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<i>Rolling Stone</i> slights Rihanna and embraces Newman on 2007 singles list

Rolling Stone, that magazine your dad thinks is cool, has released its list of the best singles of 2007. In a fit of curmudgeonly ill temper, the editors at the publication have passed over Rihanna’s omnipresent dance joint “Umbrella” as the song of the year, placing it at number three on the list. The top spot was ceded to Jay-Z’s “Roc Boys,” a quality track but not as good (in my humble opinion) as Jay-Z gets. A case could be made, though, that the master should be exalted over the student, and Hova walks away with the list. The problem with the list and the problem with Rolling Stone lies with the inclusion of Randy Newman’s “A Few Words in Defense of Our Country” at number two. There’s no reason to hate on Newman. He has a great catalog, and my nephew respects the hell out of his work on both Toy Story films. He is not, however, on this planet or any parallel Earth the author of the second best song of 2007. Even if Newman didn’t sound as old as the candy in my grandma’s coffee table, “A Few Words in Defense of Our Country” is a one-note piece of hate mail to the Bush administration. Though Rolling Stone is trying to show that it still cares about things that “matter,” all it does is show how way, far away it is from being a shadow of its former self. The list, like the magazine, tries to be everything to every person, and doesn’t end up mattering much to anybody.   The full RS list follows:

100 "Rockstar" - Nickelback
    99 "Never Again" - Kelly Clarkson
    98 "Wild Mountain Nation" - Blitzen Trapper
    97 "Honey Bee (Let's Fly To Mars)" - Grinderman
    96 "Big Girls Don't Cry" - Fergie
    95 "Satan Said Dance" - Clap Your Hands Say Yeah
    94 "2 Hearts" Kylie Minogue
    93 "Is There A Ghost" - Band Of Horses
    92 "Mistaken For Strangers" - The National
    91 "Freak Out" - Liars
    90 "Threshold Apprehension" - Black Francis
    89 "I Wish That I Could See You Soon" - Herman Dune
    88 "Computer Camp Love" - Datarock
    87 "Dashboard" - Modest Mouse
    86 "Pagan Angel And A Borrowed Car" - Iron & Wine
    85 "It's Me, Bitches (Remix)" - Swizz Beat
    84 "The Crystal Cat" - Dan Deacon
    83 "The State Of Massachusetts" - Dropkick Murphys
    82 "Ultimate" - Gogol Bordello
    81 "Our Life Is Not A Movie Or Maybe" - Okkervil River
    80 "Stop Me" - Mark Ronson
    79 "Myriad Harbor" - New Pornographers
    78 "The Songs That We Sing" - Charlotte Gainsbourg
    77 "Chelsea Dagger" - The Fratellis
    76 "Go Getta" - Young Jeezy

    75 "Phantom Limb" - The Shins
    74 "Comfy In Nautica" - Panda Bear
    73 "100 Days, 100 Nights" - Sharon Jones & the Dap Kings
    72 "You! Me! Dancing!" - Los Campesinos!
    71 "Impossible Germany" - Wilco
    70 "Bed" - J. Holiday
    69 "Seahorse" - Devendra Banhart
    68 "Tambourine" - Eve
    67 "Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa" - Vampire Weekend
    66 "Big Shit Poppin'" - T.I.
    65 "White People For Peace" - Against Me!
    64 "The Magic Position" - Patrick Wolf
    63 "Buy U A Drank" - T-Pain
    62 "The Last Fight" - Velvet Revolver
    61 "Down Boy" - Yeah Yeah Yeahs
    60 "Make It Witchu" - Queens Of The Stone Age
    59 "Let It Go" - Keyshia Cole
    58 "Grip Like A Vice" - The Go! Team
    57 "Men's Needs" - The Cribs
    56 "Lip Gloss" - Lil Mama
    55 "Hold On" - KT Tunstall
    54 "I-95" - Fountains Of Wayne
    53 "Black Mags" - The Cool Kids
    52 "Pressing On" - John Doe
    51 "Killing The Blues" - Robert Plant and Alison Krauss
    50 "The Heart Gently Weeps" - Wu-Tang Clan
    49 "Makes Me Wonder" - Maroon 5
    48 "Kiss Kiss" - Chris Brown (Feat. T-Pain)
    47 "The Pretender" - Foo Fighters
    46 "Do You Feel Me" - Anthony Hamilton
    45 "Halloweenhead" - Ryan Adams
    44 "Bleed It Out" - Linkin Park
    43 "Us Placers" - CRS
    42 "This Ain't A Scene, It's An Arms Race" - Fall Out Boy
    41 "Just Fine" - Mary J. Blige
    40 "Old News" - Dr. Dog
    39 "Guitar" - Prince
    38 "So Hott" - Kid Rock
    37 "Throw Some D's" 36 "Situation" - 1990s
    35 "Girlfriend" - Avril Lavigne
    34 "Are You Alright" - Lucinda Williams
    33 "Backed Out On The..." - Kevin Drew
    32 "When Under The Ether" - PJ Harvey
    31 "Don't Matter" - Akon
    30 "LDN" - Lily Allen
    29 "The People" - Common
    28 "Crazy Ex-Girlfriend" - Miranda Lambert
    27 "Silver Lining" - Rilo Kiley
    26 "Same Girl" - R. Kelly and Usher
    25 "Teenagers" - My Chemical Romance
    24 "What Goes Around..." - Justin Timberlake
    23 "Teenage Love Affair" - Alicia Keys
    22 "Keep The Car Running" - Arcade Fire
    21 "Crank That" - Soulja Boy
    20 "All My Friends" - LCD Soundsystem
    19 "1234" - Feist
    18 "Icky Thump" - The White Stripes
    17 "Weird Fishes/Arpeggi" -Radiohead
    16 "You Got Yr Cherry Bomb" - Spoon
    15 "Piece Of Me" - Britney Spears
    14 "I Get Money" - 50 Cent
    13 "The Past Is A Grotesque Animal" - of Montreal
    12 "Gunslinger" - John Fogerty
    11 "Stronger" - Kanye West
    10 "Int'l Player's Anthem" - UGK
    09 "Boyz" - M.I.A.
    08 "Long Walk Home" - Bruce Springsteen
    07 "Rehab" - Amy Winehouse
    06 "Dough Is What I Got" - Lil Wayne
    05 ""Four Winds" - Bright Eyes
    04 "D.A.N.C.E." - Justice
    03 "Umbrella" - Rihanna
    02 "A Few Words In Defense Of Our Country" - Randy Newman
    01 "Roc Boys" - Jay-Z

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Rolling Stone

This, plus the indie/ smoking add thing... R.S. is just determined to piss everyone off this year.

TravisWoods

Just because Umberella was omnipresent doesn't mean it was the best song of the year. HOWEVER, "Roc Boys" sure as heck wasn't either. I agree that Rolling Stone is painfully irrelevant, and the inclusion of Nickelback in the top 100 moves RS closer to having as little credibility as the Grammy awards.

brian

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