29 March 2003 I don't remember 'Tonight' by Westlife. However, I see that it was only number one for a week; clearly 'Tonight' didn't land the same pop-cultural clout as those other Westlife chart-toppers you love. This means it's more likely I didn't know 'Tonight' in the first place. So, my long-standing modus operandi in … Continue reading Westlife – ‘Tonight’
Christina Aguilera – ‘Beautiful’
1 March 2003 Being from Kerry, I've never been burdened with false modesty or even true modesty. Still, I've read somewhere that the rest of you need a boost to team morale from time to time. I'm especially mindful that there's a whole military-industrial-fashion-cosmetic complex out there whose sole purpose is to make women and … Continue reading Christina Aguilera – ‘Beautiful’
T.A.T.u. – ‘All The Things She Said’
1 February 2003 Let's be clear: no one for a minute thought that T.A.T.u. and 'All The Things She Said' was any sort of considered, supportive depiction of real-world same-sex relationships. It was a Russian record producer called Ivan Shapovalov getting two young singers, aged 17 and 19 at the time, to cosplay as the … Continue reading T.A.T.u. – ‘All The Things She Said’
Girls Aloud – ‘Sound Of The Underground’
11 January 2003 Girls Aloud are the best pop group of this century, and the string of '00s singles they had with the writer-producer team of Xenomania is the most thrilling run of chart hits since '80s Madonna and Prince. 'Biology': the song with four choruses! 'Call The Shots' and 'Can't Speak French': worthy of … Continue reading Girls Aloud – ‘Sound Of The Underground’
Eminem – ‘Lose Yourself’
7 December 2002 'Lose Yourself' is Eminem's second Irish Christmas number one in just three years. I like to think of nostalgic Irish families tucking into Christmas dinner, then gathering around the festive fireplace, all to the seasonal good cheer of this and 'Stan' plus a few slur-laden bars of 'Fairytale Of New York'. Peace … Continue reading Eminem – ‘Lose Yourself’
Christina Aguilera ft. Redman – ‘Dirrty’
30 November 2002 The real controversy surrounding the video for Christina Aguilera's 'Dirrty' arose in Thailand, where it was noticed that some background scenery posters referred to stereotypical Thai associations with underage sex tourism. Meanwhile, in the foreground, the main issue for many folk was that to their sensitive eyes Aguilera and David LaChapelle's grimy, … Continue reading Christina Aguilera ft. Redman – ‘Dirrty’
Westlife – ‘Unbreakable’
9 November 2002 Didn't we use to have more of these things? This is Westlife's first Irish number one in a year and their only Irish chart-topper of 2002. Maybe their stock-in-trade of wedding anniversary anthems wasn't the best mood music for Saipan-riven Ireland. Anyway, 'Unbreakable' is more of Westlife's usual boil-in-the-bag overwrought boyband balladry. … Continue reading Westlife – ‘Unbreakable’
Nelly ft. Kelly Rowland – ‘Dilemma’
19 October 2002 As a player who has several plus-ones on the go, I find a mail merge spreadsheet template an invaluable labour-saving and time-management tool to keep all my plates spinning and my squeezes keen: "Hiya {{term of affection}} hope ur keeping that fine {{part of body}} warm for some {{physical interaction}} {{day of … Continue reading Nelly ft. Kelly Rowland – ‘Dilemma’
Las Ketchup – ‘Aserejé (The Ketchup Song)’
12 October 2002 Hands up: who heard this and as a result assumed 'aserejé' was Spanish for a tomato? And up goes my hand. It's actually just a made-up word that runs together a few well-known anglophone pop vocalisms: "I said a-hey" and the like. To be precise, it's the character in the song, a … Continue reading Las Ketchup – ‘Aserejé (The Ketchup Song)’
Avril Lavigne – ‘Complicated’
28 September 2002 I recall hearing quite a few people at the time using the epithet 'anti-Britney' about Avril Lavigne's 'Complicated'. Two decades later, here's where I get to say: not so fast. Yes, there was a space in the early '00s for a young female singer who wasn't presenting sexualised content in sexualised wrapping. … Continue reading Avril Lavigne – ‘Complicated’
