Here is the Top 40 in full.
Obviously some of the records will be the same as last week so therefore the review will be the same for these. I've indicated which ones are new so you can skip the others if you read last weeks post.
Once again my opinions are inevitably going to differ from other people, but I'm not trying to convince anyone something is good or rubbish, I'm simply giving my opinion.
So this is the top 20 from this week in 1999 with my verdict on each record:
20. 'N Sync - Tearin' Up My Heart
This was originally released in 1997 but only made number 40. The follow up "I Want You Back" didn't even make the Top 40. Then "I Want You Back" was re-issued in 1999 and made the Top 10, and then this was re-issued and also made the Top 10. On hearing both of these songs, I thought they were both by the Backstreet Boys. One day one of these songs came on and someone told me they're trying to sound like the Backstreet Boys, I asked who they were and that's how I first heard of N Sync. Perhaps the reason I thought it was the Backstreet Boys was because both songs were written by Max Martin, who also wrote "I Want I That Way" amongst other Backstreet Boys songs. It basically follows that American boy band formula, made in Sweden.
Verdict - OK
19. Lauryn Hill - Everything Is Everything (New)
The third and final hit from "The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill" and perhaps the least remembered of the three, certainly the lowest charting one. That said, such was the success of the album perhaps the many owners of the album didn't feel the need to buy this single as well. The song features a then relatively unknown John Legend on the piano, but don't let that put you off, it's a good song.
Verdict - OK
18. Shanks And Bigfoot - Sweet Like Chocolate
During the mid to late 90s it was all about House and Garage, but then in 1999 it was all about House and Trance. The "Kiss in Ibiza 99" compilation had a House CD and a Trance CD, the House CD contained the Garage tune "Straight From the Heart" by Doolally. That's despite the fact Doolally, who were now known as Shanks & Bigfoot, had a number one Garage record with "Sweet Like Chocolate". I like UK Garage and a like a lot of the commercial stuff, but this ones a bit too cheesy for my liking, but I guess it's not bad.
Verdict - OK
17. A1 - Be The First To Believe
Here we have the debut hit from boy band A1. There seemed to be a lot of boy bands establishing themselves at the time it was difficult to remember who was who. This was memorable though as the chorus seemed to rip off "Cuddly Toy" by Roachford.
Verdict - Rubbish
16. Savage Garden - The Animal Song (New)
Savage Garden, the 80s group of the late 90s. I liked the one about the moon and the one about Cherry Cola and bought the album and aside from the soppy ballads it was a fun 80s style album. I was therefore looking forward to their new single. This was it and to be honest it didn't have much of an impact, it's ok but let's just say I didn't buy the second album. Then again I didn't need to, a few years later I met my wife who owns the album.
Verdict - OK
15. Gouryella - Gouryella (New)
My first impression of this tune was that it sounds a lot like "Out of the Blue" by System F. Later on I discovered there's a good reason for that, Gouryella and System F are both the same person, Ferry Corsten. I would say I prefer "Out of the Blue" but I still like this one.
Verdict - Good
14. Melanie G - Word Up (New)
Melanie G is Mel B from the Spice Girls who had changed her surname after getting married. A Spice Girl covering an 80s song, sounds bloody awful, and it is.
Verdict - Rubbish
13. Semisonic - Secret Smile (New)
I associate this record with a day out in Lincoln in 1999, I can't remember if I heard it on a listening post in a record shop or heard it being played out loud in a record shop. Quite why I remember this song as opposed to anything else I heard that day I don't know because I've never liked it. I do also remember buying "Illumina" by Alisha's Attic and a Happy Hardcore compilation on the same day though.
Verdict - Rubbish
12. Adam Rickitt - I Breathe Again
When a soap actor starts a music career you can pretty much guarantee the music will be dreadful. When Coronation Street actor Adam Rickitt released this his debut single it was as expected.
Verdict - Rubbish
11. Blur - Coffee And TV
This is perhaps the last Blur single that's remembered by the masses. Amazingly though it never made the Top 10. After jointly providing lead vocals with Damon Albarn on "Tender", guitarist Graham Coxon was the lead vocalist on this track. Not my cup of tea though, or should that be cup of coffee?
Verdict - Rubbish
10. Madonna - Beautiful Stranger
As mentioned previously, I went through a period of my life where I wouldn't listen to anything that wasn't Rave but by this period I'd opened myself up to all sorts of different styles of music. Despite this there were still certain artists I'd be reluctant to like songs of, and Madonna was one of those. But even at the time I had to admit this tune is brilliant. I guess the involvement of William Orbit helped a bit. The intro sounds vaguely similar to "Light My Fire" by the Doors, a band I really got into later on that year. Maybe this tune helped with that.
Verdict - Good
9. Jennifer Lopez - If You Had My Love
The debut hit for Jennifer Lopez. There was a lot of talk at the time about whether she should be doing music having made her name as an actress. Given the general quality of music coming from those in the acting profession that's understandable, but this actually isn't bad. When a radio show was asking for listeners opinions on Jennifer Lopez doing music, one quoted the Whitney Houston song "It's Not Right But It's Okay". Ironically both the Whitney Houston song and this song were written by Rodney Jerkins and LaShawn Daniels.
Verdict - OK
8. Shania Twain - That Don't Impress Me Much
The song title pretty much sums up how I feel about this song. This was the fourth Top 40 hit from her Country/Pop crossover album "Come On Over". The first three singles didn't really sound Country at all to me, but this sums up everything bad about Country Pop.
Verdict - Rubbish
7. Britney Spears - Sometimes
A teenage love ballad sung from a teenage girls perspective, written by a 36 year old bloke from Sweden.
Verdict - OK
6. Lolly - Viva La Radio (New)
I could have sworn the debut hit from Lolly was her cover of "Mickey" but it wasn't, it was this. I do specifically remember "Mickey" being later on in the year, which I'll come onto when we reach that song, but I always had this down as the follow up. Anyway, cheesy Europop by a singer from Birmingham who went on to become a kids TV presenter.
Verdict - Rubbish
5. S Club 7 - Bring It All Back
The debut hit for S Club 7 and the number one question I had was does there really need to be 7 people singing it? I thought that 4 or 5 "singers" in a pop group was a bit excessive, but 7? Predictably for a manufactured pop group who had their own kids TV show it was shit.
Verdict - Rubbish
4. Whitney Houston - My Love Is Your Love
This Wyclef Jean penned song is actually quite clever. It's impossible to listen to this without thinking about "No Woman No Cry" by Bob Marley. Yet when you try and sing "No Woman No Cry" along with this in your head you find these sudden changes that stop it from being a blatant rip off, even though it kind of is. It's hard to look past the fact it's not as good as the song that inspires it, but then if that song didn't exist I wouldn't hesitate to call it good.
Verdict - Good
3. Vengaboys - Boom, Boom, Boom, Boom!!
The night before this charted at number one, I was in a bar where I heard this for the first time and someone informed me it was the new Vengaboys song. Given the history of cheesy euro acts releasing the record every knows them for, followed by a record that sounds the same, followed by fading into obscurity, I assumed the Vengaboys would do the same. Instead they had their first number one, I felt the same as I did when I realised the Spice Girls weren't going to be a one hit wonder.
Verdict - Rubbish
2. Will Smith ft Dru Hill - Wild Wild West (New)
I like Dru Hill, I've seen them in concert. I therefore find it a bit of a shame that their biggest UK hit was a collaboration with Will Smith. This was taken from a film of the same name that Will Smith was in. I once read an article about rappers who went on to act in films. On Will Smith, they said "he became so successful at acting in films that he stopped rapping, at least that's what we wish he did". That pretty much sums this up.
Verdict - Rubbish
1. ATB - 9PM (Till I Come)
This was so overplayed at the time I couldn't stand it. Everywhere you'd go someone would be singing that riff. However once it stopped being played all the time and I'd listen to it on occasion as the opening track on the Trance CD on "Kiss in Ibiza 99" I realised that I actually like it.
Verdict - Good
If we give the records which were good 1 point each and those which were OK half a point, the final score is 7/20, or 35%. The worst week so far.
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