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So let's count down the final winners here:
#8: "Alejandro" - Lady GaGa
Weeks on Winners List: 6 (5/31 - 7/05)
Peak: #2 (6/21 - 6/28)
Back in April I predicted this song as an Early Candidate for Summer Jam Queen, but this still wasn't GaGa's Summer. Despite an insane video, warm themed lyrics and a decent beat, this never reached the top. This may have done more damage if it had hung out a bit longer, but she basically ruled the Month of June and not much outside of that. She's had decent enough rankings that month to fight for that last spot in the Final Winners Tally. Moving on then -
#7: "Break Your Heart" - Taio Cruz ft. Ludacris
Weeks on Winners List: 8 (5/17 - 6/14, 6/28 - 7/12)
Peak Position: #1 (5/31)
Even when this song fell off the Winners List in mid-July it was never really that far behind. Consistent Summer-y Jam Track this summer, "Break Your Heart" peaked pretty early but hung around enough to creep some spots here. Although it only had a single week at #1 this was always definitely a good Jam. The beat was pretty sick and Luda's flow really worked better than some other Rapper/Singer combinations this summer (see: any track with Pitbull). Whereas the content is kind of miffy for Summer, I always contended that there was a lot more positivity and hope in the subtext and video than the lyrics belayed.
#6: "Billionaire" - Travis McCoy ft. Bruno Mars
Weeks on Winners List: 8 (6/14 - 7/05, 7/19 - 8/09)
Peak Position: #3 (6/21)
Although this song was never ranked all that high compared to some other tracks on the Final Winner's Tally, it had a really consistent run around the #5 - #3 spot, never sinking lower than #6. Enough consistency to get a pretty good rank here. It tread this line between optimism and despondency that worked to its advantage and popularity this summer. It's still not as significant as some of the remaining tracks coming up though, now we start the real heavy-hitters:
#5: "Dynamite" - Taio Cruz
Weeks on Winners List: 9 (7/12 - 9/6)
Peak Position: #1 (9/6)
Last week's winner had a very successful pair of months the back half of summer, including three consecutive weeks at #2 prior to its ascension to the top. This song seemed to be subtly a great Jam, great dance track that was always lurking in the background during those last few months, finally getting its time in the Sun the Final Week of Summer. Should we be welcoming Taio Cruz to the Hit Club? As the only cat on this list with two Jams here - a total of 16 weeks with one week containing both songs, his combined power is pretty fearsome. Individually though, the songs don't compare to the biggest guns this Summer.
#4: "Love the Way You Lie" - Eminem ft. Rihanna
Weeks on Winners List: 8 (7/19 - 9/6)
Peak Position: #1 (7/26, 8/09 - 8/30)
Four Consecutive Weeks at #1 in August. Rocked Digital Downloads, iLike and Ringtones for each of those weeks. Em debuted at #2 in late July and never dropped lower until this past week, and even that was only down to #3. It loses points due to its depressing anti-fun subject matter, lack of Summer Themes, as well as its relatively late breaking. While it's period at the One Spot is impressive, it didn't dominate the Season as a whole which is the key for any real good Summer Jam.
#3: "OMG" - Usher ft. will.i.am
Weeks on Winners List: 11 (5/17 - 7/26)
Peak Position: #1 (6/07)
Only a single week at #1, but "OMG" gets a good spot here for the sheer magnitude of Weeks on the List. Eleven in a row from the First Week all the way to the end of July, really only missing out on August (which Usher made up for with "DJ Got Us Falling in Love"). In fact, Usher had only one week this entire summer without a song on the List (8/02). "OMG" had seven weeks within the Top 3 and a ton of buzz at the beginning of Summer. It was hindered mostly by its lack of #1 positions and its late fall-off. Still though, Usher's 16 Combined Weeks are pretty sweet.
#2: "Airplanes" - B.o.B ft. Hayley Williams
Weeks on Winners List: 13 (5/24 - 8/16)
Peak Position: #2 (6/07 - 6/14, 7/05)
One of the more impressive streaks on the List this summer, "Airplanes" rocked shit for thirteen weeks during the peak months of Sunny Summer time. Not only that but it managed to grab non-consecutive #2 spots nearly a month apart. During its run it was Top Four or better eleven times, stumping "OMG's" whole run. We can also take B.o.B's other hits, "Nothing on You" and "Magic" which ends up with a total of 15 weeks with at least One Jam on the List, doubling up three times, a feat only matched by our official Queen. We can add Paramore's (Hayley Williams' band) single week at #8 that would extend the duo's feat by another week. When you combine Eminem's Part II contribution, forget about it. This song earns its spot hard.
And the final Queen of Summer Jam 2010 is of course...
#1: "California Gurls" - Katy Perry ft. Snoop Dogg
Weeks on the Winners List: 15 (5/31 - 9/06)
Peak Position: #1 (6/14 - 7/19, 8/02)
Yeah there's no real question here. It's as perfect as a Summer Jam can be, there never was really much of a debate. This song defined ubiquitous Summer Songs, was the hottest video in years and had an explicitly Summer Context and Subject Matter than like the eponymous girls, was undeniable. The stats are nutty - Six Consecutive Weeks at #1, Ten in the Top Three. While it bowed to Eminem in August it never dropped off the list, instead doubling up with Katy Perry's other single, "Teenage Dream" the last three weeks, which eventually rose to #2. Spectacular track, great summer.
So, pretty fun one this year, I hope you all had as much fun reading these ridiculous lists every week as I had fun writing them. Well, that would probably mean you had very little fun. Next year now is anybody's game, but the Pure Summer Magic of "California Gurls" will be hard, if not impossible to duplicate. Stay tuned, friends, stay tuned!
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