22 Leona Lewis - A Moment Like This

Kept off #1: Eric Prydz vs. Floyd - Proper Education

Next up is coronation-ception. 'A Moment Like This' was written by Jörgen Elofsson and John Reid from the Nightcrawlers, of 'Push The Feeling On' fame. It was deliberately penned for whoever the first winner of American Idol would turn out to be. The final four contestants: Kelly Clarkson, Justin Guarini, Nikki McKibbin and Tamyra Gray all recorded a version of 'A Moment Like This', in case any of them took the crown. It was of course Kelly Clarkson who won that inaugural 2002 edition of American Idol. Her version of 'A Moment Like This' was subsequently released and registered the biggest climb to #1 in Billboard Hot 100 history at the time, as it advanced from #51 to #1 during its second and third week on the chart. She kept this record until 2007, when Maroon 5's 'Makes Me Wonder' achieved a larger jump, but interestingly Clarkson's own 'My Life Would Suck Without You' then snatched the record back, after vaulting 97-1 in 2009. Kelly's version of 'A Moment Like This' did not get a U.K. release, as we instead had our own Pop Idol, won by Will Young earlier in the year.

Pop Idol only lasted for two editions and by 2006, the Simon Cowell-adjacent Saturday night reality TV baton had passed on to the X Factor U.K., whose own winner's circle didn't quite boast a Kelly Clarkson off the bat, but was picking up steam with series 2 champion Shayne Ward and now, it looked like we had found a star with international potential in the third series. 21-year-old Leona Lewis had charmed the nation with her shy persona but impressive vocal talent, beating off competition from jazzy opponent Ray Quinn in the final. I remember watching this series at the time and backing Leona, particularly impressed by her version of 'Summertime', despite groaning whenever Big Band week would come around in later years! 'A Moment Like This' was recycled as Leona's winner's single too, with Steve Mac, involved in producing the original, also present on the credits for Lewis' cover. This single was a storming success, with over 50,000 downloads generated during its first 30 minutes on sale. I have taken this stat from a 2006 article that is accompanied by the headline 'Leona's the Diva of Downloads' - what a time capsule! Another very 2000s phenomenon was the moment on X Factor when it'd cut to a factory pressing copies of the coronation single, followed by the winner's excitable reaction to the sight of their physical CD single for the first time, later available to buy in the shops after the initial downloads surge. The impressive numbers kept coming for Leona, with first day sales of over 100k and a weekly tally of 571,000 - awarding her the U.K. chart accolade of fastest-selling debut single from a female act at the time. 'A Moment Like This' was the final U.K. #1 single of 2006. This was the second X Factor-related Christmas #1 in a row following Shayne Ward's 'That's My Goal' the previous year. It would take a few more years of domination to briefly unseat that phenomenon!

Ordering these first three covers wasn't easy but I gave Leona the edge as she did turn in a characteristically strong vocal performance at least. The "I can't believe what's happening to meeeeee" money note is particularly impressive. However, musically, this is not something I would ever seek out. 'A Moment Like This' is formulaic, insipid reality TV show winner's single fodder that did the job at the time to get Leona's discography off the ground, but doesn't have much replay value after the moment passed. This of course had the bog standard X Factor winner's video too where the act's name being called out coincides with the all-important key change. Leona's styling in it is very classy with a black, floor-length gown. Of course the video, cover itself and accompanying CD were rushed out to quickly capitalise on this winning moment and it was their next move that was more important. SyCo would become notorious for mismanagement but Leona's career was handled incredibly well for a few years, even achieving stateside success. But for now, this is the song we had, an uninspired retread of 2002 reality TV rather than a far more exciting template from that year a la 'Sound of the Underground'. They were clearly doing something right nevertheless as 'A Moment Like This' was the second best-selling single of 2006 despite only being available for 2 weeks of the year. The chokehold this show had on the nation for a while was quite something!

'A Moment Like This' spent 4 consecutive weeks at #1 for Leona between 2006 and 2007. In this time, the only song she blocked from becoming a #1 was 'Proper Education' by Eric Prydz vs. Floyd, a dance reworking of Pink Floyd's 'Another Brick In The Wall'. The original was actually a Christmas #1 itself, back in 1979, so at least tasted some form of chart-topping status. I do prefer the powerful original but still have time for the dance version, which I actually knew first, so would've preferred that to have nabbed a week at #1, even if I was absorbed in the X Factor bubble as a kid at the time.

A quite like A Moment Like This but I agree it is winners single fodder and Leona definitely had much much better releases which followed over the next few years.

I don't dislike 'Please..." but not one of their better tracks. The Queen cover is poor though and never particularly liked Leona's 'A Moment Like This' so those are all fair so far!

Can’t argue with that bottom two. Crazy that Westlife were nabbing numbers as late as 2006 but I guess it benefited from the previous year’s massive You Raise Me Up.

“PLAYSE, PLAYSE, PLAYSE” isn’t bad actually. The best thing out so far and perhaps better than the recent similarly titled #1. The other side does drag it down though.

“A Moment Like This” is terrible and the vocal acrobatics arguably make it even worse. I do quite like some of Leona’s stuff though.

I rushed out to buy A Moment Like This. Leona Lewis is the only artist I voted for every week on X Factor from start to finish and I was so happy that she won.

Obviously it was a by numbers winners single though and she had far better to come so I can't argue with its placing. I do wish her cover of Could It Be Magic had been used as a b-side, that was my highlight performance from her.

As an aside, thinking back to American Idol in 2002, I just remembered that in 2003 there was a World Idol competition, which neither Kelly Clarkson or Will Young won. They lost to Norway's Kurt Nilsen who had a top 40 hit here. Kelly was at least second, Will came 5th after performing his No.1 single Light My Fire, which must have hurt. Presumably he had no choice in whether he was allowed to participate or not.

Edited November 25Nov 25 by gooddelta

A Moment is indeed insipid. Meh.

Wasn't a fan of 'A Moment Like This', but not the worst X Factor winners song.

Real indictment of X Factor as having no creative value whatsoever that they reuse an already pretty trite 'made-to-be-a-winner's-single' as a winner's single cover. Only three seasons in! Ending up making American Idol look good by comparison.

Wasn't sure where that'd end up but indeed, no loss.

57 minutes ago, gooddelta said:

I rushed out to buy A Moment Like This. Leona Lewis is the only artist I voted for every week on X Factor from start to finish and I was so happy that she won.

Obviously it was a by numbers winners single though and she had far better to come so I can't argue with its placing. I do wish her cover of Could It Be Magic had been used as a b-side, that was my highlight performance from her.

As an aside, thinking back to American Idol in 2002, I just remembered that in 2003 there was a World Idol competition, which neither Kelly Clarkson or Will Young won. They lost to Norway's Kurt Nilsen who had a top 40 hit here. Kelly was at least second, Will came 5th after performing his No.1 single Light My Fire, which must have hurt. Presumably he had no choice in whether he was allowed to participate or not.

I remember World Idol, Australian Idol winner Guy Sebastian came in 7th.

Oh nice - another #1's thread 🙂. Of the three listed I fully agree with "The Rose" and the McFly song. Westlife were really a group I did not like any song - so boring. Their best one probably was relased this year - Chariot. McFly to me were a cheap copy of Busted. Busted had some great pop pu nk songs such as "Air Hostess" and "Who's David". McFly really never grabbed my attention and there is no song of them I proper remember.

On the other hand, I like that Leona Lewis song very much - this would have been placed much higher for me. A very nice ballad.

Edited November 25Nov 25 by DaTilt

Kelly Clarkson's version of 'A Moment Like This' is way better for me.

The song is what it is, but she sings it with more feeling and conviction.

No complaints about the bottom two. So many Westlife songs following the first couple of albums merge together and are so painstakingly dull that I can’t even finish them nor recall what I did hear immediately after listening. ‘The Rose’ is marginally more distinctive but that’s not saying much at all.

McFly’s cover of ‘Don’t Stop Me Now’ is inoffensive which kinda makes it offensive given the star power and charisma Freddie Mercury brings to the original. That said I do have to admit it probably wouldn’t be in my Top 10 Queen songs!

I do really like Leona’s version of ‘A Moment Like This’ - much like Alexandra Burke’s ‘Hallelujah’, I think she brings it 100% vocally which elevates it beyond the typical winners single formula.

I'd forgotten Don't Stop Me Now had hit the top spot as a cover, and I dont recall the other side at all, but I still listed that as the first track (ie the better one) when it peaked at a lofty number 70 in my charts, so yeah, not that good. I dont even need to hear the Queen original ever again it's just always-present in the 21st century, so McFly is a no-brainer to be near the bottom. Leona's ballad is an uninspired choice, but a guaranteed banker, though, and the best thing about it is Leona, who has a genuinely good singing voice. I just wish she had been given some consistently great songs over her career, apart from a handful of very good ones, and it's quite odd how her career evaporated never to come back down the line.

21 Sandi Thom - I Wish I Was A Punk Rocker (With Flowers In My Hair)

Kept off #1: nothing directly, but the highest non-#1 that week was Keane - Is It Any Wonder? at #3

Just missing out on a place in the top 20 is Scottish singer-songwriter Sandi Thom. She moved to London in 2004 to pursue a singing career and signed to an independent publishing company the following year, plus a record label that her mother was director of. She utilised the oh-so-2000s social networking platform MySpace to drum up interest in a webcast "tour" in the basement of her flat. 'I Wish I Was a Punk Rocker (With Flowers in My Hair)' was originally launched as Thom's debut single in late 2005 but could only reach #55 in the U.K. singles chart. A fresh tactic was needed for 2006 and her PR team admitted to sending out enormous volumes of unsolicited emails early in the new year, to generate interest in her virtual gigs. This did the trick, as the gigs began attracting larger numbers and subsequently media interest, a new record label and increased airplay for her. 'I Wish I Was a Punk Rocker (With Flowers in My Hair)' was re-released in the spring on RCA Records and this time debuted at #15, before then climbing to #1 two weeks later. She would chart in the top 40 one more time but this was her sole top 20 hit.

I'm not sure if this is a shock placement as I don't know what BuzzJack makes of this song. But I must speak my truth! I remember finding 'I Wish I Was A Punk Rocker (With Flowers In My Hair)' pretty bland at the time, but as I've gotten older and paid more attention to the lyrics, I've enjoyed it even less. I do think Sandi had good intentions when writing this, as it was inspired by being robbed of her belongings, including a phone, then wondering what that experience would've been like in the "days of the hippies". I'm not heartless and sympathise with that back-story, not wishing it on anyone. I also feel like calling back to the sixties (well, 1977 punks are shoehorned in there too) should be my thing on paper, as someone with a Jane Birkin avatar and The Beatles listed as her favourite artist! But I find the execution of the lyrics too naïvely rose-tinted and verging on obnoxious. I'm also not crazy about her voice and think the sparse production is a pretty dull backing. I'll file this under not my thing after all. I hope Sandi has been pleased about the vinyl revival after yearning for the days when record shops stocked the format within the lyrics of the song.

I’ve never been a fan of this song and was absolutely annoyed at how long it stayed at #1 in Australia. It spent 10 weeks at #1!

Upon listening to it again now nothing has changed. I still dislike it with a passion.

I’d personally have this below Leona Lewis.

I bought this 🫣

Thought it was really unique and interesting at the time with just the vocal and drum (although there was another version with a synth line underneath it which wasn’t as good) but I can see why the lyrics and sound would grate.

And I could understand Australians getting annoyed with it at the top for so long, it was just the one week here.

Sandi’s first two albums were great though and nothing like this song really - more like a cross between KT Tunstall and Amy Macdonald. What If I’m Right and The Devil’s Beat both deserved better.

I loved the gall of her label releasing a Best Of album in 2009 though. Featuring all of the hit.

Edited November 26Nov 26 by gooddelta

Always found 'I Wish I Was A Punk Rocker' highly annoying so no complaints from me on that being out this low too. I really like 'What If I'm Right' and 'Devil's Beat' from her though.

I didn't mind ...Punk Rocker at the time and wondered why people had such strong opinions, but I do sort of get it now. It does seem like an overly naive and a bit pretentious romanticising of the past without the more knowing element that makes these throwback songs enjoyable (like say, Charli XCX's 1999). I quite like the minimalist beat, but it's not a song I go back to at all.

I used to really love Proper Education so hated A Moment Like This even more for that, I don't quite like it as much now, certainly not compared to the original, but A Moment Like This is still bland like most of her material, I sense I'm going to have some unpopular opinions on her future appearances here x

It was kind of the third acappella #1 after Flying Pickets and Housemartins! I know there's drums in it though.