Video: Katy Perry Ditches The 80s For The 40s In "Thinking Of You"

Katy Perry's One Of The Boys has already spawned two number one singles, can she do it a third time? After the one-two power pop punch of "I Kissed A Girl" and the 80s-biting "Hot N Cold" Capitol decided to go a slower route, releasing the power ballad "Thinking Of You" and premiering the video on iTunes last week.

The song is gorgeous, finding the bi-curious pop tart at a more emotional place than radio has discovered. When he's shipped off to World War II, Katy misses her man (played by Kyle XY and "Goodbye My Lover" hottie Matt Dallas) and ends up in bed with another. She reminisces, which allows her 32Ds to fill out some lovely vintage costumes, before revealing the real reason she can't be with him. Her range as an actress is only decent, and the makeup at the end looks a little whorish, but all-in-all a welcome departure that will cement Katy Perry as a pop star with some staying power. Watch:

Katy Perry - Thinking Of You
by Petitprince13

PS: This is the second video for "Thinking Of You" The first was filmed before "Hot N Cold" was released as a single. It's rather violent and seedy (which is probably why it was scrapped) you can watch it here.

Beyonce Mashups!

2007 was the year of the "Umbrella" mashups, 2008 was the year of the "I Kissed A Girl" mashups. Will 2009 be the year of Beyonce mashups? Perhaps, two new mash-ups of the lead singles from B's I Am... Sasha Feirce have surfaced in the last few weeks, with different results.

"If I Were A Free Fallin' Boy" is DJ Earworm joint, a mashup with Tom Petty's "Free Fallin'" and it works very well. The guitars are spicier than the original mix, and the vocals are not obscured or screwed with. It's worth a listen, or download it at Stereogum.


The Hood Internet's "Single Foxes (Put A Wood On It)" is less succesful, mashing a Fleet Foxes track with the current number one single. It works in parts, the frenetic guitar work matches the pace of Beyonce's lyrics but sometimes the sync isn't quite perfect. Still, worth a listen, or download at The Hood Internet.

Single Foxes (Put A Wood On It) (Beyonce vs Fleet Foxes) - The Hood Internet

The Top Ten Albums Of 2008

10: David Cook - David Cook

The first true rock star American Idol winner roared on his second album, the first since winning the talent competition. From the heavy rock of "Bar-Ba-Sol" to the emotional piano ballad "Permanent" and hitting every second-wave alternative sound in between, David proved it wasn't just the cougar love that won him the title.

9: Taylor Swift - Fearless

She's only 18, but she already has the songwriting chops of a Max Martin. Taylor's sophomore disc contains some of the best written country songs in recent memory, very few cliches or borrowed ideas. Starting with her declaration that "yeah, those girls are beautiful, but would they write a song for you" on "Hey Stephen" and going through the very grown up realization that Prince Charming doesn't exist on "White Horse" the Pennsylvania-born, Nashville-dwelling country pop star can even make an "I love you Mom & Dad" song like "The Best Day" sound amazing.

8: Katy Perry - One Of The Boys

Katy and her team of crack song doctors and producers (including Max Martin and Dr. Luke on the number one single "I Kissed A Girl" and former Eurythmic Dave Stewart on many other tracks) couldn't help but make catchy pop songs. But that's not the only reason to listen to One Of The Boys, it's the lyrics that explore gender roles in a tongue-in-cheek manner that elevate the album above the electro washed pop-punk of her Warped Tour peers.

7: Mariah Carey - E=MC2

There's no mistaking, Mariah's still a diva. Just because she doesn't out-octave Kathleen Battle much on her latest disc, she's still riding fly, migrating from the bar to the club to the party to the after party and is generally that chick you like. She's a Diva Don now, as gansta as an oversized Tony Montana t-shirt over a bulletproof vest. And yes boys, she wants you to touch her body...

6: Shelby Lynn - Just A Little Lovin'

The Grammy-winning country star covers Dusty Springfield with much emotion over gentle acoustic piano jazz. It's the perfect album to soundtrack breakfast with your southern gentleman on your veranda. I often use the word "chill" to describe certain electronic music that doesn't throb with a four-on-the-floor beat, but is smooth and downbeat. These are "chill" country versions of classics like "The Look of Love" and the title track.

5: Madonna - Hard Candy

It's not the perfect Madonna album, but really her singles collections The Immaculate Collection and GHV2 are the only perfect Madonna albums. Hard Candy does have many great disco-meets-hiphop tracks, from the lead single "4 Minutes" to the celebration of clublife "Heartbeat" to the throbbing roller-disco of the Wendy Melvoin guesting "She's Not Me" there are many tracks to stick into your party playlists.

4: Girl Talk - Feed The Animals

Girl Talk is the king! Taking just the hookiest parts of every pop, rock, hiphop, indie and oldies hit ever and layering, chopping and speeding up those bits he creates a tossed salad of an album. I don't know that you can call it music, the frenetic beat is more like every ADD kid's favorite... Wait! Is that Ace Of Base? I love this song!

3: Jay Brannan - Goddamned

There are moments on the Shortbus actor's full length debut album that sound like demos. The raw hook, just surrounded by acoustic guitar and piano, feel exposed. But as listeners to number 8 album will attest, sometimes high production values can obscure true emotion, something that never happens on Goddamned. The keystone track is "Housewife" - a wistful love song that threatens to leave me a bundle of sobs. But I would also recommend "A Death Waltz" or "Half-Boyfriend" as perfect places to start learning about the songwriting talents of Jay Brannan.

2: Santogold - Santogold

She is a creator, thrill is to make it up. Part Mark Ronson, part M.I.A., part B-52s, all insanely catchy and experimental. Sometimes it's a ball of noise, but sometimes it's gentle surf guitars and new wave hooks. One thing she is not: a Lower East Side Artiste. But she is pretty hipster friendly, but she comes bearing banger choruses.

1: Robyn - Robyn

What can I say about Robyn I haven't said before? Every damn song on here is a fucking masterpiece of pop, I have never loved every single song on an album before. Even my favorites (ABBA Gold, Regina Spektor's Begin To Hope, Relient K's Two Lefts) have a clunker or two, but not Robyn. Elevating pop music to an artform is the only way to describe it: every hook is stuck in your brain, every emotional plea is heartrending, every witty remark burns. Even the experimental stuff like "Anytime You Like" is transcendent, and the only song I would describe as average R&B is "Should Have Known" and it sounds like a winning hit! If you love pop music, if you love music in general, Robyn is the disc you must own. I know I subscribe to the "hyperbole is single greatest thing ever in the history of the universe" theory of music critiques, but I'm for real this time. For the love of Linda Perry, buy the damn thing!

A Christmas Gift For All My Readers: "The Pick Up Line"

It's just a little something I whipped up for my friends and family, and now you get to enjoy it too! Please enjoy this frothy bit of fiction, The Pick Up Line.

“Cindy, you’re gonna laugh at me, but for once I want some cute guy to use some cheesy pickup line on me. Something like ‘Do fries come with that shake?’ so I can respond in kind.” I said with a sigh.
“What would you say?” Cindy had a permanent smirk on her face, but as her best friend I could tell when she was really amused and when she just smiled to cover her intense boredom from the rest of the world. Like now, she knew I was about to something at least mildly amusing from my place in her bean bag chair.
“I dunno, maybe ‘For you, honey, the whole happy meal?’”
“That’s great! That is classic. It returns the interest in the same form it was given. Now you just need someone to use that line.” She rolled over on her bed so her eyes met mine. “Too bad only cheesy guys use cheesy lines.”
“What’s wrong with cheesy guys? At least they have the gumption to say something when they are interested Not like the emo boys who write poetry clearly aimed at someone in class, but never actually talk to the girl in question. Or like the jocks who think a simple ‘Sup?’ and a flex of their biceps will get them out of any pre-sex conversations.”
“Don’t knock it, it seems to work.”
“Not on me. I want someone to make me laugh, someone to have conversations with. Not someone who wants me to polish his muscles for him.”
A loud guffaw came from the bed. Cindy‘s laughs are always loud. It fits her, she is larger than life. Not just in size, but in attitude and charisma. Every girl wanted to be her friend, even the Barbie-clones on the cheer squad. She knew it all, and like a teen Ann Landers she doled out advice to every heartbroken freshman and rash-prone senior.
“To which muscle are you referring? Never mind, I’ll get my mind out of the gutter. You are never going to get a date to the winter formal with that kind of prejudiced attitude. Haven’t you learned anything from Elizabeth Bennett’s mistakes? Your Mr. Darcy could be on the wrestling team and you’re pining after an imaginary dude with a porn-stache and leisure suit.”
“He doesn’t have to dress cheesy! He can have good taste in clothes, and amusing taste in pick-up lines.”
“I don’t know about that.”
A stuffed rabbit sailed from my corner to her bed. Cindy jumped up to grab a pillow before gasping.
“We’re gonna be late if we don’t go now!”
I grabbed my blue polyester smock with a gold -colored plastic nametag announcing to the world that I’m Here To Serve and we both took the steps two at a time and dashed out the door to Cindy’s van.
Luck, and traffic, were on our side. We got to the store with eight minutes to spare, which gave me time to check my hair in the cracked mirror in the break room.
“Hey, cheesy child, why worry about your hair? You know you’ll have a Santa hat on your head faster than Barbra can sing ‘Jingle Bells’”
“True that, sister, true that.”
I popped the red and white chapeau on my unnaturally red hair and gave my widest grin. “What guy can resist a Santa hat and cheese ball grin.”
“All of them.”
I swatted her, and missed.
Cindy and I keep busy between holiday shoppers, organizing shoe care kits in lines and decorating a Stocking Stuffers! sign with bows.
“What would you do if your mom put a can of shoe polish in your stocking?” I questioned Cindy.
“Move!” she replied with a laugh. “I mean socks are one thing, but shoe horns? No thanks.”
“But it’s a red shoe horn! So festive.” I raised one to each ear, mimicking earrings. Cindy chuckled nervously and her real smirk was replaced with her fake one. I turned around.
“Festive, indeed. To bad they’re not red and green, they’d be even more Christmasy,” spoke the man of my dreams. His dark hair fell in waves of controlled chaos and the stubble on his cheeks framed his perfectly kissable lips. He was wearing an chocolate, red and cream argyle sweater over dark wash jeans, a crisp white shirt collar peeking out around his neck. His shoes were the same brown as his shirt, and his eyes.
It may sound silly to you, but that is important to me. Even before I started working at Shoe Choice I knew that not matching your shoes to your outfit shows disregard for important details. Not just details in fashion, but in life.
“Too bad,” I said quietly.
“Do you have dress shoes with leather soles? I need them for a dance.”
“Yes, but we only have Bostonians. They’re back this way…”
“I can show you,” Cindy piped up.
I glared at the back of her retreating head as my newest crush and my best friend walked away. That lasted about two seconds as an elderly lady approached with a million questions like “Why are all your slippers made in China?” and “Will these fit my grandson? He’s twelve.” I answered them with a smile, like I always do. I’m very good at my job, but the cute guy in argyle played on the edges of my thoughts.
I was still ringing her up and fielding questions from her equally verbose daughter when Cindy and Mr. Argyle Sweater returned. Argyle gave a winning smile as he waited.
“I’m so sorry to hold you up, young man,” the lady said as she tried to grasp her bag and pull it off the counter.
“No, it’s fine! You and your sister have a lovely Christmas.”
The daughter gave a startled look. “She’s not my sister.”
The mother jabbed her “sister” with her elbow and said “I think he was trying to pay me a compliment. Or make a joke.”
“Well I find it cheesy,” she replied.
“Nothing wrong with cheese,” Argyle said with a wink at me. I just stared back with an incredulous smile.
The older woman laughed as they walked out the door.
“That was pretty cheesy,” I said as I scanned his shoe box. “Not that I’m complaining.”
“Good. I like cheese. Sometimes it’s the easiest way to communicate.”
“Would you like a bag?” I said.
“Why don’t you grab one of the Christmas ones for him, they’re at the other register,” Cindy said.
“I’d appreciate it,” Argyle said.
I was so annoyed. Cindy should know I was angling for more face time, why did she keep pushing me away from him? He wasn’t even remotely her type, plus she was already seeing someone.
I decided to give my best catwalk, just to give him something to remember.
“Hey baby, do fries come with that shake?”
I turned. Did he really just say that? The grin on his perfect mouth contrasted with the knowing smirk on Cindy’s. I should have known. She planned this. I batted my eyes.
“For you, stud? The whole happy meal.”

Best Old Song I Discovered In 2008

Contrary to popular opinion, I have not heard every song ever recorded in human history. I know, I'm such a slacker. Sometimes I miss brilliant music for no other reason than I was born too late. That's so not fair!

Nina Simone possesses one of my favorite voices of the twentieth century. It's powerful and honest, never falling into false melisma. I bought Verve Jazz Masters 17: Nina Simone earlier this year and discovered a few of her songs I'd never heard. I've been in love with "Black Is The Color Of My True Love's Hair" for years, and I've thought Nina's version of "I Love You Porgy" is the best I'd ever heard, but there was one song on there I'd never heard and I've since been obsessed with.

That song is "Ne Me Quitte Pas" and even though I don't speak French, I truly understand the emotion of the song. I just learned it means "If You Leave" which makes sense, the vocal suggests the end of a something wonderful. Simone's voice is so infused with passion and pain, you don't really need to know what she's saying to know what she means. The song is from 1965's I Put A Spell On You, and it's well worth discovering more than 40 years later. Listen:

Ne me quitte pas - Nina Simone

Top 100 of 2008 - 20-1: A Swedish Invasion, Those Crazy Idols And She Kissed A Girl And I Liked It

20: Rihanna - "Disturbia" (from Good Girl Gone Bad: Reloaded)
Part "Thriller" and part "Blue (Da Ba Dee)" but all smoking hot pop beat and crazy-making lyrics, "Disturbia" is the poppiest single Rihanna had all year. A major feat in a year that saw six singles from the new pop princess. Listen here.

19: Chicane vs. Natasha Bedingfield - "Bruised Water" (from Best Of Chicane)
Recipe for pop perfection: Take the beat and instrumentation of a UK techno hit from almost ten years ago. Layer the vocals of a failed single from Natasha Bedingfield's debut album. Utilize a snippet of Maire Brennan's vocal on "Saltwater" to create a hair raising bridge. Serve on a video about a mermaid returning to the water and enjoy. Listen here.

18: Adele -"Chasing Pavements" (from 19)
Adele may be one of the "new Amys" but she truly has her own voice. The sound is retro-soul, like Estelle and Duffy, but the lyric is pure introspective singer-songwriter. It's a thrilling debut single, and I welcome a new female singer-songwriter to the Lilith Fair that plays in my mind. Listen Here.

17: Madonna feat. Justin Timberlake - "4 Minutes" (from Hard Candy)
When the apocalypse comes, I pray to mine and Karen's Lord Jesus that I'm standing next to Justin Timberlake. I will tell him we only got four minutes to save the world, and the only way to save it is by making out. Or we could just have a dance-off to this floor-filling Timbaland creation. Listen Here.

16: Katy Perry - "Hot N Cold" (from One Of The Boys)
Did you know Katy Perry had it in her? A totally non-controvesial dance-pop creation with a killer first line: "You change your mind like a girl changes clothes, yeah you PMS like a bitch, I would know." Listen Here.

15: Flyleaf - "All Around Me" (from Flyleaf)
There is little I love more than chick rock. Something about the female voice surrounded by growling guitars and smashing cymbals just thrills me. And Lacey Mosely has the most fragile voice in rock music, so heartbreakingly sweet for a rock star. "All Around Me" combines those qualities in an ecstatic eruption of religious fervor. Listen Here.

14: Robyn - "Konichiwa Bitches" (from Robyn)
Robyn will put you in your place, so watch yourself American pop stars. Little Miss Powerhouse is the shit, and she's not afraid to tell you all about it. She'll "tear you down like I'm in demolition... I'm so very hot that when I rob your mansion you ain't call the cops you call the fire station." I could sling lines from this song all weekend... Listen Here.

13: David Cook - "Light On" (from David Cook)
David's sensually gruff vocals are the centerpiece of this Chris Cornell-penned single, from the Idol winner's second disc. I will leave a light on for you, my sexy bear cub. Listen Here.

12: Cazwell feat. Johnny Makeup - "I Seen Beyonce" (single)
It's a lark, a goof and a snappy bit of electro-pop. The tale of a simple queen who lends Mrs. Jay-Z a ten-spot for some cheeseburgers, "I Seen Beyonce" is electronica at it's goofy lightest.
Listen Here.

11: David Cook - "Always Be My Baby" (from Always Be My Baby American Idol Studio Performances)
Even Mariah Carey was impressed that the Idol frontrunner could take her melisma-laden stalker anthem and rock the house with it. Hell, I was nursing a Ron Jeremy sized crush on Cookie and I was even surprised at his talent. Listen Here.

10: David Cook - "Permanent" (from David Cook)
Again with the Idol hottie! "Permanent" is a beautiful piano ballad, a love song from a man to his sick brother. I'm not easily moved, but when he cries "Oh god, is there some way for me to take his place" I am a tiny ball of emotion. "When all you know is far away and feels so temporary, rest your head: I'm permanent." Listen Here.

9: Kerli - "Love Is Dead" (from Love Is Dead)
The drum loop draw you in and the strings clobber you into submission before Kerli's aged-child vocals force you to confront your deepest fear before a creepy chorus: "Love is dead, love is gone, love don't live here any more." Listen Here.

8: Robyn feat. Kleerup- "With Every Heartbeat" (from Robyn)
Another stunning pop single from the one woman Swedish Invasion. Kleerup provides the string quartet backed beat and Robyn provides the heart stopping vocals on this tale of love lost. When she repeats the title on the bridge, I weep. Listen Here.

7: Brooke White - "Love Is A Battlefield" (from Love Is A Battlefield American Idol Performance)
Sometimes, you really have to KISS: Keep It Simple, Stupid. Brooke White took the stage on '80s week with the Pat Benatar classic backed by just an acoustic guitar and revealed the heartbreaking meaning behind the song: love is battlefield on which nobody wins. Listen Here.

6: Katy Perry - "I Kissed A Girl" (from One Of The Boys)
With a Gary Glitter-esque rock beat and a sapphic subject matter, former gospel singer Katy Perry burned up the charts with an ode to lipstick lesbian experimentation. She kissed a girl, and everyone on the dance floor liked it. Listen Here.

5: Robyn - "Be Mine!" (from Robyn)
Robyn's heartbreak is truly pop gold. From "Every Heartbeat" to "Eclipse" Robyn is a pile of broken hearts wrapped in shiny hooks. "Be Mine!" is ridiculously catchy, and heartbreakingly honest. When she describes running into an ex tying his new chick's laces, over the refrain "you never were and you will be mine" your heart will break, too. Listen Here.

4: Goldfrapp - "A&E" (from Seventh Tree)
How did Alison Goldfrapp end up "in a backless dress on a pastel ward that's shining?" I think she tried to off herself, in hopes of getting her ex back with her. I don't know that I'd try that tactic, but I think we've all considered it. No? Just me? Oops... Listen Here.

3: Jay Brannan - "Housewife" (from Goddamned)
The opening line sums it all up: "Two bodies pressed together, two boys are falling hard." It's a beautiful love song, one I think we'd all like to live. Just having someone next to you, he's working on the car while you're making lunch. It's wistful, it's a dream, it's the devious homosexual agenda: to be loved by someone. Listen Here.

2: Snoop Dogg feat Robyn - "Sexual Eruption (Fyre Department Remix)" (original mix from Ego Trippin')
I like my music to have a heart, to have a deep emotional resonance. But there are times when I just want to get down and dirty and groove with some filthy lyrics and a bouncing beat. That's when I throw "Sexual Eruption" on the ol' iTunes and get my freak on. Listen Here.

1: Leona Lewis - "Bleeding Love" (from Spirit)
It's a diva song, written by a former teen heartthrob and that dude from OneRepublic. The single opens with a church organ and a vocal run, then the drum loop kicks in. We hit the chorus, and I am hooked, I am raising my roof and wailing along. "You cut me open and keep bleeding, keep, keep bleeding love" and I do the chest taps, the face tearing, every diva cliche pours out of my limbs. It's like Mary J, Mariah, Celine, Christina and Elton had a giant orgy, and I was the resulting infant. Then you think it's about end, and SHE COMES BACK! A massive run, that trills into the atmosphere, riding that beat like a porn star on Spanish fly. I can't describe the swell I get when this song comes one, it's still my third most played song on my iPod, as well as some CD spins in my car and the thousands of times I've heard it on radio. I can't get enough, I keep bleeding love for this song! Listen Here.

Top 100 Songs Of 2008 - 40-21: If I Were A Boy I Would Just Dance And The World Would Revolve Around Me...

40: Beyonce - "If I Were A Boy" (from I Am... Sasha Feirce)
Even though it seems like Beyonce is really just a gay man with a va-jay-jay, she really is a girl. A girl who thinks she could be a better man than her own man. It's a fascinating look at gender roles and identity, something I've enjoyed the exploration of in pop music this year. Plus, it's acoustic soul, diva style! Listen Here.

39: Natasha Bedingfeild - "Pocketful Of Sunshine" (from Pocketful of Sunshine)
Delightfully chill in it's club-friendly sound, Natasha proves to be more than that "Unwritten" girl on the title track to her second US release. Listen Here.

38: Kanye West - "Love Lockdown" (from 808 & Heartbreaks)
From the emo-est titled R&B album in history comes this... song. I can't pin down a genre for it, the melding of tribal beats, gospel piano and auto-tuned vocals create a futuristic pop sound with an ancient feel. Like a spaceship landing on a Mayan temple, it doesn't seem a wrong as your mind thinks it should. Listen Here.

37: Taylor Swift - "White Horse" (from Fearless)
Against an acoustic guitar and fiddle, the youngest female artist to co-write ever song on a platinum debut loses her fairy tale dreams and grows up a little. Love and loss never sounded so heartbreakingly sweet. Listen Here.

36: Robyn - "Cobrastyle" (from Robyn)
She presses triggers, she don't push people's buttons. That's the little Swedish firecracker Robyn, covering the Teddybears and proving her flow is as tight as her Ziggy Stardust 'do. Listen Here.

35: Jordin Sparks - "One Step At A Time" (from Jordin Sparks)
There is one reason, and one reason alone, that I love this song. Synching my footsteps to Jordin's heel clicks and workin' it the fuck out. Listen Here.

34: Petra Haden - "An American Crime (End Credits)" (from the film An American Crime)
There is something so haunting, so bone-chillingly perfect about the end credits of the true crime horror film An American Crime. Vocalist Petra Haden, whose A Capella versions of "Don't Stop Believing" and "Thriller" are mainstays in my playlists, is arranged by composer Alan Laser to create a frightening A Capella track, with just a creepy little piano coda thrown in at the end. Listen Here.

33: Amy Winehouse - "Fuck Me Pumps" (from Frank [US Release])
This song has been around a while, but in the US we never got to here it. After the massive success of Amy's Back To Black, her Mercury-prize-winning Frank saw a US release. This is the crown jewel of the disc, a sprightly diss to the party girls in their tight jeans and fuck-me-pumps, with a tongue in cheek admission that without them there is no night life. Listen Here.

32: The Spill Canvas - "All Over You" (from No Really, I'm Fine)
Sometimes breaking up is more than hard to do, it's damn near impossible. The Spill Canvas understands this, sometimes "I gotta feel you in my bones again, I'm all over you, I'm not over you." Pain makes for awesome pop music! Listen Here.

31: Bat For Lashes - "What's A Girl To Do?" (from Fur & Gold)
Jack a classic drum and tamborine beat (from The Ronettes' "Be My Baby") then add creepy lyrics and a Bjork-y vocal. That's how you get classic indie-weirdo gold. And I loved it! Listen Here.

30: Santogold - "Anne" (from Santogold)
A percolating thunder beat and lo-fi vocals combine to tell the tale of Anne, a girl who "make lack virtue, but I'm penitent" before sliding into a gospel chorus of "J-J-J-Jesus Pieces, rescue me, the more I try, the more it gets too complicated" Listen Here.

29: Chris Brown -"Forever" (from Exclusive: The Forever Edition)
Due to writing this and number 20, Chris Brown was the king of pop in 2008. (Oops, don't let MJ here me say that!) The sweet beat, the catchy lyrics and the all around poppiness of the track are hard to resist, so I didn't bother. Truly a great moment in mainstream pop, even if it is an ad for Doublemint Gum. Listen Here.

28: Duffy - "Mercy" (from Rockferry)
It sounds like the kinda song the kids at the sock-hop would have had to hide from the chaperones, but Duffy's bouncy tribute to the brassy sounds of the sixties came out this year. "Mercy" owes a huge debt to Dusty, Aretha and The Supremes, but what girl singer worth her salt doesn't? Listen Here.

27: Jay Brannan -"Half-Boyfriend" (from Goddamned)
The Shortbus actor appears on the list for the second time with this tribute to falling in love with a fling. Jay really feels what he's singing, a must for any coffeehouse folkster, and what he's feeling resonates so loudly with what I'm feeling that it just works. "My one hope was that I'd survive you" Listen Here. (found via Towleroad.)

26: Little Jackie - "The World Should Revolve Around Me" (from The Stoop)
And the funk don't stop! My summer song of 2008 was a break-up jam with sass and attitude. Funky and flava-ful, I could not get enough of Little Jackie, even after New York Goes To Hollywood stole the single for it's theme song. Listen Here. (found via Pop Candy)

25: Estelle feat Kanye West - "American Boy" (from Shine)
The guitar riff as beat, the ego-poking rap from Kanye, the line "Don't like his baggy jeans, but I'mma like what's underneath 'em" - what's not to love? Listen Here.

24: Taylor Swift - "Love Story" (from Fearless)
Taylor plays fairytale princess to her Romeo in this slick country-pop tale of teenage love. Cute as a button, and catchy as hell. Listen Here.

23: Sam Sparro - "Black And Gold" (from Sam Sparro)
This is the first time I've ever heard a crisis of faith set to electro-funk. Questioning God's existence never made me want to dance so hard! Listen Here.

22: Lady Gag feat Colby O'Donis - "Just Dance" (from The Fame)
That beat! If anything could keep my feet moving and my ass shaking, it was the debut single from the newest Electronica star in America. I love this record baby, but I can't see straight anymore. Getting fucked up always sound fun, but Gaga manages to make it sound transcendent. Listen Here.

21; The Veronicas - "Untouched" (from Hook Me Up)
Sleek, sexually charged and symphonic-poppy, "Untouched" was the single radio should never had ignored. Finally getting airplay, thanks to requests, this slice of Pro-Tools heaven should be burning up the charts soon, and deservedly so. If you only click on one link in this list, make it this one. Listen Here.

Top 100 Songs Of 2008 - 50-41: Beatboxers, Brit Rockers and Rihanna (again!)

50: Blake Lewis - "How Many Words" (from Audio Day Dream)
The Idol runner up doesn't beatbox on this electronica break up song, the second single from his very chill debut disc. American radio would never play this, which makes me hope that Europeans will pay attention to Seattle's Best.



49: Doe Deere - "One Touch" (from Supernatural)
From New York based indie-electronica artist Doe Deere comes this tribute to all sounds eighties. Breathy vocals over glittery synths and an enourmous drum loop make me just want to dance, and the fact she gave the single away for free on her MySpace makes me dance even harder. Just take a sec and listen there, it's brillaint. Found via ElectroQueer.

48: Rihanna - "Take A Bow" (From Good Girl Gone Bad: Reloaded)
The Stargate/Ne-Yo steamroller keeps on running over the charts. What's not to love about this kiss-off to a no-good liar, done up as a ballad with bite.



47: Shelby Lynne - "Anyone Who Had A Heart" (from Just A Little Lovin')
I didn't want to include this song on my countdown. OK, kids, it's story time: I bought the album about a month after being dumped, and my usual route home from work was held up by construction. So I was forced to drive past the movie theatre and resturant where we had our third date (the date where I let my gaurd down and fell for him) every night for about two weeks. This was the album on heavy rotation during those trips, and the old school versions of this song hurt enough without Shelby Lynne's sultry anguish and the gorgous piano jazz that backs her vocals up. Anyone who had a heart will understand the pain...



46: Pink - "So What" (from Funhouse)
OK, emo moment over! This is the return of angry Pink, taking no prisoners and kicking major ex ass over a jock-jams ready arena beat. "So what! I'm still a rock star!" If only that were true of all of us!



45: Coldplay - "Viva La Vida" (from Viva La Vida)
From the opening strings I knew this was my kind of Coldplay. Syphonic rock: so sweeping, so massive. The lyrics so poetic and fantastical. They rarely make rock music like this anymore.



44: Britney Spears - "Unusual You" (from Circus)
This song is heartbreak set to a beat. It has a great electronic sheen, sleek and sexy and Britney sounds the best she has since "Everytime." So rare that Brit does a ballad that isn't cheesy, I must applaud her for it. I know she didn't write the lyrics, but I am in love with the chorus: "Didn't anyone tell you you're supposed to break my heart, I expect you too. So why haven't you?"



43: The Ting Tings - "Shut Up And Let Me Go" (from We Started Nothing)
The bass line is on fire as the British duo release thier second single from We Started Nothing. It's a brilliant song to strut down a catwalk to, I think I may have to go do that now...



42: Christina Aguliera - "Genie 2.0" (from Keeps Getting Better: A Decade Of Hits)
Over a sleek and ultramodern electronica beat, Christina ditches the girly-pop of the original mix of "Genie In A Bottle" And why shouldn't she? That was ten years ago, back then she was a Lolita locked in a girl singer duel, now she's a sexy MILF. I gotta like what you do...



41: Colbie Caillet - "Realize" (from Coco)
"Bubbly" was the stinkiest piece of shit to come out in 2007. Trite and obnoxious, I couldn't stomach it. So how did Cobie get off my shitlist to hover just outside the Top 40? By creating a gentle acoustic ballad about the pain of unrequited love, my stock in trade. "If you just realize what I just realized, that we'd be perfect for each other..." Oh Colbie, it never works that way. They never realize. ::emo tear::

Top Songs Of 2008 - 60-51: These Songs Will Possess Your Heart

60: T.I. feat. Rihanna - "Life Your Life" (from Paper Trail)
What gansta samples the "Numa Numa" song? T.I., futhermuckers! And he does it with the spirit of a hustler and the swagger of a college kid. Why? Cause he's steady chasing that paper. I liked it better when I thought Rihanna was saying "Instead of chasing that paper, just live your life" but I still feel it...



59: Madonna - "Devil Wouldn't Recognize" (from Hard Candy)
Timbaland and Justin Timberlake team up to produce a sleek modern ballad, replete with a scattershot beat and all male chant over the bridge. It's a worthy companion to the duo's prior masterpiece, "Cry Me A River" and the Queen of Pop sounds fierce as usual.



58: Jason Mraz - "I'm Yours" (from We Dance. We Sing. We Steal Things.)
Mr. A-Z might have stolen a page from Jack Johnson's playbook with the surf-folk sound, but the athletic lyricism is pure Jason. "I tried to be chill, but you're so hot that I melted" is awesome enough, but "it's our God-forsaken right to be loved, loved, loved" is a tongue twister and a great line.



57: Shelby Lynne - "Just A Little Lovin'" (from Just A Little Lovin')
Is there any better way to wake up than with just a little lovin', early in the morning? I wouldn't know, but waking up to this soft piano-jazz influenced country track from the Virginia native's Dusty Springfield tribute is pretty sweet, too. Listen to the track at her MySpace.

56: Jennifer Hudson - "Spotlight" (from Jennifer Hudson)
On "Spotlight" Jennifer proves she wasn't just Effie from Dreamgirls, she's a modern girl working with modern uber-producers Stargate (and white-hot R&B songwriter Ne-Yo.) Between the syncopated piano, the smooth midtempo beat and light vocal acrobatics, you'd think J.Hud would have had a monster hit on her hands, but outside of R&B/Hip-Hop radio (where the single rested at number one for two weeks) airplay was scarce. Too bad, as usual pop radio missed out on a winner.



55: The Ting Tings - "Not My Name" (from We Started Nothing)
Do not call Katie White anything other than her name. She will not answer to "bird" or "her" - that's not her name. I guess that's the UK equivalent to calling a girl Shawty or Pretty Lady, just tacky. You wanna hit on a lady, introduce yourself! Scrubs is scrubs, on either side of the pond.



54:Santogold - "Creator" (from Santogold)
Santi White creates an M.I.A.-style attack of a song, a riot of distortion and squeaks and scary noises. How it got to be picked for a Bud Light Lime commercial I will never know, but I do know it loud and aggressive and that's hot enough for me. "Me I'm a creator, thrill is to make it, the rules I break earn me a place up on the radar." Fuck yea, I believe in Santogold.



53: Paramore - "That's What You Get" (from Riot!)
Sometimes you follow your heart, and your ass gets burnt. That's the moral of this midtempo rocker from Haley and her punk-popping bandmates. "Why do we like to hurt so much... I drowned out all my sense with the sound of it's beating. That's what you get when you let your heart win." Don't I know it, emo sister, don't I know it.



52: Death Cab For Cutie - "I Will Possess Your Heart" (from Narrow Stairs)
The original album version of this track is epic, over eight minutes in length. You can listen to it here. I prefer my brooding soundscapes a little shorter, but that's just me. And is the topic really creeping, or really cute? I understand Ben Gibbard thinks this thing will work out, that if you "spend some time, love... I know that you will find, love, I will possess your heart" but that just screams stalker/psycho kidnapper boyfriend. So why do I like the song so much? Maybe deep down I am a psycho boyfriend. Or I just want one...



51: Jay Brannan - "Goddamned" (from Goddamned)
This may be the first emotional argument for atheism I've ever heard. Not only doesn't it sway me from my faith, I actually find it inspired. Ironic, don't you think? But the line from the chorus "Mary and Mohammad are screaming from the clouds for you to lay your goddamned arms down, rip your bigot roots up from the earth and salt the goddamned ground" is what I think more religious people should hear. We squabble over little things and history shows the horrific acts done in the name of Jesus, Allah and the gods of old. Christians haven't proven themselves any better at following Jesus teachings of "love your neighbor as yourself" than the rest of the world. I don't know that "no one's coming to save you" but I do believe that we should "save yourselves from turning earth into hell."

Top 100 Songs Of 2008 - 70-69: Mash-Ups, Country Duos and I Can't Stop The Music

70: Rihanna - "Please Don't Stop The Music" (from Good Girl Gone Bad)
Over a thumping club beat rides a Micheal Jackson sample. And over that, a plea to keep the party going by everybody's favorite umbrella-holder. There is no reason to stop the music, especially when it's making me dance.


69: Sugarland - "Stay" (from Enjoy The Ride)
For the first time, blonde lead singer Jennifer Nettles (known best for making Bon Jovi's "Who Says You Can't Go Home" a massive, and terribly schmaltzy, hit) wrote the single for country superstar duo Sugarland. And what a song it is! Inspired by Reba McIntire's cuckolded wife in "Whoever's In New England" the tale of the other woman unfolds. She wants him to stay, stop going back to his wife: "Why don't you stay, I'm down on my knees. I'm so tired of being lonely, don't I give you what you need... baby, why don't you stay?" before turning the table. "Next time she begs you not to go, why don't you stay?" The video is beautiful, with Jennifer crying real tears.


68: Katy Perry - "Ur So Gay" (from One Of The Boys)
Katy's pissed. She hopes you hang yourself with your H&M scarf, while jacking off listening to Mozart. She can't believe she fell in love with someone that wears more makeup than her. Part of the playful examination of gender identity on One Of The Boys, "Ur So Gay" seems like it could be offensive. But then take a closer look: the man exhibits homosexual tendencies, so she calls him on it. It's not using 'gay' as a slur, it's just calling it what it is. If your man is wearing guyliner, he's probably batting for my team, or at least wants to. And if he looks like Pete Wentz, I'd be more than happy to find out the truth for you...


67: Mariah Carey feat. Young Jeezy - "Side Effects" (From E=MC2)
Mariah calls out ex Tommy Mattola for emotionally repressing her. Sounds like a yawner, right? Nope, she goes the Eminem route and turns her emotional pain into a club banger, with a hot beat and tight flow - from both Mimi and guest rapper Young Jeezy. "Kept my tears inside 'cause I knew if I started I keep crying for the rest of my life" doesn't sound gansta, but over the hot beat it's pretty fly.


66: Lily Allen - "The Fear" (from It's Not Me, It's You)
I am obsessed with this new single from Lil's upcoming album. It has it all, the sleek disco-dusted sound, the brilliant lines, the positively adorable way she says 'fuck.' It's still the same emotionally vulnerable little girl with a potty mouth we fell in love with on Alright, Still - just sexier.


65: David Cook - "Little Sparrow" (from Little Sparrow: American Idol Studio Performances)
Little Sparrow is my favorite of Dolly's trio of bluegrass albums from a few years back. It's not that well known, compared to the monster hits of the busty blonde like "Jolene," "9 to 5" and, of course, "I Will Always Love You." And to be honest, the title track isn't even the best song from the album. So when David Cook not only chose that song, but then turned around and rocked the fuck out of it, I was impressed. He proved he could sing anything, including a cautionary tale of hot men who "crush you like a sparrow."


64: The Reborn Identity - "Tainted Kiss (Katy Perry vs. Gloria Jones)" (from Guilty Pleasures Vol 1: We All Kissed A Girl)
From a mash-up collection subtitled "The Ultimate Katy Perry Mashup Compilation" comes this Motown-gone-homo track. The original Gloria Jones version of "Tainted Love" plays under the 1000th number one single of the Rock Era, and it's so wrong it's right. Like The Temptations covering "He's So Fine" or a Ronettes orgy, the vintage R&B horns and girl-on-girl lyrics create a naughty new sound worth spinning. Click here to sample.

63: Fall Out Boy feat John Mayer - "Beat It" (from ****)
Covering Micheal Jackson is never easy. The best way is to amp up the energy, something those kids from FOB never have a problem doing. The guitars shred, Patrick roars as best he can and it makes you wanna bust out some moonwalkin' moves.


62: Secondhand Serenade - Fall For You (from A Twist In My Story)
Yeah, it's intensely melodramatic: lyrics like "I won't live to see another day, cause a girl like you is impossible to find" are sung over a piano for the opening verse, then it breaks into drums and guitars and strings. It's emo at it's most impossibly emotional, but I can't help but be sucked into the song.


61:Kevin Rudolf feat Lil' Wayne - "Let It Rock" (from In The City)
What the hell is this song about? It makes me think of a mafia prince on the run from his family's past to become a priest, but I'm pretty sure I'm reading a lot into to. But what ever, the chorus is perfect for blasting in your Taurus on the way to your 9 to 5, because for one moment you just let it rock!

Top 100 Songs Of 2008 - 80-71: Idol Winners, Twilight Singles and It Keeps Gettin' Better!

80: Lenka - "The Show" (from Lenka)
This song has popped up in Old Navy commercials and Ugly Betty promos. It's so sweet that I wanna lick the wrapper... wait - wrong song. It's cutesy, but in a good way. And I like the lyrics of the chorus: "Life is a maze and love is a riddle"


79: Jordin Sparks Duet With Chris Brown - "No Air" (from Jordin Sparks)
First, can we discuss the way the artists are billed? I guess "Jordin Sparks and Chris Brown" sounded too much like they were a romantic item? And "Jordin Sparks feat. Chris Brown" would be insulting the new Prince Of Pop. However you like it listed, the song is ridiculously over dramatic, full of runs and histrionics and everything you want in a torch song. Seriously, "If I should die before I wake, it's cause you took my breath away" is just the first line! Perfect for lipsynching in front of the mirror, complete with Celine Chest Thumps and Mariah/Christina Hand Waves. Not that I've ever done such a thing, I'm just guessing. ;)


78: Beyonce - "Single Ladies (Put A Ring On It)" (from I Am... Sasha Feirce)
The video spawned a million recreations on the YouTube (and SNL), but the song itself is also pretty fabulous. It's got a beat that's crazy as hell, a Buzz Lightyear quote and important message to the menfolk. If you ain't gonna put a ring on it, you can't get mad when it dances with other dudes. And by it, I mean B's amazing badonkadonk.


77: Paramore - "Decode" (from Twilight: The Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)
If I thought I couldn't love a Paramore single as much as "Misery Business" well, I was right. It's more like "crushcrushcrush" level but even that is pop-punk at it's chick-rock finest. Haley's voice bounces between walls of guitars and drums in a crescendo of hormones and pain. Plus it's from the soundtrack to my vampiric wet dreams the movieTwilight.


76: Danity Kane - "Damaged" (from Welcome To The Dollhouse)
Do you got a first aid kit handy? Do you know how to patch up a wound? No, is someone dying? No, just the girls passing out from damaged heart syndrome. Good thing there is a hot beat to revive them, cause you can't park it on the dance floor. Even when you go to a "First Cut Is The Deepest" place!


75: CSS - "Music Is My Hot, Hot Sex" (from CSS)
This isn't just a song. It's the story of my life. I fucking live, breath and sleep music. It's the only sex I'm getting at the moment, but that's OK. Some days I'd rather "Get Naked (I Got A Plan)" and "Justify My Love" with an iPod play list than get "Physical" (That's a total fabrication, bee-tee-dubs.) But this song does have a sick bass line and some great lyrics.


74: Fall Out Boy - "I Don't Know" - (from Folie A Duex)
The fact that this sounds exactly like classic Fall Out Boy is both a good thing and a bad thing. I like experimentation, but "I Don't Care" sounds like "Sugar, We're Going Down" and "This Ain't A Scene, It's An Arms Race" combined. But is that a bad thing? Both of those songs are brilliant pop-punk, and "I Don't Care" is too. I like the combination of hooks, guitars and Pat'n'Pete's snarky breed of lyrical absurdities. Plus I'm pretty sure they don't care what I think, as long as it's about them.


73: Cyndi Lauper - "Into The Nighlife" (from Bring Ya To The Brink)
Gay friendly never sounded so good! Cyndi is a idol, her slow songs like "True Colors" and especially "Time After Time" are among my favorites. On her latest disc, however, she takes it to the club. And boy, does she do it right! The shimmery disco and catchy chorus makes this a perfect song to play on a gays-night-out. And those shirtless wonders do wreck my sight!


72: Santogold - "L.E.S. Artiste" (from Santogold)
Santi disses the hipsters in NYC's Lower East Side and proclaims her own fear and trembling ("I can say I hope it will be worth what I give up") over a looped guitar and handclaps. It's still pretty hipster, but now with 50% less pretension!


71: Christina Aguilera - "Keeps Gettin' Better" (from Keeps Gettin' Better: A Decade Of Hits)
Some days she's a super bitch. Some days, she's a melisma-addict with heartfelt plea for discovering beauty in us all. Some days she's throwback pop star with an Andrews Sisters obsession. Some days she's a genie in a bottle, gotta rub her the right way. Right now? She's got her sites set on "Lady Gaga Impersonator." And it keeps gettin' better!

Top 100 Songs Of 2008 - 90-81: Aussie Divas, Filthy Gay Rap and Britney, bitch!

90: Lil' Wayne feat. Static Major & Kanye West - "Lollipop [Remix]" (from The Carter III)
I hated this song at first. Then I thought the beat was pretty sweet. Then I heard the chorus layered over a Red Hot Chili Peppers sample on Girl Talk's Feed The Animals, and thought it was fucking amazing. Now I really am sick of the song, but the remix has some great lines on it. Wayne's "I got so much chips I swear they call me Hewlett Packard" and Kanye's "Man the flow so cold Chicken Soup won't help" are redic, but when Weezy rhymes "Safe sex is great sex/Better wear a latex/Cuz you don't want that late text/that 'I think I'm late' text" I could stand up and cheer.


89: Leona Lewis - "Better In Time" (from Spirit)
The British diva, and X-Factor winner, followed up her massive single "Bleeding Love" with this mid tempo tale of breaking up and getting over. The line "Even though I really loved you, I'm gonna smile 'cause I deserve too" should be emblazoned on the forehead of every heartbroken teenager... myself included. Plus the video is directed by my girl Sophie Muller!


88: Johnny Dangerous - "Take Your Man" (from White Hot)
It's filthy. And you know I love filthy! But it's also got a great beat and Johnny Dangerous has a really tight... flow. It may have replaced "Snatch The Crystal Cat Back" as the dirtiest song on my iPod. Found via Juice With Junior. Oh, and the video and song are both totally and completely NSFW!


87: Britney Spears - "Womanizer" (from Circus)
Britney's back for real this time! It's not as great as some of the stuff from last year's Blackout, but "Womanizer" is a fantastic return to pop form for the tabloid baby. And it has one of my favorite lines of the year: "You say I'm crazy? I got your crazy!"


86: The Black Kids - "I'm Not Gonna Teach Your Boyfriend How To Dance With You" (from Partie Traumatic)
It's got a raucous new wave beat and a lo-fi dance sound. Plus he's found the girl that he's been dreaming of ever since he was a little girl! Why the hell would he teach her boyfriend how to dance with you? YouTube has disabled embedding on every copy of the song I could find, but the video is pretty awful anyway. Just click here for a listen.

85. Chikezie - "She's A Woman" (Live on American Idol)
Chikezie had been stuck in the "sounds like Luther, only boring" slot for the first three weeks of American Idol, while Brooke White and David Cook were proving they could take a song and change it up. So I wasn't expecting Chikezie to do anything but get voted off on Lennon/McCartney week, let alone take a Beatles song and turn it into a bluegrass/rock hybrid. He couldn't keep it up, but he had one shining moment of greatness.


84: Metro Station - "Shake It" (from Metro Station)
Miley Cyrus's big brother leads this punk-pop band with an electronic sheen. "Shake It" is basically a how to guide to seduction and copulation set to high energy rock guitars over a dance beat. Shake it, indeed.


83: Delta Goodrem - "In This Life" (From Delta)
The Aussie actress/singer is a phenom down under but here in the States, "In This Life" barely made a dent on the charts, despite heavy rotation on the VH1. It's too bad, Delta has a great voice and this piano driven pop single is good stuff.


82: Darude feat. Blake Lewis - "I Ran" (from Label This! [US Edition])
This song was made to be love by me. I love a good cover song, I love techno and I'd still bang Blake Lewis in a friggin' heartbeat! The Flock Of Seagulls hit is given a club makeover, perfect for soundtracking a sweaty bump'n'grind with any number of American Idol contestants.


81: Robyn - "Be Mine! (Ballad Mix)" (from The Rakamonie EP)
Robyn's single "Be Mine!" is heartbreakingly beautiful, but tempered with a great symphonic pop beat. It's made twice as emotional when stripped down to the bare piano, every note of the chorus rips through your soul: "And now you're gone there's like an echo in my head and I remember every word you said... that you never were, and you never will be mine."