Tunes Du Jour Presents 2012

The pop music of 2012 was built around memorable hooks, but it did not follow a single formula. Carly Rae Jepsen’s “Call Me Maybe” made romantic uncertainty sound bright, tidy, and instantly singable, while P!nk’s “Blow Me (One Last Kiss)” gave the breakup song a sharper pop-rock edge. Psy’s “Gangnam Style” became an international sensation through its comic video, choreography, and highly recognizable refrain, showing how quickly a song could travel through YouTube and social media. Adele’s “Skyfall,” meanwhile, looked backward to the grand tradition of Bond themes, using orchestration and vocal drama rather than a dance beat. Together, these songs suggest a mainstream that could accommodate both carefully polished pop and something genuinely unexpected.

Electronic music also occupied a more visible place in the year’s popular sound. M83’s “Midnight City” paired a driving beat with glowing synthesizers and a saxophone solo, giving indie electronic music a strong pop presence. Grimes’ “Oblivion” was stranger and more intimate, using bright, sometimes uneasy production beneath an unusually light vocal. Major Lazer’s “Get Free,” featuring Amber Coffman, leaned into spacious reggae and dancehall influences, while M.I.A.’s “Bad Girls” turned a spare, bass-heavy beat into a forceful statement. Elsewhere, Todd Terje’s “Inspector Norse” offered a playful disco workout. These tracks were distinct from one another, but they shared an interest in texture, rhythm, and production as central parts of the songwriting.

R&B in 2012 often found power in restraint. Frank Ocean’s “Thinkin Bout You” is direct and emotionally exposed, yet its arrangement leaves plenty of room around his voice. Usher’s “Climax” transforms a breakup into a slow, tense electronic pulse, while Miguel’s “Adorn” draws on classic soul without sounding like a period exercise. Solange’s “Losing You” is more buoyant, using crisp percussion and layered vocals to give its sadness some movement. The year’s R&B did not always aim for a huge chorus or a crowded arrangement; many of its strongest moments came from pauses and carefully controlled atmosphere.

Hip-hop presented several different ideas about what a rap hit could do. Jay-Z and Kanye West’s “Ni**as In Paris” was built for impact, relying on repetition, forceful delivery, and dramatic samples. Nicki Minaj’s “Beez In The Trap” emphasized attitude and rhythmic precision, while Azealia Banks’ “212” moved between rap, house, and club music with restless energy. Kendrick Lamar’s “Swimming Pools (Drank)” sounded catchy enough for a party but used its verses to examine peer pressure and drinking culture. The contrast is important: 2012 rap could be boastful, dance-oriented, experimental, or reflective, sometimes within the same track.

There was also plenty of room for detailed, traditional songwriting. Taylor Swift’s “All Too Well” built its emotional force through specific memories rather than broad declarations. Fiona Apple’s “Every Single Night” turned anxious thought into something rhythmically unpredictable, and Lana Del Rey’s “Video Games” treated romance through a slow, cinematic lens. First Aid Kit’s “Emmylou,” Miranda Lambert’s “Over You,” Jessie Ware’s “Wildest Moments,” Jack White’s “Love Interruption,” Bat for Lashes’ “Laura,” Beach House’s “Myth,” and Japandroids’ “The House That Heaven Built” all drew on older forms—country, folk harmony, torch-song drama, blues, dream pop, and guitar rock—while keeping their own contemporary identities. Looking back, 2012 stands out less for one dominant style than for how comfortably these different approaches existed side by side.

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Tunes Du Jour Presents 1994

The music of 1994 reflects a moment when the boundaries between underground credibility, radio success, and mainstream pop were becoming less rigid. Alternative rock was no longer a niche concern: it was a major commercial force with several distinct personalities. Green Day’s “Basket Case” and The Offspring’s “Come Out and Play” brought fast, catchy punk-informed songs to wide audiences, while Weezer’s “Undone – The Sweater Song” made awkwardness and uncertainty part of its appeal. Nirvana’s “All Apologies,” released to radio just prior to Kurt Cobain’s death, carried a quieter, more exhausted emotional weight. Elsewhere, Soundgarden’s “Black Hole Sun” and Pearl Jam’s “Daughter” showed how expansive and serious rock radio could sound.

There was also room for artists who approached alternative music from more idiosyncratic angles. Beck’s “Loser” turned thrift-store imagery, slackness, and hip-hop phrasing into an unlikely anthem. Pavement’s “Cut Your Hair” poked at the music business while delivering a compact guitar hook, and The Breeders’ “Cannonball” made distortion and loose rhythmic feel sound inviting rather than polished. Mazzy Star’s “Fade Into You” moved in the opposite direction, relying on Hope Sandoval’s hushed vocal and a slow, drifting arrangement. These songs did not share a single style, but they suggested that guitar music could be funny, disaffected, dreamy, abrasive, or deeply private.

British acts added another important strand. Blur’s “Girls & Boys” used a bright dance-pop pulse to observe holiday romance and casual social behavior with a dry sense of humor. Oasis arrived with “Supersonic,” a swaggering early statement that pointed toward the Britpop era to come. James found success in the United States with “Laid,” a song that was direct, nervy, and built around a memorable chorus. Morrissey’s “The More You Ignore Me, the Closer I Get” continued his tradition of turning discomfort and obsession into witty pop. Together, these records showed that British guitar music in 1994 could be both sharp-eyed and highly accessible.

Hip-hop and R&B were equally central to the year’s sound. Warren G and Nate Dogg’s “Regulate” was smooth and cinematic, built around a laid-back groove and Nate Dogg’s melodic hook. Snoop Doggy Dogg’s “Gin and Juice” made its relaxed party atmosphere feel effortless, while The Notorious B.I.G.’s “Juicy” offered a more personal story of ambition, hardship, and success. Salt-N-Pepa and En Vogue’s “Whatta Man” paired rap verses with powerful R&B vocals, creating a confident celebration of mutual respect. The Beastie Boys’ “Sabotage,” meanwhile, pushed rap-rock in a rougher direction, with a shouted vocal, distorted bass, and the energy of a band determined to disrupt the room.

Pop, dance, and adult-oriented songwriting rounded out the picture. Crystal Waters’ “100% Pure Love” and M People’s “Moving on Up” kept dance floors supplied with uplifting house-influenced tracks, while Björk’s “Big Time Sensuality” made electronic pop feel playful and slightly strange. Madonna’s “Secret” took a more restrained path, leaning into a soulful, understated groove. Sheryl Crow’s “All I Wanna Do” and Counting Crows’ “Mr. Jones” captured the conversational, radio-friendly side of the decade’s singer-songwriter boom. Even Bruce Springsteen’s “Streets of Philadelphia,” with its spare arrangement and compassionate perspective, fit the year’s broader interest in songs that sounded personal. Taken together, 1994 was not defined by one genre so much as by a widening sense of what popular music could hold.

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Tunes Du Jour Celebrates National Water Quality Month

August is National Water Quality Month, founded in 2005 by the Environmental Protection Agency. Per their official website, “National Water Quality Month is dedicated to making the most of the relatively small amount of fresh water we have, because having clean water is vital to our individual health, our collective agricultural needs, and the needs of our environment.”

To aid in your celebrations, below is a playlist of 30 quality songs that have the word “water” somewhere in the title.

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