Tag: Chris Brown

Top Ten Summer Hits of 2008: A Look Back

As I do each summer on the blog, I’m giving you the top 10 seasonal ditties from 10, 20, and 30 years ago as tabulated by Billboard. I’ve already covered 1988 and 1998 and if you missed them, here ya go:

Top Ten Summer Hits of 1988: A Look Back

Top Ten Summer Hits of 1998: A Look Back

We now move to one decade ago. As with past posts, I’m ranking each song on a scale of 1 (summer bummer) to 10 (summer classic) and letting you know whether or not said track is on my Apple Music. Let’s get to it…

10. “Dangerous” by Kardinal Offishall feat. Akon

This reggae tinged hip hop effort represents the biggest hit for Canada’s Offishall with an assist from Akon. It’s adequate though not particularly memorable.

My Rating: 6

Is It On My Apple Music? No

9. “Leavin'” by Jesse McCartney

This is the biggest hit from the second most famous McCartney in pop music. It gives exposure to G5 planes and is rather disposable, but pleasant enough.

My Rating: 6

Is It On My Apple Music?: No

8. “Disturbia” by Rihanna

Now we’re talking. She’s got tons of hits, but I find the dance groove of “Disturbia” to be among Rihanna’s very best.

My Rating: 9 and a half

Is It On My Apple Music?: Yes

7. “Pocketful of Sunshine” by Natasha Bedingfield

The Emma Stone pic Easy A had a whole sequence about how she couldn’t stand this pop confection by English artist Bedingfield and then found herself loving it and listening to it incessantly. I wouldn’t go that far, but it is annoyingly catchy.

My Rating: 6

Is It On My Apple Music?: No

6. “Forever” by Chris Brown

These were better times for Mr. Brown as this techno sounding dance smash serves as one of his musical highlights.

My Rating: 7

Is It On My Apple Music?: No

5. “Bleeding Love” by Leona Lewis

This one was pretty inescapable in summer 2008 with solid vocals from Brit singer Lewis. It’s co-produced by none other than Jesse McCartney.

My Rating: 7 and a half

Is It On My Apple Music?: No

4. “Viva La Vida” by Coldplay

Sorry Coldplay haters, but I find this string heavy work to be pretty darn terrific. It earns its place as one of their signature tunes.

My Rating: 9 and a half

Is It On My Apple Music?: Yes

3. “Lollipop” by Lil Wayne feat. Static Major

Lil Wayne was all the rage ten years ago yet I actually find this auto-tune monster hit to have lost some luster. Still, it’s his biggest selling single.

My Rating: 6 and a half

Is It On My Apple Music?: Yes

2. “Take a Bow” by Rihanna

How about a round of applause for more fine work from Rihanna. This ballad stands as one of her best. Co-produced by Ne-Yo.

My Rating: 9

Is It On My Apple Music?: Yes

1. “I Kissed a Girl” by Katy Perry

The song that turned Perry into a superstar, the lyrics certainly caught the attention of many. It’s a well-crafted pop track for sure. It’s not her greatest song, but it serves as an impressive breakout point for a career still roaring.

My Rating: 8

Is It On My Apple Music?: No

And there you have it! The summers of 1988, 1998, and 2008 are covered! I look forward to next summer when 1989, 1999, and 2009 are on deck…

My Top 25 Michael Jackson Songs of All Time: Nos. 25-21

I’m taking a rare break from movie talk for a blog series about the King of Pop himself Michael Jackson. Today marks the release of MJ’s well reviewed posthumous album Xscape, which I’ve dutifully already downloaded on iTunes. However, I’ve yet to have the opportunity to get into it, but plan to shortly. We’re also approaching the five year anniversary of the superstar’s death in June.

This has led me to creating my personal Top 25 MJ songs of all time. A couple of caveats: this list does not include any Jackson 5 tunes and covers just Michael’s solo work. So if you’re looking for “I Want You Back” or “The Love You Save” or “Shake Your Body (Down to the Ground)” or “I’ll Be There”, perhaps a Jackson 5 top ten list will come in the future. Also, being that I haven’t listened to the new album hardly at all, no tracks will be included from that one. However, I will say the current single “Love Never Felt So Good” featuring Justin Timberlake is fantastic.

Simply put,  I grew up on MJ and he is extraordinarily high on my favorite musical artists of all time. When you listen to pop music, his influence is omnipresent. Listen to “Rock Your Body” by Justin Timberlake. Or “Let the Groove Get In” by JT. Or “Treasure” by Bruno Mars. Or Pharrell music or Chris Brown. It goes on and on.

Let’s get to it, shall we? This will be a five-part series and feel free to comment when all is said and done with your own MJ personal faves.

25. “Baby Be Mine” (from Thriller – 1982)

It’s from the best selling album of all time and yet it’s probably the least talked about track on the record. It’s still great though and is highly reminiscent of his Off the Wall dance tracks that came three years earlier (and will show up on this here list).

24. “Will You Be There?” (from Dangerous – 1991)

Sort of cheesy? Yes. Best remembered for its video and inclusion in the film Free Willy? Yep. Call this a guilty pleasure MJ track if you will, but I love Michael’s vocals on here and the choir that closes it out.

23. “You Are Not Alone” (from HIStory – 1995)

My second MJ slow jam was written and produced by R. Kelly and is the first single in U.S. history to debut at #1.  It’s got a pretty memorable video featuring then wife Lisa Marie Presley, too.

22. “In the Closet” (from Dangerous – 1991)

The third single from 1991’s Dangerous album is a Teddy Riley produced New Jack Swing banger. Once again – the B&W music video featuring Naomi Campbell and directed by famed photographer Herb Ritts is a classic.

21. “Earth Song” (from HIStory – 1995)

This environmentally conscious and operatic tour de force served as MJ’s third single off 1995’s History and is my favorite among his socially conscious anthems (you won’t find “Heal the World” on this list). It’s the artist’s largest selling single ever in the United Kingdom.

And that’s all for now, folks! I’ll be back tomorrow with part two and numbers 20-16.