However, I couldn't resist recapping 2009, one of the best years for pop music since, well, ever?
With no further ado, here's the first of several upcoming year-end rankings:
The "Single Ladies" award for most mesmerizing music video:
5. Party in the USA (FIP version): I've never seen the real Miley video. I don't think I ever care to - this is hilarious, and actually fits the song perfectly.
4. TIE: Hollywood, Marina and the Diamonds / Pick up the Phone, Dragonette: Both amazing songs with great videos. Marina takes Americana kitsch to the ultimate, while Dragonette makes me want to go back to my high school as a bad kid and trash the place. The two really only have one thing in common: they make their leading ladies look absolutely STUNNING.
3. Did It Again, Shakira: People rave about the 'Single Ladies' video, but this might be the most exquisite choreography I've ever seen in a music video. The song is a grower, too - after initially disliking it, I learned to love it.
2. Drumming, Florence + the Machine: Creepy, hypnotic, and yet somehow poppy. Florence pulls out all the stops to create a video that equals the brilliance of the track. Bonus points: LEGS!
1. Bad Romance, Lady Gaga: Not exactly a bold pick. But what the video lacks in subtlety, it makes up for with all of the various ape-shit crazy shenanigans, one after another. For once, the 'and the kitchen sink' aesthetic that Gaga is selling as art works, and brilliantly. BONUS: Popjustice review of the video: actually more entertaining than the song
