Maroon 5 - "Makes Me Wonder"

LONGEVITY (i.e. Will adult contemporary stations play it? Will anyone remember it in 10 years?): 3.5/5

A record-breaking song that has topped the Billboard Hot 100 as well as A/C charts in just four weeks, Maroon 5's "Makes Me Wonder" is a feel good song with not-so-positive undertones. According to lead singer Adam Levine, he wrote the song to vent his anger with the current political state of affairs, particularly the Iraq war. I'm not going to let that sway my opinion of the song either way, because the war theme is virtually undetectable.
This song has an 80's sound to it, but actually reminds me somewhat of George Michael's 2003 hit "Amazing", with abundant seventh chords and falsetto interspersed throughout. You might say Levine resorts to falsetto too often, but I believe it to be his signature sound. There are certain artists that have mastered falsetto, including Justin Timberlake and Daniel Bedingfield. All too often have lead singers explored their quasi-feminine register and sounded utterly ridiculous, such as Dave Matthews in "Where Are You Going," and The Darkness' Justin Hawkins in "I Believe In A Thing Called Love" (the former peaked on the Hot 100 at #38, and the latter did not even chart in the U.S.). Mr. Levine makes it work, though the key of Maroon 5's songs is often too high for his normal vocal range and thereby forces him to go falsetto.
"She Will Be Loved" has clung to adult contemporary playlists since its release; "Makes Me Wonder" will likely be no different.