Chez VampireBat

It's Like That is a tune, I can see how it somewhat muddies the social commentary of the original, but in terms of melding hip hop and dance into one big banger, it really succeeds x Pleasantly surprised to see my favourite still in!

Queen And David Bowie - Under Pressure Fun Boy Three - The Lunatics (Have Taken Over The Asylum) Kim Wilde - Cambodia The Human League - Don't You Want Me Abba - One Of Us Ultravox just missing out, a good discovery.

Oh, it's been a while, let's catch up x Hell Bent - I find this ultimately a disappointing follow-up to Heaven Sent, although anything would struggle after that tbf. The exit for Clara just really takes away from that emotion gathered in Face the Raven, and it just leaves me a bit cold, I get that it's a bit dark having her just die, but I found that worked better than what we got. I don't recall the rest of the episode too much tbh, that ending just soured it too much. The Pilot - Pretty enjoyable opener, really like Bill and I think the new dynamic is established well. The threat feels quite minimal, but the different forms it takes made it much more interesting. The Daleks definitely felt shoehorned in though. Deep Breath - This one's all about Capaldi and Coleman's chemistry, the division between them when they usually get on like a house on fire was very refreshing and they really sell it well and this is where Clara really started to come into her own, and the call from Eleven I found very touching. The threat itself didn't feel particularly memorable, but fun enough. The Time of the Doctor - All over the place is a good way to describe it really, but there are moments of that emotional brilliance and Smith gives it his all. The effects on the regeneration weren't the best, but otherwise a good send off. Time Heist - I don't remember this one that well, but I do recall it being a lot of fun, was nice to see the show take on the heist genre. The Woman Who Fell to Earth - Good opener and sadly not indicative at all of the season that we got. I think Ryan and Graham were established well although it's a shame that's all they got until a half-hearted callback at the end. Jodie really sold it well and Tzim-Sha was fine as an opener and definitely shouldn't have been brought back.# A Christmas Carol - I definitely need to revisit this now we're getting to the time of year, I remember really liking it, I think Moffat was really great at giving some much more thoughtful and emotional Christmas specials than the romp we usually got. The Unicorn and the Wasp - Filler, but not bad filler as S4 was pretty elite all the way through, not great CGI on the wasp, but the format of the episode was fun. Spyfall - I think I really liked this at the time because the Master appearing wasn't expected and it actually felt like an interesting villain for once, I think it's a mixed bag as it does build tension well at the cliffhanger, and I liked the focus on the WWII women, but everything else feels underbaked and too rushed in the finale. Not entirely sure how I feel about the Doctor using the Master's race against him with the Nazis too, that feels like an area they shouldn't go. Resolution - Not really a fan, again it was nice to see a classic villain, but it's just not as threatening when there's just one and it's made of car parts, the fact it was defeated by Ryan's bloody dad is ridiculous too, who was extremely pointless given he was never brought up again. The Giggle - Definitely the weakest of the specials, there was some fantastic stuff in there, like the Toymaker's domain and the villain himself was well played and camped up, but I just didn't like the bi-generation, and I particularly don't like that 14 was just left there while 15 went on, that felt like pure spin-off bait for Disney, and I wouldn't be surprised if that's just quietly swept under the rug. Aliens of London/World War Three - A bit generous, but tbf I don't think this is as bad as I remembered. I think the character chemistry and the political commentary is actually very strong, it's just a shame that the aliens themselves look so awful and fart all the time, it just cheapens the experience when we're supposed to believe these are the big bads.

Semi-Final One 25; Wolf Alice - The Last Man On Earth 24; Alan Walker (feat. Iselin) - Faded 23; Go_A - Shum 22; Eliza Rose & Interplanetary Criminal - B.O.T.A. (Baddest Of Them All) 21; Charli xcx (feat. Lorde) - Girl, so confusing 20; Caroline Polachek - Welcome to My Island 19; Kendrick Lamar - Not Like Us 18; Taylor Swift - Cardigan 17; Post Malone & Swae Lee - Sunflower 16; Wet Leg - Chaise Longue 15; Calvin Harris & Disciples - How Deep Is Your Love 14; Lana Del Rey - A&W 13; Billie Eilish - Bury a Friend 12; xx – On Hold 11; Jessie Ware - Free Yourself 10; Hozier - Take Me To Church 09; Dua Lipa - Dance The Night 08; Peggy Gou - (It Goes Like) Nanana 07; My Chemical Romance - The Foundations of Decay 06; Doja Cat - Say So 05; Paramore - Hard Times 04; Ariana Grande - Thank U, Next 03; Calvin Harris & Ellie Goulding - Miracle 02; Major Lazer (feat. DJ Snake & MØ) - Lean On 01; Charli xcx (feat. Billie Eilish) - Guess Semi-Final Two 25; Taylor Swift & Bon Iver – Exile 24; Metric - Doomscroller 23; Billie Eilish - What Was I Made For? 22; Billie Eilish - Bad Guy 21; Bruno Mars - 24k Magic 20; Charli xcx - Von dutch 19; Calvin Harris (feat. HAIM) - Pray To God 18; Mitski - My Love Mine All Mine 17; Taylor Swift - Lover 16; Carly Rae Jepsen - Cut To The Feeling 15; Harry Styles - Sign of the Times 14; Fontaines D.C. - Starburster 13; Fat Dog - King of the Slugs 12; Linkin Park - The Emptiness Machine 11; Ariana Grande - We can't be friends (wait for your love) 10; Clean Bandit (feat. Anne-Marie & Sean Paul) - Rockabye 09; Lil Nas X & Jack Harlow - Industry Baby 08; Marshmello & Bastille - Happier 07; Anxiety - Meet Me At Our Spot 06; Camila Cabello (feat. Young Thug) - Havana 05; Kendrick Lamar - Humble. 04; Charli xcx - 360 03; Blossoms - Charlemagne 02; 1975 - The Sound 01; Walk The Moon - Shut Up and Dance

Think these last two have been my favourites (I have got a bit of a soft spot for Because We Want To I confess, might be my Doctor Who nostalgia coming through x) Millenium is admittedly all about the sample, but I think Robbie does put his own stamp on it. Feel It is straight out iconic with one of the most quotable lyrics of the time, it shouldn't work but it really does. 1998 had a lot of naff number 1s, but some real classics in there too. Poor Stardust being as low as 9 in the number 2s rank! That would very easily be my favourite in a pretty poor list, bloody Boyzone -__ Mysterious Times is really good though and One for Sorrow one of a small handful of Steps songs I really like.

2006 is probably my favourite year for music in the 2000s, and one I can recall following music and the charts for most of it so very interested to see this, and there may be a chance we share the same number 1 ;o The Rose is significant for me only in the sense that it was the first number 1 which I listened to live on the chart show, I definitely don't hold any further value to it though as it's just repeating the same tricks as You Raise Me Up and coming off even worse. I wouldn't quite rank it last this year though. Think I did prefer 2nd and 3rd place but I don't think either have held up the best.

Gorillaz feat. Shaun Ryder - DARE Madonna - Hung Up Arctic Monkeys - I Bet You Look Good On The Dancefloor Stereophonics - Dakota Oasis - The Importance of Being Idle 2Pac feat. Elton John - Ghetto Gospel Eminem - Like Toy Soldiers Sugababes - Push the Button Elvis Presley - Jailhouse Rock Pussycat Dolls feat. Busta Rhymes - Don't Cha Ciara feat. Petey Pablo - Goodies Jennifer Lopez - Get Right U2 - Sometimes You Can't Make It On Your Own Crazy Frog - Axel F McFly - All About You/You've Got a Friend Tony Christie feat. Peter Kay - (Is This The Way to) Amarillo Elvis Presley - One Night/I Got Stung Akon - Lonely Oasis - Lyla Nizlopi - JCB Song McFly - I'll Be OK James Blunt - You're Beautiful Elvis Presley - It's Now or Never Shayne Ward - That's My Goal Westlife - You Raise Me Up Band Aid 20 - Do They Know It's Christmas Pussycat Dolls - Stickwitu Nelly feat. Tim McGraw - Over and Over Steve Brookstein - Against All Odds That's that! Thank you very much all for following and commenting throughout, I really appreciate and read them all, even if I could only respond via liking. Once I started this cultural analysis style of reviewing, I kinda couldn't stop which perhaps burnt me out on some days, but I really enjoyed it overall and it was interesting for me as well as I really quite love looking at histories of pop culture and how certain trends started, as well as casting a critical eye on a time I was too young to do that. I'm really glad people liked the commentaries and I'm happy to have taught some of you anything you didn't already know. It'd be dishonest of me to say this was entirely me and not influenced/taking some facts off Tom Ewing's Popular series (as well as Wikipedia naturally), so do go and check out that blog if you're like me, and love big review projects like that (maybe this will give me the motivation to resume my second album bucket list x) And in some way you could say this pace was by-design as, now she's free of BJSC hosting, I am pleased to hand over to @Jade to take you into 2006 (and check out gooddelta's 1998 ranking in the 20th Century forum while you're at it x)

1. Gorillaz feat. Shaun Ryder - DARE #1 for 1 week W/E 10th September #26 in EOY 10 years on from the battle of Britpop, it's something of a coincidence to see both Noel Gallagher and Damon Albarn at the top twice in a row again, albeit this time in slightly different form for the latter. Originally Gorillaz were someting more of a side project for Albarn to explore other genres outside of the Britpop he was known for like world music, hip hop and electronic, in collaboration with cartoonist, Jamie Hewlett (known primarily for Tank Girl), he created Gorillaz as virtual band to explore anf go further than the creative and musical boundaries set by the real world, and it paid off massively, their self-titled debut was a huge international success and earned them a Guiness World Record for most successful virtual band. By this time, Blur were on hiatus so Damon had more time to put into Demon Days, and it really showed and remains their commercial peak, establishing them as a serious force, and going many times platinum in the US and the UK, the lead single Feel Good Inc. sadly missed number 1 behind Akon's Lonely, but they got very lucky with their second single in a quiet week before Don't Cha and benefitting from Oasis' second week drop. DARE was their first and to date, only number 1 (and the first for a virtual group since the Archies back in the 60s). While Gorillaz often featured a large array of featured vocalists, Albarn usually took lead vocals as 2D, but here he only took backing duties with the lead voice for Noodle (the Japanese teen idol of the group) provided by Rosie Wilson and featuring contributions from Happy Mondays vocalist, Shaun Ryder. The song was apparently originally titled 'It's There' but Shaun's heavy mancunian accent made them change it to 'It's Dare', the main refrain was inspired by him requesting his headphones be turned up. Gorillaz would then take a long hiatus until their next albums in 2010 and a longer one again until 2017, their style of music became much more experimental and less chart friendly so smaller hits aren't as common these days, they maintain a solid fanbase and continue to produce unique music as well as very fun lore, I'd recommend this video if you've got some spare time and would like to find out a bit more about the world of the characters as it is extremely thorough about the imaginative world they inhabit. I mean TECHNICALLY you could call this a non-number 1, it had one of the lowest sales weeks in the year at just over 26,000 and it's predecessor is much better remembered these days, but really who cares when it's this good? I am one of the few that prefers this to Feel Good Inc. though I do love them both, but this just always raises my spirits. It's everything weird and wonderful the Gorillaz can do in an unlikely duet. It's the first song of theirs that really feels quite unique, I guess having Albarn not as lead vocals gives it a different vibe and not just inviting comparisons to Blur, and Noodle/Wilson is brilliant here with her enthusiastic and insanely catchy hook and Shaun Ryder is a duet partner is absurd and utterly brilliant, he doesn't need to say a lot to be one of the most interesting parts of the song, his distinctive, thick drawl is a brillaint counterpart, it's strange how it can feel like he isn't trying his best yet actually being completely effective, and the two voices together make for an utterly perfect contrast. That's not to not give credit to the production which is also brilliant, with it's disco/funk and electronic backing, giving it a real sense of flair and excitement. It's still sounds so unique for a number 1 and it's the sort of leftfield choice that I really love in music. Having taken a deep dive in 2005 looked at all the songs, while there was some less than OK ones, it was to it's credit filled with a lot of genre variety and styles that reflect the changing times, so it is only fitting that one of most out-there and unique sounding songs to get to number 1 this year gets the top spot.

The top 6 are all all time favourites of mine, so this rank could be different on another day! Saying that, today... 2. Madonna - Hung Up #1 for 3 weeks W/E 19th November-W/E 3rd December #8 in EOY Madonna needs very little introduction, but at this time in her career, she was for possibly the first time since debuting in danger of falling out of favour after the clumsy, critically panned era of American Life and hugely reduced sales compared to her other eras. It was a more moody, politically infused album with some...choices made with singles that though questionable in quality, is an interesting look at the post-9/11 divisiveness that was rife in the States, but by the time of her next album, Madonna, in her own words, just wanted to let her hair down and dance. Having a proven track record in reinventions, it should be no surprise that Confessions on a Dancefloor was yet another one, throwing back to the 1970s disco and 1980s electropop, combined with 2000s club music, uniquely structured like a DJ set where songs melded into one another like one ongoing dance (a similar sound that Beyonce took for her 2022 release Renaissance). It was a huge return to form critically and commercially and the lead single was the monster hit she needed to show she was still the Queen of Pop. Hung Up was intended to call back to 1970s Disco in the styles of clubs she used to frequent, and makes use of the keyboard sample of ABBA's Gimme Gimme Gimme (A Man After Midnight). This wasn't easy, songwriters Benny Andersson and Bjorn Ulvaeus are notorious about not letting others use their music, they had only made one exception (Fugees Rumble In The Jungle, sampling The Name of the Game) and had to grant them a significant share of the royalties, they were however very happy with the finished product. The single already had built up some hype before it went to number 1 through it's use on a Motorola advert and, business-savvy as ever, released as a digital download weeks before the physical release (it spent a total of 7 weeks as the number 1 download). It was the first song since Crazy Frog to sell over 100,000 copies in it's first week in the UK and went to number 1 in 41 countries, with worldwide sales of five million. Looking back, it's safe to say this was her last hurrah as a truly international superstar, even though she would have one more to come and she has gradually faded into the legacy act shadows since (I think her falling over at the BRITs was the thing I remember most from the 2010s). Not that a 40+ year career and being the best selling female artist of all time is anything to be ashamed of of course x I wouldn't call Madonna one of my favourite artists, she has a fair few misses, but I will always respect the diversity and range she has covered in her career, and she has released several huge classics that hold up brilliantly. I would rank this amongst my favourites for sure, and is it controversial to say I prefer it to the ABBA song it's based on? Maybe but I'm going with it x You can see why Benny and Bjorn were impressed though as this isn't just a slapped on sample, this is an embedded and rejuvenated version that never relies on it too much to carry the weight of the song, instead, mashing it up with the ticking clocks, pulsating club beats and repeated refrains to make something completely modern yet with a grand appreciation of the original and the culture it was born from. The structure of the song is great too, the gradual fadout and build-up in the sample is wonderfully done and helps you to delve into the protagonist's frustration at time passing before jumping into the held in euphoria when the chorus hits. I was most used to the SDP extended vocal version on the Brit Awards 2006 compilation CD and that's worth a listen if you can find it as it extends the intro and really makes you feel the club feel of the song. It still holds up brilliantly today and many dance songs could use this as an example of how to effectively use a sample, and manages to sound more ahead of it's time than many this year from an artist that was twenty years into her career at this point, still nothing short of remarkable.

3. Arctic Monkeys - I Bet You Look Good on the Dancefloor #1 for 1 week W/E 29th October #17 in EOY Don't believe the 'ype. I'm sure you don't need me to recount how one of the most groundbreaking breakthroughs ever that signalled a new age of promotion for up and coming acts happened but if you're curious...Arctic Monkeys were first formed in mid-2002 and first came to prominence when the demos recorded at 2fly studios in Sheffield, including this song, these began to circulate in a new way that we already saw with Nizlopi - the rising power of online marketing, primarily through recordings of the demos that were burned onto CDs now known as Beneath the Boardwalk (often mistaken for an album, when it actually just a collection of demos given that name by the first sender who classified it based on where it was given to him). These files were then shared online by fans and the hype gradually grew, fans would make their own music videos and the popularity of social networking through Myspace allowed for greater span of content shared by fans. BBC Radio and journalists began to take interest of them and they were signed by a major label in June and their first EP Five Minutes with the Arctic Monkeys received a limited physical release but also an iTunes release which continued the positive online word of mouth. Their debut single released a few months later was an instantly striking, lyrically clever work (featuring callouts to Duran Duran and William Shakespeare) that fused styles of garage and post-punk rock that was rather unique at the time and though this type of sound had made waves in earlier years with the likes The Strokes and Libertines, it was arguably this one that catapulted it to the forefront of the British mainstream. Though they weren't yet household names, the hype proved to manifest perfectly and their single was a surprise number 1 to critical and commercial acclaim. This inspired grassroots tale, DIY approach (reflected in the official video being a live studio performance) and unique style had the music press positively frothing at having found the next big thing, and big they were....their debut album Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not became the fastest selling debut album at the time (this was taken a few years later by...Susan Boyle, yeah x), selling over 300,000 copies, they achieved one further number 1 and several other hits as well as a host of imitators in what is now known as the short lived 'landfill indie' phase, they also managed to have success across the pond, particularly exemplified by their 2013 album AM. In recent years, they've gradually moved away from more crowd-pleasing guitar roots to more piano based and less commercial works as they went on, yet twenty years on, they still maintain a critical and fan following near unmatched by most of their contemporaries. There is not a huge amount I can say about this song that hasn't already been said, although I will say I do prefer their next number 1 and that would possibly be higher if that were this year. Saying that, I certainly can't knock one of the best and influential number 1s of the 2000s, nowadays with Tik Tok and blog culture somewhat not having the power it had, a viral Tik Tok hit breaking through an artist is not exactly a rare phenomenon, but it really was very new at the time when social media and YouTube were in their infancy, not to say for the genre as rock had become fairly rare at the top of the charts over the last few years, bar those with established fanbases, and I don't think there's a more worthy song to this inspiring tale. I do enjoy their more experimental appraoches they've taken the last few eras, but you can see how they spawned so many imitators with this sound. Twenty years on, it still sounds as striking as ever, the fast paced frantic guitar is both wonderfully crafted and immensely danceable and Alex Turner's iconic Northern drawl still sounds so distinctive and for a song fairly simple in concept, the lyrics are still refreshingly dry yet also clearlyt wityy, the Montagues and the Capulets coming in the same verse as dirty dancefloors and dreams of naughtiness is still a gem of a lyric, they may be down to earth, but they've still got a biting wit. I used to get McFly and them mixed up at the time and I'm not sure what came over me xx A solid gold modern classic from an excellent group, what more can be said x Top 2 revealed tomorrow!

4. Stereophonics - Dakota #1 for 1 week W/E 12th March #40 in EOY Stereophonics had been around some time before they finally struck gold. Formed in Wales in 1992, their style has been described as 'classic UK rock delivered with whiskey vocals' and since their debut in 1997, they had already had ten top 10 hits and three number 1 albums, but it wasn't until the lead single of their fifth album (and first after sacking drummer Stuart Cable, now deceased), Language, Sex, Violence, Other?, that they managed their first number 1 single. The song was originally named Vermillion to reflect the city in which the band wrote the lyrics when they were on tour in the States, but was changed when songs of the same name were released in short spaces of time by Slipknot and Mercury Rev (not sure what was in the water there), it was named not after the state, but the hotel they were staying in in New York, confusingly. The song sounded a little different to their usual fare, making prominent use of a synthesiser, preceding what was starting to become more common, it reached number 1 in the UK download chart before it's a physical release a week later got it a week at number 1 before the Comic Relief takeover. It is also one of their songs to make waves in the US, charting on the Billboard Modern Rock charts and received airplay on alternative stations, although it was promoted as 'Dakota (You Made Me Feel Like One)', because God forbid it's a little too confusing otherwise. Stereophonics never reached these heights again and this is to date their last top 10 hit, only having seven more top 40 appearances after, one of which being this song returning after it was promoted as a discounted download, they are still active as of this year though banking off albums and tours. I know I've heard something from their most recent number 1 album but I couldn't tell you how it goes x I'm not a huge fan of the Stereophonics, I don't hate them as much as some, but Kelly's voice is definitely too grating for me to get into a lot of their work, though I do have a soft spot for the likes of Maybe Tomorrow, Have a Nice Day (shh) and Handbags and Gladrags (shhhh). Dakota though is something else, probably the only song from them that most can agree is great. The synthesiser that starts the song instantly pulls you into a hazy and drifting memory as Kelly gently recalls the past with a lost love, before exploding into that chorus which hits you with all it's might and for once, his voices works excellently here in it's sharp exclamation of past glory. It's structured wonderfully with the protagonist's silent reminiscing suddenly framed by a declaration of how strongly he felt about it, and the atmospheric synths and guitars know when to slow down and accelerate in the trip too so you're pulled along for the ride. It all works fantastically, there are several acts you can name with multiple hits and long chart histories where their number 1 doesn't really reflect their best work, but in this case, this was by far the best they ever sounded and a number 1 reflects that brilliantly.

Well, congrats again Rich! I actually wouldn't have called this one to win at all, but I did like it, had a very atmospheric and interesting vibe. Much as I love Jump In The Pool, it's good to see something a lot less well known winning. Really pleased with 4th (and not miles off 2nd), well beyond what I expected for this one, and I'm so pleased those that did like it seemed to like it a lot with all those 12s, many thanks all <3 Pleased to see FKA Twigs do so well, not that I doubted it, although a shame to see a lot of my main favourites just missing the top 10 in 11th-14th, a stacked section x Thanks for hosting, Addy, a very enjoyable theme and some great choices I don't know what you're talking about? x

omg dan and dandy* <3 Thank you!

More votes like Jade's please (edit: and Scene's and AllStar's wow!) x I clearly fooled you all into thinking I was dandy* so that's a job well done 😎 I only know Blind from them otherwise, but heard this on the radio once and it's a really lovely nu-disco track, though I would recommend 6 minute version even if it doesn't have those great visuals, the lead singer Aerea Negrot sadly passed away recently </3

5. Oasis - The Importance of Being Idle #1 for 1 week W/E 3rd September #37 in EOY So we come to the final Oasis number 1, and to date that still remains, I thought there may have been a possibility that Live Forever or Wonderwall c.ould've got back there after the tour, but it seems with ACR that may never happen. They may well record again in the future, but my sense is they're probably too lazy for it and will stick to banking off the nostalgia. Anyway, speaking of laziness!...The Importance of Being Idle was the second single released from Don't Believe The Truth and Noel took the reins from Liam for lead vocals, inspired by the Oscar Wilde play of a farcicial comedy about two men avoiding social obligations and taken to be a song about someone that's just lazy. It was inspired in sound by the Kinks and the La's, particularly that of Sunny Afternoon and Dead End Street and this inspiration also fed to the 1960s kitchen sink drama-style black and white music video feat uring actor Rhys Irfans miming the song, based on the play Billy Liar and similar in concept to that for Dead End Street. Liam's second child, Lennon (lol), also makes a cameo. It was the first time that Oasis had more than one number 1 in a calendar year and though they would manage one more album cycle in 2008, it was their first since their debut to not birth a number 1 single and ongoing tensions led to the band to break up the next year, the Gallaghers' resentment for each other remained and they pursued solo projects, making a reunion look as likely as pigs flying...until it actually happened in 2024 and they embarked on a nostalgia-filled, well-received tour and somehow they've put up with each other to this day x Oasis releasing a song about them being lazy is apt for the last few years, but in this case, it's better than that. This is easily the best Oasis number 1 of the 2000s and was one I was quite sad to see was left off their setlist for the gigs (not that I got to go </3). I've always much preferred Noel's more diverse and interesting tones to Liam's dry growl, he can do a stadium anthem well but Noel gives a much better range. The guitar work feels fresher and doesn't just follow the standard structure they were used to, and the structure of the song allows for it to flourish quite well along to give you a surprise. I can't say I knew the work of the Kinks that well for many years, had I been more familiar, maybe I'd have been more cynical, but this was a favourite for me then and still remains that way now, a great song to go out with x

The Drugs Don't Work is a really beautiful song and certainly was fitting for the nation's mood at the time, I'm predictable and prefer Bittersweet Symphony but both are great. You're Not Alone is a classic dance record and Your Woman is one of the most iconic one hit wonders and unlikely number 1s ever so deserved high placings. I do like the dark vibes of Beetlebum as well and Professional Widow is a wonderful remix. D'You Know What I Mean is a bit overlong but does have quite gradiose production and I'm not as keen on the cover of Perfect Day, as interesting a version it is, it can't compare to Lou Reed's version. That aside though, I largely agree with the higher songs here, great stuff x

6. 2Pac feat. Elton John - Ghetto Gospel #1 for 3 weeks W/E 2nd July-W/E 16th July #13 in EOY Like Toy Soldiers was a plea to end the hip hop feuds and gang wars that were leading to premature deaths, now here Eminem is again involved in a posthumous single which served as a companion piece by perhaps one of the most high profile hip hop deaths. Tupac Shakur was one of hip hop's most promising new talents, with raw, brutal lyrics about social injustice, politics and the marginalisation of African Americans. In his short career, he was extremely prolific, releasing both acclaimed introspective works like Me Against The World and more volatile gangsta rap in All Eyez On Me, as well as five film roles, but he lived alongside a life of crime and hostility, after surviving several shootings and serving prison time amongst East-West Coast feuding, he was killed in a drive-by shooting in 1996, at just 25 years old. Notorious B.I.G, another rapper he had a high profile feud with, was suspected to be involved and he was killed himself in a drive-by shooting six months later. Since his death, he has been heralded as one of the greatest artists of all time, yet his legacy is one of complexity - undeniably talented and introspective, but also a violent abuser that arguably had this coming due to the lifestyle he led. But whatever you think, he's certainly one that you can milk his discography for all it's worth, six studio albums have been release since his death, his estate managed by his mother Afeni Shakur, all largely juiced up and remixed by some big names in hip hop. One of those was Eminem in the 2004 album, Loyal to the Game, with which this single was the lead from. Ghetto Gospel was originally recorded in 1992 for inclusion on a Christmas compilation with proceeds going to the Special Olympics, but was dropped and never released due his ongoing legal issues. Produced by Big D The Impossible from his first two albums and it builds on a sample of Tracy Chapman's Crossroads. Eminem's version takes the first two verses and added a sample of Elton John's 1971 album track Indian Sunset, as well as some more melancholic production of strings and piano over the raw beats and organ, his rapping is also slowed down considerably to fit the beat of the song which gives it quite a different sound. I confess I'd never heard the original (it's quite hard to track down and not on streaming), and it's an interesting listen. The song itself is certainly an outcry to end war on the streets, shouting out activists Malcolm X and Bobby Hutton in the process, but it's not quite as cut and dry as you'd think. The last line on the second verse is very telling, it was 'And this is not world peace / we tried to wait and there's war on the streets', in the new version it is 'Before we find world peace / we gotta find peace and end the war on the streets'. Not to mention, the various more raw lyrics in the third and fourth verses that are cut including 'the Devil ain't got nothing on the president', the message of hope survives through that of introspective resilience rather than getting those on the outside involved. One thing you have to ask with posthumous singles is would the artist approve of it, and in this case, I think it's safe to say he wouldn't - the song really is quite defanged and stripped of it's original intention and turns it into a standard peace anthem to go hand in hand with Like Toy Soldiers earlier in the year. It's hard to say this is representative of Shakur's original message and what he stood for and more jazzed up for mainstream appeal. Yet despite all this, I can't deny I have always really loved this, and mainly that's the beautiful melancholy vibe the song gives, the strings, opening piano and absolutel masterstroke of a sample work brilliantly and makes you wonder how he didn't use it in the first place. Eminem really knew how to produce something to tug at the heartstrings and he does it really well here, and that makes up for the occasionally slightly stilted sounding rapping. I can ultimately overlook it's faults as though it's not the most authentic image of 2Pac - I would recommend Me Against the World if you want a fitting representation of his introspection and consciousness - it's message is one that is needed and if it brings more attention needed to stop another hip hop star murdered by violence, then you can't say it's not doing something good.

Congrats Rich! Been a long time coming and a hell of a lot of runners up, but it happened eventually! This was a great song and indeed one I voted for and could easily be a Eurovision song I hear on the night. Extremely pleased with 8th, not a unique position but a third top 10 for me this year which is great and twenty places higher than that prediction in the thread had me I know the artist was a bit cheap and I have been making a conscious effort to not send repeat top 10 artists, but this was so immediately striking I had to try it, and I'm really pleased so many of you liked it a lot, that's a lot less voters than most of the top 10 and quite a few that don't ordinarily vote for me, so I'm very pleased to see, now let's see if I can keep my Q streak up x Fantastic to see Eledan as high as 5th (love an 18 swap!) and great to see Danaeviia and POPHub in the top 10 as well, just a shame Persephonia couldn't stay there. Pleased Sovarasma and that's a pretty good position for Parallelograms as well. The host definitely far too low though, that was a real highlight x Thank you for the excellent hosting Jade, it's been great to see so much discussion in the forum around this as that always makes it a lot more fun, I'll soon be ready to hand you over your next hosting job ;D

Mission to hang on in the top 10 x

Wow Top 10 *.* Thank you for the many generous medal positions!

Well this has been a bit of an all or nothing start, thanks to the three top 5 votes propping me up! Rontvia would be a great winner if it holds on

I was hoping for a position above my recent 27th-30th finishes, but I've seen one of the predictions put me in 28th so maybe not 😅 Still, had a few top 10 predictions too so who knows. Very few of the talked about songs as contenders appealed to me much, so hoping for a surprise at the top x

7. Eminem - Like Toy Soldiers #1 for 1 week W/E 12th February #45 in EOY Eminem's second single from Encore was a much more serious and deeper take that was inspired by and a statement of the hip hop 'beefs' that he was involved in at the time, offering a truce and expressing regret, wishing to walk away from it. There's a lot going on in these lyrics so I'm trying my best to summarise here - Eminem's regret at his own beef with Benzino (Raymond Scott), which sparked from his magazine giving his album a negative review, the beef between Ja Rule and 50 Cent which he has said he wished to stay out of, but felt that he had to become involved when Ja Rule made an insult towards his ex-wife, family and daughter in one of his songs, an offset from Ja Rule's own beef with Eminem's Murder Inc. crew. He even goes into his mentor Dr Dre's conflict with Death Row's Suge Knight, one that he was advised to stay out of but felt like he had to join through loyalty to Dre. There's probably more here you can gather from the Genius lyrics, but that's the crux of it. It's a heavy song where Eminem reflects on how pointless and destructive these feuds are and pleads with the community to stop before it leads to premature deaths of iconic talents in hip hop like Notorious B.I.G and Tupac Shakur. The song is tied together in the chorus by a sample of Martika's 1980s top 3 hit Toy Soldiers, a song about a similar tragic and pointless losing battle with addiction. The music video features many cameos from rappers such as 50 Cent (who did of course go on to have other feuds with the likes of Jadakiss, Fat Joe and The Game, but Eminem refused to get involved) and envisions a fictionalised tragic death of D12 member Bugz (played by Proof, another member), though tragically life imitated art just over a year later as Proof was shot and killed in a nightclub altercation, sadly indicating the community had a long way to go. This was Eminem's final UK number 1 of the 2000s. It is thankful after the absolute nadir that was Just Lose It, that Eminem wasn't incapable of still making something good. I think this one of his most mature and introspective songs and it's constructed really well. There is another entry in the list where Eminem's attempts to make conscious hip hop with a universal message can be explored further, but it's clear from this that he is pretty good at not just his hard-hitting lyrics but also making it sound so good. Toy Soldiers is a perfect sample for this, it not only adds a new perspective to the themes of the original but also adds the drama and intensity of the emotions the song intends to create, in the context of Biggie, 2pac and the many young rappers that lost their lives, it hits very hard. I don't want to hold Eminem up as a saint here, he's far from it and perhaps you could call this rather heavy-handed given it came from the most commercially successful rapper around at the moment, but I think the regret and sentiment of the song is strong. I don't think this has the same power of Stan nor the perfect flow of Lose Yourself, but it's a really affective and bright spot of the early 2005 charts.

First episode of this was great, perfectly paced and left just enough mysteries to keep you hooked without being overly vague or expositionary like Sci-Fi dramas can be. This should hopefully fill the Severance-shaped gap for me atm x

New show from the creator of Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul, Vince Gilligan, in a nutshell, the most unhappy person in the world finds herself trying to save the world from happiness x Episodes 1 and 2 are available now with weekly releases every Friday.