Essential Pop Songs of 2010 (Pt. 1)

Methodology: A song was eligible for consideration only if it peaked on the Billboard Hot 100 in the year 2010, and only if it peaked within the Top 40. There were 193 songs that qualified, and after listening to ALL of them a few times, I chose 40 that I felt were essential to the understanding of pop music in 2010. This is about 20.73% percent of the songs that were eligible.

A few other notes:

28 songs (or 14.5% of those eligible) were recordings by the Glee Cast. These were automatically disqualified.

Not counting features, five artists have two songs on the overall list.

Counting features, six artists have two songs on the overall list.

Counting features, one artist has three songs on the overall list.

“TIK TOK” by KESHA

Released: August 7th, 2009

Hot 100 Peak: January 2nd, 2010 (#1)

Kesha kicks off the year, the decade, and her career with “Tik Tok”, the soundtrack to a video game in which the only objective is to get as drunk - and have as much fun - as possible. This damn song is an undeniable classic. From “Wake up in the morning lookin’ like P Diddy” to “Kick ‘em to the curb unless they look like Mick Jagger” to “Now the party don’t start ‘til I walk in”, nearly every lyric is instantly quotable. Though Kesha’s music became more layered and concrete as her career progressed, “Tik Tok” feels destined to be her signature song.

“TRY SLEEPING WITH A BROKEN HEART” by ALICIA KEYS

Released: November 17th, 2009

Hot 100 Peak: January 2nd, 2010 (#27)

Alicia Keys’ admiration of Prince is well documented. For her 2001 debut album, she covered his ballad “How Come U Don’t Call Me Anymore?”, and she’s noted his influence on her in numerous interviews. But “Try Sleeping with a Broken Heart” is her most explicit homage, in which Keys coos about her heartsickness over gorgeous synths and booming 1980s drums. The song also marks a expansion of Keys’ sound out of piano-driven neo soul into the wider world of contemporary R&B.

“REPLAY” by IYAZ

Released: July 7th, 2009

Hot 100 Peak: January 9th, 2010 (#2)

Virgin Islander Iyaz found fame with the help of fellow reggae pop artist Sean Kingston, and his debut single “Replay” is a more confident pop song than anything Kingston has ever recorded. The song mixes reggae, dancehall, hip-hop, a playful puppy love performance by Iyaz, and a spectacularly dated reference to a broken iPod into something that’s greater than the sum of its parts.

“TWO IS BETTER THAN ONE” by BOYS LIKE GIRLS (feat. TAYLOR SWIFT)

Released: October 19th, 2009

Hot 100 Peak: January 30th, 2010 (#18)

What to do if you’re a moderately successfully, mid-2000s pop-punk band realizing your chosen genre’s time in the spotlight is over? If you’re Boys Like Girls, you team up with Taylor Swift (at the height of her power as America’s sweetheart) and record a good, old-fashioned power ballad duet. The harmonies here make this a prime candidate for belting along in your car or the shower, and lyrics like “I remember what you wore on our first date/You came into my life and I thought hey” are too cute to resist.

“BABY” by JUSTIN BIEBER (feat. LUDACRIS)

Released: January 18th, 2010

Hot 100 Peak: February 6th, 2010 (#5)

Sixteen year old Justin croons like a young Stevie Wonder on the intro to this track before launching into a soaring, catchy love song with the most pulsing, finger-snapping, 2010 production you can imagine. Ludacris comes off as a older brother figure in a short but sweet verse. It might have been cool to bash Bieber back in the day (and admittedly, still to this day), but with “Baby”, he announced his arrival as a pop star to be taken seriously.

“GLITTER IN THE AIR” by PINK

Released: January 31st, 2010

Hot 100 Peak: February 20th, 2010 (#18)

During her first decade in the pop game, Pink was a rebel. A provocateur. But “Glitter in the Air”, from her fifth album Funhouse, offers an understated narrative about love and vulnerability. The simple piano backing was a pleasant alternative to the maximalism currently en vogue on the charts, and her acrobatic performance of the song at the 2010 Grammys marked “Glitter in the Air” as worthy of a place in pop history.

“IMMA BE” by THE BLACK EYED PEAS

Released: December 15th, 2009

Hot 100 Peak: March 6th, 2010 (#1)

For every obnoxious or cringeworthy moment on The Black Eyes Peas’ blockbuster 2009 album THE E.N.D., there was another offered truly exciting pop. “Imma Be” - a song that mixes dirty South hip-hop, jazz, funk, and dance - is the clear artistic highlight of the era. The song feels repetitive at first, but listen all the way through and you’ll hear it evolve into something truly special. If you surrender yourself to the song, you can almost hear the future.

“SAY AAH” by TREY SONGZ (feat. FABOLOUS)

Released: December 11th, 2009

Hot 100 Peak: March 13th, 2010 (#9)

Like Jeremih’s “Birthday Sex” the year before, Trey Songz sings an ode to celebrating a birthday in more than one way. “Say Aah” is that song’s rambunctious prequel. The tempo’s picked up, and Trey Songz’s youthful energy runs through the whole song. Try and resist singing along to “We don’t buy no drinks at the bbaarrrr”. I dare you.

“NEED YOU NOW” by LADY ANTEBELLUM

Released: August 11th, 2009

Hot 100 Peak: March 20th, 2010 (#2)

The vocal interplay between Charles Kelley and Hillary Scott has never been stronger than on “Need You Now”, the dark and emotional lead single from the band’s second album. Everything about the song - the lyrics, the tone of the instrumentation - is an example of the perfect country/pop crossover. Lady Antebellum may have never reached the peaks of “Need You Now” again, but the song is a stunning entry into the pop pantheon.

“RUDE BOY” by RIHANNA

Released: February 19th, 2010

Hot 100 Peak: March 27th, 2010 (#1)

In the aftermath of a violent assault at the hands of her then-boyfriend Chris Brown, Rihanna’s fourth album Rated R walked a fine line between aggressive alpha-bitch posturing and vulnerability. “Rude Boy” is the perfect example of this dichotomy, with a Caribbean backing track bouncing along behind lyrics such as “Buckle up, imma give it to you stronger/Hands up, we can go a little longer”. You might wonder if any rude boys could ever be big enough for her, but you’re too busy dancing along to worry about it.

“TELEPHONE” by LADY GAGA (feat. BEYONCE)

Released: January 26th, 2010

Hot 100 Peak: April 3rd, 2010 (#3)

Two of the era’s biggest pop stars came together (though, not for the first time) on “Telephone”, a staggering whirlwind through a night at a club during which some dumb guy won’t stop calling. Beyonce’s verse is short but satisfying, and Lady Gaga’s vocals are as processed and detached as the lyrics would have you believe. The music video is a work of art as well, an ambitious sequel to Gaga’s 2009 video for “Paparazzi”.

“WHATAYA WANT FROM ME?” by ADAM LAMBERT

Released: November 24th, 2009

Hot 100 Peak: May 1st, 2010 (#10)

Adam Lambert may have come in second place on the eighth season of American Idol, but he was the biggest possible star the show had seen in years. Not to mention, he came out in a Rolling Stone cover story. When the dust cleared, we were left with his debut album For Your Entertainment, and it didn’t disappoint. One of the best songs is “Whataya Want from Me?”, which goes from a brooding ballad to a larger-than-life glam rock song that even Poison would be jealous of. And it shows off Lambert’s impressive falsetto, too.

“BREAKEVEN” by THE SCRIPT

Released: November 24th, 2008

Hot 100 Peak: May 15th, 2010 (#12)

The Script, an upstart rock band from Ireland, exploded onto the scene with their intelligent and heartsick power ballad “Breakeven”. The song is the inner monologue of anyone who’s ever been dumped and left to sit along, wondering what went wrong and how to get over it. Lines like “She’s moved on and I’ve trouble sleeping” hit a little too close to home.

“HAVEN’T MET YOU YET” by MICHAEL BUBLE

Released: August 31st, 2009

Hot 100 Peak: June 5th, 2010 (#24)

Sometimes all a pop song needs to be is a simple love song. Michael Buble (who had previously made a career reinterpreting classic pop and jazz standards) led off his fourth album with an original, “Haven’t Met You Yet”. It was a hit, and it’s not hard to see why - with a fun piano backing not dissimilar to a Sara Bareilles song and Buble crooning over the top, the song is downright adorable. The fact that he met his real life wife on the set of the music video is the cherry on top.

“THE HOUSE THAT BUILT ME” by MIRANDA LAMBERT

Released: March 8th, 2010

Hot 100 Peak: June 5th, 2010 (#28)

As earnest as pop music gets, “The House That Built Me” is Miranda Lambert’s bittersweet ode to her childhood. The song captures the dual feeling of wanting to escape while also appreciating where you came from. Lambert sells lines like “I thought if I could touch this place, I’d feel it” and you come to the sad conclusion that, like she told us in the first lyric of the song, you never can go home again. Not exactly.

“YOUR LOVE IS MY DRUG” by KESHA

Released: May 14th, 2010

Hot 100 Peak: June 12th, 2010 (#4)



After “Tik Tok” introduced Kesha’s party-girl persona, and “Blah Blah Blah” reinforced it, she offers something unexpected with her third single - an honest pop song. And she pulls it off without sacrificing her personality. “Your Love is My Drug” is more euphoric bubblegum pop than we’re used to from Kesha, and quick little asides like “Do you wanna have a slumber party in my basement?” make us love her all the more. I like your beard.

“BULLETPROOF” by LA ROUX

Released: June 21st, 2009

Hot 100 Peak: June 12th, 2010 (#8)



La Roux hits the charts with an androgynous vibe and an electro ear worm hit single in “Bulletproof”. The song might be an elaborate and layered homage to dark pop of the 1980s (the chugging-along pace of the background synths particularly recall something Depeche Mode might have recorded) but the lyrics are simple and empowering, and effective for the modern day.

“CALIFORNIA GURLS” by KATY PERRY (feat. SNOOP DOGG)

Released: May 7th, 2010

Hot 100 Peak: June 19th, 2010 (#1)



With “California Gurls”, Katy Perry kicks off her Teenage Dream era as well as her string of #1 hits matched only by Michael Jackson herself. “California Gurls” was the undeniable Song of the Summer 2010, and the song wears it well, with references to “sand in our stilettos” and “daisy dukes, bikinis on top”. Snoop Dogg’s verse is pretty perfect as well, and even the original Beach Boy Brian Wilson called the melody infectious. “California Gurls” makes a day at the beach seem a little more glamorous.

“ALL I DO IS WIN” by DJ KHALED (feat. LUDACRIS, T-PAIN, RICK ROSS & SNOOP DOGG)

Released: February 8th, 2010

Hot 100 Peak: June 26th, 2010 (#24)



Is this song kind-of ridiculous? Sure. Did it inspire countless insufferable sports montage videos? You bet. But there’s a sense that everyone involved is in on the joke. In a playful appearance from Ludacris, he comments “And I’m on this foolish track/so I spit this foolish flow”. Still, this song is an effective party anthem, and when you hear “Everybody’s hands go up! And they stay there”, it’s hard not to obey orders.

“ALEJANDRO” by LADY GAGA

Released: April 20th, 2010

Hot 100 Peak: June 26th, 2010 (#5)



Lady Gaga is obviously no stranger to throwing pop music a curveball, and “Alejandro” is exactly that. Though pop music of the era was pulling heavily from European dance music, “Alejandro” favors a darker, disco-lite sound similar to the music of ABBA. Lady Gaga evokes yearning as well as guarded insecurity while churning out hooks in every section of the song, most notably the instantly catchy “You know that I love you boy/Hot like Mexico, rejoice!”