And now the MEAT, the Songs that got the Most Plays from me in 2012. Here is the Top 50, sectioned off by the number of plays. Some of these need some explaining, some I almost want to pretend didn’t get as much love on my iPod as it did, and some are just that good I had to talk about. So here goes…
(and can I just say… I’m SHOCKED that Calvin Harris’ “Feels So Good” didn’t make the cut. I LOVED that song and I swear I played it out at the Gym #ElipticalSong)
16 plays…
50. Chris Brown , Don’t Wake Me Up
49. No Doubt , Looking Hot
48. Jennifer Hudson , Night of Your Life
This is SUCH a great Dance song, and because JHud has such a huge voice it really reminds you of the glory days of House with Big vocals and Big Dance Beats! This should have been a huge single, but radio doesn’t seem to appreciate GOOD Dance music!
47. Wild Nothing , Drifter
Words can’t really describe what this song does to me every time I hear it. It’s catchy, beautiful production and it just makes you feel good.
17 plays…
46. Beyonce , Sweet Dreams
45. No Doubt , Undercover
44. No Doubt , Heaven
43. No Doubt , Gravity
42. Usher , Twisted
This is such a fun song. And I love it for the fact that Pharrell provided Ush with something that’s contemporary but pays major homage to the Old School days of Soul. It reminds me of when the Neptunes were hot shit and always supplied danceable beats that were so soulful and funky. This is a great return to form.
18 plays…
41. The Killers , Runaways
40. Beyonce , Countdown
39. Frank Ocean , Thinkin Bout You
38. Drake , Shot For Me
37. Solange , Losing YouThis song is so odd to me. It has this weird backing track, very simple and scant lyrics… but towards the end of my first listen I Loved it! (The accompanying EP “True” is also REALLY good, check it out!)
36. Dawn Richard , Black Lipstick
35. Santigold , God From The Machine
I instantly connected to this track from “Master of My Make Believe”. It’s so Epic and powerful.
34. Santigold , Disparate Youth
33. Usher , Lookin 4 Myself
32. Usher , What Happened To You
Now, I know Urban stations were playing this song but I’m trying to figure out why Usher didn’t release this as an official single. It’s actually one of his best. The production is ace, slow jam style with enough beat to rock to. And the lyrics are both personal to him and also somewhat relatable to anyone who’s lost touch with a former love. Excellence all around, there’s not anything bad I could say about this one.
19 plays…
31. The Dead Weather , Blue Blood Blues
30. The Killers , Here With Me
One of the reasons “Battle Born” was so good to me. This is just a beautiful song that doesn’t try too hard to acheive anything other than being a solid and timeless record.
29. Diplo , Express Yourself
20 plays…
28. Rihanna , Rude Boy
27. No Doubt , Dreaming the Same Dream
26. No Doubt , Sparkle
25. Brandy & Monica , It All Belongs To Me
24. Teams , Whxt Txrns U Xn?
My FAVORITE Groove of the year. You just gotta love the relaxed state the song puts you in, even with all the electronic effects and the peeling back of all these aural layers. Great Great track and probably my favorite from the album.
23. The Wombats , Jump Into The Fog
WHAT A FUN SONG!!!! That’s really all I can say about it because it’s funny, fun, relatable, and catchy. I was definitely obsessed with it for a while and it still makes me smile when I hear it.
22. Frank Ocean , Pyramids
In the words of Velma Kelly “the first parts shit, but THE SECOND PART! THE SECOND PART!!” I love the slowed down, almost hip hop flow of the second part of this song. Probably my favorite from “Channel Orange”.
21 plays…
21. Katy Perry , Teenage Dream
20. Rihanna , What’s My Name
19. No Doubt , One More Summer
18. Rusko , Scareware
This was my GYM song, when I first started going and doing weights I’d play this on repeat the whole time. It has that aggression, and the hook is one that was like a personal mission statement for me in regards to the Meatheads that populate one of the gyms I go to (“We Ain’t Scared Of You! OH NO!”)
17. Usher , Climax
22 plays…
16. Frank Ocean , Pink Matter
This is, to put it lightly, a weird song. After a few plays you GET IT, but upon the very first play when the lyrics are baffling you, you at least get that beautifully calm production and Ocean busting out some of the best vocals on “Channel Orange”. And who can hate on any song with Andre 3000!?
15. Toni Braxton , I Heart You
UNDERRATED!!! I have NO IDEA why this wasn’t bigger than it was because it has some very great elements to it. The ballad-like intro, the dance breakdown in the middle and just the overall club beat and catchy hook (along with Toni’s publicity from “Braxton Family Values”) should have made this at least a Top 20 hit. Oh well. At least it was a #1 Dance Play, and I hope Toni takes note and delivers a Club album next go round. This was GOLD to me!
23 plays…
14. Rihanna , Where Have You Been
24 plays…
13. Rihanna , Get It Over With
12. Rihanna , Numb
11. Rihanna Man Down
10. No Doubt , Settle Down
9. Brandy , Wildest Dreams
Brandy really got it right this year. I remember at first I was feeling just a little blah but soon enough it was stuck in my head. Also wanna say I LOVED the video and specifically for the styling (which has nothing to do at all with this chart, but I’ve never gotten a chance to talk about it). Brandy has always been either TOO cutesy or TOO mature, and both felt forced. This go round with all of the performances I’ve seen she treads the line between both extremes beautifully… and in a way I think this song also gives the same effect.
23 plays…
8. Rihanna , Only Girl In The World
7. Atlas Genius , Trojans
I just discovered this song on the radio months ago and just fell in love. I don’t know what it’s about, or a lot of what they are singing but it’s just so great. It hypes you up, it makes you wanna sing along and everything just feels awesome together.
26 plays…
6. Melanie Fiona , 4AM
5. No Doubt , Easy
So as you know now, I was in LOVE with this new era of No Doubt and this song instantly struck me as one of the best on “Push and Shove”.
4. No Doubt , Push and Shove 29 plays
3. Rihanna , S&M 34 plays
2. Rihanna , Diamonds 38 plays
1. Rihanna , We Found Love 39 plays
Let me explain!!! (LoL!!) So we know that I love Rihanna, and even though I kinda trashed the song when it first came out I came to love it quickly. This year two things happened. I joined a gym and this song (this and “S&M”) are EXCELLENT songs for Cardio. On the eliptical I get a new life everytime this one comes on. Secondly, I sorta-kinda came out and it was my first SF Pride as openly gay or whatever. And when I tell you I heard this song like every 10 minutes I’m not exagerrating. So this song, for those two reasons held a special place for me and thus… #1 status!!
Well there you have it. I’m about 3 weeks too late and slightly more ratchet and less thoughtful as my usual Year In Music posts… but hey, whatever! I also wanted to get this out today because I’m really thinking of doing a weekly American Idol wrap. I watched it last night, and even though y’all know how I feel about a certain judge… it was actually pretty intriguing and I can see myself watching it. Until it gets boring (LoL!!) but that’s the plan for now. #STAYTUNED