Okay, after a few weeks of various detours, we're back heading for the present, picking up with 2004. I didn't want to do a January chart, because there would be too much overlap. So I moved ahead into the spring. As you can see, there were still quite a few songs hanging around from December, but part of the story of how the Top 40 has evolved is that songs seem to have longer lives on the charts, so this works for me. So I'm doing the usual, bolding the new stuff from 40-11 and then breaking them down, then on to the Top Ten. So let's travel back in time to the early days of AT40's "Seacrest era."
40 - "Work It," Nelly featuring Justin Timberlake
39 - "Harder to Breathe," Maroon 5
38 - "I Miss You," Blink-182
37 - "Stand Up," Ludacris
36 - "Wat the Hook Gon Be," Murphy Lee featuring Jermaine Dupri
35 - "Through the Wire," Kanye West
34 - "Perfect," Simple Plan
33 - "Meant to Live," Switchfoot
32 - "Falls On Me," Fuel
31 - "It's My Life," No Doubt
30 - "Away from the Sun," 3 Doors Down
29 - "F.U.R.B.," Frankee
28 - "Headstrong," Trapt
27 - "Gigolo," Nick Cannon
26 - "8th World Wonder," Kimberley Locke
25 - "Hey Mama," The Black Eyed Peas
24 - "Take My Breath Away," Jessica Simpson
23 - "Here Without You," 3 Doors Down
22 - "Don't Tell Me," Avril Lavigne
21 - "Suga Suga," Baby Bash
20 - "The Reason," Hoobastank
19 - "Slow Jamz," Twista featuring Jamie Foxx and Kanye West
18 - "Are You Gonna Be My Girl," Jet
17 - "My Band," D12
16 - "Hotel," Cassidy featuring R. Kelly
15 - "Hey Ya," OutKast
14 - "Tipsy," J-Kwon
13 - "Bounce," Sarah Connor
12 - "F--- It (I Don't Want You Back)," Eamon
11 - "Someday," Nickelback
We'll start our look at the 19 newbies with four rap collaborations and one rap group. Nelly had previously worked with Justin Timbelake when he guested on N'Sync's last hit, "Girlfriend," and two years later, Timberlake returned the favor all by his lonesome. It's your basic "girl, let me watch you move that body" rap, over a sample of AC/DC's "Back in Black." Oh, and the video was shot at the Playboy mansion. An obvious choice, but sometimes it's obvious because it's right. Nelly's fellow St. Lunatic Murphy Lee teamed up with Atlanta impresario Jermaine Dupri for this track on which Mr. Lee sings a snippet of "Tomorrow" from Annie. So after Jay Z's "Hard Knock Life (Ghetto Anthem)," that now makes two hip-hop hits that borrow from that show about the redheaded orphan. That I know of, at least. Chicago's Twista had his only #1 with this ode to mood-setting music that namedrops Luther Vandross, Anita Baker, Marvin Gaye, and several other artists. This track marks one of the first major rapping appearances from Kanye West (who was previously best known as a producer), and it also introduced the world to the singing ability of actor/comedian Jamie Foxx, who'd go on to display it further later in the year in the movie Ray. Eminem and a few of his Detroit homeboys make up D12, a group whose biggest hit to date was this track about how all the rest of the guys are overshadowed by Mr. Mathers. And they still are. And it doesn't seem like much of an injustice to me. But it's a good song. And Philadelphian Cassidy had his biggest hit with this okay number about inviting ladies up to a rented room for certain purposes. R. Kelly sings the choruses. That's really all there is to say.
Next we'll look at four rock bands. Blink-182 had their last major pop hit to date with this dark, gothy love song. Catchy in a different way than their other hits, and a worthwhile departure. San Diego Christian rockers Switchfoot had their first major hit with this hard rocker about looking for a deeper meaning in life. Not my cup of tea, but it's about as good as it can be for what it is. 3 Doors Down are back with a droney power ballad with a similar theme to "Meant to Live." But like pretty much everything they've done except "Kryptonite," it's boring and does nothing for me. And California's Hoobastank had by far their biggest hit with this big midtempo ballad about finding someone worth changing for. I found it extremely annoying, which was a problem during much of 2004, because this song became ubiquitous. And I don't know what "Hoobastank" means, but I don't think that knowledge would change my opinion that it's a profoundly stupid name.
Then we have three solo men. The aforementioned Kanye West had his first hit on his own with this song that was inspired by a 2002 car accident where he was nearly killed and had to have facial reconstruction surgery. Part of that involved having his jaw wired shut, and it was still like that two weeks after the crash when he recorded the song. His clenched delivery adds an element of poignancy to his deeply personal tale of overcoming the experience, which also includes references to Emmett Till, Tom Cruise, the movie Unbreakable, and the Toys "R" Us commercial jingle. A compelling song, and one that announced West as someone who could take rap in a different direction and still penetrate the mainstream. And because of that difference, "Through the Wire" is this week's Uneasy Rider. Former Nickelodeon star Nick Cannon made his transition to an adult career by rapping about picking up women. And there's R. Kelly again, singing the chorus. The man certainly wasn't trapped in a closet at this time. He got around. As for Cannon, he now hosts America's Got Talent and is the father of twins with wife Mariah Carey. No, I would not have predicted that. And St. Louis rapper J-Kwon had his only significant hit about drinking and picking up women in clubs. However, he wouldn't have been allowed in any such establishment at the time he recorded it, for he was only 17 at the time. That aside, its catchily silly, and notable for his pronunciation of the word "everybody."
Then we have the solo women. Staten Island's Frankee had her only major hit by portraying Eamon's ex in a song that uses the same tune and backing track as the song it answers "F--- It (I Don't Want You Back)," Her response: you wouldn't have written a song about me if you didn't still love me, but I 'm not taking you back because you were bad in bed. Thankfully, there were no further chapters to that saga. Hartsfield, Tennessee's Kimberley Locke finished third on the second season of American Idol, and she parlayed that exposure into this one hit, a slick pop-rocker about finding an extraordinary love. One of the better songs associated with that show. Jessica Simpson is here with a pointless, limp cover of Berlin's Top Gun smash. She sings prettily, but without passion. This won't cause anyone respiratory problems. Avril Lavigne is here with the first single from her second album. It's a rock song about not allowing a boy to pressure her into doing certain things just because he has certain expectations. A simple message, well-conveyed. This might be her best single. And German Sarah Lewe, who took her stage surname from Linda Hamilton's Terminator character, had her only American hit with this "get the hell out" song that heavily samples Mary J. Blige's "Family Affair." Serviceable dance-pop, nothing more.
We close our look at the new meat with two songs that soundtracked iPod commercials. The Black Eyed Peas scored their third pop hit with this dancehallish call for women to shake their backsides on the nearest dance floor. Not earthshaking, but by their Fergie-era standards, very good. And Australian rock band Jet had their biggest hit with this rave-up that I liked at first, but gradually tired of. Other than this song, this band is probably best known for releasing an album that one music website reviewed simply by posting a video of a chimp peeing into its own mouth. Well, that's certainly a unique accomplishment.
And I, for one, welcome our new Top Ten overlords.
10 - "The First Cut is the Deepest," Sheryl Crow
Crow returns from last time with this one. Still the best version as far as I'm concerned.
9 - "Come Clean," Hilary Duff
Duff's best-remembered hit is this pleasant pop song about new beginnings. This became the theme for the MTV "reality" series Laguna Beach, which led to The Hills, which made celebrities of some rather distasteful people (coughHeidicoughSpencercough). But I won't hold that agains Hilary.
8 - "Numb," Linkin Park
This song, appropriately enough, doesn't make me feel anything.
7 - "The Way You Move," OutKast
This doesn't give me anything close to an "eargasm," but I still like it.
6 - "One Call Away," Chingy
Howard Bailey, Jr.'s third hit was this song that tells the story of, surprise, the development of a serious relationship with a woman. A nice change of pace in this genre.
5 - "With You," Jessica Simpson
Airy and disposable. When she strives for nothing more than this, she's okay.
4 - "This Love," Maroon 5
And this is where they lost me. Adam Levine's nasal whine doesn't make a soul crooner to me. I guess I'm missing something though, because these guys keep cranking out hits. But I just don't get it. I'll never apologize for enjoying the shit out of "Harder to Breathe," though.
3 - "My Immortal," Evanescence
These Arkansas goth-rockers broke through early in 2003 with "Bring Me to Life," which helped power their debut album to multi-platinum sales. Their second pop Top Ten was this ballad about a soul that stays with you after death. Singer Amy Lee's voice doesn't always appeal to me, but it fits the tone of this song perfectly.
2 - "Yeah!" Usher featuring Lil' Jon and Ludacris
Mr. Raymond had his biggest hit with this club monster that features Lil' Jon on production and random interjections and a typically lascivious Luda rap verse. Just so huge it's nearly impossible to deny.
And at #1 that April week, we find...
1 - "Toxic," Britney Spears
After the somewhat disappointing performance of the Madonna duet "Me Against the Music," Brit came back strong with this musically intriguing electrodance number about a guy who's irresistable to her despite being no good for her. I'm not sure it's my favorite of hers, but I'd certainly call it the most admirably ambitious.
Next time - back to roughly corresponding weeks as we head to 2005.
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