'Dakota' is great, it was really nice seeing them get a #1 at that point of their career as it seemed like they'd been around forever.

I really liked the follow-up 'Superman' which sadly didn't do anywhere near as well.

Catching up on the top 10 thus far. 'Don't Cha' is certainly one of the year's memorable #1s so a fair placing, 'Jailhouse Rock' is Elvis' best #1 for me, and as the first chartable release in the series it was an enjoyable novelty to see it back at the top. 'Push The Button' is probably my favourite Sugababes #1 neatly crafted by Xenomania. I've rarely thought about the next two rap songs in the last 20 years - I could never really get past the Martika sample in 'Like Toy Soldiers', so unlike his opening quartet of #1s, his lyrics here didn't feel as front and centre as they probably needed to be given the weight of the underlying message, though 'Ghetto Gospel' was a remarkable #1 for both Elton and 2Pac whose seemingly endless slew of posthumous releases in the years after his death had cooled a little by this time.

'The Importance Of Being Idle' stands as arguably the last great Oasis single, genuinely inspired in sound and lyrical delivery, and would make my top 5. Whereas 'Dakota', which would have been my guess for #1 here, would be a little further down for me - I bought the first two Stereophonics albums and can't help but feel that they gradually drifted from the small-town energy of their debut that made them unique, although I agree this was an improvement on the singles of their earlier 2000s eras, and lands a genuinely anthemic moment that I suspect they had long been trying for.

Dakota would be fighting for my number 1 here - brilliant song.

I agree it’s rare when a bands best song is also their solo number 1, but here we are!

'The Importance of Being Idle' is a fantastic start to the top 5 and a far more essential moment in their discography than 'Lyla'. The guitar work immediately lands in a bold way. I can definitely hear the 'Sunny Afternoon' influences throughout but it feels more like an homage than a straight-up creatively bankrupt copycat. Instead, this feels like a rejuvenation and certainly one of their finest moments of the 2000s. Rhys Ifans is charming in the music video too.

I feel similar to you where Stereophonics are concerned. I've struggled to get into them as Kelly's voice is a bit too raspy for me and the music doesn't do a lot for my taste either. However, 'Dakota' was randomly a masterstroke where he utilises his voice just right, the chorus genuinely feels anthemic and the synths work well - great stuff.

Dakota always reminds me of the start of the download era, lots of songs that you'd have maybe expected to enter and quickly drop suddenly remained in place or arrested their decline for a few weeks like this song, Shiver by Natalie Imbruglia and They by Jem - the effect on the charts was visible immediately.

It is indeed a brilliant track, a real anthem and I was glad that they finally got a No.1 to their name, and one that has stood the test of time too, it's always in and out of the charts still. Personally I do still prefer some of the singles from Performance and Cocktails, but I didn't begrudge its success, one of the classic 00s indie anthems.

Dakota is a classic, far and away Stereophonics greatest record, and thinking about it I think this has the edge over Idle for my top number one of the year (so far). Still exciting, driving, rock. Those were the days! Stereophonics were never a fave band of mine, occasionally they'd drop a good single, but like others find, his singing voice was something that took some effort to love. The vast majority of their career fits into the middling category for me, bar Maybe Tomorrow, My Friends, but their recent tracks have been pretty good too - Hanging On Your Hinges, Do Ya Feel My Love. That said, Kelly's recent project Far From Saints - with Patti Lynn and Dwight Baker - has been excellent, and he proves he can sing when sharing duties. Oh, and he's still great-looking, that never hurts!

On the subject of the Stereophonics, I have a big soft spot for Have a Nice Day and Maybe Tomorrow, but that’s about it after the glory of Dakota.

“Idle” and “Dakota” are the best later career song for both acts respectively and deserve their placings certainly.

Of the Top 3 there’s one I don’t entirely love, though it is a classic in its way.

3. Arctic Monkeys - I Bet You Look Good on the Dancefloor

#1 for 1 week W/E 29th October

#17 in EOY

Don't believe the 'ype. I'm sure you don't need me to recount how one of the most groundbreaking breakthroughs ever that signalled a new age of promotion for up and coming acts happened but if you're curious...Arctic Monkeys were first formed in mid-2002 and first came to prominence when the demos recorded at 2fly studios in Sheffield, including this song, these began to circulate in a new way that we already saw with Nizlopi - the rising power of online marketing, primarily through recordings of the demos that were burned onto CDs now known as Beneath the Boardwalk (often mistaken for an album, when it actually just a collection of demos given that name by the first sender who classified it based on where it was given to him). These files were then shared online by fans and the hype gradually grew, fans would make their own music videos and the popularity of social networking through Myspace allowed for greater span of content shared by fans. BBC Radio and journalists began to take interest of them and they were signed by a major label in June and their first EP Five Minutes with the Arctic Monkeys received a limited physical release but also an iTunes release which continued the positive online word of mouth. Their debut single released a few months later was an instantly striking, lyrically clever work (featuring callouts to Duran Duran and William Shakespeare) that fused styles of garage and post-punk rock that was rather unique at the time and though this type of sound had made waves in earlier years with the likes The Strokes and Libertines, it was arguably this one that catapulted it to the forefront of the British mainstream. Though they weren't yet household names, the hype proved to manifest perfectly and their single was a surprise number 1 to critical and commercial acclaim. This inspired grassroots tale, DIY approach (reflected in the official video being a live studio performance) and unique style had the music press positively frothing at having found the next big thing, and big they were....their debut album Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not became the fastest selling debut album at the time (this was taken a few years later by...Susan Boyle, yeah x), selling over 300,000 copies, they achieved one further number 1 and several other hits as well as a host of imitators in what is now known as the short lived 'landfill indie' phase, they also managed to have success across the pond, particularly exemplified by their 2013 album AM. In recent years, they've gradually moved away from more crowd-pleasing guitar roots to more piano based and less commercial works as they went on, yet twenty years on, they still maintain a critical and fan following near unmatched by most of their contemporaries.

There is not a huge amount I can say about this song that hasn't already been said, although I will say I do prefer their next number 1 and that would possibly be higher if that were this year. Saying that, I certainly can't knock one of the best and influential number 1s of the 2000s, nowadays with Tik Tok and blog culture somewhat not having the power it had, a viral Tik Tok hit breaking through an artist is not exactly a rare phenomenon, but it really was very new at the time when social media and YouTube were in their infancy, not to say for the genre as rock had become fairly rare at the top of the charts over the last few years, bar those with established fanbases, and I don't think there's a more worthy song to this inspiring tale. I do enjoy their more experimental appraoches they've taken the last few eras, but you can see how they spawned so many imitators with this sound. Twenty years on, it still sounds as striking as ever, the fast paced frantic guitar is both wonderfully crafted and immensely danceable and Alex Turner's iconic Northern drawl still sounds so distinctive and for a song fairly simple in concept, the lyrics are still refreshingly dry yet also clearlyt wityy, the Montagues and the Capulets coming in the same verse as dirty dancefloors and dreams of naughtiness is still a gem of a lyric, they may be down to earth, but they've still got a biting wit. I used to get McFly and them mixed up at the time and I'm not sure what came over me xx A solid gold modern classic from an excellent group, what more can be said x

Top 2 revealed tomorrow!

Aw, I was hoping that would be #1, out of what was in the top 10 anyway! It's a fantastic chart topper which virtually came out of the blue as far as I was aware at the time. It had such a refreshing off-the-cuff sound - the charging guitar intro and bridge towards the end are adrenaline-raising highs - and there are some brilliant turns of phrase. It was years until I realised that the lyric about Rio wasn't "your name isn't real", and even later until I realised the Duran Duran implication of that line.

No real preference which of the remaining 2 come out on top, but I suppose there is an underdog in Buzzjack terms so I'll back that one x

I remember at the time this was one I expected would do well, but just how huge it was surprised me!

Cracking debut single though, and loved the album.

This would be number 3 for me as well (though we don’t have the same top 3)!

I do share 4/5 of your top 5 but I would have Idle in instead of that Ghetto song.

Oh and I’m hoping we share the number 1 (you can probably easily guess my preference)!

Both 'Dakota' and 'I Bet You Look..' are great obviously though I do prefer other tracks by both acts myself. Was good to see Stereophonics bag a #1 eventually though.

Surprised at one of your top 2 but no complaints.

I think the Arctics huge success out of nowhere is the first thing that made me fully understand the power of the internet to grow and help break acts in the background. One of the very first examples of online social media sites like MySpace helping an act to break out over and above the mainstream press coverage they had received up to that point. Didn't it have a huge opening sale too? I remember being so shocked at the scale of its success. But it was fully deserved, a really blistering debut that reminds me of happy uni nights out.

Yes I was hoping for an Arctics win even though I agree they’ve surpassed their debut single several times since.

The top 6 are all all time favourites of mine, so this rank could be different on another day! Saying that, today...

2. Madonna - Hung Up

#1 for 3 weeks W/E 19th November-W/E 3rd December

#8 in EOY

Madonna needs very little introduction, but at this time in her career, she was for possibly the first time since debuting in danger of falling out of favour after the clumsy, critically panned era of American Life and hugely reduced sales compared to her other eras. It was a more moody, politically infused album with some...choices made with singles that though questionable in quality, is an interesting look at the post-9/11 divisiveness that was rife in the States, but by the time of her next album, Madonna, in her own words, just wanted to let her hair down and dance. Having a proven track record in reinventions, it should be no surprise that Confessions on a Dancefloor was yet another one, throwing back to the 1970s disco and 1980s electropop, combined with 2000s club music, uniquely structured like a DJ set where songs melded into one another like one ongoing dance (a similar sound that Beyonce took for her 2022 release Renaissance). It was a huge return to form critically and commercially and the lead single was the monster hit she needed to show she was still the Queen of Pop. Hung Up was intended to call back to 1970s Disco in the styles of clubs she used to frequent, and makes use of the keyboard sample of ABBA's Gimme Gimme Gimme (A Man After Midnight). This wasn't easy, songwriters Benny Andersson and Bjorn Ulvaeus are notorious about not letting others use their music, they had only made one exception (Fugees Rumble In The Jungle, sampling The Name of the Game) and had to grant them a significant share of the royalties, they were however very happy with the finished product. The single already had built up some hype before it went to number 1 through it's use on a Motorola advert and, business-savvy as ever, released as a digital download weeks before the physical release (it spent a total of 7 weeks as the number 1 download). It was the first song since Crazy Frog to sell over 100,000 copies in it's first week in the UK and went to number 1 in 41 countries, with worldwide sales of five million. Looking back, it's safe to say this was her last hurrah as a truly international superstar, even though she would have one more to come and she has gradually faded into the legacy act shadows since (I think her falling over at the BRITs was the thing I remember most from the 2010s). Not that a 40+ year career and being the best selling female artist of all time is anything to be ashamed of of course x

I wouldn't call Madonna one of my favourite artists, she has a fair few misses, but I will always respect the diversity and range she has covered in her career, and she has released several huge classics that hold up brilliantly. I would rank this amongst my favourites for sure, and is it controversial to say I prefer it to the ABBA song it's based on? Maybe but I'm going with it x You can see why Benny and Bjorn were impressed though as this isn't just a slapped on sample, this is an embedded and rejuvenated version that never relies on it too much to carry the weight of the song, instead, mashing it up with the ticking clocks, pulsating club beats and repeated refrains to make something completely modern yet with a grand appreciation of the original and the culture it was born from. The structure of the song is great too, the gradual fadout and build-up in the sample is wonderfully done and helps you to delve into the protagonist's frustration at time passing before jumping into the held in euphoria when the chorus hits. I was most used to the SDP extended vocal version on the Brit Awards 2006 compilation CD and that's worth a listen if you can find it as it extends the intro and really makes you feel the club feel of the song. It still holds up brilliantly today and many dance songs could use this as an example of how to effectively use a sample, and manages to sound more ahead of it's time than many this year from an artist that was twenty years into her career at this point, still nothing short of remarkable.

1. Gorillaz feat. Shaun Ryder - DARE

#1 for 1 week W/E 10th September

#26 in EOY

10 years on from the battle of Britpop, it's something of a coincidence to see both Noel Gallagher and Damon Albarn at the top twice in a row again, albeit this time in slightly different form for the latter. Originally Gorillaz were someting more of a side project for Albarn to explore other genres outside of the Britpop he was known for like world music, hip hop and electronic, in collaboration with cartoonist, Jamie Hewlett (known primarily for Tank Girl), he created Gorillaz as virtual band to explore anf go further than the creative and musical boundaries set by the real world, and it paid off massively, their self-titled debut was a huge international success and earned them a Guiness World Record for most successful virtual band. By this time, Blur were on hiatus so Damon had more time to put into Demon Days, and it really showed and remains their commercial peak, establishing them as a serious force, and going many times platinum in the US and the UK, the lead single Feel Good Inc. sadly missed number 1 behind Akon's Lonely, but they got very lucky with their second single in a quiet week before Don't Cha and benefitting from Oasis' second week drop. DARE was their first and to date, only number 1 (and the first for a virtual group since the Archies back in the 60s). While Gorillaz often featured a large array of featured vocalists, Albarn usually took lead vocals as 2D, but here he only took backing duties with the lead voice for Noodle (the Japanese teen idol of the group) provided by Rosie Wilson and featuring contributions from Happy Mondays vocalist, Shaun Ryder. The song was apparently originally titled 'It's There' but Shaun's heavy mancunian accent made them change it to 'It's Dare', the main refrain was inspired by him requesting his headphones be turned up. Gorillaz would then take a long hiatus until their next albums in 2010 and a longer one again until 2017, their style of music became much more experimental and less chart friendly so smaller hits aren't as common these days, they maintain a solid fanbase and continue to produce unique music as well as very fun lore, I'd recommend this video if you've got some spare time and would like to find out a bit more about the world of the characters as it is extremely thorough about the imaginative world they inhabit.

I mean TECHNICALLY you could call this a non-number 1, it had one of the lowest sales weeks in the year at just over 26,000 and it's predecessor is much better remembered these days, but really who cares when it's this good? I am one of the few that prefers this to Feel Good Inc. though I do love them both, but this just always raises my spirits. It's everything weird and wonderful the Gorillaz can do in an unlikely duet. It's the first song of theirs that really feels quite unique, I guess having Albarn not as lead vocals gives it a different vibe and not just inviting comparisons to Blur, and Noodle/Wilson is brilliant here with her enthusiastic and insanely catchy hook and Shaun Ryder is a duet partner is absurd and utterly brilliant, he doesn't need to say a lot to be one of the most interesting parts of the song, his distinctive, thick drawl is a brillaint counterpart, it's strange how it can feel like he isn't trying his best yet actually being completely effective, and the two voices together make for an utterly perfect contrast. That's not to not give credit to the production which is also brilliant, with it's disco/funk and electronic backing, giving it a real sense of flair and excitement. It's still sounds so unique for a number 1 and it's the sort of leftfield choice that I really love in music. Having taken a deep dive in 2005 looked at all the songs, while there was some less than OK ones, it was to it's credit filled with a lot of genre variety and styles that reflect the changing times, so it is only fitting that one of most out-there and unique sounding songs to get to number 1 this year gets the top spot.

1. Gorillaz feat. Shaun Ryder - DARE

2. Madonna - Hung Up

3. Arctic Monkeys - I Bet You Look Good On The Dancefloor

4. Stereophonics - Dakota

5. Oasis - The Importance of Being Idle

6. 2Pac feat. Elton John - Ghetto Gospel

7. Eminem - Like Toy Soldiers

8. Sugababes - Push the Button

9. Elvis Presley - Jailhouse Rock

10. Pussycat Dolls feat. Busta Rhymes - Don't Cha

11. Ciara feat. Petey Pablo - Goodies

12. Jennifer Lopez - Get Right

13. U2 - Sometimes You Can't Make It On Your Own

14. Crazy Frog - Axel F

15. McFly - All About You/You've Got a Friend

16. Tony Christie feat. Peter Kay - (Is This The Way to) Amarillo

17. Elvis Presley - One Night/I Got Stung

18. Akon - Lonely

19. Oasis - Lyla

20. Nizlopi - JCB Song

21. McFly - I'll Be OK

22. James Blunt - You're Beautiful

23. Elvis Presley - It's Now or Never

24. Shayne Ward - That's My Goal

25. Westlife - You Raise Me Up

26. Band Aid 20 - Do They Know It's Christmas

27. Pussycat Dolls - Stickwitu

28. Nelly feat. Tim McGraw - Over and Over

29. Steve Brookstein - Against All Odds

That's that! Thank you very much all for following and commenting throughout, I really appreciate and read them all, even if I could only respond via liking. Once I started this cultural analysis style of reviewing, I kinda couldn't stop which perhaps burnt me out on some days, but I really enjoyed it overall and it was interesting for me as well as I really quite love looking at histories of pop culture and how certain trends started, as well as casting a critical eye on a time I was too young to do that. I'm really glad people liked the commentaries and I'm happy to have taught some of you anything you didn't already know. It'd be dishonest of me to say this was entirely me and not influenced/taking some facts off Tom Ewing's Popular series (as well as Wikipedia naturally), so do go and check out that blog if you're like me, and love big review projects like that (maybe this will give me the motivation to resume my second album bucket list x)

And in some way you could say this pace was by-design as, now she's free of BJSC hosting, I am pleased to hand over to @Jade to take you into 2006 (and check out gooddelta's 1998 ranking in the 20th Century forum while you're at it x)

That entire era of Madge's is strong and would agree in preferring it to ABBA's though that is one of their better songs imo. Good sample usage and a banger.

An expected #1 but it'd be right up there for me too. Such an addictive and feel good track ('Feel Good Inc' and 'Dirty Harry' are as well). One of their best and a deserved chart topper.

Will post a quickie rank over weekend!