The 10 Best Cobra Starship Songs

Cobra Starship is a party band that doesn't take itself too seriously, as evidenced by the title of one of their songs, "Pete Wentz is the Only Reason We're Famous," Wentz being the notorious Fall Out Boy bassist who signed the band.

Cobra Starship rocketed to the top of the charts last year with "Good Girls Go Bad," but they've been releasing cheeky, sassy pop songs since the mid '00s, going back to their theme song for the ill-fated movie Snakes on a Plane.

Here are the 10 best Cobra Starship songs:

Best Cobra Starship Song #10: Hollaback Boy
The band has recorded a lot of answer songs over the years, like "I Kissed a Boy," a re-working of Katy Perry's "I Kissed a Girl." This answer song to Gwen Stefani's "Hollaback Girl" revises the song by looking at it from the man's perspective: "I was talking s-t / I told your man so you would hear it..."

Best Cobra Starship Song #9: Living in the Sky with Diamonds
One of the things that makes Cobra Starship's music clever is the random references to pop culture and music. There's one in this song when singer Gabe Saporta sneaks in an "Oh-oh, here she comes," a line stolen from the Hall & Oates classic "Maneater."

Best Cobra Starship Song #8: Prostitution is the World's Oldest Profession (And I, Dear Madame, Am a Professional)
This song succeeds thanks to a great hook and a silly title. "You can hate me after you pay me," Saporta sings. It's one of several tracks on this list from Viva La Cobra!, the band's second album and their first to crack the top 100 of the Billboard album chart.

Best Cobra Starship Song #7: Guilty Pleasure
The term "guilty pleasure" can be used to sum up most of Cobra's music. It's unabashedly fun. "I came here to make you dance tonight," Saporta sings. "We're getting' down til the sun's coming up!" The song's cheeky low-budget music video is a guilty pleasure as well.

Best Cobra Starship Song #6: The City is at War
"The City is at War" opens Viva La Cobra! with a bang. "Live it up while you can!" Saporta advises during the track, which prominently features both synths and heavy guitars and the group shout-along "Bang bang shoot 'em up yeah!"

Best Cobra Starship Song #5: Kiss My Sass
"I'm bringing sassy back!," Saporta sings in a nod to Justin Timberlake's song about "bringing sexy back." Taken from Viva La Cobra!, "Kiss My Sass" features a verse from Travis McCoy of Gym Class Heroes but sadly the song did not chart.

Best Cobra Starship Song #4: Good Girls Go Bad (with Leighton Meester)
It took a duet with a Gossip Girl to break the band into the mainstream. This smash hit was produced by American Idol judge Kara DioGuardi and hitmaker Kevin Rudolf. The synthpop hit reached #7 on the chart and earned the band an MTV Video Music Award nomination.

Best Cobra Starship Song #3: Hot Mess
Though not as big a hit as "Good Girls Go Bad," "Hot Mess" better captures the spirit of the band. "You're a hot mess and I'm falling for you," Saporta shouts over a frenetic chorus. The song was a minor hit, reaching #64 on the singles chart.

Best Cobra Starship Song #2: Smile for the Paparazzi
Before Lady Gaga brought "Paparazzi" to the world, Cobra Starship did it with this song, which opens with a Latin-flavored guitar before transitioning into an explosive chorus. The hook is shouted repeatedly: "Pa-pa-pa-pa-paparazzi!"

Best Cobra Starship Song #1: Snakes on a Plane (Bring It)
The movie itself quickly became a punchline, but the theme song from Snakes on a Plane is a quality musical track. The up-tempo song, which opens with Samuel Jackson's infamous catchline from the film, also features McCoy, William Beckett of The Academy Is and Maja Ivarsson of the Sounds. The song also appears on the band's debut album While the City Sleeps, We Rule the Streets.

Best Cobra Starship Songs: Sources
www.cobrastarship.com
www.billboard.com