Nice thread idea!

'Move Your Feet' and its accompanying squirrel video is my favourite to appear so far, so I'm pleased to read that it's held up well for you

05 - 24/03/2003 Coldplay - Clocks

Chart Run: 01-01-01-02-03-04-06-07-09-09-13-15-19-23-24-27-33-36-39 (19 weeks)

I did own Parachutes but I it wasn't a particular favourite of mine, just the singles and Everything's Not Lost, but A Rush of Blood To The Head I absolutely adored. After listening to this song so much in the previous months it was never in doubt where it would enter. The Scientist has an unfortunate peak of #8 from the first chart of the year, a full two months after it was originally released and would have charted. Without looking back at what was out at the time of that and In My Place, it's very possible Clocks could have been completing a trio of #1s from that album.

Clocks is definitely still one of their best songs. I can't say I've cared for a lot of their more recent material, but some of their older songs are classics the deservedly elevated them to their status. A Rush Of Blood... joins Viva La Vida in the only album of theirs I'd still ever be likely to play in full. They went on to reach my top 3 another 7 times.

2025 Rating: 9/10

Songs kept off: Hot Hot Heat - Bandages

A quiet three weeks really, Make Luv (the official #1) bounced about in the #11-20 region for 2 months, but there was very little else. Bandages is a great underrated indie banger of the time, but not something I've revisited a lot in recent years.

Edited August 22Aug 22 by RabbitFurCoat

I remember enjoying your personal charts back in the CC days (sorry if that's a taboo subject we shouldn't mention)

Looking forward to this.

A top 2 of Move Your Feet and Gossip Folks is not a top 2 I would ever associate with you but a very brilliant top 2 all the same.

Expecting a lot of Florence, Maximo Park and other indie classics upcoming

06 - 14/04/2003 Blur - Out of Time

Chart Run: 01-02-02-02-02-04-06-09-11-13-18-18-20-24-28-32-38-40 (18 weeks)

My love for Blur wasn't fully developed in 2003, I was probably only aware of a handful of songs, their biggest earlier songs and then Tender and Coffee & TV from their previous album 13, but they weren't necessarily a band someone would get into before the age of 10. Their 2003 singles began to change that, Out of Time is absolutely gorgeous and Crazy Beat (#5 in July) was a huge amount of fun, although not something I really go back to now.

In the intervening 22 years, there are only a handful of acts I'll have listened to more than Blur, most of their albums ended up becoming CDs I owned and the majority of them are great. I've generally preferred their more mellow side and Out of Time remains a perfect example of it. It'd be a hard task to rank their best songs, but it would definitely appear towards the top, and its parent album Think Tank is definitely in my top 3 of theirs.

2025 Rating: 10/10
Knocking Clocks down to #2, Out of Time was the only release of the week that charted in the top 10, though both Goldfrapp - Train and Yeah Yeah Yeahs - Date With The Night would definitely have been worthy of that.

Edited August 22Aug 22 by RabbitFurCoat

Oh I Iove “Out Of Time” - felt it was underrated.

Clocks is great, Coldplay could do no wrong for the rest of the decade and into the next for me. Blur's is nice but they had better before and since. Not heard it in over 20 years though, so nice to hear it again.

Out of Time is my most listened to Blur track by some distance, it’s wonderful.

My other favourite so far is Junior Senior, it’s never lost any of its charm and fun for me over the years

07 - 21/04/2003 The White Stripes - 7 Nation Army

Chart Run: 01-01-01-01-02-04-08-10-12-15-17-19-22-25-30-33-37 (17 weeks)

The White Stripes were a slightly strange band for me. On the face of it they were the type of act I should've loved, but apart from the odd single (that tended to be one per album) I just never really took to them. I'd really enjoyed Fell In Love With a Girl previously, but that was it. 7 Nation Army felt like it was huge at the time, Jack White's vocal on it was great and it was so catchy and anthemic - its UK chart run certainly doesn't befit how big a song it felt, and a 4 week run at the top for me is in no way surprising.

It's one of a few songs of this era that has completely transcended its popularity of the time to become something much bigger, with it being the perfect anthem to chant along to at any kind of sporting or political occasion, but unlike others in that category hasn't reached the stage where I'm completely bored of listening to it. It isn't something I choose to listen to often as a result of how everywhere it is, but it is still great, the riff has never stopped being all kinds of incredible. A song absolutely worthy of what it has become.

2025 Rating: 8/10

Blur were knocked down to #2 and remained there for the duration of 7 Nation Army's stay at #1. Tomcraft - Loneliness, Dandy Warhols - We Used To Be Friends and Sean Paul - Get Busy the pick of the top 10 entries during its month at the top.

08 - 19/05/2003 Stereophonics - Madame Helga

Chart Run: 01-01-01-02-04-07-08-09-13-16-20-22-24-25-31-36-39 (17 weeks)

For quite some time I'd have said Stereophonics were my favourite act, I adored their previous album Performance & Cocktails and still remember going to buy their debut soon after getting into that. In 2003 I'd have taken my Year 9 SATS exams, and going to see their tour at Nottingham Arena that year was the gift from my parents for doing well. In the two years leading up to their third album I'd have listened to them so much that it was always likely they'd have returned with a first #1 single, they probably could have released any old dross and done it.

And release any old dross, they certainly did! 8 songs in to get the first one where I really think "oh no, why this?!" isn't that bad going I suppose considering these were my early teenage years. I'd still say I have a soft spot for the Stereophonics, although it's been a long while since I bothered to listen to new material they put out. I have seen them a further three times and they're still a great live act - I watched and enjoyed their full Isle of Wight headline set this summer, but Madame Helga is quite far from being a song of theirs I'd willingly put on.

2025 Rating: 4/10

Songs kept from #1: It was three different songs occupying the #2 spot behind this, the Stripes to start with before a rare long-ish climb for R Kelly's Ignition (Remix) (18-10-03-02-04-...) which felt like it came from absolutely nowhere at the time. I'd say I'm glad I didn't make it number one because y'know, however it is a much better song than Madame Helga and there are much more problematic to come in the next 12 months... before Evanescence entered at #2 with Bring Me To Life, not something I listen to much now but a fully deserved UK #1 and again, better than this.

4 hours ago, dandy* said:

Out of Time is my most listened to Blur track by some distance, it’s wonderful.

My other favourite so far is Junior Senior, it’s never lost any of its charm and fun for me over the years

I'm glad it has its fans, it really is fantastic, definitely one of their best.

5 hours ago, Popchartfreak said:

Clocks is great, Coldplay could do no wrong for the rest of the decade and into the next for me. Blur's is nice but they had better before and since. Not heard it in over

20 years though, so nice to hear it again.

Singles wise Coldplay were excellent for that whole period, they never missed my top 10 until Charlie Brown. I did love X&Y a lot at the time and listened a lot but I can easily discard half of it now.

On 22/08/2025 at 13:39, Viper* said:

I remember enjoying your personal charts back in the CC days (sorry if that's a taboo subject we shouldn't mention)

Looking forward to this.

A top 2 of Move Your Feet and Gossip Folks is not a top 2 I would ever associate with you but a very brilliant top 2 all the same.

Expecting a lot of Florence, Maximo Park and other indie classics upcoming

Haha no not really, had some good times posting on there! Definitely be a lot of that kind of thing - it wasn't until 2004 when it became such a dominant force that I got so into it, was definitely more whatever was on Radio 1 playlist from 2001-03.

09 - 09/06/2003 The Thrills - Big Sur

Chart Run: 01-01-03-03-04-06-09-12-14-16-21-26-29-33-38 (15 weeks)

The Thrills were all over Radio 1 at the time, their upbeat jangly indie-pop sound very much an 'in' thing at the time, along with the likes of The Coral and Starsailor, and Big Sur was a catchy piece of summer fun which I enjoyed a lot.

It's a fine song but not much more. It does its job well but they're very much an act that I left in the mid-noughties. They had a run of fairly minor UK top 40 hits in '03 and '04, and most of them I charted too, including two of my more forgotten top 5 singles in Santa Cruz (You're Not That Far) and Whatever Happened To Corey Haim? Big Sur is certainly a cut above the rest of their output, but a slightly 'meh' entry in this list.

2025 Rating: 6/10
Songs kept from #1: Red Hot Chili Peppers - Universally Speaking

Linkin Park entered at #3 in the same week with Faint and stayed there the week after, with Electric Six's follow-up Gay Bar also in the top 5. I guess what I take from this period is that there was nothing released that I'd be particularly loving and reviewing more than two decades later.

10 - 23/06/2003 Foo Fighters - Low

Chart Run: 01-02-03-05-06-07-08-09-13-17-23-25-27-31-34-37-40 (17 weeks)

Beginning what's very much a Rock section of chart toppers now, with the first act to appear for a second time, Foo Fighters. I spoke about how much I loved and listed to One By One in the first entry, Low was another great song from it and was always a likely contender for them to reach the top again, and it wasn't exactly a period of stellar releases they were up against.

If I listed my favourite Foos tracks now, it is largely a list of their biggest and most known songs - Times Like These, Everlong, Learn To Fly, The Pretender etc. but Low would join them in the top 5. It's a song I adored at the time, and I don't feel it's any less great now - an incredibly underrated track.

2025 Rating: 9/10
It was an all new top 2 and those songs would swap places the week after...

7 Nation Army is easily my favourite of that bunch, I think it’s developed into a real classic. I get your comment about not a lot of their material clicking as it’s similar for me. I loved this one, Hotel Yorba and The Air Near My Fingers but that’s about it up to this point.

Really love that Dandy Warhols track that it kept from the top too, think it’s held up pretty well and as my main fave of theirs aside from the obvious one

'Big Sur' I also liked a lot at the time - it may have been vying with 'Bring Me To Life' for my own #1 if I'd run a personal chart then. I did like 'Universally Speaking' then as now, but had the album on heavy rotation for almost a full year by then and would have preferred 'Dosed' as a single. '7 Nation Army' is great but wasn't the most instant for me, as I wanted more like 'Fell In Love With A Girl' from them. 'Loneliness' would have charted high for me though, and 'Get Busy' would have had a decent run.

11 - 30/06/2003 Metallica - St. Anger

Chart Run: 02-01-01-03-04-06-06-07-10-12-16-19-21-26-28-31-35-36-37-40 (20 weeks)

A number one which was very much influenced by my peers at the time. Metallica were one of the most loved bands for so many kids who'd developed an interest in rock music, a new album by them was going to be absolutely huge, and I couldn't help get caught up in the adoration of its title track as it became their 4th and final UK top 10 hit.

St. Anger is fine, not something I'll turn off but not something I'll likely ever put on. My liking of rock music had probably peaked at this point; new bands I rarely got into and classics of the genre haven't ever been something I've been bothered about investigating. A few older Metallica songs I'd put on over this, but it's still one that brings back some happy memories of good times.

2025 Rating: 6/10

Songs kept from #1: The Darkness - Growing On Me

The Darkness were another rare climber, moving 08-06-05-02 for me as they exploded into the public's consciousness. In the UK at the time, the big single was Crazy In Love but 04-06-10... was all it could manage for me which is a bit of a shame in hindsight.

22 hours ago, dandy* said:

7 Nation Army is easily my favourite of that bunch, I think it’s developed into a real classic. I get your comment about not a lot of their material clicking as it’s similar for me. I loved this one, Hotel Yorba and The Air Near My Fingers but that’s about it up to this point.

Really love that Dandy Warhols track that it kept from the top too, think it’s held up pretty well and as my main fave of theirs aside from the obvious one

Glad you like, still do really like that Dandy's track - Hotel Yorba definitely another of the Stripes songs I did really like, but apart from one more to be discussed in a later year there's not a lot I love.

21 hours ago, jimwatts said:

'Big Sur' I also liked a lot at the time - it may have been vying with 'Bring Me To Life' for my own #1 if I'd run a personal chart then. I did like 'Universally Speaking' then as now, but had the album on heavy rotation for almost a full year by then and would have preferred 'Dosed' as a single. '7 Nation Army' is great but wasn't the most instant for me, as I wanted more like 'Fell In Love With A Girl' from them. 'Loneliness' would have charted high for me though, and 'Get Busy' would have had a decent run.

I did play By The Way a lot, there were definitely better songs on it that could have been released, Dosed definitely one of those - also loved Minor Thing.

12 - 14/07/2003 Jane's Addiction - Just Because

Chart Run: 01-01-01-02-02-05-06-08-09-12-16-18-21-25-28-31-37-40 (18 weeks)

US Rock band Jane's Addiction released a couple of albums in the late 80s and early 90s before splitting up and properly reformed for a 3rd album in 2003. That, and its lead single Just Because, both became their highest peaking chart entries across most of the world. They weren't a band I'd ever heard of before but this return got a fair amount of airplay at the time and was of a sound I was quite into and took over from Metallica at the top. They're the first One Hit Wonder to appear, as any further releases I either didn't care for or didn't hear.

Whilst this does sound somewhat of its time it is something I've continued to listen to over the years unlike some of the songs from 2003 appearing here, and still something I enjoy a lot. Having said that, they're not a band I've ever felt it necessary to listen to more of, with Been Caught Steeling (their biggest hit from their early days) the only other song of theirs I'm familiar with.

2025 Rating: 8/10
Songs kept from #1: The Coral - Pass It On, Stereophonics - Maybe Tomorrow

Both of those are ok songs which I definitely would have enjoyed more at the time than I would do now, though Maybe Tomorrow definitely an improvement on Madame Helga. Other standout songs to reach the top 10 in these three weeks were Goldfrapp - Strict Machine and more from Sean Paul who'd end the year as one of my most successful acts, Breathe with Blu Cantrell was another UK number one I enjoyed quite a bit.

Interesting to read through this.

Agree with a lot of what you're saying, particularly about White Stripes as similarly I find them inexplicably popular. That being said, when I decided to learn bass Seven NAtion Army was the first song I learned. Mainly because it's so simple and easy to play.

I don't mind pretty much everything listed so far, (except maybe St Anger but I'd have to listen to that again to be sure) which is probably to be expected but I can't say there's anything I really like so far. Probably Jane's Addiction but that's far from their best. They were brilliant back in the day and their Nothing's Shocking album is an all time favourite of mine. I'd posit there's definitely material in the their first two studio albums that's worth your time. Summertime Rolls and Three Days maybe.

I look forward to following this thread though

7 Nation Army - just when you think there can't be any new iconic guitar riffs, up one pops!

13 - 04/08/2003 Funeral for a Friend - Juneau

Chart Run: 03-01-01-04-04-05-07-11-15-16-19-23-26-27-28-33-37-40 (18 weeks)

Another lesser known act now, Funeral for a Friend were a Welsh rock band and Juneau was their debut hit, reaching #19 in the UK, it being their first of 9 UK top 40 hits, a few of which would also enter my chart but they wouldn't trouble the top 10 again.

I listen to this now and think it's just bang average UK rock - kind of surprised at how this appears here as there's really not much to it, not an act I can say I've thought of for a long time.

2025 Rating: 5/10

In its fortnight at the top only Kings of Leon entered the top 10 with Molly's Chambers, a good song but they went on to release better and have bigger hits.