• Send us Mail
  • Follow us on Twitter
  • Join our Facebook Group
  • Subscribe to our RSS Feed
  • Search Site

Polari Magazine

  • Home
  • Up Front
    • Editorial
    • Clementine: The Living Fashion Doll
    • Polari Safari
    • WTF? Friday
    • Bulletin Board
    • Polari Facts
  • Features
    • Interviews
    • Features
    • Gallery
    • Opinion
    • Heroes & Villains
  • Community
    • Oral Histories
    • Coming Out Stories
    • Relationships
    • IDAHO
    • LGBT History Month
    • Blogs
  • Reviews
    • Books
    • Film and Television
    • Music
    • Stage
    • Visual Arts
    • Classics: Books
    • Classics: Film and Television
    • Classics: Music
  • About
    • About Polari Magazine
    • Contributors
    • Contact

You are here: Polari Magazine / Features / Favourite Singles of 2013

From the end of Hannah Montana and an unlikely duet through to 2.37 seconds of pop perfection, here are DJ David Robson’s Favourite Singles of 2013.

I Love It, Polari Magazine Favourites of 2013
5. Wake Me Up • Avicii • June 2013, Charted #1
Wake Me Up, Polari Magazine Favourites of 2013

……………………………………………………………………………………………………

It’s been a long time since I have fallen in love with a summer anthem, but Avicii is a DJ who really can do no wrong at the moment. After his massive hit ‘Levels’ last year I had wondered if he was in danger of becoming a one hit wonder. With ‘Wake Me Up’ (and other 2013 Number 1 ‘I Could Be the One’) he proved that wasn’t the case. This track is a not your typical dance song about wanting to go out into the club, stay up late, drink lots and then die. First of all it bursts open with a guitar riff to make Mumford and Sons jealous before then taking you up into an atmospheric ‘hands in the air’ breakdown. It actually has a certain depth about existence, questioning life and how it all fits into the future. Which in the end (uncredited) guest vocalist Aloe Blacc concludes that “Life’s a Game made for everyone, and love is the prize” Isn’t that sweet? This is more than a dance song, it has soul. Keep up the good work Avicii but promise me not to fall into the over exposed trap of Guetta and Harris!

4. We Can’t Stop (DJ Scooters Twerk Remix) • Miley Cyrus Feat. Jay Z • June 2013, Charted #1

We Can't Stop, Polari Magazine Favourites of 2013

……………………………………………………………………………………………………

If 2013 has belonged to one pop star then is has to be Miley. The VMA’s, that public spat with Sinead and then riding about on rather dangerous equipment crashing into walls. She’s been a busy young lady desperately trying to shake off the shackles of child star and present an image of a person who is taking control. Whether she is or not is another story but with this song Miley declared that “This is our house, These are our rules”, and she won’t stop.

With this track she must lay claim to some sort of responsibility for the dance craze of 2013: twerking. It is a style of dance that has been around for some time yet the wider public only seemed aware of it after her VMA performance back in June. See, she’s more than a mere pop star, she’s educational. Or, is she just another white female privileged pop star who has exploited twerking from hip-hop culture for her own self gain. Who knows?

But back to the song, I picked the ‘Twerk’ remix of ‘We Can’t Stop’ not only because it sounds better but I think it’s the version Miley wanted to create. It has a seductive dirty beat, perfect sing-a-long chorus and even includes a guest spot from Hip-Hop icon Jay Z. It makes Miley sound and look more urban, which is the image she wants to project in order to evolve into adult pop star. ‘We Can’t Stop’ buried Hannah Montana and screamed that she was here with something to say. She certainly has our attention but what will 2014 hold for her? My achy, breaky, heart can’t handle the suspense!

3. Need U (100%) • Duke Dumont Featuring A*M*E • March 2013, Charted #1

Need U 100, Polari Magazine Favourites of 2013

……………………………………………………………………………………………………

This year really has been amazing for dance music. New styles and artists have took the genre forward and offered a new side to an ever evolving technical genre. ‘Need U’ however seemed to look back to the classic days of ’90s house and offer us a slice of retro with a modern twist. For that reason alone I love this track.

The real attraction for me is not just the finger clicking intro, the catchy bass or climactic ending. It’s A*M*E’s vocals and lyrics. I have always been a fan of House songs that sing about love. Not just being in love but making a declaration that shows a humans vulnerability and desire to be loved.

I wanna be the one you call, every day and night
Are you gonna be the one who’s always gonna treat me right?

The juxtaposition of these words matched against Dumont’s music is perfection and already feels like it’s a modern day house anthem.

2. Just Give Me A Reason • P!nk (Feat Nate Reuss) • February 2013, Charted #2

Just Give Me A Reason, Polari Magazine Favourites of 2013

……………………………………………………………………………………………………

What I love about P!nk is her ability to return to the charts time after time and deliver some of modern day pop’s best tunes. ‘Just Give Me A Reason’ is no exception and it’s a welcome change to hear in today’s pop climate.

What’s so refreshing is the track’s simplicity and the vocals delivered by P!nk (who I find very underrated as a vocalist) and Fun’s Nate Reuss. No vocoder or over-produced effects, just a piano, drum machine with two fine voices. AND it’s an actual duet. Yes a duet. In which we hear a conversation between two lovers about their failing relationship. It has a story! (Pitbull take note.)

Showing a softer side to P!nk, she never fades into the background on what becomes the template of a ‘Fun’ track as the chorus plays. They both hold their own and deliver strong vocals that make me wish there was more from these two as a collective. An unlikely hit song that I never tire of hearing.

Oh and to those of you who bought PJ and Duncan’s ‘Let’s Get Ready to Rumble’ which kept the song off the top of the charts for a week, hang your heads in shame.

1. I Love It • Icona Pop (Feat. Charli XCX) • March 2013, Charted #1
I Love It, Polari Magazine Favourites of 2013

……………………………………………………………………………………………………

When it comes to making pop music at the moment it seems the Swedish really do know what they’re doing. ‘I Love It’ is 2.37 seconds of pop perfection!

Icona Pop are two DJs turned Pop stars who found success with this track elsewhere in 2012 before it was actually released back in March then climbing to the top of the charts in June for one week.

It’s a track full of so much energy that it makes a night out in Vauxhall seem quite tame. What the lyrics are actually about doesn’t appear to make much sense, nor is it ethical when you think about it. BUT why should it make sense? Pop doesn’t have to if it sounds as good as this. If anything they should be a little more careful when driving other people’s cars.

I threw your shit into a bag and pushed it down the stairs.
I crashed my car into the bridge –

they admit before launching into a defiant and catchy chorus of “I DON’T CARE, I LOVE IT”.

It maybe their only hit single of the moment, and the dangers of being a one hit wonder are looming over their heads like vultures, but if this is to be their legacy ‘I love it’.

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Tumblr
  • Pinterest

Search Polari

Latest Posts

  • Polari Magazine 2008-2014December 3, 2014 - 6:16 pm
  • Tearing Up Their Map: An Interview with LambDecember 2, 2014 - 2:45 pm
  • Future Islands • GigDecember 2, 2014 - 1:41 pm
  • Puppets with Attitude (at Christmas)December 1, 2014 - 6:30 pm
  • The Aesthetic of Voyeurism: Interview with Antonio Da SilvaDecember 1, 2014 - 1:25 pm
  • Broke With Expensive Taste • Azealia BanksNovember 28, 2014 - 3:59 pm
  • Royalty Strutting on an American College Stage: Miss and Mr. Gay ISU 2014November 27, 2014 - 2:59 pm
  • Bright Light Bright Light: Everything I Ever WantedNovember 26, 2014 - 11:15 am
  • Jaime Nanci And The Blueboys: ‘Toy’ TalkNovember 25, 2014 - 4:09 pm

About Polari Magazine

Polari Magazine is an LGBT arts and culture magazine that explores the subculture by looking at what is important to the people who are in it. It’s about the lives we lead, not the lifestyles we’re supposed to lead.

Its content is informed & insightful, and features a diverse range of writers from every section of the community. Its intent is to help LGBT readers learn about their own heritage and to sustain a link between the present and the past.

Polari is designed to nurture the idea of community, whether that be social and political, or artistic and creative. It is your magazine, whether you want to read it, or whether you want to get involved in it, if you're gay, lesbian, bisexual, trans, or queer.

Polari Magazine is all these: it's a gay online magazine; it's a gay and lesbian online magazine; it's an LGBT arts and culture magazine. Ultimately, it is a queer magazine.

Latest Posts

  • Polari Magazine 2008-2014December 3, 2014 - 6:16 pm
  • Tearing Up Their Map: An Interview with LambDecember 2, 2014 - 2:45 pm
  • Future Islands • GigDecember 2, 2014 - 1:41 pm
  • Puppets with Attitude (at Christmas)December 1, 2014 - 6:30 pm
  • The Aesthetic of Voyeurism: Interview with Antonio Da SilvaDecember 1, 2014 - 1:25 pm
  • Broke With Expensive Taste • Azealia BanksNovember 28, 2014 - 3:59 pm
  • Royalty Strutting on an American College Stage: Miss and Mr. Gay ISU 2014November 27, 2014 - 2:59 pm
  • Bright Light Bright Light: Everything I Ever WantedNovember 26, 2014 - 11:15 am
  • Jaime Nanci And The Blueboys: ‘Toy’ TalkNovember 25, 2014 - 4:09 pm

Twitter

Tweets by @PolariMagazine

Archive

  • December 2014
  • November 2014
  • October 2014
  • September 2014
  • August 2014
  • July 2014
  • June 2014
  • May 2014
  • April 2014
  • March 2014
  • February 2014
  • January 2014
  • December 2013
  • November 2013
  • October 2013
  • September 2013
  • August 2013
  • July 2013
  • June 2013
  • May 2013
  • April 2013
  • March 2013
  • February 2013
  • January 2013
  • December 2012
  • November 2012
  • October 2012
  • September 2012
  • August 2012
  • July 2012
  • June 2012
  • May 2012
  • April 2012
  • March 2012
  • February 2012
  • January 2012
  • December 2011
  • November 2011
  • October 2011
  • September 2011
  • July 2011
  • April 2011
  • March 2011
  • February 2011
  • January 2011
  • December 2010
  • November 2010
  • October 2010
  • September 2010
  • August 2010
  • July 2010
  • May 2010
  • April 2010
  • March 2010
  • February 2010
  • January 2010
  • December 2009
  • November 2009
  • October 2009
  • September 2009
  • August 2009
  • July 2009
  • May 2009
  • March 2009
  • February 2009
  • January 2009
  • December 2008
© Copyright - Polari Magazine - Wordpress Theme by Kriesi.at
  • scroll to top
  • Send us Mail
  • Follow us on Twitter
  • Join our Facebook Group
  • Subscribe to our RSS Feed
Website Privacy & Cookies