I also prefer Leona's version of Run, a rare occurrence where I prefer the cover (see also Valerie).

I absolutely adore Run, so I'm happy to see it place as high as 3rd for you.

I would certainly be in contention for my #1.

7 hours ago, Herbs said:

I mean, if this was the order I'd be telling you to get out of my head!

1 from 1 so far. 😂

Though I've got no clue if the rest of my prediction is correct.

Well we're down to one of the songs I liked vs. the one I'm neutral on. I'll let you guess which way around they are!

I do like 'American Boy' a lot too, although I will now never be able to hear it without thinking of the Fortnite parody version of it 'Chug Jug With You'. (although tbh that makes it better x)

2 hours ago, Bror said:

Well we're down to one of the songs I liked vs. the one I'm neutral on. I'll let you guess which way around they are!

I do like 'American Boy' a lot too, although I will now never be able to hear it without thinking of the Fortnite parody version of it 'Chug Jug With You'. (although tbh that makes it better x)

If I was a guessing man I’d say Ting Tings is the one you liked & GA is the one you’re neutral on.

6 hours ago, Paddington James said:

1 from 1 so far. 😂

Though I've got no clue if the rest of my prediction is correct.

What should the prize be if you’re right?

6 hours ago, Paddington James said:

I absolutely adore Run, so I'm happy to see it place as high as 3rd for you.

I would certainly be in contention for my #1.

Initially I think I’d say there was a 3 way battle for my top spot, but I listened back to all the songs a few times to get my final ranking :)

50 minutes ago, Herbs said:

What should the prize be if you’re right?

I’m simple, I’m happy with just a thumbs up, good guess. 👍

49 minutes ago, Herbs said:

Initially I think I’d say there was a 3 way battle for my top spot, but I listened back to all the songs a few times to get my final ranking :)

I’ve got my preference for what I’d prefer to be #1 out of the two and its flipped from what I would’ve had in 2008/09.

Run is a good cover, and I also prefer it to Snow Patrol. I invariably find them too low-key for my tastes bar 3 or 4 top songs. Leona could have been a huge singer for an ongoing career, but you need access to top songs if you can't write your own, and once the tide shifts it's hard to get donations from top songwriters. Run would be lower down the list for me, but still a decent slot.

Oh, and Woolworths is still going strong in New Zealand, I got all misty-eyed and rushed in, but it's pretty much just groceries. No CD's sadly 😄

So What may appear ‘bratty’ on the surface but there is so much more to that song and it’s very clever in that way.

Run I don’t really have time for. I much prefer the Snow Patrol version and I’m just not that into Leona. I mean, she sings it well but I don’t sense feeling in it at all. It’s probably her most dull track for me after Happy.

52 minutes ago, Popchartfreak said:

Run is a good cover, and I also prefer it to Snow Patrol. I invariably find them too low-key for my tastes bar 3 or 4 top songs. Leona could have been a huge singer for an ongoing career, but you need access to top songs if you can't write your own, and once the tide shifts it's hard to get donations from top songwriters. Run would be lower down the list for me, but still a decent slot.

Oh, and Woolworths is still going strong in New Zealand, I got all misty-eyed and rushed in, but it's pretty much just groceries. No CD's sadly 😄

We have Woolworths in Australia but it’s a supermarket, like Sainsbury’s and Tesco.

2 hours ago, Popchartfreak said:

Run is a good cover, and I also prefer it to Snow Patrol. I invariably find them too low-key for my tastes bar 3 or 4 top songs. Leona could have been a huge singer for an ongoing career, but you need access to top songs if you can't write your own, and once the tide shifts it's hard to get donations from top songwriters. Run would be lower down the list for me, but still a decent slot.

Oh, and Woolworths is still going strong in New Zealand, I got all misty-eyed and rushed in, but it's pretty much just groceries. No CD's sadly 😄

How can a Woolworths exist without a music section?! That feels like some sort of crime has been committed

Interestingly though my memory is that WW was more more expensive than HMV and had less to choose from

1 hour ago, T Boy said:

So What may appear ‘bratty’ on the surface but there is so much more to that song and it’s very clever in that way.

Run I don’t really have time for. I much prefer the Snow Patrol version and I’m just not that into Leona. I mean, she sings it well but I don’t sense feeling in it at all. It’s probably her most dull track for me after Happy.

All I can say is you’re wrong 😜

2 Girls Aloud The Promise

#2s held off #1: None

In the end it wasn't really close. I'll give me reasons for my number one later, but when I listened to all the songs again Girls Aloud/Leona Lewis were always my runners up.

'The Promise' was to be their fourth and final number one single. But oh was it an almighty song. Girls Aloud had some momentum going into this release. Cheryl was the nation's darling as a judge on X Factor, and this elevated platform gave Girls Aloud free promo for the lead song from their fifth studio album 'Out of Control'. The album would also hit the top spot, giving them only their second UK number one album and their first studio album number one.

The song has it all for me. Each girl gets their own solo (with some epic vocals from Sarah and my personal fave Nicola). The retro feel and black and white video gave the song a slick feel - money was definitely poured into this campaign. The girls performed the song poignantly during their most recent tour, with the late Sarah's vocals being shone onto the screen as the other girls took it all in.

I saw Nadine perform this song at Milton Keynes pride last year and it still sounded as great as it did in 2008. Nadine also performed some of her solo stuff during this performance, although I will always maintain that Cinderella's Eyes by Nicola is the best solo Girls Aloud album/output from the group.

& posting this in preparation for later and how my number one song made me feel back in the day!

Edited March 22Mar 22 by Herbs

'The Promise' is great though I did tire quickly of it at one point after like 6 weeks but fortunately whenever I've heard it years later and especially now it sounds good. Fun track. Really liked the follow ups too especially 'Untouchable', their sole chart topper for me!

I liked 'The Promise' at the time, but I love it so much more now!

That era makes me sad in a way, they were arguably the biggest they'd ever been and we never got another album/era from them again 😢

There's my No.2 and No.1.

Run is a great song by Snow Patrol, but Leona really turned it into a moment in time, an exceptional diva ballad with astonishing vocals and great production. The X Factor performance was so good. That's how you do a power ballad cover.

Girls Aloud's post The Sound Of career turnaround in 2006 should be studied. It so easily could have gone south for them firstly after Life Got Cold, and secondly after the underperformance of the two ballad singles in a row from Chemistry, but The Sound Of... and Something Kinda Ooooh turned it around for them and they capitalised on the momentum so well with Call The Shots and Can't Speak French, which FINALLY made them commercial radio darlings after so many years of commercial radio barely touching them. They really needed a killer single to keep this momentum up, not to mention the extra boost from Cheryl's successful judging stint on X Factor, and The Promise was THAT song.

One of my top 100 songs of all-time easily, and my favourite single they ever released. The iconic solos (Sarah, the star of the song ❤️, in particular), their glamorous A-list star look, the soulful production that really fit the Adele/Duffy/Cilmi vibe of the year without being a carbon copy, the key change, the Blankety Blank theme-esque chorus melody. Music to my ears and by a mile my favourite No.1 of the year. I believe with this single (backed by Sound of the Underground, Love Machine, Biology and Call The Shots before it) they fully cemented their legendary status in pop forever more. What an amazing time it was to be a Girls Aloud fan.

I wasn't a Girls Aloud fan at the time but I remember The Promise really sticking out for me, in a good way.

I was obsessed and it made me go back and revisit some of their earlier work.