2002: Year in review
So the
2002 Year in Review--scary!!! This year I--with my partner Scott of
course--purchased my first home, finished a certificate program in college (well
that was December 2001 but the actual cert didn't come in the mail until Jan so
it counts), and added Madge to our family.
Here are two pictures of our babies. As you can see by the one with the
blue paisley background (yes, I said paisley), they're angels, right? No,
the picture of them on the radiator by the window was taken just before one
pounced on the other.
The Amarylis is about to bloom too! But anyway, Madge joined Sinder in the
wonderful world of "the cats get control of the entire house."
As I am certain my babies aren't the reason you've come to the site, I'll get
right down to business: the 2002 Year End Chart!
What
makes the year-end chart, you ask? (OK, so not RIGHT down to business with
the chart) Well, all of the songs that were on
Craig's Top 50 each week are listed and compiled in an excel spreadsheet.
Points are given for weekly chart position (#50=1pt, #1=50pts). There are
three charts per week--an airplay chart, a sales chart, and the published Top 50
chart. The number of weeks spent on each chart is added to the position
points as is a bonus for weekly awards (SALES HIT 5 pts, AIRPLAY HIT 5 pts,
DEBUT HIT 5 pts, and COMBO HIT 10 pts). Songs are also rewarded bonuses
for extended time on the chart as well as multiple weeks at #1. All of
this adds up to the point total you see on the Year End Chart. I changed
my point system to include actual weekly position this year so point totals are
substantially higher than past year end charts. So who racked up points
this year? Let's take a review...
"Feel the fever..." The FEVER was felt everywhere in the world
this year as Kylie Minogue finally had her second coming in the US. As
everyone knows (and if you don't, you obviously haven't been reading my chart at
all), Kylie Minogue took the world by storm with her Autumn 2001 smash hit
"Can't Get You Out of My Head." The single spent three weeks at
#1 in mid-Autumn. The album FEVER saw its release internationally in
September and it finally made its way to the US in
February of 2002--making a
debut at #3 on Billboard's Top 200 Album Chart. Easily snagging gold
certification and selling upwards of 700,000 copies, the US release of FEVER
fueled the resurgence of "Can't Get You Out of My Head" on the Top
50. The song went on to spend six additional weeks atop the chart and
became the longest running #1 hit in the history of my chart.
When CGYOOMH returned to #1 the second week of 2002, it began a fourteen-week run in the pole position for Minogue. The longest-running #1 of 2002 followed--"In Your Eyes" spent a massive seven consecutive weeks at #1 and was dethroned by the B-side to its own UK single (and 13th track on the Aussie version of FEVER and my favorite track on the album) "Tightrope," which spent a single week at #1. FEVER continued to produce chart hit after chart hit, including the two-week #1 "Love at First Sight," the three-week #1 "Love Affair," and the single week chart-topper "Come Into My World." "Burning Up," another album track, also began charting in December 2002. Kylie, with all of the aforementioned tunes, managed to log a position in the Craig's Top 50 top 10 every single week of the year--a record for most consecutive weeks an artist has been in the top 10. Minogue also ended 2002 charting another hit from her 2000 LIGHT YEARS album (that produced seven top 20 hits in 2000 and 2001, including the #1 hits "On a Night Like This" and "Your Disco Needs You"). "Disco Down," an album track that was remixed, along with many other Kylie tunes, by Project K (??),will be 'burning up' the chart well into 2003.
So the
year was all about Kylie. Well, mostly about Kylie. Cher is LIVING
PROOF that there was another diva dancing up the charts. After peaking at
#1 with "The Music's No Good Without You" in late 2001 on Craig's Top
50, Cher piled up the hits in 2002 from her follow-up to 1998's massive
international success story BELIEVE. LIVING PROOF was released in Europe
in late 2001, but on the same week that FEVER hit the US stores, Cher was there
too. The album entered the Billboard charts at #9 and, was too, certified
gold. After the release of the single "The Music's No Good Without
You" in Europe didn't create the kind of buzz that "Believe" did
back in 98, the first US 
single was debuted on the American Music Awards in
January 2002. "(This is) A Song for the Lonely" didn't leave the
impression expected and it seemed Cher was going to fizzle on her latest dance
record. Cher also took the album on the road in what would become LIVING
PROOF: THE FAREWELL TOUR, which was extended into 2003 (I'm going Feb
27).
As I said, in 2002, Cher piled up the hits from LIVING PROOF. After TMNGWY, the single "(This is) A Song for the Lonely" hit #3 on the chart. "Alive Again" took Cher back to #1 and "A Different Kind of Love Song" scored another #3 showing for the pop star. Many of the songs from the album, although not officially released were remixed and serviced to clubs. "Love is a Lonely Place Without You" scored yet another #1 hit for the singer and a track from the European version but not available on the US version (and my favorite song on the album--are we seeing a pattern here yet?) called "You Take it All" moved up to #12 on the 12.28.02 chart. Also, there are mixes available for "Love One Another" and "When the Money's Gone" and I've heard about some mixes of "Rain Rain" but have yet to find them. Cher should easily score more chart hits in 2003 as she releases a greatest hits anthology--hopefully to include a new song or two.
Oh, and speaking of the Cher tour, her special guest on most stops was 80's
superstar and my fave fag hag Cyndi Lauper. Lauper, who scored three huge
hits in 1997 and 1998 with "You Don't
Know," "The Ballad of Cleo
and Joe," and "Fearless" from her SISTERS OF AVALON album and
charted in 1999 and 2001, respectively, with the Grammy-nominated "Disco
Inferno" and the #6 hit "Higher Plane" returned to the charts in
2002 with the title track to her current EP and upcoming album SHINE. The
song logged three weeks at #3 on the chart and the tour gave Cyndi the
well-deserved outlet for some her best music. A remix took
"Shine" to the dance clubs, just as remixes put the SISTERS OF AVALON
tracks on the map as well. While Lauper has yet to see another track from
SHINE hit the Top 50, I imagine she will be a force yet again in 2003.
New
artists abound in 2002: while only two artist made it to the top spot with
their Top 50 debut hits (db Boulevard's "Point of View" and A1's
"Make it Good" each logged a week at #1), it was a great year for new
talent--or old talent repackaged. Sky Tyler, a local LA R&B/Hip
Hop/Pop singer, made it to the top10 two times--with her debut hit "I'm Not
Alone Anymore" and the album track "Tear it All Apart," which hit
as high as #2. She also charted with "It's Only Sex" and is
planning a national assault with her 
music in 2002. Dance sensation Iio
also scored a top 10 hit--two time this year--with its debut "Rapture
(Tastes So Sweet)." The song originally hit #7 in January but then
recharted when it started getting some US exposure and made it all the way to
#4. "At the End," the song's follow-up, is currently moving up
the Top 50. A1's second Top 50 hit was a #2 smash--"Caught in the
Middle" was even released in the US but to a lukewarm reception. Mark
from the band departed ways with the other three members in Autumn 2002.
Pretty
in Pink but completely misunderstood...After scoring the first #1 hit of 2002--and
the first #1 hit of her career--with the radio-friendly and dance floor vibe of "Get the Party
Started," hip pop artist Pink shocked everyone with a deeper, edgier,
rockier, bluesier sound on MISSUNDAZTOOD, her sophomore album. Although
released in late 2001, the project's time to produce hits on the Top 50 was definitely in
2002. After scoring her first #1 hit with GTPS, Pink landed three more top
10 hits and a top 30 hit and scored three more US radio hits (yes, four radio
hits from one album...you'd almost think it was 1988!!). "Don't Let
Me Get Me" and "Just Like a Pill" both hit the top 5 while
"18 Wheeler," an album track scored Pink a #2 hit and "Family
Portrait" peaked at #29. "Just Like a Pill" is even
Pink's
biggest chart hit to date (based on points). Pink scored a massive hit in 2000 with
"Most Girls," which finished in the top 20 for the year back
then. With Linda Perry cowriting most of the album with Pink, the 4 Non
Blondes singer was back on the map, ending the year as cowriter of much of
Christina Aguilera's latest album.
So Low Solo...Several artists branched out from their past musical
collaborations and surfaced with solo projects. While most were
unsuccessful--Abs barely cracked the Top 50 while Nick Carter didn't even crack
the Top 50; Beyonce Knowles who? as Kelly Rowland stepped 
up to the plate with
"Stole;" Posh Spice missed the posh peak--Victoria Beckham's "A
Mind of Its Own" just made the top 25; and Justin Timberlake, while
"Like I Love You" did hit the top 20, really failed to make a dent in
2002 with JUSTIFIED (however, with "Cry Me a River" and remixes of
both tunes--okay okay the Rolling Stone spread--he has my interest in 2003 and
it could be his year to make it on the Top 50). Three artists did, however,
manage to squeeze a top 5 hit a piece. Savage Garden's Darren Hayes (oooooohwa!)
hit #3 with "Insatiable" and then hit the Top 50 again with
"Strange Relationship," Siobhan Fahey was one of the original three members of Bananarama.
In 1988, she departed ways with Karen and Sarah and resurfaced in 1992 as half
of the duo Shakespears Sister with Marcella Detroit. Again, with some
mainstream success with the post modern hits "Goodbye Cruel World" and
"Stay" under their belts, Detroit and Fahey eventually parted
company. "Bitter Pill" hit #5 late in 2002 and is Siobhan's
first solo project. The song wasn't released mainstream anywhere in the world--with only 9,000
singles being issued in the UK. I can thank Ken and his promo charts for
even introducing me to the song--now I can't wait to hear more from Siobhan!!
The Cinderella solo story of 2002, however, is a bittersweet one. At the
end of 2001, Steps announced they were splitting after just a handful of years
together. Pop music would never be the same again. That was, of
course, until "DJ" by former members H and Claire made its way to the
top 5. Staying true to the Steps sound (I don't care what anyone says--the
music is essentially the same), H and Claire mustered a couple of other chart
hits in 2002 as well. They scored two top 20
hits with "Half a
Heart" and a cover of "Beauty and the Beast," while the third
single--called "All Out of Love"--from their debut album ANOTHER YOU
ANOTHER ME spent three non-consecutive weeks at #1 and was still in the top 10
at year's end. The title track to the H and Claire debut album made it to
the top 5 by the end of 2002. Claire sounds in top form on this Benny and
Bjorn 
(yes the ones from ABBA)-penned tune, which I believe to be the next
scheduled single in the UK (Almighty mixes are already circulating).
However, bitter part of sweet could result in the loss of their record
deal. Despite three top 10 singles in the UK, their debut album didn't
even debut in the top 50. We'll see where 2003 takes the duo as they try
to recapture the success they once had as Steps.
Not so Idle Pop Starz..."American Idol" crushed this summer's
competition and gave a new artist--picked by the US public--a #1 record on the
Billboard Hot 100. The show, based on the UK "Pop Idol"
series/competition, catapulted Kelly Clarkson into an overnight sensation.
Clarkson has even logged three Top 50
hits since the contest ended and she was
crowed winner just after Labor Day in September. In fact, Clarkson's
"Before Your Love' has been remixed and is climbing the charts all over
again. BYL made it as high as #8 on the chart so far. Across the pond, a new crop of pop stars were born--some winning
the honor, others losing it, only to win it anyway. The top dog on the
list is cutie pie Will Young, whose "Evergreen/Anything is Possible"
broke all first week sales records and was the UK #1 single of the year for
2002. While the A-side to the single (I know it was double A-sided but you
know what I mean) hit #5 for Young on the Top 50, the flip side failed to 
chart. He also missed out with "Light My Fire," yet another UK
chart-topper. He, and the runner-up Gareth Gates, charted together on
their Beatles ballad "The Long and Winding Road," which stalled at
#25. Young, however, caught his groove on the Top 50 as the another double
A-sided single "Don't Let Me Down/You and I" soared toward the top
10. "Don't Let Me Down" is just outside the top 10 at year's
end, but "You and I" quickly became his highest charting Top 50 hit
and his debut album FROM NOW ON seems unstoppable at this point. Gates did
score a top 20 hit with the poppy "Anyone of Us (Stupid Mistake)" but
failed to impress with his other singles. Darius, a one time 'laughing
stock' in the UK rebounded with his debut hit "Colourblind" which
raced to the top 15 on the chart. His second single "Rushes" is
currently climbing toward the top 20 and his album DIVE IN should easily ride
the wave in 2003. Other idols to hit the charts include Jessica Garlick,
Sarah Whatmore, Rik Waller, and Liberty X.
Suga-y sweet...is the Sugababes. Coming off of a great year in 2001 where they scored two #1 hits and two top 10 hits, the Sugababes hit the chart with full force in 2002. Armed with original member Siobhan's replacement Heidi (an original member of pre-chart Atomic Kitten), the Babes scored two UK #1 hits and a top 10. By year's end, they had scored a handful of hits on the Top 50 as well. "Freak Like Me," an exciting mix of Adina Howard's 1995 "Freak Like Me" and Gary Newman's 70's classic "R Freaks Electric," spent three weeks at the top of the chart. The single's follow-up "Round Round" hit #5 on the chart and was followed by the #1 opening in the UK of their second album ANGELS WITH DIRTY FACES. The next single, a double A-sided "Stronger/Angels With Dirty Faces," scored two more top 10 hits for the Babes with "Angels..." hitting #4 and "Stronger" becoming their fourth #1 hit. Their debut album ONE TOUCH wasn't lost in 2002 either as the cut "One Foot In" managed to make it to #10 on the chart. Look for a February 2003 release of the song "Shape" with Sting, also from the ANGELS album.