The Biggest Hits Of 2013 That Never Made The Blog...Until Now

As frequent (or even casual) readers of this blog can attest, I have done a heckuva lot of music posts this year. Maybe I'm just on a music kick (okay, definitely I am) or maybe I just don't have much time to compile many other kinds of posts (that's true, too). Throughout the course of the year, I've posted a fair number of current hit songs – that's both coincidental and by design – but I did miss a few big ones here and there. Having thought of no better way to include the songs before year's end, I've gathered them all together here for your listening (and viewing) pleasure. Enjoy!   ~  JH

1)  AWOLNATION  ~  "Sail"  (Yes, technically, I did post an a cappella cover of this song a couple weeks ago, but in my book that doesn't count.)

2)  Katy Perry  ~  "Unconditionally"  (She has her faults, topically and lyrically speaking, but I have to give Katy Perry props for crafting some really good pop songs.)

3)  Maroon 5  ~  "Love Somebody"  (I've heard this song I don't know how many times, but I'd never seen the video till now – it's weird. Good song, though!)

4)  P!nk  ~  "Try"  (P!nk never ceases to amaze me – she's consistently awesome!)

5)  The Band Perry  ~  "DONE."  (Good song by a good modern country band – but I really wish those brothers would get new hairdos – Ughsville!)

6)  Lady Gaga  ~  "Applause"  (Somewhat questionable video, but a catchy song – annoyingly so!)

7)  One Direction  ~  "Story Of My Life"  (I must grudgingly admit that this is a surprisingly good song!)

8)  Taylor Swift  ~  "I Knew You Were Trouble"  (I know I should be embarrassed to admit it, but I really like [and own most of] Taylor Swift's music – this song is no exception!)

9)  Baauer  ~  "Harlem Shake"  (Don't worry, there's no booty shaking in this video – it's audio only.)

10)  Macklemore & Ryan Lewis ft. Ray Dalton  ~  "Can't Hold Us"  (I wish this guy didn't pepper the majority of his songs – this one mostly excluded – with foul language, because if so I would probably buy and listen to his music. Oh, well...)

11)  Daft Punk ft. Pharrell Williams  ~  "Get Lucky"  (It's an undeniably good tune, but I can't in good conscience recommend the lyrics. Big hit, though.)

12)  Eminem ft. Rihanna  ~  "The Monster"  (Sorry, music purists, I couldn't post the official music video for this one. It contained a couple of un-family-friendly words that weren't bleeped, and I prefer to keep it PG here.)

13)  Lady Antebellum  ~  "Downtown"  (This one's obviously meant to be tongue-in-cheek, and that's a good thing. 'Cuz if not…)

14)  Carrie Underwood  ~  "Two Black Cadillacs"  (A darker song for Carrie, but no less enjoyable than her cheerier hits. Sorry that Sound Of Music Live! thing didn't work out so well for you, chica…)

15)  Icona Pop ft. Charli XCX  ~  "I Love It"  (Again with this song, I couldn't post the original music video because of some uncensored lyrics, but the clean version is just as good – no, better! – to me, even if it's not actually a video.)

Video wouldn't load properly – click link to view:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TETp3OFNa3U

BONUS TRACK:  Ylvis  ~  "The Fox (What Does The Fox Say?)"  (Would you believe I never even heard this song till last week? I didn't say "heard of" – I first heard of it a few months ago, but had somehow managed to avoid it till recently. I'm sorry it took me so long to experience it, because the song is hilarious – not epic, but hilarious – as it was obviously intended to be.)

A Baker's Dozen Of "Santa Baby" Renditions

Since my last post like this one garnered a grand total of one "vote" (oh, I'm not bitter!), I've pulled 13 different versions of ANOTHER great holiday song for your listening pleasure. As before, it's up to you to decide which one you like best. I have my favorites – more than just one this time, actually. But I'd LIKE to hear your take on it too. Enjoy?  ~  JH

1)  Madonna  (Madonna, in her younger days, had the vocal chops and sex appeal to pull off this song with aplomb – this is an iconic version of a classic song!)

2)  Kylie Minogue  (What I said about Madonna just then, that goes double for this lady – except Kylie's not well past her prime, like Madonna is now)

3)  Ariana Grande ft. Liz Gillies  (Ariana's got a great voice, but the modernized instrumentation here takes away a lot of the charm and classic feel of the song.)

4)  Megan Nicole  (Self-made YouTube star Megan Nicole captures the essence and the sassiness of the song while keeping it sounding fresh and modern – well-done!)

5)  Kellie Pickler  (Some songs simply don't sound as good with a massively overblown country twang – I think this is one of them.)

Video wouldn't load properly – click link to view:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9LVffa5UDSQ

6)  Colbie Caillat  (I love, love, love Colbie Caillat, but…she's just too sweet for a song this sassy. When she croons, "I've been an angel this year," you actually believe her!)

7)  Taylor Swift  (She's plucky, spunky, and quite pretty, but – like Colbie Caillat – Taylor just seems too innocent for this song. Plus, the country-pop instrumentation on this one lacks the jazzy feel of the original.) 

8)  Glee Cast  (With her exotic good looks and sultry vocals, Naya Rivera is the perfect GLEE cast member to tackle this classic song!)

9)  Miss Piggy  (Everyone's favorite porcine diva is just right in this doo-wop-inspired rendition of a holiday classic. And it's awfully funny, too!)

10)  Shakira  (This is definitely one of the best modern versions of this song I've ever heard. Her voice, her look, that slight hint of an accent – it's just perfect!)

11)  Pussycat Dolls  (If anyone could wring all the subtle double entendres out of this song's lyrics and bring them to the forefront, it would be the Pussycat Dolls. The fact that they're singing the song to Snoopy Doggy Dogg dressed as Santa Claus – whom they refer to in the song as "Santa Bizzle" – just ramps up the weird factor that much more! #smh)

12)  Jenna Sousa  (If seeing and hearing a 12-year-old girl sing this decidedly adult-oriented holiday song doesn't make you more than a little uncomfortable, you might be a pedophile. Also, she kind of sucks at singing it.)

13)  Eartha Kitt  (Of all the excellent versions of this song that have been recorded in the ensuing years, none quite surpasses Kitt's original recording. This has gotta be – hands down – my favorite one.)

"Open" & "Close" Songs

Another "Opposites" music post, you ask? Yes and no. Yes, given the fact that some of the songs with "Close" in the title refer to the word "Close" (hard "s"), meaning the opposite of "Open."  While other songs with "Close" in the title refer to the word "Close" (soft "s"), meaning the opposite of "Far." Does that make sense? Anyway, enjoy!  ~  JH

1)  Taylor Swift  ~  "Eyes Open"

2)  Calvin Harris  ~  "Feel So Close"

3)  Creed  ~  "With Arms Wide Open"

4)  Lita Ford ft. Ozzy Osbourne  ~  "Close My Eyes Forever"

5)  Journey  ~  "Open Arms"

6)  Alex Clare  ~  "Too Close"

7)  Dixie Chicks  ~  "Wide Open Spaces"

8)  Fireflight  ~  "Stay Close"

9)  Gotye  ~  "Eyes Wide Open"

10)  Keith Whitley  ~  "Don't Close Your Eyes"

11)  Rhye  ~  "Open"

12)  Carpenters  ~  "Close To You"

13)  Living Colour  ~  "Open Letter To A Landlord"

14)  Common ft. Mary J. Blige  ~  "Come Close"

15)  Guano Apes  ~  "Open Your Eyes"  (Great name for a band – ha, ha!)

16)  Michael Bublé  ~  "Close Your Eyes"

17)  Alter Bridge  ~  "Open Your Eyes"

18)  Dierks Bentley  ~  "I Wanna Make You Close Your Eyes"

19)  Europe  ~  "Open Your Heart"

20)  Adam Lambert  ~  "Never Close Our Eyes"

"Safe" & "Dangerous" Songs

If, when you saw the title of this post, you thought this would be a post about songs that are safe to listen to with your kids in the room, and conversely, songs that are dangerous for your kids or anyone in general to listen to, you would be wrong. These are just a bunch of songs with the words "Safe" and "Dangerous" in their titles. Didn't mean to confuse you there. Enjoy?  ~  JH

1)  Taylor Swift ft. The Civil Wars  ~  "Safe & Sound"

2)  Roxette  ~  "Dangerous"

3)  Capital Cities  ~  "Safe And Sound"

4)  KJ-52  ~  "Dangerous"

5)  Martina McBride  ~  "Safe In The Arms Of Love"

6)  James Blunt  ~  "Dangerous"

7)  Rivermaya  ~  "You'll Be Safe Here"

8)  Bruce Cockburn  ~  "Lovers In A Dangerous Time"

9)  Anthrax  ~  "Safe Home"

10)  Doobie Brothers  ~  "Dangerous"

11)  Sheryl Crow  ~  "Safe And Sound"

12)  The Who  ~  "Dangerous"

Video wouldn't load properly – click link to view:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lf5aglraS3o

13)  Britt Nicole  ~  "Safe"

14)  Loverboy  ~  "Dangerous"

15)  Lisa Hannigan  ~  "Safe Travels"  (Listen closely to the lyrics of this song – if you don't laugh, there's something wrong with you!)

16)  The Cars  ~  "Dangerous Type"

17)  a KING  ~  "Safe As Houses"

18)  First Choice  ~  "Armed And Extremely Dangerous"

19)  Men Without Hats  ~  "Safety Dance"

Video wouldn't load properly – click link to view:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AjPau5QYtYs

20)  Kenny Loggins  ~  "Danger Zone"  (Okay, so the word "Dangerous" isn't technically in the title, but c'mon, it's the TOP GUN song!)