boyonce's No-Frills Top 20.5 Songs of 2012 - 3 & 2 revealed!
Hello loves...
Here's the deal - I had no plans to actually create a "Best-Of" thread, but after the never ending questions of "when will we see your countdown?" I've caved and decided to list my top 20.5 songs of the year.
Here's what you will not see:
- Fancy graphics
- Top 374893 albums
- Top 238902 singles and top 348903 album tracks
Because I'm throwing this together last minute, it's going to be a NO FRILLS countdown. No bells and whistles, just the music that made me bop in 2012. Obviously I'm known as a Bey fan, but beyond that I've got pretty eclectic taste. My playlists tend to be from all over the map and draw from many different genres. I stan for mainstream and less known music equally, so you can be prepared for some odd choices and surprises along the way, perhaps.
We'll get started soon...
Here's a hint about what you might see on my list:
Results so far...
20.5: Britney's verses in Scream and Shout
20: Don't Leave Me (Ne Me Quitte Pas) - Regina Spektor
19. Diamonds - Rihanna
18. Red - Taylor Swift
17. Red Hot Kinda Love - Christina Aguilera
16. American - Lana Del Rey
15. Look At These Hoes - Santigold
14. Just Give Me A Reason - P!nk feat Nate Ruess
13. Primadonna - Marina and the Diamonds
12. Let's Have A Kiki - Scissor Sisters
11. Glory - Jay-Z feat Blue Ivy Carter
10. Wonder - Naughty Boy & Emeli Sande
9. Adorn - Miguel
8. Live In This City - Dragonette (also Riot, My Legs, Giddy Up)
7. Fierce - Azealia Banks
6. Happiness - Sam Sparro
5. Closer - Tegan and Sara
4. Somethings Never Seem To ****ing Work - Solange (along with the entire True EP)
3. Tiny Little Bows - Carly Rae Jepsen
2. Forrest Gump - Frank Ocean
For the record, given that this is a no frills countdown - my graphics will not come from photoshop..but the good sis Google Image Search. Thanks internet!
and now...
let's begin...
...with...
Britney's parts in "Scream and Shout" Yes, this only counts as half because I'm only here for the Britney parts. Sorry, William.
This was one of my fave tracks of the year for Britney's silly British accent alone. I mean...why not? It brings me back to Britney's heydays. So wrong, it's right.
Don't Leave Me (Ne Me Quitte Pas) - Regina Spektor
Ne Me Quitte Pas has always been one of my fave Regina songs, so I was very pleased to see a remastered version surface on her 2012 album "What We Saw From The Cheap Seats". Because I was used to the old instrumentation, the new version took awhile to grow on me...but grow it did! I like the new take on it, and her voice is in great form here!
Told you there'd be some shockers! The Hive and The Navy aren't always on good terms, but I can admit when a good song is a good song. Diamonds is beautiful. I still think Rihanna leaves a lot to be desired as an artist, but Diamonds is my favourite thing she's ever done. I even checked out Unapologetic because of this track...however, it's the only song from the album that still remains in my iTunes, and therefore the only Rihanna track that makes my list - coming in at number 19.
A funny thing happened with Ms. Swift and I in 2012...as a challenge in ATRL's Next Top Member, I was assigned the task of creating a promo thread for Taylor's album "Red". At the time, I was what one would call a casual Taylor listener. I didn't have any of her music on my iPod, but if she came on the radio, I'd bop. It was neither a love nor hate relationship. However, as I poured my energy into making this promo thread for Red, talking to the Taylor stans, and getting to know more about her - my interest was peaked, and I gave the album a listen when it finally came out. Let me tell you, I was glad I did. I loved it, and still do. A bunch of the tracks stuck in my head and were listened to time and time again, but none as many as the title track "Red". I find the song to be really, really, great and can say that ATRL (and Top Member) are to thank for that!
I'm not gonna lie, 2012 was far from my fave year in music. Many albums were downloaded, listened to once, and deleted forever (The Spirit Indestructible, Warrior, Unapologetic - minus the aforementioned Diamonds). Lotus, minus this track, suffered a similar fate. I wasn't here for anything on the album aside from this bop. This, in my opinion, is where Christina is in her element. I love this track.
American - Lana Del Rey
2012 was without a doubt an interesting year for Ms. Del Rey. Early in the year, I enjoyed the release of Born To Die, but struggled to respect her due to her lack luster SNL performer. As a Bey fan, I expect performers to shine both on their albums but also on stage. Poor Lana just wasn't ready, but I returned to her album a few times. Her music is great, even if her performance skills leave something to be desired. When Paradise Edition was released, I gave it a listen and "American" was instantly the stand-out track. Something about the lyrics "be young, be dope, be proud" really spoke to me. Gorgeous.
Look At These Hoes - Santigold
This is the first track of a few on my countdown where I feel like I could have chosen many other tracks from the album in it's place. Santigold's "Master of my Make-Believe" remains one of my fave albums of the year, and this track is just one of many stand-out tracks. Disparate Youth, This Isn't Our Parade, The Riots Gone, Go, The Keepers...I could go on all day. I'm a huge Santi fan and have long been awaiting her return - and I wasn't disappointed in the least with it! I chose this track because it's classic Santigold - edgy, unique, quirky...all while making me want to bop.
You love me and my hastily thrown together countdown that others have spent weeks working on
listen to the Santigold track...I think you'd like it!
And thanks to all who have come in here so far...be sure to stop by and see the rest of it! We've got tracks from Canadians, lesbians, lesser famous little sisters, and a **** ton of gay men coming down the line!
Results so far...
