Monday, January 9, 2012

My Top Songs of 2011: Why Did I Choose Them, Part 1

All of the Lights, off Kanye West's fifth album “My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy”, has an undeniably infectious hook sung by a literal hit-maker named Rihanna and co written by another hit-maker, Kanye West. The song was released in January of last year, and yet became one of the anthems of 2011, even earning three Grammy nominations for Song of the Year, Best Rap Song, Best Rap/ Sung Collaboration. As you can probably hear, the song has a chorus of guest singers including: Alicia Keys, John Legend, Kid Cudi, The Dream, Drake, Fergie, Elton John, Ryan Leslie, Charlie Wilson, Tony Wilson, Elly Jackson, Alvin Fields, Ken Lewis, and of course, Rihanna.

Charts:
#2 on US Hot R&B/ Hip Hop Songs
#2 on US Rap Songs

Fave line from the song:

Turn up the lights in here baby
Extra bright, I want y'all to see this
Turn up the lights in here baby
You know what I need
Want you to see everything
Want you to see all of the lights



I didn't even know who the married duo Thompson Square was until Scotty McCreery sang Are You Gonna Kiss Me or Not, that moment solidified for me that he should be the American Idol, and it turned Thompson Square's single into a bonafied country hit, so much so it climbed all the way to #1 on the US Country Song Billboards.

Charts:
#1 on the US Country Song Billboards

Fave line from the song:

Are you gonna kiss me or not?
Are we gonna do this or what?
I think you know I love you a lot
I think we've got a real good shot
Are you gonna kiss me or not?

Blackout by Breathe Carolina was a song I heard for the first time on the radio, I had no idea who sang it, and I went home and googled the lyrics to figure out who the song was by. I discovered the song was written and recorded by Breathe Carolina, an electronic rock duo from Denver, they were even deemed "buzzworthy" by MTV for the catchiness of the song.

Charts:
#20 US Pop Songs

Fave line from the song:

This won't stop until I say so



Call Your Girlfriend is one of the most underrated songs of the past year; Robyn continues to amaze me with her unusual musicality. She's smart and lyrically talented; she dares to be different consistently pushing the envelope in every performance and every video. It's hard to believe that at the age of 32, Robyn is one her seventh studio album Body Talk, it feels like yesterday that she was that teenager singing "Show Me Love". She's come a long way and once the rest of you discover her, you won't be able to get her hypnotic songs out of your head.

Charts:
#1 US Hot Dance Club Songs (nomination for best dance track at the Grammy's)

Fave line from the song:

Call your girlfriend
It's time you had the talk
Give your reasons
Say it's not her fault
But you just met somebody new
And now it's gonna be me and you



Cheers (Drink to That) by Rihanna made my list because it became a summer anthem of sorts-- a happy celebratory song that could be used for just about any party, the video was particularly interesting because it gave us a glimpse into Rihanna's real life. I liked what I saw; she seems so genuine, cheers to Rihanna.

Charts:
#7 US Billboard Hot 100
#11 US Pop Songs Billboard

Fave line from the song:

Cheers to the freakin' weekend
I drink to that, yeah yeah
Oh, let the Jameson sink in
I drink to that, yeah yeah
Don't let the bastards get ya down
Turn it around with another round
There's a party at the bar everybody put your glasses up and I drink to that
I drink to that.



Colder Weather was called "lyrically profound" by critics and hit number one on US Country Song Billboards. Laim Hemsworth appeared in the video about a guy who leaves his girlfriend temporarily in the winter. If that isn't a good plot line I don't know what is.

Charts:
#1 US Country Songs Billboard

Jason Aldean had arguably the biggest year of his career when his album My Kinda Party was released in 2010. Dirt Road Anthem was one of the songs that came off that album which solidified his standing as one of the current stars of country music. Interestingly enough, the song is considered "country rap", Ludacris even performed the song with Aldean on the CMT Awards; there's a combo I never expected.

Charts:
#1 US Country Songs Billboard
#7 US Billboard Hot 100

Fave line from the song:

I'm chillin' on a dirt road.
Laid back swervin' like I'm George Jones.
Smoke rollin' out the window,
An' ice cold beer sittin' in the console.

Jason Derulo recently cancelled his upcoming tour after he landed on his neck doing some "acrobatic" dance moves. Besides Derulo being an extremely talented singer/ songwriter, he is also one of the best dancers to come out of music in a long time. It seems Derulo wants to bring back the days of Michael Jackson, Janet Jackson, and Paula Abdul who were not merely singers, but performers. They had the whole package and so does Derulo. Don't Wanna Go Home off Derlo's sophomore album "Future History", is based on the song "Day-O", and Derulo says the song is all about feeling good and forgetting about your problems.

Charts:
#14 US Billboard Hot 100
#4 US Hot Dance Club Songs
#10 US Pop Songs

Fave line from the song:

Ayo me say day oh
Daylight come and we don't wanna go home
Yeah so we losing control
Turn the lights low cause we about to get blown



Don't You Wanna Stay is one of those dream duets. A dream duet is a duet that takes place between two artists who compliment each other so well you think they've been singing together their whole lives. This is what happened when Jason Aldean and Kelly Clarkson got together on Don't You Wanna Stay which ended up not only being a country hit but a crossover hit as well. It is nominated for Best Country/ Duo Performance at the Grammy's.

Charts:
#1 US Country Songs Billboard
#3 US Adult Contemporary Billboard
#9 US Adult Pop Song Billboard

Fave line from the song:

Don't you wanna stay here a little while?
Don't you wanna hold each other tight?
Don't you wanna fall asleep with me tonight?
Don't you wanna stay here a little while?
We can make forever feel this way
Don't you wanna stay?



I will be the first to admit that for the past couple of years I have hated a lot on Lady Gaga. I felt like she was purposely being weird to get attention, and in some ways, I still feel like she pushes it too much. However, on Thanksgiving night, when Lady Gaga aired her special, I related to her in a way that I never had before. It was during her interview with Barbara Walters in which she talked about her childhood, growing up, her grandparent's deep love for one another, and how she never gave up on her dreams. The Edge of Glory is actually a song about the death of Gaga's beloved grandfather, and it is touching, emotional, and includes a sax interlude by Clarence Clemens of Bruce Springsteen's E-Street Band who died shortly after recording this part in this single.

Charts:
#1 US Hot Dance Club Songs
#2 US Adult Pop Songs
#3 US Billboard Hot 100
#3 US Pop Songs
#7 US Adult Contemporary

Fave line from the song:

I'm on the edge of glory
And I'm hanging on a moment with you
I'm on the edge with you

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