Wrapping up the present.
20 - "Carry On," fun.
19 - "Little Talks," Of Monsters and Men
18 - "22," Taylor Swift
17 - "Locked Out of Heaven," Bruno Mars
16 - "I Will Wait," Mumford and Sons
The second half opens with more fun. This time, it's another singalong, this time about moving on with life and ignoring one's mortality. It has kind of an Irish flavor. Their hits seemed designed to be played repeatedly during drunken nights out. There's a place for that, clearly.
Of Monsters and Men aren't the first act from Iceland to develop an American following. Before them were The Sugarcubes, their lead singer Bjork's solo career, and Sigur Ros. But I don't think either of those have scaled this height of the Top 40. It's folky pop with horns, and I think it's about a couple hoping to reunite. It's charming, but give me Bjork anyday.
Next is Taylor Swift with some Swedish-made pop about being happy and free and okay with not being cool. She writes for teenage girls, and that's okay. But unlike others like her who've come before, there's absolutely nothing in her music for anyone else. No killer hooks, no interesting lyrical insights, nothing. But she's hardly hurting for fans, so she doesn't need to do anything but what she's doing. For now.
Then it's Bruno Mars with a track that sounds like 80s new wave. There's a Police vibe to it in particular. It's about a woman whose "sex takes (him) to Paradise." Another fun, catchy winner. This guy, to my ears, is this MVP of modern Top 40 radio. Ooh!
This section closes out with Mumford and Sons, an English band influenced by American roots music and Shakespeare. Somehow, this combination has made them huge pop stars, and their biggest U.S. hit so far, a song about wanting to repair a broken relationship. Honestly, I think I like this less than I should. But I will say it's cool to hear banjo on pop radio again.
15 - "Scream and Shout," will.i.am featuring Britney Spears
14 - "Alive," Krewella
13 - "Troublemaker," Olly Murs featuring Flo Rida
12 - "Heart Attack," Demi Lovato
11 - "It's Time," Imagine Dragons
This section opens with more will.i.am, teaming up with Britney on another typical electrodance noisemaker. Brit's contribution is mostly a spoken-word part on which she sounds like Madonna after she moved to England. This does not make me want to "bring the action."
Chicago dance group Krewella make their first major pop impression with your basic modern uplifting techno number. Sorry you three, but the Swedes do this kind of thing much, much better.
Next is Olly Murs, yet another graduate of the British X Factor. His first American hit is a song about a girl so bad she's good. This sounds a lot like Maroon 5, only Murs' voice is slightly less annoying. Flo Rida's rap is bland and inoffensive.
Then it's Demi Lovato, the onetime star of such Disney creations as Sonny With a Chance and Camp Rock. Personal issues put her TV career on hold, but she's continued to have success in music with songs like this one about not wanting to fall in love even though she's really, really attracted to someone. She sings okay, but I prefer Selena Gomez between the two.
This quintet is anchored by Las Vegas' Imagine Dragons with a jaunty pop-rock song about not changing oneself for anyone or anything. The choruses remind me of their LV homeboys The Killers at their best, only not as good. But all in all, a decent song.
The Top Ten make the world go round.
10 - "Just Give Me a Reason," Pink featuring Nate Ruess
The latest from Her Pinkness finds her teaming up with the singer from fun. on this ballad about a relationship that may or not be salvageable. A timeless pop duet.
9 - "I Knew You Were Trouble," Taylor Swift
More from pop's current princess. A song about a relationship that was a mistake. Okay, I kind of like this one a bit. "Zippy" is the adjective that comes to mind. But my previous comment about her overall oeuvre stands.
8 - "Don't You Worry Child," Swedish House Mafia featuring John Martin
The collective name of this trio of Scandanavian DJs sounds to me like the least intimidating organized-crime faction imaginable. But this song about fatherly advice getting one through tough times is pretty good. I don't know if John Martin sounds as much like Chad Kroeger on all of the stuff he sings as he does here, but regardless, it works in this context.
7 - "Feel This Moment," Pitbull featuring Christina Aguilera
Mr. Bull doesn't change my opinion of him on this track, in spite of employing the melody from A-ha's "Take on Me" and having Aguilera sing a solid hook. It's still a lot of boasting in his annoying delivery. Sorry, I don't get it.
6 - "Sweet Nothing," Calvin Harris featuring Florence Welch
The scottish DJ has another hit with this song that features a haunting vocal from the lead singer of English band Florence + The Machine. The lyrics are about not getting what you need from a relationship. The beats are strong as usual. Harris remains one of the leading lights in the electronic wing of modern pop.
5 - "Stay," Rihanna featuring Mikky Ekko
Miss Rhi racks up yet another hit with a tender piano ballad featuring previously unknown Louisianan Ekko. A reminder that when she sheds the big production and the "swag," the lady can sing.
4 - "Suit & Tie," Justin Timberlake featuring Jay-Z
Timberlake's "comeback" single is this slick, sharp number that contains more than a few echoes of the best disco had to offer. Jay-Z's rap accentuates the cool, adult vibe. Welcome back JT, we missed you. And does anybody remember the name of that group he was in back in the 90s anymore?
3 - "Thrift Shop," Macklemore and Ryan Lewis featuring Wanz
These guys' breakthrough is this odd little rap tune about shopping at the Salvation Army, Goodwill, and other used-goods outlets. A fun little novelty, but I'm most intrigued by their guest singer, 52-year-old Michael "Wanz" Wansley, a journeyman singer who was working fulltime as a software tester when he got the call to sing on this track. And now his voice is everywhere. I find that story fucking awesome.
2 - "Daylight," Maroon 5
Another big hit from these guys. This time, Adam Levine's singing about how he doesn't want to leave a lover but has to. His voice is exceptionally grating on this one. Still, I will once again proclaim how much I like "Harder to Breathe." But this isn't even close to being that good.
And the Number One song in America as I'm writing this is...
1 - "When I Was Your Man," Bruno Mars
The man seems to be making the top of the charts his home these days, and with songs like this regretful piano-soul ballad make, I don't begrudge him that at all. Quite simply, right now, the man is the best in the world at what he does.
Okay, so that ends the journey from 1989 to now. And it also ends the series of ten Ryan Seacrest countdowns I listened to for this. Obviously, he runs the show much differently than Casey did, with celebrity guests, frequent plugs for Idol and his other projects, and a looser manner overall. He's not my cup of tea, but I can't deny he's a pro, and he's the right man for the job right now. Can you see Casey talking about relationship gossip and Twitter feeds? Neither can I.
And so this phase of BGC is complete. Once again I'd like to thank Jimmy Delach for his huge role in making these entries possible. And of course, thanks to all of you for reading them.
So is this the end?
Well, yes and no.
I'm continuing this thing, but on a little less frequent basis. Instead of coming to you twice a week (or so, as the case has been lately), my two-part entries will be posted every three-or-four weeks.
And what will they be about, you ask?
Well, I've decided to go back to the pre-Casey era and cover one Billboard Top 40 for each of the years between 1960 and 1969. I'm ready to take on an extremely different pop landscape than the one I've been writing about lately. I think it'll be fun and interesting, and I hope you do too. I already have my 1960 chart picked out, and you should be hearing from me about it in a week or two.
And yes, I may also sprinkle in some 70s and 80s coverage. I know there are songs I haven't given my opinion on yet, and I have every intention of doing so at some point. You have been warned, "Superman" by Herbie Mann. You too, "I Do What I Do," by John Taylor.
So anyway, thank you for joining me on this leg of the journey, and you are quite welcome to stay aboard for the next one. See you again soon.
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