My 2012 In Music

Last year at this time I was lamenting the lack of new music (as in, new in 2011 or new to me) added to my iTunes library. I figured that 2012 would be better since I had gone back to work. Since May I've been out of work but at least I got some unemployment out of it. So, indeed, my 2012 acquisitions are up. (A note, which is mainly for my own reference: the figures below include a couple of CDs I got during 2012 but only got around to adding to my iTunes tonight, so I need to remember for next year's wrapup not to include them again.)

I added 567 tracks to my collection by my count (it's a complicated story but I may be off by one or two because of duplicates), compared to 271 last year. Christmas music comprised 26 of those 567 songs. There were a lot of downloads of individual songs, as well as the first song in my next project - converting my vinyl collection to mp3 format. I have maybe a few dozen 45s and many more 12-inch dance remixes, probably in the hundreds. I'm so excited about this.

Beyond that, I got some free downloaded samplers and mixtapes (which is such an odd term to use for mp3 downloads, but...):

Will Sheridan – G.I.A.N.T. Sampler
DJ ShyBoy presents the RuPaul Mixtape (RuPaul songs mashed up with other songs)
DJ Jazzy Jeff and Mick Boogie – Summertime 2: The Mixtape
DJ Jazzy Jeff and Mick Boogie – Summertime 3: The Mixtape
Dangerous Muse – Red
Slaves to the Rhythm – Pride 2011 Sampler

And then there were the albums that were released prior to 2012:

Kelly Clarkson – Stronger
Discovery – LP
Ricky Martin – Ricky Martin
David Guetta – Nothing But The Beat
Jody Watley – Midnight Lounge
Paul McCartney – All The Best
Donna Summer – She Works Hard For The Money
Elton John – Rocket Man - Number Ones
Steely Dan – The Definitive Collection
The Gap Band – The 12” Collection and More
Nona Hendryx – Nona (as I mentioned here, the first full-length album I transferred from vinyl to mp3)
Katy Perry – Teenage Dream-The Complete Confection (this is the re-released version with bonus tracks -- the original was out in 2010 so I don't feel right counting it as a 2012 album)

In 2011 I got only four albums that were actually
released during that calendar year, which makes it hard to come up with a top 10 list. Well, somehow I actually got 13 albums from 2012 (not counting the Katy Perry one mentioned above):

Madonna – MDNA
Adam Lambert – Trespassing
Scissor Sisters – Magic Hour
Maroon 5 – Overexposed
The Wanted – The Wanted (Special Edition)
Frank Ocean – Channel Orange
Linkin Park – Living Things
Rufus Wainwright – Out of the Game
Pink – The Truth About Love
Passion Pit – Gossamer
Pet Shop Boys – Elysium
Calvin Harris – 18 Months
Kimbra - Vows

Still hard to pick a top 10 out of only 13. Just based on what I listened to most, I'd single out the Madonna, Adam Lambert, Scissor Sisters, Frank Ocean and Pink albums.

Speaking of what I listened to most, I now present my top 25 most-played songs according to the iTunes count (which will now be reset to zero). As it turned out, an album I bought late in 2011 dominated the top of the list, while 3 tracks from another 2011 album carried over from my 2011 most-played...

25. Titanium (Feat. Sia) - David Guetta
24. Let's Have A Kiki - Scissor Sisters (I was so obsessed with this, but then it was partially upstaged by another song on this list...)
23. Turn Me On (Feat. Nicki Minaj) – David Guetta
22. Shady Love - Scissor Sisters
21. I Can Only Imagine (Feat. Chris Brown & Lil Wayne) - David Guetta
20. Never Close Our Eyes - Adam Lambert
19. Call Me Maybe – Carly Rae Jepsen
18. Rumour Has It - Adele
17. Heavy Metal Lover - Lady Gaga (no. 3 last year)
16. Government Hooker - Lady Gaga (no. 7 last year)
15. Shady (feat. Nile Rodgers & Sam Sparro) - Adam Lambert
14. Bad Kids - Lady Gaga (no. 4 last year)
13. Give Me All Your Luvin' (feat. Nicki Minaj & M.I.A.) - Madonna
12. Houdini (Green Children Remix) - Foster The People (such a spectacular song; this song -- the original, not this remix -- is why I bought the FTP album to begin with. If you combine the original with the remix, the combined total plays would put it well ahead of every other song. But, just like last year, we're not combining them)
11. Girl Gone Wild - Madonna
10. Pumped Up Kicks - Foster The People
9. Levels - Avicii (which sampled a vocal by the late, great Etta James...and then things got odd...)
8. Night Fever (Glee Cast Version) - Glee Cast
7. Madonna Has A Kiki - Madonna/Scissor Sisters (a mashup of "Let's Have A Kiki" and "Vogue" -- I think it's utterly brilliant but my friend Kurt, who loves both songs, hates the mashup, and that disturbs me greatly)
6. Give Me All Your Luvin' (Party Rock Remix) (feat. LMFAO & Nicki Minaj) – Madonna (again, combine this and the original and you have the no. 1 song, or no. 2 behind the combined "Houdini" versions)
5. Good Feeling - Flo Rida (and here's where it gets odd: this samples Avicii's "Levels," including the Etta James vocal -- so it's got a sample as well as a sample of a sample)
4. Don't Stop (Color On The Walls) - Foster The People
3. Call It What You Want - Foster The People
2. Houdini - Foster The People

...and finally...

1. Warrior - Mark Foster/A-Trak/Kimbra (originally released as a promo for Converse, but it was then added as a bonus track to Kimbra's album -- and if you don't know or haven't guessed, Mark Foster is the Foster in Foster The People)