Summer radio is always a hypnotizing and repetitive merry-go-round of ups and downs, veterans and newbies, new classics and big flops. But as the summer winds down, the Daily is here to help parse the major trends that defined everyone's Summer 2010 mixtapes.
Stoned SoCal Chic: In "Your Love Is My Drug" (2010), Ke$ha calls herself a "lovesick crackhead" as she rejoices in true love while likening it to an overdose on addictive chemicals. That mix of sugary sweet and sketchily sour has come to define Ke$ha's persona since her breakout last year. Her vibe doesn't appeal to everyone, but with the irresistible sing-along chorus of "Your Love Is My Drug," it doesn't have to.
Katy Perry mixed sweet and naughty more literally in "California Gurls" (2010) in which she threatens to "melt your Popsicle." Though the simple, childish ditty doesn't really work as a response to Jay-Z's "Empire State of Mind" (2009) the way Perry intended it to, it's still arguably the song of the summer.
The Textbook Earworm: Taio Cruz, the British singer-songwriter behind "Break Your Heart" (2010), clearly takes notes on the pop music zeitgeist. The R&B hit recalls Rihanna's "Umbrella" (2007) in its simplicity and repetitiveness but ups the ante with a frantically melodic beat and a guest appearance by Ludacris.
Meanwhile, crooner Jason Derülo followed up the smash hit "Whatcha Say" (2010) with "In My Head" (2010), which is basically a pop-rock song disguised as R&B using Auto-tune. The crunchy guitar sound distinguished it from this summer's other hip-hop and pop songs, but the harmonies and catchy hook elevated it to near-constant airplay.
The Unlikely Duet: It's unmistakably troubling to hear Rihanna, a recent victim of domestic abuse, sing that she "like[s] the way it hurts" to Eminem, who used to rap about killing his wife. Truthfully, "Love the Way You Lie" (2010) has become an anti-abuse anthem whose message has been superseded by its catchiness. Still, it's interesting to watch the talented Eminem, a former has-been, ride Rihanna's ubiquity back into the limelight.
Meanwhile, relative newcomer B.o.B. enlisted Paramore's Hayley Williams to help with "Airplanes" (2010), a wistful track with major crossover appeal. Though B.o.B. and Williams are both young enough to be graduating with the Class of 2011, they reminisce about a time when they weren't quite so rich and famous. Williams sells it though, and B.o.B. proves that he's one artist to look out for.
Your Mom's Favorite Song: It's hard to imagine a teenage girl calling up her favorite radio station and requesting a mid-tempo joint from Canadian Rat Pack wannabe Michael Bublé. But that's apparently what happened this summer, as "Haven't Met You Yet" (2009) received an anomalous amount of airplay. The favorite of the menopause set finally got the breakout hit he's been aiming for with a bouncing piano line and unabashed cheesiness.
Even more ubiquitous was the serene, ukulele-fueled "Hey, Soul Sister" (2009) from Train, whose last big hit was "Drops of Jupiter (Tell Me)" in 2001. Singer Patrick Monahan seems to channel Jason Mraz as he sings creepily about his "untrimmed chest." The song's so much for moms that it's already being used in commercials for washing machines.
The Post-"Idol" Letdown: Kris Allen and Adam Lambert may have been fairly disparate figures when they went head-to-head on the eighth season of "American Idol," but they still ended up occupying similar spaces on the radio this summer. Lambert's spare-then-soaring "Whataya Want From Me" (2009) serves his powerful voice but mostly ignores his glam energy. Meanwhile, Allen's "Live Like We're Dying" (2009) is a slyly morose jam that plays on his laid-back boyishness.
Irish rock band The Script was never on "Idol," but it sonically fits into this set with "Breakeven (Falling to Pieces)" (2008). A sorrowful, addictive pop-rock song like this comes around every once in a while, and it always does well on top 40 radio before finding a robust second life on easy listening stations.
Techno Cacophony: Usher's been having a good year, what with his radio hits and the fact that he's the one who discovered Justin Bieber. Unfortunately for the multitalented R&B mainstay, this summer's "OMG" (2010) under-serves his talents. The song is overcooked with Auto-tune, moronic lyrics and a crowd sample reminiscent of "Jock Jams" (1995). Usher actually carries a tune on "Somebody to Love" (2010), a duet with Bieber, but somehow, "OMG" is the one that caught on.
Also betraying his crooning roots this summer was Enrique Iglesias, who inexplicably reappeared with "I Like It" (2010), recorded for the new season of MTV's "Jersey Shore" (which really says everything you need to know about it). The song is so loud and all over the place that listening to it really feels like being in a Miami club full of drunk people, for better or for worse.
