Year in National Pop: New attitudes

See, and we've been arguing in the office about this: "Whatever You Like" isn't so much zeitgeist as it is, just, 90-percent chorus. What trends is it aping, other than TI's own monster-synth rap power ballads? It's just more of a pop song than even, say, "Lollipop." For my money "Live Your Life" is song of the year or damn close -- maybe 'cause it was what was on the radio every 30 seconds during those excrutiating final two weeks of Election 2008. "Whatever You Like" is interesting because it's a male fantasy about _providing_, which is by no means unprecedented though nice nonetheless. But "Live Your Life" -- I dunno, I started to imagine that Rihanna was sort of like Michelle singing it to a mid-campaign Barack, who himself is singing it to an earlier version of himself. Which still kind of works even if you take it as-is, Rihanna singing it to TI who's singing it to an earlier version of _himself_. It's a song that starts from an imaginary future where everything is gonna be alright and then telescopes back in time, to give the singer/listener/lurker permission to be himself no matter what the odds. It's not saying that he/she can _have_ whatever they like, but instead says they can _be_ whatever they like. Another of those normally mundane songs that in the middle of a historic moment feels like nothing less than history. Plus if you can't feel Rihanna in your bones, check yr pulse. p.s. You also need to check out  "Full Circle" on Miley's record, I can't BELIEVE they haven't released it as a single yet.