'You Are Alive' is lush. Not one you'd hear anywhere now, again one radio should peddle along with the other non TM hits!

 

It is such a beauty and radio need to be less predictable with their throwbacks!

 

So many of these not on Spotify! Madness!

 

I know :( Moreso than any other year, my 2001 playlist is full of glaring gaps. Like, why is a Eurovision winner missing?

 

I didn’t read this before I played it, so none more shocked than me who recognised the Cranberries instantly!

 

Ha, i bet! I adore the original too.

Edited February 7, 20232 yr by gooddelta

2000 No.1s recap:

 

1) The Corrs - No Frontiers (2 non-consecutive weeks at #1) No idea what this sounds like! I thought I had a decent (not extensive) knowledge of Corrs! Lmao omg.

4) Christina Aguilera - Blessed (1 week at #1) BOOOOOOO! TEAM BRIT! YOU CHOSE WRONG!!!! ;)

6) Mariah Carey feat Joe & 98 Degrees - Thank God I Found You (2 weeks at #1)

8) Fragma feat Coco - Toca’s Miracle (3 weeks at #1) I actually, cannot stand this anymore (I was never *too* big on it though). It's so overplayed and 'You Are Alive' is a thousand times better! </3

9) Mandy Moore - Candy (1 week at #1) Classic! So corny and cheesy, but a bop!

12) Alice Deejay - Will I Ever (4 non-consecutive weeks at #1) What a banger! That trilogy of 'Better Off Alone' - 'Back In My Life' - 'Will I Ever' is fantastic.

15) Robert Miles feat Maria Nayler - One & One (2 weeks at #1) Gorgeous! Very underrated!

17) Spiller feat Sophie Ellis-Bextor - Groovejet (If This Ain’t Love) (4 non-consecutive weeks at #1) I always lump this and 'Can't Get You Out Of My Head' together, because they're both tracks that I cannot, for the life of me, get my head around as to why they're so popular lol.

19) Mariah Carey feat Westlife - Against All Odds (1 week at #1)

21) Aurora feat Naimee Coleman - Ordinary World (1 week at #1)

22) Vanessa Amorosi - Absolutely Everybody (1 week at #1) A masterpiece! Truly. One of the most uplifting and joyous pop songs of all time. I lump this with 'Grace Kelly' & 'Fascination' as my holy trinity for "Ultimate feel-good pop bangers". The instant mood-lifters!

24) Delerium feat Sarah McLachlan - Silence (4 weeks at #1)

25) Christina Aguilera - Come On Over Baby (All I Want Is You) (2 weeks at #1) I always wondered why I heard different songs! This is a bop though.

29) Fragma feat Maria Rubia - Everytime You Need Me (4 non-consecutive weeks at #1) Another bop and again, better than Toca's Miracle!

 

I appreciate you loving and mentioning 'I Turn to You' by Xtinct too! My favourite song of hers from this era. Give me a big, soaring pop ballad any day of the week! A lot of those I removed coz I haven't heard them, but a solid list of songs that I DO know! :lol:

 

Looking forward to continuing to follow this!

2000 No.1s recap:

 

1) The Corrs - No Frontiers (2 non-consecutive weeks at #1) No idea what this sounds like! I thought I had a decent (not extensive) knowledge of Corrs! Lmao omg.

4) Christina Aguilera - Blessed (1 week at #1) BOOOOOOO! TEAM BRIT! YOU CHOSE WRONG!!!! ;)

6) Mariah Carey feat Joe & 98 Degrees - Thank God I Found You (2 weeks at #1)

8) Fragma feat Coco - Toca’s Miracle (3 weeks at #1) I actually, cannot stand this anymore (I was never *too* big on it though). It's so overplayed and 'You Are Alive' is a thousand times better! </3

9) Mandy Moore - Candy (1 week at #1) Classic! So corny and cheesy, but a bop!

12) Alice Deejay - Will I Ever (4 non-consecutive weeks at #1) What a banger! That trilogy of 'Better Off Alone' - 'Back In My Life' - 'Will I Ever' is fantastic.

15) Robert Miles feat Maria Nayler - One & One (2 weeks at #1) Gorgeous! Very underrated!

17) Spiller feat Sophie Ellis-Bextor - Groovejet (If This Ain’t Love) (4 non-consecutive weeks at #1) I always lump this and 'Can't Get You Out Of My Head' together, because they're both tracks that I cannot, for the life of me, get my head around as to why they're so popular lol.

19) Mariah Carey feat Westlife - Against All Odds (1 week at #1)

21) Aurora feat Naimee Coleman - Ordinary World (1 week at #1)

22) Vanessa Amorosi - Absolutely Everybody (1 week at #1) A masterpiece! Truly. One of the most uplifting and joyous pop songs of all time. I lump this with 'Grace Kelly' & 'Fascination' as my holy trinity for "Ultimate feel-good pop bangers". The instant mood-lifters!

24) Delerium feat Sarah McLachlan - Silence (4 weeks at #1)

25) Christina Aguilera - Come On Over Baby (All I Want Is You) (2 weeks at #1) I always wondered why I heard different songs! This is a bop though.

29) Fragma feat Maria Rubia - Everytime You Need Me (4 non-consecutive weeks at #1) Another bop and again, better than Toca's Miracle!

 

I appreciate you loving and mentioning 'I Turn to You' by Xtinct too! My favourite song of hers from this era. Give me a big, soaring pop ballad any day of the week! A lot of those I removed coz I haven't heard them, but a solid list of songs that I DO know! :lol:

 

Looking forward to continuing to follow this!

 

Thanks for the comment Jon! Ha, No Frontiers is a bit of a deep cut from The Corrs. I still love Britney, but it wasn't until 2011 that she finally topped my chart, whoops, with Hold It Against Me. I can reveal that as it will miss the cutoff point for this countdown. Scream & Shout also hit the top! Whoops, yes Toca's Mirackle is a little overplayed and their other two smashes could do with even half the exposure they get.

 

Ha, I do agree with you on CGYOOMY actually, that is extremely overrated, but I do love Groovejet. Weren't they both co-written by the same person? So makes sense to lump them together. Good call for those joyous pop songs, I'd throw in Life Is A Flower by Ace of Base too - such a happy clappy track that.

 

Have you seen & Juliet btw? I saw it for the second time last night and there are so many great Britney/BSB/Katy etc songs written by Max Martin, the soundtrack is amazing.

2001

 

8/20: Christina Aguilera, Mya, Pink and Lil’ Kim - Lady Marmalade (3 non-consecutive weeks at No.1)

 

 

I feel like at this point Xtina could trot any old thing to the top of my chart but she really made her presence felt in this superstar cover of Lady Marmalade. Only three years had passed since All Saints took their own version to No.1 in the UK but that sounds a little bit basic compared to the lavish production of this version from the Moulin Rouge soundtrack. This is definitely one of my favourite superstar collabs - they can often be less than the sum of their parts but Mya sets it up well, P!nk's verse was great, Lil' Kim's rap is iconic (we drink wine with diamonds in the glass by the case, the meaning of expensive taste) and Christina then absolutely elevates it with her ad libs leading to her thundering part towards the end, making the other fab three sound a little like her support act on the track. A great cover, and just one of two UK No.1s to also top my chart in 2001.

2001

 

9/20: Daft Punk - Digital Love (1 week at No.1)

 

 

French duo Daft Punk came so close to the top of my chart with basically everything on the seminal dance album Discovery, Aerodynamic peaking at No.3 earlier in 2001 despite its UK release seemingly being cancelled (I got the CD single on import though). So 7 months after One More Time reached No.2 in the UK, they finally officially followed it up with the beautiful sound of Digital Love. A dance love song that sounds like 70s disco in parts (The Buggles comes to mind), I adore the mellow instrumental middle eight that builds back up with the 'why don't you play the game' refrain, the production on this song changes up a lot but it's all perfect. It reached No.14 in the UK but deserved way better.

2001

 

10/20: Atomic Kitten - Eternal Flame (4 weeks at No.1)

 

 

Atomic Kitten had been around since 1999 but really never registered on my radar, although I found a few of their singles good fun. I was more into Precious and not a big fan of Kerry Katona. So as she departed and Jenny Frost from Precious joined the band, I unsurprisingly warmed to them a lot. I liked Whole Again - although always found it a completely bizarre No.1 at the time, how do you score a million selling single after very little achievment of note beforehand, on the verge of being dropped, on a shoestring budget, and with no hype at all? Clearly the song took on a life of its own after its No.1 exposure and became genuinely popular, but I'd love to know where enough people had even heard of it prior to its first week for it to sell enough to get to the top.

 

I digress, I liked Whole Again but I never absolutely loved it enough to chart it. But their first full release with Jenny, Eternal Flame, I warmed to straight away. I always liked the original by The Bangles but loved the way the R&B lite production on Atomic Kitten's cover brought it bang up to date. They did release a version

, though, which was apparently on some versions of the repackaged Right Now CD, but not mine and I only recently heard it for the first time. Eternal Flame was another big No.1 for Atomic Kitten in the UK, who were clearly now playing in a far bigger league, and it topped my chart for an impressive four weeks.

2001

 

11/20: Zero 7 feat Sia & Sophie Barker - Destiny (2 weeks at No.1)

 

 

Another influential dance duo around in the early 00s were British act Zero 7, whose Simple Things album is one of the all-time great chillout works. Like P!nk, Sia's first chart hit came in summer 2000, with the UK No.10 hit Taken For Granted, but their career path similarity ended there and Sia faded quickly into commercial obscurity, but remained loved by critics (and me) and a cult success until David Guetta reactivated her commercial success a decade later with Titanium and made her a huge star. The Australian singer guested on Zero 7's absolutely gorgeous Destiny, providing sumptuous vocals alongside British singer Sophie Barker, who also featured on follow-up In The Waiting Line, which reachd No.3 in my chart. I vividly remember first seeing the video for this on Popworld, with Simon and Miquita, and thinking how blissful it was. It got only to No.30 in the UK but bagged a spot on Now 49.

Edited February 8, 20232 yr by gooddelta

2001

 

12/20: De Nada - Love You Anyway (1 week at No.1)

 

 

Garage was one of the biggest genres of the early 2000s, and it's about time it was represented here, so step forward British act De Nada. Love You Anyway was a really lovely song that has been completely forgotten and swept under the carpet despite peaking at No.15 in the UK and them achieving a top 30 follow-up in early 2002, Bring It On To My Love. This is probably not helped by the tracks being absent from streaming platforms and iTunes. MC Alistar's 'Skibbi di bi da ski bi da di bi dee' rap intro will always stick in my head, and this takes me right back to a the glorious summer of 2001.

2001

 

13/20: A Camp - I Can Buy You (1 week at No.1)

 

 

One of my favourite ever bands is Swedish indie-pop group The Cardigans. If my chart had started a few months earlier, they'd have had a mammoth No.1 with Erase/Rewind, which was a big favourite of mine in 1999. Lead singer Nina Persson stepped away from the band for a while after the Gran Turismo album to launch side project A Camp and that spawned the act's fantastic first single I Can Buy You, a beautiful string-laden almost country ballad where Nina's vocals really shine. The song only got to No.46 in the UK but came with the brilliant b-side Charlie, Charlie,

. It's so good it was subsequently covered by Polish and French acts.

2001

 

14/20: Ian Van Dahl - Castles In The Sky (1 week at No.1)

 

 

Now a legednary dance choon, although 2001 was packed with them. I remember hearing Belgian production act Ian Van Dahl's Castles In The Sky for the first time on Dave Pearce's Dance Anthems show, and thinking it was fantastic, but it took a bit of a meandering run to the top of my chart, stuck behind various other songs for weeks until it finally and deservedly got its chance to shine. Featuring the vocals of the mysterious Marsha, she would never be seen again and from that point onwards Annemie Coenen would front the band. The epic track also proved a grower in the UK, not reaching its peak position of No.3 until four weeks into its chart run.

Castles In The Sky and Digital Love are big favourites of mine <3 Had I been more musically conscious at 9 years old, they'd have probably been chart toppers for me at the time too! :lol:

He Loves You Not & Eternal Flame are two great selections.

 

I remember coming home from school and seeing Dream’s He Loves Me Not on MTV. (If you haven’t checked out any other there other songs I recommend When I Get There. An album track from their debut).

Edited February 9, 20232 yr by One_For_Sorrow

Destiny and Digital Love are two gorgeous highlights from 2001 so far.

 

Discovery is a superb album, good pick.

'Digital Love' has crept on me so much over the years, it's my favourite from them now :wub:

 

'Destiny' is also a beauty, I should really check out more from Zero 7 as I love that sound. 'Castles In The Sky' is also a tune, so electronic music definitely seems to be thriving at the moment. I know that both of those songs are on the same Now album as 'Another Chance' so there was something in the air... *.*

'Digital Love' has crept on me so much over the years, it's my favourite from them now :wub:

 

'Destiny' is also a beauty, I should really check out more from Zero 7 as I love that sound. 'Castles In The Sky' is also a tune, so electronic music definitely seems to be thriving at the moment. I know that both of those songs are on the same Now album as 'Another Chance' so there was something in the air... *.*

Now 49 is the best Now album imo!

 

Happy to recommend some Zero 7 anytime, just ask :D

'Castles In The Sky' *.* some other decent ones today too!

Echoing the appreciation for Castles In The Sky and Digital Love, while Love You Anyway is one I also enjoyed at the time.

Castles In The Sky and Digital Love are big favourites of mine <3 Had I been more musically conscious at 9 years old, they'd have probably been chart toppers for me at the time too! :lol:

 

I'm glad that they were for me, seeing as each only had a week on top :o

 

He Loves You Not & Eternal Flame are two great selections.

 

I remember coming home from school and seeing Dream’s He Loves Me Not on MTV. (If you haven’t checked out any other there other songs I recommend When I Get There. An album track from their debut).

 

I funnily enough just checked out there album this week, and thought the first half in particular was very strong. Shame it wasn't a bigger hit.

 

Destiny and Digital Love are two gorgeous highlights from 2001 so far.

 

Discovery is a superb album, good pick.

 

It is such a brilliant album <3 So influential, not just the singles but so many of the album tracks too.

 

'Digital Love' has crept on me so much over the years, it's my favourite from them now :wub:

 

'Destiny' is also a beauty, I should really check out more from Zero 7 as I love that sound. 'Castles In The Sky' is also a tune, so electronic music definitely seems to be thriving at the moment. I know that both of those songs are on the same Now album as 'Another Chance' so there was something in the air... *.*

 

I think it's probably my favourite too, along with Get Lucky. It's a real beauty.

 

Yes Zero 7 are great, but especially Simple Things but there were also quite a few highlights on their second album - Somersault and Passing By were lovely. Yes 2001 was such a good time for dance music, not just Eurodance and cheese but also British, American and Australian acts were producing some fantastic stuff.

 

Now 49 is the best Now album imo!

 

Happy to recommend some Zero 7 anytime, just ask :D

 

It was a very good Now! I very fondly remember it soundtracking that hot summer, and quite a few of my last few No.1s were on it :lol:

 

'Castles In The Sky' *.* some other decent ones today too!

 

Such a classic!

 

Echoing the appreciation for Castles In The Sky and Digital Love, while Love You Anyway is one I also enjoyed at the time.

 

Glad someone else even remembers Love You Anyway!

2001

 

15/20: N-Trance feat Kelly Llorenna - Set You Free (Rob Searle 2001 Remix) (8 non-consecutive weeks at No.1)

 

 

Now - my favourite song of all-time. I was vaguely familiar with the original classic 90s dance of Set You Free but not overly so as I wasn't into music at the time and it hadn't yet turned up on any of the old 90s compilations I'd bought since I'd become a music fan. Late one night I was home alone, which was unusual, and had a music TV channel on called Rapture TV, which used to play chart and dance music. At some point in August, the Rob Searle 2001 Remix of Set You Free played on there and my mind was BLOWN. An already perfect piano rave song had been completely transformed into an extremely emotional trance epic, with glorious chord changes, thundering synths and the in tact powerhouse vocals from the fabulous Kelly Llorenna, one of the best UK dance singers - if not the best, I finally saw her live in 2021 and she had an awesome vocal and personality.

 

Midway through this first airing of the remix, I quickly got an old blank VHS tape, and managed to record the second half of the video off the TV. And I played it over and over and over again, until I could finally get hold of the CD single, which I very vividly remember was released on 10th September 2001, as we all know what happened the next day. All of this made the song feel somehow even more poignant and still gives me a lump in the throat when I think about that. I later bought CD2, which had the 1995 hit version on it (there are other, inferior earlier mixes available), and I completely wore these two CDs out. The song was No.1 in my chart for eight non-consecutive weeks, and it spent an incredible 26 weeks in the top five - HALF A YEAR. In the UK, the song re-entered at No.4, only six years after the original had got to No.2, although for whatever reason Now 50 decided to use the original. But this time around Rob Searle was responsible for its reappearane in the top five, and what a glorious, life changing remix it ended up being for me. Perfect.

Edited February 9, 20232 yr by gooddelta

'Set You Free' :wub: of course one of your all time faves!