Originally published on metropolis.co.jp on August 2012
We’re not too proud to admit we crave hearing our preferred rock gods render their hits—after all it’s not as if we go to concerts to provide a focus group for their latest material. So in the spirit of shameless pop abandon, we give you a countdown of ten guilty pleasures you know you want to sing along with at this weekend’s Summer Sonic, more or less in order of popularity. YouTube provides the metric, with Pitbull’s “Rain Over Me” topping out at a stunning over 320 million views.
10. St. Vincent “Cruel”
What skinny jeaned rock dude in his right mind wouldn’t want svelte American indie goddess St. Vincent serenading him with her beguiling 2011 sensation?
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9. Franz Ferdinand “Take Me Out”
2004 is ancient history, but back then Scottish post-punk revivalists Franz Ferdinand’s sharp-edged “Take Me Out” was the most refreshing rock track to chart in years.
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8. Tears For Fears “Everybody Wants To Rule The World”
We wouldn’t admit it in 1985—now it’s an openly confessable guilty pleasure. Spending two weeks atop the US charts, the English duo’s song is a slick pop masterpiece with a message.
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7. Jamiroquai “Virtual Insanity”
Young Englishman Jay Kay seemed like the white man’s hip, environmentally correct answer to Stevie Wonder in 1996—now he comes off simply as wan and white. Still, this track perfectly captures the jazz-funk zeitgeist of the era.
[youtube]4JkIs37a2JE[/youtube]
6. Perfume “Nachuraru ni Ai Shite”
Japan’s answer to the K-pop juggernaut? On the contrary, it’s their hopeless dance moves, brazen embrace of consumerism and inexpert squeak-singing that gives them their J-pop charm.
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5. Green Day “21 Guns”
No one could accuse frontman Billie Joe Armstrong of subtlety. Green Day’s 2009 anti-war power ballad symbolized the Bay Area trio’s transformation from punk rockers to pop titans.
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4. Ke$ha “TiK ToK”
The very first Number One of 2010 may have been as good as it’s ever going to get for pop tart Ke$ha. But you never know, with Iggy Pop as inspiration and Flaming Lips’ Wayne Coyne’s participation, her imminent second album may reinvent her as a rock goddess.
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3. Rihanna “What’s My Name? ft. Drake”
Rihanna’s third Number One in 2010 (and Drake’s first ever) is the tantalizing re-embrace of sexuality from a vulnerable girl getting over her abuse at the hands of Chris Brown. Hit machine Stargate’s production and songwriter Ester Dean’s melismas make it a one-two punch.
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2. Gotye “Somebody That I Used To Know (feat. Kimbra)”
Belgian-Australian Gotye and New Zealander Kimbra’s 2011 monster hit may have been a break-up song, but it marked the perfect union between indie-rock and urban R&B. The track touched Number One in more than 23 countries and charted in the top ten in more than 30 worldwide.
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1. Pitbull “Rain Over Me ft. Marc Anthony”
Is it a proper song or a commercial for a BMW Z4? No matter, this Euro-rave smash pitting rapper Pitbull against singer Marc Anthony—both of Latin Caribbean descent—destroyed the charts in Europe and Latin America. In Japan it registered barely a blip.
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