The Ten Best Selling Songs in Austria in 2007
2007 had some really great pop music, including some of the quintessential songs of its decade that now, 12 years later, are still on heavy rotation. On top of that, it had a musically stripped down, straightforward political statement that got everyone shook. Oh, and it had the arguably first song that became a viral hit in Austria. And even with all of that going on... the style that dominated 2007 is volksmusik. Every few years there's this one song of the genre that everyone goes crazy for even if they usually dislike it... just that in the special case of this year, there were two.
This is not my style of music, but I gotta say that DJ Ötzi improved since "Anton aus Tirol" (best-selling song of 2000), where he was in full volksmusik mode. Here, there are some modern elements mixed in, a stomping beat, and an electric guitar. But still, it's not my kind of music. Everything about it is tame and harmless but without oomph.
Nevertheless, for creating a good mood at a party, this will do. It became a running gag in my family: the title translates to "A Star (That Carries Your Name)," and that's what he sings in the chorus. Often, when someone in my family says a word (e.g., "a plate," "a game," etc.), another one replies with "that carries your name."
Should have been the year's biggest hit. This is the definition of a well-done pop song. The verses, the chorus, and most notably the post-chorus are recognizable, well-performed, and catchy as heck, but in a very pleasant way. The beat itself stands out. It became iconic and established Rihanna as one of the music stars of her generation that will last for years to come - which she did.
Her two former albums were successful too, but she wasn't thought of as one of the biggest. But "Good Girl Gone Bad" - a perfectly balanced collection of all the good traits pop music can offer - was the one album every pop singer hopes to achieve. "Umbrella" became her signature song by pushing every button pop music has to push.
P!nk's open letter to George W. Bush is pure harsh criticism. Jotting down everything she has to say to him with no holds barred, all accompanied by nothing except for a guitar and the Indigo Girls. There wasn't even a music video for it - the German and Austrian music TV channels aired a live recording from the "I'm Not Dead" tour with German subtitles. That was unusual. I have never seen subtitles on a video, before or after. But there was such a high demand for this political song, there was no getting around airing it.
In the meantime, it did not even chart in America. I don't get it. One would expect this song to be huge there too.
Horrible. Whatever I said about DJ Ötzi being tolerable even if I don't like the genre, this one is the opposite. It's by an Austrian skier, and it's musically trashy, with misused autotune and an unpassionate vocal performance (he sounds rather annoyed) and ridiculous lyrics: it's about him being brilliant at skiing. Duh, you don't say. You're a professional skier.
No, this is my second least favorite song on these lists so far, right after 1999's "A klana Indiana."
Nelly Furtado is another of these pop artists that are more than pop. "All Good Things (Come to an End)" is at least as much folk as pop, and it feels like a forest melody coming to life. It's stunningly beautiful and somewhat melancholic without being utterly depressing.
It's just a little casual song, almost sung on the go, but that's what makes it feel so big and graceful. While "Loose" was an overall poppy (yet awesome) album, as opposed to her previous folk-oriented music, this one song picks up where "Folklore" left off.
An awesome R&B song with one of my favorite things in pop music: a chorus that kicks in and you immediately know that you will forever remember it and that leaves everyone speechless once it starts.
But the real star here is Timbaland, who interpolates his own "ey..." shouts into the beat, creating a unique sound, both ambient and urban.
I love it when songs that could be straight out of the 70s make it big in the 21st century between all the electronically made songs. That does not mean I view digital pop music as less than traditionally made tracks, but I like the idea that both can coexist. Since almost every year there's at least one major hit in that style, it appears to be the case.
"Grace Kelly" is, like the entire album it originates from, a fun, very lush falsetto piece that knows how to create a good and nostalgic mood.
I actually like this song. It's a good song that was released in 2007.
One of the best cover versions of the 21st century. HIM lead singer Ville Valo and actress Natalia Avelon recorded their tender and cinematic cover version of the classic Lee Hazlewood & Nancy Sinatra duet, giving the tune their distinctive personalities and making it just as good as the original.
German girl group Monrose, one of the few talent search show winners (from Popstars' 2006 season) that were successful for more than one year and album, had an image change with their second album. While they were marketed as girly pop princesses before, songs like "Hot Summer" were overflowing with eroticism and innuendo. And it fits them even better.
The dark, distorted electro beat and the dominant, seductive vocal delivery give it a dirty, adult vibe even without explicit lyrics.
The Swedish dance song "Boten Anna" is likely the first song to become a viral hit in Austria. One guy found the video on the still very young website YouTube, told his friends about it, posted the link in online forums, or played it on his Nokia phone in the classroom. Then it spread. I still remember. It became a trend.
While other songs were promoted on the radio or TV, the internet made this one big. And while to the generation after me this sounds pretty underwhelming, this was a really huge thing. YouTubers with a few thousand subscribers were considered huge. There was no VEVO or artist channels. Users uploaded videos they recorded at home. Not everyone even used YouTube. But it helped this song hit number 2 on the charts and become the tenth best-selling song of the year - and we're not talking about streams here. Back then those were actual purchases. That's one big deal. There was even a German parody of it that peaked at number 23 on the charts.
Retrospectively, this is a cool techno anthem from a time when much that is now considered mainstream was still nerd stuff. It's fun to observe how terms like "bots" and "channel" became part of everyday language. Back then, Basshunter was the one geek that was somehow cool because he made EDM, which was trending. I like it. It has this very specific charm.