These Artists or By These?

In one of the most chaotic pop years in memory, the hard thing wasn’t just selecting the best singles, but trying to decide who deserved the most credit for many of them.

Was writing the song the Verve’s main accomplishment in its haunting single “Bitter Sweet Symphony”? Or was it the British band’s decision to use a sample from a ‘60s orchestral version of a Rolling Stones song?

Similarly, should Sean “Puffy” Combs take a bow for “I’ll Be Missing You,” the hugely successful tribute to slain rapper the Notorious B.I.G.? Or should the Police, whose recording of “Every Breath You Take” was sampled prominently in the hit?

And what about Janet Jackson’s liberal sampling of Joni Mitchell’s “Big Yellow Taxi” in Jackson’s “Got ‘Til It’s Gone”? Who contributed most to the record’s grace?

It’s tempting to dismiss all sampling--the use of actual sound bites from earlier recordings--as lazy artistry, and there is a point to the argument. An inspiring piece of new music is more thrilling than a sample-dominated hit.

Yet it’s naive to think that sampling alone was responsible for the appeal of many of the year’s most engaging records--or that artistic “borrowing” is new to pop.

Is it any more creative, for instance, for Hanson to re-create the early, peppy sound of Motown in the teen trio’s “MMMBop” or for the Notorious B.I.G. to actually employ a sample from a Motown hit (Diana Ross’ “I’m Comin’ Out”) in “Mo Money Mo Problems”?

All this makes a great topic for debate, but little of it matters to pop audiences looking for entertaining or inspiring music. Sampling, ultimately, is simply another weapon in the pop arsenal, and some artists will use it cleverly and others will bore us with it.

In many ways, we ought to be thankful this year for sampling because the practice contributed greatly to some of the most enjoyable singles of the past 12 months. Without them, we would have been largely awash in a sea of anonymous pop and/or annoying novelty records.

Half of the records on my list of the year’s 10 most noteworthy singles featured samples. Before we get to the list, which is presented in New Year’s Eve countdown style, here are some honorable mention choices that reflect the diversity of the pop scene of the last 12 months:

* Chumbawamba’s “Tubthumping” (Republic/Universal). Since so much of 1997 pop seemed aimed at preteens, I asked my favorite 6- and 9-year-olds, Christopher and Lindsey, to nominate one single for today’s salute--and this was it. Oddly enough, the barroom sing-along is actually itself a salute to the power of music to lift one’s spirits: “He sings the songs that remind him / Of the good times / He sings the songs that remind him / Of the better times.”

* Daft Punk’s “Da Funk” (Virgin). This record showcases the raw appeal (and limitations) of techno--or electronic dance music. Like a spicier version of Kraftwerk, the French duo sidesteps pop coloring in favor of basic beats.

* Deana Carter’s “Did I Shave My Legs for This?” (Capitol). This wry lament about romantic disillusionment made the honorable mention list last year when it was just an album track, so it deserves another nod now that it has finally been released as a single. Even after all this time, it still has the feel of a country classic.

* The Devlins’ “Heaven’s Wall” (Radioactive/Universal). Here’s an example of how you can lean on a band’s vision even if you don’t actually sample its music. This track from the Devlins’ “Waiting” album is one of the most affecting displays of spiritually tinged, U2-ish idealism since “The Joshua Tree” days. U2 showcased its own idealism in the stirring “Staring at the Sun.”

* Pearl Jam’s “Wish List” (Epic). Speaking of idealism, this tender track from the group’s upcoming “Yield” album is another uplifting work that suggests all the talk about Pearl Jam, and alternative rock itself, being passe is premature. The song isn’t commercially available yet, but was previewed during Pearl Jam’s recent shows with the Rolling Stones in Oakland and was available on the newest alternative distribution system for music--a fan’s Internet Web site.

* Puff Daddy & Faith Evans’ “I’ll Be Missing You” (Bad Boy). The center of the record may be Sting’s song, but there is enough customized feel to the single (which also features the vocal group 112) to give it its own identity.

* Elton John’s “Candle in the Wind 1997” (Rocket/A&M;). This reworking of 1973’s “Candle in the Wind” stands as one of pop’s most distinguished moments. From Bernie Taupin’s lyrics to John’s warm vocal, the tribute to Princess Diana was an example of the creative process at its finest. But John was correct in his decision not to sing the song on tour. It stands outside of the normal pop arena--and Top 10 competitions.

Now, the year’s 10 best:

10. The Notorious B.I.G.’s “Mo Money Mo Problems” (Bad Boy). An expression of self-affirmation and underlying pain that is all the more affecting in light of the fatal shooting of the hugely successful New York rapper. The single also features Mase and Sean “Puffy” Combs.

9. Imani Coppola’s “Legend of a Cowgirl” (Columbia). This Long Island newcomer offers a quirky but smart brand of hip-hop that combines samples, live instrumentation, singing and rapping. The single is a female twist on the old freewheeling cowboy lifestyle, built around a sample of Donovan’s “Sunshine Superman.”

8. Fiona Apple’s “Criminal” (Work Group). Don’t let the colorfulness of Apple’s persona fool you--this 20-year-old is a gifted songwriter and singer who can, as she does in this tale of sexual manipulation, express mature themes with insight and imagination.

7. Janet Jackson’s “Got ‘Til It’s Gone” (Virgin). If you are putting together a music industry panel to debate the merits of sampling, this unusually artful tale of longing would be a good starting point. As with “I’ll Be Missing You,” the heart of this record is in the sample, but Jackson and producers Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis do more than Combs in extending the vibe.

6. Forest for the Trees’ “Dream” (DreamWorks). In the liner notes to their “Homework” album, the members of Daft Punk quote Brian Wilson’s line about wanting to make music that “helps and heals . . . because music is God’s voice.” Carl Stephenson, who records under the name Forest for the Trees, surely subscribes to that theory. In this inspired work, he gives us music whose sweep is so broad (textures ranging from hip-hop to bagpipes and sitar) and whose spirit is so cleansing that “Dream” seems like five minutes of divine intervention.

5. Nine Inch Nails’ “The Perfect Drug” (Nothing/Interscope). In a tale of obsession from the soundtrack to David Lynch’s “Lost Highway,” Trent Reznor continues to work at the dazzling heights of NIN’s pivotal “The Downward Spiral” album.

4. Erykah Badu’ “On and On” (Kedar/Universal). One of this Texan’s strengths, in a year in which pop music seemed uncertain about direction, was her confidence and authority. This quietly philosophical reflection combines soul tradition and hip-hop edge. Also special: Badu’s saucy “Tyrone.”

3. Hanson’s “MMMBop” (Mercury). This is ear candy so infectious that it speaks to the 6- and 9-year-old in all of us.

2. Prodigy’s “Firestarter” (Maverick). Is it techno? Is it rock? Is its punch also due to two samples (the Breeders’ “S.O.S.” and Art of Noise’s “Close to the Edge”)? Does the song encourage young people to actually start fires (a charge that has been leveled in the band’s native England)? The questions are endless. But the record itself is terrific, combining the energy of the electronic dance culture with the rebellion of punk.

1. The Verve’s “Bitter Sweet Symphony” (Virgin). The sample of an orchestral version of the Stones’ “The Last Time” may be the starting point here, but the record itself carries the stamp of the Verve. As shown in the British quintet’s “Urban Hymns” album, Richard Ashcroft is an excellent songwriter, and the melancholy optimism of “Symphony” is consistent with his vision in the rest of the songs. Besides, the string riff that is the main instrumental hook was written in the studio by the band. It’s the most magical single of the year.