The Pop Corporation

If the ’90s had The Battle of Britpop with Blur’s ‘Country House’ going up against ‘Roll With It’ by Oasis, the 2000s equivalent was a race for number one which has been somewhat forgotten in the intervening years.

It was the battle of Posh versus Posher. The house underdog versus the footballer’s wife. And what made this tussle all the more scintillating is that both of the songs in question were actually decent, unlike the Britpop equivalent which saw the two indie titans getting huge publicity with two of their weaker singles.

Forget all that rock posturing though, to go back to the summer of 2000. France had recently won the Euros and become the first side to win a World Cup and European Championship back-to-back, we were weeks away from the release of the Nokia 3310, the PlayStation 2 was driving thumbs mad, and the bright new Millennium was kicked off with parties, dread about computer viruses, and war crimes in Eastern Europe.

The pop charts had moved away from indie music and its landfill offshoots, and replacing it was a more dance oriented sound, with All Saints giving us the luxurious ‘Pure Shores’, Robbie Williams leaned into pop-disco with his infectious ‘Rock DJ’, and tracks like ‘It Feels So Good’ from Sonique was pointing to the kids making eyes at Clubland, rather than the NME.

And Bob the Builder had the biggest single of the year, but let’s not dwell on that.

Also making great waves for the UK Garage scene, Craig David had shook the country by the lapels with his show-stopping TV appearances, both solo and with Artful Dodger, who were also having hits with ‘Movin’ Too Fast’ and ‘Please Don’t Turn Me On’.

The other big news of the year was that the Spice Girls were releasing solo records. Melanie C’s ‘I Turn To You’ pointed toward a Gatecrasher friendly version of pop, and the girls as an ensemble were eyeing up a more mature sound, working with Darkchild and getting ready to bow out.

The fact that Victoria Beckham was all set to drop a summer banger with True Steppers and Dane Bowers, no-one was surprised. It seemed like the successes of the Spice Girls, and Geri Halliwell’s freshly minted solo career, meant that Posh Spice was almost guaranteed the latest track to hit the top of the charts. Together or apart, the Spice machine felt unstoppable.

With 2 Step garage melding with two big ticket popstars, it was all set to be a behemoth in the charts, and so cutting edge that it still sounds like one of the most Y2K songs you’ve ever heard, closing with the adorable “this tune’s gonna punish you.” How could it not be a smash?

As club music took hold culturally, it transpired that two camps had emerged – Ayia Napa and Ibiza. The Cypriot island had become a haven for UKG, 2Step and bassline, while Ibiza had a full second wind as the House destination of the world. If Sweet Female Attitude’s ‘Flowers’ was the sound of the Greek islands, Modjo’s ‘Lady’ was the sound of the Balearics. There was also a difference in attitudes, with UKG being just as much about luxury brands and key bumps of coke, while Ibiza was MDMA, linen pants and still holding on to a bit of its crunchiness. Obviously, there was crossover, but it felt like there was something of an arms race to see who was the biggest deal in the world of dance.

Eventually, this tussle would preoccupy everyone too much and Trance would sneak in, and swipe the crown from the pair of them, just as the hip hop of the South was stealing a march on the East and West coasts of the US… but those are stories for another time.

Crucially, from the House stable was an instrumental that was working dancefloors around Europe by a producer called Spiller. His white label was being well received, with a disco-forward version of French House – less abrasive, less compression-pumping, but every bit as fun. He wanted something else from it though – he wanted some original vocals, to lift it above the sample-heavy House scene.

The word was put out and soon enough, he had a stack of CDRs with singers doing their thing over his track, and in the pile, was Sophie Ellis Bextor.

Ellis-Bextor had been fronting post Britpop indie outfit, theaudience, who had seen moderate success and a couple of decent tracks, including the ear-wormy ‘A Pessimist Is Never Disappointed.’ However, the group were dropped by their label and Ellis-Bextor did some musical oddjobs, including singing on a Manic Street Preachers’ track, but it was ‘Groovejet’ that would propel Sophie into the limelight.

Quite by accident, a chart battle was afoot. ‘Groovejet’ was this plucky, underdog of a track gaining traction by dint of it being so breezy and irresistible, and ‘Out Of Your Mind’ was a track with a huge promo push and a solo Spice Girl on it. If the two sounded too similar, it would have been a boring chart run, but with ‘Groovejet’ there was a certain detached cool and elegance, while ‘Out Of Your Mind’ was brassy and ultra-modern.

The tracks were to be released in the same week, and for the most part, pop fans were just happy to get down to both, but in the columns and chin-scratching circles, there were choices to be made. Are you Ayia Napa or San Antonio? Were you pills or bags? Were you anti-pop? House, or Garage?

Quickly, ‘Out Of Your Mind’ seemed to smell trouble. The-then anti-pop indie rags were quietly throwing their weight behind Ellis-Bextor who they hadn’t covered in huge amounts in her previous group, but were kinder to her now she was up against the PR of the pop machine.

Soon enough, that machine kicked in hard, and the promo run went from industry-standard to something bordering on omnipresence, not seen since the Country House/Roll With It spat. Victoria Beckham’s presence on the promo trail left some pop fans feeling like this record was being forced upon them. Heavy radio play in the build-up to its release became relentless, and fans began to complain that at signings, they had to buy a copy of the CD on the day, or they wouldn’t be able to meet Victoria, whether they already owned a copy or not.

Victoria’s famous footballer husband, David Beckham, was then wheeled out for the promo run, which hadn’t been seen to this point. The whole churn of press felt like a number one was the only important thing to the release, which in many ways, felt like it was in sharp contrast to ‘Groovejet’, that simply wanted you to dance. Or should that be ‘dohnce‘?

There was the smell of an upset on the cards, and rumours around the editorial rooms of the music press heard that Beckham’s people had requested the release date of ‘Out Of Your Mind’ be pushed back, so it didn’t jeopardise her chances of having a number one.

It is easy to forget that, during this period, numbers ones that stayed at the top for weeks at a time were more of a rarity than in previous decades. There was a new chart-topper every week or so, and the idea that a Spice Girl’s first solo single wouldn’t hit the jackpot was nothing short of complete and utter failure, where otherwise, an artist like True Steppers would have been ready to pop the champagne, landing such a big hit.

Earlier in the year, the production duo had landed a number six hit with the Dane Bowers featuring ‘Buggin”, and no-one considered that a flop. In fact, midweek chart positions noted that regardless of the outcome, this was going to be True Steppers’ biggest charting hit.

But not before some cattiness was to bleed into the press.

During an interview about the chart battle, Ellis-Bextor found time to raise an eyebrow about David Beckham being used as a promo prop, saying: “Some of the tactics they have employed are probably a little underhand… I can’t think of anything my boyfriend would like less than me dragging him ’round the shops.”

One undercurrent that was perhaps hurting the True Steppers release was that UK Garage had sprung from the underground and, for the first time, felt like a truly British scene to rival the innovative music from the States. While drum ‘n’ bass was homegrown innovation, it mostly stayed in the underground circles, whereas UKG had crash-landed the charts, feeling like our own version of Timbaland’s screwy production style, coupled with the forward thinking elements of Chicago house, all twisted with something so unswervingly London, that for those into it, it felt like a huge source of pride.

And now, the popstars were taking from it.

House meanwhile, had been scoring hits for over a decade, so landing big chart hits was no skin off anyone’s nose, and Ellis-Bextor wasn’t a huge name, so wasn’t a million miles away from the likes of Tim Burgess collaborating with the Chemical Brothers, or Kula Shaker teaming up with The Prodigy. Posh Spice, while undoubtedly a fan of modern, UK dance music, was sailing dangerously close to looking like a tourist, while Dane Bowers was given a pass, despite getting away with murder, what with absolutely no-one noticing he was privately educated himself.

By the time the chart places were announced, ‘Groovejet’ landed the knock-out blow, grabbing a number one and ultimately, becoming the biggest selling piece of vinyl of the millennium in the United Kingdom, awarded in 2015.

At a Radio 1 show, to celebrate the win, Sophie wore a t-shirt that simply said ‘Peckham’ on it – a sly jab at the runners-up, advising Beckham to take a minute, as she was “probably knackered.”

There’d be other singles from Beckham, including ‘Not Such An Innocent Girl’, but in the annals of pop, this True Steppers feature signed the warrant to end Victoria’s career as a singer, which would see her pivot toward a hugely successful fashion career, and a marriage which outlasted many of those of her peers.

Ellis-Bextor would effortlessly slip into a disco-pop career, having hits with ‘Murder On The Dancefloor’, ‘Take Me Home’, ‘Get Over You’ and others, before waiting years for a resurgence of Murder thanks to Saltburn.

Ultimately, the two women at the centre of this tussle would emerge unscathed, and if there was any feud, it wouldn’t last. According to Ellis Bextor, the pair found themselves in adjoining dressing rooms at CD:UK, and an olive branch was offered.

Talking to Hello!, she said: “I decided enough was enough and spoke to Victoria and she seemed fine. She was in a dressing room next to mine a couple of days ago and we had a little chat. I think we can finally say that if there ever was any animosity between us, there’s none there now.”