We Fixed It: What Rolling Stone Got Wrong on The Best Songs of 2013 List Posted by Lucas G. on 12/04/13 | Filed under Top Stories, Opinion, Fixed It, Best of 2013

With our global takeover in full effect (record label, TV network, line of designer tracksuits, and our producer credit on "Anchorman 2") it might seem like RefinedHype is a multinational corporation run by soul-sucking execs and robots churning out blogs, but in reality it is just Nathan and me in sweatpants Gchatting about booty, Will Farrell, and rap. Shocker I know; the veil has been pulled back "Wizard of Oz" style.

Because it is only us two, it is impossible for us to compete with the likes of Complex and Rolling Stone when it comes to lists, but just because we can’t make our own list of 100 songs, doesn’t mean we cant rip someone else’s apart right? Good, because Rolling Stone dropped a list of the 100 best songs of 2013 and there are some major, major issues. We could go on all day about the poor choices, but we narrowed it down five things Rolling Stone got wrong.

First, the list. Rappoty rap songs in bold......

1. Daft Punk Feat. Pharrell & Nile Rodgers – “Get Lucky”
2. Lorde – “Royals”
3. Kanye West – “Black Skinhead”
4. Vampire Weekend – “Hannah Hunt”
5. Disclosure – “When a Fire Starts to Burn”
6. Parquet Courts – “Stoned and Starving”
7. Justin Timberlake – “Mirrors”
8. James Blake – “Retrograde”
9. Drake – “Started From the Bottom”
10. Arctic Monkeys – “Do I Wanna Know?”
11. Arcade Fire – “Reflektor”
12. Tegan and Sara – “Closer”
13. Big Sean Feat. Kendrick Lamar – “Control”
14. Miley Cyrus – “We Can’t Stop”
15. Eminem – “Rap God”
16. HAIM – “The Wire”
17. Lady Gaga Feat. R. Kelly – “Do What U Want”
19. Katy Perry – “Roar”
19. Jay Z – “Picasso Baby”
20. Kanye West – “Blood on the Leaves”
21. Jake Bugg – “Broken”
22. Ciara – “Body Party”
23. Elvis Costello and the Roots – “Walk Us Uptown”
24. The Julie Ruin – “Oh Come On”
25. Washed Out – “All I Know”
26. Avicii – “Wake Me Up”
27. Lonely Island Feat. Adam Levine – “YOLO”
28. Ashley Monroe – “Two Weeks Late”
29. Thundercat – “Oh Sheit It’s X”
30. Beck – “Don’t Act Like Your Heart Isn’t Hard”
31. Wavves – “Demon to Lean On”
32. Katy B – “5 AM”
33. Kelly Rowland – “Dirty Laundry”
34. Kings of Leon – “Supersoaker”
35. Jim James – “A New Life”
36. TNGHT – “Acrylics”
37. J. Cole – “Crooked Smile”
38. Kurt Vile – “Wakin on a Pretty Day”
39. Natalie Maines – “Free Life”
40. Kevin Gates – “Wylin’”
41. M.I.A. – “Sexodus”
42. Vampire Weekend – “Unbelievers”
43. Superchunk – “Me and You and Jackie Mittoo”
44. Prince – “Breakfast Can Wait”
45. Young Thug – “Picachu”
46. Britney Spears – “Work Bitch”
47. Yo La Tengo – “Ohm”
48. Caitlin Rose – “I Was Cruel”
49. Lucius – “Tempest”
50. Robin Thicke Feat. T.I. and Pharrell – “Blurred Lines”
51. Bruce Springsteen – “High Hopes”
52. Sky Ferreira – “Heavy Metal Heart”
53. Kacey Musgraves – “Follow Your Arrow”
54. Pusha T – “Numbers On the Boards”
55. The National – “Sea of Love”
56. Laura Marling – “Master Hunter”
57. Paul McCartney – “New”
58. Daft Punk Feat. Julian Casablancas – “Instant Crush”
59. Miley Cyrus – “Wrecking Ball”
60. Sleigh Bells – “Young Legends”
61. Lorde – “White Teeth Teens”
62. TV on the Radio – “Mercy”
63. Disclosure Feat. AlunaGeorge – “White Noise”
64. Yeah Yeah Yeahs – “Sacrilege”
65. Kanye West – “I Am a God”
66. Albert Hammond Jr. – “St. Justice”
67. Speedy Ortiz – “Tiger Tank”
68. Sam Baker – “Ditch”
69. Migos Feat. Drake – “Versace (Remix)”
70. Neko Case – “Man”
71. Twin Shadow – “Old Love / New Love”
72. Pearl Jam – “Sirens”
73. Blood Orange – “Chamakay”
74. Chance the Rapper Feat. Nate Fox & Lili K – “Pusha Man”
75. Mikal Cronin – “Shout it Out”
76. Major Lazer Feat. Bruno Mars, Tyga & Mystic – “Bubble Butt”
77. Jay Z – “Tom Ford”
78. Charles Bradley – “Victim of Love”
79. Empire of the Sun – “Alive”
80. Mystikal – “Hit Me”
81. 2 Chainz feat. Pharrell – “Feds Watching”
82. Franz Ferdinand -”Treason! Animals.”
83. Black Sabbath – “God is Dead?”
84. Janelle Monáe Feat. Erykah Badu – “Q.U.E.E.N.”
85. Phoenix – “Trying to Be Cool”
86. Fall Out Boy – “My Songs Know What You Did In The Dark”
87. Waxahatchee – “Brother Bryan”
88. Eleanor Friedberger – “Stare at the Sun”
89. Eric Church – “The Outsiders”
90. Courtney Barnett – “Avant-Gardner”
91. Nine Inch Nails – “Everything”
92. Deafheaven – “Dream House”
93. Atoms for Peace – “Ingenue”
94. Patty Griffin – “Ohio”
95. Paramore – “Still Into You”
96. No Age – “C’mon, Stimmung”
97. Darius Rucker – “Wagon Wheel”
98. MGMT – “Your Life is a Lie”
99. Lee Ranaldo and the Dust – “Lecce, Leaving”
100. The Killers – “Shot at the Night”

Young Thug “Picacho” At Number 45

I’ll admit that for the most part, we are just being rap nerds and nitpicking at a list that is relatively interchangeable, but “Picacho” at 45 is an abomination to all music. Shit, “Picacho” on the list at all is just awful. I love “Picacho” but there is no question that it is one of the worst songs in the last few years. How that song gets ranked above any Chance The Rapper cut (“Pusha Man” came in at 74) is jut beyond me. If it was some terrible Rick Ross or French Montana song I guess I could see it—at least those two are popular and have a following—but in no way shape or form is “Young Thug” more popular than any Chance song. He rhymes “ho” with “ho” 8 times in a row and uses “hoes” once in that sequence; “hoes” and “ho” don’t rhyme nor sound the same. You could make the argument for any song from this year solely because Young Thug is on there. The fact that this song is on the list at all is an insult to anyone who has ever listened to any kind of music ever.

Two Jay Z Songs & No “Holy Grail”

Some would want to argue that Jay doesn’t belong anywhere on this list, but I beg to differ. I don’t have a problem with a few Jay songs—like it or not he is one of the biggest names in hip-hop and has a global following—but the ones they chose didn’t sit well with me. “Picasso Baby” was a little too high and “Tom Ford” didn’t belong at all, and how the hell could the forget “Holy Grail”; that song belongs in the top 10 easy. You have Justin Timberlake and Jay-Z, two of the biggest artists on the planet, together for a radio-friendly banger that has substance and it doesn’t make the list at all? Not only is "Holy Grail" a better song, but it had more influence of both of Rolling Stone's choices, especially “Tom Ford”.

Needs More Drake

Going in, I expected Drake to have the most songs on the list, but was shocked when he only had two. “Started From The Bottom” at 8 is a reach but is arguable. The next one? The “Versace (remix)” which technically isn’t even his song (for those keeping score at home that’s 1 for Young Thug, 1 for Migos, and zero for Run The Jewels). Like it or not "Nothing Was The Same" will end up being the most influential, culturally significant album of the year and only listing one song doesn’t do the album justice. Surely “Hold On We’re Going Home”, “The Motion”, “Worst Behavior”, “All Me” or even “Pound Cake” all deserve a shot; you could make a case for each one. Honestly if they had included every one of those I wouldn't have been happy, but wouldn’t really have had an argument against it. Either way, one Drake song is far to little considering he basically won 2013.

“Control” Is Too High

Back in August, "Control" was the hottest thing ever, but now, how often are you going back and listening to it? Today is the first time I have heard it since August. It was culturally significant—and still gets talked about—but the song it self isn't particularly memorable. There is no doubt it belongs in the top half, but 13 is way too high for a song where two thirds of it are largely forgetten. “Control” might be one of the most talked about songs of 2013, but the song itself, and its popularity, should be lower.

“Crooked Smile” & No “Power Trip”

Having at least one Cole song is a given, "Born Sinner" was one of the bigger albums of the year, so I have no problem with “Crooked Smile” on the list, but how could you forget “Power Trip”? It  isn’t explosive or anything, but recently I have found myself going back to it more and more. It has become one of like three songs off the album that have stayed in rotation, and Rolling Stone doesn’t even have it ranked. I feel like “Crooked Smile” is overrated solely because for the TLC guest spot. If you put the songs up next to each other, “Power Trip” blows it away. Definitely a sleeper pick, but surely the lead single off one of the years bigger albums deserves some recognition; it went platinum for Christ sakes!

There are a few other problems here and there, but overall the list ain’t bad. Doing a list of 100 songs is never easy so I will give them credit there, but these five things really needed fixing (and we really went easy on them). So RefinedHype Nation, what do you think of the list? What else are they forgetting - someone better mention Run The Jewels.

P.S. Young Thug…really?!?!