Best of the Rest of the Top 40: 2012

Cafe Society
1

The year is now 2012, and while the world didn’t end, the days of the Hot 100 being just sales and airplay did - this is the last chart from before Billboard added Youtube and on-demand streaming to the chart formula. We have 27 songs in this list.

What’s your favorite?

Previous polls: 1956 1957 1958 1959 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011

Best #1 single polls: 1955-56 1957 1958 1959 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 1950s 1960s 1970s 1980s 1990s 2000s 2010s All-time

2

In the last 6 polls, I was scratching my head, trying desperately to find something to vote for. This time, it’s easy as can be.

Ellie Goulding - Lights

It’s one of the precious few songs from this decade that I unreservedly loved on first hearing. A great update of early 80’s dance.

3

Justin Bieber a hair ahead of Ellie Goulding, The Wanted, Nicki Minaj and Sia, Flo Rida, Owl City/Carly Rae Jepsen.

4

Finally, a year where I recognize a song. So “Blow Me” gets my vote.

5

Lights for me, could also have voted for P!nk.

6

IMO, this list has a lot of good songs, but not many great songs - most of the really good pop songs this year made it to #1 and aren’t on this list, and of the ones that remain, there aren’t any that I’d say really stand head and shoulders above the rest.

I went with Pink, but I could easily have gone with Bruno, Owl City, Snoop, Maroon 5 (although the cover by Tiffany Alvord is superior in every way), Katy Perry, or Neon Trees.

(Sadly missing from either 2012 poll is the most-watched Youtube video of all time, Gangnam Style, which was stuck at #2 behind Maroon 5 and only made it to 60-ish on the year-end chart. I’m pretty sure its failure to make #1 was a big factor in Billboard deciding to start including Youtube in the Hot 100 formula the next year.)

7

I voted for Alex Clare’s “Too Close” over Snoop Dogg. There are several other songs that are OK, but none of those really blow me away.

In dead-ass last place are “Wide Awake” and “Good Feeling,” both earning AUTOMATIC ZERO scores thanks to their asshole rapist producer.

8

“Some Nights” is clearly the best song on this list.