Tuesday, December 16, 2008

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!

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