#11 Brian McFadden, "Twisted"

I've been chased by angels
I've been drunk out of my mind

Part one of the two part feature "singers who said stupid offensive things about homosexuality and yet still made this list" begins with former Westlife member Brian McFadden. The single version of "Twisted" took a somewhat more conventional pop-with-guitars track, albeit still a quirky one, and, courtesy of the Potbelleez, gave it a dance feel, but luckily not an excessive one. "Twisted" was my ultimate "coming back in" track this year, which might seem strange given that it's the dance friendly remixed version I always listen to. There's just something about it that I found reassuring, that did a fantastic version of either allowing me to finish up the night without losing that metaphorical high or to make me feel like things were better than they actually were. It's the strange track that can get you to feel both "the world keeps turning" and "yes, I am awesome" (when you really need that pick me up) sentiments, but that's exactly what "Twisted" did for me. The fact that the song has such a strong melody to begin with helps it along a good deal, as does the fact that it wasn't originally written as a dance song, I think--it actually makes for a more powerful half-danced-up track as a result.

Really, though, I could have just skipped all this writing and told you to watch the music video--the moments of the video where Brian (looking significantly cuter than I thought was possible for him now) and a bunch of other misfit clowns are driving around having the time of their lives capture everything the song does for me perfectly.

Find it on: Set In Stone (which includes only the original album version) and "Twisted" (Single) (which includes the album and single versions).