Tim Smith (he/him)

Back in 2010 life was bliss. I was feeling like a million bucks with my CD player that doubled as a radio, certifiably ballin’ out. When I didn’t have the Marshall Mathers LP on repeat or whichever Skrillex EP was hot at the time, the Now That's What I Call Music! CDs were a favourite of mine. The playlist before the playlist, compilation albums influenced the music tastes of many children in the 2000s and provide us with sonic snapshots of the past.

Over the past week I’ve put in the hard yards and scrutinised sixteen editions of these childhood classics with a keen ear. After sabotaging my eventual Spotify Wrapped and becoming all too familiar with the lyrics of Kiss Me Thru the Phone, I bring you my top ten nostalgic Now That's What I Call Music! CDs from the New Zealand series. 

Now, for some crucial ground rules. Firstly, to be eligible for this prestigious title, contending CDs must be from between the years 2007 and 2013. Here, the cultural transition from Timbaland’s dominance to the rise of Imagine Dragons is captured in its full essence. Secondly, all double disc sets are disqualified. Due to being yearly recaps, they tend to double dip on a significant amount of tracks included on prior editions and have an unfair advantage when it comes to the sheer depth of songs they include. In the spirit of fairness, especially in a competition as dignified as this, I’m ruling double-sets as effectively cheating. Scamming the good people of a simpler time out of their hard-earned money in a post 2008 global recession world is shameful behaviour. 

10. Now That's What I Call Music 38 (2012)

Now! 38 has its ebbs and flows unfortunately. Don’t crucify me for this but I Like It Like That by Hot Chelle Rae, Want U Back by Cher Lloyd, and Good Night by Reece Mastin are the holy trinity of obnoxious tracks. This alongside a handful of forgettable EDM songs comfortably establish this entry as one with extreme highs and lows. Vaulting Now! 38 into the top ten is a top-heavy rotation of Starships by Nicki Minaj, Stronger by Kelly Clarkson, and the timelessly iconic Sexy And I Know It by LMFAO. At the heart of it all though lies Levels by Avicii, which earns this CD a spot in the top ten regardless of any other tracks.

9. Now That's What I Call Music 42 (2013)

Adding to that, who doesn’t love the funk and flavour of Get Lucky by Daft Punk (featuring Pharrell Williams) and Treasure by Bruno Mars. I’m actually surprised at the lack of Bruno Mars across the series, specifically his Doo-Wops & Hooligans era. Even though it would’ve been amazing to get the Bon Iver original on a Now CD, it’s still awesome to instead have Skinny Love by Birdy. Despite coming out in 2011, Birdy’s cover of Skinny Love had a resurgence in popularity in New Zealand after being sung on X-Factor by Jackie Thomas. 

8. Now That's What I Call Music 35 (2009)

Between Rihanna’s S&M and Chris Brown’s Yeah 3x, there is some serious star power headlining Now! 35. Even to this day ET by Katy Perry is admittedly a guilty pleasure of mine and I can’t go without mentioning the generation defining Lady Gaga track Born This Way. While I hadn’t thought about it in at least a decade, the melody of Rocketeer proved to be ingrained in my mind and came flooding back to me all at once upon checking it out. There are moments that come across a little dated but overall, there’s a decent amount of variety and consistency to this release.

7. Now That's What I Call Music 41 (2013)

Now! 41 doesn’t exactly have the depth of similarly ranked editions but won me over with a handful of refreshing tracks. As the mysticism of his career ages like fine wine, Frank Ocean’s Lost continues to gain global appreciation. Funnily enough, Lost charted best in New Zealand upon release, peaking at number five on the NZ Singles Chart. Out of all the Justin Timberlake songs from these CDs, Mirrors has aged the best production-wise. The opening choir of layered guitars itches just the right part of my brain. Finally, with the inclusion of Mountain Sound by Of Monsters and Men, this release serves as a warm reminder to rewind the clock and check the indie folk band out. 

6. Now That's What I Call Music 39 (2012)

Being the ultimate ‘roll the windows down and shamelessly turn the speakers up’ song, Carly Rae Jepson’s Call Me Maybe is a fully fledged contender for my imaginary nostalgia MVP award. Many of the better tracks in Now! 39 fill the same niche, most fitting the mould of being cutesy declarations of love. Between Demi Lovato’s Give Your Heart A Break, Maroon 5’s Payphone, or Karmin’s Brokenhearted, this edition has a nice flow that others don’t quite achieve. Is it formulaic pop song writing? Oh, Definitely. Could it be thematic album sequencing? Absolutely not but it’s more fun if I give them the benefit of the doubt. 

5. Now That's What I Call Music 32 (2010)

This will become evident over the next few rankings but I love The Fame by Lady Gaga as it has some of my favourite production quirks in all 2000s pop. Now! 32 boasts my favourite (non-Paparazzi) song of hers in Bad Romance. This edition has a real top-heavy club sound to it, complemented by Memories by David Guetta featuring the one and only Kid Cudi and Rock That Body by the Black Eyed Peas. All The Right Moves by OneRepublic is a welcomed addition with a slower pace but the most recognisable track of them all is Owl City’s Fireflies. Does it hold up? I’m undecided. But it is without question one of the most nostalgia-inducing tracks I’ve mentioned.

4. Now That's What I Call Music 28 (2008)

Continuing the Gaga trend, Now 28! hits the ground running with her lead single Just Dance which has a dance pop energy that carried through into Rihanna’s Disturbia. I love the way this edition is comfortable in stepping outside of EDM influenced pop, featuring a pair of bangers in Electric Feel by MGMT and Viva La Vida by Coldplay. The aspect that launches Now 28! into the top four is its kiwi inclusion. P-Money’s Everything and Nesian Mystik’s Nesian 101 give the album a homely character that ties it together from start to finish. 

3. Now That's What I Call Music 29 (2009)

I’ve mentioned the surprising lack of Bruno Mars in this series but what’s even more shocking is the absence of Taylor Swift. She does make an appearance here though with Love Story. My flatmate will not stop playing Love Story around the house and as much as I’m sick of hearing it I have to admit it’s a great track. One listen of Now! 29 will have you memorising “678 999 8212” for weeks on end. The chorus of Kiss Me Thru The Phone is utterly infectious and sounds so 2009 in a way that words can’t explain. Poker Face (told you there’d be more Gaga to come) and Hot N Cold by Katy Perry give this release the traditional Now! dance-pop flair, the former of which is the pinnacle of the tracklist. Walking On A Dream by Empire of the Sun and Kids by MGMT go hand in hand. I’m convinced those two tracks can inspire a good mood in anyone, especially played back-to-back. 

2. Now That's What I Call Music 36 (2011)

No CD on this list gives off more school disco energy than Now! 36. Diving headfirst into the action with LMFAO’s Party Rock Anthem, this edition is decorated in primary school birthday party classics in the best way. Spirits are kept at an all-time high with Katy Perry’s Last Friday Night and Jennifer Lopez’ On The Floor. The successor to the tone set by LMFAO is Nicki Minaj’s Super Bass which can hold its own when compared to almost any hip hop track included on a Now! CD. Adele’s Rolling In The Deep is a tonal departure from the rest of the tracks but is arguably the most enthusiastic vocal performance of her career and deserves its flowers. Lastly, Pumped Up Kicks by Foster The People is the perfect gateway track into the indie pop pipeline and seamlessly fits into a cohesive and undeniably banging edition of Now That's What I Call Music. 

1. Now That's What I Call Music 25 (2007)

It was a difficult toss-up between 36 and 25 for the crown but I eventually settled on my childhood favourite. Blurring the lines between pop and hip hop, Stronger by Kanye West gives this edition a flashy grandiosity right from the jump. I love the distinctive sound of this particular edition largely controlled by Timbaland between tracks like The Way I Are and Justin Timberlake’s Summer Love. Hey There Delilah and Akon’s; Sorry, Blame It On Me give the track list a softer edge but don’t steer too far off the general vibe set in place. The hits keep on coming in waves as Now! 25 also includes Beautiful Girls by Sean Kingston, I Don’t Wanna Be In Love by Good Charlotte, Shut Up And Drive by Rihanna, and the stupidly fun track The Salmon Dance by the Chemical Brothers. 

Now That’s What I Call Nostalgia! The Writer’s Picks

• The Bends - Radiohead
• Cinema - Benny Benassi
• Hoedown Throwdown - Miley Cyrus 
• Everybody (Backstreet’s Back) - Backstreet Boys
• Addicted To You - Avicii 
• Maybe Tomorrow - Goldenhorse
• You Get What You Give - New Radicals 
• Can I Have This Dance - HSM3
• Dynamite - Taio Cruz 
• Paper Planes - M.I.A. 
• Confessions Part II - Usher 
• Differences - Ginuwine
• So Fresh, So Clean - OutKast 
• Big Poppa - The Notorious B.I.G. 

Article added: Monday 22 May 2023