All of this OSCAR talk totally made me forget about the BRIT awards. I did a bit of fishing to figure out when I would get a chance to analyse the nominations, only to find out that they were already decided way back on the 9th January. My apologies for the delays, but in case, you, like me, had no idea who was nominated, then I shall dive into the Best British Single nominations and give my verdict of who should win and who shouldn’t. I shall also list them from my personal worst to the single I think should take the crown of Single of the Year.
10 – ONE DIRECTION – ONE WAY OR ANOTHER
No, god, no! Out of all of the songs on the list, this is the one I totally cannot see the point in nominating. With every other song on the list, I can see the charm. Sure, I might not have nominated that particular song, but I can understand where the nominations are coming from. This song sticks out like a sore thumb, because it is so god damn awful. I seem to remember it being created for a charitable cause, so perhaps the judges felt that it deserved a space on this list, because it was created with the best intentions. (There’s a movie quote I really want to use here, about how terrible things were created with the best intentions, but it so really early and I can’t think of the exact movie right now – if you know what I am on about, comments below, please.)
It takes a lot of effort to take a photo when David Cameron isn’t the biggest p**** in it.
Before you slam me in the comments, I am not a One Direction hater. I actually think some of their original songs are alright. Sure, it is for the younger generation, with the kind of songs that teenage girls will go crazy for, but I can get the craze for those songs. ‘What Makes You Beautiful’ and ‘Kiss You’ are good tunes, in my books. This cover is not. Sure, I half expected a One Direction song to make it onto the nominees, but even fans of the band must agree that they came out with far better songs than this one in 2013.
9 – DISCLOSURE – WHITE NOISE
This is the only other song that surprised me when I saw it here. Yeah, it is a good song, but I didn’t realise it was nomination worthy. Most of my friends from University didn’t actually like this song too much, thinking it was irritating. I gave it a fair chance, but I must admit, my attention were on more songs, which I thought were better at the time (some of them are also nominations). Disclosure were nominated for a few awards as well, so maybe the band was a pretty major breakthrough hit that I missed, because I was paying attention to the entertainment news at the time. My verdict is yes, I like this song, but it really doesn’t deserve the winning spot.
8 – OLLY MURS – DEAR DARLIN’
Before you question while I rated Olly so low, you have to remember that these nominations are full of great songs. This is the one song that, while I like a lot, I just couldn’t bring myself to rate higher. Why? Well, my main problem with ‘Dear Darlin’ is that Olly had a much better year in 2012. He has come up with some great songs this year and his album is worth a listen, but I can’t see him winning Best British Single this year. We were all a little bit over-saturated with the singer last year and while every one of his hits were catchy, cheerful and, more importantly, good, I think we could have done with a break. Maybe if ‘Army of Two’ got the nomination instead, I would be a little kinder to Olly, but this year, I think he deserves a miss.
7 – RUDIMENTAL – WAITING ALL NIGHT
I love Rudimental. As in, love every one of his songs. They are the very definition of summer and so full of energy. If you like the genre, Rudimental became as essential to your playlist as Nero or Calvin Harris. However, like Olly Murs, Rudimental had a much better year in 2012. He had two massive songs that I listened to endlessly. I remember ‘Feel the Love’ completely dominating last year, and in many ways, it is still a necessary song for a night out. ‘Waiting All Night’, while a really good tune, didn’t quite have the same weight as last year’s selection of songs. Good, but they didn’t feel as much of a classic summer tune as Rudimental’s previous hits.
6 – NAUGHTY BOY – LA, LA, LA
This is another song that I didn’t really get the hype over. Sure, like Disclosure, it was a really good tune, but I was surprised at how well it took off. Looking at some comment sections and forums, this is actually a high favourite to win from the public. That really surprises me, as we aren’t even halfway through the list yet and I think there are some clear winners to go yet. I love La, La, La. The lyrics are catchy and clever. The club beat is good. It just didn’t really grab me, as much as it has grabbed everyone else. This is the one song here, that I reckon will win the award, but I don’t really want it to.
5 – ELLIE GOULDING – BURN
From this point onwards, I wouldn’t be disappointed if any of these nominations won. We have just passed from the ‘good’ section into the ‘great’ section. Ellie Goulding has always had a soft spot in my heart. I just love her soft voice, which works so well for ballads, but, at the same time, she isn’t afraid to spice up her music with some good beats. This year, especially, she has made her songs even more catchy and likeable. If she wasn’t nominated, I would have been very surprised. Saying that, I don’t think ‘Burn’ is the right song for her to win with. I like it, but she has brought out some really good tunes in 2013. Luckily, she has squeezed another song into the nominations. Stay tuned.
4 – JOHN NEWMAN – LOVE ME AGAIN
I think Newman deserves the award, mainly because I didn’t expect to see him again. He was the vocalist to the Rudimental song I went crazy about in 2012 and earlier in this article. He has such a great voice, but it doesn’t really lend itself to anything overly modern. I have seen singers like Newman before. We have all loved their first hit and talked about how this is the kind of music that we should be listening to, rather than the repetitive club hits in the charts. And then, we turn into hypocrites and ignore everything they bring out afterwards. I thought this fate was destined for John Newman, but thankfully I was proven wrong. John Newman came back and brought out some amazingly good tunes. A worthy winner.
3 – PASSENGER – LET HER GO
Who doesn’t like Passenger? His style of music is just so simple and pure that you cannot help, but love it. I am not going to lie, I was getting a little sick of acoustic music. As much as I love it, there is a massive boom in those kind of singers. I was beginning to really fall out with that style of music, thinking that it hit a peak with Ed Sheeran. Then Passenger came along. While Sheeran will always remain the top of the genre, Passenger’s vocals are original enough to make it work. It feels different, yet so familiar at the same time. While it could come across as an underwhelming winner and not my personal choice, I think Passenger deserves the spot.
2 – CALVIN HARRIS FT ELLIE GOULDING – I NEED YOUR LOVE
This is my pick for Ellie Goulding song of the year. This song was my summer. It is just full of that happiness and youth. Ellie Goulding sings to the best of her abilities, but it never feels show-boaty. She just sings well. Calvin Harris provides his usual trademark of a club beat full of energy. This song just works on so many levels. It works as an energetic club tune. Yet, it also seems to be a good chilled-out song to relax to at home. And while I don’t jog (ever! I am allergic!!), I can imagine the beat of this song really working as a source of energy. It was brought out a while ago now, yet it still has that same happy effect, just like the first time you heard it. It was an instant hit, yet lasting at the same time. Everything about this song works and it is a worthy winner. But it is beatable. And the one song of 2013, which I think actually does is…
1 – BASTILLE – POMPEII
When I saw this nominated, I knew that I had my winner. Bastille are one of the greatest bands of the year. They just came out of nowhere and brought an album without a bad song on it. There is something just so different about them. Their music has this atmosphere and weight to it, giving it presence I haven’t really felt from many other songs this year. The music is instantly catchy and captivates you on a first listen. I remember in early 2013, when everyone went mad for this band. Everywhere you turned, people were talking about them. I honestly cannot remember a time, when people were this excited about a new-comer band. And everyone unanimously agreed that they were fantastic. And that is why I think they should win the Best British Single award. Because, in all honesty, they had the best single of the year.
Oracle of Film 
Pingback: The BRIT Awards Winners | Oracle of Film