Westlife - Unbreakable?

Bland boy band, untalented Irishmen and corny crooners - Westlife have been called them all since they were formed in 1998 by the X factor's Louis Walsh (with help from Simon Cowell and Boyzone's Ronan Keating. However, there is no denying the phenomenal success the boys from Sligo have achieved over the years with multiple number one singles, hit albums and ringtone sales to die for.

Their first single, Swear It Again went straight to the top of the UK music charts and began an unprecedented run of success with the singles If I Let You Go, Flying Without Wings I Have A Dream/Seasons in the Sun,Fool Again, Against All Odds (originally sung by Phil Collins and referenced on Eminem's Stan) and My Love reaching number one.

What Makes A Man (no ringtone) broke the sequence in 2000 when only reaching number two but the boys got straight back on track with their Billy Joel cover Uptown Girl the following year. Later that year Queen Of My Heart peaked at the top and early the following year they released World Of Our Own - another number one. A rare failure was Bop Bop Baby in the same year which incredibly reached only number five.

Upset by this failure they ensured Unbreakable reached the coveted position late in 2002. 2003 was a disaster by their high standards with Tonight/Miss You Nights and Hey Whatever only managing top five success.

However at the end of the year they released Barry Manilow's classic Mandy which reached the summit at the end of the year. The song Mandy was originally entitled 'Brandy' and was allegedly penned by Manilow as a tribute to his favourite alcoholic beverage. The line "well......and stopped me from shaking. And I need you today, oh Brandy" explains it well.

Westlife released just one single in 2004 with Brian McFadden's departure from the band. Obvious peaked at number three in the charts while McFadden went on to solo success with hits such as Real To Me and Irish Son. He also scored with a duet with Delta Goodrem having broken up with his wife Kerry Catona from Atomic Kitten.

The Celtic chanters came back with a bang in late 2005 when their You Raise Me Up went straight to the top of the charts. The boys hope to continue their exceptional success in the years to come and hope to achieve twenty number one hits. With their teenage fan base quickly growing up it remains to be seen whether this can be achieved - though they still have a strong following on the gay circuit.