The 100 Best Singles of 2008

21

"(One) Blake's Got a   New Face"   BY VAMPIRE WEEKEND

Ivy League grads mix precise, Afro-pop-spiked rock with pearls of wisdom: "Oh, your collegiate grief/Has left you dowdy in sweatshirts."

22

"Swagga Like Us"   BY JAY-Z AND T.I.

The posse track to end all posse tracks, with the prize for best verse going to a slick, sly T.I. The real star, though, is the infectious sample from M.I.A.'s "Paper Planes."

With Danger Mouse behind the boards, the Akron, Ohio, duo pack an epic blues jam into four hard-rocking minutes of bliss.

24

"I'm Good, I'm Gone"   BY LYKKE LI

Lee Dorsey's R&B hit "Working in a Coal Mine" gets a New Wave makeover by a fetching Swedish chanteuse. Hand claps are the new power chords.

• View List: 2008 Singles of the Year