We are quickly closing in on the end of June, so I figured it's time to churn out a few blogs before we begin a new month. And what helps me out today is that it's a pretty cool, cloudy, and drizzly day. What better way to spend that kind of a day than by doing some writing! My review of songs that were released two to five years is back, complete with a re-worked title. Instead of "Remember These Songs That Were Hits" etc, etc, I have shortened it to just simply "Remember These Songs?" Much less klunky and easier to understand, don't you think? So this is version two of this particular blog series and this time around, I am looking at songs that were pretty popular for these respective artists/bands. In fact, in two of these cases, you could say that these songs really helped to elevate the popularity of the artists. Ever since then, they haven't produced memorable chart-topping songs, at least not in America. So let us begin our tour of memorable hit songs from just a few short years ago.
Daniel Bedingfield - I Gotta Get Through This: It's hard to believe it's been six years already, but "I Gotta Get Through This" was made popular in 2002 and really made Daniel a household name. And back then, there was only one Bedingfield that graced the radio waves (Natasha would come later). Daniel created a cool, edgy dance song that had everyone across America dancing to. I remember around here, the radio stations did not air the song right away like the rest of America did. I can't even recall when I first heard it; probably somewhere on television, but after I initially heard it, I was hooked. So naturally I got my fix of this song by playing it on-line. It was one of those songs I kept listening to over and over again while I was in college and needed a break from the heavy load of homework. Shortly thereafter, "If You're Not the One" would soon be released and became a new favorite song of mine. 2002 and 2003 really were great years for pop music, which is why I created a compliation CD of some of my favorite songs from those two years. "If You're Not the One" was one of the songs I put on that CD because it was such a soothing, mellow song about love and relationships. In fact, it remains as one of my favorites to this day.
So what has Daniel Bedingfield been up to since he made a splash in America back in 2002? He has continued to write songs and release new music, but hasn't had an ounce of luck in being successful again in America. On New Year's Day in 2004, Daniel was in a serious car accident that nearly took his life. It took him some time to recover, but he soon started work on a new album which would eventually be released in 2004. It wasn't nearly as successful as his first album, but the first single "Nothing Hurts Like Love" did reach #3 in the UK. But even Daniel couldn't muster up the same kind of success with his second album like he did with the first even in the UK. He took a break from music but was interviewed in April of 2007 saying he had three albums of music recorded and has been awaiting release. So I guess it's only a matter of time before we hear something from Daniel, although will he ever be as successful again in America? Only time will tell.
Hoobastank - The Reason: Talk about falling off the face of the earth. Much can be said about Hoobastank's quick rise to fame after their mega-hit "The Reason" was released in 2004. That song was everywhere - played on the radio every hour, in TV commercials, and even during the final episode of the TV series "Friends." You can't deny the fact that it's a good song. In fact, it's a great song and was deserving of all the praise it had received. But a lot of times, the follow-up song fails to be as big of a hit as the first. That's exactly what happened with their album "The Reason." But the song with the same name helped platoon the album to double platinum, making it their most successful album yet. Hoobastank first began in 1994 as a local rock band playing in smaller venues in Southern California. Their popularity grew bigger and bigger in their homestate and they soon scored a record deal with Island Records in 2000, but not before self-releasing their own first album in 1998. That was when Hoobastank became the group we all know today. But yet they seem to have fallen back to their modest beginnings and have not made very many big splashes as of late.
I bet you're wondering what Hoobastank may be up to these days. Well, they are definitely still very much involved in making music. After "The Reason," Hoobastank followed things up in 2006 with their new album, "Every Man For Himself." It wasn't nearly as popular as their previous album and ended up being certified gold. The album produced the songs "If I Were You," "Inside of You," and "Born to Lead." An additional song was planned to be released but that request was soon cancelled - speculated because of the poor sales of the album as a whole. According to Hoobastank's temporary website as of early this month, the recording process for their newest album is nearly completed with a date announcing the release of the latest album coming soon. So fear not Hoobastank fans, a new album is forthcoming.
The Corrs - Summer Sunshine: Ah, what a great song for a most appropriate time of the year. I can't find exactly when this song was released to radio stations as Wikipedia makes no mention of it at all - but I'd have to guess that sometime around 2005, at least. And I am making an assumption in saying that this song isn't really all that well known - but it did get a considerable amount of airplay around here. I believe they released it in the summertime, when a song with a very appropriate subject would tend to do well. It's an excellent song that really helps to lift your spirits when you're down in the dumps. It also helps to elicit fond memories of summers from your personal past or present. It's just a downright wholesome, fun song about a wonderful time of the year, which is why it is one of my favorites. I know it still continues to get requests at this time of year around here because it is a song that helps celebrate the summer season. The Corrs are a musical family, comprised of four siblings. They have had a long history in the music business, being influenced by their parents to learn different instruments. They originate from Dublin, Ireland and had their first experience with music success in the early 1990's. Since then, they have achieved international success with albums reaching platinum in many countries and getting the chance to perform at the 1996 Summer Olympics.
So what have the Corrs been up to since 2005? They released an album the same year dedicated to their late mother and featured traditional Irish songs. It was only successful within Ireland and France and was certified silver in the UK. As of 2006, the group has been on hiatus. Three members of the group are currently busy raising families while the last members is making an attempt at a solo career. They have also released two compliation CD's in 2006 and 2007 of previous hits and songs that failed to make previous albums. Those albums also were unable to reach some of their most earlier success. There is no word on when they might possibly get back together for an album consisting of new songs.
That will wrap it up for this edition of "Remember These Songs?" Be sure to check out my blog sometime soon for a new edition of this series - likely to come by mid-July. Until then, be sure to enjoy all different kinds of music, from the present and the past. Hopefully the songs featured here today and their respective artists will help you to discover them all over again.
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