The Ten Best Selling Songs in Austria in 2003

I guess it's okay for a holiday summer hit, being literally about going on holiday in the South, and enjoying the sunny weather. For a party in the summer, this will get you into the party mood, but it's by no means a great or even outstanding song, and no challenge for tracks like "Aserejé," "Mambo No. 5," or "Coco Jamboo." It's a completely average party song.

Peak position: 1

Having spent 12 weeks on top of the charts, the summer hit was also the biggest number 1 hit of the year.

There was no other artist ever again that sounded like t.A.T.u., not even the solo songs by the two women. Blissfully trashy, dazzling electropunk with sometimes delicate and sometimes shrill vocals, and provocative lyricism. Their use of LGBTQ+ aesthetics was confrontational, and while some may criticize that it was all just for the image, it did its job really well. In times less focused on interpolating minorities, their songs about forbidden romances, and running away from hatred and prejudice were desperately needed. Even if Julia Volkova turned out to be ridiculously homophobic herself later on, Lena Katina responded reasonably by stating love is for everyone. "All The Things She Said" is their biggest hit, and it's a masterpiece - but even if they never again had such a huge international success, do yourself a favor and listen to all three of their albums, whether in the Russian or English versions.

The bilingual song by Germany's biggest soul sensation is one of his most beautiful and sensitive songs, one that gets more overwhelming as it goes on, while the beginning (the snippet on the audio sample) is even a bit on the minimalist side. It grows far bigger in scale.

Don't be disappointed that RZA does not have a rap verse. He just speaks the intro and co-produced it. It's nevertheless worth it because Xavier Naidoo is a genius, and this is from his best era.

What a great beat, what a cinematic performance by Eminem, how incredibly thick the atmosphere is as the tension gets higher and higher. Awesome.

But you all know this song, and what it is. Let's talk about what it is not: the best piece of multisyllabic rhyming out there. Why? Well, just google "Kollegah Reimkette" ("Kollegah rhyme chain") and click one of the several short videos featuring excerpts from Kollegah songs while highlighting the rhyming syllables. You don't need to know German to hear the complexity of how he uses vowels.

Don't get me wrong. Eminem is a masterful lyricist due to his gripping storytelling, deep commentary on the impact of pop culture and economics, and his sheer endless vocabulary. And that is what makes him the best rapper in these categories for me. Kollegah, however, is the king of aesthetic choices: he has the greatest rhymes and the most clever wordplay. He, on the other hand, has the downside of being all style and no substance, where Eminem definitely has the upper hand.

Speaking of average pop songs...

In the 21st century, Dieter Bohlen throws out manufactured hit songs like a machine. And that's exactly what they sound like, too. "Take Me Tonight" has no personality whatsoever. It adheres to a formula that has proved successful and capitalizes on the short-lived hype of Klaws having won DSDS. When the show moves on to the next season, both the singer and the song will be forgotten. But Bohlen made his share of money. It goes on and on, with only Pietro Lombardi and Beatrice Egli managing to last much longer.

Yeah... yeah, this is good. It is nice to hear such a cool pop-rock song having been big in a year filled with talent show winners. No, Christina, I am not talking about you. You're the awesome exception. Bang your head and enjoy the chorus planting itself into your brain, not planning to move out anytime soon.