The Best of twostepcubchart 2011, part 8...

Hey folks, it's time for my eighth installment of my recap of the biggest songs on my weekly list from 2011. This time we'll see a Romanian diva, a Swedish Mafia, and a "Country Song" that never made the country chart.

30. Alexandra Stan - Mr. Saxobeat (from the CD Saxobeats)

twostepcubchart peak: #6 (2 weeks)
US Hot 100 peak: #21
US Dance Club Play peak: #37
US Dance Airplay peak: #1 (7 weeks)
UK Singles peak: #3
French Singles peak: #6
German Singles peak: #1 (7 weeks)
Global Dance Tracks peak: #1

Stan (pictured above) was the biggest beneficiary of the "Romanian Wave" from 2010 to 2011, hanging around forever with this electro-disco number that helped bring the saxophone back to dance music (see also, Dev).




29. Lady GaGa - Born This Way (from the CD Born This Way)

twostepcubchart peak: #1 (2 weeks)
US Hot 100 peak: #1 (6 weeks)
US Adult Pop peak: #7
US Adult Contemporary peak: #22
US Dance Club Play peak: #1 (one week)
US Dance Airplay peak: #1 (one week)
UK Singles peak: #3
French Singles peak: #2
German Singles peak: #1 (2 weeks)
Global Dance Tracks peak: #4

Billboard's 1000th Hot 100 #1 single, Mother Monster sure built enough hype over the release of the song, which paid off with two of the highest selling weeks for a single for 2011, selling almost a million copies in less than 2 weeks. I am totally overjoyed over the success of this song, the first truly GLBT-positive mainstream hit and it hit big. Critics may deride it for sounding like Madonna's "Express Yourself" (heck every house/dance music song in the late 80s sounded like that), but GaGa had the balls that Madonna never did in releasing a record like this.




28. Lady Gaga - Edge Of Glory (from the CD Born This Way)

twostepcubchart peak: #1 (one week)
US Hot 100 peak: #3
US Dance Club Play peak: #1 (one week)
US Dance Airplay peak: #14
US Adult Pop peak: #2
US Adult Contemporary peak: #7
UK Singles peak: #6
French Singles peak: #7
German Singles peak: #3
Global Dance Tracks peak: #11

Gaga's third hit from Born This Way (the second, "Judas" sits below my recap at #134), "The Edge Of Glory" serves as the reqiuem for E Street saxophonist Clarence Clemmons, with his last record as well as video performance. Epic, as it should be.




27. Swedish House Mafia - Save The World (from the upcoming CD One Night Stand)

twostepcubchart peak: #2 (one week)
US Dance Club Play peak: #1 (one week)
US Dance Airplay peak: #1 (5 weeks)
UK Singles peak: #10
Global Dance Tracks peak: #1

Steve Angello, Axwell, and Sebastian Ingrosso had their third consecutive top-10 hit in Britain and their second #1 US dance hit with this epic song that sports a clip that is a dog-lovers' favorite.




26. Cage The Elephant - Shake Me Down (from the CD Thank You, Happy Birthday)

twostepcubchart peak: #8 (2 weeks)
US Hot 100 peak: #78
US Rock Songs peak: #1 (2 weeks)
US Modern Rock peak: #1 (6 weeks)

The Kentucky-based roots-rock band scored a hat-trick with this #1 modern rock track heralding their sophomore release. The song is pretty bipolar if you listen to the lyrics. Creepy video, though.




25. The Script - Nothing (from the CD Science & Faith)

twostepcubchart peak: #2 (3 weeks)
US Hot 100 peak: #32
US Adult Pop peak: #3
US Adult Contemporary peak: #15

The Irish group surprisingly has a hit about getting drunk at a pub. Again. This time over a lost love, which drives lead Danny O'Donoghue to take a little swim.




24. Rise Against - Help Is On The Way (from the CD Endgame)

twostepcubchart peak: #3 (5 weeks)
US Hot 100 peak: #89
US Rock Songs peak: #2
US Modern Rock peak: #2

Rise Against has carried the flag this year for politically thoughtful rock music with this song inspired by the tragedy in New Orleans from Hurricane Katrina. Powerful and provocative.




23. Tonight, Tonight - Hot Chelle Rae (from the CD Whatever)

twostepcubchart peak: #2 (2 weeks)
US Hot 100 peak: #7
US Adult Pop peak: #1 (one week)
US Adult Contemporary peak: #19

This is my niece's favorite song of this year. She's 7. Of course the perfect audience for this simple repetetive earworm, but it stuck on my mind, as well as a lot of adults as well. And sometimes that is a good thing. The video featured Glee's Chord Overstreet, brother of the band's guitarist, and in my mind I imagined him not getting the star billing and leaving the show because Ryan Murphy was jealous of him promoting something on his own. But who am I to know?




22. Red Hot Chili Peppers - The Adventures Of Rain Dance Maggie (from the CD I'm With You)

twostepcubchart peak: #3 (4 weeks)
US Hot 100 peak: #38
US Rock Songs peak: #1 (8 weeks)
US Modern Rock peak: #1 (4 weeks)
US Adult Pop peak: #18
German Singles peak: #20

After a five year break, RCHP are back with this back-to-form funk rock of a number with a Let It Be/Where The Streets Have No Name rooftop concert clip to match.




21. Seether - Country Song (from the CD Holding On To Strings Better Left To Fray)

twostepcubchart peak: #4 (3 weeks)
US Hot 100 peak: #72
US Rock Songs peak: #2
US Modern Rock peak: #8

The South African hard rock trio roared back with this pop-grunge winner from their fifth major-label effort. According to lead Shaun Morgan, the song was named for its groove and being recorded in Nashville. It sounds like Nirvana covering a Creedence Clearwater Revival song.




Next week we're into the top-20, with Adam Levine's comeback, Jessie J's conquest, and and Grammy-winning flip of the bird. Peace.