gooddelta

I'm liking the Definitive Version of Singapore, glad it's getting a moment to shine, it's such a good song.

For sure, that top three was all 10/10 songs for me. One of my favourite ever top threes. A brooding and beautiful dance classic, Steps with a career highlight, and a Fragma follow up that wasn't the usual Eurodance pattern of 'more of the same but slightly worse' but was a great sparkling pop/dance single in its own right that had a very solid top five run of four weeks so was no flash in the pan either.

Yeah it really does work well in the film, it's played in several contexts at different times and all at key parts. I like it a lot more having seen it. That said, I'm still not overkeen on Soda Pop.

Agreed, they did both the main and Extras of 98 so well, even the smaller hits chosen made so much more sense. Some of that second disc of 97 Extra really could have been left off. I knew there was a reason I largely switched off from Britpop in 1997, some real autopilot stuff.

That's a great track, what a delight to see it so high. I'd have it in my top five too, a really hypnotic dance track and a great one to have crossed over into the mainstream. Wasn't it the first No.1 by an act from Portugal? And a brilliant vocal too from Cass(andra) Fox. It gives me a similar feeling to Motorcycle's As The Rush Comes from 2004. It was indeed quite a coup for Hits 2001 to have it on because that was released a good month or so before the single was released. Shame for Steps though, who had a distribution leak the week before and climbed from No.72 to No.2 (but the sales they lost that first week weren't enough to make up the deficit anyway). It's The Way You Make Me Feel is a far better song than Stomp. Interestingly, all of the top three that week had distribution leaks - Touch Me actually went 112-1 while Fragma's Everytime You Need Me went 129-3. BTW, it was on a label that was a strand of BMG, hence Now 48 not getting it. BMG/Sony stuff always went to Hits.

Definitely The Killers!

Sticking with Hard-Fi I agree although I really loved Boyfriend and La La by her too. Her music was far more enjoyable than Jessica's for me.

I agree and have gone for Paradise for the same reason, I Think I Love You is fun, and quite a strange but charming choice of cover.

What makes it so bad for you compared to their other singles? Strangely this even appeared on a compilation album in summer 2002, and remixes were also produced, so it must have been considered for a release. https://www.discogs.com/release/4433594-Various-958-FMs-Party-In-The-Park-For-The-Princes-Trust-2002-The-Album-Of-The-Event I suspect the singles run was supposed to be: Don't Stop Movin' (May 2001), You (October/November 2001), Stronger (Feb/March 2002), but then Have You Ever and the Children In Need opportunity came along and got in the way and they changed their plans and we didn't get Stronger. I'm sure You was always planned in though as it was the theme to their TV show.

Yeah exactly this, unfortunate month for these to all appear together as all of them have the winner sound, whereas we've had other contests recently where nothing has sounded like a winner.

RontBet top 10 odds for the final: 2/1 Fljótavík \ Ninajirachi - Infohazard 5/1 Bøtanikkä \ Belén Aguilera - Laberinto 6/1 Ajanaeda \ Remy Bond - Moviestar 10/1 \ Neliönoir \ Sofia Kourtesis - Corazón 12/1 \ Baleghde \ Emma Steinbakken - BOY 12/1 \ Cor Lupus \ AMAKA - Spin It (feat. DETO BLACK) 14/1 \ République d'Áskorza \ VTSS - Can't Catch Me 14/1 \ Kathaldazia \ MISS LUXURY - deal 15/1 \ Terra Avium \ Årabrot - The Satantango 18/1 \ Cumulonimbia \ Disiniblud - Disiniblud Starting to think Fljótavík will run off with it. It suits the pattern of the last few winners having a recent top five finish and coming back for another go, it seems to be in a few charts on the forum or has had a lot of vocal hype, the album is out this week to help its cause etc. Bøtanikkä and Ajanaeda I'm sure will fight to be top pop song, Addy's is a very strong entry that I'd have predicted as winner if Fljótavík wasn't here - we might be able to spare Addy from having to host four forum contests almost simultaneously, but a win wouldn't massively surprise me at the same time! Ajanaeda has the ABBA sound that served Debbii Dawson and others so well recently, but I don't see this quite being able to get the gold medal with the competition here. But these are the only three realistic contenders I would say. After that it's less clear so I've left it at 10 but hoping Danæviia's retro 00s Clubland charm will appeal to enough people to take it into the top 10, just not completely sure of that. Kluminican Republic are there or thereabouts too - Jude has top five form and it's a solid pop entry - along with a few others like Hendinia, Aeroche, Greenfroze etc.

I think Paul even cited one of the reasons he left was because he was so happy to release something like that (they are all listed as co-writers on it too) and annoyed that they went straight back to the cheese. Even S Club Juniors released cooler singles in 2002 than You 😆

The Sonique outage only lasted a day or two thankfully. For any Irish posters, the huge No.1 single Maniac 2000 by Mark McCabe has finally appeared on streaming, albeit with a different singer on the female vocal part a la the upload of Toca's Miracle a few years ago, but much better than not having it on at all.

A great, classic pop single - critically it was their finest moment although there's a couple of their others I prefer myself. It's a fantastic disco pop track though with great production and a rousing chorus, Jo and Bradley work so well together, his verses are so effective and her vocal soars in the middle eight going into the chorus. I hoped they would keep to this kind of more mature sound but they quickly reverted to form with the likes of You the following year. Of course they tried to recreate it with Alive but that was a rather flat number in comparison. Loved that it returned to No.1 too as it definitely deserved more than a week, a far better song than Geri's cover. Intrigued at the choice of final four. Three I am not surprised to see and another which will absolutely land like a lead balloon here (but got to No.1 in my personal chart for weeks so no grumbles this end).

Never going to happen but the original leaked versions of songs from the Rebel Heart album, the title track was so special in its demo form.

Yearbook Extra '97 was a slog in places. What a strange tracklist (I heavily praised Extra '98, absolutely loved the choices, sequencing and variety so definitely not being negative for the sake of it). I just finished listening and it's like a who's who of forgotten (for good reason) pop, the dregs of the back end of Britpop and lots and lots of low charting filler. The good: Tomorrow Never Dies - such a soaring film song, forgot how much I like that Closer Than Close - deserved a spot on the main album! As Long As You Love Me - ditto, surprised Quit Playing Games got the nod ahead of this on the main album Where's The Love - Hanson had several strong singles outside the obvious one Everything I Wanted - love this Dannii era Don't You Love Me - Eternal with their best era too, this was sublime Karma Police - also seems weird to leave for the Extra Second Nature / No Cheap Thrill - had never heard these two low top 40 hits but thoroughly enjoyed them, an unexpected disco feel to the former, the latter is a great singer-songwriter song Sugar Coated Iceberg - great band Drop Dead Gorgeous - wonderful track from another great band Sunday Shining - such a talent and my favourite song by Finley Reverence - not too familiar with this Faithless song but really liked it - is that Dido on the chorus or someone else? Clementine - love this Mark Owen song, my favourite solo single from him along with Four Minute Warning Who Do You Think You Are / Mama - always loved this double a-side Don't Leave Me - again, not too familiar with BlackSTREET outside of a couple of tracks but this is really good R&B Ti Amo - Gina G in her La Isla Bonita era I'm A Man Not A Boy - good forgotten boyband single Baby Can I Hold You - a lovely version of the song tbf The bad: Star People '97 - it's an ok song, but I really wish they'd stop opening with him, just leave it off sometimes. Outside did this sound way better the following year Isn't It A Wonder - Boyzone's most limp single, it's barely there I Can Make You Feel Good - I didn't need reminding of this cover Night Nurse - it's ok I guess but reminds me of a medicine advert...memory unlocked, shouldn't Sly & Robbie be credited for this? Most of the indie and Britpop on Disc 2 - yawn, filler 3rd and 4th album singles in a lot of places, the trio at the end I didn't enjoy I Believe In You And Me - not sure this is a great disc starter from Whitney, not exactly a classic I Don't Want To - a song written and produced by R Kelly, surprised it's even here Midnight In Chelsea - not for me Stranger Things - actually this is ok but it didn't even make close to the top 40? Today's The Day - extremely naff, a one week low top 40 hit - surprised it made the cut Please Don't Go - a much weaker copycat version of Where Do You Go Let Me In - an Osmonds cover by an Irish boyband, sounds a familiar tale! Tbf it's fine but that's because the original is strong Anywhere For You - one of the worst from Backstreet Boys, nondescript Yesterday - a rather hollow cover of a classic The lack of dance is weird - no Belissima, Something's Going On, Choose Life, Ecuador or Stay, Freed From Desire, Coco Jamboo, no Tubthumping, Scooby Snacks, Texas or Oasis (I know they struggle with Blur, Pulp and The Verve), no Kylie!! I feel like 1997 overall was really hampered by licensing with others like No Doubt, Daft Punk, U2, Depeche Mode etc also all absent.

I watched it on Saturday finally, really very good actually with quite a layered story and great animation, an art style you don't see a lot in mainstream animated film. The success of the soundtrack makes a lot more sense after seeing it.

Just remembered they performed it at that Eurovision week opening event we saw in Liverpool a couple of years ago, it did go down very well. I also saw them do it live in 2021 in Newcastle as part of a 90s/00s revival festival and they played parts from the Southgate version too that had just recharted at the time.

Whole Again is a funny one for me in that I really liked the prior single Follow Me that flopped at No.20. Then the label thought 'let's push out another similar tempo song as the FIFTH single from the album as the last attempt worked so well'. Logically and by usual perceived wisdom it should not have been a success, yet it became a million selling No.1? To this DAY I do not know how this song debuted at No.1. I'm sure the Woolies chart had it in at about No.15 and I remember thinking the midweeks were a mistake when I saw them as Atomic Kitten had never had a hit anywhere near even half as big, and there was very little to suggest this song was going to change that ahead of release. Especially not when up against U2, who were expected to debut quite easily at No.1. The only extra push it had beyond the previous releases is that it was a well publicised 'last roll of the dice' single - maybe that encouraged more people to take notice, and also clearly the song did click with people in a way that their others didn't. I'm amazed though that there were even enough copies of it sent to the shops in week one to enable it to debut at the top as pre-release hype was so low, and the video budget looked like about £20. The song itself is nice, not a big favourite of mine, but has a good strong chorus and middle eight and I can see why it did quickly take off with the public and gained in sales for a few weeks after it started getting airplay and the exposure of being No.1, well timed around Valentine's Day too. Funny how it changed the trajectory of their whole career too, making the first three singles sound like a massive anomaly. I did prefer Jenny in the band though, she suited their more laidback vibe and I can't see Kerry have being too happy with churning out constant ballads and midtempos for years. I did grow to love the group funnily enough, from Eternal Flame onwards, they were just more my MOR cup of tea with Jenny there, although I do think the Kerry middle eight version of Whole Again is better, albeit not the original version which she talk/sings the whole thing on the Japanese edition of the album. I think a No.15 peak would definitely have been the ceiling for it if this version had been released:

Jessica Winter - My First Album Grace Davies - The Wrong Side Of 25 Reneé Rapp - BITE ME KPop Demon Hunters Cast, HUNTR/X & Saja Boys - KPop Demon Hunters (Soundtrack) Madonna - Veronica Electronica Craig David - Commitment Mabe Fratti - Sentir Que No Sabes KT Tunstall - Eye To The Telescope Maren Morris - D R E A M S I C L E Mabel - Mabel (Mixtape)

1. Mabe Fratti - Enfrente 2. KT Tunstall - Eye To The Telescope 3. Sarah McLachlan - Better Broken 4. PinkPantheress - Illegal 5. Laufey - Lover Girl 6. Jessica Winter - To Know Her 7. HUNTR/X, EJAE, AUDREY NUNA, REI AMI - Golden 8. Grace Davies - Super Love Me 9. Grace Davies - Hotel Delilah 10. Equador - Blood 11. Suzanne Vega - No Cheap Thrill 12. Caity Baser - The Weight Of You (I'm Glad You Died) 13. Remember Monday - Happier 14. Annalisa - Maschio 15. Dimitri Vegas x David Guetta x Loreen - Pum Pum 16. Nuovo Testamento - Dream On 17. Jessica Winter - Feels Good (For Tonight) 18. Deep Obsession - One & Only (Brian Rawling Remix) 19. Deep Obsession - The Power In You 20. PUNCHBAG - I Love This!

Love the theme and execution, nice work @Silas Delighted to have been approved entry by Sven. Happy to be a bit further back in the draw this time as my entry best suits serving as a tranquil moment of calm between uptempos rather than going first (which it should be with the six or seven songs around it!)

Sticking with Snow Patrol. Shame to lose Never Forget You but the top four here is great tbf.

Whitney and Enrique. I'd have gone for it first if Busta wasn't there. Whitney sounds fine on it, although the song is crap by Diane Warren's standards. Enrique sounds pretty unpleasant on it, especially in the weird intro leading into the first verse 'over and over'. The chorus has a bit of a melodic similarity to Can't Fight The Moonlight I've just noticed while listening, so at least Diane took the idea and improved on it later in the year.

Ashlee's album brings back good college memories for me, the chorus of Pieces Of Me is a bit like a TV show theme tune but I still like it. Hard-Fi is the only one I enjoy less than hers though I guess, so I'll go for that.