Day 54, and Now! #54, which was released on 14th April 2003.
I don’t want to jinx things, but I’ve got a vague memory that this was the year when chart music started to improve a bit and became more rock-oriented.
Track 1: t.A.T.u – All The Things She Said
Loved it at the time and bought the single. It’s still a great tune, but there are obvious issues with the creepy male-gaze manufacturing of a couple of faux-lesbian Russian schoolgirls. I remember the Top of the Pops performance – the BBC refused to show a same-sex kiss on stage at 7pm and cut to an opposite-sex couple kissing in the crowd instead. We’ve come a long way since the early ’00s.
Track 2: Justin Timberlake – Like I Love You
I like the stop-start guitar at the beginning, but the tune to the vocals annoys me.
Track 3: Nelly and Kelly Rowland – Dilemma
One of my first-year uni flatmates was obsessed with this song and played it over and over. As such, I’m amazed I still quite like it.
Track 4: Richard X and Liberty X – Being Nobody
Dodgy pointless cover of Chaka Khan’s Ain’t Nobody with an irritating ’00s backing track. I strongly advise listening to the original instead.
Track 5: Room 5 and Oliver Cheatham – Make Luv
Classic dance track, good head-nodder, though it’s a little repetitive.
Track 6: Junior Senior – Move Your Feet
I’ve always found the chorus on this one highly irritating, but the song reminds me of my friend Sarah (who loved it at the time) so it’s not all bad.
Track 7: Girls Aloud – Sound Of The Underground
Still really like this one – great atmosphere, classic pop track.
Track 8: Busted – Year 3000
Yup, it’s awful (although the sanitised Jonas Brothers cover was even more awful). I remember the looks of horror on everyone’s faces when the DJ decided it would be a good idea to play this in Studio 24 (Edinburgh’s biggest rock club at the time). It only happened once, probably due to complaints.
Track 9: Melanie C – Here It Comes Again
The tune’s a bit bland, but I like the instrumentals.
Track 10: Sinéad Quinn – I Can’t Break Down
Great Spanish guitar, great atmosphere. Quite like this one.
Track 11: Darius – Rushes
Irritating vocals, but the tune on the chorus is okay.
Track 12: Appleton – Don’t Worry
Slow, dull acoustic-y ballad with an annoying tune. Not keen.
Track 13: Atomic Kitten – Love Doesn’t Have To Hurt
Cheesy, generic song. Not a fan of this one.
Track 14: Blue – U Make Me Wanna
Great atmosphere, great instrumentals, but the vocals are pretty irritating.
Track 15: Jay-Z and Beyoncé – ’03 Bonnie And Clyde
‘Not on Spotify’ Type 2: YouTube Pause (TM).
Love the guitar on this track – awesome theme, great song.
Track 16: Jaimeson and Angel Blu – True
Quite interesting for a dance track – like the atmosphere.
Track 17: Zoe Birkett – Treat Me Like A Lady
Generic tune, pretty bland really.
Track 18: S Club – Alive
S Club 7, now calling themselves S Club due to one of them having left. The music is as irritating as ever.
Track 19: One True Voice – Sacred Trust
Repetitive, uninspired song – this one’s very dull.
Track 20: Kym Marsh – Cry
Appallingly saccharine, twee song. Don’t like this one at all!
Track 21: Ainslie Henderson – Keep Me A Secret
Boring and generic. We’re really getting into the nadir of the talent show era now.
Track 22: Daniel Bedingfield – If You’re Not The One
Awful track – whiny tune, hugely problematic stalker-y theme. It really creeps me out.
Track 23: David Sneddon – Stop Living The Lie
Nice tune, but the vocals leave a lot to be desired.
Track 24: Robbie Williams – Feel
Lovely tune, great atmosphere.
Track 25: Oasis – Songbird
It’s better than other Oasis tracks of this era, but it’s still a bit drone-y.
Track 26: Turin Brakes – Painkiller
Good bit of soft rock – quite like this one.
Track 27: Coldplay – Clocks
The piano instrumental is nice, but I find the rest of the track pretty dull.
Track 28: Lulu and Ronan Keating – We’ve Got Tonight
Painfully bland cheesy ballad. Not my thing.
Track 29: Sugababes – Stronger
Nice atmosphere, good tune. Quite like this track.
Track 30: Beenie Man – Street Life
Good head-nodder, but the tune’s a bit boring.
Track 31: Cam’Ron, Juelz Santana, Freekey Zeekey and Toya – Hey Ma
Oh, it’s this one. Repetitive and tuneless, but I suppose it’s got a good beat.
Track 32: Nelly and Justin Timberlake – Work It
Double repeated artist alert! We’ve already had both Nelly and Justin Timberlake on this Now! compilation.
The track’s okay, but there’s a bit too much going on.
Track 33: Panjabi MC – Mundian To Bach Ke
Absolute classic – brilliant piece of bhangra. Love this tune.
Track 34: Scooter – Weekend!
More daft rave from Scooter, with some insanely irritating chipmunk-tuned vocals in the middle. The rest of the track’s quite danceable.
Track 35: DJ Sammy – The Boys Of Summer
Awful trance cover of the Don Henley classic. Not a fan.
Track 36: Divine Inspiration – The Way (Put Your Hand In My Hand)
More trance. This has got quite a good atmosphere, though.
Track 37: Queen and DJ Vanguard – Flash
‘Not on Spotify’ Type 2: YouTube Pause (TM).
Semi-cover of the 1980 classic with lots of repetitive hi-hat over the top. It kind of loses the epic atmosphere of the original.
Track 38: Erasure – Solsbury Hill
Good to see Erasure back in the charts for the ’00s, especially as they sound exactly like they did in the ’80s. This is a nice synthpop cover of the Peter Gabriel song.
Track 39: The Mock Turtles – Can You Dig It? [Fatboy Slim and Simon Thornton 2003 Remix]
Nice feelgood soft rock song, quite like this one.
Track 40: Counting Crows and Vanessa Carlton – Big Yellow Taxi
Pointless cover of the Joni Mitchell classic, but it’s a good song whoever does it (well, maybe I wouldn’t be saying that if it were one of DJ Sammy’s trance covers, but you know what I mean).
Track 41: Richard Ashcroft – Science Of Silence
Dull, drone-y track, but it’s at least more upbeat than most of Richard Ashcroft’s stuff.
Track 42: Massive Attack and Sinéad O’Connor – Special Cases
Love the slightly spooky atmosphere on this one – great track.