Now, generally considered an abysmal year in music, 2010 actually didn't bother me all that much. Considering some of the stuff that came out during that year, however, don't think I'm blind to the reasons people hate that year music-wise. We still got some pretty amazing stuff from 2010, though, as we got a Club Can't Handle Me for every Cooler Than Me, a Rude Boy for every Deuces, a My Chick Bad for every How Low, a Dynamite for every Break Your Heart, so on and so forth. It is with that that I share with you the 5 songs from the beginning of this current decade that I just couldn't get enough of (yeah, we're only doing 5 because I'm too lazy to do a full 10, just deal with it). Before we get started, though, I have an honorable mention I'd like to share with you.
HM) Song: Hey, Soul Sister
Artist: Train
Billboard Year-End Position: 3
If I were to do a full top 10 list, this song would be number 8. I know a lot of people hate this song, but I always felt it had a lot going for it. This is a perfect example of how a song can have sucky lyrics and still be good. The ukulele driven instrumentation is beautiful, Pat Monahan's vocals are amazing, and the lyrics, while not good, are very sweet and have a lot of charm and genuineness behind them that I can easily forgive how bad they are. Overall, this is just a really sweet song with a lot of charm and elegance behind it. Really the only thing keeping it out of the top 5 and so low on my top 10 is the poor songwriting, but I still give it a pass.
Alright, now on to the songs that are in the top 5.
5) Song(s): Tik Tok/Your Love Is My Drug
Artist: Ke$ha
Billboard Year-End Position(s): 1/28
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Off to a lovely start, aren't we? Okay, I have to admit it. I love Ke$ha. She's one of my guilty pleasure artists, and these two songs are prime examples why. Your Love Is My Drug, while cliched, is a fun, energetic, and self-destructive song about a guy she loves so much that she can't without. Not exactly a new concept or all that creative, but it's not really that bad either, is it? Tik Tok, a song that I'm glad was the number 1 song of 2010 for the record, is merely a fun and upbeat party anthem, nothing more, nothing less, and it does everything right. Overall, these are just really fun and energetic songs that I could not find myself to ever knock even if I tried.
4) Song: Bad Romance
Artist: Lady GaGa
Billboard Year-End Position: 8
Another highly energetic song about a relationship. It took some time for this one to grow on me, but man am I glad it did. Everything about this song works pretty damn well from the blasting synths, GaGa's fully committed and charismatic performance, to even the oddly enticing rah-ah-ahs. Why exactly she wants a "bad" romance I'll never know exactly why, but she's just so determined to get what she wants that I really don't care, and this song is able to back up said determination excellently.
3) Song: Need You Now
Artist: Lady Antebellum
Billboard Year-End Position: 2
For this next song on the list, we take things down a notch in favor of this somber drinking song that takes country music back to its roots. Lady Antebellum is one of the best country acts to come out most recently, and it's songs like this that make that case extremely easy to prove. The emotional and heartbroken vocals, the quiet instrumentation, and the sheer sadness and narrative given off by this song just make this a heartbreaking yet great listen. Oh, and do I even need to mention how relatable the lyrics are? "Yes I'd rather hurt than feel nothing at all." Haven't we all been there before? Seriously, if you somehow haven't heard this one yet, check it out. It'll definitely be worth it.
2) Song: Whataya Want From Me
Artist: Adam Lambert
Billboard Year-End Position: 45
I think we all know by now how obvious it is that the runner-ups of American Idol far outshine their winning counterparts 9 times out of 10, and Adam Lambert is the first person that comes to my mind in this instance. I'm really proud of that, too, because his musicianship is purely eargasmic, especially with this song. With the perfect balance of rock and pop sounds, the emotional lyrics begging and pleading with the antagonist in question to give an answer as to what has to be done in order to be seen as a person and asking why their expectations are so freaking high, and Lambert throwing every fiber of his being in to the song with his incredible vocals, it's not hard to see why there aren't many songs in Lambert's discography that can beat WWFM. Though it's only number 2 on this list. Why is that? Well, let's see.
1) Song: According To You
Artist: Orianthi
Billboard Year-End Position: 55
Now here's a song I'm always in the mood to defend. When it comes to the year 2010, we really needed a rock song to break up the monotony going on, and man does this song absolutely ROCK! The rough-edged guitars with the badass lines and that awesome solo, Orianthi's energetic and sad yet angry vocals, and just the overall feel of the song all culminate to make one rockin' tune, and that's all before we get in to lyrical content which my oh my is it phenomenal. It's basically about a guy who constantly puts her down and makes her feel like s**t, so she's moving on and has found someone new who finds genuine value in her as a person. Some might side with the ex and say that she doesn't really seem like too good of a girlfriend to have if she really is the things he says she is, but from the tone of the song, she clearly isn't, and what he's saying about her is not true in the slightest. So yeah, According To You by Orianthi, my favorite song of 2010. That's my list folks. See you in December.
