Top 10 UK Hits Of 2005
Okay! I did a retro list for a year of the 2010’s, one for a year of the 1990’s, and in order to fill a small gap, I decided to do one for a year of the 2000’s.
I chose 2005 since it's at the very middle of the decade, and because when I think of 2005, I think of the wave of indie and alternative music that frequently entered the UK charts, some of it even making the year end. This included the likes of Bloc Party, Coldplay, Maximo Park and Kaiser Chiefs. There would be more of this stuff in 2006, so I could have done that year instead, but I thought I’d do 2005.
This year was around the time when downloads were integrated into the charts, a year after the iTunes Store was launched in the UK. It did take a while for this format to completely settle in, like streaming did in the mid-2010’s, but it helped give a bigger sense of what people were actually buying and listening to as they were able to contribute towards sales of songs that weren’t available on a physical format like the CD single.
Rules:
- A song must have debuted on the UK End of Year Singles Chart Top 100 compiled by The Official Charts Company (or OCC for short)
- For a song to be eligible for a Top 10 Hit Singles of {Year} list. It has to have a maximum of five years between its year of release and the year it debuted on a year end list. So for example, if I'm doing a Top 10 UK Hit Singles of 2018 countdown, hits that came out before 2013 do not count.
- I also have a 'one entry per lead artist' rule in order for the list to have more variety. Bands and members' solo material can be separate exceptions to this.
- Signs by Snoop Dogg feat. Pharrell and Charlie Wilson
- Banquet by Bloc Party
- Technologic by Daft Punk
- Jerk It Out by The Caesars
- Rock And Roll Queen by The Subways
Number 10
Back in the late 2010’s, I frequently watched videos on hip hop samples, most of them were either by nosbo2007 (whose content is, sadly, nowhere to be found nowadays) or Bandstand. I heard a good amount of snippets of this artist’s works from some of the former’s videos and I would later hear this song of his a couple of times on 1Xtra. After familiarizing myself with the song, I began to appreciate it.
Hate It Or Love It by The Game feat. 50 Cent
The rags to riches concept is a common topic in hip hop but The Game and 50 Cent put a more heartwarming spin on it, saying that they have made it this far in the game and elaborating on what their lives were like back then. This is all backed by a touching soul sample of Rubber Band by The Trammps. Not the only time a song with 50 Cent has been linked to The Trammps as he made a song called “Disco Inferno”. There’s even a hard-hitting line in The Game’s verse about 2Pac no longer being with us and Brenda ‘throwing babies in the garbage’, linking back to the themes in Pac’s “Brenda’s Got A Baby” of teenage pregnancy and poverty.
The Documentary sounds like an album that I may want to check out, and despite being accompanied by a gruesome cover art, I also liked the single that The Game released last month with Kanye.
Number 9
If you know me, you may guess which artist is going to pop up next. This then up-and-coming band from Sheffield would later win the Mercury Prize with their big-selling debut, and would build up their career with modern rock classics for years to come. But let's look at the song that started it all!
I Bet You Look Good On The Dancefloor by Arctic Monkeys
Arctic Monkeys started off their career with two excellent albums within the span of a year: Whatever People Say I Am That’s What I’m Not and Favourite Worst Nightmare. It’s hard for me to choose between the two depending on the mood I’m in, but for now, I’ll pick the latter by a small margin. The former has some modern indie classics though, such as the kickass opener “The View From The Afternoon”, “Fake Tales Of San Francisco”, “When The Sun Goes Down” and of course “I Bet You Look Good On The Dancefloor”, the lead single for the album before it came out at the very beginning of 2006.
The guitars immediately kick into full gear as they build up to introduce vocalist Alex Turner starting a conversation with some woman he bumped into in a club, but he doesn’t know if she’s looking for love. He makes some amusing references to Duran Duran, and while the line about her ‘dancing to electro-pop like a robot from 1984’ could be interpreted at how the protagonist thinks he has a superior taste in music and how he thinks those who love pop are brainwashed, it is quite a weird line that makes me appreciate the songwriting on display. There’s also some nice call and response added to the pre-chorus.
Number 8
Ever heard a song you thought was good, but didn’t realize how good it was until now? For me, it’s this one.
1 Thing by Amerie
That Meters sample with the guitar and drums slaps hard. In the song, Amerie sings about her feelings of love and how there’s this ‘one thing’ that she finds attractive about this guy. This comes in the form of an earworm chorus. The addition of strings in the bridge help to elevate this even further.
Between this and “Take Control”, Amerie sounds like an artist whose music I would like to check out.
Oh, and before we move on, I would like to show you a hip hop single from 2015 that flipped the same sample as "1 Thing" through this hyperlink
Number 7
So... who wants to turn on the TV and watch some cartoons?
Feel Good Inc by Gorillaz
Damon Albarn and Jamie Hewlett’s animated creation Gorillaz became a phenomenon in 2001, blending trip-hop and breakbeat together excellently, but it was their 2005 follow-up Demon Days that they took a step further, by adding more hip-hop features and exploring a dystopian land. Personally, I prefer Plastic Beach by a small margin, but Demon Days is also a great album, and “Feel Good Inc” is one of the many highlights from that project, only just edging out “Dare” for a spot on this list.
The recurring maniacal laugh opens up the song followed by downbeat guitars, which continue throughout the verses. The song touches on capitalism with lines such as ‘City’s breaking down on a camel’s back’ and ‘melancholy town where we never smile’ painting this picture of a tainted society and guest features De La Soul rapping from the perspectives of the evil corporation. This was my introduction to the rap group and they impress with their rapid, menacing verses. We do get a break from the dystopian themes on the chorus where the instrumentation switches to acoustic guitar and Damon Albarn sings in a voice that feels fragile and longing for the better days.
Number 6
Locked Up by Akon
The piano playing throughout the song has a dark feel to it, which matches the tone of the lyrical content. Here, Akon sings about dealing drugs and how his unregistered car got stolen, both of which led to him getting ‘locked up’. The song intrigues me for how Akon tackles the prison industrial complex, with the Styles P remix further elaborating on this theme by describing conditions of the prison ('The walls is gray, the clothes is orange / The phones is broke, the food is garbage’), as well as institutional racism.
I do prefer the single version of this song that was featured on NOW That's What I Call Music 60 over the album version as there’s the addition of strings in the chorus and the sound effect of a cell door shutting feels more effective.
Number 5
Last year, I participated in a thing on Twitter called MWE (which stands for ‘Music Writer’s Exercise’). What happens is that you go through February listening to one album a day (that you haven’t listened to before). I listened to an album from each year of my life, as well as filling gaps in artist’s discographies that I was planning on listening to. Granted, I finished the exercise in March, but I still had fun doing so. One of the albums I covered was Kaiser Chiefs’ debut Employment. It was filled to the brim with indie bangers. Want to know what I thought the main highlight from that album was?
I Predict A Riot by Kaiser Chiefs
It was either this or “Everyday I Love You Less And Less”, but in the end, “I Predict A Riot” is the year end hit from the Chiefs that I liked more.
The guitars feel menacing while the lyrics convey this doomy, dystopian vibe. In contrast to Lily Allen’s “LDN”, where the bright, summery tone covers up the nasty bits of London that Allen looks at, Riot’s instrumentation, by going for this vibe, doesn’t hide the fact that the place the Chiefs are exploring is grim across the board. The small details in the writing help paint this filthy picture where the Chiefs are on a night out and they witness a fight breaking out along with an instance of police brutality, as well as lead singer Ricky Wilson getting attacked in a taxi. The chorus then switches from C minor to a G# major to match the excitement of this ‘riot’ these guys are predicting, and I also like that organ solo that comes in after the 2nd chorus. Makes this feel like Halloween.
Number 4
I have listened to a couple of this band’s albums, but the one they put out in 2005 is not one of them. Hopefully, this song will serve as a reminder that I need to listen to that LP, because it might rank as one of my favourites from this band’s catalogue
Dakota by Stereophonics
The guitars give off this calm vibe with Kelly Jones singing about a summer memory. He reminisces about the times he spent with his girlfriend in June, lying on the grass and drinking together. The guitars then have a distorted effect in the chorus as his lover makes him ‘feel like the one’. However, neither of them know where the relationship will be heading.
The lyrics, overall, have this nostalgic vibe to it which is complimented by the instrumentation.
Stereophonics also have a new album coming out next month, just to let you know. I’m curious to see what they have to offer.
Number 3
Now we move on to another artist whose debut I covered on that MWE last year, Goldfrapp. The London duo's debut Felt Mountain felt very cinematic, and from listening to some of the songs they put out later on in the 2000’s, they seem to be going for more electronic styles of production. This may be a good enough example
Ooh La La by Goldfrapp
I’m a sucker for synthpop, and Goldfrapp manage to impress with their take on this genre on their biggest hit “Ooh La La”. There’s even a glam rock influence found in the chord progression and some of the guitar lines. Alison Goldfrapp’s sensual vocals mix well with the production as she delivers lines like ‘Switch me on / Turn me up’. Later choruses add some extra synth chords to and they sound wonderful.
Looking forward to checking out the rest of Goldfrapp’s discography, because this sounds awesome.
Number 2
One of the first songs that Rap Critic reviewed back in 2010. While he wasn’t very positive of it, he still managed to give an entertaining review. Oh, and about the song? It's on this list!
Don't Phunk With My Heart by Black Eyed Peas
A huge pop rap bop about love and lust, with will.i.am being a charmer (despite the Bobby and Whitney line in Verse 3). One line has him comparing his feelings of infatuation to a bullet shooting from a pistol and he randomly makes a cowboy reference at the end of Verse 2. Fergie interpolates Lisa Lisa & Cult Jam in the chorus and it fits greatly with the themes of the song.
It’s quite hard to pinpoint the exact instruments used, but I seem to hear guitars, pitched percussion and a keyboard throughout the song. The bridges that come before the last chorus are also worth pointing out as they add some variation to the structure to move away from the common ‘verse-chorus’ form. This includes Taboo’s part, which has some cool organ chords to contribute to a sort of reggae feel.
Now let's get to the honourable mentions
HM1. Gold Digger by Kanye West feat. Jamie Foxx
I’m quite surprised this didn’t make it onto the actual list. Jamie Foxx, who played Ray Charles in the 2004 biopic Ray, singing a Ray Charles song over this beat? That was a perfect choice!
The song sees Kanye rap about gold diggers, but also give advice to them in the 3rd verse. Topics include gossip involving celebrities and a man realizing that the daughter he had for 18 years wasn’t even his.
HM2. We Be Burnin’ by Sean Paul
I have not listened to this song in about a decade, but listening to this again for this list made me realize how good it is. The acoustic guitar adds a nice rhythmic pulse throughout the verses, with Sean Paul slaying this beat. The strings in the chorus also sound majestic. I think the ‘burnin’ could be a possible reference to marijuana.
HM3. Ghetto Gospel by 2Pac feat. Elton John
The Elton John sample helps elevate the tone of the song, like the Bruce Hornsby sample did in “Changes”, and 2Pac provides a hard-hitting look at systemic racism. He also looks at hope for unity and for ‘the light’ to be seen ‘before it’s ruined, as well as reflecting on himself by choosing not to see himself as a role model.
HM4. Wake Me Up When September Ends by Green Day
Wouldn’t be a 2005 countdown without Green Day, who managed to achieve a lot of success from the singles of their American Idiot album around that year, especially in the US. It’s not my favourite song from that album, but it’s still very good. The acoustic guitar plays a chord progression I find to be unique: ‘I V vi I | IV iv I I’. Even though it’s mainly I, IV and V chords (and a vi chord too), there’s the neat addition of a C minor chord to smoothly transition back to the tonic through a perfect cadence. I also like the part where the acoustic guitar shifts to an electric guitar and the drums come in to amplify the emotions of the song. The lyrics have a lot of different meanings. At first, I thought it was referring to 9/11, but it is more likely to refer to the passing of Billie Joe Armstrong’s father in September 1982 and how it affected him.
HM5. No Worries by Simon Webbe
The strings and the layered backing vocal give off the impression that it’s a sample from a 70s song, and Simon Webbe makes some good call and response with that vocal in the chorus. The song is about solidarity where he encourages the listener to carry on and tells them that ‘even on the darkest day’, their life will change for the better. It reminds me of when the band Fun did something similar on “Carry On”.
HM6. Hung Up by Madonna
One of my first introductions to the art of sampling, as I remember listening to the ABBA song not too long before this song became popular. The sample contributes some disco elements to a song with electro production. There’s also that tense sound of a clock ticking in an intro as Madonna sings about time going by ‘so slowly’. This song used the clock ticking noise before Zedd made it cool.
HM7. Lyla by Oasis
It’s no “Live Forever’ or “Don’t Look Back In Anger”, but it still has that Oasis magic to it. The guitars sound good as Liam Gallagher sings about waiting 'for a thousand years’ for his lover.
HM8. Suddenly I See by KT Tunstall
Guitars maintain a rhythmic pulse as KT Tunstall sings about feeling inspired by this woman who ‘fills up every corner like she’s born in black and white’. Apparently, the woman she was singing about in the song was Patti Smith. That’s even cooler!
HM9. Pon De Replay by Rihanna
The world’s introduction to Rihanna. Mine was probably “S.O.S”, but, nevertheless, this was a great way to kick off her career. The ‘clap and stomp’ percussion sounds brilliant, along with the elements of dancehall that Rihanna sells well. Grimes would later use this same sort of percussion on her song "California" (though it's only in the album version).
HM10. Speed Of Sound by Coldplay
Coldplay’s third album X+Y features some beautiful sounding atmospheres, and “Speed Of Sound” has just that in the memorable piano melody that opens up the song, as well as the synths in the verses. The lyrics are also quite philosophical as they encourage the listener to recognise their own talents.
HM11. Best Of You by Foo Fighters
One of the few Foo Fighters hits that made it onto a UK year end list. Dave Grohl sings over electric guitars about either people who like to manipulate others or an abusive relationship (or maybe both). The repetition of ‘best’ in the chorus emphasises the harmful impact that an abuser has on the victim.
HM12. They by Jem
The sample of the Swingle Sisters singing Bach sounds spine-chilling over this trip-hop inspired drum pattern, and the guitars in the chorus add an oddly romantic vibe to a song where Jem sings about false consciousness and misinformation, and how some people are easily misled.
80s cartoon enthusiasts may be disappointed to hear that this doesn’t have anything to do with Jem & The Holograms, though.
NUMBER ONE
I was expecting this duo to pop up on my actual Top 10 in my UK Hits Of 1999 list and not just as a honourable mention before listening to the year end of that year. They had a hit in 2005, and it’s not only on the actual list, but it’s at the very top too.
Galvanise by The Chemical Brothers
Push The Button is one of the many great albums that the Chems have put out (my favourites of theirs being Surrender and Dig Your Own Hole), and “Galvanise” is an easy highlight.
There’s a sample of strings from a Moroccan[?] song by Najat Aatabou called “Hadi Kedba Bayna” (translation: Just Tell Me The Truth), and they sound vigorous. This is also a motivational anthem that serves as a perfect fit for working out, and what better way to motivate the listener than rap verses from Q-Tip of A Tribe Called Quest fame. The call and response between him and the backing vocals shouting at us ‘don’t hold back!’ only serves to keep the energy going.
The intensity reaches its peak in the outro where the listener is being encouraged to ‘push the button’ (linking back to the album title), and Q-Tip puts his finger on the button, thus commencing the process of... galvanizing? I also recommend you check out the extended album version, as there’s more tense parts in the production (particularly during the second half).
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