It's hard to say exactly what 2010 will be remembered for in terms of hip-hop music. There are new feuds, new icons-in-the-making, new joints spinning on the few vinyl turntables that remain in operation. Perhaps, if we look at where we were 12 months ago, we'll get a better sense of where we are now, and what headway was made in the urban music world. In December 2009, Drake was still riding high without a debut album, Nicki Minaj was largely known as a harmless mixtape artist, Kanye West was publicly vilified for what has become universally termed "The Taylor Swift Incident," and Eminem's comeback had more of that flash and bang than substance or longevity. Lil Wayne was preparing to serve his time for weapons possession charges and Jay-Z was getting more spins on pop radio than urban stations.
Friday, December 31, 2010
Saturday, December 25, 2010
Top 20 Best Pop Songs of 2010
Best Pop Songs of 2010
This past year has ushered in a fresh new batch of pop stars, while giving some already established acts renewed success on the charts. From the electronic magic of Ke$ha to the simple but sweet crooning of Bruno Mars, 2010 marked another year of pop-tastic chart-toppers that were as irresistible as Lady Gaga’s quirky music videos. But with so many great songs to choose from, only twenty were great enough to make this list.
20. Rude Boy by Rihanna
The first track of four that would send Rihanna to the top of the Billboard Hot 100 this year, “Rude Boy” was a marked departure from the rather morose tracks from the Bajan’s 2009 LP, Rated R. Whereas a pop chanteuse like RiRi might choose to record a sexified track dripping with shamefully shallow metaphors, Rihanna lays it on thick, making explicit what she wants in a man. For this beauty, there’s no beating around the bush - no pun intended - and if her boy toy does not size up, don’t expect her to fake it this night. The Ragga/ska/dancehall-tinged club hit spent five weeks at the top of the charts, and the song embodies everything we love about Rihanna. It’s sexy, made for the clubs, island-flavored with an urban twist, and engineered specifically for no one else but Rihanna. After 150+ listens, according to my iTunes, and 100+ million youtube views, this song remains as polished as it did the first blush-inducing time I heard it.
19. Telephone by Lady Gaga featuring Beyonce
How could a “Best of Pop” list not include the incoming Queen of Pop? After dominating the radio waves and the iTunes Store in 2009, Lady Gaga spent most of 2010 touring and making the headlines with head-turning costumes and equally wild music videos. No song and music video made more of an impact in 2010 than “Telephone”, a dance duet pairing two of the hottest singers. The song has the electronic appeal of Gaga’s, the braggadocio of Beyonce, and the musical underpinnings of a Darkchild production. It skyrocketed the value of Gaga’s stock around the world and transformed the performer from burgeoning pop singer to international megastar. Plus, the anticipation the Gaga/Beyonce mini-movie generated marked the return of music videos as a significant component to an artist’s portfolio. Peaking at number 3, “Telephone” is a masterpiece that made 2010 the return of pop to the top.
18. Baby by Justin Bieber featuring Ludacris
I wouldn’t call myself a belieber, but it is pretty unbeliebable how meteoric the rise of Bieber has been in 2010. And with a pop tune as catchy as the “Baby, Baby, Baby, oh!” lyric, it was no wonder Justin’s 2010 LP, My World 2.0, topped the Billboard 200 chart and shifted substantial units in a time of album stagnation. The song has more mature vocals from the teen star, crisp production from Tricky Stewart, sappy songwriting credits by The-Dream, and an age-appropriate rap verse from Ludacris. With ingredients as promising as these, the final product was guaranteed to be a success. It had the charm of a teen song, but not as infantile as an Aaron Carter track; it’s a song that your kindergarten niece can enjoy as much as your fifty-five year old co-worked. Furthermore, it made it clear that the Biebster was not going to be a flash-in-the-pan pop tragedy that all so often replays itself in this industry. Plus, how can a 2x Platinum-selling song not be the cream of the crop, the best of the best, the creme de la creme?
17. Sexy Bitch by David Guetta featuring Akon
What do you get when you combine an emerging French electronic DJ with the vocal uniqueness of an R&B konvict-turned-music entrepreneur? Magic, pure magic... at least this time. “Sexy Bitch” by David Guetta and Akon has everything a club hit needs. It has the thumping bass, piercing synths, and amplified vocals that can turn any rattling 1980s model year station wagon into a speeding dance club with the Jersey Shore-cast’s stamp of approval. For David Guetta, the song is his first real taste of chart success in America. As for America, it is their first taste of how a musician in their 40s can make it in the harshly ageist music industry (maybe the second taste, as Susan Boyle somehow managed to stage her breakout at 48 years young). In the end, a song this catchy, this good, this je ne sais quoi is a win-win situation.
16. Just the Way You Are by Bruno Mars
This time last year, Bruno Mars seemed a more fitting name for a candy bar than a blossoming singer/songwriter/musician. Fast-forward 12 months, the singer holds the second-most nominations for Grammys at this year’s upcoming ceremony with a very healthy seven. It helps when you’ve sung the chorus of one of the biggest hip-hop songs of the year and when your debut solo single is as good as this. “Just the Way You Are” is syrupy, yes, that concession we’ll make. But as sappy as it may be, it has timeless classic written all over it. It’s the kind of song that will be equally appreciated 5, 10, 20 years from now, the kind of song that inspires men to find their romantic self. What makes it so refreshing is that it does not try to be something it’s not. There’s no genre-bending, convention-defying finesse with this track. Rather, it’s the simplistic, throwback production and Ne-Yo style crooning that makes the song the closest thing to perfection us mortal beings will ever encounter on this flawed-earth.
15. Whataya Want From Me by Adam Lambert
They say second place is any contest’s first loser and that may very well apply to American Idol 2nd-placed contestants Diana DeGarmo and Justin Guarini. But 2009 seemed to be quite the exception, especially as the flamboyance and vocal talents of 2nd-place finisher Adam Lambert has left a number of people scratching their heads, struggling to remember again the winner of Season 8 of American Idol (Hint: Kris Kristofferson - Kristofferson + Ethan Allen - Ethan = ?). Mr. Lambert has everything to make him a rockstar: the stage presence, the fearlessness, the look, and the hit song to get everyone singing along. The hit song comes in the form of his second single from his debut album, For Your Entertainment, titled “Whataya Want From Me.” The song is a pop/rock gem that reconciled the rock-oriented vocals of Lambert with the chart-domination of pop music, while also providing the public with the best Idol-alum song since Carrie Underwood’s “Before He Cheats.” Most importantly, the song is an example that American Idol still has some leverage in the music industry.
14. Teenage Dream by Katy Perry
Some of Katy Perry’s earliest critics complained that her music’s popularity stemmed more from the controversy of her spit-swapping number one hit “I Kissed a Girl” than an appreciation of her craft. Among the bold predictions from this group was the steadfast assumption she would be a one-hit wonder, a flash in the pan, the “here today, gone tomorrow” kind of artist that has all too often saturated the radio air waves. But two years after her mainstream debut, Katy Perry has all but proven them wrong as her number one sophomore LP has spawned some of the biggest hits of 2010, including the title track, “Teenage Dream.” The track is an irresistible shoutout to the kind of affection that comes only in the honeymoon swoon of puppy love. From the opening processed strings to the towering chorus, the song has the appeal prom-goers, who are too inexperienced to know this kind of love is pure fantasy, and middle-aged women, who remember a time when idealism pulsated through their veins, both enjoy. With music this fun, this carefree, and this spirited, I have a sneaking suspicion that Ms. Perry will pop up on next year’s Best of Pop list.
13. Break Your Heart by Taio Cruz featuring Ludacris
There’s nothing more interesting, or perhaps perplexing, than people cheering and dancing with excitement at hearing a song with the most foreboding chorus line of 2010. Just imagine hearing someone tell you with sheer certainty that they WILL (no ifs, ands, or buts) break your heart. I’d imagine you’d probably be furious, or at the very least not pleased. But there’s just something about a redundant chorus, swirling synths and a Ludacris verse that just makes this declaration a pleasurable one. In all honesty, the song is dynamic and fun, and it is the electricity of the production and singing that makes it so incredibly catchy. It’s a song about infidelity that has probably led to numerous 2AM drunken dance floor hook-ups that have led to what the song so succinctly forewarns; and while I am not one to endorse this behavior, Taio has really made the kind of track that makes me rethink my position, especially if it comes out as mellifluously as this.
12. Cooler Than Me by Mike Posner
Of all the music newcomers of 2010, Mike Posner is the first whose breakout hit was draped in pure humility. “Cooler Than Me” doesn’t have the arrogance of a love-at-first-sight ballad, nor the cool factor of a bottle-popping club banger. It doesn’t follow the philandering pursuits of a sexy stud and his blinded-by-lust female partners; it’s far too humble for that. Rather, Posner struggles with the challenge of attracting a much “cooler” woman who is not giving the disenchanted the time of day. The song has that retro feel to it and, while its arrangement is simple, the production screams 80s revivalism with its synthesizers and computer engineered beats. The beat is electronic in a way that makes it sound original and unlike what has saturated radio over the past couple of years. It has the Justin Timberlake feel but not in an imitative way but more of a revision of what a 2010 Timberlake album would be like had it ever come to fruition. With “Cooler Than Me”, it’s cool again to be uncool and the social outcast.1
11. Breakeven by The Script
A "Best Pop Songs of 2010" list would not be complete without a British or Irish band delighting America with their music savvy. This year's British Isles export comes from Ireland with a little song called "Breakeven." The self-titled debut album was lauded for its reworking of modern alternative rock, but what made this track such a hit was that it fit perfectly in pop, rock, and alternative formats. It's a song about heartbreak, but the type of uneven break that leaves one wallowing in sorrow and the other relatively unscathed; the kind that has one person choked up, praying to a God they don't believe in, and the other frustratingly okay with what is misperceived as a mutual decision. The refreshing sound and lyrics of despair is the much needed intermission in the dance-off hysteria of pop music today. For that reason alone, The Script stole the show and emoted its way to a position so disappointingly close to the top 10 pop songs of the year.
10. Dynamite by Taio Cruz
Taio Cruz's second appearance on this list comes with a solo effort. Nope, no collaborations here, meaning Taio Cruz holds (almost) sole credit for this party anthem. No, it may not have the finesse of The Black Eyed Peas' "I Gotta A Feeling" but it possesses that drink-in-one-hand and fist pump-inducing craziness for a top 10 spot this year. Oddly enough, Taio Cruz has made a name for himself last decade for producing and writing some incredible R&B joints. His knack for producing hits has clearly spilled over into pop, an arena that has made the once UK-only hit maker an international name. And nothing screams pop magic nowadays than a bona-fide club stomper, which with its pounding, explosive chorus, wins the award for most fitting title. "Dynamite" is just that, DY-NO-MYTE, as J.J. from Good Times would say. Couple that with a few other good collaborations on his American debut, Rokstarr may have very well introduced to us a new voice of dance/pop that has the skill and knowhow to actually stick around.
9. Only Girl (In the World) by Rihanna
Rihanna holds a very unique distinction on this list of the best pop songs of 2010 as the only artist to appear twice with songs from different studio albums. That's because the pop princess has chosen to undergo an incredible musical and visual transformation this past year. At the start of the year, the Bajan singer was sporting a black mohawk with blonde streaks and a rockstar persona. By the fall, she had flowing red hair and a pop-ier sound, introduced by the pulsating, undulating, fiery dance club hit "Only Girl (In the World)." The Stargate-produced song is engineered for no one other than Rihanna and she takes on the challenge with such confidence, the song rocked clubs and bars from coast to coast, and continent to continent. While the song may have been released in the last quarter of 2010 (September to be exact), a track this irresistible, this loud, this Good Girl Gone Bad-esque easily bypassed some of the longer chart-squatting pop songs to land a spot in the top ten with ease.
8. OMG by Usher featuring Will.I.Am
"Oh My Gosh!" Or OMG, as today's text-savvy youth might say. OMG, Usher is so gr8! Honestly, greatness was achieved by Usher this year - with a little help from Will.I.Am - as OMG has become one of my favorite Usher songs... EVER! This includes an impressive catalogue of Usher tracks, a list that traces its origins in the mid '90s and appears to be still be a work in progress. This track is an orgasmic synthesis of dance-tastic greatness. The production is on point, the vocals, although a tad bit processed for a singer that can actually sing, are perfectly performed, and Will.I.Am isn't as annoying as some of his collaborations have shown him to be. If this year wasn't as competitive for pop music as it has been, this track would've been a shoe-in for at least top five. As has been the trend this year, R&B singers turning pop have produced less than stellar results. In this example, the ease with which the transition of an R&B icon to dance-pop superstar occurred worked so well. Usher may never release a purely pop album for fear of isolating his core R&B fanbase, but after the success with this song, it would be a fascinating listen indeed!
7. The Only Exception by Paramore
There's good news and bad news. Bad news first: Paramore, after seven years of being a quintet with Hayley Williams as lead singer, the Farro brothers at drums and guitar, and Taylor York and Jeremy Davis at bass and guitar, the band has encountered its roughest patch yet. Zac and Josh Farro have decided to exit the band. Unfortunately, the exit is being marred by sparring words and accusations, a split that is playing out in a particularly unflattering fashion in the media. The good news: they're biggest hit to date lands at number 7 on the list of the best pop songs of the year. While Paramore is not necessarily pop (but neither are The Script or Train) but they have managed to make one of the biggest impacts on pop radio this year. We've heard of the confident side of Paramore with "Misery Business" or "Ignorance", but there's something striking that comes from the softer, more vulnerable side of Hayley and company that is most apparent on "The Only Exception." The bare nature of song, the soft strumming guitar strings and sweet percussion complement the angelic vocals of Hayley to create something amazing. This song is just one of many near-masterpieces on the band's third studio album that has essentially secured Paramore with the potential for enormous greatness. Paramore, you will get past this bump in the road, but let's just hope the high standard set with this LP will be preserved with the next chapter of their story.
6. Need You Now by Lady Antebellum
2009 was the year of Taylor Swift in country music. With the incredible momentum working in her favor, it appeared 2010 would also fall under her reign. Surprisingly, Lady Antebellum emerged with the best country song of 2010 and came awfully close to making a pop number one hit with their superb song, “Need You Now.” The success of Antebellum proved with their hit that country music is making a serious return to pop radio, something that brings back the good ‘ol days of Garth Brooks, Dixie Chicks, LeAnn Rhymes and Shania. Unlike Swift, “Need You Now” does not try to compromise the wholesome country sound with a pop twist to accommodate pop audiences. Rather, the song’s structure and the combined vocals of the trio make for one of the best country ballads of the past ten years that thrives on its unapologetic country appeal. It screams Nashville in a way that has the often pop-centric masses singing along enthusiastically. Its universal appeal is not because it tries to hard to fit in, but finds comfort in sticking out. It will be interesting how they return with their a new album and new sound the next go around.
5. Bad Romance by Lady Gaga
When compiling a list of the best pop songs of any year, it is important not to overlook the songs that were released in that awkward time period that straddles two years. Although Lady Gaga’s “Bad Romance” may have been released in 2009, its popularity has spanned the last few months of 2009 and peaked during the beginning of 2010. Enough with the explanations, now for why this song has become a top 5 beauty in pop. What “Bad Romance” has done is remarkable. With just one song, it has propelled Lady Gaga from pop sensation to pop icon. It has ushered in a renewed respect for the art of music videos. It has become an enigma that is too ensconced within the twisting labyrinth of dance synths and 808 beats to not be recognized. It’s a song that has transient similarities to Gaga’s other hit, “Poker Face” but yet original in an unidentifiable way. In ways that Lady Antebellum or Erykah Badu are unapologetic about working within the confines of their core genre, Gaga takes the genre of pop in a direction that only she has the audacity, confidence, and talent to make it work. If I could have, I would have easily included this song on the 2009 and 2010 lists because this is one of the few truly groundbreaking tracks of the past two years. However, here’s to you Gaga, a honor only bestowed to a person who is now becoming universally accepted as the incoming Queen of Pop.
4. Hey Soul Sister by Train
In 2003, a time when an appreciable percentage of people still dug deep into their pockets to buy albums, radio was spinning the huge alternative rock hit of the year, “Drops of Jupiter (Tell Me)”; and while Train had continued success after the track’s chart domination, nothing had come even close to what Drops’ had accomplished. That was, until 2010 would bring the band the largest hit of their career, and deservingly so. “Hey Soul Sister” has the timeless, catchy, and authentic sound that comes across with greater fluency than its predecessor. The combination of the ukelele and light drums with Patrick Monahan’s vocals work magnificently on the track. In a sense, the songs on Save Me, San Francisco start from where Drops of Jupiter left off, with no track as ambitious in the most simplistic but polished way as “Hey Soul Sister.” As with Paramore, Train is not necessarily associated with pop, but this song is one of their pop-iest showings, an appeal that surprisingly does not compromise the sound that Train has perfected over their career. Thus, 2010 marks a great contribution to pop music from Train with “Hey Soul Sister” and marks the return of the San Francisco rock band to the top of the charts.
3. TiK ToK by Ke$ha
As annoying as it is to type a “$” for “s” when discussing Ke$ha, the “$” is certainly rolling in after the pop smash that is “TiK ToK” has shattered all types of records. The song holds the record for the most digital copies sold in one week by a female and if there was ever a song to have that distinction, this would be it. The song is a seamless coalescence of electronica, dance, and hip-pop, proportioned with auto-tuned vocals and party girl rhyming. Ke$ha has discovered an orphaned sub-genre within pop music that I like to call brat-pop. It thrives on nonconformist, brat-like chants that blurs the lines between genres just for the sake of going against the grain. “TiK ToK” is the epitome of brat-pop. It revolves around alcohol (four separate references to beer, Jack Daniels, and the art of inebriation), partying, and escaping from reality into the music. She’s badass enough to brush her teeth “with a bottle of Jack,” that is, after waking up “feeling like P. Diddy,” of course. All of this brat-pop MC-ing and sparse formal singing is intertwined within a pounding synthesizer-heavy composition, a framework that is as escapist as it is ridiculously catchy and original. Ke$ha is not ashamed of holding Mick Jagger to the highest standard of beauty or about her unhealthy consumption of alcohol. She takes as much pride in her partying ways as an Ivy League-grad would their degree, with the same envy-provoking resonance and pompous sense of accomplishment. And just look at her name, and the spelling and capitalization of the title; nothing screams nonconformist and convention-defying than attack the very language within which the song operates. Thus, 2010 will be the year Ke$ha became a household name and her new genre of smack-talking pop became a respectable - and irresistible - platform to say “F*** you, world! And give me my liquor.”
2. California Gurls by Katy Perry featuring Snoop Dogg
One of the most unusual, and ultimately gratifying collaborations of 2010 came during the summer, when two Cali-born and raised musicians decided to created a ode to the Golden State. As you may remember, the end of 2009 was marked by the domination of another geographically-centric anthem for a certain city on the east coast. Clubs, bars, and iPods from Tallahassee to Lansing, London to Frankfurt, Santa Barbara to Inglewood, etc. were honoring the concrete jungle of Gotham with a little song titled, “Empire State of Mind.” It ranked number one on last year’s list, just by virtue of the fact that a song specifically designed to say “New York shits on your pathetic city” has achieved international success. Reportedly, this was the motivation for Katy Perry to create the other American regional anthem that would achieve comparable greatness. “California Gurls” reeks of carefree, fun-filled weekend bum sessions on the beach. It screams bikini-clad blondes cruising down the PCH in drop top convertibles against sun-bleached skies. It’s the kind of anthem that is as pleasurable to the ears as the insouciance of the lyrics are pleasurable to the mind. Katy Perry parades around her California roots with the confidence of N.W.A. but with lesser intensity. Couple that with a fine little verse from Snoop himself, and we have quite the winner. If Ms. Perry’s intentions were to create the pop and west coast rebuttal to Jay-Z’s “Empire”, “California Gurls” did exactly that, especially since being perched atop over a dozen charts worldwide can be interpreted as a near-universal seal of approval. It was the song of the summer, the year’s best collaboration in pop music, and Katy’s best song to date. Let’s just hope that momentum carries over with her next recording sessions.
1. Bulletproof by La Roux
It’s one thing to try to revive the sound of another generation; it’s another thing to actually do it, and in such a polished and perfected fashion, no less. The self-titled debut album of alternative 80’s revivalist band, La Roux, have all but transferred the sound of 80s synthpop to today’s musical landscape, losing little momentum from the friction of transporting through three decades of music. This British duo, an amalgamation of shrill but magnificent vocals from Elly Jackson and the genius keyboarding skills of Ben Langmaid, are barely old enough to classify themselves as ‘80s babies but yet they’ve found inspiration in a musical era that some often rebuke as the emergence of digitized, mechanical quasi-music. The dedication of preserving the sound of 1980s synthpop in a way that does not come across as recycled or overtly retro is fascinating. But yet, it screams 80s synthpop in a way that one listen to the album instantly teleports you to the passenger seat of a Delorean, blasting the cassette player and wasting bottles of hairspray to perfect that ideal poofed-hair of the lost decade. For example, listening to “Bulletproof” could easily have been a dance hit that propelled them to mid-1980s fame. But yet, it also brings a new touch, some modernity that a musical era oft-criticized for ushering in the modernized sound somehow lacks. A song that can represent a past era with the same precision as the era in which it finds itself is a remarkable feat. Add to that the amazing sonic resonance between Ben’s production and Elly’s vocals and you get what Gnarls Barkley did with 2007’s “Crazy”: music heaven. It’s the kind of track that you’ll hear other artists cover and, after witnessing the embarrassment of their failed attempt, realize talent and pure genius of these two. They are so ahead of their time by using what has worked so well in the past. They’re far too experienced at taking the sound of a generation of which they were never really a part and making it sound so convincing, so dynamic, so beautiful, so eighties! If only all pop hits aimed for this standard, I would be tickled to death by the orgasmic climax of the never-ending pop gems on radio. Sadly, or perhaps thankfully, that is not the case, and, thusly, La Roux is perched atop this year’s list with no real competitor in their league. At least, not yet.
This past year has ushered in a fresh new batch of pop stars, while giving some already established acts renewed success on the charts. From the electronic magic of Ke$ha to the simple but sweet crooning of Bruno Mars, 2010 marked another year of pop-tastic chart-toppers that were as irresistible as Lady Gaga’s quirky music videos. But with so many great songs to choose from, only twenty were great enough to make this list.
20. Rude Boy by Rihanna
The first track of four that would send Rihanna to the top of the Billboard Hot 100 this year, “Rude Boy” was a marked departure from the rather morose tracks from the Bajan’s 2009 LP, Rated R. Whereas a pop chanteuse like RiRi might choose to record a sexified track dripping with shamefully shallow metaphors, Rihanna lays it on thick, making explicit what she wants in a man. For this beauty, there’s no beating around the bush - no pun intended - and if her boy toy does not size up, don’t expect her to fake it this night. The Ragga/ska/dancehall-tinged club hit spent five weeks at the top of the charts, and the song embodies everything we love about Rihanna. It’s sexy, made for the clubs, island-flavored with an urban twist, and engineered specifically for no one else but Rihanna. After 150+ listens, according to my iTunes, and 100+ million youtube views, this song remains as polished as it did the first blush-inducing time I heard it.
19. Telephone by Lady Gaga featuring Beyonce
How could a “Best of Pop” list not include the incoming Queen of Pop? After dominating the radio waves and the iTunes Store in 2009, Lady Gaga spent most of 2010 touring and making the headlines with head-turning costumes and equally wild music videos. No song and music video made more of an impact in 2010 than “Telephone”, a dance duet pairing two of the hottest singers. The song has the electronic appeal of Gaga’s, the braggadocio of Beyonce, and the musical underpinnings of a Darkchild production. It skyrocketed the value of Gaga’s stock around the world and transformed the performer from burgeoning pop singer to international megastar. Plus, the anticipation the Gaga/Beyonce mini-movie generated marked the return of music videos as a significant component to an artist’s portfolio. Peaking at number 3, “Telephone” is a masterpiece that made 2010 the return of pop to the top.
18. Baby by Justin Bieber featuring Ludacris
I wouldn’t call myself a belieber, but it is pretty unbeliebable how meteoric the rise of Bieber has been in 2010. And with a pop tune as catchy as the “Baby, Baby, Baby, oh!” lyric, it was no wonder Justin’s 2010 LP, My World 2.0, topped the Billboard 200 chart and shifted substantial units in a time of album stagnation. The song has more mature vocals from the teen star, crisp production from Tricky Stewart, sappy songwriting credits by The-Dream, and an age-appropriate rap verse from Ludacris. With ingredients as promising as these, the final product was guaranteed to be a success. It had the charm of a teen song, but not as infantile as an Aaron Carter track; it’s a song that your kindergarten niece can enjoy as much as your fifty-five year old co-worked. Furthermore, it made it clear that the Biebster was not going to be a flash-in-the-pan pop tragedy that all so often replays itself in this industry. Plus, how can a 2x Platinum-selling song not be the cream of the crop, the best of the best, the creme de la creme?
17. Sexy Bitch by David Guetta featuring Akon
What do you get when you combine an emerging French electronic DJ with the vocal uniqueness of an R&B konvict-turned-music entrepreneur? Magic, pure magic... at least this time. “Sexy Bitch” by David Guetta and Akon has everything a club hit needs. It has the thumping bass, piercing synths, and amplified vocals that can turn any rattling 1980s model year station wagon into a speeding dance club with the Jersey Shore-cast’s stamp of approval. For David Guetta, the song is his first real taste of chart success in America. As for America, it is their first taste of how a musician in their 40s can make it in the harshly ageist music industry (maybe the second taste, as Susan Boyle somehow managed to stage her breakout at 48 years young). In the end, a song this catchy, this good, this je ne sais quoi is a win-win situation.
16. Just the Way You Are by Bruno Mars
This time last year, Bruno Mars seemed a more fitting name for a candy bar than a blossoming singer/songwriter/musician. Fast-forward 12 months, the singer holds the second-most nominations for Grammys at this year’s upcoming ceremony with a very healthy seven. It helps when you’ve sung the chorus of one of the biggest hip-hop songs of the year and when your debut solo single is as good as this. “Just the Way You Are” is syrupy, yes, that concession we’ll make. But as sappy as it may be, it has timeless classic written all over it. It’s the kind of song that will be equally appreciated 5, 10, 20 years from now, the kind of song that inspires men to find their romantic self. What makes it so refreshing is that it does not try to be something it’s not. There’s no genre-bending, convention-defying finesse with this track. Rather, it’s the simplistic, throwback production and Ne-Yo style crooning that makes the song the closest thing to perfection us mortal beings will ever encounter on this flawed-earth.
15. Whataya Want From Me by Adam Lambert
They say second place is any contest’s first loser and that may very well apply to American Idol 2nd-placed contestants Diana DeGarmo and Justin Guarini. But 2009 seemed to be quite the exception, especially as the flamboyance and vocal talents of 2nd-place finisher Adam Lambert has left a number of people scratching their heads, struggling to remember again the winner of Season 8 of American Idol (Hint: Kris Kristofferson - Kristofferson + Ethan Allen - Ethan = ?). Mr. Lambert has everything to make him a rockstar: the stage presence, the fearlessness, the look, and the hit song to get everyone singing along. The hit song comes in the form of his second single from his debut album, For Your Entertainment, titled “Whataya Want From Me.” The song is a pop/rock gem that reconciled the rock-oriented vocals of Lambert with the chart-domination of pop music, while also providing the public with the best Idol-alum song since Carrie Underwood’s “Before He Cheats.” Most importantly, the song is an example that American Idol still has some leverage in the music industry.
14. Teenage Dream by Katy Perry
Some of Katy Perry’s earliest critics complained that her music’s popularity stemmed more from the controversy of her spit-swapping number one hit “I Kissed a Girl” than an appreciation of her craft. Among the bold predictions from this group was the steadfast assumption she would be a one-hit wonder, a flash in the pan, the “here today, gone tomorrow” kind of artist that has all too often saturated the radio air waves. But two years after her mainstream debut, Katy Perry has all but proven them wrong as her number one sophomore LP has spawned some of the biggest hits of 2010, including the title track, “Teenage Dream.” The track is an irresistible shoutout to the kind of affection that comes only in the honeymoon swoon of puppy love. From the opening processed strings to the towering chorus, the song has the appeal prom-goers, who are too inexperienced to know this kind of love is pure fantasy, and middle-aged women, who remember a time when idealism pulsated through their veins, both enjoy. With music this fun, this carefree, and this spirited, I have a sneaking suspicion that Ms. Perry will pop up on next year’s Best of Pop list.
13. Break Your Heart by Taio Cruz featuring Ludacris
There’s nothing more interesting, or perhaps perplexing, than people cheering and dancing with excitement at hearing a song with the most foreboding chorus line of 2010. Just imagine hearing someone tell you with sheer certainty that they WILL (no ifs, ands, or buts) break your heart. I’d imagine you’d probably be furious, or at the very least not pleased. But there’s just something about a redundant chorus, swirling synths and a Ludacris verse that just makes this declaration a pleasurable one. In all honesty, the song is dynamic and fun, and it is the electricity of the production and singing that makes it so incredibly catchy. It’s a song about infidelity that has probably led to numerous 2AM drunken dance floor hook-ups that have led to what the song so succinctly forewarns; and while I am not one to endorse this behavior, Taio has really made the kind of track that makes me rethink my position, especially if it comes out as mellifluously as this.
12. Cooler Than Me by Mike Posner
Of all the music newcomers of 2010, Mike Posner is the first whose breakout hit was draped in pure humility. “Cooler Than Me” doesn’t have the arrogance of a love-at-first-sight ballad, nor the cool factor of a bottle-popping club banger. It doesn’t follow the philandering pursuits of a sexy stud and his blinded-by-lust female partners; it’s far too humble for that. Rather, Posner struggles with the challenge of attracting a much “cooler” woman who is not giving the disenchanted the time of day. The song has that retro feel to it and, while its arrangement is simple, the production screams 80s revivalism with its synthesizers and computer engineered beats. The beat is electronic in a way that makes it sound original and unlike what has saturated radio over the past couple of years. It has the Justin Timberlake feel but not in an imitative way but more of a revision of what a 2010 Timberlake album would be like had it ever come to fruition. With “Cooler Than Me”, it’s cool again to be uncool and the social outcast.1
11. Breakeven by The Script
A "Best Pop Songs of 2010" list would not be complete without a British or Irish band delighting America with their music savvy. This year's British Isles export comes from Ireland with a little song called "Breakeven." The self-titled debut album was lauded for its reworking of modern alternative rock, but what made this track such a hit was that it fit perfectly in pop, rock, and alternative formats. It's a song about heartbreak, but the type of uneven break that leaves one wallowing in sorrow and the other relatively unscathed; the kind that has one person choked up, praying to a God they don't believe in, and the other frustratingly okay with what is misperceived as a mutual decision. The refreshing sound and lyrics of despair is the much needed intermission in the dance-off hysteria of pop music today. For that reason alone, The Script stole the show and emoted its way to a position so disappointingly close to the top 10 pop songs of the year.
10. Dynamite by Taio Cruz
Taio Cruz's second appearance on this list comes with a solo effort. Nope, no collaborations here, meaning Taio Cruz holds (almost) sole credit for this party anthem. No, it may not have the finesse of The Black Eyed Peas' "I Gotta A Feeling" but it possesses that drink-in-one-hand and fist pump-inducing craziness for a top 10 spot this year. Oddly enough, Taio Cruz has made a name for himself last decade for producing and writing some incredible R&B joints. His knack for producing hits has clearly spilled over into pop, an arena that has made the once UK-only hit maker an international name. And nothing screams pop magic nowadays than a bona-fide club stomper, which with its pounding, explosive chorus, wins the award for most fitting title. "Dynamite" is just that, DY-NO-MYTE, as J.J. from Good Times would say. Couple that with a few other good collaborations on his American debut, Rokstarr may have very well introduced to us a new voice of dance/pop that has the skill and knowhow to actually stick around.
9. Only Girl (In the World) by Rihanna
Rihanna holds a very unique distinction on this list of the best pop songs of 2010 as the only artist to appear twice with songs from different studio albums. That's because the pop princess has chosen to undergo an incredible musical and visual transformation this past year. At the start of the year, the Bajan singer was sporting a black mohawk with blonde streaks and a rockstar persona. By the fall, she had flowing red hair and a pop-ier sound, introduced by the pulsating, undulating, fiery dance club hit "Only Girl (In the World)." The Stargate-produced song is engineered for no one other than Rihanna and she takes on the challenge with such confidence, the song rocked clubs and bars from coast to coast, and continent to continent. While the song may have been released in the last quarter of 2010 (September to be exact), a track this irresistible, this loud, this Good Girl Gone Bad-esque easily bypassed some of the longer chart-squatting pop songs to land a spot in the top ten with ease.
8. OMG by Usher featuring Will.I.Am
"Oh My Gosh!" Or OMG, as today's text-savvy youth might say. OMG, Usher is so gr8! Honestly, greatness was achieved by Usher this year - with a little help from Will.I.Am - as OMG has become one of my favorite Usher songs... EVER! This includes an impressive catalogue of Usher tracks, a list that traces its origins in the mid '90s and appears to be still be a work in progress. This track is an orgasmic synthesis of dance-tastic greatness. The production is on point, the vocals, although a tad bit processed for a singer that can actually sing, are perfectly performed, and Will.I.Am isn't as annoying as some of his collaborations have shown him to be. If this year wasn't as competitive for pop music as it has been, this track would've been a shoe-in for at least top five. As has been the trend this year, R&B singers turning pop have produced less than stellar results. In this example, the ease with which the transition of an R&B icon to dance-pop superstar occurred worked so well. Usher may never release a purely pop album for fear of isolating his core R&B fanbase, but after the success with this song, it would be a fascinating listen indeed!
7. The Only Exception by Paramore
There's good news and bad news. Bad news first: Paramore, after seven years of being a quintet with Hayley Williams as lead singer, the Farro brothers at drums and guitar, and Taylor York and Jeremy Davis at bass and guitar, the band has encountered its roughest patch yet. Zac and Josh Farro have decided to exit the band. Unfortunately, the exit is being marred by sparring words and accusations, a split that is playing out in a particularly unflattering fashion in the media. The good news: they're biggest hit to date lands at number 7 on the list of the best pop songs of the year. While Paramore is not necessarily pop (but neither are The Script or Train) but they have managed to make one of the biggest impacts on pop radio this year. We've heard of the confident side of Paramore with "Misery Business" or "Ignorance", but there's something striking that comes from the softer, more vulnerable side of Hayley and company that is most apparent on "The Only Exception." The bare nature of song, the soft strumming guitar strings and sweet percussion complement the angelic vocals of Hayley to create something amazing. This song is just one of many near-masterpieces on the band's third studio album that has essentially secured Paramore with the potential for enormous greatness. Paramore, you will get past this bump in the road, but let's just hope the high standard set with this LP will be preserved with the next chapter of their story.
6. Need You Now by Lady Antebellum
2009 was the year of Taylor Swift in country music. With the incredible momentum working in her favor, it appeared 2010 would also fall under her reign. Surprisingly, Lady Antebellum emerged with the best country song of 2010 and came awfully close to making a pop number one hit with their superb song, “Need You Now.” The success of Antebellum proved with their hit that country music is making a serious return to pop radio, something that brings back the good ‘ol days of Garth Brooks, Dixie Chicks, LeAnn Rhymes and Shania. Unlike Swift, “Need You Now” does not try to compromise the wholesome country sound with a pop twist to accommodate pop audiences. Rather, the song’s structure and the combined vocals of the trio make for one of the best country ballads of the past ten years that thrives on its unapologetic country appeal. It screams Nashville in a way that has the often pop-centric masses singing along enthusiastically. Its universal appeal is not because it tries to hard to fit in, but finds comfort in sticking out. It will be interesting how they return with their a new album and new sound the next go around.
5. Bad Romance by Lady Gaga
When compiling a list of the best pop songs of any year, it is important not to overlook the songs that were released in that awkward time period that straddles two years. Although Lady Gaga’s “Bad Romance” may have been released in 2009, its popularity has spanned the last few months of 2009 and peaked during the beginning of 2010. Enough with the explanations, now for why this song has become a top 5 beauty in pop. What “Bad Romance” has done is remarkable. With just one song, it has propelled Lady Gaga from pop sensation to pop icon. It has ushered in a renewed respect for the art of music videos. It has become an enigma that is too ensconced within the twisting labyrinth of dance synths and 808 beats to not be recognized. It’s a song that has transient similarities to Gaga’s other hit, “Poker Face” but yet original in an unidentifiable way. In ways that Lady Antebellum or Erykah Badu are unapologetic about working within the confines of their core genre, Gaga takes the genre of pop in a direction that only she has the audacity, confidence, and talent to make it work. If I could have, I would have easily included this song on the 2009 and 2010 lists because this is one of the few truly groundbreaking tracks of the past two years. However, here’s to you Gaga, a honor only bestowed to a person who is now becoming universally accepted as the incoming Queen of Pop.
4. Hey Soul Sister by Train
In 2003, a time when an appreciable percentage of people still dug deep into their pockets to buy albums, radio was spinning the huge alternative rock hit of the year, “Drops of Jupiter (Tell Me)”; and while Train had continued success after the track’s chart domination, nothing had come even close to what Drops’ had accomplished. That was, until 2010 would bring the band the largest hit of their career, and deservingly so. “Hey Soul Sister” has the timeless, catchy, and authentic sound that comes across with greater fluency than its predecessor. The combination of the ukelele and light drums with Patrick Monahan’s vocals work magnificently on the track. In a sense, the songs on Save Me, San Francisco start from where Drops of Jupiter left off, with no track as ambitious in the most simplistic but polished way as “Hey Soul Sister.” As with Paramore, Train is not necessarily associated with pop, but this song is one of their pop-iest showings, an appeal that surprisingly does not compromise the sound that Train has perfected over their career. Thus, 2010 marks a great contribution to pop music from Train with “Hey Soul Sister” and marks the return of the San Francisco rock band to the top of the charts.
3. TiK ToK by Ke$ha
As annoying as it is to type a “$” for “s” when discussing Ke$ha, the “$” is certainly rolling in after the pop smash that is “TiK ToK” has shattered all types of records. The song holds the record for the most digital copies sold in one week by a female and if there was ever a song to have that distinction, this would be it. The song is a seamless coalescence of electronica, dance, and hip-pop, proportioned with auto-tuned vocals and party girl rhyming. Ke$ha has discovered an orphaned sub-genre within pop music that I like to call brat-pop. It thrives on nonconformist, brat-like chants that blurs the lines between genres just for the sake of going against the grain. “TiK ToK” is the epitome of brat-pop. It revolves around alcohol (four separate references to beer, Jack Daniels, and the art of inebriation), partying, and escaping from reality into the music. She’s badass enough to brush her teeth “with a bottle of Jack,” that is, after waking up “feeling like P. Diddy,” of course. All of this brat-pop MC-ing and sparse formal singing is intertwined within a pounding synthesizer-heavy composition, a framework that is as escapist as it is ridiculously catchy and original. Ke$ha is not ashamed of holding Mick Jagger to the highest standard of beauty or about her unhealthy consumption of alcohol. She takes as much pride in her partying ways as an Ivy League-grad would their degree, with the same envy-provoking resonance and pompous sense of accomplishment. And just look at her name, and the spelling and capitalization of the title; nothing screams nonconformist and convention-defying than attack the very language within which the song operates. Thus, 2010 will be the year Ke$ha became a household name and her new genre of smack-talking pop became a respectable - and irresistible - platform to say “F*** you, world! And give me my liquor.”
2. California Gurls by Katy Perry featuring Snoop Dogg
One of the most unusual, and ultimately gratifying collaborations of 2010 came during the summer, when two Cali-born and raised musicians decided to created a ode to the Golden State. As you may remember, the end of 2009 was marked by the domination of another geographically-centric anthem for a certain city on the east coast. Clubs, bars, and iPods from Tallahassee to Lansing, London to Frankfurt, Santa Barbara to Inglewood, etc. were honoring the concrete jungle of Gotham with a little song titled, “Empire State of Mind.” It ranked number one on last year’s list, just by virtue of the fact that a song specifically designed to say “New York shits on your pathetic city” has achieved international success. Reportedly, this was the motivation for Katy Perry to create the other American regional anthem that would achieve comparable greatness. “California Gurls” reeks of carefree, fun-filled weekend bum sessions on the beach. It screams bikini-clad blondes cruising down the PCH in drop top convertibles against sun-bleached skies. It’s the kind of anthem that is as pleasurable to the ears as the insouciance of the lyrics are pleasurable to the mind. Katy Perry parades around her California roots with the confidence of N.W.A. but with lesser intensity. Couple that with a fine little verse from Snoop himself, and we have quite the winner. If Ms. Perry’s intentions were to create the pop and west coast rebuttal to Jay-Z’s “Empire”, “California Gurls” did exactly that, especially since being perched atop over a dozen charts worldwide can be interpreted as a near-universal seal of approval. It was the song of the summer, the year’s best collaboration in pop music, and Katy’s best song to date. Let’s just hope that momentum carries over with her next recording sessions.
1. Bulletproof by La Roux
It’s one thing to try to revive the sound of another generation; it’s another thing to actually do it, and in such a polished and perfected fashion, no less. The self-titled debut album of alternative 80’s revivalist band, La Roux, have all but transferred the sound of 80s synthpop to today’s musical landscape, losing little momentum from the friction of transporting through three decades of music. This British duo, an amalgamation of shrill but magnificent vocals from Elly Jackson and the genius keyboarding skills of Ben Langmaid, are barely old enough to classify themselves as ‘80s babies but yet they’ve found inspiration in a musical era that some often rebuke as the emergence of digitized, mechanical quasi-music. The dedication of preserving the sound of 1980s synthpop in a way that does not come across as recycled or overtly retro is fascinating. But yet, it screams 80s synthpop in a way that one listen to the album instantly teleports you to the passenger seat of a Delorean, blasting the cassette player and wasting bottles of hairspray to perfect that ideal poofed-hair of the lost decade. For example, listening to “Bulletproof” could easily have been a dance hit that propelled them to mid-1980s fame. But yet, it also brings a new touch, some modernity that a musical era oft-criticized for ushering in the modernized sound somehow lacks. A song that can represent a past era with the same precision as the era in which it finds itself is a remarkable feat. Add to that the amazing sonic resonance between Ben’s production and Elly’s vocals and you get what Gnarls Barkley did with 2007’s “Crazy”: music heaven. It’s the kind of track that you’ll hear other artists cover and, after witnessing the embarrassment of their failed attempt, realize talent and pure genius of these two. They are so ahead of their time by using what has worked so well in the past. They’re far too experienced at taking the sound of a generation of which they were never really a part and making it sound so convincing, so dynamic, so beautiful, so eighties! If only all pop hits aimed for this standard, I would be tickled to death by the orgasmic climax of the never-ending pop gems on radio. Sadly, or perhaps thankfully, that is not the case, and, thusly, La Roux is perched atop this year’s list with no real competitor in their league. At least, not yet.
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