The Year in Music

If you divided popular culture into different genres you'd probably end up with television, movies, books, art, celebrities, sports, and music. There may be 1-2 others that I'm missing (fashion for example), but those are the big ones. Now I'm not an expert in any of those genres, but I obviously know some of them a whole lot better than the others. I've made no secret about the fact that I don't know music as well as I used to, but just because I'm not an afficionado doesn't mean that I don't have an opinion when it comes to the best songs of the year.

In order to get better informed about the top songs of the year I consulted with a few reputable sources and spent hours listening to hits that I was less familiar with.

Rolling Stone's Top 10 Songs of 2012

1.) “Hold On” by Alabama Shakes
2.) “We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together” by Taylor Swift
3.) “Take A Walk” by Passion Pit
4.) “Thinking About You” by Frank Ocean
5.) “Ramada Inn” by Neil Young
6.) “Mercy” by Kanye West
7.) “Rocky Ground” by Bruce Springsteen
8.) “Sixteen Saltines” by Jack White
9.) “Pay in Blood” by Bob Dylan
10.) “Emmylou” by First Aid Kit

I could be way off (seeing that I readily admit that I'm out of touch with music), but I don't think this was a great year in music. My reasoning is simple. Rolling Stone actually listed their Top 50 Songs of 2012 and there were an inordinate amount from artists that were popular in the 70s and 80s. Just look at the Top 10. Neil Young, Bruce Springsteen, and Bob Dylan? Their average age is 67. You're telling me that they had three of the best songs of the year? I guess my point is this. If those songs were recorded by three no name artists would they even sniff the Top 100? No chance.


Slant Magazine's Top 10 Songs of 2012

1.) “Take Care” by Drake featuring Rihanna
2.) “Running” by Jessica Ware
3.) “Pyramids” by Frank Ocean
4.) “Gun Has No Trigger” by Dirty Projectors
5.) “Disparate Youth” by Santigold
6.) “I’m Shakin” by Jack White
7.) “Five Seconds” by Twin Shadow
8.) “Hold On” by Alabama Shakes
9.) “1991” by Azealia Banks
10.) “National Anthem” by Lana Del Ray

"Hold On" by Alabama Shakes is on both of these lists, so after listening to it five times I've decided that it's at least worthy of the #10 spot on my list. So we'll start the countdown there...


Best Songs of 2012

10.) “Hold On” by Alabama Shakes- The lead singer looks nothing like what you'd picture.

9.) “Some Nights” by fun.- The title track and probably the best song on their debut album, but it wasn't the song with the most societal cachet.

8.) “Time is Love” by Josh Turner- My cousin who will not be named adopts one country song every year and this was the winner in 2012. I've been on a bit of a country kick the past year and a half and I agree that this song is absolute fire.

7.) “Somebody That I Used To Know” by Gotye- I can't tell you why this song became so popular, but it did.

6.) “No Church in the Wild” by Jay-Z and Kanye West- This would be a badass walk up song for a baseball player. It's also already a fantastic song to hear in movie trailers.

5.) “Home” by Phillip Phillips- I recently found out that this guy was an American Idol contestant (winner?) which made me think slightly less of him, but this song is still fantastic. I also have to ask, what were his parents thinking?

4.) “Whistle” by Flo Rida- This is probably only my 2nd or 3rd favorite Flo Rida song from 2012, but it was definitely the most popular and culturally significant, so therefore it gets the edge. If I put together a Top 10 Artists of 2012 Flo Rida would almost definitely be in the top 3.

3.) “I Will Wait” by Mumford & Sons- Somehow Mumford & Sons have figured out a way to appeal to both men and women. 

2.) “We Are Young” by fun.- I can't be the only one who Googled "song from the new chevy commerical" when I first heard this song.

1.) “Springsteen” by Eric Church- There's no doubt that country songs tell the best stories. This one is about hearing a song that takes you back in time. This notion is so relatable. There are a handful of songs that instantly make me think about a certain memory or time in my life when I hear them. It's really pretty amazing how music and memory are so intertwined.


I also enjoyed- “Wild Ones” by Flo Rida featuring Sia, "Even If It Breaks Your Heart" by Eli Young Band, "We Take Care Of Our Own" by Bruce Springsteen

I would be remiss if I didn't mention two of the most popular songs of the year that didn't make my countdown. "Call Me Maybe" by Carly Rae Jepsen should probably have earned a spot on my liste based on sheer popularity, but I couldn't bring myself to do it. It was definitely a huge summer hit, but it got so annoying that whatever positive thoughts I had with regard to it vanished. The other incredibly popular song that was worthy of a spot on my list was "Gangnam Style" by Psy, but I was drowned by the never ending parodies and remakes. Psy also sang an anti-American lyric a few years back, so fuck him.


My Week 15 NFL Picks

at Eagles +4.5 vs. Bengals
Packers -3 at Bears
Giants +1.5 at Falcons
Bucs +3.5 at Saints
at Rams -3 vs. Vikings
Redskins 0 at Browns
Jaguars +7 at Dolphins
at Ravens +3 vs. Broncos
Colts +8.5 at Texans
at Chargers -3 vs. Panthers
at Bills 5.5 vs. Seahawks
Lions -6.5 at Cardinals
Steelers -2 at Cowboys
at Raiders -3 vs. Chiefs
49ers +5.5 at Patriots
Jets +1.5 at Texans

Last week- 6-10
Season- 98-108-3