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Song of the Day #1,098: ‘Super Bass’ – Nicki Minaj

Nicki Minaj scares the hell out of me.

I think it’s her mouth, which seems about three sizes too large for her face. And of course there are all those freaky voices she uses when rapping. I’m sure she’d consider “frightening” a compliment.

I’d use a much different adjective to describe her body, which is the sort of post-modern bodacious Varga girl spectacle that makes men say “DAAAYUM!” and bite their fists with mounting frustration.

I don’t have a handy adjective for her music, because thus far I know her only through her work on other people’s records.

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Song of the Day #1,097: ‘Don’t Wanna Go Home’ – Jason Derulo

Why Jason Derulo is a rising star and not the next Rebecca Black is a mystery to me.

Go ahead, read the first two verses of ‘Don’t Wanna Go Home’ (below) and tell me those lyrics wouldn’t fit right in alongside the “Sunday comes afterwards” inanity of Black’s excoriated ‘Friday.’

On top of that is Derulo’s bizarre habit of singing his own name at the beginning of his songs. I don’t know if he does this on every song, but he does it on this one and on ‘In My Head,’ the only other song of his I know. I find that hilarious.

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Song of the Day #1,096: ‘The Show Goes On’ – Lupe Fiasco

I’ve heard the name Lupe Fiasco for awhile now, but I’ve never known a thing about him. If you’d asked me before today I would have guessed that he was some sort of Latin DJ.

Not quite. Fiasco is actually the stage name of Wasalu Muhammad Jaco, a Chicago rapper who eschews the usual subject matter of drugs and sex, preferring to sing about politics and his Muslim upbringing. He’s one of those “positive” rappers who seem to be increasingly popular.

Today’s song, ‘The Show Goes On,’ was actually released in late 2010, but it seems to have had a surge in popularity this year. It shows up on a few lists of top summer songs.

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Song of the Day #1,095: ‘The Lazy Song’ – Bruno Mars

Last July I spent two weeks on summer singles — those songs that dominate the airwaves during these carefree months. Songs that mostly check their brains at the door and ask nothing of the listener but to hum or dance along.

I’ve traditionally been way behind in discovering summer singles, often not hearing them until months later. I’m the guy who didn’t hear ‘Umbrella’ or ‘I’ve Got a Feeling’ until they’d been in rotation for more than a year. Last summer I proactively remedied that situation, and this summer I’ve aiming to do so again.

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Song of the Day #1,094: ‘It Never Woulda Worked Out Anyway’ – Brad Paisley

Brad Paisley’s mischievous side was apparent right from the start, with this B-side to the ‘Who Needs Pictures’ single as early evidence.

‘It Never Would Worked Out Anyway’ is the opposite of its counterpart song more than just physically. Both tunes are sung by protagonists who have fallen out of relationships, but while the singer of yesterday’s song is lost in sad nostalgia, today’s narrator has opted for petty revenge.

Paisley expertly embraces this juxtaposition on all of his albums. He places earnest love songs against both heartbreak ballads and sarcastic put-downs. In the grand country tradition, he offers up something for everyone.

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