2007: #9 - "Apologize"

The second time I heard this song, I got so excited that I did 70 in a 50 and got a $200 speeding ticket. Sure, it was a speed trap, but I won't deny being legitimately fired up. Not because it rocked hard or it was so interesting or anything like that. Obviously. The truth is, i'd spent the previous week or so listening to this "New Pop" new wave mix that had some "cool" post-punk stuff on it like Josef K, Orange Juice and Adam Ant, but also included songs by ABC, Scritti Politti, Human League, Duran Duran, Spandau Ballet and Wham!, who, with their modernized glam-soul take on pop, helped define the movement known as New Romantic.

Now, it does have a more sober, precious post-90's faux-alternative Coldplay-style vibe to it, but with "Apologize", I think Timbaland and OneRepublic really captured that New Romantic ballad sound - and in their own way - better than anyone in recent memory. Whereas that someone like The Killers tends to shove the 80's influence down your throat, while simultaneously sounding nothing like an actual 80's synth-pop band, Timbaland totally gets it right.