A Year In Pop: The Final Reckoning

[freakytigger.livejournal.com]

Here are the 50 top non-reissues (FSVO reissue) from the Top 40 polls last year, with their position in the reader's poll also indicated. By all means ask in the comments box if there are any other songs you want to know the fate of. The scoring system took into account both % of votes and # of voters.

1. Rihanna - "Umbrella" (Readers Poll: 1st) (TOP TRACK FOR MAY)
2. Girls Aloud - "Call The Shots" (RP: 9th) (TOP TRACK FOR NOV)
3. Aly & AJ - "Potential Break Up Song" (RP: 2nd) (TOP TRACK FOR OCT)
4. Girls Aloud - "Sexy! No No No" (RP: 18th) (TOP TRACK FOR SEP)
5. Robyn ft Kleerup - "With Every Heartbeat" (RP: 7th) (TOP TRACK FOR AUG)
6. CSS - "Let's Make Love And Listen To Death From Above" (RP: No Votes)
7. Rihanna - "Shut Up And Drive" (RP: -) (TOP TRACK FOR JUL)
8. Britney Spears - "Gimme More" (RP: 5th)
9. The Gossip - "Standing In The Way Of Control" (RP: -) (TOP TRACK FOR JAN)
10. Amerie - "Take Control" (RP: -) (TOP TRACK FOR APR)
11. Amy Winehouse - "Back In Black" (RP: -)
12. Kylie Minogue - "2 Hearts" (RP: -)
13. Amerie - Gotta Work (RP: 10th)
14. Groove Armada ft Mutya Buena - "Song 4 Mutya" (RP: 15th)
15. Avril Lavigne - "Girlfriend" (RP: 4th) (TOP TRACK FOR MAR)
16. Roisin Murphy - "Let Me Know" (RP: -)
17. Dizzee Rascal - "Flex" (RP: -)
18=. Robyn - "Handle Me" (RP: -)
18=. Rihanna - "Don't Stop The Music" (RP: -)(TOP TRACK FOR DEC)
20=. Amy Winehouse - "Tears Dry On Their Own" (RP: -)
20=. Eve - "Tambourine" (RP: 48th)
22. Sugababes - "About You Now" (RP: -)
23. Peter Bjorn & John ft Bergsman - "Young Folks" (RP: -)
24. Mark Ronson ft D Merryweather - "Stop Me" (RP: -)
25. Justin Timberlake - "What Goes Around Comes Around" (RP: -) (TOP TRACK FOR FEB)
26. Leona Lewis - "Bleeding Love" (RP: 45th)
27. Dizzee Rascal - "Pussyole" (RP: 24th)
28. McFly - "Babys Coming Back"/"Transylvania" (RP: -)
39. Amy Winehouse - "You Know I'm No Good" (RP: -)
30. LCD Soundsystem - "North American Scum" (RP: -)
31=. Sophie Ellis Bextor - "Catch You" (RP: -)
31=. Sophie Ellis Bextor - "Me And My Imagination" (RP: -)
33=. Timbaland ft Nelly Furtado - "Give It To Me" (RP: -)
33=. Rihanna - "Hate That I Love You" (RP: -)
35. Dizzee Rascal - "Sirens" (RP: -)
36. Lady Sovereign - "Love Me Or Hate Me" (RP: -)
37. Long Blondes - "Giddy Stratospheres" (RP: -)
38. White Stripes - "Icky Thump" (RP: -) (TOP TRACK FOR JUN)
39. T2 ft Jodie Aysha - "Heartbroken" (RP: 20th)
40. Ciara - "Like A Boy" (RP: -)
41. Timbaland ft Doe/Keri Hilson - "The Way I Are" (RP: 33rd)
42. Natasha Bedingfield - "I Wanna Have Your Babies" (RP: 29th)
43. Unklejam - "What Am I Fighting For" (RP: -)
44. My Chemical Romance - "Teenagers" (RP: -)
45. Justin Timberlake - "Lovestoned" (RP: -)
46. Feist - "1234" (RP: 40th)
47. Kanye West - "Stronger" (RP: 14th)
48. Nelly Furtado - "Say It Right" (RP: 32nd)
49. Gwen Stefani - "The Sweet Escape" (RP: -)
50. Christina Aguilera - "Candyman" (RP: -)

(Note: if voting stays as is, "Piece Of Me" would come top of this poll.)

Comments

[atommickbrane.livejournal.com]

I think you have a stats problem. I feel I should do some sort of intervention?

[alexmacpherson.livejournal.com]

Considering some of the dross up there, I consider the lack of support for the following songs nothing short of SCANDALOUS, and would like to pose the question "WTF are you playing at" to all who failed to tick them:

Alicia Keys - No One
J Holiday - Bed
Sean Kingston - Beautiful Girls
R Kelly ft. T-Pain & TI - I'm A Flirt
Samim - Heater
Soulja Boy - Crank That (Soulja Boy)
P Diddy ft. Keyshia Cole - Last Night
Chris Brown ft. T-Pain - Kiss Kiss
50 Cent ft. Justin Timberlake - Ayo Technology
Kelly Clarkson - Never Again
Mims - This Is Why I'm Hot
Akon - Don't Matter
JoJo - Too Little Too Late
Kelly Rowland ft. Eve - Like This

How are ANY of those untickworthy? They're all AMAZING, not just any good at all. And considering the appalling Long Blondes are up there...

[ninebelow.livejournal.com]

So what explains the Amerie situation then? I much prefer Gotta Work, it got my third place vote and I think it is the best thing she's done. In the comments a quite a few people have said that Take Control is much better but in the end no one voted for it.

And whilst we are at it: how can 1 Thing top the Pitchfork list a couple of years ago and no pop get anywhere on it this year? Was 1 thing a temporary bit of tokenism?

[alexmacpherson.livejournal.com]

And BOTH Fergie singles!!!! wtf people you are nuts.

[freakytigger.livejournal.com]

Re P4K list - Timberlake won it in '06. Highest pop this year was Umbrella at #5. Reason is probably different writers shouting about different things backstage?

[freakytigger.livejournal.com]

Oh and also Timberlake is a boy and seen as more a controller of his own work than, say, Rihanna. Which plays well with P4K voters.

(Dunno where 1 Thing came!)

[alexmacpherson.livejournal.com]

I find it v dispiriting that P4K voters still think this, in the main.

[ninebelow.livejournal.com]

I'd forgotten Rhianna was on there but No. 5 says it all.

Given Lex's inevitable moaning I downloaded all the available mp3s from this year's Pitchfork list in order to prove him wrong. It turns out they are mostly shoddy indie-by-numbers guff. Most alarmingly there seemed like quite a lot of harking back to the late 80s/early 90s.

That Helen Shapiro one is worth downloading though.

[freakytigger.livejournal.com]

It's not in the main though - it only needs be a subconscious instinct among a handful of people to have that kind of effect.

[freakytigger.livejournal.com]

Also remember a lot of writers at P4K see their role as being to bring their readers stuff they haven't heard. Which would rule out "Umbrella" whether they like the song or not!

am i right in thinking

[blue-russian.livejournal.com]

that the fact that, say, T2 - "Heartbroken" and Kanye's "Stonger" did well in the RP but not so well here suggests that they had a few huge fans but not broad-based support?

Re: am i right in thinking

[alexmacpherson.livejournal.com]

The lack of ticks for 'Heartbroken' still perplexes me. I've never seen anyone say anything negative about it on Poptimists (apart from Matt, who still likes it and didn't vote anyway), but there has been a whole lot of love for it.

[ninebelow.livejournal.com]

Timbaland didn't do very well really, did he? For a year where he has dominated my telly his highest thing is No 25. And 'Say It Right' is trumpd by 'Teenagers' :( The indignity.

[justfanoe.livejournal.com]

I can't specifically remember all these but I know I didn't vote for "No One" and "Bed", both of which I consider extremely mediocre. "Kiss Kiss" I didn't vote for 'cause it's just kinda annoying. "Don't Matter" is probably the worst hit single Akon has had as a main artist, but I might have ticked it anyways I forget. However, I agree with you on most of these.

[katstevens.livejournal.com]

No Enrique :(

I can't really fault the top 5, though.

[bengraham.livejournal.com]

All of which begs the question:

Is Rihanna now more popular amongst Poptimist members than Girls Aloud? Rihanna has 4 songs in the Top 35, and came out on top in both the Readers' Poll and this.

[jeff-worrell.livejournal.com]

Amy Winelodge did an AC/DC cover last year? Huzzah!

[alexmacpherson.livejournal.com]

'Don't Matter' has grown into my favourite Akon track (in his own right) by some way - in part due to the absolutely gorgeous calypso remix of it. It's so sweet and sincere and relaxed.

I find pretty much everything Chris Brown does irresistible - why he is not a massive star here I have no idea; at first I was just like, oh, more generic but fun twink'n'b, but what makes 'Kiss Kiss' great is how perfectly tailored towards show-off dance moves it is - that pause, BEAT in the second verse killlllls.

[justfanoe.livejournal.com]

Tell you what, Lex, I'll give "Kiss Kiss" another shot when I get home.

[chezghost.livejournal.com]

Alicia Keys - No-One: explained why i dislike this at the time - slush
J Holiday - Bed: ditto, just think it's a really boring song
Sean Kingston - Beautiful Girls: never wanted to hear that hook again
R Kelly ft. T-Pain & TI - I'm A Flirt: only heard the meh original
Samim - Heater: novelty doesn't so much wear thin as fails to arrive in first place
Soulja Boy - Crank That (Soulja Boy): i like the "YOOO" bit but otherwise do not get the love for this - might as well just be listening to the acapella
P Diddy ft. Keyshia Cole - Last Night: still not round to that second chance
Chris Brown ft. T-Pain - Kiss Kiss: missed this i think
50 Cent ft. Justin Timberlake - Ayo Technology: this is OK
Kelly Clarkson - Never Again: don't really like KC music
Mims - This Is Why I'm Hot: boring in it's original form but great with Toto JoJo (sounds like the monkey from Powerpuff Girls)
Akon - Don't Matter: pass
JoJo - Too Little Too Late: pass
Kelly Rowland ft. Eve - Like This: liked this the most out of these

Re: am i right in thinking

[chezghost.livejournal.com]

i said something negative about it (shrill/cutesy vocal bugs me but love the chopped up bits) but it was very much a tick nonetheless

[blue-russian.livejournal.com]

Well, the GA album came out later in the year, so that's not entirely fair. We are due for a big ballad from GA next, aren't we, and that is likely to score lower. Strategicallly speaking, I think Rihanna was helped by the fact that her monster hit was a ballad

[alexmacpherson.livejournal.com]

'No One' and 'Bed' are not slush, they are real and beautiful and totally amazing, you have no soul!

'I'm A Flirt' is FUNNY. 'Crank That' has STEEL PANS.

Re: am i right in thinking

[poptasticuk.livejournal.com]

I don't particularly like it but may have ticked it through lack of hate. I can't really remember.

[freakytigger.livejournal.com]

My reading of the results:

- GA have mass poptimist popularity but their album got a vaguely lukewarm reception and that hurt their chances in the readers poll.

- Rihanna may or may not be 'more popular than GA', but she's become an act who can get a certain number of ticks just by turning up (if "Hate That I Love You" had been by Alicia Keys or an unknown, it would have got half the votes).