2009: A Great Year for Pop
Gosh - here we are at New Year's Eve, and 2010 is hurtling towards us with all the futuristic modernism and jet-boots that implies.
Well, we'll see quite what that brings I grant you. But if 2010 is as good a year for Pop as 2009 then it's already shaping up to be a corker. In fact, better, because hopefully both Kylie and Same Difference will be releasing and touring in 2010 - they're about the only acts missing from 2009's line-up. This year we saw more live music than ever before - whether in the vast expanse of the O2 Arena, the sweaty confines of Heaven or somewhere inbetween: The Saturdays (twice), Girls Aloud, Agnes (three times, if you include the Melodifestivalen final), Star Pilots, September, Pet Shop Boys (twice), Velvet, Britney Spears, Take That, Lady Gaga (twice, "once in New York" to coin a phrase), Michael Jackson, Bananarama (twice), Backstreet Boys, Alphabeat, S Club 3, Ruth Lorenzo, Will Young, Rihanna (with Jay-Z), and Kylie (with Benny and Bjorn). Plus a host of Eurovision entrants at the Preview Party. And not forgetting the Schlager Parties, Scandipop nights and Melodifestivalen (watched in Sweden and the UK) of course! (Oh, and Mica Paris, Lucie Jones, and Jamie Archer - but they don't make the first list. Nor do Ou Est le Swimming Pool, even if I did then download their single.)
So, to round off 2009 with a bang, here are some of my favourite songs. It's not in any particular order, and I don't warrant that this is the definitive top 5 in case there's a corker I've forgotten. But if you were to take a look at this list I'd like to think you'd go "ooh, that's a good year of music there".
I've restricted this to Top 40 songs that were released as singles only, but tomorrow I'll pop up a couple of extra songs of the year that fall outside of this rule but are also fab.
Lady Gaga - Bad Romance: my favourite Gaga single of the year. Amazing.
The Wideboys Stadium Remix of Remedy by Little Boots. Sadly no real video, but I had to put the remix for all its heart-racing fantasticness. The original is, of course, also good.
I can't find an embeddable version right now of the original, and best, European video for Release Me. So that's the slightly less good US version - still with some iconic walking, though. Probably the song of the year to an extent - I couldn't've been more delighted at seeing Swedish pop do so well. (Although, poor September).
Another one that's a shoddy low-quality remix embed - the original, of course, also great in many different ways. Jade did us truly proud in Moscow - and what a year for her!
It was quite a decision process to work out what would make the cut for the 5th song to appear here. And I may change my mind, or add another one in. But Mini Viva were a welcome addition to the pop canon this year. While I Left My Heart In Tokyo was obviously the soundtrack to our Oriental Oddysey a few months ago, I really love I Wish - sadly the record-buying public didn't quite agree. Still - album in 2010 - bring it on!
Tomorrow - as mentioned, some ultra-vires numbers from 2009 and also some others that didn't make the cut today. In the meantime... Happy New Year everyone!
Well, we'll see quite what that brings I grant you. But if 2010 is as good a year for Pop as 2009 then it's already shaping up to be a corker. In fact, better, because hopefully both Kylie and Same Difference will be releasing and touring in 2010 - they're about the only acts missing from 2009's line-up. This year we saw more live music than ever before - whether in the vast expanse of the O2 Arena, the sweaty confines of Heaven or somewhere inbetween: The Saturdays (twice), Girls Aloud, Agnes (three times, if you include the Melodifestivalen final), Star Pilots, September, Pet Shop Boys (twice), Velvet, Britney Spears, Take That, Lady Gaga (twice, "once in New York" to coin a phrase), Michael Jackson, Bananarama (twice), Backstreet Boys, Alphabeat, S Club 3, Ruth Lorenzo, Will Young, Rihanna (with Jay-Z), and Kylie (with Benny and Bjorn). Plus a host of Eurovision entrants at the Preview Party. And not forgetting the Schlager Parties, Scandipop nights and Melodifestivalen (watched in Sweden and the UK) of course! (Oh, and Mica Paris, Lucie Jones, and Jamie Archer - but they don't make the first list. Nor do Ou Est le Swimming Pool, even if I did then download their single.)
So, to round off 2009 with a bang, here are some of my favourite songs. It's not in any particular order, and I don't warrant that this is the definitive top 5 in case there's a corker I've forgotten. But if you were to take a look at this list I'd like to think you'd go "ooh, that's a good year of music there".
I've restricted this to Top 40 songs that were released as singles only, but tomorrow I'll pop up a couple of extra songs of the year that fall outside of this rule but are also fab.
Lady Gaga - Bad Romance: my favourite Gaga single of the year. Amazing.
The Wideboys Stadium Remix of Remedy by Little Boots. Sadly no real video, but I had to put the remix for all its heart-racing fantasticness. The original is, of course, also good.
I can't find an embeddable version right now of the original, and best, European video for Release Me. So that's the slightly less good US version - still with some iconic walking, though. Probably the song of the year to an extent - I couldn't've been more delighted at seeing Swedish pop do so well. (Although, poor September).
Another one that's a shoddy low-quality remix embed - the original, of course, also great in many different ways. Jade did us truly proud in Moscow - and what a year for her!
It was quite a decision process to work out what would make the cut for the 5th song to appear here. And I may change my mind, or add another one in. But Mini Viva were a welcome addition to the pop canon this year. While I Left My Heart In Tokyo was obviously the soundtrack to our Oriental Oddysey a few months ago, I really love I Wish - sadly the record-buying public didn't quite agree. Still - album in 2010 - bring it on!
Tomorrow - as mentioned, some ultra-vires numbers from 2009 and also some others that didn't make the cut today. In the meantime... Happy New Year everyone!
UPDATE 5.57pm: Bollocks, its already unravelling... can't believe I missed this off.
Edit 27/12/12: YouTube playlist of these songs and those from the next post available here
Edit 27/12/12: YouTube playlist of these songs and those from the next post available here
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