Enjoyable silliness I suppose.

Quite mega that it kept Britney + Madonna off the top spot though.

It's a decent song, I prefer it to You Said No but would probably place it around the same area. The wedding march going into rock intro is fun.

I agree actually about Busted @Julian_ . Outside of Year 3000, they didn't have many songs regarded as classics, yet still managed to be such a big presence and hold a lot of nostalgia for people. McFly have bascially the same number of monthly listeners on Spotify but spread across way more songs, whereas Busted's number is driven by the huge and lasting success of Year 3000.

15

Room 5 Featuring Oliver Cheatham - Make Luv

Score: 5/10

05/04/2003	Room 5 Featuring Oliver Cheatham	Make Luv	1
Chart run: {1}-1-1-1-4-9-16-25-24-37-45-48-61-53-58->15

Room 5 is an alias for Italian DJ Vito Lucente, better known as Junior Jack, who had a few hits in the early 2000s. Oliver Cheatham was an American soul singer whose only hit prior to this was “Get Down Saturday Night”, which reached #38 in 1983 and forms the basis of “Make Luv”.

“Make Luv” became a huge dance #1 on the back of being featured in a Lynx advert. Afterwards Room 5 and Oliver collaborated on another track called “Music And You” later in 2003, but lightning didn’t strike twice and it only reached #38, funnily the same position as “Get Down Saturday Night”.

If you listen to Oliver’s original song you realise just how little work Vito did here - he basically took a few of the strongest lines of the song, enhanced the beat which was already there, and that’s it. Nonetheless it did result in a catchy and memorable track that very much did the business at the time.

Overrated imo, the production isn't the most interesting, there are better disco house songs before and after it.

Annoys me no end, and by the end of that year it was truly unbearable.

Forgot about this coming up. I'd have it a little lower, probably below both Busted songs. It's one of the few dance No.1s that I have very little time for, I just find it very dull and like background house filler you'd hear in a bar. There's one ok hook and it's just repeated ad nauseum.

You could honestly put anything with a beat on it in an advert back then and it would stand a good chance of catching on. Stuipidisco by his alias is far more enjoyable and should have been the No.1.

Spirit In The Sky is a great song and The Kumars made it fun, I enjoyed the show, especially "going out for an English". I missed out Ozzy & Kelly, a bit slow-going but it was nice to see Ozzy on top, I didnt dislike it. Fatman Scoop, a great rhythm-track and sample ruined by some shouty nonsense. Crashed The Wedding I dont remember but I enjoyed the "cinema-ad cheesy synth intro". Better then the other number one, but not as good Year 3000. I never was that bovvered about Busted, like a lot of guitar boyband music of the time, most of them American, so I guess this was the UK getting in on the vibe.

That Daniel track is very bland so no complaints with that being low. 'Spirit In The Sky' is a fun track in any version but do have the attachment to Gareth's obviously via it being the comic relief track and so was spammed on repeat on the school playground lol (like 'Uptown Girl' also was 2 years prior).

Never liked 'Be Faithful'. The shouting is a turn off. 'Crashed The Wedding' is fine but it's mostly about the funny video for me and 'Make Luv' is overrated, rather uninteresting dance track so would be around the same here.⁰

No complaints about anything out so far. Oliver Cheatham's original track is much better (and will come up in the Sunday sessions when we get to 1983!)

14

R.Kelly - Ignition Remix

Score: 6/10

17/05/2003	R. Kelly	Ignition Remix
Peak: 1 Chart run: {1}-1-1-1-2-2-3-4-7-9-12-12-16-24-32-38-53-57-75-73->20

I thought I’d give @RabbitFurCoat some solidarity by also doing the awkward reveal this evening. Despite being called a remix it’s a completely different song that just happens to have the same title as an earlier track called “Ignition”. This was one of the biggest hits of his career though in the US it actually stalled at #2 for 5 weeks.

With much of R.Kelly’s work there’s no art VS artist dilemma as the songs are rubbish anyway. Most of his hits are plodding or turgid or both: however this one is vibrant and catchy.

Is it so good that it’s essential to revisit it? No. In fact by the time you get to the bridge the lyrics are taking what in hindsight is a rather sinister turn about taking people to bed once the party’s over. His hit with Cassidy, “Hotel”, the following year, has a similar theme. And while it was a good tune of its time, it’s still better forgotten.

I enjoy 'Make Luv' while it's on but was disappointed to discover how extremely similar to the original it is indeed "copy the homework but barely change a thing" personified

'Ignition' used to be a staple at house parties when I was in sixth form but I'd never really seek it outside of that context, so not too big a loss now it's obviously tainted

Eep, Ignition Remix is the song I mentioned earlier that brings back memories of my end of school leavers prom, they must have played the song a few times (it was No.1 at the time) and I still can remember everyone singing every word in their rented tuxedos. Ironic really considering there literally was a song it beat to No.1 that very much could have been our leavers anthem lyrically; Say Goodbye by S Club.

This was probably on balance the only song of his I probably would have actively listened to back in the day (indeed, it was at the lower end of my top 100 of 2003 that I put together at the time - the only appearance he ever had in any of my charts), but agreed that with hindsight it is not one that I want to listen to anymore, considering the lyrics and context. It's just a shame that it holds some particular memories too.

Always hated 'Ignition' with an almighty passion, and now I feel even more justified in doing so!

(I sound so negative with the last few but I'm sure that'll change soon)

13

Elton John - Are You Ready For Love

Score: 6/10

06/09/2003	Elton John	Are You Ready For Love {2003}
Peak: 1 Chart run: {1}-3-5-11-13-12-19-26-40-47-59-61-66->13

This was originally part of an EP release in 1979 with soul producer Thom Bell. The project was low key and the song only reached #42. This version was remixed by house producer Ashley Beedle and gave Elton his 6th #1.

Elton getting a late career #1 was great to see (though this was nothing compared to him getting 3 #1s in 2021). In general the 2000s was fruitful for him getting hits with new versions of old songs as he also had Top 5s that way with Alessandro Safina, Blue, 2Pac and Ironik.

This song has some lovely parts and the production on the remix is good. I love the verses and the build up to the chorus, but then find the chorus itself a big let down. He just asks a question and answers it himself. It seems such an anticlimax.

On 23/09/2025 at 22:59, Jade said:

I enjoy 'Make Luv' while it's on but was disappointed to discover how extremely similar to the original it is indeed "copy the homework but barely change a thing" personified

Yeah like a lot of 00s looped house eg. Sharam - PATT and Beatfreakz - Somebody's Watching Me in that regard, but both are more interesting a listen than Make Luv imo.

Edited September 24Sep 24 by TheSnake

Never really liked Ignition but it is preferable to I Believe I Can Fly tbh.

Now this I love ❤️ pure joyful exuberance!

The Elton song has lovely verses and it was nice to see him get a solo No.1 in 2003, even with such an old track lightly remixed. But the chorus annoys me unfortunately so it's not one of his I seek out to listen to much.

Make Luv, great for Oliver cheatham getting a belated chart-topper, this version was OK, I didnt mind it, though overplaying made it pall a tad at the time. Middling number one for me, not classic, not bad. Ignition I never got, I thought it was pretty ordinary, it peaked at 48 for me in my charts and I got fed up with it pretty quickly. Kelly's better tracks were Happy People and Step In The Name Of Love, but that's about it for the 2000's. Best of the 3 is Elton's late deserved hit with Are You Ready For Love, which got crowded out of the charts in a classic year where Elton was struggling in the UK with his soul/disco singles. I bought the EP - but mostly for Mama Can't Buy You Love which was a US smash while I was in California - so this made me realise this was a great track. It just seemed to be the 1975-period recording it was by the time it came out in 1979, unlike his other flop Victim Of Love, but it has period charm now.

Time for another mini catch-up...

#16 Busted - Crashed The Wedding

A much better #1 for me than their previous one, and one that "got away" from being included in the Now series at the time, it should have made Now 56/57 but it was overlooked.

#15 Room 5 Featuring Oliver Cheatham - Make Luv

This was one of my favourite #1s of the year, and would be in my Top 10 for 2003. I always knew it was a remake, but it was a refreshing change of dance at the time, and one that I played a lot of.

#14 R.Kelly - Ignition Remix

The less said about this the better I guess, but at the time, I do remember finding the credits strange as the word "Remix" wasn't usually in a song title, and I used to expect it to be in brakcets but it wasn't.

#13 Elton John - Are You Ready For Love

A fair placement for the year I would say. I think it was heavily used in sports coverage for an event at the time, maybe the rugby world cup that England won? I think it's virality made it go to #1.