Can't Stop The Pop

It's confessions on a podcast this week as we discuss Madonna's ABBA-sampling smash hit, Hung Up . To help us dissect this behemoth pop song we're joined by a special guest: James Rodriguez, host of The Original Doll.  With James' expert knowledge, we delve into the circumstances surrounding the single and why Madonna's tenth studio album -  Confessions On A Dancefloor - was such a significant mom...

Dude, you wanna crash the mall? Grab your air guitars because, in this episode, Craig and Matty are coming back down to earth to talk about Avril Lavigne's Sk8er Boi.  We discuss what it was like to be a teenager when pop-rock took over the charts (think baggy jeans, hoodies and those chains that hung from everyone's pockets) and how  Sk8er Boi managed to condense pretty much everything that era r...

This week, Craig and Matty are discussing Your Disco Needs You , the Kylie Minogue song that was allegedly deemed "too gay" to release in the UK. Can Matty talk about one of his favourite artists of all time without going off on a tangent? Almost. We managed to stay focused for long enough to cover the song, the remixes, the incredible vocals and the music video for this intentionally camp Kylie c...

This week on the podcast, Craig and Matty are stuck on Stacie Orrico, a Christian Contemporary artist who was signed by Virgin Records and launched as a mainstream pop star in the '00s.  (There's Gotta Be) More To Life was her second single, and it's flipping brilliant. We discuss the track and the music video (with its many looks, both good and bad). Matty gives an informed, technical analysis of...

Who's that Pokémon? This week, Craig introduces Matty to Don't Say You Love Me  by M2M, which is, of course, taken from the official soundtrack to the cinematic masterpiece Pokémon: The First Movie .  We discuss the song, the brilliantly '90s/'00s music video (with unnecessary dance breaks aplenty) and what M2M did after  Don't Say You Love Me.  Plus, find out which were our first ever starter Pok...

Take those lies and let them go (woah, woah) because this week, Matty and Craig are talking about Scooch's top-five hit, More Than I Needed To Know .  We discuss how the group was formed and why this was such an important second single for them. Matty is particularly enthused by the music video, while Craig longs to own a promotional Scooch lunchbox. One thing's for four sure: t here's rather a lo...

This week, Matty and Craig take a walk of life as they look back at  Day & Night , the lead single from Billie Piper's second album. There's little disputing this as a veritable '00s classic, and while Matty is particularly enthused by the killer double-chorus, Craig is tormented by a launderette sequence in the music video. But behind the general brilliance of the track, Billie Piper wasn't havin...

We've got a steptacular exclusive this week because Matty and Craig are joined by BAFTA Rocliffe-winning, double Offie-nominated Shaun Kitchener, writer of the forthcoming Steps musical: Here & Now.  Naturally, we wanted to talk about the song that inspired the title of the show. Released in 2001 as a double-A side with  You'll Be Sorry ,  Here and Now was the final single from the group's third a...

In this episode, Matty and Craig take a look back at the track that turned Leona Lewis from the winner of a TV talent show into a bona fide superstar:  Bleeding Love .  We discuss how the song went from being rejected by Jesse McCartney's record label to becoming one of the biggest global hits of the '00s and even birthed a sub-genre of soundalikes. Plus, there are not one but two music videos to...

On the podcast this week, Matty and Craig are revisiting a '90s classic that is like oxygen through our veins: I Breathe Again .  We look back at Adam Rickitt's transformation from soap star to pop singer, discuss the general brilliance of the song and look back at the *ahem* rather revealing music video. To read about  I Breathe Again on Can't Stop The Pop: https://www.cantstopthepop.com/2019/06/...

Get ready for more ramblings about '90s and '00s pop music because Can't Stop The Pop is back! To kick off this season, we're joined by singer, songwriter, producer, DJ and all-round icon Ultra Naté to discuss If You Could Read My Mind , which she recorded with Amber and Jocelyn Enriquez.  Find out what brought three dance divas together to put a disco spin on the '70s Gordon Lightfoot classic. Pl...

By popular demand (👀), Matty and Craig are back for a bumper season one retrospective episode. We got together to discuss our highlights of the few months spent recording Can't Stop The Pop and reflect on some of the stuff that has happened to our favourite acts since the episodes were released.  Not only is this a feature-length audio episode, but you can also watch us recording on YouTube (yes,...

Boom! Prepare to hear Can't Stop The Pop in its rawest, roughest form with a bonus demo episode exclusive from our podcast archives. Before Can't Stop The Pop became a slick (👀) juggernaut of '90s and '00s reminiscence, Matty and Craig experimented using Atomic Kitten's  I Want Your Love . We discussed samples (including one that was removed from later edits of the song), a scrapped spoken interl...

It's a festive season finale for Can't Stop The Pop, so it felt only right for Matty and Craig to discuss  the iconic Christmas classic of our time:  What If. The debut (and only) single from Kate Winslet is a behemoth of melodramatic balladry recorded for Christmas Carol: The Movie.  It duly swept into the top ten, capturing the hearts and minds of '00s pop fans everywhere.   We share our thought...

For the first time this series, Matty and Craig are discussing a song that hasn't (yet) been featured on the site.  Gotta Tell You  is the debut single from Irish pop sensation Samantha Mumba...and it's a good one!  We look at the song, its success in the UK and America, plus Matty decides it wouldn't be right if he didn't tell Craig this tonight by giving a wildly long-winded description of the m...

It's Morphin' Time! This week, Matty and Craig are teleporting back to the mid-'90s when Zordon recruited a team of teenagers with attitude to battle the evil space witch, Rita Repulsa.  Mighty Morphin Power Rangers was  everywhere , and never one to miss out on a merchandising opportunity, Simon Cowell concocted the official tie-in single. This morphinominal episode was every bit as chaotic to re...

Matty and Craig are getting all tangled up this week as they talk about the 'Sexy! No No No...', the lead single from Girls Aloud's fourth studio album.  There's no disagreement that this is another slice of quality left-field pop music. But was it a bit too avant-garde to capitalise on the success of the group's first greatest hits album or was that the plan all along?  You can also follow us on...

Things get a bit more serious this week as Matty and Craig take a look back at Hear'Say's fourth (and final) single: Lovin' Is Easy .  Released at a time when it seemed almost everyone wanted to see the group fail, there is a lot to unpack here as the original  Popstars implode...with an unnecessary dance break.  You can also follow us on X:  @matkinsactor   @cantstoppop , Instagram:  @mat_atkins9...

In this episode, Matty and Craig are enthralled by one of Westlife's best songs (it's not even up for debate), which wasn't even *technically* a single in the UK:  When You're Looking Like That . There's a questionable attempt to recreate the keyboard riffs from the track, bemusement at the use of the lyric "Bambi eyes" and a disconcerting amount of winking in the music video.  You can also follow...

In this week's episode, Matty and Craig are shooting from the hip. But can Craig convince Matty that  I Won't Change You – a song Sophie Ellis-Bextor herself has all but disowned – really isn't that bad?  You can also follow us on X:  @matkinsactor   @cantstoppop , Instagram:  @mat_atkins9   @cantstop_thepop  and TikTok:  @cantstopthepoppodcast To read about I Won't Change You on Can't Stop The Po...

In this episode, Matty and Craig don't know how to live without your love...so take a look at Britney Spears' second UK #1 single: Born To Make You Happy instead. There's plenty to discuss, including questionable lyrics, an almost entirely abandoned video concept, a bonus remix and    – of course   – plenty of unnecessary choreography.  You can also follow us on X:  @matkinsactor   @cantstoppop ,...

In this week's episode, Matty and Craig don't care who you are or where you're from as they discuss a Backstreet Boys classic. Craig reveals what happened when he met the group and saw them perform  As Long As You Love Me  live, while, Matty is once again perplexed at why a mid-tempo pop song needs a fully choreographed dance routine.  You can also follow us on X:  @matkinsactor   @cantstoppop , I...

This week, Matty and Craig delve into Charlotte Church's pop debut single,  Crazy Chick. There isn't much agreement on this one, so expect tissues and issues aplenty. You can also follow us on X:  @matkinsactor   @cantstoppop , Instagram:  @mat_atkins9   @cantstop_thepop  and TikTok:  @cantstopthepoppodcast To read about Crazy Chick on Can't Stop The Pop: https://www.cantstopthepop.com/2021/06/21/...

In this week's episode, Matty and Craig talk Aqua's third – and final – #1 single in the UK: Turn Back Time . Craig shares his confusion after watching Sliding Doors  and finding it's not like the music video at all, while Matty discusses a real-life experience of the movie plot when a woman's suitcase gets stuck in the doors of the tube.  You can also follow us on X:  @matkinsactor   @cantstoppop...

In this week's episode, Matty and Craig are feeling blue…a Deeper Shade Of Blue , in fact. The fourth (or fifth?) single from Steptacular marked a shift in image and sound for Steps. Important notes and embarrassing memories are shared about *that* music video. You can also follow us on X:  @matkinsactor   @cantstoppop , Instagram:  @mat_atkins9   @cantstop_thepop  and TikTok:  @cantstopthepoppodc...