When you load up your iPod for those walks back on your way to school, pick a cross-section of songs that are the resounding notes of summer, the best songs of 2008, and a few blasts from the past.
And it’s your personal iPod, so go ahead and embarrass yourself with a sappy piano ballad like Nick Jonas’s A Little Bit Longer, which gets the girls screaming their heads off when he plays it live. That song, from the new Jonas Brothers album, is quite possibly the love song of the year for girls who are having a bit of trouble getting the band out of their minds.
If she hasn’t got on your nerves yet, try Miley Cyrus’s 7 Things from her new release Breakout, a break-up song that’s about as edgy as Cyrus gets.
Keep the cheese factor going with Ashlee Simpson’s Outta My Head (Ay Ya Ya), on which the pop star travels back to the 80s for an undeniably catchy synth track. A great track to follow that one is Weezer’s Island In the Sun — not a new song, but a great upbeat tune to motivate you amid the back-to-school blues. And any song that features that many cute animals in its video has got happiness written all over it.
For something more urban edgy, throw in a couple of Rihanna’s songs because the singer has had one of her best years yet, riding on the success of hits Umbrella and Take a Bow.
At the other end of the spectrum, Israeli-French singer Yael Naim’s New Soul, featured in that Apple commercial, is a mellow and free spirited pop tune lightened up by horns and Naim’s own girlish vocals.
Of course, it wouldn’t be mellow without an entry from everyone’s favourite surfer dude Jack Johnson, and there’s nothing sweeter to get you going on your day than If I Had Eyes, with its jaunty piano and bouncy melody.
Keep the girl power rolling with M.I.A.’s Paper Planes, a catchy little bauble courtesy of the British singer with a penchant for hip hop and dancehall.
Speaking of hip hop, Lil Wayne’s Da Carter III was one of the biggest albums of the year, and Tie My Hands is one of the more inspirational and soulful songs on the album. Speaking of Lil Wayne, he makes an appearance with Akon on another great tune for the iPod, Wyclef Jean’s Sweetest Girl. “In high school she was the girl who’d make me do the hoola hoop around the gym,” says it all.
And for something haunting and beautiful, look no further than 42, off Coldplay’s Viva La Vida album. Albeit, it’s a weird and wacky collection of tunes, but varied enough to keep you awake between classes.
