The 100 Best Songs Of 2011: 50-41
50. PNAU ‘The Truth’
I still think this is the great lost U2 comeback single that never was. Pnau had impressed me before with ‘Embrace’ and they went beyond my expectations with ‘The Truth’. A desperate, angry love/hate song set to an insistent and occasionally stadium-sized beat, ‘The Truth’ should have been all over radio but was, for whatever reason, not hugely successful. The title appearing at the end of each chorus in a ball of incredulous anger is a truly effective pop moment.
49. RUPAUL ‘Responsitrannity’
The title of this song is enough to land it in my top 100, but beyond the novelty of ‘Responsitrannity’ is a rather serious message to be yourself. Being yourself is the message of most RuPaul songs, it’s true, but this is one is different – it isn’t just about self-confidence, it’s about taking responsitrannity for your own view of yourself. Don’t let anybody else bring you down, and don’t blame others if you can’t do something. Some truly great lyrics set to a hands-in-the-air beat and a catchy melody – this was Ru’s greatest musical achievement of the year.
48. BJÖRK ‘Crystalline’
You might have noticed that Björk did not appear on my top albums of the year list, and that’s because Biophilia was truly awful, the worst thing she has ever put her name to. Maybe one day it’ll reveal itself to be a masterpiece – wake me up when that happens. And what makes it even more crushing is that I absolutely love ‘Crystalline’, the first single. Just about the only song on the record to have any sort of notable melody, Björk starts growling over a music box and then suddenly the song goes H•A•M and harsh beats are coming at her out of nowhere. A gem in a sea of tuneless garbage.
47. KATE BUSH ‘Misty’
So this is what it’s come to: I’m a little turned on by a song about snowman sex. The much-discussed thirteen minute ‘Misty’ is the long, gorgeous centrepiece of 50 Words For Snow, and it reads like a snowpeople version of ‘The Man With The Child In His Eyes’. Girl finds snowman, girl and snowman get it on, snowman melts. It’s a genuinely heartbreaking tale with some beautiful little instrumental flourishes here and there that make this feel Christmassy even though it hasn’t got anything to do with Christmas. ‘Misty’ will make you pine for your very own snowman fuck buddy, but remember that if you love something, let it melt.
46. DAVID GUETTA ft. SIA ‘Titanium’
Few moments in pop this year were more thrilling that Sia’s crazed scream of “I AM TITAAAAAAANIIIIIIUUUUUUUUUUM”. Two artists who I’m generally indifferent to, David Guetta and Sia have come together to create a dance epic from outer space, blasting out of the speakers and punching you right in the face with its ferocity. I wasn’t aware that Sia had the voice to pull this off, and the big kicks in the song come when David knows how to let the beat fall away for a minute and then come back with a bigger impact than before – a great lesson for any dance producer to learn.
45. NICOLE SCHERZINGER ‘Don’t Hold Your Breath’
Two stunning singles in a row from Nicole, who became a bit of a surprise success this year after I was worried ‘Poison’ would be a fluke. But ‘Don’t Hold Your Breath’ is a triumph, an excellent pseudo-ballad with ‘Irreplaceable’-style Dear John lyrics. It was a number one single in the UK, it did okay in the US and it was her solo breakthrough in Australia – but most of all it was just awesome.
44. KELLY ROWLAND ft. BIG SEAN ‘Lay It On Me’
If I had a pussy I would be popping it like crazy to this. There’s not much more to say, is there? Another slice of divine R&B from Kween Kelendria and Big Sean does a great guest spot. The chorus is just the title repeated over and over and yet it feels so good. Now back to pretending I’m Kelly in the privacy of my bedroom.
43. LEONA LEWIS & AVICII ‘Collide’
Why did this flop (sort of, number 4 isn’t really a flop)? I thought it was absolutely divine, and the exact sort of thing everybody wanted Leona to do. Stay the same, get slated. Do something different, nobody likes it. She can’t win, but whatever, this is fantastic. This “collaboration” with Avicii takes Leona is a direction she’s never been in before, and being a club diva really suits her big voice and knack for drama. She can bring the best out of a ballad, and ‘Collide’ proves, to me anyway, that she’s just as great on the dance floor.
42. BEYONCÉ ‘Countdown’
This is a serious contender for lyrics of the year. Even just “I’m all up under him like it’s cold – wintertime/All up in the kitchen in my heels – dinnertime” would make this an instant classic, but the sixties-meets-nineties vibe and Beyoncé’s energetic performance send this over the edge. Bey needs to ditch the boring ballads (but keep the good ones) and do more of this – homages to the past that still feel entirely fresh and exciting. And to think I didn’t like it at first! Oh, the fool I’ve been.
41. PAUL SIMON ‘Rewrite’
A living legend with nothing left to prove, Paul Simon is still serving up classics at 150 years of age. ‘Rewrite’ is an American story in the style of ‘Mrs. Robinson’, ‘The Boxer’ or ‘America’, and the lyrics will crush your heart. A Vietnam veteran who works at a car wash is writing a book based on his life, however he substitutes all the bad for superficial things like “car chases” in an attempt to forget the lowest points of his past. An unsettling tale of regret and misunderstanding, ‘Rewrite’ is a genius piece of songwriting.
