Ending 2012.
20 - "Sexy and I Know It," LMFAO
19 - "It Will Rain," Bruno Mars
18 - "Turn Up the Music," Chris Brown
17 - "Wild Ones," Flo Rida featuring Sia
16 - "Starships," Nicki Minaj
The second half begins with those LMFAO guys again with another dumb song about how hot they think they are. It was another #1 for them. I guess whatever they do works, but as for me, I don't even get a LOL out of them.
Bruno Mars continued his run of hits with ballad that contains a heck of an opening line: "If you ever leave me baby, leave some morphine at my door." That, and some melodic similarities to "Wild Horses" made me think of the Rolling Stones. I'm liking this guy more all the time.
Next is some jerkoff with some song he did.
Then it's Flo Rida with another meh track about partying. Aussie singer Sia Furler's contribution is nice, but still, nothing much.
Closing this bunch is Nicki Minaj with one of her biggest hits to date. The guitar and the opening rap are kind of interesting, but it just gives way to generic modern dance-pop. Disappointing
15 - "Tonight is the Night," Outasight
14 - "Feel So Close," Calvin Harris
13 - "We Found Love," Rihanna featuring Calvin Harris
12 - "Take Care," Drake featuring Rihanna
11 - "We Are Young," fun. featuring Janelle Monae
This group is led off by New York singer-rapper Richard Andrew's only major pop hit to date. Again, very generic. This chart isn't impressing me at all.
Scottish DJ-singer Calvin Harris had been a star in the UK for a few years, but he finally broke through in America with this dance track about enjoying someone's company. His voice is charmingly different, and I like the guitar and piano lines on the song. Definitely better than many of its contemporaries.
Then Harris appears again, providing the beats for a Rihanna hit about discovering affection "in a hopeless place." Her singing is reliabale as usual, and once again, Harris' track gives you something more interesting to listen to than the average dancefloor fodder.
Then Rihanna joins Drake on his hit here, a song about a complicated yet passionate relationship. Good song, and it was cool hearing a modern rapper riff on Lesley Gore ("It's my birthday, I'll get high if I want to.")
Rounding out this section are New York indie-poppers fun. with their breakthrough hit. It starts out as a jittery song about partying, then it changes tempo and launches into that chorus, which is just huge and memorable and undeniable. Maybe one of the best ever. Guest vocalist Janelle Monae's contribution is nice, but really, it's all about that danm chorus. Still "fun." is an incredibly pretentious name.
Wherefore art thou, Top Ten?
10 - "Young, Wild and Free," Wiz Khalifa and Snoop Dogg featuring Bruno Mars
Cameron Thomaz is almost assuredly the most successful rapper to be born in North Dakota, and here he teams up with Snoop and Bruno on this laid-back number about hangin' out and smokin' stuff. Solid stuff
9 - "Good Feeling," Flo Rida
More party rapping from Mr. Rida, but it's raised several notches because of a catchier backing track and a vocal hook sampled from a 1962 Etta James song. Easily his best non-"Low" song.
8 - "International Love," Pitbull featuring Chris Brown
Fuck these guys.
7 - "Domino," Jessie J
The Brit's biggest American hit to date is more Swedish-made dance-pop. Well-crafted, but not very exciting. Yawn.
6 - "Part of Me," Katy Perry
Katy vows to stay strong after a breakup. A mediocrity in lesser hands, but her voice and personality sell it.
5 - "Back Home," Gym Class Heroes featuring Neon Hitch
These guys teamed up with Brit female singer Hitch with this song about a wandering man and the woman who wants him to spend more time with her. I think that's it. I don't care enough to make sure.
4 - "Glad You Came," The Wanted
One Direction's closest rivals in the modern British boyband wave had their biggest American hit so far with this song about how much they appreciate your comfortable. It starts like a Coldplayish piano ballad, then it kicks into a dance track containing some vaguely accordion-like sounds. Not bad.
3 - "Set Fire to the Rain," Adele
Here she is again, applying that big awesome voice to a ballad about getting over a deceptive lover. She really is fantastic, isn't she?
2 - "Turn Me On," David Guetta featuring Nicki Minaj
The Frenchman hooks up with Ms. Minaj on this track. She sings and raps robotically, he backs her up with his usual okay beats. Somehow, it's greater than the sum of its parts. A pleasant surprise.
And on top this time last year was...
1 - "Stronger (What Doesn't Kill You)," Kelly Clarkson
A decade after winning American Idol, in a musical landscape that had changed drastically, Clarkson proved that her talent was still great enough to top the charts with this pop cry of defiance and resilience. She really has put together a nice little career.
Next time: we're in the here and now.
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