Songs I Dig - Top 10 Songs of '08

Howdy folks; welcome to this very special edition of the "Songs I Dig." Instead of presenting to you five new or recent songs that I find to be great to listen to as of this moment, I am going to look back upon 2008 and present to you the songs in which I think are the top ten of the entire year. All of these seletions were on the "Songs I Dig" blog at some point during the year, so I can promise you no surprises. It took a little bit of work and deliberation on my part in deciding exactly which song should receive top honor for the entire year and where the rest of the songs should fall in the countdown. For those that follow this blog regularly, rarely do I ever present the SID blog in a countdown format. Well, the year-in-review SID blog will be a countdown. So, with all of that out of the way, I now present to you the top ten songs of 2008, as part of the "Songs I Dig" blog at "Luke's Ponderings." Enjoy!

#10 - "One Step at a Time" by Jordin Sparks: 2008 was a very good year for season 6 winner of American Idol Jordin Sparks. Her debut, self-titled album has achieved platinum status here in the United States and all three of her songs off the album have been hits, including "One Step at a Time." Now Jordin will have to step to the plate and deliver a strong performance for her sophomore album. It might be a tough follow-up for her.

#9 - "Disturbia" by Rihanna: Here is an artist that had a huge year in 2008. It seems like everything she touches turns to gold (or platinum). Not only did she release the catchy and unique song "Disturbia" in the past year, but also other hits such as "Don't Stop the Music," "Take a Bow," and "If I Never See Your Face Again," a duet with Maroon 5. Don't look for her to stop anytime soon; her fourth studio album is set for release in 2009.

#8 - "Broken" by Lifehouse: This turned out to be a favorite of mine during the year, as "Broken" is a soothing power ballad with great vocals and a haunting sound. It was the third song from their fourth studio album, "Who We Are." In my honest opinion, "Broken" is probably the best song released from the album, but it's kind of neck-and-neck with "Whatever it Takes," which was another big hit for Lifehouse in 2008.

#7 - "Say" by John Mayer: I get the feeling that John Mayer is an artist that doesn't get the kind of recognition or respect that he deserves. Say what you will about the guy; one thing he most certainly is is an established singer/song-writer. "Say" brought him great success in the year 2008, propelled after the song was featured in the soundtrack to the movie "The Bucket List" featuring Jack Nicholson and Morgan Freeman. Don't sleep on John Mayer, either, as it won't be long before we hear another future hit from him very soon.

#6 - "Fall for You" by Secondhand Serenade: Congratulations are in order for this group, who became a household name in 2008 after their smash single "Fall For You" was released from their album "A Twist in My Story." "Fall For You" has already been classified as a platinum hit, and it's not very hard to understand why. It's one of those love songs that's easy to get behind and understand. Heck, it easily could become a new couple's wedding song, it's that good.

#5 - "Shake It" by Metro Station: Who would've thought that a Cyrus family member other than Miley would've had one of the best songs of 2008? Metro Station is comprised of Trace Cyrus, Blake Healy, Mason Musso, and Anthony Improgo and together they composed a very catchy, upbeat, and fun song to dance to in "Shake It." The song is what really propelled them to stardom in 2008 and it wouldn't surprise me to hear from them again in the new year.

#4 - "Come On Get Higher" by Matt Nathanson: I love it when an artist with very little notoriety releases a song that becomes one of the biggest hits of the whole year. Matt Nathanson is no stranger to the music industry, but he's never had a hit song quite like "Come On Get Higher." And with only two songs released from his current album, "Some Mad Hope," expect one or two more releases from his album in 2009.

#3 - "Viva La Vida" by Coldplay: Talk about one of the biggest hits of the year; it was unusual NOT to hear this song played every hour this past fall. With the way this group continues to put out hits, I'd be surprised if they broke up anytime soon (there was talk of them putting out new music for a limited time). The success of "Viva La Vida" alone has pushed their current album to sell over 2 million copies in the United States.

#2 - "I Kissed a Girl" by Katy Perry: And the award for newcomer artist of the year goes to Katy Perry! Although the song deals with a taboo subject, it's catchy and downright fun. It reminds me of the song "Stacy's Mom" released a few years back by Fountain's of Wayne in that it deals with a touchy subject yet it's so much fun to sing along to. Even though 2008 was Katy's breakout year, I have a feeling we'll be hearing a lot about her in the years to come.

And with the "Songs I Dig" 2008 song of the year:



#1 - "I'm Yours" by Jason Mraz: "I'm Yours" was probably the most played song in 2008 in addition to it being one of the best (and the very best if you value my opinion). The folksy-jazzy sound of the song really makes it a fun one to listen to. One of the things I like about Jason is that his music is always upbeat and positive. It's a song that I know pretty much by heart now and it will remain one of my favorites into the new year.

And there it is, your top ten songs of 2008. Nothing scientific went into this as it's based on my own opinion. I must say all of these songs I enjoyed listening to most and some I listened to more than others. But that wasn't the deciding factor in who got #10 and who got #1. Radio play and general public popularity also factored into my decision. I hope you enjoyed my selections and agreed with the placements. Be sure to look forward to more "Songs I Dig" blogs in 2009!

Songs I Dig - 8

With a brand new edition of "The Songs I Dig" blog, I am happy to present to you five high quality songs that I recommend everyone listen to. A lot of times when I have three decent selections, I often have to scrounge around looking for the final two to make my list complete. And sometimes those songs really aren't all that spectacular, in my books. It took a little while this time around, but the last song that made this edition is really superb. Actually, all of these songs are equally as great. And each lead singer has different personalities and life styles from each other. Not to mention all of these songs have a different flavor all their own, as well. Without giving anymore details away to the many specifics of these songs, let's just delve into this edition of "The Songs I Dig."

"I Kissed a Girl" by Katy Perry - I guess it was a few weeks back when I first heard this song on the radio and I didn't really pay much attention to it. The only time I had been able to catch it was around 10:00 in the evening. I kept hearing it at the same time each evening and finally it got to a point where I really started liking it. I have to suspect that the radio station around here that plays the song didn't really want to air it during the mid-afternoons when more people are listening to the radio - or at least until the song gained more popularity. The subject of the song is a rather taboo one, another girl kissing another girl and admitting they liked the kiss. Now for most guys like me, we all think that idea is totally hot. So when she sings in the song, "...I hope my boyfriend don't mind it," I have to think to myself, "why wouldn't we mind it?" But I'm sure the female audience would have an opposite opinion of that. With that being said, it is an extremely catchy song that it's pretty difficult not to sing or bob your head along to it. It's got a great beat and lyrics that absolutely make you chuckle. Also, it doesn't hurt that Katy herself is an absolute bombshell to look at. This song is quickly gaining popularity and it won't be long before it hits number one.

"Shake it" by Metro Station - This is a fairly recent song to the radio airwaves and one that I find incredibly enjoyable. I remember hearing it while at a computer at work and secretly jiving along to it. It basically sucks you into the beat and just like the first song in this blog, it's incredibly catchy. I can see this one being a fun song to dance along to at a night club. Before I did any research into the individuals that made up the group Metro Station, I had assumed it was a group from the UK. To me, it sounds as if there might be a slight hint of a British accent when the two singers sing. But I was completely wrong! There are four members of the band, including Blake Healy, Anthony Improgo, Mason Musso, and Trace Cyrus. And that last name of Cyrus looks awfully familiar, doesn't it? Yes, Trace is the brother of Miley and the son of Billy Ray. Talk about a successful musical family! So no, these four do not have any British roots in them; they are very much American. "Shake it" is one of those songs that'll get you up on your feet and I have no doubt it'll continue to rise on the music charts. It's just so darn catchy!

"All Over You" by The Spill Canvas - Talk about a song completely coming out of left field. This song basically came out of nowhere and it's already proving to be quite successful. Although you may not have heard of The Spill Canvas prior to "All Over You" getting radio air play this year, they have been around since 2002. Believe it or not, The Spill Canvas was originally only a side project for lead singer Nick Thomas. Eventually, he put aside all of his other activities and focused solely on the band, which is described as an emo/punk rock band. With albums in 2002 and 2004 receiving very little fanfare, "One Fell Swoop" in 2005 did receive recognition. But their 2007 album "No Really, I'm Fine" has become their most successful yet. Despite the fact that lead singer Thomas does make a few funny facial expressions in the video for "All Over You (not purposely, mind you, but just when he's singing)," it's really a great song with moving lyrics. The message in the song is about doing everything you possibly can for someone you love but not getting the message across to that person. That all you can do is think about the person, but they can never really love you back. It's actually quite powerful and you should give it a listen if you haven't heard it yet.

"Take a Bow" by Rihanna - It's amazing how quickly things can change in just a matter of days. I was planning on going a completely different direction with these last two songs, but I liked two songs much better than those others, so here we are. "Take a Bow" has gotten more and more airplay and is closing in on the number one spot on numerous radio charts, if it's not there already. This is the first appearance for Rihanna on "The Songs I Dig" blog and it's probably not going to be the last time, either. Just look at her track record already since making a splash in 2005. "SOS," "Unfaithful," "Umbrella," "Shut up and Drive," and "Don't Stop the Music" all being huge hit songs for Rihanna. In fact, "Umbrella" was named as the most successful song in 2007 for the entire world. In the UK, it was number one for ten straight weeks; Rihanna being the first female artist since Whitney Houston (1992: "I Will Always Love You") to accomplish such a feat. In my opinion, "Take a Bow" is headed in that same direction. It's one of those true break-up/cheating type of songs. No matter how much apologizing goes on, it's just one big show because quite simply, the relationship is over. Just one grand performance and the fact of the matter is, it's over. The song definitely gets that message across loudly.

"One Step at a Time" by Jordin Sparks - I am pleased to say that Jordin Sparks is back! Not that I had any doubt, but I am especially pleased to hear not one, but three of her songs get airplay around here. That is a good sign for longevity and hopefully her sophomore album will prove to be just as successful as the freshman one. When I first paid close attention to the song, I had to really listen closely to whom the artist was singing it. Then it finally hit me; it's Jordin! It's a fun, positive kind of song that really gets you moving. The beat of the song is remeniscent to steps people take while walking, making the title that much more appropriate. You really get a good sense of this while watching the music video of the song. I get an understanding from the lyrics that it's a song especially close to Jordin as it sort of embodies her life experiences within the past year. Such as "you wanna show the world ... but no one knows your name yet" and then later on in the song "...you're gettin all kind of impatient ... waiting, we live and we learn ... to take one step at a time ... there's no need to rush." The lyrics basically say if something's going to happen, it's only a matter of time and you can't rush things. Just enjoy and live in the moment. It's definitely something we should all follow.

And seeing that two other songs I was considering for this edition of "The Songs I Dig" were bumped out at the last minute, I will give them honorable mention. The first one is Natasha Bedingfield's song "Pocketful of Sunshine." It is a fun little song, very positive and hopeful. Natasha is continuing to storm America and become the new queen of British pop. She has done quite well over here in the States and I look for that trend to continue. The other song to receive honorable mention is the second from One Republic's recent album titled "Stop and Stare." In no way is it as popular as their first smash hit "Apologize," but it's still proving to be a popular follow-up. It has received a decent amount of radio airplay and I expect that to continue for awhile, even though it is probably starting to make a trend downward on radio charts.

And with that, I wrap up the latest edition of "The Songs I Dig." Thank you for reading. If the recent flurry of amazing new music continues, you can be sure another edition won't be very far away.