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’
Westlife – ‘Tonight’
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’
Irish Number Ones 