• When Love Takes Over (Featuring Kelly Rowland)

Favorite songs of 2009

#1

David Guetta - When Love Takes Over (featuring Kelly Rowland)

Written by: Miriam Nervo, Olivia Nervo, Kelly Rowland, David Guetta, Frédéric Riesterer, Hollie Bailey

Production: David Guetta, Frédéric Riesterer

Taken from the album One Love

Released: April 21, 2009

Charts: US #76, UK #1

Hurrah! We’ve at last made it to the #1 song on my list! 30 songs and pages of rambling later, it all ends with David Guetta and Kelly Rowland’s modern dance masterpiece, When Love Takes Over. Every bit of this is polished perfection, an absolute masterclass of a song, it is certainly one of the best dance records of the entire decade. The production is ethereal and elegant, the lyrics are beautiful and insightful, and Kelly delivers a superstar performance. It’s sort of like a big coming out record (not in the way you are thinking), for Guetta it was his first #1 hit, and for Kelly, the start of a new chapter in her career. After living in Beyonce’s shadow for so many years, Kelly finally steps out on her own with a song (WARNING, CONTROVERSIAL OPINION AHEAD) that could possibly be better than anything in Beyonce’s entire discography. It’s just that good. (YUP, I SAID IT)

Guetta’s production is magical, the glimmering piano notes and enchanting synths are what dancefloor dreams are made of, the song has a certain trance-like quality that is both calming and intoxicating. Kelly demonstrates she has the vocal chops to be more than just a backup singer, delivering an effortless and emotionally charged performance that hits right to the heart. It’s a vocal tour de force, the showstopping chorus is grand and sophisticated, while the glorious ascending notes during the middle 8 are spellbinding, sweeping you away on a wave of gorgeous melodies. I love the “tonight, tonight” bit that repeats, as well as the clapping section before the final chorus. The combination of timeless production and uplifting lyrics make this an instant classic

More than anything though, When Love Takes Over is an anthemic love song, perfectly capturing that whimsical feeling of being in love, that mix between nervous hesitation and suffocating ecstasy that is indescribable. It certainly gives hopeless romantics everywhere something to believe in, even if you’ve waited “so long for this”, there is still hope, and the moment when love takes over is the sweetest of all.

And there we have it, my favorite song of 2009. The end.

• Russian Roulette

Favorite songs of 2009

#2

Rihanna - Russian Roulette

Written by: Ne-Yo, Chuck Harmony

Production: Chuck Harmony

Taken from the album Rated R

Released: November 3, 2009

Charts: US #9, UK #2

In 2009 Rihanna was in one fuck of a situation, aside from being the victim of the most high profile domestic abuse case in recent memory, she also had the difficult task of following up the massively successful Good Girl Gone Bad. It seemed the public was waiting on pins and needles to see what she would do next. Would we get Umbrella part 2 in the form of a huge radio record? Or maybe a female empowerment anthem, a huge “fuck you” to Chris Brown? Rihanna surprised us all however, and delivered Russian Roulette, a dark, brooding ballad filled with angst. It certainly got people talking, while many (myself included obviously) loved it, others felt it was too dark and depressing. And while I certainly agree it’s dark, I don’t necessarily think that makes it depressing. In fact, I think Russian Roulette is Rihanna’s most passionate and heartfelt song. While she usually sounds ice cold and almost disconnected from what she is singing about (see: Hard) on Russian Roulette she couldn’t possibly be more engaged or emotionally invested in the material. The surrounding music may be barren, but Rihanna gives this song life.

What I find most interesting about Russian Roulette (and Rated R as a whole) is that the record doesn’t directly address Brown or the events that followed (though it hardly ignores them either). Instead, Rihanna deals with the emotional aspects of being in a dangerous relationship, the split feelings between the fear and uncertainty of walking way, and the determination to make it work regardless of the consequences. These are feelings Rihanna surely dealt with after “the incident”, should she stay or should she go? Russian Roulette details the ultimate test of faith, how far would you go for love? Would you put your life on the line?

Thematically, Russian Roulette is the like the older, more mature cousin of Unfaithful, a song where she used murder as a metaphor for love, it was one of the first times we saw a hint of the darker side of Rihanna that was to come. Stray guitar notes set the foreboding tone early on, the song startles with its chilling gasps, spinning cylinders, and a cold piano line which puts Rihanna’s voice front and center. Rihanna certainly isn’t the next Mariah Carey or Whitney Houston, but this is by a country mile the strongest vocal performance of her career. Not necessarily because she hits soaring high notes (though she does get there during the final chorus) but more so because of her restraint. It’s easy to wail along as the music plays, but it’s much more difficult to hold back and pick your moments, instead of letting it all go right from the start, Rihanna lets the song unfurl in front of her. The verses are cool and collected, Ne-Yo’s writing is evocative per usual, while the chorus is dramatic and soaring. The song reaches it’s emotional high point right as it breaks into the breathtaking middle 8:

“So just pull the trigger, as my life flashes before my eyes, I’m wondering will I, ever see another sunrise? So many won’t get the chance to say goodbye, but it’s too late too pick up the value of my life”

The allusion to suicide is absolutely chilling, and it never fails to make the little hairs on the back of my neck stand up. It’s the most confessional moment of the song, the point where she admits how close to the edge she was. The song ends with an abrupt and startling gun shot, did she kill herself? While the music video answers that question for us, I personally like how the ending is up for interpretation in the song.

Russian Roulette was the record Rihanna needed to make. Whether you loved it or hated it, the song painted an honest, and at times disturbing picture of a young woman on the rocks. Even if Rihanna moves back to a more upbeat and commercial sound in the future, Russian Roulette will stand as one of the most real and fascinating moments of her career.

• Say It (Radio Edit)

Favorite songs of 2009

#3

Booty Luv - Say It

Written by: Carl Björsell, Didrik Thott, Sebastian Thott

Production: Wez Clarke

Released: August 31, 2009

Charts: UK #16

Poor Booty Luv, they just don’t get any respect. With such a silly name it’s easy to laugh and put them off as a joke. Say It, however, is a seriously amazing tune, it’s just so fucking fantastic, the most perfect little club banger there ever was. In fact, it’s my most played song of 2009, there’s something about this that always leaves me coming back for more.

The idea here is basically: You see someone cute at a club, you make an instant connection, and when the night is over you wish they would, well, say something before it’s too late. Even if Say It is nothing we haven’t heard before, the basics of this song are very well executed. The surging chorus, the snapping electro beats which are like crack to the ear, and the sassy and flirtatious lyrics are all well above your average club jam. I love the way Nadia delivers her lines, the words roll right off her tongue in an almost rap-like style, especially during the opening verse, “Why so serious? You look ridiculous. Tryin’ to act so cool when I know I make you del.e.ri.ous” (Nearly as good is: “Tryin’ not to stare at me, but I’m. so. sexy. it hurtsss”) It’s a cute bossy tune, the girls have so much charisma and they really put their mark on this. However, the most incredible part of Say It, the point of the song when you know this is a MAJOR dance tune, comes right before the second chorus and it goes a bit like this:

*In a club dancing*

“You know what, this song is pretty good”

“Yeah I know right?! But you know what would make this even better?”

“What?”

“A loud, blaring siren would really take this song over the edge”

*Cue loud, blaring siren*

“OMG JUST WHEN I THOUGHT THIS COULDN’T GET ANY BETTER THEY ADD A LOUD, BLARING SIREN. AMAZING.”

Really though, that siren gives an extra little boost, it takes Say It from being just another dance song to a full-on, hands-in-the-air dancefloor anthem.

It’s disappointing that we’ve not heard anything from Booty Luv since this single. With no album in sight and various rumors of them being dropped, it’s unclear we will ever get to hear more from them. At least we have Say It though. Feel proud girls, feel proud, Say It is one HELL of a tune.

Favorite songs of 2009

#4

Jay-Z - Run This Town (featuring Rihanna & Kanye West)

Written by: Shawn Carter, Robyn Rihanna Fenty, Kanye West, Ernert Wilson, Jeff Bhasker, Alatas Athanasios

Production: Kanye West, No I.D.

Taken from the album The Blueprint 3

Released: August 11, 2009

Charts: US #2, UK #1, Australia #9

Bringing together three of the biggest names in music with style and plenty of swagger, Run This Town was one of the most killer rap collaborations of ‘09. Though “Empire State of Mind” came close, Run This Town wins for me. I mean really, how can you go wrong with Jay-Z, Kanye West and Rihanna (also known as three of my favorite artists) on the same song? This dark, brooding anthem is just flat-out bad ass.

True to it’s title, Run This Town is a cocky, domineering tune, the rowdy guitar loop and hard beats connect at a gut level. The chilling opening lines “Feel it coming in the air, hear the screams from everywhere” set a serious tone from the onset. Rihanna’s vocal delivery is hair-raising, she sings the mighty, towering chorus with such strong conviction, and the “Hey heeeeeeeeeeeyyyyyy, Hey heeeeeeeeeeeyyyyyy” bit is a tremendous sing-a-long moment. Jay is the smooth operator as usual, he delivers his lines like the big boss, commanding his followers to attention (“We are, yeah I said it we are, this is Roc Nation, pledge of allegiance”). Kanye however, steals the show from Jay during his lively guest verse, while at the same time showing he is more than capable of cracking out a hot tune, helming the production of the song. Also, am I the only one who found the following line: “It’s crazy how you can go from being Joe Blow, To everybody on your dick, no homo” rather ironic after the entire Taylor Swift debacle at the VMA’s? If everyone wasn’t on his dick before that night, they certainly were afterwards!

Run This Town was also a big moment for Rihanna, it was the first time we had heard anything from her since the ”altercation” with ex-boyfriend Chris Brown. In the video Rihanna is dressed in what can only be described as a couture funeral outfit, in all black, “Little Miss Sunshine” is nowhere to be seen. It was clear that her comeback would not be quiet of self-pitying, Run This Town is one of the most commanding performances of her career.

Really though, Run This Town is more than just three superstars showing off, it’s about doing what you want to no matter what, defying the odds and making your own destiny, and never giving up. And that my friends, is what being a true badass is all about.