Cosmic's Top 27 Songs of 2011

[Cosmic Harmony]

#4

I Am Made of You
Artist: Alice Cooper
Album: Welcome 2 My Nightmare



In the beginning I was just a shadow
In the beginning I was alone
In the beginning I was blind, living in a world devoid of light
In the beginning there was only night

I was shattered, left in pieces
And I felt so cold inside
Then I called you from the darkness
Where I hide

I am made of you
I am made of you
I am made of you
I am made of you

In the beginning you were revelation
A river of salvation and now I believe

All I wanted, all I needed
Was someone to rescue me
I was drowning, I was dying
Now I'm free

I am made of you
I am made of you
I am made of you
I am made of you

Here I am now, I can stand now
Cause your love has made me strong
And forever you're the singer
I'm the song

I am made of you
I am made of you
I am made of you
I am made of you

I am made of you
I am made of you
I am made of you
I am made of you




It's in no way startling that the most haunting song of the year comes to us from non other than the original shock rocker, Alice Cooper. The opener to his "Welcome 2 My Nightmare" album, "I Am Made Of You" is a song that I almost wanted to not like just because of it's use of autotune. I have always and likely always will have a deep distaste for autotune since it makes it so that someone doesn't even need to be able to sing anymore to be a singer. That wasn't really an issue in Alice's case however since we all know that he can sing since he's been doing what he does for 40+ years now. It's because of this song that I see that autotune isn't ALWAYS bad since in the context of this song Alice uses it as an effect instead of necessity like other people and it really does make the song better.
With a career that was paved in shaking people to their bones it's amazing that Alice is still able to write songs this powerful and I really do believe it's one of the most chilling of his career. It's a dark love song built around the piano melody to his song "Steven" from the original "Welcome To My Nightmare" and makes use of an eerie choir, dynamic strings, and heart wrenching guitar solos that add build the song into it's climax. The song also swells dramatically, with each crescendo getting more powerful and gives the song a very epic feeling. Alice himself has refereed to this song as "a masterpiece" and while that's not a term I like to throw around in music I think it's hard to argue with him.

Also I have a really great story to share involving this song; I have a friend who is a classically trained dancer and got married this past October. She asked me if I could help her pick out a song for her first dance with her husband that wasn't too mushy or cliche. Knowing that she was a goth girl for a while and has a certain love for the dark side so to speak I suggested "I Am Made Of You". She LOVED it. The lyrics fit her personal journey to meeting her husband so closely and he is, in fact, a singer and it all fit so perfectly. She even put together a whole dance routine for the two of them. I wish I could have been there to see it but they live and were getting married too far away for me to attend. From what she told me it was very dramatic and put together similar to the "Jar of Hearts" with her handling most of the finesse. I think it's so sweet and that is something I'll probably always connect to this song. ​

 

[Cosmic Harmony]

#3

I Need A Doctor
Artist: Dr. Dre feat. Eminem and Skylar Grey



(The actual song starts around 2:40ish)


I'm about to lose my mind
You've been gone for so long
I'm running out of time
I need a doctor
Call me a doctor
I need a doctor, doctor
To bring me back to life

I told the world one day I would pay it back
Say it on tape, and lay it, record it
So that one day I could play it back
But I don't even know if I believe it when I'm saying that
Doubt starting to creep in, everyday it's just so grey and black
Hope - I just need a ray of that
'Cause no one sees my vision when I play it for 'em
They just say it's wack
They don't know what dope is
And I don't know if I was awake or asleep when I wrote this,
All I know is you came to me when I was at my lowest
You picked me up, breathed new life in me
I owe my life to you
But for the life of me, I don't see why you don't see like I do
But it just dawned on me you lost a son
Demons fighting you, it's dark.
Let me turn on the lights and brighten me and enlighten you
I don't think you realize what you mean to me
not the slightest clue
'Cause me and you were like a crew
I was like your sidekick
You gonna either wanna fight me when I get off this ****ing mic
Or you gonna hug me
But I'm out of options, there's nothing else I can do 'cause

I'm about to lose my mind
you've been gone for so long
I'm running out of time
I need a doctor
call me a doctor
I need a doctor, doctor
to bring me back to life

It hurts when I see you struggle
You come to me with ideas
You say they're just pieces so I'm puzzled
'Cause the shit I hear is crazy
But you're either getting lazy or you don't believe in you no more
Seems like your own opinion's not one you can form
Can't make a decision you keep questioning yourself
Second guessing and it's almost like you're begging for my help
Like I'm your leader
Your supposed to ****ing be my mentor
I can endure no more,
I demand you remember who you are
It was you who believed in me
When everyone was telling you don't sign me
Everyone at the ****ing label, let's tell the truth
You risked your career for me
I know it as well as you
Nobody wanted to **** with the white boy
Dre, I'm crying in this booth
You saved my life, now maybe it's my turn to save yours
But I can never repay you, what you did for me is way more
But I ain't giving up faith and you ain't giving up on me
Get up Dre, I'm dying, I need you, come back for ****'s sake 'cause

I'm about to lose my mind
You've been gone for so long
I'm running out of time
I need a doctor
Call me a doctor
I need a doctor, doctor
To bring me back to life
Bring me back to life
Bring me back to life

It literally feels like a lifetime ago
But I still remember the shit like it was just yesterday though
You walked in, yellow jump suit
Whole room, cracked jokes
Once you got inside the booth, told you, like smoke
Went through friends, some of them I put on
But they just left, they said they was riding to the death
But where the **** are they now?
Now that I need them, I don't see none of them
All I see is Slim
**** all you fair-weather friends
All I need is him
****ing backstabbers
When the chips were down you just laughed at us
Now you 'bout to feel the ****ing wrath of Aftermath, faggots
You gonna see us in our lab jackets and ask us where the **** we been?
You can kiss my indecisive ass crack, maggots, and the cracker's ass
Little Cracker Jack, beat-making wackass backwards producers
I'm back, bastards
One more CD and then I'm packing up my bags and as I'm leaving
I'll guarantee they scream, Dre don't leave us like that man 'cause

I'm about to lose my mind
You've been gone for so long
I'm running out of time
I need a doctor
Call me a doctor
I need a doctor, doctor
To bring me back to life


It's no secret that Eminem is my all time favorite rapper and Skylar Grey already made an appearance on my list of artists who almost made the cut on this list and is both a good songwriter and singer in her own right. Throw in Dr. Dre who is another one of my favorites and we have ourselves one hell of a collaboration.
Skylar Grey has worked with Eminem before and actually co-wrote the Grammy nominated, worldwide hit "Love The Way You Lie" for his last album and "I Need a Doctor" follows the same basic formula only this time around said formula produced something SO much better.
Similar to "Love The Way You Lie" the chorus is sung by a woman (I like Skylar much more than Rhianna as a singer by the way) and follows a ballad layout. The big differences between the two however are the spacey percussion that drives the song, bass heavy chorus, less pop oriented sound, and very high level of emotional intensity from Em and Dre when discussing their close friendship (if I didn't know that it would completely destroy the seriousness of the song I'd use the term "bromance").
Unlike most digital only singles where the sound is highly compressed and swayed very heavily toward the bass end "I Need A Doctor" has top notch production, no doubt because Dre is a perfectionist and wouldn't have let it be released if it wasn't up to his standards. Also very unusual for this song is how serious Dre is in it. Considering the rather shallow subject material of his previous releases this song is an especially powerful showing for him. That's not to say Eminem doesn't deliver two amazing verses of his own but it's a bit more common ground for him. ​

 

[ILoveJimmyPage]

You're getting down to the nitty gritty Harm. It's refreshing to see songs like these posted on the forum. Between this and Katzenjammer you're really on a roll with the "out of the norm" selections. Unfortunately from my phone that specific video won't work, so I'll check it out when I get home. Seems a lot of us were swept up in Jay Z and Kanye this year that this one slipped my radar, and sorry to say but Em and Dre has been done so many times before that this will have to be out of this world good for me to appreciate it as much as you do.

 

[Cosmic Harmony]

Well it's all of those unusual musics that keep me inspired and further expand my musical pallet. And yes Dre and Em have rapped on the same songs together numerous times before but going all the way back to "Guilty Conscience" they have been (at least to my immediate memory) all more humorous songs so "I Need A Doctor" stands out a whole lot.

 

[Cosmic Harmony]

#2



Shake It Out
Artist: Florence + the Machine
Album: Ceremonials






Regrets collect like old friends
Here to relive your darkest moments
I can see no way, I can see no way
And all of the ghouls come out to play
And every demon wants his pound of flesh
But I like to keep some things to myself
I like to keep my issues drawn
It's always darkest before the dawn

And I've been a fool and I've been blind
I can never leave the past behind
I can see no way, I can see no way
I'm always dragging that horse around
And our love is pastured such a mournful sound
Tonight I'm gonna bury that horse in the ground
So I like to keep my issues drawn
But it's always darkest before the dawn

Shake it out, shake it out, shake it out, shake it out, ooh woaaah
Shake it out, shake it out, shake it out, shake it out, ooh woaaaah
And it's hard to dance with a devil on your back
So shake him off, oh woah

I am done with my graceless heart
So tonight I'm gonna cut it out and then restart
Cause I like to keep my issues drawn
It's always darkest before the dawn

Shake it out, shake it out, shake it out, shake it out, ooh woaaah
Shake it out, shake it out, shake it out, shake it out, ooh woaaah
And it's hard to dance with a devil on your back
So shake him off, oh woah
And it's hard to dance with a devil on your back so shake him off

And given half the chance would I take any of it back
It's a fine romance but its left me so undone
It's always darkest before the dawn

Oh woah, oh woah...

And I'm damned if I do and I'm damned if I don't
So here's to drinks in the dark at the end of my road
And I'm ready to suffer and I'm ready to hope
It's a shot in the dark and right at my throat
Cause looking for heaven, found the devil in me
Looking for heaven, found the devil in me
Well what the hell I'm gonna let it happen to me

Shake it out, shake it out, shake it out, shake it out, ooh woaaah
Shake it out, shake it out, shake it out, shake it out, ooh woaaah
And it's hard to dance with a devil on your back
So shake him off, oh woah

Shake it out, shake it out, shake it out, shake it out, ooh woaaah
Shake it out, shake it out, shake it out, shake it out, ooh woaaah
And it's hard to dance with a devil on your back
So shake him off, oh woah


We live in an era where it's commonly said that "everything has been done in music" and while that isn't true it is in fact a very rare thing for something very unique and interesting sounding to reach a very large audience. Florence + the Machine has achieved that very thing.
"Shake It Out" is a mixture of gospel influence and tribal rhythms and counters the popular "soft-loud-soft-loud" formula found in songs with dynamic changes with a "soft-loud-louder-****ing enormous" take. The primary instrument in this song is a pipe organ and there really isn't any instrument larger sounding than that and it is perhaps the best possibly instrument to compliment Florence's goddess like voice. As is the case with all of her songs "Shake It Out" is built around Florence's voice which brings her very well crafted lyrics to sound with all of the grace and beauty that is expected from her.
I think Florence Welch is hands down the most captivating and moving singers and female frontman in a very long time and speaking as someone who owns everything she has put out so far I can say with quite a bit of confidence that I believe "Shake It Out" is the most beautiful song she has ever written. Beyond it being uplifting and anthemic it's an absolutely stunning song that has brought me to tears more than once, an accomplishment that very few songs have done. ​

 

[ILoveJimmyPage]

Thank you for introducing me to Florence last year Harmony. As I said before the reason I enjoyed this song so much is because the lyrics really spoke to me and I find it quite uplifting! I have yet to get Lungs but I have a feeling it'll be much like how I purchased Adele's 21 before 19 and I may find myself a little disappointed if what I've heard about the sophomore album being better than the first is true in Florence's case. Another favorite from Ceremonials of mine was "Spectrum".

 

[Cosmic Harmony]

It's true that "Lungs" isn't as good as "Ceremonials" but I think when you compare the two it much closer than "19" and "21". I think being that you're a bigger Adele fan than I am though you'd disagree.

 

[Tray73]

#4

I Am Made of You
Artist: Alice Cooper
Album: Welcome 2 My Nightmare




It's in no way startling that the most haunting song of the year comes to us from non other than the original shock rocker, Alice Cooper. The opener to his "Welcome 2 My Nightmare" album, "I Am Made Of You" is a song that I almost wanted to not like just because of it's use of autotune. I have always and likely always will have a deep distaste for autotune since it makes it so that someone doesn't even need to be able to sing anymore to be a singer. That wasn't really an issue in Alice's case however since we all know that he can sing since he's been doing what he does for 40+ years now. It's because of this song that I see that autotune isn't ALWAYS bad since in the context of this song Alice uses it as an effect instead of necessity like other people and it really does make the song better.
With a career that was paved in shaking people to their bones it's amazing that Alice is still able to write songs this powerful and I really do believe it's one of the most chilling of his career. It's a dark love song built around the piano melody to his song "Steven" from the original "Welcome To My Nightmare" and makes use of an eerie choir, dynamic strings, and heart wrenching guitar solos that add build the song into it's climax. The song also swells dramatically, with each crescendo getting more powerful and gives the song a very epic feeling. Alice himself has refereed to this song as "a masterpiece" and while that's not a term I like to throw around in music I think it's hard to argue with him.

Also I have a really great story to share involving this song; I have a friend who is a classically trained dancer and got married this past October. She asked me if I could help her pick out a song for her first dance with her husband that wasn't too mushy or cliche. Knowing that she was a goth girl for a while and has a certain love for the dark side so to speak I suggested "I Am Made Of You". She LOVED it. The lyrics fit her personal journey to meeting her husband so closely and he is, in fact, a singer and it all fit so perfectly. She even put together a whole dance routine for the two of them. I wish I could have been there to see it but they live and were getting married too far away for me to attend. From what she told me it was very dramatic and put together similar to the "Jar of Hearts" with her handling most of the finesse. I think it's so sweet and that is something I'll probably always connect to this song. ​

I'm with you 100% on the use of autotune - I usually can't stand to hear it but it really does work with this song. My take on it is that maybe Alice used it to to enhance that feeling of despair. When you're in a deep, dark lonley pit and you can't muster the energy or enthusiam to do anything you end up living day to day just going through the motions, running on automatic like a robot. I dunno maybe I'm babbling a load of nonsense here!

Lovely story about your friend using this song as her first dance song

 

[Cosmic Harmony]

No, I don't think you'd babbling, Tray. It's the only song Alice has ever used in autotune in so it's obvious he was using it as an effect for this song and since autotune is so cold sounding I think you hit the nail on the head.

And thanks. It was such a good story I just had to share it.

 

[ILoveJimmyPage]

It's true that "Lungs" isn't as good as "Ceremonials" but I think when you compare the two it much closer than "19" and "21". I think being that you're a bigger Adele fan than I am though you'd disagree.

Your Florence post prompted me to go back and listen to the album in its entirety. I have a new found appreciation for the last track, "Leave My Body".

I was surprised how quickly I took to Adele Harm, but you may be surprised at how musically unbiased I can be. I'll get "Lungs" soon and compare the two and post my thoughts accordingly. From the bits and pieces I've heard of it I can conclude easily that "Ceremonials" is much more musically-layered and "grand scale" compared to its predecessor.