The 100 Best Songs Of 2011: 90-81

90. WILLOW SMITH ’21st Century Girl’

The life-defining ‘Whip My Hair’ was clearly one of the songs of 2010, so when ’21st Century Girl’ debuted, it was seen as a bit of a disappointment due to it being a bit… well, basic. But the flyest fetus in the game sold this generic beat with her wide-eyed, confident vocal performance and one hell of a video. The chorus is awesome, and if you can forget that you’re singing along to an obscenely rich pre-teen talk about how awesome her life is, there’s a lot of fun to be had here.

89. NICOLA ROBERTS ‘Lucky Day’

That “WAAA WAAA WAAAA WAAAAA” in the first verse of ‘Lucky Day’ is a really, really annoying flaw that probably killed this otherwise great song at radio. Nicola’s voice is gorgeous in the right environment, and while it takes a little getting used to here, the hugeness of this song and the completely unselfconscious vocal performance cannot be ruined by a few irritating moments. “Could it be my/Could it be my lucky day?” repeated into infinity makes me want to go skipping down the street in a sack like a psycho.

88. LEONA LEWIS ‘Hurt’

Anything that gets rock purists riled up is fine by me. That “15 Disappointing Facts About Music” list doing the rounds lately fills me such glee, and I lol at everybody who gets pissed off about it, and pissed off about this. This take on this Nine Inch Nails classic is not as good as the original or Johnny Cash’s definitive version. But it is absolutely gorgeous, done in Leona’s trademark cover style, building up and up into an epic crescendo. She hits all the notes flawlessly, and she brings extra bombast to a song that is already completely drenched in theatrics and melodrama.

87. RIHANNA ‘You Da One’

I think Rihanna’s first two albums are underrated. In the minds of many she had two singles, ‘Pon De Replay’ and ‘SOS’, before ‘Umbrella’, when songs like ‘Break It Off’ and ‘We Ride’ were truly great and do not deserve to be forgotten. How awesome, then, that Rihanna revisited that sound for ‘You Da One’, the second single from Talk That Talk. Over a midtempo-but-hard-so-it-doesn’t-sound-midtempo beat, Rih gives us some music of the sun that is meaningless, pretty and perfect for blasting out of car windows.

86. SNEAKY SOUND SYSTEM ‘Big’

I wish this was a ballad. I know that Sneaky Sound System are a dance act and this is the type of thing they’re known for, but imagine how absolutely stunning this would be with an orchestra and all that shit? Luckily, the shiny disco backing that is here is more than enough to make ‘Big’ a dance epic, a punchy love song that should have been all over the radio. I must say I fell out of touch with Sneaky Sound System during their second album but now I’m back on board thanks to the brilliant ‘We Love’ and this, one of the best Australian singles in recent memory.

85. DRAKE ft. RIHANNA ‘Take Care’

Oh, the melancholy. This song is drowned in an echoing sadness, and both artists involved turn in flawless performances. Reminiscent of Kanye’s 808s & Heartbreaks, this song rolls along on subtle but powerful drums and a piano loop that lodges itself into your brain, ensuring that the emotions of the song stay with you long after it is finished. Drake plays insecure, Rihanna plays lover/mother-figure, and together they build ‘Take Care’ into a raging but quiet storm.

84. DARREN HAYES ‘Angel’

The best pop cover in a year where there were like three released in total, Darren’s take on this Madonna classic is the perfect B-side to the similarly bright ‘Talk Talk Talk’. Like his previous cover of ‘Dress You Up’, this sticks pretty close to the original, sounding very eighties and not messing with the song in any significant way, which works out well. Darren clearly loves the source material and he, as always, sounds absolutely fantastic.

83. DR. DRE ft. EMINEM & SKYLAR GREY ‘I Need A Doctor’

What an epic. The three elements here – Eminem’s desperate verses, Dre’s defensive response and Skylar’s explosive chorus – all combine to provide some of the most dramatic moments to be heard in music all year. The chorus is perfection, the production is beyond brilliant and this brings back some of the drama and emotion that was missing from Eminem’s last two albums. Whether Dr. Dre will ever hurry the fuck up and put out another album is unknown, but if he keeps releasing amazing singles like this I don’t mind the wait.

82. BEYONCÉ ‘Best Thing I Never Had’

Yeah, it sounds a bit like ‘Irreplaceable’ but ‘Best Thing I Never Had’ is too great in its own right to be brought down by a bit of recycling. I’m a bit confused as to why Bey is thinking about this guy if she’s supposedly really, really over him (and on her wedding day in the video? WTF?) but this is a finger-waving ladies/sassy gays anthem for the ages. Yell it into the mirror while pretending some high school non-sweetheart is standing in front of you, sing it at karaoke with your drunk mess friends, and keep this close to your heart always.

81. CHER LLOYD ft. MIKE POSNER ‘With Ur Love’

That’s the story of, that’s the glory of love. Few songs released this year were so bright, so sunny, so full of pure joy. ‘With Ur Love’ is a lost bubblegum hit from the early seventies transported into 2011, and Cher Lloyd (I just can’t refer to her by her first name alone, okay) proves her worth as a pop heavyweight of tomorrow with her on point delivery. Mike Posner is shit but his part is small and he’s hot so I’ll let it slide.

The End Of Year ARIA Charts Are Here! Let’s All Look Interested

In boring news, ARIA have released their end of years charts for 2010, and there are few surprises to be had. Eminem and Rihanna had the biggest single of the year, and Pink took the number one album with Greatest Hits… So Far!!!, which I suppose is a bit surprising at first considering it hasn’t been out that long.

The top ten singles of the year:

1. EMINEM ft. RIHANNA – ‘Love The Way You Lie’
2. USHER ft. WILL.I.AM – ‘OMG’
3. TAIO CRUZ – ‘Dynamite’
4. TRAIN – ‘Hey, Soul Sister’
5. KATY PERRY ft. SNOOP DOGG – ‘California Gurls’
6. OWL CITY – ‘Fireflies’
7. RIHANNA – ‘Only Girl (In The World)’
8. BRUNO MARS – ‘Just The Way You Are’
9. KATY PERRY – ‘Teenage Dream’
10. USHER ft. PITBULL – ‘DJ Got Us Fallin’ In Love’

Full top 100

I like maybe four or five of those songs, which is a pretty good result, I reckon. You’re never going to love every mega-popular song so I can console myself that I haven’t fallen completely out of touch with the record buying public.

The top ten albums of the year:

1. PINK – Greatest Hits… So Far!!!
2. SUSAN BOYLE – I Dreamed A Dream
3. EMINEM – Recovery
4. BON JOVI – Greatest Hits
5. SUSAN BOYLE – The Gift
6. LADY GAGA – The Fame Monster
7. ANGUS & JULIA STONE – Down The Way
8. MUMFORD & SONS – Sigh No More
9. MICHAEL BUBLÉ – Crazy Love
10. KATY PERRY – Teenage Dream

Full top 100

Pink has been in the top two albums of the year for five years running. Think about that for a second. Five years.

I only own three of these (Pink, Eminem, Gaga) and I might buy Teenage Dream if/when it gets a re-release, and one day I’ll buy the SuBo albums, so I’m counting this as an acceptable top ten. There are a few interesting placements a bit lower – Kylie at 55, Beyoncé’s two-year-old album at 61, The Essential Michael Jackson at 63 (and at number one on the catalogue chart), about twenty positions above Michael, which I’m surprised made it in at all after only a few weeks of muted sales. Pink had the biggest DVD of the year, Annie Lennox’s Christmas album is on the Jazz & Blues chart for some reason, and the Digital Chart track continues to be pointless considering physical singles haven’t made an impact on the proper chart for ages. There is no physical singles end of year chart because they probably struggled to find 40 physical singles that were bought in order to make up a chart.

And there we go.

The 100 Best Songs Of 2010: #20-11

SCISSOR SISTERS

‘Night Work’

from the album Night Work

This album strikes a pretty good balance between fantasy and disappointing reality, and the opening track is the uplifting introduction a world that seems too good to be true. Using an extended clubbing-as-manual-labour metaphor, ‘Night Work’ slides along on a classic eighties riff and possesses perhaps the finest and most exciting chorus on the record, let alone those amazing lyrics. “You gotta keep on moving remember, this is what you asked for” – in the grand tradition of ‘Vogue’ and ‘Don’t Stop ‘Til You Get Enough’, dancing in a club is no longer something you do for five minutes between drinking bitch beers and falling down the stairs – it is your duty and your calling.

NICKI MINAJ ft. EMINEM

‘Roman’s Revenge’

from the album Pink Friday

Oh god oh god oh god. This is the stuff dreams are made of. I get a small panic attack thinking about how much I love it. ‘Roman’s Revenge’ teams up the arguable king and queen of 2010: Eminem and Nicki Minaj, who morph into their respective alter-egos to provide us with the greatest song on Pink Friday. I could list all the best bits but I’d just be describing the song from start to finish. Of particular note are the video game sounds in the intro, the tension-filled stuttering beat, “rahh rahh, like a dungeon dragon” – oh look at me, I’m just describing the whole song. In conclusion, from the lyrics themselves to the way they are delivered with such force to Nicki’s spoken outro – everything about this is perfect.

KATIE MELUA

‘The Flood’

from the album The House

What a weird song this is. Produced by William Orbit but not sounding immediately “Orbit-ish”, ‘The Flood’ is the sort of ethereal oddball epic that leads people to screech “KATE BUSH” even though I can’t think of a Kate Bush song that really sounds anything like it. Featuring lyrics that I’ll pretend to understand and a soaring chorus that could not have been done justice by a lesser voice, ‘The Flood’ begins as a slow existential ballad, then shifts tempo to become almost a completely different song, then afterwards moves back to the style from the beginning, taking us on a little journey not unlike the musical equivalent of a fantasy film.

MICHAEL JACKSON & AKON

‘Hold My Hand’

from the album Michael

Like ‘You Rock My World’, this is one of those songs that would be number one for months if it were sung by anyone but Michael Jackson. Because the rest of his catalogue is filled with such classics, new songs that would be a dream for any new artist feel underwhelming coming from such a legend. Well sure, ‘Hold My Hand’ is really quite good, but it’s no ‘Billie Jean’, is it? Once we move on from the fact that very few songs are as good as ‘Billie Jean’, we can appreciate ‘Hold My Hand’ for what it is: a well-written and catchy R&B ballad sung by a great voice, with help from Akon, whom I don’t find as disgusting as I’ve found many other people do. I actually quike like him and his voice, so his contribution on ‘Hold My Hand’, while slightly unnecessary for a song that could easily have been done solo, gives the song just that little bit more of a kick. Either way this is the best pothumous Michael Jackson song yet.

CEE LO GREEN

‘Fuck You!’

from the album The Lady Killer

Like Motown in an alternate universe, ‘Fuck You!’ is a true classic masquerading as a novelty. Cee Lo plays our clearly hurt protagonist who hides behind big sweary outbursts instead of just accepting how upset he really is – until he breaks down halfway through, to hilarious effect. With a chorus like that, catchy and fun to yell at the top of your lungs, how could ‘Fuck You!’ have been anything less than brilliant? Instead of relying on the LOL HE SAID FUCK factor, what we have here is an expertly crafted song performed by one of the most talented vocalists I think I’ve ever heard.

HURTS

‘Stay’

from the album Happiness

Earlier this year I had to do an assignment on a new artist for my Music Business course, and I chose to analyse Hurts, and ‘Stay’ in particular. Of note was how incredibly dramatic the lyrics and production are, but all with a knowing glance to the camera, a little window in the fourth wall that tells us Hurts know exactly what they’re doing and why. Never innocent, always polished and calculated, the atmosphere and theatrics in ‘Stay’ are the key to the artistic success of the song, but you still get the feeling that a raw, stripped back version without the big drums and layered vocals may still be just as powerful. The best thing about Hurts is first and foremost the strength of their vocals and songwriting, all the rest is a bonus that takes things to another level – but the touchstone of all their work is still their talent.

KANYE WEST

‘Power’

from the album My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy

‘Power’ touches on so many hot topics from Kanye’s past: social injustice, paranoia, politics, how great Kanye is, how awful Kanye is, all the people who have offended him, the eternal struggle between his good and bad sides, and all with one of his most breathtaking productions. I can hardly believe how huge this all sounds, especially the centrepiece, which starts casually – “How ‘Ye doin’? I’m surviving” – and then leads into the beat dropping out ushering in that amazing King Crimson sample, then moving into what sounds like something from the Streets Of Rage Sega Genesis game soundtrack. An absolute blockbuster, ‘Power’ is superhero theme music at its finest.

KYLIE MINOGUE

‘All The Lovers’

from the album Aphrodite

Lyrically simple but surprisingly melancholy, ‘All The Lovers’ features an understated vocal performance which is framed by rich, gorgeous production and this overwhelming feeling that Kylie is growing up – I know she’s grown up before, but she’s still going – and moving on. From what? I’m not sure. But as she sings “all the lovers that have gone before…” you can feel the history in her voice, and it is a lyric that wouldn’t sound right coming from some fresh-faced Elixie DooLottle who just graduated from stage school. This is the type of pop song you need to be mature to deliver effectively, and as Kylie floats above the beat, preparing us for the orgasmic instrumental climax (the first part of the song we all heard, and also the best bit), it becomes even clearer why she survived in the industry against all odds: because she was never afraid to add extra layers, extra elements to what could have been an emotionally empty club track.

ANTOINE DODSON & THE GREGORY BROTHERS ft. KELLY DODSON

‘Bed Intruder Song’

Perhaps my favourite pop culture story of 2010 is the Ballad Of Antoine Dodson. After his sister was the victim of an attempted rape, Antoine was on the news to talk about the attacker and delivered a chilling threat: “He’s climbing in your windows, he’s snatching your people up, so y’all need to hide your kids, hide your wife, and hide your husband, cos they’re raping everybody out here”. The hilarious nature of this mixed with his delivery made the video an instant viral hit, and when it was remixed by the Gregory Brothers, the whole thing reached a new level of fame, even making it to the Billboard Hot 100 and the BET Hip-Hop Awards. ‘Bed Intruder Song’ also happens to be one of the catchiest and most fun songs of the year, the original quote perfectly translated into autotuned bliss. It also has the bonus of being connected to a heartwarming story of something good coming from a bad situation. And call me crazy, but maybe there is more to ‘Bed Intruder Song’ than just being a fun remix of a viral video. There is – and stay with me here – a underlying sadness to the project (it was, after all, started off by an attempted rape) which is captured in the final line: “we don’t run around crying and acting sad, we just dust our shoulders off and keep on moving”, which reminds us that there are real people behind funny internet stories like this, and that not all of them are as lucky as this guy was.

NICOLE SCHERZINGER

‘Poison’

Who the fuck would have thought? With PCD dead are her solo career even deader, what was Nicole Scherzinger to do in 2010? Here’s what: rope in RedOne to give her his best non-Lady Gaga song ever, sing it like her life depended on it, and watch it become one of the best songs of the year. And suddenly, on the verge of 2011, Nicole Scherzinger looks like one of the most exciting things about the new year. There were few pop moments this year as invigorating as the desperate cry of “I got that poison! I got that poison!!” and even fewer songs that lent themselves so easily to repeated listens.

The 100 Best Songs Of 2010: #30-21

MICHAEL JACKSON ft. 50 CENT

‘Monster’

from the album Michael

There have been several attempts throughout Michael’s career to replicate or pay tribute to the song ‘Thriller’, from ‘Ghosts’ to ‘Is It Scary?’ to ‘Threatened’ and now to ‘Monster’, one of the best upbeat tracks from the new album. Clattering beats and random screaming give ‘Monster’ a frantic pace that is replaced by quieter R&B for the chorus. So even if it doesn’t get to ‘Scream’-levels of intensity, it is still very interesting and holds your attention for the full five minutes, especially when Michael throws in little nods to ‘Wanna Be Startin’ Somethin”, even if just for split-second. I’m a fan of 50 Cent but I didn’t expect his bit on ‘Monster’ to be quite as good as it is, and mixed with the incredible production for this specific verse, it is a more-than-worthy addition to a great song.

SCISSOR SISTERS

‘Fire With Fire’

from the album Night Work

I don’t get why this was apparently such a bad choice for lead single – there are better songs on the album, but ‘Fire With Fire’ is still 100% amazing and is especially great in terms of vocals and production, which give the song this joyous, epic feel. It doesn’t represent the overall feel of the album, but when you think of it as the “morning after” to the rest of Night Work, it makes more sense, and becomes a confident look to the future. “Tomorrow has become today…”

HURTS & KYLIE MINOGUE

‘Devotion’

from the album Happiness

Dear Weird Kylie,
Oh, my love, you don’t know how much I’ve missed you. I still listen to the songs you recorded while you were here with me and wonder what happened. I know you’re in a better place now and I feel selfish for wanting you to come back but it felt like those years were a secret between us, those that dismissed you were only missing out on your greatest work. I listen to your new material from places and mindsets far away from where we used to be, and although it sounds so good it will never be the same. Hearing you re-emerge so briefly on ‘Devotion’ has given me faith that one day you will return to me, and we will drown in odd hair colours, trip-hop beats, Nick Cave duets and singles with a chart peak in the low twenties.
Come back soon. All my love,
Richard.

KANYE WEST

‘Dark Fantasy’

from the album My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy

Shivers. down. the. spine. “Can we get much higher?” – the most incredible thing is, yes, the level of sheer brilliance can get higher and does so on the rest of the album. But ‘Dark Fantasy’ is a perfect opening track, setting up all sorts of themes and moods that will be explored over the next thirteen tracks. There are choirs, nonsensical references to Celine Dion and Leona Lewis, and that incredible bit about the séance. Also, can we get Nicki Minaj to introduce every album from now on? That’d be great, thanks.

EMINEM

‘Not Afraid’

from the album Recovery

Imagine if this had been the lead single from Relapse. Of course, it couldn’t have been because it is effectively about Relapse, but what I’m trying to say is that ‘Not Afraid’ is exactly the type of massive comeback everyone wanted and expected from Eminem in 2009. In 2010, it still sounded exciting, and had an extra element of emotion to it after the last year of drama. ‘Not Afraid’ reminds me of ‘Like Toy Soldiers’, not just because of the marching band beat but because it holds a lot of weight on its parent album and has the sort of passion and intensity to it that made Eminem such a legend.

KELE

‘Tenderoni’

from the album The Boxer

I don’t know if the character sung about here is in the closet or just over-eager to prove his masculinity, but either way it makes ‘Tenderoni’ one of the most tension-filled, interesting love songs of the year, on a scale of complexity that makes ‘Love The Way You Lie’ sound like ‘Love Me Do’. There is the inaudible chorus, where words are rendered completely useless, so all it has to stand on is that unbelievably explosive beat. When you can hear the vocals – like on the vicious “you think you are one of them” leading into the fragile “don’t be so quick to pull away” – it adds yet another layer of paranoia and anger.

KELIS

’4th Of July (Fireworks)’

from the album Flesh Tone

On an album full of hands-in-the-air moments, ’4th Of July’ is the most breathtaking. The verses are purposely quiet and subdued so that when the beat drops out, Kelis can let loose. “NOTHAN, I EVA SAY OR DEW, WILL BE AS GOOOD, AS LOVAN YEW”. As hook gives way to hook after hook after hook, Kelis moves from enthusiastic to part of the background and back again, and when she sings “just like the sky, like the fourth of july”, the music explodes behind her just like – you guessed it – fireworks, but she acts as if it is the most natural occurence in the world.

M.I.A.

‘XXXO’

from the album Maya

I thought this was going to huge. Maybe not ‘Paper Planes’ huge but it surely should have hit the top ten. ‘XXXO’ was the proper lead single from Maya and features what it perhaps the biggest and most commercial chorus to be found on an M.I.A. song, not to mention the headphone-shaking beat that begs for repeated plays. It is sung as if it was being tweeted like tweety bird on an iPhone: “u wan me be sumbody who im really not”, and the approach to both music and lyrics is almost self-consciously modern and current. Ultimately this sort of thing wouldn’t suit M.I.A. all the time but on the disappointing Maya it was a ray of light.

MICHAEL JACKSON

‘Breaking News’

from the album Michael

This is ‘Tabloid Junkie Part II’, from the newsreader intro to the “eat it/feed it” lyric pairing, but with such a thrilling Dangerous-era production style, how could I judge it for being a bit unoriginal? Another track that could conceivably have been a hit for Michael if he were alive, ‘Breaking News’ rides along on stuttering beats lifted straight from 1991, and while it isn’t a classic by any stretch of the imagination it gets closer to it than basically all other tracks from Michael.

(Ten life points to whoever recognises where the headline in the banner comes from.)

RIHANNA

‘Man Down’

from the album Loud

Remember when Kelis told us in ‘Bossy’ that she rides the beat “like a bicycle”? This is what Rihanna does here on ‘Man Down’, the best song from Loud and one of the greatest achievements of her career. Her accent is brought to the forefront here, given time to run up and down the lyrics and the chance to show a side of Rihanna that has had precious little time in the spotlight. A ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’-style narrative makes up the lyrics, and as Rihanna tells us why she “shot a man down”, it emerges that there are all sorts of frantic explanations and internal arguments about what has just happened. From “I’d never thought I’d do it…” onwards we hear this jaw-dropping series of conflicting thoughts – “I am a criminal” could be bragging until we get to the desperate breakdown of “tell the judge please give me minimal” – and all with a delivery that I never thought Rihanna could pull off. ‘Man Down’ is a triumph in every way imaginable.

The 100 Best Songs Of 2010: #60-51

CHRISTINA AGUILERA

‘Not Myself Tonight’

from the album Bionic

I feel pretty bad for everyone involved with ‘Not Myself Tonight’, because I assume they lived with the song for so long that they came to understand how good it really was, but it is very much a “grower”. In an age where many people will listen to a song once on YouTube before making a decision on how good or bad it is, ‘Not Myself Tonight’ was destined to sound underwhelming. But there are so many little bits here that take time to make themselves known: “I don’t give a OWWW”, the rapid fire bridge, that middle eight where Christina gets to have a proper wail – only for it to be broken up by an electro stutter, not to mention the chorus, which followed me around in my head for weeks before I gave in and admitted that it was, like the rest of this song, actually amazing.

ROBYN

‘Hang With Me’

from the album Body Talk Pt. 2

This might have the best chorus of all the Body Talk singles, coasting along on Robyn’s trademark bleeps with just the right amount of weariness and excitement. While she plays the victim on ‘Be Mine!’ and ‘Dancing On My Own’, on ‘Hang With Me’ Robyn takes charge of the relationship. This time she’ll be one breaking hearts. “I know what’s on your mind/There will be time for that too/If you hang with me” – perhaps in the past, rampant sexual desire led to an unstable relationship, and that won’t be happening again. But does she really want to “hang” with this guy for ages just to protect her own heart? There’s a hint in the uncertainty of that vocal.

EMINEM ft. LIL’ WAYNE

‘No Love’

from the album Recovery

One of the most chilling moments on Recovery, ‘No Love’ bases itself around a Haddaway sample and strikes a perfect balance between the trademark styles of both Eminem and Lil’ Wayne. The first half sees Wayne laidback but disappointed, betrayed and yet confident, ready to cut out anyone who crosses him. His icy demeanour is threatening enough, but Eminem goes even harder, trading Wayne’s cool for intense anger, in true Slim Shady style. The slight failure of Relapse seemed to spurn Eminem into some of his most vicious raps in 2010, at least in delivery if not lyrics, and ‘No Love’ is one of the best songs he lent his voice to this year.

PROFESSOR GREEN ft. LILY ALLEN

‘Just Be Good To Green’

from the album Alive Till I’m Dead

Like a good pair of leads in a film, Professor Green and Lily Allen exploit their characters so well in ‘Just Be Good To Green’, playing off each other and disappearing so far into their chosen personas that it almost becomes parody. Apart from their vocal duel, one of the most underrated aspects of ‘Just Be Good To Green’ is the instrumental, which takes tiny little elements from the retro revival from a few years back, mixes them with a hip-hop beat and then lifts it all up into the chorus perfectly. That we get lines delivered as wonderfully as the “I ain’t never gonna change, are you ever gonna realise?” bit is just a bonus.

KE$HA

‘Take It Off’

from the album Animal

In an explosion of Auto-Tuned bliss, ‘Take It Off’ explodes out of the speakers, grabs you by the neck and slams you face first into the dance floor. Watch out there aren’t any stray bottles down there though, because that could hurt. With one of the classic screamalong choruses of the year, you forget all the questions that come with this song (why isn’t anybody slipping over in all that glitter on the floor? does she ever brush her teeth with a toothbr-oh wait that was ‘Tik Tok’) and just lose yourself like Eminem in 8 Mile.

BENNY BENASSI ft. KELIS, APL.DE.AP & JEAN-BAPTISTE

‘Spaceship’

In just over three minutes, we get the only Benny Benassi single to catch my attention since ‘Able To Love’, featuring Apl.De.Ap in the best thing he’s been involved in since ‘Boom Boom Pow’, and Kelis in her best song since… well, the last amazing one. This is a club song, for sure, with those endless repetitions of “get high”, but Kelis gives it a bit of a “mystical” twist with her floaty vocals, which suit the track perfectly and elevate it above your average dance floor anthem.

HURTS

‘Better Than Love’

from the album Happiness

The deep, dramatic vocals, the soaring chorus, the frantic ‘I Feel Love’-style bits: it’s all been said before I need to say it again, this is totally eighties. Like the atmosphere of Tears For Fears had a baby with the pop sensibilities of Culture Club, which then grew up to marry early Eurythmics, ‘Better Than Love’ manages to be an affectionate nod to the sounds of yesteryear while never sounding like a mere tribute. Buried underneath all the “is this from 1983 or 2010?” is a really, really fantastic song.

MICHAEL JACKSON

‘Much Too Soon’

from the album Michael

As I said in my review of Michael, ‘Much Too Soon’ lives up to that simple title. We all know Michael and his producers had a tendency to overproduce – for better and for worse, usually better – but on ‘Much Too Soon’, there is not too much to speak of other than a quiet few instruments and Michael’s voice. Like one of his classic Motown ballads, except with his adult voice, ‘Much Too Soon’ is lyrically slight and vocally very fragile and subtle. “And would you like to go with me?/And she answered no to me” is an awkwardly structured pair of lines but it works so well with the other elements of the song – it is perhaps the most “classic Michael” moment on the new album.

JANELLE MONÁE

‘Cold War’

from the album The ArchAndroid: Suites II & III

‘Cold War’ and ‘Tightrope’ are like part one and part two, and while ‘Tightrope’ is cooler and more relaxed, ‘Cold War’ screeches along on huge, amazing drums, while Janelle rampages over the top. “This is a cooooold waaar, you better know what you’re fighting for” she tells us, and while guitars appear for a quick solo here and there, instruments and beats drop in and out all over the place. A complicated hot mess, ‘Cold War’ was one of the most exhilirating singles of the year.

MASSIVE ATTACK & TUNDE ADEBIMPE

‘Pray For Rain’

from the album Heligoland

The standout track on Heligoland was the album opener, which manages to translate that feeling of an impending storm into music. Featuring vocals from TV On The Radio’s Tunde Adebimpe, the song unfolds slowly and quietly, with lyrics full of beautiful imagery and an insistent drum pattern which guides everything forward. Reminiscent of the best tracks from 100th Window, like ‘Butterfly Caught’, ‘Future Proof’ and ‘A Prayer For England’, ‘Pray For Rain’ uses haunting vocals to build an otherworldly atmosphere like only Massive Attack can.

The 100 Best Songs Of 2010: #70-61

PETER WALL & TONY ANSELL

‘ABC News Theme (Remixed By Pendulum)’

Who doesn’t love a good news theme? Dramatic, professional, and ready to lead into some man or woman in nice clothes telling us everything about everything. This particular theme will mean basically nothing to anyone outside of Australia, but if you’re like me then it recalls many a night when I had to sit through this instead of whatever much more interesting show was playing at the same time on a commercial station. But now, I get the last laugh, because Pendulum have stepped in and turned the ABC news theme – always a great piece of music for the intended purpose, but ultimately representing boredom – and turned it into this storming club “banger”. Brilliant result.

EMINEM ft. RIHANNA

‘Love The Way You Lie’

from the album Recovery

This song goes in a lot of different directions. It starts with a gentle piano and pained vocals from Rihanna, but then moves onto the first verse from Eminem, which is slightly angry but mostly disappointed and distressed. As the song continues, that anger is revisited and intensified, Rihanna shows a maturity that many thought she never had, and what could have been a bland relationship “drama” song becomes an affecting and extremely effective ballad that sees both of the artists growing and changing with the development of the track.

NICKI MINAJ

‘Right Thru Me’

from the album Pink Friday

A lot of people have a negative reaction to Nicki The R&B Star, but I like this incarnation almost as much as I like the Nicki Who Will Eat Your Face. On ‘Right Thru Me’ she aims for vulnerable, and she gets there, but she also shows us that ‘Your Love’ wasn’t a fluke, she can really do this as an artist if she wants to. We haven’t had a major female rapper since Missy Elliott and Missy did the same thing Nicki does here – puts aside her tough persona for a single or two here and there so we can see a new depth to the whole package. That ‘Right Thru Me’ also happens to be just a plain brilliant song is a bonus for everyone concerned.

SADE

‘Soldier Of Love’

from the album Soldier Of Love

Sade seems like the type of music I should love, but I’ve never gone back into their discography properly – I’m familiar with ‘Smooth Operator’, of course, but that is really the only Sade song I know well, apart from this single from their 2010 comeback. You can almost tell what ‘Soldier Of Love’ will sound like before you hear it, and that isn’t a bad thing for a band as established as this one is. What you see in the artwork and in the visuals of the video is what you get here – deserts, night skies, birds, generally pretty landscapes that have a hint of sinister to them, just a little bit of darkness. In front of rolling drums and slow moving but strong melody, Sade pulls you in with ‘Soldier Of Love’ and demands your attention.

KATY PERRY

‘Teenage Dream’

from the album Teenage Dream

Katy Perry’s second absolute classic single (the first was ‘Hot N Cold’), ‘Teenage Dream’ seems to capture something from the culture of decades past – if it wasn’t for the modern production this could be a song from the fifites. It reminds me of ‘Be My Baby’ or ‘You Can’t Hurry Love’ – while not being quite as great as those songs – or even that ‘Freddy My Love’ song that Cindy Bullens did for the Grease soundtrack. Maybe back then they wouldn’t have been so upfront about their skintight jeans, but the spirit of young love and all the myths surrounding it are here. You don’t care if the characters in this song will end up like the couple at the end of Meat Loaf’s ‘Paradise By The Dashboard Light’, hating each other for all eternity, what matters in ‘Teenage Dream’ is the here and now, and nothing else.

RIHANNA

‘S&M’

from the album Loud

The filthy cousin of ‘Only Girl (In The World)’, ‘S&M’ opens Loud with a set of lyrics that are obviously adult but almost defiantly immature. “Sticks and stones may break my bones/But chains and whips excite me”, Rihanna sings, and while she tries to muster all the venom in her voice, there’s still a childish playfulness in there, a little nod to how the lyrics sound like a playground chant. This is basically a ‘Rude Boy’ prequel, on that song she was the hardened bitch in leather, but on ‘S&M’ she is just beginning to explore sex beyond the missionary position.

KELIS

‘Flesh Tone Intro’

from the album Flesh Tone

Now this is how you open an album. Over a melody that comes straight from the golden age of video game music, Kelis slowly weaves her voice in and out of the beats and electronics, inviting us into the world of Flesh Tone and all the ups and downs that come with it. “Yoooooou draaaw meeee iiiiin” she sings, slowly but surely, before becoming strong and desperate. As the layers stack up, the voice intensifies, “every time I think I’m free you win”. Just when you think she might collapse under the weight, the music drops out and a confident Kelis steps in: “we. control. the dance. floor.” – and we’re off.

MICHAEL JACKSON

‘Behind The Mask’

from the album Michael

‘Behind The Mask’ shares many elements with ‘Is It Scary?’, the underrated almost-single from 1997′s Blood On The Dance Floor, most notably the fact that they share a bit where Michael sings “Let’s talk about it/I don’t wanna talk about it” repeatedly, perhaps playing out one of his internal conversations, putting it out there for all to see. But ‘Is It Scary?’ was Michael defending himself, while here he is the aggressive one. He whoops and hollers over a frantic mid-to-late nineties style production, recalling those paranoid, angry songs he made when his public persona was shattered. It all builds up with crowd noise, saxophone, vocals upon vocals and the kitchen sink – which feels quite close to the vibe given by the records made while Michael was alive.

NICKI MINAJ

‘Your Love’

from the album Pink Friday

How can something so out of character sound so brilliant? Nicki Minaj singing lines like “shawty, I’m-a only tell you this once, you the illest” over a sample from Annie Lennox’s ‘No More I Love You’s'? Why does this work? But the important thing is that it does work, and it sounds wonderful, a nice big R&B ballad in an age where we don’t get too many of them – at least not as interesting as this one. It may get a reputation as a guilty pleasure but ‘Your Love’ fights for attention over the louder moments on Pink Friday - and emerges as one of the best songs Nicki has done.

JOHNNY CASH

‘Ain’t No Grave’

from the album American VI: Ain’t No Grave

Laughing in the face of such an impossible subject, ‘Ain’t No Grave’ is one of Johnny Cash’s all-time great performances, and the best from American VI. He sounds so strong and so weak at the same time, commanding the song forward and pouring everything he can into the lyrics, yet there is that vulnerability, that little bit of unease that gives a spark of brilliance to so many Cash classics. ‘Ain’t No Grave’ is simply the last in a long line of stunning performances like this.

The 100 Best Songs Of 2010: #80-71

RIHANNA ft. EMINEM

‘Love The Way You Lie Part II’

from the album Loud

Who would have thought that eighteen months or so after the Chris Brown incident, Rihanna would be singing “I guess I’m just a masochist”, on the part II of her song about domestic violence… that she made with Eminem? The second installment of ‘Love The Way You Lie’ focuses more on Rihanna’s chorus melody, and expands it into a brilliant full song, featuring one of her best vocal performances. When Eminem appears, like a ghost from the ashes of the first part, it is perhaps more affecting and powerful than any of the original.

KYLIE MINOGUE

‘Put Your Hands Up (If You Feel Love)’

from the album Aphrodite

I think it was widely expected that this would be the third single from Aphrodite, but it was passed over in favour of ‘Better Than Today’. If they get to four singles (and let’s face it, if X can get five worldwide, we can have four from this one), ‘Put Your Hands Up (If You Feel Love)’ is an obvious choice. This album was a bit more reflective and melancholy than past Kylie albums, despite at first sounding very “up” (we’ll explore that a bit later), but ‘Put Your Hands Up’ is truly happy, and as Kylie tells us that we’re gonna have fun “no matter what”, you really believe her.

CHERYL COLE

‘Promise This’

from the album Messy Little Raindrops

I really quite liked both of Cheryl’s solo albums, and have loved all of her singles so far – none of them were groundbreaking stuff but ’3 Words’ especially was a risk, and more adventurous than anybody wants to give her credit for. ‘Promise This’ is more straightforward, but it ticks all the boxes: nice enough vocals, big chorus, FRENCH BIT, excellent video. It’s almost a little lesson in how to make a hit single in 2010, even including a little nod to dramas in the real life of the popstar (‘Promise This’ was initially claimed to be about Cheryl’s malaria scare, but all it ended up being was some bits about dying before she wakes). This deserves a place on this list just for that chicken wing dance move from the video.

DAFT PUNK

‘Derezzed’

from the album TRON Legacy: Original Soundtrack

In which Daft Punk from 1997 invade Daft Punk of 2010. The TRON Legacy score is a black-tie event with all orchestras and stuff up until ‘Derezzed’, which is full of the swizzling, swirling beats and rhythms that made this duo famous. It is, of course, the best stand-alone part of the score, but also manages to work really well in context and pushes the album into exciting new directions halfway through, making sure that it never gets tedious or repetitive.

MARIAH CAREY

‘Oh Santa!’

from the album Merry Christmas II You

This song makes me happier than that pervy snowman. Bells, chanting, memories of ‘All I Want For Christmas Is You’! What more could you possibly want or need from a Mariah Carey Christmas song? The Jump Smokers Edit is amazing too, and makes me pine for a third holiday album from Mariah: Christmas On A Dance Floor.

KYLIE MINOGUE

‘Better Than Today’

from the album Aphrodite

Back on ‘Some Kind Of Bliss’ from 1997, Kylie Minogue sang that “every day is all there is”. But here in 2010, she sings “we just want tomorrow to be better than today” – there’s a tiny bit of sadness in ‘Better Than Today’, even if the music is upbeat and the chorus is catchy. On ‘Some Kind Of Bliss’ she was young and free but on ‘Better Than Today’ she is resigned to hoping for some freedom in the future. There’s a hint of that desperation that made ‘I Should Be So Lucky’ and ‘What Do I Have To Do?’ such amazing pop singles, and while this doesn’t quite scale those heights, it adds a different, slightly darker tone to Aphrodite.

ARTISTS FOR HAITI

‘We Are The World 25′

Opinion you saw coming a mile off alert: I think ‘We Are The World’ is one of the best songs ever. And I don’t think any cover will beat the original. But ‘We Are The World 25′, despite getting very bad reviews, just has too many amazing things happening with too many amazing people involved that I can’t be offended. Plus, it helps that it is very good. I don’t even mind that Justin Bieber sings the opening lines. I mean, look at what we have here: Janet Jackson singing with her recently passed brother, Barbra Streisand blowing everybody else out of the water and then immediately being followed in the lineup by Miley Cyrus, T-Pain and his autotuned contribution, Pink being generally amazing, Celine Dion (who is one of the greatest people to ever walk the planet, my banner above is a tribute to this fact) finally getting the chance to sing with her idol Fergie, the whole rap section in the middle that will either bring a smile to your face or give you a seizure depending on how you feel about hip-hop. There are so many questions: did they anticipate how people would react? Did they expect it to turn out this good even though all the signs pointed to it being terrible? Where was Cyndi Lauper to “YAH YAH YAH” over everything like she did in the original? Most importantly, what would Michael think? Well, as Michael’s representative on earth, my verdict is in: we approve of this hot mess.

DUCK SAUCE

‘Barbra Streisand’

It seems so simple, yet so genius. “Oooo-oooooo-oooooooo-ooooo-oooh. Oooo-oooooo-oooooooo-ooooo-oooh. BARBRA STREISAND”. I’m a sucker for repetitive dance tracks – I’ve played ‘Robot Rock’, ‘Satisfaction’ and ‘Destroy Rock And Roll’ to death over the years – and ‘Barbra Streisand’ is no exception. From the oooo-ing to the Babs-in-a-boat from the video, everything about this was fun and exciting and a little bit ridiculous.

KE$HA

‘We R Who We R’

from the album Cannibal

A worthy sequel to ‘Tik Tok’, ‘We R Who We R’ is a euphoric, dirty, beat driven single from a singer who specialises in them. Once again describing everything about her look and her night out, Ke$ha tells us that we’re “going hard”, and then she proceeds to go hard in that amazing chorus. When she says “we’ll be forever young”, it pretty much sums up everything great about Ke$ha and her schtick.

M.I.A.

‘Born Free’

from the album Maya

I’m not a huge fan of Maya but ‘Born Free’ probably sent my expectation up so far that no album could meet them. That video aside, ‘Born Free’ is like Yoko Ono meets Marilyn Manson meets that time Melanie C went rock. Sounds like the worst thing ever, is actually really great. You get the feeling M.I.A. is quite uncomfortable with wealth and celebrity, and she puts all the everywoman she has in her into ‘Born Free’, drowning herself in beats and drums and processed vocals. “I was booooooooooooorn FREE! B-B-BORN FREE” is one of my favourite little moments of 2010.

The 100 Best Songs Of 2010: #90-81

DAFT PUNK

‘The Game Has Changed’

from the album TRON Legacy: Original Soundtrack

One of the most thrilling little sections of the album, ‘The Game Has Changed’ charges forward in a storm of drums and strings, with electronic effects poured in at just the right times to make it all the more exciting. This perfectly captures tension and intensity, portraying a whole range of emotions and making this a clear highlight of a fantastic record.

LADY ANTEBELLUM

‘American Honey’

from the album Need You Now

This shares many elements with ‘Need You Now’ without sounding like a retread at all: the intertwined males and female voices, the pop approach with charming countrified twang, the impressive and catchy melody. It was a no-brainer for second single and became their third straight country number one and third straight single to reach the top thirty of the Hot 100. And they would have been the country crossover story of the year, if it wasn’t for that pesky Taylor Swift.

T.I. ft. CHRISTINA AGUILERA

‘Castle Walls’

from the album No Mercy

Oh boo hoo. That was my initial reaction to ‘Castle Walls’, in which T.I. and Christina Aguilera lament the life of the rich and famous, which really isn’t a subject many of us can relate to (although I’m sure it’s fascinating for them). I don’t think it will hurt this in the long run though, because as soon as you get past the theme you’ll find a worthy sequel to the melacholy classics that came from Paper Trail, ‘Live Your Life’ and ‘Dead And Gone’. Christina gives one of her most understated and emotional vocal performances, and shows a side of her voice that we don’t hear enough. In the grand tradition of ‘Love The Way You Lie’ and ‘Airplanes’, expect ‘Castle Walls’ to dominate radio in early 2011.

RIHANNA ft. DRAKE

‘What’s My Name?’

from the album Loud

This is the closest Rihanna has come to the light atmosphere of ‘If It’s Lovin’ That You Want’ and ‘We Ride’ since we all stood under her umbrella in 2007. ‘Rude Boy’ had the vibe, but it was still so aggressive. Here, she gives the man a chance to “go downtown” without forcibly pushing his head down there and then slapping him across the face with a giant dildo. No, it’s much more relaxed this time, and while Drake’s verse is still perplexing after multiple listens, ‘What’s My Name?’ will be remembered as the purest fun to be had on a Rihanna single since about 2006.

CHRISTINA AGUILERA

‘You Lost Me’

from the album Bionic

I love ‘Not Myself Tonight’ but this was still such a joy to hear as second single. In the grand tradition of ‘Hurt’, ‘Beautiful’, ‘I Turn To You’ and ‘The Voice Within’, ‘You Lost Me’ is a big ballad that makes excellent use of Christina’s obvious talents without shoving them down our collective throat. When I first heard Bionic I felt like ‘You Lost Me’ was just another one of the slowies, but it soon presented itself to be a truly amazing song, well written and with an almost perfect vocal performance.

ANNIE LENNOX

‘God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen’

from the album A Christmas Cornucopia

I’d listen to Annie Lennox sing her own shopping list so it comes as no surprise that A Christmas Cornucopia was a joy to behold. Basically every track is a standout because they all employ that wonderful voice but ‘God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen’ is especially rich and beautiful, with big drums and big booming Annie and big everything else. Let’s face it, there aren’t many vocalists in pop these days that match her for versatility or pure raw talent. God bless ye Annie Lennox.

B.o.B. ft. HAYLEY WILLIAMS & EMINEM

‘Airplanes Part II’

from the album B.o.B. Presents: The Adventures Of Bobby Ray

The subject of much derision and parody across 2010, ‘Airplanes’ was a huge, huge hit, and is actually a very good song if you look past the overplayed hook (which is still really great even after all that overexposure). As I’ve shown in my love for ‘Castle Walls’ and will show in my love for ‘Love The Way You Lie’, I adore the sad-rapper-sad-female-popstar formula and it is yet to get old for me, especially when the songs are as good as this. Part II is obviously superior to the original thanks to Eminem showing up and making everything that little bit better like he always does.

NICKI MINAJ

‘Girls Fall Like Dominoes’

from the album Pink Friday

Anchored by a huge Big Pink sample which drives the song along, ‘Girls Fall Like Dominoes’ is another chance for Nicki to brag about anything and everything, but you know what? I love listening to Nicki talk about how great she is, because I really believe it. With some other rappers it gets tedious but certain artists keep finding interesting ways to tell us about their strengths. From the namechecking of everyone from Madonna to Beyoncé to Grace Jones to the excellent production from J.R. Rotem, this is one of the best songs on Pink Friday, even if it is “just” a bonus track.

JAY-Z, RIHANNA, BONO & THE EDGE

‘Stranded (Haiti Mon Amour)’

from the album Hope For Haiti Now

Hip-hop king Jay-Z, pop singer Rihanna and rock legends U2 (without the other two)? It seems like an unlikely combination but it works very well and symbolises the unity between genres that comes from an event like Hope For Haiti Now. Rihanna amusingly drowns out Bono a little bit but their joint vocals work very well, while the whole thing is brought together by Jay-Z’s verses. It’s great to hear a charity single that is not just a lazy cover. This was put together with a lot of thought by very talented people, and you can hear that clearly in the final product.

PINK

‘Fuckin’ Perfect’

from the album Greatest Hits… So Far!!!

Both singles from the Pink hits album have been outsider anthems for the ages. ‘Raise Your Glass’ was the one you scream along to, ‘Fuckin’ Perfect’ was made for nights when you feel extra melodramatic (i.e. every night for some of us). In the grand tradition of ‘Don’t Let Me Get Me’, ‘Family Portrait’ and ‘Please Don’t Leave Me’, this wheels out desperate, strained (vocal-wise, I mean) Pink, the one who is sitting on the ground crying, wearing a big tutu-style dress and too much eyeliner like it’s 2002 all over again. All of these things are positives, and ‘Fuckin’ Perfect’ slots in easily with the other classics on Greatest Hits.

The 26 Best Albums Of 2010: #8. Eminem – Recovery

Released June 18, 2010

1. Cold Wind Blows
2. Talkin’ 2 Myself ft. Kobe
3. On Fire
4. Won’t Back Down ft. Pink
5. W.T.P.
6. Going Through Changes
7. Not Afraid
8. Seduction
9. No Love ft. Lil’ Wayne
10. Space Bound
11. Cinderella Man
12. 25 To Life
13. So Bad
14. Almost Famous
15. Love The Way You Lie ft. Rihanna
16. You’re Never Over
17. Untitled
iTunes bonus tracks
18. Ridaz
19. Session One ft. Slaughterhouse

I loved Relapse. Absolutely loved it. I might like it even more than I like Recovery, the make-or-break follow-up. But it was clear Eminem needed something more to really make that comeback he’d been talking about, so we got this, a very serious but very good album about… well, it’s all about Eminem of course, his comeback, his career, his personal life. It wouldn’t feel right if most of the tracks weren’t personal.

But there were some clear differences this time. First of all, there was no joke single to lead the album, no ‘We Made You’, no ‘Just Lose It’ or ‘Without Me’. Instead, we got the determined ‘Not Afraid’, a mission statement for this era, which was followed by the massive Rihanna collaboration ‘Love The Way You Lie’ and then the ferocious ‘No Love’. Among the standout songs that haven’t been singles yet: ‘Won’t Back Down’, in which Pink unexpectedly fits perfectly, and great big emotional “moments” like ‘Going Through Changes’ and ’25 To Life’. The album is very long, which is usually a bad thing, and it could maybe have been trimmed by four or five songs, but there are many songs to look forward to towards the end and the pacing is good so it doesn’t make the whole thing suffer too much.

Recovery also sees the return of angry Eminem. Not content with horror-style raps like on 2009’s ‘3AM’, this is back to ‘Kim’ style intensity (if not quite as good) on songs like ‘Untitled’ and ‘Almost Famous’. It feels like this artist really cares again about every word he says, and while I can’t call it a return to form because I don’t feel like he ever really fell from grace, this is most certainly a new and exciting step forward.