and popularity was rising, it demonstrated how important music videos can be in selling music. The song was a massive success and peaked at #4 in June 2009 and returned to that position two weeks later. The song still remains my favourite The Fame single. :wub: