Today I continue my ten-part series showcasing my personal picks for the best songs of last year.
60. tUnE-yArDs – Sunlight
Simple, repetitive, and one-note at first, but the tracks then grows with an excellent chorus and layers of bass and guitar after the listener gets used to the unique drum pattern. As we continue listening, more layers of sound surface, including what sound like sampled background vocals. The song builds to an final explosive chorus that, by this time, you should be able to sing along with. An unusual, but powerful, demonstration of progression in pop, “Sunlight” is a treat every time.
Today I continue my ongoing feature showcasing my personal picks for the best songs of the past decade, posting ten songs at a time.
260. The Teenagers – Homecoming
All of my guy friends find this song pretty hilarious, yet every girl I’ve ever played it for is repulsed by its lyrics. Think of “Summer Nights” on Grease, but with a techno beat and the word “cunt” in the chorus. You know what? I’ll just let the lyrics speak for themselves.
Chorus:
Guy: I fucked my American cunt
Girl: I loved my English romance
Guy: It was dirty, a dream came true, just like I like it, she’s got nice tits
Girl: It was perfect, a dream came true, just like a song by Blink 182
And like Grease, it’s a singalong. Hilarious, right? Maybe? Ladies?
Tonight I’m going with friends to a special private screening of MacGruber, the latest SNL-related film. As with most Saturday Night Live movies, I’m not expecting Oscar caliber material, but a good time and a few laughs. Lorne Michaels hasn’t commissioned a film based on the sketch comedy of the show in ten years, the last being 2000’s The Ladies Man. In light of my escapades tonight, I’m taking a look at my personal favorite SNL movies from the past. Some you will agree with, some will make you cringe, but all are funny movies that are, at least somewhat, dear to my SNL-loving heart.
Today I continue my ten-part series showcasing my personal picks for the best songs of last year.
70. Miley Cyrus – Party In the USA
“Seriously?” Yes, dude, seriously. You know why people hate this song? Because Miley sings it. That’s the only reason. Any other reason and you have no soul. Why? Have you listened to this song? It’s fucking awesome. Seriously. And Hannah Montana had nothing to do with its awesomeness. That crunchy bass line? That banging beat? And the melody is pop gold. I mean, it’s not like Miley had anything to do with the songwriting and production – she didn’t. She just sings. And the Auto-Tune makes her sound like sweet, sweet candy. Seriously. So stop pretending like you don’t love this song just because 14-year-old girls do, too. They’re not always wrong. Sponge Bob is still awesome.
For those of you still willing to lie and say you hate this song, and you don’t crank it when no one’s looking, nodding your head like yeah, moving your hips like yeah, let me ask you this: do you even like music? Seriously.
Today I continue my ongoing feature showcasing my personal picks for the best songs of the past decade, posting ten songs at a time.
270. The Shins – New Slang
I heard all the brouhaha about Garden State and the hype surrounding this band, but I didn’t actually see the film until I met my good friend Kim in college. I believe it is still one of her favorite movies, and it is one that I enjoyed immensely, though I haven’t watched it since. I managed to get my hands on a copy of Oh, Inverted World back in high school, and, honestly, I didn’t really get it. Sure, the songs were pretty and soft, but I was initially bored. And dumb. It took repeated listens and a few years for me to appreciate it; what a brilliant little debut from a band that would, along with Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, probably be the first in the new indie-Internet age to become too popular too quick.
Some of the things I love come under intense fire and scrutiny, and I am forced to intensely defend them. Conversely, there are things that I am done defending – they have crossed a certain line of mediocrity that I cannot follow. And then there are a few things that certainly have made mistakes, but I have not given up on yet.
So, because, as you know, I love lists, after the jump you will be treated to five things I constantly defend, five things I’m done defending, and five things that I feel still deserve defense, even if they’ve slipped up recently.
