My #1 Favorite Song of 2011: Lady Gaga - Born This Way

Well, I just had to choose this song as my personal #1 song of the year for the message it brings. For gay people like me who have to suffer through identity crisis and society's sanctions, this song by Lady Gaga just explains it all. We were "Born This Way", so no reason really to be ashamed of it, no matter what Bible wielding people say, whether they said God said it or not. I don't think God is an intolerant son of a bitch. I think He created gay people, like other marginalized people, so that those in the majority will learn to be tolerant of other people not of their own way. So bravo to Lady Gaga for preaching the message of love of self and tolerance!

My Favorite Songs of 2011: #2 Kylie Minogue - Aphrodite

I'm not sure whether Kylie released Aphrodite as a single but it was one of my favorite songs from that album of the same title! I love its message of empowerment! It sits at #2 in my year-end favorites!

My Favorite Songs of 2011: #3 LMFAO - Party Rock Anthem

You'd have to be living under a rock if you missed this summer party hit from LMFAO. The whole world was shuffling to this song for months and months!! It was just addictive! Addictive enough to be my #3 favorite song of 2011!

My Favorite Songs of 2011: #4 Kylie Minogue - Get Outta My Way

Kylie Minogue has two songs in the Top 5 this year, brought about mainly by her fantastic show here in Manila middle of this year. She released Aphrodite late 2010 but because of her live show, her CD got heavy rotation in my Ipod! This is one of my favorite songs from that album, a fact that was further bolstered when it became one of the station ID songs of that cable channel!

My Favorite Songs of 2011: #5 David Archuleta - Stomping the Roses

It is with sadness that I heard the news that David has decided to leave showbiz for the next two years, but anyway, I think he's doing it for the right reasons. How can you beat serving God, anyways?! Before he leaves us, he has the #5 song in my year-end list with Stomping the Roses, one of the songs from his latest CD. I loved his concert here too!

My Favorite Songs of 2011: #7 Foster the People - Pumped Up Kicks

It is really eerie that a song as catchy as this one actually talks about something as deadly and evil as a school shooting! I have been singing and dancing to this song for the longest time without realizing that the lyrics I was singing talked about a guy wanting to shoot some kids!! Oh well, sometimes reality is stranger than fiction! Anyhow, I still love the beat of this song, that's why it's at #7 for the year!

My Favorite Songs of 2011: #9 Nicole Scherzinger - Don't Hold Your Breath

This song by Nicole Scherzinger was my first #1 song for 2011 at the same time it went to #1 in the UK. I love its funky beat!

My Favorite Songs of 2011: #10 Lady Gaga - Judas

Judas by Lady Gaga is definitely one of the standout tracks from her Grammy nominated Born This Way album. Not only is the video spectacular, you also wonder what the message of the song is.

My Favorite Songs of 2011: #12 Owl City - If My Heart Was A House

While I was listening to Owl City's latest album, All Things Bright and Beautiful, in preparation for his concert here, this was one of the songs that really drew me in. It's a wonderful ballad and the lyrics are so touching!

My Favorite Songs of 2011: #13 Christina Aguilera - Express

2011 was supposedly a slow year for Christina Aguilera but here she is with two hits in my year end list. Her collaboration with Maroon 5, the worldwide hit, Moves Like Jagger, came at #17. 

Here at #13 is my favorite scene from her movie, Burlesque, Express. I love the choreography here - a combination of sassy modern jazz and modern dance! I love when she performed this in X-Factor and the American Music Awards!

My Favorite Songs of 2011: #14 Hot Chelle Rae - Tonight, Tonight

When I first heard of this song, I immediately fell in love with it! I just love the catchy beat and the fact that it's actually great to sing along too! A perfect driving song too, if I may say so!

My Favorite Songs of 2011: #18 Katy Perry - Last Friday Night

This song by Katy Perry was certainly one of the funnest videos from last year. It actually took some time for me to like the song but all those 80s references eventually got me hooked! So looking forward to seeing her in 2012!

My Favorite Songs of 2011: #20 Ke$ha - We R Who We R

I love Ke$ha's music! It's really something you can dance too! Her hit from December last year, We R Who We R is certainly one of my favorite dance hits which kinda spilled over to this year! She did a very good version of it during the AMA Awards.

My Favorite Songs of 2011: #23 Lady Gaga - Fashion of His Love

When I first gave Lady Gaga's Born This Way a spin, this was the first song that I immediately fell for! People said it sounds like Whitney Houston's I Wanna Dance With Somebody. Not surprised there since the whole album actually sounds like an ode to the 80s! I learned later too that this song was for Alexander McQueen. Love it!

Grammy's 2012: My Choice for Record of the Year

The nominees for Record of the Year are -

1.  Adele - Rolling in the Deep

2.  Bon Iver - Holocene

3.  Bruno Mars - Grenade

4.  Mumford and Sons - The Cave

5.  Katy Perry - Firework

and my vote for this year's Grammy for Record of the Year goes to -  

I love the positive message of the song!

Adele Achieves Triple Feat in Billboard Charts

Adele just achieved the top three titles of 2011 from Billboard magazine - Top Artist, Top Single for Rolling in the Deep and Top Album - a rare occurrence in the competitive field of music.  That is a wonderful achievement for Adele and it proves the fact that people can overlook the weirdness of a performer - and just concentrate on the voice and the song - and still connect with it.  

I did not warm up quickly to this album by Adele but now, by listening to it again and again, I am beginning to realize the magnitude of her achievement, considering all the pop fluff around here coming from Lady Gaga, Rihanna and Katy Perry.

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My Favorite Songs of 2011: #27 Owl City - Galaxies

Owl City has been one of my favorite pop acts of the past few years, and two songs from his latest album - All Things Bright and Beautiful - are in my year end list. This popularity has been buoyed further by his fantastic live show here a few months back! Galaxies is a beautiful single and I love its upbeat tempo and its message of praise to God as well! It comes in at #27 in my year end list.

My Favorite Songs of 2011: #30 Rihanna and Calvin Harris - We Found Love

This current worldwide hit by Rihanna and Calvin Harris comes in at #30 in my yearend list since it still has to percolate to really stay in the upper echelons. I love how Rihanna allows her sound to evolve, that's why she has been having #1 songs left and right because she allows each producer to shine! This song is one good example of that. She definitely found love with Calvin Harris!

My Favorite Songs of 2011: #37 - Cher - You Haven't Seen the Last of Me

The ageless Cher continues to astound me! I actually thought that after her tour, she wouldn't record anymore, but voila, because of Burlesque, she comes up with this inspirational song , 'You Haven't Seen the Last of Me"' which won the Best Song Award in this year's Golden Globe Awards. The award though went to the songwriter, the hitmaker, Dianne Warren. To those who are familiar with Cher's discography, this song actually sounds like vintage Cher, I guess that's why it became a hit!

My Favorite Songs of 2011 by International Artists: #38 - Chris Colfer - As If We Never Said Goodbye

I actually thought Barbra Streisand's rendition of this song was already the bar where all the other singers have to measure up to - then Chris Colfer of Glee comes out with this stunning version - which always gives me goosebumps! Give this guy an Emmy already - or does he have one already? There is something magical about the way he interprets the showtunes and to think he's still very young! I don't know where in this season he sang this song but independent from that - his version of this classic is just beautiful, to say the least!