DOWNLOAD THE TOP 25 SINGLES OF 2010 MIXTAPE ON BWU'S FACEBOOK PAGE AT 12AM 1/1/2011! LIMITED TIME!
These songs were picked from my Top 50 Most Played of 2010 playlist on iTunes, but they aren't necessarily in the top 20 of the list. Some songs I overplayed and others I really loved but just didn't play too often, possibly to preserve my love for it.
Anyway, here are my Top 25 songs of 2010, with peak positions on the US, UK, and BWU Singles charts (sometimes US Dance):
25. Secrets - OneRepublic (US #21, UK #77, BWU #10)
I won tickets to go see them live over the summer, and Ryan Tedder blew me away with his oft-criticized voice. The criticism is nonsense because he has an incredible tone and power to his voice, nowhere more evident than on this excellent single. The song is also a good representative of the sheer musicality that OneRepublic possesses, especially in an Auto-Tuned, electronic era.
24. Someone Wake Me Up - Joe McElderry (UK #68, BWU #1)
So what if it flopped? In fact, a good number of the songs on this list flopped. It just goes to show how poor the taste of the mainstream has gotten. This charming improvement on his ridiculous first single "Ambitions" should have saved his debut album. I guess Joe has to settle with the knowledge that he is a much better singer than any male X Factor contestant ever, even if Olly Murs is beating him on the charts (don't worry Joe, Olly's not on this list).
23. The Silence - Alexandra Burke (UK #16, BWU #1)
A few posts ago, I posted a New York Times article about the fate of pop divas and, by association, the ballad. "The Silence" is the best evidence that, even if the melisma era is ending, there is no knocking an amazing ballad with an amazing singer singing it. This is the best song Alexandra's ever released, in my opinion.
22. Hot Tottie - Usher feat. Jay-Z (US #25, BWU #4)
Usher caught some slack for supposedly "selling out" after the massive successes of pop songs like "OMG" and "DJ Got Us Fallin' In Love" (more on them later). He silenced those critics with this banger of a single, featuring one of the best verses of Jay-Z's career. I'm still not sure what a "hot tottie" is supposed to mean, but with a song like this one, it's all right in my book.
21. Airplanes - B.O.B. featuring Hayley Williams (US #2, UK #1, BWU #13)
The song, produced by hotshot Alex Da Kid, was inescapable in the first half of the year, but for good reason. It's beautiful piano melody, paired with a heavy drum beat, gave the "airplanes as dreams" metaphor some serious (and a bit annoying after a while) weight. The success of this song led to one of the biggest songs of the year, so thank you B.O.B.
20. Dog Days Are Over - Florence + The Machine (US #21, UK #23, BWU #5)
The big-voiced Welshwoman stunned American audiences when she scored multiple VMA nominations for the video of this song. They were even more surprised when she delivered a show-stopping performance at the ceremony. Me? I wasn't stunned or surprised. I knew she was amazing from "You've Got The Love". Still, this song was a brilliant breakthrough for a brilliant audience, who I'm glad is actually getting attention for our notoriously difficult market.
19. Waka Waka (This Time for Africa) - Shakira (US #38, UK #21, BWU #3)
This global megahit may have been fueled by the World Cup, but it was it's infectious, positive message that supported Africa that caught the hearts of people all over. It also doesn't hurt that Shakira, a global megahit in her own right, sang the song.
18. Hang with Me - Robyn (US Dance #10, UK #54, BWU #1)
Everything this Swedish pop queen makes is amazing, but it wouldn't be fair if I put all of Robyn's Body Talk on this list. Instead, let's focus on the brilliance of Robyn's second single. A bombastic, somber, heartbreaker of a track, Robyn continued perfecting her unique genre of electropop.
17. Need You Now - Lady Antebellum (US #2, UK #21, BWU #3)
I fell in love with this song the first time I heard it on radio, pop radio. Yes, country group Lady Antebellum made the difficult crossover to the mainstream with this excellent ballad about simply needing someone, especially when you're a little drunk. It was sad, lonely, and utterly relatable, which is why it was a massive smash.
16. What's My Name? - Rihanna and Drake (US #1, UK #2, BWU #1)
After the Europop stomp of "Only Girl (In The World)", everyone was surprised by the follow-up, a chill, laid-back groover with an opening verse by Drake. It was the perfect showcase for Rihanna's revived island swag, becoming her eighth #1 single in America and her second #1 on the BWU Singles Chart.
15. Find Your Love - Drake (US #5, UK #21, BWU #11)
The Kanye-produced second single from Thank Me Later showed listeners a completely different side to the hyped-up rapper. The Drake on this song was vulnerable, yet determined to "find your love". And he did; the success of tis song pushed his debut album to sales of over 500,000 in its first week of release.
14. Promise This - Cheryl Cole (UK #1, BWU #1)
After a bout with malaria and a divorce, Cheryl Cole returned to the music scene with this unexpected pop rocket. The song's surprising melody, somber lyrics, and killer French hook made it a huge hit in the UK and on the BWU Singles Chart, hitting #1 on both. No wonder Cheryl is considered the nation's sweetheart.
13. OMG - Usher feat. will.i.am (US #1, UK #1, BWU #21)
Usher returned to the top of the charts with "OMG", the purest pop record he's ever released in his career. It was clear from this unique electro smash that Usher regained all of his swag, making him one of music's hottest commodities once again.
12. California Gurls - Katy Perry feat. Snoop Dogg (US #1, UK #1, BWU #3)
This song was impossible to escape or resist this summer. Katy's ode to the golden coast burned up airwaves and TV screens, thanks to brilliant hook and candy dreamland music video. With the success of this song and her future singles, Katy Perry solidified her status as a pop superstar.
11. 4th of July (Fireworks) - Kelis (US Dance #4, UK #32, BWU #2)
Kelis' comparison of her lover to fireworks is a pretty darn nice compliment. To match it, she turned to electropop to properly express her feelings. The result was a relentless groovy synth dream that made summer so much more awesome. It should have been so much of a hit than it was.
Check out the Top 10 after the jump...
Here are the Top 10...
10. Your Love - Nicki Minaj (US #14, UK #77, BWU #1)
The current queen of hip-hop showed off her softer side on this breakthrough single of hers. After the disappointment of "Massive Attack", Nicki stripped things down, used an Annie Lennox sample, and made an epic samurai themed video as she sang in tribute to her lover. With lines like "And for your love, Imma die hard like Bruce Willis", Nicki proved herself to be one of the genre's most talented artists.
9. Alejandro - Lady Gaga (US #5, UK #7, BWU #2)
Yes, the video was a bit of an overdramatic letdown, but the song was still another amazing Gaga creation. Calling on ABBA and Madonna before her, Gaga produced a summery, latin-flavored pop smash, begging her lovers to leave her alone. How many Alejandros (or Alejandras) have you had in your life?
8. Power - Kanye West (US #22, UK #36, BWU #9)
Kanye's first post-VMA single proved quite a few things. One, that his ego is insurmountable. Two, his ego is so huge that he would actually rap this: I don't need your pussy, bitch, I'm on my own dick". Three, his ego is so enormous that he made a 1 minute-plus video of himself in a slightly satanic painting. Four, as annoying as it can be, his ego is a crucial part of his musical genius. Who knew he had more coming with My Beautifully Dark Twisted Fantasy?
7. Only Girl (In The World) - Rihanna (US #1, UK #1, BWU #1)
The first line of this song is "want you to love me like a hot pie". And with that, Rihanna's return to the top of the pops was sealed. Many artists tried to do europop this year, with middling results, but Rihanna did it right, with percolating beats that exploded, along with her voice, in the epic club-ready chorus. After the dreariness of Rated R, Rihanna came back with loudness, reviving her career (even though it was never really dead).
6. Teenage Dream - Katy Perry (US #1, UK #2, BWU #1)
Katy Perry's midtempo ballad dedicated to the daydreaming of adolescence was destined to be a smash. An excellent mix of rock and pop, Perry had the world dreaming of skintight jeans and forts made of sheets alongside her, all the way to the top of the charts.
5. Love The Way You Lie - Eminem and Rihanna (US #1, UK #1, BWU #6)
A song about domestic violence, sung by two artists incredibly familiar with the subject? Sure, why not? The song had instant impact from the moment it was first heard, catapulting itself to the top of iTunes within hours of release. Eminem's intense, quick-fire verses and Rihanna's powerful delivery of the hook made this song the biggest hit of the year.
4. Telephone - Lady Gaga and Beyoncé (US #3, UK #1)
Today's biggest pop star? Check. Today's biggest pop diva? An irresistible pop smash? Check. A balls-out insane female-prison, mass-murderer music video with tons of anticipation? Check. What's this checklist for? Best pop duet of the past decade, of course!
3. All The Lovers - Kylie Minogue (US Dance #1, UK #3, BWU #1)
Kylie's return to music after 2007's X began with this absolutely brilliant piece of pop. Euphoric and sad at the same time, fans rejoiced at the revival of "proper" Kylie. The song was a success, reaching the top 10 of charts worldwide, including the top of the US Dance charts and the top of BWU Singles Chart for four weeks. When I first heard it, I went absolutely nuts, and since then, I've played it over 500 times.
2. Dancing On My Own - Robyn (US Dance #3, UK #8, BWU #3)
This song is arguably the golden standard for electropop music. It's a heartbreaker, it's a ballad, it's a dancefloor-filler, it's all of those things wrapped up in one perfect musical package. Bravo to Robyn for creating a perfect pop song. Shame on American radio for ignoring it.
Remember what I said about mainstream music having poor taste? The relative failure of this song is no better evidence of that clear fact. Despite the fact that it is an infectious explosion of Kylie energy and perfect pop production, the song failed to hit the top 10 in the UK and American radio straight up played it out. The one place it didn't flop was on my chart, where it spent six weeks on top and is the most successful song in the chart's history.
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