With the 2021 Hottest 100 set to take place on January 22nd, 2022, we here at Tone Deaf have decided to take a stroll down memory lane, recapping the countdowns of yesteryear in the lead-up to the latest edition of musical democracy. Today, we’re taking a look back at the Hottest 100 of 2007.
Taking place on January 26th, 2008, and attracting over 700,000 votes, the triple j Hottest of 2007 was the 15th annual countdown held by the station which limited votes to songs released in the last year
After Augie March’s “big upset” in 2006, Aussie music fans were undoubtedly looking forward to a year of no big surprises.
With Silverchair’s ‘Straight Lines’ becoming one of the most popular tracks of the year, things were looking like they were about to finally line up to see the Aussie icons hit the #1 spot after all these years.
Sadly, we now know this fairytale never quite came true, with the closest countdown to date seeing Muse’s ‘Knights Of Cydonia’ taking out top honours by just 13 votes.
Understandably, emotions were mixed, with Aussie fans wondering how Muse could outshine Silverchair, especially when their track had been released way back in the middle of 2006.
As it turned out, Muse’s unexpected popularity was borne out of a large international fanbase who helped the song get over the line, and the fact the song enjoyed a huge boost of fame thanks to an appearance on Guitar Hero.
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Check out Muse’s ‘Knights Of Cydonia’:
Of course, the battle between the top spots wasn’t the only memorable moment, with Daft Punk becoming the first act to have the same song feature twice in a countdown.
While the live version of their track ‘Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger’ had placed at #7, it also appeared in a remixed form during Kanye West’s ‘Stronger’.
Funnily enough, the original version of the track would later chart in the Twenty Years Of Hottest 100 countdown in 2013.
Likewise, the Hilltop Hoods’ appearance with ‘Recapturing The Vibe Restrung’ was the second time this track charted in a row, with the original version placing the year before.
The 2007 countdown was also notable for being the first time since 1997 that The Living End did not feature in a countdown.
Finally, 2007 was the first time since the 1991 countdown that organisers revealed information about songs that didn’t make the cut. In this case, the #101 spot was awarded to Kate Nash’s ‘Foundations’.
Check out Kate Nash’s ‘Foundations’:
At the end of the day, triple j’s Hottest 100 for 2007 featured songs by 74 different artists from a total of 8 countries, including 52 from Australia, 20 from the USA, and 17 from England.
Bloc Party, The John Butler Trio, Josh Pyke, Kings Of Leon, and Silverchair were the best performing acts of the countdown, scoring three tracks each. Meanwhile, a further 18 artists appeared twice, including Ian Kenny, who performed with both Birds Of Tokyo and Karnivool.
Also, if you’re keen on some of the more obscure facts, the shortest track to appear in the countdown was Operator Please’s ‘Just A Song About Ping Pong’ at 2:18, while the longest was Muse’s ‘Knights Of Cydonia’ at 6:07.
Check out the full list of songs in the triple j Hottest 100 for 2007 below. If you’re keen to learn more, head over to the Hottest 100 Database, and check out the Hottest 100 songs that didn’t make the Hottest 100.
triple j’s Hottest 100 of 2007
#1. ‘Knights Of Cydonia’ – Muse
#2. ‘Straight Lines’ – Silverchair
#3. ‘On Call’ – Kings Of Leon
#4. ‘Better Than’ – The John Butler Trio
#5. ‘This Heart Attack’ – Faker
#6. ‘The Pretender’ – Foo Fighters
#7. ‘Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger (Alive 2007)’ – Daft Punk
#8. ‘Hang Me Up To Dry’ – Cold War Kids
#9. ‘I’ll Kill Her’ – Soko
#10. ‘Don’t Fight It’ – The Panics
#11. ‘Vitriol’ – Bluejuice
#12. ‘Let’s Dance To Joy Division’ – The Wombats
#13. ‘Ruby’ – Kaiser Chiefs
#14. ‘Ice Cream’ – Muscles
#15. ‘Lost And Running’ – Powderfinger
#16. ‘Snakeskin’ – Gyroscope
#17. ‘Paper Planes’ – M.I.A.
#18. ‘My People’ – The Presets
#19. ‘Heart It Races’ – Architecture In Helsinki
#20. ‘Stronger’ – Kanye West
#21. ‘The Salmon Dance’ – The Chemical Brothers
#22. ‘Used To Get High’ – The John Butler Trio
#23. ‘Icky Thump’ – The White Stripes
#24. ‘Hunting For Witches’ – Bloc Party
#25. ‘We Get Around’ – Urthboy
#26. ‘Recapturing The Vibe Restrung (Medley)’ – Hilltop Hoods
#27. ‘Just A Song About Ping Pong’ – Operator Please
#28. ‘Lazy Eye’ – Silversun Pickups
#29. ‘Real Love’ – Regina Spektor
#30. ‘If You Keep Losing Sleep’ – Silverchair
#31. ‘Wasted’ – Angus & Julia Stone
#32. ‘Opinions Won’t Keep You Warm At Night’ – Kisschasy
#33. ‘Fans’ – Kings Of Leon
#34. ‘1234’ – Feist
#35. ‘D.A.N.C.E’ – Justice
#36. ‘Hold Music’ – Architecture In Helsinki
#37. ‘Hospital Beds’ – Cold War Kids
#38. ‘I Thought About You’ – The Beautiful Girls
#39. ‘Hearts On Fire’ – Cut Copy
#40. ‘I Still Remember’ – Bloc Party
#41. ‘Dashboard’ – Modest Mouse
#42. ‘Back In Your Head’ – Tegan And Sara
#43. ‘Superstar (feat. Matthew Santos)’ – Lupe Fiasco
#44. ‘Teenagers’ – My Chemical Romance
#45. ‘The Beast’ – Angus & Julia Stone
#46. ‘Tie Up My Hands’ – British India
#47. ‘What If’ – Cog
#48. ‘Flux’ – Bloc Party
#49. ‘Fluorescent Adolescent’ – Arctic Monkeys
#50. ‘So Many Nights’ – The Cat Empire
#51. ‘Peachy’ – Missy Higgins
#52. ‘Spray On Pants’ – Kisschasy
#53. ‘Steer’ – Missy Higgins
#54. ‘Golden Skans’ – Klaxons
#55. ‘Good Excuse’ – The John Butler Trio
#56. ‘Better People’ – Xavier Rudd
#57. ‘Into The Galaxy’ – Midnight Juggernauts
#58. ‘Invincible’ – Muse
#59. ‘Chelsea Dagger’ – The Fratellis
#60. ‘Charmer’ – Kings Of Leon
#61. ‘Wayside’ – Birds Of Tokyo
#62. ‘No Longer There’ – The Cat Empire
#63. ‘The Only Way’ – Karnivool
#64. ‘Australia’ – The Shins
#65. ‘Smokers Outside The Hospital Doors’ – Editors
#66. ‘I Don’t Remember’ – Powderfinger
#67. ‘Rehab (feat. Jay-Z) (Remix)’ – Amy Winehouse
#68. ‘Penny On The Train Track’ – Ben Kweller
#69. ‘Pogo’ – Digitalism
#70. ‘The Con’ – Tegan And Sara
#71. ‘Reach’ – The Butterfly Effect
#72. ‘Down The Line’ – José González
#73. ‘Black Tattoo’ – Grinspoon
#74. ‘Run The Red Light’ – British India
#75. ‘Shoot The Runner’ – Kasabian
#76. ‘Sweaty’ – Muscles
#77. ‘Get What You Want’ – Operator Please
#78. ‘Brianstorm’ – Arctic Monkeys
#79. ‘Lines On Palms’ – Josh Pyke
#80. ‘Reflections Of A Sound’ – Silverchair
#81. ‘No Cars Go’ – Arcade Fire
#82. ‘Long Road To Ruin’ – Foo Fighters
#83. ‘Pleased To Meet You’ – Wolfmother
#84. ‘Do It Again’ – The Chemical Brothers
#85. ‘Down Boy’ – Yeah Yeah Yeahs
#86. ‘Tombstone’ – Midnight Juggernauts
#87. ‘Eliza’ – Jackson Jackson
#88. ‘The Message’ – The Cops
#89. ‘Sick, Sick, Sick’ – Queens Of The Stone Age
#90. ‘When The Lights Went Down’ – Clare Bowditch & The Feeding Set
#91. ‘Sew My Name’ – Josh Pyke
#92. ‘Sun Dirt Water’ – The Waifs
#93. ‘Dr Love’ – The Bumblebeez
#94. ‘Jigsaw Falling Into Place’ – Radiohead
#95. ‘Samson’ – Regina Spektor
#96. ‘Love Me Like The World Is Ending’ – Ben Lee
#97. ‘Forever Song’ – Josh Pyke
#98. ‘The Heinrich Maneuver’ – Interpol
#99. ‘Tick Tick Boom’ – The Hives
#100. ‘Wild Strawberries’ – Pnau
#101. ‘Foundations’ – Kate Nash
Quick Facts:
Artists: 74
Most Successful Artist: Bloc Party, The John Butler Trio, Josh Pyke, Kings Of Leon, and Silverchair (3 tracks)
Number Of Countries: 8
Top Three Countries: Australia (52 tracks), USA (20 tracks), England (17 tracks)
Shortest Song: ‘Just A Song About Ping Pong’ – Operator Please (2:18)
Longest Song: ‘Knights Of Cydonia’ – Muse (6:07)
