I'M SORRY I HAVE ABANDONED YOU.
I HAVE RETURNED.
71.
Hush Hush, The Pistol Annies
72.
Defriended, Beck
73.
The Way (feat. Mac Miller), Ariana Grande
74.
Why'd You Only Call Me When You're High?, Arctic Monkeys
75.
Master Hunter, Laura Marling
76.
Afterlife, Arcade Fire
77.
Move, Little Mix
78.
Like a Rose, Ashley Monroe
79.
Lose to Win, Fantasia
80.
Wait for Me, Kings of Leon
We start off the top 80 with Kings of Leon's
Wait for Me. The mellow guitar strumming sets up the mood for a more personal, stripped down song than a heavy pulse-hitting jam (this era's Use Somebody to another song making the list's Sex on Fire, if you will). The lead's plea sounds desperate, "wait for me, wait for me". He coos over a short instrumental solo before he falls back into the heartfelt chorus for the last time. It's simple and sweet.
I'm an American Idol fanatic, but I never was a big Fantasia fan (#JusticeForJenniferHudson). It's surprising to see that she makes it as the sole Idol winner on my list this year, with
Lose to Win. Tasia's entire Side Effects of You Era has me sold on her and this song was my first exposure to it. Fantasia has stolen Tina Turner's voice and breaks our hearts with these lyrics over a groovy 80's sample. Maybe I shouldn't have skipped her performance when she went on American Idol, because I would've discovered this perfection earlier.
Last update was double the Mikky Ekko, this time around it's Ashley Monroe, first up with
Like a Rose. She kicks us off with a tear-jerker of a lyric as she melancholy states "I was only 13 when daddy died". Her voice is so, so pretty (something I didn't notice until she wasn't singing alongside Miranda Lambert) and the song is so sweet, so gentle. She is definitely one of my favorite discoveries of the year.
And we double up on the singing competition show winners, as well! Quite possibly the only act I've supported on any of these shows that won, Little Mix's second album's lead single
Move greets us at #77. The song is all over the place, but the four ladies are not dominated by everything going on. They've provided such a great bop with this one, you can't help but want to move when they urge you to. It's spunky, sassy, and so uniquely Little Mix.
You won't be seeing Arcade Fire again for a long time, but here they are with
Afterlife. A song with such dark lyrics contributed by the band over a synth-heavy electronic beat contributed by their producer makes such a unique contrast, but for me, it works so very well. The lead singers continuously ask questions, ranging from "when love is gone, where does it go?" to "can we just work it out?" Reflektor has been considered a disappointment coming from such a wonderful previous album, but I've always enjoyed it.
Following up is another discovery of 2013, Laura Marling's
Master Hunter. This folk goddess has slayed me since I first heard her, through the suggestion of my friend. I love her stylistic singing in this song and the power she can so easily evoke. She's certainly someone I can't wait for their future releases.
In it's first of three appearances, we see the Arctic Monkey's
Why'd You Only Call Me When You're High? The band's 2013 release AM was certainly not a disappointment, and it boasts its position as one of my most played this year. The third single was appropriately the third most played. AM frontman/
my husband Alex Turner is facing quite the dilemma as he repeats the question of the title; he has received a booty call and he's questioning whether it's worth accepting or not.
Mariah Carey, oh wait, she's not to be seen until WAY higher on the list. Ahem, Ariana Grande's lead single
The Way (Put Your Hearts Up HEW?) finds itself at #73. I refuse to acknowledge the feature, because he is the pits, but Ariana produced a god damn solid single as the lead to Yours Truly. Her vocals are very reminiscent of Mariah, but who doesn't love Mariah? Ariana has showed potential and I'm very excited for the success she has seen and even more excited for the success she will continue to see! Ariana is queen.
Beck is back with
Defriended and I've never enjoyed Beck so much! (/exaggeration, I'm a stan). The production on this song is wonderful, a million things are clashing at once, but it still finds a way to work without being messy, at all. Whether you're paying attention to the crash of the drums, the folky strums of a guitar, or the random, synth sounds piled on the song, it's a very fascinating song. Couple that with Beck's ode to a girl who deleted him on Facebook, Defriended is certainly unique.
My queen Miranda Lambert appears three times on this countdown - once as a featured duet artist, once a solo artist, and with
Hush Hush, appearing one-thirds of a country girl group, Pistol Annies. This song is probably the single most "fun" song of 2013, as the girls take turns telling stories about their family gatherings. I can't not listen to this song without singing along to my girls,
When push comes to shove, it's best to keep it hush hush! LOVES IT!
