1. Hot singles.
Alright, so I'm having a hard time creating my albums of the year list; this is no joke. Latecomers (*cough* The Runner's Four *cough*) are doing me (and therefore YOU!) a major disservice. Thus, here is my list of the year's 20 best vapid, brainless and utterly awesome pop/rock radio singles. Here are the rules:
1.) To make the list, you had to be released to the radio to be a single (obvious).
2.) To make the list, a song had to be played with some regularity for a somewhat consistent amount of time; thus, Interpol's "Evil", which played maybe 10 times tops on 89X this year, is not eligible (and probably wouldn't make the list anyway) nor is anything by M.I.A., etc.
I may very well get some crap for the content and winner of this list, but at least it's more interesting at this point that another list of the same 25 or so albums re-arranged according to one's tastes (hmmm... am I ever going to get around to that Albums of the Year list?)
And we're off!
20. Franz Ferdinand - Do You Want To?
I think this song was written specifically for iPod commercials.
19. Lil Jon & the Eastside Boys ft. Usher & Ludacris - Lovers and Friends
Made the list for Lil Jon's verse (short-ay): Kissin', squeezin', touchin'; In the bath tub, a-rub-a-dubbin'. Modern day Virgil.
18. U2 - All Because of You
Pretty okay song by these guys. This album wasn't so hot, but whatever.
17. Mariah Carey - Don't Forget About Us
I'm pretty sure I could get beat up for including this one, so I had to add the picture above to distract you. And, she's a SKANK!
16. Arcade Fire - Neighborhood #3
Sick of this band (never really liked them in the first place), but I'm glad this taking some airtime
away from Static-X, Staind and the like.
16. Doves - Black and White Town
Like "Neighborhood #3", this is a song that I liked a lot but didn't really work as a radio single. That said, it is a great song.
15. The Game - Hate It or Love It
I hate The Game, but I love this song. Don't hate the player... hate The Game? Ok.
14. Hot Hot Heat - Middle of Nowhere
Virtually no shelf life whatsoever, but a solid pop listen on a sunny afternoon.
13. Missy Elliot f/Ciara - Lose Control
The kaleidescopic keyboard lick that builds that backbone of this track is quintessential Missy (or her creative production squad.) Great job on taggin' Ciara for the backup vox. I could do with a little less of the "Bring it back now!" dude though.
12. White Stripes - Blue Orchid
Easily the Stripes' weakest leadoff album single, Blue Orchid is still rawer and dirtier in it's 2:30
than everything played on hard rock stations.
11. Fall Out Boy - Sugar, We're Going Down
What a terrible band, what an infectious song. This is to 2005 what that one NFG song was 2004 or 2003.
10. Justin Timberlake and Snoop Dogg - Signs
Incredibly, inhumanly underrated track from this year. The Earth, Wind and Fire horns are enough to break this bad boy into the top ten. If you missed it (it got only moderate airplay), check it out.
9. Three 6 Mafia - Stay Fly
I can't come up with much for this one. Great track. Love the faux strings.
8. Foo Fighters - Best of You
I've always liked these dudes' singles, and this is one of their best. Their band has, actually, an incredibly underrated rhythm section, and the mid-section of this song shows off their finesse.
7. Ciara - Oh! (ft. Ludacris)
Ciara's pretty hot and has a great singing voice. This song is standard fare R & B, yet somehow absolutely kills. Ludacris' rap is pretty outstanding as well.
6. Mariah Carey - We Belong Together
Oh, MC... I love it when you scream like a little black boy.
5. The Killers - Mr. Brightside
Jealous boyfriend/broken-hearted boy song of the year. Not a great band, but a nice modern rock "gem."
4. Kelly Clarkson - Since U Been Gone
Every indie nerd has been creaming over this one since March, so I'll leave this one at this: I like it. (That picture isn't her..... ahahahahaha).
3. Stars - Ageless Beauty
Shoegazer on the radio! I think the word is "lush." Great track.
2. Ciara ft. Missy Elliot - 1,2 Step
Probably the best hip-hop/dance track of the year. Outstanding. Ciara is all over this list and for good reason.
1. Gwen Stefani - Hollaback Girl
I can hear the G-R-O-A-N-A-N-A-S coming through the computer right now. Rework "We Will Rock You," add some brainless lyrics and a rising synth crescendo, and it's still better than anything else this year! Amazing. This shit is bananas, and by that, I mean bananas awesome.