John's World Top Ten Song of the Day Posts for 2014

Well it's time to begin the countdown to the end of 2014 and it's time to start reflecting on the year that was.  As usual I've been reading a lot of top ten lists in music for the year in preparation for my own lists of the best in pop and dance music...

partyrebel

For the first time ever, I thought I'd try something new.  I'm always spending time looking at the stats of this blog and though the page views could be better, they're not too shabby.  Of course, one of the most popular types of posts I put on John's World are my Songs of the Day.  I've been faithfully posting daily songs for almost four full years now without missing too many days.  I know if you're reading this, then you've definitely checked some of them out along the way.

I thought it'd be fun to see which songs got the most page views this year.  I'm always a little surprised at which of my posts garner the greatest hits, and researching for this list confirmed my confusion.  Take a look below at the top ten Songs of the Day on John's World for 2014.  They're a mixture of new songs, Flashback Fridays, and others, and I have no idea how or why some of them made it...

#10 - All About That Bass - Meghan Trainor - 86 page views


audioaddictmag

One of the biggest new artists of the year was Meghan Trainor, who is still hot with her hip retro style mixed together with some very adult and very catchy lyrics.  This is the one that started it all, and so it's no surprise that this one landed within the top ten Songs of the Day.  Check out All About That Bass.

#9 - Mercy - Duffy - 88 page views

Back in February, I posted Duffy's Mercy as a Flashback Friday Song of the Day and for whatever reason, people clicked.


#7-8 (tie) L8 Cmmr - Lily Allen / By Your Side - Sade 90 page views

These two are very different from one another in terms of old and new, yet they both got exactly 90 page views this year.  The Sade post was made on June 4th, and it included some sappy sentimentality because that would have been Joe's and my 27th anniversary.  Perhaps my inner circle made some clicks for that reason.  As for Lily Allen, well this was a big year for her.  Early on in  , the year, she surprised a lot of people with a new album, Sheezus, and she got a lot of attention from me with plenty of posts.  L8 Cmmr is one of the funnest tunes on Sheezus and I'm not surprised this one worked. (A second posting of the song garnered another 23 hits, so perhaps this one could've been a little higher.)

#6 -  Hard Out Here - Lily Allen - 93 page views

The one that started it all this year for Lily earned a respectable number of hits here.  Love this one!


#5 - Stir It Up - Bob Marley- 98 page views

Bob Marley's classic reggae jam was posted as a Flashback Friday Song of the Day back in February.




#4 - Bucket List - Nelly Furtado - 99 page views

I posted this one back in October, not long after school had started. I used the idea from the song (and the movie) for a writing exercise with my students and I had it in my head that whole week.  Check it out right here.


#3 - Tell It to My Heart - Taylor Dayne - 103 page views

The second highest hit making Flashback Friday post of the year came from a Friday back in May.  Taylor Dayne's very first single, Tell It to My Heart, was indeed and awesome, and very dancey tune, and I'm not surprised at all by this one.


allaboutmadonna

#2 - Don't Tell Me - Madonna 123 page views

Madonna is probably the most talked about musical artist on this blog (along with P!nk!), and this countryish tuneoff her 2000 album, Music, got plenty of attention as a Flashback in January.


#1 - Am I Wrong - Nico & Vinz 263 page views

By far the most viewed Song of the Day post comes from Norwegian duo Nico  & Vinz with their tune infectiously smooth Am I Wrong.  Even though the song was a #1 hit here in the States, I was a bit surprised that this one did as well as it did.  Check it out...




So there you have it, the top ten Song of the Day posts o John's World for the year 2014.  And just in case you were wondering, here are some other tunes that just bubbled under the surface:

Never Gonna Leave Me - Sia - (78)

I Wanna Dance with Somebody - Whitney Houston (77)

Problem - Ariana Grande (76)

Just Girly Things - Dawin (66)

Holiday - Madonna (65)

Stay tuned for more as I wrap up the year 2014 with my top ten posts, top ten pop songs and albums of the year, and of course my top thirty dance/club tunes of the year...

Lily Allen at Terminal 5: A Lovefest!

I know I've been posting lots and lots of Lily Allen stuff all week, and for very good reason.  On Tuesday night I had the awesome experience of doing something that I never in a million years dreamed I'd be able to do, and that's to see her perform live in concert.  I was so excited that she was playing in New York that I didn't even care that I couldn't get anyone to come with me.  I went at it alone, and that was just fine because the experience was fantastic.

The venue was a new one for me, Terminal 5 on West 56th Street.  The place was nice, nicer than I expected, small and very intimate and with a very pleasant atmosphere.  The size of the venue only added to my excitement as I knew I'd catch really good views of the evening's star.  The show began precisely at 8 p.m. with opening act LolaWolf taking the stage delivering a 45 minute set of decent alterna-dance music and only about 20 minutes after they had finished, Lily took to the stage.

Been here before, so I'm prepared

Not gonna lie, I'm kinda scared

Lace up my gloves, I'm going in

Never let my kids watch me when I get in the ring

(Damn, I had no idea she played NYC in March!  I found this vid whilst looking for ones of the opening to Tuesday night's show, but both were bad quality.  Though the look of this one is very different from the show I attended, the energy from both the crowd and the singer are pretty much the same.  Mutual admiration and love!)

After a short musical intro, the familiar, slow and steady ha ha ha's of Sheezus began to blare out of the speakers as dancers, and then Lily, took to the stage to raucous cheers from the adoring audience. With a nod to her new-found motherhood, both the singer's red dress and the stage were adorned with baby bottles, a cool touch that is something that Lily's fans would totally get.   

For the next 90 minutes or so, Lily played an equal variety of familiar tunes from all of her three albums, 2006's Alright, Still, 2009's It's Not Me, It's You, and her current Sheezus.  The whole audience, including me, sang along to virtually every song with enthusiasm, from the country-twanged Not Fair to social commentary tunes like Everyone's At It and 22, the sunny Life For Me, LDN and probably the star's most identifiable hit, Smile, which the singer noted that it was the first song she'd ever written, almost ten years ago.  

Throughout the entire set, I was captivated!  Being in a space with 3,000 other folks who appreciate Lily Allen's wit and musical talent gave me a pure joy that's so rare an experience and I reveled in all of it.  The Brit songstress seemed to be both knowing and appreciative of the types of fans who are attracted to her and she, too, reveled in the happiness she was bringing to the fans, putting her mike out several times so she could hear us singing along to the saucy URL Badman, the zippy Late CMMR and the oh so seriously truthful, The Fear.   But aside from the momentous and fun finale, Hard Out Here, the performance of the evening came during her ode to the celebrated 2008 departure of former President George Bush, as the 6,000 middle fingers (and some pretty loud singing!) went to the air during the chorus of F**k You.    

Surely, a great time was had by all, especially me, and I've been listening to Lily ever since.  Oh, I'm sure it will wear off eventually, but for now I'll just keep listening and looking forward to another opportunity to see her again.  Cheers!

Song of the Day - LDN - Lily Allen

Yes, it has been two days now since I've seen Lily Allen in concert and I am still on that wonderful after-high that comes after a great show.  Here's a tune from her first album, Alright, Still, that I loved from the moment I heard it.  The song is called LDN, meaning 'London' and it's another example of what makes Lily so unique.  It was one of the tunes she performed the other night and you should definitely check out the video and the lyrics below...

LDN

Riding through the city on my bike all day

Cause the filth took away my license

It doesn't get me down and I feel okay

Cause the sights that I'm seeing are priceless

Everything seems to look as it should

But I wonder what goes on behind doors

A fella looking dapper and he's sittin' with a slapper

Then I see it's a pimp and his crack whore

You might laugh, you might frown

Walkin' round the mid town

Sun is in the sky

Oh why, oh why would I wanna be anywhere else?

Sun is in the sky

Oh why, oh why would I wanna be anywhere else?

When you look with your eyes

Everything seems nice

But if you look twice

You can see it's all lies

There was a little old lady, who was walkin' down the road

She was struggling with bags from Tesco

There were people from the city havin' lunch in the park

I believe that is called al fresco

When a kid came along to offer a hand

But before she had time to accept it

Hits her over the head, doesn't care if she's dead

Cause he's got all her jewelry and wallet

You might laugh, you might frown

Walkin' round the mid town

Sun is in the sky

Oh why, oh why would I wanna be anywhere else?

Sun is in the sky

Oh why, oh why would I wanna be anywhere else?

When you look with your eyes

Everything seems nice

But if you look twice

You can see it's all lies

Life

Yeah, that's city life

Yeah, that's city life

Yeah, that's city life

Life

Yeah, that's city life

Yeah, that's city life

Yeah, that's city life

Sun is in the sky

Oh why, oh why would I wanna be anywhere else?

Sun is in the sky

Oh why, oh why would I wanna be anywhere else?

Sun is in the sky

Oh why, oh why would I wanna be anywhere else?

Sun is in the sky

Oh why, oh why would I wanna be anywhere else?

When you look with your eyes

Everything seems nice

But if you look twice

You can see it's all lies

When you look with your eyes

Everything seems nice

But if you look twice

You can see it's all lies

Read more: Lily Allen - Ldn Lyrics | MetroLyrics 

Song of the Day - Hard Out Here - Lily Allen

Sometimes it's hard to find the words to say

I'll go ahead and say them anyway

Forget your balls and grow a pair of tits

It's hard, it's hard

It's hard out here for a bitch...

Oh yes, I am basking in the afterglow of another great concert performance!  I told you how excited I was yesterday to see Ms. Lily Allen in concert last night at Terminal  in NYC and boy did she live up to expectations!  Stay tuned for a review of the show coming soon, but in the meantime check out the first single off of her Sheezus album, which was featured as the grand finale at last night's performance.  Awesome!

Song of the Day - Not Fair - Lily Allen

I am psyched!  Tonight, for the first time ever, I am going to go and watch Lily Allen perform in NYC!  I don't ever remember her playing here before, but her latest album, Sheezus, has sent her to our shores, first as an opening act on Miley Cyrus' Bangerz Tour and now on her own doing smaller venues.  I've been a fan (as is my gal P!nk!) of this sassy Brit gal with such a clever edge, for a long, long time now and I can't wait to see her perform.

Here's a song I'm hoping she'll perform tonight.  Not Fair is one of my all time favorite Lily Allen tunes and is typical of her style: lighthearted music set to downright explicitness!  This one might be mistaken for a down home country song at first, but just take a listen to the lyrics.  They'll make you blush!  

Stay tuned for a review of the show soon!

Song of the Day - L8 CMMR - Lily Allen

thecoolsun

Well, I'm off to P-Town for the week, and today's song fits the situation perfectly.  You see, as I said earlier, this year's a little bit mixed up.  Whereas last year our house rental was from Saturday to Saturday, this year the owner changed it to Sunday to Sunday.  Bummer!  Even worse of a bummer, all of the other 20-something people that are joining us for the week are already there, because most rentals are Saturday to Saturday....and four of the nine people in our house went up yesterday, as well, with the owner allowing some people to use available space for the extra day.

So five of us...me, Rich and Bobby, and Gary and Sal are late comers, or as Lily refers to us, L8 CMMR's. Hehe.  Anyway, this is one of my favorites of Lily's latest Sheezus album, so definitely check it out...

NOTE: Since I've run short on time (I really wanted to finish the rest of the Roller Coaster Road Trip 2014 posts.), I'm gonna put that off just for a bit as I blog from P-Town.  I'm sure there'll be lots to tell! 

Song of the Day - L8 CMMR - Lily Allen

Lily Allen's back and back to her old self on this light-hearted, but very adult tune from her new album, Sheezus.  Be forewarned, though, the music is light, fast and funky, but the lyrics are surely not for those under the age of 18.  I said earlier that this was going to be an unofficial new music week, all spurred on by my friend Sonny's mix CD (on which he included this dity!), and I think this one's a great addition.  Check out L8 CMMR...

Song of the Day - Hard Out Here - Lily Allen

okmagazine

Celebrating the release of her brand new, long awaited album Sheezus, we're rocking Lily Allen's lead single Hard Out Here....

I suppose I should tell you
What this bitch is thinking...

Song of the Day - Sheezus - Lily Allen

idolator

Here's the newest video from Lily Allen.  The song is called Sheezus and it's from her forthcoming album by the same name.  Though the visuals are cool and Lily gives shout-outs to fellow songstresses Katy Perry, Lorde, Lady Gaga and more, I'm not sure I'm so crazy bout the slow-moving tune.  Click play and decide for yourself...

Song of the Day - Air Balloon - Lily Allen

Yes, Lily Allen is back with the second single from her long-awaited third studio album which is forthcoming hopefully soon.  I tell ya, if she had lost any confidence in her ability to make great music, she's definitely got it back.  This one's got a steady beat with almost rap-like, and of course sassy, vocals that are a little reminiscent of M.I.A. Catchy and saucy, as always, this one's sure to please fans of Lily!



Lily Allen - Air Balloon (Official Audio) by jimihubabua

Song of the Day - Hard Out Here - Lily Allen

Sometimes it's hard to find the words to say
I'll go ahead and say them anyway
Forget your ...., um, I can't put that here!  Anyway, finally this one's available to share...Love, love love it!!!!!



Lily Allen - Hard Out Here [Official Video] by TariqAwesome

Song of the Day - The Fear - Lily Allen

stereocupcake

As you can imagine from my post yesterday, I've now got Lily on the mind...

I don't know what's right and what's real anymore
And I don't know how I'm meant to feel anymore
And when do you think it will all become clear?
'Cause I'm being taking over by The Fear


[PARENTAL ADVISORY] Lily Allen - The Fear... by LilyAllen-WMG-Official

Lily Allen is BACK!!!!

For the past five days Lily Allen's new song, her first in three years has been burning up YouTube.  Hard Out Here is vintage Lily and it makes me smile the whole way through.  The song is brash, it's explicit, and it's got that good old Lily Allen style humor I love so much.  I am so happy to see her back...my Lily Allen folder in iTunes is just not big enough!

So if you like Lily and you haven't checked out Hard Out Here, click here to watch. In the meantime, take a look and a listen to 22, from It's Not Me, It's You album.

Lily Allen - 22 (Official Video) by Lily-Allen-Tv

Song of the Day - Not Fair - Lily Allen

missonnimedia

Oh he treats me with respect

He says he loves me all the time

He calls me fifteen times a day

He likes to make sure that I'm fine

In this day, with Avicii's Wake Me Up making it so big using countrified music in his dance/club song, I think it's a good a time as any to resurface Lily Allen's Not Fair.  Lily is one of my favorite singer/songwriters of all time and I've always loved how she mixes simple, sweet sounding styles of music and melodies to her very adult lyrics.  Here, she effectively uses a country banjo background to mask a very serious, yet very amusing subject.  Catchy and singable, this one's one of my favorites.

It's not fair and I think you're really mean

I think you're really mean

I think you're really mean

Oh, you're supposed to care,

But you never make me scream

You never make me scream

You never make me scream...

Lily Allen - Not Fair from Selen Silver on Vimeo.

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Lily Allen

pastemagazine

Lily Rose Beatrice Cooper is better known by her stage name, Lily Allen.  The British singer first came onto my radar about five or six years ago, not long after her debut album, Alright Still, was released.  I remember seeing posters advertising the record in stores and at first I thought to myself, "who is this cheeky-looking girl?"  Then her first single, the pleasant but  irresistibly sarcastic Smile came out and my interest was piqued.

Lily Allen - Smile by oggys

That first album was an immediate favorite of mine.  The lyrics and the music are not your typical combination of hit pop music, and unless you're listening carefully to the words, you might be surprised once you pay attention to the lyrics.  The songs might be classified as ska-ish, and I've even heard the term rocksteady, too, but either way the manner in which Lily tells her stories is nothing but naughty fun.

Some of my favorite songs off that first album include the amusingly ironic LDN, the brash Not Big, the hilarious and expletive-filled Friday Night, Alfie, with a little older sister to younger brother reprimand, and this one, a fun, quirky, excuse-laden song about avoiding a dude trying to hit on ya.  Check out a live version of Knock Me Out:

Lily Allen - Knock 'Em Out from I Am Brady on Vimeo.

Lily's second album, It's Not Me, It's You, is not as good as the first, but it's got a few good ones on it, too. Of course, the most popular song off that one was a big old F**k You sendoff to George Bush when he left office (no wonder I love her!).  Like many of her other songs, this one's sugary sounding, musically, but downright dirty lyrically.

Two other such songs off of It's Not Me, It's You include the tangoesque Never Gonna Happen, and my personal favorite off the record, the countryish, dirty Not Fair:

Lily Allen - Not Fair from Selen Silver on Vimeo.

Other good stuff on this one include the dramatic opener Everyone's At It, the tender and sad 22, the serious, lead single The Fear and another of my personal favorites, the vintage sound of He Wasn't There:

He Wasn't There from Emoney on Vimeo.

Unfortunately for us, Lily Allen has not made any new music since starting a family a couple of years ago.  She did do a guest vocal on one of my favorite P!nk songs, True Love, but other than that, nothing, and that's too bad because I really really like her!

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Song of the Day - LDN - Lily Allen

It has been way too long for Lily Allen to put anything out, and I miss her so, so here's one of my favorite songs of hers.  The tune is typically her style, a sweet, happy, almost innocent music track that's got a lil bit of island, or ska, in it, backing some definitely adult-themed lyrics.  This one's from her debut album Alright, Still, and it's called LDN, which is short for London.

The song takes Lily through the city on a mode of transportation she's not used to, a bicycle, cause 'the filth took away my license.'  Her tour offers her sights and sounds she normally doesn't get to see when she's driving around in her car.  It's a beautiful day, and the things around her are anything but beautiful...Check it out:

Lily Allen - LDN by sayit 

LDN

Riding through the city on my bike all day
Cause the filth took away my license
It doesn't get me down and I feel OK
Cause the sights that I'm seeing are priceless

Everything seems to look as it should
But I wonder what goes on behind doors
A fella looking dapper, but he's sitting with a slapper
Then I see it's a pimp and his crack whore

You might laugh you might frown
Walkin' round London town

[Chorus]
Sun is in the sky oh why oh why ?
Would I wanna be anywhere else
Sun is in the sky oh why oh why ?
Would I wanna be anywhere else

When you look with your eyes
Everything seems nice
But if you look twice
you can see it's all lies

There was a little old lady, who was walking down the road
She was struggling with bags from Tesco
There were people from the city having lunch in the park
I believe that it's called al fresco
Then a kid came along to offer a hand

But before she had time to accept it
hits her over the head, doesn't care if she's dead
Cause he's got all her jewelery and wallet

You might laugh you might frown
walking round London town

[Chorus]
Sun is in the sky oh why oh why?
Would I wanna be anywhere else
Sun is in the sky oh why oh why?
Would I wanna be anywhere else

When you look with your eyes
Everything seems nice
But if you look twice
you can see it's all lies

Life, yeah that's city life, yeah that's city life, yeah that's city life
Life, yeah that's city life, yeah that's city life, yeah that's city life

[Chorus x2]
Sun is in the sky oh why oh why?
Would I wanna be anywhere else
Sun is in the sky oh why oh why?
Would I wanna be anywhere else

[x2]
When you look with your eyes
Everything seems nice
But if you look twice
You can see it's all lies

AZLyrics

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Song of the Day - Smile - Lily Allen

Here's a favorite from multi-talented Brit singer/songwriter/actress and fashion designer Lily Allen. Lily's got a style about her that's uniquely hers. With pleasant sounding melodies and saucy, well-written lyrics, her music is irresistible.  Here's one her biggest hits and a typical example of what I'm talking about.  Smile is so sweet sounding, and then you listen to the lyrics....

Lily Allen - Smile by oggys

                                          

Smile

When you first left me I was wanting more
But you were fucking that girl next door, what cha do that for (what cha do that for)
When you first left me I didn't know what to say
I never been on my own that way, just sat by myself all day

I was so lost back then
But with a little help from my friends
I found a light in the tunnel at the end
Now you're calling me up on the phone
So you can have a little whine and a moan
And it's only because you're feeling alone

At first when I see you cry,
yeah it makes me smile, yeah it makes my smile
At worst I feel bad for a while,
but then I just smile I go ahead and smile

Whenever you see me you say that you want me back
And I tell you it don't mean jack, no it don't mean jack
I couldn't stop laughing, no I just couldn't help myself
See you messed up my mental health I was quite unwell

I was so lost back then
But with a little help from my friends
I found a light in the tunnel at the end
Now you're calling me up on the phone
So you can have a little whine and a moan
And it's only because you're feeling alone

At first when I see you cry,
yeah it makes me smile, yeah it makes my smile
At worst I feel bad for a while,
but then I just smile I go ahead and smile

lalalalalalalalalalalalalalalala lalala

At first when I see you cry,
yeah it makes me smile, yeah it makes my smile
At worst I feel bad for a while,
but then I just smile I go ahead and smile

lalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalala

AZLyrics

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