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  3. Songs of Summer 2013? Our Jury Says...

Songs of Summer 2013? Our Jury Says...

Verdict on 11 contenders from songwriter Ester Dean, DJ Zedd, Paramore's Hayley Williams, hitmaker Ed Sheeran
By Kyle Anderson and Ray Rahman Updated May 22, 2013 at 04:00 PM EDT
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Fergie and Q-Tip and GoonRock, ''A Little Party Never Killed Nobody (All We Got)''

Fergie, Music, ... | Hayley Williams: I love Q-Tip, I love Fergie. But a little too much of this party might actually kill somebody, and that somebody might be…

Hayley Williams: I love Q-Tip, I love Fergie. But a little too much of this party might actually kill somebody, and that somebody might be me.
Ester Dean: Did they put ''It don't mean a thing if it ain't got that swing'' in there? I think that feels classic. This is my favorite.
Zedd: Fergie's vocal performance is really solid, besides the part that sounds a little bit like ''Party Rock Anthem,'' but that's fine in this case.
Ed Sheeran: That was quite a surprising one, actually. It kind of has a hint of old-school soul-funk and then just suddenly drops into an EDM tune. I think those songs always do well in summer.

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Daft Punk feat. Pharrell Williams, ''Get Lucky''

Daft Punk, Music, ... | Ester Dean: It's got that funk feel, a real Donna Summer thing. I love it. Hayley Williams: This is my current favorite song! A perfect…

Ester Dean: It's got that funk feel, a real Donna Summer thing. I love it.
Hayley Williams: This is my current favorite song! A perfect collaboration. I would die for our band to work with Pharrell or Daft Punk.
Zedd: It's really groovy, very soulful. It's good to hear dance music that doesn't sound like the thing we've heard a thousand times before.
Ed Sheeran: I like that it's well written but it's still dance music. It's good to listen to. It's probably a good barbecue song as well.

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Mariah Carey feat. Miguel, ''#Beautiful''

Music, Mariah Carey | Ed Sheeran: I love Miguel, and I think it was a smart move for them to team up. If it does [become a hit] it…

Ed Sheeran: I love Miguel, and I think it was a smart move for them to team up. If it does [become a hit] it will be a creeper. It won't just smash out in people's faces.
Zedd: It doesn't blow me away, but it's a very solid production, very solid vocal takes, even though Mariah is not in that song that much. I would have titled it ''featuring Mariah Carey.'' She's always great, though.

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will.i.am feat. Justin Bieber, ''#thatPOWER''

Will I Am, Music, ... | Hayley Williams: If I say I don't get it, does that mean I'm getting old? Ester Dean: I just don't hear Justin on this thing.…

Hayley Williams: If I say I don't get it, does that mean I'm getting old?
Ester Dean: I just don't hear Justin on this thing. Same with that Britney song [Spears' 2012 collab with will.i.am, ''Scream & Shout''].
Zedd: I personally love the song. I think it sounds really good from a production and engineering standpoint.
Ed Sheeran: It's not really my thing, but will.i.am songs usually work in clubs. I think it will be a top-down kind of car-blasting record.

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Drop City Yacht Club, ''Crickets''

Music, The Crickets | Ed Sheeran: It kind of echoes a bit of, like, Madcon's ''Beggin'.'' It's that kind of vibe. It's a fine line between pop and hip-hop,…

Ed Sheeran: It kind of echoes a bit of, like, Madcon's ''Beggin'.'' It's that kind of vibe. It's a fine line between pop and hip-hop, but this fills it.
Ester Dean: I get some New Boyz mixed with Macklemore going on there. It's a fun summertime jam for a 15-, 16-year-old kid, but it's not for me. I'm not going to that party.
Hayley Williams: I was all confused by the band name, then the chorus kicked in and it didn't matter anymore. Feels good!
Zedd: I personally thought that it sounds too much like ''Nothin' on You'' by B.o.B and Bruno Mars.

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Ke$ha, ''Crazy Kids''

Kesha, Music | Ester Dean: This has a chance, but I like the Fergie one better. Hayley Williams: I like to hear Ke$ha sing, so I'm into this.…
Credit: Yu Tsai

Ester Dean: This has a chance, but I like the Fergie one better.
Hayley Williams: I like to hear Ke$ha sing, so I'm into this. Give me more.
Ed Sheeran: Although Ke$ha isn't the type of music that I would listen to on a regular basis, I think she's consistently coming up with very, very catchy choruses, so I wouldn't be surprised if that ended up being one of the songs of the summer.
Zedd: This reminds me of Far East Movement, which is a good thing.

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Iggy Azalea, ''Work''

Music | Ester Dean: I love Iggy. She's one you can bet on. Hayley Williams: This just sounds like Ke$ha to me. Zedd: I'm not the biggest…

Ester Dean: I love Iggy. She's one you can bet on.
Hayley Williams: This just sounds like Ke$ha to me.
Zedd: I'm not the biggest fan of rap music, but I think it's a very solid work. The production isn't bad at all.
Ed Sheeran: I think it's going to be a club hit, but I've been very wrong about songs. [Laughs]

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Demi Lovato, ''Heart Attack''

Demi Lovato, Music | Hayley Williams: I'm a fan of all of her singles. Girl can sing her ass off! Ester Dean: I f---ing love her. You can be…

Hayley Williams: I'm a fan of all of her singles. Girl can sing her ass off!
Ester Dean: I f---ing love her. You can be sad in the sunshine, or you can be happy in the pouring rain. It's all about where the heart is.
Zedd: This has been stuck in my head for a while now. The only thing for me is that it doesn't really take any risks, but that's not necessarily bad.
Ed Sheeran: I actually really like the hook. This is definitely a radio hit.

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Florida Georgia Line feat. Nelly, ''Cruise''

Nelly, Music | Hayley Williams: I think Nelly just jumped the shark. Ester Dean: I love it. I just have to figure out where Nelly is. Maybe I…

Hayley Williams: I think Nelly just jumped the shark.
Ester Dean: I love it. I just have to figure out where Nelly is. Maybe I just have to listen harder? I'm from Oklahoma, so I am country. Nelly's as Southern as I am, and he'll be forever out of the box.
Zedd: Nothing good or bad I can say about it. It's just, I'm probably not the right person to judge that song.
Ed Sheeran: I'm English and we don't really get a whole lot of country, so I like the really countrified version of it, without Nelly. Not to say I don't like Nelly. I just prefer the other one.

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Avril Lavigne, ''Here's to Never Growing Up''

Music, Avril Lavigne | Ester Dean: This feels like the old Avril Lavigne, and when I say old, I mean it's the one you've been waiting for, where her…

Ester Dean: This feels like the old Avril Lavigne, and when I say old, I mean it's the one you've been waiting for, where her voice is cracking and she's doing that yodeling thing, and you're like, ''Oh my God, I love her!'' This might end up being my ringtone.
Zedd: This has a little bit too much Auto-Tune for me to be able to love it.
Ed Sheeran: When I first heard it, I was like, ''Oh, why is Avril Lavigne trying to copy so-and-so?'' But actually everyone's been copying Avril Lavigne, so it's nice that she's come back.

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Imagine Dragons, ''Demons''

Music | Ester Dean: It's kind of heavy. Not for me. I thought it was cool, but it's not on my iPod right now. Not today. Maybe…

Ester Dean: It's kind of heavy. Not for me. I thought it was cool, but it's not on my iPod right now. Not today. Maybe tomorrow.
Zedd: A really good and catchy pop song. Though it doesn't necessarily sound like the summer, if we're talking about that.
Hayley Williams: This song is a little slow-paced for my taste, but I'm hoping to catch them live soon. I heard their show is amazing.
Ed Sheeran: I really like this, actually. I don't know if it's necessarily a summer song, but it's good, so I hope it's a hit.

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    1 of 11 Fergie and Q-Tip and GoonRock, ''A Little Party Never Killed Nobody (All We Got)''
    2 of 11 Daft Punk feat. Pharrell Williams, ''Get Lucky''
    3 of 11 Mariah Carey feat. Miguel, ''#Beautiful''
    4 of 11 will.i.am feat. Justin Bieber, ''#thatPOWER''
    5 of 11 Drop City Yacht Club, ''Crickets''
    6 of 11 Ke$ha, ''Crazy Kids''
    7 of 11 Iggy Azalea, ''Work''
    8 of 11 Demi Lovato, ''Heart Attack''
    9 of 11 Florida Georgia Line feat. Nelly, ''Cruise''
    10 of 11 Avril Lavigne, ''Here's to Never Growing Up''
    11 of 11 Imagine Dragons, ''Demons''

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