Top songs of 2006

Just as today's Arts section points out that 2006 didn't yield a definitive contender for album of the year, Globe critics also chose a diverse range of top songs this year. Joan Anderman rightly maintains that Gnarls Barkley's "Crazy" was the single of the year, while Arts editor Scott Heller and Style & Arts writer Christopher Muther found common ground in Scritti Politti. Jenny Lewis & the Watson Twins appeared on five lists, with a different song appealing to each critic.

Here's how we weighed in:

JOAN ANDERMAN
"Crazy," Gnarls Barkley, from "St. Elsewhere"
"When You Were Young," the Killers, from "Sam's Town"
"Steady As She Goes," the Raconteurs, from "Broken Boy Soldiers"
"Put Your Records On," Corinne Bailey Rae, from "Corinne Bailey Rae"
"Great Balls of Fire," Teitur, from "Stay Under the Stars"
"Man in a Purple Dress," the Who, from "Endless Wire"
"I Bet You Look Good on the Dance Floor," Arctic Monkeys, from "Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not"
"Samson," Regina Spektor, from "Begin To Hope"
"Free Radicals," the Flaming Lips, from "At War With the Mystics"
"Melt Your Heart," Jenny Lewis & the Watson Twins, from "Rabbit Fur Coat"

SCOTT HELLER
"Rabbit Fur Coat," Jenny Lewis & the Watson Twins, from "Rabbit Fur Coat"
"All Sparks," Editors, from "The Back Room"
"Doctor’s Advocate," the Game, from "Doctor's Advocate"
"It’s Okay (One Blood)," the Game, from "Doctor's Advocate"
"Samson," Regina Spektor, from "Begin to Hope"
"This Abyss," the Gothic Archies, from "The Tragic Treasury"
"Lazy Sunday," Andy Samberg and Chris Parnell, from "Saturday Night Live"
"Mardy Bum," Arctic Monkeys, from "Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not"
"I Bet You Look Good on the Dance Floor," Arctic Monkeys, from
"Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not"
"Ridin’," Chamillionaire, from "The Sound of Revenge"
"Can’t You Hear Me Callin’," Crooked Still, from "Shaken by a Low Sound"
"Shut Your Eyes," Snow Patrol, from "Eyes Open"
"Road to No Regret," Scritti Politti, from "White Bread Black Beer"
"Casanova in Hell," Pet Shop Boys, from "Fundamental"
"In the End," Justin Bond & the Hungry March Band, from "Shortbus" soundtrack

Pure pleasures:
"Suddenly I See," KT Tunstall, from "Eye to the Telescope"
"Black Horse and the Cherry Tree," KT Tunstall, from "Eye to the Telescope"
"Dani California," Red Hot Chili Peppers, "Stadium Arcadium"
"Promiscuous," Nelly Furtado, from "Loose"
"Golden Dawn," Barbra Streisand, from "Guilty Pleasures"

CHRISTOPHER MUTHER
"Act of the Apostle," Belle & Sebastian, from "The Life Pursuit"
"Ta Douleur," Camille, from "Le Fil"
"Wind It Up," Gwen Stefani, from "The Sweet Escape"
"Dawnsio Dros Y Mor," Euros Childs, from "Chops"
"Control Myself," LL Cool J featuring Jennifer Lopez, from "Todd Smith"
"Snow in Sun," Scritti Politti, from "White Bread Black Beer"
"Emily Snow," M. Craft, from "Silver and Fire"
"First Time," Junior Boys, from "So This Is Goodbye"
"Think I'm in Love," Beck, from "The Information"
"I Wanna Be Like Johnny C," Loveninjas, from "The Secret of the Loveninjas"

JAMES REED
"The Story of Daisy and Violet," Marissa Nadler
"His Hands," Candi Staton, from "His Hands"
"God Knows," El Perro del Mar, from "El Perro del Mar"
"If It Be Your Will," Antony, from "Leonard Cohen: I'm Your Man" soundtrack
"This Lamb Sells Condos," Final Fantasy, from "He Poos Clouds"
"A Lady of a Certain Age," the Divine Comedy, from "Victory for the Comic Muse"
"Who Knows Where the Time Goes," Cat Power, from exclusive iTunes session
"Big Guns," Jenny Lewis & the Watson Twins, from "Rabbit Fur Coat"
"Field Below," Regina Spektor, from "Begin to Hope"
"Murder in Michigan," David Vandervelde, from forthcoming "Moonstation House Band"

SARAH RODMAN
"What Goes Around," Justin Timberlake, from "FutureSex/LoveSounds"
"Irreplaceable," Beyonce, from "B'Day"
"Ain’t No Other Man," Christina Aguilera, from "Back to Basics"
"Walk Away," Kelly Clarkson, from "Walk Away"
"Silent House," the Dixie Chicks, from "Taking the Long Way"
"Rabbit Fur Coat," Jenny Lewis & the Watson Twins, from "Rabbit Fur Coat"
"Call Me When You’re Sober," Evanescence, from "The Open Door"
"Rats! Rats! Rats!," Deftones, from "Saturday Night Wrist"
"The Level," the Raconteurs, from "Broken Boy Soldiers"
"Phenomena," Yeah Yeah Yeahs, from "Show Your Bones"

MATTHEW SHAER
"Samson," Regina Spektor, from "Begin to Hope"
"Crosses," Jose Gonzalez, from "Veneer"
"I Really Like You," the Lovely Feathers, from "Hind Hind Legs"
"Gold Lion Remix," Diplo
"LDN," Lily Allen, from "Alright, Still"
"Fille a Plumes," Malajube, from "Trompe D'Oeil"
"Lost in Boston," the Walkmen, from "A Hundred Miles Off"
"Rise Up With Fists!!!," Jenny Lewis & the Watson Twins, from "Rabbit Fur Coat"
"Count Souveneirs," Junior Boys, from "So This is Goodbye"
"My Little Brother," Art Brut, from "Bang Bang Rock & Roll"