Let the countdown begin!!

Dec 20, 2011

It is beyond unbelievable that another year has come and gone. And this year was quite an eventful one for yours truly. Both good and bad, but in the long run…mostly good.

On the music side, it was another hot year for the women – Britney, Adele, Rihanna, Beyonce and of course Lady Gaga all put out some HOT records. The men Bruno, Drake, the boys from Maroon 5 and others gave it their best, but the women clearly ruled the world in 2011….at least according to my countdown.

Before we begin, for you first timers, here is the criteria I use for my selections…

1. All songs must have been released no later than September of the previous year;

2. The number of combined plays in my all of my iTunes;

3. The number of months a song appeared on my monthly iPhone playlist.

I will countdown my top songs of the year over the next 12 days, with the exception of Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, until we reach number one.

As in years past, there are a few ties so my top ten of 2011 will actually feature…well, you’ll just have to wait and see how many songs I squeeze in this year. 😉

And now…on to the countdown.

For the past two years, David Guetta has taken the top spot on my countdown. In 2009 his collaboration with the lovely Ms. Kelly Rowland brought us a song that many referred to as, “That’s My Jam!” – When Loves Takes Over. Last year he teamed with the fabulous Estelle to bring us a song that I still call my jam….One Love.

Just as Guetta has had a hold on the number 1 spot for the past two years, Lady Gaga has found herself in my number 2 slot. In 2009, When Love Takes Over somehow edged out Bad Romance, which like everyone else on the planet I played to death! Then last year, her collaboration with “Sasha Fierce” (Beyonce) brought us the fantastic Telephone. So, after two years of sitting in the number 2 spot, will Gaga make it to number 1? Hmmmmmmmmmmmm……….

Coming in at number 10 is a little lady who we all thought was DONE just a few years ago. But two successful albums and tours later, and her crazy white trash days are a distant memory. Notice I didn’t say forgotten. Sorry Brit, you can’t go THAT crazy and have it all wiped away.

The newly engaged mother of two released ‘Femme Fatale’ in March of this year (yes, yes I know, the first track of the album, “Hold It Against Me” was released in January…don’t get it twisted) to rave reviews from music critics…and my feet. There are some damn good dance tracks on this album!

Coming in at number 10 is the second single from Femme Fatale, and a song that touched off a chorus of cute little kids across the country randomly belting out, “WOAH OH OH OH OH OH WOAH OH OH OH…” including the son of one of my colleagues who just started singing it one morning during breakfast and one of the cutest little guys every, the little nephew of a Facebook friend [who also happens to be uber talented with a camera and gorgeous…but I digress]. I am telling you, this little kid takes your breath away he’s so cute!!

Now to be honest, somehow this song only spent one month on my playlist, which is shocking given that I played it to death according to iTunes. Nonetheless, kicking off this year’s countdown is Ms. Britney Spears with – Til the World Ends