Every summer there's one song that stands out above the rest, usually known as the summer anthem. Whether you're on the beach, at the club, or just flipping on MTV, it's impossible to get away from. There have been some memorable ones over the years.
In 2002, Nelly convinced any female who would listen to take her clothes off, in 2004 listeners heard Usher, Lil Jon, and Ludacris utter the word "yeah" about 10 trillion times, and in 2007 a girl named Delilah almost certainly took out a restraining order.
What will dominate the airwaves this year is the question on our minds. In Hot Hits With Hugar, we'll be looking at the songs about to hit the airwaves, and trying to figure which ones have staying power, and which ones will fizzle out.
Coldplay – "Every Teardrop Is A Waterfall"
Depending on who you ask, Coldplay is either almost as influential as Radiohead, or almost as bad as Nickelback. This song probably won't change any minds, but it is one of the most immaculate sounding songs to be released this year.
Coming across as a bit of a sequel to "Viva La Vida", this number features booming keyboards and drums, a gorgeous guitar line, and brilliant production by super genius Brian Eno, who has previously produced bands ranging from Talking Heads to U2.
The haters will still hate, but Coldplay should pay no attention. They created another epic, beautiful jam with this single. Expect to hear this number for a while.
Rihanna – "Man Down"
The video, in which Rihanna literally shoots a man down, is getting more press than the song itself. That is a shame because Rihanna has produced quite a lovely tune.
Boasting a wicked reggae rhythm, it's a bit like last year's smash, "Rude Boy", only with a darker theme. While the subject matter is dark, it's also presented in a fairly lighthearted fashion, and is nowhere near the more serious material of 2009's Rated R.
If people can get past the video and start appreciating the song for what it is, it has the potential to take off.
Paramore – "Monster"
Paramore is known as a pop/punk band, but that's a bit of a misnomer. Ever since 2009's Brand New Eye, it has been about 90 percent pop and 10 percent punk. This latest number, off the Transformers: Dark Of The Moon soundtrack, largely continues that trend.
The problem for this song is not how commercial it is, but rather that is does not know what kind of song it wants to be.
"Monster" seems like a metaphor for where Paramore is right now; heavily courting mainstream success, while trying in vain to cling to its roots. As for its hit potential, it might get some play, but it won't reach the heights of "Misery Business" or "The Only Exception", which is probably a good thing.
Lil Wayne – "How To Love"
Lil Wayne and acoustic guitar sounds like it would be a match made in the fieriest pits of Hades, but somehow it ends up working. Lil Wayne's first attempt to break out of hip-hop (last year's Rebirth) was a monumental failure, but he fares much better this time around.
"How To Love" is a bit like Jack Johnson or Jason Mraz, sporting mellow vocals, and even mellower instrumentation. A lot of purists won't like to see Lil Wayne take this direction, but anyone who just enjoys good pop music will approve. This song should be a huge hit, and prove that despite a rough start, Lil Wayne really can succeed in genres outside of hip-hop.
Scotty McCreery – "I Love You This Big"
Even for an American Idol song, "I Love You This Big" is ridiculously sappy, and frankly, one of the blandest songs to be released this year. Granted, McCreery's vocals are strong, and musically it's a perfectly decent slab of generic modern country, however the lyrics are just way too simple and meaningless.
The song will probably be a hit anyway, because it's perfectly pleasant to listen to, but a little more effort would've been nice.
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