Kworb's Top 100 of 2012
Jan 5, 2013 20:52:23 GMT -5
Post by Kworb on Jan 5, 2013 20:52:23 GMT -5
Formula: chart points + 5x mp3 plays
#100 Katy Perry "Part Of Me" (285 points)
This is actually my favorite Katy Perry song.
#99 Grimes "Genesis" (285 points)
She's pretty awesome. The whole album is nice.
#98 Janina Gavankar "Waiting For Godot" (285 points)
This is my current favorite song. Expect it to be much higher in 2013.
#97 Shakira "Je L'Aime À Mourir" (290 points)
Such a gorgeous song. She sounds great in French.
#96 Chris Brown ft. Rihanna "Turn Up The Music" (293 points)
I quite like the remix. Can't help it!
#95 Nina Zilli "L'Amore È Femmina" (299 points)
Italian Eurovision entry this year. Unfortunately she chose to sing the half English version, which is much worse than the Italian original.
#94 Gotye "State Of The Art" (303 points)
I think this is Gotye's best song. Very cool vibe and lyrics.
#93 Frank Ocean "Swim Good" (303 points)
Better than anything on Channel Orange.
#92 Momoiro Clover Z "Saraba, Itoshiki Kanashimitachi yo" (303 points)
A great Japanese girl group, they are very original both with their image and sound. The future of J-Pop.
#91 Amy Macdonald "The Furthest Star" (319 points)
Amy Macdonald's album Life In A Beautiful Light was one of the highlights of the year. This is one of the best songs on it.
#90 Alicia Keys ft. Nicki Minaj "Girl On Fire" (322 points)
Nice song, but the album was disappointing overall.
#89 Mika Nakashima "Ashita Sekai ga Owaru Nara" (333 points)
Mika's prettiest song in years.
#88 Emeli Sandé "Next To Me" (335 points)
She really annoys me now, but I liked her album a lot for a while.
#87 Adam Lambert "Outlaws Of Love" (339 points)
Awesome LGBT anthem. What a shame that Trespassing flopped.
#86 Emma Marrone "Cercavo Amore" (339 points)
I got into Italian music more than ever this year. This was another great gem.
#85 Nicki Minaj "Starships" (342 points)
Couldn't really escape this song, but that's fine. It's very good.
#84 P!nk "Try" (346 points)
I'm desperate for her to do something different, but her formula still works, as this song shows.
#83 Perfume "Hurly Burly" (349 points)
This song's production is out of this world.
#82 Morning Musume "Renai Hunter" (350 points)
Morning Musume replaced all their members with 12-year-old girls, but they're still good.
#81 Phillip Phillips "Home" (352 points)
This song is really good and doesn't ever seem to get old. Better than any Mumford & Sons song. Wish Kris Allen had also found success like this though.
#80 Amy Macdonald "Left That Body Long Ago" (355 points)
Sad and haunting song about Alzheimer's disease. Quite stunning.
#79 Asaf Avidan & The Mojos "One Day / Reckoning Song (Wankelmut Remix)" (371 points)
Massive hit in Europe. Really great and catchy, even if repetitive.
#78 Gusttavo Lima "Balada" (380 points)
Not as good as "Ai Se Eu Te Pego", but this was another great Brazilian smash.
#77 Loreen "My Heart Is Refusing Me" (389 points)
One of my main discoveries this year. Loreen won the Eurovision Song Contest and released her stunning album Heal.
#76 Nelly Furtado "Spirit Indestructible" (391 points)
Bizarre how this era completely collapsed. This was a great song, especially with the lyric video of the guy climbing Mount Kilimanjaro.
#75 Matt Cardle "Anyone Else" (394 points)
He beat One Direction on X-Factor and his music is also much, much better. This catchy pop rock song should be smashing worldwide.
#74 OneRepublic "Feel Again" (409 points)
Not quite as good as their past efforts but another solid song. Look for their upcoming single "If I Lose Myself" on my 2013 chart.
#73 Perfume "Spending All My Time" (413 points)
A really fun song that doesn't quite live up to their great songs of the past like "Dream Fighter" and "Laser Beam".
#72 Owl City & Carly Rae Jepsen "Good Time" (413 points)
Nothing too remarkable about this one, just a fun duet. Better than "Call Me Maybe".
#71 No Doubt "Looking Hot" (415 points)
They really did not deserve to flop. The second and third single were really strong. But nothing really went right for them this time around.
#70 Ellie Goulding "Figure 8" (420 points)
I am not going to list my favorite albums of the year, but Halcyon would've been near the top. Awesome album, and this song is one of the best on it.
#69 Baby K "Sparami" (420 points)
Italian rapper Baby K is unknown even in Italy, but I got to know her because Tiziano is producing and co-writing most of her album that will be released next year. He had no involvement with this song, but it's still very good. Looking forward to their duet!
#68 SKE48 "Aishiteraburu!" (424 points)
Japanese idol groups are an acquired taste. I love them though!
#67 Lana Del Rey "Born To Die" (431 points)
The Born To Die album would've also been near the top of my list, if not at #1. Lana has four more songs on the list.
#66 Khia "For Real" (433 points)
My love for Khia is no secret, and this year she did not disappoint with her half hip hop, half R&B album MotorMouf aka Khia Shamone, probably her most solid album yet.
#65 David Guetta ft. Sia "She Wolf (Falling To Pieces)" (451 points)
I think this is way better than "Titanium", so of course it didn't do nearly as well commercially.
#64 The Wanted "Chasing The Sun" (457 points)
Boybands aren't what they used to be (they got a lot worse) but this song was still catchy as hell.
#63 Lecca "Jammin' The Empire" (476 points)
Japanese pop/reggae singer Lecca is often called the "Japanese Shakira" due to the sound of her voice, but she definitely has her own style. She released two albums this year, and songs from the most recent one ZOOLANDER will no doubt make an appearance on next year's chart.
#62 Christina Aguilera "Your Body" (477 points)
The explicit version of this song is so much better. I still haven't listened to Lotus in full, because the few songs I heard weren't very good.
#61 The Temper Trap "Trembling Hands" (480 points)
Don't know much about this Australian band, but this song caught my ear and stayed with me for quite some time. It's really good.
#60 Kylie Minogue "Finer Feelings" (483 points)
Kylie made orchestral versions of her old classics on The Abbey Road Sessions. I think the transformation worked for most of them. This one is really good.
#59 Lecca "Right Direction" (488 points)
One of Lecca's best songs. Also made the top 100 last year.
#58 Amy Macdonald "Across The Nile" (501 points)
This song's lyrics have always bothered me, because I don't think the Arab Spring in Egypt was a positive turn for the country. But the song itself is amazing.
#57 Kelly Clarkson "Stronger (What Doesn't Kill You)" (506 points)
A little surprised this is that high, as I'm really tired of this song. But it was really good for a while.
#56 Lana Del Rey "Summertime Sadness" (532 points)
Another gorgeous Lana song. There are no bad songs on Born To Die.
#55 Momoiro Clover Z "Moretsu Uchu Kokyokyoku Dai 7 Gakusho “Mugen no Ai”" (535 points)
The title means "Furious Space Symphony, 7th Movement 'Infinite Love'", which is an accurate description of the song and the video. The video is definitely my favorite of the year.
#54 Drake ft. Rihanna "Take Care" (538 points)
Love how mellow this song is. One of the few Drake songs where his voice isn't annoying.
#53 Vincent Did It "So You're Alive" (549 points)
Frankmusik went through a bit of an identity crisis and was known as Vincent Did It for a while. During that time he released one of his best songs, "So You're Alive".
#52 Lana Del Rey "Gods And Monsters" (552 points)
And yet another Lana song. I wasn't too fond of the Paradise EP at first, but it has really grown on me. This remains the best song on it.
#51 Michel Teló "Vida Bela Vida" (561 points)
I liked "Ai Se Eu Te Pego" so much that I checked out more of his music, and ballad "Vida Bela Vida" was the only worthwhile thing I found. It's beautiful.
#50 Khia "Half On A Room" (596 points)
Khia showed her R&B side on MotorMouf Aka Khia Shamone and did so impressively. This is a great and sexy jam and Khia proves she is also a great singer.
#49 Ellie Goulding "Only You" (603 points)
Another excellent song on Ellie's masterpiece Halcyon. Two more are on their way.
#48 Kris Allen "Monster" (623 points)
It's sad what happened to Kris Allen's career. Both his self-titled debut album and this year's Thank You Camellia had a lot of hit potential, but single choices killed both albums. "Monster" is awesome.
#47 deleted Alborán ft. Carminho "Perdóname" (646 points)
Spanish singer deleted Alborán is dominating the Spanish charts, and it's well deserved. His tone of voice is really beautiful and soothing. This duet with Portuguese fado singer Carminho is the highlight of his career so far.
#46 Adam Lambert "Nirvana" (653 points)
Adam Lambert delivered another great album this year, Trespassing. This one wasn't just a victim of poor single choices, another glaring mistake was that bonus tracks like "Nirvana" were better than most album tracks.
#45 Loreen "Breaking Robot" (655 points)
We find Loreen's highest ranking song at a lowly #45, but that's because her amazing album Heal is relatively recent for me, and it doesn't have a track that stands far above the rest. "Breaking Robot" is definitely the highlight though.
#44 Rihanna "Where Have You Been" (661 points)
The first of four Rihanna songs is at #44. "Where Have You Been" is one of her best singles yet, and the video was cool too. This song was #39 on my 2011 year-end chart.
#43 Alan "Phoenix" (679 points)
Tibetan singer Alan Dawa Dolma was better when she sang J-Pop, but the Chinese album she released this year was surprisingly good as well. I do miss the Tibetan wails that used to be her trademark.
#42 Rihanna ft. Mikky Ekko "Stay" (683 points)
One of the best ballads she has ever released, I expect this to be a worldwide smash in 2013.
#41 Wynter Gordon "Don't Waste Your Time" (704 points)
I'd say the most important musical discovery for me this year was Wynter Gordon. Her EP Doleo is brilliant. This is one of the best songs on it.
#40 PSY "Gangnam Style" (731 points)
Finally it happened, an Asian pop song went global. I never could've imagined that an Asian language song would sell millions even in the US, but it happened. I think "Gangnam Style" is the biggest global hit that I've seen in my lifetime, and since I'm pretty old, it might just be the biggest global hit ever.
#39 Wynter Gordon "No Hush" (743 points)
More beauty from Doleo. This song puts me in a trance.
#38 Rona Nishliu "Suus" (769 points)
The Eurovision highlight for me this year was Rona Nishliu, who represented Albania. Her wails were very polarizing, but I loved them.
#37 First Aid Kit "Emmylou" (779 points)
This Swedish duo surprised me this year with The Lion's Roar, a great folk/country album. It's pretty amazing that they wrote all the songs themselves, cause the lyrics and melodies are really good and they're so young still.
#36 Ayumi Hamasaki "Missing" (779 points)
Although J-Pop empress Ayumi Hamasaki peaked long ago, she is still releasing music and occasionally there's another gem. "Missing" is one of those gems.
#35 Nogizaka46 "Oide Shampoo" (785 points)
One of the catchiest songs by a J-Pop idol group.
#34 Rihanna ft. Chris Brown "Nobody's Business" (786 points)
Although the idea of this collaboration is quite disgusting, I couldn't deny that the end product is pretty damn amazing. Unapologetic is Rihanna's best album yet and this jam is one of the best songs on it. It's by far the best thing Chris has done in his career.
#33 Solange "Losing You" (796 points)
Solange stepped out of her sister's shadow for good by releasing True, an EP that is far better than any Beyoncé or Destiny's Child album. "Losing You" is brilliant.
#32 Arisa "La Notte" (806 points)
This was a big hit in Italy. I'm glad there are still countries that appreciate such gorgeous music.
#31 Ke$ha "Die Young" (820 points)
Ke$ha's Warrior disappointed me at first, but it's really grown on me and I appreciate every song now. "Die Young" remains the album's highlight, her best song to date.
#30 Ga-In "Irreversible" (874 points)
A really awesome tango influenced jam from K-Pop singer Ga-In, who is a member of the group Brown Eyed Girls.
#29 BoA "Only One" (906 points)
The second best K-Pop song this year, "Only One" is the sound BoA should've brought when she tried to make it in the western world.
#28 Marco Carta "Necessità Lunatica" (908 points)
Listened to this when it hit #1 on iTunes Italy, and instantly loved it. The guy has an awesome voice. Unfortunately the Italian media seem to be working against him, cause he never had any significant airplay.
#27 Eros Ramazzotti "Un Angelo Disteso Al Sole" (916 points)
Eros Ramazzotti returned with album Noi, much better than the previous one. I loved first single "Un Angelo Disteso Al Sole" instantly, it might be his best song ever.
#26 Adam Lambert "Runnin'" (923 points)
Adam's the best technical singer in pop music, and songs like these prove it. It's another bonus track, but better than anything else he has recorded (other than his studio version of "Mad World").
#25 Ellie Goulding "My Blood" (929 points)
To me this was the most instant song on Halcyon, but I don't think it has the longevity of some of the others. Still amazing though.
#24 Utada Hikaru "Sakura Nagashi" (930 points)
My second favorite artist, Utada Hikaru, returned from her hiatus to bring us the beautiful "Sakura Nagashi", theme song for the third Evangelion movie. Another stunning song, she showed that the gift has not left her. But unfortunately, it's unknown when she will return with a proper new single.
#23 Alan "Yi Ai Xiang Yi" (960 points)
The best track on Alan's album Love Song, her voice is just awesome on this one.
#22 Ellie Goulding "Anything Could Happen" (964 points)
Ellie's highest charting song is, predictably, "Anything Could Happen". While I don't think it's the best song on Halcyon, it had the benefit of being the first single, and it does still sound very fresh. I also adore its music video.
#21 Kris Allen "The Vision Of Love" (1017 points)
A lot higher than it should be, but I was so eager for his new stuff that I played this first single a lot. I think the song itself has all the potential in the world, but the production is way too basic, and that prevented it from becoming a hit.
#20 Carmen Consoli "Guarda L'Alba" (1023 points)
This is an older song (from 2010) that I got into when I started translating all the songs that Tiziano has written. It couldn't really hold my attention back when I first heard it, but this year I was totally enchanted by it. The lyrics and music are amazing and Carmen's voice is great for the song.
#19 AKB48 "Gingham Check" (1023 points)
AKB48 is best known for selling a million physical copies of a single whenever they release a new one, but there's some quality music there too. They already had "Beginner" and "Heavy Rotation", and this year they added "UZA" and "Gingham Check" to their list of great songs. This song in particular, along with the video directed by Joseph Kahn, is a masterpiece of J-Pop.
#18 Rihanna "Diamonds" (1025 points)
Another year, another great first single by Rihanna. I had to laugh when I first read the "Diamonds" lyrics, and I still think they're dumb and cheesy. But somehow Rihanna makes it work. People rip on her voice, but many artists have covered this song and Rihanna's version still shines the brightest, like a diamond.
#17 Kyary Pamyu Pamyu "Fashion Monster" (1075 points)
When Kyary Pamyu Pamyu first debuted with the song "PonPonPon", it seemed obvious that she would be a one hit wonder. A year and a half later, her star is still rising. "Fashion Monster" has some obvious Lady Gaga influences, but the song is still very much Kyary, and it's very awesome. The video is fantastic too.
#16 Lana Del Rey "Off To The Races" (1097 points)
This is the second best song on Born To Die. The lyrics are very interesting and Lana's vocal delivery is also more lively and melodic than in most of her other songs. No idea why this never became a single, to me it was the obvious choice.
#15 Cassie "King Of Hearts" (1098 points)
Another completely undeserved flop this year was Cassie, whose "King Of Hearts" was the best song released to American radio this year. Hypnotic, intriguing, mesmerizing, enchanting, all words that accurately define this excellent song. It's apparent that Cassie will never be a popular artist again, because even this song couldn't bring her back.
#14 Lana Del Rey "Million Dollar Man" (1165 points)
This is Lana's best song, incredibly haunting and gorgeous. "You look like a million dollar man, so why is my heart broke?" is probably my favorite lyric of hers. Loved this right from the start and it's still as amazing as ever.
#13 Michel Teló "Ai Se Eu Te Pego" (1261 points)
I'm a sucker for summer hits like "Macarena", "Asereje" and "Dragostea Din Tei" so of course I also loved "Ai Se Eu Te Pego". Really catchy, fun and addictive. And Michel has a nice voice too.
#12 Kris Allen ft. Meiko "Loves Me Not" (1582 points)
This duet is the best song on Thank You Camellia, it's a perfect and pleasant pop jam that should've dominated the airwaves. But it wasn't meant to be. Hopefully we'll one day hear from Kris again, he'll always be my favorite Idol winner.
#11 2NE1 "I Love You" (1783 points)
Even though "Gangnam Style" is great, the real Korean smash was delivered by girl group 2NE1. "I Love You" is their best song yet, it definitely stands out with its nonstandard structure and sound. One of the few songs where the verses are clearly better than the chorus.
#10 Jovanotti "Tensione Evolutiva" (1815 points)
This year I followed Italian music more closely than ever, and so I also listened to more by Jovanotti, a legend that I had previously ignored. His "Tensione Evolutiva" caught my attention because the YouTube still of the lyric video looked cool. Needless to say the song blew me away.
#9 Wynter Gordon "Stimela" (1897 points)
Doleo's crown jewel is "Stimela", an amazing song that features a chorus sung in Zulu. This tribal, R&B, new age ballad was the sound of my summer.
#8 Miguel Bosé & Ximena Sariñana "Aire Soy" (1973 points)
Miguel Bosé released another album of duets this year, called Papitwo. I checked it out because he'd done a song with Tiziano. But it was first single "Aire Soy" with Ximena Sariñana that stood out most. A very calm, relaxing, beautiful song, it was a huge hit in Mexico, and it's a song I'll never get tired of.
#7 Tiziano Ferro "Troppo Buono" (2313 points)
Fifth single from his masterpiece album L'Amore È Una Cosa Semplice. The music video shows footage from his stadium concert in Rome for 50,000 people. It's pretty sad that it's this album's best video. The song speaks of having been "too good" for a significant other and being bitter after a relationship. He says it's his only song that comes from a place of anger.
#6 Tiziano Ferro "Hai Delle Isole Negli Occhi" (3159 points)
This is the album's opener and it took a few weeks to grow on me. It's not really a pop song, more old school soul, jazz, R&B. I was pissed when he chose it as the album's third single and it did take a lot of momentum out of the era like I expected. Still, it was a decent hit, and I do love the song a lot now, so it's okay.
#5 Tiziano Ferro "L'Amore È Una Cosa Semplice" (3807 points)
The album's anthem, it's the song that got the biggest international push, with duet versions released in Germany and Spain. Unfortunately both duets flopped. A month ago the song was released in Italy as the sixth and last single of the album, and there it's finally getting the love it deserves.
#4 Tiziano Ferro "L'Ultima Notte Al Mondo" (4873 points)
The second single from the album was this beautiful, subdued ballad. The snowy video, shot in Austria, was probably the most high budget video for the album, but the ugly CGI wasn't worth the expense.
#3 Tiziano Ferro "La Fine" (4898 points)
Tiziano's only album track that made my year end countdown. "La Fine" is a cover of a rap song by Nesli that he feels describes his past life perfectly. I think it's absolutely stunning what he did with the song, truly one of the best songs ever.
#2 Tiziano Ferro "Per Dirti Ciao!" (8851 points)
Vocally this might be his most impressive song. This is real singing. He wrote this song after reading a letter sent to him by a young widow, who told him that his music had always been the soundtrack of her life with her late husband. "Per Dirti Ciao!" is about dealing with a loved one's death and wishing to reunite with them in the afterlife. It was released as the fourth single of the album and was a big success. It's my third favorite Tiziano song after "Ed Ero Contentissimo" and of course, the number one...
#1 Tiziano Ferro "La Differenza Tra Me E Te" (12585 points)
It was already my #1 of 2011, so this comes as no surprise. The song spent 40 weeks at #1 on my personal chart and is still in the top 3. I've played the mp3 3400 times and that doesn't even count the youtube plays, the Spanish version of the song and the swing versions. It's my life's anthem, my favorite song ever, the most precious piece of music in my collection. It switched my stan lever on and I don't think it will ever be turned off.
And that concludes this year's list. See you in 2013!
#100 Katy Perry "Part Of Me" (285 points)
This is actually my favorite Katy Perry song.
#99 Grimes "Genesis" (285 points)
She's pretty awesome. The whole album is nice.
#98 Janina Gavankar "Waiting For Godot" (285 points)
This is my current favorite song. Expect it to be much higher in 2013.
#97 Shakira "Je L'Aime À Mourir" (290 points)
Such a gorgeous song. She sounds great in French.
#96 Chris Brown ft. Rihanna "Turn Up The Music" (293 points)
I quite like the remix. Can't help it!
#95 Nina Zilli "L'Amore È Femmina" (299 points)
Italian Eurovision entry this year. Unfortunately she chose to sing the half English version, which is much worse than the Italian original.
#94 Gotye "State Of The Art" (303 points)
I think this is Gotye's best song. Very cool vibe and lyrics.
#93 Frank Ocean "Swim Good" (303 points)
Better than anything on Channel Orange.
#92 Momoiro Clover Z "Saraba, Itoshiki Kanashimitachi yo" (303 points)
A great Japanese girl group, they are very original both with their image and sound. The future of J-Pop.
#91 Amy Macdonald "The Furthest Star" (319 points)
Amy Macdonald's album Life In A Beautiful Light was one of the highlights of the year. This is one of the best songs on it.
#90 Alicia Keys ft. Nicki Minaj "Girl On Fire" (322 points)
Nice song, but the album was disappointing overall.
#89 Mika Nakashima "Ashita Sekai ga Owaru Nara" (333 points)
Mika's prettiest song in years.
#88 Emeli Sandé "Next To Me" (335 points)
She really annoys me now, but I liked her album a lot for a while.
#87 Adam Lambert "Outlaws Of Love" (339 points)
Awesome LGBT anthem. What a shame that Trespassing flopped.
#86 Emma Marrone "Cercavo Amore" (339 points)
I got into Italian music more than ever this year. This was another great gem.
#85 Nicki Minaj "Starships" (342 points)
Couldn't really escape this song, but that's fine. It's very good.
#84 P!nk "Try" (346 points)
I'm desperate for her to do something different, but her formula still works, as this song shows.
#83 Perfume "Hurly Burly" (349 points)
This song's production is out of this world.
#82 Morning Musume "Renai Hunter" (350 points)
Morning Musume replaced all their members with 12-year-old girls, but they're still good.
#81 Phillip Phillips "Home" (352 points)
This song is really good and doesn't ever seem to get old. Better than any Mumford & Sons song. Wish Kris Allen had also found success like this though.
#80 Amy Macdonald "Left That Body Long Ago" (355 points)
Sad and haunting song about Alzheimer's disease. Quite stunning.
#79 Asaf Avidan & The Mojos "One Day / Reckoning Song (Wankelmut Remix)" (371 points)
Massive hit in Europe. Really great and catchy, even if repetitive.
#78 Gusttavo Lima "Balada" (380 points)
Not as good as "Ai Se Eu Te Pego", but this was another great Brazilian smash.
#77 Loreen "My Heart Is Refusing Me" (389 points)
One of my main discoveries this year. Loreen won the Eurovision Song Contest and released her stunning album Heal.
#76 Nelly Furtado "Spirit Indestructible" (391 points)
Bizarre how this era completely collapsed. This was a great song, especially with the lyric video of the guy climbing Mount Kilimanjaro.
#75 Matt Cardle "Anyone Else" (394 points)
He beat One Direction on X-Factor and his music is also much, much better. This catchy pop rock song should be smashing worldwide.
#74 OneRepublic "Feel Again" (409 points)
Not quite as good as their past efforts but another solid song. Look for their upcoming single "If I Lose Myself" on my 2013 chart.
#73 Perfume "Spending All My Time" (413 points)
A really fun song that doesn't quite live up to their great songs of the past like "Dream Fighter" and "Laser Beam".
#72 Owl City & Carly Rae Jepsen "Good Time" (413 points)
Nothing too remarkable about this one, just a fun duet. Better than "Call Me Maybe".
#71 No Doubt "Looking Hot" (415 points)
They really did not deserve to flop. The second and third single were really strong. But nothing really went right for them this time around.
#70 Ellie Goulding "Figure 8" (420 points)
I am not going to list my favorite albums of the year, but Halcyon would've been near the top. Awesome album, and this song is one of the best on it.
#69 Baby K "Sparami" (420 points)
Italian rapper Baby K is unknown even in Italy, but I got to know her because Tiziano is producing and co-writing most of her album that will be released next year. He had no involvement with this song, but it's still very good. Looking forward to their duet!
#68 SKE48 "Aishiteraburu!" (424 points)
Japanese idol groups are an acquired taste. I love them though!
#67 Lana Del Rey "Born To Die" (431 points)
The Born To Die album would've also been near the top of my list, if not at #1. Lana has four more songs on the list.
#66 Khia "For Real" (433 points)
My love for Khia is no secret, and this year she did not disappoint with her half hip hop, half R&B album MotorMouf aka Khia Shamone, probably her most solid album yet.
#65 David Guetta ft. Sia "She Wolf (Falling To Pieces)" (451 points)
I think this is way better than "Titanium", so of course it didn't do nearly as well commercially.
#64 The Wanted "Chasing The Sun" (457 points)
Boybands aren't what they used to be (they got a lot worse) but this song was still catchy as hell.
#63 Lecca "Jammin' The Empire" (476 points)
Japanese pop/reggae singer Lecca is often called the "Japanese Shakira" due to the sound of her voice, but she definitely has her own style. She released two albums this year, and songs from the most recent one ZOOLANDER will no doubt make an appearance on next year's chart.
#62 Christina Aguilera "Your Body" (477 points)
The explicit version of this song is so much better. I still haven't listened to Lotus in full, because the few songs I heard weren't very good.
#61 The Temper Trap "Trembling Hands" (480 points)
Don't know much about this Australian band, but this song caught my ear and stayed with me for quite some time. It's really good.
#60 Kylie Minogue "Finer Feelings" (483 points)
Kylie made orchestral versions of her old classics on The Abbey Road Sessions. I think the transformation worked for most of them. This one is really good.
#59 Lecca "Right Direction" (488 points)
One of Lecca's best songs. Also made the top 100 last year.
#58 Amy Macdonald "Across The Nile" (501 points)
This song's lyrics have always bothered me, because I don't think the Arab Spring in Egypt was a positive turn for the country. But the song itself is amazing.
#57 Kelly Clarkson "Stronger (What Doesn't Kill You)" (506 points)
A little surprised this is that high, as I'm really tired of this song. But it was really good for a while.
#56 Lana Del Rey "Summertime Sadness" (532 points)
Another gorgeous Lana song. There are no bad songs on Born To Die.
#55 Momoiro Clover Z "Moretsu Uchu Kokyokyoku Dai 7 Gakusho “Mugen no Ai”" (535 points)
The title means "Furious Space Symphony, 7th Movement 'Infinite Love'", which is an accurate description of the song and the video. The video is definitely my favorite of the year.
#54 Drake ft. Rihanna "Take Care" (538 points)
Love how mellow this song is. One of the few Drake songs where his voice isn't annoying.
#53 Vincent Did It "So You're Alive" (549 points)
Frankmusik went through a bit of an identity crisis and was known as Vincent Did It for a while. During that time he released one of his best songs, "So You're Alive".
#52 Lana Del Rey "Gods And Monsters" (552 points)
And yet another Lana song. I wasn't too fond of the Paradise EP at first, but it has really grown on me. This remains the best song on it.
#51 Michel Teló "Vida Bela Vida" (561 points)
I liked "Ai Se Eu Te Pego" so much that I checked out more of his music, and ballad "Vida Bela Vida" was the only worthwhile thing I found. It's beautiful.
#50 Khia "Half On A Room" (596 points)
Khia showed her R&B side on MotorMouf Aka Khia Shamone and did so impressively. This is a great and sexy jam and Khia proves she is also a great singer.
#49 Ellie Goulding "Only You" (603 points)
Another excellent song on Ellie's masterpiece Halcyon. Two more are on their way.
#48 Kris Allen "Monster" (623 points)
It's sad what happened to Kris Allen's career. Both his self-titled debut album and this year's Thank You Camellia had a lot of hit potential, but single choices killed both albums. "Monster" is awesome.
#47 deleted Alborán ft. Carminho "Perdóname" (646 points)
Spanish singer deleted Alborán is dominating the Spanish charts, and it's well deserved. His tone of voice is really beautiful and soothing. This duet with Portuguese fado singer Carminho is the highlight of his career so far.
#46 Adam Lambert "Nirvana" (653 points)
Adam Lambert delivered another great album this year, Trespassing. This one wasn't just a victim of poor single choices, another glaring mistake was that bonus tracks like "Nirvana" were better than most album tracks.
#45 Loreen "Breaking Robot" (655 points)
We find Loreen's highest ranking song at a lowly #45, but that's because her amazing album Heal is relatively recent for me, and it doesn't have a track that stands far above the rest. "Breaking Robot" is definitely the highlight though.
#44 Rihanna "Where Have You Been" (661 points)
The first of four Rihanna songs is at #44. "Where Have You Been" is one of her best singles yet, and the video was cool too. This song was #39 on my 2011 year-end chart.
#43 Alan "Phoenix" (679 points)
Tibetan singer Alan Dawa Dolma was better when she sang J-Pop, but the Chinese album she released this year was surprisingly good as well. I do miss the Tibetan wails that used to be her trademark.
#42 Rihanna ft. Mikky Ekko "Stay" (683 points)
One of the best ballads she has ever released, I expect this to be a worldwide smash in 2013.
#41 Wynter Gordon "Don't Waste Your Time" (704 points)
I'd say the most important musical discovery for me this year was Wynter Gordon. Her EP Doleo is brilliant. This is one of the best songs on it.
#40 PSY "Gangnam Style" (731 points)
Finally it happened, an Asian pop song went global. I never could've imagined that an Asian language song would sell millions even in the US, but it happened. I think "Gangnam Style" is the biggest global hit that I've seen in my lifetime, and since I'm pretty old, it might just be the biggest global hit ever.
#39 Wynter Gordon "No Hush" (743 points)
More beauty from Doleo. This song puts me in a trance.
#38 Rona Nishliu "Suus" (769 points)
The Eurovision highlight for me this year was Rona Nishliu, who represented Albania. Her wails were very polarizing, but I loved them.
#37 First Aid Kit "Emmylou" (779 points)
This Swedish duo surprised me this year with The Lion's Roar, a great folk/country album. It's pretty amazing that they wrote all the songs themselves, cause the lyrics and melodies are really good and they're so young still.
#36 Ayumi Hamasaki "Missing" (779 points)
Although J-Pop empress Ayumi Hamasaki peaked long ago, she is still releasing music and occasionally there's another gem. "Missing" is one of those gems.
#35 Nogizaka46 "Oide Shampoo" (785 points)
One of the catchiest songs by a J-Pop idol group.
#34 Rihanna ft. Chris Brown "Nobody's Business" (786 points)
Although the idea of this collaboration is quite disgusting, I couldn't deny that the end product is pretty damn amazing. Unapologetic is Rihanna's best album yet and this jam is one of the best songs on it. It's by far the best thing Chris has done in his career.
#33 Solange "Losing You" (796 points)
Solange stepped out of her sister's shadow for good by releasing True, an EP that is far better than any Beyoncé or Destiny's Child album. "Losing You" is brilliant.
#32 Arisa "La Notte" (806 points)
This was a big hit in Italy. I'm glad there are still countries that appreciate such gorgeous music.
#31 Ke$ha "Die Young" (820 points)
Ke$ha's Warrior disappointed me at first, but it's really grown on me and I appreciate every song now. "Die Young" remains the album's highlight, her best song to date.
#30 Ga-In "Irreversible" (874 points)
A really awesome tango influenced jam from K-Pop singer Ga-In, who is a member of the group Brown Eyed Girls.
#29 BoA "Only One" (906 points)
The second best K-Pop song this year, "Only One" is the sound BoA should've brought when she tried to make it in the western world.
#28 Marco Carta "Necessità Lunatica" (908 points)
Listened to this when it hit #1 on iTunes Italy, and instantly loved it. The guy has an awesome voice. Unfortunately the Italian media seem to be working against him, cause he never had any significant airplay.
#27 Eros Ramazzotti "Un Angelo Disteso Al Sole" (916 points)
Eros Ramazzotti returned with album Noi, much better than the previous one. I loved first single "Un Angelo Disteso Al Sole" instantly, it might be his best song ever.
#26 Adam Lambert "Runnin'" (923 points)
Adam's the best technical singer in pop music, and songs like these prove it. It's another bonus track, but better than anything else he has recorded (other than his studio version of "Mad World").
#25 Ellie Goulding "My Blood" (929 points)
To me this was the most instant song on Halcyon, but I don't think it has the longevity of some of the others. Still amazing though.
#24 Utada Hikaru "Sakura Nagashi" (930 points)
My second favorite artist, Utada Hikaru, returned from her hiatus to bring us the beautiful "Sakura Nagashi", theme song for the third Evangelion movie. Another stunning song, she showed that the gift has not left her. But unfortunately, it's unknown when she will return with a proper new single.
#23 Alan "Yi Ai Xiang Yi" (960 points)
The best track on Alan's album Love Song, her voice is just awesome on this one.
#22 Ellie Goulding "Anything Could Happen" (964 points)
Ellie's highest charting song is, predictably, "Anything Could Happen". While I don't think it's the best song on Halcyon, it had the benefit of being the first single, and it does still sound very fresh. I also adore its music video.
#21 Kris Allen "The Vision Of Love" (1017 points)
A lot higher than it should be, but I was so eager for his new stuff that I played this first single a lot. I think the song itself has all the potential in the world, but the production is way too basic, and that prevented it from becoming a hit.
#20 Carmen Consoli "Guarda L'Alba" (1023 points)
This is an older song (from 2010) that I got into when I started translating all the songs that Tiziano has written. It couldn't really hold my attention back when I first heard it, but this year I was totally enchanted by it. The lyrics and music are amazing and Carmen's voice is great for the song.
#19 AKB48 "Gingham Check" (1023 points)
AKB48 is best known for selling a million physical copies of a single whenever they release a new one, but there's some quality music there too. They already had "Beginner" and "Heavy Rotation", and this year they added "UZA" and "Gingham Check" to their list of great songs. This song in particular, along with the video directed by Joseph Kahn, is a masterpiece of J-Pop.
#18 Rihanna "Diamonds" (1025 points)
Another year, another great first single by Rihanna. I had to laugh when I first read the "Diamonds" lyrics, and I still think they're dumb and cheesy. But somehow Rihanna makes it work. People rip on her voice, but many artists have covered this song and Rihanna's version still shines the brightest, like a diamond.
#17 Kyary Pamyu Pamyu "Fashion Monster" (1075 points)
When Kyary Pamyu Pamyu first debuted with the song "PonPonPon", it seemed obvious that she would be a one hit wonder. A year and a half later, her star is still rising. "Fashion Monster" has some obvious Lady Gaga influences, but the song is still very much Kyary, and it's very awesome. The video is fantastic too.
#16 Lana Del Rey "Off To The Races" (1097 points)
This is the second best song on Born To Die. The lyrics are very interesting and Lana's vocal delivery is also more lively and melodic than in most of her other songs. No idea why this never became a single, to me it was the obvious choice.
#15 Cassie "King Of Hearts" (1098 points)
Another completely undeserved flop this year was Cassie, whose "King Of Hearts" was the best song released to American radio this year. Hypnotic, intriguing, mesmerizing, enchanting, all words that accurately define this excellent song. It's apparent that Cassie will never be a popular artist again, because even this song couldn't bring her back.
#14 Lana Del Rey "Million Dollar Man" (1165 points)
This is Lana's best song, incredibly haunting and gorgeous. "You look like a million dollar man, so why is my heart broke?" is probably my favorite lyric of hers. Loved this right from the start and it's still as amazing as ever.
#13 Michel Teló "Ai Se Eu Te Pego" (1261 points)
I'm a sucker for summer hits like "Macarena", "Asereje" and "Dragostea Din Tei" so of course I also loved "Ai Se Eu Te Pego". Really catchy, fun and addictive. And Michel has a nice voice too.
#12 Kris Allen ft. Meiko "Loves Me Not" (1582 points)
This duet is the best song on Thank You Camellia, it's a perfect and pleasant pop jam that should've dominated the airwaves. But it wasn't meant to be. Hopefully we'll one day hear from Kris again, he'll always be my favorite Idol winner.
#11 2NE1 "I Love You" (1783 points)
Even though "Gangnam Style" is great, the real Korean smash was delivered by girl group 2NE1. "I Love You" is their best song yet, it definitely stands out with its nonstandard structure and sound. One of the few songs where the verses are clearly better than the chorus.
#10 Jovanotti "Tensione Evolutiva" (1815 points)
This year I followed Italian music more closely than ever, and so I also listened to more by Jovanotti, a legend that I had previously ignored. His "Tensione Evolutiva" caught my attention because the YouTube still of the lyric video looked cool. Needless to say the song blew me away.
#9 Wynter Gordon "Stimela" (1897 points)
Doleo's crown jewel is "Stimela", an amazing song that features a chorus sung in Zulu. This tribal, R&B, new age ballad was the sound of my summer.
#8 Miguel Bosé & Ximena Sariñana "Aire Soy" (1973 points)
Miguel Bosé released another album of duets this year, called Papitwo. I checked it out because he'd done a song with Tiziano. But it was first single "Aire Soy" with Ximena Sariñana that stood out most. A very calm, relaxing, beautiful song, it was a huge hit in Mexico, and it's a song I'll never get tired of.
#7 Tiziano Ferro "Troppo Buono" (2313 points)
Fifth single from his masterpiece album L'Amore È Una Cosa Semplice. The music video shows footage from his stadium concert in Rome for 50,000 people. It's pretty sad that it's this album's best video. The song speaks of having been "too good" for a significant other and being bitter after a relationship. He says it's his only song that comes from a place of anger.
#6 Tiziano Ferro "Hai Delle Isole Negli Occhi" (3159 points)
This is the album's opener and it took a few weeks to grow on me. It's not really a pop song, more old school soul, jazz, R&B. I was pissed when he chose it as the album's third single and it did take a lot of momentum out of the era like I expected. Still, it was a decent hit, and I do love the song a lot now, so it's okay.
#5 Tiziano Ferro "L'Amore È Una Cosa Semplice" (3807 points)
The album's anthem, it's the song that got the biggest international push, with duet versions released in Germany and Spain. Unfortunately both duets flopped. A month ago the song was released in Italy as the sixth and last single of the album, and there it's finally getting the love it deserves.
#4 Tiziano Ferro "L'Ultima Notte Al Mondo" (4873 points)
The second single from the album was this beautiful, subdued ballad. The snowy video, shot in Austria, was probably the most high budget video for the album, but the ugly CGI wasn't worth the expense.
#3 Tiziano Ferro "La Fine" (4898 points)
Tiziano's only album track that made my year end countdown. "La Fine" is a cover of a rap song by Nesli that he feels describes his past life perfectly. I think it's absolutely stunning what he did with the song, truly one of the best songs ever.
#2 Tiziano Ferro "Per Dirti Ciao!" (8851 points)
Vocally this might be his most impressive song. This is real singing. He wrote this song after reading a letter sent to him by a young widow, who told him that his music had always been the soundtrack of her life with her late husband. "Per Dirti Ciao!" is about dealing with a loved one's death and wishing to reunite with them in the afterlife. It was released as the fourth single of the album and was a big success. It's my third favorite Tiziano song after "Ed Ero Contentissimo" and of course, the number one...
#1 Tiziano Ferro "La Differenza Tra Me E Te" (12585 points)
It was already my #1 of 2011, so this comes as no surprise. The song spent 40 weeks at #1 on my personal chart and is still in the top 3. I've played the mp3 3400 times and that doesn't even count the youtube plays, the Spanish version of the song and the swing versions. It's my life's anthem, my favorite song ever, the most precious piece of music in my collection. It switched my stan lever on and I don't think it will ever be turned off.
And that concludes this year's list. See you in 2013!
lol
) but it's really pretty! I downloaded several of her albums but they've been way overlooked with all the releases the past few months.
