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. Lolly - Mickey
I first came across the song itself when Wayne and Cassandra were singing it on "Wayne's World". This would have presumably been the Toni Basil version rather than this cover. This was the 2nd hit from Lolly and I remember hearing this down the pub multiple times one night and getting really irritated with it.
Verdict - Rubbish
19. DJ Jean - The Launch
I like the riff in this one, which is just as well given it's repeated over and over again. However what makes this tune is the beats, in particular the bit just before the drop. There's no big breakdown in this, just several mini ones and I think there needs to be so you can hear more of that beat before the drop.
Verdict - Good
18. Melanie C - Goin' Down
This is the lead single from the debut solo album of Melanie C. It sounds like she's trying to be different to the Spice Girls, going for more of a rock sound instead of the bubblegum pop of the Spice Girls. However this was written by the same team of people who wrote several of the Spice Girls big hits including "Wannabe". That said, I guess it does still sound different to the Spice Girls, but that doesn't mean it's any good.
Verdict - Rubbish
17. James - Just Like Fred Astaire (New)
When Brit Pop became a thing in the mid-90s the chart career of many Madchester/Baggy bands had come to an end or the end was near. One band that did survive though was James and here they are still charting after the decline of Brit Pop as well. This turned out to be their penultimate Top 40 single, it's not bad but they definitely had better ones.
Verdict - OK
16. Gabrielle - Sunshine
One thing I remember about the year 2000 in music was the big comeback of Gabrielle, but that comeback came in late 1999 with this. I probably associate it more with the year 2000 because her following single "Rise" made number one in 2000. This was the lead single off the same album, it's alright but nothing I'd go out of my way to listen to.
Verdict - OK
15. Adam Rickitt - Everything My Heart Desires (New)
Here's Nick from Coronation Street with his second single. I don't think it's very well remembered but when he appeared on the Big Reunion this was the song that sprang to mind as opposed to "I Breathe Again". It's written by the same Danish producers who produced Aqua's debut album which tells you everything you need to know.
Verdict - Rubbish
14. Vengaboys - We're Going To Ibiza!
Thanks to this record, on more than one occasion after telling someone we're going to Ibiza I've had the response "Woah!". I guess at the time there was a lot of hype about Ibiza, Spanish influenced music and the Vengaboys which was the perfect recipe to get this to number one. That doesn't take away the fact it was bloody awful though.
Verdict - Rubbish
13. Bob Marley Vs Funkstar De Luxe - Sun Is Shining
If you want to make a Dance record which is a rip off of an older song this is the way to do it. What probably helps here is that it was quite an obscure Bob Marley record before this makeover so you would probably have to be a Bob Marley fan to have known it in the first place. Great tune.
Verdict - Good
12. The Charlatans - Forever (New)
I knew the Charlatans chart career was still going by the late 90s but didn't think it was still going in 1999. Turns out it lasted until 2006. Like with most Charlatans songs this is boring as fuck.
Verdict - Rubbish
11. Eurythmics - I Saved The World Today (New)
The 90s began with the Eurythmics splitting up and ended with them getting back together. My thoughts on this record at the time was that it didn't sound at all like 80s Eurythmics, but now I know they experimented in the 80s too, they didn't always stick to the same formula. Once you get over the disappointment of the lack of synthesizers though it's quite a good record.
Verdict - Good
10. Macy Gray - I Try
When I first heard this I imagined the singer to be in her 50s. She actually is now, but at the time she was only 32. I thought it was alright initially but then it quickly got irritating. On paper it shouldn't be a bad song, it's original, it's soulful and it certainly isn't boring but for some reason it just bugs me.
Verdict - Rubbish
9. Lou Bega - Mambo No 5 (A Little Bit Of...)
Lou Bega is one half of Masters at Work alongside Kenny Dope...oh hang on, this is Lou Bega not Louie Vega. That's right, when I first heard this I thought how could Louie Vega release such crap until I realised it was Bega not Vega. This was so popular that it managed to peak at 31 the week before on import sales alone so it was inevitably getting to number one when it officially got released. It's bloody awful though.
Verdict - Rubbish
8. Britney Spears - (You Drive Me) Crazy
After debuting with a song written by a Swedish bloke and following up with a song written by another Swedish bloke, the 3rd single for Britney Spears was written by those 2 Swedish blokes along with another 2 Swedish blokes. The result is something that sounds very American, and crap.
Verdict - Rubbish
7. S Club 7 - S Club Party
The Swedes were having a successful year as songwriters in the charts in 1999, but now was the turn of the Norwegians. Specifically we are talking about Stargate who are still having hits as songwriters today. This was their first major hit and it was the 2nd single for S Club 7. As it's basically introducing the band I would have thought it would be more appropriate for them to have it as their first single, or even better for them to not have it as a single at all.
Verdict - Rubbish
6. Shania Twain - Man! I Feel Like A Woman!
Oh dear, this is just dreadful. I guess she was successful with the equally dreadful "That Don't Impress Me Much" so thought more of the same.
Verdict - Rubbish
5. Jordan Knight - Give It To You (New)
It had been 5 years since New Kids on the Block called it a day, but this was the only time we'd see any of it's members have a solo Top 40 hit. Further to that, it had been 8 years since we'd last seen New Kids on the Block in the Top 10. Despite this, Jordan Knight was still only 29. It was written by Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis alongside a then unknown Robin Thicke. On paper it sounds like it should be stuck in the 80s given the artist, writers and freestyle chorus, but somehow it doesn't sound out of place in 1999.
Verdict - OK
4. B*Witched - Jesse Hold On (New)
The first B*Witched record not to top the charts (excluding collaborations). About time if you ask me.
Verdict - Rubbish
3. Eiffel 65 - Blue (Da Ba Dee)
This had already been played to death by the time it charted. I remember listening to the Top 40 the week it topped the charts but turned the radio off once the number one record was announced. It's absolutely terrible.
Verdict - Rubbish
2. Ann Lee - 2 Times (New)
This is very cheesy. It was the debut hit for Ann Lee who had previously had some success as a songwriter. I always imagined this to be sung by a teenager but turns out Ann Lee was 31 when this was released. Obviously she had learned the formula for selling records. I don't mind this record though.
Verdict - OK
1. Christina Aguilera - Genie In A Bottle (New)
The debut hit for Christina Aguilera. Like with many pop songs by young American artists at the time, this is very American high school sounding, but based on what we've learned about many of these songs, you'd expect it to be written by a Swedish bloke. But not this one, 2 of it's 3 writers are actually American, the other coming from New Zealand. Still, not a record I can say I like.
Verdict - Rubbish
If we give the records which were good 1 point each and those which were OK half a point, the final score is 5/20, or 25%. Only 3 records I actually like.
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