As the year comes to an end, Her Campus is reflecting on the best of 2011 and I’m here to break down each of the top songs. This doesn’t necessarily mean these are the best, but these are songs that really defined 2011 for most of us. Now without further ado, here are HC BC’s top 10 songs of the year!
10. Mean- Taylor Swift
T.Swift and I have a love-hate relationship. The drama in her songs is sometimes so ridiculous and annoying, yet at the same time, I have to appreciate her talent as a singer-songwriter. Also, if you have never driven in the car alone while blasting her songs and singing along…. well, you’re just lying. Nominated for two Grammys this year, Taylor has once again captured America’s hearts with “Mean.” Even though when she sings the lyrics “All you are is mean/and a liar, and pathetic, and alone in life,” I picture her coming at me with a chainsaw, there’s still something oddly endearing about it. The Princess of Country reigns on.
9. Little Lion Man- Mumford and Sons
Although their album came out in 2010, it’s clear Mumford and Sons has been a standout group in 2011. When it came to choosing a song, this one was really tough for me. “Little Lion Man” or “The Cave”? “The Cave” was nominated for three Grammys and would be the obvious choice, but ever since I saw my pretend best friend Sara Bareilles cover “Little Lion Man” at a concert in Providence last spring, it’s been my favorite. The chorus is really fun to sing in the car (can you tell that I enjoy singing in the car?) or when you’re just really angry, and that build up of “Oooohs” about two and half minutes in is just the best.
8. Last Friday Night (T.G.I.F.)- Katy Perry
Katy Perry had a pretty average year. Her album “Teenage Dream” just casually became the seventh album in history to produce six Top 10 hit singles. I usually like her songs, although most of the time they tend to blow up and then I end up hating them really fast. However, this is not the case with “Last Friday Night.” I come back from class every Friday afternoon, and every time, there is always someone blasting this song throughout CoRo. It gets me excited for the weekend in a way that hasn’t been seen since Rebecca Black’s “Friday.” I also can confirm that her poignant lyrics, “Pictures of last night/ended up online/I’m screwed/Oh well” have definitely spoken to each of us at some point.
7. Every Teardrop Is A Waterfall- Coldplay
This is one of the biggest songs off of Coldplay’s latest album “Mylo Xyloto,” but I truly love every one. I kind of forgot about Coldplay in general up until now, but this album made me realize again how awesome they are. I think the best word to describe this song in particular is an anthem. I would love to see them perform this in a huge stadium. On another note, I also recently came to the conclusion that Coldplay has awesome music videos. The one for this song is really cool, but I am also obsessed with the one for their other hit song, “Paradise.” I just want to be one of those elephants so bad.
6. We Found Love- Rihanna ft. Calvin Harris
We all know Rihanna is a hit machine. If I were really considering her top song for 2011 overall, it would probably be “S&M.” However, I didn’t anticipate the blowup that would be “We Found Love.” Who doesn’t love this song? I’m not even a huge Rihanna fan, but this song has everything. The opening monologue by that girl with the spectacular British accent? So deep, RiRi. A catchy chorus and that crazy techno explosion, too? Perfection. Again, I’m going mention the music video. The video for “We Found Love” is incredible, and I think we all know where she got her inspiration.
5. Look At Me Now- Chris Brown ft. Lil Wayne and Busta Rhymes
Speaking of Rihanna’s inspiration, there’s no denying that Chris Brown and his fantastic crew of Weezy and Busta killed this one. I’d like to give a public thanks to all of them for helping me incorporate “Leggo” into my everyday vocabulary. Seriously though, I used to lose it upon hearing those five beats and the “Shhh” in the beginning, where I would then proceed to bust out in song and dance simultaneously. I’ve never really appreciated actual rapping skills before, but Busta is my hero in this song. My roommate spent a straight week listening to his verse on repeat until she had it down. This song just never gets old for me. Thanks boys.
4. Moves Like Jagger- Maroon 5 ft. Christina Aguilera
Similar to Coldplay, Maroon 5 re-won my affections this year with their latest album “Hands All Over” (side note: that album cover? Damn.). I love the whole album, but “Moves Like Jagger” obviously takes the cake. Weirdly, I first heard this song from my dad, and I got to hand it to him on this one- nice find, Dad. Any song that encourages you to dance is usually a win in my book. Add in Xtina for some power vocals and we have a hit on our hands. I’m sure my growing love for Adam Levine is also a factor in this- don’t even get me started on his performance of this song at the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show.
3. Yoü and I- Lady Gaga
I’ve liked Lady Gaga for a while, but I didn’t become a full-fledged Little Monster until her “Born This Way” album was released last spring. Yeah, she’s extremely weird, but I like how I never know what she’s going to do next. That’s why “Yoü and I” was a huge surprise for me. It differs slightly from her dance-pop style; in fact, there’s a definite country sound in there. It just shows that she really has a great voice to back up all the crazy stuff she does. Not to mention, BC’s very own Acoustics just added a fabulous new rendition of the song to their repertoire earlier this month.
2. Super Bass- Nicki Minaj
I haven’t felt such girl power from a song since the Spice Girls. It’s one of those songs where you just know it’ll come on when you’re 80 years old, and you’ll still know every word. Nicki is simply unbeatable right now and I can’t wait for more from her. Also, Sophia Grace and Rosie, those two little British YouTube sensations, make Super Bass that much better.
1. Someone Like You- Adele
Ok, so this wasn’t even really a contest, we all knew Adele would take the number one spot. I considered “Rolling in the Deep”, but “Someone Like You” has had a lasting impact the whole year and is just powerful in every way. Adele has said she wouldn’t mind this song being the one that defines her career, and to her I say: hey girl, guess what? I think you did it. I’m not going to go on about this since we all know Adele is a goddess among us mortals, so I think the cast of Saturday Night Live sums it up best:
Photo Source:
http://www.metrolyrics.com/blog-2011-american-music-awards-prediction-artist-of-the-year.html
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