Spyke
It was right back in 1999 that Westlife first began their assault of the charts; and what a way to start! With their first 7 singles debuting at #1 they broke record after record - until Bob The Builder got in their way and Brian left. From there on out they struggled to try and recapture that initial magic they had and very much became a 'Housewives' act and with Take That making their outstanding return to the forefront of the Pop World, Westlife became quite redundant to be honest.
When the band came to headline at Carlisle Live (the Cumbrian attempt at a music festival) my friend dragged* me a long; it was around the time they had just released The Rose as a four piece and I was very impressed with them both vocally and in terms of how they commanded the stage and their audience. This autumn sees the band release their second greatest hits - which doesn't build too much on their first one which came out 9 years ago! They have been one band that I have grown up with and it seems a little bizarre that they are calling it a day just as Steps are making their return to the top of the album charts - a mere 10 years since their split. Anyway as a tribute to their long and successful career here is a full and comprehensive review of their singles and how my music taste has developed over the past 12 years.
*I say dragged - it was probably just as much my idea!
(1) Swear It Again - #1
Not being the avid chart follower that I am now, at this point it had rather bypassed my attention who this new boyband were. Just as we were saying good bye to Boyzone, Louis Walsh and Simon Cowell were working hard (out of the public eye) to get their new group launched. It was only when this appeared as one of the better tracks on a free 'Top Of The Pops magazine' CD that I really gave it a listen. I think it's clear from this very first single that Shane and Mark were the ones in the band who were their for their voices; Kian and Nicky for their looks and Brian there to make it a five piece.
★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆
(2) If I Let You Go - #1
So at this point the hype was starting to build and my cousin (a year older than me) already had a poster of the band on her bedroom wall. Compared to the ballads that JLS and The Wanted are offering in 2011 I'd take this mid-tempo track any day. Selling relatively well I can't help but feel that this song has been completely overshadowed by what was to come next...
★ ★ ☆ ☆ ☆
(3) Flying Without Wings - #1
This was the game changer. If you're after longevity then this is what you need; Robbie had his Angels, Rihanna her Umbrella and Steps their Tragedy. This track hit the commercial big time and even became the first single to top the downloads chart in 2004. Much against the band's wishes the track was released by the second winner of American Idol - Ruben Studdard who saw the track reach #2 on the Hot 100, which kind of scuppered their hopes of cracking the US.
★ ★ ★ ★ ☆
(4i) I Have A Dream
Coming off the back of Flying Without Wings and ITV's Abbamania, this track would easily have been enough to secure that coveted Christmas #1 position all on it's own without the need to be part of the double A side option that seemed all the rage a decade ago. Whenever I would hear the opening few bars to this track on the radio I used to get rather excited; only to be disappointed that it was this and not Steps' After The Love Is Gone.
★ ★ ☆ ☆ ☆
(4ii) Seasons In The Sun - #1
Wikipedia informs me that the Terry Jack's version is one of only (about) 30 tracks that has managed to sell over 10,000,000 copies globally. I think this double A side release of covers should have been a sign of what was to come from Westlife; and it really wasn't cool to have youe parents know the words to the song that you liked which had just topped the charts. Probably about as cool as my friend Jacqui makes her pupils feel when she makes Rihanna/Drake references to the square root of 69 in her Maths classes!
★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆
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