Surprised how young he looked at the time (not that I've seen him any older mind) but at the time I thought he was a grown adult and now he just looks like a kid!

The song itself didn't really resonate with me either at the time, and it wasn't a particularly deserving #1 either, especially when it denied this classic from the top spot, surely Dobbo's favourite missed #1 ever...

22

Ozzy & Kelly Osbourne - Changes

Score: 1/10

20/12/2003	Ozzy And Kelly Osbourne	Changes
Peak: 1 Chart run: {1}-3-2-2-4-6-8-14-11-14-20-27-37-53-61-57->16

“Changes” was originally a 1972 Black Sabbath album track. Very unusually for them it featured neither drums nor guitars. The original is a very lovely heartfelt ballad.

This was right in the middle of Kelly Osbourne’s fairly short lived pop career, and she had reached #3 with a “Papa Don’t Preach” cover and the Top 20 with “Shut Up”. By far her best single, the synth laden “One Word”, wouldn’t come until 2005. Anyway she had said to her father that he had done some songs for her siblings and should do something for her. This led to the decision to re-record “Changes” as a duet about their relationship, which Ozzy hoped would boost her career.

So this was very much a case of the road to hell being paved with good intentions. Unfortunately the vocals on this cover managed to be fist clenchingly ghastly. You’d have thought the producers could have improved them somehow. Maybe they didn’t see the need.

After all the single was a huge commercial success, reaching #1 the week before Christmas and making the year end Top 10. It also reached the download Top 10 just a couple of months ago following Ozzy’s passing. Fortunately it didn’t make the official chart as the streaming public thankfully listened to some of Ozzy and Black Sabbath’s good songs instead.

'Changes' would've been last for me, have always found this duet version deathly dull and dreary, with poor vocals.

I found out that a B-side of it was inexplicably a Felix Da Housecat remix so listened out of curiosity and it was definitely an improvement for me lol

…and there it is, the worst of the bunch. I still don’t understand how it sold so well, or even sold at all.

A true 0/10 moment

Just awful Probably one of the most dreary songs I've ever heard.

There are a couple of other songs I'd rank lower. By no means do I enjoy Changes but I don't really hate it either, I just find the terrible vocals quite hilarious in that the label and artists saw fit to release it. And that hundreds of thousands of people then bought it just shows how highly hyped everything to do with The Osbournes was at the time. One Word is only good because Kelly's voice is drowned in effects, she isn't exactly a vocal talent sadly.

1 hour ago, awardinary said:

Surprised how young he looked at the time (not that I've seen him any older mind) but at the time I thought he was a grown adult and now he just looks like a kid!

The song itself didn't really resonate with me either at the time, and it wasn't a particularly deserving #1 either, especially when it denied this classic from the top spot, surely Dobbo's favourite missed #1 ever...

Funny because I was just looking at Busted in that video and thinking 'they look soooo young'. Maybe the failure of their signature hit to get to No.1 and past David Sneddon inspired an actual No.1 for them, Who's David.

46 minutes ago, dandy* said:

…and there it is, the worst of the bunch. I still don’t understand how it sold so well, or even sold at all.

A true 0/10 moment

Thought your worst unlistenable record would have been the shouty FATMANSCOOPCROOKLYNCLAN FATMANSCOOPCROOKLYNCLAN 😆

Edited Friday at 15:432 days by TheSnake

28 minutes ago, gooddelta said:

One Word is only good because Kelly's voice is drowned in effects, she isn't exactly a vocal talent sadly.

For sure! Although I think it's a song that would be good whoever did it, so I don't exactly credit her with anything!

Oh this is going to be a good year! So many classics in that list of #1s.

Totally agree with your bottom two Julian.

I have no memory of David Sneddon or the song, so playing it now. He has a very Boyband member look about him. He should have been recruited into Westlife. I dont think Radio 1 played it much which is prob why I've forgotten it. Kept Busted's best record off the top spot, which is bizarre as we can all sing along to Year 3000, but I doubt even the people that bought this could hum it, it's such a non-affair. David had 2 chart entries in my personal charts but this one DNC. I think last place is fair....I also went big on Sinead Quinn's hit and some Lemar tracks.

Correct bottom 2 for sure, both turgid and shocking lyrics and vocals respectively.

Otherwise, I really liked 2003, the number 1s list is very diverse and a lot of them have aged pretty well and felt like they genuinely earned their place as hits.

I would put another below that personally but I can see why it's hated tbf. I don't hate it per say but it's certainly a slog and listening back now the vocals were not good at all.

21

Westlife - Mandy

Score: 2/10

29/11/2003	Westlife	Mandy
Peak: 1 Chart run: {1}-3-5-6-14-16-45-54-75->9

The most interesting thing about this is the song’s history. It was originally called “Brandy” and was first recorded by US singer Scott English. It was thought to be a love long addressed to his dog, although later he said this was false and it was in fact inspired by the drink.

It was covered by Barry Manilow whose version became a US #1 and reached #11 in the UK. He renamed the song “Mandy”, apparently to avoid confusion with the early ‘70s song “Brandy (You’re A Fine Girl)” by Looking Glass. And of course it was Manilow’s version that inspired Westlife’s cover.

This became the Irish group’s 12th #1. They had reached the point now where #1 certainly wasn’t guaranteed for them, although they wouldn’t have any Top 5 misses until 2008. The song fitted nicely into the Westlife formula, and given that I don’t have all that much fondness for the original song, and especially not the best known version, I can forgive them for covering this. That said, it’s very uninspired and beige like many of their hits.

And with that we’ve already reached the end of the rubbish: everything in the Top 20 is at least mediocre.

I would personally put that last. For me Westlife were reaching the point of their career here (after the unfortunate underperformance of the more inspired and interesting Hey Whatever) where they would release a bland cover every November, get a big hit, issue a marginally more interesting original poppy follow up that would peak at 3 or 4 and then rinse and repeat a year later. Thankfully they didn't issue a single from the 2004 Allow Us To Be Frank album (Smile was promoted but not released) so we were spared one cycle.

But no arguments from me on the songs in the bottom three at least, just a slightly different order.

Whisper it but I have a soft spot for Mandy, Wouldn't rank it especially high but of all the songs to cover, it suits them fairly well (my babysitter was called Mandy too so I do have distinct memories of it being sung ironically lol x)

'Mandy' would be in my bottom two with 'Changes' I think.

It's not awful but just unremarkable and Westlife-by-numbers. It blocked Girls Aloud's 'Jump' from #1 which is a cover that has a lot more oomph for me.

15 hours ago, Jade said:

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

Wait, for real??? Today I learned!

2 hours ago, Riser said:

Wait, for real??? Today I learned!

Yep!

One of my favourite surprising music crossovers

Brandy was a fabulous song, and yes we all thought it was about the drink at the time, which gives it more of an edge of hopelessness. Scott English's version is still a fave of mine and I still havent forgiven Bazza for watering it down and blanding it out, so Westlife's is a super bland cover of a bland cover. Made me appreciate Barry Manilow's version more. 😇

20

Busted - You Said No

Score: 3/10

03/05/2003	Busted	You Said No
Peak: 1 Chart run: {1}-4-9-14-19-25-33-41-55-65->10

Their 3rd single and it was a satisfying 3-2-1 progression for their peak positions. But this was a classic example of a single doing well on the strength of its predecessor, the great fun “Year 3000”, rather than on its own merits.

This is an inoffensive pop rock number with a fun little story about teenage rejection, but overall I think it feels a bit throwaway. Of the 4 Top 3 hits from their self titled debut album this is my least favourite: even the 4th single “Sleeping With The Light On” had more oomph.

At the time this was one of the lowest selling #1s of all time, selling just over 100,000 in total. There was an even lower selling chart topper later in the year though, and even lower sales would come in the following few years.