15 November 2003 'Me Against The Music' was Madonna's first Irish number one in 14 years, since 'Like A Prayer' in 1989. (Yes, that means Madonna had no number one singles in Ireland in the '90s.) In the grand scheme of things this doesn't mean much by itself; she had four UK number ones in … Continue reading Britney Spears ft. Madonna – ‘Me Against The Music’
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Fatman Scoop ft. The Crooklyn Clan – ‘Be Faithful’
8 November 2003 I've waded through enough of the Outhere Brothers, Eminem and Shaggy at number one to know that any single which comes in a 'clean' and a 'dirty' version will attract a certain clientele. 'Be Faithful' in dirty mode makes liberal use, in one of its many exuberant chant-along refrains, of the world's … Continue reading Fatman Scoop ft. The Crooklyn Clan – ‘Be Faithful’
The Black Eyed Peas – ‘Where Is The Love?’
6 September 2003 One of the fonder memories of my '00s and '10s in Paris is being in the starting area of various marathons and half-marathons when the sound system invariably dropped some Black Eyed Peas, to which hundreds of keyed-up pre-race French runners around me would groan a pained "aww mer-de!" As music criticism … Continue reading The Black Eyed Peas – ‘Where Is The Love?’
Blu Cantrell ft. Sean Paul – ‘Breathe’
23 August 2003 Sean Paul's breakthrough hit 'Get Busy' had only reached no. 14 in the Irish charts earlier in 2003. However, it was a massive US number one and drove a mainstream surge in the Diwali Riddim—that distinctive handclapping beat—and dancefloor in general. It also serves as groundwork for the arrival of a new … Continue reading Blu Cantrell ft. Sean Paul – ‘Breathe’
XTM – ‘Fly On The Wings Of Love’
9 August 2003 Well, this is cheeky. Mickey Harte's 2003 Irish Eurovision entry and number one 'We've Got The World' was noticed to have a similar chorus melody to the 2000 Eurovision winner, 'Fly On The Wings Of Love' (or as it was known in my house, 'Wings On The Fly Of Love') by the … Continue reading XTM – ‘Fly On The Wings Of Love’
Beyoncé – ‘Crazy In Love’
12 July 2003 I think you'll agree Beyoncé's debut solo single was nothing special. A rather pedestrian soul-R&B throwback, it hardly set the world alight, did it? Who listens to it now, or even remembers it? As a launchpad to next-level superstardom, it was underwhelming. But anyway, that's enough about 'Work It Out', a 2002 … Continue reading Beyoncé – ‘Crazy In Love’
Ronan Tynan and Rita Connolly – ‘May We Never Have To Say Goodbye’
28 June 2003 Normally the Olympics or Paralympics are hosted by a single city. However, the 2003 Special Olympics was hosted by Ireland, and it was definitely hosted by the whole country. Nearly every town seemed to be the billet of a national team and its entourage; my home of Tralee welcomed El Salvador. I … Continue reading Ronan Tynan and Rita Connolly – ‘May We Never Have To Say Goodbye’
Mickey Harte – ‘We’ve Got The World’
3 May 2003 I remember a lot of genuine good will for Mickey Joe Harte and 'We've Got The World'. (The single and the Eurovision entry are credited to Mickey Harte. Perhaps the colloquial 'Joe' was considered infra dig for those formalities, or the domestic distinction from the Gaelic football manager of the same name … Continue reading Mickey Harte – ‘We’ve Got The World’
50 Cent – ‘In Da Club’
26 April 2003 'Fairytale Of New York' fans: the original version of 50 Cent's 'In Da Club' features the same homophobic f-slur that you insist on defending every Christmas, but the radio edit I'm posting in the video below doesn't include it. This is the kind of 'woke' thing I know drives you ballistic. Will … Continue reading 50 Cent – ‘In Da Club’
Simon Casey – ‘A Better Plan’
5 April 2003 Wow! You people of Ireland 2003 must have really loved your Eurovision, to say that the runner-up of the national final got to number one! Well, context: 2003 was the year Eurosong became You're A Star, an Irish solution to the Irish problem of how to domesticate the new TV reality talent … Continue reading Simon Casey – ‘A Better Plan’
