ghostwriter

Beautiful South did badly on downloads then- a top 20 entry becomes a number 41 entry! On one level I'm glad downloads aren't counted, as it usually pushes rubbishy reissue cash-ins like the Wacko Jacko releases and stuff like Daz Simpson further down the chart, but it seems to be really bad for indie acts. Delays, Graham Coxon, The Upper Room and Hot Chip would have been much higher. Still, whichever way you look at it the downloads included chart is a much more acurate reflection of what people are buying.

I'm definitely going to get it, as I didn't bother getting the last one. So this one will be much more up to date.

1) Oasis - Don’t Look Back In Anger (20 points) 2) Natalie Imbruglia - Torn (19 points) 3) No Doubt - Don't Speak (18 points) 4) Outkast- Hey Ya (17 points) 5) Evanescence – Bring Me To Life (16 points) 6) Cardigans - My Favourite Game (15 points) 7) Franz Ferdinand - Take Me Out (14 points) 8) Killers - Somebody Told Me (13 points) 9) Madonna - Frozen (12 points) 10) Shakira – Whenever Wherever (11 points) 11) Gwen Stefani - What You Waiting For? (10 points) 12) Stereophonics - Dakota (9 points) 13) Green Day - Boulevard Of Broken Dreams (8 points) 14) Gorillaz - Feel Good Inc. (7 points) 15) Beyonce ft Jay-Z – Crazy In Love (6 points) 16) Pink – Just Like A Pill (5 points) 17) Green Day - Good Riddance (Time Of Your Life) (4 points) 18) Verve - The Drugs Don't Work (3 points) 19) Gorillaz - Clint Eastwood (2 points) 20) Verve - Bitter Sweet Symphony (1 point)

[7] All Saints: Never Ever [6] Oasis: All Around The World [6] Usher: You Make Me Wanna [5] Aqua: Dr Jones [5] Celine Dion: My Heart Will Go On [10] Cornershop: Brimful Of Asha [10] Madonna: Frozen [9] Run DMC v Jason Nevins: It's Like That [0] Boyzone: All I Need [4] All Saints: Under The Bridge/Lady Marmalade [9] Aqua: Turn Back Time [8] The Tamperer: Feel It [5] B*witched: C'Est La Vie [3] Billie: Because We Want To [4] Another Level: Freak Me [9] Jamiroquai: Deeper Underground [10] Spice Girls: Viva Forever [8] Boyzone: No Matter What [10] Manic Street Preachers: If You Tolerate This Your Children Will Be Next [2] All Saints: Bootie Call [6] Robbie Williams: Millenium [1] Mel B/Missy Elliott: I Want You Back [1] B*witched: Rollercoaster [4] Billie: Girlfriend [0] Spacedust: Gym & Tonic [6] Cher: Believe [2] B*witched: To You I Belong [8] Spice Girls: Goodbye

I think most of what's called indie just means 'soft-rock guitar bands'. I suppose guitar based pop bands is the most suitable label, but 'pop' has connotations of bubblegum all-dancing-and-a-couple-singing acts so perhaps the guitar bands don't want to lumped together with them. Grimly Fiendish is spot on about it being daft to purely blame The Spice Girls- Stock Aitken Waterman started it if anything. That said, they certainly weren't the first hit 'factory' full of acts which had songs written for them. Motown for example was established way before that (although that was quite a bit different I guess).

Genre defintions are all relative I guess. Personally I'm glad that we don't have awful pre-fabricated cheese like A1, Steps and Westlife anymore- and the Vengaboys especially. They didn't even sing on their records- they did nothing. I much prefer popular music being bands which write their own songs, play their own instruments etc. Then again I quite enjoy some of Kelly Clarkson's stuff now and again. Maybe I just prefer the guitar sound to an electronic one. Either way, I think current popular music is in a lot better state than it was around 1999-2002.

[7] Tori Amos: Professional Widow [10] White Town: Your Woman [5] Blur: Beetlebum [3] LL Cool J: Ain't Nobody [4] U2: Discotheque [10] No Doubt: Don't Speak [6] Spice Girls: Who Do You Think You Are/Mama [10] Chemical Brothers: Block Rockin' Beats [6] R.Kelly: I Believe I Can Fly [3] Michael Jackson: Blood On The Dance Floor [0] Gary Barlow: Love Won't Wait [10] Olive: You're Not Alone [6] Eternal/Bebe Winans: I Wanna Be The Only One [0] Hanson: Mmm Bop [8] Puff Daddy/Faith Evans: I'll Be Missing You [6] Oasis: D'You Know What I Mean? [9] Will Smith: Men In Black [10] The Verve: The Drugs Don't Work [5] Elton John: Something About The Way You Look Tonight/Candle In The Wind 97 [6] Spice Girls: Spice Up Your Life [5] Aqua: Barbie Girl [8] Various Artists: Perfect Day [0] Teletubbies: Teletubbies Say 'Eh-Oh' [4] Spice Girls: Too Much Best year for number ones so far on this competiton I think...

1) Blur - Song 2 (20 points) 2) Evanescence – Bring Me To Life (19 points) 3) Catatonia - Road Rage (18 points) 4) Gorillaz - Feel Good Inc. (17 points) 5) Outkast - Hey Ya (16 points) 6) Underworld - Born Slippy (15 points) 7) Franz Ferdinand - Take Me Out (14 points) 8) Cardigans - Lovefool (13 points) 9) The Verve- The Drugs Don't Work (12 points) 10) Beyonce ft Jay-Z – Crazy In Love (11 points) 11) Aerosmith - I Don't Want To Miss A Thing (10 points) 12) Killers - Somebody Told Me (9 points) 13) Arctic Monkeys - I Bet You Look Good On The Dance Floor (8 points) 14) Coldplay - Yellow (7 points) 15) Nelly Furtado - I’m Like A Bird (6 points) 16) Texas - Say What You Want (5 point) 17) Britney Spears - Baby One More Time (4 points) 18) New Radicals - You Get What You Give (3 points) 19) S Club 7 - Don’t Stop Movin’ (2 points) 20) Christina Aguilera - Genie In A Bottle (1 point)

Some pretty gone songs in that list though. I liked it that almost every decade was represented in the top 5. Mock Turtles- Can You Dig It? ('90s), Archies-Sugar Sugar ('60s), Afroman- Because I Got High ('00s), Nena- 99 Red Balloons/99 Luftballons ('80s), and Carl Douglas- Kung Fu Fighting ('70s).

I agree. But a friend of mine loved Best Of You and she never liked any Foo Fighters stuff before, so I guess Best Of You had 'crossover' appeal.

The episode was OK I suppose. Sophia Myles acted the part well- although I didn't really care much about her character and the clockwork robots were a bit rubbish. I didn't find this story that interesting, and I actually don't like it much when they meet real historical figures. I'm not sure why. I guess I can suspend my disbelief as far fictional alien races and the far future is concerned, but not so much them getting up to supernatural stuff with people who actually existed like Charles Dickens, Queen Victoria and Madame de Pompadour.

[4] George Michael: Jesus To A Child [5] Babylon Zoo: Spaceman] [10] Oasis: Don't Look Back In Anger [2] Take That: How Deep Is Your Love [10] The Prodigy: Firestarter [2] Mark Morrison: Return Of The Mack [3] George Michael: Fastlove [4] Gina G: Ooh Aah... Just A Little Bit [9] Baddiel/Skinner/Lightning Seeds: Three Lions [9] Fugees: Killing Me Softly [1] Gary Barlow: Forever Love [4] Spice Girls: Wannabe [1] Peter Andre: Flava [7] Fugees: Ready Or Not [10] Deep Blue Something: Breakfast At Tiffanys [9] Chemical Brothers: Setting Sun [1] Boyzone: Words [8] Spice Girls: Say You'll Be There [0] Robson & Jerome: What Becomes Of The Broken Hearted [6] The Prodigy: Breathe [1] Peter Andre: I Feel You [0] Boyzone: A Different Beat [2] Dunblane :Knockin' On Heaven's Door [8] Spice Girls: 2 Become 1

He's probably sick of it by now, he's probably had to play it so many times. He also could be a little annoyed that Soft Cell's biggest/defining hit is a cover version and not one he wrote himself. Or perhaps he considers it one of their cheesier/poppier moments. Or maybe he has other reasons. But it's not that unusual for an act to end up hating their biggest hit. Oddly, Gloria Jones said she thought Soft Cell's version was much better than hers.

Hopefully top ten. Though if it does go top ten it'll be their first to go top ten since the '90s...

0-Rednex - Cotton Eye Joe 9-Celine Dion - Think Twice 5-Cher, Chrissie Hynde & Neneh Cherry with Eric Clapton - Love Can Build A Bridge 2-The Outhere Brothers - Don't Stop (Wiggle Wiggle) 9-Take That - Back For Good 9-Oasis - Some Might Say 10-Livin' Joy - Dreamer 0-Robson & Jerome - Unchained Melody / The White Cliffs Of Dover 2-The Outhere Brothers - Boom Boom Boom 2-Take That - Never Forget 3-Blur - Country House 5-Michael Jackson - You Are Not Alone 6-Shaggy - Boombastic 6-Simply Red - Fairground 10-Coolio featuring L.V. - Gangsta's Paradise 0-Robson & Jerome - I Believe / Up On The Roof 4-Michael Jackson - Earth Song

Not bad results I guess. It went more or less how I expected.

And the really ironic thing is that the Soft Cell version is a cover anyway. Tainted Love is one of those great songs though. It sounds good almost whatever you do to it. The Gloria Jones original is great, as is the Soft Cell cover. I also like the Marilyn Manson version. I've heard a couple of decent punk versions of it as well. And yes, as songs relying heavily on samples go, Rhianna's S.O.S is pretty good.

2- Chaka Demus/Pilers: Twist and Shout 7- D:Ream: Things Can Only Get Better 1- Mariah Carey: Without You 5- Doop: Doop 5- Take That: Everything Changes 5- Prince: The Most Beautiful Girl In The World 5- Tony Di Bart: The Real Thing 6- Stiltskin: Inside 0- Manchester United Football Squad: Come On You Reds! 5- Wet Wet Wet: Love Is All Around 1- Whigfield: Saturday Night 2- Take That: Sure 3- Pato Banton: Baby Come Back 8- Baby D: Let Me Be Your Fantasy 9- East 17: Stay Another Day

Genre is an artificial concept though. I've seen books called stuff like 'Rock Superstars' that have Madonna and Michael Jackson on the cover. Rock in that context is the same as the broad definition of 'pop music'- i.e ALL music that is popular. It's all relative. I don't get too bothered about labels. They're just there to make things easier to understand, even though they very rarely do.

S Club 7. I did actually enjoy their music when I was a teenager, and I still think some of their songs sound pretty good pop tracks today (hangs head in shame) especially Don't Stop Movin' and Never Had A Dream Come True. Jo had a very good voice as well. Steps I never got. They were really irritating. Too cheesy and plastic by far with that annoying H bloke and they gave the world Lisa Scott-Lee. Not to mention all the cover versions they did.

City High to win.

How could I forget Worstlife and Diarrhea Carey's awful cover of a song written by the most boring bald Tory before William Hague. Truly that is a match made in Hell. Yeah, that is probably the worst collaboration ever. Let's hope the five cardboard cut-outs and the squealing old pig never try to do another duet.

I think it shows how stupid Billboard's 'airplay decides chart positions' system is really.

Stereophonics

Stereophonics