This felt huge for a moment, but then 'Aeroplanes' came along and quickly overshadowed it.

18. The Wanted – All Time Low

 1 week at #1 (entered 1^st August): 01-05-08-10-15-19-24-14-23-22-28-36-34-28-36-40-42-34-48-58-70-51-41-65-80-99

Kept off #1: None

EOY #36

So a little surprised to see rock band All Time Low at the top of the UK charts but I always support the pop-punk cause, (dear maria) count me in…  

I hope you realise how unusual it is for me that a boyband has made it this far. While I do try my hardest to not judge music by the makeup of how the artists look, I know my preferences, and they often lead me towards women playing loud guitars in rock bands or something of that description. Boybands I know are rarely for me. It’s not even that ‘All Time Low’ is brilliant or anything, I’d save that for the third single again here, ‘Lose My Mind’, and perhaps some of their later album singles, most of which were perfectly fine songs. Actually, The Wanted were quite good, weren’t they?

Formed by Jayne Collins, who also put together The Saturdays, The Wanted were an interesting addition to the boyband lineup, and promised some good pop in a similar way to the Sats, just male. While they’d commonly throughout their career compete with One Direction from the talent show complex, and aren’t exactly an organic band by any means, they favourably compare to One Direction in songwriting and production a lot of the time, and ‘All Time Low’ is a great example of that.

On the charts, this was a notably busy week in the top 10 to kick off August. 5 new songs entered including The Wanted, the recently mentioned ‘Billionaire’ being the closest at #3, a track that seems almost quaint looking back, though it would go on to outsell ‘All Time Low’ in the EOY, and the first (and brilliant)  chart hits for Swedish House Mafia and Magnetic Man,  ‘One (Your Name)’ and ‘I Need Air’, and a track that would climb to #1 and is yet to appear. ‘All Time Low’ actually feels the least present of these 5 tracks in my 2010 life, though I was certainly in areas that would play the rest of these tracks and not a boyband single. Which may have contributed to my anti-boyband feelings – that and being a str8 man.

I do have to give ‘All Time Low’ credit for some wonderful production throughout it, particularly those opening strings which command your attention and give you the idea you're in for something with a bit more oomph to it than the average boyband song. It'd be remarkably easy for people to mock this title, its attachment to a well-known pop-punk band aside, and the fact that I never see anyone doing that is a testament to how decent it is. Written by 3 writers who have between them contributed to about 40 or so number ones, it was clearly destined for success but it doesn't feel identity-less, for what you're getting, a boyband debut single where no one knows anyone in the band yet, it feels like they harmonise well and have set up themselves well for success - which they would get.

It's radio pop that's not ultimately that adventurous, those strings aside, Fraser McAlpine of the BBC radio blog claimed it stole its melody from 'The Scientist' at the time, then goes on to say that that's very common actually, and I sort of hear it, which places it fairly in that standard good quality soft-rock/dance-pop area. I'd struggle to say there's anything wrong with it. Perfect song for halfway.

All Time Low is okay, quite pleasant in fact, especially the strings at the beginning. But it’s no Glad You Came is it?!

At #100 of that week was 'Weightless' by All Time Low.

7 minutes ago, Mack. said:

At #100 of that week was 'Weightless' by All Time Low.

Fantastic! I didn't notice that so thank you for pointing it out.

I can't help but have a bit of a nostalgic soft spot for 'All Time Low' as it was my birthday #1 that year. In fact the late Tom Parker from the group actually had the same birthday as me! Other memories related to this single include my then 16-year-old cousin meeting the band around that time. They went on to release better but I do quite enjoy the dramatic strings and bridge.

I remember being a fan of the rather smooth 'Nothin' On You' back in 2010 but it's not one I ever revisit now. I still love the follow-up but more on that later 😎

'All Time Low' was a solid debut from The Wanted. I kinda recall thinking it was impressive for a new boy boyband not from X Factor or already established to reach the top at that time. Would put this in their top 3 songs along with 'Gold Forever' and 'Glad You Came'. 'Lose My Mind' is good too though.

I’ve never really been a The Wanted fan, but this is ok I guess.

All Time Low shouldn't be this low, it is great, and with the dance buildup before the last chorus a precursor to the SHM Don't You Worry Child type anthem!

I think it was more The Wanted vs JLS initially as 1D would debut a year later. Am I right in saying All Time Low wasn’t actually Radio 1 playlisted before it reached #1? I have a vague memory it was down to Capital hammering it/other factors.

Another unlocked memory of that chart week is Billionaire possibly being cheated out of a #1 by either (a) a botched early release or (b) a fake version charting (which was very common in 2010 lol). I can’t remember which scenario it was but I remember pre-release, Billionaire being almost guaranteed to hit the top based on pre-orders/hype.

11 hours ago, Jaz13music said:

All Time Low is okay, quite pleasant in fact, especially the strings at the beginning. But it’s no Glad You Came is it?!

This!

Glad You Came was a bit of a bop, despite that basic af chorus melody. I think The Wanted’s true ‘all time low’ was Walks Like Rihanna. An abomination to say the least.

17. Iyaz – Replay

2 weeks at #1 (entered 10^th January): 01-01-02-03-06-08-13-24-29-32-30-31-29-34-50-58-65-75-92-96-92-88-69-94

Kept off #1: Sidney Samson – Riverside (Let’s Go) [feat. Wizard Sleeve]

EOY #18

Keidran Kenmore Jones, better known as Iyaz, is not a figure one would immediately have guessed to have the first new #1 of the 2010s, probably because no one knew who he was before this song. Before brief and fleeting fame, he was a British Virgin Islands songwriter who had got picked up through Myspace a couple of years prior and landed in the orbit of J.R. Rotem and Beluga Heights, Jason Derülo and Sean Kingston’s label, and clearly third fiddle to… those guys. This little UK chart fact probably meant only a bit to him as he’d already achieved success and a #2 in the US with ‘Replay’ before it came over here, smashing normal January sales records with over 100,000 download sales; Wiki says biggest 'new year' sales, which I'm assuming means January, since Michelle McManus' 'All This Time' in 2004 for those who celebrate Ms McManus. Anyway, in the depths of winter 2010, the UK desired a summer Caribbean tune. There’s even a Flo Rida remix but it’s not worth seeking out, just Flo Rida coming in at the best bit of the song and ruining that part.

Kingston and Derülo put their considerable talents towards writing this specific song, and indeed it was originally intended for and rejected from for Kingston’s album Tomorrow. It’s very amusing to me that this rejected song from some of the worst names in popular music at the time really outshines them just by putting a fresh, and yes, ultimately disposable face on it, but Iyaz’s cheery disposition and clear authentic credentials sell this far better than they ever could.

Again this is a #1 where I remember specific instances in time with the song it beat more, as ‘Riverside (Let’s Go)’ was a big hit in my circles for its rather profane language and heavy bass and was also being heavily promoted at the time for a chance at the top spot, this would be the fourth highest selling week at #2 for the whole year, I don't recall specifically why this week in a normally slow month was so hotly contested other than that these two very popular songs ended up being released on the same week. So Replay did deny us a rare incredible dance #1 for this year in its first week as both entered at the top spot, but of course this was all over the airwaves and in the background at the time and very much stuck on replay, replay, replay. One suspects this may have been a ploy to encourage radio to play it more. If not, assuming that is funny.

It’s had a bit of a second life as a meme similar to rickrolling a few years back, though even at the time the potential for jokes were there. The true honest straightforwardness, despite all the potential silliness surrounding the song, with which Iyaz sings this is what makes it for me. It’s summery, it’s bright, even if you were to have it on replay I don’t think I’d find it annoying (though I acknowledge that some people might), I do really enjoy this, even with the ridiculous chorus – what on earth is this hook:

Shawty's like a melody in my head
That I can't keep out, got me singing like (Ayy)
Na-na-na-na, every day
It's like my iPod stuck on replay, replay-ay-ay-ay (Oh)

That really shouldn’t work and yet somehow it does. Many similar songs lose it here by sabotaging themselves with unlikeable lyrics or losing the energy, but 'Replay' surfs all the pitfalls that songs like those others on Beluga Heights and similar hip-hop/reggae peddlers might put out and gives something that's pleasantly likeable to its core. Almost iconic, it’s not quite sung well enough to reach that but, it’s very easy to lose charisma in a song like this and Iyaz doesn’t. He sells this one hit that he had very well, he would have a couple more hits on the chart (I did also like ‘Solo’) and then unlike his labelmates at Beluga Heights, left to go out into the world and chill. Between Kingston’s legal troubles and Derulo’s commitment to horrendous music, probably worked out better for him in the end.

I love 'All Time Low', although they'd go on to have better for me. This was a surprise #1 for me at the time but I was so pleased to see it happen.

I do quite like 'Replay', incredibly of its time though (especially mentioning iPods and all)

Replay was nice and summary, even in the winter! I remember it being everywhere just after Christmas. It’s a bit throwaway though really.

And now, I’ve also finally found out who the infamous J-J-J-J-R is! Thanks Iz!

Replay was and still is dreadful.

I sound so negative in this thread! There must be some things I like soon?

Preferred 'Replay' to 'Riverside (Let's Go). Not one now I would go out of my way to listen to. Iyaz got an #1, 'Solo' was okay, his collaboration where he featured on Charice's 'Pyramid' was probably the best he did. 'So Big' no thanks.

The following year he would feature on Mann's version of 'The Mack' which also featured Snoop Dogg. Which isn't an patch on the original.

Iyaz is one of those artists who seemed exciting at the beginning and then the novelty wears off.

Edited May 23May 23 by Charlielargepotatoes

I've started hearing 'Replay' again all of a sudden recently on the radio. It's ok, catchy enough.

Replay was OK