Summer Jam 2011: THE FINAL CROWN!

I hate to say it folks, but the Long Summer has finally come to an end. With that we need to award a Victory to a certain song, proclaiming that in Forever Time it will be known as the Champion of the Summer of 2011. That one Singular Summer Smash Hit, the huge Jam that got your feet moving, your lips smiling, maybe even that one track that wouldn't stop playing as you drove home from an ex-lover's mansion crying and sobbing knowing that you will never get that Mansion Money. Thus through tragedy, insanity and the General Fun Times, this one song was with you for it all. Let's start tabulating some shit:

I ended up tracking 29 total songs this Summer. I really wish I had anything better to do, but it's all for you people. Let's start with some tracks who came and went on the Winner's List, usually not lasting more than a week and not climbing higher than the 7th or 6th spot at most. Here are the Bonus Winners, alongside the Week they made it on the list:

#29: "Don't Wanna Go Home" by Jason Derulo - 06/13
#28: "Judas" by Lady GaGa - 05/23
#27: "Where Them Girls At" by David Guetta ft. Flo Rida & Nicki Minaj - 07/04
#26: "Best Thing I Never Had" by Beyoncé - 08/01
#25: "Tonight Tonight" by Hot Chelle Rae - 07/25
#24: "Cheers (Drink To That)" by Rihanna - 09/05
#23: "Pumped Up Kicks" by Foster the People - 08/29
#22: "Stereo Hearts" by Gym Class Heroes ft. Adam Levine - 08/15 & 08/29
#21: "The Adventures of Rain Dance Maggie" by The Red Hot Chili Peppers - 08/08
#20: "S&M" by Rihanna - 05/16
#19: "Written in the Stars" by Tinie Tempah ft. Eric Turner - 05/16 & 05/23
#18: "Yoü and I" by Lady GaGa - 09/05

Alrighty then. After these mild hits there were a bunch of songs that hung around the middle of the pack for a few more weeks longer but they were definitely still not the biggest hits of the Season. They were all decent songs though and we might be remembering and humming them for a while. In addition to the weeks here, we'll list their Peak Position:

#17: "Down on Me" by Jeremih ft. 50 Cent - 05/16 to 05/30
Peak: #5 on 05/23
#16: "On the Floor" by Jennifer Lopez ft. Pitbull - 05/15 & 05/30
Peak: #3 on 05/30
#15: "I Wanna Go" by Britney Spears - 07/18, 08/15 to 08/29
Peak: #4 on 08/29
#14: "The Show Goes On" by Lupe Fiasco - 05/23 to 06/13, 06/27
Peak: #4 on 05/23 & 06/13
#13: "Moves Like Jagger" by Maroon 5 ft. Christina Aguilera - 08/22 to 09/05
Peak: #2 on 09/05
#12: "How To Love" by Lil Wayne - 07/18 to 08/15
Peak: #4 on 07/18
#11: "Just Can't Get Enough" by The Black Eyed Peas - 05/23 to 06/27
Peak: #3 on 06/13
#10: "Till the World Ends" by Britney Spears - 05/16 to 06/06
Peak: #3 on 05/16 to 05/23, 06/06
#9: "The Lazy Song" by Bruno Mars - 05/16, 05/30 to  06/27, 07/11, 07/25
Peak: #5 on 05/16

So now here we are: The Official Top 8 Winners for the Summer. Let's go through these one by one:


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

Weeks on Winners List: 5 (08/08 to 09/05)
Peak: #1 on 09/05

After an impressive late-Summer Run "Lighters" cracks the Top 8. It wasn't as big of a hit as either Bruno Mars or Eminem had last year but it's really just getting warmed up. It should have a nice fall and really earned its spot here through the first part of its time on the Pop Charts instead of its whole life like some of the other tracks here.

#7: "Super Bass" by Nicki Minaj

Weeks on Winners List: 12 (06/13 to 08/08, 08/22 to 09/05)
Peak: #3 on 07/11, 07/25 to 08/08

Nicki spent forever on the Weekly List but she never exactly dominated it. Around the End of July / Start of August she was doing very well but there was always a Jam that was a little bit more ubiquitous and beat her. Still, this was a great Summer to get this girl's name out there as a legitimate Pop Star and Contender who can trade blows with Britney and Katy. It is actually still doing well but it isn't a dominating smash just yet. Nicki is set up pretty well as a fun Summer Artist that may come back next year.

#6: "E.T." by Katy Perry ft. Kanye West

Weeks on Winners List: 8 (05/16 to 06/20, 07/04 to 07/11)
Peak: #1 on 05/23 to 05/30

This song really was a holdover from the Spring that still was very popular a ways into Summer. If the timing had been a bit better Katy may have had another Summer Crown but instead her singles tended to split the Summer rather than own it like "California Gurls" did last year. Still, this thing didn't die easy. After battling Adele for a while, then falling out of the race it surged back in mid-July for a few weeks. It is still a cool song although it's made my irritatingly overplayed list, which is regretful.

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

Weeks on Winners List: 11 (06/06. 06/20 to 08/22)
Peak: #3 on 08/15

This was a lot like "Super Bass," it was never massively popular but certainly one of the most consistent tracks on the countdown whose lifetime was right in the Heart of Summer. A Crown yet eludes GaGa, who has really almost become the Susan Lucci of Summer Jams at this point after both "Disco Stick" and "Alejandro" have come close but unable to seal to the deal in recent years. I think "Yoü and I" is set up to be really big, which "The Edge of Glory" may have helped, but a Summer Title isn't hers right now. That said, its a fun song although in the long run I'm thinking that considering her discography it won't be as remembered as well as either her more controversial tracks or her much more popular tracks will be. When Ancient GaGa plays the Grammys in twenty years she'll be doing "Poker Face" or "Bad Romance," not "The Edge of Glory."

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

Weeks on Winners List: 10 (07/04 to 09/05)
Peak: #1 on 08/01, 08/15 to 08/29

Almost as soon as "E.T." faded Katy clearly tried even harder for another Summer Jam Crown with her Ode to Fridays. After a very inconsistent July though, she dominated August, fighting with "Party Rock Anthem" for the #1 spot all month just as she had done with Adele earlier in the Season. This song was a lot more radio and Pop friendly than "E.T." I've never seen someone trying for more blatant mass appeal. It worked, she spent her time at #1 again, although she seems to be falling very fast now. In fact it's possible that next week she falls out of the Billboard Hot 100 Top 5 for the first time in over a year. It's really just because the song is terrible.

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

Weeks on Winners List: 11 (06/20 to 08/22, 09/05)
Peak: #1 on 06/27 to 07/04

Pitbull debuted at #2 and didn't fall worse than that position for its first Six Weeks. It still had a tough time dying, very consistent in Prime Summer Months, including winning the Independence Day Weekend. Still, this track was terrible as well, although it's certainly a good Summer Jam. It's very light, fluffy and danceable, even if it puts a bad taste in your mouth to Jam to someone as douchey as Pitbull. Man he's terrible. As a consistent High Ranking track though, it earns its spot here.

#2: "Rolling in the Deep" by Adele

Weeks on Winners List: 11 (05/16 to 07/18, 08/01)
Peak: #1 on 05/16, 06/06 to 06/20

I'm not sure I will ever be able to listen to this song again, despite how great it is. It was just overplayed far too much this Summer, it was ridiculous. That was after it was overplayed all Spring. Adele has landed though, as a very humble, talented Pop Starlet and her new track may be even better. She has a charm and integrity that is really lacking in just about everyone else here. It's very difficult to hate Adele. Still it nabbed Four Weeks at #1, which was matched only by two other songs all Summer.

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

Weeks on Winners List: 14 (06/06 to 09/05)
Peak: #1 on 07/11 to 07/25, 08/08

This track had a nasty Summer. Fourteen Consecutive weeks on the Winners List, half of which were #2 or better. 189 Million Youtube views. And of course, a brand new Kia Soul Commercial. It's also very Summer Jam Worthy, moreso than "Rolling in the Deep" was. In mid-June this was just a very smooth, funky track that may have had a shot to break out. Since then it hasn't looked back and has started to cave only recently although it's never fallen that dramatically. It may have also made that new Shuffle Dance that those Hamsters do for some reason. It's so wholly infused into the Zeitgeist, the bend towards the Techno Rhythm, the growing DJ presence, the Hipster Sensibility, it's truly a Song for the Moment. I personally don't think LMFAO will ever have another hit or be a band worth listening to, but they can enjoy this one. I don't really think that we'll fondly look back on the Anthem to Party Rocking, either. Despite its success it's not actually a very innovative song at all, which has to do with the fact that it's so entrenched in the Pop Culture right now I think it's easy to lose it.

So that's it, people. Go back to your lives, the Kings of Summer, LMFAO have been chosen. For anyone interested in a week-by-week breakdown you need only to click this Link for the Google Document I used all Summer. Looking back on some of my predictions, there was some correctness there, but ultimately LMFAO blindsided all of us. Good for them. So what's in store for us next year? Who knows.

Summer Jam 2011: September 5 Winners

Unbelievably we have made it already to the final week of Summer. Labour Day is upon us and so it's time to acknowledge the Musical Hits of Sunshine one last time. Tomorrow we'll tally everything up and figure out finally who wins the Crown and gets the honour of being True Summer Royalty - the Absolute Summer Jam. But for now we've got the Top Tracks of this past week right here:

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

Apparently this track wasn't quite dead yet. It roars back this week to barely cracking the List but is otherwise certainly in its death throes. I don't think this song has any future at all really, it's so unspectacular in every way.I did get to thinking of Pitbull's voiceover he does at the beginnings of a lot of songs. Can you imagine him saying "yeah right, picture that with a Kodak" in a booth alone in a studio? Wouldn't you just feel like an idiot saying that? I suppose that's why I'm not a millionaire right now.

#7: "Cheers (Drink To That)" by Rihanna

There's a few things I dig about this track. Somehow Rihanna's Ode to Getting Sloppy comes across as much classier than Katy's (to be seen later). She came out with the video this week that plays like a home movie more than anything, which actually makes her pretty likeable and relatable. I also like her slipping into her Barbados accent from time to time here. And of course we've got to mention Avril Lavigne's vital lyrical contribution saying "yeah yeah" ninety times. Nice work, Av. This actually could be a big Youth Drinking hit as school starts back up in the Fall, I don't know where it was all Summer though.

#6: "Yoü and I" by Lady GaGa

Here is another debut this week that will probably make it pretty big but just had poor timing to be considered a Summer Jam. After an incredible (okay, maybe just unconventional) performance at the MTV VMAs last week "Yoü and I" sprang up everywhere. It's part-rock, part-country ballad and part-Pop, all of which means it should have enormous crossover appeal. She also sings the hell out of it, and the rhythm builds and descends with brilliance. GaGa didn't have a whole lot of hits this Summer but she did put out probably two of its best songs with this and "The Edge of Glory."

#5: "Super Bass" by Nicki Minaj

Nicki is tougher to kill than a vampire. This was definitely a consistent Jam this Summer and I think the running for a Crown will reflect that, although absolute ubiquity still eluded her. More on that tomorrow though, for now needless to say Nicki offered up another very strong week with a track that is tough to get sick of.

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

Here is that classless party song. A bit of a surprise tumble this week, the second-worst song about Fridays this year lost its grip on the #1 Spot and probably any chance of really being a serious Contender for another Queen of Summer title for Katy. Unlike "Super Bass" I am very sick of this track by now already, it's really a soulless handful of minutes with no artistic merit or integrity of any kind. Self-congratulatory, indulgent and fruitless. I can't believe anyone can talk about Katy Perry, Adele and GaGa as the same caliber of artists. She's bullshit.

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

This song clawed back a bit this week thanks in part to some of the most bizarre blatant selling out of the year. Suddenly my TV is full of these Party Rocking Hamsters driving Kia Souls. What the hell? I guess LMFAO is trying to make good on the fact that they will never be as recognized in the National Consciousness like this again, so they're taking the opportunity to do some really painful selling out. What the hell is wrong with these guys? Anyway, they're the Jam to beat for the Summer so you can't hate on them totally. Yes we can.

#2: "Moves Like Jagger" by Maroon 5 ft. Christina Aguilera

What happened to Dirrty Christina? How is a chick who peaked ten years ago still grabbing hits of far lesser quality? Maroon 5 selling out is fun to watch though, I've never really liked that band, although some of Adam's Other Work is enjoyable. This song is awful though, I'm not sure how it got to the top of the Billboard Hot 100 this week.

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

Unstoppable this week, the Sixth Song to take the #1 Spot is "Lighters." Thankfully I think I've just gotten sick of listening to it fifty times a week. At this point it's not going to be making a huge dent in the Final Tally for Summer Jam Winners but it's got a decent sized mid-level splash.

So that's it for the Season folks, it's been fun. Make sure to click in tomorrow for the Final Crown! Yippee! Some other tracks that were pretty big this week include The Foo Fighters' "Walk," but Britney and Foster the People had a bit of a dip. No coming back now, the votes are in baby. Put some mittens on!

Summer Jam 2011: August 29 Winners

There were five Mondays in August, that's terrible. Welcome again folks to the Winner's List for the week preceding August 29th, 2011, our Summer-Long tracking of the hottest Summer Jams to crank out of those speakers. There's a lot of wackiness in this, our penultimate week of Sunshiny Times, so blast the Boom Box one last time and let's begin:

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

How is Adam Levine suddenly everywhere? I'm expecting a Wuss Rock-off between him and Chris Martin sometime soon. I also think Travie is garbage, but this is still a rad song mostly from the groovy beat, although that tends to lose its funk during the choruses. The third stanza breakdown by Adam is also so pop cliché it's almost distracting. Obviously at this point no one's considering this a fearsome Summer Jam threat, but it might have a few nice weeks as we wrap things up here.

#7: "Pumped up Kicks" by Foster the People

It's always nice to see an actual band on this list every once in a while. It's weird what alt songs can crossover into the Pop Mainstream and this is doing a nice job of that so far. I was listening to these dudes back in February and thought it was one of the funkiest tracks about school shootings since "Jeremy." It's got enough of a light-spirited tone and pulsating rhythm to slip into the mainstream, but it's also a pretty crazy track lyrically. It's Pop development will be interesting.

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

Huge fall this week but is the damage already done? Billboard already named it the #1 Song of Summer and its pedigree is excellent. I think it's a very zeitgeist-y song, infused with hipster irony, a techno-driven beat and some very goofy looking dudes. It's very simplistic, which is what Pop is all about. This really is the track to beat come Labour Day when we tally the Final Winners.

#5: "Super Bass" by Nicki Minaj

Back up after dropping off a bit, Nicki is unstoppable. This is a tough song to hate and get sick of, which is a credit to the charisma and ridiculous flow of Nicki herself. I never thought the instrumentals were impressive at all here, but they're actually understated enough to put the attention on Nicki's vocals, which are the real highlight, anyway. I think this could end up being ranked pretty highly at Summer's End, she hasn't really been out for very long all Summer.

#4: "I Wanna Go" by Britney Spears

It's interesting that Britney had a good hit at the start of Summer with "Till the World Ends" and is coming around again here at the end. If the timing of either track was a bit better I might be considering her for Summer Jam Queen a bit more seriously, but as of now she's not doing anything special. This track certainly isn't exceptional or very outstandingly Summer-y so there isn't a whole lot to talk about here.

#3: "Moves Like Jagger" by Maroon 5 ft. Christina Aguilera

Christina and Britney rocking the Pop Charts? What is this, 1999? This track is set to explode though, which makes sense because it's so filled with jazzy pop sensibilities. I don't understand anyone paying attention to a track like this that really seems like an homage to Mick when he's got his own Superband around the corner putting out great Jams of his own. The sheer weirdness of genre mashing that Superheavy accomplishes is way more interesting than a crappy collaboration by the Stars of The Voice on NBC.

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

I think this track is already starting to peak out on the irritation level, which is good because there aren't a whole lot of Summer Weeks left. It's fun to hear 5'9" take it to Em on this track, he kills it far better than Em does. I also praise this as one of the only Summer Jams to have an instrumental worth listening to. There's a lot of layers and building here, far beyond the repetitious crap of some other songs this Summer (see below).

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

With four weeks at #1 this has actually tied "Rolling in the Deep" and "Party Rock Anthem" with the most this Summer. Even though there's no reason why it shouldn't also win next week its spotty history for the rest of the Sun Months may work against it. Needless to say, Katy as an artist has dominated the Season again, though with her success split this time between this track and "E.T." I'm not sure either track will be considered worthy of Queenship. We'll find out next week!

We thankfully lost Pitbull this week, he actually had a big slide out of the Billboard Top 10 but could be back next week pretty easily. We also said goodbye to GaGa, we'll see if that long streak around the Middle of the List will do her any good when it's time to add everything up.

So next week in addition to rallying the final Winners and determining who had the Greatest Summer Jam of 2011 we should also see some more up and coming songs that may be big Fall Hits, although for sure aren't doing anything else this Summer. I'm looking at Dev's "Dancing in the Dark," the aforementioned Superheavy as well as tons of hot upcoming albums from Coldplay, Red Hot Chili Peppers and Lil Wayne among others. It's crazy.

Summer Jam 2011: August 22 Winners

Hello everyone, welcome once again to the only Posts in August, the on-going search for that elusive Summer Jam of 2011. It's the one truly jamworthy track that we'll always associate with the blistering heat of the Summer Season 2011. It's do or die time by now as we head into the final couple Sunny Weeks. There's still some punch left in a lot of these tracks though. Let's get started:

#8: "Moves Like Jagger" by Maroon 5 ft. Christina Aguilera

This is definitely a funky track. It's kind of a weird Homage to the Rolling Stones frontman as well as a nice advertisement for The Voice on NBC. It's also pretty un-Maroon 5 sounding, with a beat that seems to be more made in a studio than performed by talented musicians. It's catchy though, although it seems like it comes very close to being a good song then stumbles on its own chorus. Basically it's trying way to desperately to be a big hit, which it's really not.

#7: "Super Bass" by Nicki Minaj

This is the second time this Summer that I thought Nicki was out but she came roaring back. This is Nicki's hit track, the one that guarantees she's a star. She just needs to avoid overexposure this year after being featured in countless other tracks. She's having fun here though and that's vital to a good Summer Jam. She hasn't been off the Winner's List in two months now, that might count for something when everything's said and done.

#6: "I Wanna Go" by Britney Spears

This song is actually gaining some ground, but I think Britney's going to run out of room to be considered a good jam this Summer. The song is also incredibly forgettable although it's a fine time in the moment. I don't give a lot of credit to this song but for now it's doing just fine and may rise a few more spots by the time the leaves start falling.

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

This song snuck up on me this week, I didn't think I was hearing it that often but then somehow by week's end it was everywhere. GaGa is having an underrated Summer, I think this song is very good but it's also very un-GaGa-like. I don't think it will be immediately counted as one of her surefire hits when we remember her. It does make me want to charge a street alley and start fist pumping though.

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

This is still around somehow, it's getting to be one of those Pop Songs that is just dying a slow death. It's certainly got Summer Fun all over it, but it's also not really a distinctive track at all. It's so finely produced to replicate past Pop Successes that it's formulaic rather than spontaneous. And Summer Jams should be fun and spontaneous. All of Pitbull's random Date Rape songs are like this.

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

This track seems to be fading as fast as it ascended. It's got a good lead for the Crown right now, and I suspect it will be the last we hear from LMFAO. They've got One-Hit Wonder all over them. I think it will keep falling and may not even be on this list by Summer's End. There are enough fresh tracks out there to supplant it status. Still, the work's been done, now we'll see if Katy can overtake them.

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

Eminem's massive mainstream popularity still confounds me, but this is a cool song. Like his "Love the Way You Lie" track last year, this isn't really a Summer-y Song but it's got the best chance for a late run out of the lot this week. The instrumental here is actually quite intricate and follows the emotional beats of the song very well and although it's not really that danceable it's definitely smooth listening. Bruno also does an excellent job filling in his style amongst the angst of Em and 5'9. Where did playful Eminem get to anyway? His voice is much harder these days.

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

For the second consecutive week Katy nails the Top Spot, this track was everywhere this week. It's really such a terrible song, poorly constructed, vapid lyrical material, obvious sexual marketing - but these are all keys to Pop Success! It will keep doing well, for sure, although with Katy's High School Girl Fanbase I've got to imagine that it's popularity is born of a massive wish fulfillment more than anything else. Great. Tragic. Awesome.

So we lost Wheezy's "How to Love" this week but he seems like he's fading out. Beyonce's "Best I Ever Had" has also been hovering and is just waiting to crack the Top 8 again. I've also still got my ears on Rihanna's "Cheers," featuring great, complex lyrics from Avril Lavigne by the way ("Yeah yeah! yeah yeah!"). I think it will end up being a big Fall Track, it might crack the Winner's List by the end of August or so. I'm also curious about the rising stock of Foster the People's "Pumped Up Kicks," but I've been jamming out to that one for months now. It just crossed over to the Pop Charts and is catchy as hell, so it may turn some heads. Go crank those Radios up!

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.

Summer Jam 2011: August 8 Winners

Welcome once again folks to NMW's Weekly rendition of the Top Jams of Summer 2011. This week was incredibly unremarkable, virtually unchanged from the week before. We're getting into the nitty grind though, only a few more weeks of sunshine and Summer Shorts left and then it's back to the books and shoveling walkways and finding Easter Eggs. I think "Rolling in the Deep" finally died this week, which is spectacular, I couldn't stand that track anymore, which means it really did reach Peak Annoyance, always a good indicator of a Summer Jam. Let's Begin:

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

Honestly, do you hear the first few chords of this song and think "Yeah, Bad Meets Evil here for sure?" Apparently Eminem has been working with Royce da 5'9" (which is an absolutely terrible rap name) since the turn of the century and they call themselves together Bad Meets Evil. So that's that. I did say earlier that I thought this could be another Eminem Summer, that didn't really turn out but this track will probably do well and be everywhere come September. I also said we wouldn't see anymore Bruno this summer after "The Lazy Song" faded. He's really too good of a chorus singer to disappear for long. This is a good track though, I'm excited to see it hang around.

#7: "The Adventures of Rain Dance Maggie" by Red Hot Chili Peppers

The Funkiest Track of 2011 debuted way too late. If this thing had dropped in May or June there's no doubt it would have made for a memorable Summer. In early August though this isn't going to do anything, at least not with the zeitgeist. It should fall into the awesome blur of Peppers Canon pretty soon and there's nothing wrong with that. It's a fantastic track that transcends the moment we're in now which leaves it as not very vital to the times. It's also got the best cowbell of 2011 besides "Make Some Noise."

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

Here's where the complacency starts. The next four spots are identical to last week, which means that there's not a whole lot of new blood doing all that well out there. I'm surprised really, because there's plenty of catchiness coming out of Tinie Tempah, DJ Khaled and others. Anyway, GaGa falls here again, relegated to this middle field but actually pretty stable. This Summer has worked in bands, Pitbull has always been near the top, GaGa and Bruno have always been near the middle and the bottom has always been the Flavour of the Week. When everything is said and done at this point GaGa has proven herself that she might be a quality Summer Jam Candidate.

#5: "How to Love" by Lil Wayne

For the third week in a row Lil Wayne takes up the third spot with this track. I'm actually almost surprised this song has lasted this long for as specific its demographics must be. It's not exactly for typical Wheezy fans and well, his style shouldn't really be attracting manic High School Girls so I'm not sure who's listening to this. I am though. I guess there's enough people who are closet fans that put this on in the background and just let it take up the room. I don't think it'll gain many spots the next couple weeks but we'll see it again.

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

I'm about done with this one as well. Luckily it's slipping in his Hot 100 position, but its radio play is still excellent. It really broke too late and with too much competition around it at the wrong time, it had those few weeks where it knew no rival but timing just didn't work out for Pitbull to be a King this Summer. That's got to be crushing for Mr. Miami.

#3: "Super Bass" by Nicki Minaj

If it's possible to get sick of this song we should find out soon enough. Nicki's still doing very well and as long as she keeps those tats perky and smile gushing I think she'll be fine. It's also interesting how Black this track really is, which also shows how well Nicki can parlay an unstoppable flow into a cross-cultural phenomenon. It helps that the video is real sexy with something for everyone, too. No idea what a Super Bass is but at this point it doesn't even matter.

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

This track flip-flopped with the #1 song this week, it just lacked the immense about of airtime it had last week. More and more I'm realising how bad and uninteresting every part of this song is. The beat is so typical, so manufactured for basic pop standards, it's as if you've heard this song a thousand times before. Needless to say, that's why it's popular. Katy Perry is a well oiled machine who tends to make controversial statements through her songs that under the tiniest second thought aren't that controversial at all but still attention-grabbing. Mostly because a hot chick is saying it. I also find it funny how we've moved on as a culture from getting pumped up about the anticipation of a raucous evening (does the incorrect grammar of "I Gotta Feeling" deeply bother anyone else?) to glorifying the aftereffects. We just all need some Rihanna to balance it out in the middle.

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

GoonRock is a music producer. His name should not be in the title list, you can't list everyone in the damn title. This new wave of DJs who believe they're important is terrible. Anyway, this track is back up to the #1 Spot, giving some good credence that the Jam of the 2011 Summer would be some random one-hit wonder that no one could predict. I feel like it's got some competition but really only from Katy. I don't think Nicki will make it to the Top if she hasn't by now and everyone else on this list is either already in their decline or a ways away from making a significant run at the Top by the time Summer Ends. The whole thing just makes me laugh my fucking ass off.

So what's up for next week? It's hard to tell although I do believe that "Lighters" will keep doing very well. I don't know how Beyonce slipped up but it's apparent her latest track isn't catching on. She actually hasn't really had an ubiquitous hit in a while. I actually wouldn't rule out Britney either, "I Wanna Go" hit its peak at #9 this week and there's no reason that can't keep climbing.

Summer Jam 2011: August 1 Winners

And so we trot into August. Here we are again folks, the Summer-Long tracking of the hottest Jams out there. There are a lot of up and coming tracks, none that made the List for the Week, but could shake things up in the very near future. Let's cut our teeth on some juicy pop now:

#8: "Best Thing I Never Had" by Beyoncé

This is the sassiest video ever. Beyoncé simultaneously exudes an effortless confidence and independence that makes this song captivating. It's a relatively simple track but she's still real sexy. I do wonder why Beyoncé has so many heartbreak and whiny relationship songs though. She and Jay-Z are one of the (seemingly) more stable Hollywood Relationships. At any rate it's nice to see both her and Kelly with some contemporary hits.

#7: "Rolling in the Deep" by Adele

This shit really won't die. It creeps up again this week although I'm really at the point that I can't stand it any more. It's a shame that this good song has been overplayed to death. Maybe I'll be able to listen to it next year.


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

GaGa was actually all over the place this week but five other songs managed to outperform her. I never knew Bondage Raccoons could sing this well. I'm trying to think of how we'll see "The Edge of Glory" in five or ten years, I can't imagine it being highly ranked in her oeuvre. Still, it's a good 80s callback for 2011.

#5: "How to Love" by Lil Wayne

Maintaining the middle ground this week is Lil Wayne, still a great little Summer Slow Jam. It's one of the fresher songs on the Winner's List right now, there's no reason why it can't stick around and do a little better. It's a good song but actually not really invigorating enough to really catch fire. It should still be pretty decent for a while.

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

I finally figured out that AfroJack is just a DJ, which I have no idea why he's getting credit in the song title here. Especially when his beat kind of sucks. He's just like David Guetta who is extremely overhyped. Actually he's Guetta's protégé. That's got to be rough, man. This track tumbled a bit this week, there's just a lot hotter shit out right now. It may thankfully fade into obscurity pretty soon.


#3: "Super Bass" by Nicki Minaj

This song was everywhere again this week and it's actually a tough track to get sick of, despite Nicki's best intentions. Her charm and flow make it infinitely re-listenable even if Beyoncé may be holding a female singing clinic across town showing what something like this could really be. What the hell is a Super Bass anyway? I'm picturing some sort of Giant Flying Fish.

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

For the first time since its debut "Party Rock Anthem" has slowed a bit this week instead of accelerating. It's definitely still a close call to fall to #2 but the Top Track this week was just everywhere and deserved it. I'm thinking this will also turn into a very zeitgeist-y song that ends up burning out quickly without a lot of post though. Remind me to Party Rock with my Super Bass while I can.

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

Getting the punctuation of this song accurate after these hungover weekends is far more difficult than it should be. Katy kind of came out of no where though, suddenly by Friday I realised I had heard this song 14 times during the week and it needed to be #1, supplanting LMFAO. I still picture them battling and for sure nothing is guaranteed but it's looking like another Katy Summer, at least collectively. She's also starring as Smurfette in the Smurfs (2011) this weekend. Poor thing is starved for attention, isn't she?

"The Adventures of Rain Dance Maggie" by RHCP was pretty close to cracking the top this week, it's definitely a hot Summer Track. Other than that, I've been listening to "Till I'm Gone" by Tinie Tempah ft. Wiz Khalifa, "Far Far Away" by Tyga ft. Chris Richardson and both of Eminem's New Tracks, "Space Bound" (featuring "actress" Sasha Grey) and "Lighters" ft. Royce da 5'9 (most retarded rap name ever) and Bruno. Any of these five tracks could break in as early as next week.

Summer Jam 2011: July 25 Winners

Well Amy Winehouse is dead. Moving on, it's another Week of Summer Down, a weekend of jumping in lakes, trying to beat the heat, catching fireflies in your mouth and really resisting the temptation to read Harry Potter. What a time to be alive, my friends. Let's begin.

#8: "Tonight Tonight" by Hot Chelle Rae

This track has been around for some time now but it took this long to break into the Winners List for the week. It's the kind of song that I hate in general, just ironic shitty hipster bullshit. Sorry. It's a nice Summer Song though, even if it's fabulously irritating and extremely simplistic rhythmically. It's actually been hovering in the Top 10 of the Hot 100 for a few weeks now and if it keeps up Radio Play it could stick around for some time.

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

This song vanished this week tho it's still rated pretty highly on all the Countdown Lists so here we are. I actually don't think this is making the kind of splash that any of her other ridiculously successful prior four tracks have made. It's just oversaturation at this point. Despite my prognostication I'm sure "LFN(TGIF)" isn't going anywhere, the well of Katy fans is mainstream enough and pop-friendly enough to beef up anything she does right now.

#6: "The Lazy Song" by Bruno Mars

What else could claim the #6 spot? This was the inverse of "Last Friday Night" this week, it's been falling down the charts but I still heard it constantly on the Radio. It's definitely past its prime by this point but it's floating around enough to nab this old spot comfortably. Barring something ridiculous I'm sure this will be the last I mention Bruno this Summer.

#5: "How to Love" by Lil Wayne

Wheezy lays it down, son. It's slowly assaulting the charts but if you check out all the tracks currently ranked higher it's tough to imagine it gaining any significant ground. I do like this song though, it's ideal for some poolside babymaking with a couple frosty Coronas handy. In that light, it's a very smooth Summer Jam. We'll keep our ears on this one.

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

For the past six weeks GaGa has alternated between the #4 and #5 positions. After a bit of a surge this week, she makes the Top Four. At this point I don't think there's any way that she gets much higher but I would also be surprised if she has any big drops. GaGa seems stuck in Summertime Limbo. I really thought "The Edge of Glory" had a chance to finally earn a Crown for GaGa this Summer but once again it seems like she'll skip off to school bareheaded.

#3: "Super Bass" by Nicki Minaj

After trashing this track last week Nicki was everywhere this time around, easily nabbing #3 on the week. I really don't know what to think about her anymore, the song is still solid and I guess still has a shot to make a nice little run here. Nicki should definitely stick around and may have a shot yet at a Summer Jam Crown.

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

This is one of the worst songs of the year and the video is terrible. Pitbull is just such an unrelenting douche, I have a really difficult time even looking at him. That said, this track is still pretty popular. I still can't figure out where Nayer and AfroJack come into this song. It's all Pit and Ne-Yo. Whatever. This song is full of swagger and arrogance, it's awful.

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

Once again, our #1 is Party Rock, baby. I'm not sure what a Party Rock is (or a Super Bass or an Edge of Glory for that matter), but it's still fantastically catchy and very energetic. If it's #1 for another week it'll match "Rolling in the Deep" this Summer and definitely secure itself as a fearsome candidate. Will LMFAO have long lucrative careers after the Summer of 2011? That makes me laugh my fucking ass off.

So we finally got a week without "E.T." or "Rolling in the Deep" here, which is awesome but don't count either out just yet. I'm also still looking at a chance to talk about Beyonce's "Best Thing I Never Had" which may have to wait until next week. Maybe. Britney also vanished this week although it's possible she can come back as well. Unbelievably it'll be August in a few days - the Final Month of Summer. Oh Diggity!

Summer Jam 2011: July 18 Winners

Hello Potter-Maniacs across the world, here is another edition of the Winners List, the Top Eight Most Jam-Worthy tracks from the Summer of 2011. It was a bit of a crazy week, but then again, most of the weeks this summer have been all over the place. There are some shifts, some New Classics and a lot of action. Let's Dive in!

#8: "Rolling in the Deep" by Adele

This song just won't die. I can't stand it anymore. This is really a victim of overplaying at this point, back in March I actually liked this song. Nowadays I've just heard it far too often to get any enjoyment out of it. Of course this points to its credibility as an all-encompassing ubiquitous Summer Jam, which I just can't believe. It limps in again this week.

#7: "Super Bass" by Nicki Minaj

I don't know what happened to Nicki this week, but she was absent from the Radio. I think after championing this song all Summer it's finally starting to crest and may fall off pretty shortly. I guess that's all Nicki could muster. This is actually a very invigorating track that kind of falls apart into mediocrity during her last pop sell-out stanza. I think she could have used another rap instead of breaking down and singing like Beyoncé.

#6: "I Wanna Go" by Britney Spears

This song grew up fast. Not unlike Britney herself. I'm sure it'll start charting a bit better shortly but it did have a big surge this week. I think this track works for her because she's having fun again and not whining about stardom or her own crazy personality and expectations. It's still a very typical pop song though and I don't think it'll do all that much better than this. Big Jams these days need to be exceptional and Britney is just painting by numbers here.

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

GaGa's been hovering around this position for some time now and despite this song aptly running with the Women's Soccer World Cup all week it hasn't really held up against other pop giants in the zeitgeist. It is an epic song through. Can't you imagine this running through Harry's head as he faces down Voldemort for the last time? It was there, baby. Watching this video again I'm really thinking that GaGa has this innate humour to her, though I'm not sure if she means it.

#4: "How to Love" by Lil Wayne

I actually really like this song. Lil Wayne has quite an auspicious debut with this track this week. It's got a great slow build-up and a soft coo that is lacking from his other work. It could certainly do some damage on the charts by appealing to the chick crowd. It's a nice soothing track to shoot on the stereo on a balmy summer evening and could have a significant late season run. It really doesn't sound Wayne-like, but then again this didn't either. Wait, isn't Wheezy in Prison? How is he still making all these songs?

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

I'm pretty much done with this song already. It's such a bland track. There's nothing really special about it, just the mild shock value that has run through Katy's entire career. I wouldn't be surprised if it rises a bit higher, especially as Pitbull and LMFAO burn through their moments of sunshine quickly. Katy's proven her sustainability over the entire past year and has successfully avoided overexposure by releasing tons of songs that don't sound at all alike. This song is really nothing but a grab for attention. Which of course, means people will eat it up.

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

This is really just a medley of other pop songs. It's so disjointed. I hate Pitbull's snear and...well I don't really know who anyone else is in this crapfest. It's a mild dance hit but really difficult to get into. There's so many shifting parts, it can't make up its mind for what it wants to be. It's terrible. Anyway, it's still charting pretty well and shouldn't go anywhere in the next couple weeks.


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

The Anthem for Party Rocking is still #1. That's pretty cool. What the hell are these idiots going to do with all that money? They better find a bank that's not Goldman Sachs and deposit it because they're in no shape for long-term careers. At all. This is a great Summer Jam song though, and in a few years we might remember "that party song" by those "weird dudes in the fro's and glasses" who made it. That will be "Party Rock Anthem" by LMFAO. Perfect.

Next week expect Lil Wayne, Britney and Katy to keep dominating and I've also got my ears on Beyoncé's "Best Thing I Never Had" as well as "Moves Like Jagger" by Maroon 5 and Xtina, naturally. Yeah that's a nice connection through The Voice. What a terrible show. I'm also wondering if "Pumped Up Kicks" by Foster the People can catch on. I love that track. School shootings have never been so catchy.

Summer Jam 2011: July 11 Winners

Hello lovely people out there in Internetland, you have stumbled once again upon Norwegian Morning Wood's Summer-Long tracking of the most Jam-Worthy songs of Summer. This is a big deal - whoever gains the crown may forever be known as THE song of Summer 2011. It's always engaging - especially in the wake of a stunning US Victory in the Women's World Cup against Brazil (Hell yeah Abby!!) let's list some Summer Jams!

#8: "Rolling in the Deep" by Adele

Mighty fall this week, Adele is still charting well but after a ridiculous radio week last week she was seldom heard this time around. I'm hesitant to count her out but for now she's barely limping in after giving it her all for quite a few weeks on the top of the Winner's List. She's not controlling her own destiny anymore so we'll see how things turn out!

#7: "E.T." by Katy Perry ft. Kanye West

Like Adele Katy is still hanging around, tho her stock is about as it was the week prior and continually falling. There's getting to be far too much Summer Competition for these tracks to stay afloat much longer, it's a matter of time until we bid them a final fair adieu.

#6: "Lazy Song" by Bruno Mars

With a nice little resurgence this week Bruno Mars climbs back up to the spot it's had for the majority of Summer. I was actually pretty ready to count this guy out but a spike late in the week really saved this track from irrelevance. This comes back and may actually get some good numbers just on it stability at this spot as well as its great Summer Message of doing nothing. All praise to Bruno.

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

I love giving myself a little punctuation test every time I write this song title. This track's stock is rising but isn't as immediately dominate as one might have thought. It appears that Katy has some work cut out for her if she actually wants this to rise as high as some of her other singles in the past year. It is probably the most typical and uninteresting song musically she's released since "California Gurls," and at this point that could work against her as much as for her. For now she's smack in the middle of the Winner's List with plenty of potential yet.

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

GaGa is climbing here, I'm not sure if she can get top billing one of these weeks if she hasn't so far. This is a good Summer Track compared to some of her other work but there's a lot of other songs that are just way more attuned to the zeitgeist and far more immediately catchy. The shame is that "The Edge of Glory" is a great song by all means, but that certainly doesn't hold sway for a Summer Jam. She's hanging in there though so we'll see.

#3: "Super Bass" by Nicki Minaj

I'm not sure Nicki gets much higher than this but this is great for her. "Super Bass" is a hot track right now that should stay put for most of Summer at this point. Has Nicki established herself as a mainstream pop artist yet? This song really doesn't have a very invigorating beat, which gives more props to the impeccable flow that Nicki effortlessly exudes. I have full confidence that this track stays right where it is, especially as she supplants the other artists around her.

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

Is that everyone in this song? I hope so. I don't care. It turns out that Pitbull's Summer Reign at the Top of the Charts was shortlasted; I had a feeling it would. This song isn't even a song, really. It's a medley of other pop hits. It has nothing unifying the track as unique or special. Sometimes I'll get halfway into Pitbull's track with Usher or Enrique and mistake it for this track. How many songs about Tonight can he have? It's gotten to a pop carbon copy point that's pretty ridiculous. For all these reasons I actually don't think that this track holds on for that much longer, it was always a temporary track with little long term significance, this is the start of a slippery fall.


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

I gotta give these cats some props for crafting a spectacular Summer Jam as well as a Dance Video that is continuously entertaining and watchable. Earnesty and Genuinity are still appreciated and these guys have this - they just want to Party Rock. Wait, what the hell is Party Rocking, anyway? Whatever, this track has been dominant this week and as long is the beat is thumping we'll keep Party Rocking, baby. To the people!

So I still think that Britney's "I Wanna Go" can make some Thunder as one of her funner songs in years. I'm also keeping an eye on Lil Wayne's "How to Love" which could make some Lightning in the coming weeks. Finally, the two-shot of Jason Derulo and David Guetta need to make some kind of splash, I can't believe these tracks aren't charting well. Does anyone have a Jason Derulo album, does he really shout his name out before every song he does? I hope so. What an artistic genius. Stay tuned, folks, believe it or not, this is the Halfway Week for Summer, we got eight left to go! It's anyone's game baby!

Summer Jam 2011: July 4 Winners

Whee Do! Happy Independence Day Folks, later on there will be another Long Halloween Post concerning the activities you should find yourself doing today but for now it's Summer Jam time. These are 2011's Fourth of July Tracks, baby, the rockingest weekend of the year. Transformers are blowing shit up, the beaches are packed and the boomboxes are loud and jammin! Hoorah!

#8: "Where Them Girls At" by David Guetta ft. Nicki Minaj & Flo Rida

This song actually isn't charting that great, but I heard it a ton this week, especially this weekend and it's an awesome Summer Dance Jam with a lot of energy. It really gets you pumped to go out and be stupid, which is perfect for a Summer Track. David Guetta by this point I'm sure is useless, does he just do beats? Then why aren't his beats better? Nicki kills it though, her talent is insane and Flo Rida goes through his own Summer Motions but it really works here.

#7: "E.T." by Katy Perry ft. Kanye West

I was wrong about this track last week, it is still hanging around pretty effectively although it has clearly fell a ways from what it once was. Katy has had such an insane year though that the the next jam on the Winners List this week should make up for its tumble.

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

I already made a significant post about this track and I stand by my analysis there. I'm wondering about Katy's Legacy with all these songs actually, which ones may overshadow others at this point? I feel like a decade from now we'll remember "California Gurls" and that's about it. They've all come and gone a bit too fast to leave a very lasting impression, tho they've all been great successes. We'll see. I see this song right now as the boiled over remains of everything in the zeitgeist - she's got the Hangover element, the Friday element, the 80s element as well as a plethora of Glee stars. Ultimately it imitates rather than innovates.

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

In an age of ever increasing bullshit this is a relatively straightforward track which is great. GaGa owns this mostly on her own and proves that she can outsing and outdance every other pop starlet that is trying to challenge her. Really she's got the best voice since Christina Aguilera. Actually her competition vs. the less-talented but sluttier Katy Perry is reminiscent of Christina vs. Britney. I'm not sure if this can catch on to a much higher position, which would be a shame. GaGa has had tracks fighting for a crown for the past two years, I'm waiting for her to get the championship, but LeBron might have a ring first.

#4: "Super Bass" by Nicki Minaj

Nicki is everywhere. She pops up everywhere you look and I still think this song can do better than #4. She's really popped out a fully emerged Pop Star with this video. It's tough to think of another female rapper that has had this kind of pop crossover success. Missy Elliott comes to mind but that chick really only emulated male rap styling rather than encompass a femininity in her songs like Nicki does seamlessly. Besides, Nicki sells this track through her body as well as her voice. Who wants to see Missy Elliott in hot pants.

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

THIS is a summer jam! I think it's having a difficult time getting the traction to stay at the top. It is burning really fast right now and my guess is in six months no one will remember this song. It is very fun right now though and is the most danceable song on the Winners List. In that sense it's a more zeitgeist-y track than some others because while GaGa may eventually be timeless, these guys sure as hell aren't, which leaves them distinctly 2011. I do like the premise of the video that these idiots Party Rocked themselves into a coma.

#2: "Rolling in the Deep" by Adele

I'm officially sick of this song. I can't take it anymore. This track was everywhere this week! Still! I mean, it's been charting decently since March, this shit is ridiculous. Unless something really crazy comes along it's got a good chance to be Queen of Summer already which is bizarre because it isn't really a Summer Song at all. You can't put this track on at a party or a cook-out, it'd be terrible. It is sliding just a bit though and its audacity is finally questionable.

#1: "Give Me Everything" ft. Ne-Yo, Afrojack & Nayer

I hate Pitbull. Actually I only hate him personally I don't really mind his rapping. He's actually pretty good but I hate his attitude, his snear and his cocky attitude. This is a good Summer Song, it's equal parts smooth rapping, chill Miami flow and epic of-the-moment singing. It just rose to the Top of the Hot 100, we'll see how long it can stay there, my guess is it won't spend the rest of Summer there and some other song in the Top 5 of this list could supplant this douchebag.

So this was kind of a crazy week, we lost Lupe, The Black Eyed Peas and Bruno Mars without a whole lot of consequence. They're all hovering around the #9 spot but also all past their primes. Someone like Jason Derulo or Britney Spear's new track has a much better chance to pop in there. There is also a mind-numbingly terrible new Black Eyed Peas song out there, run for your lives! Can you believe it's about partying?

Summer Jam 2011: June 27 Winners

Welcome ladies and gentlemen to the last June edition of the Road to Summer Jam 2011. This week was really crazy. With school ending for the wee tots all over the country and weddings and graduations exploding all over the place it's time to find that distinctive song that we'll always remember. Like for my High School Graduation all we listened to was Usher's "Yeah" and Petey Pablo's "Freek-A-Leek" on repeat all night while playing Spider-Man 2 (2004). Crap, that sucks! Anyway, what will be the anthem for today's crack and sex addled generation? Take a listen:

#8: "The Show Goes On" by Lupe Fiasco

Lupe's back this week! Despite some questionable comments regarding Obama his track is still pretty hot. The cat has got some politically charged lyrics and speech that goes beyond the typical relegation of pop stars. Naturally it's scary when someone like Lupe speaks up when he's supposed to just put out dance singles and trut around for his audience. That is to say, what's most terrifying is still a nigga with a brain.

#7: "Just Can't Get Enough" by the Black Eyed Peas

This track is clearly sliding a bit although in cities like mine it's still everywhere. It takes a bit longer for tracks to debut and then meltdown out here and so our trends don't always follow the pulse of New York or LA. That said, we can assume that this is the scenario in comparable cities, which form the majority of the country, so for many of you out there a song like "Just Can't Get Enough" is still a viable Summer Jam. That being said, I don't think we'll see it up here much longer. I have far superior articulation when composing this without a hangover.

#6: "Lazy Song" by Bruno Mars

Any surprise? "Lazy Song" has soaked up the #6 spot for four out of the seven weeks of the Jam so far. It has this very stable niche of being pretty popular but not popular enough to be overplayed and burn out. It's just enough effort to be successful. Again, the meta of "Lazy Song" is awesome, even its fame is lazy.

#5: "Super Bass" by Nicki Minaj

This track is starting to explode. Every week this song has been on the countdown it has been listed higher than the week before. It's such a playful song and the first since her smash "Your Love" last year in which she displays both her singing and rapping talent flawlessly in one track but this time at a higher summer tempo and with less Auto-Tune. It's actually not even on the regular release of Pink Friday (2010), instead it's a deluxe edition bonus track. Actually she's got some of her best tracks as bonus releases, including "Girls Fall Like Dominoes." Anyway, "Super Bass" is set to keep rising.

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

This song is doing what it needs to. I was sick of "Bad Romance" after my 194th listen and got sick of "Judas" after my...1st. "The Edge of Glory" is growing on me like "Just Dance" and "Poker Face" which I think remain her best tracks. I like GaGa's pop edge over that experimental screeching bullshit. GaGa needs to be a Pop Icon and this is her means to it rather than something as controversial as "Judas," which by the way, the thing about "Judas" is that no one cared about its controversy because it really isn't that good of a song. So in that case instead of something brilliant we just got this kind of flustered call for attention. It's like how no one complains about crazy people on street corners because they scream out for attention but by the next block you've forgotten. It's not "Like a Prayer," which was controversial because people cared about it. Who cares about "Judas?" Now, "The Edge of Glory" is the kind of song that can get some positive attention and steer GaGa in the direction she needs to be in.

#3: "Rolling in the Deep" by Adele

She is still #1 on the Billboard Charts but Adele just isn't as hot as she was a couple weeks ago. She's not the greatest, hippest thing on the radio anymore and when we're figuring out a Summer Jam it's ALWAYS HOT BABY!! I dip her down here because there are just too many good bouncing dance jams for Graduations and Weddings this weekend. We gotta get down and dirty, kid and Adele's moaning whiny siren ain't cuttin' it. That said, she isn't going anywhere.


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

This song has had a huge ascension close to the top of the Winners List in the past four weeks. THIS is the kind of song that makes you want to grab some dick or titties and take it on a fucking wet adventure. Alright, it's really not that sexy (might I suggest some "Motivation" by Kelly Rowland to fill that hole. Ahem). But Party Rock Anthem is the anthem for both Partying and Rocking. That's good for something as it the perfect no-name one-hit wonder for whoever the hell any of these people are, who by the way, are having a fabulous time in their music video. Summer Fun baby, Happy Graduation, feel somebody.

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

I have to cut and paste the artist list for the Top Two songs this week because they're so filled with no-name, no-talent musical hacks. Pitbull is everywhere though and the rapid stock of this track shows that. This is a very stupid song and I hate Pitbull. He tends to put out tons of crap all the time and has so many songs that are just the same thing over and over again. He just raps about wooing chicks in order to fill girls with some fantasy of banging this bald ugly Cuban and inspire guys to wear club polos and get chicks pregnant. That's probably a stretch but whenever I hear his voice I just think of that.This is only the third song to hit #1 this year (there were only seven for all of last year) so we'll see where he lands in the next few weeks.

So you may obviously notice a big omission, no "E.T." this week. "E.T" is fading fast, I haven't heard it on the radio much at all and her spot at #5 on the Hot 100 seems like a formality more than anything. Besides, "Last Friday Night (T.G.I.F)" shot up to #4, meaning that Katy Perry will go much longer than a year with some track in the Billboard Top Five. I haven't heard that enough to call it a Jam, but I do really want to talk about Rebecca Black in this video, don't worry it'll be soon.

In other news, anyone notice a new Britney video that came out on Wednesday? The song is whatever and although she turns 30 this year it seems that she still can't get out of that baby voice, what the hell. There is a Half Baked (1998) reference within the first 30 seconds and she flashes a ginger tho. Just watch. I also wanted to mention that Jack Johnson's "From the Clouds" could be a good alternative Summer Jam, kind of like "Lay me Down" from the Dirty Heads last year. Very peaceful, man. He's the mellow guy!

Summer Jam 2011: June 20 Winners

Holy crap, it's June 20 already. We're the middle of long days, summer concerts, fountains of margaritas and skirts so high we should call this site Norwegian Day Wood. There are some shake-ups this week and it looks like we're starting to get a clear picture on who will be running towards that Summer Jam Crown. Let's get started:

#8: "Just Can't Get Enough" by the Black Eyed Peas

This track tumbled a bit but is still hanging around. It's possible that it remains somewhere near this position for a few weeks but it's about to crumble. I think. I was thinking about beats this week and how many contemporary pop tracks really have terrible, unmemorable rhythms. B.E.P. has turned into a largely electronic group (one of the reasons why they now suck live) and while they are more developed than some of their pop rivals, it's really not good for such a deeply produced song or even a B.E.P. song.

#7: "Super Bass" by Nicki Minaj

We need to talk about how hot Nicki is in this video. She has lost a tremendous amount of ass weight, she's actually sexy not only because of huge boobs and goofy playful faces. There is an intensity to this track along with a fairly fluffy beat and tone. It works because there's an edge to its whimsical nature. It fell a bit this week but I don't think it's going anywhere.

#6: "Lazy Song" by Bruno Mars

Now this is the laziest beat on the countdown. There is nothing special besides the occasional monkey whistle. Bruno has stuck right around here for just about all of Summer so far and there's no reason not to believe that he can't continue. There were so many negatives in that last sentence.  I do like how everything about this song, from the title to the video to the actual song really is incredibly lazy. Bruno really nailed Summer Sloth here, bro.

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

GaGa keeps going on and off the Winners List but I think she can stabilize from here on out. "The Edge of Glory" had a big week with a video that was a bit of a departure from typical Crazy GaGa Bullshit. I actually like this kind of GaGa, she's capturing attention with just herself and hardly any back-up dancers, tho still in love with the 80s for some inexplicable reason. While talking about beats, the energized rhythms here make it one of the better Summer Beats tho it tends to get complacent during the verses. The synthenised sax solo is so 80s though and gives the song a fresh yet nostalgic feel. It's a pretty good Summer Jam.

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

This song really shot up the charts this week and its airplay has exploded as well. I don't think we'll ever hear from LMFAO again after this Summer but that's okay, they're serving their purpose dishing out a very pop and dance-friendly hit. From a beat standpoint it's all very epic, charged and variable while maintaining a relative simplicity. While not innovative it's certainly enjoyable which is all perfect for a Summer Jam. LMFAO is turning 2011 into the Summer of Shuffling, which is fine.

#3: "E.T." by Katy Perry ft. Kanye West

Don't worry Katy fans, as soon as "E.T." fades from the countdown, which may be relatively soon now, she'll come back with "Last Friday Night (T.G.I.F.)" which seems both a shot in the war for Ownership of Friday as well as an Ode to The Hangover Films. That track just slides in the zeitgeist far too well. "E.T." is still pretty ubiquitous and Katy will definitely be a Crown Contender again for one of these.

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

I finally gave into Pitbull this week. This track was everywhere tho it's certainly not an especially good one. This is prepped to do pretty well for the Summer although it has more random names spitting lines than "Party Rock Anthem" somehow. It's an auspicious debut at #2 but I actually think this track could flare out sooner than something a little more iconic. It's a very forgettable pop song that may yet do well.

#1: "Rolling in the Deep" by Adele

What more can I say about this song? It's going no where even as "E.T." seems to be finally losing some steam.Adele is charging ahead. This is her sixth week at #6 and she's been buzzing enough to become a bit more mainstream. I think there can be a nice gap when she finally does implode, Pitbull, tho with the fresh Miami Summer Connection isn't really Jam Worthy. Adele should stay here for the moment however, despite the fact that the song is already deep in overplayed territory and not really suited for Summer Jamming.

So what's next? Lupe's stock is rising even if "The Show Goes On" slipped from its peak. I also heard Chris Brown's "Look at Me Now" and Wiz Khalifa's "Roll Up" a ton this week tho they also peaked a few weeks ago. I'm looking forward to some more Katy, Nicki and GaGa to sit up some good roosts for the Summer.

Summer Jam 2011: June 13 Winners

Welcome friends again to your mid-June installment of our chronicle of the most Jam-worthy songs of the 2011 Summer. There are some shake-ups this week and plenty of new Jams abound. Let's get started:

#8: "Don't Wanna Go Home" by Jason Derulo

Get on the banana boat! Is there any song that pop can't cover? Jason Derulo specialises in Summer Jams but isn't ever popular enough to actually be a significant Summer Force. He's really one of the most typical Pop/R&B singers out there and this really is more of the same crap. It also makes me think of this parody track from like ten years ago, which I guess is fitting now.

#7: "Lazy Song" by Bruno Mars

Dipping a bit this week I didn't hear "Lazy Song" nearly as much this week but it's still hanging around. This is better for hungover Summer Sundays than energized Summer Nights, which is an undervalued part of Summer anyway. Especially in this heat who wants to do anything? Not Bruno Mars.

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

This track's stock is rising. The video's Zombies of Dance feel is spot-on and it has a magnificent feel. It's actually the opposite end of the spectrum from "Lazy Song," all about dancing and feeling good instead of laying around. Summer is the time for both baby. I think the dude in the white glasses looks like Sinbad for some reason. Is it just me? What happened to Sinbad? Hatin' is bad.

#5: "Super Bass" by Nicki Minaj

Finally we get some Nicki on the Winners List. This track shouldn't go anywhere for a while, it's got only good times ahead of it. The video is mad hot too, full of both hot chicks and hot dudes. Everybody wins baby. This also seems like Nicki's foray into a more pop-oriented tone rather than strictly rapping tho she maintains her distinctive Nicki style. There also isn't really a ton of bass in this song.

#4: "The Show Goes On" by Lupe Fiasco

As soon as I'm counting this one out it performs spectacularly this week. Along with being one of the best parts of the 2011 MTV Movie Awards, Lupe continues to rank pretty well on the charts. This song is great, as for its Summeryness, it may be lacking which could hold it back from Jam-Worthy status.

#3: "Just Can't Get Enough" by the Black Eyed Peas

They don't really have black eyes. This song though, has reached the very irritating point that all B.E.P. songs eventually achieve and I now wish it would just go away. Fergie can't baby-voice as well as Britney Spears and none of the rappers in the group have any talent. I hope its overexposure will lead it to crumble a bit but for now it's #3.

#2: "E.T." by Katy Perry ft. Kanye West

Every week this Summer has featured either this track or Adele at 1 or 2 and this week is no different. Katy actually has another song out there that may challenge Rebecca Black's domination of Days of the Week. Is there even a question of whether or not it'll be a hit as well? It's a good thing Katy has boobies.

#1: "Rolling in the Deep" by Adele

This track is unstoppable. I'll finally admit it. I kind of blank out when it comes on at this point which is unfortunate because it really is a great song. Her success over comparable acts like Katy and GaGa are pretty interesting, as they're really manufactured pop megastars while Adele is much more natural and homely. There's this battle between genuinity and fabrication of pop stars, but is Adele actually the fake pop star because she dodges typical the typical pop facets? Or does it even matter? This is very mildly interesting.

So GaGa and Britney fell off this week, I expect Britney to stay down but we should see "The Edge of Glory" again soon. I'm still not buying Pitbull at all but I do find some rising stock in "Where Them Girls At" by David Guetta, Flo Rida and Nicki. It's a definite Summer Party song, check it out.

Summer Jam 2011: June 6 Winners

Well my friends we're into June now, the month of Grammar School Ending, Golf and Cottonwood Fuzzies everywhere. As the Summer Waltz continues we had a very tight week on the Race to Summer Jam 2011 with a ton of close calls and some new faces. Let's dig it:

#8: "The Show Goes On" by Lupe Fiasco

Lupe tumbled a bit on the charts this week and it seems like that little surge he was riding may be over. I'm hoping the popularity of this track launches Lupe's career a bit, he's pretty talented and deserving of some glory over some carbon copy rappers out there on the Hot 100 these days (Wiz Khalifa, Tinie Tempah, Jeremih, what the hell). There's a lot of positivity with Lupe's track here which is great to relax with in Summer tho by a large margin it's not irreverent either. That said, we may not see much more of it.

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

Here's that Summer Irreverence. I've never seen a song put out collectively by so many artists I haven't heard of but this track is actually a lot of fun. It's perfect Summer Dane Tune and should continue doing well as we go through the Season. The video is pretty entertaining as well, though I can't really tell who the hell is GoonRock and who is Laugh My Fucking Ass Off. It's got an energizing beat and a pretty fun nature, again I'm a fan of positive music, that's what Summer's all about. Also this is the most blatantly descriptive title since The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974).

#6: "Lazy Song" by Bruno Mars

This song really is far too tempting to enact in daily life. It remains at #6 this week with some pretty consistent airplay Those apes are really freaky. Possibly less so than Rise of the Planet of the Apes (2011), which we do need to talk about more, including possibly having the most awkward movie title ever as well as a plot identical to Deep Blue Sea (1999) for some reason. Anyway, Bruno does alright here and should stick around a bit.

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

GaGa finally finds some traction as "The Edge of Glory" exploded this week. This is a superior song in every way to "Judas" but I'm still not convinced it can rule Summer. Possibly when "E.T." and "Rolling in the Deep" stop battling GaGa can edge up into the vacuum but for now this is where she lands. I actually like the structure of this track, it's got a very epic feel to it, even if it's 80s epic.

#4: "Just Can't Get Enough" by The Black Eyed Peas

Somehow this song is still hanging around and increasing stock on its way to being a significant Jam. I heard this track constantly this week but it's not charting in proportion so it'll settle here.I do hate The Black Eyed Peas with a burning furious passion now but a lot of tracks off The Beginning are actually tolerable though the electronica is unforgiving.

#3: "Till the World Ends" by Britney Spears

This was Britney week, man. With Britney you gotta compare her to her earlier work, this girl really peaked at 17, which is unfortunate. Her singing here is actually quite a bit more advanced that "...Baby One More Time" and I think the song is doing well because she's not singing about fucking or how shitty her public image is. Did you know a judge ruled that Kevin Federline was the better parent? C'mon, Brit. You can't lose to K-Fed. Anyway, this is a good Summer Song, very energetic, exciting and hot.

#2: "E.T." by Katy Perry ft. Kanye West

It's a tough switch-up this week but Adele is just dominating every chart imaginable. Katy's really freaking me out in this video though. I feel like these pop starlets need to be a bit less obtuse in their videos, between this and GaGa tripping out I am very scared of turning on vH1 in the morning. I'd have to watch Sportscenter or something ridiculous. Katy's videos are actually typically much more grounded in reality ("California Gurls" aside), this shit is just nuts.


#1: "Rolling in the Deep" by Adele

Like I mentioned Adele is everywhere, #1 on every important chart and even #100 on the R&B/Hip-Hop Songs somehow. I really didn't hear it all that much but it's clear that this girl isn't going anywhere soon. The battle for #1 couldn't feature more disparate tracks. "Rolling in the Deep" is very organic song with a fat pop artist and a very grounded video. "E.T." features a techno-beat, one of the hottest pop stars out there and a video literally floating out in space. It's an interesting commentary on Pop Culture that we in fact know nothing about what makes the best of Pop Culture popular.

So J. Lo fell off this week, she just didn't seem as relevant, her wishy-washyness this summer has been ridiculous. Also has anyone ever seen Pitbull's eyes? I'm not feeling either of his tracks but whatever. I was also hoping that Martin Solveig & Dragonette's "Hello" would catch on over here as much as it has in the UK but that seems unlikely now. Tune in next week for more dancing!

Summer Jam 2011: May 30 Winners

Happy Memorial Day folks, time to honour our fallen comrades with time-tested traditions like drinking beer and seeing how man hot dogs one can fit into his or her mouth at one time. I can do seven! So tighten up those red, white and blue undies because the Summer Jam Winners for Hangover Weekend follow:

#8: "Down on Me" by Jeremih ft. 50 Cent

Down a bit this week but still pretty present, "Down on Me" is actually a pretty smooth track. This is actually Jeremih's less dirty Summer Hit. Hearing "Birthday Sex" again now also reminds me how much of a better song that was. I'm processing a lot here, 50 has had plenty of better tracks as well, why isn't this song awesome? I still heard this a lot this week but it's clearly slipping down the charts.

#7: "The Show Goes On" by Lupe Fiasco

This song actually keeps peaking week by week but I definitely heard it less on radio than last week. It's got a good chance to hang around despite the fact that it's been around forever by now. I've really settled into the lyrics at this point though the flawless Modest Mouse sampling for sure is the hook here. I feel like anyone who enjoys hip-hop was all about this track back in March and now the pop crowd is starting to embrace it, which may extend its life for a bit. "Rolling in the Deep" is undergoing the same phenomenon actually, discovery by a larger crossover population is extending its chart lifetime greatly. That's awesome because these songs rule.

#6: "Lazy Song" by Bruno Mars

After disappearing last week, this track has charged back onto the Winners' List with a surge of listens late in the week. I've been weirdly entranced by this song lately, probably because it accurately describes a typical day in my life. The flannel monkeys are kind of creepy in the video though, which is lazy enough to accurately fit the song's theme. To be fair Summer should be a lazy lounging time and this track fits the Warmer Months pretty well.

#5: "Just Can't Get Enough" by The Black Eyed Peas

Ranked #2 on the Pop Charts this song has had some ups and downs since its release but for now it's placed steadily high and staying there. Fergie's baby voice aside this track features some mediocre rapping (a step up from normal B.E.P. production) and less electronica than some of their other tracks (see here). So it's actually a quality song for the Black Eyed Peas, far more restrained than their typical bullshit from the future. Also that weird Asian Guy Who Dances actually does something! This is nothing like any other B.E.P. track. At least until the final minute than it's like they had been holding in their Pop-Techno bullshit and then splooge all over our eardrums. Anyway, it has a good chance to wobble around the middle of the List for a while.

#4: "Till the World Ends" by Britney Spears

Slipping a little bit this week, Britney's definitely still around despite the world not coming to an end last weekend. So now we can dance until the sunrise every night. But the world won't end. Not in October, Hal. Anyone notice that Britney is actually looking sort of okay in this song? I like how her entire career has been based on pure sex. I also heard "Baby One More Time" on the radio this week, and we should point out a few things - 1) Check out how flat she is. 2) Is there anyone she's appealing to other than the 40+ year male pervert crowd? and 3) This is the strongest pure Pop-Generated song ever, and she's still doing the same shit today.

#3: "On the Floor" by J. Lo ft. Pitbull

Let the Latins attack this summer! From the State of Miami this song was really wobbly last week, but took over everything this week. Maybe it was a surge with J. Lo on American Idol's Finale, who knows. Needless to say, nothing says 2011 like a Top 10 of the Hot 100 that includes Jennifer Lopez, Britney Spears and Busta Rhymes. What the hell? How have we not moved on? This is a hot Latin Summer Song though the video is incredibly uninspred. Actually this is the only kind of video that Pitbull knows how to make. I hate Pitbull.

#2: "Rolling in the Deep" by Adele

The Top Two Spots haven't changed for the first Three Weeks of Summer, which is unbelievable considering both tracks were hot topics in the music world months ago. My theory concerning Adele is that everyone with taste discovered her months ago but only recently has she transcended into the Pop World. She was the third most heard radio song this week but slipped on a few countdowns as well as on a few charts such as the Pop Songs, Radio Songs and Adult Contemporary. It's still #1 in most Digital Realms though which means we're really right in the midst of her popularity. This track isn't going anywhere soon.

#1: "E.T." by Katy Perry ft. Kanye West

Did you know that Katy Perry recently acquired a Billboard record by being the only artist to have a song in the Top 10 for 52 Consecutive Weeks? She did this with "California Gurls," "Teenage Dream," "Firework" and "E.T." which is sick, especially considering how different all these songs are. She's not selling sex anymore either, the "E.T." video couldn't be at a more opposite sexual spectrum as "California Gurls." Russel should just be thankful that Katy can actually make some money. Anyway, any week Adele could punk her out but for now the Summer is still Katy's.

So what's next week? GaGa's failure to produce a song to really catch on is spectacular, both "The Edge of Glory" and "Judas" ranked on the charts this week where typically only flavour of the week Glee songs fall. How the hell is she releasing a new single every other week, too? For some reason she also put out "Hair," which seems more like swamping a market already flooded with GaGa in a desperate shot that one of her songs off a Not-Great Album becomes a certified hit. I'm still telling you that the stock of "Super Bass" is rising, "Dirty Dancer" seems shitty now and I can't see much farther than that. "The Edge of Glory" will probably crack this list some time in the next few weeks but I can't see GaGa getting a crown this summer.

Summer Jam 2011: May 23 Winners

As the Second Week of Summer comes to a close we're seeing more of the same although there are a few good tracks on the horizon that may be dominating our ears on the way to a Title. Let's get to it.

#8: "Judas" by Lady GaGa

GaGa's first appearance on the Winners List, "Judas" is a really insane song that has a shot to take off, tho I think if it hasn't taken off by now it's not going to in the next few weeks. With her album Born This Way debuting today interest may pick up but frankly, "Judas" just isn't that good of a song. It seems like more a cry for attention through controversially Biblical lyrics and the subsequent video that is really just a reminder that Madonna lived this life better twenty years ago. Actually there hasn't been a whole lot of controversy because it's not all that controversial, which makes it again just seem like a cry for attention. From the heavy 80s influence on the whole album it's clear that GaGa just wants to be Madonna. There isn't a whole lot of innovation in "Judas," it's basically a Jesus-themed version of "Bad Romance." It could stick around but the far better GaGa track "The Edge of Glory" is much more radio-friendly and evidently one of the best tracks on the whole album. In fact, "The Edge of Glory" is so pop-y that when I first heard it on the radio I assumed it wasn't GaGa but rather some other song I had heard months ago. Once that thing seeps into the culture tho it'll be a genuine contender for the Crown.

#7: "Written in the Stars" by Tinie Tempah ft. Eric Turner.

This song doesn't seem to be going away. It's really a pretty irritating song without a whole lot of redeeming qualities at all. It's also what I'd call a secretly popular song - no one really cares about it but it remains on the Winners List because its the kind of song good for backgrounds at parties or Barbe-Qs or other mindless Summer Fun. We'll see how much longer it hangs out here.

#6: "Just Can't Get Enough" by The Black Eyed Peas

This track is a bit of a departure from typical B.E.P. crap. It's less about partying and humping and a bit more genuine. Still it's very Pop Sounding and definitely a safe song for the group. It's pretty popular but it seems to fade in and out of zeitgeist instead of dominating like "Boom Boom Pow" and "I Gotta Feeling" did. I suspect it'll come and go for a few weeks on this List but never penetrate that deep.

#5: "Down on Me" by Jeremih ft. 50 Cent

Moving up a few slots this week is "Down on Me" which hasn't slowed down at all despite my forecasting. I am surprised it's still around as it's been on the charts for a very long time already (27 weeks, by far the longest of anyone in the Top 10 of the Hot 100). It doesn't really seem like it can slow down but there should be enough competition soon enough to push this one out of contention.

#4: "The Show Goes On" by Lupe Fiasco

This was a landmark week for Lupe, with a huge spike in airtime as well as a Peak Chart Position. This is one of my favourite songs of the year so far, the lyrics are intelligent, the beat is an excellent sample of Modest Mouse's "Float On" and Lupe is a talented singer and rapper. This is definitely an old song though and I wouldn't expect it to flash around much more like it did this week. The way this song was everywhere this week was strange tho it did find its highest lifetime charting so who knows, its popularity may just be peaking now.

#3: "Till the World Ends" by Britney Spears

What a fitting song for the supposed Rapture this weekend. Holding at #3 for the second week in a row is Britney's Ode to Doomsday Partying. It's nice to see her a bit relevant again and I would expect this track to hang out on the list a while longer but I'd be very surprised to see it any higher. Nicki and Ke$ha own the Remix tho, which is interesting for the artist's true popularity and talent right now.


#2: "Rolling in the Deep" by Adele

This song is long overdue for being overplayed. Yeah she's a fat and ugly female pop star with a hell of a set of pipes but "Rolling in the Deep" has been everywhere for far too long. Although it was ranked again #1 on the Hot 100 I just didn't think it was absorbed everywhere the way "E.T." was this week so they've flip-flopped positions.

#1: "E.T." by Katy Perry ft. Kanye West

We do need to talk about this video here. What the hell? Honestly I have woken up to vH1 every morning this past week to this fucking thing. I call it bizarre without any real merits with a very strange ending (half-Katy/half-Deer about to bang the Robot Albino Black Guy) and a huge departure from Katy's more typical sexual and cute videos. The whole song is drastically different from other upbeat Katy tracks of yesteryear, "California Gurls" obviously being the most prevalent. Her string of hits off Teenage Dream is remarkable, not only for their consistent popularity but the fact that "California Gurls," "Teenage Dream," "Firework" and "E.T." are all very different sounding songs. Katy's proving a monumental range here and making the kind of videos and pushing the kind of songs she wants to after years of selling sex and getting hits.

Like I mentioned, there are some big songs just waiting in the wings. In addition to "The Edge of Glory," which will be huge, I've got my eye on "Dirty Dancer" by Enrique, Usher and Weezy (a legendary trio comes together for an average song), "Party Rock Anthem" by LMFAO, "Give Me Everything" by Pitbull and of course the still climbing Nicki Minaj effort, "Super Bass." We'll see how this turns out, there are a lot of eager Summer Anthems out there and if the rain holds off for more than an hour this week we might actually feel like we've earned it!