Sunday, April 11, 2010 . 9:25 PM

Well, it's 2010 this year and I'm going to do a top ten list of songs that have impacted me during the past ten years.

In The End - Linkin Park

This was the first song that I got really hooked onto and the very first band which I became a fan of. Back then I was young and gullible and all I wanted was to be cool. The in-thing during those days were 3/4 bermudas and large shirts with loud prints. Skateboards were hot and so was being a gamer. Okay, I'm going off topic. I first heard this song because this friend of mine Samuel bought me the album Hybrid Theory. I loved their songs so much that I carried a discman everywhere I went with the CD in it, just blasting away the tracks. I memorised the lyrics to every song within a couple of weeks and I was just so hyped about In The End. This was probably my first big step into music.

Complicated - Avril Lavigne

Okay, okay, I know this isn't a fantastic song, but it was because of Sk8ter Boi that made me look towards this hot chick. I bugged my mum to buy me the album when she went to Hong Kong for her yearly shopping spree and when I got it, I realised that the album pretty much sucked execpt for a couple of songs. But this opened my eyes a little bit wider and I learnt that being a famous singer for a popular song doesn't mean you can produce a good album.

The Remedy (I Won't Worry) - Jason Mraz

Wow! Where do I start for 2003? I mean that particular year was when hip hop, rap, and alternative started to come flooding in from the US. There were so many addictive songs such as Get Busy, Bring Me To Life, P.I.M.P, Cry Me A River, Here Without You. Look at the range of music that hit the billboards! Alternative rock, rap, bling-bling music, there were so many songs that year which made me so confused. Happily confused that is. I enjoyed all those songs but I couldn't really put my finger on a particular genre which I really loved.

But now you're wondering: Why The Remedy then? A simple answer to a simple question: Because I made my friend Lydia bring me along to Jason Mraz's first concert in Singapore. It was my first concert ever too actually. And the best part was, I had a meet and greet with him (shook his hands) and sat through the entire set without knowing who he was, or ever heard of any of his songs. And when I sat in my seat and he came on with just a guitar and a black guy with a drum, I was thinking: "That's it? What's the big deal with guy?"

I found out soon enough. He started singing and I thought "Wow. This guy is good! His voice is amazing for a male and he sounds incredible for a live performance!" From that day on, I never looked at music and live performances ever again. Jason Mraz is one of the all time singing geniuses.

Larger Than Life - Backstreet Boys

Okay! I know! It's so cliche and this song had been out for at least 10 years before I first listened to it properly. But you gotta admit, it's the gateway to all love songs. Backstreet Boys were just phenomenal. Hit after hit after hit. Classic love songs, great lyrics, great tempo. The one and only original true blue boy band!

Superman - Five For Fighting

Up to now, I have never been more impacted by any song than this one. If I could relate to If I Ain't Got You, then I could tell the story of my life with this song. It was as if the lyrics were written about my hardships and everything that I feel whenever I'm down or under alot of pressure. This is one song that will be carried along with me for the rest of my life.

I Don't Wanna Miss A Thing - Aerosmith

I first heard it while watching Armaggedon (duh). And that scene with Bruce Willis having his last words with his wife and daughter and the song playing in the background? That was..the least to say, moving. For some reason, I could hear the lyrics clearly amongst the exploding and stuff (Aerosmith probably enunciated very clearly while recording) and I had tears rolling down my face during that scene. This song will always be in my top ten love songs list.

Sexyback - Justin Timberlake

The world of dance, club, techno. This song gave me a rolling start into those scenes and I remember it was the coolest song in 2006 because me and Hazzy were dancing to it all the time. I put a bunch of songs together for Prom Night and when this song came on, everybody was grooving to it. Well not exactly dancing (the dance floor was pathetically empty) but everyone was enjoying it. Fantastic make over from Mr Timberlake.

Breakaway - Kelly Clarksons

A true inspiration to the whole world no? From a nobody to an American Idol. From an American Idol to an international pop singer. Don't forget to mention the fact that she is still the most successful Idol to date. Where are the rest? Rubber Studdy? Fat Lip Fantasia? Taylor Hicky? Nobody's heard from them in a long while. Sure, Carrie Underwood has been successful but that can only be said to be true within the Country genre. David Cook had a couple of hits and so did Jordin Sparks but nothing that had the "WOW" factor like Clarkson does.

Last Resort - Papa Roach

Believe it or not, this song/band was my gateway to the hard rock genre. I started listening to them roughly around the same time I got hooked onto Linkin Park. And it was a good album. Almost all the songs were brilliant with excellent tempo and beat. Granted, some of the songs had meaningless lyrics, but it was the voice and drums and guitars that made it great when it's all put together. They're the kind of songs that keep you going when you're on a mission. I remember cycling to Balmoral Plaza near Newton for my weekly tuition and whenever they started playing on my old Creative Zen, I would get all pumped up and start racing cars downhill.

Good stuff. Unfortunately, the rest of their albums suck.

Beat It - Michael Jackson

Anybody who doesn't know who MJ is should just eat their own shoe and choke to death on it. Even native Africans know who he is even if they don't know his name. To them he's just the skinny black/white dude who grabs his crotch and dances really well. Alot of people have critisised him for copying dance moves such as the Moonwalk. One of his ex backup dancers claimed that he came up with that move and MJ took over it and made his own. Plenty of dance critiques (like Kiff Chua) scoff at him saying that his dancing is plain average. Any Tom, Dick or Harry could pull of moves like that. But the thing is, can anyone do it like MJ does? If Tom, Dick and Harry performed the exact same moves and sang the same songs on stage, would anyone bother turning up to watch?

The fact is this: Although MJ might not be as "original" as we would all think him to be, he was one of the first to incorporate dance moves with singing. When I say dance moves, I mean real dance moves. Not some jumping and flapping of arms like Britney Spears. His songs, his dance moves. And all those songs and dance moves would still mean nothing without his charisma. That MJ charisma that only he could conjour up. Have you seen his concerts? I've never been to any of his concerts (obviously) but I watched his 1992 Dangerous world tour concert in Bucharest when it was showing on MSN Videos. Simply put, it my made the little hairs on my back and arms stand. Not because it was freaky, but because I was in total awe. The whole set was rigged with performances, dancing, theatrics, visual effects and of course his charisma. Smooth Crimminal? Smooth dance moves. Beat It? How cool is it to have a rock and roll girl lead guitarist take the centre stage in front of MJ, wearing this outrageous hairpiece with lasers shooting out of her, and blasting the whole arena with the guitar solo?

Tell me, if you know of anyone who can conjure up a concert like Michael Jackson, please do inform this ignoramus.

Friday, April 9, 2010 . 8:21 PM

Monday, April 5, 2010 . 6:16 AM

I know I'm a guy and everything.

But last night I was singing songs to myself.

Then I started crying.

Alot.

Woke up this morning with my eyes still red and puffy.

Saturday, April 3, 2010 . 10:19 PM