This has gone on to be such a classic. At first I was a bit like WTF at this new direction she'd taken and it felt a bit like selling out after Folklore didn't do well, but I was soon hooked. Quite an iconic era really, shame she didn't capitalise on it afterwards.

I always found it interesting that whilst Maneater was the lead in the UK the US and Australia got Promiscuous as the lead. I loved them both at the time and went out and bought Loose not long after it was released.

Fell a bit behind with this again but caught up in time for the top 2 reveal - there was a song I was guessing would be #1 all along and it's one of the remaining two so will soon find out x

Meck would possibly squeeze into my top 10 of the year so good to see that being just about the higher of the two dance #1s even if it's also fairly simplistic and effectively just a slight revamp of an existing song. I wasn't really aware of the generally negative reception of 'America' either, it's just another nostalgic indie track for me, not one of my biggest favourites but never had any particular issue with it either, I can see where the critics were coming from though now you point it out. 'Smile' is one of the Lily Allen singles that's held up a bit better for me over the years although I'd still say I think I like it a bit less now than I did at the time, 'The Fear' aside I don't think time has been kind to her appeal to me for some reason! I'm not quite as enthusiastic about her new album as most seem to be either although it has its highs. 'Sorry' definitely feels like it was overshadowed by 'Hung Up' but that's a very strong back to back of singles from her! And I am pretty surprised for some reason to see 'SexyBack' so high up for you, I think in general Justin was a very strong singles artist throughout his first 3 albums and then sharply fell off a cliff quality wise after that, I think I'd consider this to be one of the weaker songs from that singles run but still a lite banger. 'Cry Me A River' is easily my favourite from him too.

I think your top 7 would all rank in my own top 8 (only Orson out of the songs you ranked lower being among those) - agreed with Scissor Sisters being the weakest of those 7 although I did expect you to have ranked it higher as I know how much you love their 1st and 3rd albums but I guess I was not aware of you thinking they had a bit of a dip with the second one! 'Patience' is definitely my favourite Take That song (I only really care for a handful of songs from their original run and their discography has continued to be patchy, although better, in the manband era), don't think I really appreciated at the time how big of a comeback it was for them. 'Hips Don't Lie' is a generational banger that just feels like the sort of song everyone should be able to get behind so it always surprises me to see the occasional person not liking it (Aly -_-), Radio 1 were on some BS snubbing that x I've always preferred 'When The Sun Goes Down' to the Arctics' other #1, pleasantly surprised at how close their Spotify numbers are to each other as IBYLGOTD definitely feels like it was more of a significant cultural moment and obviously has much lighter subject material (in retrospect it's kind of wild that a song so explicitly about prostitution was so mainstream), also thought it'd have been a couple of places lower for you so nice to see it as high as #4! Totally respect and mostly still enjoy the lounge music direction they've gone in for the last two albums but I'm lying if I say I wouldn't love to see them jump back into garage rock mode one of these days, they just feel like a completely different band now really. And the (UK hit) singles run from 'Loose' was really legendary, I think 'Maneater' is only my third favourite of the 4 (ahead of 'Promiscuous', with 'All Good Things (Come To An End)' being my fave so yay Chez x) but still a bop. I remember when I first heard it I didn't know what the expression 'maneater' meant and I thought the line in the chorus was 'she's a man [unintelligible]' lol

I’m not actually sure which of the 2 Arctics #1s I prefer - think maybe this one slightly. It certainly showed a more lyrically sophisticated side to them.

“Maneater” still sounds fab, and the 4 “Loose” singles might actually be the strongest run of singles in pop history. And yet I can’t help wondering if the change of image really suited Nelly. They must have said to her after the rather middling success of “Folklore” that to be a mega-star she needed to become a sexy power diva. And that was never going to be her in the long term, and I wonder if it meant that when she went back to being a folky singer songwriter it didn’t seem as authentic. I still really like her earlier sound.

The Top 2 is what I expected - we’ll see if it’s in the order I expected.

'Maneater' is great and the start of a fine run of Top 10s from Loose, with only 'Say It Right' coming close in my order of preference. I did still have the same reservations about the abrupt switch in style from Nelly's previous eras (I first heard the song midway through the video, and it was an "is that who I think it is?" moment), but she was clearly up for it, and I can't say I'd have picked up on all of those 80s influences mentioned, but Timbaland could do little wrong at that time.

The top two songs are the same as mine I've a feeling they'll be the other way around from me, but great to see them here!

Never clicked with 'Maneater' unfortunately but the production is on point so can't fault that at all. Felt similarly with 'Promiscuous' too but I'd say I like that a tad more however the other two singles are way ahead for me. 'All Good Things (Come To An End)' is a lovely winter ballad and 'Say It Right' is fab. She came back with a statement with this era.

'Maneater' what an great song that is. From 'Loose', it would be 'Say It Right' that topped it for me.

Maneater. What an entrance to the mainstream! Nelly totally smashed it out the park with the entire Loose era. I’m glad Promiscuous wasn’t given lead single status in the UK as it’s easily my least favourite single of that era. Maneater, All Good Things and Say It Right are all divine though. ❤️

02 Gnarls Barkley - Crazy

Kept off #1: Mary J Blige & U2 - One, Shayne Ward - No Promises, Rihanna - SOS, Red Hot Chili Peppers - Dani California, LL Cool J - Control Myself (feat. Jennifer Lopez) + Infernal - From Paris to Berlin

Gnarls Barkley are a duo comprising of singer-songwriter CeeLo Green and producer Danger Mouse. Both acts had already achieved acclaim in their respective fields before joining forces. CeeLo was an original member of hip-hop group Goodie Mob while Danger Mouse could already boast some impressive production credits, such as the Gorillaz album Demon Days from the previous year. The two crossed paths when CeeLo Green was performing at the University of Georgia and Danger Mouse had won a contest to DJ. The name Gnarls Barkley came together after Danger Mouse, real name Brian Joseph Burton, was playing a game with friends where they would create fake celebrity names - such as 'Prince Gnarls' or 'Bob Gnarly'. They liked the sound of it and the back story of mixing and matching would translate to their performances too, where they would dress up as characters from various different sources, like the Star Wars movies or A Clockwork Orange. Gnarls Barkley released 'Crazy' as the lead single from their debut album St. Elsewhere. Nicole Scherzinger later revealed that her group the Pussycat Dolls were offered the demo of 'Crazy' first, but turned it down, instead opting for 'Don't Cha', which CeeLo was involved with writing and producing too. His backing vocals can also be heard on this Pussycat Dolls hit single, as covered in Chez's 2005 countdown. It is strange to imagine a world where 'Crazy' was instead fronted by Nicole Scherzinger and co. I'm glad they turned it down as I can't picture a more fitting vocal performance than CeeLo's.

Gnarls Barkley were inspired by the film scores of Spaghetti Western movies when creating 'Crazy', especially the works of Ennio Morricone. I find his compositions beautiful so this was already a promising starting point. 'Crazy' actually samples the song 'Last Man Standing' by Gian Piero Reverberi and Gian Franco Reverberi, taken from the 1968 film Django, Prepare a Coffin. There is also some melodic and chord structural inspiration from this piece. The lyrics came together after the two members were discussing how celebrities are treated when they're perceived to be 'insane'. The track had some pre-release hype after the demo was played on Radio 1. This sparked conversation online before Gnarls Barkley had even finalised their deal with Downtown Records. The label's A&R Josh Deutsch was so impressed by the song that he wanted to support it after just one listen.

'Crazy' was released in the spring of 2006 and became the first song ever to reach the top of the U.K. charts based on downloads alone, receiving a CD single release the day after that first week of charting. It amassed a staggering 9 weeks at the top of the chart which was the longest run at #1 here since Wet Wet Wet's 'Love Is All Around' 12 years earlier, with 15 weeks. Gnarls Barkley and their record label then decided they wanted to pull the CD single from the shops, so that people would "remember the song fondly and not get sick of it". Despite the removal, shops still had enough previous stock to keep 'Crazy' at #2 the following week, along with the power of downloads. It slipped to #5 next and then disappeared entirely, due to a chart rule denying a physically deleted song more than two additional weeks on the chart after deletion date. So, 'Crazy' made history with its download-fuelled #1 debut, but also for dropping out of the chart entirely from a position as high as #5 - until Alex Day's 'Forever Yours' bombed out from #4 in 2011. The chart rules then changed again in 2007, allowing anything to chart no matter how many weeks it had been deleted, so 'Crazy' re-entered at #30 on downloads alone. It became the best-selling single of 2006; X Factor winner Leona Lewis was its closest competition with 'A Moment Like This'. 'Crazy' achieved million seller status a few years on. I'm pleased that a song I rate so highly managed to be such a gargantuan hit. Across the pond, it had to settle for #2 on the Billboard Hot 100, but did win a Grammy Award for Best Urban/Alternative Performance.

'Crazy' opens with the immediately striking line "I remember when, I remember, I remember when I lost my mind" and continues to effectively explore the relationship between insanity and genius throughout. The lyrics dive into what society perceives to be 'crazy', but also questions the sanity of the general population and how we can all be manipulated by different forces. CeeLo offers an incredibly soulful performance here that doesn't feel like any kind of pastiche from a bygone era. He makes this song his own with a range of emotions on display. There is a lot of passion in the chorus and interesting details elsewhere, such as suddenly bursting into the sarcastic "hahaha, bless your soul" during the second verse. The psychological themes of this song, which interest me a lot, also extend to the music video which is based on the Rorschach test, where someone's perceptions of inkblots are then analysed. The fantastic production from Danger Mouse takes the moody atmosphere of the song to a new level. He masterfully samples the aforementioned 'Last Man Standing' and adds some funky flavour to the groove. Overall, their hypnotic creation feels psychedelic but also emotive, a welcoming and interesting combination. 'Crazy' is one of those songs I never got bored of despite its omnipresence and I actually appreciate it even more as an adult. I'm delighted that both the general public and critics came together to rave about this one, so popular that it had to be deleted. The absolute taste.

9 weeks at #1 of course meant that a lot of songs stalled in the runner-up spot. U2 were unlucky twice in 2006, with Green Day as aforementioned but also alongside Mary J Blige, this time with a new version of their song 'One'. This was a career best for Mary nevertheless. Shayne Ward then followed up his X Factor win with a #2 hit, 'No Promises'. Rihanna, like U2, was another act who stalled at #2 more than once this year. 'Unfaithful' was unlucky and so was 'Tainted Love'-sampling 'SOS', which ran into the path of 'Crazy'. Red Hot Chili Peppers previously reached #2 with 'By The Way' earlier in the decade and had to stay there once more with 'Dani California', still evading a #1. The exact combination of LL Cool J and Jennifer Lopez had also got to #2 once before, with 'All I Have', but they once again fell short with the more upbeat 'Control Myself'. Finally, a sixth song was blocked by Gnarls Barkley, as Danish dance-group Infernal also reached #2, with 'From Paris to Berlin'. There's an interesting mix of pop, rock and dance here, with Rihanna and Red Hot Chili Peppers being my favourites, but ultimately I do think 'Crazy' outclasses all of them and those 9 weeks at the top are a notable part of its impressive story.

Yes! Gnarls Barkley!

Would have put it at Number 1 personally but Number 2 is a good position. I loved it then and I still love it now. Moody, atmospheric and such a bop.

There was nothing else that sounded like it at the time. I guess that's why the song caught my attention back in 2006.

Edited December 15Dec 15 by montyj

Pretty sure that would be my number 1, so good to see it as high as 2 here.

Hips Don't Lie was my song of the year in the end. I went a bit on a ride with it and it had a wild chart run in my chart from when I first heard it early in the year to when I was so elated it got to No.1 in the UK and became truly obsessed with it. Still it was stuck for five weeks behind Lily's Smile before it finally ascended. I just love everything about it, from the music to Shakira's vocals to Wyclef's part and it's actually in my top five songs of all-time. Its unprecedented success against all the odds made it all the sweeter. This was its run for me:

20-9-11-19-17-7-10-18-20-19-15-5-8-8-4-2-2-2-2-2-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-2-3-3-2-4-5-7-8-9-10-13-14-16-16-19-20

When The Sun Goes Down is strong although not a huge fave overall, I did prefer most of their other singles.

Maneater and Crazy also both topped my chart in this unlikely year where so much went right in the charts for me. Maneater is brilliant, such an amazing change of direction and comeback and what an album too. Crazy was such a force, and unforgettable for a chart watcher as you say, so unique and standout and such a smooth vocal from CeeLo.

Crazy is an awesome song - #4 in my list ;). I guess the #1 is not for me.

Wouldn't have thought at the time that Gnarls Barkley would only another two Top 40 hits.

2 minutes ago, Mack. said:

Wouldn't have thought at the time that Gnarls Barkley would only another two Top 40 hits.

I remember people here thinking Smiley Faces would be a number 1, but it peaked at 10!

10 hours ago, Julian_ said:

I’m not actually sure which of the 2 Arctics #1s I prefer - think maybe this one slightly. It certainly showed a more lyrically sophisticated side to them.

“Maneater” still sounds fab, and the 4 “Loose” singles might actually be the strongest run of singles in pop history. And yet I can’t help wondering if the change of image really suited Nelly. They must have said to her after the rather middling success of “Folklore” that to be a mega-star she needed to become a sexy power diva. And that was never going to be her in the long term, and I wonder if it meant that when she went back to being a folky singer songwriter it didn’t seem as authentic. I still really like her earlier sound.

The Top 2 is what I expected - we’ll see if it’s in the order I expected.

Not wishing to derail this particular thread, but I agree, it's hard to argue with this. Although PSB strung six classic singles together for me with Opportunities (Let's Make Lots Of Money), Suburbia, It's A Sin, What Have I Done To Deserve This, Rent and Always On My Mind. I suspect some people might stretch that on by another three afterwards too but I'm not terribly fond of Heart (but yes to Domino Dancing and Left To My Own Devices).

Ah so the top two is what I would probably have guessed at the beginning, I had a feeling the #1 was going to be your choice!

Strong top 3. I like that Nelly Furtado track a lot, although would agree that Say It Right is the best single from the era. And Crazy is a classic for good reason, it's pretty timeless and holds up well in cover versions of all styles of music - something that is usually a sign that the underlying song is a strong one.

I really like Crazy, so I'm very happy to see this in the top 2. Such a great song.

Crazy works just as well as an acoustic song.

Love Nelly Furtado's version of it.

That's my favourite #1 of the year, truly unique, and with such a long run at #1 it's easy to overlook how leftfield it was. As mentioned earlier in the thread, I bought it to help try to keep it at #1 for a 10th week (my last CD single purchase in fact), and even when it had disappeared from the chart two weeks later due to its deletion, my local Virgin Megastore still had a healthy number of copies, showing how unsatisfactory the early download era rules were, before the heady days of 'anything goes' in 2007.