#10

Hear'Say – Pure And Simple

Date Charted: 24/03/2001

Weeks at #1: 3

UK Chart Run: {1}-1-1-3-5-12-20-24-26-28-35-38-41-44-48-53-50-52-42-36-36-49-64-66-67->25

Chart Commentary

The first of its kind. A TV Talent show runs several episodes to find the next best pop group, and this is the result of all those weeks of hard work and auditions! Hear'Say are formed as a 5-piece mixed group, and their debut single, 'Pure And Simple' went on to become a three week #1 smash for the start of the year. At the time it was quite a moment, and it was the first time the TV screen had captured the imagination of the viewing audience as they got a glimpse into the lives of these regular and unknown singers, ready to take on the world. It was surely seeing the success of the TV talen show model that inspired a certain Simon Cowell to create several TV franchises in the years to follow to scout for singing talent. As a song, I don't mind 'Pure And Simple' at all and it was one of the better pop songs of the year for me, probably due to the story of how it came to be. Some artists it denied higher chart peaks for at the time included Chocolate Puma, Stereophonics, Craig David, Crazy Town and M&S pts. The Girl Next Door.

Uptown Girl is a Billy Joel clone, so that's a great record and this copies it adequately for Comic Relief, but I'd never choose to play the cover over the original. The S Club track wasn't one i've remembered much, mildly pleasant playing it now. Hear'Say, didnt watch the TV show, not invested in the group, but it was a fairly reasonable pop song that was well over-rated commercially due to the TV show. Betty Boo co-wrote it, so that will have helped income post-hits!

Well that's a surprising one to make the top 10 here. Can't say I've ever been too enthusiastic about it. Much preferred the two follow ups!

The journey is over :(

It's ok, it would be about 22-25 for me, it's one of those moments where literally anything could have been released and it would be No.1 due to the hype. I'm always entertained by the fact that it was originally a song on Girl Thing's panned album the year before that was co-written by Betty Boo. Quite certain she didn't expect those royalty cheques when she wrote it. The sales it managed were insane for quite a plod of a track.

I like the first half of the song up to a point, in its kind of Never Ever aping fashion, but by the time Danny comes in with his overblown vocal in the middle eight my interest has completely gone.

Hat tip to Bardot, the Australian popstars girlband winners who were formed in 2000, who I did really love and who charted with the more cool Poison in early 2001 just outside the top 40.

Remember SM:TV also famously showing Irish Popstars with Nadine Coyle's infamous passport lie 😆

I enjoy it to a degree if I hear it, but it's not something I'd ever willingly listen to.

“Pure And Simple” is like a record designed by a committee. Each member gets a very carefully calculated amount of airtime to sing generic words in a pleasant but uninspiring way. It’s devoid of any artistry for me.

#9

Daniel Bedingfield – Gotta Get Thru This

Date Charted: 08/12/2001

Weeks at #1: 3

UK Chart Run: {1}-1-2-3-2-1-3-6-13-11-13-22-27-39-45-55-54-54->18

Chart Commentary

This was the debut single from Daniel Bedingdield, brother of Natasha who would later come on the scene. Not knowing what type of artist he would go on to become, many expected that he was a garage artist given his unique blend of garage beats on display in 'Gotta Get Thru This' which went on to be #1 for 3 unconsecutive weeks. At the time there was nothing else quite like it in the charts, and so this slotted right in at the top, holding out much promise for this new artist. The song was able to shift more sales than the likes of PPK, Hear'Say, Kate Winslet, Geri Halliwell, Basement Jaxx, Sophie Ellis-Bextor, Stereophonics, Steps, Hermes House Band and even The Tweenies! It returned back to #1 in the first week of 2002.

A solid debut single well produced. For ages I didn't even realise it was his voice on it, I thought he was a producer and it was a guest vocal pitched up.

I soon got the answer when I heard his other material.

I do wish Sophie had got at least one week in front of it though.

I really didn't like it at the time, but I kinda dig it these days!

I'm quite bitter it denied Sophie for multiple weeks though (on the same note, F U Noah Kahan)

“Gotta Get Thru This” is brill.

I’ve just checked back to my Top 40 hits of 2001 and in fact only 4 #1s made it. On that basis “Gotta Get Thru This” would be my #3 here. I controversially think it’s the best thing released by either of the Bedingfield siblings. I love the rawness of the bedroom production and it has such an excitable energy.

“Murder On The Dancefloor” was a bit higher in my Top 40 of 2001, but I believe it was a long way behind on sales so was never really challenging.

Pure and Simple is really very similar to Never Ever as GD says, but also Oasis - All Around The World. You can almost sing them together!

Ha about Danny’s overblown vocals, they really are shoehorned in and so over the top.

5 minutes ago, Julian_ said:

“Murder On The Dancefloor” was a bit higher in my Top 40 of 2001, but I believe it was a long way behind on sales so was never really challenging.

Only 4,000 between them when they both went head-to-head in the new year!

(Admittedly when sales were pretty low)

'Pure And Simple' has a lot of talent show dross that followed in the wake of its huge opening sales to answer for, which might be forgivable if the song had been halfway decent itself, but it doesn't hit the mark for me.

'Gotta Get Thru This' came out too late to make an impact on my top 40 of 2001 as posted on page 4, but I do (really) like it - I just prefer his next #1 in 2002. Strange that 'Murder On The Dancefloor' had 4 spells at #2 in 3 different years, but was only held off by 2 different #1s.

I’ve just revisited the scores from my review thread for these so I can post my ranking at the end. I’m surprised to find I gave “Pure And Simplistic” a 5 and said it was a rousing song! I expected to find it was a 2.

MOTD should have been the number one for weeks, but that apart Gotta Get Thru This is a bangin tune, loved it and still sounds exciting. I really looked forward to his upcoming dance hits! Bedingfield a name that disappointed expectations for me...oops!

The #1s of 2001 that have featured in #ThrowbackThursday series and what I said about them:

#20- DJ Otzi- Hey Baby

The first song for this week is from I apologize this really isn't a popular choice it is: 'Hey Baby' from Austria artist DJ Otzi. This would go on and peak at #1 in the UK where it would stay there for one week, the following year there would be a World Cup version of this released where that would peak at #10. This is probably one that I would hear at parties or in darts where it is used as Tony O'Shea's walk-on music. This was originally done by Bruce Channel back in 1962.

#19- Shaggy ft Rayvon- Angel

'Angel' was the second single from Shaggy's fifth studio album 'Hot Shot'. This would feature Rayvon, this would be an second successful collaboration between both, Shaggy and Rayvon as they would cover Mungo Jerry's 'In The Summertime' in 1995. This would sample Steve Miller Band's 'The Joker' and 'Angel of The Mornng' by Chip Taylor. This would go and become Shaggy's fourth UK #1 and it would stay there for three weeks, in the US this would also peak at #1 in the Billboard Hot 100 where it would stay there for one week before being knocked off by 'Butterfly' by Crazy Town. This would come 28th in my Top 100 Songs of the 2000s that I did back in 2015.

#18- Robbie Williams- Eternity/ The Road To Mandalay

'Eternity' was the fifth single from Robbie Williams' third studio album 'Sing When You're Winning. This was released a double A-side with 'The Road to Mandalay'. This would go and become Robbie Williams' fourth UK #1. I vaguely remember this from him when it was first released, and then seeing this on the music video channels, this is all right from him.

'The Road To Mandalay' was part of the double A-side alongside 'Eternity'. This would go on and become Robbie Williams' fourth UK #1.

#15- Five- Let's Dance

'Let's Dance' was the first single from Five's third studio album 'Kingsize'. This would go on and peak at #1 in the UK becoming their 3rd and final UK #1. In the music video they had to use a life sized cardboard image of Sean Conlon as he had left the band. It can't say I remember this song that well, probably one of the forgettable 00s #1s in my view, although I may be wrong. This would be their penultimate single before they split up as a month later after this was released they announced their split.

#14- Emma Bunton- What Took You So Long?

'What Took You So Long?' was the debut solo single from Emma Bunton which was taken from her debut solo album 'A Girl Like Me'. This would go on and peak at #1 in the UK where it stay at #1 for two weeks, this would be her only solo UK #1. This was one that I was quite the fan of when this came out from Emma.

#8

Shaggy feat. Ricardo 'Rikrok' Ducent – It Wasn't Me

Date Charted: 10/03/2001

Weeks at #1: 1

UK Chart Run: {1}-2-3-2-2-2-2-5-8-10-13-15-22-24-32-39-49-58-73-70->20

Chart Commentary

Mr Lover Lover has made it into the Top 10 of 2001 with one of his #1 singles. The catchy and comedic song 'It Wasn't Me' was a viral sensation in early 2001 and would have become a meme for getting out of something that wasn't your fault, if, social media and smartphones existed to the degree they do today. Shaggy was no stranger to being a #1 artist, having already scored two #1 singles in the 90s. It was at the week of it's peak that singles by Ricky Martin & Christina Aguilera, Nelly Furtado, Manic Street Preachers and Kaci all could have achieved a higher Top 10 peak. On a personal level, the song was fun and infectious and made me as a young 15 year old want to go out and buy the album in the Summer.

Such a banger!

This really was seismic at the time

I can’t say I especially enjoy listening to “It Wasn’t Me”, but it is very clever and you could tell immediately it was a huge smash.

That was the biggest seller of the year in the end wasn't it? Quite an appropriate one despite its single week at No.1 during one of the busiest high sales periods the chart has ever seen (maybe the biggest few months at the top since late 1997?).

A definite classic. Super catchy and very cheeky, a great duet where both artists are used to tell a different side of the story, but I liked that RikRok gained a conscience towards the end of the record. Obviously the album version is more explicit than the single version, which even in itself was quite risque to say that it was being hammered all year by commercial radio.

Also a nice commercial renaissance for Shaggy who hadn't had a particularly huge hit for six years at this point, but then strung together a couple more years of hits after this song, along with a massive selling album.