A little bit of Bob the Builder man

Because I Got High - LOVED this at the time as a 7yo, of course having no idea what 'getting high' meant. But yeah, I can see why this was ranked bottom.

It's Raining Men - never liked this and it was probably around this time I checked out from Geri as a solo artist.

Mambo No.5 - crap.

Mambo was a pointless cover, and It's Raining Men was a weedy cover, so not much to miss here...!

#27

Westlife – Queen Of My Heart

Date Charted: 17/11/2001

Weeks at #1: 1

UK Chart Run: {1}-2-4-10-15-22-25-28-36-47-57-66-67-51-61->15

Chart Commentary

Not really much good can be said of another rinse and repeat style of ballad that would customarily get Westlife a UK #1 single, especially around the time of Christmas. I can imagine mums everywhere walking into their local Woolworths and seeing this single on display, surrounded by tinsel, and thinking it would make a good Christmas stocking. Overall, it is not the greatest Westlife single, in fact, it could comfortably be considered one of the worst of their time. However, it is not a cover, and that gives it some originality which other #1 hits of theirs may not have always had. In the week it reached it's peak, 'Queen Of My Heart' denied hits by So Solid Crew, Artists Against AIDS Worldwide and Cher from all having a higher peak.

An extremely dull song that Rod Stewart in the 90s would have turned his nose up at.

It would be rock bottom for me actually, I strongly dislike it, a really dull plod. The only thing of interest is Nicky shaving his hair off in the video for some reason.

Because I Got High is a timeless classic, would be very high for me!

Can't say the same for any of the others. Geri's version I remember being spammed a lot on music videos at the same. Mambo No 5 I do at least prefer to Can We Fix It, but I also add to the love for Big Fish Little Fish an unearthed banger. Queen Of My Heart belongs at the very bottom of the compost heap, one of the worst of the entire decade.

#26

Robbie Williams & Nicole Kidman – Somethin' Stupid

Date Charted: 22/12/2001

Weeks at #1: 3

UK Chart Run: {1}-1-1-3-12-21-33-31-31-35-44-57->12

Chart Commentary

Onto the Christmas #1 of 2001, a melodic duet between a former Take That member and an actress who had featured in one of the biggest movies of the year; 'Moulin Rouge'. The attempt to re-create a vintage-style ballad covering the song originally made famous by Frank & Nancy Sinatra back in the 60s was met with approval by many, mainly due to it's timely release up to the Christmas run. It became Robbie's fifth UK #1 as a solo artist, and denied other Christmas #1 hopeful Gordon Haskell from achieving a chart-topper with his laid back jazz number. It doesn't go down as the most remembered hit by Robbie, and what it did symbolise for many years to come was the end of the exciting and competitive market for a Christmas #1 single, as in many of the years to follow this was made up entirely of talent show winning songs always released on Christmas week.

“Mambo No 5” is the best out so far - it’s only about a 4/10 for me but it had a charm to it and was different from the original.

“Queen Of My Heart” is just dreadful.

“Something’ Stupid” is pretty poor really - the original has the slight creepiness of being a father daughter duet but otherwise has a vibrancy that this lacks.

Essential festive track that one. Another one that the music channels LOVED.

#25

Hear'Say – The Way To Your Love

Date Charted: 07/07/2001

Weeks at #1: 1

UK Chart Run: {1}-5-13-18-23-29-38-45-45-48-56-65-68-75R(2)-75-71-60->17

Chart Commentary

Popstars was a big thing in 2001, as it marked the start of the TV talent show to find the next best pop outfit. Mixed group Hear'Say were a short-lived act who achieved two UK #1 singles in 2001, and this was the second of those hits. The Summery pop song was pleasant enough for its time, but it wasn't a particularly enduring #1 single and not one that many will remember this many years later. 'The Way To Your Love' denied the likes of Usher, Gorillaz and Dane Bowers from getting to the top. Following the hiatus of the band, Kym Marsh went on to have a couple of solo hits, Myleene Klass recorded a couple of solo albums and the other members embarked on different career trajectories.

Meh... that was the weakest of their 4 hits.

Much preferred the Lou Bega version, that song reminding of me this:

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

It's Raining Men:

'It's Raining Men' was the first single from Geri Halliwell's second solo album 'Scream if You Wanna Go Faster'. This would go on and peak at #1 in the UK becoming her fourth and final UK #1 where it would stay there for two weeks. This was an cover of the 1982 single from The Weather Girls. Geri's version was also the lead single of the soundtrack of Bridget Jones's Diary. The music video was inspired by Fame and Flashdance. This is tolerable from Geri.

Queen of My Heart:

The first song for this week, I apologize it isn't an popular choice or from an popular band, it is Westlife is the first time they have been included in this series with 'Queen of My Heart'. This was the first single from their third studio album 'World of Our Own'. This would become their 9th UK #1 in two and a half years. This isn't great from them. At the time they were the 'Manchester City' of the UK Charts, where everything they released seemed to go to #1.

Aw I like 'Somethin Stupid' and I'm not into type of music at all. Was a cute Christmas #1. Also like 'The Way To Your Love'. I'd actually put 'Pure and Simple' as the worse of their #1 singles oops.

'Queen Of My Heart' I bought at the time 🫣 and I didn't buy any Westlife songs generally lol. I guess 9 year old me at the time didn't particularly mind it too much but looking back now not fond of it so will have to surrender it to a charity shop lol.

9.5 / 10 for amazing cover version of "Something Stupid". True Christmas classic.

It's my favourite # 1 from this year.

I’d put “The Way To Your Love” above their other to come but they’re both pretty basic.

#24

Blue – If You Come Back

Date Charted: 24/11/2001

Weeks at #1: 1

UK Chart Run: {1}-2-8-16-23-21-21-30-43-46-63-52-55->13

Chart Commentary

In a year where many pop artists achieved two UK #1 singles, boy band Blue gave us this helping at the end of the year. Their debut 'All Rise' was quite a decent breakthrough hit, but the ones to follow, which each peaked higher, were not up to the same standard. This is an example of yet another ballad smashing into the #1s club of 2001. With little to offer, it prevented hits by Destiny's Child, Lighthouse Family and Bubba Sparxxx from getting higher peaks the single week it was at the top.

'If You Come Back' would be a fair bit higher for me. A nice ballad that was and probably my favourite ballad they did.

Yes “If You Come Back” is not a patch on “All Rise” but very nice: would be a fair bit higher for me and above their other one.

The Way To Your Love would be top ten for me - love love it. A British band doing a Scandipop kind of song - I liked it a lot more than Pure & Simple.

The Blue ballad is really nice, some great vocals from Lee on that and far better than the Too Close cover for me.

No grumbles with Robbie and Nicole’s position. It was marginally better than the Gordon Haskell song it beat but I never enjoyed it much. Robbie sounds great on it but Nicole just ok.

Edited 20 hours ago20 hr by gooddelta