terminoob Posted January 1, 2014 Share Posted January 1, 2014 While I do admit that the animation was easily my favorite thing about Monsters University, I felt the story was disappointing. It didn't exceed my expectations, but I guess part of the problem was my expectations for Monsters University were sky high after not only seeing all the praise on here, but other forms of social media. After the movie finished, I just simply thought to myself, "That was it? That was the highly praised Monsters University?" I don't know, maybe I should sit through it again since my expectations have dropped drastically, but I just don't feel like it was "the perfect Pixar movie" or anything of that like. It was just a good movie, that doesn't match up to other Pixar greats to me. But don't worry, I think Monsters University is better than both Cars, A Bug's Life, and maybe Brave. I think with what they were "stuck with" (for lack of a better term) they did exactly what they needed to. They had to build up to Monster's Inc somehow; they needed to show why Mike and Sulley work so well together, and the campground scene at the climax of the movie showcased that perfectly. They talk about it a lot in the commentary, because they were going into this movie with the general public not really caring. Everyone knew Mike and Sulley were going to end up friends, so no one (including me) saw the point in making the movie. The writers never hid that predictability from anyone, but instead they were making little plot turns here and there that could count as a sort of "world building" for Monster's Inc.; Randall as Mike's roommate was a perfect example as that type of curveball. I also think that this movie came out at a pivotal time for a lot of people; it's like Toy Story 3 for the kids that arrived a couple years late. It had a message that really hit home for a lot of kids in college, because we're all struggling with a sense of identity and self-worth ("I worked my whole life for this but am I really good enough", "that guy is so much better than me, right?", "I feel so dumb in this class, why am I here?", "am I really going to succeed?", "is this the right path for me?"), and the lakeside convo between Mike and Sulley was absolutely brilliant for driving that message home. I'm also really impressed with how they utilized lighting and characters to demonstrate the characterization and development that Mike and Sulley go through (they use lighting in some scenes to showcase who's "on top" [so in the first class when Prof. Knight asks everyone to demonstrate a scare and Mike isn't scary but Sulley is, Mike is cast in Sulley's shadow, and then the next time they demonstrate scares Mike is prepared and better than Sulley so he's the one in light and Sulley is in shadow], and they use the members of Oozma Kappa as divisions of Mike and Sulley's personality and helping the team succeed and form a sense of unity is what makes the relationship between Mike and Sulley so strong). I agree that the plot wasn't outstanding or ground-breaking like other Pixar films (like Monster's Inc, for example), but they hit all the right notes where it counted. I went into the movie expecting predictability and got blown away because they embraced it and excelled in it and they were able to do so many subtle nuances with characters and set and lighting and everything. I just thought it was amazing. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clappy Posted January 3, 2014 Author Share Posted January 3, 2014 Now that I have completed my movies, time for me to take a dive into music. I should have seen my review thread for music coming. I constantly keep up with Wumbo’s reviews whether it be looking at old ones on SBC or lurking his new blogspot (I would comment Wumbo if I hadn’t forgot my password to my gmail account, but that might change once I open my new blogspot soon ). It was only fitting once I took that dive by counting down my Bottom 50 songs of all time. I had way too much fun doing that that soon after I finished, I created Clappy vs Billboard Hot 100. I’m glad I’ve picked up so many followers/fans since I was worried about doing this while still doing my movie reviews. Granted, I feel this is easier for me since I listen to pop radio at work while I don’t always watch bad movies on my free will anymore. Ok I think that’s enough of an introduction. Time to tackle 2013 pop music and man, this has been a tough year for pop music. I often say that 2010 was my least favorite year of music. While 2013 is not 2010 bad, I feel that this was a year of regression since 2011 and 2012 were both improvements over 2010. 2013 just bored me. Not just music, but everything entertainment related. I hate bad music, but I’d rather feel something than nothing at all which is why I constantly say boringly bad music can be the worst. Of course there are exceptions to that statement, but that was hard to find for the most part. So before I get to my Bottom 10, I’d like to dedicate some time to songs that just missed out on making my list. "Diamonds" - Rihanna Spoilerhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lWA2pjMjpBs I'm just getting sick of Rihanna. Can't she just go away for a year or two? Her singing isn't tolerable here at least, but the subject matter is still boring. If I hear the words "shine bright like a diamond" one more time...It's almost as unbearable as the phrases "good girl" or "bad bitch". "Demons" - Imagine Dragons Spoilerhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mWRsgZuwf_8 Oh how I wish I could have this on my bottom 10 to just show how much I hate this song. However, I found worse songs on this list. Hell, I found an even worse song than this currently in the Top 10 of Billboard that's not Say Something. Hell, this song I'm referring to is on my Bottom 10 of 2013. So I guess I'm sorry Imagine Dragons for saying that this song is my least favorite on the charts right now. This song still sucks though. "Don't You Worry Child" - Swedish House Mafia (featuring John Martin) Spoilerhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1y6smkh6c-0 Whatever novelty this song had wore off pretty quick. Good God the lyrics just put me to sleep. Plus whoever John Martin is needs better annunciation. It seriously took me months to figure out he's saying "see heaven's got a plan for you". I always thought it was "Seattle's got a plan for you". Wumbo, you say the production needs to be massive to qualify as good. Well the production just overpowers the lyrics here. It's too massive for it's own good. Sure it can be fun to dance to, but the production needs to step back so I can actually hear the lyrics in the song. "Girl on Fire" - Alicia Keys (featuring Nicki Minaj) Spoilerhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J91ti_MpdHA I think I'm just going to post this version because the Nicki Minaj version makes it much worse. Alicia Keys can just go away. This song just makes absolutely no sense. It wasn't until I watched Todd In The Shadows review it that I realized what exactly it was about. But yeah this girl is incredibly bland and lacking of personality. Just like Alicia Keys. She serves no purpose and the song does little to elaborate anything about the focal point of the song. Hell I'd rather listen to most Beyonce female empowerment songs than this because at least they are interesting. This is just boring. "I'm Different" - 2 Chainz Spoilerhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e2QKlmMT8II Dammit, I wish Wumbo didn't already use the "Sure you are 2 Chainz line. Sure you are." I'm sorry, but is there anything I really need to say about this? Wumbo already said the best critique of this. It's boring. It's bad. 2 Chainz doesn't do anything to prove how different this is from any other rap song on the radio. Next please. "U.O.E.N.O." - Rocko (featuring Future & Rick Ross) Spoilerhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qEkcYsqu6MU Is it bad that I'm kinda fascinated at how bad this is? I don't know who the hell Rocko is, nor do I really care. I absolutely despise Future. As much crap as I give most rappers who I feel are bad, Future just flat out doesn't deserve to be famous. He's horrendous. I placed "Turn Off The Lights" on my worst list last year and wouldn't you know it, he started to appear in far too many rap songs this year. Of course that would happen because artists I despise just don't go away. What kinda saves this song from appearing on here is two things: -I just heard it for the first time while listening to every song on Billboard's Hot 100 list. It's bad, but I don't have that loathe feeling towards this song like Wumbo does. Like I said, I'm kinda fascinated at it's badness, which is at least some emotion. -Rick Ross. I'm just amused by Rick Ross in general. I don't even care about his rapping. His presence on everything just brings joy into my life. *Rick Ross grunts* "Pour It Up" - Rihanna Spoilerhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ehcVomMexkY In any normal year, I would have this on my bottom list. This song is atrocious and I don't even care if Rihanna is doing very naughty dirty things. I have to listen to her awful sing-rapping which kills any feeling of arousal. "Roar" - Katy Perry Spoilerhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CevxZvSJLk8 God I got so sick of this in a heartbeat. I take back anything positive I said about the song. All the borrowing from past songs and "Brave" just made this song despicable. Guess what though? I was right on my review of this. The songs from Prism got even worse because her follow up song Unconditionally absolutely sucked. I only wish Unconditionally became an actual hit because that easily could have made my Bottom 10 of 2013. It's void of any sort of personality just like "Roar" oh and her pronunciation of the word "Unconditionally" was just aggravating. Probably my new least favorite Katy Perry song. I also listened to "Walking on Air" and that was pretty unbearable too. I can't wait to see what she releases as her next hit single because my feelings for Katy Perry are in very serious jeopardy right now: Spoilerhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F9S-88WxPdE Uh oh...this song... "Wrecking Ball" - Miley Cyrus Spoilerhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=My2FRPA3Gf8 Just missed my Bottom 10 barely. What can I say. After going back and forth with Wumbo about how bad this was, I felt pretty joyful when I saw what he wrote about this in his thread. However, I have a confession. I have a positive to say about this compared to my scathing review I wrote months ago. The song itself deserves better than Miley. Miley is easy the problem with this song because she has done so much to her image this year that it's hard to feel anything for "Wrecking Ball" which is suppose to be emotional. It doesn't help that the music video is the music video for this song either. Can't Believe It - Flo Rida (featuring Pitbull) Spoilerhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7IPUShvY1Nc Too bad this wasn't a hit this year. It was easily the worst song of 2013. It's unbelievably bad. You have to listen to it to believe it. Flo Rida does a ridiculously poor man's version of Ludacris while Pitbull just Pitbulls everywhere during his part. This song should seriously be studied because it's quite fascinating. It makes the turn from so bad it's good to just being so bad again. The music video is also quite fascinatingly bad too, but it's for mature audiences which is why I only posted this version. With all that being said, let's get to the main event: CLAPPY'S 10 WORST HIT SONGS OF 2013 10. "Stay" - Rihanna featuring Mikky Ekko Spoilerhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JF8BRvqGCNs Let's go back to "Pour It Up" before I continue with this review. This is 2013 at it's best. "Pour It Up" is an awful song, but at least I felt hate when I listen to it. This? This right here? I feel nothing. I just want to put this on mute and just see Rihanna sit in that tub..pondering. It seriously doesn't help that the piano keeps hitting the same keys repeatedly. I don't think they ever play anymore than three or four notes. Sorry guys, but if you want a funnier review of how bland these contemporary ballads are, go see my "Say Something" review. I seriously hate these ballads and of course I'm sick of Rihanna. Put them both together and you get my extreme displeasure of this song. 9. "I Love It" - Icona Pop (featuring Charli XCX) Spoilerhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UxxajLWwzqY You know, I didn't mind this song at first, but man that changed really quick. Talk about incredibly repetitive dreck. I don't mind electro-pop. It's just...these lyrics make no damn sense: I got this feeling on the summer day when you were gone. Boyfriend cheated, so she left without taking her medication because that has to be the only legitimate explanation for the rest of this song: I crashed my car into the bridge. I watched, I let it burn. You what?! You didn't crash your boyfriend's car...you crashed YOUR OWN CAR? I threw your shit into a bag and pushed it down the stairs. I'm sorry, but didn't she crash her own car into the bridge? How can this happen if she fucking crashed her car into a bridge? She should be dead. I crashed my car into the bridge. Again? Oh wait...that's the repetitive lyrics. I think the main reason I hate this song is this: You're from the 70's, but I'm a 90's bitch Oh this. This explains everything. She is dating a guy twenty years older than her which clearly means she has daddy issues and is an immature brat. The production is better than most EDM songs this year, but these lyrics are way too fucking stupid to redeem anything else. 8. "The Other Side" - Jason DeRulo Spoilerhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=byp94CCWKSI Ugh I thought we finally got rid of this hackjob two years ago? I passionately hate JJJAAAYYYSSSOONNN DDDEERRUUULLOOO. I hate everything about him. His heavily edited voice. How he has to include saying his own name in every song. His lack of any personality in that matter. I mean hell, I prefer Chris Brown much more than this guy because that's what Jason DeRulo is when it all comes down to it. He's a poor man's Chris Brown. Too bad Chris Brown is trying his best to commit career suicide even harder because I would like to look at a chart scene without Jason DeRulo. This song is no different from any other Jason DeRulo songs. He wants to be more than just friends with this girl and he decides the best way to do it is to... Tonight we’ll just get drunk Disturb the peace Find your hands all over me And then you bite your lip Whisper and say, “We’re going all the way.” Yeah...he went there. The only way to get to "The Other Side" is by having a one night stand. I don't know Jason, why don't you try telling her how you feel? Maybe she'll reciprocate those feelings back. God how does this not surprise me? This is coming from the same guy that admitted to cheating on a girl but he wants her back by buying her fancy and expensive things. God I hate him. Just go fuck yourself Jason DeRulo. 7. "Let Her Go" - Passenger Spoilerhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RBumgq5yVrA Sorry once again Imagine Dragons. When you have an ear bleeding song like this also in the Top 10, you get a free pass. Just like how I mentioned earlier that Wrecking Ball's problems begin and end with Miley, the same applies to Let Her Go. Except I don't think Let Her Go does anything to differentiate itself as a song. It's one of those cheesy songs you hear on karaoke night at a college bar when you see some random white guy playing his guitar and having the girls fan over him because he acts sentimental when he is just in it for the sex. I don't feel any sincerity from this song whatsoever which is why that metaphor applies here. Oh and let's get the obvious main reason this song is awful out of the way: PASSENGER'S VOICE. Once again, Wumbo beat me to the punch with the jokes. This man's singing voice sounds like it is voiced by a cartoon character. I can't take this song seriously at all with that atrocious of a voice. Some people aren't meant to sing so let's send that message out there to all future songwriters. If you can't sing, DON'T SING. 6. "I Knew You Were Trouble" - Taylor Swift Spoilerhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vNoKguSdy4Y Just go away Taylor Swift. You are starting to get to Rihanna levels of annoyance. I'm sick of you singing the same damn songs. I'm sick of you bashing ex-boyfriends. Somewhere down the line, you'll realize that you are the problem and that these guys are lucky to have gotten away from you. I don't care how attractive I find you. I just don't want to be the next ex-boyfriend you bash. Oh and in that monologue, your self-prophecy about how you don't know if you'll ever feel that way ever again is absolute bullshit. Just do yourself and us all a favor and just leave us alone. While I still feel like "Mine" is the worst thing you've ever done, this is easily second place. 5. "Started From The Bottom" - Drake Spoilerhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RubBzkZzpUA Speaking of worst thing you've ever done, hello Drake. I think I've already touched upon how much I hate this song. But I never touched upon this lyric which explains all the problems with this song in one sentence: We don't like to do too much explaining This is exactly what the problem with this song is. I don't care if Drake wants to brag about how much better he is than everyone else and how rough he has had it growing up (being upper-middle class and an actor on Degrassi must be so tough). YOU NEED TO EXPLAIN YOUR HARDSHIPS! OTHERWISE ALL WE GET IS: Started from the bottom now we're here Started from the bottom now my whole team fucking here I use to like you Drake, but you are quickly losing whatever appreciation I once had for your music. 4. "Harlem Shake" - Bauuer Spoilerhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bk1_DbbzSdY Congratulations 21st Century. You have your own version of the Macarena. Seriously, that's the best description as to why this got so big. Hopefully, just like the Macarena, this gets looked back on like the embarrassing fad this was. Amirite Jelly? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A6fDwYQhL1g Not going to spoiler tag that video. Oh and also, I hate to post the Nostalgia Critic on a song countdown, but: Spoilerhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o7vANpnsLlQ 3. "#thatPOWER" - will.i.am (featuring Justin Bieber) Spoilerhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DGIgXP9SvB8 Out of all the artists I posted on this countdown, none do I want to simply go away more than will.i.am. You know for as much crap as "Scream and Shout" gets, I'll give will.i.am credit where it's due that I thought it was somewhat catchy. Now I absolutely hate it. But this? I knew this was absolute shit the moment I heard it. Everything about this song just screams pure laziness: -What does Justin Bieber's chorus have anything to do with the song? -Just when I thought will.i.am couldn't come up with a lazier production... -Adding a # sign just to get his song to trend on Twitter -Very unmotivated lyrics -Obvious whoring marketing strategies (the Shazam logo is obvious, we don't need to see it three times in the video DAMMIT) Will. I get it. You just want to make people dance. But stop wasting my time by coming up with half-assed lyrics, shitty productions, and whoring your artistic integrity just to make a couple extra bucks. I know I just got on Imagine Dragons about selling out their artistic integrity with Demons, but Will, you've been doing this for far too long and getting away with making shittier and shittier music. He is easily the laziest artist in the business right now and god do I wish he can just go away, but with music becoming more EDM, I have a very bad feeling that won't be happening anytime soon. 2. "Come & Get It" - Selena Gomez Spoilerhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n-D1EB74Ckg What else can I say about this song that I haven't said. This song is a love song that only toddlers would appreciate. It's horrendously boring. I mean she is just sitting there waiting for YOU to come and get her. How does this sound like anything she wouldn't do if she was still a part of the Disney corporation. If you guys want a more detailed explanation, go find my Top 50 Worst Songs of All-Time list. I'm tired of wasting my breath on this. If Selena Gomez wants to pretend to be Rihanna, be my guest. This kind of soulless dreck is just nauseating since I know Selena is more talented than this. 1. "The Fox" - Ylvis Spoilerhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jofNR_WkoCE My detest for this grows by the day to the point that it became my least favorite song on 2013's Billboard Year End list. I don't care if it's not meant to be taken seriously. It's just not funny. There is nothing redeemable about it and I'd rather hate on an actual song than a "joke song". It can't be a joke if it's on the year end charts for that reason. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Burgerpants Posted January 3, 2014 Share Posted January 3, 2014 GOD I HATE #9. Nothing in the song works. SO HOW DID THIS SONG BECOME SO POSSIBLE? And btw, I have to mention the commercial for Epic that used this song. Remember? This is epic We love it Only one thing: THEY DON'T SHOW ANY REVIEWS OF THE MOVIE. "Because it's NOT LIKE WE ACTUALLY HAVE TO SHOW THE "rave" WE'RE ADVERTISING BY SAYING EVERYONE LOVES OUR MOVIE LOL WE STUPID" Get these people in the Toot-Toot. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
terminoob Posted January 3, 2014 Share Posted January 3, 2014 See, now, I like "The Fox". I like it because they just parodied every pop song of the past decade. I don't think it's funny by any means; I think it's super annoying, but I think that's what they were going for. It sounds like a generic pop song, right? It has the obvious beats, it has the obnoxious singing, it has the weird music video, and it has the lyrics that are just absolute nonsense. It's not really a song but people are still talking about it, like every other generic pop song that comes out. It's generic garbage that people will listen to and talk about anyway. Their other stuff is really hit or miss, I think, but stuff like "Stonehenge" or "Massachusetts" are a lot different than "The Fox" so they were definitely doing something different with that one (for the record, I do like their other stuff, so I might be a tad biased and totally talking out of my ass). 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sweat Posted January 3, 2014 Share Posted January 3, 2014 I fucking hate #thatPOWER. Wil.i.am and Justin Bieber; 2 of the biggest male douchebag musicians; joining together!? That is unacceptable. #thatPOWER is my least favorite song of 2013, with We Can't Stop at #2. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clappy Posted January 3, 2014 Author Share Posted January 3, 2014 See, now, I like "The Fox". I like it because they just parodied every pop song of the past decade. I don't think it's funny by any means; I think it's super annoying, but I think that's what they were going for. It sounds like a generic pop song, right? It has the obvious beats, it has the obnoxious singing, it has the weird music video, and it has the lyrics that are just absolute nonsense. It's not really a song but people are still talking about it, like every other generic pop song that comes out. It's generic garbage that people will listen to and talk about anyway. Their other stuff is really hit or miss, I think, but stuff like "Stonehenge" or "Massachusetts" are a lot different than "The Fox" so they were definitely doing something different with that one (for the record, I do like their other stuff, so I might be a tad biased and totally talking out of my ass). The only thing I can respectfully say about The Fox is that I get the joke. Why else would there be that obnoxious beat? It's because of how electronic pop music is becoming. The only reason I am treating this like a song is because it became a song whether it was intentional or not. It started to play on pop music stations. It reached as high as #6 on Billboard Hot 100. To top it all off, it charted on the year end list so I treated it like any other song. I just don't find it funny. It's not funny as a song. It's not funny as a joke video. I just think it's obnoxious. But hey, I welcome other people's opinions. It helps keep the debate going and alive. I appreciate you being completely honest to me about why you like it. I fucking hate #thatPOWER. Wil.i.am and Justin Bieber; 2 of the biggest male douchebag musicians; joining together!? That is unacceptable. #thatPOWER is my least favorite song of 2013, with We Can't Stop at #2. Not to mention for a song with the word "power" in the title, it's not powerful whatsoever. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
terminoob Posted January 3, 2014 Share Posted January 3, 2014 The only thing I can respectfully say about The Fox is that I get the joke. Why else would there be that obnoxious beat? It's because of how electronic pop music is becoming. The only reason I am treating this like a song is because it became a song whether it was intentional or not. It started to play on pop music stations. It reached as high as #6 on Billboard Hot 100. To top it all off, it charted on the year end list so I treated it like any other song. I just don't find it funny. It's not funny as a song. It's not funny as a joke video. I just think it's obnoxious. But hey, I welcome other people's opinions. It helps keep the debate going and alive. I appreciate you being completely honest to me about why you like it. I really like that because it just shows how susceptible we are as a society to catchy pop tunes and how we can easily just disregard lyrics because of a beat. I know it's really annoying that people consider it a song, but from a sociology stand-point it's really interesting to see it become a "real" song and hit the Billboard Hot 100 (I don't even know if that's what they were going for, it's mostly just me looking at it from a different angle). I guess I'm more defending the idea of it more than the actual product, because like I said I think it's really annoying (and I don't think there was any outcome where it wouldn't be super annoying) and I agree that it's really bad and it shouldn't be treated as such a sensation, but the idea of making fun of pop songs is always appealing to me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doctor Sex Posted January 3, 2014 Share Posted January 3, 2014 Started From the Bottom pisses me off so much but you gotta admit its pretty catchy. As for U.O.E.N.O. its a piece of garbage it was a little funny at first but oh my god Future being succesful makes no sense at all he sounds like T-Pains horribly deformed baby or something 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wumbo Posted January 3, 2014 Share Posted January 3, 2014 Nice picks, Claps. Some points: -I do think you have a little too much hate for the Passenger song. Yeah, it's kind of boring, and the guy's voice is awful, but I think the lyrics should save it from the bottom 10. -Hey, we both think that "I Knew You Were Trouble" was the 6th worst song of 2013. *brofist* -The difference between The Macarena and Harlem Shake is that The Macarena was actually a song. -It's funny, because my appreciation grew for "I Love It" as yours dwindled. I think the ridiculous lyrics are part of what makes this song. It's just a fireball of not giving a fuck zooming through your ears, and it's got a good beat and you can dance to it. Probably my weirdest choice in my Top 20, but I stand by it. -I still put "Scream & Shout" much, much lower than "#thatPOWER", and I'm surprised I didn't even see it on your honourable mentions. At least Justin Bieber makes a little effort. Listen to Britney Spears in "Scream & Shout". There is no possible way you can put in less effort than that. I think she would have more emotion while sleeping. Also, will.i.am needs to stop calling his music "rock and roll". Not even in the loosest sense of the word is that a fact. -"The Fox" as number 1. I can't say I disagree with this position, as the joke wore on me too, but "Harlem Shake" will forever be a stain on this year, nay, this decade's music. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clappy Posted January 3, 2014 Author Share Posted January 3, 2014 Nice picks, Claps. Some points: -I do think you have a little too much hate for the Passenger song. Yeah, it's kind of boring, and the guy's voice is awful, but I think the lyrics should save it from the bottom 10. -Hey, we both think that "I Knew You Were Trouble" was the 6th worst song of 2013. *brofist* -The difference between The Macarena and Harlem Shake is that The Macarena was actually a song. -It's funny, because my appreciation grew for "I Love It" as yours dwindled. I think the ridiculous lyrics are part of what makes this song. It's just a fireball of not giving a fuck zooming through your ears, and it's got a good beat and you can dance to it. Probably my weirdest choice in my Top 20, but I stand by it. -I still put "Scream & Shout" much, much lower than "#thatPOWER", and I'm surprised I didn't even see it on your honourable mentions. At least Justin Bieber makes a little effort. Listen to Britney Spears in "Scream & Shout". There is no possible way you can put in less effort than that. I think she would have more emotion while sleeping. Also, will.i.am needs to stop calling his music "rock and roll". Not even in the loosest sense of the word is that a fact. -"The Fox" as number 1. I can't say I disagree with this position, as the joke wore on me too, but "Harlem Shake" will forever be a stain on this year, nay, this decade's music.-You may like the lyrics but these lyrics are far too corny for me. Hold me when it's high tide turning low? *rolls eyes* Poison had a corny love song called "Every Rose Had It's Thorn". The lyrics are very cheesy but at less Bret Michaels can make it work. Passenger here cannot. That's the best comparison I can think of to this which Let It Go should feel lucky I compared it to a good Poison song. -*brofists* -Ew you actually called the Macarena a song. How nice of you. People regretted making the Macarena a number one song in 1994 and I think it's only a matter of time until people regret making the Harlem Shake a number one song in 2013. -Whatever helps you crash your car into a bridge. -Just because I don't have Scream and Shout in my honorable mentions doesn't mean I didn't consider it. I just felt like I had better things to say about those songs mentioned in the honorable mentions. I would have just mentioned the same things I did in my statement about #thatpower minus replace one bland white chick (Britney) with another (Bieber). And speaking of Bieber, you call what he did in his song trying? His part feels incredibly disconnected from #thatpower that I honestly believe him and will.i.am never actually spent anytime in the studio collaborating with each other. It just makes the song that much more a mess. Yes he is singing but it doesn't mean it's working. -Yeah I'm just as surprised as you are since I thought my boringly bad hatred of "Come and Get It" would keep it at number one, but Ylvis's boringly bad "joke" just kept getting unfunnier every time I heard it. I think The Fox will probably be the only song forgotten from this list as the year's go by because just like a bad joke, it will disappear from my subconscious. I hope. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clappy Posted January 8, 2014 Author Share Posted January 8, 2014 Hope you guys survived four days without an update. I had to redo my list after contemplating on leaving off 2012 songs that carried over into 2013, but let's face it. Some of those songs get better as the year goes by. That's why I had to revitalize it. Anyway, without further ado: HONORABLE MENTIONS OF GOOD SONGS THIS YEAR “Little Talks” – Of Monsters and Men Pretty good song, but whoever decided to add the slow down part of the song before the final chorus slightly kills the momentum a bit. Still, it helped me become a fan of the band. They have better songs on this cd as well. “Sail” – AWOLNATION I know it's pretty much dubstep beats to go with piercing vocals, but I enjoy this song…a lot. Still disappointed I didn’t get to see AWOLNATION for free at my alma mater’s homecoming because I really love them. Kill Your Heroes should be their follow up single btw. “Carry On” fun. Kinda wish this became a bigger hit, but it was still a pleasant surprise to see on the year end chart. It still takes a while for the song to kick it into high gear, but I still really like this song. Almost made the year end chart. “Berzerk” – Eminem Ok so it wasn’t the amazing song I self proclaimed it to be. Some of the lyrics are slightly cheesy, but Eminem definitely has his flow back and I’m a huge fan once again. “Best Song Ever" - One Direction …don’t judge me. I was just so surprised when I first heard this. It’s like these guys want to become better artists instead of tweenage hearth throbs. Plus in a year where most of the music was generally dull and boring, surprising songs like this grab my attention where it’s due. “Thrift Shop” – Macklemore & Ryan Lewis (featuring Wanz) I went from hating this song to loving it as the days went by. It’s still a goofy song, but it does actually have plenty of points where I have to respect it as a very good song like spending so much money on name brand clothes is stupid. However, those goofy moments like talking about R Kelly’s skeet blanket, your grandpa’s clothes, walking into the club, etc. still make me shake my head and it hurts its’ chances of being on my Top 10. Still have to give credit where it’s due for growing on me the more I hear it. “Mirrors” – Justin Timberlake Sorry Justin, but I got tired of this pretty quickly. While I still think it’s good, I just don’t think it’s as great as everyone else. I do love the music video though a lot, but the replay value on this is pretty short lived. At least you still have the girl. Jessica Biel is pretty damn gorgeous and I think this song compliments her beauty quite well. “Die Young” – Ke$ha Have to contradict what Wumbo said. This song is very fun and I feel is a much better song than anything else I’ve heard from Ke$ha. It’s not saying much since I think most of her dreck is very dumb, but this is just way too catchy and morbid to not enjoy. I mean who doesn’t want to make the most of their night like he or she is going to die young? “Clarity” – Zedd (featuring Foxes) Had to mention one EDM song since god knows how many of those we had this year. Foxes does a damn good job selling it and Zedd knows when to not got overboard on the production unlike most EDM artist. However, that chorus just ruins any chance this had of making my Top 10. Sorry. “Treasure” – Bruno Mars Very close to making my Top 10 list. This was a rebound year for Bruno and this song definitely got lost in the Blurred Lines heavy summer 2013 playlist. A real shame because this was an awesome throwback to late 70s/early 80s R&B music. Bruno is so much better when he isn’t singing about a girl breaking his heart. Also want to give a shout out to "Some Nights" by fun. While it didn't make my Top 10, it was also close. Just didn't feel like writing out a description...even though I just did. CLAPPY'S TOP 10 HIT SONGS OF 2013 10. “Radioactive” – Imagine Dragons Spoiler Elastic and Sex grab your pitchforks. I have the stupid song about the nuclear apocalypse in my Top 10 list. I don’t care how many stupid moments it has. I don’t care how much it became overplayed. This song just works as something you have to sing along to and just jam out to. We all have that one song and this year, WOOAHH OH OH I’M RADIOACTIVE! RADIOACTIVE! 9. “Applause” – Lady Gaga Spoiler Even if it isn’t Gaga at her best, average Lady Gaga is still far better than most other artists. I think my 4/5 should probably be more of a 4.5/5. I still wish Lady Gaga would continue to try and reinvent pop music more so than she has because I think she is far more capable than she gives herself credit for. But this is still an insanely catchy song and better than her follow-up single. Sorry Gaga, but I would not let R. Kelly do what he wants what he wants with my body like you do. 8. “Royals” – Lorde Spoiler So this didn’t end up making my Top 5 like I predicted. I think I might have overpraised this song a bit. I love this song more for what it could have become than what it was. A song about how overrated it is to have the finer things in life and not being rich and fabulous. However, I do think this is the anthem of the 99%-ers. Plus, she’s only 16? I don’t care if she has another hit ever again. That’s still impressive. 7. “Safe & Sound” – Capital Cities Spoiler Sorry Wumbo, but I love this. As a huge fan of synthpop and indie rock, Capital Cities gave me another great throwback to 80s music at it’s finest. If I could praise any generation of music, it’s the 80s. It contains a lot of cheesy goodness and just a lot of fun songs. Capital Cities gave me a throwback to better musical times and it was just a great escape from EDM and boring ballads this year. 6. “The Way” – Ariana Grande (featuring Mac Miller) Spoiler Ariana Grande is far more talented than her peers in her age group that it’s almost embarrassing. Selena Gomez could be near her in pure talent, but she keeps making too many wrong song choices. Miley Cyrus is…well Miley Cyrus. Need I say more? Demi Lovato’s music is slightly corny to take seriously (although Heart Attack was actually good). Then here comes Ariana Grande. She manages to out Mariah Carey with this throwback to 90’s R&B music. Her voice is just so good and just everything she does in this is pretty near perfect…except for the lame guest track. Mac Miller nearly kills the momentum of this song listing off things they could be doing on their date (Bruce Almighty references? Really? This isn’t 2003 Mac.) I seriously hope Ariana gets that second hit soon because she deserves it. Please make it be Right There! Please! 5. “Can’t Hold Us” – Macklemore & Ryan Lewis (featuring Ray Dalton) Spoiler At the time, I was sure Macklemore was going to be a one hit wonder, but then came this just simply great pop song. It’s insanely catchy and just very hard to nitpick at. It’s easily the most flawless of Macklemore’s songs. I just love everything about this and while I may have been hard on Billboard this year for what did or did not hit number one on the charts, I absolutely agree with this being number one for as long as it was. This is just a feel good song that deserves all the praise it gets. 4. “Swimming Pools” – Kendrick Lamar Spoiler I’m cheating. I had this on my Top 10 last year and it’s only gotten better as the year went by. I have to give this song so much praise for being just simply so damn good. Kendrick Lamar’s music just in general this year was so far better than most of his peers and it’s only a matter of time until Kendrick Lamar becomes one of the biggest names in rap. I mean I guess he is now, but if he keeps making music as good as this, his legacy will just get better. Oh and just because I am talking about Kendrick Lamar:Spoiler Had to share this Turntable classic. 3. “Suit & Tie” – Justin Timberlake (featuring Jay-Z) Spoiler Welcome back to the music industry Justin. Man this song just epitomizes why Justin Timberlake is so cool. I couldn’t have imagined a better song for Justin Timberlake to return to. Plus having Jay-Z guest voice your return song? At the time, I couldn’t have been happier. Of course, Justin Timberlake and Jay-Z’s bromance was clearly elaborated later in the year with their concert series and of course, the inferior collaboration Holy Grail. Still, if I end up remembering one thing about music in 2013, it’s the return of a legend in Justin Timberlake. I’ll just enjoy it while I can since I have no idea when or if he’ll make another album again. 2. “Locked Out of Heaven” – Bruno Mars Spoiler So let’s make that two songs I had on my year end countdown last year reappear again this year. Just like Swimming Pools, this song got so much better as the year went by. This song brought Bruno Mars back into my graces in a huge way. I don’t care if it’s a rip off of The Police. We aren’t getting Sting back to making good music anytime soon. As a matter of fact, this only further elaborates my theory that Bruno Mars is a better artist when hes not trying to make over emotional songs about break ups. I don’t know if Bruno will make a song this good ever again, but I seriously hope he proves me wrong. Hope you don’t freeze your ass off in the Super Bowl halftime show Bruno. 1. “Get Lucky” – Daft Punk (featuring Pharrell Williams) Spoilerhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5NV6Rdv1a3I It was very hard to choose between this and Locked Out of Heaven on which would end up as my favorite song of 2013. This song was easily the best throwback jam out of all the ones I’ve mentioned in this post. It’s just fun and beyond catchy. Daft Punk choose one hell of a great collaborator in Pharrell Williams. I was pretty glad that Pharrell had the comeback that he had this year because The Neptunes are great producers and Pharrell was easily one of the best parts of Blurred Lines (WOO!). Oh and can’t praise Daft Punk enough for their part in this as well. Oh and for also turning down Stephen Colbert because otherwise we wouldn’t have gotten this wonderful video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cs6r6Ud0GGU EDIT: Just so we are clear since video isn't working apparently, it's the Stephen Colbert video of him dancing all over the place with tons of hilarious cameos. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
terminoob Posted January 8, 2014 Share Posted January 8, 2014 Woo! Capital Cities! I love Capital Cities! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clappy Posted January 8, 2014 Author Share Posted January 8, 2014 Woo! Capital Cities! I love Capital Cities! As do I. I went to see them when they came to Richmond in November. Such a blast and I hope Kangaroo Court becomes a hit song. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doctor Sex Posted January 8, 2014 Share Posted January 8, 2014 I said how much I hate Macklemore in Wumbos thread but I'm just gonna say why I don't like Cant Hold Us. I think Macklemores rapping is really lame and the songs production sounds like a generic pop song. What also bugs me a lot is people never mention how much of a rip off Ray Dalton is of Nate Dogg who's of course much better Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clappy Posted January 8, 2014 Author Share Posted January 8, 2014 I said how much I hate Macklemore in Wumbos thread but I'm just gonna say why I don't like Cant Hold Us. I think Macklemores rapping is really lame and the songs production sounds like a generic pop song. What also bugs me a lot is people never mention how much of a rip off Ray Dalton is of Nate Dogg who's of course much better Sorry but anytime I see anyone mention Nate Dogg, I think of this: Also I see where you are coming from about Ray Dalton, but I think he fits well with this song. Sure I can also see what you mean about Can't Hold Us being just a generic pop song, but would you rather listen to that or the dreary boring ballads or bland, repetitive EDM? Me? I would choose just a fun pop song about how we should keep reaching for our dreams. It's simple, it's entertaining, and it works. Plus I don't think Macklemore's rapping isn't that bad in Can't Hold Us and the production is quite good as well. Maybe it's because I'm a sucker for piano accompanyment and marching band music (I was a huge band geek in high school, so that's why as well). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Burgerpants Posted January 8, 2014 Share Posted January 8, 2014 10: Eh. Nowhere near as good as It's Time. 9: Love it. Great to see Lady Gaga back on the radio. 8: I've sorta found it overrated in a couple words, but I respect your opinions. (And she actually has another hit out now) 7: I liked it when I first heard it, but seeing as every station loves to play it (I'm surprised it didn't hit #1 on any week), I quickly grew tired of it. Still good song, though. 6: Never heard. 5: Miley, THIS is how you make a GOOD party jam. Great beat, a catchy chorus, everything to make it one of those songs that we'll be referring to years later as one of the best songs of the decade. 4: I haven't heard it much, and never heard all of it, but to describe it in one word: DWANK Ok, maybe that's not all. But i'm surprised that even though I rarely heard it, I found myself lovin it. 3: Eh. I prefer Mirrors to be on the list, but SaT is a good song anyways. SpoilerSHIT TIE SHIT TIE 2:This song ripped off The Police? Oh yeah. Tbh, I didn't even realize that until I saw Todd's Top 10 of 2012 list. Anyways, good song. 1: SOMEBODY OWES ME 500 DOUBLOONS Love it. Glad to see it on Number 1. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wumbo Posted January 9, 2014 Share Posted January 9, 2014 Nice top list, Claps. We're just going to have to agree to disagree on that Capital Cities song, but the band is worth checking out. I don't know if they'll have another hit, but I do enjoy "Kangaroo Court". Anyway, looks like we've agreed on more than a few songs in our Top 10, but the second-biggest discrepancy is "Royals", and I guess I should provide my input on that: It's just a good song for me. Not great, though. As far as interest goes, it's not boring, but there are far more songs that i referred listening to this year. (Specifically, 41 of them.) 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clappy Posted January 9, 2014 Author Share Posted January 9, 2014 Nice top list, Claps. We're just going to have to agree to disagree on that Capital Cities song, but the band is worth checking out. I don't know if they'll have another hit, but I do enjoy "Kangaroo Court". I'm worried that they won't have another crossover hit, but I think they can build a nice little niche on the alternative charts like other bands who've crossed over, but had a hard time getting that second recognizable hit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clappy Posted January 22, 2014 Author Share Posted January 22, 2014 So it was pointed out to me that I never got around to doing television shows. Well to be quite honest, I don't really watch as much television as I once did and I hesitated on doing this part of the list for a reason. So what you're going to see is a shortened version of this list. Much shorter. No honorable mentions because that would make this list even harder to write. So without further ado: CLAPPY'S CONDENSED VERSION OF HIS 10 LEAST FAVORITE TELEVISION PROGRAMS OF 2013 10. Total Drama All-Stars See what I mean with my intro? I don't watch television and didn't take too many risks on trying out new things this year. But my god, this past season was seriously disappointing. I'm not going too in depth with my recap here since I wrote a novel in the Total Drama thread, but how disappointing. Speaking of which 9. The Big Bang Theory Another shocker, but my god this show has been stalling these past two seasons. It's like the writers are afraid to take risks with this show anymore and just want to rake in the profits. At least Total Drama tried new things to shake things up. This? It's like this show is on 4/10 for the whole year in terms of effort. Sure it came up with the Scavenger Hunt episode and the Bob Newhart/Professor Proton episodes have been hilarious, but I'm starting to get bored with what the Big Bang Theory has been offering. I hope we actually get some sort of shake up soon because I'm getting very bored over here. 8. Family Guy This show is getting very hard to sit through at times. For some of the good episodes we get (like the short lived Brian death episodes), we get some pretty abysmal ones in return (Quagmire's Quagmire...just awful). Family Guy is just a show that has been on the decline for quite some time and even Seth MacFarlane thinks this has lasted too long. Just end it already. 7. The Simpsons Take everything I just said about Family Guy and apply it here except I am just getting really bored with The Simpsons. None of these newer episodes are doing anything for me. I just sit there and twiddle my thumbs waiting for the episode to end. That's really unfortunate for one of the best animated programs in television history. 6. Sam & Cat Man have my expectations been gravely disappointing for this. For being the fan of both iCarly and Victorious that I am, this has just been a massive let down. Despite Jennette and Ariana. I've liked an episode or two of this, but I have been far more disappointed than entertained. Goomer might be the worst character Dan Schneider has ever created. What a massive pain in the ass he is. But yeah, I seriously hope this show finds some sort of direction in the future, but I won't get my hopes up on that. 5. Phineas & Ferb Yeah so far this list has been programs that I have made it quite clear in the past that I like...or liked in terms of Phineas & Ferb. This is an example folks as to why show with repetitive episodes just get rather frustrating after quite some time. Phineas & Ferb lands on here because this show seems to be just fine being the same damn episode over and over again. Btw, the Mission Marvel special was only ok. Some of the lines were clever, otherwise it didn't feel like a "special" to me. Can't wait for summer to finally end for this once decent animated series. 4. American Idol I bet this current season will be a huge upgrade over last season because this previous season of American Idol was simply put the worst ever for me. Nicki Minaj and Mariah Carey's petty feud dominated it and I honestly saw nothing special in any of the contestants either. I honestly blame it on the producers focusing on how horrible this Minaj-Carey feud was. When these singing reality shows focus more on the judges than the contestants, you know you have a problem. I'm glad Fox cleaned out house to be honest (except for Seacrest and the only good judge last season Keith Urban) because this was painful to watch for a show that I use to be excited for back in the early 2000s. I don't think I'll ever be as big a fan of American Idol as I once was, but god. This show sucked awfully in 2013. 3. Two and a Half Men Why do I still tune in to this? It's like I want my heart to keep breaking when I see just how awful this is getting. Now they added Amber Tamblyn as Charlie's lesbian daughter. It's like they were running out of offensive jokes to make about Alan being gay, so they decided to add jokes about her being a lesbian instead. I've stopped for the past three months, but man. This show is just horrendous. Plain and simple and I hope this gets cancelled soon. 2. Dads Why did I give this show a shot? It's as offensive as people have been insisting, yet it still remains on the air. I just don't get Nielsen ratings...at all. Sorry Seth MacFarlane, I'm still a fan but this is awful. 1. Sanjay and Craig This makes it to number one on my list because I have not been impressed at all with the few episodes I've seen and this also produced one of the worst episodes of anything I have ever watched. Fart Baby. I think this should explain just how truly terrible Nick animated programming has gotten. 9 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SG19 Posted January 24, 2014 Share Posted January 24, 2014 Would Season 4 of Community be an honorable mention? I know a lot of fans were disappointed by it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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