via//chicago

2008 Year in Review III: The Singles
Tonight we move on to one of the two bigger categories, the 100 best singles of the year as deemed so by via//chicago. Let's go...

(note: where possible I've tried to link to YouTube videos that show off the studio version of these songs, but thanks to copyright crazy labels - this sometimes wasn't possible and a live or alternate version is given)

100. "Elvis" - These New Puritans
99. "The Shock of the Lightning" - Oasis
98. "Saints of Los Angeles" - Motley Crue
97. "Magick" - Ryan Adams & The Cardinals
96. "No Hay Nadie Como Tu" - Calle 13 f. Cafe Tacuba
95. "Better" - Guns N Roses
94. "Id Engager" - Of Montreal
93. "I'll Be Lovin' U Long Time" - Mariah Carey
92. "Eraser" - No Age
91. "Whatever You Like" - T.I.
90. "Get Busy" - The Roots f. Dice Raw & Peedi Peedi
89. "You Want the Candy" - The Raveonettes
88. "Hip-Hop Saved My Life" - Lupe Fiasco f. Nikki Jean
87. "My Year in Lists" - Los Campesinos!
86. "Guilt" - The Long Blondes
85. "Talons" - Bloc Party
84. "Let It Rock" - Kevin Rudolf f. Lil Wayne
83. "The Perfect Boy" - The Cure
82. "Midnight Man" - Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds
81. "Turn Tail" - The Young Knives
80. "Chemtrails" - Beck
79. "Cassius" - Foals
78. "The Day That Never Comes" - Metallica
77. "Lights Out" - Santogold
76. "Like A Vibration" - The Whigs
75. "Sexual Eruption" - Snoop Dogg
74. "Porcelain Heart" - Opeth
73. "Touch My Body" - Mariah Carey
72. "Waving Flags" - British Sea Power
71. "Flashing Lights" - Kanye West f. Dwele
70. "Something Is Not Right With Me" - Cold War Kids
69. "Kill the Director" - The Wombats
68. "The Rip" - Portishead
67. "Miserabilia" - Los Campesinos!
66. "Breaking It Up" - Lykke Li
65. "Spiralling" - Keane
64. "Human" - The Killers
63. "So What" - Pink
62. "About A Girl" - The Academy Is...
61. "The Age of the Understatement" - The Last Shadow Puppets
60. "American Boy" - Estelle f. Kanye West
59. "Space and the Woods/Focker" - Late of the Pier
58. "I Feel It All" - Feist
57. "Nothing Ever Happened" - Deerhunter
56. "Drivin' Down the Block (Remix)" - Kidz in the Hall f. Pusha T, Bun B, & The Cool Kids
55. "Electric Feel" - MGMT
54. "Live Your Life" - T.I. f. Rihanna
53. "Mercy" - Duffy
52. "Wishing Well" - Love Is All
51. "Teen Creeps" - No Age
50. "Sequestered In Memphis" - The Hold Steady
49. "I Don't Care" - Fall Out Boy
48. "Whispers/Whispers (Hercules & Love Affair Remix)" - Aeroplane
47. "Spaceman" - The Killers
46. "Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa" - Vampire Weekend
45. "Gobbledigook" - Sigur Ros
44. "I Will Possess Your Heart" - Death Cab For Cutie
43. "Womanizer" - Britney Spears
42. "Tessellate" - Tokyo Police Club
41. "Ready for the Floor" - Hot Chip
40. "Pork and Beans" - Weezer
39. "Put On" - Young Jeezy f. Kanye West
38. "Golden Age" - TV on the Radio
37. "Single Ladies (Put A Ring On It)" - Beyonce
36. "House of Cards" - Radiohead
35. "Sometime Around Midnight" - The Airborne Toxic Event
34. "Heartless" - Kanye West
33. "Lollipop" - Lil Wayne f. Static Major
32. "I'm Amazed" - My Morning Jacket
31. "The '59 Sound" - The Gaslight Anthem
30. "Reckoner" - Radiohead
29. "Sex On Fire" - Kings of Leon
28. "Kids" - MGMT
27. "Graveyard Girl" - M83
26. "Lost!" - Coldplay
25. "My Life" - The Game f. Lil Wayne
24. "Call It A Ritual" - Wolf Parade
23. "So Haunted" - Cut Copy
22. "A-Punk" - Vampire Weekend
21. "House Jam" - Gang Gang Dance
20. "The Healer" - Erykah Bade
19. "Blind" - Hercules & Love Affair
18. "I'm Good, I'm Gone" - Lykke Li
17. "Lost Coastlines" - Okkervil River
16. "Chasing Pavements" - Adele
15. "A Milli" - Lil Wayne
14. "Moab" - Conor Oberst
13. "Homecoming" - Kanye West f. Chris Martin
12. "Oxford Comma" - Vampire Weekend
11. "Nine in the Afternoon" - Panic at the Disco

10. "White Winter Hymnal" - Fleet Foxes
It starts out with that single, distant voice - at once haunting and intimate. Then the harmonies begin to pile on top of one another, carrying one of the most gorgeous melodies of the year. 147 achingly beautiful seconds.

9. "L.E.S. Artistes" - Santogold
I can never decide my favorite part of this song. One minute its the minimal verses that remind of the Strokes on codeine. But then that infectious hook bursts in and makes its case. Either way, Santi White struck some, er, gold with this track.

8. "Another Day" - Jamie Lidell
From the opening piano its clear that Jamie's been basking in the glow of his old Motown records. But where other artists might be content to coast on pure nostalgia, Lidell breathes blissful like into this track and makes it all his own. Hard to not tap your foot along with this one.

7. "Hearts On Fire" - Cut Copy
Fairly blatant in influence, this is an absolutely killer song nonetheless. The beat is pure early 90s dance, the guitar line is pure New Order, the sax is pure 80s pop, but it all melds together perfectly. Retro rarely sounds this fresh.

6. "Skinny Love" - Bon Iver
An elegant, intimate song that allows the narrator to pour his soul into every word and strummed chord. In weaker hands this would be a gloppy mess, but Justin Vernon squeezes emotion out of every note and makes you feel his ache.

5. "Viva La Vida" - Coldplay
The unexpectedly triumphant lead single from what may ultimately stand as Coldplay's career highpoint, this finally sees Chris Martin and company meeting (and exceeding) all the high expectations tossed in their way since debuting with "Yellow" years ago. Thrilling.

4. "Love Lockdown" - Kanye West
The divisive love-it-or-hate-it single of 2008 came out of left field after the triumphant parade of singles coming out of Graduation, but might be the best of the bunch ("Stronger" excepted). Kanye's Autotune whine isn't the star here, its those icy drums. I can't get enough of the way they double up on each other later in the song, I'm still getting chills.

3. "Little Bit" - Lykke Li
The Swedish-born Lykke packs loads of thrilling pop gems onto her debut full-length, Youth Novels, but "Little Bit" is the perfect encapsulation of what she is all about - sweet, coy, charming, sexy, and altogether engaging and impossible to forget.

2. "Swagga Like Us" - T.I. f. Jay-Z, Kanye West, & Lil Wayne
I have to admit, this is like my dream single right here, four of my favorite rappers dropping verses over a killer M.I.A. sample? I'll take two please. Although none of the four drop their strongest verse ever, the "Paper Planes" jacking beat is more than enough to make up for it. I can't wait for the rumored sequel.

1. "Time to Pretend" - MGMT
I remember falling hard for this song all the way back in January and it has not left my regular rotation since, if anything this will be the song that always reminds me of 2008. From the moment those drums dropped in after that wonky intro, I knew I was hooked. On the surface this is about kids reaching for the age old rock and roll dream, but digging a little deeper reveals a more universal theme about holding on to your youth as you grow up and gather more and more responsibility. Maybe it was just me buying a house, getting married, and turning 32 - but this song hit me on so many levels. A more than worthwhile song of the year.

Check back soon for the albums of the year...