Before and After: The Year in Popular Songs. Day 5: 'Apologize' by Timbaland featuring OneRepublic

The past year is one we can fairly divide into "before" and "after" -- the economic crash and Barack Obama's presidential election have both irrevocably changed the flow of American life. Pop & Hiss is going through Billboard's year-end singles, considering how the impact of the most popular songs has changed since 2008's fateful fall (see the previous entry, on Lil Wayne's "Lollipop," here.)

The fifth, and final entry in the series, is after the jump.

5. Timbaland featuring OneRepublic, "Apologize"

FIRST IMPACT: This track was buried fairly deep on production genius Tim Mosley's solo album "Shock Value," a nod to modern rock (and maybe to Tim's new pal Chris Martin) that paled next to flashier guest turns by Justin Timberlake and Nelly Furtado. But power ballads have a way of slowly taking over. Maybe it's Ryan Tedder's gently undulating vocal line, or maybe there's some pixie dust inside Timbaland's misty beats. Whatever -- this tale of lost love wafted its way into the hearts of millions of husbands in the doghouse and teenage girls dreaming of the senior who got away.

AFTER OBAMA: Sorry, Will.I.Am -- Timbaland is the real hip-hop equivalent to Obama, quietly making pacts across the aisle that separates rock from rap. (Not sure if that makes Justin his Rick Warren, or his Hillary). Expect to see many, many more hybrids like this one as pop continues to move away from identity politics and toward powerhouse coalitions.

AFTER THE CRASH: Another prescient lyric. "It's too late to apologize" is a most relevant hook in the era of a collapsed Lehman Brothers, a fumbling Big Three and an almost repentant Alan Greenspan.

-- Ann Powers

Photo: Ken Hively / Los Angeles Times