Top 20 Most Annoyingly Catchy Songs of 2008

by Jarrett Martineau | December 21, 2008 at 05:03 am

43638 views | 35 Recommendations | 17 comments

Ah yes, we all know that there are lists upon lists upon lists in circulation across the internet as the year draws to a close. We even have our own NowPublic Best of 2008 channel - with its own lists aplenty.

But we still felt there was something...missing.

Although music critics and bloggers have picked the "Best Music of 2008" — what about all of the songs you heard in 2008 that were impossible to forget? As in, tunes, hooks, and choruses that were, literally, impossible to get out of your head.

With that in mind (and ear), here are the top 20 most amazingly and agonizingly catchy songs of the year, as chosen by NowPublic's editors.

And don't try and pretend like you don't know what we're talking about. We know you do.

You can listen to our mixtape of The Top 20 Earworms of 2008 — or click any song title to view the video.

Now, here's the...um...best of the worst of the best?

20. Chris Brown and/or any Chris Brown duet - "Forever" / "Superhuman" (with Keri Hilson) / "No Air" (with Jordin Sparks) / "Shawty Get Loose" (with Lil Mama & T-Pain)
Chris Brown can sing hits for Wrigley's gum or sing with any current pop star and make practically any song popular. Take your pick of his sickly-sweet ear candy.

19. Flo Rida - "Elevator" (Feat. Timbaland)
Like every other 'Flow-Ryda' song, this one is undeniably generic and would be entirely forgettable were it not for Timbaland chiming in on the chorus with a little "Ella-ella-vator" hook that sticks the moment it's heard. Is it biting Rihanna? Yep. Does it work? You know it do.

18. Estelle - "American Boy" (Feat. Kanye West)
Estelle's "take me away" chorus is supposed to be delightfuly catchy. Alas, it is not. Have fun whistling along. For the foreseeable future.

17. T.I. - "Whatever You Like" / "Live Your Life" (Feat. Rihanna)
As 50 Cent learned us, sing-song rapping is the new rapping. "Whatever You Like" is the kind of rap song kids can sing at their fifth birthday parties. And "Live Your Life" has Rihanna. And yodeling. And an "eh - eh / eh - eh" chorus. Done.

16. Pink - "So What"
"Nana-na / na na na / nana-na / na na" How is it that Pink can turn nursery rhyme melodies into pop songs? This song is infectious. In a bad way.

15. Pussycat Dolls - "When I Grow Up"
"Ha / ha / ha"? Yeah no. More like, "Argh! Argh! Argh!" When I grow up, I wanna be freed from the memory that this song has ever existed.

14. Lil Wayne - "A Milli" / "Lollipop"
No words can describe the ragged, rugged, rap mess that is "A Milli". But once you've heard it, it's there to stay — in all of its chaotic, incoherent, muddled enigmatic glory. Who or what is Lil' Wayne. Seriously. And if "Milli" confounds you, try "Lollipop" for a more sugary version of Weezy's madness. (Ed: thanks to Blue Crush for the reminder)

13. Rihanna - "Take A Bow" / "Rehab"
This ain't no "Um-ber-ella" (ella - ella / eh - eh), but it's still way too catchy for its own good. Of course, if we're talking about catchiness, we can't forget (no really, we can't) the Winehouse-title-biting pop slab o' "Rehab", which evidently required Justin Timberlake's writing skills (and backup vox) to make melodramatically memorable.

12. Santogold - "Les Artistes"
There's something about Santogold's glitter-spewing, borderline freakout annoying vocal style that, when paired with her uber-hipster Diplo collabs and mixtapes and nearly uniform blogospheric fawning, makes her impossible to ignore. And this tune, despite my deep misgivings, worms its infuriating way into my memory. And it won't leave.

11. Vampire Weekend - "Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa"
I love Paul Simon!

10. Q-Tip - "Gettin' Up"
Q-Tip returns to form with a fun, lighthearted, throwback hip-hop album that includes this breezy, jazzy, and catchy tune that, remarkably, does not infuriate me. In fact, I actually like this one! (By the way, nice outfits, Tip.)

9. Flight of the Conchords - "Business Time" / "Think About It" / "Bret, You've Got It Going On" / "Hip-Hopopotamus vs. The Rhymenoceros"
2008 was the year New Zealand's "fourth most popular guitar-based digi-bongo acapella-rap-funk-comedy folk duo" finally conquered America. Although their YouTube vids have been steadily gaining millions of views since last year, their self-titled album wasn't officially released in the U.S. until April. Nearly every song on the album is a classic. "Did Steve tell you that, perchance?"

8. Katy Perry - "I Kissed A Girl"
Religious groups hate it. Critics hate it. I hate it. And even you might hate it, but you know it's in your head. It's in there. Inside. And it's not going away. It will be there. Forever.

7. M.I.A. - "Paper Planes"
Thanks for reviving this one, Slumdog Millionaire. M.I.A.'s impossibly catchy sing-song flow, a gunshot-filled chorus, and the simple hook of kids singing "and take ya money" is the perfect way to make a soundtrack memorable — from the opening Clash sample you just know this is going to be an unforgettable banger. And it is.

6. MGMT - "Time to Pretend" / "Kids"
Paradoxically, "Time to Pretend" has become a mainstream hipster's anthem that, from the very first synthy notes of the intro melody, makes me feel like I will be forever trapped in an Urban Outfitters wearing shutter sunglasses and a keffiyeh with this song on repeat. Ok, maybe with two songs on repeat. "Kids" is the other one. Give this band their vowels back!

5. Britney Spears - "Womanizer"
I guess you can officially herald the comeback of Britney when her singles become catchy enough to make you want to stab freshly-sharpened pencils through both eardrums.

4. Kanye West - "Love Lockdown"
Of all the competing AutoTune'd songs of 2008, Kanye wrote the most memorable robot-pop tart of the year.

3. Lonely Island - "Jizz in My Pants"
Impossibly, SNL's Andy Samberg has penned a song that is even more outrageous, offensive, ridiculous, and catchy than "Dick in a Box". Indeed, the beat, the tune, the chorus, the video, the costumes, in all of its offensive glory, this song gets stuck in your brain after a single listen. Damn you, Samberg, damn you! (ps. can't wait for the album!)

2. Kardinal Offishall - "Dangerous" (Feat. Akon)
"Noticing me...noticing you..." — noticing that this song will never ever ever be erased from my memory.

1. Lady GaGa - "Poker Face" / "Just Dance"
"Can't read my / can't read my / no, he can't read my po-ker face" is the most bizarre, yet memorable, pop hook of 2008. Sorry Lil' Wayne. But it's true. That said, card playing and partying are, apparently, entirely musically interchangeable. See "Just Dance" for details.

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Uwe Paschen

at 19:27 on December 19th, 2008

Hum, I do not know half of them. Japan's Music favourites are some what different then North America's.

Well, We have one Popular NA coming in February and all seats are sold out solid with Eric Clapton Japan Tour.

Eljin (not verified)

at 19:54 on December 19th, 2008

I live in America and I only know one of these songs and that's only because one of the guys at work played it for us. Where did you find this junk?

Mary Richard

at 19:56 on December 19th, 2008

I'd have thought Lil Wayne's "Lollipop" would have topped that list!

Jarrett Martineau

at 20:14 on December 19th, 2008

Ah yes...what an oversight! I am appending it to our other lil' Lil Wayne selection. How could we forget such a pop culture...um...gem? :)

Mary Richard

at 12:37 on December 20th, 2008

Gem indeed! I know of little kids that sing along to it .... : >(

carmenkchan19

at 20:49 on December 19th, 2008

I saw Katy Perry at Phooson in Phoenix.

carmenkchan19 has contributed a photo to this story.

mayraacosta

at 21:45 on December 19th, 2008

KANYE WEST concert Arena Monterrey, October 18
Monterrey, México

mayraacosta has contributed a photo to this story.

MelissaMay (not verified)

at 22:45 on December 19th, 2008

Half of them, I remembered by name and about another 5 I remembered when I played a bit. How many people know probably depends on their own personal taste, plus what radio stations they listen to.

Oren Something

at 23:27 on December 19th, 2008

Oren Something has contributed a photo to this story.

Uwe Paschen

at 08:38 on December 20th, 2008

Here would be Japan's Top ten list of Pop Songs. The link is to the top ten Asian Holiday Songs.

http://www.asiaarts.ucla.edu/081212/article.asp?parentID=102066

Below is the Japanese top ten list.

Kanjani8 - Wahaha
Namie Amuro - New Look
Aiko - Futari
Tatsuro Yamashita - Zutto Issho sa
Berryz Kobo - Dschinghis Khan
Smap - Sono Mama
Tohoshinki - Keyword/maze (jejung From Tohoshinki)
Thelma Aoyama - Soba ni Iru ne (Feat. Soulja)
Jero - Umiyuki
Masayoshi Yamazaki - Mayonaka No Boon Boon

Hope you liked this! Cya!

Jon Azpiri

at 12:15 on December 22nd, 2008

I was on a flight in Malaysia that played music over the loudspeakers. For some reason, it kept playing T-Pain's "Apple Bottom Jeans" over and over as we waited through a delay on the runway. Sitting in an airplane for 20 minutes breathing in recycled air and listening to "Apple Bottom Jeans" on a loop turned my brain into pudding.

Hot Fuss Design

at 22:05 on December 22nd, 2008

Flight of the Conchords are very imaginative and brilliantly lack a discernable filter. These professional photographs were so exceptional I used both of them to frame the ups and downs of my original graphic design. To see more of my album art graphics and graphic design click or copy http://flickr.com/photos/92344203@N00/ into your browser.

CD LP and mp3 Album Art has contributed a photo to this story.

RACHEL P (not verified)

at 19:22 on January 1st, 2009

I LOVED THE CHRIS BROWN AND JORDIN SPARKS SONG BUT I CAN AGREE WITH THE NUMBER ONE SONG I HAVE TO TURN OFF MY RADIO WHEN THAT SONG COMES ON I'D REALLY LISTEN TO BARABA THAN THAT SONG

ponchoandy

at 12:19 on January 5th, 2009

These lists are always subject to debate, but in terms of the catchiness factor, I think this one pretty much nails it. Only possible addition: Katy Perry's "Hot N Cold," which is actually catchier, for better or worse, than "I Kissed a Girl." You have been warned.

Markus Werner

at 07:29 on January 7th, 2009

Estelle live in Munich, Germany. A stunning performance!

Markus Werner has contributed a photo to this story.

erina (not verified)

at 00:56 on January 21st, 2009

this list and it's comments are wicked, you got it so right.

Only a couple songs I didn't know though, but man, as an ozzie just back from visiting New Zealand, who watched a saturation of Flight of Conchords, I have to say that show and their songs will continue to entertain me.

PS, as a girl, irritatingly catchy songs that stick in your head,' like kissed a girl' are even more annoying when you find you are accidently singing it aloud in public. ahh, gross.