Nicola Roberts, “Beat Of My Drum”

This is my #4 jam of the year. Few—and I truly mean few—songs got me excited this year like this one did. You cannot begrudge a pop star for being so chipper and earnest in a pop tune—those are both traits that are tough to come by in pop anymore.

I requested this at a club down in Austin in July; the DJ looked at me as if I was high on club drugs (I wasn’t!) but I did suggest that maybe he should pursue another line of work if he was unable to keep up on current trends.

But all in all, you cannot help but love it when you have Ms. Roberts running around looking like she just came from an H&M shopping spree screaming, “L! O! V! E!” You must adore her. Then you must dance. Please remember this song when Madonna tries to convince you that “L! U! V! Madonna!” was a totally original conceit she came up with while sipping on kombucha.

Previously: #10, #9, #8, #7, #6, #5.

Listen to songs #10 through #4 on Spotify.