I’ve been venturing back to more modern times for my pop playlist this week. I’m considerably behind with the UK charts (hence why there haven’t been any New Hits Friday posts or Now! reviews for a LONG time… I’ll get back to them eventually). Still, it’s been nice to enjoy a few favourites from my 2010s list over the last few days. Not every single pop song was awful in the 2010s! Just… most of them.
Geth has been watching The Simpsons on Disney Plus recently and has reached the episodes from around 2009/2010. As such, I’m getting fairly major nostalgia for pop music from early 2010, which was when, after many years of being Too Goff (TM), I started following the chart again as part of a slightly pretentious project to study ‘cultural history in the making’ for an entire decade. Side note: I can’t believe that at age twenty-five, I already felt far too old and out of touch for pop music when listening to the charts. It really is a teenager’s game.
Anyway, this offering from late 2009 has been in my head for a fortnight now due to being featured in the opening sequence of a Simpsons episode that Geth put on twice (he fell asleep the first time it was on). Enjoy!
(By the way, I’m sure you’re all aware that the song is nothing to do with the TikTok app, which is a far more recent source of societal decline.)
Day 87 equals Now! #87, which came out on 7th April 2014.
This is how the world looked in April 2014…on a slightly overcast day in Salisbury. That hoodie, along with most of my hoodie collection, is far too big for me now and has been relegated to the pyjama drawer.
Into the mid-’10s already! 2014 was my last full year living in Southampton. Let’s see what the chart sounded like.
Track 1: Pharrell Williams – Happy
It’s a bit cheesy, but it’s very joyful and danceable, so I quite like it.
Track 2: Route 94 and Jess Glynne – My Love
Annoying tune, generic track. Not keen on this one.
Track 3: Enrique Iglesias and Pitbull – I’m A Freak
Good beat, but the tune’s pretty uninspired, and the chorus is really irritating.
Track 4: Avicii – Hey Brother
Another of Avicii’s EDM-bluegrass crossovers. Quite like this track.
Track 5: Katy Perry and Juicy J – Dark Horse
Great atmosphere, and it’s got an okay tune.
Track 6: Sam Smith – Money On My Mind
I find this tune pretty irritating, and I’ve never been a fan of Sam Smith’s falsetto vocals.
Track 7: Little Mix – Word Up!
Pointless cover of the Cameo classic, released as the official Sport Relief single for 2014. While the cover is pointless, the video is great – highlights include Chris Barrie reprising his role from The Brittas Empire and Melanie C showing she can still do those Spice Girl cartwheels.
Track 8: 5 Seconds Of Summer – She Looks So Perfect
Great bit of pop-rock – really like this tune!
Track 9: Miley Cyrus – Wrecking Ball
Irritating overblown ballad, not a fan.
Track 10: Pixie Lott – Nasty
Great beat, good big band feel – very danceable.
Track 11: One Direction – Story Of My Life
Boring, slow, cheesy, and too acoustic-y for me. Everything I dislike.
Track 12: Gary Barlow – Let Me Go
Okay beat, but the tune is dull.
Track 13: Alesso and OneRepublic – If I Lose Myself
Generic tune – nothing exciting going on here.
Track 14: Gorgon City and MNEK – Ready For Your Love
Another very uninspired track, with a dance beat that’s the same as every other dance beat from this decade.
Track 15: The Vamps – Wild Heart
Too cheesy for me, but it’s got quite a good rhythm.
Track 16: Lady Gaga and R Kelly – Do What U Want
The atmosphere’s okay, but again the tune’s not very interesting.
Track 17: Elyar Fox – Do It All Over Again
‘Not on Spotify’ Type 2: YouTube Pause (TM).
It’s an okay pop song with a good beat, but it’s pretty forgettable.
Track 18: Katy B – Crying For No Reason
This one’s a bit depressing, but the tune is quite pretty.
Track 19: John Legend – All Of Me
It’s very saccharine, but parts of the tune are absolutely beautiful, so I quite like it.
Track 20: A Great Big World and Christina Aguilera – Say Something
Another boring, mood-killing ballad.
Track 21: Ellie Goulding – How Long Will I Love You
And yet another one.
Track 22: Sam Bailey – Skyscraper
The 2013 X Factor winner, this year doing a pointless cover of a Demi Lovato song. Nothing interesting here.
Track 23: The Chainsmokers – #Selfie
That title is going to look so dated in decades to come. Mind you, I don’t think anyone makes pop music with the thought that it’s going to be listened to in the future anymore – it’s all a bit disposable these days. Anyway, this is interspersed throughout with the most annoying spoken word sample ever, which I think is meant to be the point, but it doesn’t make it in any way pleasant to listen to.
Track 24: Pitbull and Kesha – Timber
Repeated artist alert! We’ve already had Pitbull on track 3.
At my Zumba class in Southampton, we used to do a really fun, high energy, line dance-inspired routine to this, which I absolutely loved. As such, I’ve got a soft spot for this song.
Track 25: DVBBS, Borgeous and Tinie Tempah – Tsunami (Jump)
Great rhythm – happily nodding along right now.
Track 26: Calvin Harris, Alesso and Hurts – Under Control
Repeated artist alert! We’ve already had Alesso on track 13.
This is another one with a very unmemorable tune.
Track 27: Martin Garrix and Jay Hardway – Wizard
The hook’s okay, but everything that surrounds it is off – it could have created quite a good atmosphere if the track weren’t so messy.
Track 28: Tiësto – Red Lights
Depressingly generic tune.
Track 29: Duke Dumont and Jax Jones – I Got U
I like the steel drums, but otherwise it’s fairly boring.
Track 30: Bastille – Of The Night
Track completely made up of interpolations of Snap’s Rhythm Is A Dancer and Corona’s The Rhythm Of The Night, so I guess it’s sort of a cover. I love both tracks so I don’t mind – this compilation has had so many boring forgettable tunes on that it’s a relief to hear a tune I like, even if it’s not original.
Track 31: Example – Kids Again
I like the backing track, but again I’m just not enthused by the tune.
Track 32: Little Mix – Move
Repeated artist alert! We’ve already had Little Mix on track 7.
This one’s a nice solid bit of pop – good stuff.
Track 33: Neon Jungle – Braveheart
Good solid pop tune – this one’s quite danceable.
Track 34: DJ Fresh, Jay Fay and Ms Dynamite – Dibby Dibby Sound
Bit of a Zumba theme to this playlist, because this is one that we danced to in a Zumba class I was attending in Newcastle last year. I really need to go back to dance class – I fell out of the habit during the move and am a bit too busy at the moment. Maybe in the autumn.
Anyway, this one’s a bit repetitive to listen to, but it’s got a good beat.
Track 35: Tujamo, Plastik Funk and Sneakbo – Dr Who!
I’m a bit surprised I ignored this one when it was in the charts, because I’m always looking for daft vaguely Doctor Who-related songs to add to that Doctor Who playlist I’m going to create at some point in the future.
It’s a bit tuneless, but it’s got a good beat. It’d be nice if the lyrics were slightly more relevant to the title.
Track 36: Busta Rhymes, Q-Tip, Kanye West and Lil’ Wayne – Thank You
I find the rap a bit awkward. Good rhythm, though, and the sample of Alicia Myers’ 1981 hit I Wanna Thank You is awesome.
Track 37: Fuse ODG – Million Pound Girl (Badder Than Bad)
Great atmosphere, good tune. Really like this one.
Track 38: John Newman – Out Of My Head
Too slow for me, and the tune’s pretty depressing.
Track 39: Sub Focus – Turn Back Time
Bit of ’90s-tinged dance – great atmosphere.
Track 40: Matrix & Futurebound and Max Marshall – Control
Good beat, but this is another forgettable tune.
Track 41: Foxes – Let Go For Tonight
I like that piano at the start, and the chorus is epic.
Track 42: Paloma Faith – Can’t Rely On You
Interesting tune, good beat. Not a bad track.
Track 43: Le Youth and Dominique Young Unique – Dance With Me
Great beat, and it’s got a welcome ’80s tinge. Love the No Scrubs interpolation too. Good stuff.
Track 44: London Grammar – Hey Now
I quite like the backing track, but the tune’s boring and it’s too slow.
Track 45: Vance Joy – Riptide
Endearingly daft lyrics, feelgood tune. Big fan of this.
Day 84 equals Now! #84, which came out on 25th March 2013.
This is how the world looked in March 2013 – to be precise, how it looked on Six Nations finale night. My unlucky Scotland jersey, as usual, did nothing to prevent Scotland getting the wooden spoon, but what made up for it was being with about six Welsh people on the night that Wales stole the championship from right under England’s nose, hence the giant Welsh flag that we pinned to the wall. You can imagine how well this went down in a Southampton pub.
Let’s see what the hits were that spring.
Track 1: One Direction – One Way Or Another (Teenage Kicks)
Pointless cover mash-up of Blondie’s One Way Or Another and the Undertones’ Teenage Kicks. This was the Comic Relief single for 2013, so I guess charity fundraising is the excuse for ruining both of these classic songs.
Track 2: will.i.am and Britney Spears – Scream And Shout
I really like this danceable track, especially the well-done callback to Gimme More.
Track 3: Taylor Swift – I Knew You Were Trouble
I quite like this tune, and it’s got a good atmosphere.
Track 4: Pink and Nate Ruess – Just Give Me A Reason
Great song – love the way the duet works here.
Track 5: Rihanna – Diamonds
Another pretty tune. Very nice.
Track 6: Bastille – Pompeii
Epic and anthemic – love this one.
Track 7: James Arthur – Impossible
The annual inclusion of the most recent X Factor winner, this year doing a pointless cover of Shontelle’s Impossible, which was not a great song to begin with.
Track 8: Olly Murs and Flo Rida – Troublemaker
I quite like this jaunty track – it’s got a great singalong chorus.
Track 9: Bruno Mars – Locked Out Of Heaven
This is from my favourite Bruno Mars era, when he started doing all these pastiches of artists that were big circa 1980. This song sounds like it should have been released by the Police.
Track 10: Kesha – Die Young
Nice beat, but the tune’s pretty forgettable.
Track 11: Bridgit Mendler – Ready Or Not
Irritating vocals, boring tune, and the chorus has a poorly-done interpolation of the Delfonics ’60s song (which was already done much better by the Fugees). Nothing impressive here.
Track 12: Little Mix – DNA
Great epic atmosphere, but the tune’s a bit weak.
Track 13: The Saturdays and Sean Paul – What About Us
Another bland, forgettable song.
Track 14: Girls Aloud – Something New
Love this one! Girls Aloud sort of came to a natural finish at the end of the ’00s, and so this special tenth anniversary track is really the only thing they’ve done as a group this decade. Better one cracker than lots of poor tracks, though, and this song is great.
Track 15: Nicole Scherzinger – Boomerang
Good rhythm, but this is another uninspired tune.
Track 16: Disclosure and Sam Smith – Latch
I appreciate that it’s a bit different from most stuff that was in the charts at the time, but it’s not my kind of thing – the tune is generic and I’m not into this kind of chillout/trance stuff.
Track 17: Rita Ora – Radioactive
I usually get this one confused with the identically-titled Imagine Dragons song that came out around the same time. This one’s probably my less-preferred (though there’s not much in it – the Imagine Dragons song is pretty dull too), because the tune’s very bland, but it does have a good electro backing track.
Track 18: Alicia Keys – Girl On Fire
I quite like the instrumentals, but the tune on the vocals annoys me.
Track 19: Christina Perri – A Thousand Years
Boring ballad off the Twilight soundtrack, but at least she doesn’t sound quite as horribly off-key as she does in Jar Of Hearts.
Track 20: Emeli Sandé – Clown
I find the theme a bit awkward, and it’s too slow for me.
Track 21: Gabrielle Aplin – The Power Of Love
This was one of the first of the big ‘Christmas advert’ hits that have been a feature of Christmas music this decade. Take a classic song, record a slow, melancholy, piano-based cover with female vocals, slap it over the top of an expensive John Lewis Christmas advert, debut the advert during an X Factor ad break in early November, job done. Christmas classic guaranteed.
Of course, this was already a Christmas classic, and has been ever since Frankie Goes To Hollywood released the original in 1984. Gabrielle Aplin’s version is very pretty, but it doesn’t have the pure emotional power of the Frankie version – Holly Johnson’s performance of the second verse is capable of moving me to tears when I’m in the right place, and Aplin just can’t compare. Still, it is enjoyable, even if July is really not when I want to be hearing Christmas songs.
Track 22: Avicii and Nicky Romero – I Could Be The One
I love this dance track – obviously it’s got a great beat, but there’s also something very wistful about the vocals. I actually can’t think of anyone who was better than Avicii (RIP) at emotion-inducing EDM.
Track 23: Bingo Players and Far East Movement – Get Up (Rattle)
Daft tune, but it’s a good head-nodder.
Track 24: Pitbull and TJR – Don’t Stop The Party
Messy and irritating.
Track 25: Calvin Harris and Tinie Tempah – Drinking From The Bottle
Good beat, and I really like Tinie Tempah’s rap on this one.
Track 26: Dizzee Rascal – Bassline Junkie
Daft theme, but I find it very funny. Good stuff.
Track 27: Wiley, Chipmunk and Dayo Olatunji – Reload
Boring tune, and there’s too much going on with the track.
Track 28: Rudimental, John Newman and Alex Clare – Not Giving In
Slow and dull intro, and the tune’s very irritating.
Track 29: Conor Maynard and Wiley – Animal
Repeated artist alert! We’ve already had Wiley on track 27.
The rap’s very bland, as is the tune, and the whole thing’s just a bit repetitive.
Track 30: Disclosure and AlunaGeorge – White Noise
Repeated artist alert! We’ve already had Disclosure on track 16.
This one takes ages to get going. The electro hook’s okay, but the vocals are super bland.
Track 31: Devlin and Diane Birch – Rewind
Another very forgettable song. Also, part of the melody on the chorus rips off Heart’s Alone, which has been an irritating theme in recent Now! compilations.
Track 32: Lawson – Standing In The Dark
A little more upbeat than previous Lawson tracks, but it’s still a very bland, saccharine song.
Track 33: Biffy Clyro – Black Chandelier
I saw Biffy Clyro once. It was the worst gig I’ve ever been to. Not because of Biffy Clyro, I hasten to add – they were fine to listen to, although the heavier stuff they were playing as the second support band in 2003 wasn’t really my thing. The main act was Linkin Park, who were okay (and I am glad I got to see them given sad future events), but the SECC in Glasgow had done this thing (I don’t know if it was by band request or what) where they barriered off a huge semicircle around the stage and only let about fifteen people into it, leaving the remaining hundreds of gig-goers to squash uncomfortably round the outside of the barrier and completely ruining the atmosphere. The only person onstage who seemed to be on the audience’s side was Ian Watkins of Lostprophets, the main support band, and I don’t really want to give him credit seeing as how he turned out to be a sex offender.
Anyway, I never went back to the SECC again. Barrowlands all the way if it was a Glasgow gig, even if I did lose a lot of brain cells and earrings over the years through being booted in the head by crowdsurfers.
I think what I’m trying to say is that this song’s a lot more interesting than the stuff Biffy were doing back in 2003. I quite like the vocal hook at the start, and the chorus is great.
Track 34: Fall Out Boy – My Songs Know What You Did In The Dark (Light Em Up)
There’s a nice atmospheric chant-along bit on this one – quite like the track.
Track 35: McFly – Love Is Easy
Twee and irritating. I should note that Geth appreciated the It’s A Wonderful Life sample though.
Track 36: Ben Howard – Only Love
I find this tune pretty annoying.
Track 37: The Lumineers – Ho Hey
It’s a bit twee, but it’s quite a nice, jaunty song.
Track 38: One Direction – Little Things
Repeated artist alert! We’ve already had One Direction on track 1.
This one is an irritating saccharine ballad with an irritating black and white video where One Direction sit around and play acoustic guitars in an attempt to look like serious musicians. The song was apparently written by Ed Sheeran, which will surprise no one.
It was also number one on Geth’s and my wedding day, which is far from ideal.
Track 39: Pink – Try
Repeated artist alert! We’ve already had Pink on track 4.
This one is a gorgeous tune though – really like it.
Track 40: Gabrielle Aplin – Please Don’t Say You Love Me
Repeated artist alert! We’ve already had Gabrielle Aplin on track 21.
The only thing this song achieves is proving that she should have been a one-hit wonder. Dull and uninspired.
Track 41: Fleetwood Mac – Everywhere
1987 classic, back in the charts due to a mobile phone advert. Not complaining here at all – I’m very partial to Fleetwood Mac, and this is one of my favourites.
Track 42: Ellie Goulding – Explosions
Not keen on that choral bit at the start, and on the whole it’s too slow for me and I don’t find the tune interesting enough.
Track 43: The Justice Collective – He Ain’t Heavy, He’s My Brother
‘Not on Spotify’ Type 2: YouTube Pause (TM).
Charity cover of the ’60s classic to raise funds for Hillsborough victims’ charities, and the Christmas number one for 2012. Some good voice-spotting to be done here.
Day 78 takes us to Now! #78, which was released on 11th April 2011.
This is how the world looked in April 2011. Geth and I would have been midway through one of our walks along the Union Canal, which was our favourite thing to do on a sunny day in Edinburgh.
Let’s see what I would have been listening to during the last few months in our Tollcross flat.
Track 1: Bruno Mars – Grenade
Too saccharine for me, but the tune’s okay.
Track 2: Adele – Rolling In The Deep
Great atmosphere – love the chorus on this one.
Track 3: Jessie J – Do It Like A Dude
The theme’s a bit daft, but there are some nice instrumental lines here.
Track 4: Rihanna – S&M
Great piece of electropop – really like this tune.
Track 5: Kesha – We R Who We R
Irritating tune, very uninspired.
Track 6: The Wanted – Gold Forever
Released as the official Comic Relief single for 2011. Sadly the song’s really bland.
Right on schedule, here’s X Factor winner Matt Cardle’s pointless cover of Biffy Clyro’s Many Of Horror. Rather offensively, they changed the title of the song, because it clearly wasn’t bland enough for the kind of people who buy X Factor winners’ singles. What’s hilarious is that the cover is SO pointless that on occasion, Cardle even apes Simon Neil’s Scottish accent.
Track 8: Take That – The Flood
Yay! Take That are no longer Fake That! Well, for one album at least. Robbie Williams returned for the Progress album, and all was finally right with the world again. This song is a gorgeous, epic, atmospheric tune – lovely stuff.
Track 9: Ellie Goulding – Your Song
Interesting folky cover of the Elton John classic (which was performed by Ellie Goulding for the first dance of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge at their wedding reception, fact fans). The operatic Moulin Rouge! version from 2001 had cast a long shadow over the ’00s in terms of other people copying that take on the song when they did cover versions, so it was refreshing that this cover was so different again.
Track 10: JLS and Tinie Tempah – Eyes Wide Shut
Far too cheesy for my tastes, and the electro line sounds the same as every other dance track of this era.
Track 11: David Guetta and Rihanna – Who’s That Chick?
Repeated artist alert! We’ve already had Rihanna on track 4.
This is a great piece of bouncy pop, though – awesome tune.
Track 12: Taio Cruz and Travie McCoy – Higher
Taio Cruz did two versions of this song, one with Travie McCoy and one with Kylie Minogue. I prefer the Kylie version, I have to say. It’s still a good tune though.
Track 13: Chris Brown – Yeah 3x
Another dance track where the instrumentals sound the same as every other dance track released around this time.
Track 14: Britney Spears – Hold It Against Me
Daft theme, as the lyrics are based around that terrible pun of a pick-up line, but the tune’s okay.
Track 15: Alexis Jordan – Happiness
I’ve always quite liked the video for this one. Do you remember how in the late ’00s/early ’10s, women’s fashion shoes were all ludicrously high six-inch-stiletto affairs with round covered platforms? (As with most things, I only got rid of (most of) mine in my cull earlier this year.) Like every other female pop artist of the era, Alexis Jordan wears them in the video here, but there’s a weird bit that makes it look like she can’t walk in them.
Anyway, the song’s kind of forgettable, but it’s got a nice feelgood atmosphere.
Track 16: Parade – Louder
Good beat, but the chorus is annoying.
Track 17: Olly Murs – Thinking Of Me
Nice jaunty track, quite like this tune.
Track 18: Avril Lavigne – What The Hell
Great bit of pop-rock – love that singalong chorus.
Track 19: McFly and Taio Cruz – Shine A Light
Repeated artist alert! We’ve already had Taio Cruz on track 12.
I’ve always found this tune pretty irritating.
Track 20: Noah & The Whale – L.I.F.E.G.O.E.S.O.N.
Great folk-rock track – awesome lyrics, lovely tune.
Track 21: Susan Boyle and Geraldine McQueen – I Know Him So Well
Cover (complete with hilarious parody video) of the classic ’80s duet by Elaine Paige and Barbara Dickson. It’s the kind of cover I would normally decry as pointless, but the point here is comedy, and they absolutely nailed it. The charity fundraising for Comic Relief doesn’t hurt either.
Track 22: Jessie J and B.o.B – Price Tag
Repeated artist alert! We’ve already had Jessie J on track 3.
This is a very nice feelgood tune though – good stuff.
Track 23: Chipmunk and Chris Brown – Champion
Repeated artist alert! We’ve already had Chris Brown on track 13.
I like the intro – lovely piano, nice choral bit, great atmosphere. The tune on the chorus is nice as well.
Track 24: Wiz Khalifa – Black And Yellow
Great tune, awesome atmosphere.
Track 25: Rihanna and Drake – What’s My Name?
Repeated artist mega alert! We’ve already had Rihanna on both track 4 and track 11! I am not impressed, Now! compilers.
This one’s an okay tune, but it’s a little repetitive.
Track 26: The Black Eyed Peas – The Time (Dirty Bit)
Messy cover of ’80s classic (I’ve Had) The Time Of My Life, with lots of…well…dirty bits (i.e. squeaky, tuneless feedback). I shouldn’t like it, but it’s actually very danceable.
Track 27: Nicole Scherzinger – Poison
Nice solid pop track, really like this tune.
Track 28: Enrique Iglesias, Ludacris and DJ Frank E – Tonight (I’m Lovin’ You)
Daft theme (don’t get me started on the explicit version), but it’s got a good beat.
Track 29: Cee Lo Green and Wiz Khalifa – Bright Lights Bigger City
Repeated artist alert! We’ve already had Wiz Khalifa on track 24.
This one’s a bit slow for my liking, but it’s got a great atmosphere.
Track 30: Katy Perry and Kanye West – ET
Awesome epic atmosphere, lovely tune, and the video is beautiful.
Track 31: Pink – Perfect
I find the theme of this one a bit awkward and the tune a bit dull. Not a fan.
Track 32: Tinie Tempah and Ellie Goulding – Wonderman
Double repeated artist alert! We’ve already had Tinie Tempah on track 10 and Ellie Goulding on track 9.
This song is lovely, though – that chorus is just gorgeous.
Track 33: Willow Smith – Whip My Hair
‘Not on Spotify’ Type 2: YouTube Pause (TM).
The theme is a little cheesy, but then she was about nine at the time. Good song otherwise.
Track 34: Katy B and Ms Dynamite – Lights On
I’m not hugely keen on the tune, but it’s got a good beat.
Track 35: Martin Solveig and Dragonette – Hello
Great dance track! Really like this feelgood tune.
Track 36: Flo Rida and Akon – Who Dat Girl
Dull tune, boring rap. Not keen.
Track 37: Far East Movement, The Cataracs and Dev – Like A G6
Daft lyrics, but it’s a good head-nodder.
Track 38: Wretch 32 and L Marshall – Traktor
Great beat – happily chair-dancing here. Awesome lyrics too.
Track 39: Aggro Santos and Kimberley Walsh – Like U Like
Love this tune, and the verses have an awesome rhythm.
Track 40: Devlin and Yasmin – Runaway
This one’s a bit generic – nothing special here.
Track 41: Tinchy Stryder and Melanie Fiona – Let It Rain
Boring and forgettable.
Track 42: Chase & Status and Liam Bailey – Blind Faith
I like the ’90s tinge, but on the whole the track’s far too messy for my liking.
Day 76, and Now! #76, which was released on 19th July 2010.
This is how the world looked in July 2010. Night-time beer gardens were a big part of my world that summer! I’ve recently rediscovered that necklace and wear it daily at the moment. The purple hoodie, meanwhile, has become my post-run hoodie; I’ve had it since 1999 so I may have mentioned that before.
Time for the first summer hits of the new decade!
Track 1: Katy Perry and Snoop Dogg – California Gurls
Great piece of pop, awesome party tune.
Track 2: Enrique Iglesias and Pitbull – I Like It
Great beat, highly danceable, fun tune. Quite like this track! We used to dance to this one at my Zumba class in Southampton, as my instructor Hayley was a big Pitbull fan.
Track 3: JLS – The Club Is Alive
Daft take on The Sound Of Music. It’s a bit less cheesy than their usual stuff, so I actually find this one okay.
Track 4: Usher and will.i.am – OMG
Great tune! Love the interesting vocals on this one.
Track 5: David Guetta, Chris Willis, Fergie and LMFAO – Gettin’ Over You
Great upbeat dance track – happily chair-dancing away here.
Track 6: Kylie Minogue – All The Lovers
Solid pop track, really like those instrumentals.
Track 7: Professor Green and Lily Allen – Just Be Good To Green
Fairly pointless cover of Beats International’s Dub Be Good To Me with added rapping. It’s okay, but the original is better.
Track 8: B.o.B and Bruno Mars – Nothin’ On You
I’ve always found this one a bit too saccharine.
Track 9: Lady Gaga – Alejandro
Great, atmospheric electropop. When we were doing Electrolicious Sundays at Mr Modos, Geth would always mix this one into La Isla Bonita by Madonna, ’cause the melodies are so similar.
Track 10: Cheryl – Parachute
The atmosphere’s nice, but the tune’s a bit dull.
Track 11: Rihanna – Te Amo
Quite like the vocal hook on this one, and the electro line is gorgeous. Nice Latin tinge too.
Track 12: Roll Deep and Jodie Connor – Good Times
Good dance beat, but the tune’s very generic.
Track 13: Kelly Rowland and David Guetta – Commander
Repeated artist alert! We’ve already had David Guetta on track 5.
This is a great track though – very danceable.
Track 14: Dizzee Rascal – Dirtee Disco
Messy intro, but I really like the disco instrumentals (the sample is the Staple Singers track I’ll Take You There, from 1972).
Track 15: Yolanda Be Cool and DCUP – We No Speak Americano
Interesting, danceable track. The sample is the 1956 song Tu Vuò Fà L’Americano by Renato Carosone, fact fans – it gives it an awesome mid-century feel.
Track 16: Inna – Hot
Good beat, but the vocals are pretty irritating.
Track 17: Edward Maya and Vika Jigulina – Stereo Love
I love the accordion on this one – it gives it a lovely Eastern European tinge.
Track 18: Sean Kingston and Justin Bieber – Eenie Meenie
Terrible theme, jarring lines, irritating vocals. The chorus is okay, though.
Track 19: Miley Cyrus – Can’t Be Tamed
Great atmosphere, but the tune’s a bit uninspired.
Track 20: Pixie Lott – Turn It Up
Bit of a bland tune, but the chorus is okay.
Track 21: Justin Bieber and Ludacris – Baby
Repeated artist alert! We’ve already had Justin Bieber on track 18.
Horrendously saccharine and squeaky. Teenage girls loved it, though, which just goes to prove that teenage girls’ taste is getting worse and worse as time goes on. How did we get from the Beatles to Bieber? You could write a whole book on that, and maybe one day I will.
Track 22: Iyaz – Solo
I quite like the piano, but in general the song’s a bit too cheesy for my liking.
Track 23: Timbaland and Justin Timberlake – Carry Out
Love the atmosphere on this one – great track.
Track 24: Plan B – She Said
Great tune, awesome classic jazz feel.
Track 25: Scouting For Girls – This Ain’t A Love Song
It’s a bit cheesy and soft-rock for me, and the vocals are kind of irritating.
Track 26: K’naan – Wavin’ Flag
Nice jaunty tune released to tie in with the World Cup 2010. It’s funny to think that was two World Cups ago, and now we’re in the middle of another one (which I have been successfully avoiding).
Track 27: Jason Derulo – Ridin’ Solo
It’s an okay pop track, but the tune is a bit forgettable compared to most of Jason Derulo’s stuff.
Track 28: Alicia Keys – Try Sleeping With A Broken Heart
Gorgeous tune, beautiful atmosphere.
Track 29: Fyfe Dangerfield – She’s Always A Woman
Pointless cover of the Billy Joel track. I adore the song whoever does it, but there’s nothing new about this version.
Track 30: Train – Hey Soul Sister
What this song consistently achieves for me is that I always wish it really were Mr Mister on the radio, instead of Train. You have to give them credit for that.
Track 31: Scissor Sisters – Fire With Fire
I find this one a bit slow and dull.
Track 32: Diana Vickers – Once
Great pop tune – really like this one. I also love the video with all her hundreds of different outfits!
Track 33: Example – Kickstarts
The lyrics are a bit cheesy, but it’s a good danceable tune.
Track 34: Swedish House Mafia and Pharrell Williams – One (Your Name)
Great electro hooks, nice atmosphere.
Track 35: The Black Eyed Peas – Rock That Body
Good beat, but the tune’s a bit dull.
Track 36: Alexandra Burke and Pitbull – All Night Long
Repeated artist alert! We’ve already had Pitbull on track 2.
I quite like the vocal hook on the chorus, but the rap over the intro is pretty jarring.
Track 37: Aggro Santos and Kimberly Wyatt – Candy
Great bassline, great atmosphere. Good solid pop track.
Track 38: Taio Cruz and Kesha – Dirty Picture
Daft theme, and the tune is pretty forgettable.
Track 39: Chipmunk and Esmée Denters – Until You Were Gone
Generic and bland.
Track 40: Skepta – Rescue Me
I find the tune on this one a bit depressing.
Track 41: N-Dubz and Bodyrox – We Dance On
I like the Canon in D sample, but the rest of the track’s pretty forgettable.
Track 42: Robyn – Dancing On My Own
Boring tune – nothing redeeming about this one.
Track 43: Florence & The Machine and Dizzee Rascal – You’ve Got The Dirtee Love [Live At The Brit Awards 2010]
Repeated artist alert! We’ve already had Dizzee Rascal on track 14.
I remember watching this performance on the Brits at the time. You wouldn’t think You’ve Got The Love would work with Dizzee Rascal rapping over the top, but it’s actually quite an interesting take.
However, I am contractually obliged to point out that in addition to the three instances of the Source and Candi Staton’s original version of the song on Now! #19, Now! #36, and Now! #63, we now have two instances of the Florence & The Machine version, on Now! #74 and on this one, making a total of FIVE instances! I am almost certain that this makes it the most featured song in the history of Now! compilations, though I will have to check my stats at the end of the project.
Track 44: Kelis – Acapella
That title should be spelt ‘a cappella’, but I’m sure you all knew that.
I like the drums on the intro, and the vocal line is quite interesting.
Track 45: Tinie Tempah and Labrinth – Frisky
Great instrumentals, awesome atmosphere – very danceable.
Track 46: Pendulum – Watercolour
Lovely electro track – it builds beautifully, and the hooks are wonderful.
Day 75 brings us to Now! #75, which came out on 29th March 2010.
This is the way the world looked in March 2010…if you were attending a ceilidh in a slightly darkened room. I’m so glad I’ve lost the weight and don’t have to wear those shapeless black dresses anymore.
Can you believe we’re three quarters of the way through this Now! marathon? That’s like being 19.65 miles of the way into an actual marathon. Only 6.55 miles to go – that’s easy! I will remember this moment when I’m 19.65 miles of the way through the London Marathon next April (spoiler: I almost certainly will not).
Also, we’re finally into the 2010s, the fourth and final decade of the Now! compilations so far (and also my life so far). Having followed the charts very closely this decade, I can say with certainty that the remaining Now! compilations will definitely be better than the ’00s ones. The ’00s was a real low for music. (Except 2009, when it picked up.) Thankfully I don’t have to listen to those again!
Track 1: Lady Gaga – Bad Romance
Stunning, classic electropop track – brilliant right from the a cappella intro. Great stuff.
Track 2: 3OH!3 and Katy Perry – Starstrukk
I love this track, even with the silly whistling bit during the verse. Awesome party song.
Love the daft lyrics, and it’s got a great atmosphere.
Track 7: Kesha – Tik Tok
Another good party song – and the vocal style was refreshingly different at this point.
Track 8: Timbaland and Katy Perry – If We Ever Meet Again
Repeated artist alert! We’ve already had Katy Perry on track 2.
Love the chorus though – good track.
Track 9: Jason Derulo – In My Head
The tune’s a bit generic, but it’s still a good danceable song.
Track 10: Rihanna – Rude Boy
Nice atmosphere, interesting vocals. Another great track.
Track 11: Chipmunk and Talay Riley – Look For Me
This one’s a bit bland and forgettable, and the chorus is annoying.
Track 12: Glee Cast – Don’t Stop Believin’
Cover of the ’80s Journey classic by the cast of hit TV show Glee. This cover resulted in the original version – which had never actually been a hit in the UK when it was released in the ’80s – becoming a huge song during 2010 and staying prominent for the rest of the decade so far (I hear it played at every half marathon I run). I’m not complaining – both versions are awesome and epic.
Track 13: Gabriella Cilmi – On A Mission
Great ’70s disco throwback track! Love it.
Track 14: Alexandra Burke – Broken Heels
Another great party tune – very danceable.
Track 15: Sugababes – About A Girl
Great dance beat, but the tune’s pretty generic.
Track 16: The Saturdays – Ego
There’s something about the tune that’s a little irritating, but it’s got a good beat.
Track 17: Jedward and Vanilla Ice – Under Pressure (Ice Ice Baby)
So we had Vanilla Ice sampling Queen and David Bowie’s 1981 song Under Pressure in 1989 for Ice Ice Baby, which was already considered fairly sacreligious, and then in 2010 we had Jedward doing a medley of both tracks and getting Vanilla Ice to help out with vocals. It’s as awful as you might expect, but it somehow got to number two in the charts.
Track 18: Justin Bieber – One Time
Bieber in his early ‘fifteen and squeaky’ era. It’s sort of half laughable and half headache-inducing.
Track 19: Jay Sean, Sean Paul and Lil’ Jon – Do You Remember
Good tune, but I can’t listen to it without hearing Sean Paul’s opening vocals as ‘got dirty egg‘, thanks to presenter Reggie Yates pointing it out on the Radio 1 chart show at the time.
Track 20: Pixie Lott – Cry Me Out
Too ballad-y and slow for me.
Track 21: Joe McElderry – The Climb
The annual inclusion of the previous year’s X Factor winner. This is the one from 2009 that didn’t get the Christmas number one thanks to the much-publicised campaign to get Rage Against The Machine’s Killing In The Name to number one instead. That campaign reinvigorated my interest in the music charts after a few years of being Too Busy Being Goth, and led to my decision to follow the charts for the entirety of the 2010s to see how the decade would pan out musically. Halfway through 2018, that particular habit is still going, and I expect it will last into the 2020s and beyond.
Anyway, the track. It’s a pointless cover of the Miley Cyrus song, and there’s nothing else to say about it.
Track 22: Helping Haiti – Everybody Hurts
Charity cover of the REM classic by too many artists to mention. There’s some interesting voice-spotting to be done, but the point of this cover, as ever with these things, was fundraising to help the victims of the Haiti earthquake.
Track 23: Alicia Keys – Empire State Of Mind [Part II]
It’s Part II because this is the slow piano version. Part I was a more upbeat song with Jay-Z rapping the main verses. I prefer Part I, but that’s mainly ’cause I’m not into slow songs – this is still a great tune.
Track 24: Owl City – Fireflies
It’s a bit twee, but it’s a gorgeous tune – love that chorus.
Track 25: Jay-Z and Mr Hudson – Young Forever
‘Not on Spotify’ Type 2: YouTube Pause (TM).
The track is mainly a cover of the chorus and first verse from Alphaville’s Forever Young, which is fairly pointless but still great, ’cause it’s a great song. The rest is filled in by rapping from Jay-Z, which is okay, but I’m definitely lining up the original to play later on.
Track 26: Cheryl and will.i.am – 3 Words
Lovely melancholy tune, quite like this one.
Track 27: Robbie Williams – You Know Me
Nice tune, but for some reason the music channels always put this on their Christmas playlists, so it’s got festive associations for me now.
Track 28: Journey – Don’t Stop Believin’
Well, we often have repeated artists on these Now! compilations, but I don’t think we’ve ever had a repeated song! We already had the Glee Cast doing this song on track 12.
As I explained up-page, the Glee cover made this one a big hit too, and deservedly so, seeing as how it was overlooked by the UK music-buying public in the ’80s. The piano intro is just beautiful, the lyrics are immense, and the tune is epic.
Track 29: Florence & The Machine – Dog Days Are Over
I find Florence & The Machine’s stuff a bit samey, and this is no exception. There’s not really anything interesting about the tune, though the vocals are nice.
Track 30: Marina & The Diamonds – Hollywood
Gorgeous, unique track! Great lyrics, awesomely different vocals. Love this one.
Track 31: Ellie Goulding – Starry Eyed
Beautiful tune. It was Ellie Goulding’s debut and, as far as I’m concerned, one of her best ever songs.
Track 32: Biffy Clyro – Many Of Horror
Wonderful rock track – I love the tune, and the way it builds is stunning! I’m almost certain we’ll hear the X Factor cover version in three days’ time so I’ll skip ranting about that for now.
Track 33: Plan B – Stay Too Long
Nice retro-sounding rock track, quite like this one. If I weren’t the queen of misheard lyrics, I’d make an effort to listen to the concept album of which it was part. As it is, I’d probably be better off just reading the lyrics to all the songs in order to understand the story.
Track 34: Naughty Boy, Wiley and Emeli Sandé – Never Be Your Woman
Fairly pointless cover of the White Town classic with added rapping. Always a great tune, but the original is obviously better.
Track 35: Example – Won’t Go Quietly
Great, atmospheric dance track. Really like this one.
Day 72 brings us to Now! #72, which came out on 6th April 2009.
This is how the world looked in April 2009. That is the kind of happy face you only get from me on the first day it’s warm enough to sit out in a beer garden after a long winter.
2009 really brought the electropop, from what I remember, so let’s get cracking!
Track 1: Lily Allen – The Fear
Great tune, great lyrics. I’ve always really liked this one.
Track 2: Lady Gaga and Colby O’Donis – Just Dance
Awesome danceable piece of electropop.
Track 3: Flo Rida and Kesha – Right Round
It’s based around the hook from Dead Or Alive’s You Spin Me Round (Like A Record), so I was always going to like this one. Flo Rida’s rap style actually goes really nicely with it.
Track 4: Alesha Dixon – The Boy Does Nothing
Alesha Dixon’s post-Strictly solo comeback song. Love this tune, and the retro big band feel is much appreciated.
Track 5: The Saturdays – Just Can’t Get Enough
Pointless cover of the Depeche Mode classic, and one of the official Comic Relief singles for 2009 (so charity fundraising, as ever, is the ‘point’).
Track 6: Kelly Clarkson – My Life Would Suck Without You
This one’s pretty acclaimed, but I’ve always found the tune and theme really annoying.
Track 7: Tinchy Stryder and Taio Cruz – Take Me Back
Nice atmosphere – I like the electro lines.
Track 8: Kid Cudi and Crookers – Day ‘N’ Nite
Boring, repetitive tune, with some irritating vocal tics going on.
Track 9: Britney Spears – Womaniser
Great pop track – love the hooks on this one.
Track 10: TI and Rihanna – Live Your Life
It’s based around the hook from O-Zone’s Dragostea Din Tei, which gives the track quite an interesting sound.
Track 11: Akon – Right Now (Na Na Na)
Nice tune, quite like this one.
Track 12: Shontelle – T-Shirt
Interesting vocals, but I find the tune very generic.
Track 13: Ne-Yo – Mad
Boring tune, annoyingly saccharine vocals.
Track 14: The Saturdays – Issues
Repeated artist alert! We’ve already had the Saturdays on track 5.
I quite like the rhyming of the lyrics on this one, but the tune’s a bit dull. The Saturdays did much better songs later on.
Track 15: Leona Lewis – Forgive Me
Great vocals, great atmosphere, but the tune’s pretty forgettable.
Track 16: Girls Aloud – The Loving Kind
Another boring tune, and the vocals make it a bit too ballad-y for me.
Track 17: September – Can’t Get Over
Good beat, good electro lines. The vocals are a little generic though.
Track 18: Steve Angello, Laidback Luke and Robin S – Show Me Love
Semi-cover of Robin S’s 1993 hit, mashed up with various other things. It’s not very inspired. See my Now! #24 review for the original song.
Track 19: N-Dubz – Strong Again
Boring tune, but I quite like some of the vocal hooks.
Track 20: Katy Perry – Thinking Of You
Dull ballad, not keen on this one.
Track 21: Alexandra Burke – Hallelujah
The annual bit of karaoke from the X Factor winner. To give credit to Alexandra Burke, this is not a pointless cover: there have been so many different and beautiful versions of the Leonard Cohen classic, and she did put her own stamp on it, but it just doesn’t have as much feeling in it as classic versions like those of Jeff Buckley or Rufus Wainwright.
Speaking of the X Factor…
Track 22: X Factor Finalists 2008 – Hero
There was an annoying trend in the late ’00s/early ’10s where the final twelve contestants in the X Factor would release a group single with everyone getting a line, which, just like the winner’s single, was inevitably a pointless cover of a classic song. This meant that everyone who was interested in pop music but didn’t care about the X Factor had to put up with not one but two irritating karaoke numbers in the charts around Christmas time. 2008’s offering was a pointless cover of the Mariah Carey song. (As often happens, the ‘point’ was charity fundraising, this time for Help For Heroes and the Royal British Legion. Charity fundraising = awesome! Releasing a soulless, uninspired remake of an existing song = not awesome.)
Track 23: Take That – Greatest Day
It should feel epic and sweeping – but I just find the tune irritating. I’m not sure why.
Track 24: Alesha Dixon – Breathe Slow
Repeated artist alert! We’ve already had Alesha Dixon on track 4.
This one’s got a nice backing track, but the tune is fairly generic.
Track 25: James Morrison and Nelly Furtado – Broken Strings
Irritatingly cheesy and slow ballad. Not my cup of tea.
Track 26: Taylor Swift – Love Story
Super saccharine soft pop-rock! Again, not my thing. I prefer Taylor Swift’s more pure pop stuff from the early-to-mid-’10s.
Track 27: Pink – Sober
Nice guitar, interesting theme, but the tune’s pretty dull.
Track 28: The Killers – Human
I still remember people getting irritated about the grammar of the line ‘are we human or are we dancer‘. Would it sound better and less jarring if the lyric was ‘dancers‘? Yes. Is it grammatically incorrect? Technically, no. Brandon Flowers is using ‘dancer‘ to mean a sort of faux-species here, and the use of the singular as an adjective in the same way that ‘human‘ can be used as an adjective is, I believe, meant to emphasise this.
Anyway, it’s quite a good tune.
Track 29: The Script – Breakeven
I’m generally not keen on this kind of soft rock, and this is no exception. Bland tune, very forgettable.
Track 30: Jason Mraz – I’m Yours
I find this kind of cheery, bouncy, acoustic-y track really irritating. Sorry!
Great bassline, lovely bit of electropop. Really like this one.
Track 32: Metro Station – Shake It
Really like the instrumentals on this track – great guitar, great synth. It all adds up to a nice retro ’80s tinge, which I’m all about!
Track 33: U2 – Get On Your Boots
Interesting vocals, good guitar line, quite like this one.
Track 34: MGMT – Kids
Oh, it’s this one! Lovely electro hook, great bassline.
Track 35: The Prodigy – Omen
I saw the Prodigy at M’era Luna 2009, and this song was the anthem of the weekend, with everyone singing it all over the place. Great dance track, builds beautifully, wonderful atmosphere.
Track 36: Kevin Rudolf and Lil’ Wayne – Let It Rock
Another great bassline and another awesome atmosphere – good track.
Track 37: Wiley and Daniel Merriweather – Cash In My Pocket
I like the ’60s retro tinge on this one.
Track 38: Kanye West – Heartless
Nice tune, quite like this track.
Track 39: TI and Justin Timberlake – Dead And Gone
Repeated artist alert! We’ve already had TI on track 10.
Nice piano intro, nice epic atmosphere. Great stuff, though it would be better without the rap.
Track 40: Daniel Merriweather and Wale – Change
Repeated artist alert! We’ve already had Daniel Merriweather on track 37. Give someone else a chance, Now! compilers!
This is a great track, though – lovely tinkly piano, good beat.
Track 41: Pet Shop Boys – Love Etc.
Nice to see Pet Shop Boys back in the charts. I have missed that perfect synth! Wonderful tune.
Track 42: Duffy – Rain On Your Parade
More great instrumentals! Lovely atmosphere on this one.
Track 43: Vanessa Jenkins, Bryn West, Tom Jones and Robin Gibb – Islands In The Stream
Daft semi-cover (semi due to Robin Gibb’s involvement) of the Bee Gees-written song made famous by Kenny Rogers and Dolly Parton, featuring comedy characters Vanessa Jenkins (Ruth Jones) and Bryn West (Rob Brydon) from the sitcom Gavin & Stacey. This was another song released for Comic Relief 2009. The video‘s funny, but the song’s a bit pedestrian until Tom Jones shows up at the end.
