My Top 25 of the year 2014

I followed music a little closer this year. From the Eurovision song contest, to the Dutch charts, and a few peeks at the American ones, to listening to NPO Radio 2, I found a lot of songs actually palatable.  Here's my top 25 of the year, enjoy!

Honorable mention:

Cake To Bake -- Aarzemnieki

Aarzemnieki is a band from Latvia who's name is hard to pronounce, but it means foreigner. Lead singer Jöran Steinhauer is German, but he fits right in.  Alright, this song probably wouldn't make my top 40 of the year.  For a few weeks around Eurovision, however, I couldn't stop myself from singing it.  It's got corny lyrics (bonus points for Raiders of the Lost Ark and Sherlock Holmes being referenced in the same song, though) , no drums, and the base line doesn't kick in until late, but boy are they having fun with it.  It's infectious. This is my Macarena like gift to you!

25.) Sing -- Ed Sheeran

Did you know acoustic was back?  If not Ed would like to reintroduce it to you, along with other bands like Milky Chance, Dotan, who are following in the footsteps of Mumford and Son's success.

24.) Problem f/ Iggy Azalea -- Ariana Grande

Don't hate me for liking this song.  I tried not to.  I saw it on the Dutch charts in March and it didn't hit with me.  Then in July while on vacation I heard it on the radio a few times while it was #1 in the US, and I was hooked.  It has the one element that totally gets me in a song, big changes from soft to loud.  This may be why I like a little dubstep every once in a while.  I also never really got into Iggy Azalea, but I like her rap in this one.  Again, don't hate me for liking this one.  I blame the 80s.

23.) Something Better  -- Softengine

Speaking of Eurovision songs, Finland's Softengine came with one of the few I actually liked.  And surprisingly, they didn't make it to the finals.  I don't think it was the song that hurt them, they lacked stage presence.  It's just a nice little piece of pop.

23.) Calm After The Storm -- The Common Linnets

This song took second for the Netherlands in Eurovision this year, and the Dutch felt they won. Simply put, a guy with a beard in a dress won on a gimmick.  And Calm After The Storm was the song of Eurovision, especially on the charts throughout Europe. Maybe it was the chemistry Ilse de Lange and Waylon showed on stage (they are childhood friends). Maybe it was the new-found popularity of Country music with the arrival of US TV hit Nashville on European TV. Or maybe it was the ring of lucky Guilders (old Dutch currency from before they started using the Euro in 2001) around Waylon's hat.  

It was no fluke they did as well as they did.  I don't like Country, and even I like it.  It's a slow burner with a driving back beat and well played guitars. They even came to Nashville and enlisted the likes of Vince Gill while recording. Yes, a country song made my top 25.  Hope it takes away from the hate I will get for the previous song.

22.) Geronimo -- Sheppard

This was another song that at first glance didn't impress. This time, it was when it became popular enough in the Netherlands to be played regularly by NPO Radio 2 that it hooked me. It gets into your head and won't let go.  Maybe that's what this Australian band was going for. Bombs away, indeed.

21.) Am I Wrong -- Nico and Vinz

When Nico and Vinz hit the top 10 in the US this year, they became only the third Norwegian band to do so.  A-ha did it almost 29 years earlier with Take on Me, Ylvis did it last year with What did the Fox Say? While a-ha and Ylvis were popular more for their videos than the song, for Nico and Vinz, it was all about the song. It was one of many this year going back to acoustic as well. 

20.) Wigger -- Anouk

Start with a catchy Banjo riff, Add some hip-hop flavor, and this autobiographical hit from Dutch singer Anouk makes top 20 on my list.  Yeah, the title is what it is, but she even makes light of it using one definition (born and raised in the suburbs) in the lyrics.  

19.) Sunshine -- Ginger Ninja

Hey, look!  It's a band from Denmark! Not only is the song interesting, but that band name. The opening guitar, the pounding drums, a real band playing real instruments, the falsetto chorus. It's a great mix that I find pleasing to the ear.

18.) Liar Liar f/ Pharrell -- Cris Cab

Cris Cab grew up in Miami of Cuban parents.  He grew up in music, and had his first studio session when he was 14.  He was discovered by Pharrell in 2008, and after touring with the likes of  T-Pain, Matisyahu, Rebelution, Gym Class Heroes and O.A.R. gained a second mentor in Wyclef Jean. While he's been big in Europe, he only hit #60 in Canada, and hasn't hit the top 100 in the US.  Such a shame, as this song has a great bass line that should do great on the radio here.  Just another song we miss out on here in the states.

17.) Nothing Really Matters -- Mr Probz

Let's slow this thing down a little bit.  My top 25 is a little dance heavy, to say the least.  But here's a song from Dutch singer Mr. Probz that moves you in a totally different way.  That voice.  It's totally gangster, and he is featured in may rap stars videos because of it.  But here it just works.  

16.) Love Never Felt So Good f/ Justin Timberlake -- Michael Jackson

Once, while driving down a country lane in 1988, I had someone in a field yell something disparaging about my sexual orientation because I had Michael Jackson's Bad album blaring from my car as I drove by. I don't care who Michael Jackson is, was, or will be, I just like his music.  Even putting Justin Timberlake in the song, and questioning whether this really is Michael didn't stop me from liking it.  It has so much good going for it.

14.) Streets -- Kensington

Kensington is a Dutch band from the city of Utrecht.  Like many others on this list, they are a real band, playing real instruments.  This driving rock song is one of three I like from the band.  

13.) Sunlight f/ Years And Years -- The Magician

Ever been to the beach?  It has it's good points and bad.  Looking at the beautiful people (whatever you find beautiful) in skimpy suits, and also seeing the not so desirable in questionable suit decisions. It's all there.  Being a child of the 80s, I am also aware of how a good video can sway you in liking a song.  Saying that, I think the video to this song is hilarious, and probably swayed me into adding it to my top 25.  Only time and plays will tell me if the song has staying power, something I haven't had too much of either yet.

Stephen Fasano, Belgian DJ who goes by the stage name The Magician, put together this single with English electronica trio Years & Years.  And it's catchy tune.  

12.) Stay High f/ Hippie Sabotage [Habits Remix] -- Tove Lo

11.) Me and My Broken Heart -- Rixton

10.) One Night -- Matthew Koma

9.) Sexy als ik dans -- Nielson

In English, the title of this song would be Sexy When I Dance.  And while I get some of the language, overlook the fact you can't understand the song, and just listen to it.  This is infectious pop at its best. And it has become the only Dutch language song in my library.  I believe it is that good.

8.) My Type -- Saint Motel

7.) Prayer in C (Robin Schulz Remix) -- Lilly Wood and The Prick

Original song

6.) Hideaway -- Kiesza

David Letterman and Jimmy Kimmel

5.) Wasted Ft. Matthew Koma -- Tiësto

4.) She Moves (Far Away) f/ Graham Candy  -- Alle Farben

Graham Candy unplugged

3.) Girls -- The 1975

2.) Ghost -- Ella Henderson

1.) Rather Be f/ Jess Glynne -- Clean Bandit

Listening habits

So, I married a Dutch woman.  And that means I listen to a lot of Dutch radio at home.  The only station we listen to is Radio 2, or NPO Radio 2 (Nederlandse Publieke Omroep, or Dutch Public Broadcasting).  It's a cross between Jack FM and community radio.  Most of the time, they play pretty much anything, well anything your parents would like.  On the weekend, there are some weird shows, like Musical Moods (songs from musicals), Spijkers met Kopen (Nails with Heads, political comedy), and Tijdperk Schiffers (Era Schiffers) a show that Hans Schiffers started in 2009, playing songs from about 1970-1992, in alphabetical order.  He's up to "U" now.

That, and the fact that it's in Dutch makes for some interesting listening.  I also learn about a lot of music.  Some of my favorite artists are now Dutch.  I have full albums from Anouk, Trijntje Oosterhuis/Total Touch, Krystl, Caro Emerald, and Ilse DeLange, I also have songs in my iPod from Zazi, Laura Jansen, Raccoon, Kensington, Dotan, and Wouter Hamel,  Yeah, click those links, good music of all genres are waiting for you.  I'm not saying it's all life changing music, but a lot of it could get radio play here in America if it had the chance.

They also put on a top 2000 every year, which culminates with #1 playing right before midnight New Years Eve.  It's a pretty diverse list, the first hour of the countdown brings you The Beatles, Grand Funk, Joan Jett, The Backstreet Boys, and Miley Cyrus.  Check out the whole list here.

With all this musical goodness, I am compiling a list of my top 25 songs of 2014.  It should be interesting.  Expect to see it sometime soon.

Selection A20: Wall of Voodoo -- Mexican Radio

This is another song I heard on MTV, but not on radio.  It made it to number 58 here in the states, but had some success in Canada (18), New Zealand (21), and Austtralia (33).  They are from Los Angeles, and this is their only successful song anywhere.

Change of direction

Lately, I haven't posted much here.  I don't think it's for lack of desire to write, I just haven't cared much to write about the Dream Jukebox.  It's something I do want to finish, but for now, I want to expand the focus.

I love music.  I look for good music in all sorts of places.  I listen to NPO (Dutch PBS/NPR) Radio 2. They play all sorts of music there, I swear you could hear the Eagles one minute, dubstep the next, and country the next.  Mostly, it's a Jack FM station with live announcers who are unfortunately for me speaking Dutch.

I look at the European charts.  I knew about a few of the more popular songs in the US this summer back when they were popular in the spring in Europe.  One song spent 9 weeks at number one in a two month span starting May 1st.  It's currently sitting at number 12 and poised to make the top 10 on the Billboard Hot 100.  It's a song I like a lot and will probably write about soon.

So, different focus.  Look for more articles about different music in the near future.

Selection A19: Joe Jackson -- Steppin' Out

When Joe Jackson divorced his wife, he moved to New York, and started working on a new album.  That work would become Night and Day.  They were still on vinyl back then, and still two sided.  So it was meant to be split in two, the A side being day, and the B side being night.  This track wound up being the last song on the first side, preparing to step out for a night on the town.

The song has heavy piano feel, with electronic drums.  Seems like it should be a juxtaposition of sound, but it worked, and worked well.  The only other instruments I hear are a good bass, and a toy piano.  It's minimalist new wave at its best.

It did well on the charts both here in the states, and in the UK.  This was his biggest hit in the US, going to number 6.  It also went to number 6 in the UK, although his 1980 song, It's Different For Girls was a bigger hit, going to number 5 in the UK.

Selection B19 is Another World.  Not a terrible song, but it's not something I'll be listening to much.

Selection A18: Paul Young -- I'm Gonna Tear Your Playhouse Down

While I like a lot of what Paul Young has done, I absolutely loved the album, The Secret of Association.  And this song, brought out in 1984/85 is sonically brilliant.  How many songs do you know that can pull off having the bass be the lead instrument?

But Paul is not the first artist to have this as a hit song.  That would go to Ann Peebles and her 1973 version:

While the Ann Peebles version is soulful, it doesn't hold a candle to the Paul Young version.  She didn't make the pop charts with it, although she did hit number 31 on the soul chart.  Her most popular song, I Can't Stand The Rain, hit number 6 soul, and 38 on the pop charts, her only top 40 hit.  That song was also covered, in 1978 by a band called Eruption, and it also bested Ann's chart success reaching number 18 pop.

But in 1984, it didn't look like Paul Young's version of this song was going to chart at all in the US.  He had some success with Come Back and Stay, and Love of the Common People from his album No Parlez, hitting at 22 and 45 respectively on the US pop charts.  And while Playhouse did well in the UK, hitting number 9 there, it didn't even break the hot 100 here.

Then, Paul's remake of Hall and Oates' Everytime You Go Away hit number one in the states, and Playhouse got re-released.  It hit number 13 in 1985.  Paul would only have one more top 10, with the 1990 hit Oh, Girl going to number 8, and another top 40 song in 1992 with What Becomes of the Brokenhearted, which hit number 22.

Selection B18 is One Step Forward, a haunting ballad that actually makes bongos sound sad.  Worth at least one listen, but probably won't do much in this jukebox.

Selection A17: Rob Jungklas -- Boystown

WARNING!

This video, like Wang Chung's Everybody Have Fun Tonight, may be seizure educing.  It jumps between different shots every frame.  Viewer discretion is advised.  

See video here, embedding is not working

Rob Jungklas is from Memphis.  He had a moderate hit in 1986 called Make it Mean Something.  It made it all the way to number 86 on the hot 100 charts.  The album it came from, Closer to the Flame, made it to 102.  This song?  It didn't even hit the charts.  Rob made one more album that didn't sell before calling it quits on the music business.  He married, went to college, got job teaching English and science in a Memphis school.  In 2001, he got the itch to record again, and since has put out 4 more albums.  

This song follows the pattern of many in the jukebox.  I heard it on MTV, because it didn't hit the charts.  I first saw this video on a Sunday night/Monday morning, just after midnight.  How do I know this? Because it aired on a show called 120 Minutes.  It came on right after airings of the crass British sit-com, The Young Ones.  And since I was recording the whole series of The Young Ones to my VCR for later viewing, and I liked the video so much, I kept it on there.  And since I viewed that tape possibly hundreds of times, so too did I listen to the song hundreds of times. 

Years later, that song haunted me.  I remembered very little, outside the title and a couple lyrics.  But after some hard searching, both through my mind, and the Internet, I found it.  First, I found the video.  Oh, my.  What were Godley and Creme thinking?  I needed a good MP3 copy for my collection.  I wound up finding it at Rob's Bandcamp page.  You, too can download a copy there, for free of for whatever you feel the man deserves.   Either way, you will sign up for his email newsletter, but you can unsubscribe as soon as you want:

Boystown at Rob Jungklas' Bandcamp page

The song changes pace from verse to chorus and back.  I'm a big change of pace guy, and here it is put together well.  I've gone through twelve plays since I got this, and it still hasn't gotten old.  

Dizzy Blonde at Rob's Bandcamp page

Selection B17 has no video, so I am linking to Rob's Bandcamp page for your listening pleasure.  I like the song, but it may have to grow on me in order for me to play it more.