10. Grimes - "Oblivion"
Turning the tables on a very bad nocturnal experience into something...quite powerful in its cuteness. "The catchiness only makes it creepier."
9. Beyoncé - "Partition"
Like, the most confident move I can think of from any major pop star in my lifetime. Classing up the trending ~pulse~ sound of urban radio through half-rapped tales of swallowing nut in the limousine.
8. Yeah Yeah Yeahs - "Sacrilege"
I've seen
this song (honorable mention #2 definitely should have made the list) described before as the sound of angels ****ing, but this underrated monster is a closer approximation to what it would be like doing the ****ing yourself, danger and all.
7. Robyn - "Dancing on My Own"
So, I tend to enjoy things that blend other things which usually do not accompany each other. The best track off the entire
Body Talk series and its bitter/aching mixture of jealousy and resilience in da club might stand as Pop Song of the MILLENNIUM, if it weren't for...
6. Ciara - "Body Party"
Future Sr. as well as Jr. just killing the game. Sex can/should be something FUN in all senses of the word, and hardly any song I've heard does as good a job illustrating that as this godly union of Atlanta's finest in singing, writing, and producing. Mike Will MADE it.
5. Blood Orange - "Chamakay"
Baby boy/girl you're WRONG.
Intriguing story of trust and betrayal that we get to watch play out every step of the way, made all the more interesting by the overlap of the male and female voices.
4. Kanye West f/ Bon Iver - "Lost in the World"
Um...has moved me to tears. Not a sad song, just warbly sampled minimalism into overpowering maximalism real quick. Not that it's close to being the only Kanye song to do so, though.