Hits 21 - 2007 (3): Beyoncé & Shakira, McFly, Rihanna

Episode Date: February 25, 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 21st century - from January 2000, right through to the present day. Twitter: @Hits21UK Email: [e-mail] Vault: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/5O5MHJUIQIUuf0Jv0Peb3C?si=e4057fb450f648b0 Piehole: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/2FmWkwasjtq5UkjKqZLcl4

Do-da-do-do-do-do-do-do-do-do-do-do-do-do-do-do-do-do-do-do-do-do-do-do-do-do-do-do-do-do-do-do-do-do-do-do-do-do-do-do-do-do-do-do-do-do-do-do-do-do-do-do-do-do-do-do-do-do-do-do-do-do-do-do-do-do-do-do-do-do-do-do-do-do-do-do-do-do-do-do-do-do-do-do-do-do-do-do-do-do-do-do-do-do-do-do-do-do-do-do-do-do-do-do-do-do-do-do-do-do-do-do-do-do-do-do-do-do-do-do-do-do-do-do-do-do-do-do-do-do-do-do-do-do-do-do-do-do-do-do-do-do-do-do-do-do-do-do-do-do-do-do-do-do-do-do-do-do-do-do-do-do-do-do-do-do-do-do-do-do-do-do-do-do-do-do-do-do-do-do-do-do-do-do-do-do-do-do-do-do-do-do-do-do-do-do-do-do-do-do-do-do-do-do-do-do-do-do-do-do-do-do-do-do-do-do-do-do-do-do-do-do- Hi there everyone and welcome back to Hits21 where me, Rob, me, Andy, and me, Livy, all look back at every single UK number one of the 21st century from January 2000 right through to the present day. If you want to get in touch with us, you can find us over on Twitter. We are at Hits21 UK, that is at Hits21 UK and you can email us too. If you don't like social media You can just send it on over to hits 21 podcast at gmail.com Thank you so much for joining us again. We are currently looking back at the year 2007 and this week will be covering the period between the 22nd of April and the 28th of July I wonder what happens in the intervening weeks and months there. Just so that you know, the weekly polls that we do, we're now not going to be

announcing them in each episode. We're gonna get them all together, all the winners. We're gonna put them all in a big batch and announce them either at the end of each year or at the beginning of the following year. So all the winners for 2007, they're all going to be announced either in our Christmas episode or in our New Year's episode for 2008. It is time to press on with this week's episode and as always it is time for some news headlines from around the time the songs we're covering in this episode were at number one in the UK. In Portugal, three-year-old

girl Madeline McCann goes missing from a holiday resort in the city of Lagos. Her disappearance sparked significant media attention and police attention, particularly on her parents Kate and Jerry, and despite a lengthy police investigation, the case remains unsolved as of 2024. Five people are injured at Glasgow Airport when a car rigged with propane gas is driven into a wall and set on fire. The driver Bilal Abdullah and passenger Kofil Ahmad were treated for severe burns at the scene before being taken into custody. Ahmad died of his injuries over a month later. And in July, the UK is hit by weeks of rainfall during the wetter summer on record. Later referred to as the Rianne Curse, which we'll explain in this episode, towns in East Yorkshire, Warwickshire, Worcestershire and Gloucestershire were flooded

with some places underwater for several weeks. The films to hit the top of the UK box office during this period were as follows, and there's a lot of them. Next for one week, Spider-Man 3 for three weeks, Pirates of the Caribbean at World's End for two weeks, Oceans 13 for two weeks, Fantastic Four, Rise of the Silver Surfer for two weeks, Shrek the Third for two weeks, and Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix for two weeks, Shrek the third for two weeks and Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix for two weeks. In football Manchester United win the Premier League, Chelsea win the FA Cup and AC Milan

win the Champions League. ITV acts as its celebrity singing competition, soap star, superstar. Channel 4 are found to have breached off-con rules during a handling of the Big Brother Racism scandal and the BBC acts as just the two of us to the disappointment of no one. And all of the major terrestrial TV channels are found guilty of gross negligence after an investigation into the phone-in scandal. The inquiry found that several TV shows had continued to take calls from viewers during phoning competitions, even after winners had already been determined. And that's why when you have those competitions now, you get that thing, you know, please do not call after the closing time because your vote won't be counted but you may still be charged. And Serbia wins the Eurovision Song Contest

with their entry Maria Serifovic and her song Mollitva. The UK's entry, Scooch, finished second last. I think that's fair. Like I love Scooch, like it's a camp classic but we just weren't taking it seriously. We really weren't. And that's Erbius songs quite good. Yeah, this really was the period where we're like, we're the United Kingdom, we can do all this Euro rubbish easy. Yeah, we're one of the best five. We just get battered every year. Yeah. Yeah not a good one. Andy a long period on the album charts what have we got? At the start of this period at the top of the chart is Avril Lavigne with the best damn thing which went to number one for one week and went single platinum. That was toppled by favourite

worst nightmares by Arktip Monkeys which went to number one for three weeks and went quadruple platinum. After that it's Linkin Park with Minutes to Midnight which went number one for one week and went double platinum. Followed by Maroon 5 with the annoyingly titled It Won't Be Soon Before Long which went to number one for two weeks and went single platinum. And then oh nothing particularly of interest here just some little album called Good Girl Gone Bad by Rihanna which surprisingly only went number one for one week and never returned to the top of the charts. Just one week at the top and went seven times

platinum. Yeah that's so that only just barely made it to number one at all which is surprising to say the least Anyway, after that we've got the traveling Wilburys collection at number one for one week and went single platinum The white stripes with icky thump, which just went gold and was number one for one week The editors with an end has a start single platinum for one week And then the chemical brothers with we are the night which went gold and went number one for one week and then the Chemical Brothers with We Are the Night which went gold and went number one for one week. Finally, two more for you, the enemy with We Live and Die in these towns went to number one for one week and went double platinum and then

finally, just to show you what era we're in here, it's Paul Potts with One Chance which went number one for three weeks and went single platinum Paul Potts with his one and only number one album there. Quite a few of those I think is either their only or their last number one album that we're getting there so had to race through quite a few of those but yeah quite a big period there I wish we kind of been able to go into those a bit more, but just so much this week. So much. Yeah. Lizzie, how are the states? So first up, the number one singles. We have Girlfriend by Averil Lavigne, which got to

number one for one week, and also got to number two in the UK. Then we have Makes Me Wander by Maroon 5, which spent three weeks at number one. Also got to number two over here. Then we have Buy You a Drank, Brackets Shorty Snapping, by T-Pain featuring Young Jock. Which spent one week at number one and peaked at 112 in the UK. And then we have Umbrella by Rihanna featuring Jay-Z, spent seven weeks at number one,

called Record Rainfall in the UK. Then we have Hay There Delilah by Plain White Tees. Oh my god. Two weeks at number one and it got to number two in the UK. So over to albums and I'm sure you know the drill by now so let's just get stuck in. First up we have The Best Stam Thing by Avril Lavigne. Spent two weeks at number one, also got to number one over here as Andy just mentioned. Because of you by Nio was the next one, got to number one for one week and it reached number six in the UK. Then we have Call Me Irresponsible by Michael Bublé.

Nobody ever has. One week peaked at number two in the UK. Then we have Minutes to Midnight by Lincoln Park, spent one week at number one, also hit number one in the UK. Then we have that awful titled one by Maroon 5, which Andy just mentioned, got to number one for one week, also got to number one over here. Then we have One Week of Double Up by Robert Sylvester Kelly, and then we have Epiphany by T. Payne,

spent one week at number one, failed to chart in the UK. And then we have Big Dog Daddy by Tovey Keith, resting piece. One week, failed to chart in the UK, of course. Then it was Lost Highway by Bond Jovi. One week, got to number two in the UK. Then it was Hannah Montana 2, Meet Miley Cyrus by Miley Cyrus. One week at number one failed to chart in the UK for soundtrack rules reasons. And finally we have TI versus TIP by TI, which spent two weeks in number one in America and got to number 101 in the UK. Wow. Yeah, long period. Thank you very much for your patience, everybody. We are gonna get to the music now.

And first up this week is this. Nobody likes being afraid I'm saving the old, you can rest He said I'm worth it His one desire I know things about him that you wouldn't want to read about Kiss me, it's one and only Beautiful liar Tell me how you tolerate the things you just found out about This means one and only beautiful liar Tell me how you tolerate the things you just found right around You never know why are we the ones who suffer

I have to let go He won't be the one to cry I guess it's not you the drama I guess it's not Kill the drama, I, yes it's not Slotify, I, yes it's not Worth the drama Oh, oh, beautiful liar, can't we laugh about it? Oh, it's not worth our time, oh, we can live without them just a beautiful liar Okay, this is Beautiful Liar by Beyonce and Shakira. Released as the fourth single from the expanded Deluxe edition of her second studio album titled B-Day, Beautiful Liar is Beyonce's eleventh single to be released in the UK and

her third to reach number one. As for Shakira, it's her seventh single to be released in the UK and her second to reach number one. As for Shakira, it's her seventh single to be released in the UK and her second to reach number one. It's the last number one to date for Shakira, but it won't be the last time we're coming to Beyonce on this podcast. Beautiful Liar first entered the UK chart at number 10, reaching number one during its third week on the chart, knocking Timberland off the top.

It stayed at number one for three weeks. In its first week atop the charts it sold 38,000 copies beating competition from Brian Storff by Arty Muckies. Which climbed to number two because of you by Nioh which climbed to number six. I want to have your babies by Natasha Beddingfield which climbed to number seven and away from here by the enemy which climbs to number eight. In week two it sold 35,000 copies, beating competition from Love Today by Meeker which climbs to number six, Cupid's Choke Hold by Jim Class Heroes which climbs to number eight and Closer by Travis which climbs to number ten. And

in week three it's last week at number one, it sold 28,000 copies. Beating competition from Your Love Alone is Not Enough by Manic Street Preachers, which climbed to number two, Get Down by Groove Armada, which climbed to number nine, and Hearing Your Arms by Hello Goodbye, which climbed to number 10. When it was knocked off the top of the charts, Beautiful Liar dropped one place to number 2. By the time it was done on the charts, it had been inside the top 104. 24 weeks. The song is currently officially certified platinum in the UK as of 2020 for Andy. Beautiful Liar. Uh, the, the, I mean, this is the thing with beautiful liar, are we going to discuss the remix version

or are we going to discuss the original version? But it's your choice. Do as you see fit. I'm going to discuss the original. I have learnt from you both that I'm somewhat in the minority potentially on this but I only know the original, don't know the remix. I have listened to the remix but that's unfamiliar to me Whereas the original I do remember hearing that a fair bit at the time, so I'm gonna focus on that one

Yeah, first of all just a minor correction. I have to stifle a laugh Sorry to correct you Rob, but this is from Beyonce's album bum washer Yeah, also quite interested about like how we're describing this because it's Beyonce and Shakira But it's off Beyonce's album and I kind of feel like this is really equal Like you could have given this to either one of them for their album Was this on a Shakira album as well because I feel like they've both got equal claim to this as their song really I do like this, but it kind of I Needed a moment to

jog my memory with this. When I saw it on paper I was like what's that again? Then listening to it for the first time I was like oh yeah it's this one but I still needed to get there a bit more with it and you'd think for a Beyonce and Shakira song you'd think that would hit harder, you'd think that would be like woof because that's two absolute icons of the era. So I'm once again going to use the phrase that I've used a few times recently which is less than the sum of its parts which is that you've got Beyonce and Shakira for Christ's sake and that really should create something absolutely special and they are a good combo with each other but it just for some reason

just never really get out of second or third gear. I'm not going to say first gear because it is a fun song but it just never really goes to the sweet spot to be honest. It just kind of is happy to be what it is and there's a little bit of a lack of ambition there which I don't particularly like but I do really like this and it's got one thing about it which I'm gonna give a big tick for which I've complained about forever which is the mids in songs of this era, the mid frequencies. This song does a really good job with it, it's got a really really nice acoustic guitar that sits in the middle of

everything which just anchors it and gives it a bit of a kind of nice warm feeling which I really appreciated. I also really like that this is quite a good combination of both Beyoncé and Shakira's styles. It feels like some thought has gone into that, that it's neither a Beyoncé song with Shakira popping in or a Shakira song with Beyoncé popping in. Like it has a lot of elements of that you might expect from a Beyonce track like the R&B, stylings to it and that big thumping drum beat as well. It also has a lot of the Latin influences and a lot of the kind of what you might describe as sexy sounds that you might expect from

Shakira as well. It's a good combination of both of them. So I think there is quite a lot of artistry here and quite a lot of good crafts that's gone into this. I just wish it was a more exciting song to be honest. I think everything that's here is good. There is the makings of something really really nice here but it just never gets that lift for me. So yeah, a little bit deflated to be honest but I don't kind of want to leave on a bad point because I do really like this. So yeah, just to emphasise it is a thumbs up from me but Beyonce and Shakira you know they've delivered a sort of seven out of ten here they should be giving us tens really. So I don't know why why do they give us a little bit more?

Because this is a really nice combo I could happily listen to way more songs featuring both of them and also just a brief comment about the remix. It's fun. I could definitely dance to that, but I prefer the original actually. I think the original has got a lot more kind of spirit to it. So yeah, it's just okay. It's just okay. It should be so much more than it is. Lizzie, how are we feeling? With the sort of some of its parts thing, I'm kind of imagining like Andy's vision of this and it's like, you know that bit in The Simpsons where Lisa's having us, like she's playing saxophone for first chair against Alison. Just like going out to the point where like one of the master

collapse in order to actually put an end to it. Yeah, it's a bit of an unusual one. I know, Andy, you might be the exception there that you're not used to the Freemasons remix because that's the only one I've heard for about 13 odd years. I don't think I've actually heard the original since it came out in the UK in terms of radio. Probably radio stations individually picked a version and stuck to it and so I was listening to Radio City in Liverpool, you'll have been listening to something else and I think they just diverts from there probably. I wasn't paying attention to the charts by this point so this might have passed me by a little bit. I do slightly prefer the remix

purely because I think it suits that more energetic uptempo style, but I think the original is perfectly decent in its own right. Like as far as collaborations go, I think like you Andy, it's a rare case where both artists come out of it looking like equals. Compared to the last song we'll cover this week, where the featured artist feels tacked on to a track that doesn't really need them. This feels like a mutually beneficial release for both Beyoncé and Shakira. They're both mega stars in their own right by this point. I've still not checked out enough of Shakira's work, but I know well enough that she's as big in South America as Beyoncé is in North America. Also just to clear up the album thing, I did a little

research while you were talking there. So this is technically not on Beyonce's album, it's on the Deluxe version, which was released a year after. It's actually not on a Shakira album because she releases one in 2005 and then her next one is She-Wolf in 2009. So this is a single only release for Shakira. I mean in terms of its sound it feels like more of a natural continuation of the sort of thing Beyonce was doing on like Baby Boy a few years prior but this time you've got a proper world music vibe rather than just an off-the-shelf like Scott's Storch sample. It's also very satisfying to me that both Shakira's number one in the UK have a prominent hook based around her name. Like why don't more

artists do that? Like Rihanna, Rihanna. You got sort of natural brand synergy there, it's easy. I do wish that this song had a bit more momentum to it though, since I find that it kind of runs out of steam by the time he gets the bridge, you know, to tell me how to forgive you a bit. I really like the violin solo that comes in after that, but then it just goes back to the chorus without much in the way of progression. I feel like the remix keeps up the momentum, so I'm much more likely to revisit that version these days, but overall I think the song is a pretty good showcase of both artists, and like you, Andy, I do like this one.

And also just before I hand back to you, Rob, I'm aware that we encounter Beyoncé again, but since this is the last time we encounter Shakira, I'd just like to reiterate my love for She-Wolf, which is one of my favourite synth pop songs of the naughties. Aww, yeah, it doesn't get to the point, does it? I always remember that from the, before she was back in the charts with Murder on the Dance Floor when Sophie Ellis Bex, who was doing the BBC Sounds podcast circuit where she did Sophie's disco, kitchen disco or something like that.

She Wolf was always used in the advert. And so whenever I was listening to Popmaster when it was back on radio too, She Wolf was always like blaring out of my phone whenever I was listening to the Popmaster podcast, the year, there's she won't be the closet Yeah it's one of those where I remember the first time I heard it in the car I was like the hell is this?

Are you sure this is Shakira? But yeah I do love that one It only gets to number four But it has a place in my heart at least I have ended up enjoying Beautiful Liar more and more this week Mainly though because of a really easy comparison that's in the charts around the exact same time, which is

Usher and R. Kelly's Same Girl, which is about two men who realize that they've been sleeping with the same woman not knowing that they were both being played. Sound familiar? So obviously beautiful liar is about the same thing, two women realizing they've been sleeping with the same man not knowing that they were both being led on and backstabbed and what have you. But where are Kelly and Usher treat the whole thing as a pretty lame joke that sounds like something the Lonely Island would have abandoned after like one writing session? The punchline is they've not been sleeping with the same girl, they've been dating twins Shakira and Beyonce really inhabit the betrayal felt by their characters

and they give this a really furious, you know, fiery performance and it's backed up by that looping constantly suspended like acoustic guitar. It never resolves the riff on the guitar. It's just constantly tense. I think this is Beyonce's best vocal performance that we've had so far. It's weird because the Latin pop styles in the back, you would expect this to be more like Shakira's event, but it's Beyoncé's party and Shakira's done very well, but she's the one being invited along, if you will. And Beyoncé makes this

hers. She's more than a match for what is expected of a hero, I think, and they make good collaborators together because of that. They the stage very well Beyonce definitely the furthest forward but they Shakira does provide nice back into this and nice support and like you Lizzie I am also gonna commend the writers for somehow managing to get Shakira Shakira into another hook despite having no resemblance to hipstone lie. It's just yeah I do feel like the Beyonce Beyonce Shakira that has lasted longer than the song itself. It's true. I think I agree with you two though that this doesn't have the the I'm gonna use a bit of a cop out turn but it doesn't have the x factor to tip it over the edge.

I do think it starts to run out of steam during that kind of instrumental section between sort of like the second and third choruses and because it puts it squarely in the mid-2000 for the wrong reasons because some songs did have a habit of this around the time where they would drop these long instrumental sections that serve very little purpose in audio form but they're just there for the music video so that Shakira and Beyonce can have a gyrating and dancing section for 20 seconds in the music video. This happened in a few. The other one that I can remember and the other one, yes, and the other one I can remember straight off the top of my head is Buttons, where they have the... Oh yeah, the... Where they do a proper dance routine with all those chairs and everything. You know, they just take like 15-20 seconds to play the main sample over and over, over a slightly more improvised and less structured drum track.

It's almost kind of like Bollywood in that sense. It is a little bit actually, yes, I totally get what you mean. We're also just entering that period where music video directors get wise to people ripping the songs off YouTube. And so they start muffling long sections of it to make those MP3 rips useless. We're not quite up to that bit yet, but I just thought I'd mention that. This is good, though. I prefer the slower version to the dance mix personally. We're not quite up to that bit yet, but I just thought I'd mention that. This is good though.

I prefer the slower version to the dance mix personally, which I feel like because it spends less time with Shakira and Beyoncé and just kind of speeds through their lines, it feels like I'm getting a Cliff Notes version of the story that they're telling. But they're both definitely worth the sort of bit of digital space that they're printed on. Not quite the vault for this, but I think it'll be in our top 10 come the end of the year, quite comfortably, actually. I think so, yeah.

Yeah, probably. All right, then, moving on to our second song this week. It's this. Gun would be the days of all my drinking and my carrying on But when I settled down, the party king on ground The stuff of memory had him faded Too many dumb mistakes and all the grief he makes Left nothing else to be debated But if you say that you understand and you lie, yeah But if you figure that I'm all right now, I can't deny it

Baby's coming back, baby's coming back So I'm one of my best behaviour I can't take it anymore, just woke up on the floor today, yeah, yeah Okay, this is Babys Coming Back, double A side with Transylvania by McFly. Released as the fourth single from the band's third studio album titled Motion in the Ocean, Baby's Coming Back with Chancell Vania is McFly's thirteenth single overall to be released in the UK and their seventh to reach number one. However, to date, it is their last number one and it's the last time we'll be coming to McFly on this podcast. Baby's Coming Back is a cover of the Jellyfish song which reached number 51 in the UK in 1991.

Baby's Coming Back with Transylvania went straight in at number one as a brand new entry, knocking Beyonce and Shakira off the top spot. It stayed at number one for one week. In its first and only week atop the charts it sold 31,000 copies beating competition from Don't Matter by ACON which climbed to number three, Flying the Flag For You by Scooch which got to number five, What I've Done by Linkin Park which climbed to number six and Take Control by AIMA-REE which climbed to number six and Take Control by Aimee Marie which climbed to number ten. When it was knocked off the top of the chart, Baby's coming back with Transylvania, plummeted 19 places to number 20.

By the time it was done on the charts that have been inside the top 104, five weeks, the song has never received any official certification from the British phonographic industry and to date it is the last ever double-a-sided single to reach number one in the UK. I feel like we have momentous moments all Throughout that we have a gynought the biggest drop in the show's history So far from 90 from 1 to 20. We have the last double-a-sided single. We have the shortest day in the show's history so far from 90, from 1 to 20. We have the last double A-sided single. We have the shortest stay in the charts. Just, wow.

Um, Lizzie, Lizzie, how are we on this? It really does feel like the end of an era. Like, not just all of those things you mentioned, but yeah, the final McFly number one. Feels like a bit of a shock to be saying goodbye to McFly. I've got to say so soon. It's been three years, but given how often they've appeared on this podcast, you would have got the sense

that they would have been around forever. And I guess this is still the period where you can, you know, you go for five years and that's kind of it. Yeah. But yeah, I've really gained appreciation for them through this podcast and one half of this single is no exception. Like I'll get babies coming back out of the way fairly quickly. I think it's a decent cover of a mid-table jellyfish song. I'm

mostly just pleased to be able to say that Jellyfish have written a number one single, which almost makes up for how underrated they are in general. Transylvania is definitely the highlight of this double A side and probably their most adventurous single overall. It's this really fun balance between light and dark and they managed to effortlessly blend like the Gothic style of the verses with something reminiscent of Queen in the pre- chorus and the chorus and then into that gorgeous sunny Beach Boys-esque post-chorus to capitol all off. I'm sure you're all sick of me talking about jellyfish in relation to the fly by now but there's a similar blending of disparate styles on spilt milk, which creates the effect of a

mini rock opera contained within a 4 minute popsock. It makes for some genuinely exciting moments on Transylvania, like the full stop after the first chorus, which leads back into a more sinister sounding version of the verse. I only wish that that verse might have shown up again and also that they would have saved the post-chorus until later on in the song. I do love that post-chorus but I feel like they maybe show their hand with it a little bit too soon and by the end I feel like you've heard it a bit too often which makes the outro a little less impactful than it could have been.

Overall though, yeah I'm a big fan of Transylvania and had it been a single A side it probably would have squeezed into the vault for me. I think it's a solid way to go out and hey they still have a chance to board to run her off next year don't you get it? But yeah love Transylvania I'm kind of so so on maybe coming back I can forgive. Andy how are we gonna say goodbye to McFly then? Yeah oh I don't want to say goodbye to McFly. They just feel part of the family now. I just want to keep them safe. But yeah, I never thought I'd see the day where I was slightly harsher on McFly than Lizzie, to be honest.

Because I do love them. I really do, and I've basically nothing but compliments from them so far. And I still, like, still basically have nothing but compliments for them here. But I am not in love with Transylvania to be honest like I don't I don't love it quite as much as you do and Baby's coming back it's this is a really interesting one this because I think I really like that they're showing their influences with you know just owning that jellyfish comparison and going straight for it but it's remarkable quite how

heavy that influence is because it sounds like it's totally straight down the line generic McFly single like it sounds like an AI-generated McFly single from this era like it's so so them but it isn't their song that's like I can't think of another situation that I've ever seen like that where they are so like the thing they're imitating that when they do the thing they're imitating it still just sounds like them. Oh I know what you mean. It's like when Dexys did Jackie Wilson says it's a bit too close to your normal sound and it's like are you sure this is a cover? Like yeah.

But I actually really like that they did that, that they you know know, they're giving a platform to something that's clearly inspiring them and is a lot less popular, you know, in mainstream circles than them. I think that's really great and they do a really good job with it. But it is sort of like always in the shadow of something like I'll be OK. I think that they just sort of like that were better, to be honest. Or even like stuff that we haven't covered, like I want to hold you, you know, I just kind of wish that I was listening to that instead of baby coming, babies coming back to be honest. But it is good. It's fine.

Transylvania is a strange one. Like they, I admire the effort. Like there are not many things I would expect to hear less from McFly than starting with an extended use of Bach. Like that's quite odd. McFly to do that, especially considering this is a double A side. Like I could totally get that from a B side where they you know might do something a bit different but for something that's supposedly you know an actual single to do that is very unusual, very unusual, and I think that's probably part, only part, but part of the reason why this absolutely dropped like a stone out of the charts, because this is

pretty uncommercial for McFly. Can't see this getting much radio airplay, to be honest. I think it doesn't quite work for me just because it's not what I'm looking for from McFly to be honest and that's totally on me, that's me putting them in a box of I like them to be my kind of friendly you know boys next door catchy tunes kind of people and there's a bit of that here but I just think the kind of gothic influences and trying to get a little bit more out there in edgy it just doesn't really work for me. I think I just kind of gothic influences and trying to get a little bit more out there and edgy. It just doesn't really work for me. I think I just kind of wish they were staying in that lane a bit more, to be honest, which is really reductive, you know, and I don't want to, you know,

say artists shouldn't experiment, but I just think it's, I don't know. I don't know. This thing about it doesn't just really click with me, to be honest. But it does have its good points. Most importantly of which is Dougie Pointer's singing. This is, I don't know if it's the only song that he ever sings lead vocals on, but it's one of the very few at least. And whoa, he can sing. I don't know why he didn't do more. I know that they've got some very good vocalists already, but he hits some high notes in this song. He does a really good job with it and has

a really lovely voice which is kind of like Tom's voice but with a little bit more range and a little bit more grit and Tom's already got a pretty good voice to be honest. So yeah, very impressed by Dougie on this. I'm glad for him to get that showcase. I've just come away from the whole thing thinking, is this really a double A side? Am I sure that this isn't the B side? Because it's just so off the beaten track for them. They do have a bit more stuff like this. When I went through every album I own last year, I listened to Wonderland, which is one album before this, I think. And they do some fairly big swings on that where they try and do like a part one and part two song and they do like some kind of big, big orchestral

influences and things like that. So they're not completely, you know, in one little box, but I just think I like them when they're doing what they do best, simple as that. And that might be a little bit unimaginative of me, but whatever. It's McFly, they're my lovely friendly boy band and I'd prefer them to be doing that, to be honest. So yes, I like babies coming back.

I do like Transylvania, but not as much as Lizzie does. I'm regretful that they're going out on what is for them a relatively like not a low note but a relatively mere note. I do think though that that's only because the bar's been so high that basically everything else we've had from McFly Parthen don't stop me now everything else we've had from McFly I've loved even ones that I haven't loved immediately as they've sat with me for longer I've been like yeah I actually really love that like I'll be okay five colors in a hair obviously you know just wonderful songs and all about you and Stargirl are like some of the best

number ones of the whole decade I think so I'm really gonna miss talking about them they're brilliant I can't believe there was ever any argument between them and Busted McFly are the absolute gold standards that Busted wish they were. So yeah, gonna miss you boys. Not gonna miss Party Girl from 2010. That was a big miss. But I do quite like a few ones that came out after that. I quite like Shire the Light. I really like Love Is Easy and I wish we got to cover those. So yeah, it's a sad farewell to McFly. I wish you were going out with something a little bit bigger than this, but it's alright. Yeah,

this is okay. Yeah. What do you think of One for the Radio? I like One for the Radio. Yeah. I think it relies a little bit too heavily on a hook that comes right at the start. I think it's weirdly built around like something that doesn't stick around very much But I do like one for the radio. Yeah, I think the one that we're most deprived of that I wish I got number one was I want to hold you that's really really nice that one. Yeah, oh Wow five weeks

Jesus and I actually remember this, you know, that's a bit of a shock to like remember something so vividly and then come back and find It wasn't even in the charts for like a month. You know, it just about made it to a month. This wasn't even, this was in the charts for half of the time that the next song was at number one. Yeah. How? Um, yeah. I think that this being their last number one, they seem to use it for like a subtext

jumps to text kind of moment where their 90s power pop influences wind up with them just covering jellyfish and it's you know it's a good cover I think you know for the longest time, Andy I think it was you that said something similar about this, I had no idea it was a cover which kind of means that you know maybe I'm being too generous here with like my ignorance and stuff, but it never felt like a song that they shouldn't be covering. It just felt like an appropriately judged McFly song, nothing that was really set in the world on fire. But I was like, oh yeah, that's a McFly song. That definitely sounds like a McFly song, which shows you how nicely they'd kind of fit into the shoes of their forebears and

of their influences. Transylvania on the other hand, I really, really like it. If it was just on its own, I think I would also be putting it in the vault, Lizzie. I think that McFly, just to talk about it, short stay in the charts, I think McFly, we've established, were really good at first week sales, but then maybe not so great at second week

sales you know that they were always very good at getting somewhere between 35 and 50,000 in the first week and then that was it you know and then they dropped to like number six or number seven or number eight you know but not to like number 20 but I think that's probably explained by this being the fourth single from the album which means that everyone who's going to want to part with Casper it already has, because they've got the album, or they've just gone and bought it in week one after some kind of campaign from the band. And so no one else is going to suddenly get on board with this, not when you have fairly, you know, fairly modest R&B hit that's coming up next. But I think that, I think it's just a sign as well that maybe McFly's star is starting to fall in the public eye a little bit, you know,

because I think the next album they give it away for free with the mail, I think that's, I'm pretty sure that's right, Radioactive, that comes out free with the Daily Mail next year. There's like three different versions of the album based on which copy of the mail you picked up and they feel like the Kaiser Chiefs did something similar around the same time where they were like build your own album and it's like if you need like a gimmicky release campaign is it not a sign that like you're labeled is slightly worried that you wouldn't sell? If you just did a standard album rollout, because 2008, 2009 there's a seismic shift coming and Pop Rock does not survive the seismic shift really. And yeah, that is also kind of explained by it's only been about three years away from

Taiyo Cruz and McFly working together. So, I think Chancell Vania though is the best song that Elliot Miner never wrote. I would urge everybody listening right now to go and check out things like The White One is Evil or Parallel Worlds from Elliot Miner's first album. And then come back to this and try and separate them. It's not easy. You know this is Powerpot by way of Victorian era, Gothic aesthetics, a great song. I think my favorite part is that long outro which I agree with you Lizzie. I wish they had kept that who is your lover, how can I tell? You know, the overlapping vocals. I wish they'd left that till the end, because I agree that a lot like weird one to

suddenly bring up, I think it was the Hindu times we were discussing Oasis. Yes, it was, yeah. Yeah, where they just bring in that secret weapon, they just bring it in too early so that by the time it comes around again you're a bit like, oh, okay. But when it comes in at the end and you have the lovely overlapping melodies and stuff, it's like watching them dance over a hill in the distance and out of sight, you know, but then they bring that pre-chorus back in just to round things off. I appreciate the attempts at the notes that Ducky goes for in the chorus. He is straining ever so slightly, but in the context I can completely forgive

it because he's not the usual singer. And B, he really makes it sore and I think he makes a really good go of very difficult notes. You know, we were kind of discussing off air, is it the highest note delivered in full voice that we've had on any McFly song so far, or any McFly recording for that matter? I think so. Yeah, it's really something, especially the, I mean I'm not gonna do it, I'm gonna do it an octave below, but the, the, ugly is the world, we're on, it's like, that must be so difficult to go back up as well, That's insane breath control, watching them do it live. But I do think that Transylvania is great. Are we going to break the rules a little

bit? Maybe put Transylvania just in the vault on its own? Could we do that? Could we make it just because it's our last number one? No, fine. No, we can't. I'm sorry. It's goodbye to McFly and goodbye to double A sides which to be honest I've never quite got my head around double A sides and I think I've just disliked them more because it makes Putting this podcast together much harder than it needs to be I can't just play one song and then go Hey, it was that you know I have to find a way to get the other one in somehow but not treated like a B side but that's in ever So I've never that's why I've never got my head around it,

because it's like, well, it's just a B-side, isn't it? I like the B-sides, but I do think that part of the reason they went into decline is because people just started treating it like a B-side that gets extra promo. This is actually a prime example. The prime example, like, be honest really, like Transylvania is not the kind of thing McFly would ever have released on its own. Like, it needs support from another

song and if that's the case, it shouldn't really be a double A side, really. Like, for me, double A sides are like things that you put back to back that are sort of both worthy of big airplay and so you get double bang for your book, double exposure for the group, the amount of chitin, you know, one hit into book double exposure for the group the manager 10 you know one hit into two hits like mama slash you do you think you are spice girls is always an example I give with two completely different songs both really good both get airplay both get number one both go big like perfect or you know a more classic example strawberry fields and penny lane you know just just show two sides of the coin at the same time get two hits out of it But the problem in the naughties is we've had ones like remember eternity slash the road to Mandalay

Yeah, of course. Yeah, where it's like this is not an A side you because you would never ever release this unless it was being Supported by a bigger song and I think that's what killed to double A side off to be honest Is that people didn't really see the point to them anymore because they weren't the point to them wasn't being followed anymore yeah. You know what I would say I don't know if Halloween was much of a big cultural thing in 2007 like it is now I feel like if they'd released this in October as an A side. Maybe just maybe maybe I don't know. Just before we say goodbye to McFly I I do wanna mention one thing about the Mitch, I honestly can't remember if we've ever discussed before,

but I do think it bears some tribute of at just how young they were when they achieved all this, like they are talented young men. And I say young men because they're all within a couple of years of each other, but the context, Ducky is still only 36 in the present day. He was 19 on this on five colours in a hair he recorded that around his 16th birthday. Like this is just an insane level of talent and success from these people at such a young age. It's extraordinary that none of

them are even 40 yet and this is like nearly 20 years on from their final number one Amazing just I can't praise them enough for that. It's exceptional. Yeah. Oh, goodbye McFly See you later. Hopefully we'll get to cover you again one day Kind of doubt it, but we live in hope we live in hope of course and so The final song of this week third and final song is this. Let it rain, I hide your plane in the bank Coming down like a thousand Jones When the clouds come we go We rock or fellas, we fly higher than weather And cheap clouds are better, you know me In anticipation for facilitation stack chips

For the rainy day, J Rainman is back, with little miss sunshine Reanna, where you at? You have my heart, and we'll never be world apart Maybe in magazines, but you still be my star Baby cause in the dark you can't see shiny cars And that's when you need me there With you I'll always share

Because when the sunshine was shining together Told you I'd be here forever Said I'll always be your friend Took a note from us to get out to the end Now that it's raining more than ever Know that we'll still have each other You can stand under my umbrella You can stand under my umbrella Okay, this is Umbrella by Rihanna, featuring Jay-Z.

Released as the lead single from her third studio album titled Good Girl Gone Bad, Umbrella is Rihanna's sixth single overall to be released in the UK and her first to reach number one, and it's not the last time we'll be coming to Rihanna on this podcast. It's also not the last time we'll be coming to Jay-Z either. Umbrella went straight in at number one as a brand new entry, knocking McFly off the top of the charts. It stayed at number one for 10 weeks, 10 weeks. Across its 10 weeks! 10 weeks! Across its 10 weeks atop the charts it sold 354,000 copies. Along the way it beat competition from... Makes me wonder by Maroon 5, Real Girl by Muthi Abwena, Either way by The Tw twang the girls by Calvin Harris heavyweight champion of the world by Reverend and the makers icky thump by the white stripes

do you know by Enrique Iglesias like this by Kelly Rowland any dream will do by Lee Mead smoke is outside the hospital doors by editors foundations by Kate Nash had enough by the enemy worried about Ray by Kate Nash, Had enough by the enemy, Worried about Rey by the Hoosiers, Torn on the platform by Gap Pignate, When you're gone by Avril Lavigne, Soulmate by Natasha Bedingfield, Big Girls Don't Cry by Fergie, Fluorescent Adolescent by Arctic Monkeys, Teenagers by My Chemical Romance and Oh My God by Mark Ronson featuring Lily Allen. When it was knocked off the top of the charts Umbrella fell two places to number three. By the time

it was done on the charts it had been inside the top 104 71 weeks. The song is currently officially certified three times platinum so triple platinum in the UK as of 2024. Well I don't know about you guys but I've never heard of this. Never heard of this. Andy, Umbrella, Rihanna, let's go. Stayed in the chart for 14 times as long as Baby's coming back. That's stayed in the chart for about a month and this stayed in the chart for nearly 18 months. That's incredible. Wow. Jesus.

You know, it's funny you should say that, Rob, although I've never heard of this one, because I, this really managed to pass me by for ages. Not like I only heard it last week, don't worry, I'm not gonna have you on with that. But it was probably a few months after this first Scott number one that I first heard it. Like, I've heard the name around people talking about Umbrella but it was quite a while before I heard it on the radio and I was like oh this is Umbrella and my sister was in disbelief that I hadn't already heard it it just so I think I was just in my kind of peak only rock music matters and you know pop music for

for kids you know I was just in that kind of phase. It's very brief peak at this time. So the umbrella phenomenon just passed me by completely. But once I did hear it, I was like, okay, yes, I see why this, well, to quote Homer Simpson, I can see why this is so popular. Yes, it's quite the banger. That's a technical term. It's quite the banger, this one. It's almost hard to kind of get into why, to be honest. I don't really know what it is about it. There's just a lot of little things. I previously given huge praise to Crazy Bioniles Barkley for managing to be recognisable just from one bass note and also to my chemical romance for being recognisable

for one piano note at the start. This isn't even a note that manages to be recognisable just from a closing of a hi-hat which is extraordinary. I don't know what was done on the production there or what it is about it that makes it so instantly recognisable but yeah it just hits really hard. I really really like that this happened to Rihanna as well, because this has this weird effect really where it almost feels like a debut single, like she's storming in with this big hit, like Britney did with Baby One More Time or something like that. It feels like a statement of intent of Rihanna has arrived, but of course it's not the case

at all. She's had a few near misses at number one. She's been plugging away for a couple of years now with some really nice songs like Unfaithful which haven't made it really and now we get this and it feels like an artist's work paying off which I always really like to see. It's like right now we figured it out Rihanna has arrived now and the days of her not being a megastar seem almost inconceivable really looking back now. I do think she has a few too many number

ones coming up, a few of them are quite worthy of it especially in the tens, but for now I'm really really happy she's arrived on the scene. She has this very kind of, oh how to put this, her voice is like just on the right side of being Moni where it's like it's very expressive and very kind of with a lot of angst in it without it being Moni. It never gets like greating or annoying and that's the perfect kind of voice for the song where it's like it's kind of longing and it's you know really trying to get into your ear and reach you and seduce you. But without it ever coming across as cloying or over the top or over earnest, her

voice just fits this song like a glove. Everything that Jay-Z does to it really adds to it as well that it will forever remind me. This whole song by the way forever reminds me of this but will forever remind me of the cringe where the white rapping of Artie from Glee who does Jay Z's bits when they cover it. By the way that cover in Glee, aww that's just the most Glee thing that ever happened where they mash it up with Singin' in the Rain starring Gwyneth Paltrow and Will Shuster without any of the kids really getting involved. That's the most glee thing that ever happened. Also shout out to the Tom Holland Lip Sync which happened about, I don't know, about five, six years ago now. Just like very soon after Tom Holland arrived on the scene and it's just

a genuine cultural reset. Incredible moment. But that's like there's so many things that come to mind with this song because it has had such big influence. Like this whole basic idea of umbrellas and rain and you know really play on that umbrella hook and on that umbrella idea and make a whole like theme out of it in both the video and the song. it just is just absolute lightning a ball. It really works. I love the story of you that they had to ban umbrellas from Rihanna concerts because so many people were bringing them in to put up during the song and it was taking people's eyes out. It just really captures something, this simple idea of using your umbrella like a cane and doing that in a kind of sexy fashion with a really, really strong hook built around that word umbrella. It's so accessible, it's

so easy to get into and so everybody does get into it. It kind of makes pop music not look like rocket science when it is really hard. It's not rocket science but it is really, really hard and this song makes it look so easy and that's the biggest compliment I can give to it really. And final shout out another little splash that this made is in Britain's Got the Pop Factor in 2008 where Geraldine McQueen is doing a long medley of several songs and transitions from Free Nelson Mandela Ella Ella a a a yeah but yes what a song Ella, Ella, Ella, Ella, Ella, Ella, Ella, Ella, Ella, Ella, Ella, Ella, Ella, Ella, Ella, Ella, Ella, Ella, Ella, Ella, Ella, Ella, Ella, Ella, Ella, Ella, Ella, Ella, Ella, Ella, Ella, Ella, Ella, Ella, Ella, Ella, Ella, Ella, Ella, Ella, Ella, Ella, Ella, Ella, Ella, Ella, Ella, Ella, Ella, Ella, Ella, Ella, Ella, Ella, Ella, Ella, Ella, Ella, Ella, Ella, Ella, Ella, Ella, Ella, Ella, Ella, Ella, Ella, Ella, Ella, Ella, Ella, Ella, Ella, Ella, Ella, Ella, Ella, Ella, Ella, Ella, Ella, Ella, Ella, Ella, Ella, Ella, Ella, Ella, Ella, Ella, Ella, Ella, Ella, Ella, Ella, Ella, Ella, Ella, Ella, Ella, Ella, Ella, Ella, Ella, Ella, Ella, Ella, Ella, Ella, Ella, Ella, Ella, Ella, Ella, Ella, Ella, Ella, Ella, Ella, Ella, Ella, Ella, Ella, Ella, Ella, Ella, Ella, Ella, Ella, Ella, Ella, Ella, Ella, Ella, Ella, Ella, Ella, Ella, Ella, Ella, Ella, Ella, Ella, Ella, Ella, Ella, Ella, Ella, Ella, Ella, Ella, Ella, Ella, Ella, Ella, Ella, Ella, Ella, Ella, Ella, Ella, Ella, Ella, Ella, Ella, Ella, Ella, Ella, Ella, Ella, Ella, Ella, Ella, Ella, Ella, Ella, Ella, Ella, Ella, Ella, Ella, Ella, Ella, Ella, Ella, Ella, Ella, Ella, Ella, Ella, Ella, Ella, Ella, Ella, Ella, Ella, Ella, Ella, Ella, Ella, Ella, Ella, Ella, Ella, Ella, Ella, Ella, Ella, Ella, Ella, Ella, Ella, Ella, Ella, Ella, Ella, Ella, Ella, Ella, Ella, Ella, I don't think it like changes the industry or like you know brings anything particularly new to the table if I'm honest And so that's kind of you know the points that I would deduct from it, but

It's just a perfect encapsulation of just this is just a great pop song that knows exactly what it's gonna do execute it Perfectly and ties so much into that you can't really escape its influence It's just a really really great pop song that knows exactly what it's trying to do, executes it perfectly, ties so much into that idea and so its influence is inescapable. It's just great. I love it. Few notes at the beginning. Interesting that you mentioned Britney at the start of your analysis there because this was originally considered to be given to Britney Spears when it was being written.

She's got quite the track record of turning down future Rihanna hits. She's not very good at it. She turned down SNM, she turned down We Found Love, she's not good. She's given Rihanna a few own goals to be honest. And Rihanna turned down Do It Like A Dude for Jessie J. What a mistake Rihanna turned down do it like a dude for Jesse J what a mistake Rihanna good girl gone bad and I still wonder if this is the album which has had the most singles released from it in like the 21st century because yeah they did good girl gone bad which had umbrella shut up and drive hate that I love you don't stop the Music and Rehab all released.

And then they re-released it with Good Girl Gombad, Reloaded, which then had Take a Bow, If I Never See Your Face Again with Maroon 5 and Disturbia added on to the end. And so that's eight singles from one and a bit albums. If I Never See Your Face Again, probably the one that kind of lets the side down there. But before we start on Umbrella, I just wanted to extend a little shout out to Foundations by Kate Nash. Because doing the research for this episode, oh god, it's enough to make you weep for the song. So, I'm not massively keen on Foundations foundations but it does get a rough deal here. So it goes straight in at number two, then it stays there for two weeks, drops down to

number three, then goes back up to number two for three consecutive weeks. All of this is while Rihanna is at number one. And then what knocks Rihanna off number one? Not foundations because it drops from two to four and And then that's it. So I just felt so sorry for it while I was, while I was putting the research together. I remember the Rihanna curse very well because I was on holiday in a tent in Cornwall while this was number one, midway through its run, it went from week six to week seven, I think while it was, while it was on holiday and In the field that we were in In Cornwall every single tent blew down in a storm except ours

We were right by a bush a big huge hedge thing that like Protected our tent it got so bad in the night that I slept in the car one night because I couldn't hack Sleeping in the tent. I've always hated sleeping in tents. And we got up the next morning to find that every single person in the field except us, their tent had collapsed in the night and we were protected by this big hedge. And it was, oh god, there was rain running down, like running through people's tents. And like actual streams had developed across pitches where tents were supposed to be. And this supposed to be Cornwall.

You don't go there for rain. It's the one bit of the UK where people actually go, I'm gonna get a bit of sun, I'm gonna go to Cornwall. We're staying in a lovely place called Perrenporth. The weather did sort of improve. I think we were at the back end of the bad weather, but I will always associate things like Remnant and the Makers being in the charts. And also People Help the People by Cherry Ghost was also being played on Radio 1 quite a lot at that time on that particular holiday. Yeah thank you Rihanna, ruining the summer in 2007. I think the

umbrella is great but only just. It's weird, we'll get to that. I think it's kind of great in spite of itself. It's a fantastic song in slightly the wrong hands I think. But anyway, so from the crash of the hi-hat you're in, it's like a part of you has been unlocked that's always been there. It's a great intro right up there with Superstition and Rosanna and Led Zeppelin's rock and roll for like absolutely cracking drum intros. And then you get Jay's intro which sounds a bit like he's been asked to come into the studio before his morning coffee But it contains just about enough life to be entertaining

builds up enough anticipation for Rihanna's grand entrance and it's interesting Andy that you made the observation about this feeling like a big relaunch for Rihanna Which the album title fits in with expertly good girl gone bad. It's like sends a message album title fits in with expertly. Good girl gone bad, it sends a message. They'd already kind of tested the waters with something like SOS, which is a bit racier than something like If It's Loving That You Want, which is all kind of sunkissed and innocent and If It's Loving That You Want, you should take a walk with me and all this stuff, you know. But then SOS was a bit more, you know, I mean, I mean, I'm in love and it's stressful. Whereas this is a bit more, you know, there's an edge to this and it's like Rihanna's here and she's a, and then like her next song is just like a long euphemism for sex.

So like, you know, it's like we've entered a new era for Rihanna and Jay-Z tries to do the crazy in love thing again But it's not quite on the same level, but crazy crazy in love is obviously like one of the stellar pot recordings of the 2000s and once Rihanna arrives. I think she does a fairly good job with the material I Kind of agree with you, but slightly disagree with you Andy on Rihanna as a vocalist. We've just had Beyonce on and there's no song of hers I would ever give to someone else instead but I can't really say the same of Rihanna. I actually think she winds a lot especially on her more maudlin material like Unfaithful is quite hard for me to listen to. Unfaithful is a bad vocal recording. I don't understand how people didn't really see it at the time.

But then again, Jagged Little Pill is one of the biggest selling albums of all time. And I've never really gotten with El Arnis Morissette's voice either. Is it possible for El Arnis Morissette to finish a sentence without going, Ha! Just apparently not. But thankfully, all of Rihanna's worst instincts are kept out of the way by the material that she, sorry, do you not think so? I mean, I really like the voice. I'm sorry, but I'm sober.

I really like it, honestly. She's not the only one who does that. No, but her voice is very noticeable. There are people who are far worse for those vocal inflections, but it is quite accurate, yeah. Yeah can say the same about the cranberries maybe, but I don't know. Don't you care. You stay away from them. Yeah, it's very true. Very true. But like, yeah, so all of Rihanna's worst instincts, although, are kind of kept out of the way by the material that she's been given and the way that she's managed here. I actually think she brings a bit of edge to this that doesn't exactly make it sound sinister, but appropriately. There is a cloud hanging over it, especially in moments like where she has to sort of go

deeper into her chest for the sort of like, I'll be all you need and more, you know, like really trying to bring it into that final chorus with a bit of force and a bit of punch. And I do think she does provide that in places. And I think that a lot of it has to do with the way that sometimes they double up Rihanna's vocals, like she's all around you. I think though, the mastering and equalization suck on this. The mids are miles back.

And I think that they should be louder and noisier. It's all voice and drums but all the synth work in the middle is just like, where is it? Where is it? You know, you have to squint your ears to kind of find it. Yeah, I don't even. But then when you do find it, that bass synth that comes through under the chorus, again with that kind of gnarly, dark texture, that's great. That's like when it's there, when you can hear it kind of fuzzing, I think. And you know, despite, you know, that it's not in the best hands that I think it could

possibly be in. I do think that what we end up with is something very strong and very memorable and something that maybe didn't deserve 10 weeks at number one, especially with a couple of the songs that we've gone past this week that didn't get to number one, but what makes it a worldwide smash is the Ella Ella eh eh, which is just it is one of the best writing decisions that has ever been made in pop. That is Genius. That is a genius hook. That's the kind of shit that every songwriter wishes they could write. It's those kind of instincts that make the big books in pop. You know, it's just an insane decision that raises the entire song a level up. You know, I just think that that alone, the hi-hat and the Ella is like what this song survives on. Everything else in the

middle is, and you know the the verses are fine, it's just kind of like a repetitive, nicely delivered melody, it's just not that complex kind of sparse, but you know memorable enough chorus. Yeah pretty decent You know Rihanna's giving it a good go, but it's the Ella Ella that and the That both of those things are just instantly recognizable and they're the kind of things that where you're just like You just sort of have to stand back and go. Yeah fair enough like Like, you just sort of have to stand back and go, yeah, fair enough. Like, there's clearly something magical happen there inside somebody's head that's made them think this is where we're going to build the song from. And the two things that they build the song from are the two strongest parts of it, I think.

And then I think, you know, towards the end you get some nice little additional melodies like the, um, it's raining, raining, oh baby it's raining you know like a little bit of like a coda section I think we get a better Rihanna number one further down the line which maybe doesn't have the peaks of the hi-hat and the Ella but overall I think is a better song and a better display of Rihanna's growth as a vocalist

because I think that she's still a bit in her nose here. She stepped up a bit from Unfaithful, I think. I've always found Unfaithful very difficult to listen to but Umbrella absolutely not. Lizzie, how are we on Umbrella? Yeah I agree strongly with both of you on this. I think it's very good. I think there are some things that could be improved about it. For one, I'd get rid of the rap at the beginning. It's one of Jay-Z's weakest verses. It doesn't need to be there.

But Rob, I agree with you that the two best parts about it are that drum beat and the L-I-A-A-A. And the fun thing about that is that one of them is a a a. And the fun thing about that is that one of them is a happy accident. And one of them is just a kind of it's a kind of making good with what you have sort of thing. They're both kind of related. But I'll tell the story of the L a a a first. This is from the bridge, one of the producers, The Dream, who is kind of annotated this on Genius, and he's put that, quote,

everyone who runs Pro Tools and understands this is you have the option of certain plugins you want to use before your computer actually slows down and you can't use it anymore. The reverb one was just one I said I'm not going to use. Instead, I would sing those lines repetitively myself to actually fill that thing in. Just a silly thing that turned into, oh yeah, I should probably do that all the time. So there you go. That's how the L-A-A-A came about. It was just supposed to be like an echo or a

reverb, but he kind of took it upon himself to just say, hey, why don't we just vocalize it? And yeah, it works. And the drum beat, do you know what this comes from? It's just a garage band loop, isn't it? It's just a garage band loop. Yeah. And here I was for the longest time thinking it was like the meters or something.

No, it's just this free loop on garage band. And yeah, it's because it, you you know it comes from a producer who doesn't have a lot of money to work with but they've used that to their advantage and they've used that to kind of craft something compelling and straight off the bat that drum beat is a perfect decision because it sounds big it sounds huge I agree with you Rob that I wish the mids were more prominent in this of hearts but yeah straight away this sounds like a big record. It sounds like the sort of record that it is. It is Rihanna's big kind of coming out party in a sense. Yeah.

And yeah it works. I think this more than anything landed Rihanna on the map. It's sort of her crazy in love. I'd say crazy in love is better, but this, yeah, like I say, it lands her on the map and she is a constant fixture in pop for a good seven years after this and then she kind of bows out and becomes one of these big beauty industry moguls. So I don't think she needs Pop anymore. But while she was there, she had her hits and her misses, but this is definitely one of the better ones. Really like this.

So before we check what's going into the piehole and what's going into the vault, it's another feature for 2007 of this. Did Rob buy it on iTunes. Ehh, section. So we're going to go through the list now. So we've got Makes Me Wonder by Maroon 5. Everything is average nowadays. Kaiser Chiefs.

Generator by the Holloway's. Hearing Your Arms by Hello Goodbye. The Girls by Calvin Harris. Cupid's Chole Coldld slash Breakfast in America, Gym Class Heroes and Patrick Stump, Over My Head, Cable Car by the Fray, It's Not Over Yet by the Klaxons, Either Way by the Twang, I Bought Umbrella, Heavyweight Champion of the World by Rev. and the Makers, I'm Not Sorry by Pigeon Detectives. Don't Matter by ACON, Helicopter by Block Party. I'm proud of that one.

Be My Enemy by the Departure. Ashes Embrace, Signal Fire by Snow Patrol as featured in the motion picture Spider-Man 3. Be My Enemy, that must have been a FIFA purchase. People Help the People by cherry ghost, follow my ruin by Royxop, yeah definitely into FIFA soundtrack territory here. Welcome to Jamrock by Damien Mali, Heartbeats by Jose Gonzalez, Worried about Rey by the Hoosiers, Torn on the platform Jack Pignate, Do You Know The Ping Pong Song by Enrique Iglesias? Oh my god, Mark Ronson, fluorescent adolescent.

Big girl, you are beautiful. Get down by Groove Armada. Do it again by Chemical Brothers. Secret Sunday Lover by Ali Love, if anybody remembers that. Had enough by the enemy. Fans by Kings of Leon. Teenagers by Chemical Romance romance, smokers outside the hospital doors by editors, decided to buy Blue Monday by New Order and decided to buy Popcorn by Hot Butter. I'm such a strange 12 year old.

I turned 13 actually during this period. It's funny because we mentioned Shrek the Third. I think I've seen that movie. I went to see it in the cinema and I saw 20 minutes of it because there were 10 of us. It was my 13th birthday. We all did it all night of the night before and we all sat on the back row of the cinema trying desperately not to fall asleep in the dark and then all of us periodically falling asleep. And I remember waking up halfway through the movie during the scene where like the immigrant song by Led Zeppelin plays during while a fight scene

starts and then I remember going I think I just want to go back to sleep to be honest and we all kind of like tried to not fall asleep in front of our friends while we were all falling asleep in front of our friends it's very funny so Andy beautiful, baby's coming back and Transylvania umbrella, pie hole vault, how are we feeling? Beautiful liar, it's not a beautiful Volta, but it's also not a beautiful pie hole, I don't know, need to workshop that one. Baby's coming back, I don't know where it's coming back to, but it's not the vault and it's not the pie hole as for umbrella It's going in the vault. Yes. I have no pun for that one someone help me out But it's going in the vault absolutely of course it is course it is it's umbrella. God course it is yeah cool

Lizzie Beyonce and Shakira McFly Rihanna Beyonce and Shakira going no onely, Rihanna. Beyonce and Shakira, going nowhere, nowhere. It is going nowhere. Transylvania. It's going nowhere. How can you tell? It's going nowhere.

Good enough. And Umbrella is going in the vault, vault, vault. Yeah, it's going in the vault, but the other two going nowhere. Cool. Beyond saying Shakira, they just missed out on the vault for me. As do McFly. Goodbye, McFly. But Umbrella just sneaks in. Just sneaks in. Just sneak it in like the bottom, very, very bottom rung of the vault. That is it for this week's episode. Thank you very much for listening. When we come back,

we'll be continuing our journey through 2007. So take care everybody and we'll see you soon. Bye bye, see ya. Bye. I wore my coat I wore my coat With golden lining, bright, color shiny, wonderful and new. The dawn was breaking, and the world was waking Any dream will do

A crash of drums, a flash of light My golden coat flew out of sight The colours faded into darkness, I was left alone May I return to the beginning