Day 44, and Now! #44, which was released on 22nd November 1999.
Let’s see what was in the charts as we approached the end of the millennium.
Track 1: Britney Spears – …Baby One More Time
Loved it at the time, bought the single. It’s pretty overplayed these days, but I still have a bit of a soft spot for it.
Track 2: Shania Twain – That Don’t Impress Me Much
I’ve always quite liked this one, and I love her daft leopard-print outfit in the video.
Track 3: Lou Bega – Mambo No. 5 (A Little Bit Of…)
The turn-of-the-millennium Latin pop craze was in full swing by this point, and so songs like this were huge. I’ve always loved this one – the lyrics are great, and it’s really danceable. I know it’s early on, but I’m going to make this my top wedding disco track of today.
Track 4: Eiffel 65 – Blue (Da Ba Dee)
I absolutely adored this one at the time, mainly because people were constantly singing it at me (I had, and still have in storage, a bright blue chenille cardigan that I wore constantly between 1998 and 2004 – you can see it in the picture for the Now! #40 review). I still love the tune and the lyrics – great song.
Track 5: Steps – Tragedy
Daft, epic cover of the Bee Gees classic. I can’t not mention the ludicrous video, which I must have seen a hundred times back in the day.
Track 6: Geri Halliwell – Mi Chico Latino
Geri Halliwell hopping on board with the Latin craze. I quite like this tune, and I always appreciate a bit of Spanish guitar.
Track 7: Robbie Williams – She’s The One
I shouldn’t like this ballad (and apparently Robbie Williams didn’t like it himself for quite a number of years), but I do actually really like the tune. Not sure why, as it’s the kind of thing I’d normally find depressing.
Track 8: Ronan Keating – When You Say Nothing At All
Cover of the country song. I actually prefer this version, mainly ’cause it’s not country, but it’s still pretty cheesy and pedestrian.
Track 9: Melanie C – Northern Star
I had the Northern Star album and pretty much every track on it was a cracker – Melanie C’s solo stuff was far and away the best out of all the Spice Girls, and not just because she had the best voice. This track is beautiful and melancholy, with an absolutely gorgeous atmosphere.
Track 10: Sixpence None The Richer – Kiss Me
The tune’s pleasant enough, but I find the theme a bit twee and irritating.
Track 11: Texas – Summer Son
Really like this one – it’s one of my favourite Texas tracks. Love the instrumentals, love the edgy atmosphere to the song.
Track 12: Moloko – Sing It Back
Great upbeat tune – I’ve always quite liked this track. Happily nodding along.
Track 13: Bob Marley & The Wailers and Funkstar De Luxe – Sun Is Shining
Remix of the 1971 track that adds a slightly messy dance beat over the top. Still a great tune though.
Track 14: Diana Ross – Not Over You Yet
Dance track with a good atmosphere and interesting instrumentals. Quite like this one.
Track 15: Tina Turner – When The Heartache Is Over
I’ve always quite liked this tune, though it mainly reminds me of an episode of Ally McBeal in which Tina Turner featured at the time.
Track 16: Jamiroquai – Canned Heat
Really like this tune – one of my favourite Jamiroquai tracks – though before I became aware of the title, I always misheard the lyric as ‘candy in my heels‘ rather than ‘canned heat in my heels‘.
Track 17: Tom Jones and The Cardigans – Burning Down The House
I owned and loved the Reload duet album that Tom Jones did, and this was probably one of the best tracks on it. Great tune, wonderful singalong chorus, excellent stuff.
Track 18: Bran Van 3000 – Drinking In LA
Always really liked this one, to the extent that on the one single occasion in my life I have gone drinking in LA (at LAX airport in 2012 while waiting for a connection) I made sure to photograph the moment just so I could caption it appropriately on Facebook.
Track 19: Supergrass – Moving
I find this one a bit depressing – it’s just kind of slow and drone-y.
Track 20: Phil Collins – You’ll Be In My Heart
Boring tune, and I don’t like the country-tinged guitar.
Track 21: R Kelly – If I Could Turn Back The Hands Of Time
Slow, irritating ballad. Not my thing.
Track 22: Geri Halliwell – Lift Me Up
Repeated artist alert! This track’s a bit twee and cheesy, so really I think the Now! compilers should have just gone with Mi Chico Latino for this compilation.
Track 23: Tin Tin Out and Emma Bunton – What I Am
We’re certainly getting a lot of Spice Girls solo stuff at the moment. This one is a fairly uninspired cover of the Edie Brickell & New Bohemians track from 1988. It’s okay to nod along to.
Track 24: Martine McCutcheon – I’ve Got You
Boring ballad, depressing tune. Not keen.
Track 25: Backstreet Boys – Larger Than Life
The track’s a great danceable song (especially that epic guitar solo!), and I always liked the Y2K-themed video.
Track 26: Jordan Knight – Give It To You
‘Not on Spotify’ Type 2: YouTube Pause (TM).
Interesting fairground-y instrumental during the intro, and there’s a good atmosphere to this one. There’s a lot going on, but I quite like it.
Track 27: Gabrielle – Sunshine
Nice tune, but it’s a little slow for me.
Track 28: Honeyz – Never Let You Down
Slow, dull ballad, and I don’t like those.
Track 29: S Club 7 – S Club Party
Another irritating track from S Club 7, though there are some good singalong hooks if you’re in the right mood (approximately six or seven pints should do it).
Track 30: Lolly – Mickey
Pointless cover of the Toni Basil classic, with the only change being the more muddy and electro instrumentals. Unlike with most pointless ’90s covers, I was actually aware of the original when this one came out, and I remember being totally confused about why someone would release a cover that was so similar, and why anyone would buy it (I did have a friend who actually bought it, though I won’t name and shame!).
Track 31: Ann Lee – 2 Times
Pretty, feelgood, interesting track – I’ve always really liked this one.
Track 32: Vengaboys – We’re Going To Ibiza!
It’s a fairly typical daft Vengaboys track, with the added major irritation that they don’t know how to pronounce ‘Ibiza’, so the lyric sounds like ‘whoa – we’re going to eat pizza‘. Which is definitely something to get excited about, but maybe not to the point of releasing a song.
Track 33: Enrique Iglesias – Bailamos
Loved it at the time, requested an Enrique Iglesias album for Christmas off the back of loving this track (and then it turned out to be an earlier album that didn’t have this track on it. Oh well). Still a great tune.
Track 34: Shaft – (Mucho Mambo) Sway
Oh, it’s this one! Great atmosphere, great Latin beat. Good stuff.
Track 35: ATB – Don’t Stop!
ATB using a similar irritating instrumental hook to the one on their last track, 9PM (Till I Come). Bored already.
Track 36: DJ Jean – The Launch
Annoying, repetitive hook. Not keen.
Track 37: Groove Armada and Gram’ma Funk – I See You Baby [Fatboy Slim Radio Edit]
Classic dance track, great vocal hook.
Track 38: Wamdue Project – King Of My Castle
I’ve always found this one pretty interesting, mainly due to the utterly incomprehensible lyrics (she’s doing what with her trestle?). Good tune too.
Track 39: Alice Deejay – Back In My Life
Irritating, repetitive vocals, generic dance backing track. Never really liked this one.
Track 40: Alena – Turn It Around
Boring dance track, nothing good about it.
Track 41: Tina Cousins – Angel
Pretty vocals, but the track is otherwise very uninspired.
Track 42: Liquid Child – Diving Faces
The vocal sample is awful, but I quite like the electro hooks.
