And so we come to the year of “Finding Nemo”, Madonna and Britney’s kiss and the launch of iTunes. But who will have my favourite #1 of 2003?

It was a year when single sales plummeted, and turnover at the top of the chart also dramatically slowed. With the biggest new release only doing about 30k in many weeks it became much more feasible for a huge smash to hang on for 2, 3 or 4 weeks.

Like Roba. I am going to include the 1st #1 of the year even though it is a repeat of one of 2002s. That gives us 23 chart toppers:

List of #1s

Girls Aloud - Sound Of The Underground

David Sneddon - Stop Living The Lie

t.A.T.u - All The Things She Said

Christina Aguilera - Beautiful

Gareth Gates and the Kumars - Spirit In The Sky

Room 5 featuring Oliver Cheetham - Make Luv

Busted - You Said No

Tomcraft - Loneliness

R. Kelly - Ignition (Remix)

Evanescence - Bring Me To Life

Beyoncé featuring Jay Z - Crazy In Love

Daniel Bedingfield- Never Gonna Leave Your Side

Blu Cantrell featuring Sean Paul - Breathe

Elton John - Are You Ready For Love

The Black Eyed Peas - Where Is The Love?

Sugababes - Hole In The Head

Fatman Scoop featuring The Crooklyn Clan - Be Faithful

Kylie Minogue - Slow

Busted - Crashed The Wedding

Westlife - Mandy

Will Young - Leave Right Now

Ozzy Osbourne & Kelly Osbourne - Changes

Michael Andrews featuring Gary Jules - Mad World

Looking forward to you continuing the yearly series Julian. Looking down the list the #1's are better than I thought so excited to see where some of my faves land!

Looking forward to this!

Loving this series!

Bad year for UK # 1 (if don't count Girls Aloud song from 2002).

David Sneddon is OK, possibly it's my favourite.

The worst : Aguilera, Tatu, Room 5, Fatman Scoop and maybe Tomcraft (don't remember how this song sounds).

There are a few here that I really love, and one that is absolutely awful to the point where it is unlistenable

7 minutes ago, dandy* said:

There are a few here that I really love, and one that is absolutely awful to the point where it is unlistenable

I count 4 in that regard!

A contender for my worst #1 is here (I think the same song Dandy is talking about if I'm remembering past opinions correctly) but there are some gems in the mix too, so looking forward to watching how this unfolds. Crazy in Love with this series 💖

A very transitional year for me. In the same year I left school, started college, and got my first ever job (plus I vividly remember stuff like the Iraq war, the space shuttle disaster, Jemini's nul points), so these songs are attached to all sorts of memories, good and bad.

I thought music was in a bit of a state living through it, but looking back I appreciate this is because my first true love Eurodance/Europop basically died off commercially this year apart from a couple of songs and my affections moved over to Delta Goodrem - and this was the year my all-time favourite album was released so I can't give it too much stick.

Retrospectively, it was actually the first year that felt like a new decade to me musically, and I was getting used to the changes. I still see 2000-2002 as extensions to the bubblegum pop and 90s sound in many ways, 2003 felt much more distinct and different, way more rap/hip-hop/indie and rock etc, genres were fusing, and pop was moving in more beat and production driven ways while different sub genres of dance were doing well (although mostly it wasn't a big year for dance). The year certainly produced its fair share of classic singles although many didn't get to No.1.

I do have a very clear last place here though and there are a couple of others that get a hard time that I don't mind.

We should assign @gooddelta out 21st century trendsetter for coming up with inspired ideas to make this place better!

some classics in there, and some not quite so classic, and some I have no recall how they go at all...😇

3 hours ago, Last Dreamer said:

David Sneddon is OK, possibly it's my favourite.

Funny you should say that…

Fame Academy was the best TV music talents show.

He was a good winner, despite my huge love to Sinead Quinn.

A cover version of one song was # 1 in my chart.

Miles better than original, but was a big flop in UK chart.

23

David Sneddon - Stop Living The Lie

Score: 1/10

25/01/2003	David Sneddon	Stop Living The Lie	1
Chart run: {1}-1-3-8-10-20-26-30-35-46-54-52-56-48-36-58-68-74->18

I actually agree with Last Dreamer that “Fame Academy” was a good series for talent. In some ways it was an antidote to the “Pop Idol” juggernaut that was more about coaching singer songwriters and aiming at longer term success than instant fame.

The first series had Lemar who went on to have an impressive run of hits, pop rock girl Sinead Quinn and Ainslie Henderson who I all liked to an extent. The second series had Alex Parks who seemed to have huge promise though vanished quickly, James Fox who went on to do Eurovision and Alistair Griffin who had a few hits, including one with Robin Gibb.

But of all the songs that could have ended up being the flagship winner’s release why did it have to be this? The lyrics are clichéd and embarrassing - rhyming “café” and “coffee” and “saviour” and “favour”, and there’s nothing remotely interesting or flowing about it musically. The vocals aren’t even that strong and don’t sound particularly engaged. It’s quite baffling that he won the show looking back, but even David himself had better songs available.

Its a nice enough song but Sinead Quinn's single was better.

My sister was obsessed with him and this song, so I know the song and his whole album very well. The track is awful - particularly lyrically as you say - and would be second last for me, but I liked follow-up Don't Let Go. The album version of Stop Living The Lie is slightly better - this sanitised single version isn't even up on Spotify.

No qualms about that being in last. Very bland and uninspired.

I don't mind it too much (although don't exactly like it either), there's definitely worse for me on that list. But yeah 'Don't Let Go' was leagues better as a song.

I was a bit too young to remember Fame Academy at the time but agree that this isn't the most exciting winner's single to represent it.

David redeemed himself with his involvement in Lana Del Rey's 'National Anthem' at least *.*

Definitely nothing to write home about... but not bad enough to be in last spot either