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The greatest singles and albums of 2006

  • December 18, 2006
  • Popjustice

Lots of good stuff came out this year.

Here are the ten best singles and albums of 2006. Please note that this is an official and sci­en­tific­ally cal­cu­lated list.

SINGLES ALBUMS

Nelly Furtado
'Maneater'

June
Everybody look at her, her: 'Maneater' took Nelly Furtado from hippyish, on-her-arse singer-song­writer to all-con­quer­ing, maneating, dog-losing megastar.
Video

Nelly Furtado
'Loose'

June
More to the comeback than 'Maneater'? Yes. A whole album of it. And 'All Good Things' might just be the best album track of 2006…
'Promiscuous' video

All-American Rejects
'Move Along'

February
Proof that pseudo-furious men with not very distorted guitars can make pop records which are VERY GOOD INDEED.
Video

Bertine Zetlitz
'My Italian Greyhound'

September
Released in Norway without fanfare, Bertine Zetlitz' latest album is offi­cially too good to ever be released in the UK.
'500' video

Jamelia
'Beware Of The Dog'

December
Jamelia got nasty and nobody noticed, due in part to one of the least exciting single sleeves in the history of graphic design.
Video

Shiny Toy Guns
'We Are Pilots'

October
Are they emo? Are they 'elec­tron­ica' (American word for 'dance music')? No. They are 'emo­tron­ica', a stupid word we invented in October which has refused to catch on anywhere.
'Le Disko' video

Girls Aloud
'Something Kinda Oooh'

November
The best Girls Aloud single since 'Biology'. Not that there had been many Girls Aloud singles since 'Biology', but you get the general idea.
Video

Pet Shop Boys
'Fundamental'

May
With a string of hit (in the British Hit Singles defin­i­tion of 'hit') singles and a Very Good Tour, the Pet Shop Boys released their best album in over a decade. And still haven't released the best track as a single.
'Integral' (live) video

Pink
'U + Ur Hand'

August
The year's best song about having a wank and history's greatest single sung by Pink.
Video

Lil' Chris
'Lil Chris'

December
Not allowed fizzy drinks after 7pm but freely allowed to record a brilliant album. 'The youth of today' etc etc etc…
'Gettin' Enough?' video

Lily Allen
'LDN'

September
Bicycle-wielding maniac Lily Allen recorded the song of the summer and then released it in the Autumn. How 'altern­at­ive'.
Video

Robbie Williams
'Rudebox'

October
An incred­ible and innov­at­ive pop album from a man formerly — and no doubt futurely — allowed only to record slow songs and ones which sound like bad Queen pastiches.
'Lovelight' video

Justin Timberlake
'Sexyback'

August
Justin reminded us that he was probably very good at sex and in doing so made a good case for also being very good at making pop records.
Video

Justin Timberlake
'FutureSex/ LoveSounds'

October
Further proof that you cannot go wrong with a man in a nice suit singing decent songs made by an incred­ible producer. He pulled an odd face on the album sleeve though.
'My Love' video

Lil' Chris
'Checkin' It Out'

September
Massive record by tiny popstar. It's not the size of the boat it's the motion in the ocean et-cetera.
Video

Lily Allen
'Alright Still'

July
As well as trying not to get her wedding dresses caught on BMX pedals, Lily also found a moment to record a col­lec­tion of odd-sounding but very likeable and funny pop songs.
'Smile' video

Paris Hilton
'Stars Are Blind'

July
Despite being com­pletely unqual­i­fied for the job, Paris made am unex­pec­tedly strong stab at being a popstar. This was shortly before she got bored and decided leading Britney astray was more fun.
Video

Amy Winehouse
'Back To Black'

October
Sober long enough to release the year's best soul album, Winehouse finally got around to selling some records with her second col­lec­tion. It's very brief, too.
'Rehab' video

Sharam
'PATT (Party All The Time)'

December
In the year of 'Beatfreakz', proof that sample-laded filter house records can still do the business.
Video

Frank
'Devil's Got Your Gold'

August
Killed off by the TV show before a single CD made it into the shops, Frank turned in one of the year's most unlistened-to albums. It's brilliant.
'I'm Not Shy' video

And that, viewers, is the year in pop music.

Are your favour­ites not on the list? Tough shit. But you could email us and tell us what's gone wrong and why…

  • nelly furtado
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  • Popjustice
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The Popjustice A‑Z Of 2006

  • December 18, 2006
  • Popjustice
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Further reading
  • 1
    Congratulations to Charli XCX and Lorde: winners of the 2024 Popjustice Twenty Quid Music Prize
  • 2
    The 2024 Twenty Quid Music Prize: Shortlist
  • 3
    The 2023 Popjustice Twenty Quid Music Prize: Shortlist
  • 4
    Fine, let's do a Substack then.
  • 5
    The 2022 Popjustice Twenty Quid Music Prize: shortlist
  • 6
    2021 Popjustice Twenty Quid Music Prize: Laura Mvula wins
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