Wild Card: The Island of Misfit Songs

Isn’t the holiday season all about second chances? We’re just making that up. Because Love Actually taught us that the holiday season can be about whatever you pretend it’s about. Either way, this week’s Wild Card round brings back ten old favorites, all competing for the final slot(s) on our Weekly Top Ten countdown.

No, you didn’t read that wrong. There are ten songs in this week’s competition! Prepare yourself for a really long list of contestants–Ke$ha, Florence + The Machine, Rihanna, Bruno Mars, Utada Hikaru, Cee-Lo Green, Mariah Carey, Black Eyed Peas, Robyn and Taio Cruz. Phew, that’s a whole lot of people!

Since you’re some of the most indecisive people we know, you’ll be able to vote for two of these selections. If all goes according to plan, more than one song will appear on this weekend’s countdown, but we’re not going to reveal the final details until that afternoon. Vote before it’s too late!

– Dewitt

To listen to these selections and cast your vote, follow the JUMP:

Ke$ha – We R Who We R: When this song first emerged on the scene, it was billed as an anthem for bullied children. This probably left a bad taste in some folks’ mouths. As it turns out, it’s really just a song about partying a whole lot. And that bad taste–a mixture of semen, spoiled milk and leftover tuna–is basically just Ke$ha. You either love it or hate it.

___________________________________________________________

Florence + The Machine – Dog Days Are Over: In the grand tradition of La Roux and Edward Maya, this British import is just starting to pick up on the US charts. We were surprised to learn this song had never appeared on Manhunt Daily. With the exception of the mediocre Glee version. Doesn’t it deserve a chance on our countdown?

___________________________________________________________

Rihanna f/ Drake – What’s My Name?: It’s been said that we added this song before it had time to grow on people. True or false? Either way, we’re open to giving it a second chance. Say what you want to say about Rihanna, but she makes us wind and grind on the dancefloor. And we’re really not the winding and grinding types.

___________________________________________________________

Bruno Mars – Grenade: This melodramatic ditty finds Bruno Mars singing about a bunch of shit he’d do for someone he loves. How adorable!  It may not be our favorite song from his debut album Doo-Wops & Hooligans, but at least it doesn’t include any references to the Snuggie…

___________________________________________________________

Utada Hikaru – Goodbye Happiness: Utada smashed the competition in her Wild Card round. Then she almost made it into the next week’s top five. Long story short, it was nice to see her quirky music video in the running. Plus, we can’t get over the super-hot bear at the 3:55 mark! We also can’t get over making that same joke, every time we post this video.

___________________________________________________________

Cee-Lo Green – Fuck You: While Cee-Lo’s original version may not be as hilarious as Gwyneth Paltrow‘s rendition, this isn’t a competition about making you laugh. We love the deceptively cheery tone of this song, paired with the scathing lyrics. Don’t act like you’ve never been there before.

___________________________________________________________

Mariah Carey – Oh Santa!: We don’t have the patience to review Mimi’s Merry Christmas II You album, so we’re offering this up as a consolation prize. Does it get us into the holiday spirit as much as “All I Want For Christmas Is You”? Not quite. But at least she isn’t singing about Lego blocks and Windex. That’s an improvement, right?

___________________________________________________________

The Black Eyed Peas – The Time (The Dirty Bit): Dance-pop smash or assault to your eardrums? It doesn’t matter which side you’re on, because Fergie and will.i.am won’t be going away any time soon. Wait, doesn’t this chorus sound kind of familiar? Wasn’t it in some ’80s movie about dancing and falling in love?

___________________________________________________________

Robyn – Indestructible: Of all the songs from Robyn’s Body Talk series, “Dancing On My Own” has been topping a ton of critics’ lists. We would have loved to bring it back, but it had a pretty decent run over the summer months. But, um, how about “Indestructible”? It needs a little more love, guys!

___________________________________________________________

Taio Cruz f/ Kylie Minogue – Higher: We’re not even sure if this single is even being promoted in the US. Honestly, this makes us wonder why the American music industry hates Kylie Minogue so damn much. Or maybe it’s just this song? It’s kind of generic and robotic, but we’re not going to lie… we kind of love it.