#36 Mika, "Lollipop"

Suckin' too hard on ya lollipop,
Oh love's gonna get ya down

Oh, how I wanted to put this song higher. It deserves it. And yet, when I look at each song ranked ahead of it, I can't say it's better--nor, though, can I necessarily say it's worse. Mika deserves a much larger presence on this chart, but the fact that so many of his songs have been around for so long (many were being legally given away free before the album even came out) somehow ended up hurting them and the deliberately small release of "Relax, Take It Easy" in 2006 means that it's not technically eligible for my chart, or else it would without doubt be on here. Mika's a very divisive singer, but I think he released one of the year's most enjoyable and consistent albums (it would be very high on a list of my favorite albums of the year, far higher than this singles list is going to make it seem). Still, if you don't like him at this point, nothing anyone can say is going to change your mind, so writing that "Lollipop" is one of the year's most infectiously happy songs of the year and even the should-be-kind-of-creepy fact that what sounds like a kids' choir is roped in to sing this innuendo-filled song doesn't hurt it in the slightest in my estimations--I love the chantiness of that part, in fact--isn't going to convince you of the song's merits.

I will say, though, that even if you don't usually like Mika's music, it's worth checking out "Relax, Take It Easy" and "My Interpretation." I imagine a lot of people have heard those from the album by now, though, so instead, here's one of my favorite remixes of the year, Swedish electro-pop duo Lo-Fi-Fnk's take on Mika's "Big Girl (You Are Beautiful). Yes, I realize that may very well be Mika's most hated song, but Lo-Fi-Fnk remix it into such a happy shiny electrofest, all squiggles and claps and chorus-y backing vocals. Pure joy.

Big Girl (You Are Beautiful) (Lo-Fi-Fnk Remix)

Find it on: Life In Cartoon Motion

It's like thunder, lightning

I am the wrong person to ever try to teach someone about disco. I mean, I'd be so incredibly in over my head. However, there is one song that I am firmly convinced someone should be required to cover at every single Idol "Disco Night": Amii Stewart's version of "Knock On Wood." I absolutely adore this song. What triggered this particular post, though? Last night, on So You Think You Can Dance?, one of the couples danced to Rachel Stevens's version of the song (the show has a somewhat strange tendency for incoporating songs by British singers or singers popular in Britain that most Americans probably wouldn't know, at least not in that version; there was a Westlife and Donna Summer song on earlier and last year someone danced to a Dannii Minogue song, for example...I'm not sure if that has something to do with Nigel Lithgow being in charge, or something?)



Knock On Wood--completely classic. Completely catchy. And completely smile-inducing. This is one of those "weekend" songs, for me, you know? The sort of celebratory songs that just make you realize "yes, the weekend is finally here!" As I said, every time a singing contest TV show has disco night, someone should be required to sing this version of the song. I know, that means it could potentially be slaughtered countless times, but I don't think even that could ever make me sick of it; the music is just too good. Apparently Amii is Sinitta's aunt--the world of pop seems so small sometimes, doesn't it? She appeared at this year's Sanremo Festival (which Italy participates in instead of Eurovision), too.

Criminally, "Knock On Wood" as sung by Amii Stewart isn't available on iTunes in the U.S., but you can buy one of her greatest hits albums here (physical).

Speaking of catchy and upbeat, Mika is singing "Love Today" on So You Think You Can Dance right now. See, Enrique, you're supposed to have fun on this show. Ebullience! I still really enjoy a lot of the songs on Mika's album, so stuff like this is extra exciting.

Next up: an Icelandic singer who's latest single I originally didn't think I'd end up writing about.

I love Saturday

Announcements!

This album


is very impressive. Everyone should go buy it...or you could wait until I finally write about it, as I definitely want to do some raving, but, given me, who knows when that will be. It's like someone looked at my music tastes and said "how can we make an album that will fill all of these, but creatively?"

This album


is also very good, although probably not quite as good as the previous album; I haven't really had time to listen to it thoroughly yet.

This album


is also excellent. I am toying with doing a feature over at A Kind Of Love In that ties in with it, but I'll wait and see before confirming anything.

This album


finally arrived yesterday, but I haven't worked up the nerve to open it yet--in its pristine plastic packaging and cardboard case, it looks so "ooo, I'm a collector's item!" that I haven't been able to bring myself to open it, as much as I'd like to hear it. (Actually, it's got a black outer cover, but I presume the above cover is on the actual album.)

These albums






are probably also good, but I only got them today, so I can't say.

I know this album


is great, but I only just bought it today. Umm...better late than never?

However, none of these albums have the song I'll be featuring a little later today; that's from another album I just got.

Yes, I pretty much have no money right now. It's worth it.