iTunes Top Singles As of October 5th
1. “Skyfall”—Adele
It’s old news by now that Adele is unbelievably talented, and this song does nothing to dispel that belief. What’s surprising is that it’s no coincidence the name of this song matches the name of the upcoming James Bond movie; indeed, it is the theme song for the movie. While Adele may seem like an unusual choice for singing a James Bond theme, what makes it so brilliant is it still sounds like it can fit seamlessly into a James Bond movie, specifically the kind of James Bond movies that have come out most recently; these movies are known to be less campy than previous versions and more focused on developing the Bond character. Since Adele is well known for the emotional power she brings to her music, this makes her a perfect fit for singing the theme of the new, Daniel Craig-style 007.
2. “Red”—Taylor Swift
My consensus on Taylor Swift has always been this: very catchy music, somewhat childish lyrics, and a singing voice that has some but not an extraordinary amount of talent. “Red” further proves all of these points, as Swift compares each stage of yet another relationship (and I thought I was guy-crazy…) to a different color. That sounded juvenile even as I writing it. However, I still downloaded it because the music just makes it all sound so plausible and entertaining. I’ll admit it: Swift is kind of a guilty pleasure for me. I know there are others out there!
3. “Gangnam Style”—Psy
The popularity of this song has kind of exploded lately, and until I checked out iTunes’s 10 most downloaded singles for today, I had no idea what the word “Gangnam” meant and why it seemed to be all over the Internet. Now that I’ve joined the rest of civilization and heard the song and watched the highly entertaining music video featuring the dance that is probably being imperfectly performed at every homecoming dance in America, I honestly believe the only reason this song is so popular on iTunes is because of the music video and the dance. The song itself, music-wise, is comparable to something a Korean LMFAO would do and is really only just decent, but the video is definitely more than that. Seriously, I cannot begin to describe how happy I was while watching it. Psy is instantly lovable and the video is refreshingly unique and hilarious. Watch it.
4. “Live While You’re Young”—One Direction
This latest from the everyone’s favorite merry band of Irish moppets obviously has the group’s target audience down: preteen girls who need songs they can sing and dance along to mindlessly at slumber parties (and those who may be slightly older but need songs they can sing and dance along to mindlessly, and nostalgically, at events that often end up becoming “slumber parties”). While I personally don’t find this song to be as guiltily infectious as “What Makes You Beautiful,” die-hard One Direction fans will probably not be disappointed. On another, more random, note: there’s a lyric in this song that goes, “And if we get together, yeah, get together/Don’t let the pictures leave your phone, ohhhh.” Is it just me, or is he talking about…never mind, it’s best not to let that image enter my mind.
5. “One More Night”—Maroon 5
Though I usually do not like any Maroon 5 song that was recorded after Songs about Jane (i.e., the Official Soundtrack for the 12th Year of My Life), “One More Night” is a pleasant exception for its unique, danceable beat. Also, the lyrics, as well as Adam Levine, are pretty darn hot. But this doesn’t mean I forgive “Moves Like Jagger.”
6. “We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together”—Taylor Swift
Though I have already confessed my secret admiration for Ms. Swift’s music, every now and then, a song of hers bugs the heck out of me, especially when they proceed to be played all over the place. The last one was “Teardrops on My Guitar.” Now it’s “We Are NEVER EVER EVERRRRR Getting Back Togetherrrrrrrr.” The chorus forces her to sound like an unusually articulate Pomeranian.
7. “Some Nights”—Fun.
I am just now realizing how appropriate Fun.’s name is. Their songs aren’t “FUN!” or “FUN.” or even “Fun!” They’re just “Fun.”: pleasant to listen to, but not standing too far out from the crowd. Both “We Are Young” and “Some Nights” are like this. Why is this group so popular again?
8. “Die Young”—Ke$ha
I’m starting to not like this iTunes chart; it’s exposing all of my guilty musical pleasures. So, here it goes: it’s hard to tell if Ke$ha can actually sing because she seems to prefer to shout, “rap,” and Auto-Tune, and her lyrics are not only atrociously written, but like Taylor Swift, annoyingly focus on one subject (in Ke$ha’s case, of course, this subject is partying, with glitter). BUT, at the same time, her songs are pretty good at getting one in the partying mood, and for dancing alone in one’s room…it’s OK. Go ahead and judge.
9. “Diamonds”—Rihanna
This song just frustrates me, because I feel like it could be a really, really good song, very powerful and a great opportunity to show off Rihanna’s talent to its full extent. I know she has it, because I actually like her voice on all of her songs. I can’t say that about “Diamonds.” I don’t know what Rihanna or the producers were thinking, but her voice sounds weirdly hoarse throughout the entire song. It ruins it.
10. “Locked Out of Heaven”—Bruno Mars
What do Taylor Swift, Ke$ha, and Bruno Mars all have in common? The vast majority of their songs seem to be about the same thing. Like Taylor Swift, Bruno Mars’s songs are all about relationships, except Mars seems to be more outwardly anguished about them when he sings. I always imagine Swift quietly tearing up as she sits non-threateningly on a stool and records each song, while I always imagine Mars falling dramatically to his knees, shutting his eyes tight, and raising an outstretched hand to the sky as he records. Am I the only one who thinks these two should duet?