Had to really think of what I should blog about in my debut post, and after giving much thought (I have to admit most thoughts come to me while I'm sitting on the 'throne') I decided to blog about what I do enjoy a lot - music! Seeing that it's the year-end again, it's only a matter of time before the radio stations run contests for sending in your choice of the top 10 songs of the year. I've been entering these contests for the past 3 years and I've NEVER come close to winning (the nearest was when I got the top 3 absolutely right back in 2005). I've come to learn a few of the following rules when entering such contests:
1) It's really NOT about what YOU think are the best 10 songs of the year, but what are the most played-to-death-but-let's-still-play-them-because-they-should-be-played-to-death songs. So the key to winning this contest is really to think what were the most overplayed 'hits' of the past 12 months, and somehow be able to arrange them into the ranking. Remember: the position in the top 10 is directly proportional to how much the song is played.
2) Do NOT let your personal judgment cloud your decisions when listing the 10. Even if you like that song sooo much don't let your bias allow you to rank it higher than it should. Example: I ranked Justin Timberlake's Sexyback #1 last year (yes it was overplayed, but I admit my bias allowed it to go higher than it should) when it was obvious Hips Don't Lie would take the crown (come on, who could have not heard that song last year, Hips Shaking + World Cup = #1 and Ka-Ching!).
Now why am I dedicating my time to post such irrelevant and non-globally-important issues on my blog? Because I can, and because I've always wondered what it would feel like to win the grand she-bang, that 100 CDs. Well I just hope they don't end up giving aways crap like High School Musical, Hilary Duff, and random Ultimate Dance/Techno/Pasar Malam Hits compilations.
So let me share what are the top songs I have listed so far for 2007. I've decided let's share the knowledge, and anyone who reads this can contribute/debate/fly kites, and tell me what I may have missed out, and maybe, just maybe, I (or you) can just win that damn 100 CDs this year! So without further ado, here's my top 10 (no, I don't like all of them, but I believe they were overplayed enough to qualify):
10) Rehab- Amy Winehouse. I absolutely hate this song. I think what's worse than the radios playing a song you like repeatedly is when they play a song you HATE repeatedly. Thinking of the many times I had to switch stations when this song came on edged it into my top 10. No, not even Jay-Z can work wonders all the time. But I have to admit I like the line "They tried to make me go to rehab, I said No,No,No". Imagine that in a real-life scenario.
9) I Got It From My Mama - will.i.am. Oh come on, you knew this had to be here. Call him a genius or a talentless fluff, but who else but will.i.am can come up with such songs about girls that anyone in their right mind will deny they like but secretly sings along to (think My Humps). I can't say I really love the song, but I have to say the lyrics are so tongue-in-cheek and shameful that it's a wonder they play it on local stations.
8) Smack That - Akon feat. Eminem. Another song that signals the need to switch the station. Akon has finally arrived, so to speak, since his 'Lonely' days. I don't think we could have gone anywhere this year without hearing a song of his. Frankly, I don't care much for his songs, but is it just me or is he only good when he features on songs (eg Sweet Escape with Gwen Stefani, Bartender with T-Pain, Baby I'm Back with Baby Bash, Sweetest Girl with Wyclef, I Try with Bone, Thugs and Harmony) rather than those where he is on his own? Definitely most featured artist of the year, followed closely by T-Pain.
7) Glamorous - Fergie feat. Ludacris. Who would have thought Fergie would have such a HUGE year and would be able to release 5 (!) singles from an album that I all love? This is probably my fave from her, followed by Big Girls Don't Cry (yes I sing along to Big Girls Don't Cry, don't ask). This song is just way cool man. Love the slow-mo walk to the private jet with the bodyguards and posh clothes and cool shades (ah everything I've wanted).
6) Last Night - Diddy feat. Keyshia Cole. This is one of those songs where when you first hear it, you go 'What rubbish', but it just grows on you so much that you later ask yourself how could you not have liked it before. Potentially one of the best songs Diddy's released and is an instant club classic (along with Come To Me with Nicole Scherzinger). Good stuff this.
5) Beautiful Girls - Sean Kingston. Every year somebody releases a summer anthem where everyone including the auntie on the road sings along to and your mother asks you who sang this song and you will inevitably hear it set as a ringtone. The honour goes to Sean, who came out of nowhere to claim the honour this year. Personally, I much much prefer Me Love, but this song definitely is bigger. Another reason for me to switch stations. Did you know Channel V censors the word 'suicidal' when they play this video? Come on, it's not like we haven't heard it on other avenues.
4) Beautiful Liar - Beyonce feat. Shakira. What puzzles me the most is how can 2 of the biggest booty-shaking stars on planet Earth at the moment release such a letdown of a song? This was certainly a dream pairing every male was salivating for, but really it was a tame affair, wasn't it? I expected huge club beats, big booty-shaking potential, hot video with lots of skin, but what we got was a big lame-o. Why, Beyonce? Why, Shakira? WHY??
3) Girlfriend - Avril Lavigne. If this song doesn't at least make the top 5 in the real list, I will retire from this contest. I can't stand this song. The irony is that at one point when the song was played so frequently, it was actually in my head ALL the time, when I was driving, shopping, walking from carpark to office, on the 'throne', filing my income tax, and it was oh-so-embarrassing only my close friends knew. I only like Avril when she releases all the angst-ridden songs like My Happy Ending, When You're Gone, but I suppose when stars become happy ie ridiculously rich, the angst/edge dissipates. Think Alanis Morrisette, J-Lo.
2) I Wanna Love You - Akon feat. Snoop Dogg. I have no idea why this song was as huge as it was. Even worse than Smack That (at least that was still hummable), I don't see any value in it. In the year when Beyonce's concert was cancelled in Malaysia (boo...), and Gwen Stefani gave a so-so concert, Akon not only came once, he came to our shores TWICE. Ugh, the agony, the injustice of it all.
1) Umbrella - Rihanna feat. Jay-Z. Rihanna has finally arrived. Well I guess anyone who can make a hit song out of an inanimate object like an umbrella deserves the crown. What would they think of next? A broom? Camera? A mop?? And not only does she sing of an umbrella, she injects a whole 'maksud tersirat' into it (You can stand under my umbrella - however you wanna interpret it :) AND she has now made it impossible for us not to think of ela-ela-eh-eh-eh when the term umbrella crops up. If that is not genius in marketing, I don't know what is. Plus she finally releases an album of consistent materials unlike her previous filler-filled albums. Hats of to you, Rihanna!
The nearly-made-its:
Big Girls Don't Cry - Fergie
Irreplaceable - Beyonce
Gimme More - Britney Spears
Don't Matter - Akon
The Way I Are - Timbaland feat. Keri Hilson
Give It To Me - Timbaland feat. Justin Timberlake & Nelly Furtado
The Sweet Escape - Gwen Stefani feat. Akon
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