I'd gone 20+ years without ever hearing (Is This The Way To) Amarillo and now I can't stop listening to it. It's been stuck in my head all week. Thanks @Chez Wombat! 😀

Don't Cha was a fun pop tune, I'm not sure it would be quite this high for me, but it would be around about top 10. Cee-Lo, who knew! Jailhouse Rock in the context of the time was seismic in the music industry underlining he was the global superstar, and remains classic, Elvis' best number one of the 50's, the movie dance routine remains great as a sort of early colour video promo, and the record has attitude so would be pretty high for me too.

A good start to the top 10 so far! I think I was a bit too young for 'Don't Cha' at the time but I appreciate it a lot more nowadays. I did know about the Cee Lo backing vocals but the fun fact I've instead taken away is learning the title of a Sir Mix-a-Lot song that isn't 'Baby Got Back'

I'm not the biggest Elvis fan in general but would agree that 'Jailhouse Rock' is his best #1 single. Well, at least not in remixed form, as I do like that makeover of 'A Little Less Conversation' as well. I'm currently making my way through 1950s charts, to improve my knowledge of the decade and it's so true that Elvis' hits feel like a breath of fresh air at the time compared to crooner mania. Bill Haley was an initial jolt of fresh energy and then Elvis continues to spice things up, similar to how the presence of The Beatles instantly revitalises the '60s charts more. It's obviously a shame that some of the artists who inspired his music didn't get more success/credit at the time themselves, but yeah, a much needed shift for commercial music nevertheless.

Fair positions for both “Jailhouse Rock” and “Don’t Cha” really. I might have had them just outside the top 10 in favour of U2 and McFly. “Don’t Cha” is in a similar category to “Wannabe” for me in that I appreciate its significance without ever really wanting to hear it again.

14 hours ago, Paddington James said:

I'd gone 20+ years without ever hearing (Is This The Way To) Amarillo and now I can't stop listening to it. It's been stuck in my head all week. Thanks @Chez Wombat! 😀

All part of the grand plan, Crazy Frog is next 😎

28 minutes ago, Chez Wombat said:

All part of the grand plan, Crazy Frog is next 😎

Ba ding ding ding ding ding.

8. Sugababes - Push the Button

#1 for 3 weeks W/E 8th October-W/E 22nd October

#10 in EOY

Well done to whoever predicted this #8 x Push the Button was the first single released from the 'Babes fourth album, at this point they had established a solid run of hits and seemed to be settling in what we now know as Sugababes 2.0 (for now x). It was produced by Dallas Austin and reflected a move away from the Xenomania produced electro, dance-pop sound of their last albums to one that is more sided to R&B. It was inspired by a crush that Keisha had for another artist working with Austin, whom she had dropped 'hints' so to speak but was seemingly unaware of her intentions, the relentless teasing by Austin to her included advising him to 'push the button' or move on and the song was born. An instant big hit both critically and commercially, it continued their fine run of form in the mid 00s and got to number 1 for three weeks. Positive as it seems though, things weren't all rosy behind the scenes and the group had become a press fixture due to rumours of catfights and resentment towards them behind the scenes, and later that year, Mutya, having recently had a baby (as can be seen by her iconically dancing while visibly pregnant in the video) had post natal depression and left the group to spend time with her daughter, being replaced by Amelle Berrabeh and leading to the 3rd incarnation of the Sugababes and leaving Keisha as the only original member...the dramas weren't done yet though as well knew, and you can hear this told through much more entertaining means in the recent BBC documentary, Girlbands Forever, so I'll recommend that and save me the essay x the song itself is still widely perceived as one of their best moments and was used in the playlist for the 2012 London Olympics Opening Ceremony and covered by...Staffordshire firefighters as part of a promotional campaign for the nation to test smoke alarms, well that is a thing I learned x

I really love the Sugababes' Xenomania productions and I don't think this one is quite as good, this is certainly a bit more simpler than the kind of pop they were offering at the time, but I do think it works very well as it shows they weren't willing to get too samey and works in a different way to their other hits. It's got a smooth, sultry feel throughout with some still fantastic production and addictive synth riff that feels both contemporary yet also calling back to retro girlgroup sounds. None of the girls feel sidelined either, they all get their shot at their verse and come together for that earworm of a chorus and the lyrics are an authentically unashamed and convincing young adults' frustrations associated with a young crush, wrapped in a knowing and humourous way. T I think the only thing that made it slightly tire on me was the fact it was never off the radio and a bit like Goodies and Don't Cha, it was kind of a song that left itself open to too many innuendoes to take seriously (never realised how common this was amongst the number 1s this year x), but it's aged pretty well compared to those and I always enjoy hearing it today.

Yes, that is a thing xx

'Don't Cha' and 'Push The Button' are always in that same bracket for me of good, early, mid-00s girlband songs, slightly repetitive in that their titles were so prominent such that whenever they were on the radio you couldn't escape that it was that song playing, and both definitely very present songs for what I remember of 2005, but well put together tracks.

'Push The Button' is the better of the two for me though, I've underrated it among their hits before, but that production is really slick with the smooth synths, very lovely.

These days I prefer Don't Cha to Push the Button, but at the time it would definitely have been the other way around. I agree with Chez that Push the Button feels a bit basic these days, it's probably my least favourite of their number ones (well aside from Walk This Way if we're counting that). Ace Reject was always my favourite from the album and I was gutted that it never made it to single status.

I actually like 'Push The Button' now more than I did at the time, although I enjoy it when I hear it I have no desire to really seek it out like many of their other songs.

Similar to Jade, I've been scrambling to catch up on many threads all in a couple of days so I'm about caught up now with 2005 and I see there is still some big names to come. Enjoying all the videos again as I watch them back reliving past memories.

Love Push The Button now as much as I did then, though I'd probably have it below the three #1 they had preceding it.

7 hours ago, Chez Wombat said:

8. Sugababes - Push the Button

#1 for 3 weeks W/E 8th October-W/E 22nd October

#10 in EOY

Well done to whoever predicted this #8 x Push the Button was the first single released from the 'Babes fourth album, at this point they had established a solid run of hits and seemed to be settling in what we now know as Sugababes 2.0 (for now x). It was produced by Dallas Austin and reflected a move away from the Xenomania produced electro, dance-pop sound of their last albums to one that is more sided to R&B. It was inspired by a crush that Keisha had for another artist working with Austin, whom she had dropped 'hints' so to speak but was seemingly unaware of her intentions, the relentless teasing by Austin to her included advising him to 'push the button' or move on and the song was born. An instant big hit both critically and commercially, it continued their fine run of form in the mid 00s and got to number 1 for three weeks. Positive as it seems though, things weren't all rosy behind the scenes and the group had become a press fixture due to rumours of catfights and resentment towards them behind the scenes, and later that year, Mutya, having recently had a baby (as can be seen by her iconically dancing while visibly pregnant in the video) had post natal depression and left the group to spend time with her daughter, being replaced by Amelle Berrabeh and leading to the 3rd incarnation of the Sugababes and leaving Keisha as the only original member...the dramas weren't done yet though as well knew, and you can hear this told through much more entertaining means in the recent BBC documentary, Girlbands Forever, so I'll recommend that and save me the essay x the song itself is still widely perceived as one of their best moments and was used in the playlist for the 2012 London Olympics Opening Ceremony and covered by...Staffordshire firefighters as part of a promotional campaign for the nation to test smoke alarms, well that is a thing I learned x

I really love the Sugababes' Xenomania productions and I don't think this one is quite as good, this is certainly a bit more simpler than the kind of pop they were offering at the time, but I do think it works very well as it shows they weren't willing to get too samey and works in a different way to their other hits. It's got a smooth, sultry feel throughout with some still fantastic production and addictive synth riff that feels both contemporary yet also calling back to retro girlgroup sounds. None of the girls feel sidelined either, they all get their shot at their verse and come together for that earworm of a chorus and the lyrics are an authentically unashamed and convincing young adults' frustrations associated with a young crush, wrapped in a knowing and humourous way. T I think the only thing that made it slightly tire on me was the fact it was never off the radio and a bit like Goodies and Don't Cha, it was kind of a song that left itself open to too many innuendoes to take seriously (never realised how common this was amongst the number 1s this year x), but it's aged pretty well compared to those and I always enjoy hearing it today.

If I read it correctly in Mutya's autobiography she'd actually given birth just weeks before the music video for Push The Button was filmed. Crazy to think really.

7 hours ago, dandy* said:

These days I prefer Don't Cha to Push the Button, but at the time it would definitely have been the other way around. I agree with Chez that Push the Button feels a bit basic these days, it's probably my least favourite of their number ones (well aside from Walk This Way if we're counting that). Ace Reject was always my favourite from the album and I was gutted that it never made it to single status.

It's a little bit basic I agree, but nowhere near as basic as their last #1 hit About You Now was in my view.

Just listened to About You Now and yeah I can see what you mean. I do prefer this one though, but that’s partly because it’s got that feel to it that the best Pink singles have (I’ve always felt like About You Now could easily be sung by Pink)

I made a Sugababes playlist not so long ago as Mr D* and I had always liked them at the time, but I was surprised how few of their songs I felt the need to include now. The main standouts for me these days are Freak Like Me, Denial, Run For Cover, Overload, Ace Reject, Round Round, Hole in the Head and especially Flatline.

I think 'Push the Button' has gone down as one of the most memorable songs of the 2000s. You always hear it played on 2000s themed radio shows.

Push The Button is a good pop song, Xenomania can do no wrong for me, and it's pretty catchy, stays in the memory hook-wise but manages to stay on the right side of "slipping into annoying after repeat plays". Not my top fave Sugababes track but it'd be on the list of faves a bit lower down.

Push the Button is superb, always loved it.

7. Eminem - Like Toy Soldiers

#1 for 1 week W/E 12th February

#45 in EOY

Eminem's second single from Encore was a much more serious and deeper take that was inspired by and a statement of the hip hop 'beefs' that he was involved in at the time, offering a truce and expressing regret, wishing to walk away from it. There's a lot going on in these lyrics so I'm trying my best to summarise here - Eminem's regret at his own beef with Benzino (Raymond Scott), which sparked from his magazine giving his album a negative review, the beef between Ja Rule and 50 Cent which he has said he wished to stay out of, but felt that he had to become involved when Ja Rule made an insult towards his ex-wife, family and daughter in one of his songs, an offset from Ja Rule's own beef with Eminem's Murder Inc. crew. He even goes into his mentor Dr Dre's conflict with Death Row's Suge Knight, one that he was advised to stay out of but felt like he had to join through loyalty to Dre. There's probably more here you can gather from the Genius lyrics, but that's the crux of it. It's a heavy song where Eminem reflects on how pointless and destructive these feuds are and pleads with the community to stop before it leads to premature deaths of iconic talents in hip hop like Notorious B.I.G and Tupac Shakur. The song is tied together in the chorus by a sample of Martika's 1980s top 3 hit Toy Soldiers, a song about a similar tragic and pointless losing battle with addiction. The music video features many cameos from rappers such as 50 Cent (who did of course go on to have other feuds with the likes of Jadakiss, Fat Joe and The Game, but Eminem refused to get involved) and envisions a fictionalised tragic death of D12 member Bugz (played by Proof, another member), though tragically life imitated art just over a year later as Proof was shot and killed in a nightclub altercation, sadly indicating the community had a long way to go. This was Eminem's final UK number 1 of the 2000s.

It is thankful after the absolute nadir that was Just Lose It, that Eminem wasn't incapable of still making something good. I think this one of his most mature and introspective songs and it's constructed really well. There is another entry in the list where Eminem's attempts to make conscious hip hop with a universal message can be explored further, but it's clear from this that he is pretty good at not just his hard-hitting lyrics but also making it sound so good. Toy Soldiers is a perfect sample for this, it not only adds a new perspective to the themes of the original but also adds the drama and intensity of the emotions the song intends to create, in the context of Biggie, 2pac and the many young rappers that lost their lives, it hits very hard. I don't want to hold Eminem up as a saint here, he's far from it and perhaps you could call this rather heavy-handed given it came from the most commercially successful rapper around at the moment, but I think the regret and sentiment of the song is strong. I don't think this has the same power of Stan nor the perfect flow of Lose Yourself, but it's a really affective and bright spot of the early 2005 charts.