For the second year running, Geth and I did the Blaydon Race yesterday. It’s a bit of an odd distance – five and a bit miles – and it’s always on the ninth of June, which can feel a bit odd when it falls on a weekday, but it’s become a traditional race in the North East. The route is based on the lyrics of the Blaydon Races song, and you get a bottle of beer in your goody bag. It’s a great race.
Sadly neither Geth nor I had a great race yesterday. First of all, it was a really hot day and everyone was feeling it on the route. The start was delayed due to problems with getting the roads closed in time, then roadworks meant there was a bottleneck near the start that slowed everyone down, so Geth went off too fast after that to try to make up the pace, and ran out of energy during the last mile. Meanwhile, I had a few foot issues – a bruised toenail getting gradually worse and making downhill sections very painful, leading to bad form, leading to more foot pain. I then got a stitch that was so bad I was still feeling it this morning. I came in at one hour and thirty-five seconds, which was a great course PB – twelve minutes and fifty-two seconds faster than last year – but I was so gutted not to get sub-hour, which I would have done easily if I hadn’t had all those issues.
Still, the bus queue was a lot shorter than last year, and the t-shirt is more awesome. I will be back next year, presuming I can get a place!
Day 60 brings us to Now! #60, which was released on 21st March 2005.
This was how the world looked in March 2005. MySpace was a huge thing, which meant that surprised-looking bathroom selfies with headphones draped around one’s neck were also a huge thing.
Let’s see what music sounded like now that I was in my twenties.
Track 1: Gwen Stefani – What You Waiting For?
Great tune, great atmosphere, interesting vocals – I’ve always really liked this one.
Track 2: Sunset Strippers – Falling Stars
Remix of Waiting For A Star To Fall by Boy Meets Girl. Love the song, obviously prefer the original version, but this is still nice to hear.
Track 3: Kylie Minogue – I Believe In You
Great synth instrumentals at the start, and I quite like the vocals. Good track.
Track 4: McFly – All About You
The tune’s irritating, and the song’s far too cheesy for me.
Track 5: Nelly and Tim McGraw – Over And Over
This one’s not interesting enough for me – it’s pretty forgettable.
Track 6: Lemar – If There’s Any Justice
Good atmosphere, good tune – quite like this one.
Track 7: Girls Aloud – I’ll Stand By You
Utterly pointless cover of the Pretenders classic. As ever, I feel obliged to point out that this was the official Children In Need single for 2004, and therefore the ‘point’ was to raise money for charity, but it would still have been better if they’d actually done something new and interesting with the song.
Track 8: Uniting Nations – Out Of Touch
Dance cover of the Hall & Oates classic. It doesn’t quite have the wonderful atmosphere of the original, but I do quite like it.
Track 9: Scissor Sisters – Filthy/Gorgeous
Great song – awesome tune, highly danceable.
Track 10: The Chemical Brothers – Galvanise
I’ve always really liked the tune on this one, and it’s good to nod along to.
Track 11: LL Cool J and 7 Aurelius – Hush
Quite like the backing vocals, but the track’s pretty generic otherwise.
Track 12: Ashanti – Only U
Don’t like the muddiness of the backing track, and the tune is very bland. The atmosphere’s okay though.
Track 13: Ciara and Petey Pablo – Goodies
Painful whistling on the backing track, terrible rap, awful theme, no melody. Actively dislike this one.
Track 14: Akon – Locked Up
Boring tune, very repetitive. Nothing special here.
Track 15: Joss Stone – Spoiled
The tune’s okay, but it’s too slow for my liking.
Track 16: Verbalicious – Don’t Play Nice
Good beat, great head-nodder. It’s a bit repetitive and tuneless though.
Track 17: The Shapeshifters – Back To Basics
Another great beat, but the lines are a bit messy and there’s not much to the tune.
Track 18: Geri Halliwell – Ride It
Great atmosphere, really interesting intro, good tune. Really like this one.
Track 19: Lovefreekz – Shine
Like the retro disco tinge on this dance track.
Track 20: Reflekt and Delline Bass – Need To Feel Loved
Some nice, atmospheric lines going on here – good piece of chillout.
Track 21: Soul Central and Kathy Brown – Strings Of Life (Stronger On My Own)
The instrumentals give this track a decidedly early ’90s dance vibe, which is no bad thing.
Track 22: Styles & Breeze – Heartbeatz
Generic, repetitive dance track with saccharine vocals. Not my thing at all.
Track 23: U2 – Vertigo
Great guitar riff, great singalong chorus. Really like this track.
Track 24: The Killers – Somebody Told Me
A classic! Great track – I remember seeing this live at T in the Park 2005. Brilliant lyrics, brilliant tune.
Track 25: Stereophonics – Dakota
Nice interesting spiky instrumentals, and the vocals are a lot more upbeat than most Stereophonics tracks. Quite like this.
Track 26: Keane – This Is The Last Time
Dull and saccharine, not keen on this one.
Track 27: Bloc Party – So Here We Are
Very repetitive instrumentals, boring vocals. Not for me.
Track 28: Athlete – Wires
I like the piano, and the atmosphere’s nice, but it’s too slow for me.
Track 29: Robbie Williams – Misunderstood
Dull tune, and again it’s too slow.
Track 30: Ronan Keating and Yusuf Islam – Father And Son
We’ve sort of already had this on Now! #33, in that we’ve already had the Boyzone version (with Ronan Keating on lead vocals) and this is the Ronan Keating solo version. The instrumentals are a bit different on this version. It’s also got guest vocals from Yusuf Islam, who used to be known as Cat Stevens and did the original song, thus making this a semi-cover.
Track 31: Darius – Live Twice
Boring and saccharine. Not my thing.
Track 32: Daniel Bedingfield – Wrap My Words Around You
Good beat, like the guitar, but the tune’s not interesting enough for me.
Track 33: Lucie Silvas – Breathe In
Good instrumentals, but the vocals are dull and uninspired.
Track 34: Doves – Black And White Town
Repetitive, droning tune. Not a fan of this one.
Track 35: The Bravery – An Honest Mistake
I remember seeing this lot at T in the Park 2005 – they had a lot of bottles thrown at them and were really pissed off about it! This was their only real hit from what I remember. I quite like the song, to be honest.
Track 36: Freefaller – Do This! Do That!
Quite like this pop-punk track – it’s got a good tune.
Track 37: Thirteen Senses – Thru The Glass
Great eerie atmosphere on the intro, then it launches into a solid rock track. Good stuff.
Track 38: Feeder – Tumble And Fall
I normally like Feeder, but this one’s too slow and drone-y for me.
Track 39: Raghav, Frankey Maxx and Jucxi D – Angel Eyes
I’m not keen on the rap, but otherwise it’s an okay song.
Track 40: JoJo – Baby It’s You
Highly irritating vocals, bad rap, generic tune. Not my cup of tea.
Track 41: Atomic Kitten – Cradle
Super saccharine and too slow, and the tune is bland. Utterly forgettable.
Track 42: Brian McFadden and Delta Goodrem – Almost Here
Great atmosphere on this one. It’s slow and cheesy so I shouldn’t like it, but I do.
Track 43: Tony Christie and Peter Kay – (Is This The Way To) Amarillo
The Comic Relief song for 2005, which was just a re-release of the original (Tony Christie didn’t re-record it or anything). Peter Kay is credited despite not contributing to the song – his contribution was of course the legendary video. (I have linked to the original complete video, so I should probably include a warning that it contains Jimmy Savile. The fascinating media practice of performing damnatio memoriae on anything involving Savile since his crimes became public knowledge is briefly covered here.)
For only the second time in sixty Now! compilations, we have avoided any ‘Not on Spotify’ incidents! This makes me very happy.
This one tastes strong, probably because it is strong (7.4%). The strong taste gives it a very nice festival feel, which was perfect for the last night of UKGE!
Day 59 equals Now! #59, which came out on 15th November 2004.
This is how the world looked in November 2004, because we had just adopted our beautiful cat, José, and all of our photos were of him. José was the universe’s most wonderful creature, the feline love of my life, and the only thing that saved me from myself that year. He was only with us for seven short years, but I will miss him forever.
Let’s see what the hits were as we approached the midpoint of the decade.
Track 1: Blue – Curtain Falls
Love the Gangsta’s Paradise sample and its accompanying epic atmosphere, but the tune on the vocals is not really anything special.
Track 2: Maroon 5 – She Will Be Loved
I’ve always quite liked this nice tune, though the chorus is a bit cheesy.
Track 3: Natasha Bedingfield – These Words
I like the instrumentals on the backing track, but the vocals are not really my thing.
Track 4: Robbie Williams – Radio
Great synth line, great tune – really like this one.
Track 5: Busted – Thunderbirds Are Go
Awful track that just reminds me how bad the live-action Thunderbirds film was (I am a huge fan of the original Gerry Anderson series). It bastardises the classic theme song in an even worse way than the film ruins the show.
I’ve always found this one really irritating – annoying tune, annoying theme, annoying vocals.
Track 9: Rachel Stevens – More, More, More
Fairly pointless cover of the ’70s classic. There’s some irritating ’00s instrumentals going on, but nothing else is really changed from the original.
Track 10: Darius – Kinda Love
Boring tune, never really gets going.
Track 11: V – Hip To Hip
Quite like the tune on the instrumental hook, but the vocals are irritating and dull.
Track 12: JoJo – Leave (Get Out)
Sounds like pretty much every other song from around the same time. Very forgettable.
Track 13: Jay Sean – Stolen
Good atmosphere, though the vocals are pretty generic.
Track 14: Scissor Sisters – Mary
Nice piano line, but it’s a bit slow for me.
Track 15: Keane – Bedshaped
Takes forever to get started. When it does, it’s quite a nice tune, but again it’s far too slow for my liking.
Track 16: The Libertines – Can’t Stand Me Now
Good beat, good guitar instrumentals. Quite like this track.
Track 17: Hoobastank – The Reason
Annoying tune, and it’s not upbeat enough for me.
Track 18: Embrace – Gravity
Nice instrumentals on the intro, but it’s another one that’s too slow for me.
Track 19: Lucie Silvas – What You’re Made Of
Nice tune, but it’s a bit repetitive (and again, too slow!).
Track 20: Ronan Keating – I Hope You Dance
Another boring, slow ballad. Despite the title, this is a highly undanceable song.
Track 21: Duncan James and Keedie Babb – I Believe My Heart
Semi-repeated artist alert! We’ve already had Duncan James as part of Blue on track 1.
All of these slow, dull ballads are so samey that I can’t tell where one ends and another begins. It does get more interesting when Keedie Babb’s soprano vocals come in though.
Track 22: Daniel Bedingfield – Nothing Hurts Like Love
Cheesy lyrics/vocals, but the atmosphere’s nice and dramatic.
Track 23: Jamelia – Stop
One of those tracks that has Christmas associations for me nowadays – the music channels always play it at Christmas due to the video featuring clips from Love Actually. I was annoyed to realise recently that it’s an utterly pointless ’00s cover of the ’80s Sam Brown song.
Track 24: R Kelly – Happy People
It’s nice and upbeat (makes a change from all those dull ballads) but the tune’s pretty forgettable.
Track 25: Nelly and Jaheim – My Place
Bit repetitive, but the tune’s okay.
Track 26: The Black Eyed Peas – Let’s Get It Started
Good upbeat party song, very danceable.
Track 27: Kelis and André 3000 – Millionaire
Interesting song, but there’s not enough melody for me.
Track 28: 3 Of A Kind – Baby Cakes
I shouldn’t like this one, but I actually find it quite pleasant to nod along to.
Track 29: Khia – My Neck, My Back (Lick It)
I’m not a prude but I’ve always found this very sexually explicit song a bit squicky, to be honest. If you ignore the lyrics, it’s got a good danceable beat.
Track 30: Ice Cube, Mack 10 and Ms Toi – You Can Do It
Great beat on this one, and the vocal hook makes it a classic.
Track 31: Joss Stone – You Had Me
Great upbeat song with a good atmosphere – love that chorus.
Track 32: Christina Milian and Joe Budden – Whatever U Want
Highly generic track – nothing interesting or special going on here.
Track 33: Sugababes – Caught In A Moment
Nice atmosphere, but the tune on the vocals is pretty dull.
Track 34: The Pirates, Enya, Shola Ama, Naila Boss and Ishani – You Should Really Know
Answer song to the beautiful I Don’t Wanna Know by Mario Winans, which already sampled the Fugees sampling Enya. It’s pretty much the same song, so it’s still a gorgeous tune.
Track 35: Houston, Chingy, Nate Dogg and I-20 – I Like That
Good head-nodder, good atmosphere. Quite like this one.
Track 36: Mousse T and Emma Lanford – Is It ‘Cos I’m Cool?
Oh, it’s this one. The tune’s a little annoying, but at least it’s something different and rockier than what we’ve had so far.
Track 37: Deep Dish – Flashdance
‘Not on Spotify’ Type 2: YouTube Pause (TM).
Despite the title, this is not actually a cover of Flashdance…What A Feeling by Irene Cara. It is instead a cover of He’s A Dream by Shandi Sinnamon, which was also on the original Flashdance soundtrack. It’s a very repetitive female-fronted rock track – there’s little of interest here.
Track 38: Angel City and Lara McAllen – Do You Know (I Go Crazy)
Painfully dull dance track that samples Robert Miles’ Children and adds some terrible vocals over the top of it. Nothing new going on at all.
Track 39: Michael Gray – The Weekend
Oh, it’s this one. It’s an okay dance track, but I find the electro hook a bit irritating.
Track 40: Intenso Project and Lisa Scott-Lee – Get It On
‘Not on Spotify’ Type 2: YouTube Pause (TM).
Good beat, okay atmosphere, but the vocals are pretty terrible and uninspired.
Track 41: Dannii Minogue and Flower Power – You Won’t Forget About Me
Like the guitar, and the vocals are nice too.
Track 42: Danzel – Pump It Up
The chant-along bit is kind of repetitive, but the beat’s good.
Track 43: Eyeopener – Hungry Eyes
Dodgy trance cover of the Eric Carmen song. It’s pretty awful.
This is another cider I had while gaming at UKGE last weekend.
Thatchers Katy.
I first had Thatchers Katy about a year ago, when Geth and I went round for dinner with my old next-door neighbours at my parents’ place. They had one in because their daughter is called Katy. I can’t remember how much of a cider drinker Katy is (she tends to be on spirits whenever I see her) but it must be pretty cool to have a cider with the same name as you.
It’s a nice apple-y cider, a bit tastier than regular Thatchers. Good stuff.
Day 58, and Now! #58, which was released on 26th July 2004.
This is how the world looked in July 2004. I imagine that dusk in the South of France has probably always been that enticing and beautiful. I often miss my late teenage goth style, which is something I’ve not really been able to replicate properly in later years.
Let’s see what would have been blaring out on the promenade.
Track 1: Rachel Stevens – Some Girls
Good atmosphere, good head-nodder. Quite like this one.
Track 2: The Shapeshifters – Lola’s Theme
Quite like the ’70s retro tinge and the way the instrumentals work together, but it’s a bit repetitive.
Track 3: Anastacia – Left Outside Alone
Good track – really like the power vocals and the lyrics in this one.
Track 4: Kelis – Trick Me
Oh, it’s this one! Great beat, very danceable.
Track 5: Jamelia – See It In A Boy’s Eyes
Some interesting instrumentals, but the tune’s very generic.
Track 6: Eamon – F**k It (I Don’t Want You Back)
Repetitive, bitter breakup song that was everywhere in the early part of the year…
Track 7: Frankee – FURB (F U Right Back)
…and then this answer song was released with exactly the same tune. It was later revealed that she wasn’t actually his ex-girlfriend and the whole thing had been made up to sell more records. Anyway, both tracks are awful.
Track 8: Christina Milian – Dip It Low
Irritating vocals, boring tune.
Track 9: Outkast – Hey Ya!
Great, classic singalong track! Still love this one.
Track 10: The Black Eyed Peas – Hey Mama
Great atmosphere, good beat. Quite like this track.
Track 11: Scissor Sisters – Laura
Great tune, probably the best song Scissor Sisters ever did. That recurring instrumental is stunning.
Track 12: George Michael and The Ones – Flawless (Go To The City)
Semi-cover of the 2001 track Flawless (see Now! #50 for review of the original) with George Michael singing over the top. This version is better, to be honest.
Track 13: Narcotic Thrust – I Like It
Quite like the tune on this dance track.
Track 14: Beverley Knight – Come As You Are
Nice classic retro tinge on the bassline, but the vocal line’s not really doing anything for me.
Track 15: Joss Stone – Super Duper Love
Cover of a ’70s song by Sugar Billy, though this version is a lot more well-known. It’s a nice feelgood song and a nice tune.
Track 16: Keane – Everybody’s Changing
Cheesy soft rock, a bit cringeworthy. The tune’s okay, I suppose.
Track 17: Franz Ferdinand – The Dark Of The Matinée
I always quite liked this one – good stompy ’00s festival rock. Super bonus points for the bit in the lyrics about Terry Wogan (RIP).
Track 18: Razorlight – Golden Touch
Another great festival track – love the tune and the atmosphere on this.
Track 19: The Rasmus – In The Shadows
A song long detested by alternative music fans because it’s kind of fake and cheesy, but I have to admit I have a bit of a nostalgic fondness for it.
Track 20: Gladiator and Izzy – Now We Are Free
Like the operatic vocals, but the trance is very uninspired.
Track 21: Britney Spears – Everytime
‘Every time’, Britney. ‘Every time’. There’s no such word as ‘everytime’!
The track is a boring slow ballad, and it’s probably pretty clear by now that I’m not keen on those.
Track 22: Kylie Minogue – Chocolate
This one’s a bit slow for me, and there’s not really anything interesting going on.
Track 23: Girls Aloud – The Show
Great electro backing track, very danceable – really solid piece of pop.
Track 24: McFly – 5 Colours In Her Hair
A really cringeworthy bit of trying-to-be-alternative pop-pop-punk. You just know that the ‘five colours in her hair’ were from hair mascara (anyone else remember that awful late ’90s/early ’00s trend? I only just chucked out all of mine earlier this year!).
Track 25: Sugababes – In The Middle
The vocals are a little irritating on this one, and the tune’s a bit repetitive.
Track 26: Busted – Air Hostess
Bad clangy guitars, cheesy vocals, uninspired tune. Not a fan of this one.
Track 27: O-Zone – Dragostea Din Tea
This daft Eurodance track was everywhere in summer 2004 and later became the subject of a meme. I’ve always really liked the tune!
Track 28: Blue – Bubblin’
Good beat, but the tune is really dull.
Track 29: V – Blood Sweat And Tears
Highly generic, bland song. Utterly forgettable.
Track 30: 2 Play, Raghav and Naila Boss – It Can’t Be Right
‘Not on Spotify’ Type 2: YouTube Pause (TM).
Quite like the tune, and it’s nice and upbeat.
Track 31: Nina Sky and Jabba – Move Ya Body
Good head-nodder, happily chair-dancing here.
Track 32: Fatman Scoop and The Crooklyn Clan – It Takes Scoop
Cover of the 1988 song It Takes Two, which is possibly one of the most covered/sampled tracks of all time (and was already a mishmash of samples itself). I’m not familiar enough with the 1988 song to ascertain the differences, but this version’s a bit messy for me, though it’s got a good beat.
Track 33: Kanye West – Through The Wire
I like the retro tinge on the sung vocals in the background, but the main rap is not really my thing.
Track 34: NERD – Maybe
There are some interesting lines going on here, but the beat’s a bit jarring and the tune’s not doing it for me.
Track 35: Estelle – 1980
‘Not on Spotify’ Type 2: YouTube Pause (TM).
This song would be a lot better if it actually sounded like it was made in 1980. Still, it’s an okay track.
Track 36: Jay Sean and Rishi Rich Project – Eyes On You
Really like the piano instrumentals, and the tune’s quite nice too.
Track 37: VS – Call U Sexy
Love the sample of Imagination’s Body Talk, but the rest of the track is pretty boring.
Track 38: Joe – Ride Wit U
Not enough melody for my liking, and the backing track’s really one-note and dull.
Track 39: Gabrielle – Stay The Same
Too slow and too bland for me.
Track 40: Ronan Keating and LeAnn Rimes – Last Thing On My Mind
Boring ballad, which, to be honest, I kind of expected from these two.
Track 41: Kristian Leontiou – Story Of My Life
Nice atmosphere, nice tune, but again it’s too slow for me.
Track 42: Atomic Kitten – Someone Like Me
Really like the piano on this. The tune’s quite nice too.
It’s the final one of the three red phone boxes that line the Grassmarket:
Red phone box, Grassmarket, Edinburgh, 25th January 2016.
Like most phone boxes in the centre of Edinburgh, it’s mainly used as a useful advertising space for club nights and so on, but the box itself is still in good condition.
Day 57 brings us to Now! #57, which came out on 5th April 2004.
This is the way the world looked in April 2004, or at least the bit that was me and the wee bro (clearly not quite as wee as he once was) silhouetted against central Manhattan. I am very behind on furnishing trends and that lampshade looks pretty futuristic to me even now, fourteen years later.
We’re really getting into the mid-’00s now. Bring on the pop-punk and anthemic festival rock!
Track 1: Britney Spears – Toxic
Great danceable song – really good piece of pop.
Track 2: Kelis – Milkshake
Good atmosphere, good beat. I’ve always really liked this one.
Track 3: Jamelia – Thank You
The tune’s a bit generic and forgettable for me.
Track 4: Kylie Minogue – Red Blooded Woman
Good atmosphere, love the instrumentals on this. Great tune too.
Track 5: Justin Timberlake – I’m Lovin’ It
‘Not on Spotify’ Type 2: YouTube Pause (TM).
Irritating hooks, messy lines, jarring beat. Not keen on this one.
Track 6: Enrique Iglesias and Kelis – Not In Love
Repeated artist alert! We already had Kelis, only four tracks ago.
The track’s got a good beat, and I like the Spanish-tinged guitar and the way the vocals blend together. Nice tune, although the chorus does slightly rip off Night Games by Graham Bonnet.
Track 7: The Black Eyed Peas – Shut Up
I love this one – probably my all-time favourite Black Eyed Peas track (and there’s some stiff competition from their 2009-2010 era). In my second year at uni, there was someone in the flat next door who played this on a loop for several weeks, and I still never got sick of it. Just a gorgeous piece of music.
Track 8: 2 Play and Raghav – So Confused
‘Not on Spotify’ Type 2: YouTube Pause (TM).
Quite like this tune, and the Latin-tinged instrumentals are nice.
Track 9: Beenie Man and Ms Thing – Dude
I shouldn’t like it, ’cause it’s really repetitive, but there’s something I find quite feelgood and endearing about it.
Track 10: Peter Andre and Bubbler Ranx – Mysterious Girl
We’ve already had this one, on Now! #34! This must have been around the time Peter Andre got famous again by going on I’m A Celebrity. It’s still no excuse!
As ever, see the link for my review.
Track 11: DJ Casper – Cha Cha Slide
Slow to get going, not enough melody. It’s basically spoken dance instructions with some repetitive instrumentals in the background.
Track 12: Girls Aloud – Jump
Utterly pointless cover of the Pointer Sisters classic. There’s nothing new here at all.
Track 13: Boogie Pimps – Somebody To Love
Electro cover of the Jefferson Airplane song. It’s quite nice and atmospheric.
Track 14: Atomic Kitten and Kool & The Gang – Ladies’ Night
Track 16: Sophie Ellis-Bextor – I Won’t Change You
Irritating theme, bland tune. Not a fan of this.
Track 17: Scissor Sisters – Comfortably Numb
Danceable cover of the Pink Floyd track. Quite like this one.
Track 18: Deepest Blue – Give It Away
Dull tune, dull beat. It’s so boring I can’t even concentrate on it.
Track 19: LMC and U2 – Take Me To The Clouds Above
Dance cover of Whitney Houston’s How Will I Know? that also samples With Or Without You, hence the U2 involvement. Proof that no matter how many classic songs you bastardise in your terrible ’00s dance track, it will still be terrible.
Track 20: Special D – Come With Me
Dance track with a pleasant bleepy tune and interesting vocals. Very danceable.
Track 21: Ultrabeat – Feelin’ Fine
It’s a bit saccharine, but there’s something slightly retro about the vocals that I quite like.
Track 22: Motorcycle – As The Rush Comes
Great beat, great atmosphere. The vocals are a bit lacking, but it’s otherwise a good track.
Track 23: Ferry Corsten – Rock Your Body Rock
Not sure about the vocoder on the vocals, but I quite like the backing track – it sounds a bit like video game music.
Track 24: Will Young – Leave Right Now
I’ve always found the tune on this one really irritating.
Track 25: Katie Melua – The Closest Thing To Crazy
Actively disliked it at the time, still actively dislike it now. Annoying and depressing.
Track 26: Norah Jones – Sunrise
Nice tune, but it’s a bit slow and acoustic-y for me.
Track 27: Blue – Breathe Easy
It’s got a nice epic feeling about it, though the tune’s a bit boring.
Track 28: Ozzy Osbourne and Kelly Osbourne – Changes
‘Not on Spotify’ Type 2: YouTube Pause (TM).
Appallingly cheesy semi-cover of the ’70s Black Sabbath song, with the lyrics altered to reflect the Osbournes’ father-daughter relationship. I still laugh every time I remember this song coming on in big Bennets*, Edinburgh, and the consequent furious pub ranting of a mate of a mate who was a Black Sabbath fan.
*Not to be confused with wee Bennets, Edinburgh. Big Bennets is in Tollcross, wee Bennets is in Morningside.
Track 29: Blink-182 – I Miss You
It’s the lead track off the infamous album where Blink-182 grew up and went serious. This one’s okay, but my favourite track from that album is All Of This, a duet with the Cure’s Robert Smith. Worth checking out.
Track 30: Busted – Who’s David
Generic tune, offputting jealousy theme in the lyrics. Not keen.
Track 31: Fountains Of Wayne – Stacy’s Mom
I adore this hilarious track. It’s not even a guilty pleasure, I just love it. Brilliant stuff.
Track 32: Franz Ferdinand – Take Me Out
Great, classic piece of ’00s rock. Love the intro, love the way the main song kicks in.
Track 33: Alistair Griffin – Bring It On
Bland, uninspired tune, boring acoustic-y instrumentals. Not my thing at all.
Track 34: Sugababes – Too Lost In You
Gorgeous track. It’s one of those ones that’s been turned into a Christmas song in recent years – it was on the Love Actually soundtrack and the film features heavily in the video, hence the music channels always adding it to their Christmas playlists – but the song’s lovely to listen to any time of year.
Track 35: VS – Love You Like Mad
Twee instrumentals, annoying vocals. Not for me.
Track 36: Joss Stone – Fell In Love With A Boy
Quite like this soul track – it’s a bit different to what was generally going on in the charts at the time.
Track 37: FYA and Smujji – Must Be Love
Quite like the atmosphere on the intro, but I’m not keen on the rap, and the sung sections are very generic-sounding.
Track 38: NERD – She Wants To Move
Good head-nodder – I’ve always quite liked this one.
Track 39: Jamie Cullum – Frontin’ [Live]
I’m not hugely keen on most of Jamie Cullum’s laid-back lounge-y jazz stuff – it’s not exciting enough for me. I don’t like live versions either.
Track 40: Keane – Somewhere Only We Know
Overplayed, irritatingly twee tune. I actually prefer the Lily Allen cover that was done for the John Lewis Christmas advert a few years back.
I had this one as a ‘swap’ or something over UKGE weekend. I forget exactly – I was busy gaming at the time!
M&S Berry Cider.
As you might expect from the packaging, it’s very fruity and sweet. Probably more of an autumn cider, but it was perfectly refreshing even in June. There are nicer berry ciders out there, but I’d be happy to pick this up again if I were in M&S.
Day 56 equals Now! #56, which was released on 17th November 2003.
This is how the world looked in November 2003 (actually October). The champagne was to celebrate finally passing my driving test on the sixth attempt. I had about five pairs of those ridiculously baggy jeans in various colours – I am so glad they disappeared with the ’00s. Probably should have bleached my roots before putting on that red dye, too.
Let’s see what would have been played at the club I went out to later that night (spoiler: none of the following, ’cause I’m pretty sure I went to Opium rock club, which didn’t play a lot of chart music).
Track 1: The Black Eyed Peas – Where Is The Love?
I quite like the Black Eyed Peas, but I’ve always found the chorus on this one a bit irritating.
Track 2: Rachel Stevens – Sweet Dreams My LA Ex
Good head-nodder, good atmosphere. Quite like this track.
Track 3: Kylie Minogue – Slow
Great synth instrumentals, good atmosphere, though the tune’s a little repetitive.
Track 4: Blue – Guilty
Slow, cheesy, boring ballad. Not my thing.
Track 5: Fatman Scoop and The Crooklyn Clan – Be Faithful
Good bit of chant-along hip-hop. Could do without the generic sung vocals though.
Track 6: Beyoncé and Jay-Z – Crazy In Love
This one was everywhere in 2003, especially on holiday in Zante that summer. I still quite like the tune, but that’s probably more nostalgia than anything else.
Track 7: Sugababes – Hole In The Head
Great pop tune – really like this one.
Track 8: Liberty X – Jumpin’
Good beat, but the vocals are annoying.
Track 9: Jamelia – Superstar
It did get a bit overplayed at the time, but it’s a good tune.
Track 10: Lumidee – Never Leave You (Uh Oooh, Uh Oooh)
Irritating vocals, irritating tune, irritating drum beat in the background. Not a fan of this.
Track 11: Stacie Orrico – Stuck
Nice guitar in the background, but the vocals give me a headache.
Track 12: Lemar – Dance (With U)
Like the retro tinge, and it’s got a nice beat.
Track 13: Javine – Surrender (Your Love)
Great instrumentals – love that trumpet – but the tune’s pretty boring.
Track 14: Emma Bunton – Maybe
Good uptempo song, interesting vocals – good track.
Track 15: S Club 8 – Sundown
If you ignore the kiddie vocals, it’s quite a good danceable tune.
Track 16: Ultrabeat – Pretty Green Eyes
Love the backing track on this dance hit, but the vocals are a bit cheesy (even if they do have good taste in eye colour!).
Track 17: Sophie Ellis-Bextor – Mixed Up World
Great danceable beat, but it’s a bit messy in general, and the tune’s pretty generic.
Track 18: Phixx – Hold On Me
Quite like the electro lines, but the vocals are pretty cheesy.
Track 19: D-Side – Invisible
Bland tune, saccharine vocals and really creepy lyrics. Not keen.
Track 20: Louise – Pandora’s Kiss
‘Not on Spotify’ Type 2: YouTube Pause (TM).
Repetitive tune, irritating backing track. When the guitar kicks in on the chorus, though, it gets a bit better.
Track 21: Girls Aloud – Life Got Cold
Some more nice guitar – lovely tune.
Track 22: Atomic Kitten – If You Come To Me
Not keen on the vocals, and the tune’s pretty bland.
Track 23: Elton John – Are You Ready For Love
’70s classic back in the charts due to a re-release and TV advert. Not complaining – it’s a welcome break from all the poor quality early ’00s pop!
Track 24: Justin Timberlake – Rock Your Body
It’s fairly standard Justin Timberlake, with a danceable beat and irritating falsetto all over the place. It’s okay, sort of.
Track 25: Robbie Williams – Something Beautiful
Like the backing instrumentals, but the tune’s not interesting enough for me.
Track 26: Nickelback – Someday
There are only two Nickelback tracks that are in any way listenable, and both of those are due to reasons outwith the song. This is not one of these two.
Track 27: Busted – Sleeping With The Light On
Irritating and cheesy – not keen on this one.
Track 28: Mark Owen – Four Minute Warning
Mark Owen coming back out of nowhere about eight years after Take That split up. This is a great track and I wish he’d done more solo stuff.
Track 29: Amy Studt – Under The Thumb
Irritating vocals, bland tune. At least it’s got some good guitar in the background though.
Track 30: Texas and Kardinal Offishall – Carnival Girl
Quite like the carnival-music-themed intro, but then it just launches into boring soft rock with misplaced rapping over the top.
Track 31: 50 Cent and Nate Dogg – 21 Questions
Don’t really like the way the lines mix together on this one, and it’s a bit repetitive.
Track 32: Ashanti – Rock Wit U (Awww Baby)
Boring, generic song, very forgettable.
Track 33: Joe Budden – Pump It Up
Quite like the backing track, and it’s got a good beat. This one’s okay.
Track 34: Jaimeson – Complete
‘Not on Spotify’ Type 2: YouTube Pause (TM).
Very bland tune, nothing interesting going on here at all.
Track 36: Angel City and Lara McAllen – Love Me Right (Oh Sheila)
Extremely ’90s dance sounding cover of the ’80s song. It’s not bad, actually.
Track 37: Richard X and Kelis – Finest Dreams
Good atmosphere, good beat – happily nodding along.
Track 38: Rishi Rich Project, Jay Sean and Juggy D – Dance With You
Some interesting lines, but the main vocal is very dull.
Track 39: UB40 and The United Colours Of Sound – Swing Low
You know it’s a Rugby World Cup year when somebody does a dodgy cover of Swing Low, Sweet Chariot. At least UB40’s reggae stylings sort of suit the song.
Track 40: Starsailor – Silence Is Easy
Boring, forgettable soft rock. Not a fan.
Track 41: Stereophonics – Maybe Tomorrow
Interesting instrumentals, but the vocals are as drone-y and boring as ever.
Track 42: Daniel Bedingfield – Never Gonna Leave Your Side
Super saccharine, slow and bland. Not my kind of thing.
Track 43: Michael Andrews and Gary Jules – Mad World
Slow, melancholy cover of the Tears For Fears classic, and the Christmas number one for 2003 (BUT IT SHOULD HAVE BEEN THE DARKNESS AND I’M STILL ANGRY ABOUT THAT ahem). It’s beautiful, because the Tears For Fears original is also beautiful. I’ll always prefer the original version, but this one is lovely too.
