Song of the Summer 2013 (PART TWO)

Part 2 Continued....

D.  Justin Timberlake - Mirrors

-Singalongability: Does anyone actually sing to this song?  I'm not sure...
-Danceability:  I don't exactly consider it entirely danceable....more so enjoyable?
-General Excitement:
-Timing: I think this was released in mid-March.  Can it remain on the radio waves as often as it was? Or are people finally annoyed with hearing the song once every 17 minutes?
Total Score: 2 Uncle Jesse's


E. Psy - Gangnam Style

E.  Mac Miller/Arian Grande - The Way

-Singalongability: Perfect for both the men and the ladies - always love a duet.
-Danceability: I feel like this is a pretty decent song for dancing to, in terms of a slow, seductive dance after drinking too much at a BBQ and trying to hook up with the neighbor before his girlfriend comes back out of the house.
-General Excitement: This song brings me right back to high school.  When this song comes on in the car, the 2000 Corolla is bumping, 190k miles and all.  I feel like I should be cruising the strip at Hampton Beach (NH pride).
-Timing: I think timing is fairly decent on this one...came out a bit later then the rest of the songs.
Total Score: 3.5 Uncle Jesse's

F.  Anything by Taylor Swift.  They all sound the same, and I can see even Lou Ferrigno or Holley Mangold singing it in the shower.

G. Robin Thicke - Blurred Lines

-Singalongability: Fairly fun song to at least attempt to sing to....myself not included.  I refuse to acknowledge that Jason Seaver's real-life son is individually famous - he's riding coattails.
-Danceability: I question the number of men who would dance to this song in public, but then again, I question the number of men who would generally dance in public without either A. trying to please a girl, or B. trying to make a fool of themselves in public.
-General Excitement:  Admittedly, I was not buying when my friend Bugman said to put this on my list as a song of the summer nominee, and it's taken a while for me to warm up to it, but I'm game now...
-Timing: Fairly good timing - started out slow a bit before Memorial Day, and is now in full swing.
Total Score: 3 Uncle Jesse's

And the winner?  Pharrell Williams.  I realize this isn't a song, but anyone who is involved in 2 nominee selections for song of the summer, plus took part in the commercial for the new Jay-Z album which annoyingly debuted during the NBA Finals and disclosed absolutely nothing after a whopping 3 minutes, officially "won" the summer of 2013.

Anyone have any other thoughts or disagreements?  Feel free to comment.  And have a happy 4th of July!

Song of the Summer - 2013 (PART ONE)

With Memorial Day weekend in our rearview mirror and July 4th only a couple days away, the beginning of summer has officially begun.

True sign of summer

Summer comes with several great additions, including the ability to drink Bud Light Lime and have it be socially appropriate, the rule amongst my group of friends that undershirts may no longer be worn until after Labor Day weekend, and most importantly, that a new "Song of the Summer," or the "SOTS" will be crowned.  Of course, by no means is my choosing of the SOTS an "original" concept; my friends and I have been doing it for years on our drives down to Newport, and New York Magazine does a pretty damn good job too.  That being said, I'll give it a shot.

Now, I know what you're thinking: you can't rate the SOTS without a proper scoring system, right?  Of course you can't.  With that in light, I've created a (hopefully) easy and self-explanatory scoring system comprised of the following categories:

1.  Singalongability (yes, I've created a new word) - Can you withhold the urge to sing this song out loud in the shower?  In the car with the windows open?  How about with the top down (for my "One Percenter" readers)?

2.  Danceability - Fairly self explanatory - when you hear this song, you don't just want to dance...you NEED to dance.

3.  General Excitement - How excited do you get when you hear this song?

4.  Timing - Was this song released too early before summer? Has it lost some of its "Kavorka," as Cosmo Kramer would say?

Given my current location of San Francisco, I will base my scoring system upon 1990's heartthrob Uncle Jesse of Full House.  1 Uncle Jesse? Meh.  4 Uncle Jesse's? Have Mercy....

The Nominees:

A. Macklemore and Lewis - Can't Hold Us

-Singalongability: This may be "old man Matt" speaking, but he just sings too fast for me.  I like mumbling the lyrics though.
-Danceability: Fairly fun song to dance to I guess...
-General Excitement: I think everyone still gets fairly fired up when they hear this song, no? Good at a club, in the car, in the shower, and even while you're watching repeats of Chopped the Giants game.
-Timing: I feel like this was released a bit early, no?
Total Score: 3 Uncle Jesse's

B. Icona Pop - I Love It

-Singalongability: As the song goes..."I don't care."
-Danceability: I think if I even attempted to sing to this song, I would be exhausted after 2 minutes.
-General Excitement: I may speak for myself here, but I feel like the women love this song, but the men, not so much...
-Timing: Wasn't this released even before "Can't Hold Us?"
Total Score: 2 Uncle Jesse's

C. Daft Punk - Get Lucky

-Singalongability: May be the most easy to sing and catchiest song of all the nominees.  I feel like the hipsters, prep bros, and urban demographics can all embrace this song, "We Are The World" style.
-Danceability: Perfect song for awkward people with absolutely no rhythm to dance to.  Just slow enough to look like you know what you're doing, but with enough background beat to separate the men from the boys (and women from girls).
-General Excitement: Though I think this song puts a smile on everyone's face when they hear it, I'm not entirely sure it's going to make me drop everything I'm doing.
-Timing: I feel like this song got some serious play just leading up to Memorial Day, which is perfect.
Total Score: 3.5 Uncle Jesse's

STAY TUNED FOR PART 2!!!!