5. Taylor Swift - You Belong With Me (2009)

Off Taylor Swift's SECOND (yes, it surprised me too when I saw) album "Fearless," I have chosen this song for today because of my love for nostalgia and real respect for her as an artist.

See, I'm not really a fan of country music, but every now and then a song or artist will catch me off guard. Taylor Swift has done just that, with a little help from Z107.7 and other pop radio stations that have been playing pop versions of her tunes and helping them reach a wider audience. While I prefer the country versions of these songs, which this is, I think her talent translates well.

What's more is that Swift is so young and pretty and poppy, yet she's talented and original and writes a lot of her own material, so you can tell it's from the heart. I like this song in particular because I remember being back in high school and being in those shoes. The words hit home so much so that they could have been written by me ;) Except I would make a terrible songwriter.

Short hiatus

This blog was on a short hiatus Monday and Tuesday because I was in Madison, WI without computer access. Song of the day returns today.

4. Gomez - Airstream Driver (2009)

I chose this song because I've been on a real Bonnaroo kick again lately. Only 200+ more days to go until 2010.

Anyway, I'd never heard Gomez before but we got into Centeroo early and decided to park at the Which Stage to get good seats for Animal Collective, which followed right after. (Which reminds, me, I really need to start posting again over at Bonnaroo Virgin, maybe late reviews of all the shows I saw in 2009?)

They were a pleasant surprise. This song's been stuck in my head since.

P.S. Couldn't find this song on Grooveshark, so I went to YouTube and found footage of the actual show. I was to the right of the stage, and I found the guy in the plaid shirt extremely fascinating.

3. Imogen Heap - Hide and Seek (2005)

I didn't mean to choose a song so similar to the one I posted two days ago to start this blog, but I've been listening to this song nonstop since then and realized it deserves its own highlight.

I can't help it. I mentioned that I liked the sample from this song sped up in "Whatcha Say," but I didn't mention that the slower, original version is much more haunting and it really sticks with you.

Apparently, it stuck with people in the entertainment biz as well.

Off the 2005 album "Speak for Yourself," this song has been all over television and back. I knew it was featured on an episode of "The O.C." as I mentioned before, but I didn't know all the other references, including Survivor and Lost, until I read more on Wikipedia. Listen for yourself.

2. Jamie Lidell - Little Bit of Feel Good (2008)

I always imagined that American Idol 2009's Danny Gokey should sing a similar type of music - after all, their voices do sound similar. Let's face it, I'm not a fan of Christian music, and even Danny Gokey can't make me go there.

"Little Bit of Feel Good" off Lidell's 2008 album by contrast is pretty naughty, but it's not the lyrics, the meaning of the song, or even the creepy weird video where the girl he's with has the head of a horse that attracts me to this track.

I love, love, love, love, love, love Jamie's voice and that, coupled with the funky, upbeat tempo, is bound to have me hitting repeat for a long time to come.

1. Jason Derulo - Whatcha Say (2009)

I heard this song in my car the other day, and it's not very often I hear hip hop or rap that I can't wait to hear again...

Something about the chorus sounded comforting, familiar, yet haunting. I couldn't get enough. So I told David about it and he pointed out that the sample is taken from an Imogen Heap song called "Hide and Seek." Not only is that song great as well, but it was used in the episode of "The O.C." when Marissa shoots Trey. No wonder it was familiar! For those who don't know, David and I went through an O.C. thing very recently.

I like both quite a bit, mostly because of the sample they share, and I like that this song speeds the sample up a bit.

It's interesting that the auto tuner has become such a staple in pop music when Imogen Heap has been doing it for years. Turns out I prefer the effect it has on a woman's voice to a man's.