My piece on the top songs of 2003 is finally online, and I can't believe (argh) that I left out Jay-Z's "99 Problems."
Kanye West - "My Way". A marvellous cut from Kanye West's upcoming LP, rich with a particularly familiar sample (accelerated, of course), laced with strings, but skipping with a good-natured beat: hand-claps, oohs, a feeling of may-be-so, so-be-it. The music is light, full of an idealized, childhood innocence, but then - things are really heavier than that, sadly. Much heavier.
Nena - "99 Luftballons". This is here because Julian thinks it should be. He (rightly) believes it's a song everyone should know, and really, most of you probably do. It's 80s pop at its best, the synthy guitars dancing about in tight pants, zinging and zagging as the drums jump around. The german version of the song is peppier than the english translation: I couldn't care less what Nena is saying, so long as she keeps doing it, singing out that chorus with a big-eyed-but-sultry smile.