“Safe and Sound” by Taylor Swift, “Give Me All Your Luvin'” by Madonna, and “Glad You Came” by The Wanted

Here are my thoughts on some recently-released pop songs. Feel free to comment on whether you agree or disagree with my views, or if you have anything else to add!

1. “Safe and Sound” by Taylor Swift: I described this song in an earlier post about Taylor Swift as “emotional, haunting, and memorable.” The video validates this critique of the song, as it adds another layer of complexity to what is a pretty clear song. There’s an air of eeriness and uncertainty as Swift progresses through the video – the setting evokes a chilly and uncomfortable (in a good way) feel, and it’s powerful in its simplicity. Swift appears striking despite not wearing any makeup and plays the part of a ghostly, pure young adult well.

In an interview Swift stated that they shot the video in a cemetery, the grave site of a couple who died in the nineteenth century. And here she is, sitting on a gravestone...

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Pop/K-Pop Workout Playlist #1

Believe it or not, I do do things besides reading and pondering pointless subjects such as “gesturing” vs. “gesticulating” and Key’s hotness. One of those things is exercise.

I’m not a serious athlete, but I do like to play tennis or run every day to keep myself from becoming morbidly obese. While I’m running on my treadmill or utilizing other calorie-burning equipment at the gym, I always listen to pop music and sometimes study SAT vocab. As a result, I’ve decided to compile a list of ten songs that I’ve been working out to lately or songs that I find energizing and upbeat.

Half of the songs are English pop while the other half is K-Pop. For the sake of clarity the odd numbered songs are in English and the even numbered songs are in Korean. I’m considering making more than one of these but we’ll see how it goes.

Here’s the list:
1. “You Make Me Feel” by Cobra Starship (feat. Sabi)
2. “Good-bye Baby” by Miss A (skip to 1:35 for the music)
3. “Where Them Girls At” by David Guetta (feat. Nicki Minaj, Flo Rida)
4. “I Am The Best” by 2NE1
5. “Super Bass” by Nicki Minaj
6. “Banana” by G.NA
7. “Til The World Ends” by Britney Spears
8. “Mr. Simple” by Super Junior
9. “Promiscuous” by Nelly Furtado (feat. Timbaland)
10. “Nu ABO” by f(x)

Overall the list is comprised of some songs with more than one contributing artist and songs by mostly female singers. You can’t blame me, the pop industry has been dominated by women lately… now for thoughts on each individual song and images!

1. “You Make Me Feel” by Cobra Starship (feat. Sabi) – when I first heard this song on the radio I knew I would be running to it. It’s a catchy club song that actually doesn’t contain any curse words or overt dirty innuendos, how surprising (in a good way)!

I really liked Miss A's video for "Good-bye Baby"... and their awesome fish flop, leg flailing dance move.

2. “Good-bye Baby” by Miss A – As of this moment “Good-bye Baby” is number six on the top 25 most-played songs on my IPod. It has a strong rhythm and smooth transitions that make it easy to listen to. I ran to this song a lot while on my cruise this summer.

3. “Where Them Girls At” by David Guetta (feat. Nicki Minaj, Flo Rida) – Another club song with a male and female artist. Just like “Sexy Chick”, Guetta creates an irresistible song to dance and move to with “Where Them Girls At”. Also, you have to love Nicki Minaj’s unintelligible noises near the end of the song.

4. “I Am The Best” by 2NE1 – Bam ratatatata tatatata… Naega jeil jal naga, jeil jeil jeil jal naga. What a hook, need I say more?

5. “Super Bass” by Nicki Minaj – I admit that I’ve been harsh on Nicki Minaj on the past, but the censored version of “Super Bass” and “Fly” (feat. Rihanna) impress me. Maybe because they lean more toward pop/dance than rap.

I hope they're still releasing the video for "Banana" despite it being banned from live performance.

6. “Banana” by G.NA – “Banana” possesses a mellifluous melody coupled with an exotic feel. I’m looking forward to writing a post about the song and its music video so I can rant discuss the differences between Eastern and Western pop music censoring. Lipstick chicken butter roll.

"Til The World Ends" won Best Pop Video at the 2011 VMAs. Do you think the video deserves the award?

7. “Til The World Ends” by Britney Spears – Slick and sexy, this song and its remix are fantastic to run to.

Siwon's bulge, I mean abs, serve as good motivation to exercise. (image via mithunonthe.net)

8. “Mr. Simple” by Super Junior – Oh, how I love “Sorry Sorry 2.0” Mr. Simple. While not the perfect song on its own, it does offer a mix of catchy components that can satisfy one’s craving for K-Pop while working out.

9. “Promiscuous” by Nelly Furtado (feat. Timbaland) – I rediscovered this song a few weeks ago at my friend’s house. I love the banter between the two, their allusions, and the overall feel of the song. Not to mention that I learned the meaning of “promiscuous” from it. Maybe I shouldn’t be so thankful for that…

I love the dance to this song... when I saw Key perform it I almost screamed. Anyway...

10. “Nu ABO” by f(x) – Introducing the number one most-played song on my IPod, “Nu ABO” packs a punch with its powerful chorus and charming chant of “na na na na na na na na na na na”. F(x) fighting!

What are your thoughts on this playlist? Any songs you workout to yourself or any songs you would like to add? Let me know!

SHINee’s Key Recommends Nicki Minaj “Moment 4 Life”

Here’s a snippet from Key’s interview with Elle Magazine:

“Q: a recent movie, book, or album, which one will you recommend to our readers?
A: Nicki Minaj’s Moment 4 Life”

Key, a Nicki Minaj fan? We all know he’s a diva, but really? Nicki? No offense to Nicki Minaj fans, but I find her music filthy and inappropriate. I would have posted a worse picture aside Key’s bright, smiling face to further show the contrast between the two artists but I think a quick Google search will suffice for anybody interested.

It’s not like I lose an ounce of respect for Key, though – we all have our tastes. And who can resist this?

During a live "Hello" performance... *fanboy scream*