My list will be better

Well the latest batch is grand except for GA.

This list is fairly good.

So Music Choice still exists? I thought they were out of business or something now.

nice list so far, I like your graphics !! ^_^

Thanks guys! And Gerry, suck it - they'll be back high in the top ten!

Now, I have to give a shoutout to nine songs that were originally released in 2004, but hit their peak in 2005. Since they were from the previous year they didn't really fit in this countdown - that's why they get a special shout-out here!

HOLDOVERS

Lindsay Lohan - Over

Ciara featuring Missy Elliot - 1,2 Step

The Bravery - An Honest Mistake

The Kaiser Chiefs - I Predict a Riot

Head Automatica - Beating Heart Baby

Alicia Keys - Karma

Usher - Caught Up

T.I. - Bring 'Em Out

Ashlee Simpson - LaLa

There is a tenth song that came out in 2004, but it ended up defining 2005 - making it eligible for the main countdown.

Stay tuned for 24-21!

Besides GA, that was such an incredible set.
Bravery not making it! GRRR.

No writeups this time, because I'm having trouble describing the greatness of these songs. Maybe tomorrow? Just enjoy the pretty pictures, courtesy of NG.


Rilo Kiley - Portions for Foxes

There's a pretty young thing in front of you
and she's real pretty and she's real into you
and then she's sleepin' inside of you
and the talkin' leads to touchin'
and the touchin' leads to sex
and then there is no mystery left

And it's bad news
I don't blame you
I do the same thing
I get lonely too

And you're bad news
My friends tell me to leave you
That you're bad news, bad news, bad news

You're bad news
Baby you're bad news
and you're bad news
Baby you're bad news
and you're bad news
I don't care I like you
and you're bad news
I don't care I like you
I like you




Ciara featuring Ludacris - Oh

Ready? Take a new whip, paint strip, into a bowlin ball
Still smoke, hundred-spoke, wood grain armor all
Light skinned, thick chicks
Fellas call em red bones
Close cuts, braids long, gangstas love em all

They got the southern cookin, they got them fellas lookin
Wishin I was easy I can see it
That's when I say no, what for?
Shawty can't handle this, Ciara got that fire like

Oh (oh oh oh)
Round here we ridin slow (we ride it slow, oh oh)
We keep it gutta you should know (you should know)
Gettin crunk up in tha club, we gets low (get low)
Oh (oh ohhh)
Oh (oh)
All my ladies to the floor
Handle it, ladies back it up (back it up)
Gettin crunk off in tha club (in tha club), we gets low (get low)
Oh (oh oo oh oh ooohh)




The Killers - Smile Like You Mean It

And someone is calling my name
From the back of the restaurant
And some one is playing a game
In the house that I grew up in
And someone will drive her around
Down the same streets that I did
On the same streets that I did



Kanye West featuring Jamie Foxx - Gold Digger

Now I aint sayin you a gold digger you got needs
You dont want a dude to smoke but he can't buy weed
You go out to eat and he cant pay yall cant leave
There's dishes in the back, he gotta roll up his sleeves
But while yall washin watch him
He gone make it into a Benz out of that Datsun
He got that ambition baby look in his eyes
This week he moppin floorz next week it's the fries
So, stick by his side
I know his dude's ballin but yea thats nice
And they gone keep callin and tryin
But you stay right girl
But when you get on he leave yo ass for a white girl

Get ready for lots of surprises in the top 20!

The Killers - Smile Like You Mean It
Kanye West featuring Jamie Foxx - Gold Digger

Rilo Kiley and The Killers are both the **** and there are actually a lot of other good songs on here.

But The Bravery and "I Predict A Riot" don't make it at all? Where is the justice?

And now we enter the top 20. There will be no witty analysis of these songs because honestly, I love them too much to criticize them. Some may say that these songs are trite, cynical, manipulative and/or deriative - but who cares?

I don't want to go another day/So I'm telling you exactly what is on my mind...



The Pussycat Dolls - Stickwitu

Nobody gonna love me better
I must stickwitu
Forever
Nobody gonna take me higher
I must stickwitu
You know how to appreciate me
Imma stick wit u
My baby
Nobody ever made me feel this way
I must stickwitu

I wanted to see something that's different, something you said would change in me.



Acceptance - Different

I'm taking a chance, this could be different.
This could be all I'm waiting for.
Taking a chance, this could be different.
This could be all I'm waiting for.

I wanted to see something that's different, something you said would change in me.
Wanted to be, anything different, everything you would change in me.

You say you wander your own land
But when I think about it I don't see how you can



Keane - Everybody's Changing


You're gone from here
Soon you will disappear
Fading into beautiful light
cause everybody's changing[
And I don't feel right

So little time
Try to understand that I'm
Trying to make a move just to stay in the game back
I try to stay awake and remember my name
But everybody's changing
And I don't feel the same
Everybody's changing
And I don't feel the same

Coming up next, 17-15. Three tracks full of surprisce: a shockingly authentic song between two warring rappers and one queen of hip hop soul, a shockingly funky from one of the most beloved yet overrated bands of the past decade, and one song that's surprising for two reasons: a) it's great and b: she's Canadian! Most Canadian music is awful. but she's not! Stick around!

This latest set -_______- the only semi decent song in there is Stickwitu

I got a man to stick it out
And make a home from a rented house
And we'll collect the moments one by one
I got a man to stick it out/And make a home from a rented house/And we'll collect the moments one by one/I guess that's how the future's done




Feist - Mushaboom

Let'e be honest. Most of the music that comes out of Canada is either disturbingly bad or sickeningly overrated. (Sorry Ben!) Mushaboom is the exception to that rule. Giddily light while having a real sense of gravity to it, it was a true event. The best part of the song may be the ethereal vocal from the lead singer of Broken Social Scene, all-knowing but never smug - a hard feat to pull off. Some people prefer Feist's take on the Bee Gees' Inside & Out, but those people are just silly.

Old dirt road(mushaboom, mushaboom)/ Knee deep snow(mushaboom,mushaboom)/Watching the fire as we grow old



The White Stripes - My Doorbell

And I've been thinkin' about my doorbell
When they gonna ring it, when they gonna ring it
Yeah, I've been thinkin' about my doorbell
When they gonna ring it, when they gonna ring it, oh
I've been thinkin' about my doorbell
When they gonna ring it, when they gonna ring it
Yeah, I been thinkin' about my doorbell

Who knew that the White Stripes could come up with something so deliciously fun? It's dirty without being too dirty - a song one would hear in a sanitized version of a strip club, perhaps. It's a song that fits in all seasons and a worthy winner of the Grammy it's up for.



Hate it or love it the underdog's on top
The Game featuring 50 Cent - Hate It or Love It
Mary J. Blige - MJB Da M.V.P.
Go head and envy me/I'm the Soul hip-hop queen/And I ain't going nowhere but you already know me

Wow. Sure this song was overplayed but that never lessened it's emotional effect. No one would've ever guessed that G-Unit could produce something so soulful. The song is so personal that it sometimes feels like it's been ripped out of a diary. The credit must go to Tone & Dre for the hot beat, and for 50 and Game for giving what might be their most nuanced, deeply felt performances ever.

Of course a song this soulful had to be redone by the queen of hip-hop soul herself. Unlike the original, which starts off with a bang MJB Da MVP doesn't really heat up until the last verse, wherein Mary name-checks some of her biggest hits while showing love to all the people that helped make them - and her - legendary. It's quite fitting that three underdogs managed to produce the best rap single of the year.

The Game featuring 50 Cent - Hate It or Love It

14-11 will be done with limited writeups and no visual additions - must get to that top ten!

14. Destiny's Child - Girl
Girl, I Can Tell You've Been Crying
And You Needing Somebody To Talk To
Girl, I Can Tell He's Been Lying
And Pretending That He's Faithful And He Loves You
Girl, You Don't Have To Be Hiding
Don't You Be Ashamed To Say He Hurt You
I'm Your Girl, You're My Girl, We're You're Girls
Don't You Know That We Love You?

Destiny's Child. They've given us so many pop classics throughout the years, and this one is no exception. Girl is obviously the best single they released this year and it encompasses everything DC3 (and every other girl group) so hope to portray in every single they put out in the market - namely, sisterhood, camamadarie and most of all, the overwhelming power of good friendships. Add in a sound that harks back to 70s soul and it's okay that Destiny's Child are gone now - because they've left us with songs like this.

I love the next two songs too much to give any coherent commentary on them, but they really speak to me and everyone should hear them?
13. Tori Amos - Sleeps with Butterflies
airplanes
take you away again
are you flying above where we live
then i look up, a glare in my eyes
are you having regrets about last night
i'm not, but i like rivers that
rush in
so then i dove in
is there trouble ahead for you, the acrobat
i won't push you, unless you have a net

you say the word you know i will find you
or if you need some time i don't mind
i don't hold on to the tail of your kite
i'm not like the girls that you've known
but i believe i'm worth coming home to
kiss away night
this girl only sleeps with butterflies
with butterflies
so go on and fly then, boy



12. The Fray - Cable Car (Over My Head)
Let's rearrange
I wish you were a stranger I could disengage
Just say that we agree and then never change
Soften a bit until we all just get along
But that's disregard
Find another friend and you discard
As you lose the argument in a cable car
Hanging above as the canyon comes between


11. Coheed & Cambria - Welcome Home
You could have been all I wanted
But you weren't honest
Now get in the ground
You choked off the surest of favors
But if you really loved me
You would have endured my world

Well if you're just, as I presumed
Your a ***** in sheep's clothing
****ing up all i do
And if it's here we stop
Then never again
Will you see this in your life?
Wow, Welcome Home in the same position as it is on Ryan's chart! Great minds think alike? Coheed & Cambria get a bad rap most of the time. Yes, their music can be exceedingly self-conscious and pretensious, but when they hit it our of the park you must give it to them. Welcome Home is the best rock single of 2005 (of everything I've heard in the manistream), and it deserves to be the one that's ranked highest.

All the sexists out there, savor number 11. That'll be the last time you see any males in my chart!

I was thinking you were going nuts(though "Everybody's Changing" and "My Doorbell" almost made up for that)..and then finally, "Welcome Home" makes its long-awaited appearance.

Just barely, but you're back on my good side.

Before I get to the ten best singles of the year, I have to name the ten worst. Before, I had a list of those singles that were Awesomely Bad - so bad they're good. These next 10 singles (and the singles that almost made it) have no redeeming value, whatsoever. Some may be catchy, but they're still irredeemably awful.

Close Calls
Ray J - One Wish
Gwen Stefani featuring Eve - Rich Girl
Lindsay Lohan - Confessions of a Broken Heart (Father to Daughter)
Bloodhound Gang - Foxtrot Uniform Charlie Kilo
Lyfe Jennings - Must Be Nice

THE TEN WORST SINGLES OF THE YEAR!
10. Jessica Simpson - These Boots Are Made for Walkin'
LFR. This song fails at everything it tries to accomplish. It's not sexy (J-Simp, there's a difference between sexy and desperate), and it's not a good cover version (when Lil' Kim and Geri Hailliwell do better jobs at this song, it's time to re-evaluate things) and it's not in any shape or form a good song overall. But it's not the worst song by her this year, which says a lot about the musical direction she's headed in.
9. Nelly - Errtime/Fly Away
8. Pretty Ricky - Grind for Me/Your Body
Stop the madness y'all.
7. Simple Plan - Untitled
Uh-uh. Uh-Uh. Nuh-uh.
6. Eminem - Mockingbird/Ass Like That
Remember when Em used to be talented? Seems like such a long time ago, doesn't it?
5. Black Eyed Peas - My Humps
Wow. Go to Pitchfork.com for a better commentary on why this song is sent straight from the devil.
4. Avenged Sevenfold - Bat Country
My feelings on this song are well-documented. It's just terrible in its mediocrity.
3. Destiny's Child - Cater 2 U
I never thought I could be offended by anything Destiny's Child released. Then they released this mess as a single. Ugh, thanks for setting feminism back fifty years! It might also have the most overrated video of the year. I mean, it's not even in their or Jake Nava's top five?
2. Dannii Minogue - Perfection
She's such an embarrasment to everyone. I mean, how cruel to release this when your sister is fighing for her life. She's going through hell as it is, and then she has to listen to this torture? It sounds like it was made after a long night of partying - back in 1993. There really is no melody and it's cheapest song ever. (PLEASE DO NOT GET ME STARTED ON THE VIDEO. I mean, oriental disco?)
1. R. Kelly - Slow Wind/Sex in the Kitchen
These "songs" are not only offensive, but their also really hard to listen to. Because there is nothing there. I don't have anything else to say, except a) I don't understand how people can call Arrah a "genius" after listening to these two musical abortions and b) WHY ISN'T HE IN JAIL YET?

Best and Worst Leaked Tracks of the Year!
Best - Latoya Jackson, No More Drama
Worst - Jessica Simpson, Fired Up and Sexified

The only three I agree with are BEP, Eminem and Jessica.

Now we're in the top ten. Let's look at last year's top ten first!
7-10 were some combination of
Franz Ferdinand - Take Me Out
Skye Sweetnam - Tangled Up in Me
Anastasia - Left Outside Alone/Sick & Tired/Welcome to My Truth
and some other song?
6. Slum Village - Selfish
5. Latoya Jackson - Just Wanna Dance
4. Young Gunz - No Better Love
3. Hilary Duff - Come Clean/Fly
2. Ashlee Simpson - Pieces of Me
1. Kylie - Chocolate/I Believe in You

One of those artists will be in this year's top ten too! Let's get to it. Numbers 10-8 all deal with veterans who made "comebacks" this year:

Time goes by so slowly....Time goes by so slowly


Madonna - Hung Up

Every little thing that you say or do
I'm hung up
I'm hung up on you
Waiting for your call
Baby night and day
I'm fed up
I'm tired of waiting for you

Time goes by so slowly for those who wait
No time to hesitate
Those who run seem to have all the fun
I'm caught up
I don't know what to do

Time goes by so slowly
Time goes by so slowly
Time goes by so slowly
I don't know what to do

Every little thing that you say or do
I'm hung up
I'm hung up on you
Waiting for your call
Baby night and day
I'm fed up
I'm tired of waiting on you

Every little thing that you say or do
I'm hung up
I'm hung up on you
Waiting for your call
Baby night and day
I'm fed up
I'm tired of waiting on you

Ring, ring, ring goes the telephone
The lights are on but there's no-one home
Tick tick tock it's a quarter to two
And I'm done
I'm hanging up on you

I can't keep on waiting for you
I know that you're still hesitating
Don't cry for me
'cause I'll find my way
you'll wake up one day
but it'll be too late

Every little thing that you say or do
I'm hung up
I'm hung up on you
Waiting for your call
Baby night and day
I'm fed up
I'm tired of waiting on you

Every little thing that you say or do
I'm hung up
I'm hung up on you
Waiting for your call
Baby night and day
I'm fed up
I'm tired of waiting on you

Time goes by so slowly
Time goes by so slowly
Time goes by so slowly
Time goes by so slowly
Time goes by so slowly
so slowly so slowly
so slowly so slowly
so slowlyso slowly
Every little thing that you say or do
I'm hung up
I'm hung up on you
Waiting for your call
Baby night and day
I'm fed up
I'm tired of waiting on you

After the debacle that was American Life, it seemed that old Madoo-doo had lost her innate sense of fun, the utter reverie that made her famous in the first place. The Queen of Pop had seemingly been replaced by a humorless, self-consciously proper Englishwoman. She even hunted! And all of her stabs at reaching the young'uns came off as at best irrevelant, at worst utterly pathetic. Which is why Hung Up is such a revelation. Sure it may oddly cold and cynical for a dance song, but don't other recent career-relaunching hits by other superstars of previous generations share the same sort of aesthetic? (Off the top of my head, Spinnign Around, It's Like That, All for You and even the next song all scream "BRING ME BACK TO THE CHARTS!!!") But further listens reveal a song that brings a smile to your face and a wiggle to your hips every time you hear it. Hung Up also has a lithe but punchy melody that could stand by itself with or without the (grating but superd) ABBA sample. This might be the most joyous dance-pop song in years - well, until Get Together is released.



I wanna be with you
Gotta be with you
Need to be with you

Mary J. Blige - Be Without You

[I]Chemistry was crazy
From the get go
Neither one of us
Knew why
We didn't build
Nothin' over night
Cause a love like this
Takes some time
People swore it off
As a phase
Said
"We can't see that"
Now from top to bottom
They see
That we did that
(Yes)
It's so true that
(Yes)
We've been
Through it
(Yes)
We got real sh..
(Yes)
See, baby we've been

Chorus:

Too strong
For too long
And I can't
Be without
You baby
And I'll
Be waitin' up
Until you get home
Cause I can't sleep
Without you baby

Anybody whose
Ever loved you
Know just what
I feel
Too hard to fake it
Nothin' can replace it
Call the radio
If you just can't
Be without
Your baby

2nd Verse:

I got a question
For ya
See, I already know the answer
But still I wanna
Ask you
Would you lie?
(No)
Make me cry?
(No)
Do somethin'
Behind my back
And then try to
Cover it up?

Well, neither will I
Baby, my love is only ever love
(Yes)
I'll be faithful
(Yes)
I'm for real
(Yes)
And with us
You'll always
Know the deal
We've been

Chorus:

Too strong
For too long
And I can't be without you baby
And I'll be waitin' up until you get home
Cause I can't sleep without you baby

Anybody whose ever loved you know just what I feel
Too hard to fake it
Nothin' can replace it
Call the radio
If you just can't be without your baby

See, this is real talk
I'mma always stay
(No matter what)
Good or bad
(Thick and thin)
Right or wrong
(All day everyday)

Now, if you're down on love
Or don't believe this aint for you
(No this aint for you)
And if you got it deep in your heart
And deep down you know
That it's true
(Come on, come on, come on)

Well et me see you put your hands up
(Hands up)
Fellas tell your ladies she's the one
(Fellas tell your
ladies she's the one)
Oh put your hands up
(Hands up)
Ladies, let him know he's got your love
Look him right in his eyes
And tell him

Mary, oh Mary. Of all the famous 30+ singers around, the Queen of Hip-Hop Soul might be the most underrated. Her last album wasn't bad per say, just boring. But she can interpret a song in ways no other FAMOUS singer her age can. Case in point: Be Without You. In anyone else's hands BWY might be another sappy, generic RnB ballad that underservedly clogs up the airwaves. But Mary brings something different to it. Singing in a new vocal register that's uinnerving at first, Mary brings raw soul and passion to a good - but not great - song, making it truly unforgettable. But she also sounds at peace with herself, and with love - not the angry, confrontational Mary we all know and love, but a fully-matured woman. Mary has finally broken through - and y'all better show some love.



Fiona Apple - O'Sailor

I have too been playing with fifty-two cards
Just 'cause I play so far from my vest
Whatever I've got, I've got no reason to guard
What could I do but spend my best

Oh sailor why'd you do it
What'd you do that for
Saying there's nothing to it
Then lettin' it go by the boards

Is it heretical to say that O'Sailor, with its sweeping ambience and chorus that invokes the image of a gothic girl group, might be Fiona's best single since her debut album? If it is, burn me at the stakes.

Sailor ^___^
Bunch of the rest of the chart that I'm far to lazy to go bakc and mention one by one but still awesome nonetheless ^_^

Bad Songs List - I agree with all of them except for "Bat Country"

O'Sailor ^_^