The 100 Best Singles of 2008

45

"Cassius"   BY FOALS

Tightly wound Oxford kids unleash a deliciously hyperactive New Wave ode to being second-best. Art-rock guitars + dance beats = geek party tonight!

46

"Fifteen"   BY TAYLOR SWIFT

Take it from Taylor, boys suck: "When you're 15, somebody tells you they love you/You're gonna believe them." Puppy love may be short, but with tunes like these, Swift's teen-pop reign will be longer.

47

"Many Moons"   BY JANELLE MONÁE

"Weirdo/Stepchild/Freakshow," she sings. You said it, sister. A bracing punk-soul debut from Diddy's new protégée, who has an appealingly oddball sensibility and the best pompadour since Amy Winehouse.

48

"Troubled Land"   BY JOHN MELLENCAMP

Produced by T Bone Burnett, this stark heartland rocker offers a clear-eyed view of Bush's America, with a nation left hungry for some kind of peace. But the ending feels like a benediction: "Just know that truth is coming."

• View List: 2008 Singles of the Year