#1 Martin Stenmarck, "100 År Från Nu (Blundar) [Bassflow Remix]"

(The low quality video below is the unremixed version; there is a video with the sound for the remix--which did get substantial radioplay and therefore qualifies for the countdown--on YouTube but it's just attached to a photo and, since you can listen to it via a link near the bottom of the post, I thought I'd embed something else instead.)



Jag köpte drömmen om ett vackrare liv
När du låg bredvid

Bassflow are (well, is, maybe more accurate, I think) steadily becoming one of my favorite producers. They transformed "7milakliv," Martin Stenmarck's megahit from 2006, into a total anthem, and they worked their magic again with the lead single from Martin's latest album. Once again, they took a big dramatic piano-led rock ballad (though one that was admittedly already great) and amped it up everywhere it needed to be amped up, adding stronger backing vocals, picking up the tempo and giving the song more of a racing feel, and throwing in electronic touches, all of which serves to make Martin's powerful delivery of the chorus lines even more memorable and harder-hitting (and make the verses much catchier and more memorable). The climax of the song--like the climax of their remix of "7milakliv"--is a radiant soaring anthemic moment; the way Martin sings "Jag blundar/Och håller andan lite till..." with the backing vocals (2:52) and the almost spit out lines "och jag vet att 100 år från nu" in tandem with that backing music (3:06) are quite possibly my two favorite bits of music this year. In fact, if you were to ask me what moment in music most stuck with me this year, what moment just thinking about it without even hearing it can get me excited about the whole concept of music, it would be that latter one.

I adore Martin Stenmarck. I adore (in recent times) Bassflow. Together, they are a match made in heaven, Bassflow knowing exactly how to rework rock music to make it exactly what it should have been in the first place; he gives the songs whole new levels of energy and power. The fact that all of Martin's singles these days seem to get the treatment (latest single "Rubb och stubb" has as well), at least for Rix FM's sake, is one of the things most worth getting excited about in music today.

100 År Från Nu (Blundar) [Bassflow Remix]

Find it on: Det är det pojkar gör när kärleken dör

#2 Shayne Ward, "No U Hang Up"

A lot of girls are sexy
But you know how to use it
You can keep me
Up on the phone all night
We say let's hang up on three
But we don’t ever do it
Ain't it crazy
How after all this time
We got that you hang
No, you hang up kinda love

From the moment I first heard (via YouTube) a live performance of this song, I was completely sold. Shayne Ward and I have had somewhat of an up-and-down relationship throughout the year, though.

• I was super excited for his lead single.
• At first listen, "If That's OK With You" was kind of a letdown--I'd expected a big club banger type of song.
• However, I pretty quickly found myself liking it and fighting the urge to defend it against all the people criticizing it.
• I eventually sort of stopped playing it, though, though the Moto Blanco remix did give it some life.
• I LOVED LOVED LOVED "No U Hang Up" from first listen, even in shady YouTube live performance quality and then radio rip quality--that's never changed.
• I liked "Breathless" at first...
• ...but soon found myself not thinking very much of it at all.
  
• I thought the album was a disappointment at first--it felt throwaway to me, just kind of chintzy, with almost nothing compelling me to listen to it.
• Via Paul's recommendation, I gave it another try and completely changed my opinion on it--a bunch of really solid pop songs.
• However, as time passed, I really didn't listen to it that much--surely that's not a good sign? Every time I did, I thought it was good, there wasn't anything bad (well, "Breathless" still isn't great, but it's not an awful song either), and I wondered why I didn't listen to it more often, but then I would promptly not listen to it again for ages. I had kind of a similar relationship with Jesse McCartney's last album, which I eventually totally came around to in about a year and a half. I'm pretty positive that at some point I'll really give the album a fair shake and I'll adore it, but until then, at least I've got "Damaged."

Anyway, "No U Hang Up" is a slickly produced smoochy kind of mid-tempo pop song with a groove that's pretty irresistible, a lovely little harp-like keyboard (I'm guessing) bit that you can hear at the end, little fluttery effects scattered throughout the song, and lyrics that could be too ridiculous or meet-cute-type sickly sweet for some people, but I adore them, kind of in a find-them-hilarious way, but that doesn't mean I'm not constantly fighting the urge to quote them. I love it. And that's enough.

Find it on: Breathless

I thought I'd let you know

Before we go onto the top two, I wanted to take a moment to list some non-singles released in 2007 that I was introduced to by other blogs and absolutely adore. As non-singles, they weren't eligible for my top 40 countdown, but to let the year end without giving them special mention and the blogs who introduced me to them special thanks would be criminal.

Take That, "We Love To Entertain You" via You Don't Know Pop
Quite possibly my favorite song of the whole year. See Troy's original post on the song and its (very deserved!) ranking in his year end countdown.

Miley Cyrus, "See You Again" via Into The Groove
Yes, this song is (amazingly and thankfully!) getting radio play but, from what I've read, it doesn't sound like Disney has actually serviced this out to radios as a single...as a result, I didn't count it as eligible for my year end countdown, but rest assured it would have finished very highly in it, if it was.

Keke Palmer, "Bottoms Up" via Don't Stop The Pop
I actually liked her song "Tonight" for the Night At The Museum soundtrack enough to post it at one point, but I never guessed she'd give us a song as great as this on her actual album. A little electro, a little R&B, and very very pop, "Bottoms Up" is so much fun, and not just because Keke's tossing in little references to other songs; it's just incredibly infectious.

Vanessa Hudgens, "Make You Mine" via Into The Groove
This song, which Jessica described as a mix of Lilyjets and Rachel Stevens, is so much better than everything else I've ever heard from her (which is admittedly not that much). Technically from a 2006 album, but it's so good that I'm stretching the rules.

Dot Dot Dot, "Take That Away" via #1 Hits From Another Planet
They appeared on that band version of American Idol, which I watched one episode of, and I know some people hated them--I imagine their emo-type styling didn't help with that--but, though I couldn't be bothered to watch the show, the fact that Nick had already introduced me to them via this song meant I think very positively of them. "Take That Away" is nothing less than perfect synth-pop.

Jordin Sparks, "One Step At A Time" via Chart Rigger
Like Ne-Yo's best songs, but not written by him or StarGate.

Jim, "Fenomeen" via PopSound
Where are you, Popsound? Come back (at least the template as changed, so I still hold out hope)! The fact that this catchy upbeat pop-rock song was never a single is one of the biggest losses of the year; it's got "radio friendly" written all over it.

Andermay, "Entre tú y yo" via Don't Stop The Pop
Yes, it's from a 2003 album, but I somehow spent most of the year under the impression that it was from their 2007 album, so it makes the list. Gorgeously happy, catchy, and poppy, "Entre tú y yo" ends with the female singer dissolving into giggles, and that couldn't be more appropriate, since that's exactly how this song makes me feel.

Sophie Ellis-Bextor, "If You Go" via XO's Middle Eight/Into The Groove
Brilliant. Magical. Timeless.

There were also some fantastic singles I was introduced to by blogs throughout the year that just barely missed out on my actual countdown (some of which, in retrospect, should have made the cut).

(Note that songs like Darren Hayes's "Casey" are not on this list because they'll be eligible for the singles of 2008 list.)

Also in terms of year end song wrap-up, I'd like to mention Laakso, who released a fantastic album but also frustrated me by not releasing one of the most instant and best songs of the year as a single. "Norrköping" is perfect.

Finally, though it will not be taking one of the top two slots, had I started this countdown at the actual end of December, Daughtry's "Over You" would without doubt be on it. I always liked the song and found it to be a huge improvement on his first two singles, but as the month passed and I heard it on the radio again and again, I realized it could have theoretically been in my top five for the year. Oops! Love love love it, though. I think it's my favorite song to sing along with in the car at this point.

#3 Linda Kiraly, "Can't Let Go"

I try my hardest to break free,
I'm so locked up and you got the key,
I'm in way too deep and I can't let, can't let, can't let,
I can't let go

Oh, how I wanted this to be a hit. And, though I knew it was unlikely, given the frequency with which my favorite songs have any real success in the U.S., part of me thought it might even really be possible--I really thought the song deserved and could maybe even possibly just maybe get Mariah Carey "We Belong Together" level success. Transitioning from that opening simple ballad structure to a drumbeat-backed epic mid-tempo near-power ballad, complete with Linda's beautiful voice, handclaps, a piano part, and a post-chorus up-and-down "can't let go-ohhh-ohhh-ohhh" that just pushes me over the edge every time, "Can't Let Go" is lush (to borrow Adem's word). The first time I heard it, back in July, I literally listened to it nonstop for something like an hour and a half, and I never do that with just one song. "Can't Let Go," which is co-written by Rodney Jerkins, never really took off at U.S. radios, though, and from the moment I saw the very cheap video for it I was pretty sure its chances were gone--it just didn't look like the label was willing to invest in pushing her. What a waste, though--it was one of those cases where all the stars in the pop universe align and you get the perfect song, perfect singer, and perfect production (yes, I'm not over the production on this song yet).

Making the song's failure to take off in the U.S. (or U.K., for that matter, though I don't think it was released there) even more frustrating was the fact that people would keep discovering the song throughout the year, one by one, bit by bit, piece by piece; though of course it's to be expected that not everyone will discover a song at once (I jump on bandwagons late all the time), the consistently positive opinions (even if not everyone loved "Can't Let Go" as much as me) and the failure of all these separate discoveries to ever coalesce into one big push for the song made me wish desperately for some sort of way to get everyone in the world to listen to the song right then. I fully expect that new people will be discovering the track throughout 2008, into 2009--I just wish we could get people to PAY ATTENTION now so the track could build some real momentum (or perhaps more accurately, since the whole world doesn't spend their time on the Internet looking for new music, that we had some big launching platform for her, something everyone would watch or listen to or some way to get the whole world to hear this song).*

Find it on: "Can't Let Go" single (only in a few countries' iTunes stores)

(Note that, for reasons that are beyond me, her management or record company or whoever originally uploaded the "radio edit with guitars" version onto iTunes, but later removed that and replaced it with the "radio edit" "without guitars" version; in my eyes, the with guitars version--it's not as if you hear the guitars and think "oh, guitars;" they're just part of the mix--is definitely better. It just sounds a lot fuller.)

*I'd be interested to know--oh, what's the term? I've forgotten it--"audience impression," or something like that--whether this song really had that low an audience impression rate at radio or what.

#4 Timbaland feat. Keri Hilson, "The Way I Are"

I don’t need the G’s or the car keys
Boy I like you just the way you are

You know how I said one of the signs of a great song was that you always stopped and listened to and sung along with it every time you heard it on the radio even if it was getting loads of play? "The Way I Are" passes that criteria with flying colors--and even more impressively so, because if "Apologize" has lost just the slightest bit of its shine through all the constant play, "The Way I Are" hasn't at all. The synth-heavy futuristic pop song with back-and-forth vocals from Timbaland and Keri Hilson is addictive, a song both perfect for dancing and just listening to. Though another song may take the title of my favorite lines of the year, "The Way I Are" has my favorite line to laughingly sing along with--I mean, how can you not love a song with "Baby if you strip, you can get a tip" in it?

If you'd told me after "Give It To Me"--which I absolutely couldn't stand--came out that two of my top ten songs of the year would come from Timbaland's album, I would never have believed you--but here they are.

Find it on: Shock Value

#5 Enrique Iglesias, "Do You Know (The Ping Pong Song)"

Do you know what it feels like
Loving someone who's in a rush to throw you away
Do you know what it feels like
To be the last one to know the lock on the door is changed

For one brief shining moment (well, several, I guess, technically), Enrique Iglesias was all I ever wanted in a popstar. Music video that never failed to make me laugh--probably my favorite of the year, in fact. A real sense of humor, especially about himself. Performances that (theoretically, since I've never seen him live) I loved (Pong!). A two episode role in How I Met Your Mother. And, most importantly, a fantastic song.

"Do You Know (The Ping Pong Song)" sits somewhat uneasily near the top of a year end list; it's the sort of song that would feel more at home tucked safely around, say, the 30-50 range. It's sort of unassuming and it doesn't, at first, second, or even thirtieth listen, seem to have that certain spark, the thing that makes you return over and over again to songs like "Be With You," "Escape," "Don't Turn Off The Lights," or "Break Me Shake Me" (well, that one just should be famous enough to be on that list). Every time the thought of moving it down the list even crept into my mind, though, something would pop in my head: my favorite lyrics of the year (see above). The melody that accompanies them. The ping pong sound effect (not part of the original concept of the song). The little rat-a-tat percussion sound. That ever so cute music being mixed with trademark Enrique "I'm so vulnerable" lyrics and the fact that that mix makes the song both more fun and more poignant (somehow, the mix of specific details and clichés is perfect). And wouldn't it be fantastic to sing along to en masse (if I'd actually had that experience, that might have been enough to push this song to #1)? In the end, "Do You Know" was one of the year's most pleasant surprises, and any song that can re-awaken your interest in the artist and prompt a whole new appreciation for and investigation into their past work while simultaneously providing something for you to enjoy in the present has to be doing something right.

Fact: "Do You Know" was co-written by Sean Garrett (Britney's "Toy Soldier," Usher's "Yeah!", among others)

Fact: Enrique has a new single, "Dónde están corazón," coming out to promote his Spanish language greatest hits, due out in March. ÚS-wise, Wikipedia, if it can be believed, says that he's filmed a video for "Push" and the song will be released with the how-many-times-can-its-name-crop-up Step Up 2 soundtrack.

Also worth a listen: Ring My Bells, one of the greatest opening tracks for an album this year, in that it is a fantastic album opener. It's a different sound for Enrique, atmospheric and attention-grabbing in a haunting way and--well, very appropriate for the Calvin Klein perfume commercial it was in. Major kudos to Savan Kotecha, Kristian Lundin, and Enrique for creating one of the most interesting-sounding songs of the year.

Find it on: Insomniac

#6 Ola, "S.O.S."

"Natalie" will not be appearing on this list--I don't listen to it that much anymore, probably because it was never the most essential cover, except in the sense that someone really needed to make a song that good a hit; the original is so good, though, that (especially since I heard it first) I'm more likely to listen to that. For me, though, what was always most exciting about Ola's version of "Natalie" was the hope that we'd get more songs in that style--the thought of a popstar doing songs in that style they'd chosen to go with for the cover was the thought of my dream popstar. In the end, the album was kind of a disappointment (though, on an interesting as well as sad note, the song "Stand By Your Side" on Shayne Ward's album was supposed to be on Ola's album but was taken from him at the last minute--don't get me wrong, Shayne does the song well and his voice is great on it, but what an awful thing to happen to you), but the second single, "S.O.S.", was anything but. "S.O.S." is the exact sort of pop song I live for. It's perfect ridiculously catchy upbeat poppy "boy pop," one of those songs that can't fail to make me smile, and I adore the lyrics. "S.O.S." reunited Tony Nilsson and Bassflow who wrote and produced (Ola's version of) "Natalie," respectively, as well as most of Ola's best songs, and makes me very excited to hear what Ola's got in store for us at Melodifestivalen, since his song "Love In Stereo" is once again co-written (like most of the best songs he's done) by Tony Nilsson.

Find it on: Good Enough (though if you don't have the album yet, it's probably worth waiting for the re-edition that's going to come out with Ola's upcoming Melodifestivalen song, "Love In Stereo," on it)

#7 Girls Aloud, "Sexy! No No No..."

I can't deny no way my d-d-dirty mind is saying
"Lover, come and get me, get me"

I'd not really appreciated Girls Aloud before this song. Sure, there were a couple of songs of theirs I liked, but I rarely ever listened even to those, and sure, when "Something Kinda Ooooh" came out I adored that, but it was with "Sexy! No No No...", the lead single for their fourth studio album, Tangled Up, that they officially won me over. From first listen, I loved it, heart and soul. It's an exciting piece of music to listen to, and not even necessarily on the "edgy production" front--it's just a racing pop song that grabs you in and pulls you along on pop-with-electro-and-dance-and-rock rollercoaster ride by sheer force of energy. It was one of those songs I never had to take a break from, that got constantly play from me throughout the entire year, and that got me interested in their back catalogue and their new album, which is one of the best albums of the year, even if it loses just a little of its must-listen-to-ness by the end. Girls Aloud are one of the greatest pop groups working today--and thank goodness for them, because pop would be a lot less fun and exciting without them.

Find it on: Tangled Up

#8 Måns Zelmerlöw, "Cara Mia"

Come closer, cara cara mia
Cara cara mia, love is all we need
I swear I'm never gonna leave you, cara cara mia
You're the one for me
When someone loves like I do
Dreams can come true
So tell me, tell me now
Oh, cara cara mia, cara cara mia
How...can you leave me now?

We're definitely into ridiculously arbitrary rankings territory by now--everything has been switched around so much that where songs come in at this point is pretty much meaningless. "Cara Mia," for example, was one of those songs that, the first time I heard it, I just could not. get. over. how good it was--I completely freaked out (add to that the other songs in that semifinal and I was a total lost cause). People in Sweden are probably sick of hearing it by now, but for me, the song still stands as truly flawless pop music. Whether you want to call it schlager or just plain pop, "Cara Mia" is just a thrilling piece of music to listen to listen to. You all have heard it enough by now to know whether or not you like it. Two things that bare mentioning/mentioning again, though:

1.) The keychange and its segue into that stop-start overhead handclappy bit is still just as push-me-over-the-edge-with-excitement as it ever was.

2.) I love the fact that though it would obviously be fantastic on the dancefloor, "Cara Mia" is a song that would be just as easy to sob through as dance through. That probably sounds melodramatic, I know, but somehow the desperation here manages to come off as more than a matter of pure lust. It's a real anthem, for multiple uses and moods.

Find it on: Stand By For...

#9 Timbaland feat. OneRepublic, "Apologize"

And you say
Sorry like the angel heaven let me think was you

One of the signs of a truly great song? When it's on the radio every fifteen minutes and yet every time you hear it while flipping around between stations, you always--always, always, without fail--stop on it and sing along. It is true that had "Apologize" not been played quite so much in the U.S. it might have achieved a higher ranking on this chart, but still, even after hearing it so many times, I don't think I can fully get across how much I love it. While it definitely should be credited to OneRepublic feat. Timbaland, not vice-versa, Timbaland's much-maligned contribution to this ballad ("all he did was throw in a drum machine beat and say 'eh eh eh' in the background!") is vitally important to my love of this song; the original version of "Apologize" would have been lucky to get played more than a few times by me--there are just so many songs with a similar feel to them, and the original really didn't stand out that much to me. People underrate the importance of a basic handclap/stomp type beat and some heard-from-a-distance "eh eh eh"'s--here, as borrowed from Nelly Furtado's hopefully-a-classic "Say It Right," they add a real poignancy and power to the song, as well as just that little bit of needed dynamism, the feeling that the song--even if not couple in the song--is moving forward.

I don't think I'll ever tire of hearing "Apologize" on the radio. In the end, that's probably the absolute highest praise I can offer for a song.

(Much credit to J'ason D'luv for originally introducing me to the song.)

Find it on: Shock Value

#10 Velvet, "Fix Me"

Suddenly I'm only longing for the hot stuff
Something inside me tells me this is real
Now I've got the vibe tell me that's the same way you feel for me

This was one of those songs that I absolutely never got sick of throughout the whole year. Some songs you'll overplay for a bit and then take a break from--I never had to take a break from "Fix Me." The epitome of swooshy dance fabulousness, "Fix Me" is everything I ever wanted in a big cheesy dance-pop song. "Fix Me" doesn't have the emotion or class of, say, September's "Cry For You" (which I adore), but what it lacks in those aspects it more than makes up for with sheer energy and fun. My kind of dream dancefloor is packed with songs like Stephanie DeAraugo's "Mistake (Jewels & Stone Radio Edit)," Natasha Bedingfield's "The One That Got Away (Valentin Radio Mix)," Kate DeAraugo's "Faded (Reactor Mix)," and this--that kind of big fun upbeat powerful hook-conscious poppy dance-pop that can't fail to leave you with a smile all over your face and a severe urge to just throw your hands up in the air and dance, everything else in the world forgotten. If Swedish backing singer turned dance-pop singer and Melodifestivalen contestant Velvet could release an album full of songs this good, it would genuinely be one of the greatest albums ever. Could someone please make "Fix Me" (even more of) an international hit A.S.A.P.?

Find it on: "Fix Me" single (no album yet--it was supposed to be released this winter, but I imagine, if it comes out, it'll be after Melodifestivalen since she's in it this year)

#11 Christophe Willem, "Double Je (Remix)"

Quand je serai grand, je serai Bee Gees

Making pop that is simultaneously effortlessly catchy, appealing, and classy is no easy task, but French Nouvelle Star (Idol) winner Christophe Willem, with his first full-release original single, got it exactly right. Can you imagine a world where something like this is the first major post-Idol single* from an American Idol winner (let alone a world where someone who looks and sings like Christophe wins Idol)? And then is a mega-hit? Dare to dream. The beat has been compared to Sugababes' "Push The Button," but it's smoother, classier, more teasing in sound--it's just got that extra edge of allure to it. Co-written by French artist Zazie, "Double Je" is hypnotic and one of those songs that makes speaking the language completely unnecessary. It is very possibly the best song of the year. Now, Christophe, release "Kiss The Bride" as a single already!

Find it on: Inventaire

*In fairness, Christophe had released his cover of "Sunny" off of the back of Idol and then released a digital download single from Inventaire before "Double Je;" despite that digital release's success and the fact that it had a video, though, the fact that it was digital-only tends to imply--I think--that it was to kind of designed to build up to this single.

#12 Darren Hayes, "On The Verge Of Something Wonderful"

On the verge of,
On the verge of something wonderful.
A resurgence,
On the edge of something wonderful

I don't think I could ever get tired of hearing "On The Verge Of Something Wonderful"--in my dream world, it would without doubt be a huge radio hit in the U.S. Failing that, though, it's worked well throughout the year as my own personal hit. It's without doubt one of the most uplifting songs of the year, probably the most uplifting single; I don't know that any other song this year was able to instantly instill a sense of hope--or, at the very least, a "you can get through this" feeling--in me better than this one.

Find it on: This Delicate Thing We've Made ($14.99 for two discs! Really, buy it; songs like "Casey" and "Conversation With God" are more than worth the price of admission alone)

#13 Magnus Carlsson, "Live Forever"

I'm gonna live forever
Don't you ever forget
That all the stars in heaven
Will shine for me

Throw Bosson and a-ha's "Take On Me" in a blender, and what do you get? Nothing less than one of the best songs of the year. Swedish singer and former Alcazar and Barbados member Magnus Carlsson debuted this '80's sounding pure pop song that's all swooshes and sparkles and soaring across galaxies at 2007's Melodifestivalen, where it was robbed, failing to make it out of the semifinal. Luckily, even if they wouldn't vote for it at Melodifestivalen, the Swedish public must have realized how great a song it was; when he presented votes at the final, Magnus was met with a huge cheer and "Live Forever" went on to be a commercial and radio hit. Its associated video is bizarrely ridiculous sense and I love it, especially the reference to a certain song that "Live Forever" always draws comparisons to.

I have to admit, though, that I would've loved to see some different follow up singles. The second single, released in August, was "Waves Of Love," but in my eyes, "Crazy Summer Nights" was screaming out to be a summer hit--it's a perfect and perfectly fun pop song that deserved to be playing on radios across Sweden in the summer months. The third single from the album was the late November-released "Another Rainbow," which to me feels kind of predictable as a song--it just doesn't have that certain "spark." I'm not sure how it would've faired on radio, but to me, "Don't You Worry"--one of my overall favorite songs of the year--would've been a lovely near-Christmas release. It's also one of the year's sweetest, happiest, and most reassuring songs--once again, literally perfect pop. And yes, it definitely has that spark (as does album bonus track "What About Love," which I really can't believe was relegated to bonus track status--another of the year's absolute best songs, and it also features the line that might as well be my slogan for this blog: "This is not a cliché, just my feelings today")--it sounds exactly like that swoony kind of storybook love, but doesn't have to be a ballad at all to get that across.

Oh, and re: the single cover--yeah, not good. The album cover was much better, though. And Bosson did include a version of "Live Forever" on his album, but his version really wasn't very good at all, much as I love him.

Don't You Worry

Find it on: Live Forever - The Album (I wouldn't call the album a must-own because some of the songs, to me, lack that certain "spark," as I said with "Another Rainbow"--very template-ish--but the highs are very high)

#14 Lethal Bizzle, "Police On My Back"

Like, I had to pack that all in obviously 'coz of the music but like,
One time I got chased by helicopters, police, police dogs
Like I got away though but, but listen to what happened though look, look

Possibly the year's biggest giddy sugar rush of a song, and it's a combination of rap, grime, and indie. Propelled by a Equals-as-done-by-the-Clash sample which I initially thought meant this was case in point for how if the sample's good enough the rest of the song doesn't matter, "Police On My Back" actually benefits enormously from how fantastic a narrator Lethal Bizzle is; he's funny (the moment when he actually mimics a heartbeat and the point at which he pretty much just stops rapping and tells us "I just...walked home!" being just two of many high points) and knows just which words to emphasize to help the song pop. In other words, a genuinely inspired use of sample isn't the only thing this song has going for it; it's got one of the year's most engaging vocal performances as well.

Police On My Back

Find it on: Back To Bizznizz

(FYI, this song could so easily be #1 on the list--I listen to it so often, it never fails to make me smile, and I would be beyond thrilled if we had it on U.S. radio.)

#15 Danny, "Tokyo"

Sleepless nights
My eyes are open but I must be dreaming
You and I
We play it cool but underneath we're steaming

There we were, in the middle of Melodifestivalen season, when suddenly, out of nowhere (well, I guess that's arguable--the singer was on Idol and the writers have done quite a lot of other famous--at least in Sweden--songs, including September's, but seeing a great non-Melodifestivalen song come out right at that time and do so well was a pleasant surprise), there it was: one of the year's best songs. I think I've probably written more than enough about Danny here and elsewhere, so for now, I'll leave it at this: "Tokyo" is a big cheesy dance-pop song with one of the year's best key changes that's fun from the first listen but then sticks with you longer than you think it will.

Find it on: Heart.Beats

#16 McFly, "Transylvania"

Who-ooo is your lover?
I couldn't tell
When hell freezes over,
That's when I'll tell
Who-ooo is your lover?
I couldn't tell,
When will this stop?

What better way to return to the Internet world than with my beloved McFly? Wait, don't answer that--despite the fact that I really thought this song, if anything, would win over some critics, "Transylvania" never really brought McFly the major success, commercial or critical, that I hoped it would, though at least the single reached #1, more than can be said for poor "Sorry's Not Good Enough"/"Friday Night," which peaked at #3 (which would seem more than respectable, but there are loads of people out there who rejoice every time one of their singles doesn't enter at #1; plus, "Friday Night" was probably my favorite single of 2006). I'm still kind of peeved with the handling of the singles from McFly's third album, Motion In The Ocean. Whether or not "Please Please Me" should have been the lead single is debatable (I like the song and found it reassuring at a time when McFly's remake of "5 Colours In Her Hair" for their American album had me worried), but at the very least, the decision to make "Transylvania" a b-side for the second single seems ill-advised, considering it's obviously single material and would go on to be a single. Add to that the fact that "Star Girl" was baffingly chosen as the second single--hardly the way to win new fans, boys, or even necessarily keep the adoration of the old ones--and maybe any future singles from the band started off with a disadvantage. "Transylvania" was then downgraded from single to one side of a double A side single, which I'm still not totally pleased with though I am glad we got their cover of Jellyfish's "Baby's Coming Back;" if it had to be a double A side with something, though, I wouldn't loved the album's epic lead track, "We Are The Young" to be that other side so it could get some of the exposure it so desperately deserves (with maybe "Baby's Coming Back" as a b-side).

I still don't know that all that really explains the world's failure to appreciate "Transylvania," though. To me, it's one of the boldest, bravest songs I've ever heard, haunted house and Victorian and Queen-esque pop-rock that packs in a bunch of choruses, all of them catchy, and ultimately combines and overlaps them to create one of the most fun and colorful listening experiences of the year. I once read someone say that it was McFly's "Biology," and I think that's a good comparison. In my eyes, it should have made obvious to everyone that the boys of McFly have incredible talent and are capable of making pop of the highest order and of real sophistication, should've won them countless more fans and more respect as well. Ultimately, though, I guess I just have to say that, much as I wanted it to, "Transylvania" didn't connect with most of the public in a meaningful way. I hope that doesn't scare the boys off from making more songs like this in the future--songs like this are about as exciting as music gets.

(It really should be higher on this list, but since I first heard it back in October of 2006, I think it suffers a little bit of a disadvantage. I really do see this song as a classic, though.)

Transylvania

Find it on: Motion In The Ocean

#17 Lorie, "Je Vais Vite"

Que 24h c'est trop court dans ma journée,
Et mon bonheur oh je cours après

If you're French, I'm sorry; I know she's seen as just for kids and she's not much liked, but Lorie released one of my favorite albums of the year. It's full of pop-dance that marks a significant step forward for Lorie in actually growing up musically, not just saying she was as she did with the last album. Lead single "Je Vais Vite" at first sounded pretty basic, disposable, maybe just kind of kitschy, but as time goes by, you find yourself listening to it again, and again, and again...and pretty soon, you realize that it's a great pop-dance single, full stop and unqualified. It's more stop-start than swooshy and it's kind of sparse, despite the many beeps, electro-y noises, and airplane sound effects, but on the count of bringing out a desire in me to break into a music video-friendly dance routine, it succeeds in spades. It's really just a lot of fun to listen to.

Find it on: 2Lor En Moi?

#18 Paolo Meneguzzi, "Ti Amo Ti Odio"

Facile per te decidere rubarmi l'anima
e poi fuggire

I'm not sure that I can really describe this song...which feels kind of odd, given that I have no trouble writing about "Brother Oh Brother" and I've compared that song to this. "Ti Amo Ti Odio" just has this certain transporting quality for me, one of those songs that somehow just connects with you in the gut and takes on this half-mystical quality because of how much you love it and the aura around it. Unfortunately, the video doesn't capture that at all for me. It's one of those songs where I'm glad I don't speak the language--I can only understand bits and pieces, enough for me to create a "story" for it in my head that fits with that gorgeous melody, but not enough to realize that the lyrics surely can't live up to the feeling I now associate with the song.

Find it on: Musica

#19 Jonas Brothers, "S.O.S."

It's true
I gave my all for you,
now my heart's in two
And I can't find the other half
It's like I'm walking on broken glass,
better believe I bled

I think every time I've mentioned Radio Disney favorites the Jonas Brothers on here it's been negative, the biggest example probably being 2006's illogical rant about their recycling of Busted songs (which, though I still know it makes NO sense, I'm apparently still not over--the music video for "Year 3000" came on while I was out Christmas shopping and got me wound up all over again), but it's continued into more recent times, with them being my go-to example for how to do pop-rock poorly...even if I did reluctantly admit liking a song or two of theirs.

Imagine my worry and surprise, then, when I found myself really enjoying second album single "S.O.S.", an enjoyment that eventually (and reluctantly, as I still didn't want to be won over by them) turned into full-fledged love. "S.O.S." is incredibly catchy, something which I'd felt like was missing from most of what I'd heard from them earlier. It's the sound of a band at the top of their game, every unnecessary element (i.e., those not adding anything to catchiness) stripped out to create the ultimate streamlined pop-rock song (look at them hitting the chorus 21 seconds in! That's quicker than most Eurovision songs). Well, the ultimate streamlined pop-rock song that comes from the youthful side of the spectrum. The guitar instrumental bit that opens the song and goes on to fill in each verse is an instant attention-grabber, creating a stop-start rhythm that adds punch and pep, meaning that the Jonas Brothers have done something a lot of pop artists fail at: created a pop song that's more than just a catchy chorus. All right, boys, I'm willing to admit it may just have been posing (on my part) that was holding me back from liking you before...if I hear one more song from you that I love, I'll get the album.

S.O.S.

Find it on: Jonas Brothers