A Kiwi Perspective – The Top 20 Songs Of 2003 (#20 - #11)
Feb 10 '04
The Bottom Line Speaks for itself really
I don’t do this kind of list a lot, so if I’ve put it in the wrong place, let me know where the right place is and how to get there & I’ll move it
There are quite a few songs from New Zealand in this list, and I make no apologies for that. The truth is, here in its homeland, NZ music was big last year. It was up there in the charts with the major overseas superstars and it received massive radio and music TV airplay. Aside from that, it just plain rocks. However, I understand that a lot of members won’t recognize the NZ tracks so I will help you out in that respect.
Aside from that, 2003 was the year I started leaving my pop roots behind and I now enjoy mainstream hip hop & rock / punk.
It took me a while to compile this list. First I scribbled down as many songs I could think of that made it big in NZ. Then I crossed off the ones I didn’t really like. After another look, I crossed off the ones where I kinda went “it wasn’t that big… a top 50 list maybe…” Then I got rid of the ones that came out fairly recently and had a decent shot of making my top 20 2004.
Once I’d done all that, I still had 27 songs left. I decided the only way to cut it down was just to have one song by any particular artist. (There was one case where it didn’t work, but I’ll come to that later.) When deciding which one to keep, it was a matter of “this is my list, which one do I like better?” That’s why a mega-hit may not necessarily be on here, but the artist could well be.
NB – FTA stands for “from the album”.
#20: Brooke Fraser – “Better” FTA What To Do With Daylight (NZ)
One of few pop songs on this list. Her voice is amazing, and the only word to describe the album is beautiful. Better, like most on the album, is a slow song that’s kind of like a ballad, but isn’t necessarily about a boyfriend.
#19: Missy Elliott – “Work It” FTA Under Construction
Let’s be honest here, the lyrics are pretty much nonsense. It’s fun to listen to, relatively easy to sing along to and the video rules. An all-round recipe for success.
#18: Chingy – “Right Thurr” FTA Jackpot
Oh boy, I’m going to cop a lot of flak for this one. But first, let me explain. First of all, the chorus is damn catchy. I liked this song when it first came out, but I got very sick of it, very fast, and I’m yet to hear anything decent from Chingy (I doubt I ever will). That’s why this is so far down the list. However, it sparked a movement. You either loved him or you hated him, it sold massively, and a lot of people have now started saying “Thurr” instead of there. For that, you’ve got to acknowledge him, crap as he may be.
#17: 50 Cent – “In Da Club” FTA Get Rich Or Die Trying
You’re rich now 50, you can stop trying… please. Considered the biggest rap song of the year by C4 (music TV channel), this is quite possibly the song I heard the most of in 2003 & I can’t say I mind. Hell, there’s a lot worse songs out there. The hooks catchy, the beat’s fun and it was a huge seller.
#16: The Zephyrs – “Something New” Single (NZ)
How do you define a one-hit wonder? Do they try to be successful with more than one song or do they quit while they’re ahead? Either way, it’s not the case with The Zephyrs. This is, however, the only song you’ll ever hear from them. The story: Air NZ created an ad where a band struggling to get a record deal (The Zephyrs) flies over to America and performs their song “Something New” on a rooftop, directly across from a major record company. When the executives saw the crowd in the street loving the song and dancing, the band was hired.
Somewhere along the line, it became more than an ad. The NZ public wanted the song from the ad. There was such a huge demand for it that it was lengthened, put onto CD and sold to the NZ public as The Zephyrs – “Something New”. It entered the charts at #3, and deserved it. Often, songs get used in ads but its not often ads are turned into songs. BTW – It rocks!
#15: Outkast – “Hey Ya!” FTA Speakerboxxx / The Love Below
I know, I know, they’re separate albums and “Hey Ya!” is from The Love Below. I don’t need 20 odd comments telling me that. It’s all Outkast to me though, I’m not really a huge fan. “Hey Ya!” has been a massive song over summer and its not finished yet. Great song, great video. Verges on pop a bit, rather than hip hop, but its still good. The one part I don’t really like is the full video. I don’t like seeing that dressing room and intro part every single time. If C4 would start it at the bit where Andre goes ֿ, 2,3,4!” I’d be happy.
#14: Beyonce (Featuring Jay Z) – “Crazy In Love” FTA Dangerously In Love
The first thing that struck me about this song was the video. Well I’m a red-blooded male, what do you expect? But after the first few times I managed to break myself out of the trance, stop watching the sexy moves that amazing body was pulling and actually listen to the song. I liked it. Unlike “㤋 Bonnie & Clyde” – the other song with Jay Z – Beyonce shines here. The vocal talent is undeniable and when you combine that with great lyrics, this is the result.
#13: Mareko & Deceptikonz – “Stop, Drop & Roll” FTA White Sunday (NZ)
Mareko sees Deceptikonz similar to Wu-Tang Clan – they’ll always remain a group but every so often a member will release a solo album, which is what he’s done here. Deceptikonz join him on this track, which has great lyrics and beats, along with a distinct NZ / Pacific Island flavour. The video is set not in a burning building, as the title may suggest, but an army camp.
#12: R Kelly – “Ignition Remix” FTA Chocolate Factory
What did R Kelly say to Michael Jackson? “I’ll give you two 5s for a 10”. Thank you, thank you very much. Sorry if that offended anyone. I heard it the other night on the radio and its actually the funniest joke I’ve heard in long time.
To be honest, I don’t really care what happens to R Kelly over these charges, as long as he’s allowed to keep making music like this. It’s fresh, its catchy and it’s a helluva lot better than the non-remix version. There’s not many songs that make me want to dance, but this sometimes does the trick.
#11: Linkin Park – “Faint” FTA Meteora
Meteora would have to one of the biggest hyped albums of the year, and deservedly so. However, this is one example of where the bigger hit was omitted to make room for the better song. I wanted to include Somewhere I Belong, I really did. However, Faint is that bit faster, includes more rap and has a really passionate ending. If I was to do a top 30, Somewhere I Belong would definitely be included, but unfortunately I had to omit it from this.
#10 - #1 coming within a week – promise.
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Epinions.com ID:
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Member: Dean Cowie
Location: Invercargill, New Zealand
Reviews written: 198
Trusted by: 39 members
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