This year, I didn’t download as much music from iTunes as I had in years previous. Still, I found much that I loved. First, I’m listing the twenty-five songs from 2007 and December of 2006 that were most often played. Some of the play counts may seem rather low for a song that made the Top 25, but these songs are in rotation with and competing against long-time favorites. Still, most of these songs are pretty good. In order to not let some of the low play counts fool you, however, I’ve noted songs that I particularly liked or loved using the below-described code. Then, after the Top 25, I’m listing the rest of this year’s purchases alphabetically, by song title.

Code Key:

L: I love this song.
•: I like this song, a lot.
O: Old-school pick. This song reminds me of when I was young and used to listen to the radio.
C: A cover of a song that I had already liked.

Song of the Year: I can’t get over Jens Lekman’s Maple Leaves. Every time that I play it, it makes me ache. It about loving a girl who’s a bit of a wreck and about your wanting to understand and to save her (because you always want to save the her whom you love), but when “she said it was all ‘make-believe’” you “thought [she] said ‘maple leaves,’” and, after it all comes apart (Because how could it not?) you know that you “never understood at all.” And the music is very pretty, which only makes the whole thing that much more unbearable and just stunningly beautiful.

————————————————————————————————————

The Top 25:

Code: * Song Title * Artist * Album * Play Count
L * Maple Leaves * Jens Lekman * Oh You're So Silent, Jens * 156
L * What Else Is There? * Royksopp * The Understanding * 147
L * Lazy Eye * Silversun Pickups * Carnavas * 140
L * Goodbye to My Loving You * Jackson C. Frank * Blues Run the Game * 138
• * Suzanne * Julie Christensen, Nick Cave * Perla Batalla * Leonard Cohen: I'm Your Man * 138
• * Give Me Every Little Thing (Gmelt) * The Juan Maclean * Less Than Human * 136
L * Say It Right * Nelly Furtado * Loose (iTunes Version) * 131
L * Love Song * Vashti Bunyan * Just Another Diamond Day * 128
L C * Never My Love * Astrud Gilberto * Windy * 118
L * Not California * Hem * Funnel Cloud * 114
L * You Never Wanted Me * Jackson C. Frank * Jackson C. Frank * 109
L * Naked As We Came * Iron * Wine * Live Session * 107
L * Branches * Midlake * The Trials of Van Occupanther * 107
L * Call Me * Aretha Franklin * This Girl's In Love With You * 105
L * Fairground * Simply Red * Simplified * 105
L * Milk and Honey * Jackson C. Frank * Jackson C. Frank * 104
• * More Than This * Roxy Music * The Best of Roxy Music * 104
L * Spring * Charalambides * A Vintage Burden - EP * 95
C * Blues Run the Game * Bert Jansch * Dazzling Stranger * 92
L * Roscoe * Midlake * The Trials of Van Occupanther * 92
* Someone to Pull the Trigger * Matthew Sweet * Time Capsule: The Best of Matthew Sweet * 91
• * Alison * Slowdive * Souvlaki * 90
•• * Feel the Love * Arthur Loves Plastic * Lisa Moscatiello * Troubled * 89
• * Sister * Jennifer O'Connor * Over the Mountain, Across the Valley and Back to the Stars * 84
• * Homecoming Weekend In a Small Town * riding paper airplanes * riding Paper Airplanes * 84

————————————————————————————————————

The Rest, in Alphabetical Order:

* All in Love Is Fair * Stevie Wonder * Innervisions * 53
* Alone Again Or * Love * The Best of Love * 34
* Amor Verdandero * Afro Cuban All Stars * A Toda Cuba Le Gusta * 33
• * Baby Please Don't Leave Me * Buddy Guy * Buddy Guy: Best of the Silvertone Years (1991-2005) * 47
* Bend * Break * Keane * Hopes and Fears * 43
L C * Black Star * Gillian Welch * Black Star - EP * 77
* Celestial Annihilation * UNKLE * Psyence Fiction * 46
* Chemicals Collide * Cloud Cult * The Meaning of 8 * 30
* Cherry Blossom Girl (Hope Sandoval Version) * Air * Cherry Blossom Girl (Remixes) - Single * 20
* C'mon C'mon * The Von Bondies * Pawn Shoppe Heart * 30
* Cybele's Reverie * Stereolab * Emperor Tomato Ketchup * 29
C * Downbound Train * The Smithereens * Anthology: from Jersey It Came * 29
* Drowning Parade * Oliver Future * Pax Futura * 29
* Drum Gets a Glimpse * Liars * Drum's Not Dead * 51
* Etheriel * Lush * Ciao! 1989-1996 * 41
• C * Feelin' Alright * Lulu * What It Is! Funky Soul and Rare Grooves (1967-1977) [Remastered] {With Interactive Booklet} * 26
* Four Strong Winds * Neil Young * Comes a Time * 2
C * God Only Knows * Neil Diamond * I'm Glad You're Here With Me Tonight * 29
L * Here Before * Vashti Bunyan * Lookaftering * 62
O C * Holding Back the Years * Mick Hucknall, Neil Moss * Dark Horse * 71
O * Hooked on You * Sweet Sensation * Take It While It's Hot * 52
C * I Do Love You * Joe Bataan * Bataan! * 14
* I'd Rather Leave While I'm In Love * Rita Coolidge * Delta Lady - The Rita Coolidge Anthology * 37
* If I Ever Feel Better * Phoenix * United * 41
• * I'm Your Puppet * James * Bobby Purify * Radio Hits of the '60s * 38
* Long Hot Summer * Paul Weller * Catch-Flame! * 68
• * Love Comes to Me * Bonnie "Prince" Billy * The Letting Go * 52
L * Lowdown * My Morning Jacket * At Dawn * 27
C * Mad World * Michael Andrews * Donnie Darko * 62
* Magnolia * Charalambides * Unknown Spin * 1
• * Maula * Ustad Sultan Khan * Ralphi Rosario * Rare Elements: Ustad Sultan Khan * 40
C * Milk and Honey * Sandy Denny * The Original Sandy Denny * 23
• * The Moneymaker * Rilo Kiley * The Moneymaker - Single * 61
* Nightime * The Afghan Whigs * Big Star Small World * 74
* One April Day * Stephin Merritt * Pieces of April (Music from the Motion Picture Soundtrack) * 41
L * The One I Love * David Gray * Life In Slow Motion * 80
* Only This Moment * Royksopp * The Understanding * 58
C * Ooh Baby Baby * The Escorts * The Escorts: The Greatest Hits * 63
* Over and Over * Morcheeba * Big Calm * 23
L C * Over the Rainbow * Eva Cassidy * The Other Side * 23
• * Plantlife * Autolux * Future Perfect * 62
L C * Please Come to Boston * Glen Campbell * Glen Campbell In Concert * 22
* Remind Me * Royksopp * Melody Am * 28
L * Revelator * Gillian Welch * Time - The Revelator * 50
L * Revelator (Live) * Gillian Welch * Music from the Revelator Collection * 54
* Rise * Herb Alpert * Rise * 58
* Run Into Flowers * M83 * Dead Cities, Red Seas * Lost Ghosts * 61
L C * Running Up That Hill * Chromatics * Night Drive * 58
• * Sacred Channel * Tabla Beat Science * Live in San Francisco at Stern Grove * 70
• * Sénégal-Brésil * Cheikh Lo * Lamp Fall * 43
L C * Shout to the Top * Paul Weller * Catch-Flame! * 62
• * Spell * Blue Magic * Soulful Spell - The Best of Blue Magic * 46
C * Suavecito * Beto Villena * Soulful Thangs Vol 4 * 75
* Sunrise * Simply Red * Home * 5
• C * Superstar * Sonic Youth * If I Were a Carpenter * 50
* Taal Zaman * TransGlobal Underground * Backpacking On the Graves of Our Ancestors (1991-1998) * 14
• * Tables and Chairs * Andrew Bird * The Mysterious Production of Eggs * 26
L * Take Control * Amerie * Take Control - Single * 64
* Temple Head * TransGlobal Underground * Backpacking On the Graves of Our Ancestors (1991-1998) * 9
L C * Thirteen * Elliott Smith * New Moon * 76
• * To Be True * Harold Melvin * The Blue Notes * Blue Notes and Ballads * 42
* Too Young * Phoenix * United * 79
* UMA * Ooioo * Taiga * 49
• * Umbrella * Rihanna * Good Girl Gone Bad * 50
* The Valley * Los Lobos * The Town and the City * 20
• C * We've Only Just Begun * Grant Lee Buffalo * If I Were a Carpenter * 77
C * What's Going On * Los Lobos * Los Lobos: Live at the Fillmore * 19
• * Wichita Lineman * Glen Campbell * Glen Campbell: 20 Greatest Hits * 61
O * Wishing on a Star * Rose Royce * Rose Royce Greatest Hits * 55
L * Yellowcake * Kaki King * ...Until We Felt Red * 83
* You and I Are a Gang of Losers * The Dears * Gang of Losers * 22
• * You Do Something to Me * Paul Weller * Stanley Road * 78
L * You Don't Have To Be Afraid * Kaki King * ...Until We Felt Red * 66
L C * You Don't Know Me * Emmylou Harris * Cowgirl's Prayer * 66
C * You Keep Me Hangin' On * Vanilla Fudge * You Keep Me Hangin' On - Single * 75
L * You Never Wanted Me * Sandy Denny * The Original Sandy Denny * 20
* You Turned My Whole World Around * Barry White * Barry White Sings for Someone You Love * 37
* Your Ex-Lover Is Dead * Stars * Set Yourself On Fire * 9
* Your Love * Frankie Knuckles * Frankie Knuckles Presents * 1
* Your Mirror * Simply Red * Simplified * 58