As promised, our quest to find 2008’s official summer jam in a reader-determined tournament starts today; over the next few days we’ll roll out the rest of the nominees, which come from all over the radio map, including even those areas we aren’t very excited to be traveling through. (Hey, we have to acknowledge the inevitable, although you should know that the Katy Perry song has been disqualified on principle–especially since its “controversial even though it wasn’t all that controversial in 1995″ subject matter is now garnering attention from the overly gullible media.) After the jump, our first two contenders–Brooks & Dunn’s “Put A Girl In It” and Alphabeat’s “Fascination”–duke it out, with accompanying commentary courtesy Dan Gibson and Kate Richardson, respectively.
@Kate Richardson: I just want to point out there are only eleven (so far) true Americans on Idolator today.
I weep for our country’s future.
-_- I refuse to vote. Both of these are incarnate evil.
That Alphabeat song is my new best thing ever.
i’d have preferred that “fascination” be a saint etienne cover, but that living H&M mannequin tableau still wins.
some day it’s all going to click for me, i’m sure, but right now it seems like country radio has “upbeat irreverent good ol’ boy song” and “inspirational patriotic good ol’ boy song” and i can’t even tell the difference between those two anymore.
Put these songs together and you have a Mentos douche.
@bbernardini: I would throw “Walking on Sunshine” in the mix, too.
@westartedthis: I knew you hated freedom. I could just sense it.
oh, but Dan, turns out i forgot to vote! just take care of that…there - NOW i hate freedom.
I likey the Go Wes–Alphabeat song. plus, the guy’s adorable. me want dos.
hey, where’s the jump?
oh, i get it. i’m new to this whole living thing.
@bcapirigi: gawker’s poll software doesn’t get along all that well with youtube’s code. it’s really annoying!
I anxiously await the Fascination/Close To Me/Modern Love mashup.
if “Fascination” doesn’t win the whole thing, I’m going to go on record as declaring this entire process faulty.
A vote against Brooks & Dunn is a vote for terrorism.
@Dan Gibson: Stop misleading the American people, Dan!
Is Alphabeat just 2008’s answer to U.S.E.?
The Country & Western version of Nickelback’s “Rock Star” was put there as a joke, right?
Also, the Alphabeat song/video is cuter than a box of kittens.
@Empire: Excuse me: “Rockstar.” Not really up to date on my Nickelback.
@Empire: I’m going to go out on a limb and say that of B&D and Nickelback, our Canadian friends are the less original act, musically.
While I may jump out of my car if either song becomes “Summer Anthem of 2008″, i give the edge to Brooks and Dunn…mainly due to the nostalgia of my country music loving High School girlfriend who insisted we listen to “Boot Scoot Boogie” while making out. A strange summer that was.