I may be the last person on earth to compile an end-of-year retail singles list. In an era of internet "impact tracks" and "focus tracks," the very notion of a "single" has rapidly deteriorated. These days, there are plenty of songs marketed as singles (i.e., have accompanying music videos, referred to as "singles" by the labels) but never formally packaged and sold as singles (i.e., Chromeo's "Momma's Boy," Amadou & Mariam's "Sabali," Busta Rhymes' "I Got Bass," Trina's "Look Back at Me"). Many will make the argument that if a song can be bought individually, it works just like a single, and therefore is a single.

My own criteria for a single is a bit more old school. Basically, if a song is packaged in its own unique retail release, whether as an A-side on an EP or as a single track, whether digitally or physically, it's a single as far as I'm concerned. If a track has its own cover art, that helps.

As far as my research has informed me, all of these tracks have been formally released as retail singles in 2008. So, for all practical purposes, this is an honest-to-God singles list.

Why did I opt to go the singles route? Well, the alternative would have been a comprehensive 2008 songs list, which would have been about a hundred times more daunting than a singles list. At least singles create some parameters within which to work. Sifting through every on-topic song that surfaced in 2008 would have taken exponentially longer.

So here it is, relevant or not:


#25
Justice [ft. Mehdi Pinson] – "DVNO" [Vice]

♥ THIS SONG ON THE HYPE MACHINE! / WATCH THE VIDEO!

#24
Ladyhawke – "Dusk Till Dawn" [Modular]

♥ THIS SONG ON THE HYPE MACHINE! / WATCH THE VIDEO!

#23
Rustie – "Zig-Zag" [Wireblock]

♥ THIS SONG ON THE HYPE MACHINE!

#22
R. Kelly – "Hair Braider" [Zomba]

♥ THIS SONG ON THE HYPE MACHINE! NSFW / WATCH THE VIDEO!

#21
LSB – "Loco Motion" [Eskimo]

♥ THIS SONG ON THE HYPE MACHINE!

#20
The Tough Alliance – "Neo Violence" [Modular]

♥ THIS SONG ON THE HYPE MACHINE! / WATCH THE VIDEO!

#19
Fan Death – "Veronica's Veil" [Phantasy]

♥ THIS SONG ON THE HYPE MACHINE! / WATCH THE VIDEO!

#18
Lil' Wayne – "A Milli" [Cash Money]

♥ THIS SONG ON THE HYPE MACHINE! NSFW / WATCH THE VIDEO!

#17
Dølle Jølle – "Balearic Incarnation" [Permanent Vacation]

♥ THIS SONG ON THE HYPE MACHINE!

#16
Ratatat – "Shiller" [XL]

♥ THIS SONG ON THE HYPE MACHINE!

#15
Kleerup [ft. Titiyo] – "Longing for Lullabies" [EMI Sweden]

♥ THIS SONG ON THE HYPE MACHINE! / WATCH THE VIDEO!

#14
Keri Hilson [ft. Timbaland] – "Return the Favor" [Interscope]

♥ THIS SONG ON THE HYPE MACHINE! / WATCH THE VIDEO!

#13
Aeroplane [ft. Kathy Diamond] – "Whispers" [Eskimo]

♥ THIS SONG ON THE HYPE MACHINE!

#12
T.I. [ft. Rihanna] – "Live Your Life" [Atlantic]

♥ THIS SONG ON THE HYPE MACHINE! NSFW / WATCH THE VIDEO!

#11
Beyoncé – "Single Ladies" [Sony BMG]

♥ THIS SONG ON THE HYPE MACHINE! / WATCH THE VIDEO!

#10
Matias Aguayo – "Minimal" [Kompakt]

♥ THIS SONG ON THE HYPE MACHINE!

#9
Tay Dizm [ft. T-Pain & Rick Ross] – "Beam Me Up" [Nappy Boy]

♥ THIS SONG ON THE HYPE MACHINE! NSFW / WATCH THE VIDEO!

#8
Sébastien Tellier – "Divine" [Record Makers]

♥ THIS SONG ON THE HYPE MACHINE! / WATCH THE VIDEO!

#7
Juvelen – "Don't Mess" [Hybris]

♥ THIS SONG ON THE HYPE MACHINE! NSFW / WATCH THE VIDEO!

#6
Lykke Li – "Breaking It Up" [LL]

♥ THIS SONG ON THE HYPE MACHINE! / WATCH THE VIDEO!

#5
Rihanna – "Disturbia" [Island]

♥ THIS SONG ON THE HYPE MACHINE! / WATCH THE VIDEO!

#4
Diplo [ft. Rye Rye] – "Blow Your Head" [Mad Decent]

♥ THIS SONG ON THE HYPE MACHINE! / WATCH A FAN VIDEO!

#3
La Roux – "Quicksand" [Kitsuné]

♥ THIS SONG ON THE HYPE MACHINE! / WATCH THE VIDEO!

#2
MGMT – "Electric Feel" [Columbia]

♥ THIS SONG ON THE HYPE MACHINE! / WATCH THE VIDEO!

#1
Yelle – "Ce Jeu" [Astralwerks]

♥ THIS SONG ON THE HYPE MACHINE! / WATCH THE VIDEO!

Hater #1: this list = whaevs.. diplo's blow your head is just a re-done version of wassup wassup, which was totally a 2007 single. u need to tighten up your singles game, my mane.

Me: "Wassup Wassup" did indeed come out in 2007. But it was exclusively available on an iTunes live EP. It was not released or packaged as a single. "Blow Your Head" is the official single, which came out in 2008. My singles game = tight as fuck.

Hater #2: CE JEU IS LIKE A BILLION YEARS OLD!!!!!! THIS LIST = FOOEY

Me: "Ce Jeu" was first packaged in Yelle's 2007 album. It was released as a single in 2008, thus meeting my own completely infallible criteria of singledom. So yeah, last year's track turned out to be this year's single of the year. It's not such an uncommon occurrence. I can't help that it's still the hottest song out there. It just is. And I ain't mad at it.