Aww thanks x

On 31/07/2026 at 23:12, Jade said:

I guess there's a possibility Harry Styles could've been watching Shania on that TOTP episode as a 6-year-old at the time and now she's opening for him on tour!

She said that Harry told her, his mother always had the Come On Over album in the house growing up and he adores Shania Twain due to that link. That was how the Coachella performance happened and then they formed a close friendship. ❤️

I’m not sure I prefer it to the original, but I do like Madonna’s version. It’s nowhere near as bad as people made out at the time.

Shalala Lala is a dreadful song and it shows steam was beginning to run out for Vengaboys. It was nowhere near as fun as the previous singles or even the one that came after.

What on Earth did Naima from Honeyz have on her head?

The gimp look was rocking in 2000!

I've just done a re-listen to to Vengaboys after that and Sha la la la la la isn't quite as good as I remembered. 😂 It's ok but actually I'm digging We're going to Ibiza!

LOVE that Vengaboys track, make some noise I shall!

'Sitting Down Here' I used to think was by Emma Bunton as it really sounds like her.

But listening to it now, its another big country-influenced hit and one that still gets plays on MOR radio.

Edited August 7Aug 7 by TheSnake

Regarding William Orbit producing consecutive number 1s - Pure Shores and American Pie.

 

This was the 18th time in Uk chart history that the same producer has produced consecutive number 1s.  

 

Of those 18 times, 5 of those were producers who produced 3 number 1s in a row.  

 

They were 

 

Mitch Miller 

Norrie Paramor 

George Martin ( twice )  

Stock / Aitken / Waterman 

I know it's much maligned but I also do really like Madge's version of 'American Pie'.

That Vengaboys track is immensely tacky but I love it!

Honeyz is a total tune.

Puff Daddy & R. Kelly, f*** me that's one hell of a combination isn't it? 💀

Incredibly dull song from Mariah Carey.

I only bought one single that week, and it was Mariah Carey. One of my favourite songs of the year and from her, two remixes are great, the Stargate mix pushed in the UK and the Make It Last remix on the CD single which was basically a completely different song (like a J.Lo remix in that regard). The version performed on TOTP was for some reason the album version/US pushed mix, which has much more plodding production than the Stargate mix.

I don't love or hate American Pie, it's fine, nice production but a pretty pointless cover for me, although my sister bought it that week along with Pure Shores (obviously a William Orbit fan at 9 years old) to listen to on the plane (when Gatwick had a mini HMV in the airport...) as we went to Tenerife this week, my first ever time on a plane (we had previously gone to France by ferry). I also bought a CD that day called The Best Pepsi Chart Album In The World...Ever! 2000 which featured a fair few from this chart.

Bye Bye Bye, Won't Take It Lying Down (Naima lol) and Sitting Down Here all great pop songs, a brilliant week for the genre. Shalala Lala is also fun for me, very different to their other singles so I'm surprised it even did as well as it did, quite a schlager really, you could well imagine it playing in bars in the alps, with the accordian and video with the lederhosens.

I shall refrain from commenting on the other debut in the top ten, I always disliked it anyway.

Some more pop debuts outside the top 10 in Northern Line (so cheesy) and Madasun (this is strong and was in the end of year top 40 in Australia, where it peaked at No.6, deserved a little better here really). Also Everything by Dum Dums, a pre-Busted boyband with guitars a few years too early, all of their singles were strong and catchy and deserved more but the market wasn't ready for that sound yet.

A nice garage song entered lower down too, Colour Girl's Can't Get Used To Losing You.

5- SHALALA LALA- Vengaboys (66,000)
6- SITTING DOWN HERE- Lene Marlin (51,000)

These two songs right here are why I loved this era. I swear I heard Shalala Lala on a kiddy ride inside of an video game arcade down Barry Island at some point. Nevertheless, these were fun times, and Lene Marlin's song is instantly recognisable!

The Honeyz Wont Take It Lying Down is so dman good!

This is an incredible top 10 !!!

This is where Chris Cowey's approach of repeating the same God damn songs for weeks on end, even as they were going down the chart, was to the detriment of the show long-term, especially on weeks like this that were bountiful with new entries.

Madasun "Don't You Worry" was one such casualty of his booking policy. One of the better songs launched by one of the better new girl groups in 2000 (and there'll be a lot of them to come).

Honeyz - "Won't Take It Lying Down". What an absolute banger that was. The performance was absolutely unhinged though on account of Naima grinning away like H from Steps through what it is supposed to be a sassy and edgy put down to a cheating boyfriend type song whilst wearing a Gimp mask before the watershed on BBC One. Camp of the highest order. I'd have loved to have been in on the wardrobe fitting for that performance 🤣

On a slightly sadder note, timely that not one but two William Orbit produced singles were on this episode. I actually do still quite like "American Pie", it's much better than it is generally given credit for and the production on Madonna's version is gorgeous.

Ah yes, how appropriate to land on a chart with a William Orbit produced top two <3

I like Madge’s version of American Pie.

There I said it!