Tin Tin Out, Ann Lee, Texas, Geri Halliwell, The Boy Wunda, Garbage, The Chemical Brothers, Jamiroquai, Supergrass, B*Witched, Dark Star, Blur
They are the performers of twelve vintage amusing, puzzling and sometimes shocking videos of songs that were ranked in various charts, this week but in the Noughties 2000s.
Here, they are reunited in one glorious playlist. Enjoy!
For TWELVE more ‘Vous Avez Dit Bizarre’ – Vintage 2000s Music Videos – week 03/52 – click here
Tracklist
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1 . Tin Tin Out – What I Am (w/ Emma Bunton)Tin Tin Out and Emma Bunton’s 1999 rendition of “What I Am” takes Edie Brickell’s philosophical musings from 1988 and plugs them straight into the club circuit. The original, an alternative rock gem born from Brickell’s frustration with a college religious class, meandered through existential irritations with a breezy charm, earning top spots on the US Billboard Hot 100 (#7), Canada’s RPM 100 Singles chart (#1), and respectable places across Australia and New Zealand. Brickell may have been waxing poetic about life’s lack of clarity, but Tin Tin Out decides the beat itself is clarity enough, morphing the track into a polished electronic dance/R&B groove. This version, featuring a post-Spice Girls Emma Bunton on vocals, made a dramatic splash, peaking at #2 on the UK Singles Chart and selling over 234,000 UK copies. It trades Brickell’s introspection for Bunton’s easy charm, tying abstract themes to thumping rhythms, and positions itself as a sharp example of the late-’90s penchant for turning anything deep into something decidedly marketable. As for the music video, it’s a time capsule of its era, now comfortably gathering views on YouTube. Where Brickell’s version invited reflection, Tin Tin Out’s demands movement—different philosophies underpinned by the same lyrics, repurposed for different worlds. Does it over-polish and lose some of the original’s grit? Perhaps. But it’s undeniably effective at doing what it aims to: deliver a hook-laden, dancefloor-ready reinterpretation of an already-wily tune. Featured on the 1999 album “Eleven to Fly”.
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2 . Ann Lee – 2 TimesReleased in December 1998, Ann Lee’s “2 Times” lands right in the middle of Eurodance’s fluorescent heyday, wearing its bouncy basslines and synthetic gloss with pride. This isn’t a song that sneaks up on you; its hook is repetitive to the point of hypnosis—a chirpy, looping declaration that worms into your head with mechanical precision. Produced by Alfredo Larry Pignagnoli and Marco Sorcini, it feels like the culmination of late ‘90s Italo dance ambitions—a genre perpetually caught between club exuberance and radio accessibility. The accompanying music video, released in 1999, amplifies the song’s quirky charisma, showcasing Lee in a seemingly endless cycle of daily activities, with visual nods to Peter Gabriel’s stop-motion-heavy “Sledgehammer.” Its surreal energy is heightened by its filming location in Whitstable, Kent, adding a random yet oddly fitting seaside backdrop. Commercially, it was a global juggernaut, burning up charts across Europe, Australia, and New Zealand, while snagging gold and platinum certifications along the way. But there’s more here than just chart success—its blend of hip house and Italo-disco sparkles with a giddy thrill, evoking an era when Eurodance wasn’t just party fodder but a genuine cultural moment. Even The Guardian called it “giddy,” as if the song itself were riding a sugar rush too intense to resist. Lyrically unchallenging but instantly infectious, “2 Times” rides this tension between repetition and novelty, daring you not to hum along. This single also kicked the door open for Ann Lee’s later hits, “Voices” and a funky rendition of “Ring My Bell,” though neither quite matched its effervescent ubiquity. While its moment in the spotlight feels locked to the tail end of the millennium, it lingers in cultural memory, popping up in the 2001 rom-com “Head Over Heels” and surviving as an artifact of Eurodance’s unapologetically garish charm. Featured on the 1999 album “Dreams “.
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3 . Texas – When We Are TogetherTexas invites listeners to wade into a nostalgic swirl with “When We Are Together,” a pop-rock anthem wrapped in Celtic undertones like a sweater your mother bought you for Christmas—unexpectedly cozy but unmistakably rooted in its era. The production by Johnny Mac gives the song a polished yet familiar sound, though its inclusion in the 1999 compilation *The Greatest Hits* suggests it was designed more as a capstone than a standalone invention. Hovering just outside the UK Top 10 at #12, its chart performance is decent enough, but it’s the nine-week chart run (and a brief two-week encore) that reveals its staying power, hinting at a relatable emotional pull rather than sheer commercial domination. Sharleen Spiteri’s vocals carry the soft grit of emotional authenticity, a balancing act between vulnerability and defiance that epitomizes the song’s theme of emotional unity. It leans heavily on a pop-rock backbone, though calling it Dance/Electronic feels like mislabeling an Irish stout as soda pop—technically possible, but wholly misleading. The track takes no wild artistic detours or genre leaps, yet remains charming in its aspirations to connect, a reliable offering in a greatest hits lineup rather than a revelation on its own creative merit. Featured on the 1999 album “The Hush“.
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4 . Geri Halliwell – Lift Me UpReleased in 1999 as part of her debut solo album “Schizophonic,” Geri Halliwell’s “Lift Me Up” holds an unusual spot in late ’90s pop culture. The song shot to number one on the UK Singles Chart during a high-profile battle against fellow ex-Spice Girl Emma Bunton, proving there’s nothing quite like in-band competition to fuel record sales. It’s a polished pop ballad co-written by Halliwell, Andy Watkins, and Paul Wilson, with production handled by Absolute, a duo known for turning mid-tier pop songs into radio-ready hits. Tapping into themes of affirmation and buoyancy, lyrics like “Lift me up / Show me love” aim for simplicity but land closer to cliché territory. Musically, it showcases sweeping string arrangements and multi-layered vocals that create an air of bittersweet earnestness, further bolstered by backing vocalist Tracy Ackerman. The accompanying music video, helmed by Howard Greenhalgh, throws Halliwell into a bizarre narrative involving playful aliens, a car wash showdown, and a countryside police pursuit—somewhere between a children’s TV show fever dream and an accidental sci-fi comedy. Critics found the track divisive; while some appreciated its heartfelt attempt at uplift, others dismissed it as uninspired pop filler, with NME describing it as “nondescript.” The record’s success may have been more about tabloid drama than musical innovation, but in hindsight, “Lift Me Up” remains an emblem of the era when post-Spice careers were a soap opera set to music. Featured on the 1999 album “Schizophonic “.
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5 . The Boy Wunda – EverybodyThe late ’90s music scene was a strange playground where sampling reigned supreme, and “Everybody” by Progress Presents The Boy Wunda exemplifies this trend in full audacity. This 1999 house track takes two unlikely bedfellows—Madonna’s anthem “Papa Don’t Preach” and a slice of dialogue from *One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest*—and squishes them into an electronic blender. The result, running at 3 minutes and 41 seconds, lands somewhere between nostalgic catharsis and sheer oddity. The Madonna sample is like the ghost of ‘80s pop, stretched across a pulsing beat that feels both urgent and a bit stapled together, as if daring traditionalists to scoff. Meanwhile, the inclusion of Mr. Harding’s dialogue from the 1975 film is as puzzling as it is intriguing, adding a layer of cerebral quirk that risks veering into pretension but oddly works in its favor. The track thrives on tension—between its house pulse and pop gloss, between its clear dancefloor ambitions and its weirder intellectual winks. This is artifice celebrated, sincerity questioned, and logic side-stepped in favor of maximum impact. Released under the Manifesto label, it’s a quintessential slice of late-’90s electronic experimentation, simultaneously self-aware and utterly unabashed in its willingness to mash disparate elements. At its core, “Everybody” operates like a postmodern dance ritual that winks at you just as it grabs you by the hand and launches you into chaos.
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6 . Garbage – The World Is Not Enough“The World Is Not Enough” arrives with a cocktail of intrigue and menace, wrapped in Garbage’s signature blend of alternative rock and electronic flair. As a Bond theme, it indulges the franchise’s penchant for sultry suspense, pairing Shirley Manson’s smoky vocals with David Arnold’s lush orchestration. Don Black’s lyrics teeter on the brink of existential melodrama with the line, “There’s no point in living if you can’t feel alive,” capturing both the villainous philosophy of the film and a dose of Bond’s own hedonistic fatalism. Its music video leans into campy sci-fi flair, with Manson playing both scientist and seductive android, splicing retro aesthetics with a hint of dystopian pulp fiction. The song’s melodic structure, anchored by a creeping orchestral swell, mirrors its narrative of seduction and deceit, though some might find its overly theatrical mood tilted toward parody. Leaked prematurely online in 1999, its rollout wasn’t devoid of drama, much like the onscreen espionage it represents. File it firmly under “90s cinematic indulgence,” a moment where Garbage briefly held court as Bond’s house band, lacing their polished grit with just enough smooth to fit the tuxedo. Featured on the 1999 album “The World Is Not Enough soundtrack”.
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7 . The Chemical Brothers – Hey Boy Hey Girl“Hey Boy Hey Girl” isn’t just a track; it’s a snapshot of the late ’90s, crystallized in electronic euphoria and sweaty club floors. Produced by The Chemical Brothers, the song opens with a hypnotic chant—gritty, robotic, and more mantra than lyric—that quickly morphs into an explosive big beat odyssey. Borrowing the “The Roof Is on Fire” sample from Rock Master Scott & the Dynamic Three, the track marries nostalgia to innovation, splicing old-school hip-hop flavor with futuristic rave energy. The production is tight yet unruly, pairing acid-soaked basslines with kaleidoscopic synths that threaten to shred your speakers if you’re not careful. Chart success followed globally, with the UK, Canada, New Zealand, and half of Europe falling under its spell, though France’s lukewarm #77 nod is a head-scratcher. The visuals by Dom & Nic—brash, surreal, and dripping with late-night delirium—offer a mirror to the disorienting ecstasy of ’90s club culture, eventually elevating Ministry of Sound’s sweaty walls to something almost hallucinogenic. NME found room for it on its “150 Best Tracks of the Past 15 Years” in 2011, a belated yet deserved recognition of a song that could still ignite dance floors. Fast-forward to 2024, and ARTBAT’s remix breathes new life into this classic, as though the track itself refuses to sit quietly in the archives of electronic history. Featured on the 1999 album “Surrender”.
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8 . Jamiroquai – King for a Day“King for a Day,” plucked from Jamiroquai’s 1999 album *Synkronized*, teeters between royal airs and existential musings, wrapped neatly in a funk and acid jazz cloak. This fourth single, penned by Jay Kay and produced by Rick Pope, unfurls with a theme of fleeting triumph, sneaking in self-assertion beneath its lavish sonic drapery. Chart-wise, it shows a modest sprint—#20 on the UK Singles Chart, climbing a bit higher in Scotland at #18, while languishing in obscurity farther out in places like the Netherlands and Switzerland. The track’s video ventures into indulgence with Jay Kay parading through a mansion in mock-regal attire, his band scattered in rooms exuding semi-aristocratic gloom, a visual feast contributing to MTV nominations of the time. Musically, it doesn’t bend genres but stays firmly in Jamiroquai’s territory—a tight groove polished to a glossy, radio-ready finish without losing its edge. Is it groundbreaking? Absolutely not. But does it etch itself into memory? Only as much as Jay Kay’s hat collection—eclectic, purposeful, and unmistakably tied to its moment in time. Featured on the 1999 album “Synkronized“.
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9 . Supergrass – MarySupergrass’s “Mary” sneaks in like a delicately veiled trap, its 1999 Britpop core punctuated by creeping dread and theatrical excess. This third single from their self-titled “X-Ray Album” wears its sinister undertones like a party mask, the Carl Orff-esque choral flourishes and minor piano riff giving it an almost operatic edge cloaked beneath layers of playful absurdity. The lyrics meander through a toxic waltz of control and chaos, as Gaz Coombes and Mick Quinn share vocals, their harmonies both eerily tight and unsettlingly dissonant. If the song reflects a dysfunctional romance’s descent, the accompanying video takes a hard left into a B-movie fever dream, weaving 1950s Hammer Horror aesthetics with the kind of surrealism that resulted in a ban, later watered down by onion-laced edits. The juxtaposition of haunting imagery with nonsense vocalizations creates a discomfort that’s hard to shake, while the E-bow-laced guitar work adds an ethereal texture that seems simultaneously unnerving and entrancing. And yet, this isn’t a straightforward shock piece; it’s a track where contradictions thrive. The catchy Cm progression fights the darker mood, hinting at the band’s knack for creating something approachable without sanding down the edges of their menace. The live performances bundled on the CD single expand on this layered experience; rawer, snappier, and less polished, these renditions reveal a band comfortably leaning into their chaotic streak without tipping too far into novelty territory. “Mary” hangs in limbo—not quite horror, not quite humor, but oddly compelling in its refusal to pick a side. Featured on the 1999 album “Supergrass”.
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10 . B*Witched – I Shall Be There (w/ Ladysmith Black Mambazo)“I Shall Be There” by B*Witched is an ambitious melding of the Irish girl group’s polished pop sensibilities with Ladysmith Black Mambazo’s distinct vocal textures. Released in 1999 as part of their second album, *Awake and Breathe,* the track feels like a bold experiment that manages to bridge European pop with African vocal traditions—a juxtaposition that’s more curious than seamless. The album, produced by Ray “Madman” Hedges and Jeremy Brannigan, leans heavily on motivational themes, and this song doesn’t stray far from that roadmap. The inclusion of Ladysmith Black Mambazo introduces an earthy, grounded quality to the otherwise glossy, radio-ready tune, though at times it feels as though their harmonic brilliance is shoehorned into the pop framework rather than woven naturally into the composition. The single achieved moderate success, peaking at number 13 on the UK Singles Chart, yet it failed to capture the magic of B*Witched’s earlier hits, reflecting the album’s overall middling impact compared to their explosive debut. The accompanying music video, available online, offers the sort of sugarcoated visuals one might expect—pleasant but formulaic, with no real standout moments to anchor the song’s experimental premise. While commendable for its cultural fusion, “I Shall Be There” feels caught between two competing identities: a dance-pop track aiming for chart success and a collaborative experiment hoping for authenticity. And therein lies the tension—what could have been a cutting-edge exploration of multicultural sound ends up as a polished but uneven product of late ’90s pop ambition. Still, it’s a fascinating snapshot of a band at a crossroads, trying to push boundaries while navigating the slippery slope of sophomore expectations. Featured on the 1999 album “Awake and Breathe”.
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11 . Dark Star – Graceadelica“Graceadelica,” the titular track from Dark Star’s 1998 debut EP, spins a dark, shimmering web of sound that feels like a long, hallucinatory road trip through post-industrial landscapes at dusk. The track is angular and brooding, leaning into the stripped-back, matte black aesthetic critics have tied to their Levitation roots, yet it hums with a pulse distinctly their own. The 2000 remix propelled it further up the UK Singles Chart to an impressive #25, though the original’s rawer edges arguably feel more honest to the band’s ethos. “About 3am,” another standout, embodies nocturnal dread with jagged guitars and hypnotic rhythms that simmer rather than boil, charting modestly at #50 in 1999 but leaving a deeper impression on their listeners’ psyches. “I Am the Sun” veers into celestial, searing terrain with a driving momentum that straddles euphoria and menace, climbing to #31 in its 2000 remix iteration. The fusion of these tracks captures a band perched on a tightrope between expansive psychedelia and a minimalism that pares their sound to its most visceral core. Drawing influence from Hawkwind’s cosmic sprawl and The Pixies’ taut unpredictability, Dark Star’s music, especially on their standout 1999 album “Twenty Twenty Sound,” wields a paradoxical heft and vulnerability. While the journey from their Levitation days suggests a shedding of ornate prog flourishes, what’s left behind feels no less dense, as if every chord carries the residue of unsung ghosts. The band may have left their much-rumored second album gathering dust for years until its eventual 2022 completion, but the omission of the anticipated track “The Only Way” hints at an understated refusal to quantify their creative process by external pressure or expectation. If “Graceadelica” signaled their beginning, it’s as much an epitaph for an era as it is an opening salvo for a band adept at turning fragility into fierce sonic architecture.
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12 . Blur – No Distance Left to Run“No Distance Left to Run” sits as an aching wound within Blur’s 1999 album “13,” a stark departure from Britpop swagger into raw vulnerability. Framed by William Orbit’s atmospheric production, the song trades brash guitar hooks for a slow-burning resignation, mirroring Damon Albarn’s breakup with Justine Frischmann in every weary lyric. The track’s sparse, almost desolate arrangement—marked by meandering guitars and delicate crescendos—forces the listener to linger on Albarn’s voice, thick with defeat. The accompanying music video, directed by Thomas Vinterberg, offers an eerie intimacy, capturing the band members in night-vision as they sleep, an unguarded reflection that feels both intrusive and poetic. Even its B-side, the instrumental “Beagle 2,” aims higher than most, soaring toward Mars aboard a doomed spacecraft, a poignant metaphor for ambitions unfulfilled. Oddly, the song inspired a 2010 Blur documentary, but its true resonance lies in the subtle tension—a melancholic anthem both personal and universally haunting. Featured on the 1999 album “13“.
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