2006

 

7/21: Carrie Underwood - Jesus Take The Wheel (2 weeks at No.1)

 

 

Is there a bigger, more well known singer who launched in the 00s that has never managed a top 40 hit in the UK than Carrie Underwood? (that Just Stand Up charity song that featured everyone aside). The American Idol 2005 winner instantly impressed me with her stunning vocal and - to my ears - her debut album Some Hearts is probably the best debut album to ever come from any TV reality show winner. Packed full of fantastic country pop, including the classic Before He Cheats, I actually preferred the epic Christian ballad Jesus Take The Wheel, which reached the top 20 of the US charts. Despite not charting elsewhere, it's a classic of the genre and regularly pops up on compilation albums and I've heard it playing plenty of times in shops here too.

2006

 

8/21: Delta Goodrem - Together We Are One (2 weeks at No.1)

 

 

The FIFTH song in a row to spend exactly 14 days at No.1 in my chart, it was a quick return to the top for Delta Goodrem, who was still a year and a half away from her next album release but keeping fans fed with plenty of other random releases. Co-written with Guy Chambers and Brian McFadden for the Commonwealth Games in Melbourne that year, Together We Are One is a magnificent power ballad with a huge key change - probably the biggest Whitney Houston style epic belter that Delta has in her back catalogue. The uplifting single peaked at No.2 in Australia.

'Thunder In My Heart' :wub: also love 'Put Your Records On' as well. Might be just me that was a little surprised at how old she was in the video when it appeared to me like she was a bit younger than 26 at the time.

 

'Jesus Take The Wheel' I'm pretty certain I've heard too but will need to re listen to and another Delta one I don't know there lol.

2006

 

9/21: Gnarls Barkley - Crazy (1 week at No.1)

 

 

The biggest selling single of the year was a really standout song, although curiously one that you hear a lot less these days. Crazy is one of those songs that just instantly sounded huge, like nothing else in the charts at the time or really at any other time. A collaboration between CeeLo Green and producer Danger Mouse, Crazy was a soulful track with dance and indie influence and an earworm of a chorus that famously became the first song to go to No.1 in the UK on downloads alone, with its sales then going through the roof upon the release of the CD single. It spent nine weeks at No.1 in the UK too - a truly mammoth hit.

Edited April 12, 20232 yr by gooddelta

'Thunder In My Heart' :wub: also love 'Put Your Records On' as well. Might be just me that was a little surprised at how old she was in the video when it appeared to me like she was a bit younger than 26 at the time.

 

'Jesus Take The Wheel' I'm pretty certain I've heard too but will need to re listen to and another Delta one I don't know there lol.

 

Oh true actually, sounds more like a hit by a late teenager, especially with the cutesy video.

I hear 'Crazy' quite a lot nowadays but I suppose you wouldn't hear Radio 1 busting it out often :lol:

I hear 'Crazy' quite a lot nowadays but I suppose you wouldn't hear Radio 1 busting it out often :lol:

 

That's true, they used to rinse it at the time.

 

Weird it doesn't seem to pop up on many compilations these days either.

12) Naimee Coleman - My Star (1 week at #2)

# 1 in my chart with strong chartrun (2-3-1-3-3-6-5-6-7-9-9-10-10-12-13-18-19-21-23-25-28), "Ordinary World" was # 5.

 

In all honesty, 2002 was a dip for me for Eurovision on the previous year, the hosting was bizarre and the whole presentation seemed dated and tacky, there were also only seven songs I particularly liked in the contest, and one of those (Denmark) finished last.

 

My top 2 was UK and Denmark.

 

2003

13/24: Birgitta - Open Your Heart (2 non-consecutive weeks at No.1)

My favourite entry of 2003, though, was some fine schlager that would finish 8th for Iceland. Birgitta Haukdal opened the show in fine style and - for me - nothing bettered it for the whole evening, even Sweden's own schlager from Fame, the winner of Melodifestivalen, which peaked at No.2 for me.

 

My top 3 : Netherlands, Iceland, UK. Yes, I like Jemini song.

Edited April 13, 20232 yr by Last Dreamer

2004

 

8/22: Julie & Ludwig - On Again…Off Again (2 non-consecutive weeks at No.1)

 

For the third year on the trot, the Maltese Eurovision entry topped my chart. This time around it was pop/operatic duo Julie & Ludwig with the incredibly corny but infectious On Again…Off Again. A much bigger hit for Malta than the previous year, the track narrowly missed the top 10, and imo should have been inside it. It's a little oddball and cheesy but the melody and performance is so uplifting, it's one of my go to 'happy songs'. It takes me right back to my college journeys too, I was hammering this on my old 60 song capacity MP3 player!

 

It's my favourite Maltese ESC entry. For 2001-2004 contests we shared some favourites.

 

My rankings :

 

2001

1. Michelle - Wer Liebe Lebt (Germany)

2. Rollo and King - Never Ever Let You Go (Denmark)

3. Vanna - Strings Of My Heart (Croatia)

 

2002

1. Jessica Garlick - Come Back (United Kingdom)

2. Malene Mortensen - Tell Me Who You Are (Denmark)

3. Ira Losco - Seventh Wonder (Malta)

 

2003

1. Esther Hart - One More Night (Netherlands)

2. Birgitta Haukdal - Open Your Heart (Iceland)

3. Jemini - Cry Baby (United Kingdom)

 

2004

1. Yulia Savicheva - Believe Me (Russia)

2. Julie and Ludwig - On Again... Off Again (Malta)

3. Sanda Ladosi - I Admit (Romania)

Edited April 13, 20232 yr by Last Dreamer

Delta and Carrie! :heart:

 

Together We Are One is a great stand alone single, as I don’t think it fits on either Mistaken Identity or Delta. Love it all the same though.

 

Jesus Take The Wheel is probably in my top 5 Carrie Underwood songs.

# 1 in my chart with strong chartrun (2-3-1-3-3-6-5-6-7-9-9-10-10-12-13-18-19-21-23-25-28), "Ordinary World" was # 5.

My top 2 was UK and Denmark.

My top 3 : Netherlands, Iceland, UK. Yes, I like Jemini song.

 

 

It's my favourite Maltese ESC entry. For 2001-2004 contests we shared some favourites.

 

My rankings :

 

2001

1. Michelle - Wer Liebe Lebt (Germany)

2. Rollo and King - Never Ever Let You Go (Denmark)

3. Vanna - Strings Of My Heart (Croatia)

 

2002

1. Jessica Garlick - Come Back (United Kingdom)

2. Malene Mortensen - Tell Me Who You Are (Denmark)

3. Ira Losco - Seventh Wonder (Malta)

 

2003

1. Esther Hart - One More Night (Netherlands)

2. Birgitta Haukdal - Open Your Heart (Iceland)

3. Jemini - Cry Baby (United Kingdom)

 

2004

1. Yulia Savicheva - Believe Me (Russia)

2. Julie and Ludwig - On Again... Off Again (Malta)

3. Sanda Ladosi - I Admit (Romania)

 

Wow, nice run for My Star there! Yes very similar tastes there, I loved all of the songs you listed apart from I Admit. The Michelle song was great in 2001, I still listen to her now - bought her Best Of last year when I was in Berlin.

 

Delta and Carrie! :heart:

 

Together We Are One is a great stand alone single, as I don’t think it fits on either Mistaken Identity or Delta. Love it all the same though.

 

Jesus Take The Wheel is probably in my top 5 Carrie Underwood songs.

 

I agree with that, it probably fits Delta better - maybe would have worked at the end of as a bonus track - but being standalone was a good idea.

2006

 

10/21: Nerina Pallot - Everybody’s Gone To War (4 non-consecutive weeks at #1)

 

 

One of my favourite British female singer-songwriters, Nerina Pallot was one of a clutch of artists who made a minor splash earler in the decade but took a few years to properly break through. Her debut album Dear Frustrated Superstar peaked at No.82 in 2001 but follow-up Fires thankfully did a lot better five years later - eventually - after a huge heave of effort, but still missed the top 20. Nevertheless, it spun off a reasonably big hit in 2006 in the jaunty Everybody’s Gone To War, which is more Americanised in sound than most of her other stuff, and in fact when I first heard it I thought it was Sheryl Crow (then when I saw the video I would have had no idea she wasn't American). An anthemic chorus, intriguing lyrics, great production, I really don't know why this one missed the UK top ten.

2006

 

11/21: Carola - Invincible (1 week at No.1)

 

 

A Melodifestivalen winner topping my chart is hardly a rare sight these days but it took some time to happen - Friends, Fame and Lena Philipsson all came very close in 2001, 2003 and 2004 respectively but it was legend and former Eurovision winner Carola that saw the first Swedish entry at the top. After winning Melodifestivalen in the 80s and 90s (the latter leading to her Eurovision win), she returned as a superstar in 2006 with a perfect slice of modern schlager that swept to victory in Sweden. In Eurovision though it could only finish 5th and it sadly felt like the last hurrah for diva schlager at the contest - Carola was expected to win or come 2nd to Anna Vissi (who finished even lower on the scoreboard), but clearly Europe was moving on from this sound. Invincible - or the just as great Swedish original Evighet - is still a majestic masterclass of Swedish pop though.

Edited April 17, 20232 yr by gooddelta

The Michelle song was great in 2001, I still listen to her now - bought her Best Of last year when I was in Berlin.

 

Michelle started a music career in 1993. Her debut single "Und Heut' Nacht Will Ich Tanzen" peaked at # 6 in my chart.

 

"Wer Liebe Lebt"

Chartrun : 13-10-8-9-12-16-18-18-22-25-27-30

 

It was harder to get good peak position in glory days of "Gražios Dainos" (1999-2003) due strong competion.

2006

 

12/21: Daz Sampson - Teenage Life (3 weeks at No.1)

 

 

The 00s are well known for the UK going a bit off the boil in Eurovision. After the nul points with Jemini in 2003 we sent a poor ballad by James Fox in 2004 and an ethno-pop misfire from Javine in 2005, but 2006 was the first time I actually really loved our entry since Come Back. When I first heard the studio versions of the 2006 songs I instantly loved two - Teenage Life and All About You by City Chix. I figured one of Kym Marsh or Anthony Costa would beat them, but then when I saw Daz's performance it became abundantly clear what would win, and in fact I did vote for him - sorry.

 

A charming, nostalgic pop/rap track written by Daz (who had already had hits with Bus Stop, Rikki & Daz and Uniting Nations), and John Matthews (aka Ricardo Autobahn who is also responsible for the hamster dance song that peaked at No.4 at Christmas 1999), Daz had incredible self belief and this song sounded like a hit. And it was - it spent quite a few weeks in the UK chart, climbing to its peak of No.8, and I heard it a lot on the music channels, or from kids blasting it out of their phone - it genuinely crossed over. The Eurovision performance didn't translate to Europe as much as the odds suggested it might - Daz in his yellow bomber looked at odds with the schoolgirls (and I guess that visual wouldn't happen today), and the live choir vocal didn't really work as well as the recorded chorus on the studio version, but it's still - in my opinion - a great and unfairly derided entry that did pick up votes from 10 countries in the end and didn't completely disgrace us.

From ESC - 2006 iconic "Congratulations" was (and still) my favoutite.

 

Top 3 : Iceland, Estonia, Germany.

Edited April 17, 20232 yr by Last Dreamer

2006

 

13/21: Nelly Furtado - Maneater (1 week at No.1)

 

 

The summer of hits now - pop women were on top of the UK charts and on top of my chart all summer long. Kicking off with Maneater, the huge return from Canadian Nelly Furtado who had always been a sort of B-list star, with very big singles but never absolutely huge. That changed with the Loose album, which paired Nelly with Timbaland and made her into a superstar, for one era anyway as she soon returned to her previous lower level of success. But the four-strike punch of Maneater-Promiscuous-All Good Things (Come To An End)-Say It Right is almost as perfect as a perfect singles run gets and could hardly miss. Interestingly, while the anthemic, infectious Maneater was the only single from Loose to reach the top of my chart, it was Promiscuous that finished in my end of year top 10.

Michelle started a music career in 1993. Her debut single "Und Heut' Nacht Will Ich Tanzen" peaked at # 6 in my chart.

 

"Wer Liebe Lebt"

Chartrun : 13-10-8-9-12-16-18-18-22-25-27-30

 

It was harder to get good peak position in glory days of "Gražios Dainos" (1999-2003) due strong competion.

 

Nice, it peaked at No.3 for me. As To Live For Love but I listened to Wer Liebe Lebt a lot too.

 

From ESC - 2006 iconic "Congratulations" was (and still) my favoutite.

 

Top 3 : Iceland, Estonia, Germany.

 

Germany was quite a favourite of mine, and I really liked Estonia too - classic schlager. Wasn't as keen on Iceland as a song but it's catchy and I found her persona amusing.

2006 so far, Texas is under-rated, Corinne's is still lovely, Crazy is a classic, Maneater still a banger, and Nerina Pallot debuted with a cracker of an album and run of singles.. :yahoo:

The awkwardness of 'Everybody's Gone To War' being top 10 in the daily music channels charts whilst missing officially. It sounded like a pretty standard top 10 peaker to me. Not sure what happened there really.

 

Daz looks like a right goon next to schoolgirls as well oops. Not a look that'd flow now.

 

Unpopular opinion was never mad on Nelly's first two releases. Not they are bad per say but it didn't strike me for whatever reason. 'All Good Things' and 'Say It Right' were great though.