Top 100 Pop Songs of the Decade: Intro/The #1s, Part 1

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The landscape of 2010s pop music was certainly an interesting one. It represented both the shrinkage and expansion of the pop bubble as we know it. 

Pop music is still part of the zeitgeist, sure, but is it as prominent as it was even a decade ago? Probably not. This is largely due to the explosion of streaming services and digital downloads throughout the past ten years, with traditional sales metrics thrown almost completely wayside. Billboard, the charts I looked to for guidance in seeing changing trends in genres and artists, were even forced to include digital downloads and streams into their numbers.

The move to streaming meant a shift in how music, in most genres, is created. Done are the days of inventive and exploratory albums, replaced with two-minute earworms to gain multiple clicks. The fast food factory of the pop industry has had to speed up their orders, and has sacrificed further quality as a result. 

That's not to say all hope is lost, which is where the expansion of the bubble comes in. Pop music, although usually known as the bubblegum-esque sound, is just short for "popular" music. Whatever is popular, well, that's pop. This is true now more than ever, as rap has officially cemented its place as top genre of the day. Much like how EDM DJs became the new rock stars, rappers have become the new pop stars. This trend began in the 2000s, and exploded at the beginning of the decade due to the dominance of the Young Money label.

So, how much did rap really impact the decade? Is pop still around? What about rock, or country, or EDM?

Trying to find that out, I went through every Billboard Hot 100 songs chart of the 2010s, picking out what I feel were the 100 strongest tracks of the bunch. Some of these are personal picks, which I'll get to, but I believe I did a good job meshing genres and finding out what the true landscape of pop was.

Part of that system was limiting choices to three songs per artist, max. For rappers, yes, this includes features. If I were to have artists' entire catalogues up for debate, this whole list would be comprised of Drake and Bruno Mars tracks. 

Before I get started with the Top 100 Pop Songs of the Decade, let's first go over the #1 hits that are not included in the top 100. The songs were the biggest in America at one point, which means they are a part of pop's complexion, quality or not.

 

1. 1/2/10-2/27/10: "Tik Tok" by Ke$ha

This track would actually be a fine addition to the list, if I had not exhausted my three Ke$ha songs already. Yes, the girl with the dollar sign in her name made my list three times. The opening monologue is probably her most well-known saying, but she actually gave three people a huge cultural boost from this one. Diddy, obviously. Mick Jagger, yep. Finally, Adam Levine, who heard the Jagger line and made a #1 for himself with it.

Definitely corny (the valley girl talk and repeated lines about the "Po Po" have not aged well), but still infectious. 

 

2. 3/6/10-3/19/10: "Imma Be" by The Black Eyed Peas

Folks were clamoring for the BEPs after their two smash hits to end the decade, "Boom Boom Pow" and "I Gotta Feeling" (which would have been a top-ten entry had it not been released in the 2000s), but they went for the more "traditional" sounding "Imma Be" over the melodic "Meet Me Halfway."

I put "traditional" in quotations because, when these guys are off, they're OFF. No hope for anything but annoyance, which is the repetition of Imma Be until you really begin to think Fergie is going to start buzzing in your ear.

 

3. 3/20/10-3/26/10: "Break Your Heart" by Taio Cruz ft. Ludacris

Remember when Ludacris was on every feature? I just listened to the new Tory Lanez mixtape this morning, and it was so refreshing to hear his voice again. One of the true underrated MCs, and a feature king, Luda bumps this one up to barely listenable status. Nothing to say about Mr. Cruz, really, other than he's one of the Chris Brown clones that came onto the scene after the Rihanna incident. Although, it's curious that this one hit #1 and his song "Dynamite" (more widely played, at least to my recollection) didn't.

 

4. 3/27/10-4/30/10: "Rude Boy" by Rihanna

Speaking of Rihanna. It was a massive decade for the Barbadian star, as she was everywhere from 2010-2013, then backed away for two years before a monstrous 2016. On the surface, it does seem odd that the public, who adamantly took her side in the Chris Brown situation (as they should have), were quick to jump for a sex-based song, and particularly, video. Then you actually hear the song, and watch the video, and it makes sense. Sex appeal isn't a trait owned by a lot of stars, but she is one that absolutely owns it. I'll get to how it can get too far in a bit, though.

 

5. 5/1/10-5/14/10: "Nothin' On You" by B.o.B ft. Bruno Mars

Easy add to my list, but I already picked my three Bruno songs. B.o.B is one of the forgotten names of the early decade, as the guy had serious promise as an Andre 3000-lite as far as being a quick-witted rhymer. His collaboration with Rivers Cuomo, "Magic," is a fun romp, and this one is a great light, breezy ballad. I think B.o.B lost his wave by trying to hop onto the Wiz Khalifa wave of 2011, particularly the release of "Strange Clouds" with Lil Wayne. If Wayne can't get you a #1, then you picked the wrong trend to follow. Oh well.

P.S. I did think about it, B.o.B. Wonder Woman and Mr. Fantastic are in two different comic universes. Still doesn't add up.

 

6. 5/15/10-5/21/10, 5/29/10-6/18/10: "OMG" by Usher ft. will.i.am

Usher can do better, but still a decent listen, and a definite time capsule song. Will.i.am? Check. Background "oooooaah"s? Yes sir. Funny enough, it would still make my list, except for the lyrics are something a 7th grader would make up about seeing a girl at the club. Booty like "pow pow pow" indeed.

 

7. 6/19/10-7/30/10: "California Gurls" by Katy Perry ft. Snoop Dogg

The blueprint of the Song of the Summer. Catchy beat, stupid lyrics, earworm chorus, quick incoherent verse from a rapper (sorry, Snoop), and cash the check. Nothing more to say, really.

 

8. 7/31/10-9/17/10: "Love the Way You Lie" by Eminem ft. Rihanna

Probably my least favorite track off of "Recovery," and the one that got the most radio play. Fantastic. This one was everywhere, and cornered Em into making mid-tempo ballad pieces for a few years. In the era of endless club jams, it was weird to see this one take off the way it did, but Rihanna was truly that unescapable in the early part of the decade.

 

9. 9/18/10-10/1/10: "Teenage Dream" by Katy Perry

My first girlfriend texted me the lyrics to this, and even back then, I thought it was pretty cringe-worthy. Still holds up as so. Perry tries, but too much falsetto and voice modulation kills any chance of this succeeding on the level it maybe could have. Much like many of Perry's hits.

 

10. 10/2/10-10/29/10: "Just the Way You Are" by Bruno Mars

For the record, this song got a lot of my friends girls back in the day. Any song that can still do that deserves placement in the top 100, but as said before, Bruno is locked in for three spots already. Still remains a variety station staple to this day, and with good reason. It's a charming number.

 

11. 10/30/10-11/12/10, 11/27/10-12/3/10: "Like a G6" by Far East Movement ft. The Cataracs and Dev

Ooh, now we can finally get into some true bollocks. These dudes were the definition of "not ready for prime time." From the music video looking like it was shot by fourth graders, to the hilarious usage of "slizzard," these guys were out the door before they even showed up. I still get a kick of re-watching "Mac and Devin Go To High School" and seeing them make a cameo. Yes, their acting ability is as bad as their pop presentation.

Finally, as we found out pretty quickly, a "G6" is not a real thing. It was explained as an homage to Drake's lines in "Forever," except a G4 plane is indeed a real thing. The source material for the song is much like the career of the Far East Movement: hollow and fake.

 

12. 11/20/10-11/26/10: "What's My Name" by Rihanna ft. Drake

Speaking of Drake, this is his only #1 of the year, and isn't even the featured act. That trend would change quickly. He had a Far East Movement moment with the 69 line, but it's an average song after I get over my laughter on that one. 

 

13. 12/4/10-12/10/10: "Only Girl (In The World)" by Rihanna.

Another average Rihanna track, although this one has held the test of time and remains popular on variety stations.

 

14. 12/11/10-12/17/10: "Raise Your Glass" by Pink

Call this one an honorable mention. When Pink wants to make a song with actual energy, it usually turns out pretty well.

 

15. 12/18/10-1/7/11, 1/15/11-1/21/11: "Firework" by Katy Perry

The peak of Perry being used as a vehicle for...whatever was popular at the moment. Lesbian culture is taking off? There's a Perry song for that. This time, it's gay culture, which jumped in popularity through the success of "Glee" at the time. I was surprised to see that this one was only #1 for a few weeks, as it feels like it never went away. I heard it at New Year's Eve parties in 2010 AND 2011. It's hard to have a song that wide-reaching. Of course, the cultural peak usage of the song would come a few years later through the release of "The Interview."

 

16. 1/8/11-1/14/11, 1/22/11-1/28/11, 2/5/11-2/18/11: "Grenade" by Bruno Mars

On the lower end of Bruno's #1s, but a decent enough 3 a.m. black-out karaoke deal. The premise of the song does go a little too extreme, as was the style at the time, but it loses sense the deeper it goes. Like, Bruno, hello? Just move on. You made "Just the Way You Are!" I don't feel bad for him staying with someone that makes him feel the way he does in this one, which was the intention.

 

17. 1/29/11-2/4/11: "Hold it Against Me" by Britney Spears

Oh, yeah, this existed. That's honestly all I can say. It was 2011 Britney, trying to be 2008 Britney, who was trying to be 2003 Britney. It's 70% of 2008 Spears, which was 70% of 2003 Spears. Do the Scott Steiner math on that one if you try, but my point is, it made no impact at all besides being "oh hey, Britney Spears on the charts again, that's cool."

 

18. 2/19/11-2/25/11: "Black and Yellow" by Wiz Khalifa

You want to know how loyal my fellow Steeler fans are? We lost Super Bowl 45 to the Packers, and still got the song to #1 after the fact. We didn't care that we lost, or that Lil Wayne decided to become a Packer fan (?) and cash in with a remix, we rode for our boy Wiz. Not the best first introduction, as the rhymes are barely there. It took me until about 2014 to get into Wiz's music. Still an honorable mention in my heart. I'l wave the Terrible Towel on that.

 

19. 2/26/11-4/8/11: "Born This Way" by Lady Gaga

Materially, this song was like a prayer to those who felt abandoned and alone. You could say they were touched for the very first time by this song. 

Jokes aside, an overly cheerly Lady Gaga isn't what I was craving, nor did I want Madonna in a bubble suit. She's good enough to make it passable, I guess.

 

20. 4/9/11-4/29/11, 5/7/11-5/20/11: "E.T." by Katy Perry ft. Kanye West

Back to using Katy Perry as a presentation of whatever the heck was in pop culture, this time it's an Avatar-themed song an entire year after the movie died down. Yes, alien sex, just what gets me going.

 

Come back for Part 2 of the #1s, featuring the rise of Adele, the horrific peak of LMFAO, and more.