REVIEW: Ain't It Fun by Paramore

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EFEmTsfFL5A


You know, there's a reason the sub-genre is called called pop-rock. This very reason is why I enjoy acts such as Avril Lavigne and Paramore. Then again, the fact that I enjoy Paramore would be a pretty good assumption anyways as they appeared on my best songs of 2013 list, but still. They definitely have a pop sound to them, yes, but they can really make some rockin' tunes. This brings us to the song on the table today: Ain't It Fun.

Well, folks, this is gonna be a pretty short one so here it goes: I freakin' love this song. Hayley Williams asks Ain't It Fun and my response is hell yeah it is. The awesome instrumentation that I dare you not to jam out to when it comes on, the energy provided in Hayley Williams' vocals, and just everything went in to making this song as fun as possible, and holy crap is it amazing.

"But what about the lyrics," you may be asking. "Surely they're an aspect of the song you don't like." Well, you'd be wrong because I like the lyrics too. Oddly enough, the question asked in the title is actually asked ironically as it portrays mundane, everyday life. The reason it does this is because the verses are a call to the younger generation who think life will come so easily to them and they'll get everything they want that it's nowhere near that way and they'll actually have to work to get what they want. It also tells them not to just give up over the tiniest inconvenience. To those who call the lyrics generic, I ask you this: how is any of what I just described generic?

I guess if I were to have any complaints about the song, it would be that maybe the message in the lyrics wouldn't be received because of just how fun of a song this is. Another would probably be that Hayley's delivery can make some of the lyrics a little hard to understand at times. These are minor hindrances, though, and don't affect my view of the song in any real way.

Overall, this is a fun and energetic song with an awesome message to back it up. I give this song a 4 out of 5. Keep up the good work, Paramore.

REVIEW: Wiggle by Jason DeRulo

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hiP14ED28CA&feature=kp

Here's something you thought you'd never hear out of me: I don't hate Jason DeRulo. In fact, I kinda like him. In the vast majority of his songs, I found myself blown away at how much energy he brought to the table, either in the emotion of his delivery (Whatcha Say, Marry Me, etc.) or in his choice of instrumentation (The Other Side, Don't Wanna Go Home, etc.). One unfair criticism of Mr. DeRulo is that a lot of the material he provides is nothing more than stupid and asinine, and even I'll admit, he isn't a good lyricist. That said, however, contrary to what the popular belief is, stupid doesn't always equal bad. Songs like Red Solo Cup by Toby Keith, I Love It by Icona Pop feat. Charli XCX, and pretty much anything in Weird Al Yankovic's discography are incredibly stupid, but they're still great songs. Now, don't get me wrong, stupid can also be utterly butchered, and you can see examples of that in The Fox and the Harlem Shake from last year. However, I never took DeRulo seriously, and I guess that's why I never really had a huge issue with him. I didn't even mind his overuse of autotune and stunning lack of personality.

Now, with all that said, you'd think I would enjoy his latest hit song, Wiggle. To that, I respond with this: Oh boy oh boy are you wrong.

Remember what I said about Jason having a lot of energy in his songs? Well, there's not an ounce to be found here. I would've been able to forgive the idiotic lyrics ("go 'head, go ham sammich." I rest my case), but the beat is so boring and grating that I can't get past them. The barely there instrumentation pretty much forces you to focus on the lyrics. Oh, and I wasn't kidding about him being a good lyricist, because these lyrics are beyond imbecilic. If they were any good, they'd be a redeeming quality to this song. They aren't, though, so they're not. Lastly, let's not forget that awkward pause after he says "you know what to do with that big fat butt." To me, that awkward pause represents the people who helped in the making of this song thinking "Dear God, he didn't just say that, did he?" Finally, there's Snoop's verse, which can be described using the following four words: monotonous, boring, lame, disgusting.

Overall, Wiggle is an unlistenable mess with absolutely nothing saving it from being terrible. I give it a 0 out of 5, and it's really sad I have to because I know Jason DeRulo can do so much better, but that's the way the cookie crumbles I guess.

(Note: Just because I give a song a negative rating doesn't mean I will look down on or bash anyone who happens to enjoy said song I gave the aforementioned negative rating towards. Please keep that in mind if you see me give a high rating to a song you dislike.)

Top 10 Best Hit Songs Of 1989

Ok, final list for a while, I promise.

Man, I think I found my least favorite year in music. Well, 1989. Where do I begin? This has to be the lamest year in pop music to date. Seriously, a huge, and I mean HUGE, chunk of it were songs that were generic, dated, and boring songs from a bunch of no names who I have absolutely no clue how they got popular. This was also the year that unleashed some absolutely horrid "musicians" on to us such as Richard Marx, Paula Abdul, and worst of all, the lip syncing monsters known as Milli Vanilli. This year's number one song was a Chicago song. Yeah, it was THAT bad. Even with all that, however, I am one who likes to at least try to find the silver lining in things, and even in what I consider to be the crappiest year for music, I was still able to find ten songs from that year that I liked, so that's what we're counting down this time. Without any more delay, let's begin this countdown of the Top 10 Best Hit Songs Of 1989.


10) Song: If I Could Turn Back Time
      Artist: Cher
      Position: 35

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BsKbwR7WXN4

I admit that I think Cher is a good singer, but I'm just not very in to her at all. She just isn't my style. That said, there are exactly two Cher songs that I like. Believe is one, and this is definitely the other. The rocking sound, the emotion behind Cher's Kermit The Frog-like voice, and all the elements of it I just happen to enjoy a lot. Consider this my not-so-guilty pleasure.




9) Song: My Prerogative
    Artist: Bobby Brown
    Position: 2

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5cDLZqe735k

Hey, look, it's a song from 1989's year-end top 10 that didn't suck. Being the bad boy of the late 80s and early 90s, Bobby delivers a fun and energetic track where he states that his main goal is to just dance and have fun. Well, both of us have achieved that goal, Mr. Brown. I don't think I need to further explain why I like this song so much.




8) Song: Love In An Elevator
    Artist: Aerosmith
    Position: 81

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h3Yrhv33Zb8

I think it's no secret that Love In An Elevator is a purely rocking track. Steven Tyler's awesome vocals, the rocking instrumentation, and really, what other word can I use to describe this song than rocking. It just, well, rocks. So why is it so low on this? Well, my parents have Sirius XM in their car, they love the 80s music station, and I can't tell you how many times I've heard this song, so it's worn out on me quite a bit as you can imagine. Not enough to be on this list, thankfully.




7) Song: Love Shack
    Artist: The B-52's
    Position: 47

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9SOryJvTAGs

I dare you to find a reason not to love this song. The funky instrumentation, the female lead's vocals culminating greatly with the effeminate sounding male's vocals, and the fact that this song just makes me wish there was a place called the Love Shack and makes me want to go to it, try not to love this song. I bet you'll fail every time.




6) Song: Wild Thing
    Artist: Tone Loc
    Position: 33

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tFh0J8Ph18U

It's no secret that rock and rap can work together when used correctly, and this is better than anything Nu-Metal could ever offer. Take notes, Limp Bizkit.




5) Song: I'll Be There For You
    Artist: Bon Jovi
    Position: 23

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mh8MIp2FOhc

Hair Metal has no shortage of greats, and Bon Jovi is no exception. One thing I've loved about their ballads is how much emotion is thrown in to their performance and production, and it definitely shows here. While they've arguably had better ballads such as Never Say Goodbye and Always, we got a great one from this year. Plus, Jon Bon Jovi saying that he'll be there for you no matter what situation you're in and whether or not you're in a relationship is nothing but admirable.




4) Song: You Got It (The Right Stuff)
    Artist: New Kids On The Block
    Position: 52

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tbIEwIwYz-c


If there's one thing I enjoy, it's when a song is just really cheesy and upbeat, and in the late 80s to early 90s, nobody was cheesier than NKOTB. They had three other singles chart in this year (Cover Girl, I'll Be Loving You (Forever), & Hangin' Tough), but the reason I chose You Got It (The Right Stuff) is it just the cheesiest, most upbeat and most of all memorable song of all the songs that they had chart in 1989. Plus, there's kind of some sentiment behind it because it was the second ever New Kids song I heard, the first being Step By Step. So I approve.




3) Song: Bust A Move
    Artist: Young MC
    Position: 42

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Akd_hAEeFE

If you say this song doesn't wanna make you do what the title suggests, you are lying through your teeth. Seriously, if disco died in the early 80s, then this track came along posthumously. Young MC provides some solid rhymes with an overall funky production behind him and it's just a really fun dance track that I can get down to.




2) Song: Smooth Criminal
    Artist: Michael Jackson
    Position: 93

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sFvENQBc-F8

Of course a Michael Jackson song would appear on this list. I still really question how this song ended up so low, though. Really music listening public of 1989? You wanted to hear the boring Baby, I Love Your Way/Freebird Medley over THIS AWESOME TUNE?!?!?!?!? Anyways, I don't know if I'll be in the minority when I say this, but I actually prefer this to the Alien Ant Farm cover. Don't get me wrong, they're both great, but I prefer how much more swagger Jackson injects in to this song rather than AAF pumping it up like it's on steroids. This song is to me as Funky Town is to Todd In The Shadows. The original is just that much better. So who kept MJ off the top spot? You're about to find out.




1) Song: Welcome To The Jungle
    Artist: Guns 'N Roses
    Position: 74

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o1tj2zJ2Wvg

Of all the bands that came out of the hard rock genre, none of them are more quintessential in my eyes than Guns 'N Roses. Seriously, almost every single song they put out just absolutely rocks, and of all the songs to come out in 1989, none of them rocked harder than Welcome To The Jungle. Everything about this song just works perfectly, from Axl Rose's energetic vocals, the rocking instrumentation, the bongo breakdown towards the end to give the song a real feeling to the listener to make it seem like they're actually in the jungle, and just about everything else. I can't think of a better song to come out of the year, and it's definitely the best. Stay awesome, G'NR.

Top 11 Worst Hit Songs Of 2013

Remember when I said in my Top 11 Best Hit Songs Of 2013 list that there was still utter crap released? Yeah, I wasn't kidding. Now, don't get me wrong, I still enjoyed the vast majority of the music that came out in 2013, but with everything awesome that came out, it only made the stuff that was awful sound even worse by trumping them in comparison. One the songs I made an exception for on this list because it was so huge yet still so incredibly terrible. So, without further adieu, I present to you my list of the Top 11 Worst Hit Songs Of 2013. We don't even have any dishonorable mentions. Yes, 2013 really was that awesome of a year.

11) Song: Harlem Shake
      Artist: Baauer
      Year-End Billboard Position: 4

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X3aCTwXNTX8

I feel pretty definitive and confident in saying this: had it not been for Billboard changing its qualification standards to allow YouTube into its stats, this song wouldn't have been anywhere near the charts, let alone hitting #1, and really, we would've all been better off in that scenario. I mean, really, what was there of value to this song to get a few idiots to post videos online of themselves just flopping around. As a song, it was absolutely terrible, and it definitely wasn't worth the three-minute runtime it has. All it is is that thudding, dull, sterile, headache-inducing bass that just goes on and on and on and on until your brain explodes. Say what you will about The Fox, at least that one sounded like an actual song. Ugh.


10) Song: Started From The Bottom
      Artist: Drake
      Year-End Billboard Position: 32

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RubBzkZzpUA


Yes, it's incredibly obvious that this song would be on my worst list. Why it's not higher is I actually don't mind the song musically. Still, I can see why many people don't like the musical elements of this song as it is pretty boring and lifeless, although that was kind of something to be expected seeing as the producer for this track was Mike Zombie. Okay, that was a cheap shot, but even with me not minding this song all that much musically, it's still not something I'm really all that in to, and Started From The Bottom still blows incredibly. Drake didn't start from the bottom, he's lying to us in the song by saying that, he came up upper-middle class, he was on Degrassi, yada yada yada, you know the rest. What bothers me even more is that even if he did start from nothing and work his way up to the top as he proclaims in this song, it would still blow as he goes in to no detail whatsoever of how he got to where he is today. Also, if the worst things he can think of that he went through growing up are occasionally arguing with his parents, working all night, occasionally getting caught in traffic, sometimes having to borrow his Uncle's car, and various other mild inconveniences, is it really that unsafe to assume that he didn't have that tough of a life to begin with? Drake, I like you and all, but this was pretty terrible. Well, got the (or, "an" I should say) obvious one out of the way. Let's continue on with the rest of the list.




9) Song: We Can't Stop
    Artist: Miley Cyrus
    Year-End Billboard Position: 17

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LrUvu1mlWco

Yeah, I may have liked Wrecking Ball enough to land it as high as #5 on my best list for 2013, but no, We Can't Stop is still awful. It's a song about having a good time at a party, and yet it sounds more like a desperate cry for help. Everything about this song is just depressing from Miley's sad sounding vocals, the bland, sloppy, lifeless production a la Mike Will Made-It (trust me, this won't be the first time we see him on this list), and just the overall sound is enough to really kill any positive vibes this song was trying to send. This doesn't sound like "woo, yeah, we can't stop having so much fun," it sounds more like "help, we can't stop partying and doing drugs, and we have a serious problem with that." Thankfully, this was more forgettable than anything, so I guess there's that. The song still blows, though.


8) Song: F**kin' Problems
    Artist: A$AP Rocky, 2 Chainz, Drake, & Kendrick Lamar
    Year-End Billboard Position: 41

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=liZm1im2erU

 Jesus, the swear concentration on this song. I mean, how did this get airplay? This is just way too explicit even for a rap song. Then of course there's the generic brag rapping and stupid double entendres that are used throughout the song by literally every artist on this track. Even Kendrick Lamar is terrible here, and I actually like him. And do I really need to say anything about the instrumentation that's been over-saturated with heavy amounts of bass? Really, the less we know of this song as time progresses, the better. NEXT!




7) Song: Pour It Up
    Artist: Rihanna
    Year-End Billboard Position: 70

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=liZm1im2erU

Rihanna is kind of a mixed bag for me. Sure, she makes songs I think are awesome like Umbrella, Rude Boy, Disturbia, and heck, I even like some of her newer stuff like We Found Love and Where Have You Been. Other times, however, we get tripe like this. I don't hate Pour It Up as much as, say, Birthday Cake or Cockiness, but this is definitely one of Rihanna's worst songs. It's Rihanna making an oversexualized strip club song bragging about her riches in a very monotone and grating voice, and the song only got as much attention as it did because of the raunchy video. Need I say more? I think not.




6) Song: Holy Grail
    Artist: Jay-Z feat. Justin Timberlake
    Year-End Billboard Position: 22

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h7pggcxfsFI

Whoa, Hov, Timberlake, what the hell happened here? First off, this production is terrible. No, a few light piano cords and a little bit of percussion does NOT equate to being energetic. Second, what the heck happened to Jay's flow? It's all choppy and stilted. Isn't Jay-Z usually, you know, fluent and able to go with a rhythm easily? And Justin, oh boy, are your vocals whiny as ever. Finally, lyrical content. Ultimately, what the message of the song is how scared Jay-Z and Justin Timberlake are of fame one day tearing them down and leaving them with nothing. Alright, that's an idea I can get behind. The problem? Even putting aside what's outside of the actual song itself, I don't buy it coming from Jay. Justin, maybe, Jay, no. He just brings way too much machoness and egotism that it's hard to buy that he really is worried about what the future holds for him, especially considering all the bragging he does in this song. In the end, this song had a decent concept, but it turned to crap because of the execution. NEXT!




5) Song: Boys 'Round Here
    Artist: Blake Shelton & The Pistol Annies
    Year-End Billboard Position: 60

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JXAgv665J14

Oh goodie, more bro country. Here, we have Blake trying to pander to the crossover between country and hip hop (like there ever was one) yet still managing to maintain just about every kind of stereotype there is in country music (women, trucks, beer, etc.) within the song. Once again, we have a guest appearance that adds nothing, The Pistol Annies in this case, and a boring, slow country "rap" that ultimately amounts to just under 5 minutes of pure dreck.




4) Song: #thatPOWER
    Artist: will.i.am & Justin Bieber
    Year-End Billboard Position: 95

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DGIgXP9SvB8

Well doesn't this song just scream generic? Seriously, everything in this song is astoundingly awful. From the hashtag lumping everything in to one word to two of the biggest douchebags in the music industry telling us in their own generic way that they're here to stay despite us DESPERATELY telling them to get the hell out, this song was doomed to be nothing more than a catastrophe. I usually don't mind will.i.am, but this was awful. The beat is weak, thus making the title dishonest, and you know your song is doomed when the best (or least awful I should say) part of your song is Justin freaking Bieber. I don't think anything more should be said about this song as it would just give will.i.am more attention and further inflate his already very balloon like ego.




3) Song: I'm Different
    Artist: 2 Chainz
    Year-End Billboard Position: 99

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e2QKlmMT8II

NO! You are NOT different, 2 Chainz. Enlighten us, Tity Boi, what makes you distinct and separate you from the rest of the mainstream rappers we have today? It's another brag rap talking about how rich he is and how many women he has sex with. In a nutshell, the title is a massive lie and an outright slap in the face to those like Macklemore and to a lesser extent Kendrick Lamar that really are different and set apart from the rest of the rap game. Seriously, you got a 4.0 in college? With songs like this, I don't buy it.




2) Song: UOENO
    Artist: Rocko feat. Rick Ross & Future
    Year-End Billboard Position: 87

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qEkcYsqu6MU

UUUUUUUUUGHHHHHH!!!!!! This song is paaaaaaaiiiiiiinnnnnffuuuuulllllll.
First off, that limp synth line is absolutely skin crawling, not to mention how lifeless and completely devoid of any and all energy it is. Seriously, who could jam to this? I know I couldn't. Speaking of a lack of energy, we come to every single one of our awful performers. In this case, we have Future being his awful self and slurring all his bars in to an incomprehensible mess (as usual), Rocko biting from Migos' flow, and Rick Ross doing his usual stilted, slow, no flow style of rapping. Unfortunately, Ross is the only person on the song anyone can really understand, which isn't a good thing, especially considering he provides us with this line: "put molly all in her champagne, she ain't even know it, I took her home and I enjoyed that, she ain't even know it." That's right, folks, Rick Ross, in a song about bragging about how awesome he is, just made a reference to drugging a girl and raping her. Why did this slip through the cracks yet people got all up in arms about Blurred freaking Lines, for crying out loud? I was veeeeeeeery close to calling this the worst hit song of 2013, and it's extremely hard to believe that I found a song worse than this, yet somehow, I did. Wanna see what it is?




1) Song: Love Me
    Artist: Lil Wayne feat. Drake & Future
    Year-End Billboard Position: 39

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KY44zvhWhp4

Oh dear God, THIS song. What isn't there that's wrong with this song? Mike Will Made-It's production is at its absolute worst with its dark, messy synths, lack of bass, and barely there percussion, and overall just not being pleasant at all. Drake's performance could pretty much be removed from the song, and nothing would change. He was completely unnecessary as he was only given one line to repeat ad nauseam that Future could've easily sang himself. Speaking of him, he's given the hook, and while this is arguably his "best" performance, that's not saying much considering he sounds like he's singing a goddamn lullaby. Really, though, the main culprit here is Lil Wayne. Generic rap cliches are one thing, and it would be bad enough, but the fact that there's so much misogyny and disrespect towards women displayed is just puke inducing. Worse yet is the fact that he's framing it all under the guise of "love." Uh, what? Dude, you're basically describing how you're only using these women as sex objects. There's no way you really love them. Like I said with UOENO, Blurred Lines gets a ton of flack yet this gets virtually nothing? What the hell, rest of America? Where are your morals? Love Me, my pick for the worst hit song of 2013. Lord knows I certainly don't love it. See you guys next time.

Top 11 Best Hit Songs Of 2013

Ok I know I'm late to the party with this one, but hey, better late than never.

I consider myself a pretty big fan of music, and as such I consider it a duty unto myself to be able to distinguish how good a song/artist/album/genre/etc. is. That said, there are a lot of songs from the year of 2013 that I actually consider to be pretty good. Even the songs that are generally considered to be complete crap (Scream & Shout, Daylight, Come & Get It, etc.) I couldn't find myself to hate. Now, make no mistake, there was still quite a bit of crap that was released, but I'll reveal my thoughts on that when I do my list of the worst songs of 2013. As for now, let's remain positive as I count down what I consider to be the Top 11 Best Hit Songs of 2013. By the way, in case you're wondering why 11, well, you'll find out in a minute. First, though, let's start off with some honorable mentions:


HM1/HM2) Songs: I Knew You Were Trouble/22
                    Artist: Taylor Swift
                    Year-End Billboard Positions: 16/71

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vNoKguSdy4Y

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AgFeZr5ptV8

Lovely start we're off to, isn't it? Alright, before you guys get mad at me for this, let me explain. Both of these songs just got better and better with each listen. I Knew You Were Trouble had excellent dubstep instrumentation with interweavings of electric guitar and piano that just gave the song a lot of texture, and 22 was just a brilliant combination of an acoustic guitar and EDM with a ton of energy that's really fun to listen to, pure and simple. As for lyrical content, 22 I just found to be about having dumb fun and living while one is young (even if the things mentioned in the song don't actually make her sound 22), and the presentation combined with the production I just couldn't deny really worked. As for I Knew You Were Trouble, I know a lot of people would ask why she went with the guy if she knew he was gonna be bad for her anyway, but I'd argue that that was the point in that it was a precautionary tale of how even though her gut told her that it probably wasn't a good idea to fall in love with him, she ignored it and thus had to suffer the consequences, thus sending out the message to listen to your heart when it tells you something is wrong because if you don't, you could wind up crashing and burning real easily, and no words can describe how much I respect that.




HM3) Song: I Love It
           Artist: Icona Pop feat. Charli XCX
           Year-End Billboard Position: 28

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UxxajLWwzqY

Simply put, this song is loud, obnoxious, and fun in the absolute best ways possible. The fuzz saturated, hard hitting industrial pounding beat that's full of energy, how much passion both Icona Pop and Charli XCX throw in to their performances, and just the fact that this thing is just a giant ball of power. If I were to have any complaints about I Love It, they would be that Icona Pop and Charli XCX sound way too similar, thus making it impossible to tell them apart, and the wreckless, destructive behavior promoted in the lyrics isn't exactly too healthy. The lyrics aren't meant to be taken THAT seriously, though, and aside from not being able to tell the performers apart, yeah, this awesome piece of music speaks for itself.




HM4) Song: Blurred Lines
          Artist: Robin Thicke feat. T.I. & Pharrell
          Year-End Billboard Position: 2

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yyDUC1LUXSU

Oh, I just know some people are gonna be mad that this is here, but yeah, I like Blurred Lines. Quite frankly, it never really came off as rapey or all that pushy or even that misogynistic to me. It came off more as a guy trying to steal the girl of a guy who isn't quite treating her right, and he's making offers of rough sex and weed. I wouldn't exactly call that rapey. It's sexually explicit as all hell, but that doesn't quite equate to rapey. Besides, the end of the verse goes "the way you grab me, must wanna get nasty," which does indeed imply consent, and T.I. starts his verse with "one thing I ask of you," the key word being ask, which, again, implies consent. Honestly, had it not been for the "you da hottest b**ch in this place" line and a majority of T.I.'s verse, this song would've easily made the list. Yeah, it's sleazy, but it's a fun kind of sleaze, with its smooth bass line, tight percussion with interjections of cowbell, which I really liked, T.I.'s excellent flow, and Robin Thicke's smooth vocals, this song is easily what was the hardest to cut from this list.

There were a lot more I wanted to include, but I think those 4 will suffice. Alright, now that that's taken care of, let's get to the main stars of the show, shall we?

11) Song: #Beautiful
      Artist: Mariah Carey & Miguel
      Year-End Billboard Position: 81

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oe1wtkkt9-E

Yes, I know this song has a hashtag in the title, but bare with me. Trust me, this song is what the title suggests it is. The synths and guitar line run smoothly together for some alluring instrumentation, Mariah & Miguel provide some nicely fluent vocals, and overall this song is simply a sweet listen. So how come it's so low on the list? Well, if you can believe it, it's not the hashtag keeping this song from being any higher. No, it's actually the huge amount of profanities that Miguel uses that drags this song down. Now, don't get me wrong, his performance here is great, but ummm... he swears waaaay to much. I honestly don't think this was a good place for Miguel to curse at all, let alone as much as he did. To be honest, it's kind of off-putting. Still, this is a great song.




10) Song: Body Party
      Artist: Ciara
      Year-End Billboard Position: 83

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fO0hQ5ylGFQ

Remember when I said you'd find out why this was a top 11? Well, this is why. I came up with the other 10 songs for this list before I heard this song, but as soon as I did, I knew I just had to fit this one in somehow. I'm not going to lie, I went in to this with extremely low expectations. After all, this is the same woman who gave us the atrocity known as Goodies, and finding out that the song was produced by Mike Will Made-It certainly didn't help. To my surprise, however, this track blew those assertions clear out of the water. This sure is one hell of a sexy song. Mike Will Made-It's production is actually amazing, Ciara's vocals are soft and seductive, and really, I don't think I could've been more wrong about what I thought of a song before I heard it in my life. I should probably move to the next song before I embarrass myself any more than I already have probably.




9) Song: Mirrors
    Artist: Justin Timberlake
    Year-End Billboard Position: 6

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uuZE_IRwLNI

Ok, I'll admit, when I heard Suit & Tie, I thought it was alright. It just had a bit too much arrogance to make this list, though, and Jay-Z's energy killing verse certainly didn't make things any better. Not that there's much less of it here, but this is still a much more enjoyable listen for me. The beat, while more held back and restrained, has a lot more bombast and energy behind it. The arrogance comes in to play when it's mentioned that the main reason he wants to stay with her is because she's a reflection of himself (hence the song title), but JT's delivery is so smooth and heavenly that the aforementioned arrogance is actually pretty forgivable to me. A lot of people prefer the radio edit to the original, but I actually like the 8 1/2 minute version a lot better because that's where I see Timberlake really drop the arrogance. In the extended version, Justin let's the girl in question know that it's HER that the song is about and that SHE is the inspiration for him making the song, and honestly, that's just something I appreciate and respect him for way too much to discredit him for.




8) Song: Still Into You
    Artist: Paramore
    Year-End Billboard Position: 100

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OblL026SvD4

Talk about one big burst of energy. Albeit, the lyrics are a bit generic, but the energy in not just the instrumentation but also in Hayley William's amazing voice really puts me in the mood to just be happy. Boy, it sounds like she's taking this break up well. Whatever, that's still not much of a deterrent. And no, Marc Mues, I don't really find Williams' vocals to be that grating. Speaking of big bursts of energy...




7) Song: Applause
    Artist: Lady GaGa
    Year-End Billboard Position: 37

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_bHhpufKRjs

With production reminiscent of old 8-bit Nintendo games and a lot of passion put in to it, Lady GaGa is back from her hiatus of one year to prove that she can still pump out some amazing tunes, and boy does she deliver here. A lot of people find the lyrics to be nothing more than complete and utter narcissism, but the way I interpreted the lyrics, it sounds a lot more like Lady GaGa does what she does to make people, especially her fans, happy, and I really can't fault her for that in the slightest. So yeah, not a lot to say about this song, it's just really fun and energetic.




6) Song: Clarity
    Artist: Zedd & Foxes
    Year-End Billboard Position: 24

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IxxstCcJlsc

While we're on the subject of high energy songs, Clarity certainly doesn't disappoint. I think Zedd is definitely the best producer to come out of the EDM genre, and what a way to start off. Not only that, he brought along talented singer Foxes, who has an amazing voice. The verses and chorus, while short, offer a whole lot to the song with Foxes' general confusion as to why she still feels as though she needs the guy in question in her life even though she knows being with him is detrimental to her emotional state. The instrumentation provided by Zedd himself, while high energy, fits the general confusion provided by the lyrics perfectly, and overall I just find this song to be a great piece of ear candy.




5) Song: Wrecking Ball
    Artist: Miley Cyrus
    Year-End Billboard Position: 18

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mRFHAvdwXXs

 I can already hear you groaning in exasperation through my computer screen because I put this song on the list. Let me make it clear that I didn't like the video too much, I'm not too big of a fan of the "wild party girl" route that Miley's going in which she started last year, and I think her other two singles she's released off of her album Bangerz (We Can't Stop & Adore You) were absolutely boring (especially Adore You). That being said, Wrecking Ball as a song is simply amazing. The elements of the production are restrained just enough to let Miley's vocals shine through, she gives an amazing and emotional performance, and overall I enjoy the hell out of every single element in this song, Many point out that Miley herself isn't a very good belter, to which my response is as follows: so what? This song didn't so much call for someone to belt as it did for primal screams of pure agony which Cyrus is a perfect fit for. I think Spectrum Pulse said it best himself that while it's not the best track off of her newest album, it's damn close.




4) Song: Royals
    Artist: Lorde
    Year-End Billboard Position: 15

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nlcIKh6sBtc

This song is just what we needed in 2013. Being the antithesis of the pop music concerned mainly with being conceited and bragging about pointless materialism, Royals stands out and says no to all of that, finally acknowledging that we're sick of it. The minimalist instrumentation coupled with Lorde's soft yet powerful vocals make for a song that commanded for all of the pointless bragging in music today to end (and hopefully one day people will listen).  Granted, there are a few lines that I think were a bit unnecessary ("tigers on a gold leash" anyone?), but this is still a great track, and I'll let Lorde be my ruler any day of the week.




3) Song: Hold On, We're Going Home
    Artist: Drake & Majid Jordan
    Year-End Billboard Position: 34

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GxgqpCdOKak

It's pretty clear that Drake is way better at making smooth R&B tunes than brag rap, and it clearly shows here, especially considering that the single he had before this was the pure dreck that was Started From The Bottom. Despite being a clear duplicate of his 2010 hit, Find Your Love, Drake shows that he has pure heart and soul. Sure, the lyrics are extremely repetitive, but really I can't think of what could've been in the place of the parts where the lyrics are repeated. That, and you know what they say, don't fix it if it isn't broke. Just like in Find Your Love, the fact that Drake doesn't have a strong voice here really works to his advantage because it would've been way too abrasive in the hands of someone such as, say, Trey Songz. Overall, it's just a really smooth R&B tune that I can really dig.




2) Song: Get Lucky
    Artist: Daft Punk & Pharrell Williams
    Year-End Billboard Position: 14

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5NV6Rdv1a3I

I can tell that you were just waiting in anticipation for me to put this on the list, weren't you? Yeah, of all the disco trend themed songs to come out in 2013, is it really any question why Get Lucky was the most groovable? The awesome guitar work courtesy of Nile Rodgers, Pharrell's amazing vocal talent, and of course the production courtesy of the gods of electronica themselves. So why is this only number 2? Oh, I think it'll be obvious once you see my pick for the top spot.




1) Song: Same Love
    Artist: Macklemore & Ryan Lewis featuring Mary Lambert
    Year-End Billboard Position: 43

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hlVBg7_08n0

As extremely thankful as I am that this got big, if I had to pick another word to describe my reaction to this song getting big, let alone as much airplay as it did, it would be stunned. Seriously, very rarely does a song from the hip hop genre that gets big in today's generation have actual intelligence and social awareness backing it up. You know what? Screw it. I'll just come right out and say that this is the smartest rap song I've ever heard. It took a lot of guts for Macklemore to release this as a single, and I'm glad he did. He tackles the issue of LGBT rights with such raw grit and word play that I can't help but respect him (especially considering the fact that I myself am bisexual). The clever wordplay, beautiful instrumentation courtesy of Ryan Lewis, Mary Lambert's gorgeous chorus, and Macklemore's extremely spectacular delivery all culminate wonderfully to make this the song a glorious anthem to represent the LGBT community. Now, there are two main complaints when it comes to Macklemore's flow in this song, both of which I will tackle here. The first is that Macklemore sounds bored or uninterested, but as with Drake, I wouldn't have been able to take the song as seriously had a stronger approach been taken, so his soft-spoken delivery definitely works better for me here. The other is that he comes off as too preachy, and well, when you're tackling one of the most controversial social issues there is, how do you set an appropriate tone and not come off as preachy? Besides, I like that he sounds like he's giving a speech because this is definitely a speech that needs to be heard. Overall, Same Love is nothing short of perfect in my eyes and is definitely worthy of the top spot on this list. Congratulations, Macklemore.