19. Nicki Minaj feat. Rihanna - Fly (written by: Hissink, Jordan, Maraj, Rotem, Rishad; 2010; Released August 2011; UK #16) The biggest Urban crossover act since Kanye West, Minaj has quickly cemented herself as the high priestess of pop-hip-hop. Dabbling in electro, dub step and j-pop, among others, her debut album has seen a smorgasbord of hits impact the charts. This Rihanna duet was one of the finest (though there is another appearance a bit later on) with soaring vocals that were made all the more poignant after the death of Minaj's cousin not long before it's mainstream release.
For about the last five or six years now I've put together my Top 20 songs of the year as a playlist on my ipod. Continually updating throughout the year as new songs are released. Yeah it's a bit geeky, but it means all my favourites are in one place. I also have monthly playlists, but we won't even go there...
So here it goes, i think the last time i posted my Top 20 was back in 2008 when Duffy's Warwick Avenue was my favourite song of the year. I won't deny it, there is going to be a lot of mainstream music in my list, there always is. With some songs the more i here them the more i like them (ask my old housemate who will vouch for this), hence the top song in this countdown having over 1,000 listens this year...savage.
Usually the maximum an artist features in one of these yearly lists is twice (one did manage three times last year), however this year there are several artists who feature more than once, the majority in fact. One act features five times (people who know me well won't be shocked when they see who it is), one song features twice but in two very different formats and six acts featured in my list last year.
Just to recap here is 2010's effort. All in all this was much more of a mixed bag than 2011.
Top 20 2010 1. Cee-Lo Green - Fuck You 2. Rihanna - Only Girl In The World 3. The Saturdays feat. Flo Rida - Higher 4. Lady Gaga feat. Beyonce - Telephone 5. B.O.B. feat. Bruno Mars - Nothin' On You 6. Eminem feat. Rihanna - Love the Way You Lie 7. Alicia Keys - Try Sleeping With a Broken Heart 8. Nadine - Insatiable 9. Cheryl Cole - Parachute 10. Train - Hey, Soul Sister 11. Eliza Doolittle - Pack Up 12. The Wanted - All Time Low 13. Kylie Minogue - All the Lovers 14. Katy Perry - Firework 15. Japayork - Teenagers 16. The Saturdays - Missing You 17. Jessie J - Do it Like a Dude 18. Rihanna - Rude Boy 19. Marina and the Diamonds - I am Not a Robot 20. The xx - Islands
So that'll give you an idea that this is going to be VERY poppy, but i'll make no excuses about that. I think singles were generally stronger this year than 2010 and with the way artists are releasing music, the line between singles and album tracks are becoming much more blurred which is probably to blame for the dominance of several key players. Here goes:
20. Emeli Sande - Heaven (written by: Sande, Naughty Boy, Craze & Hoax; 2011; Released August 2011; UK #2) With one hit single and a number one duet with Professor Green you'd be forgiven for thinking that Emeli Sande has already 'made it'. For not it seems, as she has picked up the 2012 BRITs Critics Choice Award, it sees her follow in the esteemed and, so far, only female footsteps of her predosessors including Adele and Ellie Goulding. This song is a clear indication that when it comes to picking a female vocalist the BRITS don't ever really seem to get it wrong.
I read an interview with Nadine Coyle in a magazine like Dazed and Confused or something a few months ago. In it she talked candidly about the recording process of Girls Aloud's songs and how Brian Higgins (Xenomania's fearless leader) would have her in the studio hours before the other four girls laying down the foundations to each song. Listening back now it's so obvious isn't it? Her voice resonates on nearly every GA chorus, why she didn't stick with the production house when she went solo is something i guess we'll never know.
And it's with that in minds, and a recent twitter conversation with another GA fan that I've pulled together what i believe to be Nadine Coyle's finest moments in Girls Aloud, those short burst of brilliance which in my mind made her the greatest member of the band. Whilst her solo career hasn't lived up to it's promise, none of the others could ever sing a rhyming couplet quite like Nadine.
10. Rolling Back the Rivers in Time
Lyric: #I always admitted pity/Cause I was getting lonely Oh-oh I wasn't lonely/Oh baby without you I always have hated pity/Needed you to hold me Oh boy you should've known me/I didn't know how to#
Listen from: 00.00
A Xenomania classic to kick off: using a distinct Nadine vocal to start off a GA track. Almost acapella this front secton stands out from the rest of the song, expect to see another few Nadine starters further down the list. Props must go to Nicola Roberts from following with a softer vocal.
9. Fling
Lyric: #It's just a fling baby, fling baby Nothing more than a fling baby, fling baby Just a bit of ding-a-ling baby, bling baby Don't want relationships so swing baby, swing baby!#
Listen from: 00.05
Folling on perfectly from number 10, Fling captures a punchy and confident performance that was befitting the band's 4th studio album. Dominating the song's chorus with a vocal that was more agressive than you'd expect from a girl band. The key word was of course ding-a-ling.
8. Sexy! No No No
Lyric: #I can't deny no way my d-d-dirty mind is saying/Lover, come and get me, get me But for a while I dropped that d-d-dirty style when I discovered/That it's sexy, sexy#
Listen from: 01.16
Sharing this with Kimberley, it's another full on vocal performance which made you want to always say dirty with three ds. One of GA's more left field moments it's first verse (i guess you could call it that) is seductive, hard and distinct.
7. Sound of the Underground
Lyric: #I don't know what it's pushin' me higher It's the static from the floor below And then it drops and catches like fire It's a sound I, it's a sound I It's a sound I, it's a sound I know#
Listen from: 02.48
Ah the debut single, a taste of what was to come. There were a few to chose from on this one, but the middle 8 break down (a slot that would often in future tracks be given to Kimberley) showed just what a powerhouse Nadine could potentially be. Following a decidedly dub-step break down Nadine's rapture into the final chorus is something that is even better during live performances.
6. Close to Love
Lyric: #I was snow white til I started to drift/Baby I didn't care, til I saw you there And your manner made my animal kick/But I just didn't dare, call me crazy yeah#
Listen from: 00.31
Another Tangled Up special, included more for the bizarre lyric as the tour de force vocal. The last inclusion from this album, the vocal isn't perfect but that adds to the charm of the performance and fits with the song's tone.
5. 100 Different Ways
Lyric: The whole song
Listen from: 00.00
A softer and more tender vocal this time round. Added only as a bonus track on second album 'What Will the Neighbours Say', the song stands out against the rest of this list with it's balladering, it was Nadine at her most vulnerable.
4. Revolution in the Head
Lyric: #Gimme-da-ting/Gimme-da-ting/Gimme-da-oh-oh-oh Gimme-da-ting/Gimme-da-ting/Gimme-da-oh-oh-oh Hey, hey, hey/Oh, oh, oh Hey, hey, hey/Oh, oh, oh#
Listen from: 00.15
Ah when Nadine went slightly reggae. What else needs to be said.
3. Biology
Lyric: #Why don't you fool me, feed me, say you need me, without wicked games/Come on and hold me, hug me, say you love me, and not my dirty brain Why don't you fool me, feed me, say you need me, without wicked games/Come on and hold me, hug me, say you love me, and not my dirty brain#
Listen from: 00.07
Often cited as one of the best pop songs of the last decade (thanks The Guardian) the opener of this song is pure Girls Aloud, and who else could pull off the bluesy vocal apart from Miss Coyle. It's even more obvious of her strengths when you hear how much she carried the rest of the track. Pure Girls Aloud brilliance.
2. Long Hot Summer
Lyric: #If you wanna get fresh/Get outta my car/Coz the boys up due we're going to fast/I'm taking my time now If you wanna fly high/Keep outta the sun/When your fingers start to burn/It's no fun/So why don't you climb now If you wanna get fresh/Then take a cold shower/Put your back on ice/Before you turn sour/Nobody can fool me Now i'm cleaning my head/And dusting my eyes/Every time i feel the temperature rise/I need you to cool me#
Listen from: 01.35
The one that nearly had it, the famous rap on Long Hot Summer. A great story about this and how Nadine really didn't want to record it as she feared she'd sound like an idiot. Brian Higgins convinced her to give it a try and promised he'd not put it on the track. She did it, he loved it, it went on the track and became Nadine's second best moment.
1. Untouchable
Lyric: #Whenever you're gone, gone/They wait at the door And everything's hurting like a bore Without any meaning/We're just skin and bone Like beautiful robots dancing alone#
Listen from: 03.24
This moment is captured so perfectly in the video, when she throws back her left hand and calls for the lost love as the band enter the earth's atmosphere. Not melodramatic at all...a great way to finish the radio edit and a great number one.
And there we have it, whether you agree with me or not, you cannot deny that some of Nadine's greatest moments are in fact Girls Alouds greatest moments and a sign of the great artist she could be. Leave your comments if you've got any you think i've missed.
One more that i cannot miss out, this beautiful version of Fields of Gold from Popstars: The Rivals. Simply the best reality TV show performance ever.
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19. Nicki Minaj feat. Rihanna - Fly
