17 March 2005 If, like me, you sometimes have trouble telling your McFlys from your Busteds, that's not necessarily a failing on your part. Tom Fletcher, lead singer of McFly, had auditioned for Busted and was still involved with them behind the scenes when McFly were formed. The two bands remained close personally. Most pertinently, … Continue reading McFly – ‘All About You’ / ‘You’ve Got A Friend’
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Nelly ft. Tim McGraw – ‘Over And Over’
24 February 2005 For all our collective mania-slash-eejitry over Garth Brooks concerts, we've never had much country music at the top of the Irish singles chart. Whether 'Over And Over' counts as country music for its purist fans is another thing. Still, the country side of this collaboration certainly toes the traditional party line. Tim … Continue reading Nelly ft. Tim McGraw – ‘Over And Over’
Jennifer Lopez – ‘Get Right’
17 February 2005 It's funny how sometimes an act's number one singles aren't their best-known tracks. If ever Songs By Jennifer Lopez comes up on Family Fortunes, the big scorers would surely be the likes of 'Jenny From The Block', 'If You Had My Love' and 'Love Don't Cost A Thing', none of which topped … Continue reading Jennifer Lopez – ‘Get Right’
Brian McFadden & Delta Goodrem – ‘Almost Here’
10 February 2005 You can't say Brian McFadden, newly-hatched singer-songwriter, wasn't racking up the chart-topping hits: 'Almost Here' is the fourth Irish number one in two years where he was holding the biro. This one happens to be turbo-charged with the nitro of celebrity gossip, as Brian and Delta were a recently-constituted item at the … Continue reading Brian McFadden & Delta Goodrem – ‘Almost Here’
Zoo – ‘Poison’ / ‘I Believe’
3 February 2005 At the start of 2005 I emigrated. What this means for our Irish number ones over the next eight and a half years—the length of my exile—is that in some cases I won't have my own local context for a home-grown star or Irish pop-cultural trend. Of course, it also means I … Continue reading Zoo – ‘Poison’ / ‘I Believe’
Jay-Z & Linkin Park – ‘Numb/Encore’
6 January 2005 Chester Bennington's sad demise takes the edge off my feelings on Linkin Park. It will suffice for me to say that I wasn't a fan of any '00s US nu-metal bands, or '00s US nu-metal as a genre. Out of fairness, I'll point out that our upcoming 2005 number ones hold far, … Continue reading Jay-Z & Linkin Park – ‘Numb/Encore’
Band Aid 20 – ‘Do They Know It’s Christmas?’
2 December 2004 Here's a sobering thought: at Christmas 2024 we're due a Band Aid 40. Who'll be on it? Who'll sing Bono's Line and why will it be Bono? There's no need to be afraid - right? In the meantime, here's the class of 2004 taking their eyes-closed, face-scrunched, hands-on-the-headphones turn at charity Yuletide … Continue reading Band Aid 20 – ‘Do They Know It’s Christmas?’
Destiny’s Child – ‘Lose My Breath’
18 November 2004 I'm surprised to see Destiny's Child here again at number one in 2004. That's not me being pass-remarkable on their chart-topping power, by the way. I'd simply forgotten they got back together again after their first solo forays. Also, I had misremembered 'Lose My Breath' as a Beyoncé single, perhaps because that … Continue reading Destiny’s Child – ‘Lose My Breath’
U2 – ‘Vertigo’
11 November 2004 Well, this is a pleasant surprise: re-listening to 'Vertigo' now reminds me there's actually stuff about it I really like. In short, it's a U2 song that's genuinely fun. Yeah, I know! Come on now: you have to enjoy Bono's supremely goofy dog-Spanish count-in (translation: "Some! Two! Three! Fourteen!") and Edge's chord-crunching … Continue reading U2 – ‘Vertigo’
Britney Spears – ‘My Prerogative’
4 November 2004 Here's Britney's third Irish number one of 2004, making this in chart-topping terms her most successful year to date. This cover of 'My Prerogative', the new track (and title track) from her greatest hits album, feels of a piece with its predecessor 'Everytime' in that the main event here is the video … Continue reading Britney Spears – ‘My Prerogative’
