30 June 2001 Moulin Rouge was the movie hit of 2001. I remember being duly impressed by its opulent spectacle—the trademark of its director and former Irish number one act Baz Luhrmann—and its playful postmodernism. Less impressive was its reliance on the tired old plotline of a lead female character as male sexual possession, male … Continue reading Christina Aguilera, Lil’ Kim, Mya and Pink ft. Missy Elliott – ‘Lady Marmalade’ →

2 June 2001 'Better than 'It Wasn't Me'' is a pitifully low bar to clear, so it's a blessed relief to find that Shaggy's follow-up doesn't go for the same leery sexism and cretinous misogyny. Faint praise, I know. 'Better than UB40' should also be easy clearance for any serious reggae track - or so … Continue reading Shaggy ft. Rayvon – ‘Angel’ →

5 May 2001 Quentin Crisp had a brilliant quip in his autobiography The Naked Civil Servant about the effects of the Wall Street Crash on the London cityscape: "The sky was dark with millionaires throwing themselves out of windows." Could erstwhile Girl Power idealogue Geri Halliwell have had something similar in mind when choosing 'It's … Continue reading Geri Halliwell – ‘It’s Raining Men’ →

28 April 2001 A chart year or two from here, we'll have two UK girl groups—I've not seen the passport of all members to say otherwise—who each serve up hit after hit of sensational cutting-edge pop, right up there with the best music of the '00s. Placed beside them, S Club 7 feel like a … Continue reading S Club 7 – ‘Don’t Stop Movin” →

21 April 2001 Drama! Yes, about Destiny's Child's immediate past—three departed members in acrimonious circumstances, plus “You thought I wouldn’t sell without you, sold nine million”—but also their immediate future. Much like George Michael as Wham!'s want-away star in the '80s, Beyoncé's solo superstardom was in 2001 a matter of when, not if. This phase … Continue reading Destiny’s Child – ‘Survivor’ →

10 March 2001 This cover of Billy Joel's 1983 Irish number one was the official single for the 2001 iteration of the UK's Comic Relief, which once again makes me shake my head in wonder at the English sense of humour. I suppose since it's for charity I have to follow the lead of the … Continue reading Westlife – ‘Uptown Girl’ →

3 March 2001 'It Wasn't Me' was only number one in Ireland for a week, but it then stayed at number two for the next seven weeks. This helps explain why you couldn't escape it in early 2001. And escape it is exactly what I wanted to do. I hated its sexism and misogyny: ha … Continue reading Shaggy ft. RikRok – ‘It Wasn’t Me’ →

24 February 2001 I had remembered the catchy R&B-pop chorus of 'Always Come Back To Your Love'. However, I had forgotten its rotten key change, like a carbon monoxide alarm going off mid-record. Maybe the lesson here is: never go back. Prior to that dampening of my enthusiasm, I was quite enjoying my reacquaintance with … Continue reading Samantha Mumba – ‘Always Come Back To Your Love’ →

17 February 2001 Kerry Katona still features on the record and in the sleeve photo (above) for 'Whole Again' but she had left Atomic Kitten by the time it topped the charts in the UK and Ireland. Her replacement, Jenny Frost, appears in the re-shot video below. Also a previous member was Heidi Range, but … Continue reading Atomic Kitten – ‘Whole Again’ →

10 February 2001 In February 2001 Fred Durst was 30 years old and the Senior Vice President of A&R at Interscope Records. He was also the lead singer-rapper of Limp Bizkit, in which role he shouted whiny, moronic, aggressive lyrics while wearing the sort of red baseball cap now permanently sweat-stuck on the Neanderthal crania … Continue reading Limp Bizkit – ‘Rollin’ (Air Raid Vehicle)’ →