Fun week this week in the world of Pop Culture. There are a bunch of new songs that are lingering on the fringe here but only a few can make this honoured list. Some last minute shake-ups abound with pop, rap and rock tracks all in play. It's not like this Summer is going to be a photo finish at all, but there's some interesting stuff at play coming down towards the end. Let's begin:
#8: "Misery" - Maroon 5
I think this has been a background song for a while but it did some damage this week, enough to crack a spot here. Kind of a wiener song for Summer but deserves its place here. Maroon 5 is a bit too croony to rock anything higher this Summer but for now this pretty average track sits here nicely.
#7: "Magic" - B.o.B ft. Rivers Cuomo
B.o.B's third track to make this list, he's quickly turning into one of this Summer's Biggest Artists. He also has this great knack for finding people to sing his hooks much better than he could. Rivers Cuomo of Weezer isn't a conventional choice but it works pretty well. Its featured status in a nifty Adidas commercial certainly helps its chances for a nice little run at Summer's end. Is this the first rap song with throwaway pop references subsequently featured in advertisements selling those references? I hope so, B.o.B kills it here, his flow rules.
#6: "DJ Got Us Falling in Love" - Usher ft. Pitbull
This really hasn't had the fanfare of "OMG" and it shouldn't. It's kind of a boring song actually. Pitbull adds nothing special, not unlike will.i.am on "OMG." Unlike B.o.B's successful collaborations, Usher's seems unwarranted and stale. He really belts on this one, but it's just popular enough to hover around for a bit.
#5: "Cooler Than Me" - Mike Posner
It's like, this is such a complaining song, we are all very obviously cooler than Mike Posner. I listen to this shit and I think "Yeah Mike, I do think I'm cooler than you. Stop fucking griping about it." The beat is almost video game like, but even for a video game beat it's shitty. How this has remained in this position truly escapes me. I want to starting punching babies every time I hear this, it's infuriating. Move on.
#4: "Airplanes" - B.o.B ft. Hayley Williams
Still hanging around, great summer for B.o.B. Still hovering around the middle of the list, a bit beefed up from last week, "Airplanes" is a for sure hit by now, still ranking pretty high on countdown lists and radio play, even if a visible decline has begun. This won't be a stone drop though and it should be somewhere on this List for the remainder of Summer.
#3: "California Gurls" - Katy Perry ft. Snoop
Falling hard this week! #3 is shameful for "California Gurls," and it's certainly not for diving popularity, more so for other songs catching a better zeitgeist wave. Katy and her Assets had a great time hosting the Teen Choice Awards and her Album is about to drop, which could boost the song a bit. For the most part though, this track's time in the sun is over. We'll see how she plays out, especially when those Teenage Dreams come true.
#2: "Dynamite" - Taio Cruz
An Assault on the Senses, "Dynamite" blasts to #2 this week. Taio needs some space for both his hands, this is a great Summer Track, lots of positivity, energy and sunshine. Like Usher and B.o.B Taio Cruz has basically become a Summer Artist with Jams spread out all over the place. I can't believe Flo Rida hasn't gotten in this shit, he's definitely a Straight Up Summer Artist. Anyway, it's unlikely Taio knocks down Em, but I wouldn't be surprised if he settles in to this position for a tic or two.
#1: "Love the Way You Lie" - Eminem ft. Rihanna
Runaway winner on airplay, downloads and controversy, Em is ruling August. As for its subject matter, I don't think Em's glorifying domestic abuse but I don't think he's really trying to make a statement or message either. I just see it as a story - these are just two people and this shit happens. It's about a guy and a girl who hate and love each other. And that shit just happens. You can identify with this kind of thing if you've ever been in a relationship close to that. What works is how much it hits close to home for a lot of people and through Em's pretty genuine (sincerity in his voice when he talks) tone and passion a song that could have been pretty misguided fires off perfectly. This has just begun, the video and the song are getting bigger and bigger. These are sexy times.
So what of who was left out? We finally got a week without "Billionaire," which I thought we'd get weeks ago. I've also been hearing a ton of "Crossfire" by Brandon Flowers, the lead singer of the Killers as well as "The Only Exception" by Paramore. With Hayley Williams getting a ton of exposure from "Airplanes" that track could get big. I actually did hear a ton of "143" this week, but no signs of it on the charts. Thank Hoff for that. All of these were in a pretty tight cockfight with Maroon 5 for the #8 position this week, next week is anybody's game. And by the way - is this the Greatest Video of All Time or the Most Ridiciulous Ego Trip of All Time? Watch it quick, more on it later if it's still relevant:
Good Luck, Adventurers!
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