Olly Murs was a big teenage crush for me and I found him entertaining as a performer, so I was rooting for him to succeed at the time. I bought 'Please Don't Let Me Go' on CD single and everything! It is... pleasant, but 'Teenage Dream' has far eclipsed it in my affections long term, so my loyalties would flip in that chart battle now.

I really don't like 'Start Without You' though. That nursery rhyme chorus is pretty off-putting! I'd actually forgotten this blocked 'Teenage Dream' as well, so I'll let Olly slide, my beef is with this x

'Green Light' is pretty naff but I am another who is forced to stan them sneaking the green cross code in there. 🦔

'Green Light' has some awful lyrics but is saved by a fantastic pop chorus.

I didn't mind 'Start Without You'.

I liked Start Without You at the time but it just seems so weak now compared to some of her other songs. The Silence remains brilliant.

I’m a big Olly fan and love Please Don’t Let Me Go, but he did have better singles than this.

'Start Without You' is an abomination Unforgivable

I couldn't tell you how 'Green Light' goes.

Not really a fan of Start Without You, especially the attempted reggae vibe, and the ‘children’s TV theme’ chorus, like a poor man’s Boney M. It was apparent Cowell didn’t have a clue what to do with Alexandra’s career by now.

I’m still amazed Green Light reached number 1, it feels really corny, though at least has an energetic chorus. Their other number one was much better.

I wouldnt say Olly had swagger, but he def had lad appeal, and it was greats seeing reggae-based music being kept alive in the 21st century, a lost art these days, at least inside the charts. I liked the Olly track (top 5 for me at the time, a bit generous maybe) - but Teenage Dream was the classic pop song, no question, one of Katy Perry's classic pop tunes, boosted by that great Glee version.

Dont remember the Alexandra song, less that it even topped the charts, and none of it is memorable until the reggae hook, which should have been the vibe of the whole track. It did peak at 24 in my charts anyway, but I'd suggest thats a more realistic appraisal than number 1!

Keeping up with the depressing "I dont remember that one" theme, Roll Deep. Dance tune, sounds not bad at all but I still wouldnt say it rings a bell, even though it went top 20 for me, obv not heard it even once since it left the charts! I am enjoying playing it though and def a goodie.

The Roll Deep pair were absolutely class, loved them being big hits during my uni years and still sound good, though definitely have them the right way round. Start Without You is iconic, just felt quite unique and unlike what I'd expect from an XF act, but did really enjoy it, haven't heard it in a looong time now though, so might not look on it so favourably. Olly... meh, he definitely had much better later on.

Edited 9 hours ago9 hr by RabbitFurCoat

I must say, I hardly listen or remember any of the songs presented so far. 2009 and 2010 are somewhat like a black hole for me regarding pop music as I was mainly into dubstep, drum & bass and techno at that time and retrospectively I found the years the years until 2008 and from 2011 upwards more interesting. But I am definitely willing to give the whole bunch of #1's a chance. ;) These recaps are so great as I always find some great songs I had not on my card before. So keep 'em coming.

 21. Katy Perry – California Gurls (feat. Snoop Dogg)

2 weeks at #1 (entered 27^th June): 01-01-02-04-04-09-10-12-13-18-15-25-29-34-35-39-44-43-49-55-55-65-74-90-95-93-68-51-73-90-94-96

Kept off #1: K’Naan – Wavin’ Flag

EOY #8

Forgive me as I briefly make you listen to a paraphrased conversation between straight 16-year old boys:

“You have to check out the new Katy Perry video!”
Me: “What? I never watch music videos. A single Youtube video would use 10% of my home internet allowance. Why?”
“She’s completely naked. You can see everything.”
Me: “Eh sure, I’ll check it out sometime.”

I didn’t check it out. At least, I didn’t check it out for ages, until long after California Gurls had departed from the chart, which is partly why this stuck in my memory as for months after I’d briefly remember that I should check out this allegedly incredibly alluring video before not doing that and forgetting. I include it as while I’ve long forgotten what words were actually said in the conversation and it may well have been far more embarrassing (yes, she’s naked and in fact tastefully covered by pink candy clouds, so what?), this was my most memorable encounter with ‘California Gurls’ even as it started filling the radio. While I think, along with most of the rest of the world, Katy Perry’s Teenage Dream album was the best she’s ever been, this first single was fairly musically average in comparison to the rest that such an anecdote is an appropriate summation of the song.

'California Gurls' is definitely more of the 'sugary sweet' side of Katy Perry, and it is certainly a statement about the way she wanted to launch this era, the most obvious way to get people talking AND hear an easy radio song that further allows her the space to get people on board with hearing more singles. It’s the only one from the base album that would get to #1, which is a shame because all the singles that didn’t get to #1 are much better. As in would have no problems ranking inside this top 20.

Chart-wise, this was a real hit, keeping ‘Wavin’ Flag’ from getting to #1 again in its first week and holding on for 2 weeks at the top, but unlike other multi-week #1s this year, kept selling and playing on the airwaves throughout the summer of 2010 to end up in the year-end top 10. I can certainly see why, radio loves this sort of thing and this may be my least popular ejection yet. Very classically teeny-bop sounding, very good for all the kids, don't let them listen to the lyrics too closely, all good.

The music video either carries it or is an eternal shame for everyone involved, and even as someone against prudishness I must lean towards the latter, filled with fairly overt sexual candy-related visuals and featuring Perry dancing in ridiculous outfits throughout “Candyfornia” as Snoop Dogg watches on, apparently renamed ‘Sugar Daddy’. Unfortunately the success of this one would seem to give Perry a taste for bold, tacky music videos and the rest of her career as a popstar seems almost as dominated by those as it is music.

Away from the video, the lyricism doesn’t hit for me, and it doesn’t hit for anyone outside California, in the long history of songs bigging up a big American place being exported as vacuous pop tunes it’s one of the least aware of its sense of place and one of the most vacuous. If the location-based stuff isn’t for you, there’s also barely disguised innuendos which the less said about the better, but if you ignore the lyrics, it is a very bright and happy pop tune that is still fun to listen to at points, but can quickly get annoying. Production here is undeniably fantastic, with all the biggest pop names in the business at the time, Max Martin, Benny Blanco and one slightly more cancellable Dr Luke, and that part of the song really does go down well. I just find the lyrical subject of the song too annoying to place any higher.

Well it got Snoop Doggy Dogg that UK #1 but it is overrated 'California Gurls'.

Fell behind oops… there’s so much this year that doesn’t really bring up strong feelings. It’s just “oh yes there was that”.

There isn’t anything I really like in the last few. The ones I really do not enjoy are “Start Without You” and “California Gurls”: I find the chorus very grating in both cases. Thankfully Katy had some great stuff to come later in the same campaign.

Otherwise “In My Head” is moderately pleasant and better than most of what Derulo would offer up later. “Please Don’t Let Me Go” is fine but nothing more - I prefer the follow up “Thinking Of Me”. “Gettin’ Over You” is alright but a bit messy and there were other songs that did what it does better. “Green Light” is terrible but in a more enjoyable than it has any right to be sort of way.

Meh at California ‘girls’. There was much much better on the album (hi Teenage Dream, ET and TGIF)

California Gurls was I think the first song I was around on Buzzjack for where it felt like a real event release, I remember how it was in everyone's signatures and everyone cheering it on as it went to number 1 on iTunes (those were the days x). It was quite fun at the time, but it's a complete gimmick now and has aged pretty poorly. I remember It felt huge at the time but it's vastly overshadowed these days by what came after it, Teenage Dream is definitely up there with her very best and indeed definitely deserved number 1.

Please Don't Let Me Go and Start Without You were again fine at the time, but have aged very poorly and were sub-standard X Factor singles (although I'm glad you've picked the one remaining as the highest as it's easily the best of them), of course, Olly would go on to do much better but Alex really was shafted a bit. Most of the rest of these are quite forgettable one-week wonders which barely raise a reaction these days.

Agreed California Gurls was the least of the Katy singles from Teenage Dream, the only plus point was giving Snoop a number one. Plus I’m irrationally irritated by the spelling!

I'm not a big lover of 'California Girls', but I do love the video. Particularly the part where the gummy bear sticks its middle finger up at her