# 14

Leona Lewis - Run
(written by Lightbody, Quinn, McClelland, Connolly & Archer; 2003; UK #1; November 2008)

The Live Lounge on Radio 1 started as a concept on The Jo Whiley show at the start of the decade, it took a unique and highly praised cover by Jamie Callum, in 2003, for the segment to start getting noticed. After a few years and several innovative covers by stars such as Will Young ('Hey Ya!), Jamelia ('Numb'), Elbow ('One Thing') and The Zutons ('Take Your Mama'), to name but a few, the feature was elevated to national treasure status. On Halloween 2007 one cover version became the most talked about, and one of the most requested songs in the station's history - that was 'Run' by X Factor alumni Leona Lewis. The aftermath of that performance lead to a renewed interest in the original song. Not to be out done, and never one to miss a money making opportunity, Simon Cowell proceeded to go about sorting an official release for the track. A stunning X Factor performance in November 2008 ensured that two weeks later Lewis was one again sitting pretty a-top the official UK charts. Lewis's version is haunting, emotive and unlike anything else that has been number 1 this year.

Best Lyric: "To think i might not see those eyes/ Makes it so hard not to cry/ And as we say our long goodbye/ I nearly do"

# 15

Sugababes - Girls
(written by MacDonald, Jenkinson, Toussaint & Buchanan; 2008; UK #3; September 2008)

At the time it seemed like a flash of brilliance, and to me it still does, but three months down the line and the fall out of their least successful album of the Heidi Range years, perhaps it was a misjudged attempt to cash in on a kitsch song. Sampling 'Here Comes The Girls' a song that, as we all know, featured heavily in 2007 Boots commercials, the song was brassy, sassy and stomping. The loyal fans, however, appeared to loose interest, this is not what they had come to expect from the same school of thought that had brought us the electro rock of 'About You Now', the slick kiss off that was 'Hole In The Head' and possibly the best thing they've ever done 'Freak Like Me'. So where did it all go wrong? Why did the Sugababes sixth album fail to ignite public interest and struggle to make the top 10 landing at number 8? Perhaps they took the retro trend a step too far, or maybe it was just a case of bad timing (going against the encompassing Girls Aloud).Whilst 'Girls' is not up to their usual standard it is still a whole lot better than a lot of other stuff floating around at the moment. Mark my words, though, they will comeback with something that will blow our minds, if history has taught us anything about the Sugababes - it's that they won't take this lying down.

Best Lyric: "Step aside i got a starring role/ Camera, Action, here we go"

# 16

Beyoncé - If I Were A Boy
(written by Jean & Gad; 2008; UK #1; November 2008)

In the aftermath of those X Factor performances Beyoncé has sealed her position as one of the world's greatest living superstars. It was only two years ago her breakthrough acting role in Dreamgirls was eclipsed by Jennifer Hudson. That now all seems to be firmly in the past, 'If I Were A Boy' proved beyond doubt that Queen B could adapt and evolve in ways we would never have expected of her. Recently she's showed versitility, compassion, style and pure star power. Quite frankly i cannot think of anyone who is as big as she is right now.

Best Lyric: "I swear i'd be a better man"

# 17

Estelle feat. Kanye West - American Boy
(written by West, Will.I.Am, Speir, Lopez & Harris; 2008; UK #1; March 2008)

Probably the second most parodied song of 2008 (after 'I Kissed A Girl), everyone from Chris Moyles to Sam Sparro put their own spin on this track. For years Estelle has been a talent that the industry raved about, but the public were yet to latch onto. 'American Boy' changed that and stormed to the top of the charts, staying there for a month. Proving he has the Midas touch, Kanye helped the song reach the US top 10, where it stalled at number nine and would probably have gone higher were it not for a misjudged marketing effort from her US label that saw the removal of the track from itunes in order to encourage sales of it's parent album. 2008 also saw the soul singer achieve a Mercury Music nomination for the album 'Shine' and don't bet against the odd Brit nomination in the New Year

Best Lyric: "He crazy, i know what ya thinkin'/ Ribena i know what ya drinkin'"

# 18

Coldplay - Viva La Vida
(written by Berryman, Buckland, Champion & Martin; 2008; UK #1; May 2008)

An orchestral dream. Even on first listen it is obvious this song was made to fill stadiums. It's triumphant, it's liberating, it's dynamic, it's historical and it's huge. Working with Brian Eno sure paid off for Coldplay, like Keane before (though not quite as daring) Chris Martin and co. stepped away from soft rock M.O.R. and, successfully, tried something different. Music should always be about experimentation and pushing oneself to be the best.

Best Lyric: "I hear Jerusalem bells a ringing/ Roman cavalry choirs are singing/ Be my mirror, my sword and shield/ My missionaries in a foreign field"

# 19

Keane - Spiralling
(written by Rice-Oxley, Chaplin, Hughes, Quin; 2008; UK #23; August 2008)

Having not really been a fan of Keane's previous work I downloaded this first cut from their third album only because it was free. What it marked was the comeback of the year. It would have been so easy for them to stick to the formula that saw their debut album become the second best seller of 2004 and have another number 1 with album two. What they did, however, was tap into 80's rock and electonica, grab it with both hands and run with it. Spiralling is interesting, vibrant and a completely unexpected tour de force from a band that I, perhaps, once greatly underrated.

Best Lyric: "When we fall in love/ We're just falling in love with ourselves"

# 20

Alphabeat - Boyfriend
(written by Alphabeat; 2007; UK #15; August 2008)

This Danish Europop gem was the third UK mainstream release from Alphabeat. Having broken through with Fascination, they continued in the spirit of quirky indie pop with this warning to fawning girls everwhere - 'Don't you touch my boyfriend, he's not your boyfriend, he's mine'. It required an remix to update it for it's UK release and became all the better for it. Play it loud, play it proud!

Best Lyric: "My friends say i'm uncool/But i let love rule"

2008 - A Year of POP: The Top 20 Singles

Since i am a massive fan of lists, and it's the end of the year, it can only mean one thing (well it could mean a lot of things, but...)...it's my Top 20 Singles from the past twelve months.
To get an idea of what it might look like, here is the best singles of 2007 as of the end of 2007!


20. Groove Armada feat Mutya Buena - Out Of Control (Song 4 Mutya)

19. Booty Luv - Some Kinda Rush

18. Fergie - Big Girls Don't Cry

17. Kelis feat. Cee-Lo - Lil' Star

16. Fall Out Boy - This Ain't A Scene, It's An Arms Race

15. Girls Aloud - Call The Shots

14. Mika -Grace Kelly

13. Kate Nash - Foundations

12. Timbaland - Apologize

11. Nicole Scherzinger feat. Will.I.Am - Baby Love



10. Sugababes - About You Now

9. Leona Lewis - Bleeding Love

8. Girls Aloud - Sexy! No No No

7. Gwen Stefani - 4 In The Morning

6. Kleerup feat. Robyn - With Every Heartbeat

5. Alicia Keys - No One

4. Rihanna feat. Jay-Z - Umbrella

3. Nelly Furtado - Say It Right

2. Ne-Yo - Because Of You

1. Mark Ronson and Amy Winehouse -Valerie

That's what i'm talking 'bout!!

Literally.Amazing.


The final went exactly they way it should have done. I have been supporting Alexandra since the beginning, (see a post further down) and i NEVER pick the winner out at the beginning. The only other time was with Leona.

Anyway, Alexandra blew that competetion apart with ALL her performances. Brilliant