Here Is Our Ultimate Ranking Of Every ‘So Fresh’ CD From Spring 2000 To Spring 2005

In the early ’00s, So Fresh: The Hits of [Insert Season Here] jumped into the gaping chasm that Hit Machine left behind.

Absolutely chockers with Top 40 tracks, they were a pretty accurate weathervane of the time. Did you like pop music when you were in your tweens? Then you probably slipped a So Fresh into your discman.

Who among us hasn’t felt this surge of pride when we received a So Fresh as a gift? I’m a Sagittarius, born too early to ever get the coveted Summer double album for my birthday. But I had an enviable collection of Springs, which ended up scratched beyond recognition.

We all have memories of sitting surrounded by CDs in season-appropriate colours – the oranges of autumn leaves, the garden green of spring, the cold blue of winter and summer’s sunny yellow tones – and trying to pick our faves. So we’re going to do it for you, although brought down to a much more manageable level by celebrating only the good years of a tween obsession.

We’ve narrowed the ranking down to the period between the first-ever So Fresh in Spring 2000 and Spring 2005, when starting high school had us feeling ashamed of our once treasured CDs.

Settle in, friends, we’re driving down Nostalgia Road.

This is our definitive ranking of every So Fresh album from Spring 2000 to Spring 2005.

21. So Fresh: The Hits of Winter 2005

Winter was truly the worst season for So Fresh records. Sure, the shiny blue covers were eye-catching and all, but the content was weak and insipid. Find me one song – apart from ‘Soldier’ by Destiny’s Child, the exception that proves the rule – that is good on here and I’ll resign right now.

And no, Rogue Traders’ ‘Voodoo Child’ is not the answer. It was never the answer.

20. So Fresh: The Hits of Winter 2004

It is my grave duty to inform you that even Britney Spears’ ‘Toxic’ doesn’t redeem this compilation of boring songs by musicians whose better tracks ended up on another So Fresh or eight. Am I going to crunch that data to find out who is the ‘freshest’ artist in Australian history? That’s a question for another day.

In the meantime, let’s highlight two curious moments from this stinker of a record: Courtney Act’s ‘Rub Me Wrong’ and a song by Popstars Live: The Finalists. Popstars Live, in case you also forgot, was the crummy remake of Popstars. The song was not good.

19. So Fresh: The Hits of Spring 2005

It felt like spring was the most successful So Fresh season for a while, but if you average it out, it still falls behind summer, because there were albums like this that were just a bit meh.

That’s not to say that there are no good songs – there’s some early-ish Kanye West on here, Gwen Stefani’s ‘Hollaback Girl’ and The Killers’ ‘All These Things That I’ve Done’.

But there’s nothing here that makes up for the sheer boredom of the rest of the album. There are names in here that I’m not sure I even recognised in 2004. What is Schnappi? Actually, don’t tell me.

18. So Fresh: The Hits of Autumn 2002

The more of this I write the more disheartened I get about the So Fresh albums I remember so fondly. I swear they were better than this?

Aside from Sophie Ellis-Bextor’s iconic ‘Murder on the Dancefloor’, Christina Milan’s ‘AM to PM’, and Blu Cantrell’s ‘Hit ‘Em Up Style (Oops!)’, Autumn 2002 is unlistenable nonsense, a series of songs we’re all glad have remained firmly in the ’00s. Nickelback, no, thanks. Killing Heidi’s ‘Heavensent’, yes, please.

17. So Fresh: The Hits of Spring 2002

It feels rude to snub an album that opened with Holly Valance’s ‘Kiss Kiss’ and closed with Tenacious D, but we’ve got to make some tough decisions here. Everything in between on Spring 2002 was just blah, the worst singles from the best artists arranged haphazardly, like a deconstructed pavlova.

Should I tone down how critical I am of this album because it has Nelly’s ‘Hot in Herre’ on it? Probably. Am I going to? No, because we, as a nation, deserve more than mediocre So Fresh albums.

16. So Fresh: The Hits of Winter 2002

I honestly didn’t remember the font on this compilation being so bad, but look, they all are! And I’ve only just realised that the So Fresh logo looks like an early version of the emoji widely accepted as spunk 💦.

But this is just filler, because this album is basically all filler, except for Grinspoon’s ‘Chemical Heart’, which is an Aus rock classic. There is one other saving grace here, and it comes from the album opener, further proof that So Fresh knew that you play your best songs first: Shakira’s ‘Whenever, Wherever’.

15. So Fresh: The Hits of Winter 2001

So Fresh: The Hits of Winter 2001 was the first to demonstrate that nothing good happens in winter, the gloomiest time of the year. There were of course the expected high points: Nelly Furtado’s ‘I’m Like a Bird’, Outkast’s ‘Ms. Jackson’, and Destiny’s Child’s ‘Survivor’. But the Australian contingent relies basically on Human Nature, which doesn’t really spark joy for me?

There’s also a real focus on R&B for the first time, the album full of Craig David and Jennifer Lopez cuts. We’re not complaining, it’s just that we need a bit more diversity here, more P!nk and Limp Bizkit and less filler, like 3LW and ATC (acronyms were cool in the ’00s).

14. So Fresh: The Hits of Autumn 2005

While there is a lot of nothing on The Hits of Autumn 2005, there are enough songs that slap to this day to propel this to a weird mid-point in this list. Kelly Clarkson’s ‘Since U Been Gone’ is still the breakup song to beat, while the songs from the Australian Idol 2004 winner and runner-up, Casey Donovan and Anthony Callea respectively, have their place in the Aus pop canon.

But such songs pale in comparison to the lasting cultural and personal impact of The Killers’ breakout hit, ‘Mr. Brightside’. And to get there, bonus Natasha Bedingfield! I feel spoilt!

13. So Fresh: The Hits of Spring 2004

Finally an album that is basically Australian Idol contestants and nothing else. That is what Australia needs! I don’t even know if I’m joking! This record features Paulini, Cosima, Shannon Noll and Rob Mills. How do you fit this many reality TV contestants into one record without the record collapsing in on itself from all the talent?

Scattered amongst the Idol stars are songs like the sanitised Black Eyed Peas song ‘Let’s Get It Started’ and a Britney Spears remix – confusing areas.

But then there’s also Avril Lavigne’s ‘Happy Ending’, Outkast with ‘Roses’, Franz Ferdinand’s ‘Take Me Out’, and Usher’s ‘Burn’. It’s one of those perfect albums that seems to show what the market looked like in 2004: an absolute mess of genres and styles, lumped together willy nilly. And stuff it, we stan a totally jumbled queen (So Fresh: The Hits of Spring 2004).

12. So Fresh: The Hits of Autumn 2001

There is a moment on The Hits of Autumn 2001 that is so bizarre to me that it has immediately jumped many, many places up this list: the inclusion of You Am I. Putting their name with 3 Doors Down’s ‘Kryptonite’ and Ricky Martin’s ‘She Bangs’ is a ballsy move from the So Fresh gods.

The album also demonstrated how women were dominating pop: there’s Destiny’s Child, P!nk, Anastacia and the return of the homegrown Vanessa Amorosi; nestled among the Ronan Keating and the lame U2 content.

There are songs on here that are absolutely worth returning to, and songs that have had no impact on the culture at all. A real mixed bag!

11. So Fresh: The Hits of Summer 2003

After a mostly disappointing 2002, the Hits of Summer 2003 swept in to save the day. It had all the classics from 2002, with significantly less of the bad stuff. Who could forget the Elvis vs. JXL ‘A Little Less Conversation’ or Usher’s ‘U Got It Bad’ or Savage Garden frontman Darren Hayes crooning ‘Insatiable’. And that’s just the second disc!

Summer 2003 was stacked, kicking off with the cringey but zeitgeist-y ‘The Ketchup Song (Aserejé)’ from Las Ketchup, before moving into vintage Good Charlotte, Sugababes, and Killing Heidi. If you don’t think about Kelly Osbourne airing her daddy issues with ‘Papa Don’t Preach’ at least once a year, you’re missing out.

10. So Fresh: The Hits of Autumn 2004

Is it controversial to place Shannon Noll’s ‘What About Me’ in prime position on the record, ahead of Australian Idol winner Guy Sebastian with ‘Angels Brought Me Here’? Maybe! Is it wrong of me to put this after the one with ‘Rise Up’ on it? Take that up with my boss!

The more I think about this, the more I think I probably should’ve put this even lower, but there’s plenty of totally serviceable songs from the likes of Delta Goodrem and Fatman Scoop and Powderfinger.

And there’s the standout, Hilary Duff’s ‘Come Clean’, which alone is better than ‘The Ketchup Song’. I don’t make the rules! (I do.)

9. So Fresh: The Hits of Summer 2004

Many bangers from over the year 2003 made their way onto Summer 2004, gifting us with the return of Lo-Tel, more Something for Kate, a little bit of Powderfinger and Nikki Webster’s cover of ‘Dancing in the Street’.

But what’s most interesting and what’s most Aussie about the first disc is in the opening track, ‘Rise Up’, a song by the final 12 on the first season of Australian Idol. What a novel concept! All these songs from reality shows are something our culture is sorely missing in 2019.

But who dreamed up the one-two-three punch of Delta Goodrem ‘Not Me, Not I’, then Dido’s ‘White Flag’ and then ‘Señorita’ by Justin Timberlake? A genius, that’s who.

8. So Fresh: The Hits of Autumn 2003

There will be no forgetting the Autumn of 2003, when The Androids released ‘Do It with Madonna’. It’s truly the perfect song – horny, bored, slagging off every pop singer they could think of. And it arrives on So Fresh in the same year as emotional belters like Christina Aguilera’s ‘Beautiful’, P!nk’s ‘Family Portrait’, or Delta Goodrem’s ‘Born to Try’.

Then there’s the more fun portion of proceedings, moving away from big, diva vocals to Kylie Minogue’s sultry ‘Come into My World’ and Avril Lavigne’s breakout ‘Sk8er Boi’. The sheer quality of these songs negates all the garbage around them. One day, we will finally forget Puddle of Mudd.

7. So Fresh: The Hits of Winter 2003

The Hits of Winter 2003 feels like the underdog of the So Fresh universe. After so many lacklustre winters, who saw this smash hit coming?

There was just so much here, like all the Js: JT and Jay-Z and Ja Rule, as well as token Australian rock band, Grinspoon. Then there were Aussie songs from Amiel and Delta Goodrem, plus t.A.T.u.’s ‘All the Things She Said’, Avril Lavigne’s ‘I’m With You’ and Christina Aguilera’s ‘Fighter’ –  women making big pop songs, all compiled in one place! Never forget Amiel!

6. So Fresh: The Hits of Summer 2005

There is no stronger opening than JoJo’s ‘Leave (Get Out)’. Then, Natasha Bedingfield’s ‘These Words’. There are songs from Idol contenders, like Guy Sebastian and Shannon Noll, and ofc, Millsy, and one of the top sister duo tracks of all time Hilary and Haylie Duff’s gifting us with ‘Our Lips Are Sealed’. It’s a strong summer vibe, situated firmly in 2004 by the prime position given to Maroon 5’s ‘She Will Be Loved’.

The rock portion of proceedings gave us Aussie tracks like Spiderbait’s ‘Black Betty’ cover and Grinspoon’s ‘Hard Act to Follow’, as well as probably the most popular Blink-182 song ever, ‘I Miss You’.

Plus two Evanescence songs – one by the band, another by Seether, featuring Amy Lee. The strength of a handful of songs has pulled this much further forward than it probably deserves.

5. So Fresh: The Hits of Summer 2001

The first of So Fresh‘s beloved double albums, The Hits of Summer 2001, admittedly needed to find ways to fill out its 40-song count. But if you ignore all of that, there are songs in here that best encapsulate the feeling of being nine years old and weird. Thank you ‘Teenage Dirtbag’ by Wheatus, and the movie Loser.

The record starts with Christina Aguilera’s ‘Come On Over Baby (All I Want Is You)’ and the jams just keep coming – Jennifer Lopez’s ‘Let’s Get Loud’ and Destiny’s ‘Jumpin’ Jumpin”, Aqua’s ‘Cartoon Heroes’ and Blink-182’s ‘All The Small Things’.

Are the same names just cropping up again and again here? Yes! Because I know what I like. And what I like is remembering that Five fully credited Queen when they released their version of ‘We Will Rock You’.

4. So Fresh: The Hits of Summer 2002

There was truly so much to love about Summer 2002. There was the deep, esoteric Australiana – see: Nikki Webster‘s ‘Strawberry Kisses’ and Big Brother contestant Sara-Marie and Sirens for ‘I’m So Excited (The Bum Dance’).

There was the rock portion of proceedings giving us the return of Something for Kate, and Weezer’s ‘Island in the Sun’. There was not one, but two Dido songs, with both ‘Thank You’ and Eminem’s ‘Stan’ on the list.

For some reason I cannot fathom rn, there was fictional children’s character Bob the Builder covering ‘Mambo No. 5’??? But there was also Afroman’s ‘Because I Got High’ to balance it out. And of course, what we were truly here for: Mandy Moore and ‘Crush’.

3. So Fresh: The Hits of Spring 2003

We’re choosing to ignore the first song on this album, and skipping straight to the non-stop hits on the rest of the album. From Kelly Clarkson with ‘Miss Independent’ to Beyoncé with ‘Crazy in Love’, or Justin Timberlake’s ‘Rock Your Body’ and Avril Lavigne’s ‘Losing Grip’, there are songs on here that belong on party playlists in 2019. And there’s Evanescence!

Let’s also not forget the Australian contingent: iconic singles to this day, don’t @ me, Delta Goodrem’s ‘Innocent Eyes’ and Something for Kate’s ‘Déjà Vu’.

2. So Fresh: The Hits of Spring 2000

The first-ever So Fresh was also my first ever So Fresh, so I feel a deep, nostalgic affection for it. Also it went into a lot of areas that still stand up. From Lo-Tel’s ‘Teenager of the Year’ from the perfect Australian film, Looking for Alibrandi, to Sisqó’s ‘Thong Song’ to Blink-182’s ‘Adam’s Song’, Spring 2000 explored many genres, presenting them all as equals. Some of the songs were even sad!

There was of course a strong contingent of ’00s bubblegum-pop bands, like S Club 7, Hanson and Aqua, and some of the blondest pop stars, like Mandy Moore, Jessica Simpson and Christina Aguilera.

And it was a time before we all really knew what kind of music we liked, so we liked everything, Australian and international alike, like Vanessa Amorosi and Bomfuck MCs and Vertical Horizon.

So Fresh: The Hits of Spring 2000 is flawless. Fight me.

1. So Fresh: The Hits of Spring 2001

The Hits of Spring 2001 is serving up non-stop bangers yet again, from across all genres, soundtracking at least one primary school dance party. It traverses similar territory to the OG – S Club 7, Mandy Moore and Blink-182 return – but also throws in some more intriguing Australiana.

What is a timestamp of music in Australia in the early ’00s without Something for Kate? What better sums up the times that Sirens featuring the Big Brother Housemates, ‘The Housemates Song (Don’t You Think that It’s Strange?)’, a song released in the wake of the first-ever season of Big Brother?

And let’s not forget the big songs of that moment, coming from Fatboy Slim, Destiny’s Child, Jagged Edge and Westlife. 2001: the year that pop music peaked.

Australia has no culture? Think again, sweetie.