i don’t know, i don’t know…

Alright, so I sat down, gave it some thought, and I decided on my own personal top ten songs of the year. There are some glaring omissions, but look, I couldn’t fit everything in just ten slots. In fact, I had to give one song an honorable mention. This is a pretty long post so I might as well get to it:

After releasing their last album “Tangled Up” in 2007, Girls Aloud had a lot to live up to since it was arguably their best album of their five album career. Unfortunately album number six, “Out of Control,” does not compare, but hidden among a bunch of unremarkable songs is their twentieth single — possibly one of their best ever. Given to any other artist, “The Loving Kind” would’ve been just another ballad, but Girls Aloud turns it into something you can dance to as well. The official remixes also recently leaked, and they are great as well.

MGMT’s “Electric Feel” would find me at times I would least expect it. I would be at a bar or retail store and this would magically and unexpectedly come on and turn my frown upside down. They spent all of 2008 being simultaneously called overrated and underrated (not unlike Vampire Weekend), but either way they definitely made a big impact.

Choosing a just one song from The Kills’ perfect and well-rounded album is a difficult task, but “Sour Cherry” with its chaotic mix of instruments, claps, and grunts make it a delicious sassy rock gem.

I’d argue that a song’s intro can make or break a song, and Mariah’s signature screech and wail at the beginning of “Migrate” gets the party started in a way only she can. Despite terrible single selection for her latest album, E=MC2 had some modern-Mariah classics. This could have been THE party song of the year the likes of Mary J Blige’s “Family Affair,” and 2008’s ubiquitous T-Pain would have cemented it a #1 spot on Billboard’s charts. Coulda woulda shoulda Mrs. Cannon.

Competing with Katy Perry’s “I Kissed a Girl” for the summer song of 2008, Estelle’s “American Boy” snatches up the music from a forgettable will.i.am song, adds a dose of Kanye, and results in crossover success. While no other song from her album quite delivers a solid follow-up, hopefully future efforts won’t leave her as a one-hit wonder.

The haunting “I’m Good, I’m Gone” by Lykke Li is reminiscent of 2007’s “Young Folks” by Peter Bjorn and John in that it is so unique yet accessible and memorable. Unsurprisingly, Bjorn Yttling had a hand in creating this song as well as the entire album. If you haven’t seen the video yet, check it out. It reminds me of “The Cell” starring Jennifer Lopez. Go watch it and I dare you to tell me I’m wrong. (FYI: YES I REALIZE I MADE A TYPO IN THE GRAPHIC, maybe I’ll fix it at some point)

Beyonce took note of what made her last album successful. She took the crowd rousing “Get Me Bodied” beats, the “strong independent woman” message of “Irreplaceable,” and the frenetic pace of “Ring the Alarm” and came up with possibly the biggest single of her career. Not in a long while has the choreography for a song been so critical to the song’s success. Beyonce owes at least a small share of the success to Shane Mercado and the countless other YouTube interpretations of her music video.

THE comeback of the year… from a album that was released in Sweden in 2005 no less. Robyn’s self-titled album is what pop is all about. “Be Mine” combines amazing lyrics, heartfelt singing, and fantastic music and production to make the perfect pop song. And what legendary pop song would be complete without a weird spoken word intermission? (Oops… I Did It Again, anybody?)

If not for my number one choice, Sam Sparro would be 2008’s best new artist. He combines way too many genres to list and every song on his album drips of personality. After months of hoping and wishing and dreaming of hearing “Black & Gold” out in the real world outside of my iPod headphones, one of my go-to bars had a Sam Sparro promotional night where they gave away promo CDs of “Black & Gold” and two other songs as well as actually played the amazing music video as well.

She is THE artist of the year, she has THE album of the year, and MY top song of the year can be none other than “Shove It” by Santogold. It has an irresistible attitude and bass. It was masterfully chosen for a scene in Gossip Girl that was probably the best use of a song in a television program that I’ve ever scene (save “Breathe Me” in the Six Feet Under finale). It even got the Jay-z stamp of approval with his sample of the song in his “Brooklyn (Go Hard).” Picking just one song from an album that does not take a single misstep is almost a crime, but at least for me this song will always remind me of 2008.

Honorable Mention for Britney’s “Womanizer.” While the song itself is not lifechanging and will eventually get lost in her library of hits, the circus (pardon my pun) around it and her and the video made it something you just had to stop and stare and listen to.

So that’s it. There are a ton more than I probably should have included but didn’t. 2008 was a great year for music. What were your favorites?

I would’ve felt like the coolest kid in town if I busted these HOMEMADE bags out during lunch. I liked my mom’s messages but these are awesome. If I have kids one day, I’m so going to attempt things like this:

This guy makes one for his kid EVERYDAY… check out more here.