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’
Tag: 2003
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’
