G-Dragon: First Korean Act to Top My Personal Countdown in 2014

We're almost in the middle of 2014 and one Korean act has already reached the top spot.  G-Dragon's Crayon moves up to #1 this week.  We danced to this song in K-pop class, and I've liked it ever since!

Here are my ten favorite songs for the week ending April 25, 2014 -

#1 G-Dragon - Crayon (#2)

#2 John Legend - All of Me (#3)

#3 Alicia Keys - Brand New Me (#4)

#4 Beyonce - Partition (#6)

#5 Lady Gaga - Sex Dreams (#7)

#6 Shaan / Shantanu Moitra - Behti Hawa Sa Tha Woh (NEW)

#7 Sonu Nigam / Shaan / Swanand Kirkire - All Izz Well (NEW)

#8 Sonu Nigam - Jaane Nahin Denge (NEW)

#9 Sonu Nigam / Shreya Gohshal - Zoobi Doobi (NEW)

#10 Suraj Jagan / Sharman Joshi - Give Me Some Sunshine (NEW)

FABE Weekly Top 10 April 25, 2014: #3 Alicia Keys - Brand New Me

Brand New Me became Alicia Keys' twenty-second top 10 hit in my personal countdown.  It has already peaked at #3.  She performed this song during her concert here in Manila this week.  This week, the song moves back to its peak position.

The Frozen Soundtrack Puts Four Number One Songs in My Personal Countdown

The soundtrack to the movie Frozen puts four #1 songs in my personal countdown.  Love is an Open Door is the fourth track from that album to go all the way to #1.  It has been sometime ago that a soundtrack album has done that - and most of those which did are movie classics as well.  Top of mind soundtracks that I can recall right now that has duplicated this feat are The Bodyguard and Dirty Dancing. The other #1 songs from this Frozen album are In Summer, Let It Go, Do You Want to Build A Snowman and this week's #1 song, Love is an Open Door.

Here are my ten favorite songs for the week ending April 18, 2014 -

#1 Kristen Bell / Santino Fontana - Love is an Open Door (#2)

#2 G-Dragon - Crayon (#3)

#3 John Legend - All of Me (#4)

#4 Alicia Keys - Brand New Me (#5)

#5 Jason Derulo - Talk Dirty to Me (#9)

#6 Beyonce - Partition (#10)

#7 Lady Gaga - Sex Dreams (NEW)

#8 Gary Barlow - Requiem (NEW)

#9 Josh Groban - Happy in My Heartache (NEW)

#10 Revolverheld - Ich lass fur Dich das licht an (NEW)

Twenty Number One Songs For Beyonce!

Beyonce gets her twentieth #1 song this week as Drunk in Love, her collaboration with husband Jay-z, moves up to #1.  It's also her second #1 from her Beyonce album.

Here are my ten favorite songs for the week ending April 11, 2014 -

#1 Beyonce feat. Jay-z - Drunk in Love (#3)

#2 Kristen Bell feat. Santino Fontana - Love is an Open Door (#2)

#3 G-Dragon - Crayon (#4)

#4 John Legend - All of Me (#6)

#5 Alicia Keys - Brand New Me (#5)

#6 Kanye West - Black Skinhead (#8)

#7 Chris Brown / Ester Dean - I Love You (#9)

#8 Usher - More (#10)

#9 Jason Derulo - Talk Dirty to Me (NEW)

#10 Beyonce - Partition (NEW)

Imagine Dragons Top My Personal Countdown for the First Time

The band Imagine Dragons finally top my personal countdown this week after their great performance at the 2014 Grammy Awards this week, where they also won a Grammy.  The song It's Time peaked at #9 in my personal countdown in 2012.  This week, it reenters at #1.

Here are my ten favorite songs for the week ending January 31, 2014 -

#1 Imagine Dragons - It's Time (RE)

#2 Kacey Musgraves - Merry Go Round (RE)

#3 Stromae - Tous Les Memes (#2)

#4 Alicia Keys - When It's All Over (#5)

#5 Beyonce - XO (RE)

#6 Vampire Weekend - Ya Hey (#9)

#7 Carly Rae Jepsen - Guitar String / Wedding Ring (#3)

#8 Lady Antebellum - Compass (#7)

#9 Kristen Bell / Santino Fontana - Love is an Open Door (RE)

#10 Kristen Bell / Idina Menzel - Do You Want to Build a Snowman (RE)

My Weekly Top 10 January 31, 2014: #4 Alicia Keys - When It's All Over

When It's All Over became Alicia Keys' twentieth top 10 hit in my personal countdown.  It gets a new peak position this week as it moves up to #4.  She performed this song during her concert here in Manila last year.

Eighteenth #1 Song for Britney Spears as She Tops My Personal Countdown This Week

Britney Spears gets her eighteenth #1 song in my personal countdown this week, as Perfume, moves from #4 to the top spot.  It's also her 27th top 10 hit.  Here are my ten favorite songs for the week ending January 24, 2014 -

#1 Britney Spears - Perfume (#4)

#2 Stromae - Tous Les Memes (#3)

#3 Carly Rae Jepsen - Guitar String/Wedding Ring (#5)

#4 Zendaya - Replay (#6)

#5 Alicia Keys - When It's All Over (#7)

#6 Justin Bieber - Roller Coaster (#8)

#7 Lady Antebellum - Compass (NEW)

#8 Storm Queen - Look Right Through (NEW)

#9 Vampire Weekend - Ya Hey (NEW)

#10 Stefano Langone - Yes to Love (NEW)

Jason Derulo Trumpets His Way To The Top Spot of My Personal Countdown

Trumpets is Jason Derulo's fifth top 10 hit in my personal countdown and his very first #1 hit.  The song moves from #2 to #1 this week.

Here are my ten favorite songs for the week ending January 17, 2014 -

#1 Jason Derulo - Trumpets (#2)

#2 Fatboy Slim - Eat, Sleep, Rave, Repeat (#3)

#3 Stromae - Tous Les Memes (#7)

#4 Britney Spears - Perfume (#4)

#5 Carly Rae Jepsen - Guitar String / Wedding Ring (#8)

#6 Zendaya - Replay (#6)

#7 Alicia Keys - When It's All Over (#9)

#8 Justin Bieber - Roller Coaster (#5)

#9 Beyonce - XO (#10)

#10 Miley Cyrus - Adore You (NEW)

OneRepublic Finally Tops My Personal Countdown

After a slew of top ten hits, OneRepublic finally tops my personal countdown this week, as Preacher, moves from #4 to the top spot.  

Here are my ten favorite songs for the week ending January 10, 2014 -

#1 OneRepublic - Preacher (#4)

#2 Jason Derulo - Trumpets (#6)

#3 Fatboy Slim - Eat, Sleep, Rave, Repeat (#8)

#4 Britney Spears - Perfume (#5)

#5 Justin Bieber - Roller Coaster (NEW)

#6 Zendaya - Replay (NEW)

#7 Stromae - Tous Les Memes (NEW)

#8 Carly Rae Jepsen - Guitar String/Wedding Ring (RE)

#9 Alicia Keys - When It's All Over (RE)

#10 Beyonce - XO (NEW)

My Ten Favorite Concerts of 2013

I was lucky enough to see twenty different concerts this year from a slew of local and foreign acts.  Some were disappointing but some were good enough to reach my top 10.  Here they are -

#10 Onerepublic 

 

Thanks to this concert, I was able to discover how good some of the songs were from Onerepublic's Native album, especially Preacher.  Ryan Tedder sounded kinda off though that night.

#9 Aerosmith

 

Steven Tyler growled and sang like a pro the night he was here in Manila.  Too bad I forgot my camera at home!  The stage set up at MOA was just fantastic!

#8 Lea Salonga

An impeccably well directed show, Lea Salonga has the set of pipes which even nightingales would envy.  She was in top form during her show a few weeks ago.
 
#7 Enrique Gil

 Probably the only non-singer who was given a chance to have a concert this year.  Enrique only had to take his shirt off and the Araneta Coliseum would turn into a shrieking mess!  This boy is definitely hot!

#6 Lawson

 

When Lawson came to Manila last April, they were not that famous yet but they have since gained more popularity and I won't be surprised if they fill up the Araneta Coliseum when they come back here!

#5 Jason Mraz

Jason Mraz's show didn't have too much gimmickry and he has depended solely on his earnest delivery of many of his hit songs.  Thanks to this show, I was introduced to I'm Coming Over and A Beautiful Mess.  Lovely, lovely songs!
 
#4 Gary Valenciano

A veteran already of almost 30 years of live shows, Gary V.'s series of intimate shows during the stormy month of August was probably the most cozy show I saw this year!  Gary just set the mood right for the whole show!


#3 The Killers

I don't know why I  got emotional during some of the songs that Brandon song during The Killers' concert here but I did and Brandon really performed the band's songs pretty well!  Definitely a show I would watch again if I can!
  
#2 Swedish House Mafia

One of the best concerts I have ever seen!  Electrifying opening song! Tight set!  Lots of reasons to stay dancing!

#1 Alicia Keys

Alicia's show had some wonderful surprises - it added to the already tight and exciting set she had prepared for everyone that night!  Another memorable concert!

Lady Gaga Gets Her 22nd #1 Song in My Personal Countdown

Even though Alicia Keys has nine of the ten slots this week due to her memorable concert here in Manila this week, that doesn't stop Lady Gaga from getting her 22nd #1 hit in my personal countdown. 

Incidentally, that show is now my most favorite concert for 2013, due mainly to Alicia's superb performance as well as the wonderful surprises she sprang on everyone, including me!  She didn't even give a hint to any of us so we were really shouting at the top of our voices when the surprises happened!

Anyway, her live version of If I Ain't Got You, a duet version this time with Filipina singer, Regine Velasquez, one of the surprise appearances that night, makes it to the top this week, making it Alicia's thirteenth trip to the top of my personal countdown.  The same song also tops my OPM top 10 this week, the first time it ever happened in the history of my chart watching.

All the rest of the top 10 are her songs, jacking up her top 10 hits to 23.

Here are my ten favorite songs for the week ending November 29, 2013 -

#1 Lady Gaga - Applause (#5)

#2 Alicia Keys feat. Regine Velasquez - If I Ain't Got You (live version) (NEW)

#3 Alicia Keys - Try Sleeping With A Broken Heart (RE)

#4 Alicia Keys - Brand New Me (NEW)

#5 Alicia Keys - Tears Always Win (NEW)


#6 Alicia Keys - When It's All Over (NEW)

#7 Alicia Keys - Like You'll Never See Me Again (RE)

#8 Alicia Keys - Diary (RE)

#9 Alicia Keys - Unbreakable (RE)

#10 Alicia Keys - Girl on Fire (NEW)

My Weekly Top 10 November 29, 2013: #1 Alicia Keys feat. Regine Velasquez - If I Ain't Got You

If I Ain't Got You is a former #1 song for Alicia Keys, but this week, a live version of the song goes to #1, this time, Alicia Keys performs it with Filipina singer Regine Velasquez.  They performed the duet during Alicia's concert here in Manila this week.  This is Alicia's thirteenth visit to the top of my personal countdown.

My Weekly Top 10 November 29, 2013: #2 Alicia Keys - Try Sleeping with a Broken Heart

Alicia Keys' Try Sleeping with a Broken Heart was a former #1 song from the singer.  This week, the song reenters my personal countdown at #2.  She performed this song during her show here in Manila this week.

My Weekly Top 10 November 29, 2013: #4 Alicia Keys - Tears Always Win

Tears Always Win becomes Alicia Keys' twenty-first top 10 hit in my personal countdown.  It debuts this week at #4.  She performed this song during her concert here in Manila this week.

My Weekly Top 10 November 29, 2013: #6 Alicia Keys - Like You'll Never See Me Again

Alicia Keys' Like You'll Never See Me Again, was a former #1 song when it was originally released. It reenters this week at #6 after she performs this song during her concert here in Manila this week.

My Weekly Top 10 November 29, 2013: #7 Alicia Keys - Diary

Alicia Keys' Diary reenters the top 10 of my personal countdown this week at #7.  It was a former #1 song when it was originally released.  She performed this song during her concert here in Manila this week.

My Weekly Top 10 November 29, 2013: #8 Alicia Keys - Unbreakable

Unbreakable was a former top 10 hit of Alicia Keys. This week, it returns to the top 10 of my personal countdown because she performed it during her concert here in Manila this week.

My Weekly Top 10 November 29, 2013: #9 Alicia Keys - Girl on Fire

Girl on Fire is Alicia Keys' nineteenth top 10 hit in my personal countdown.  It debuts this week at #9 and was the carrier single of her latest CD with the same name.  She performed this song during her concert here in Manila this week.

My Weekly Top 10 November 29, 2013: #10 Alicia Keys - New Day

New Day is Alicia Keys' eighteenth top ten hit in my personal countdown. It's not only included in her latest album Girl On Fire, it's also in the compilation, Songs for the Philippines, a charity album dedicated to the victims of super typhoon Haiyan.

She performed this song during her concert here in Manila this week.  The song debuts at #10.

Alicia Keys

Alicia Keys has twenty-two top ten hits in my personal countdown.  Twelve of them went all the way to #1.

2002 - How Come You Don't Call Me (#7) 
2002 - Girlfriend (#7)
2003 - You Don't Know My Name (#4)
2004 - If I Ain't Got You (#1)
2004 - Diary (with Tony!Toni!Tone!) (#1)
2004 - My Boo (with Usher) (#1)
2004 - Karma (#1)
2005 - Unbreakable (#8)
2007 - No One (#1)
2007 - Like You'll Never See Me Again (#1)
2007 - Tell You Something (#1)
2007 - I Need You (#1)
2007 - Superwoman (#1) 
2007 - Teenage Love Affair (#1)

2009 - Try Sleeping with a Broken Heart (#1)
2010 - Put It In A Love Song (with Beyonce) (#1)
2010 - Unthinkable (I'm Ready) (#3)
2013 - Girl on Fire (#10)
2013 - When It's All Over (#4)
2013 - Tears Always Win (#5)
2013 - Brand New Me (#3)
2013 - If I Ain't Got You (with Regine Velasquez) (#2)