Official Chart Flashback 2009: Black Eyed Peas Boom Boom Pow their way to a Number 1 debut

They were so 3008 with this time-travelling futuristic bop.

It may have been 2000 and late, but the Black Eyed Peas' futuristic hit Boom Boom Pow proved that they were looking straight ahead - to 3008, to be precise - as they debuted at Number 1 this week 13 years ago (!).

Written by the Peas themselves (will.i.am, Fergie, Taboo and apl.de.ap, in case you needed reminding) and produced solely by will.i.am, Boom Boom Pow was the first new music from the band since 2006, and the first time they had reunited since Fergie's successful mid-00s solo career (London Bridge? Big Girls Don't Cry? Fergalicious? Bops!).

It was a truly transformational record for the group, turning them towards the more electronic side of hip-hop and flirting with elements of synth-pop. The change in reception was almost immediate; The Black Eyed Peas were, suddenly, the biggest group in the world.

Boom Boom Pow arrived on the Official Singles Chart with, well, a boom boom pow. It debuted at Number 1 in its first week, knocking Tinchy Stryder and N-Dubz off the top spot with their collaboration Number 1.

MORE: Black Eyed Peas' Official Charts history in full

The track's chart sales equalled over 74,000 in its opening week, and it would stay at Number 1 for two consecutive weeks (falling to Number 2 in the next week, before bouncing back the week after). According to Official Charts Company data, Boom Boom Pow's chart sales in the UK now exceed 987,000. It's current-day streams also add up to over 24 million.

Boom Boom Pow would be the first of three consecutive Number 1s the Peas would achieve in the UK over the span of just six months - also including follow-up smash I Gotta Feeling and Meet Me Halfway in the latter half of the year.

The Black Eyed Peas' last Number 1 in the UK was the Dirty Dancing homage The Time (Dirty Bit) in 2010. The group are still active today (sans Fergie) releasing two albums as a trio - 2018's Masters of the Sun Vol. 1 and 2020's Translation, although none of these made an impact on the UK charts.

Elsewhere in the Official Charts this week in 2009, Eminem's We Made You rose up to a new peak (4) as did Lily Allen's ode to bad sex Not Fair (5) and Prodigy rose up into the Top 10 with Warrior's Dance (9).

Outside the Top 10, Alesha Dixon was on the rise with manic pop bop Let's Get Excited (13), as were Deadmau5 and Kaskade with I Remember (14). Also hitting new heights was Soulja Boy (remember him?) with Kiss Me Thru The Phone feat. Sammi (16) and Flo Rida's Sugar feat. Wynter Gordon (22).

There were only two other new entries in the chart that week; Eminem's Beautiful (38) and a re-entry for Bill Withers' 1971 track Ain't No Sunshine (4) which had been featured in an episode of American Idol.