I've fallen behind with many threads while hosting BJSC but slowly catching up now and I've thoroughly enjoyed the write-ups!

A lot of these memories are coming back to me, especially 'Axel F', which really was everywhere. I was graduating out of kids TV a bit more by this point and piggy-backing on some shows my parents were watching, like X Factor U.K. and the ringtone adverts were always on. That and magazines being covered in ringtone / wallpaper pages... what a time capsule!

They went to town with the merch indeed, my brother had the Crazy Frog Racer game on the PS2 and bought a key ring that played the song while we were in Spain, so even on holiday it couldn't be escaped! Quite impressive that it (frog)spawned several other hits for the character as well and has an eye-watering amount of YouTube views even now.

Annoying on paper but as a 7/8 year old at the time time I get you on the nostalgia front. That riff is a classic in any form.

Just realised that the time gap between Harold Faltermeyer and Crazy Frog is the same as the Crazy Frog release to now :x

My favourite to drop out since I last commented is 'All About You'. The orchestration is wonderful.

11. Ciara feat. Petey Pablo - Goodies

#1 for 1 week W/E 29th January

#59 in EOY

Last to fall before the top 10 is the debut single from Ciara. Previously released in June 2004, it had already spent seven weeks at the top of the US Hot 100 by the time they pushed her over here. Co-written and produced by Lil Jon, it was written to be a female counterpart to Usher's Yeah!, another Lil Jon production, and was written as a direct response song to Freek-a-Leek by Petey Pablo presenting as a rebuff to the overt sexual nature of that song and implying he's going to have to work a little harder to get the 'goodies' from the 'jar'. Pablo himself features on Goodies playing up this overconfident character before leaving Ciara to put him in his place. It was part of the popular Crunk&B sound that was very popular in the 90s and 2000s in the US and parts of it were spilling over to the UK, with the aforementioned Yeah! being one of the most prominent example. With a lot of hype already behind it and a smart decision to launch in the barren January music landscape, it was the sole saviour of current music at the top of the charts for January, notably beating Elvis' second reissue of Heartbreak Hotel and breaking up his trifecta. This is to date her only number 1, though she did go on to have several other hits throughout the decade before a slight commercial decline in the 2010s, though she is still releasing as of 2025 with her eighth album, CiCi. Outside of music, she has also modelled with IMG and had a few film roles including most recently in the 2023 remake of The Colour Purple.

Goodies is, ahem, good, but she definitely had better songs that deserved to be her only number 1, Oh, Like a Boy and particularly the banging 1, 2 Step (which did outsell this one despite only peaking at 3). Still, it is nice to see the start of 2005 was still open to some new music. Like Get Right, your tolerance for this will depend on how long you can listen to the main instrumental line, in this case, a whirring car alarm synth that placates the entire track, I don't mind it myself and does add a spacey, unique feel, but I can definitely see how it can get annoying. Ciara does a good job here and the production is jam-packed to back her up, perhaps overly so, and Petey does a well here playing his role and working with the bassline. I think my main objection is I find it a difficult song to take seriously, the 'goodies in a jar' metaphor is just a bit too inviting of innuendo for me to really be captivated by it and it's almost slightly novelty, but then I was at an age where I could particularly read into that. It's solid and a good listen whenever I come to it, but not an example of a number 1 represents their best work (the fact that puts it as high as 11 says a lot about this year!).

Tomorrow the top 10 will start! Thanks for sticking with me so far, see below if you need a reminder of what's still to come x

Top 10 songs

2Pac feat. Elton John - Ghetto Gospel

Arctic Monkeys - I Bet That You Look Good on the Dancefloor

Elvis Presley - Jailhouse Rock

Eminem - Like Toy Soldiers

Gorillaz feat. Shaun Ryder - DARE

Madonna - Hung Up

Oasis - The Importance of Being Idle

Pussycat Dolls feat. Busta Rhymes - Don't Cha

Stereophonics - Dakota

Sugababes - Push the Button

That's a largely decent top 10 there, will be intrigued to see how it pans out.

I'm not a huge fan of many of the more recent ones to drop out. It's All About You is one that makes me laugh, it's one I wind Mr D* up with when I think he's being selfish!

'Sometimes You Can't Make It On Your Own' is a decent track but like you say not essential in their back catalogue and prefer 'Beautiful Day' of their #1's too.

'Goodies' is fun but liked 2009 Ciara the most as far as material wise goes.

That's a great top 10 left!

Goodies is alright, but I prefer 1,2 Step and Oh from her 2005 releases.

2 hours ago, Chez Wombat said:

Tomorrow the top 10 will start! Thanks for sticking with me so far, see below if you need a reminder of what's still to come x

Top 10 songs

2Pac feat. Elton John - Ghetto Gospel

Arctic Monkeys - I Bet That You Look Good on the Dancefloor

Elvis Presley - Jailhouse Rock

Eminem - Like Toy Soldiers

Gorillaz feat. Shaun Ryder - DARE

Madonna - Hung Up

Oasis - The Importance of Being Idle

Pussycat Dolls feat. Busta Rhymes - Don't Cha

Stereophonics - Dakota

Sugababes - Push the Button

Hoping the Sugababes make the top 5, but I'm predicting it'll be #9 or #8. There's some really strong competition in that top 10.

I like 'Goodies', but she's definitely improved on it many times since.

'Sometimes You Can't Make It On Your Own' may well be my favourite #1 of the year, with 'Lonely' its main competition, although I appreciate I'm very much in a minority here! It's my favourite of U2's #1s, although 'The Fly' has taken big strides over the years, and certainly they had better songs which peaked lower, but it has that classic Edge guitar sound to counterbalance Bono's performance and his lyrics (a similar theme appears on 'One') which all build to the middle eight section. '...Amarillo' is my next favourite since I last commented, I didn't know the song until 2005 but have fun memories of it from then on.

That's still a pretty great top 10, with one song especially I'd be really happy to be #1, although I have an idea what that might actually be...

1 hour ago, Jessie Where said:

I like 'Goodies', but she's definitely improved on it many times since.

Her 2007 single Like A Boy is one of my if not my favourites from her.

4 minutes ago, Paddington James said:

Her 2007 single Like A Boy is one of my if not my favourites from her.

This so deserved to be a hit (although admittedly it's 14 years later):

“Goodies” is fine but it’s all a bit one note and plodding. “1, 2 Step” would have been a much better addition to the #1 canon. I’d have that lower.

Think you’ve got “Get Right” about right! One of J Lo’s strongest hits I’d say, and I like that it is unapologetic in it’s “annoying” style.

“Sometimes…” would be in my Top 10 certainly: it’s simple in production but there’s so much genuine emotion in the vocal that it really works.

1,2 Step is better than Goodies, which climbed to the lofty heights of 59 in my charts, yeah that car alarm (and the squelchy wind-break noise at the end!) just a bit too repetitious for me. It started, grooved along a bit, and then ended. Preferred J Lo, though neither would be close to my top 10 of the year.

Goodies strays into non number 1 territory.