5 April 2007 With its cheerleader-chanting vocals and clapping rhythms, topped with a prominent "you're so fine", 'Girlfriend' certainly owes a tip of the metaphorical hat to Toni Basil's 1981 smash hit 'Mickey'. However, it was a late-'70s US power pop band called The Rubinoos who went lawyer-side at its similarities to the chorus of … Continue reading Avril Lavigne – ‘Girlfriend’
Author: Aidan Curran
The Fray – ‘How To Save A Life’
29 March 2007 There's a whole sub-genre of '00s landfill indie and alt-rock that soundtracked deathbed scenes in Grey's Anatomy. If you, a Grey's Anatomy character, caught the swelling strains of Snow Patrol's 'Chasing Cars', for instance, you weren't much longer for this world. 'How To Save A Life', title irony and all, is another … Continue reading The Fray – ‘How To Save A Life’
21 Demands – ‘Give Me A Minute’
22 March 2007 A lot has changed since 2007 - for instance, you now know 21 Demands by a different name. However, in 2007 a lot had already changed too. 21 Demands came to prominence that year as the runner-up in the latest series of You're A Star, which by now had recused itself from … Continue reading 21 Demands – ‘Give Me A Minute’
Mika – ‘Grace Kelly’
1 February 2007 There are two kinds of people in the world: those who like Queen, and those who'd sooner listen to roadworks. I'm in the latter, correct camp. Mika is clearly in the former: aside from name-checking Freddie Mercury, he could just as well have named this whole Freddie-style flamboyant piano-driven track after him … Continue reading Mika – ‘Grace Kelly’
Leona Lewis – ‘A Moment Like This’
21 December 2006 Here's another example of British TV dominating Ireland's pop-cultural marketplace: the X Factor winner's single was now as much an automatic Irish chart event as a UK one. And lest you think this was all just enthusiastic Irish boyband balladry fans lapping up the Irish boyband balladry style whatever the source, the … Continue reading Leona Lewis – ‘A Moment Like This’
Akon ft. Eminem – ‘Smack That’
23 November 2006 Let's see who's treating us to more of toxic cash cow Eminem at the top of our charts. Akon's most recent 2023 appearance in the marketplace of ideas was with his reductive views on the unequal role of women in African society, garnished with his innovative biological theory that women are nice-to-haves … Continue reading Akon ft. Eminem – ‘Smack That’
Westlife – ‘The Rose’
16 November 2006 Westlife released a version of 'The Rose'? Of course Westlife released a version of 'The Rose'. That song has been performed at weddings, folk masses and other religious family occasions since its inception, and Westlife by the mid-'00s were pretty much specialising in singles for first dances and last rites. Their video … Continue reading Westlife – ‘The Rose’
U2 and Green Day – ‘The Saints Are Coming’
9 November 2006 I had to double-check the dates: Hurricane Katrina was in August 2005 and the U2-Green Day collaboration tops our chart in November 2006. So, this charity single makes landfall over a year after the actual disaster (natural and man-made, or at least man-exacerbated) hit the people of New Orleans. I see, however, … Continue reading U2 and Green Day – ‘The Saints Are Coming’
Beyoncé – ‘Irreplaceable’
26 October 2006 Hot on the heels of "I'm bringing sexy back" we have another unlikely viral pop-cultural catchphrase of 2006. There's a good chance you didn't recognise Beyoncé's 'Irreplaceable' by name but know it instead as the iconic "To the left! To the left!" The rest of the song? Not so memorable. 'Irreplaceable' feels … Continue reading Beyoncé – ‘Irreplaceable’
Justin Timberlake – ‘SexyBack’
31 August 2006 In what's surely a salutary lesson to social media managers everywhere, the most viral pop-cultural catchphrase of 2006 turned out to be the unlikely "I'm bringing sexy back". Its blend of total conviction, wilful meaninglessness and the bantz trigger-word 'sexy' just seemed to hit a sweet spot, at least with radio DJs … Continue reading Justin Timberlake – ‘SexyBack’
