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| No matter the music genre, Melanie C gave it a try in 2000 |
From memory, a friend sent a couple of care packages containing a few episodes of TOTP and CD:UK over on video. Who could've known that in just a few short years both programs would be no more and there'd be much easier ways to keep tabs on British music.
We're up to my top 25 for 2000 - and British pop acts make up a healthy percentage of this final batch...
Number 25 "Proud" by Heather Small
I always thought this single would have been bigger - but then maybe people really were that sick of M-People, who'd been inescapable for much of the '90s, particularly in the UK. Heather, of course, was the big-voiced singer for the dance act and "Proud" was her first solo effort - a stirring, inspirational song with a soaring chorus that got nowhere near the top of the British singles chart. Although its number 16 peak might have been a disappointment, "Proud" has taken on a life of its own, being used in numerous ad campaigns and TV series ever since. The original video is above, while the clip to coincide with the song's use in the UK's 2012 Olympics bid is below.
Number 24 "Ordinary World" by Aurora featuring Naimee Coleman
They'd been in a number of groups previously - notably Dive and Think Twice (who featured on my top 100 for 1995) - but Aurora was the outfit that gave producers Sacha Collison and Simon Greenaway their first major hit. And, the song that did it was this cover version of Duran Duran's 1993 comeback song, with Aurora giving "Ordinary World" a pop/trance makeover in keeping with the sound of their previous single, "Hear You Calling" (number 75 on this list).
Number 23 "My Love" by Westlife
The Irish quintet were really on a roll, with this lead single from their second album, Coast To Coast, landing them another UK number 1 - their seventh in two years, including "Fool Again (number 98 on this list) and their duet with Mariah Carey on a cover of "Against All Odds".
Like Backstreet Boys and *NSYNC, Westlife were sourcing a lot of their biggest tracks from Sweden's Cheiron hit factory, where the songwriters were positively churning out music. Miraculously, each boy band managed to sound slightly different despite many of the songs having a fairly similar structure and feel.
Westlife's run of number 1s would come to a shuddering halt by the end of 2000 when "What Makes A Man" became their first single to miss the top spot in the UK - and quite rightly so, since it wasn't one of their best and doesn't even rank on my top 200 for the year. Adding insult to injury, the track was beaten to the British Christmas number 1 by Bob The Builder's "Can You Fix It?".
Number 22 "Born To Make You Happy" by Britney Spears
Mentioned below
Number 21 "Spinning Around" by Kylie Minogue
Previously featured here
Number 20 "Movin' Too Fast" by Artful Dodger and Romina Johnson
It had originally been released prior to "Rewind", but "Movin' Too Fast" only became a hit the second time around once Artful Dodger had made a name for themselves (and Craig David). Romina Johnson was one of a handful of hitherto (and thereafter) unknown singers that the 2-step producers featured throughout the year - a list which also included Lifford (on "Please Don't Turn Me On") and Robbie Craig (on "Woman Trouble").
Number 19 "I'm Outta Love" by Anastacia
The highest-selling single of 2000 in Australia, "I'm Outta Love" was the debut release for late bloomer Anastacia - her 31 years of age relatively old compared to all the 17- and 18-year-olds clogging up the charts. Of course, no one knew Anastacia was actually 31 since she lied about her age at the behest of her record label and claimed to be five years younger than she was. I doubt the subterfuge made any difference because "I'm Outta Love" would've been a hit no matter who was singing it (or how old they were) - at least in Australia and Europe, with Anastacia struggling on the charts back in her home country of America.
Number 18 "It's Gonna Be Me" by *NSYNC
Here's an act that did anything but struggle on the US charts in 2000. It was a very good year for the boy band, who dropped the apostrophe, added an asterisk and went all caps. Typographical changes aside, *NSYNC also scored the fastest-selling album of all time in America and landed a slew of hits like this track (their sole US chart-topper), "Bye Bye Bye" (their sole Australian chart-topper and number 28 on this list), UK-only single "I'll Never Stop" (number 31) and obligatory ballad "This I Promise You" (number 193).
Number 17 "I Turn To You" by Melanie C
Her first solo single, "Goin' Down", had a rock edge; follow-up "Northern Star" was a ballad; and, in 2000, Sporty Spice tried her hand at R&B with "Never Be The Same Again" (number 34 on this list) and dance with this track, remixed from her album by Hex Hector. All the genre-jumping paid off with the two singles from 2000 hitting number 1 in the UK and the parent album, Northern Star, becoming the most successful solo project by a Spice Girl - but it did also suggest that Mel didn't quite know what kind of artist she wanted to be.
Number 16 "He Don't Love You" by Human Nature
Previously featured here
Number 15 "Sweet Love 2K" by Fierce
In 1999, they'd released a trio of pop/R&B singles - two of which, "Dayz Like That" and "So Long" just missed my top 100 for the year. So, in 2000, Chantal, Aisha and Sabrina did what any girl group in search of a big hit would do and recorded a cover version. In this case, they took on Anita Baker's Grammy Award-winning single from 1986 and turned the soul ballad into more of a pop track. It worked, giving the girls their biggest hit by far in the UK - but poor albums sales led to the inevitable departure from their label.
Number 14 "On A Night Like This" by Kylie Minogue
Previously featured here
Number 13 "Same Old Brand New You" by a1
Previously featured here
Number 12 "For Sure" by Scooch
Mentioned below
Number 11 "Stronger" by Britney Spears
Mentioned below
Number 10 "Day And Night" by Billie Piper
Her surname was reinstated to suggest the singer of tracks like "Because We Want To" and "Girlfriend" was all grown up - and this lead single from second album Walk Of Life was certainly a world apart from those tween anthems. Now more Britney than Lolly, Billie might actually have settled into a lasting music career, but by the end of 2000 it was all over. Following the release of "Something Deep Inside" (number 44 on this list) and the album's title track, Billie, who has since written about her discomfort with her recording career, decided to give it up and focus on acting instead. It turned out to be a smart move - not only has she become one of Britain's most popular young TV stars but she quit music while she was still on top.
Number 9 "I Want Your Love" by Atomic Kitten
Sampling strings from the theme to western film The Big Country (which had also been heard in "The Only Rhyme That Bites" by MC Tunes vs 808 State in 1990), "I Want Your Love" was Atomic Kitten's third straight top 10 hit in the UK following debut single "Right Now" and "See Ya" (number 85 on this list). Why then, with such a successful start to their career, was the girl group in danger of being dropped by their label before "Whole Again" turned things around in 2001? Well, fourth single "Follow Me" tanked at number 20 and debut album Right Now only just crept into the UK top 40, and due to the costs associated with launching and maintaining pop acts, record companies had little patience with those sorts of performances.
Number 8 "Gotta Tell You" by Samantha Mumba
Like Sugababes, Samantha Mumba was an artist I first saw on one of those videos sent over to me from the UK - and as a result I also pushed TV Hits to let me cover her in the magazine ahead of this debut single being released in Australia. This time, my prediction of a major hit came true with "Gotta Tell You" peaking at number 3 in Australia, one place lower than it had in the UK and one place higher than it would in the US.
Number 7 "Rewind" by Precious
Mentioned in Part 2 and previously featured here
Number 6 "More Than I Needed To Know" by Scooch
The poor man's Steps took advantage of the New Year lull by releasing this track and improving on their top 30 performance with "When My Baby" by scoring a UK top 5 position in January of 2000. Two more singles - "The Best Is Yet To Come" (number 26 on this list) and "For Sure" (number 12) - followed, but then it would be another seven years before the group would return to the charts with the UK's 2007 Eurovision entry, the non-Stock and Aitken camp-tacular "Flying The Flag (For You)".
Number 5 "When I Said Goodbye / Summer Of Love" by Steps
Mentioned below
Number 4 "Deeper Shade Of Blue" by Steps
Mentioned below
Number 3 "Oops!...I Did It Again" by Britney Spears
Proving she was no one-album wonder, Britney wasted no time following up ...Baby One More Time with the equally ellipsis-dependant Oops!...I Did It Again. In fact, this title track was released just two months after "Born To Make You Happy" (number 22 on this list) became the final UK single (and second number 1 there) from her debut album.
With its Titanic-referencing spoken bit and that red catsuit in the video, "Oops!..." quickly became every bit as iconic as her first single - just the other day I stumbled across the Will & Grace episode in which Jack and Grace perform the dance routine from the clip. The track was quickly followed by "Lucky" (number 150 on this list) and "Stronger" (number 11), ensuring Britney was a chart force for the entire year.
Number 2 "Reach" by S Club 7
Album number two for S Club 7 (confusing titled 7, but since the group weren't ever likely to make it to a seventh album, it was probably going to be OK) was kicked off by this perky little number. Their third number 2 hit in a row in the UK, "Reach" was possibly too cheesy for the Australian market and the song only just dented the top 40 here. It was a pretty good year for the group in the UK, though, with subsequent singles "Natural" (number 39 on this list) and "Never Had A Dream Come True" (number 96) maintaining their top 3 strike rate.
Number 1 "Stomp" by Steps
A group who by now were definitely too cheesy for Australia (despite landing some massive hits early on in their career), Steps continued an impressive release rate in the UK with all three of their singles from 2000 hitting the top 5 and "Stomp" giving them their long-awaited second chart-topper. The single featured an homage to Chic's "Everybody Dance" and a thank you message in the CD single artwork in lieu of a writer's credit for Bernard Edwards and Nile Rodgers, since the usage was just different enough to get away with it. Steps' other tracks from 2000 can be seen just above on this list at number 5 ("When I Said Goodbye/The Summer Of Love") and number 4 ("Deeper Shade Of Blue").
My top 200 for 2000 in full:
1 STOMP
Steps
2 REACH
S Club 7
3 OOPS!...I
DID IT AGAIN Britney Spears
4 DEEPER
SHADE OF BLUE Steps
5 WHEN
I SAID GOODBYE / SUMMER OF LOVE Steps
6 MORE
THAN I NEEDED TO KNOW Scooch
7 REWIND
Precious
8 GOTTA
TELL YOU Samantha Mumba
9 I
WANT YOUR LOVE Atomic Kitten
10 DAY AND NIGHT Billie Piper
11 STRONGER Britney Spears
12 FOR SURE Scooch
13 SAME OLD BRAND NEW YOU a1
14 ON A NIGHT LIKE THIS Kylie Minogue
15 SWEET LOVE 2K Fierce
16 HE DON’T LOVE YOU Human Nature
17 I TURN TO YOU Melanie C
18 IT'S GONNA BE ME *NSync
19 I'M OUTTA LOVE Anastacia
20 MOVING TOO FAST Artful Dodger and Romina Johnson
21 SPINNING AROUND Kylie Minogue
22 BORN TO MAKE YOU HAPPY Britney Spears
23 MY LOVE Westlife
24 ORDINARY WORLD Aurora featuring Naimee Coleman
25 PROUD Heather Small
26 THE BEST IS YET TO COME Scooch
27 SAY MY NAME Destiny's Child
28 BYE BYE BYE *NSync
29 WHEN A WOMAN Gabrielle
30 KIDS Robbie Williams / Kylie Minogue
31 I'LL NEVER STOP *NSync
32 GIRLS ON TOP Girl Thing
33 SHAPE OF MY HEART Backstreet Boys
34 NEVER BE THE SAME AGAIN Melanie C featuring Lisa 'Left-eye'
Lopes
35 IT FEELS SO GOOD Sonique
36 DON’T WANT YOU BACK Ellie Campbell
37 SKY Sonique
38 THESE DAYS Bardot
39 NATURAL S Club 7
40 BAG IT UP Geri Halliwell
41 ROME WASN'T BUILT IN A DAY Morcheeba
42 OVERLOAD Sugababes
43 DOESN’T REALLY MATTER Janet Jackson
44 SOMETHING DEEP INSIDE Billie Piper
45 PER SEMPRE AMORE (FOREVER IN LOVE) Lolly
46 ABSOLUTELY EVERYBODY Vanessa Amorosi
47 TOCA'S MIRACLE Fragma
48 THE BEST THING Adam Rickitt
49 ONE MORE TIME Daft Punk
50 DON'T GIVE UP Chicane featuring Bryan Adams
51 GROOVEJET (IF THIS AIN’T LOVE) Spiller
52 FADED souLDecision featuring Thrust
53 PURE SHORES All Saints
54 THE TIME IS NOW Moloko
55 COME ON OVER BABY (ALL I WANT IS YOU) Christina Aguilera
56 WALKING AWAY Craig David
57 SHACKLES (PRAISE YOU) Mary Mary
58 CRAZY LOVE MJ Cole
59 STAND TOUGH Point Break
60 LOVE ON THE NORTHERN LINE Northern Line
61 NEW BEGINNING Precious
62 PLEASE STAY Kylie Minogue
63 THE ONE Backstreet Boys
64 DESIRE Ultra Nate
65 LADY (HEAR ME TONIGHT) Modjo
66 COULD I HAVE THIS KISS FOREVER Whitney Houston & Enrique
Iglesias
67 SHOW ME THE MEANING OF BEING LONELY Backstreet Boys
68 DON’T TELL ME Madonna
69 GIVE ME JUST ONE NIGHT (UNA NOCHE) 98 Degrees
70 DON’T MESS WITH MY MAN Lucy Pearl
71 INDEPENDENT WOMEN PART 1 Destiny’s Child
72 FEEL THE BEAT Darude
73 AROUND THE WORLD (LA LA LA LA LA) ATC
74 WE THINK IT'S LOVE Leah Haywood
75 HEAR YOU CALLING Aurora
76 LUCKY STAR Superfunk featuring Ron Carroll
77 COME AND GET ME Cleopatra
78 ALL AROUND THE WORLD Northern Line
79 WHAT'S A GIRL TO DO sister2sister
80 TELL ME WHY (THE RIDDLE) Paul van Dyk featuring Saint Etienne
81 JUMP DOWN B*Witched
82 NEW BEGINNING Stephen Gately
83 CAN’T FIGHT THE MOONLIGHT LeAnn Rimes
84 IT’S GONNA BE MY WAY Precious
85 SEE YA Atomic Kitten
86 BINGO BANGO Basement Jaxx
87 COFFEE Supersister
88 MUST BE THE MUSIC Joey Negro featuring Taka Boom
89 (JUST) ME & YOU New Vision
90 MUSIC Madonna
91 FREAKYTIME Point Break
92 GLORIOUS Andreas Johnson
93 DANCING IN THE MOONLIGHT Toploader
94 WHERE IS THE LOVE Kamasutra
95 HOLLER / LET LOVE LEAD THE WAY Spice Girls
96 NEVER HAD A DREAM COME TRUE S Club 7
97 DON'T FALTER Mint Royale with Lauren Laverne
98 FOOL AGAIN Westlife
99 FEEL GOOD Madasun
100 BLACK COFFEE All Saints
101 FREEDOM Erasure
102 IN YOUR ARMS (RESCUE ME) Nu Generation
103 YOU USED TO HOLD ME Scott & Leon
104 FREAK LIKE ME Tru Faith & Dub Conspiracy
105 BODY GROOVE Architects featuring Nana
106 MONEY (OLD SKOOL REMIX) Jamelia featuring Beenie Man
107 THE LONELY ONE Alice Deejay
108 SANDSTORM Darude
109 HE WASN'T MAN ENOUGH Toni Braxton
110 DON’T THINK I’M NOT Kandi
111 I’M OVER YOU Martine McCutcheon
112 STOP PLAYING WITH MY MIND Darryl D’Bonneau featuring Barbara
Tucker
113 SOMETHING ABOUT THE MUSIC Da Slammin Phrogz
114 HAMMER TO THE HEART Tamperer featuring Maya
115 BREATHLESS The Corrs
116 GIRLS LIKE US B-15 Project featuring Chrissy D & Lady G
117 SUMMER MOVED ON a-ha
118 YOU ONLY TELL ME YOU LOVE ME WHEN YOU'RE DRUNK Pet Shop Boys
119 TAKE ON ME a1
120 IT'S MY TURN Angelic
121 DON'T WANNA LET YOU GO Five
122 MOVE YOUR BODY Eiffel 65
123 JUST AROUND THE HILL Sash! featuring Tina Cousins
124 HOLDING ON Heather Small
125 MY FEELING Junior Jack
126 I GOT THIS FEELING Baby Bumps
127 I BELIEVE Stephen Gately
128 IRRESISTIBLE The Corrs
129 BE WITH YOU Enrique Iglesias
130 WE ARE ALIVE Paul van Dyk
131 SO REAL Mandy Moore
132 IMAGINE / ASYLUM REMIX Shola Ama
133 PLEASE DON’T TURN ME ON Artful Dodger featuring Lifford
134 DON'T YOU WORRY Madasun
135 PRIVATE EMOTION Ricky Martin & Meja
136 I WANNA BE WITH YOU Mandy Moore
137 JUMPIN’, JUMPIN’ Destiny’s Child
138 IT’S MY LIFE Bon Jovi
139 FEELIN’ SO GOOD Jennifer Lopez
140 I NEED YOUR LOVIN’ (LIKE THE SUNSHINE) Marc Et Claude
141 WOMAN TROUBLE Artful Dodger with Robbie Craig featuring Craig
David
142 BE YOURSELF Morcheeba
143 FLOWERS Sweet Female Attitude
144 BECAUSE OF YOU Scanty Sandwich
145 I SINGS Mary Mary featuring BBJ
146 WEEKENDS The Black Eyed Peas
147 SING-A-LONG Shanks & Bigfoot
148 GIVE ME YOU Mary J Blige
149 FOLLOW ME Atomic Kitten
150 LUCKY Britney Spears
151 YOU Point Break
152 THE POWER OF LOVE (ROB SEARLE REMIX) Frankie Goes To Hollywood
153 EX-GIRLFRIEND No Doubt
154 FREESTLYER Bomfunk MCs
155 CHAINED TO YOU Savage Garden
156 IF I TOLD YOU THAT Whitney Houston & George Michael
157 BODY TO BODY Samantha Mumba
158 SWEETEST SOUL SENSATIONS Lightning Seeds
159 THE FACTS OF LIFE Black Box Recorder
160 PASILDA Afro Medusa
161 SUMMER OF LOVE Lonyo aka Comme Ci Comme Ca
162 COMING AROUND Travis
163 FILL ME IN Craig David
164 DO IT TO ME AGAIN Soulsearcher
165 ACHILLES HEEL Toploader
166 GENERATOR Foo Fighters
167 O.T.B. (ON THE BEACH) York
168 (WELCOME) TO THE DANCE Des Mitchell
169 WON'T TAKE IT LYIN' DOWN Honeyz
170 MY HEART GOES BOOM (LA DI DA DA) French Affair
171 LIFE STORY Angie Stone
172 RISE Gabrielle
173 TRY AGAIN Aaliyah
174 CALL ME Jamelia
175 KILLER 2000 ATB
176 THE BAD TOUCH The Bloodhound Gang
177 LET ME BE YOUR FANTASY (REMIX) Baby D featuring MC Tails
178 I FEEL FOR YOU Bob Sinclar
179 OUT OF YOUR MIND Truesteppers and Dane Bowers featuring Victoria
Beckham
180 SUNSHINE ON A RAINY DAY Christine Anu
181 SUPREME Robbie Williams
182 NOTHING TO FEAR Tina Cousins
183 DON’T THINK OF ME Dido
184 NATURAL BLUES Moby
185 LET’S GET LOUD Jennifer Lopez
186 JUMP TO LOVE Christine Anu
187 U GOT IT Cleopatra
188 2 FACED Louise
189 IN DEMAND Texas
190 BABYLON David Gray
191 WILL I EVER Alice Deejay
192 SHOULD I STAY? Gabrielle
193 BE THERE WITH YOU Human Nature
194 THIS I PROMISE YOU *NSync
195 I WISH Carl Thomas
196 BREATHE AND STOP Q-Tip
197 BUGGIN True Steppers featuring Dane Bowers
198 7 DAYS Craig David
199 WHAT ABOUT US Point Break
200 I TURN TO YOU Christina Aguilera
As years go, 2000 was a pretty good one. I'll revisit 2001 some time in February and until then will continue to step back in time to 1989 and the ARIA charts from 25 years ago every Wednesday.
MY YEAR-END CHARTS
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