Hits 21 - 2009 (9): Black Eyed Peas, The X Factor Finalists, Peter Kay, Lady Gaga

Episode Date: August 11, 2024

Hello again, everyone, and welcome back to Hits 21, the show that's taking a look back at every UK #1 hit single of the 2000s. Twitter: @Hits21UK Email: [e-mail] Vault: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/5O5MHJUIQIUuf0Jv0Peb3C?si=e4057fb450f648b0

It's 21. Hi there everyone and welcome back to Hits21 where me, Rob, me, Andy and me, Lizzy are looking back at every single UK number one of the 2000s. If you want to get in touch with us, you can find us over on Twitter, we are at Hits21UK, and you can email us too, send it on over to hits21podcast at gmail.com. Thank you ever so much for joining us once again. We are currently looking back at the year 2009. This week we'll be covering the period between the 15th of November and the 19th of December. We are taking you right up to Christmas.

It's our penultimate episode of 2009. Last week, the poll winner, Cheryl, fight for this love and there's lots of people fighting for her as well out there. And she's fighting for LEADS! So it is time to press on with this week's episode and as always it's time for some news headlines this time from November and December of 2009. The transmission station at Winter Hill has its remaining analogue signals turned off, completing the digital switchover in the north west of England.

Meanwhile a severe cold snap disrupts Christmas travel plans across the nation with train stations and airports completely closing in some areas. American exchange student Amanda Knox is found guilty of the murder of Meredith Kertcher. Along with her boyfriend, Rafael Celesto, she was sentenced to 26 years in an Italian prison. However, evidence later implicated known criminal Rudy Guedi with Knox and Celesto acquitted after four years behind bars. And back in the UK, unemployment reaches its highest levels for 15 years, while a report reveals that 80% of British homes now have access to the internet.

An American golfer Tiger Woods is involved in a car crash that inadvertently reveals numerous extramarital affairs, resulting in loss of several sponsorships. The films to hit the top of the UK box office during this period were as follows. Paranormal Activity for one week, A Christmas Carol for one week, Avatar for one week, before Alvin and the Chipmunks, the Squeakwool, closes out the year for one week. Do you know, I don't know if it was the Squeakwool or the third one, but I've got a cousin who was like 12 years younger than me, so at this point she was like five or whatever and was really really into Alvin and the Chipmunks and my dad, who was in his 40s at the time, took her to see Alvin and the Chipmunks, the Squeak Squeakle and he came back looking like he'd been through a trauma. He was saying to me, I just can't get out of my head, all the sickle ladies, all the sickle ladies. Anyway, we have some winners, this

year's winners, I love doing this bit. So TV chef Gino Ducampo wins the ninth series of I'm a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here, while journalist and TV presenter Chris Hollands wins the 7th series of Strictly Come Dancing, Ryan Giggs wins the BBC Sports Personality of the Year, and 18 year old singer Joe McEldry wins the 6th series of The X Factor. And Maggie Jones, who played Blanche Hunt on Coronation Street for 35 years, dies aged 75. She first portrayed the character in 1974 and eventually appeared in over 850 episodes. Her final appearance as Blanche

was posthumously broadcast in December of 2009. Andy, the UK album charts, how are they? Beep, beep, beep, beep! The first album at number one this week is JLS by JLS or should I say J-J-JLS by J-J-JLS which went to number one for one week and went four times platinum. That was replaced by another X Factor alumnus. That was Leona Lewis who went to number one with her second album Echo and that went number one for one week and went double platinum. Then we have the highest

selling album of the year within 2009 itself. Any guesses on what that is? The highest selling album of the year that takes number one at the end of the year? Is it Jay Z? It's not Jay Z. It couldn't be more different. You're freezing cold, I'm afraid. Oh. Susan Boyle. Of course. It was. It was Susan Boyle with her debut album, I Dreamed a Dream, which went number one for four weeks throughout almost all of December and went seven times platinum. Yes.

She's a woman who's not a supermodel who can carry a tune. What larks! Yes, we do have one more to talk about next week which we normally don't we have one more album to see out the year but taking us into Christmas as our Christmas number one album it is Susan Boyle with I dreamed a dream. Lizzie how's the end of 2009 looking in America? Well I have a US Christmas number one single to tell you about this week. That single is Empire State of Mind by Jay-Z featuring Alicia Keys. The song stayed at number one for five weeks to finish off 2009,

as well as the decade, and was the first US number one single for Jay-Z as a lead artist. It was eventually certified Diamond in the US with over 10 million sales recorded. Back here in the UK, it narrowly missed out on number one, held at number two by... Ugh, Break Your Heart by Tayo Cruz. That's rubbish. Anyway, that just leads me to go over the albums for the remainder of 2009. First up we have Play On by Carrie Underwood, one week, got her number 93 in the UK.

Then we have The Circle by Bon Jovi, one week, number 2 in the UK. Next up is Battle Studies by John Mayer, John Mayer, Mayer, whatever, one week, number 35 in the UK, and the final number one of 2009 and the decade was I Dreamed A Dream by Susan Boyle, which spent six weeks at number one in the US and also got to number one in the UK, obviously. Yeah, thank you both very much for those reports. It's time now to come back over to the UK and look at the first of four singles that we'll be covering this week. And the first of those is this. Ooh, I want you so badly.

It's my biggest wish. Cool. I spend my time just thinking, thinking, thinking about you. Every single day, guess I'm really missing, missing you. And all those things we used to, used to, used to, used to do. Hey, girl, what's up? It used to, used to be just me and you. I spend my time just thinkingin', thinkin', thinkin' bout you

Every single day guess I'm really missin', missin' you And all those things we used to used to you used to do Hey girl, what's up? Yo, what's up, what's up, what's up? Can you meet me halfway? Right at the borderline is where I'm going away For you, I'll be lookin' out I want you so bad, my only wish. Okay, this is Meet Me Halfway by Black Eyed Peas. Released as the third single from the group's fifth studio album titled The END, The Energy Never Dies, Meet Me Halfway is Black Eyed Peas 15th single overall to be released in the UK and their 4th to reach number 1. And it's not the last time we'll be coming to the peas

on this podcast. Meet Me Halfway first entered the UK chart at number 67, reaching number 1 during its 6th week on the chart, knocking JLS off the top spot. It stayed at number 1 for one week. In its first and only week atop the charts, it sold 100,000 copies, beating competition from Happy by Leona Lewis which got to number 2, I Need You by N Dubs which got to number 9, 3 by Britney Spears which got to number 7 and About A Girl by Sugar Babes which got to number 9, 3 by Britney Spears which got to number 7 and About A Girl by Sugar Babes which got to number 8. When it was knocked off the top of the charts, Meet Me Halfway dropped 1 place to number 2.

By the time it was done on the charts it had been inside the top 104, 34 weeks. The song is currently officially certified 2x platinum so it is double platinum in the UK. As of 2020, Lizzy, go ahead with Black Eyed Peas. This was frustratingly close to being a vault entry for me, but ultimately there's just a few too many issues with it that prevent me from putting it in there. Like I'll start with the negatives, because I really don't want to give the impression that I don't like this song. I'd say that it's easily my favourite of the Black Eyed Peas tracks that we've encountered, but there's still some of the flaws that have plagued previous entries. In particular, the three peas that aren't Fergie have parts that don't match the emotional intensity of the chorus

which ends up having to do a lot of their heavy lifting to keep the energy up. In addition to that I think the production is quite flat overall. There's some elements of it that I really wish were louder in the mix like the guitar in the chorus and even Fergie's vocal feels like it comes done with a bit more in the chorus which again detracts from the overall momentum of the song but I really do think that chorus is absolutely fantastic and easily among the best we've come across this year. I love the combination of the yeah yeah yeah sample, you've got the swelling synths, the climbing guitar riff and on top of it all Fergie's desperate vocal all sort of coming

together to create something that has got some genuine emotional weight. When we covered Boom Boom Pow I think it was you Rob who mentioned that Will.i.am is a frustrating producer because he will so quickly pivot from something that sounds brilliant to something that sounds cheap and amateurish and bored at points and often that will happen within the same song, sometimes one followed by the other. This to me is the most frustrating case of that. The verses by the male P's are okay at best, but Fergie steals the show with a towering chorus. With a bit more effort put into the parts surrounding the chorus, I think this could have been something really special.

Yeah, I have similar problems. I think that, and similar frustrations. similar problems, I think that, and similar frustrations. This is perhaps the most traditional and therefore least interesting of the three Black Eyed Peas number ones from the END, but definitely the strongest though in terms of how well it achieves its aims. I think, you know, this is meant to be a melancholic moment captured at a tough moment of compromise in a slightly failing relationship. And I think Fergie sells that in her moments. You know, I love how they've mixed her voice. It's like she's alone on a beach or singing out across a valley or from a balcony in the middle of the night. You know, there's so much story in Fergie's parts and it's one of her best vocal performances in a Black

Eyed Peas song for a while. There's not much backing her though in the instrumental and it feels like there's a big gap between her and everything else. She really has to step up, but she does in her parts. But I agree that the same can't really be said for the other P's. The verses are sort of nothing. I feel like this is the real beginning of where I am going all minimal in literally every aspect of his songwriting, where it's just the same line repeated almost ad infinitum, trying to use as few words as possible, trying to force this idea that using small amounts of words and repeating them in a sort of cyclical way could create like catchphrases, you know, may I direct

your attention to, you can go hard or you can go home, you can go hard or you can go home, or when you hear this in the club you want to turn the shit up you want to turn the shit up or oh oh oh oh oh oh oh my god or if you feel it say hell yeah hell yeah it's disappointing because to have such a lovely chorus sharing the same space as those verses because it's just I get so tired of the do do do do do do do do do do do do do do do do do do do just yeah some variation please for the love of God the chorus deserves a better more rounded song but what we have is okay you know I think I got a feeling beats it for

consistency throughout and boom boom pow beats it for consistency throughout and Boom Boom Power beats it for just being completely mad in quite a lot of places but this kind of feels like it's slightly better than those or at least as good as I Got A Feeling, you know? It's, you know, not all terrible. I will meet it halfway. Andy, how about you? Yeah, I have very similar views on this and I certainly agree that of the three number ones from this album that we've covered, this is by far the strongest. Like it's so much better that it's kind of mad really. Like the other two with Boom Boom Power and I got a feeling I was deeply unsure about both of them, whereas this it's certainly more positive than negative, definitely. And I also agree that this definitely had potential to be in

the vault like this had the constituent elements to it it's just not there for me it lacks that fizz it lacks that click but ironically I think meet me halfway is a pretty good summation of how I feel about what it's doing to be honest compared to like what I'm after because me I'm you know I'm quite sort is a pretty good summation of how I feel about what it's doing to be honest compared to like what I'm after because me I'm you know I'm quite sort of meat and potatoes in terms of how I'm satisfied I like big beats and I like substance you know if you can combine the two you get something like all the things she said or you know everybody wants to rule the world or something

like that that's what I'm after and Will.i.am in particular likes the opposite, likes to be completely cold and minimal and sounds like it's a demo track basically done by a Cyberman and okay but that's not gonna work for me and I feel like Meet Me Halfway is exactly what they're doing here where it's like okay you can still be a bit cold and robotic and you know trying to be futuristic but at least we've got something here we've got some emotive vocals from Vergi we've got some good synth lines through this we've got a sense of progression we've got a sense of storytelling you know we do have some substance here but it's only halfway

there because I completely agreed that we just need to turn things up like we need bigger percussion we need bigger bass we need more layering to those synths and it's funny really because when I was a teenager I had a habit that my parents told me off for that I used to turn everything up to maximum volume I don't do that as an adult but with this I still feel that urge to do it I still feel that urge to turn it right up because it's not just the, I mean, it is the individual tracks, but it's not just the individual tracks.

It's the actual master of the song. It just feels quiet. It feels like you've not got it turned up high enough to the extent that it's definitely an artistic choice. And it's one that just doesn't work for me, that it just needs to go a bit bigger. It needs to go a bit heavier. And that would take it over the line for me.

But I mean, there's things about this that I actually wouldn't expect to like, but do actually work for me. Like some of the vocal effects they do, just kind of work for this, I think. I think the sound world is much better to allow for weird kind of vocal strangeness like that to happen.

I don't like the thinking, thinking about you. I don't think that works at all. That's a step too far. But like the for happen. I don't like the thinking thinking about you, I don't think that works at all. That's a step too far but like the for you and I, I think stuff like that actually works in this. So I think this is the closest we get on this album for this idea of their sound working for me. It's not fully there and I think there is a much better song packed into this that better production could have elevated to the vaults quite easily But we're not quite there. It has simply met me halfway. I'm afraid I sort of wonder what this might be like in the hands of someone like Calvin Harris

Yeah knows how to take it to the next level in that sense you think of something like we found love because it is there It is that it's absolutely there I think a remix of this that doesn't change the content at all and just produces it differently could have wildly different results. I agree. And I also agree with what you said Lizzie that Fergie is a big part of what of when the Black Eyed Peas are good basically, that even on their next album which is worse than this one, much worse, where they've got the time dirty bit which is awful but when you've got Just Can't Get Enough that is largely Fergie led, that one's better. It's still not good but it's better and like most of my favorite songs by them are like Shut Up and Don't Funk With My Heart where one's that

Fergie takes the lead. I feel like Will.i.am really drags them down to some extent as time goes by. Ferie's underrated in general, like, Clamorous is amazing. So yes, it's a mix bag for me this one, but largely good, largely good. I just wish it had been more. I love that we both went for the meet it halfway pun, Andy, by the way. That was great. So, we will move on to our second song this week, which is... This! second song this week which is this. You're not here with me

You never said goodbye Someone tell me why Did you have to go And leave my world so cold Every day I sit and ask myself how did love slip away Something whispers in my ear and says That you are not alone, for I am here with you Though you're far away

I am here to stay But you are not alone For I am here with you And though we're far apart You're always in my heart Okay, this is You Are Not Alone by The X Factor Finalists 2009. Released as a standalone charity single, You Are Not Alone is the first and only single to be released by The X Factor Finalists 2009 and their first to reach number 1, and it's their only song to do that too. The single is a cover of the song by Michael Jackson which originally reached number one in 1995.

You are not alone went straight in at number one as a brand new entry knocking black eyed peas off the top of the charts. It stayed at number one for one week. In its first and only week atop the charts it sold 193,000 copies beating competition from Whatcha Say by Jason Derulo which got to number 3 and Bad Romance by Lady Gaga which climbed to number 8. When it was knocked off the top of the charts, You Are Not Alone dropped 1 place to number 2. By the time it was done on the charts it had been inside the top 100 for 7 weeks. The song is currently officially certified gold in the UK as of 2024. I'm going to go first on this one. The one thing I will say is that at least it's for the Great Ormond Street

Hospital this time, instead of the cognitive dissonance of hero but in lieu of a review here is a clip was me snoring. Lizzie, how do we feel about You Are Not Alone? Well I've brought my own clip of me snoring. So enjoy. No, no, no, joking. This might be the first time in my Hits 21 journey where we've come across a single and I've absolutely nothing good to say about it. Even with something like I Wish I Was a Punk Rocker, you could at least commend it for not sounding like your average pop song. It aimed for the moon and it missed spectacularly, but there was an attempt to accomplish something different. With this, there's nothing. No creativity, no passion, no effort.

Like last year's X Factor charity single, this is more of a branding exercise than it is a meaningful charity single. Yet again, it's performed in the most lifeless, perfunctory way possible, with the same absurd overproduction as every other X Factor ballad that we've had to trudge through over the years. Arguably, I don't think it's a coincidence that this came out in the same year that a campaign to keep the X Factor off the Christmas number one spot was successful the first and only time that happened. More on that next week. Plus, even when I could listen to Michael Jackson without a pit forming in my stomach, I've never liked You Are Not Alone.

I think it's lifeless and Morkish and I think the overall sound of it predates a lot of these X Factor ballads. It's all cold empty space plasticky instrumentation and a choir bussed in to add some artificial emotional weight where there isn't any. And worst of all, You Are Not Alone was written by none other than R. Kelly. He was a known quantity in 1994, let alone 2009. Call it the benefit of hindsight, but I'm astonished that his previous convictions and accusations weren't taken into account when this song was

chosen to benefit of all things a children's hospital. Oh no! Why has that only just clicked? So I can't even give you that Rob. All of that adds up to a first for me on the podcast. I am giving this single a zero out of ten because I can't in good conscience give it anything higher. This sort of thing is bad for music, it's bad for charity and it's bad for the soul. Yeah, oh my God, oh Jesus. Throw it in the bin, get rid of this. Write it out of history.

I mean Lizzie, part of my role obviously is to put together the scores for the end of year show. We've never had a zero before and I'm afraid to tell you that zeros are like aces in cards, they're high low so you've just accidentally given it a 10 out of 10, I'm sorry. I guess with the, shall we say, willful ignorance of Robert Sylvester Kelly's past in 2009 adds further weight to my belief that 2013 was the year this shit started to change because the first sort of big example of that is maybe something like blurred lines being, I mean I know that still gets number one but then it gets absolutely hammered in a lawsuit later.

You start to get think pieces on things and social media pressure starts to be a thing. And then you get to Band-Aid 20 and they completely changed the line that everyone hates. And has always hated and always had a bit of a problem with, but they didn't change in 2004 because there was nowhere for people to complain except privately to the BBC or whoever, to Ofcom or Ofgem or wherever. But now in 2014, well five years later in 2014, it's you know, that people can start voicing their opinions. Whereas like we're still kind of in 2009, we're still in that place where registering your opinion online and you know, developing some kind of pressure

campaign on a boycott or something like that, can't happen really just yet. And so there you go. Andy, you are not alone X Factor how are we feeling? Well I think Lizzie has really hit the nail on the head there and I said everything that needs to be said about this I don't think we need to spend too much time on it and I think Rob in your way has hit the nail on the head as well with your snoring and I'm'm not gonna do the same thing.

I decided to just do a feature rather than comments on the song. So for both of you, I'm entering you into a quiz. And the quiz is the quiz of Andy's behavior during this series of the X Factor in 2009. So we're gonna take turns and they're all yes or no questions. So I'm gonna come come to you first Rob.

Did Andy buy this? Oh yeah, you did. Yes. The answer is regrettably yes. I bought it on iTunes. Lizzie, you're next. Did Andy develop a major crush on Joe McElderry during this series? I mean I did, so I hope you would as well. The answer is yes.

Yes. Good. Rob, did Andy secretly vote for Joe McElderry on several occasions during the series? Does this mean that you also bought the Klein? That can be a bonus question if you like. So yes. Yeah. Yes, the answer to both is yes, but you still only get one point. Lizzie, did Andy's crush on Joe McElderry go as far as buying his debut album on release day in 2010? Yes. Yes it did. Mostly a theme here. Yes. Rob, did Andy have a habit of imitating the X Factor voiceover man announcing the name Rachel Adadeji during this series? Rachel Adadeji! Rachel Adadeji!

Oh my god, that's so good. Yes. Your answer? The answer is yes. Lizzie, was Andy gutted when Jedward got eliminated because they had actually really grown on him to the point that he bought their single covering Ice Ice Baby and Under Pressure on iTunes? No, I feel like you were a Stacey Solomon fan. The answer was unfortunately yes.

Oh. I did. I was a Stacey Solomon fan as well though. And now final question for both of you. Does Andy like this song as of 2024? No. I would hope not. The answer is fuck no. Yes. And it's going in the pie hole. So Rob wins by one point.

That was the quiz of Andy's behaviour during X-Factor 2009. And that's My Skeletons Out of the Clos closet, just like Joe McElderry a year later. Next song! Yes, the third song this week as we move hurriedly along... ...is this! If you look around, the whole world's coming together now Every healthy smile is hunger and strife to another child No, tell me, can you feel it? Can you feel it? Can you feel it?

All the children of the world should be Loving each other wholeheartedly Yeah! Yes, it's alright Take my message to your brother and tell him twice Now tell me Can you feel it? Uh-huh

Can you feel it? Uh-huh Can you feel it? Yeah, come on! Can you feel it? Woo! Can you feel it? Uh-huh Can you feel it? Yeah, come on! Can you feel it? Can you feel it? Can you feel it?

If you wake up and don't want to smile Like if it takes just a little while Open your eyes and look at the day You will see things in a different way Okay, this is the official BBC chosen in need medley by Peter Kay's animated All-Star Band. This is a long one. Released as a standalone charity single, the official BBC Children in Need medley is the first and only single to be released by Peter Kay's animated All-Star Band in the UK and

their first and only single to reach number 1. The song is a medley cover version of Can You Feel It by The Jacksons which got to number 6 in 1981, Don't Stop by Fleetwood Mac which got to number 32 in 1977, Jai Ho by A.R. Ramen and Pussycat Dolls which which got to number 3 in 2009. Tub Thumping by Chumba Wumba, which got to number 2 in 1997. Never Forget by Take That, which got to number 1 in 1995. Hey Jude by The Beatles, which got to number 1 in 1968.

And One Day Like This by Elbow, which first got to number 35 in 2008, but then got to number 4 in 2012. The official BBC Children in Need medley first entered the UK chart at number 18, reaching number 1 during its second week on the chart, knocking the X Factor finalist 2009 off the top spot. It stayed at number 1 for… two weeks! In its first week atop the charts, it sold 138,000 copies, beating competition from Russian Roulette by Rihanna, which got to number 6, and Wild Horses by Susan Boyle, which got to number 9. And in week 2, it sold 112,000 copies, beating competition from Doesn't Mean Anything by Teo Cruz, which got to number 8, and Morning After Dark by Timbaland and Nelly Furtado,

which got to number 9. When it was knocked off the top of the charts, the official BBC Children in Need medley dropped 1 place to number 2. By the time it was done on the charts it had been inside the top 100 for 10 weeks. The song is currently officially certified gold in the UK as of 2024. Lizzy, Peter Kay's animated all-star band, how are we feeling? I mean it's very much a single that relies on its video to make sense, and the video is where the majority of the effort seems to have been focused. We've mentioned before that one of Peter Kay's main comedic themes is anachronism, and that's a theme that's run through all of his previous singles. Amarillo was dated even in 1972, 500 Miles was done as a Working Men's Club turn and this is, this single is a

medley of old hits. And I tried to figure out this week when was the last time a medley got to number one in the UK. Stars on 45 only got to number two in 1981 and the closest after that would probably be one of the Jive Bunny number ones, but even those could technically be classed as sampling rather than a medley performed by an actual band, which is what this is. Much like Stars on 45 though, I think this has a thin cheapness to it that's really difficult to ignore. I think it's one thing to watch the video and appreciate all of the effort that's gone into getting these original models and combinations of characters that you never thought you'd see. A mix of sort of old and new. I think there's a lot

of fun and character, no pun intended, to the video. Whereas listening to the single, it just doesn't sound quite right. It sounds like something that would be slapped onto like one of those kids pop compilations where it's clearly another band doing it and it's just well we've got the rights to this stuff we can hobble something together and it'll it'll do. But yeah the song choices don't quite flow into one another sometimes. Like the the hey dude into one day like this is nice, I suppose. But the rest of them, I'm thinking in particular, Ji Ho into Tub Thumb thing just doesn't quite work. Yeah, it stops there, doesn't it?

It does. It's like a real jerk towards it. and I don't know, I feel like they maybe could have trimmed down the amount of songs that they did, maybe cut out that Jaiho tub something bit, I don't know, with a bit more control. Granted it got to number one and it raised a lot of money for children in need but yeah, I just wish the song sounded a bit better I'm not gonna piehole it because I think there's worse than this as we've just seen but I still think it could have been better I think it would just be innately cruel to piehole a bunch of friendly kids TV characters like you know George the hippo doesn't deserve to be pieholed does he really? and postman pat

he delivers people's posts he's a key worker doesn't need to happen yeah i don't know what there is to say about this beyond like i don't know well done i guess to peter k for getting himself another number one like even if it is basically cheating to do to do it this way i suppose this is mildly curious because as you were saying Lizzie, it's like the first medley to get to number one for ages. Like we sort of looked this up and it couldn't decide if it was like swing the mood from 1989 or something else. But otherwise there's very little about this that feels particularly crucial to the year. If anything anything this feels like a reflection of the

last 30 years prior to this, because that's Peter Kay I guess, you know absorbing popular culture then producing something relatively new out of the past and evocations of the past. I think that the songs mixture of contemporary songs and older classics mean that it just kind of seems a bit weird now, but you know maybe their judgment at the time wasn't the best because working out how songs like Don't Stop and Tub Thumping and, you know, songs like that, that are genuine like, you know, staples of like British culture and, you know, British pop culture and the pop charts and things like that, just kind of next to Jaiho, which some people would remember. I don't know, I think it's part of the fun, I guess, you know,

and they get some props for being like the only band, inverted commas, to at least put on record the coder sections of One Day Like This and Hey Dude, you know, like overlapping each other. That works, you know like overlapping each other that works you know not just sort of pointing at them and going hey they're the same it's more like no let's you know do something with this let's have one as a counter melody or you know something so yeah okay it's fine the video is perhaps the thing that sells it but i just feel like again with Peter Kay it just feels like another kind of comic relief slash children in need thing that's kind of just got out of control Like it was funny on the night. It was funny for a bit afterwards. We I don't know why it's

Again, it kind of points at the flaws of the pop charts as like being a genuine barometer for how people actually feel It's like it's how people feel in the moment But I don't know I think the X-factor lot must have been looking at this and thinking like God like if we only sold like a bit more than this Bear in mind though like there's a lot more effort that's gone into this than the X-Factor. The X-Factor feels like it could have been planned in an afternoon whereas this took like two years worth of planning. Oh yeah yeah yeah oh god this is miles better than the, um, the

you are not alone, but I guess like the X Factor lot will be looking at it thinking like, oh, we've got a guaranteed, like, you know, big seller here. And it's like, it just ends up kind of just going gold and you know, it does like a week at number one instead of two. And this is just like a fun charity thing for kids. And that ends up selling like almost as much and the X Factor is what we think in like oh you know like maybe we I mean this whole period that we're in now is a weird kind of like cultural crossroads really for the X Factor I think where like a lot of people are now starting to sort of it's very much in culture to the point where like it it is the pop charts at the moment last week we did five songs and three of them were linked to the X Factory in one way or another,

either as a previous contestant or a judge. And obviously there's a big race coming up right now with Joe McElderry and Rage Against the Machine in a couple of weeks. And so yeah, at the end of 2009 felt like an analysis point for people to decide which side of the fence they landed on with the X factor and stuff. I think maybe next year is its peak in 2010 in terms of its audience, but I think in terms of its cultural reach, it might be starting to dwindle ever so slightly just in terms of what it produces and what it can be compared against and things like that. But I'm kind of going off on something that's probably best saved for the Christmas episode. Andy?

Yeah, it is difficult to know what to say about this really and I think a lot of what I have to say is not particularly related to the song, although I do agree with the points, with some, well, with a lot of the points that both of you have made. A few points of order, first of all. First of all, that we've managed to get through the entire decade, right to November 2009, without Michael Jackson getting a number one for the first time since the 60s. And although he hasn't, we have now suddenly had two Michael Jackson's on the run at the very end here,

which feels a bit odd. But that's got. But those two references from Michael Jackson have nothing on Neil Morrissey, who is celebrating his third number one of the common ordeal here. Triple number one, that's more than, I think more than Eminem has had in this decade, or the same as Eminem has had in this decade.

More than Justin Timberlake has ever had in the UK, Neil Morrissey. Jesus. Yeah, good on him. I will get to him in a minute. Actually, no, I'll get to him now. Let's dig into this because I think the problem I have with this is not really a song at all, to be honest. First of all, in terms of the structure, and this is not me bragging at all as a musician,

but medleys are not difficult. If you put things in the same key, you apply a similar rhythm to things, you've basically done 90% of the work. Medleys are pretty easy to put together and the transitions in this are lazy, very, very lazy. There's one that is smooth and is quite clever, which is the Don't Stop Into Jiho transition, which is quite clever which is the don't stop into Jaiho transition which is quite gradual and I don't really give points for the Hey Jude one day like this thing because that's sort of the whole thing about one day like

this is that the second half of it is identical to Hey Jude so that's all just is what it is really but most of them it's like one song just comes screeching to a halt and the next one starts. I get that kids don't really care about that and to be honest most people buying this don't really care about that either and this is all about the seemingly immense effort that went into producing this video into animating this thing and getting everybody from the you know the various productions involved in this all under one roof and that is fair enough but if you've got all that time that's being spent on it if such an investment is happening why not make the song really good you know this this comes back

to the point i always make about charity singles which is like you'll raise more money if you make them really really good songs because more people will buy them and i'm sick of saying it to be honest and this is a good example of it but its heart is in the right place for sure. I just think it's not well executed. I mean you've got Neil Morrissey here who has to sort of properly sing for the first time really because Bob the Builder theme and Mamba number five you know, none of them are particularly singer songs, whereas here he has to tackle Michael Jackson you know and he doesn't do a sterling job of it, to be honest. Which is not his fault, because he's not a singer. No one on this is a professional singer.

And that really kind of shows, to be honest. But again, that's not what people are buying it for, and I have to kind of keep that in mind. Because like I say, its heart is in the right place. And one thing that really stands out with that where they so nearly scored a goal that just bounces off the crossbar for me is the whole Jai Ho thing where they bring in I believe the family from Postman Pat, the first Asian family who were in Postman Pat sing that and it's such a shame that they use the Pussycat Dolls cover of it, which I have such a berserk button about that specific thing in general,

it drives me mad that that Pussycat Dolls take on Jaiho has become the accepted version of it, which is the only version you hear anywhere now. Like if that song comes on the radio or at a party or on a playlist, it will always be that Pussycat Dolls cover of it, which to me is like, it's such clear, straightforward cultural imperialism.

I really, really get wound up by it because the original is better and the, the only real difference other than it being produced better, the only real difference is that it's not in English and it really irritates me that the British music buying public are so fickle that you just put it in English and put the Pussycat Dolls on it and that replaces the original. It grinds my gears like I cannot tell you, which I think you can probably get from the way I'm talking about it. But anyway, it's such a shame that they don't sort of go for full authenticity with that, especially when you've got kids listening, that might have really helped and made a point there, but it is what it is, you know. you've got kids listening that might have really helped and made a point there but it is what it is you know and the choice of songs in general is very safe

it's very straightforward it's very I want to say lazy to be honest which is a shame again you know like there's clearly some effort gone into this is clearly some thought got into this and it's for charity it's for a very good cause so why not just try a little bit harder? That's the thing. Because I don't doubt Peter K's, you know, genuine commitment to charity because he's done this enough times now and since that, yeah, definitely he does care about raising money for charity. But just try a little harder and you'll make more money. I just think it's a fair criticism, really. Another thing about this though, the thing that I dwelled on the most is like, well,

if this was done now, what would be different? And not much is what I've come away with, not much really, because this comes from an era of when kids' TV was still something that was on terrestrial TV that we'd all kind of grown up with in whatever generation we were in you know Saturday mornings or weekdays three o'clock till five o'clock we'd all had this shared national experience of that's kids TV this is what it is in this era you know if you grew up in 70s 80s it's Rainbow and Vyman Sam and Postman Pat if you grew up in the 90s it's Teletubbies or you Postman Pat, if you grew up in the 90s it's Teletubbies or you know

Biker Grove if you grew up in the noughties it's like I don't know whatever that was like Monad of Empire or Tweenies or Charlie and Lola you know and in this day and age kids TV doesn't exist on terrestrial TV anymore it literally doesn't exist it's all on the CBBC or CBeebies or CITV channels now or it's on stream or Disney Plus and so the kind of feeling of adults, even childless adults tuning in to the TV and just knowing what like Pokemon is or knowing what tweenies are because it's just on because you put the TV on and it's there on BBC One. That kind of collective experience is gone and it went around this time, I think. This is the point at which our knowledge as a whole country of what kids TV is

and who the popular kids TV characters are has gone, basically around now. So that feeling is like, so this song gives me a feeling of kids TV kind of waving us goodbye from terrestrial TV where it's like this is the end of the likes of fireman Sam and Zippy and George as like figures that we all sort of ingest as part of the national consciousness doesn't really happen anymore. Apart from the really big ones that really break through like Bluey these days you know

it's just not really a thing. Yeah Bluey is great and it's just not really a thing that happens anymore and so I was thinking that these days you know there might be characters on it that kids know very well but the adults wouldn't and it's just makes me feel a bit sad really it's not the kids fault it's not like a comment on society at all because you know that's what happens mediums come in and out of the public consciousness always been the way it's just natural progression it just makes me a little bit sad that we don't really have kids TV as a shared heritage anymore and this feels like a kind of final farewell to it. So yes, as for the actual song it could have been better but it's not too bad and I think this kind of means more

to me as a celebration of kids TV which is fully deserved because we've got a great, great history of kids TV in this country and it's sad that that's kind of gone a bit from our culture. Yeah, I think that because of things like fractured viewing habits and the fact that people just have more choice now, it just means that there is no collective experience, there is no one thing I think that like everybody in the country will remember from TV if you know I mean like even things like the Queen's funeral not breaking 20 million viewers like yeah which like the average episode of EastEnders used to break yeah Queen's funeral doesn't get

that it's it's yeah it's odd isn't it we've become a very fragmented society and again I don't necessarily think that's a bad thing. Like more choice is good. And people are living their lives. I just think it's like, just makes me a little bit sad that we don't share these things, you know? But yeah.

Yeah. I have a very stupid thought thinking who would they get these days? It'd be like, pregnant Spiderman and Elsa. Yeah. Or like, well that's the other thing as well

because kids are watching stuff on YouTube. That's where a lot of kids TV is. Johnny, Johnny, yes papa, he'd be there. Would skibbidy toilet make it in? People keep saying that, I don't know what it is. It's like another life in the Joe's hand. It's basically just like the brain rot for Gen Z and Gen Alpha. Where like our brain rot was like YouTube poop and watching videos

of like the characters from Team Fortress being forced into stupid situations by Gary's mod or something but yeah. We had Nyan Cat and Badger Badger Badger and Chimpanzee riding on a Segway so we're you know we're not ones to talk. No we're not. But this stuff is like, it's like they've come from another planet Gen Z and just don't get them at all. I love the thought of Peter.A.K. doing skibbidy-tog.

I'm just imagining him doing it in his Bolton accent. Skibbidy to toilet. Skibbidy yes. Skibbidy. Toilet. Lizzie, what you said about how P.A.K. plays on anachronisms, I think is an extremely kind way of putting it. It is true, but it's simpler than that,. Like P.A.K.'s thing is just remember this, remember that. Like I can just imagine him pitching this. Like

this is the ultimate version of that really isn't it? Just get all of kids TV history together in one room. I can just imagine him pitching this to someone at the BBC like you know. Oh I remember Postman Pat. He had a van. This is probably how it came about. Yeah, Eve just went in a room with the director and just like, made a list of kids TV characters that he remembered. His memory is incredible. That's probably like most of his recent things. Like all the people who appeared in, you know, all the people who appeared in the 500 Miles video,

it's like, oh, Proclaimers, remember them. Let's get them on. Scottish people, we love them. Like David Tennant, let's get him on in a kilt He's in Doctor Who remember Doctor Who you know I feel like that just stream of consciousness creates all these singles that he makes But it's very successful isn't it? You make his act sound very existential It kind of is though. Yeah It kind of is though. It's just a list of humour.

His whole act is telling people things they already know. And the enjoyment of it is like, yes, I knew that. Like that's... I don't really get it, to be honest. But whatever. I've got nothing against Peter Kay. It's just not my style of humour. But yeah.

Alright then, we will move on to our fourth and final song this week. Which is... this. Oh, falling for romance Ra-ra-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a I want your ugly, I want your disease I want your everything as long as it's free I want your love, love, love, love I want your love I want your drama, the touch of your hand I want your leather studded kiss and the saying I want your love Love, love, love, I want your love I want your love You know that I want you And you know that I need you I want your love I want your revenge

You and me could run a better alliance I want your love and all your lovers' revenge You and me could run a better alliance Bad Romance by Lady Gaga Released as the lead single from the reissue of her debut studio album, The Fame, titled The Fame Monster, Bad Romance is Lady Gaga's 8th single overall to be released in the UK and her 3rd to reach number 1 and it's not the last time we'll be coming to Lady Gaga on this podcast. Bad Romance first entered the UK chart at number 14, reaching number 1 during its 7th week on the chart. It stayed at number 1 for 1 week.

In its first week atop the charts, it sold 73,000 copies, beating competition from Let the Bass Kick in Miami Girl by Chucky and LMFAO, which got to number 9 and Look For Me by Chipmunk Not Alvin or Theodore which climbed to number 10. When it was knocked off the top of the chart, Bad Romance fell two places to number 3. Now ordinarily I would be saying that this is not the end of our coverage of Bad Romance on Hits 21, but that would be the mother of all Cliffhangers. In the opening weeks of 2010, Bad Romance went back to the top for one more week and it eventually stayed inside the top 100 for 57 weeks.

The song is currently officially certified 3 times platinum, so it is triple platinum in the UK as of 2024. Andy, bad romance, how we feeling? Oh, thanks for asking me to go first, wow no pressure. I mean, I know this is not quite the last number one of the noughties but it's the last regular number one, that reflects the actual charts as they are. And what a song to finish with. My goodness. I get this kind of daunted feeling with this that I got with Can't Get You Out Of My Head

and with All The Things She Said and a few others as well where it's like, it's like a monolith. Like it just hits you with how good it is and how innovative it is and how innovative it is and how fresh it is to a point where I almost struggle to really articulate it because it's like oh god it's like asking to summarize why Star Wars is good or it's like asking to summarize you know why why Abbey Road is a great

album it's like where do you start you know and all I can really do is kind of talk about what it conjures up in me, like talk about the vibes really, which is that I was definitely interested in Lady Gaga after the fame. I definitely started to get pretty into her, but this was the moment where I was like, Gaga, stan, like obsessed with her when this happened. Because I think there is a little bit of effect about this, certainly for modern audiences who perhaps weren't really old enough to remember this, but there is definitely an effect about this of like what TV tropes called Seinfeld is unfunny, where it's like

a lot of things about this seem normal and unshocking now where it actually set the template. You know, like the fact that she makes sounds that are quite odd through quite a lot of this. Like she has hooks that are just like, Da-, Nicki Minaj and Charli XCX, you know, it's just, that's something that's completely normal now. I think the overall vibe you get from this is Gaga unrestrained, where you see a pop star

for the first time in quite a few years, at the absolute top of the charts, who is deeply unusual, bringing something deeply new to the table and is not holding back about it You know just some of the lyrics that are in there like leather studded kiss in the sand and stuff like that They're like what the hell is she on about like these are really unusual lyrics And then you dig deeper into the fame monster and certainly deeper into born this way and the stuff that's far weirder still but you get a sense here of like she is at the point where she can do whatever she wants and she

no longer particularly cares about fitting into the established canon of the mainstream. Like there was still a little bit of that with Poker Face where you know there was certainly some quirks to it and you definitely got a sense of her being an unusual singer but it was still very much you know in the sound of 2008-2009 it was still you know a kind of charm offensive on the audience really whereas this is like no you're gonna like me whether you like it or not like this is what I'm bringing to the table and you're going to eat it basically. And I just think it's spectacular. It's like a whole manifesto for what Gargo's all about really in that huge, huge vocal performance all the way through, huge sense of character,

absolutely made of hooks, made to dance to. It's got a huge sense of the alternative and about celebrating unusual styles of love and unusual styles of relationships and unusual characters in it but is also incredibly exciting and incredibly innovative but also knowledgeable about what people like and what people want to hear. It just breaks down every single barrier really and if Gaga had stayed this good for like the next 10-15 years you know my goodness what a world we would have lived in. Sadly it sort of declined a bit from here and this is sort of the peak for Gaga to be honest but this was kind of a moment in time really where she sort of had the whole planet enthralled where everyone who was in any way alternative or minority or just wanted

something different in their music was just so drawn to her because she was leading the charge with this sort of primal chant just blasting through the radio all the time. It's spectacular, I can't really think of anything else to say about it other than that this was a real game changer, a real tastemaker, a real turning point in pop music and it's fantastic. Yeah this is what I've been waiting for for weeks. Thank you Lady Gaga for this. Appropriate that

she gets the last proper number one of 2009 because this has been the year of Gaga in more ways than one. She ushered in a new sound for the UK at the start of the year, watched everyone sort of copy it and then she's popped back in at the conclusion of the year just to remind everyone that she's still the queen of this stuff no matter how many little boots or cascada evacuate the dance floors that we might be, or Kesha's that we might be experiencing at this moment in time, because I think that this really establishes the difference between pop singers and pop artists. Whether you liked her or not at the time, Gaga had an actual vision. She knew exactly what she wanted to look, feel and sound like, and she draws from so many places

with this and still brings it into her world. Bits of this even sound like, fucking like, acts like VNV Nation. And you have throwing in all these Alfred Hitchcock references like Psycho and Vertigo and Rear Window and This is no one thing. It's very hard to pin down and yet it is Gaga quintessentially so and Then you get the way that this package is delivered, you know, which is just sumptuous You know the opening moments though rah rah rah, you know, her vocals are commanding and theatrical. You can tell she was always destined for musical stuff in the end because of how she bends and shapes every word in some kind of cabaret style. You know, I think in another life she'd be known as Stephanie Angelina and she'd be

more of a Idina Menzel, Liza Minnelli kind of figure. If she'd never made it as a pop star, she definitely would have made it as a pop star she definitely would have made it as a stage star. And then she starts singing in French because why the fuck not? You know this is operating at all of her peak levels. The Fame Monster album that this is pulled from is like is one of the greatest pop releases of the 2000s by far. I think it's one of the greatest pop releases ever. Honestly it's incredible the Fame Monster. Yeah. If's one of the greatest pop releases ever. Honestly, it's incredible, the Fame Monster. Yeah. If you added in the three main singles from the Fame onto it, so Just Dance, Poker Face and Paparazzi, you could have a serious conversation about that being one of the greatest

albums ever released. I just, I really think it is incredible. The depth and creativity of that record are unparalleled by so many of Gagagars, like big rivals from around this time and contemporaries. And I think that that was the first sign as well, the fame monster, that big singles artists were going to start taking albums really seriously again. I think like how, you know, the introduction of, you know, the 12-inch record, 33 and a third, like that kind of opening up a whole world of space and creativity, where artists have suddenly got 45 minutes to play with

and they've got more than eight tracks to play with and all this stuff. A change in the medium means that it's a change in the breadth and scope of what can be achieved in a studio, starting to treat the studio as an instrument in itself and this stuff. And then with the CD, maybe it went a little indulgent, but artists sort of being allowed to play with like 70 minutes of material and shove as much stuff on there as possible,

make these concept albums, not just like double albums in length, but like, you know, without wasting all the money on the production costs and things like that, and artists going bigger and longer and larger, and most of them not really getting away with it, but for rap releases and ambient and electronic releases, it was a big game changer and allowed them to become more popular as well. And then if you, but then as it kind of as time goes on, the CD isn't associated with it, like the CD, it's like thin and cheap and plastic. And so the music should match that it should be thin and cheap and plastic, it should be accessible, and it should be convenient over anything else. Obviously, that's not the case with like everything, just in the way that the LP, the emergence of the LP, and easier to maneuver than these big 75 acetate things. That didn't,

suddenly everybody was making albums, that sort of thing. But I think the move from the CD into MB3, it just changes the environment again, where you've got more room but people are now starting to listen on headphones, music becomes more of an interior experience, you start curating playlists and you start making things more personal and intimate and I think that means that Gaga does things like the Fame Monster and then you get Kanye West making like the document that is My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy, Beyonce as well with things like Four and her self-titled album and Rihanna eventually with like Auntie. And you know, there's all these other examples as well, like Bruno Mars becoming like an album artist and things like that.

And I think that the fame monster arrives at that point, that nervous point between the end of the CD and the beginning of the streaming era, where there's a bit of a gap to be filled because no one quite knows what to do. And Gargar straight in there as the internet, the first internet viral, you know, artist and this is exactly how to carry it on. And she's back and ready to seize another moment. I, yeah, I think that this, this really is wonderful. I think it's probably trying to look back. I think were it not for things like the fear, this would probably be my favorite song of the year for sure. Lizzie, how about you? Yeah, I think you've both hit the

nail on the head. I think I just wanted to add to your points Rob that I think for me, this is like the return of image Massively that's a good thing too. That's a good way to put it the importance of cultivating an image of yourself as a pop star that you can Sort of morph in time kind of like in a sort of Bowie sense Whereas for the last couple of years before this I think that didn't really matter like if you look at pop stars like let's say Leona Lewis where it doesn't really matter what she looks like the whole thing is her voice and everything around that comes kind of secondary with Lady Gaga it's the image is everything

it's what the whole the you know, the video, the album are even, it all hinges on that. And it becomes a primary thing. So like you say, Rob, you get things like Beyonce, Lemonade and that sort of thing, and Rihanna's Auntie. And like, I think this is where it kind of stems from. You could maybe go back to Poke Face earlier in the year, but I think this is one of

these like moments in pop where it's like oh god this is gonna be the biggest thing in the world and it was. I think you've both kind of explained why the song is so great already, that sense of danger and passion. I also love that a couple of episodes ago I mentioned, you know about Pokeface, I said that it kind of has this Eastern European thing going on and in this she was actually inspired by German house and techno music. That would explain the VMV nation thing yeah. Future pop, Euro pop. Yeah and I love that sense of like being on tour and picking up influences as you go, not just staying in your own lane, just sort of hoovering up what you can and using it

to form this, like I say, this image, this creation of yourself, almost like an extension. And yeah, it's fantastic. It's why every part of this works. Every part of the package is almost flawless. And it's no wonder that it was the biggest thing in the world for a time. All right then. So before we go, we're just going to check. Andy, meet me halfway. Okay, I will do. Where are we meeting? Halfway between the pie hole and the vault, per chance. That is exactly where it's landed. Yeah, I can't go any further than this.

And by that I mean it can't go into the pie hole or the vault. Yeah, Lizzie, what about you? I've met it halfway between 0 and 14. So, it's going nowhere. Okay. As for me, yep, going nowhere for me either. Lizzie, the X Factor finalist 2009. Is there like a sub vault where it instantly gets sort of turned to dust like Thanos style? I don't think it even deserves to be in the pie hole.

In the ether. Yeah. Andy, it's alone in the ether. Andy, you are not alone. Pie is in the hole, this song is here with you, because it's really shit, that's the end of it. Wow, off the top of your dome, Andy. Off the top of your dome. Yeah, me, uh, pie hole. I hope my snoring made my point. Um, Andy, the official BBC children in need medley. Um, oh it's going to be difficult to think of a pun for this one. I hadn't come up with

this one. Uh, it's going nowhere. Throw those curtains wide one day in either the pie hole or the vault would see it right but it's not getting either of those. That's just dreadful. Er, yeah, it's going nowhere. Lizzie, Peter Kay's All Star Animated Band. Sorry, Animated All Star Band. All Star Band.

Erm, don't stop narrowly missing the pie hole. Don't stop. It's about four. That's so much better. Oh, I'm so jealous. Oh, if I'd have put it in the pie hole, I would have gone, pie hole. Oh, now that would go in the pie hole.

Me, that one. Well, that has to go in. It's a shame, but yeah, it's just above, just above the pie hole. Whoever thought it'd be a shame to not put something in the pie hole. And bad romance, Andy, Lady Gaga. That is vault, vault, vault, vault, vault.

Vault, vault, vault, vault, vault. Gaga in the vault. And by the way, every time I've said the word vault, there is a new time of putting it in the vault. That's how much I like it, yeah. Lizzie, bad romance. You know that I want you. You know that I need you. I need you in, Bad Romance. You know that I want you. You know that I need you.

I need you in, in the vault. That's amazing. Um, yeah, forget Vertigo, it's vault for me. This is, yeah. Triple vault? Spellbounding, our first triple vault for a while. In fact, I'm just going to look this up, this must be our first triple vault since a while. In fact, I'm just going to look this up, this must be our first triple vault since the start of the year,

I want to say. No, it's not. It's our first triple vault since... Poker face? Bonkers. Oh! Oh, alright. Back in the summer.

Bonkers, poker face, the fear, Just Dance and Bad Romance are our only triple Vaulters so far this year, so that's Lady Gaga responsible for three of them. Wow. The year of Gaga indeed. So we'll be back next week for the Christmas episode for 2009 and then because we're coming to the end of the decade, coming to the end of the first season or the first era of our show, we are going to do a massive Noughties review show where

we're going to look back at the Born to Runner Up, the ultimate champion of champions, we're going to look at the 20 worst songs that we've covered so far and we're going to find out the song which we have jointly ranked as the greatest of all number ones in the 2000s and we'll also be bidding a farewell of course to Lizzie and we'll welcome Ed shall we? Shall we invite Ed on? Yeah, we thought that. We can pass the torch and introduce him to everyone before we do the 90s. And I won't tell him in person, I'll just wait for him to listen to this episode on Sunday and then he'll go Okay then!

There's your invite Ed. So we will see you next time. Bye bye now. See ya. Bye bye. I'm going to get you