I’ve barely used Tumblr since I posted my singles list last year, but it’s always great to keep a personal record of one’s favourite songs because you can guarantee there’ll be at least 50 more to obsess over next year.
As always with these things the ‘rules’ and such of singles in ambiguous at best, so I’ve picked what I consider to be songs promoted by the artist in 2011.
I have narrowed it down to 50 songs and these are them, starting with 50 down to 41:
50. ’Every Teardrop Is A Waterfall’ - Coldplay
A really good song to kick things off.
49. ’She Makes Me Wanna’ - JLS
This is basically RedOne by numbers (and those numbers are 3-0-0-0-0 with a pound sign in front) but this is one of their most enjoyable offerings.
48. ’Kicking and Screaming’ - Oh My!
I MEAN IT I MEAN IT I MEAN IT…when I say I like this song.
47. ’Think About It’ - Melanie C
Our Mel doesn’t really have a good track record for picking the best songs for singles, but while this one doesn’t necessarily represent the album’s sound, it’s damn catchy and certainly one of her best releases.
46. ’What The Hell’ - Avril Lavigne
I prefer Avril when she’s near making me weep, but when she does fun she does it right.
45. ’Wet’ - Nicole Scherzinger
She wants to rip her clothes off, take a leap and surf through the crowd. And so I do when I listen to this. +1 Scherzy.
44. ’Perfume’ - Parade
There’s so much potential in this girl group it’s unreal. Unfortunately not so much in their material, although I did find this one particularly addictive.
43. ’Nova’ - The Sound of Arrows
Epic.
42. ’Super Bass’ - Nicki Minaj
I can’t say I paid too much attention to this until Little Mix performed it on The X Factor, but that chorus is undeniably good.
The first of well, every Lady Gaga single released this year, I’m not going to lie: I love Lady Gaga. This Shania Twain-esque stompalong, wailalong was definitely a highlight, mostly because it’s her first non-wanky ballad. Hurrah!
39. ’I Follow Rivers’ - Lykke Li
It’s quite plonky and wonderful.
38. ’Without You’ - David Guetta featuring Usher
One of my favourite dance songs of the year for its Daft Punk qualities.
37. ’Lucky Day’ - Nicola Roberts
A bit of a slow starter for me, I’m still not sure if MWAHMWAHMWAHMWAH thrills or annoys me. The video is also quite terrible. However, the shrill tone she’s adopted for her solo campaign has actually grown on me and the chorus is so joyful - how can you not be pleased with a joyful Nicola Roberts in the end.
36. ’Good Girl’ - Alexis Jordan
I missed out on ‘Happiness’ last year so I latched on to ‘Good Girl’ instead. ‘Happiness’ would probably be Top 3 in this list.
35. ’Run The World (Girls)’ - Beyoncé
A bit of a lazy comeback single for Queen Bey but it’s catchy as fuck and quite anthemic and big and I sort of love it.
34. ’The Last Dance’ - Claire Maguire
Gorgeous.
33. ’Right There’ - Nicole Scherzinger
I’m finding a theme with my list whereby I don’t think many of the songs are technically very good and yet I enjoy them immensely. This is one of those.
32. ’What Makes You Beautiful’ - One Direction
I don’t think anyone was expecting anything as good as this from 1D. The kind of great boyband song that makes me resent Westlife’s entire career even more.
31. ’Born This Way’ - Lady Gaga
Let’s be honest, this is a terrible single but it had to have its moment. It’s the song that’s defined this era. And I love love LOVE the video.
This is part three of five, and I am already regretting adding waffle to each entry as I am no music journalist.
We live and we learn.
30. ’Freedom’ - Sugababes
Gone are the days when we would all stan over the next amazing Sugababes single, and yet after the tacky Sweet 7 and despite no Keisha, this was something of a return to form for me. It’s not perfect and there’s no way Sugababes will ever be ‘a thing’ again I give them +1 for effort.
29. ’Someone Like You’ - Adele
No doubt overplayed JUST A TAD, there’s no denying this was a highlight of 2011.
28. ’Collide’ - Leona Lewis
Everyone wanted Leona to do dance. Leona did dance. People didn’t like it.
27. ’The Shield and the Sword’ - Claire Maguire
More quality pop from her album Light After Dark.
26. ’Set Fire To The Rain’ - Adele
Adele’s best song yet. Fact.
25. ’Love You Like A Love Song’ - Selena Gomez & The Scene
I never paid any attention to Selena before she released When The Sun Goes Down but after one listen this quirky, almost hypnotic pop ditty stood out instantly.
24. ’Love U More’ - Sunday Girl
I know nothing of this artist but listened to this out of curiosity as Steps once covered the song and it was always a favourite. This is now the ultimate version to me.
23. ’Moves Like Jagger’ - Maroon 5 featuring Christina Aguilera
Let’s face it, you can’t help whistling along to this. It’s one of those songs that you can tell achieved everything it set out to - and then some. God knows where Adam Levine pulled it out from but I’m glad he did. Xtina elevates it to an even higher level.
This is part four of five, and the Britney songs were ON.
20. ’Till The World Ends’ - Britney Spears
Every Britney song from this era was amazing. There is no escaping this. Perhaps all four should have been The List and have done with it. But no, one had to place the lowest. It is most certainly one of Britney’s best ever ever singles though.
19. ’We Found Love’ - Rihanna
The post-chorus rave up is out of this world. This won’t be remembered as one RiRi’s best long term but it’s easy to see why this is one of the biggest hits of the year.
18. ’E.T.’ - Katy Perry
Made better by the video and then again by Little Mix’s performance on The X Factor this is my fave KP song from all of Teenage Dream. And no, ‘Last Friday Night (T.G.I.F)’ is not on this list sozzles.
17. ’Criminal’ - Britney Spears
Flawless Britney song is flawless. It was like Music/American Life era Madonna had been resurrected inside Britney, except The Queen is still very much alive and our Princess just did a very good job of replicating that amazing sound.
16. ’All Fired Up’ - The Saturdays
Xenomania cheat on Girls Aloud with The Saturdays and the result is this fairly generic but overall addictive dance song. Altogether now: ON YOUR RAIDER, GIBBY GIBBY GIBBY ON YOUR RAIDER…
15. ’Louder’ - Parade
This is such a basic pop song and yet it has such an infectious element to it, you can’t help but come back for more.
14. ’The Edge of Glory’ - Lady Gaga
I’m still far from keen on the saxophone element (DOWN WITH SAX IN POP ETC), and Kitty Off Of X Factor tainted this slightly in my eyes, but this song is almost perfect. The song that will probably be remembered most fondly from the Born This Way era.
13. ’On The Floor’ - Jennifer Lopez
The sample that almost didn’t work ended up working very well indeed. The version I play is without Pitbull because he is awful. You should all do the same because let’s face it, you get a middle 8 then and who doesn’t like them? Pitbull that’s who. :((((
12. ’Hold It Against Me’ - Britney Spears
HEY. OVER THERE. PLEASE FORGIVE ME. IF I’M COMING ON TOO STRONG. Sang Britney through her nose. But hey, this is a Britney song with a motherfucking dubstep breakdown, and that is pop science that cannot be argued with.
11. ’Marry The Night’ - Lady Gaga
I knew this would be special when the instrumental track was played on one of the Gagavision episodes. I was not disappointed. The video was also a triumph. After about the 8 minute mark.
This is the final part where I count down from 10 to 1.
10. ’Toes’ - Lights
The best rhyming of “anticipating” and “waiting” since Madonna’s last four attempts.
9. ’Don’t Hold Your Breath’ - Nicole Scherzinger
A breezy, effortless, glorious song.
8. ’I Wanna Go’ - Britney Spears
I I I WANNA GO O O ALL THE WAY EH EH back to my iTunes to play the shit out of the song. I have no words, I just want to sing every word in your face. SHAME ON ME. TO NEED RELEASE. UNCONTROLL-A-BLEE.
7. ’Notorious’ - The Saturdays
I’M AN OUTLAWR, I’M THE BIG BOSS, I’M A GANGSTER ON THE DANCEFLOOR. Look, when all you want to do is quote song lyrics that’s when you know you have run out of ideas are addicted to a song beyond all hope. An epic tour opener, this is The Saturdays done right.
6. ’Popular - Eric Saade
Also known as the song that should have been crowned winner of the Eurovision Song Contest 2011. I mean, where the fuck are Ell and Nikki now? CALLING THEMSELVES ELDAR AND NIGAR THAT’S WHERE. But it’s okay, I’m not bitter about this still. SMASHED GLASS. KEY CHANGE. HANDSOME CHAP. Bloody hell, Europe.
5. ’Jealousy’ - Will Young
A glorious return for Will, producing the best material so far of his ten year career. The single version was something, but the album version excelled beyond anything he’s done before. Truly beautiful.
4. ’Radioactive’ - Marina And The Diamonds
An absolute travesty that this was not a major hit, this teaser song for Marina’s upcoming second album reached #25 on the chart, 24 places lower than its right as an amazing pop song. MY. HEART. IS NU-CLEAR. LOVE. IS. ALL THAT I FEAR. Bliss.
3. ’Beat of My Drum’ - Nicola Roberts
A real case of girl (aloud) done good, the debut single from the Great Ginger One was the biggest surprise of the year for a lot of people. It may not have caught on with the general public but it had fans and critics alike creaming their pants as this new side of lil’ Nicola, the formerly shy and retiring member of Girls Aloud, shone through the chants of L! O! V! E! and Diplo beat. She basically showed Beyoncé up and not many people do that.
2. ’Judas’ - Lady Gaga
I was addicted to this song above any other this year. The pounding beats, chants of “JUDAS, JUDA-AH!” and almost indecipherable verses made this a song I NEEDED to hear again and again, if only to understand what the fuck she was going on about. Not that knowing the lyrics guarantees that with Gaga. Everything from the song to the image to the video hit the spot with me and it is absolutely my favourite Gaga song so far.
1. ’Lost Without You’ - Vanbot
I’m not completely sure why I’ve chosen this as my favourite song of 2011. I haven’t played it that much compared to others on the list. I don’t even know if it was a single. But everytime I hear it it just takes me somewhere else. It’s almost a retread of my #1 song of last year, Robyn’s ‘Dancing On My Own’, and yet it’s somehow more.
