People often step to me and say, ‘Limmy, it must be so hard deciding your Top 10 songs of the year. I mean, gurl, you listen to so much shit.’ I then pat their head gently with all the love and sagely kindness of Yoda and say, ‘A Top 10 song you will know, when you hear’.
And usually that’s not just with one listen. It’s with multiple listens – over and over - everywhere you go. You start making up situations in your daily life so you can mention the song to a friend or quote its lyrics on Twitter. You sneak it into mixtapes for friends and in multiple playlists. You get really fucking upset when people rubbish it or clearly haven’t watched the video for it even though you’ve posted it on their Facebook wall, like, a thousand times this week.
So having said that, my Top 10 songs of 2012 are actually pretty obvious to people who know me. Unlike the albums of the year countdown where there were a few outer-pop forays, this countdown is a no-brainer.
More flash in the pan sellers falling off the charts just as quickly as they came. You really come to appreciate what Adele‘s 21 achieved last year in anchoring the music industry, don’t you?
This week the sun shines on K-pop star PSY and his incredible viral single ‘Gangnam Style’. Guy Sebastian, Matchbox Twenty, Flo Rida, Ne-Yo and TobyMac also come through with the goods.
Remember back when it was kinda uncool to be “launched from a reality TV show”?
Well, it would seem that if you can escape that stigma with class and some bloody awesome creative ventures, you’re guaranteed to be embraced by the masses in the way Guy Sebastian and Jessica Mauboy were this week.
Elsewhere on this Chart Feed, it has also been a good week for the Spice Girls, Emeli Sande, Rita Ora and Flo Rida.
The Olympic Games is doing nothing to stimulate Britain’s album buying habits as the nation hits its lowest weekly album sales in 16 years. Rihanna‘s Talk That Talk has returned to #1 on the UK charts with just over 9,500 copies sold – making it the lowest weekly sale for a UK #1 album in the 21st century.
Elsewhere, American Idol winner Phillip Phillips scores big on the digital charts thanks to a placement in NBC’s Olympic broadcast, the Pet Shop Boys cops a chart fail with ‘Winner’, and J.Lo now ties with Katy Perry for most consecutive US #1 dance/club play singles.
A whole season must’ve passed beneath our feet, moons come and gone, colours of the wind changed, since our last Chart Feed – but I’m now ready to immerse myself back into a regime of tireless research on Monday nights.
Perhaps once the choir of angels performing their celebratory rendition of ‘You Bring Me Joy’has ascended back to heaven, we can begin this week’s pickings of the ARIA, UK Official and US Billboard charts.
This was a particularly rosy week for Justice Crew and Conor Maynard, featuring new entries also from The Veronicas, Kelendria Trene Rowland and Scissor Sisters.
Forget how Cheryl Cole feels when we call her name – isn’t it time somebody assigned a name to that wandering mole we last saw touring all over Kelly Rowland’s face? That shit is now getting viewed more times than Nadine Coyle because it just found itself a sweet spot on our Geordie Goddess’ right cheek.
Seriously, though. If the cosmetically-bestowed mole was the only subject of your fixation throughout this 4:29 production then I suggest you reassess your life choices.
Cheryl Cole serves an endless reel of fashion editorial realness in her brand new video ‘Call My Name’ that really could have doubled as a commercial for a number of top-end designer labels. What’s up, D&G?
Lady of the concrete jungle.
Director Anthony Mandler, who has hemmed quality videos for Rihanna and Jennifer Hudson, made such a sensible juxtaposition of Cheryl‘s alluring feminine movements with these cold, urban and structured streetscapes.
I really enjoyed Cheryl‘s visual presentation here – the full voluminous hair giving us movement in the wind, those stunning display of legs and womanly silhouette? Excuse her beauty but it truly was the main attraction of every scene in this video.
Hard and soft.
The well-groomed contrast I mentioned didn’t just start and end with the visual make-up of the outdoor shots, but also extends to the kind of energies mixed throughout the whole ‘Call My Name’ video.
You see some seriously on-point choreography delivered with slick precision mixed in with these really glamorous and almost ethereal movements in the mirror scenes, where it’s just Cheryl giving face to the camera.
It’s just the kind of pace this video needs to reflect – especially for a song like ‘Call My Name’, where there are massive fairground synths pounding the chorus, offset by a pair of very sensual, alluring verses.
You almost can’t go too hard by heavily featuring dance moves in every single shot for the entire video.
“You got me confused by the way I changed…”
‘Call My Name’ – concocted by pop’s it producer of the moment Calvin Harris – isn’t a defining smash by any stretch of the imagination. But just like a lot of the music Cheryl has handed me before, however heavily soaked in mediocrity, I’m gonna eat this shit up like it’s the last goddamn box of KFC Wicked Wings on earth. I am full-blown obsessed and am in dire need of help when it comes to weaning myself off this basic pop event.
Watch Cheryl‘s ‘Call My Name’ video:
Footnotes:
Cheryl Cole will release ‘Call My Name’ on 11 June in the UK. Her third solo album A Million Lights hits shelves the following week.
Gotye and Kimbra‘s ‘Somebody That I Used To Know’ has risen to claim the top spot this week, making him the first Australian artist to go #1 here since Guy Sebastian‘s ‘Who’s That Girl’ earlier this year. ‘Somebody That I Used To Know’ is not only the indie pop purveyor’s first chart topper but his first single to crack the ARIA Top 50. Likewise for his partner in crime Kimbra, who has been the hipster community’s best kept secret up until now. It’s an amazing feat for the pair to rise to #1 in only five weeks, racking up platinum sales and earning the support of commercial stations, where they typically would only get rotation on Triple J. Gotye premiered his forthcoming Making Mirrors album on Triple J last night in full, ahead of its release this Friday. The album, in its pre-order state, is currently charting at #7 on iTunes Australia. Kimbra‘s own album Vows will drop locally on 2 September.
Jessica Mauboy‘s ‘Inescapable’ shoots up to #4 this week, making this her first Top 5 hit since ‘Burn’ ascended to #1 in 2009. I know, right? But it’s not like everything in between has flopped or anything. J Mally’s singles are always well-timed and mostly well-supported by Aussie radios, which naturally results in high charting positions. In fact, all her singles have gone Top 20 bar ‘Let Me Be Me’, which was the sixth and final single from Been Waiting (could we blame anyone for not caring?). Keep an eye on next week’s chart to see where the album peaks with the arrival of its deluxe incarnation. If you’re trying to decide if it’s worth your pennies or not, here’s a preview of some new Get ‘Em Girls tracks and my thoughts on the lot. In the two days that counted, Get ‘Em Girls Deluxe has managed to bring the album back to #19 on the Australian Urban charts.
Watch J Mally perform ‘Inescapable’ on Australia’s Got Talent:
Lady Gaga‘s ‘You And I’ is the most added new song to Aussie radios this week. The music video is set to premiere this Thursday. I know she’s always hyping up her latest video to be her best work yet but really, wouldn’t it be impressive if her best video truly was for the single nobody counted on? Elsewhere, Rihanna‘s ‘Cheers (Drink To That)’ rises to #18 in Australia this week, making it her fifth consecutive Top 20 smash here. Every single off the Loud album – bar ‘Man Down’, which wasn’t even serviced to Aussie radios, was it? - has gone Top 20 in Australia, a feat no other RiRi album has ever achieved. Not even the mega Good Girl Gone Bad. Over in the States, ‘Cheers’ shoots up to #50 on the Billboard Hot 100.
Marvin Priest and mah gurl Wynter Gordon‘s ‘Take Me Away’ has finally cracked the Top 50 this week at #32 after a few weeks in the wilderness. The song is getting a bit more radio support so it’s fitting to see it do what it’s doing now. Wynter’s own single ‘Buy My Love’ is set to be released and issued to Aussie radios on 22 August – let’s pray the uptake on that is even greater than what it has been for ‘Take Me Away’.
Watch Marvin Priest and Wynter Gordon‘s ‘Take Me Away’ video. My gurl is looking absolutely smokin’ hawt in it:
Selena Gomez & The Scene‘s ‘Love You Like A Love Song’ cracks the Aussie Top 50 this week at #48. This is actually the Disney pop princess’s second time ever charting this high in our country – ‘Naturally’ made #46 last year. While she’s never really had the same level of radio support as she has in the States and around Asia, Selena’s latest album When The Sun Goes Down managed to debut at #14 here – signifying that she’s most definitely a force to be reckoned with. I don’t know about commercial stations turning the corner to embrace Godmez but Australian gay and lesbian station JOY 94.9 has certainly kept ‘Love You Like A Love Song’ on daytime rotation for a while now. The single also makes a huge jump in the UK, going from #141 to #72 this week. Get ready for the take over.
Boy & Bear‘s Moonfire debuts at #2 in Australia to become the highest selling new album this week, beating the almighty Jay-Z and Kanye West‘s Watch The Throne which came in at #3. The Sydney-based indie rockers have been on the scene for a good year or so now and this is actually a pretty impressive debut for their first album. Last year, they probably piqued a few interests when they opened for Mumford & Sons on their Australian tour and the gang’s EP at the time With Emperor Antarctica managed to chart as high as #63.
Check out Boy & Bear‘s new single ‘Milk & Sticks’:
Zoë Badwi‘s Zoë album debuts at #35 on the ARIA chart and #22 on the digital side this week. I think that’s pretty much expected for an artist that has her heels firmly planted in the dance scene with one crossover single. I look forward to seeing our girl sustain the sales with some heavy touring over the next two months. What’s important is Ms Badwi taking her music out to the scene where it needs to be, where it was designed to be. I’m sure it’d be nice to have another mega radio smash like ‘Freefallin’ – queens, y’all know that I’m eyeballing the next single ‘Until You’re Over Me’ – but at the end of the day, the Zoë album was made to cater for dance audiences. It shall fulfill its destiny accordingly and anything beyond that would be a bonus.
Amy Winehouse and Adele continue their airtight reign of the UK Top 5 this week with the late Wino’s Back to Black still holding on to #1 and Adele’s 21 placed firmly at #2. Frank and 19 are holding down #4 and #5 positions respectively.
Jay-Z & Kanye West‘s Watch The Throne debuts at #3 in the UK, making it the highest selling new album there this week. Watch The Throne was definitely the most downloaded album in the UK and Australia this week, topping the digital charts in both territories. The hip hop moguls’ current single ‘Otis’ slips to #40 in the UK while their Beysus-annointed future single ‘Lift Off’ starts charting at #48. ‘Lift Off’ will be launched to American urban stations next Tuesday.
Cheryl Cole‘s 3 Words album has copped a surprise sale boost this week, re-entering the UK Top 100 at #80 after it had already sold over 900,000 copies in its prime. Nuhdeen will be steady sticking pins in her Chezza voodoo doll now. Speaking of the Geordie Goddess, there’s this delicious piece of goss that she has apparentlyrecorded a will.i.am track originally intended for Cher Lloyd‘s album. What a sneaky ho. Do you see the way she’s thieving away at people’s opportunities? Trust me, she may be laying low after losing her X Factor judging seat but Ms Cole is planning something far bigger and more sinister than Nadine 2.0. We haven’t seen the last of this bitch. All of us stanning for a Girls Aloud reunion will have to topple Cheryl’s empire first.
Dub step duo Nero score their first ever UK #1 hit this week with ‘Promises’. They first caught mainstream media attention after making the shortlist for BBC’s prestigious Sound of 2011 in December alongside other lauded breaking talents like James Blake and Clare Maguire (the winner was Jessie J and look what a year it has been for her). Their chart-topping new entry could not have come at a more surprising juncture with X Factor pop acts JLS and Cher Lloyd having occupied the top spot in previous weeks. So what gives?
Check out the video for ‘Promises’ and rate it for yourselves:
David Guetta and Sia‘s ‘Titanium’ debuts at #16 in the UK and #31 in Australia this week purely off the back of strong digital sales. This epic dance number is already shaping up to be a real contender for Feed Limmy’s Top 10 singles of 2011. I honestly hope the label doesn’t tread too lightly on this success. ’Titanium’ has the potential to go so much further if it receives the full backing of an official single launch. This needs to be impacting radios already. I’m not content with it being pitched as some digital promo teaser for the album, which I’ll probably hate anyway. ‘Titanium’ is actually turning on pop music fans who aren’t normally inclined to bump Guetta tracks because it’s one of his few singles that aren’t insipidly about getting crunk and picking up chicks. Sista Sia bringeth soul and a hurricane of emotions to the dance floor much in the way Estelle did for Guetta‘s last album gem ‘One Love’.
Jessie J‘s ‘Who’s Laughing Now’ cracks the UK Top 100 this week, entering at #37 after the video surfaced. Expect it to keep rising after the single gets officially released on 21 August. We’re expected to be treated to two new Jessie J tracks in no time, y’all. First up there’s ‘Repeat’, a track on David Guetta‘s forthcoming Nothing But The Beat album, then there’s ‘Domino’ – the Katy Perry-fashioned new summer pop jam slated to hit the States on 30 August (according to Idolator).
Nicole Scherzinger‘s ‘Wet’ rises from #189 to #38 in the UK this week. With any luck, she’ll secure a fourth consecutive Top 3 smash there. Over in the States, ‘Right There’makes a new peak of #15 on the dance/club play charts. Here in Australia, the single hangs tight at its peak of #8. It’s already charting better than its predecessor ‘Don’t Hold Your Breath’, which only made it at #17. We can’t really hold that against it, can we? ‘Don’t Hold Your Breath’ was most Aussies’ introduction to Nicole’s solo work. It was the perfect appetiser and now that local radios have taken the Scherzinger bait, here comes more.
While we’re on the subject of post-Pussycat Doll work, if you haven’t already inspected Jessica Sutta‘s A-grade new dance/pop single ‘Show Me’ – you absolutely need to. Like, right away. The chorus is giving me life:
Kelly Rowland‘s Here I Am drops 10 places on the US Billboard 200 in its second week to chart at #13. I’ve clocked a couple of stans getting pressed because Kelendria has yet to issue a follow-up single. What is she waiting for? ‘Motivation’, as great as it was for her, has well and truly run its course. Everyone is looking forward to ‘Lay It On Me’ now but there’s still no date set for a radio impact and no sign of a video shoot either. To quote my Twitter friend and beloved pop music fan Richard Eric, ‘Lay It On Me’ is “exactly how Kelly Rowland should sound in 2011: brave, confident, and like somebody who could comfortably lead a group rather than be the second-in-charge like she was back in DC.” Trust.
Greyson Chance - the 13-year old YouTube sensation who rose to fame with his piano-based cover of ‘Paparazzi’ – sees his debut album Hold On ‘Til The Night enter the US Billboard Hot 100 at #29 and digital charts at #14. The album, released through Ellen DeGeneres‘ label eleveneleven, managed to sell 16,185 first week copies in the States off the back of two singles.
Check out his adorable video for ‘Unfriend Me’. It’s the best prepubescent break-up song you’ll ever hear:
Dev‘s second single ‘In The Dark’ has finally cracked the US Billboard Hot 100 at #97. The rent-a-ho for Far East Movement and JLS‘s singles is still hustlin’ hard to get her solo material heard in the States but everything seems to be lining up for her just fine. She’ll gain further exposure as one of the many guests on David Guetta‘s forthcoming album Nothing But The Beat – she’s on a demure, prim and family-friendly track with Timbaland titled ‘I Just Wanna Fuck’. On top of that, Dev‘s debut album The Night The Sun Came Up is set to drop in the UK first on 5 September and later in the US on 20 September.
Kylie Minogue‘s ‘Put Your Hands Up’ shoots up to #2 on the US Dance/Club play charts. So close to reaching #1 and joining the constellation of Aphrodite dance chart toppers. Elsewhere, Britney‘s ‘I Wanna Go’ is the biggest gainer on the club play charts, taking it to a new peak of #3. Wynter Gordon‘s ‘Til Death’ holds tight to the Top 5 placement. Also on the get-go is the new pan-Asian girl band Blush with their debut single ‘Undivided’ featuring Snoop Dogg, ascending to #9 on the dance charts. I am not sold on these ladies, to be honest. But I’ll let you be the judge.
Check out Blush’s beige single ‘Undivided’:
The Wanted‘s ‘Glad You Came’ remains a hot contender on the UK Top 10 but it’s their 2010 debut single ‘All Time Low’ that’s starting to heat up now across the Atlantic. I nearly fell off my chair when I clocked ‘All Time Low’ rising to #21 on the US Billboard Dance/Club charts. I mean, really? Why that mess? I could say the same for Blush. Other surprising dance chart movers include Adele‘s ‘Set Fire to The Rain’ rising to #27 and Jennifer Hudson‘s ‘No One Gonna Love You’ cracking at #47.
Leona Lewis‘ euphoric new single ‘Collide’ debuts at #32 on the US Dance/Club charts this week. Although, I’m not so sure about its future now that Avicii has filed papers to the high court preventing her label, Syco, from releasing ‘Collide’ ahead of his version ‘Fade into Darkness’. To be continued.
