I meant to do this whole round a day earlier but I had some important irl stuff happen Thursday and life just kinda told me to get fucked so here we are. ANYWAY!
#LaCroix: Owl City & Carly Rae Jepsen - Good Time
I can’t believe I hated this song back in 2012, what was 17 year old Julian smoking??? This is just pure summery bliss. I will say though, as much as I enjoy Adam Young’s early work from around this era (before he went full Christian), CRJ absolutely CARRIES this song. She’s always been flawless from her early years, she deserves a lot more love and respect than she gets.
#Austino15fffan: Passion Pit - I’ll Be Alright
I’m not sure where to start with this one. I guess the music would be a good place to start. When he’s actually singing it’s fine albeit a bit bland (I noticed a lot of the same note repeating over and over in certain areas) but my god, that squeaky part in the intro that repeats a couple times is just… awful. I can’t stand it. And his singing feels a bit off beat in certain areas which throws me off big time. I don’t think this one connected with me as much, which is a shame because I know I don’t dislike Passion Pit generally.
#Txashaun: Fun. - Some Nights
I’ll start off with my criticisms of this song. It’s not my favorite of their 3 big hits. It’s my 2nd favorite. ANYWAY… This is generally agreed to be one of, if not THE, best hits of the entire 2010s decade right? You won’t hear me arguing against that. Jesus FUCKING Christ how did a song this glorious, this transcendant, get as big as it did??? How did Nate Ruess turn some musings about his quarter-life crisis into a bombastic, uplifting ANTHEM? Yeah… I’m only 3 songs in (out of 18) but I don’t know what tops this.
#SeongWoo: Lana Del Rey - National Anthem
Alright, more Lana! Not a critique of the song but god I hate these music videos that take FOREVER to get to the song. Anyway… Most of this song is something that would not appeal to me, I don’t really care for songs just talking about how great the artist is, and that’s on top of singing about some dude. But… There’s something kinda sinister lying under the surface here. I may just be reading too much into things (I tend to do that a lot) but that’s the vibe I get, her usual ambient melancholy with a bit darker undertones. I think I like this!
#Samsam: Passion Pit - Take A Walk
More Passion Pit! I remember being OBSESSED with this song back in 2012! I’ve cooled on it a bit, the hook kinda drags it down since this song feels like it’s building up to something so much bigger than just a lengthy repetition of the title. The rest of the song is good though! I like the music behind this one, and the verses are a lot of fun.
#Oswordo3: Carly Rae Jepsen - Call Me Maybe
Multiple people wanted this one but you got there first! Was it worth? Yes! This song is an underrated bop/kind of a guilty pleasure which I can’t help but crank up and sing along with every time it comes on in the car. I get why people wouldn’t like it, but even in her dumbest songs there’s just something about CRJ’s music. It’s great, I love it.
#HeavyRain: Katy Perry - Part Of Me
Ah yes, another song I loved back in 2012 which has slightly cooled on me. I do still love this song though, Teenage Dream era Katy was untouchable and that does include the bonus tracks. This song is a bit generic of a self-empowerment anthem, but it’s still pretty good because, again, Teenage Dream era Katy.
#Booyahhayoob: P!nk - Try
I will never stop waiting for the day P!nk returns to her roots as a kickass pop punk star. Until then, her pop era actually isn’t all that bad, gets way too much hate imo. I have always loved Try, even if it is a little generic. Her live performance of this song (I think it was the Grammys or something) is just fantastic, she CRUSHES her live performances of this song, among many others. I don’t really have much to say about the song itself other than it’s good and I like it.
#UsernameThatWasFree: P!nk ft. Nate Ruess - Just Give Me A Reason
Yes this was a 2013 hit, however the song itself came out in 2012 so I’m counting it! Anyway… P!nk AND Nate Ruess on a track together is a match made in heaven. Their voices compliment eachother’s so well, and this feels like a REAL duet unlike a lot of songs that just slap 2 people on a song together who have no chemistry. They sell the dynamic the story is going for so well, and that actually matters a lot in songs like this. Plus, their harmonies are gorgeous.
#Zeptis: Rihanna - Diamonds
First off, I’m glad she’s finally taking a break. Not because I dislike her or her music, but god she NEEDED it after that stretch of time where her label made her put out an album every year with no breaks. Good for her. Anyway this is my favorite song of hers and it’s not close. Her vocal performance is on point and the music is ethereal, it all comes together to create this luxurious atmosphere. There’s a bit more to it than that though, there’s both plenty of drug references as well as plenty of hope that this new love is what she needs.
#Turkeylover: David Guetta ft. Nicki Minaj - Turn Me On
Even though it was a SINGLE in the very early months of 2012, the song itself was released in 2011, whoops! According to a couple sources, this was actually released as a single December 13th 2011 so even THAT isn’t true. I can be a bit nicer here though given it’s basically right at the end of 2011. I can’t say it would’ve done super well with me anyway: I don’t like Nicki, and David Guetta’s production has never really worked for me. Off the top of my head, the only song I can think of by her that I’ve enjoyed would be Chun Li.
#Systrix: Maroon 5 ft. Christina Aguilera - Moves Like Jagger
Ah yes, another 2011 hit. Except this one was also fully a single in 2011, and had its video released in 2011 as well. How do I feel about the song itself? This is the last time Maroon 5 tried as a band. Back in 2011. Nothing they’ve done since THIS SONG has had any artistic value, or even any sort of quality, and the rest of the “band” may as well have all quit and we just don’t know about it. And as it is I’d say this song is just decent. There’s a version that plays at work that features a rap verse in the middle of Christina Aguilera’s part and it’s just weird. Idk. This is fine I guess but also doesn’t fit the theme, sorry!
#Spinfur: Neon Trees - Everybody Talks
After those last 2 I have to be careful with submission dates. I checked and apparently there’s 2 different release dates, one RIGHT at the end of 2011 and one in April 2012. I’ll count it. That said… YES I LOVE THIS SONG. With the sole exception of Animals (for some reason), I’ve loved everything I’ve heard from this band, including their new album in 2020 that everyone slept on.
#Aidan0621: Rihanna - Loveeeeeee Song
I wish this song had credited Future so I knew what sort of hell I was in for with that intro. Rihanna’s parts are ok and if this was a solo song from her I can see myself liking it, but not loving it. But the goose really drags this down. I really don’t like that his vocals are uncredited here, because I was excited for this and subsequently blindsided by his awful vocal performance. No thanks.
#MrRobzilla: Justin Bieber - Boyfriend
Oy, what is this awful stretch of music? I’m even more thankful now for that Neon Trees song a couple songs ago for giving me ONE pleasant song in the back half. This is EASILY his worst era, I don’t think anyone was wanting Bieber to sing a D tier Usher song. I never want to hear a white boy say “swag” that much ever again. The music is insufferable, especially in the beginning with that whistle note or whatever. And WHY did the song RESTART ITSELF like halfway into the first verse? Fuck that.
#Lucas_RFS: Adele - Skyfall
Are we done with the trash now? Good. Is it just me or is Adele a natural fit for a Bond theme? Like this just feels like it belongs there. Submitting any Adele song is just critic bait, of course this is gonna do well because who doesn’t love Adele? Her voice is untouchable and about 95% of her discography ranges from good to literally perfect. If anyone had a chance at beating the obvious #1 for this round, it would be Adele. Will it? We’ll see.
#Vixens: Taylor Swift - Holy Ground
This is a very interesting choice for a 2012 Taylor song, although I say this knowing one of my favorite songs of all time is on this same album while this one is just ok. The lyrics here are generic as hell but are ultimately saved by the music itself, which is a lot bigger sounding than Taylor generally did in this era.
#Imprincearthur: Gotye ft. Kimbra - Somebody That I Used To Know
It’s a shame because if the theme was 2011, there’s a good chance this tops the list. This is one of the best breakup songs of all time, if not THE best. Gotye was WAY ahead of his time, and more artists need to learn from this song and aspire to this. He whines his way through the first verse and chorus and then promptly gets eviscerated by Kimbra on her verse, and it’s absolutely glorious. I can’t rank this too high because it doesn’t fit the theme but any 2012 songs I outright hate will probably push this up a bit.
Yeah, there wasn't gonna be much else from 2012 that topped this. It may be the easy/basic #1 pick, but it's that for a REASON. Ma'am you are slaying so far this season!
Let's get into our first face-off of the season. As I said in the previous post, the person who finishes in last each round will go head-to-head with the person who has the lowest overall average. If those are the same person, we go to the next lowest average.
The person who came in last this round is... Turkeylover
The person with the lowest average overall is... Systrix
The two of you will both MAIL me another song that fits the theme of the round (2012) and I will judge both of them and eliminate the person who sends the worst one. GOOD LUCK! These are due at 7pm EST
