Welcome once again folks to NMW's Weekly rendition of the Top Jams of Summer 2011. This week was incredibly unremarkable, virtually unchanged from the week before. We're getting into the nitty grind though, only a few more weeks of sunshine and Summer Shorts left and then it's back to the books and shoveling walkways and finding Easter Eggs. I think "Rolling in the Deep" finally died this week, which is spectacular, I couldn't stand that track anymore, which means it really did reach Peak Annoyance, always a good indicator of a Summer Jam. Let's Begin:
#8: "Lighters" by Bad Meets Evil ft. Bruno Mars
Honestly, do you hear the first few chords of this song and think "Yeah, Bad Meets Evil here for sure?" Apparently Eminem has been working with Royce da 5'9" (which is an absolutely terrible rap name) since the turn of the century and they call themselves together Bad Meets Evil. So that's that. I did say earlier that I thought this could be another Eminem Summer, that didn't really turn out but this track will probably do well and be everywhere come September. I also said we wouldn't see anymore Bruno this summer after "The Lazy Song" faded. He's really too good of a chorus singer to disappear for long. This is a good track though, I'm excited to see it hang around.
#7: "The Adventures of Rain Dance Maggie" by Red Hot Chili Peppers
The Funkiest Track of 2011 debuted way too late. If this thing had dropped in May or June there's no doubt it would have made for a memorable Summer. In early August though this isn't going to do anything, at least not with the zeitgeist. It should fall into the awesome blur of Peppers Canon pretty soon and there's nothing wrong with that. It's a fantastic track that transcends the moment we're in now which leaves it as not very vital to the times. It's also got the best cowbell of 2011 besides "Make Some Noise."
#6: "The Edge of Glory" by Lady GaGa
Here's where the complacency starts. The next four spots are identical to last week, which means that there's not a whole lot of new blood doing all that well out there. I'm surprised really, because there's plenty of catchiness coming out of Tinie Tempah, DJ Khaled and others. Anyway, GaGa falls here again, relegated to this middle field but actually pretty stable. This Summer has worked in bands, Pitbull has always been near the top, GaGa and Bruno have always been near the middle and the bottom has always been the Flavour of the Week. When everything is said and done at this point GaGa has proven herself that she might be a quality Summer Jam Candidate.
#5: "How to Love" by Lil Wayne
For the third week in a row Lil Wayne takes up the third spot with this track. I'm actually almost surprised this song has lasted this long for as specific its demographics must be. It's not exactly for typical Wheezy fans and well, his style shouldn't really be attracting manic High School Girls so I'm not sure who's listening to this. I am though. I guess there's enough people who are closet fans that put this on in the background and just let it take up the room. I don't think it'll gain many spots the next couple weeks but we'll see it again.
#4: "Give Me Everything" by Pitbull ft. AfroJack, Ne-Yo & Nayer
I'm about done with this one as well. Luckily it's slipping in his Hot 100 position, but its radio play is still excellent. It really broke too late and with too much competition around it at the wrong time, it had those few weeks where it knew no rival but timing just didn't work out for Pitbull to be a King this Summer. That's got to be crushing for Mr. Miami.
#3: "Super Bass" by Nicki Minaj
If it's possible to get sick of this song we should find out soon enough. Nicki's still doing very well and as long as she keeps those tats perky and smile gushing I think she'll be fine. It's also interesting how Black this track really is, which also shows how well Nicki can parlay an unstoppable flow into a cross-cultural phenomenon. It helps that the video is real sexy with something for everyone, too. No idea what a Super Bass is but at this point it doesn't even matter.
#2: "Last Friday Night (T.G.I.F.)" by Katy Perry
This track flip-flopped with the #1 song this week, it just lacked the immense about of airtime it had last week. More and more I'm realising how bad and uninteresting every part of this song is. The beat is so typical, so manufactured for basic pop standards, it's as if you've heard this song a thousand times before. Needless to say, that's why it's popular. Katy Perry is a well oiled machine who tends to make controversial statements through her songs that under the tiniest second thought aren't that controversial at all but still attention-grabbing. Mostly because a hot chick is saying it. I also find it funny how we've moved on as a culture from getting pumped up about the anticipation of a raucous evening (does the incorrect grammar of "I Gotta Feeling" deeply bother anyone else?) to glorifying the aftereffects. We just all need some Rihanna to balance it out in the middle.
#1: "Party Rock Anthem" by LMFAO ft. Lauren Bennett & GoonRock
GoonRock is a music producer. His name should not be in the title list, you can't list everyone in the damn title. This new wave of DJs who believe they're important is terrible. Anyway, this track is back up to the #1 Spot, giving some good credence that the Jam of the 2011 Summer would be some random one-hit wonder that no one could predict. I feel like it's got some competition but really only from Katy. I don't think Nicki will make it to the Top if she hasn't by now and everyone else on this list is either already in their decline or a ways away from making a significant run at the Top by the time Summer Ends. The whole thing just makes me laugh my fucking ass off.
So what's up for next week? It's hard to tell although I do believe that "Lighters" will keep doing very well. I don't know how Beyonce slipped up but it's apparent her latest track isn't catching on. She actually hasn't really had an ubiquitous hit in a while. I actually wouldn't rule out Britney either, "I Wanna Go" hit its peak at #9 this week and there's no reason that can't keep climbing.
No comments:
Post a Comment