so, it turns out i think i like this song...

"Low" by Flo Rida is infectious. Like a disease. Less debilitating? Depends on who you ask. Even my lil' bro and his bad taste (he and I both affectionately called what he listened to through high-school, "C-rap") asked me what the hell I was doing listening to this song.

I listen to it 3 times in a sitting. I can't get it out of my head. Obsession? I woke up this morning and clicked the video, still in queue, on youtube. I understand its flaws...Flo's flows aren't even endearingly stupid (see Biz Markie) - they're just bad (see MC Hammer). Even T-Pain, the reason anyone cares, is off a bit: does the female protagonist have a costume change half-way through the chorus? First we see her in Apple Bottom jeans - ten seconds later she's wearing sweatpants. These are minor problems, though.

The biggest challenge I thought I was facing when I first tuned into this song was: how did this song make it?!?!

Maybe I should back up.

I was just minding my own business as I put "yahoo" into the address bar for some late night email checking. There's a front page before you click "mail." Sometimes, I read the stories. This time there was a story about the top selling singles of all time in the United States. The article starts talking about Elton John, and why he can't be on the list - though he has the number one selling single with his 1997 remake of his own "Candle In the Wind." Here's the list, just read it as though it starts at #2.

1. A Little Less Conversation - Elvis Presley

2. Here Without You - 3 Doors Down

3. Another One Bites The Dust - Queen

4. Apologize - Timbaland

5. (Everything I Do) I Do It For You - Bryan Adams

6. Hey Jude - The Beatles*

7. Hound Dog/Don't Be Cruel - Elvis Presley

8. I Will Always Love You - Whitney Houston

9. Let's Get It On - Marvin Gaye

10. Low - Flo Rida

11. Macarena - Los del Rio

12. Ridin' - Chamillionaire

13. We Are The World - USA For Africa**

14. Whoomp There It Is - Tag Team

You can check the whole article here but that's pretty much the whole of it. I'd never heard of this Flo Rida character. What an ingenious name, right? Ha! So, I looked it up. And the first thing I thought was the first and last thing I thought the last time (3? 4? some years ago) I heard durrrrrty south-styled club bangers, "This is shit." And by that I mean, "I get it, it's like the other shitty shit - what makes it better?"

So, why did this song dominate so handily all of these stand-by classics by making the list in such a short time? It's not in the number one slot, but how long did it take "Hey Jude" to make it to where it's at? This song's been around for 4 months or something. Why is it sharing breathing room with Elvis Presley?

I have no idea. I can only guess that a lot of songs aren't issued as 'singles' anymore. I can guess that the cutting room saved the pieces in a guarded manner a la Fort Knox - thereby deterring the customary illegal downloading that plagues the industry and encouraging downloads via Itunes. What I can't do is give a real factual reason. I can just keep guessing.

My biggest guess is that it's catchy as hell. I've done my research lately (watched a ton of T-Pain videos) and it's catchier than most of those (and most of those are oozing with auto-tuned treachery). It's just a dance hit. And I just love it.