Friday, January 13, 2012

Played songs

There is an interesting post over at the Awl: What's Your Most Played Song?

It's interesting for a few reasons. One - if you actually want to know what your most played song is in 2011, its going to have to be out of songs added to your playlists in 2011. I don't know how many times I listened to Hysteria by Muse in 2011, because iTunes has been tracking plays since 2008 on that one. So, it isn't really an 'end of 2011 list', as much as your favorite song since your current media player has been keeping track.

Mine, for the record, is I Think I'm Paranoid by Garbage at 205 plays. Now, given that that is iTunes plays on the computer since 2005 and iTunes + iPod plays since about 2008, and the fact that that song came out in 1998, and I think I can hazard a guess that I've probably listened to that song over 1,000 times in more than a decade. (Version 2.0 was the only CD I ever physically wore out from use).

So, then, what I find interesting about this list are the extreme numbers. Is there really no song a music critic has EVER listened to more than 18 times? (Do music critics need silence when they get home?) Or did those with low numbers try to guess play counts of songs only for 2011?

On the flip side, I have to imagine that 1,748 plays of Rolling in the Deep is hyperbole (particularly as it is a song released in January.) But there are some at 300-400 plays, which seems reasonable.

Then again, The Lonely Goatherd at 489? That is made up. (right? RIGHT?!?)

So, for those that I can count for 2011, which were my most played? Here are those that ranked over 60 plays. (Obviously, the club songs tend to get stuck in my head more...)
Glee - Don't You Want Me Baby - 61
Ana Tijoux - 1977 - 61
Adele - Set Fire to the Rain - 62
Gotye ft. Kimbra - Somebody That I Used to Know - 66
Christina Aguilera - Bound to You - 69 (I... don't know.)
Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson - Rock Star - 75
Childish Gambino - Freaks & Geeks - 78
Adele - Rolling in the Deep - 82 
David Guetta ft. Sia - Titanium - 83
Deadmau5 ft. Neon Hitch - I Can't Behave Myself - 84
Lady Gaga - Heavy Metal Lover - 107

Honestly? A little surprised Video Games by Lana Del Rey and You Know What I Mean by The Cults didn't make the cut....


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