The 2013-50: No.5 - No.1

No.5: "Get Lucky" - Daft Punk featuring Pharrell Williams and Nile Rodgers.

Now, a wee song which you might be familiar with.  Pharrell Williams "featured" on two significant chart hits this year: one was only fit for the dustbin (clue: hashtag-Thicke) and the other was this.  One of the year's most pleasant musical surprises, which marked the resurgence of the legendary Nile Rodgers and brought his music to a whole new audience.  And then Linda "I know a drag queen when I see one" Martin brought her cover version, and no-one expected that.  So all in all, a win-win situation.

Linda's version: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nZYQluJW-dM

No.4: "DNA" - Empire of the Sun.

My favourite song off "Ice On The Dune" and probably the one that's closest in spirit to, say, "Walking On A Dream" or "We Are The People".  DNA was the second single off the album and yet again, failed to make any impact over here.  However, the band does have a loyal following in the UK and Luke Steele has promised that they will bring their big theatrical show over here for a tour at some point.  Now if Nick Littlemore could only get over his aversion to touring...

Official video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iDN08Ia7CNI

No.3: "Mi Servirebbe Sapere" - Antonio Maggio.

So I won't bore you with the details, and no offence to Marco Mengoni, but suffice to say that in my world this should have been the song which represented Italy in Eurovision this year. 

Antonio did win the best newcomer prize at Sanremo so that suggests that he'll be back again at some point.  Whether his song will ever better this quirky, "We No Speak Americano"-influenced, catchy-as-hell song which still sounds as wonderful every time I play it, remains to be seen. 

Official video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TuXGsYg0acA

No.2: "The Underground" - Datarock.

Although I was mainly disappointed with MGP this year it still managed to produce some tunes which I’ll listen to again.  And again and again.  Songs with that kind of staying power will always turn up in my top 10, and this bold fusion of electro-dance and old style disco, sprinkled with a little "Music Sounds Better With You" immediately hit the spot.  It was never in any doubt that this would be in my top 5 and in any other year it would have probably topped my chart.  But then along came my favourite song of the year... 

Datarock at the MGP final: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1H5Ji3ecaCk

No.1: "Hur Dom Än" - Oskar Linnros.

Sometimes the most long-awaited songs can be the most disappointing. But not in this case: the ambitious structure of "Hur Dom Än" which was premiered at the Grammisgalan - not a week goes past without me watching that performance - finds Oskar in more epic, complex musical territory than ever before. This song completely soars and takes you on a breathtaking musical journey from beginning to end. If he is achieving this level of greatness so early in his solo musical career, it only makes you wonder just how much more he can achieve.  Unfortunately nothing on "Klappar Och Slag" came close to matching it; further proof that 2013 was the year of the great individual track, rather than the great album. 

That Grammisgalan performance: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HtJmC9Nkn-0

So there you have it.  Another year over, and a new one on the way, which will hopefully bring some good new music for my 2014-50, which will be published on here one year from now :)

The 2013-50: No.10 - No.6

No.10: "In And Out Of Love" - Martin Rolinski.

Otherwise known as The-Song-Which-Lost-To-"You"-in-Andra-Chansen. But it is no loser in my chart. I love Martin, and I love this homage to Modern Talking. Oh, and while watching Melodifestivalen this year, my mum fell in love with Martin and declared him to be pretty wonderful because he reminded her of the Pet Shop Boys. Greatness, greatness, greatness.

Melodifestivalen performance: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GHuNxQB9aDM

No.9:  "Take Back The Night" - Justin Timberlake.

And the horns say...! 

Flippin’ eck - this is completely at odds with anything released in 2013....think more 1979, summoning up the spirit of Michael Jackson. This only managed to make the lower reaches of the UK top 30, which says a lot about the state of our charts.  Funky and irresistible, with JT on top form. I know I'm going to be at odds with popular opinion when I say I like this more than "Mirrors", but I always have to be different :) 

Official video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DEzREJbln-o

No.8: "Alive" - Empire of the Sun.

The comeback single.  Question: what more do Empire of the Sun have to do to get a hit record in this country?  This was the band at their most commercial and I thought this would have finally been their breakthrough, but it was not to be.  Yet the instrumental version seems to be soundtracking a lot of telly programmes/trailers so someone has noticed.  "Alive" is a great big anthemic singalong which was just made for a live setting. 

Official video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IPKAwJKGSDc

No.7: "Invincible" - Jack Rowan featuring Sam Gray.

Yes, this was officially my favourite DMGP song of 2013, in which Danish dance producer Jack teamed up with English singer Sam.  On first hearing I dismissed it as a "Titanium" clone, but there's room for the two of them in my world.  Read the lyrics and it looks like, say, an X Factor winner's song, but the vocal performance by Sam Gray turns the whole song on its head and (for me) turns it into a sad, regretful song, as if on the outside he's invincible but inside his heart is breaking.  This is one more reason why following Eurovision national finals season can be such a musically enriching experience. 

Dansk MGP performance: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6wwYK5ZfQBQ

No.6: "Safe and Sound" - Capital Cities.

The winner of my annual 'Great Lost European Hit of the Year' award.  Not actually by a European act, but an American duo who shot to fame in their native country thanks to that very inventive dance video.  Regular readers will know that I tend to gravitate towards pop music with a 'retro' feel and in this case we are transported back to, say, maybe 1984 or thereabouts.  This only managed to reach no.42 in the UK charts.  I suppose we should be grateful that it even charted at all. 

Official video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=47dtFZ8CFo8

The 2013-50: No.15 - No.11

No.15: "Begging" - Anton Ewald.

Melodifestivalen always establishes new stars every year, and Anton was one of 2013's biggest breakthrough artists from the contest.  So much so, that he's back again in 2014.  I'm not usually into computer-game-bleepy artificial 'pop' tunes, but this took some of the best bits of that genre and turned them into a memorable pop record which stood up to repeated play. 

No.14: "Alibi" - Eddie Razaz.

This, more than any other, was the moment I was waiting for in Melodifestivalen 2013.  I've been a big fan since his "Idol" days and eagerly awaited his MF debut.  Eddie performed this uptempo, generic dance-pop song very well, but he failed to make it out of a tightly-contested heat 3.  Why Eddie didn't make it and Ravaillacz/Caroline af Ugglas did remains a mystery, but that's Melodifestivalen for ya!

No.13: "Mirrors" - Justin Timberlake.

Unforgettably premiered at an otherwise forgettable Brit Awards, this immediately made an impact and proved that he was back, back, back!  Justin is another one of those artists who, for me, doesn't really make great albums but is a fantastic singles artist.  He is going to have one hell of a greatest hits album.  "Mirrors" is, musically, a sequel to the equally awesome "Cry Me A River" and is one of the best mainstream international pop songs of the year. 

No.12: " Lacht Nor Mij" - Slongs Dievanongs.

If someone had said I'd have a Flemish rap song with a kiddie chorus in my top 50 this year....oh well, here it is.  Another song which I came across by accident, checking out the iTunes charts. This was a massive hit in her home country and was nominated for the prestigious Radio 2 Zomerhit award.  It also pretty much soundtracked my summer too, and became one of my most-played songs of the year.  Yet I still don't understand why I like this song so much; I just do. 

No.11: "Ekki Lita Undan" - Magni Asgeirsson.

Magni is one of the best pop-rock voices in Europe today and although this song took a little time to grow on me, I eventually became addicted to this anthemic mid-tempo stomping tune, passionately performed by my favourite Icelandic rocker.  Magni has entered Songvakeppni on several occasions and yet again, he missed out with this one.  We all know now that he won't be competing in 2014: the contest will be a much emptier place without him. 

The 2013-50: No.20 - No.16

No.20: "Chiedi di Me" - Renato Zero.

His name sounded familiar, however I wasn't familiar with any of his music until this year.  It was only during a brief phase of listening to Radio Italia (www.radioitalia.it) during the spring that I discovered this dramatic, brassy, against-the-current pop song, passing on an older man's advice and life experience.  Having done some research, it would appear that Renato is a bit of a character and has certainly lived an exciting life!

No.19: "Ice On The Dune" - Empire of the Sun.

First (but, surprisingly, not last) appearance by my favourite Aussie duo.  This is the title track of that long-awaited album and is one of the tracks which is closest to the spirit of that debut album.  Other-worldly bright, clean, pop music not tainted by the kind of rot which marks much of this decade's so-called 'pop'.  Distinctive and unique. 

 

No.18: "Broken Parts" - Måns Zelmerlöw.

 

This was the year that Måns decided to break away from being Sweden's Mr Light Entertainment - quitting Allsång at a time when he was more popular than ever as the host of that famous 'poisoned chalice' which is always a target for the Swedish tabloid critics.  Måns also broke away from the commercial pop/dance of his first two albums and reinvented himself with this grown-up ballad.  Now I'm no ballad fan but this ticks all the boxes.   

 



No.17: "Old Flavours" - Empire of the Sun.

Here they are again!  This predominantly instrumental track, premiered at their Sydney Opera House concert, was previously the subject of a YouTube teaser video (we all thought it was called 'Discovery' to begin with).  Musically, it's all the things I love about Empire of the Sun and it would probably have been up there in my top 5 if it had been a proper 'song' rather than an instrumental with a couple of lines near the end. 

No.16: "Ti" - Rezarta Smaja.

Time to bend the rules/criteria a little, as this is a song which first came to my attention at the end of 2012.  Around this time last year to be precise, as I experienced my first ever Festivali i Këngës, a very enjoyable start to a long national finals season.  Along came Rezarta with this big old Italian-style ballad, backed by a live orchestra.  No playback or pre-recorded backing vocals here! She gave it her all, and this song immediately sailed into my heart.  She'll be back later this week at FiK 52: hope her song is as good as this one.

The 2013-50: No.25 - No.21

No.25: "This Is What It Feels Like" - Armin van Buuren.

 

This for me was 2013's equivalent of "Don't You Worry Child" (a song which, incidentally, placed at no. 32 in last year's annual countdown but went on to become one of my most played tracks of the first half of 2013).

 

This is the kind of song which gives EDM a good name, a rarity these days.  Danceable and melodic, great vocals, and staying power.  For a long time, the Eurovision rumour machine had Armin representing the Netherlands in 2014.  Turned out to be wrong of course, but we live in hope.

 

 

 

No.24: "Tomorrow" - Gianluca Bezzina.

 

Good ol' Jeremy makes it to the 2013-50!  From the 'Hey Soul Sister' template, Dr Gianluca prescribed a fun and feelgood song which deserved to do better than it did, although 8th place is very respectable indeed.  I think this is probably my favourite ESC entry from Malta, and I'd like to see him come back again and win the whole thing.  As Jade Ewen may have sung, "It's their time, it's their time" (groan).

No.23: "Ljubav je Svuda" - Moje 3.

 

Or as it's known in my world, death by styling.  If you thought the angel/devil set up was ridiculous, that was nothing compared to the horror of those semi-final costumes.  Which is a great shame as this is actually a pretty good pop song sung by three very talented solo vocalists who actually looked good as a band, although this was only ever going to be temporary.  It would appear that Serbia does better with the Zeljko-type song, which they will probably come back with after they recover from their non-qualifying strop/financial difficulties (delete as appropriate).

No.22: "L'Essenziale" - Marco Mengoni.

 

OK, regular followers of my blog know that I was none too happy at the time of Sanremo, when they made the decision to send this song rather than another one - which will appear much later in my countdown.  Moving on from that, there is nothing much wrong with a nice Italian man in a lovely blue suit singing a ballad which was a real grower.  I really hope Italy wins ESC some time soon, although I have mixed feelings about them hosting...1991 ring any bells?

 

 

 

 

No.21: "Pronto A Correre" - Marco Mengoni.

 

If "L'Essenziale" was good, then this - the title track of his 2013 album - was even better.  Co-written by none other than Mark Owen!  This is just a cracking uptempo pop-rock song which showed off Marco's versatility.  

The 2013-50: No.30 - No.26

No.30: "You" - Robin Stjernberg.

I was pretty delighted when this won Melodifestivalen - finally an Andra Chansen winner and a true underdog, although over the space of a year there were other songs from that contest which had a much longer shelf life, thus explaining this song's drop to a lower place in the 2013-50 rankings.  Anyway all these months down the line, I still wonder how such a great singer with an impressive voice was saddled with one of the most ridiculous dance routines ever seen at Melodifestivalen.  And that's saying something...

 

No.29: "Can't Hold Us" - Macklemore and Ryan Lewis.

 

Confession time: I like Thrift Shop.  And then this came along and I liked it even more.  There’s been a genuine excitement and vitality missing from the carefully controlled pop of 2013. Proof that commercial rap/r’n’b can still offer something fresh, exciting and enduring. Even my mum loves this, and she hates rap and r’n’b.

 

 



No.28: "Radioactive" - Rita Ora.

Winner of this year's "can't stand the artist but like the song" award.  When Rita Ora arrived on the music scene I was expecting something different due to her noteworthy origins - but instead all we got was what appeared to be a fame-hungry Poundland Rihanna with a succession of overplayed, overrated r'n'b nonsense.  Happily, Sia sprinkled her songwriting magic on this slice of space-age electropop, elevating it well above the mundane. 

No.27: "Love Kills" - Roberto Bellarosa.

OK admit it: when you first saw and heard this, you were probably underwhelmed.  Yet what an incredible transformation from when the song was originally chosen as Belgium's Eurovision entry to its great achievement in qualifying for the final.  Ridiculous choreography aside, this is just a very impressive dance-pop song which went on to have a very long post-contest life for me.

 

No.26: "You Make Me" - Avicii featuring Salem Al Fakir.

 

If you continue to follow Salem's career you will know that he's had a very successful year as super-collaborator, writing, producing and performing with Petter and Veronica Maggio and his biggest success came with his collaboration with Avicii on the follow-up single to "Wake Me Up", as well as his contribution on "Shame On Me" from the "True" album.  Oh, and he co-wrote a little song called "Hey Brother" which you might have heard of.  "You Make Me" is a great dance song however it continues to irritate me that Avicii never seems to credit his featured vocalists...



The 2013-50: No.35 - No.31

35.  Check You Out – Darin.

Upbeat, modern dance-pop worth repeated listening.  Mr Zanyar had a pretty good year – lots of airplay for “Astrologen” and “Jag Och Min Far” and that all-important ESC semi-final interval act appearance.  Unless you were at the mercy of BBC3 of course, whose powers-that-be deemed that we would not be allowed to watch his performance.  (Yes I’m still feeling very bitter about that BBC3 coverage...!)

34.  The Righteous Ones – Ben Ivory.

I loved the diversity of this year's German national final.  In this instance it was time to party like it’s 1982.  Ben sounded as if he’d just woken up from a long sleep after 31 years and sprung right back into action with an anthem for all of us who are different and proud.  This is just great, and is yet another reason to love national finals season, as you get to discover songs and artists whom you'd never otherwise hear about.

No.33: "Heartstrings" - Janet Leon.

This would be yet another one of those national finals songs which went on to have a lengthy post-contest life.  Janet was hotly tipped this year, yet couldn't even make it as far as Andra Chansen.  Perhaps it was the underwhelming live performance, because the studio version stands up as a very good pop song with a killer chorus. 

No.32: "Under Control" - Calvin Harris & Alesso feat. Hurts.

It saddened me recently when I read that Calvin Harris had disowned his early songs and refuses to play them.  Back in those days I thought he was a quirky and interesting artist before he became the ubiquitous press-play superstar megabucks EDM DJ that he is today.  You won't be surprised to hear therefore, that I haven't been too thrilled by the direction his music has taken since 2010.  Most of it has left me cold ("Sweet Nothing" surprisingly excepted), but finally along came "Under Control" which I liked immediately.  Probably the main reason for that is the inclusion of Theo from Hurts on lead vocals.  More of that kind of thing and I might start taking an interest in Mr Harris' music once again. 

No.31: "Undressed" - Kim Cesarion.

Firstly, I still hate the lyrics.  This is also the kind of song I usually hate, yet it sneaked under the radar and into my brain.  Several months after its release, I was pretty addicted to it yet couldn't explain the reason why.  I still can't.  It will be interesting to hear what he comes up with on his debut album, as he has the potential, Prince-style, to be the next big international Swedish breakthrough artist.

The 2013-50: No.40 - No.36

No.40: "We Got The Power" - Loreen.

It’s a well known fact by now that I don’t like songs on first listen, and this was one of them.  I was underwhelmed by it at ESC but it grew into something well worth listening to.  Not really much else to say about it: it's no "Euphoria", there’s nothing particularly original or groundbreaking but I like it now and it sounded very good on Rix FM during that hot summer. 

 

No. 39: "Falling" - State of Drama.

 

The haters are already out in force for the return of this band to Melodifestivalen in 2014; but let's agree to disagree as I rather liked this song, even if, again, it’s not the most original song ever written.  It’s a radio-friendly rock song with a good chorus though, and if they can come up with something equally as good next time round, then maybe there’s a good chance of them turning up in my 2014-50 countdown?

 



No.38: "Trying To Be Cool" - Phoenix.

Phoenix made a very welcome comeback this year and for me this is the best thing they’ve done since “Everything is Everything” – it’s not as good as that (what is?) but it proves once again that the hype on this French indie band is justified.

 

37. "Les Chansons de l'innocence" - Etienne Daho.

 

This was the year in which the legendary French singer-songwriter rediscovered his pop mojo, going back to his musical roots with a sound lifted right out of his 80s output.  Which is all good.  I've only heard clips of the album though it sounds pretty good.  One faux pas though: in a year of gratuitous sexism everywhere, the album cover stinks. 

No. 36: "Precis Som Jag" - Daniel Adams-Ray.

2013 was all about the comeback, wasn't it? This time, one of Sweden’s most promising artists of the last few years, and ironically, in the same year as his former Snook bandmate Oskar Linnros.  See, it’s impossible to talk about one without mentioning the other.  Anyway this wasn’t as great as anything on his first album, but well worth its position in my countdown.   I haven’t heard Daniel’s album yet either (boy, do I have a lot of listening to catch up with).

The 2013-50: No.45 - No.41

No.45: "Unbreakable" - Mohamed Ali.

With a name like that, you're expecting "the greatest".  Well, this may not quite be "the greatest" but it managed to make it to the final three in DMGP before being pipped by eventual ESC winner Emmelie de Forest.  This modern, uptempo dance-pop song was one of those which just grew on me after the contest: unlike "Only Teardrops", which I liked to begin with but became very stale, very quickly.

No.44: "Tell The World I'm Here" - Ulrik Munther.

Ulrik was one of Melodifestivalen's 2012 successes who was hoping for second time lucky.  Singing last, in the 4th heat had him marked out as pre-contest favourite, but it wasn't to be.  Nevertheless he came 3rd, with a very good, anthemic number co-written with Team G:son.  I still feel would be a great song for an X Factor/Idol winner.  The only problem is that Ulrik, despite his vocal and songwriting talent, still looks like a little boy.  I'd like to see him back at Melodifestivalen when he has a more mature look to match his voice. 

No.43: "Sergels Torg" - Veronica Maggio.

Veronica has been warmly welcomed back to the Swedish music scene with her latest album, from which this was the first single.  She co-wrote her album with a very impressive list of musical collaborators - Magnus Lidehäll, Vincent Pontare, Christian Walz and Salem Al Fakir.  Salem's influence is audible on the music and production of this song, which gives it a very special, sparkling quality, in direct opposition to Maggio's dark lyrics. 

No.42: "I Feed You My Love" - Margaret Berger.

(adopts Bruno Tonioli voice and arm-waving): "the ice queen fronting Depeche Mode and then you do that little dance step in the second verse and the ice melts!"   Despite the ice-queen persona, Margaret had the likeability factor, and I really want to know her secret to fitting in that dress.  Forget the quite frankly rubbish lyrics and title, for this could have been a groundbreaking Eurovision winner. 

No: 41: "Wild" - Erik Rapp.

The most recent addition to my chart, a song which made its debut in 'original songs' week on Swedish Idol in November.  This song, co-written with Oscar Holter, gives a perfect indication of the direction I would like to see this young man's pop career going in.  If he plays it right he could become a male version of Robyn, with cool electropop stylings running through his veins. 

The 2013-50: No.50 - No.46

No.50: "Show Me Love" - Bressie.

I said in a previous post earlier this year that I was finding it very easy to put together my list of my favourite 50 songs of the year.  Yet my first choice illustrates a big problem with the year, as there was a lot of disappointment around too.  Bressie's second album was one of my most long-awaited in a long time, yet it failed to live up to the anticipation.  The first single from it, the glam rock-influenced "Show Me Love" only managed to scrape into my chart, and despite his continued exposure as a judge on "The Voice of Ireland" I just wonder where his solo career will go from here.

No.49: "Vi Kommer Aldrig Att Förlora" - Eric Gadd.

It turns out that my theory that it was a poor year for Melodifestivalen has been disproved, as there are quite a few entries in my chart.  That's not the reason for its low chart position, rather that it didn't really have the same post-contest longevity as some of the other songs.  It was good to see Eric in Melfest, even if my mum didn't know who he was ("who's that old guy?") and this was one of the better songs in the first heat, even if it didn't qualify.

No.48: "White Noise" - Disclosure featuring AlunaGeorge.

Regular readers will know that my annual countdown makes very few concessions to the mainstream UK chart, however there's always one or two tracks slipping through.  Disclosure have had a few hits over the last year, notably the brilliant "Latch" which I only discovered several months after it was a hit.  "White Noise" isn't quite as good as that, but it has a very distinctive hookline which made it stand out from their electronic music counterparts.

No.47: "Elevated" - Nica and Joe.

I probably watched more Eurovision national finals in 2013 season than ever before, and one of the most delightfully diverse was the enjoyable German national final.  It may have had a predictable result, but it also gave me a couple of songs which have had a good post-contest life.  Surprisingly this song, which came 5th in USFM, really grew on me although (1) it's not my traditionally favourite style of music, and (2) they were in German X Factor. 

No.46: "I Love You Te Quiero" - Sirkus Eliassen.

There is always one song in my annual chart which probably doesn't deserve to be there, but which put a smile on my face and I ended up loving it in spite of it being quite rubbish really (previous winners: Mange Makers).  Completely off topic: the other week I had a dream about Sirkus Eliassen.  I was walking down the street and who do I see walking towards me but the two lads in their leather outfits, singing and dancing, and surrounded by a herd of goats (!).  Really must stop eating (or listening to) cheese before bedtime :)