25 October 2007 Insofar as any pop music analysis can be methodologically sound, I remember having a lightbulb moment at a small local gig in November 2007. There, I heard the support act—a hipster guy with a ukulele, naturally—play their version of 'Bleeding Love', then number one in the charts. Ironic or condescending cover versions … Continue reading Leona Lewis – ‘Bleeding Love’ →

27 September 2007 The final three months of 2007 see the Irish number one spot taken by three winners of The X Factor in a row, making it four Irish chart-toppers for UK TV talent show winners that year alone. And there'll be three more in 2008 and four in 2009. To put that in … Continue reading Shayne Ward – ‘If That’s OK With You’ →

30 August 2007 Content warning: self-harm. Regular readers will recall me mentioning how I spent a good part of the '00s and '10s living in Paris. One of the novelties of French music radio and TV was that they'd air the sweary version of English-language hits uncensored. For instance, I'd be hunting-gathering in my local … Continue reading Sean Kingston – ‘Beautiful Girls’ →

26 July 2007 Helping the grammar police with their enquiries here: superstar US electro-R&B producer Timbaland and singer-writer Keri Hilson, plus in the video (below) additional verses by rapper D.O.E. and Timbaland's brother Sebastian. That's a whole lot of people not to catch a typo. In fairness, though, that title is smart: it jolts this … Continue reading Timbaland ft. Keri Hilson – ‘The Way I Are’ →