ADAM’S TOP 100 OF 2012 – #02 and #01 (Post 11 of 11)

So, by now, you know that I’ve been counting down my top 100 singles of 2012 for the past week and a half and we’re finally up to what you’ve been waiting for. These are the top two songs on my year-end chart based on my weekly top 40 charts. For yet another year, the top two songs have managed to accumulate over 1,000 points each (both are higher than last year’s top two), and neither one of them was the longest-running #1 song of the year. Still, they’re both classics in my book, both by newcomers with their first top-40 hit that peaked early on during the chart year and just stayed a while. They are the only two songs to spend thirty plus weeks on during this specific Dec. 2011-Nov. 2012 chart year.

There’s a reason I called this The Year Of The G. The letter G, that is. Three acts or performers, all with their first hit(s) and all beginning with the letter G, were in the top spot for sixteen out of the fifty-two weeks in the year. We’ve heard from Grouplove, who were at #10 with “Tongue Tied”, and two other acts who charted lower with their followup singles to the two records left in the countdown.

Let’s get to those two biggies.

Don’t let him be the last to “Know”.

002. GOTYE featuring KIMBRA – “Somebody That I Used To Know”
ALBUM: Making Mirrors // LABEL: Samples ‘n’ Seconds/Universal
PEAK: #1 for seven weeks // WEEKS ON: 33 // POINTS: 1,071
CHART RUN: 36-29-24-22-14-11-06-05-01–01–01–01–01–01–01-02-02-03-04-03-05-04-04-06-09-11-16-19-21-24-27-29-33-off

Belgian-born and Australian-raised Wally de Backer likely never expected a song of his to blow up like this. He showed a liking for music from an early age, playing in a band before beginning a solo career. The singer, who calls himself Gotye, had achieved some minor success on the Albums Chart in Australia and Belgium, as expected, but nothing of his managed to garner any high positions on the charts. That was, until this song came around. Originally intended to be recorded with a “high-profile female artist”, she dropped out at the last-minute and a suitable replacement was found in Kimbra, a New Zealand-based artist who was also a relative unknown in her homeland. It was a highly personal song about a relationship gone wrong, where personalities shifted to the point that each of the counterparts were strangers to one another. Upon impact, it stormed the Singles Chart in Australia, lasting eight weeks in the top spot there in August, September, and October 2011. The video was a huge selling point for the track, where both artists appeared as if they were painted into the wall, before Kimbra‘s paint disappeared, symbolic of the lover’s removal from the picture. Now, not every artist from Australia automatically becomes a superstar in the United States as well; in fact, an indie pop artist, as Gotye may classified as, would probably be the least likely candidate to get a full-fledged backing for a successful U.S. crossover. However, in the midst of Adelemania, we needed a male counterpart to balance out all the slower songs on the radio, and “Somebody” fit the role perfectly. As it began blowing up at Alternative radio, I knew that I had to get on it. On the chart for December 11, 2012, it entered into my Next In Line, and then debuted the following week, December 18, at the #36 position. Its run slowed from there, but it suddenly picked up the pace in January and on the chart of February 12, the song zoomed from 5-1, the second largest leap to the top of the year, and stayed there for seven weeks. After a long top ten stay of nineteen weeks that lasted into the early summer, and thirty-three in the top 40, it managed to fall out of the countdown in mid-August. Followup single “Eyes Wide Open” made it to #7 and was back at #40 on the year-end countdown. Both artists are almost certainly not going to repeat the success of this international smash ever again, but I’m sure they enjoyed the world watching their every move while it lasted.

Now, the most popular song of the year. May I present to you:

Young hearts run “Free”.

001. GRAFFITI6 – “Free”
ALBUM: Colours // LABEL: N.W. Free/Capitol
PEAK: #1 for four weeks // WEEKS ON: 48 // POINTS: 1,290
CHART RUN: 39-35-32-29-21-14-10-06-02-02-01–01–01–01-02-02-04-04-04-05-05-05-06-09-10-10-10-11-15-15-18-18-21-23-21-21-16-14-14-17-17-22-22-22-27-29-29-34-off

This is the story of how one little song trumped the competition with a chart run of four weeks at #1, five months in the top ten, and nearly a year in the top 40. OK, but before I even try to dissect that massive line of numbers, a little background on the band and how I first heard the song that is now my top song of 2012.

 Lead singer Jamie Scott was always surrounded by music, whether it was listening to his parents’ collection of classic soul records, or performing in a duo during his college years. In his late teens, Scott sent out several demo tapes to record labels in the hopes that he could compose tracks for other performers, but the general response from these labels was that Scott himself should sing his own music. Sony Records signed him to a solo deal in 2002. His debut album, Soul Searching, was intended for a 2005 release, but was never issued commercially because of a label merger; it got lost in the shuffle. Two singles from the effort, “Just” and “Searching”, became minor top-40 entries in the United Kingdom in September 2004 and January 2005, respectively, and a third solo song, “Made”, can be found on the soundtrack to the movie Step Up. Scott signed to Polydor Records in 2006 and tried again with a band, Jamie Scott & The Town, but their only charting single was “When Will I See Your Face Again?”, which fell just short of the U.K. top 40 at #41 in September 2007. A followup, “Standing In The Rain”, as well as an album, Park Bench Theories, received little promotion and failed to chart.

Tommy Danvers, also known as TommyD, took a different route when it came to music. A multi-instrumentalist, he began on the DJ circuit at age 18, playing at local clubs and then going on to play with high-profile groups like Ministry Of Sound. He also collaborated in the group E-Zee Possee, who scored a U.K. top 20 hit in March 1990 with “Everything Starts With An ‘E'”, banned by BBC Radio 1 for its lyrical content relating to drug use. After a few other minor entries, Danvers went onto work with a new dance band on their debut album, who turned out to be Right Said Fred. Here in the States, they’re one of the biggest one-hit wonders, peaking at #1 on the Hot 100 in 1992 with “I’m Too Sexy”, but they scored several followup hits in the United Kingdom. Over the next decade and a half, Danvers engineered album tracks and remixes for several big artists, like Janet Jackson and Kylie Minogue, though most of his success was achieved in Europe, with no proper U.S. breakthrough.

2008 came along and on the whim of an A&R executive, Scott agreed to meet with Danvers and the two hit it off. Scott intended the sessions to provide some fresh tracks for a solo release, but as he began writing and Danvers began mixing, it was clear that their music together was taking a different direction from what either of the two have done before. The first song they collaborated on turned out to be “Stare Into The Sun”, which was used in an advertisement campaign for The Sun newspaper. It spent three weeks at #1 on my chart this year and ended up at #7 on the year-end countdown. With their nostalgic sound established, the two produced an album in 2010 entitled Colours, which had limited success in a few European countries. Determined to break the States, they signed a deal with Capitol Records in the spring of 2011.

So, fast forward to September of the same year. I’m checking my usual music sites when I notice that a song by an artist that my friend Kurt liked was being sent to Adult Alternative radio in October, so this flawless topic was created by yours truly. Up to that point, I had only seen the video for “Annie You Save Me”, which I thought was alright, but I really enjoyed “Free”. It was a lighter track, but it was arranged really well, and featured a soaring vocal by Scott that I was really impressed with. I suppose it was sentiment of freedom that I really connected with since I was in my senior year of college and the real world was looming. It jumped straight into my Next In Line on the chart dated October 16, 2011 (a radio version of it was released the Tuesday before to iTunes) and debuted at #39 the next week, October 23. In December, it climbed into the top ten and on the chart dated New Year’s Day (January 1, 2012), “Free” became the new #1 on my chart, lasting for four weeks at the top. Colours was released in the U.S. several weeks after the song hit the top.

That should have been the end of the story, but the song just kept sticking around, thanks to the song’s release at Hot AC radio in late February. First, it was an additional eight weeks in the top 5, then thirteen weeks in the top ten, and eighteen in the top 20 before it finally looked like it was descending for good. Nope. With increased airplay at Hot AC radio and a CHR crossover coming, the song launched back into my top 20 for another five weeks, then slowly back down to the point where it fell off, but not until the middle of September, a very long chart run of 48 weeks, 32 of which (2/3 for you fraction fashionistas) were in the top 20. It goes down as the second-longest consecutive chart run in my personal chart’s history. Now, Graffiti6 joins the ranks of acts like Jason Mraz, Duran Duran, Leona Lewis, Lady Antebellum and Adele with a #1 song of the year. Congrats, guys! Best of luck with your new music coming out in 2013. We’ll see if the duo can pull off a year-end repeat. It’s never happened before.

That’s going to do it for this year’s end of the year countdown. Thanks for reading along and I hope you enjoyed.

ADAM’S TOP 100 OF 2012 – #04 and #03 (Post 10 of 11)

From now until New Year’s Eve, I’ll be counting down my top 100 songs of the year. Every week, I make a top 40 list, and each position gets a certain amount of points, plus, I add in some extra points for weeks at #1, which goes towards their yearly total. The survey period is from December 4, 2011 to November 25, 2012. Ties are broken by (1) peak position, then (2) weeks at peak position, and then (3) number of weeks on chart should it go that far. They came so close, yet they’re so far away from the top spot. Here are my #4 and #3 songs of 2012.

Sheer genius.

004. ED SHEERAN – “The A Team”
ALBUM: + // LABEL: Elektra
PEAK: #1 for one week // WEEKS ON: 29 // POINTS: 888

Here’s another of this year’s surprise hit singles that started off across the pond. Ed Sheeran learned to play guitar from a young age and took his talents on the road, playing hundreds of shows a year that supported small EPs that he put out without any big distribution. Sheeran made quite a name for himself on the independent scene, so much so that fans flocked to buy his music when he signed to a major label, Atlantic Records. “The A Team”, his first single, debuted at #3 on the U.K. Singles Chart back in June 2011, spending twelve weeks in the top ten and twenty-seven in the top 40. Album +, released several months later in September, debuted at #1 on the album chart there. It was then time for Sheeran to conquer the U.S. market. The song went to AAA radio in late February, but it was announced several weeks prior to that and I happily jumped on board before it impacted at radio. It entered into my Next In Line on the chart dated January 8, 2012 and then debuted at #35 on the top 40 the next week, January 15. It raced up the chart, landing in the top ten by the end of February before spending one week at the top of the chart in late April. It was the only song to spend one sole week at #1 this year, and it also took the slowest trip to the top for this year, taking fifteen weeks to do so. Just a frame shy of the 30-week mark, it exited in early August. Followup single “Lego House” is currently in the top 20; it went to #5 in the United Kingdom in the fall of last year. With a Grammy nod for Song Of The Year at this year’s Awards, “Team” may not have seen its full potential just yet nearly a year after its Stateside release. We’ll see what happens in February.

They don’t call ’em mellow yellow.

003. FUN. – “Some Nights”
ALBUM: Some Nights // LABEL: Fueled By Ramen
PEAK: #1 for eight weeks // WEEKS ON: 28+ (32 as of 12/23/12) // POINTS: 961

Look! Up on the charts! It’s “Cecilia”! No, it’s “Send Me On My Way”! Wait a second… it’s neither of those songs. It just sounds like them! Flying high, dawning a red cape and a F on the stomach, why, it must be fun. and the longest-running #1 song of the year. Yes, for the second year in a row, the song that spent the most time at the top has been denied a slot at #1 on the year-end chart. Last year, Coldplay‘s “Every Teardrop Is A Waterfall”, which spent seven weeks at #1, only ended up at #8 for the year, so #3 isn’t so bad for the trio based out of New York City. This has also happened in 2007 and 2009. The band is one of three to place two songs within the top ten songs of this year, which has never happened before; I guess it shows how strong and consistent the material from these acts was during this chart year. “Some Nights” was always a fan favorite with its anthem quality sound, along with lyrics about wanting to be independent and respected for whatever you support. It was a big digital seller and streaming hit before the song was ever released to mainstream radio. It entered the In The Mix section on May 6, 2012, just as “We Are Young” was spending its second and final week, and then debuted in the top 40 at #35 on the charted dated May 20. It rose quickly, landing in the top ten by early July and into the #1 spot by July 22, spending eight consecutive weeks at the top until it was kicked out in mid-September. The song still remains on my chart, though it’s fallen down into the 30’s, and could stay there as the end-of-the-year freeze continues. As I mentioned before, “Carry On” is the current #1 song on my weekly survey, and will likely rank high on next year’s list. Perhaps “Nights” may just make a lower appearance on it too.

Tomorrow. New Year’s Eve. The two biggies are here. Who’s in, and more importantly, who is #1 for 2012? You’ll find out very soon.

ADAM’S TOP 100 OF 2012 – #07 to #05 (Post 9 of 11)

From now until New Year’s Eve, I’ll be counting down my top 100 songs of the year. Every week, I make a top 40 list, and each position gets a certain amount of points, plus, I add in some extra points for weeks at #1, which goes towards their yearly total. The survey period is from December 4, 2011 to November 25, 2012. Ties are broken by (1) peak position, then (2) weeks at peak position, and then (3) number of weeks on chart should it go that far. Let’s jump back into the top ten at #7.

Here comes the “Sun”.

007. GRAFFITI6 – “Stare Into The Sun”
ALBUM: Colours // LABEL: N.W. Free/Capitol
PEAK: #1 for three weeks // WEEKS ON: 28 // POINTS: 798

We just had fun. and Janelle Monae at #8 with “We Are Young”, and credited as the orchestration producer on the track is Tommy Danvers, who is also one half of the duo in the #7 slot, Graffiti6, along with lead singer Jamie Scott. The two are based out of London, England and they’ve been playing together since 2009. They released their first album, Colours, in their native U.K. in the fall of 2010 before it eventually made it to our U.S. shores in January 2012. Their first single to hit my chart, “Free”, is yet to come in the top ten of the year, but this was the followup single to it, which became a top 20 hit at Adult Alternative radio here in the States. “Stare” was an instant impact record on my chart, debuting in the #40 position on March 11, 2012 without any time in the Next In Line or In The Mix. It was quite the slow riser and for a while, I thought it would peak somewhere in the top 20 without making the top 10. Then, all of a sudden, it got a burst of energy in late May. After crawling to #11, it climbed to #8, then to #3 the next week, and by June 10, it was spending its first of three weeks at #1. After 28 weeks in the top 40 by mid-September, the sun set on the single, but the duo plans to release some new material in 2013, so it won’t be long before the sun is shining again. By the way, take a look at the video when you get a chance. It’s a trippy little clip that matches the throwback vibe of the song. No kaleidoscope is needed; they’ll provide one for free.

Fifty shades of “Way”.

006. TRAIN – “50 Ways To Say Goodbye”
ALBUM: California 37 // LABEL: Columbia/Sony
PEAK: #2 for six weeks // WEEKS ON: 28 // POINTS: 845

Okay, listen, if your song is called “50 Ways To Say Goodbye”, I’m expecting fifty ways. Sadly, there are only eleven. That’s alright, however, it’s more ways than Paul Simon mentioned in “50 Ways To Leave Your Lover” (he only got up to five.) Train broke out the mariachi band for their second hit from California 37 before they gave them one way to say goodbye: a pink slip. Luckily, it was a catchy enough song that I’m sure the performance royalties will be piling up by the peso into 2013. The song bowed on my Next In Line on May 6, 2012 while “Drive By” was still in the top ten and debuted at #38 on the chart dated May 27. It finally reached the #2 spot August 19, but was held out of the top spot by two separate #1 songs: “Some Nights” by fun. for four weeks and “Good Time” by Owl City and Carly Rae Jepsen for two weeks. Its sixth and final week at #2, on the chart dated September 23, was two days before the beginning of the Jewish holiday Yom Kippur, which is name-checked in the lyrics of the song. (In verse 2, “She’ll think I’m Superman, not Super Minivan / How could you leave on Yom Kippur?”) Six weeks in the runner-up spot isn’t a record, by the way: as I mentioned earlier, Andy Grammer‘s “Keep Your Head Up” spent eight weeks at #2 last year. The song descended the chart pretty quickly from there, but it managed to stay on for 28 weeks, exiting in early December. Third single “Mermaid” looks like it will be an easy top ten in a few weeks. We won’t be saying “Goodbye” that easily to Train, however…

Seeing double? They’ll “Drive” you crazy.

005. TRAIN – “Drive By”
ALBUM: California 37 // LABEL: Columbia/Sony
PEAK: #1 for three weeks // WEEKS ON: 27 // POINTS: 868

You say “Goodbye” and I say Hello… again. The guys manage to make it two songs in a row in the top ten. The band has never made my year-end top ten before, so to score with two songs in one year is outstanding. (The closest they’ve come up to now is last year, when “Marry Me” was #15. “Hey, Soul Sister” would’ve easily been in had its run not been split between 2009 and 2010.) “Drive By” made its first appearance In The Mix on January 8, 2012 shortly after they premiered their song on YouTube. The following week, January 15, it made a stellar debut all the way up at #29.  By February 5, it was already up to #7, though it slowed down a bit from there and didn’t make it up to #1 until April 1, but it was certainly no April Fool’s joke. Spending three weeks at the top spot, it was the band’s first ever #1 single on my chart, having reached a high of #3 two times in the past: “Drops Of Jupiter (Tell Me)” in 2001 and the aforementioned “Marry Me” in 2011. From there, it drove down the highway and out of the countdown in July just as “50 Ways To Say Goodbye” entered the top 5. It’s still remarkable that the band is more successful now than they ever were in their first few years on the charts. They’ll be touring in Europe starting in February and with the money they’re taking in, I’m sure they’ll be able to stock up on their supply of Hefty bags.

Check back for the #4 and #3 songs of the year in the next post.

ADAM’S TOP 100 OF 2012 – #10 to #08 (Post 8 of 11)

From now until New Year’s Eve, I’ll be counting down my top 100 songs of the year. Every week, I make a top 40 list, and each position gets a certain amount of points, plus, I add in some extra points for weeks at #1, which goes towards their yearly total. The survey period is from December 4, 2011 to November 25, 2012. Ties are broken by (1) peak position, then (2) weeks at peak position, and then (3) number of weeks on chart should it go that far. Well, this is where we start to slow it down. We’ve made it to rarefied air, people. These are my top ten songs of the year. Out of the 177 songs that spent at least one week in the top 40 this year, these ones are the ten biggest among them. Let’s get to ’em.

Their name’s on the tip of my “Tongue”.

010. GROUPLOVE – “Tongue Tied”
ALBUM: Never Trust A Happy Song // LABEL: Canvasback/Atlantic
PEAK: #1 for two weeks // WEEKS ON: 27 // POINTS: 785

Greece is the word, it’s got groove, it’s got meaning. Take two New Yorkers, three Californians, have them meet up in Crete for the female singer’s artist residency and wha-la, you have Grouplove, the quintet with their very first hit on my chart. After releasing an EP in early 2011, they released their full-length LP, Never Trust A Happy Song, in September of that year. The first single, “Colours”, didn’t do a ton of a damage on the charts, but it was the next single that really got things rolling for the band. “Tongue Tied” initially made the In The Mix section back in December 2011, staying in for five weeks before disappearing. It was featured in an iPod Touch advertisement around that time, and though I liked the song, I didn’t think it was anything outstanding and I had no intention of charting it. Fast forward about three months and the song is a top five hit on Alternative radio, so I reconsidered it with a blank slate and I guess that was all it needed. Reappearing on April 8, 2012, it took just two weeks to make the top 40, and by June, it was firmly in the top ten. Never did I think it would hit the top spot, but it did, for two weeks in early-to-mid July. It descended the chart from there, exiting in October after a 27-week run. Followup single “Itchin’ On A Photograph” failed to chart, though it made the top ten on Alternative radio. I’m sure we’ll be hearing more new material from the band in 2013.

She sets fire to the reign too.

009. ADELE – “Set Fire To The Rain”
ALBUM: 21 // LABEL: XL/Columbia
PEAK: #1 for two weeks // WEEKS ON: 27 // POINTS: 787

What can you say about Adele that hasn’t been said? She’s a Grammy winner, a Diamond-certified recording artist, and a new mom. It’s her world and we’re just living it. 21 was still a massive seller into 2012 and we can at least partially attribute that to the success of this single which wasn’t going to be the third release at first. A few early stations came on board for “Rumour Has It” back in October 2011, but a statement from Columbia Records was issued stating, in part, that more radio programmers had a better reaction to “Set Fire To The Rain”, and thus, the choice was changed about a month later. Meanwhile, I was already charting “Rumour Has It”, so quickly got that off while preparing to enter this one. It was an instant impact record, debuting at #31 on the chart dated November 13, 2011 at #31, bypassing the Next In Line and In The Mix sections. It hit #1 in its twelfth week on (January 29, 2012) and stayed on top for two weeks, marking the singer’s third number-one single on my chart. It was in the top ten until late March and fell off in mid-May after 27 weeks on the chart. 2013 will likely see no new music from Adele, though “Skyfall” will be charting into the new year and make the year-end chart in 2013. She deserves a break, though, so take it, girl, and for pete’s sake, can you let us know the name of your newborn already? Inquiring minds want to know…

Pretty “Young” things.

008. FUN. featuring JANELLE MONAE – “We Are Young”
ALBUM: Some Nights // LABEL: Fueled By Ramen
PEAK: #1 for two weeks // WEEKS ON: 27 // POINTS: 788

A few years ago, I had an internship with another girl who was a big fan of a band called The Format. I wasn’t familiar with them, but she played me a few of their songs, and I thought they had some potential. What I didn’t know at the time was that the band had broken up and one of the members had gone on to form another band, which turned out to be a trio, which we today know as Fun., featuring ex-Format member Nate Reuss on lead vocals. They had a seasonal release called “Believe In Me” out a few years ago which I heard maybe once or twice, but nothing happened with the song or them, until late last year. “We Are Young” was another one that started off just as “Tongue Tied” did. It too made my In The Mix in December 2011 after it was featured as the closing number on the Glee episode “Hold On To Sixteen”. The show really hadn’t broken any new acts at that point, so it was a surprising choice to be performed since very few had heard of them, but it was the song’s sentiment that resonated with a whole lot of people. On January 8, 2012, it hit the Top 10 Next In Line and stayed there for six weeks, climbing, then reversing direction, then holding, and finally climbing again before debuting on my top 40 at #38 on February 19. One of the things that finally sold me on debuting it was when it was used in a commercial for Chevrolet during the Super Bowl. It was clear then that it was destined to become a hit being an exposed to an audience of more than 100 million people, and it did. It spent its first of two weeks at #1 on April 29 and found itself in the top ten until the end of June. By the middle of August, it was exiting the chart, again, after 27 weeks. Four weeks into the new chart year, “Carry On” is in the lead for the top song for 2013, but there are another 48 weeks to turn things around.

We knock down another three on the update tomorrow. Be sure to look out for it.

ADAM’S TOP 100 OF 2012 – #20 to #11 (Post 7 of 11)

Quicker than a Rae of light.

From now until New Year’s Eve, I’ll be counting down my top 100 songs of the year. Every week, I make a top 40 list, and each position gets a certain amount of points, plus, I add in some extra points for weeks at #1, which goes towards their yearly total. The survey period is from December 4, 2011 to November 25, 2012. Ties are broken by (1) peak position, then (2) weeks at peak position, and then (3) number of weeks on chart should it go that far. Somehow, we’ve made it through 80% of the chart. That was fast! Now, without further ado, let’s enter the top twenty singles of the year:

020. One Direction – One Thing (623 points) (PEAK: #5)
All you Directioners, gather ’round. Here’s the last of their four songs in the top 100, the second Stateside and third international single from their debut effort, Up All Night. Though it only rose to #5, it managed to stay on for 24 weeks, thanks in part to a small bounce from its announcement as a U.S. release. So, I’m afraid this is where leave it for this year, but no worries, pint-size pop dreamers. “Little Things” is in my weekly top 20 and still rising. Now you can go back to playing with your Niall and Zayn dolls.

019. The Script – If You Ever Come Back (659 points) (PEAK: #4)
Here’s one of the few acts left on my chart that have only ever peaked in the top ten with their single releases. Six of the seven have hit the top five, and this is, in fact, the lowest peaking of the six thus far, peaking at #4 for two weeks. The seventh single, “Six Degrees Of Separation”, is still climbing up the chart, up to #8 this past week. Two members of the band made their debut on my top 40 back in the spring of 2000 as a part of MyTown, an Irish boy band that reached that lower rungs with a ballad called “Now That I Found You”.

018. Daniel Powter – Cupid (684 points) (PEAK: #4)
No, this is not a hot Sam Cooke remake, but it’s still a good song. I was in love with his major label debut, a 2005 self-titled album, which included two #1’s on my chart, “Bad Day” and “Jimmy Gets High”. 2008’s Under The Radar launched another chart-topper, “Next Plane Home”. This was his ninth top-40 hit, which fell just short of the top spot, though it did become his seventh top five entry. Alas, it doesn’t look like a second single from the effort is happening, so it’s going to be a little bit longer before Powter makes it into the double digits, but I’m sure he’ll get there.

017. Pink – Blow Me (One Last Kiss) (684 points) (PEAK: #2)
She’s the sassy singer from Pennsylvania and it simply wouldn’t be a first single from her if she wasn’t bringing the attitude. From “There You Go” to “Stupid Girls” and “So What” to the #17 song of the year, you know she’s out for blood. Parent album The Truth About Love became the singer’s first to debut at #1 on the album chart in the States, and has been certified platinum for shipments of one million copies, her sixth studio album in a row to reach that level. “Blow” spent two weeks at #2 and as of my most recent chart, has been ranking in the top 40 for 25 weeks.

016. Owl City & Carly Rae Jepsen – Good Time (730 points) (PEAK: #1 for two weeks)
It was one of the top collaborations of the year: a feel-good summer single that gave both performers their second big national hit. Owl City first topped my chart in 2009 with “Fireflies”, which held the top spot for six weeks. This one held the top spot for two weeks in mid-September. “Time” only lasted 23 weeks in the top 40, one of the shorter runs for a chart-topping song this year, but, a #1 is a #1.

015. Carly Rae Jepsen – Call Me Maybe (735 points) (PEAK: #2)
Well, well, well. Miss Jepsen strikes again with the most overused pick-up line of the year. It’s no lyrical masterpiece, but it’s easily one of the catchiest songs of the year. Jepsen made her debut on Canadian Idol in 2007, placing third, but it was Justin Bieber and his manager Scooter Braun who gave her a bigger breakout with “Maybe”. It spent four weeks at #2 on my chart, while topping the national charts in over a dozen countries, including the United States.

014. Alex Clare – Too Close (741 points) (PEAK: #7)
What’s a song that peaked so low in the top ten doing all the way up here? Well, not only did it reach its peak nearly four mouths into its chart run, but it also became the first song to peak outside of the top five and spend 30 weeks in the top 40. Also, this is his debut single. You probably recognize it from all those Internet Explorer 9 commercials over the past year. Clare’s now charted with a second single, “Up All Night”, so he likely won’t be a one-hit wonder for me, but in terms of national popularity, I can’t see how he wouldn’t be one.

013. Maroon 5 – Payphone (753 points) (PEAK: #1 for one week)
1889 marked the invention of the public payphone by William Gray, but by 2012, the Gray had turned to Maroon. Though it managed a top 30 debut on impact, the song only spent one week at #1 before falling down the chart. Perhaps they didn’t have enough change to put into the chart machine. It still managed to help their album, Overexposed, debut at #2 on the album chart.

012. Keane – Silenced By The Night (764 points) (PEAK: #1 for four weeks)
The only one thing that’s alluded this band since they made their debut back in 2004 was a #1 single. The highest they came was back in 2006, when they hit the #2 spot with “Is It Any Wonder?” Well, this year, they finally hit the peak of pop perfection for four weeks with this leadoff single from Strangeland. “Silenced” wasn’t a huge international smash, only reaching the top 40 in two countries (Belgium and The Netherlands), but as far as my chart’s concerned, it may be their biggest single ever.

011. Kelly Clarkson – Stronger (What Doesn’t Kill You) (769 points) (PEAK: #2)
Last one on the countdown for the most successful singer to come out of American Idol on my chart. This was her 18th top-40 hit, though she’s now hit the big 2-0 with her most recent entry, “Catch My Breath”. Originally billed as “What Doesn’t Kill You (Stronger)”, then swapped around for the single release, it spent four weeks at #2 on the chart and half a year on. Only one song by a solo female is left in the countdown.

It’s about to get really good tomorrow. The top ten is coming, starting off with three records that, get this — all spent the same number of weeks at #1, the same number of weeks in the top 40, and all came within three points of one another. We’ll sort out the disoriented digits and more when the chart rolls on.

ADAM’S TOP 100 OF 2012 – #30 to #21 (Post 6 of 11)

What becomes of the “brokenhearted”.

From now until New Year’s Eve, I’ll be counting down my top 100 songs of the year. Every week, I make a top 40 list, and each position gets a certain amount of points, plus, I add in some extra points for weeks at #1, which goes towards their yearly total. The survey period is from December 4, 2011 to November 25, 2012. Ties are broken by (1) peak position, then (2) weeks at peak position, and then (3) number of weeks on chart should it go that far. Back to the hits, starting off at #30…

030. Katy Perry – Part Of Me (547 points) (PEAK: #5)
Kety Perr might not have much luck on The Nekci Menij Show, but the real Perry has a whole lot of it, placing three songs in my top 40 for the year. Featured on deluxe rerelease of Teenage Dream, it was also the inspiration for the title of her 3D movie that was released last summer. It ended up peaking at #5 and stayed on the charts for 20 weeks. The song was initially recorded in 2010 and a demo leaked on the internet before this finalized version came out two years later with some minor lyric changes.

029. Coldplay – Paradise (555 points) (PEAK: #1 for four weeks)
This former number-one single was my #58 song of 2011, spending the entire month of November that year in the top spot. Well, it cuts that year-end position in half for this year’s chart, ending up at #29. It stayed on the chart until early April during an impressive 29-week run, 18 of which counted for the data compiled for the year-end chart. The band is already working on their followup to Mylo Xyloto, which could be released next year.

028. Karmin – Brokenhearted (558 points) (PEAK: #7)
26-year-olds Amy Heidemann and Nick Noonan took the internet by storm last year with their covers of songs like “Look At Me Now” and “Super Bass”, and in 2012, their original music was taking my chart by storm. All three of their radio singles made my chart, this one being the highest, which hit #7 for three weeks starting in late May. They may as well be the modern-day version of the Captain and Tennille, though I’m guessing they won’t be singing about muskrats anytime soon.

027. Olly Murs – Dance With Me Tonight (563 points) (PEAK: #3)
Hey, Olly! Dion called. He wants his song back. An early 60’s swing throwback reminiscent of songs like “Runaround Sue”, this has been Murs’s biggest hit to date on my chart, peaking at #3 for three weeks in January. However, that title is being threatened by his most recent single, “Troublemaker”, which has now been at #3 on my chart for two weeks. We’ll see how that ends up in the next few weeks. “Dance” is one of four singles by Murs to go to #1 on the Singles Chart in the United Kingdom.

026. Chris Wallace – Remember When (Push Rewind) (573 points) (PEAK: #4)
The first top-40 hit on the chart for the former lead singer of The White Tie Affair was a big one, peaking at #4 for three weeks in August and September before completing a twenty-two week run. He’s the first artist signed to ThinkSay Records, which formally went public in the summer with Ben Singer and Brad Davidson at the helm. Look for the label to expand in the new year as Wallace’s single gets a major push at radio. (Here’s a post I wrote on Wallace several weeks ago.)

025. Andy Grammer – Miss Me (594 points) (PEAK: #1 for two weeks)
You can’t make this one up. The two men who signed Chris Wallace are Grammer’s manager (Singer) and promotion handler (Davidson), and they’re back-to-back on the year-end chart. Third time was the charm for Grammer as this third single was his very first #1 on my chart, spending two weeks there in late October and early November. It’s currently in the top 15 and will most definitely be in next year’s top 100 chart. Here’s hoping for a new album in 2013 as well.

024. Katy Perry – Wide Awake (597 points) (PEAK: #4)
Here’s the highest of Perry’s three songs on the countdown. It has the distinction of being in the top ten for two weeks with Gotye‘s “Eyes Wide Open”, which meant the top-tier of the chart was stretched pretty far around that time. Two other “wide” titles have made my chart in the past: 2000’s “With Arms Wide Open” by Creed and 2006’s “World Wide Suicide” by Pearl Jam. “Awake” spent three weeks at #4 during a 22-week chart run.

023. Matchbox Twenty – She’s So Mean (600 points) (PEAK: #5)
Rob Thomas charted with three solo singles between 2009 and 2010, which all climbed into the top 3, but it’s been four years since the band charted last as a whole (2008’s “These Hard Times”, which peaked at #2) and ten years since they put out a full-length studio release. The first single from North was a quick riser, but brick-walled at the #5 position for five consecutive weeks. Followup single “Overjoyed” is taking a slower rise, but may end up around the same peak as “Mean” or slightly lower. The band’s had two number-one singles on my chart, “Bent” in 2000 and “How Far We’ve Come” in 2007.

022. Andy Grammer – Fine By Me (602 points) (PEAK: #4)
Grammer had the misfortune of sticking it out for eight weeks at #2 with his debut single, “Keep Your Head Up”, which also ended up in the #2 spot on last year’s top 100 behind Adele‘s “Rolling In The Deep”. This second single spent two weeks at #4, one of which was while Adele sat at the top with “Set Fire To The Rain”. Still, it managed a 25-week run in the top 40, pretty great for a song that didn’t hit the top. Perhaps someday he’ll join singers like Andy Gibb, Andy Kim and Andy Williams at the top of the national charts.

021. The Script featuring will.i.am – Hall Of Fame (611 points) (PEAK: #1 for four weeks)
This Irish trio came so close to capturing my #1 song of 2009 with “The Man Who Can’t Be Moved”, which hit the top spot for eight weeks, but it ended up at #3 for the year. This ties for their second-longest running #1 on my chart at four weeks, the same length of time “Nothing” remained there last year. The followup single, “Six Degrees Of Separation”, recently made my weekly top ten.

The top 20 is on the horizon with some familiar faces from some familiar places: Canada, England, Ireland and, of course, the United States. That’s all coming up tomorrow on the blog.

ADAM’S TOP 100 OF 2012 – #40 to #31 (Post 5 of 11)

Good first name you got there.

Merry Christmas! From now until New Year’s Eve, I’ll be counting down my top 100 songs of the year. Every week, I make a top 40 list, and each position gets a certain amount of points, plus, I add in some extra points for weeks at #1, which goes towards their yearly total. The survey period is from December 4, 2011 to November 25, 2012. Ties are broken by (1) peak position, then (2) weeks at peak position, and then (3) number of weeks on chart should it go that far. These are the forty biggest hits as determined by those qualifications. Who will have the #1 song of the year? There’s only one way to find out. Let the countdown continue…

040. Gotye – Eyes Wide Open (456 points) (PEAK: #7)
You might “Know” his other hit coming up on the countdown, but this was the follow-up release to it. As you can imagine, it did pretty poorly, but it did earn the singer a second top ten hit on my chart, peaking at #7 for three week during a twenty-week stay. He’s one of the top newcomers of 2012.

039. Walk The Moon – Anna Sun (457 points) (PEAK: #6)
This quartet is one of the few bands from Ohio to make my chart, a list which includes 98 Degrees and Blessid Union Of Souls. “Anna” was the first single from their debut self-titled album and became a big hit at Alternative radio, while crossing over some in the past few months. It spent three weeks at #6 recently and as of most recent survey, is still hanging around in the top 30.

038. Adele – Rumour Has It (458 points) (PEAK: #9)
I originally charted this one in the fall of 2011 when it was issued as the third single from 21, but it was pulled several weeks later in favor of “Set Fire To The Rain”, which will be coming up later. However, it was back to single status several months later when “Fire” ended its run on the charts. It peaked at #9 for two weeks, marking the singer’s fifth top ten hit on my chart, though it was also a disappointment as the followup to three consecutive #1 hits. What’s she got to worry about, though? She’s rolling in the millions as we speak.

037. Adam Lambert – Better Than I Know Myself (467 points) (PEAK: #8)
From the outer depths of the Glam Nation comes the highest of Lambert’s two songs to make my year-end top 100. It was the leadoff single from Trespassing, which became his first album to debut at #1 on the Billboard 200 album chart. He is one of four singers named Adam to hit #1 on my chart, the other three being Adam Levine (Maroon 5), Adam Schlesinger (Fountains Of Wayne) and Adam Young (Owl City). Adam Duritz of Counting Crows got as high as #2 in 2003 with a cover of “Big Yellow Taxi” featuring Vanessa Carlton.

036. Emeli Sandé – Next To Me (483 points) (PEAK: #8)
This Scottish singer made her debut on my chart in 2012, though she’s been charting in the United Kingdom for several years. “Next” spent two weeks at #8 and received minor airplay at Urban AC and AAA radio during the summer. It will get a full-fledged release here in the States early next year. (For my profile on her from a few weeks back, take a look here.)

035. Katy Perry – The One That Got Away (509 points) (PEAK: #1 for two weeks)
For lessons in milking your album dry, please see Perry’s 2010 release Teenage Dream. “One” was the sixth single to be released off of it, reaching #1 on my chart for two weeks in December 2011. It was also a #1 hit at CHR radio, though it ended up at #3 on the Hot 100 in a hotly contested chart battle at the time to see if Perry would overtake Michael Jackson‘s record of five consecutive #1 singles from his album Bad in 1987-88. Two singles from the rerelease of the album are coming up soon.

034. Mat Kearney – Ships In The Night (510 points) (PEAK: #8)
34-year-old Kearney made his chart debut back in 2006 when “Nothing Left To Lose” had to settle for the runner-up position on the countdown for two weeks. So far, it’s been his biggest hit to date, but this one became his fourth top ten hit on my chart. It spent four weeks at #8 during a twenty week run, which is the shortest overall chart life of the four.

033. Nickelback – Lullaby (524 points) (PEAK: #8)
Chad Kroeger and his Canadian pals keep cranking out the top ten records. This was the second and final from Here and Now, meaning that for eleven of the past twelve years, the band has averaged at least one top ten record a year. 2003 was the lone holdout, but I wasn’t much a fan of “Someday” when it was released. “Lullaby” won’t be one of their more memorable singles going forward, but the band’s got plenty of more singles to make residuals off of.

032. Maroon 5 – One More Night (527 points) (PEAK: #7)
The song that has now become Maroon 5‘s biggest hit ever on the Hot 100 didn’t quite achieve that on my chart. It spent nine weeks at #1 there, but only three weeks at #7 on my chart in the middle of a twenty-two week run. Two other past Maroon 5 songs have spent that much time or more at #1 on my chart: “This Love”, which ruled for nine weeks in 2004, and “Makes Me Wonder”, which spent eleven weeks at the top in 2007.

031. Taylor Swift – We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together (531 points) (PEAK: #4)
Alright, cool your jets, girl, you’re no Carly Simon. Swift has the longest title to chart this year at seven words in length, and it was the second highest debut of the year, entering all the way up at #21. (Only Adele‘s “Skyfall” surpasses it; that debuted at #16.) This is her only single on 2012’s year-end survey, but she’ll be to chart next year with her new top ten hit on my chart, “I Knew You Were Trouble”.

Be sure to come back tomorrow for #30 to #21 on the top 100, and it seems that Christmas is gonna leave us a little icy. Lots of ruined relationships on the way.

ADAM’S TOP 100 OF 2012 – #55 to #41 (Post 4 of 11)

The thrill of the chill.

From now until New Year’s Eve, I’ll be counting down my top 100 songs of the year. Every week, I make a top 40 list, and each position gets a certain amount of points, plus, I add in some extra points for weeks at #1, which goes towards their yearly total. The survey period is from December 4, 2011 to November 25, 2012. Ties are broken by (1) peak position, then (2) weeks at peak position, and then (3) number of weeks on chart should it go that far. We’re presently at #55 on the chart, so let’s keep a-rollin’ up it.

055. Coldplay – Hurts Like Heaven (314 points) (PEAK: #12)
This was the fourth Alternative radio release from Mylo Xyloto, though it didn’t see much action on that particular chart, peaking in the top 30. It stalled out in the top fifteen on my survey. This is the band’s first album era to place four songs in my top 40, two of which went to #1. One is coming up later.

054. Jason Mraz – I Won’t Give Up (316 points) (PEAK: #14)
Mraz saw a surprise digital hit early on in the year from this ballad, which debuted in the top ten on the Hot 100. It crawled up to #14 on my chart, but spent nearly four months in the top 40 on the strength of a more peppy version with added drums and guitar. One of them, “93 Million Miles”, is up to #6 on my chart this week.

053. No Doubt – Settle Down (327 points) (PEAK: #9)
This was one of hotly anticipated comebacks of 2012 that ended up being a dud. “Settle” was a moderate hit at radio, but had no longevity, and was followed by another mainstream single that was DOA because of a video controversy involving the portrayal of Native Americans. This spent three weeks at #9, the band’s first entry on my chart since their remake of “It’s My Life” was #1 for five weeks back in late 2003.

052. Bruno Mars – It Will Rain (331 points) (PEAK: #8)
One of two singles in this section from the soundtrack to Twilight: Breaking Dawn, Part 1. The only other soundtrack in the franchise to produce a top-40 hit on my chart was Eclipse, which gave us “Neutron Star Collison (Love Is Forever)”, a minor entry for Muse from the summer of 2010.

051. One Direction – Live While We’re Young (355 points) (PEAK: #2)
Somehow the most popular boy band of the year managed to place three songs within just a few spots of one another. This quickly rose to #2 on my chart before being pulled as a single in favor of “Little Things”. The group still has one more song from the debut album coming up on the countdown.

050. The Killers – Runaways (363 points) (PEAK: #12)
This band returned with a new album called Battle Born this year, but it wasn’t quite ready for battle. The leadoff single only made it to #12. Last time around, lead singer Brandon Flowers scored a solo number-one hit with “Crossfire” in the fall of 2010. Before that, the band’s “Human” peaked at #5 in late 2008.

049. Keane – Disconnected (386 points) (PEAK: #8)
Keane had an awesome 2012 on my chart, scoring their first #1 single (which is coming up later) and this #8 hit, the third single from Strangeland. It marked the first of the band’s releases to produce top ten hits on the survey since their debut era, Hopes and Fears, which launched “Somewhere Only We Know” (#7, 2004) and “Everybody’s Changing” (#6, 2005).

048. Lady Antebellum – Dancin’ Away With My Heart (395 points) (PEAK: #12)
They’re remained huge on the Country scene, but I have to admit, they’ve been working with the same sound for a while now and I think they need to experiment a little more. This was their only non-top ten single from their album Own The Night. Nothing from their newest Christmas release entered my top 40.

047. OneRepublic – Feel Again (397 points) (PEAK: #7)
Back in the day, they were one of the big acts to be discovered on MySpace. Now, in 2012, they’ve had seven top-40 singles on my chart, this one being their fifth top ten hit. New single “If I Lose Myself” should be at least a moderate success in the new year.

046. Coldplay featuring Rihanna – Princess Of China (400 points) (PEAK: #10)
The second of three entries for Chris Martin and the boys is their first collaboration with another artist to make my chart. They seem to have a thing with Asia; it was back in 2009 that they hit #5 with “Lovers In Japan”, and now, we have “China”. What’s next? Indonesia? Syria?

045. Darren Hayes – Stupid Mistake (406 points) (PEAK: #9)
He’s been around since the early days of my chart in 1999, charting with three singles as part of the duo Savage Garden before reaching the top 40 with fourteen solo records, including #1’s like “Insatiable” and “Pop!ular”. This became the third top ten hit from Secret Codes and Battleships, which hit the #10 spot on Australia’s Albums Chart last year.

044. Christina Perri – A Thousand Years (406 points) (PEAK: #9)
Perri’s biggest hit on my chart is also the second of two songs from Twilight: Breaking Dawn, Part 1 on here. It spent two weeks at #9. It’s the first “thousand” song to hit the chart since “A Thousand Miles” by Vanessa Carlton, which was released back in 2002.

043. Olly Murs – Oh My Goodness (414 points) (PEAK: #7)
The third and final release from In Case You Didn’t Know was another top ten record for the former X Factor runner-up, charting at #7 back in April. He has one other entry left, which hit the #1 slot on the U.K. Singles Chart early this year.

042. The Fray – Heartbeat (427 points) (PEAK: #5)
Here’s another band whose time in the sun is drawing to close rather quickly. After two albums with one #1 single and three top ten hits a piece, this was the only major success from Scars + Stories, peaking for five weeks at #5. Followup single “Run For Your Life” barely reached the top 30 and missed the top 100 of the year.

041. Daughtry – Crawling Back To You (428 points) (PEAK: #1 for two weeks)
This was the first #1 of the chart year, spending the first two weeks of December 2011 there. It’s the band’s only entry in the top 100 as both followup singles to it failed to go beyond the top 30. “Crawling” was my #75 song of 2011.

After you’re done opening all your presents from Santa, come back on Christmas Day for #40 through #31 on the countdown, where two is better than “One”, and one actually got to Number One. Figured it out yet? If you haven’t, you will tomorrow…

ADAM’S TOP 100 OF 2012 – #70 to #56 (Post 3 of 11)

What a girl flaunts.

From now until New Year’s Eve, I’ll be counting down my top 100 songs of the year. Every week, I make a top 40 list, and each position gets a certain amount of points, plus, I add in some extra points for weeks at #1, which goes towards their yearly total. The survey period is from December 4, 2011 to November 25, 2012. Ties are broken by (1) peak position, then (2) weeks at peak position, and then (3) number of weeks on chart should it go that far. We’ve got 70 more songs to count down, so, what am I waiting for? Let’s pick it back up at #70.

070. Swedish House Mafia featuring John Martin – Don’t You Worry Child (247 points) (PEAK: #15)
Eighteen of Billboard’s Dance Club/Play number-one singles made my top 40 this year, peaking on that chart and my own within two weeks of one another. It also hit #1 in Australia and in the United Kingdom.

069. Lifehouse featuring Natasha Bedingfield – Between The Raindrops (247 points) (PEAK: #11)
This one peaked at #11 for three weeks at the chart year cutoff, but it has since climbed to #8. On their own, both artists have hit #1 on my chart; Lifehouse took “Whatever It Takes” to the top in 2008 and Bedingfield did it with “These Words” in 2005 and “Unwritten” in 2006.

068. Robbie Williams – Candy (266 points) (PEAK: #6)
Williams made a major comeback in the United Kingdom this year when this single became his first #1 hit since 2004. His album, Take The Crown, also took the top spot. He’s touring the U.K. with opener Olly Murs, who has two songs coming up in the top 50. Though it ended the chart year at #6, the song went onto peak at #4 a few weeks ago.

067. John Mayer – Shadow Days (270 points) (PEAK: #16)
After two #3 hits during his last era, Battle Studies, this one struggled up to a peak of #16 before falling off the radar. This era was plagued by Mayer’s throat condition, which led to a canceled tour and limited promotion for his album, entitled Born and Raised.

066. Kelly Clarkson – Dark Side (271 points) (PEAK: #16)
The first ever American Idol winner did moderately well with this third single that slowly crawled up my top 40. All three of them made the year-end chart. It was recently covered on the television show Glee.

065. Marina & The Diamonds – Primadonna (280 points) (PEAK: #15)
This one-woman band, originally born in Wales, made her debut on my chart this year, reaching its peak back in July. Second single “How To Be A Heartbreaker” just missed the top 100. Parent album Electra Heart hit the #1 spot on the album chart in the United Kingdom.

064. Kelly Clarkson – Mr. Know It All (288 points) (PEAK: #3)
“Know” was my #57 song of 2011 and ended up with about 90 more points in that position. It was the third song to make my chart to address a Mr. in the title, following “Mr. Bartender (It’s So Easy)” by Sugar Ray (#17, 2003) and “Mr. Brightside” by The Killers (#1, 2005).

063. Adele – Someone Like You (289 points) (PEAK: #1 for three weeks)
“Someone” peaked at #1 way back in October 2011 and was the #13 song of last year. It’s from her now Diamond-certified album, 21, which sold ten million copies in the U.S. alone in less than two years. 700,000 copies in sales the week after she won the Grammy Award for Album Of The Year didn’t hurt either.

062. Nickelback – When We Stand Together (292 points) (PEAK: #2)
They may be one of the most hated bands in the world, but that didn’t stop them from placing two songs in my year-end top 100. This peaked at #2 in November 2011 and was my #67 song of that year.

061. Christina Aguilera – Your Body (300 points) (PEAK: #10)
The proper comeback that was supposed to be the Lotus era has not lived up to such high expectations and the downward spiral of Aguilera continues. Just like “Not Myself Tonight”, the leadoff single from Bionic, this peaked at #10. Aguilera is taking a break from The Voice during its next cycle.

060. Karmin – Hello (301 points) (PEAK: #13)
The duo of Amy and Nick strike again with their second of three songs in the top 100. This was the fourth song to make my top 40 with “hello” in the title; compare that ten that charted with “goodbye”. Their only top ten hit on the weekly chart is somewhere in the top 40 of the year.

059. Aerosmith – What Could Have Been Love (301 points) (PEAK: #12)
Here’s the second act in a row from Boston, a legendary band that’s been charting since the 1970’s. This was the first mainstream single from Music From Another Dimension. One of the co-writers of the song, Russ Irwin, is a one-hit wonder on the national scene; his only charting single, the ballad “My Heart Belongs To You”, reached #28 on the Hot 100 in the fall of 1991.

058. One Direction – Gotta Be You (311 points) (PEAK: #11)
The first ballad single by the band proved to be a front-loaded single in the United Kingdom, debuting at #3 but crashing downwards fast. It just missed the top ten on my chart.

057. One Direction – What Makes You Beautiful (311 points) (PEAK: #3)
Whataya know? We have back-to-back One Direction tunes in the countdown. “Beautiful” peaked at #3 for two weeks in October 2011, but gained a little bit of ground back when a Stateside release of the single was announced. It ended up with a total of 28 weeks in the survey. Two more songs by the band will set you in the right Direction soon.

056. Adele – Skyfall (313 points) (PEAK: #1 for three weeks)
This was the only song written from a movie soundtrack to hit the top spot on my chart this year. However, it’s not the highest one in the year-end top 100. She has one more song to go, which is quite a bit higher.

We’ll be back tomorrow on Christmas Eve with #55 through #41 on the chart, including two more movie hits, another high-profile flop, and a little bit of royalty on our way to the throne and the #1 song of 2012.

ADAM’S TOP 100 OF 2012 – #85 to #71 (Post 2 of 11)

Open your chart to me.

From now until New Year’s Eve, I’ll be counting down my top 100 songs of the year as I’ve been tabulating over the past few weeks. Every week, I make a top 40 list, and each position gets a certain amount of points, plus, I add in some extra points for weeks at #1, which goes towards their yearly total. The survey period is from December 4, 2011 to November 25, 2012. 177 songs ranked in the top 40 at some point this year, an increase of eleven from last year, which means that the pace picked up a little bit. Ties are broken by (1) peak position, then (2) weeks at peak position, and then (3) number of weeks on chart should it go that far. Everything from the top of the pops is in here: boy bands, bubblegum, country, dance, rock, and all the surprise hits and major under-performers in-between. Of course, I’ll be commenting on them as well, but I’m saving the good stuff until we get towards the top-tier of the top 100. We’re 15 songs down and have 85 more hits to go. Let’s pick back up at #85…

085. Kris Allen – The Vision Of Love (174 points) (PEAK: #21)
Here’s another Idol winner that was dropped by his label this year after his sophomore release, Thank You Camellia, underperformed. It’s a shame as this one was probably his catchiest single to date. The label credit on his recent Christmas EP is independent My T Mouse Records, a play on the cartoon superhero from the 1940’s.

084. Karmin – Crash Your Party (189 points) (PEAK: #16)
First of three singles in the top 100 for this so-called swag pop duo hailing from Beantown. This was essentially a “promotional single” as it didn’t appear on their major label debut, an EP entitled Hello. The title track is the next one up of the three.

083. Will Young – Come On (189 points) (PEAK: #12)
From his album Echoes, Young has one more song in the top 100, coming up in this section, in fact. Of the four singles from the album, only one made my top ten ten: “Jealousy”, which peaked at #3 last year.

082. Dave Matthews Band – Mercy (195 points) (PEAK: #19)
Matthews and the band have always performed solidly on my chart, but this was the first DMB era without a top ten hit on my survey since 2002’s Busted Stuff. “Where Are You Going?” made my top twenty, but failed to make the top ten. It was sonically boring and after a while of just sitting there, I had to let it fall. Perhaps you can attribute this same sort of story with this year’s #82 song.

081. Madonna featuring Nicki Minaj and M.I.A. – Give Me All Your Luvin’ (196 points) (PEAK: #15)
Despite a Clear Channel “artist integration” deal which enabled radio stations to play the song every hour on the hour for the better part of three days, this was a major disappointment for the Material Girl. Yes, the demo leaked late last year and yes, it did attain a peak of #9 on the Hot 100, but it got zero longevity beyond her Super Bowl performance. (A very good performance, by the way.) This is the only song by Her Madgesty in the year-end survey.

080. Eric Hutchinson – Watching You Watch Him (201 points) (PEAK: #20)
Remember when Perez Hilton’s influence was so big that he could break an act? That’s what happened with this guy and his 2008 album, Sounds Like This, which launched “Rock & Roll” up to #14 for two weeks. His second hit on my chart was a decent one, but just didn’t muster enough chart power to rank any higher than it did.

079. Will Young – I Just Want A Lover (202 points) (PEAK: #18)
Ever wanted to see a guy romancing a shopping cart? Take a look at the odd video clip for this song. Just last month, Young switched labels from 19/RCA to Island, and hopes to have a new record out in 2013.

078. fun. – Carry On (214 points) (PEAK: #2)
Though it was #2 back in November, it’s now gone on to spend three weeks at #1 on my personal chart. That makes fun. the first group to score three number-ones consecutively in a calendar year since the Backstreet Boys did it back in 2001 with “The Call”, “More Than That” and “Drowning”.

077. Conor Maynard – Vegas Girl (221 points) (PEAK: #18)
He’s another YouTube discovery who has now garnered three top ten hits in the United Kingdom, this one peaking at #4 over there. He’s not quite the British version of Justin Bieber in terms of fandom and sales, but he does make a solid Pop record. His album, Contrast, gets a U.S. release in early January.

076. Rebecca Ferguson – Nothing’s Real But Love (223 points) (PEAK: #19)
This gal from Liverpool brings some soulful sounds to the countdown, peaking at #19 for four consecutive weeks. Though she hasn’t amassed a huge following in the States, her album has had a decent run in the United Kingdom. Hey, she beat Matt Cardle, who beat her to take the X Factor crown, on my year-end survey for the year. That’s pretty impressive.

075. Bruce Springsteen – We Take Care Of Our Own (236 points) (PEAK: #17)
What can you say about The Boss that hasn’t been said? He’s a legendary rocker, but, in terms of peak position, this is actually his best ranking song to make my top 40. It saw notable sales gains when promoted as a part of President Obama’s successful reelection campaign.

074. Colbie Caillat featuring Common – Favorite Song (239 points) (PEAK: #16)
This is the first time that a third single from any of Caillat’s three eras has entered the top 40. Caillat has had nine hits make my chart to date, with a tenth waiting in the wings: “We Both Know”, featuring Gavin DeGraw, from the soundtrack to Safe Haven.

073. Adam Lambert – Never Close Our Eyes (240 points) (PEAK: #15)
Alright, you Glamberts, here’s the first of two songs on the chart for the recent host of VH1 Divas 2012. Of his four songs to make my top 40, this is the only one that didn’t make the top ten, stalling out at that #15 peak for three weeks. The first single from Trespassing will be appearing in a little while.

072. Alanis Morissette – Guardian (245 points) (PEAK: #17)
After an era with no top-40 hits, Morissette landed one song in the survey this year, from her album Havoc and Bright Lights. She hasn’t scored a top ten hit on my chart since her remake of Seal‘s “Crazy” peaked at #8 for two weeks in January 2006.

071. Ellie Goulding – Lights (245 points) (PEAK: #9)
Goulding’s song was #78 on my 2011 year-end countdown with just five points less than it accumulated this year. It was off the charts months before it hit #1 on the CHR survey in August.

Join me back here tomorrow as I reveal #70 through #56, packed with shadows, darkness and falling skies. Not too optimistic looking, huh?