top 50 britsh tracks of 2007

Top 50 British Tracks of 2007

I've limited this list to songs that were unreleased in the U.S. during the past year or failed to chart here. Under these criteria, I disqualified Amy Winehouse's entire Back to Black album. Her immense talent will never be questioned by me, and "Rehab" topped the list last year. But now she's a six-time Grammy nominee with a platinum album. Hardly overlooked. Nevertheless, I placed her collaboration with Mark Ronson on the list: it has quite rightly eclipsed the original Zutons version, which sounds like a demo alongside Amy's full-bodied rendering. Single of the year has to be Arctic Monkeys's "Fluorescent Adolescent." They've had memorable singles - "I Bet That You Look Good on the Dancefloor," "When the Sun Goes Down" - but "Fluorescent Adolescent" is their first song that could be a massive American smash. The Monkeys have finally found the pop songcraft to match Alex Turner's sharply observed lyrics. If they can keep producing songs at this level, I will begin to entertain those Smiths comparisons. McFly's "Transylvania" will likely be a criticized choice for runner-up. But eff it: the haters are just wrong. "Transylvania" is a totally gonzo Disney rock opera, like Queen re-interpreted by the cast of High School Musical. That's not a bad thing. It's rare for a song to be both ambitious and utterly charming. The song has hooks for days, and that call-and-response chorus, "Who is your lover?/I couldn't tell," is quite simply genius. The top 10 contains zero current Sugababes and two former ones, Siobhan Donaghy and Mutya Buena. (Take that, Keisha.) There are also two Groove Armada in the top 10, proving that they are still some of the most inventive producers out there. Ice queen Sophie Ellis-Bextor and goofball Jack Peñate impressed with joyous singles; Bat For Lashes and Maximo Park explored the internal world of heartbreak in very different ways. Following that theme is "Heartbroken" by breakout producer T2, an irresistible dance track that was a surprise hit in the UK.

Without further delay, these are the top 50 tracks of 2007:
50. "Autumnsong" - Manic Street Preachers
49. "Catch You" - Sophie Ellis-Bextor
48. "Crazy For You" - Groove Armada ft. Alan Donohue of The Rakes
47. "No U Hang Up" - Shayne Ward
46. "Delivery" - Babyshambles
45. "Books From Boxes" - Maximo Park
44. "I Wanna Have Your Babies" - Natasha Bedingfield
43. "Bitter End" - Nine Black Alps
42. "You! Me! Dancing!" - Los Campesinos
41. "Bigger Than Big" - Super Mal ft. Luciana
40. "Ruby" - Kaiser Chiefs
39. "Call the Shots" - Girls Aloud
38. "Some Kinda Rush" - Booty Luv
37. "Love Ya" - Unklejam
36. "Ankle Injuries" - Fujiya and Miyagi
35. "Secret Sunday Lover" - Ali Love
34. "No Man's Land" - Beverley Knight
33. "The Girls" - Calvin Harris
32. "Sheila" - Jamie T
31. "It's Not Over Yet" - Klaxons
30. "Relax, Take It Easy" - Mika
29. "Starz In Their Eyes" - Just Jack
28. "The Bomb" - New Young Pony Club
27. "Girls Who Play Guitars" - Maximo Park
26. "Merrymaking At My Place" - Calvin Harris
25. "Kingdom of Doom" - The Good The Bad and The Queen
24. "Flex" - Dizzee Rascal
23. "I Believe" - Simian Mobile Disco
22. "Run-Away" - Super Furry Animals
21. "Sexy! No No No" - Girls Aloud
20. "Anyway You Choose To Give It" - The Black Ghosts
19. "Flux" - Bloc Party
18. "Bird Flu" - M.I.A.
17. "The Magic Position" - Patrick Wolf
16. "Calm Down Dearest" - Jamie T
15. "Golden Skans" - Klaxons
14. "Valerie" - Mark Ronson ft. Amy Winehouse
13. "Overpowered" - Roisin Murphy
12. "Paper Planes" - M.I.A.
11. "Never Seen Your Face" - Bishi
10. "Get Down" - Groove Armada ft. Stush & Red Rat
9. "Heartbroken" by T2 ft. Jodie Aysha
8. "Our Velocity" - Maximo Park
7. "Second, Minute, or Hour" - Jack Peñate
6. "Don't Give It Up" - Siobhan Donaghy
5. "What's a Girl To Do?" - Bat For Lashes
4. "Song 4 Mutya" - Groove Armada ft. Mutya Buena
3. "Me and My Imagination" - Sophie Ellis-Bextor
2. "Transylvania" - McFly
1. "Fluorescent Adolescent" - Arctic Monkeys