awardinary

#22

Blue – Too Close

Date Charted: 08/09/2001

Weeks at #1: 1

UK Chart Run: {1}-3-7-12-17-23-26-37-42-57-64-53-68->13

Chart Commentary

Back to Blue once again, with their other #1 from 2001, 'Too Close' which was itself a cover of a relatively unknown song by Next from a few years previously. Blue's version of the song was a clear intention of their direction as a boy band after breaking through with 'All Rise' earlier in the year. It marketed the boys as not just a pop outfit but with an R&B side lacking in other UK boy bands at the time with the likes of Damage and Another Level disbanding. 'Too Close' denied hits by Uncle Kracker, Louise and Emma Bunton from all peaking higher.

#23

Atomic Kitten – Eternal Flame

Date Charted: 04/08/2001

Weeks at #1: 2

UK Chart Run: {1}-1-2-6-9-12-21-29-40-45-47-45-34-47-71R(9)->15

Chart Commentary

Another pop group with two UK #1 singles in 2001 was Atomic Kitten. Their version of The Bangles 80's ballad was good enough to hit #1 for two weeks in the Summer, and was a familiar enough cover song to beat the likes of Destiny's Child, O-Town, Geri Halliwell and Train to name a few of the new releases over the two weeks it was at the top. Given the success of its predecessor, 'Whole Again', it wasn't too unexpected to see the Kittens have another big hit some months later. The follow-up single 'You Are' failed to make any sort of impact in the UK later that year.

#24

Blue – If You Come Back

Date Charted: 24/11/2001

Weeks at #1: 1

UK Chart Run: {1}-2-8-16-23-21-21-30-43-46-63-52-55->13

Chart Commentary

In a year where many pop artists achieved two UK #1 singles, boy band Blue gave us this helping at the end of the year. Their debut 'All Rise' was quite a decent breakthrough hit, but the ones to follow, which each peaked higher, were not up to the same standard. This is an example of yet another ballad smashing into the #1s club of 2001. With little to offer, it prevented hits by Destiny's Child, Lighthouse Family and Bubba Sparxxx from getting higher peaks the single week it was at the top.

8 minutes ago, Rooney said:

News filtering out Sesko has chosen Newcastle over Man Utd now..

"News" 😅

I think if Onana is out then I'd feel a lot better about our chances of avoiding mistakes at the back. Less convinced in our striking options but there are some decent looking youth academy products coming through aren't there.

6 hours ago, Liam Sota said:

Yeah I’m not enthused but maybe we’ll get lucky for a change 🤷‍♂️

What do you think @Liam Sota?

Does it look like a finished product to you or is something still missing?

We should now rename this thread the Isak Transfer Thread as it's the only interesting story for the rest of the transfer window, even Utd expressed an interest in him! 😂

But then why let Diaz go this week if this wasn't looking like a viable transfer option, I know it isn't the same position, but the calibre of player is similar.

Strange mind games going on?

My personal rank for Week 31;

1. Luude x Sean Paul x Brodie – Darlin'

2. Sigma x Julia Church – Magnetic

3. Patrick Topping – Want U

4. ILLENIUM x Norma Jean Martine – Refuge

5. Skepsis x Jhelisa x Kaito Keyz – Friendly Pressure

6. Rebūke x Au/Ra – Ignite

7. [IVY] x A Little Sound – Can't Love Me

8. deadmau5 – Sixes

2 hours ago, Rooney said:

Looks like United are the front runners for Sesko now. Just my thoughts, but I honestly think the price mooted is an absolutely terrible deal. It's undeniable he has all the tools and attributes to be an amazing striker, but he could just so easily flop. I think he has a higher ceiling than Etikete, but is currently a much worse player. He's not really performed in the Bundesliga as people were expecting him to, and strikers usually flourish there. It's an awful lot of money for what I would deem a complete project signing, which is bonkers when they already have Hojlund.

Given the news that Liverpool made a serious offer in the last 24 hours for Isak, it would suggest United need to step up their approach for Sesko to keep him from Newcastle who are now desperate for a striker.

#25

Hear'Say – The Way To Your Love

Date Charted: 07/07/2001

Weeks at #1: 1

UK Chart Run: {1}-5-13-18-23-29-38-45-45-48-56-65-68-75R(2)-75-71-60->17

Chart Commentary

Popstars was a big thing in 2001, as it marked the start of the TV talent show to find the next best pop outfit. Mixed group Hear'Say were a short-lived act who achieved two UK #1 singles in 2001, and this was the second of those hits. The Summery pop song was pleasant enough for its time, but it wasn't a particularly enduring #1 single and not one that many will remember this many years later. 'The Way To Your Love' denied the likes of Usher, Gorillaz and Dane Bowers from getting to the top. Following the hiatus of the band, Kym Marsh went on to have a couple of solo hits, Myleene Klass recorded a couple of solo albums and the other members embarked on different career trajectories.

#26

Robbie Williams & Nicole Kidman – Somethin' Stupid

Date Charted: 22/12/2001

Weeks at #1: 3

UK Chart Run: {1}-1-1-3-12-21-33-31-31-35-44-57->12

Chart Commentary

Onto the Christmas #1 of 2001, a melodic duet between a former Take That member and an actress who had featured in one of the biggest movies of the year; 'Moulin Rouge'. The attempt to re-create a vintage-style ballad covering the song originally made famous by Frank & Nancy Sinatra back in the 60s was met with approval by many, mainly due to it's timely release up to the Christmas run. It became Robbie's fifth UK #1 as a solo artist, and denied other Christmas #1 hopeful Gordon Haskell from achieving a chart-topper with his laid back jazz number. It doesn't go down as the most remembered hit by Robbie, and what it did symbolise for many years to come was the end of the exciting and competitive market for a Christmas #1 single, as in many of the years to follow this was made up entirely of talent show winning songs always released on Christmas week.

Some further transfer news on outgoings;

#27

Westlife – Queen Of My Heart

Date Charted: 17/11/2001

Weeks at #1: 1

UK Chart Run: {1}-2-4-10-15-22-25-28-36-47-57-66-67-51-61->15

Chart Commentary

Not really much good can be said of another rinse and repeat style of ballad that would customarily get Westlife a UK #1 single, especially around the time of Christmas. I can imagine mums everywhere walking into their local Woolworths and seeing this single on display, surrounded by tinsel, and thinking it would make a good Christmas stocking. Overall, it is not the greatest Westlife single, in fact, it could comfortably be considered one of the worst of their time. However, it is not a cover, and that gives it some originality which other #1 hits of theirs may not have always had. In the week it reached it's peak, 'Queen Of My Heart' denied hits by So Solid Crew, Artists Against AIDS Worldwide and Cher from all having a higher peak.

Gave a thumbs up for one big final, thinking this would help our chances of catching up with the contests for this year which fell behind.

On 28/07/2025 at 22:31, awardinary said:

  On 22/07/2025 at 09:04, awardinary said:

#28

Bob The Builder – Mambo No. 5

Date Charted: 15/09/2001

Weeks at #1: 1

UK Chart Run: {1}-2-4-7-9-15-22-23-32-41-43-45-56-58-63-60-52-72-67->19

Chart Commentary

A little bit of naffness that's for sure. Another novelty #1 single for Neil Morrissey (aka Bob The Builder) with his unique take on the Lou Bega #1 single from two years earlier. It's pretty pants overall and apart from its novelty element doesn't offer anything extra. A much weaker #1 than 'Can We Fix It?' from 2000, it spelled the end of the novelty singles for the children's enterprise, though Bob can be seen accompanying many other children's TV characters on a charity single fronted by Peter Kay some time later in 2009. In the week it was a chart topper, 'Mambo No. 5' denied Supermen Lovers from reaching #1 with their single 'Starlight'.

#29

Geri Halliwell – It's Raining Men

Date Charted: 12/05/2001

Weeks at #1: 2

UK Chart Run: {1}-1-2-7-7-17-21-20-30-39-40-44-53-56-73->15

Chart Commentary

Ginger Spice Geri Halliwell achieved a UK #1 single in the Summer of 2001 thanks in part to its feature in the movie 'Bridget Jones' Diary'. That, along with the fact that the song is a cover of a famous 80's single by The Weather Girls, the song garnered many fans and became Geri's first hit from her second solo album. The song may be fun and full of attitude, which are two things Geri had in common as a former Spice Girl, but the song goes down for me in my memory as nothing more than a carbon copy of the original with maybe just a little bit of improved overall production. It's not original and if I wanted to hear the song I'd pick the 80's version. Geri's two week stint at the top is sandwiched together by the only song to have re-peaked at #1 in this year, that was by S Club 7.

#30

Afroman – Because I Got High

Date Charted: 27/10/2001

Weeks at #1: 3

UK Chart Run: {1}-1-1-2-4-8-14-19-26-18-15-27-42-49-64-63R(2)-60-62-63->19

Chart Commentary

In last place for this personal countdown, is rapper Afroman with one of his only two hits (the other being 'Crazy Rap' which peaked at #10 in 2002). The novelty surrounding 'Because I Got High' was about how Afroman neglected his responsibilities in life due to his excessive drug use. It is all meant to be taken in a light-hearted fashion and has comedic elements to the lyrics and sound effects used throughout. It was apparently written in just a few minutes which doesn't surprise me at all. What does surprise me is how it managed an impressive 3 week run at the top of the charts, denying singles by Britney Spears, Five and iio all from getting a #1, not to mention replacing Kylie at the top with one of her most remembered hits ever. I don't think anyone would rate this as one of their favourite #1 singles of the year, but I could be wrong...

Our BuzzJack veteran @gooddelta recently came up with an idea for a countdown thread to give his personal countdown of UK #1 singles from 2000.

We now turn our attention to the following year, 2001, for which the UK Singles Chart recorded a total of 30 unique chart toppers.

2001 was a pivital year in history. The year's most prominent event was the September 11 attacks against the United States by al-Qaeda, which killed 2,977 people and instigated the global war on terror. In popular culture, the Harry Potter and The Lord of the Rings film franchises were launched, the iPod and iTunes were invented for music, and three major sixth-generation video game systems became available. The Mac OS X and Windows XP were launched, as was the Wikipedia project.

I have chosen to take on the continuation of this BuzzJack event by sharing my personal ranking of all 30 UK #1 singles of 2001, together with my reasons for the choices. I will endeavor to create interesting commentaries to follow the high standard set by gooddetla in the previous year. I will start this thread by revealing the songs that finished in positions 30, 29 and 28 shortly. Please feel free to share your own thoughts on the songs as they are posted, along with any other personal memories you may have at the time.

I'd suggest most people would have heard this cover version of this song at a funeral in the last couple of decades somewhere;

It's arguably Eva's most famous recording despite the fact she even had a UK #1 single.