#84 The Killers, "Spaceman"

The storm maker says it ain't so bad
The dream maker's gonna make you mad
The space man says everybody look down
It's all in your mind

Catchy pop-rock with a synth dusting and the use of a repeated nonsense syllable (here, "oh")? You know I'm there. The second single from the Killers' third album, "Spaceman" isn't as dark in sound as some of the songs from the group's first album, but it is a little musically darker than "Human," the song that marked the group's return. That said, and despite the lyrics about an alien abduction, the key here is that "Spaceman" is a lot of fun. It's also another song where almost every element has been honed for ultimate catchiness, where you can see a great band at work. Percussion (whether handclaps or the build into the chorus), synths, guitar, vocal line--every riff and roll is just what it should be.

Find it on: Day & Age

#85 Cyndi Lauper, "Into The Nightlife"

I'll take ya till you're all spun up
Turn ya over baby till it's never enough
I'll take ya till you're all spun up
And in love
Into the nightlife

Cyndi Lauper goes to Sweden on the second single from her latest album, and boy, what a line-up of songwriters she gets here: Max Martin, a living legend who needs no introduction; Johan Bobäck, whose work this year also included Elin Lanto's "Speak 'n Spell" and Darin's "Seasons Fly;" Peer Åstrom, who has done many songs, among them Madonna's "Get Together," Alesha's "Lipstick," and the production on Celine Dion's version of "I Drove All Night;" and Cyndi herself, and let's face it, anyone who can write "Time After Time" is a songwriter to be reckoned with. The beat of "Into The Nightlife" is a mix of jangling chain-type sound effects and synths from the dancefloor with a chorus that is just pure pop bliss. Cyndi's unique voice is a perfect match for the song and the song is a perfect match for it--the end result is a song that stands out far more than it would have in another singer's hands but remains fully accessible, a collision of dance and pop that celebrates the night life even more than its lyrics state by making a song so perfect for the thing it's celebrating.

Find it on: Bring Ya To The Brink

Foolish hearts

A brief interruption of the countdown for some VERY IMPORTANT NEWS:


Ben Adams is on Celebrity Big Brother this year in the UK (hat tip to Chig). And other famous people, but really, who cares (answer: the rest of the world, which is probably way more interested in other names)? Wonder what he's actually like? This is not going to help me at all on the "convincing me to give up hopes about a revived solo career that I acknowledged are most likely futile but just can't let go of" front.

In other news, songs I'm looking forward to hearing include:

Saint Etienne's disco "Method Of Modern Love" (clip on PopJustice, due out Feb. 9)

Pet Shop Boys' new album, Yes, and single, Love Etc. (see XO for details on the album; single out March 16 and album out March 23)

Kelly Clarkson's "My Life Would Suck Without You" (supposedly out Jan. 19; album supposedly out mid-March)

German singer Jeanette's "Undress To The Beat"--this could be a HUGE step up in quality for the girl behind "Rock My Life" and "Rockin' On Heaven's Floor" (low quality but in full version here or better quality clip here; out Feb. 13)

New-ish songs I love:

Sound of Arrows' "M.A.G.I.C." (clip and free download on PopJustice)

Frankmusik's "Questionable Times" (on MySpace; not having in it high quality drives me crazy but the album title labeling it a Complete Me demo gives me hope)

#86 Hadise, "My Body"

We don't need no bed
At least not yet

Many songs require their singers to sound sexy, but few songs are pure sex in the way that Belgian singer Hadise's more melodic version of "I'm A Slave For You" is. It's proper exciting popstar stuff, slinky, enticing, and a little exotic. The little electronic quiver in the back of the chorus alone is shiver-inducing. I could say more, but a song like this isn't meant to be celebrated with words, so let's leave it here: it's the perfect song to either work you up or get you into full seductor/tress mode.

Find it on: Hadise

#87 Empire Of The Sun, "Walking On A Dream"

We are always running for the thrill of it thrill of it
Always pushing up the hill searching for the thrill of it
On and on and on we are calling out and out again
Never looking down I'm just in awe of what’s in front of me

"Walking On A Dream" is, appropriately, dreamy dance music out of Australia, a country which is drastically underrepresented on this countdown compared to its excellent music output this year (it just so happened that most of the songs I loved most were non-single tracks). I can't thank KulPop enough for introducing me to it; in the time since then, it's provided moments for me to breathe again, to detox from the world. Like much of the great music coming from Australia (and a neighbor) this year, "Walking On A Dream" is equally capable of winning you over regardless of the level of cool of your music taste. Feel good music that is both floating through the clouds and loosely tethered to the ground by a constant but soothing beat, it's a song that should have been (and maybe still will be) massive.

Find it on: Walking On A Dream

#88 Rick Springfield, "What's Victoria's Secret?"

Yeah, she seems to get the best of me,
Of what little there is left

I will freely admit that this song has two big things working against it: that gimmicky title and the mimicking of "Jesse's Girl" of the verses. Beyond that, though, it's quality. Forget the North American heartthrob singer-songwriters of today--Rick proves himself to still have a better ear for what makes for a great guitar pop hook than any of the, at least for this year (save maybe one). That chorus is radio-ready stuff, as is the bridge, the middle 8--Rick, I bet you didn't really need that interpolation to make a great verse, but I guess if it served to get people's attention so that they'd listen to the rest of the song, I understand why you did it; I just think a song this great, this full of catchy elements deserved more than conversation that begins with "Oh my gosh, did he really just..."

This is what you get when someone with years of songwriting experience and years of performing writes a song they want to be accessible pop, want to be on the radio: every element is in place, every instrument and part is honed into propelling the song forward, getting it into your mind, and creating a cohesive, complete, catchy whole. Rick's voice is in fine form, too, at least in studio terms; I'm not sure what would happen if his voice had to do that upward soaring that characterizes the chorus live, but it doesn't matter--the end product here is everything it needs to be.

Find it on: Venus In Overdrive

#89 Jonathan (Fagerlund), "Dance In The Shadows"

I dance in the shadows
Afraid to take a chance and join you in the light
Darkness surrounding me like a lover

One man boy band pop from young Swedish singer Jonathan Fagerlund, "Dance In The Shadows" is a good summary of Jonathan at his best: melodic pop that, as mentioned, could easily be sung by a boy band but that, instead of being produced with a foot in the R&B or electronic worlds, bases itself on the sound of "real instruments," not as a way of making any sort of point (I've certainly never heard it mentioned during the promotion of Jonathan's music; it's just a fact) but presumably because using guitars (lightly) and strings can lead to such a pretty and still driving music backdrop. That makes the song both very Swedish and unlike a lot of the Swede pop I rave about here, but hopefully after his participation in next year's Melodifestival the Swedish music world will make room for Jonathan (though I'm not expecting good results for him, much as I expect I'll love his song; his young age and the fact that he eschews dance, disco, and schlager-style production means I don't expect a Måns-type breakout for him in Sweden itself or among Melodifestival fans). Unlike too few songs from Jonathan's debut album, "Dance In The Shadows," the third single from it, is up-tempo, and all the more enjoyable for it.

Find it on: Flying