"Just scroll through the list and call it a mess," his editor, Jen, had said over a crackling Skype call. "Say it was the year the wheels fell off."
#41: "I Kissed a Girl" by Katy Perry. He laughed out loud. He remembered his conservative aunt, Margaret, standing up in the middle of a family barbecue and declaring, "This is the devil's work," before unplugging the radio. His dad had just shrugged and said, "It's catchy, Marge."
His phone buzzed. A text from Sam, whom he hadn't spoken to in eight months. top 100 songs of 2008
According to Billboard’s Year-End Hot 100 , these were the most defining tracks that shaped the sound of the year. The Top 10 Songs of 2008
He took a sip of flat Coke. #55: "Bleeding Love" by Leona Lewis. His ex-girlfriend, Sam, had cried to this song the night she broke up with him. He remembered sitting on the curb outside her dorm, watching her silhouette in the window, Leona Lewis belting out the chorus from a laptop speaker. He had to close his eyes for a full minute. "Just scroll through the list and call it
(The biggest ballad of the year and a global smash)
Alex put his headphones on. Song #100 was "Closer" by Ne-Yo. He remembered dancing to this at a frat party, trying to impress a girl named Maria. He’d spilled a entire beer on her shoe. He winced, deleted the sentence he’d just typed, and moved on. He remembered his conservative aunt, Margaret, standing up
(The band’s first #1 single in the US)
The hours melted. The basement grew dark. #22: "Disturbia" by Rihanna. #18: "Love in This Club" by Usher. Each song wasn't just a track; it was a time-stamped photograph. The sticky floors of the club. The smell of cheap vodka. The feeling of a flip phone buzzing in his pocket. The absolute, terrifying, beautiful uncertainty of being young before the economy collapsed.
Beyond the top ten, 2008 was a transformative year for several reasons: