15 August 2011

Summer Jam 2011: August 15 Winners

Clearly we've had a busy couple of weeks here at NMW but nonetheless, there will always be a Summer Jam Winners List. That's just far too important. All Summer long we've been tracking the most jam-worthy tunes that will always call back to the Summer of '11, and I actually heavily disagree with most of the Hot 100 this week. There are so many fresh jams out there that are way beyond Adele or Pitbull. Those acts are just stale by now. Nevertheless, the people have spoken and here we go:

#8: "Stereo Hearts" by Gym Class Heroes ft. Adam Levine

I feel like Adam Levine has fifty hits right now, tho some are just imitators. Anyway, I can't really stand Travie McCoy but he does a nice job here. The song is innocuous enough to be a charming End of Summer Track and it will probably start charting better soon as its airplay skyrockets. For now it is still a hot track and tho not really spectacular or thrilling it gets the job done swimmingly.

#7: "I Wanna Go" by Britney Spears

Ew Britney turns 30 this year. Actually I can't believe she's only 30. How do you peak at 18? Eh, Lindsey? After seemingly irrelevant for a few weeks "I Wanna Go" came back this time and is doing pretty well. As one of the more relatively fresh Jams in the Hot 100 Top Ten it might do well, although it really isn't anything special at all as a pop song. It's ultimately just another Britney hit that will come and go without really changing the Pop World at all. As a Summer Jam it's not worth much more than this either.

#6: "How to Love" by Lil Wayne

We almost escaped this week without Wheezy but by the weekend this song surged forward. Still, it loses a few points for not being consistently everywhere all week. It's a good track, a smooth track, but fighting an uphill battle against the likes of Katy, LMFAO and others. It definitely can't capture the energetic Summer Spirit that some of the others can, I think it will manage to hover around this spot for some time, possibly decreasing if it loses traction again.

#5: "Give Me Everything" by Pitbull ft. AfroJack, Ne-Yo & Nayer

Continuing to fall is Pitbull here, whose monopoly on the charts is basically an afterthought by now. It's still getting tons of airtime but nothing near the ubiquity it had a few weeks ago. As it continues slipping it should still have some nice ranking but it's fading into irrelevancy pretty fast. It will be interesting to see where it measures up, it's more telling that it only squeezed a few #1 spots amidst other giants rather than claiming the title for itself.

#4: "Lighters" by Bad Meets Evil ft. Bruno Mars

If any track can make a late run it will be this one. It's got everything set up to be a good jam including a couple fading powers at the Top of the Charts. I think it will peak in the last week or two of Summer though, which probably won't be enough to solidify its status as a Summer Jam at all. Eminem's wide popularity is incredible, really, I can't believe he's a consistent Top 10 Pop Hit maker as well as one of the most skilled rappers out there, while being pretty hard and intense the whole time. He's a pop anomaly. I'm not complaining, I love his stuff, but usually the stuff I love is shoved under the rug.

#3: "The Edge of Glory" by Lady GaGa

GaGa was everywhere this week though she's tumbling off the Charts. This is GaGa's highest position on this List for the Summer, which is surprising. I can't imagine she has another radio week like she did this week, so it's looking like she'll fade into oblivion pretty soon. I don't think "The Edge of Glory" really made the splash that some of her other more fantastical tracks did but it wins because of its smoothness and listenability, not in spite of it.

#2: "Party Rock Anthem" by LMFAO ft. Lauren Bennett & GoonRock

Trading off again with Katy this week, LMFAO may have just dodged the level of sheer annoyance after two and a half months of overplaying. That may not signal well for its Contention for Kings of Summer, but we've a few weeks to go yet. Actually this song still gets me pumped to go out and dance, I mean, it was about time for someone to write an Anthem for Party Rocking. It's like, when you're at a Party and needed to Rock, for so many years we had nothing. Thank you LMFAO. Thank you so much.

#1: "Last Friday Night (T.G.I.F.)" by Katy Perry

By all accounts this is a terrible track. It's not exactly irritating or derogatory, but it just isn't innovative at all. There's nothing to be gained from listening to it. The beat is extremely pop-friendly and typical and Katy just walks through the vocals without anything that grandiose or ear-worthy. I think she catches our eye by describing herself skinny-dipping, needing ginger ale and very casually dropping her involvement in a Ménage à Trois (who would the third be? I mean, Russel Brand, then what, Jonah Hill?). She just plays off this general sluttiness with an innocent edge the way Britney did ten years ago when she was barely legal and it was exciting. More than even Britney is doing this now Katy is building that into a career.

So what's up for the Last Three Weeks of Summer? I left off Nicki this week but she can certainly bounce back. There was just too little room for all the Fresh Tracks to keep some of the ones who we didn't really hear a lot of this week. I'm also looking at Rihanna's new Jam, "Cheers" which should turn into a fantastic Drunk anthem and take the weekend back from Rebecca Black. She's also in Battleship (2012). Gotta count for something. Also I think "Moves Like Jagger" is finally making some moves lately, it might be good for a #8 spot by the time the Leaves Fall.

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