I'm Ringing Church Bells, Church Bells, Church Bells

My fifty favourite singles of 2009...
(Not according to ITunes, but that's another matter)

50. Pet Shop Boys – Love etc.
49. Robbie Williams - Bodies
48. The Nextmen feat. Miss Dynamite – Lion’s Den
47. Empire of the Sun – Walking on a Dream
46. Leona Lewis – Outta My Head
45. Tori Amos – Welcome to England
44. Mika - Rain
43. Bombay Bicycle Club – Always Like This
42. Adam Lambert – For Your Entertainment
41. Rihanna – Russian Roulette

40. Alexandra Burke feat. Flo Rida – Bad Boys
39. Bat For Lashes – Daniel
38. Cheryl Cole – Fight For This Love
37. Annie – Songs Remind Me of You
36. Yeah Yeah Yeah’s – Heads Will Roll
35. The XX – Basic Space
34. Lily Allen – Not Fair
33. Grizzly Bear – Two Weeks
32. Natalie Imbruglia – Want
31. The Gossip – Heavy Cross

30. Patrick Wolf – Vulture
29. La Roux – Quicksand
28. Yeah Yeah Yeah’s – Zero
27. Black Eyed Peas – Meet Me Halfway
26. Paloma Faith – New York
25. Empire of the Sun – We Are the People
24. Blake Lewis – Sad Song
23. Dan Black – Symphonies
22. Mariah Carey – Obsessed
21. Camera Obscura – French Navy

20. Arctic Monkeys – Cornerstone

Gorgeously romantic in the way that The Cure were. Honest and alarmingly flagrant with their words.

19. Friendly Fires – Skeleton Boy
"I close my eyes on the dancefloor and forget about you" -- addictive.

18. Jordin Sparks – Battlefield
Daryl Zanuck didn't know the meaning of the word epic, this is it! Better go get your armour...

17. Yeasayer – Ambling Alp
A shuffling, tentative opening turns into one of the most musically assured offerings of the year. Wisdom in every way.

16. Roisin Murphy – Orally Fixated
This song is constantly building, from the one-minute bubbling intro to the severe chorus. Roisin's is THE 2010 album I'd give anything to have right now.

15. Miley Cyrus – Party in the U.S.A.
"And a Britney song was onnnnnnnnn!". I'm a staunch defender of Miley and this song proves she's capable of writing a classic. Yeah, forget The Climb.

14.Florence and the Machine – Rabbit Heart
What a great year this lady and her outfit had, and this was the pick of the bunch. Immense chorus.

13. Micachu and the Shapes – Lips
Packed into barely even a minute, Lips is like the wailing call of a child. The album's much the same. The shapes have promise.

12. The Maccabees – Love You Better
I actually think this is the love song of the year. Love songs are supposed to be heart-achingly sad, and this is anthemic melancholy at its finest.

11. Jack Penate – Tonight’s Today
Speaking of anthems, Penate came back with an impressive follow-up album to his fine debut. Tonight's Today trumps anything he's ever done before.

10. Ellie Goulding – Under the Sheets
"You're not the answer, I should know. Like all the boys before, like all the boys before". Sad but true.

9. Julian Casablancas – 11th Dimension
I have no idea what this song is about but I was absoloutely entranced by it. Unrelenting, and I could listen to the final thirty seconds forever.

8. Erik Hassle – Hurtful
I generally find scandinavian male voices more interesting, and Hassle really captivated me with his. Hurtful is a real powerful tearjerker.

7. Lady Gaga – Poker Face
A playful dance classic, filled with some huge lines like the opening "I wanna hold em like they do in Texas League, and marked by the now-legendary "P-P-P-Poker face, P-P Poker face".

6. Annie – Anthonio
Such an unashamedly faithful ode, and yet it feels like more of a celebration.

5. Shakira – She Wolf
Bonkers, but anyone that can factor the word "lycanthropy" into a pop song deserves major kudos.

4. Girls Can’t Catch – Keep Your Head Up
In a similar way to The Saturdays last year, Girls Can't Catch made me feel uplifted and devoted to their chorus. This was the Itunes number one, FYI.

3. Girls Aloud – Untouchable
I'm pretending they released the six-minute version. In any case they kept the beautiful robots dancing alone. This is one of the best pop songs ever made.

2. La Roux – In for the Kill
How someone can build a song around an "OOOOh, OOOOh!" is beyond me but doesn't it work AMAZINGLY?

1. Lady Gaga – Bad Romance
Well, I didn't want to be cliche but this is such an incredible tune. As if the "Ra Ra, Ah Ah Ah" tribal lust wasn't mental enough the song shifts from raw passion to longing, extended rapturous calls for romance. It's also probably the vainest love song ever. The whole thing is a show.