Top 10 Best Hit Songs of 2011

Happy holidays folks! Yeah, I know Christmas has passed by now, but Chanukah is still happening and New Year’s is just around the corner, so I’m counting it. Now then, I hope I didn’t give the impression that I don’t like more modern music on my last list. In some ways, I feel like I enjoy exploring modern music more than earlier music. With older songs, I’m usually out of touch with what they represented and only find out their cultural significance through research. The music of today doesn’t give me this problem; I know exactly what made certain songs as important as they were. I was there too; I witnessed their impact on society. So that makes talking about them much easier.

That’s not the only reason why I felt more comfortable reviewing music from 2011 than I did from 1962. There was also the fact that 2011 was a much better year for the pop charts. Music had a lot more diversity and the seeds of trends from that year would see faster results the following year than those of 1962. Speaking of diversity, trends and the music of the times, honorable mentions! Go!

Roll Up (Wiz Khalifa) [56; 13; 15 weeks]

I didn’t completely understand the appeal of Wiz Khalifa at first. This song, however, gave me a much better understanding of why he became famous. The production on this song is on point, and Wiz’s delivery gives me good reason to believe he can handle the position of the supportive lover figure. Granted, there is still the implication of stealing a girl from her man, but he doesn’t come across as doing it to rub it in the guy’s face or just to get in her pants. It sounds like he seriously does care about this girl’s feelings and seeing her happy. Kind of wish he did more music like this.

Fast Lane (Bad Meets Evil) [--; 32; 1 week]

This song did a much better job at proving a collaboration with Royce da 5’9” could help reinvigorate Eminem’s career. The pair both get equal time in the spotlight, they play off of each other well and the tone seems a lot more in line with Em’s usual presentation. Yet this wasn’t the song that got popular, which is a shame because it runs circles around ‘Lighters’, not just in its more focused tone, but also in the much smoother delivery by the artists on the track. Here’s hoping that, should they collaborate again, they’ll make more music like this.

Love On Top (Beyoncé) [--; 20; 1 week]

Now this is a Beyoncé song I can get behind. Her singing here is fantastic and the song has a nice groove to it. Normally when Beyoncé sings it feels like she’s repeatedly punching someone in the face, unless she’s singing love songs in which case she usually sounds uninvested. She definitely sounds excited and enthusiastic here though. I don’t know if she’s sung a love song this good since ‘Crazy In Love’. Good on you Beyoncé. Here’s hoping you put out more music like this at some point.

Niggas in Paris (Jay-Z & Kanye West) [--; 6; 12 weeks]

Talk about a study in contrast. You wouldn’t think that Jay-Z and Kanye would work well together. Jay-Z tends to exercise an incredible amount of control on his output whereas Kanye’s become infamous for letting out every stupid idea that crosses his mind almost the instant it crosses it. And yet, the pair plays off of each other well here. I guess what really elevates this song are the forces of personalities both artists bring to the table. It’s just a towering pillar of ego that both men are able to make work despite their conflicting presentations, and the song’s lack of a chorus. Also, random Will Ferrell reference!

Marvin’s Room (Drake) [--; 21; 3 weeks]

I have mixed feelings about Drake. I think he’s capable of making decent music, but his output tends to be pretty uneven. That said he does still have songs I like, like this one. I guess what wins me over here is that it must take a lot of guts to deliberately make yourself look this stupid. The difference between this song and ‘Sexy and I Know It’ is this: that song tried to take what was barely a joke and make it seem funny. ‘Marvin’s Room’ is not a joke; it is completely, soul-crushingly serious. This is what I imagine Drake drunk calling someone would sound like.

Now then, I’m on one, so let’s get to it! We’re counting down…

…THE TOP 10 BEST HIT SONGS OF 2011!

#10.

#10. Paradise (Coldplay) [--; 15; 10 weeks]

…AND…

#9. Every Teardrop is a Waterfall (Coldplay) [--; 14; 6 weeks]

A while back, I mentioned that I was a Coldplay fan, and that still holds true. I didn’t really keep up with their output after 2005 though. So I ended up skipping past ‘Viva La Vida’, despite it supposedly being everywhere. I finally caught back up with them around 2011 and 2012, when I heard some of their newer music of the time, specifically this first song, ‘Paradise’. I only found out about ‘Every Teardrop is a Waterfall’ some time after the fact; mostly because I found out I really dig the guitar line from that song.

Anyway, ‘Paradise’ is a fairly simple song; it’s about a girl who fantasizes about escaping from the world and going to the titular paradise in her mind. The lyrics are not exactly much to write home about, but then the main focus of the song isn’t in the lyrics. No, the song’s primary focus is in the instrumentation and Chris Martin’s vocals. As is usual, the band is able to set up a really pretty, atmospheric framework on the song that Chris Martin’s falsetto caps off fantastically well. So it’s not that different from most of Coldplay’s other work.

This can definitely not be said of ‘Every Teardrop is a Waterfall’, which is why I placed it a bit higher on the list. According to Chris Martin, this song, and all of the songs on their ‘Mylo Xyloto’ album were about “trying to turn bad things into good things somehow”. I can see that in ‘Paradise’ with its theme of running away to a safe haven in one’s mind. ‘Every Teardrop is a Waterfall’, however, eludes me. It mentions rebel songs and balancing between two trapezes, but it never seems to expand much on either of these things. Much like with ‘Paradise’ though, I don’t think the lyrics actually matter that much; the song’s main driving point is that guitar lick.

I ultimately feel like this was a tie of sorts. I think both songs are equally good for different reasons. ‘Paradise’ is more atmospheric and emotional while ‘Every Teardrop is a Waterfall’ is more iconic and powerful. They’re both at least better than the other song Coldplay released around this time: ‘Princess of China’, which had potential but squandered it. I’ll take these two songs over that any day. Maybe we could try to follow Coldplay’s example and find a way to find something good out of something bad ourselves.

#8.

R&B has certainly gone through a decline over the years. It makes me sad to think we went from such acts as Little Richard, Chuck Berry and Nat King Cole to the disposable nothings of songs from guys like Taio Cruz, Trey Songz, and worse yet, Chris Brown and Jason Derulo. Of course, prior to these losers, and even to some extent today, there was one artist that held the mantle as the male R&B artist of the time. That man’s name was Usher Raymond IV.

#8. More (Remix) (Usher) [61; 15; 16 weeks]

There’s a reason Usher is the only R&B artist today that comes anywhere close to being the next Michael Jackson. Justin Timberlake is a close second, but his work hasn’t been as consistently good. That’s not to say everything Usher’s released has been gold either, but here’s the difference: Justin Timberlake has a much more limited range. Usher’s proven time and again that he’s able to cover numerous different styles and subjects.

There are two things that put this song on the list, the first being Usher himself. Unlike other modern R&B artists, whose vocals are so samey-sounding that I can’t tell one from another, Usher has a very distinct voice. And that voice doesn’t just exude personality; it affirms Usher’s command of the audience. The song doesn’t exactly require deep inspection of the lyrics, but their delivery is still sharp and precise. When Usher says to scream, that isn’t a request; it’s an order.

The other element in this song’s favor is the production, handled here by RedOne. In contrast to his most well known work, this song is a “Hi-NRG” genre song. It’s a subgenre of EDM, which makes it clash with the theme of the album it was on, but work really well as a dance track. In fact, this song almost feels too powerful to be a dance song. Yet the music doesn’t overpower Usher’s vocals; it seems to accent them more. The club dance trend might have been on its way out around this time, but I’m glad Usher managed to squeeze this in before the window closed completely. It’s a masterwork of a song, and it leaves me screaming for more every time.

#7.

Remember when Maroon 5 were a real band? I didn’t think so; neither do I. 2011 was the point when they did away with that and sold out. With ‘Moves Like Jagger’, the band officially gave up trying to write new, original ideas and decided to start copying the formulas of other acts. In all fairness, not everything Maroon 5’s released since 2011 has been terrible. One thing to note though is that the band’s selling out seemed to further propel front man Adam Levine upwards in terms of his prominence in the band, to the point that he even started making guest appearances on other songs. Maybe he should just stick to doing that.

#7. Stereo Hearts (Gym Class Heroes ft. Adam Levine) [36; 4; 20 weeks]

This is probably going to be the hardest song on this list for me to talk about because I’m not entirely sure why I like this song. It was Gym Class Heroes’ biggest hit, and it went four times platinum, despite the album featuring it not even selling 100,000 copies. So that means that someone else obviously liked this song. That said what is it about the song that makes me like it?

While I’m not entirely sure, I’ll at least take a stab at it. For starters, the lyrics describe a man choosing love over animosity. This can be noted at the end of the first verse, where Travie McCoy mentions having been hurt in a previous relationship, but moving past it rather than dwell on it or label the other person as this horrible human being. In addition, the song weaves in these interesting music metaphors, like comparing himself to a dusty record and a 50-pound boom box.

Now, these things are nice, but what I think really catches my attention is Adam Levine on the hook. The production during the verses is pretty choppy and not all that pleasant to listen to, but everything smoothes out when it gets to the chorus. It also helps that this is probably the best Adam Levine has ever sounded. Most Maroon 5 songs see him trying to toe the line between sounding pissy and sounding polished. Here, he sounds earnest and heartfelt, and I think it fits him better.

I wouldn’t call this song perfect. I don’t really like the grinding sound that the music makes during the verses, and the music metaphors seem to make this relationship sound terribly needy. That said I still enjoy listening to this song, certainly more than most of Gym Class Heroes or Maroon 5’s other work. This is one melody that’s definitely sticking in my head for a while, and I don’t take issue with that.

#6.

Apparently the ‘90s didn’t want to see its rappers continue to be successful after that decade. Think about it; how many rappers from this time frame are still alive or relevant today besides possibly Eminem? The ones that didn’t die before the end of the decade just wound up fading into obscurity. Even this next artist can’t really claim to still matter today compared to his prime. Doesn’t mean he still didn’t release a good song this year.

#6. Coming Home (Diddy—Dirty Money ft. Skylar Grey) [38; 11; 21 weeks]

I feel kind of awkward putting P. Diddy on this list because most of the songs people likely remember of his aren’t very good. It seems like his better songs are the ones that didn’t get big. So that makes this song an oddity amidst his output. I’ve said before that I’m not a fan of “being famous sucks” songs, and this one has some of the same elements I normally don’t like about them, yet it doesn’t bother me as much. Why is that?

For starters, Diddy manages to do what R. Kelly’s ‘I Wish’ failed at: balancing between talking about the death of a friend and providing specific examples about how fame has affected him. This song tries to tackle real issues that have come with fame rather than spitting out generalizations. Furthermore, the song also manages to balance out the pessimism of the first two verses with a very optimistic final verse and chorus.

Speaking of the chorus, let’s look at that next. The singers here speak of returning home, which could represent finding redemption for one’s past mistakes, seeking peace with oneself after so long away from home and moving on from the loss of Biggie Smalls. God knows Diddy could stand to; many of his previous songs have brought up the subject. It also helps that all three singers sound fantastic. Dawn Richard and Kalenna Harper work well with carrying the melody, but I’d be lying if I said Skylar Grey’s backing vocals didn’t add to it also.

More than anything, I get a sense of hope from this song. It represents seeking peace by returning to the familiar, and it paints that image beautifully. When I’m feeling optimistic or positive, this is the song I listen to. Your kingdom awaits Diddy, and they’ve forgiven your mistakes.

#5.

Much like with the worst list, the upper half of this list is going to get pretty predictable. And I don’t think there was a more obvious song I could’ve chosen for this list than this one.

#5. Rolling In the Deep (Adele) [1; 1; 43 weeks]

Now that I think about it, maybe this’ll be the hardest song for me to talk about, considering everyone else has already discussed it. 2011 was kind of a transitional year for music. Many changes came about this year that would affect the shape of pop music up to today. Most of the positive changes can be traced back to Adele, and especially to this song.

First, let’s look at the production. The best way I can think of to describe ‘Rolling In the Deep’ is that it’s like a well-constructed machine, and I mean that in all the best ways. Every single element to the song serves a specific purpose, and to take away even one of them would ruin the experience. From the guitar licks at the beginning building up the song, to the stomping percussion that drives it forward, to the backing vocals that add to its atmosphere, every part of the song comes into place exactly when it needs to.

Now then, let’s look at the thing everyone else has brought up about the song: its tone. Just prior to this song’s release, most songs on the radio had a curious soullessness to them where they didn’t seem to exude very much emotion. The emotions on this song are quite tangible, however, and justly so. It was apparently written about an ex-boyfriend that told Adele that her life would amount to nothing, and the song is just Adele venting her anger at being told that. I compared this song to ‘Since U Been Gone’ before, but I don’t think even that song could match ‘Rolling In the Deep’s righteous fury.

Ever since this song’s release, other artists have tried desperately to capture its magic. I don’t think any of them have come close though; no other songs since this one have managed to achieve the same fire it did. I don’t even think Adele’s follow up single ‘Someone Like You’ managed it. Some of the changes to the pop music scene that came from this year can be debated where they originated, but the part that sought emotional depth and intensity unquestionably stemmed from here.

#4.

Lady Gaga appears to have been a victim of her own high standards. Back in 2011, it seemed like she would be a big name artist that would last. Fast forward five years later, however, and it looks her career’s puttering out. Part of that could be because she wasn’t able to keep up with the changing trends, or that her scope is a lot more limited than we gave her credit for. Still, I can understand why she left such a lasting impression: because she was a seriously gifted artist, and it’s songs like this that proved it.

#4. The Edge Of Glory (Lady Gaga) [29; 3; 22 weeks]

If there’s something I’ve come to discover when putting these lists together, it’s that I really love bombast in my music. And I’m not sure I can think of a better word to describe the tone of this song. I like plenty of Lady Gaga’s songs, and I’d have a hard time picking out her best, but this one would have to rank pretty high on that list.

First, there’s Lady Gaga’s singing, easily one of her best vocal performances. Rather than trying to go for the weird-sounding vocals like off of ‘Bad Romance’ or ‘Pokerface’, this one just sounds grand and powerful. The lyrics aren’t much to write home about, but they’re not the main focus here. This song isn’t trying to be a deep think piece; it’s just trying to sound awesome.

That brings us to the other big element on this song: the instrumentation. It’s easily what makes this song. Between the organ breakdown after the first chorus, the guitar stab right before the final chorus and the amazing saxophone solo courtesy of the late Clarence Clemons, this entire song gives off this grandiose atmosphere that won me over in seconds. There’s a bit of a cheesy quality to it, but it’s the good kind of cheesy.

Lady Gaga’s dying grandfather inspired the song, specifically in this one moment when she said he looked at her grandmother with an expression saying he’d won at life. That’s the general feeling I get from listening to this song: winning at life. It’s a song that expresses the joy of living and having no regrets as it comes to a close. In that sense, it’s pretty similar to Frank Sinatra’s ‘My Way’. I still consider that the better song between the two since it was told from the perspective of someone that had experienced all that life had to offer. Doesn’t stop ‘The Edge of Glory’ from being a damn good song though.

#3.

Kanye West is a jackass. Now that we’ve gotten that out of the way…

#3. All of the Lights (Kanye West ft. Rihanna) [59; 18; 16 weeks]

I think all the controversy and making an ass of himself has made people forget that Kanye West is a talented producer and rapper. Yes, even after he became more mainstream and his success went to his head his work remained fantastic. This song in particular is a shining example of what Kanye’s capable of at his best.

Let’s start by focusing on the lyrics. The straightforward message of the song is a story about an abusive boyfriend being sent to jail, being replaced, losing custody of his daughter and, as a result, his sanity. A deeper examination, however, reveals that it could also be Kanye’s telling of his own struggles with fame, particularly after the incident with Taylor Swift. The first verse’s opening line being about the death of Michael Jackson only helps to confirm this.

Production-wise, this song is a goddamn masterpiece. Unlike, say, ‘Country Girl (Shake It For Me)’, which was composed of various musical elements that clashed with each other, all the elements in this song connect with each other seamlessly, and build on the atmosphere of a man losing his mind. In addition, the vocal feature credited to Rihanna alone is actually fourteen performers brought on to contribute their own segments of the song, including Kid Cudi, Alicia Keys, Elly Jackson of La Roux, Drake, Fergie, John Legend, The-Dream and Elton John.

For all everyone seems to make fun of Kanye for how much he embarrasses himself, I think it’s only fair that he be given credit where it’s due. It is a shame the guy does these things to himself, but at least he’s able to make good music out of it. Let’s just hope he can tone down the controversy and maintain the quality of his work…

#2.

A common trait all my friends seem to share is that almost none of them like rap or hip hop music, and I don’t blame them. The genre doesn’t have a good reputation, and tends to attract some of the most unpleasant people. Still though, I don’t think it’s fair to be that dismissive of the genre. There are plenty of hip-hop and rap songs about things besides bragging, dance songs and sex jams. I’ve already listed examples of good rap music on this list and previous lists! And if that’s not enough, let me just add one more:

#2. The Show Goes On (Lupe Fiasco) [28; 9; 23 weeks]

There are some artists that sell out and it’s the clumsiest, worst thing that could’ve happened to them. Others, however, can still manage to pump out quality material despite caving into the demands of studio hacks, and that’s what we have here. Lupe Fiasco has stated that he hates this song and the record company forced him to do it. It certainly does feel like it, and it’s not exactly his best work, but I’d take this over most hip-hop we get nowadays.

To begin with, let’s talk about the production. The song heavily samples ‘Float On’ by Modest Mouse, and the sample fits with the song perfectly. Instead of the demented optimism prevalent in the original, ‘The Show Goes On’ plays it straight, offering a loud, bombastic song that sounds much more uplifting than any other rap song from this year. And a wonderfully used horns section that helps hammer the song’s message accents that.

That brings us to the lyrics and subject matter. On a basic level, it’s your usual self-empowerment anthem, encouraging people from every walk of life, from those in the suburbs to those in the ghettos, to keep chasing their dreams and not let people push them down. The first verse adds a little more to that though, specifically bringing up the feud between Lupe and Atlantic Records, who had repeatedly delayed and tried to ban his third album ‘Lasers’ because he wouldn’t sign their 360 deal. So, if nothing else, Lupe at least got to call out Atlantic Records on their shit and make everyone hear it.

If nothing else, Lupe getting his biggest hit should be enough indication of just how good a year 2011 was for pop music. ‘Coming Home’ might be the song I listen to when I’m feeling optimistic, but this song makes me feel optimistic. And yet, it was only my #2 for this list. Want to know what I thought was better?

#1.

Much like hip-hop, it feels like country music has been declining in quality for years now. That’s especially apparent nowadays with the country charts populated by the likes of Luke Bryan and Florida Georgia Line. People might point to Taylor Swift as the source of the decline, but honestly, she’s benign. Country music had been declining in quality for years before she arrived, and despite what people say, she has released some good songs. We’re not going to be talking about Taylor Swift today though; the country song we’ll be looking at right now is one that I feel represents the genre much better than Taylor Swift could’ve ever hoped to.

#1. Colder Weather (Zac Brown Band) [99; 29; 6 weeks]

One way a song can place on the list is if it pleasantly surprises me. Such was the case with ‘Colder Weather’, which is a fine showcase of country music’s best qualities. It also helps that the Zac Brown Band are such a versatile group compared to most country acts nowadays.

As far as the music goes, the production is fairly straightforward. However, it’s the simplicity of it that works in the song’s favor. The song needs that bare bones sound to set up the atmosphere, and it carries it beautifully. This might be the most subtly beautiful song to chart this year. What truly wins me over for this song is the piano, especially during the chorus. That said, the other elements are what elevate the song: the bass, the guitar licks, the percussion, the fiddle; each comes in one at a time as the song progresses, and that helps gradually build it up to the outro. Yet it feels less like a song that’s all build-up with no pay off; that quieter final section is a powerful climax.

Then there’s the lyrics and subject matter. Country music’s greatest strength has always been its attention to detail, and the details in this song paint an almost painfully clear image. The story speaks of a man who is driven to travel and how it strains his relationship with the woman he addresses in the chorus, to whom he makes various excuses to justify his actions, but she won’t have any of it. Songwriter Wyatt Durrette and the strained relationship he was in with a girl due to timing and geography inspired this and it definitely feels like the song came from somewhere real.

It’s a shame we don’t get country songs like this on the pop charts anymore because we could definitely stand to see more from the Zac Brown Band on Billboard nowadays. Occasionally we see country artists trying to tackle deeper subject matters, but even then they don’t really hit the mark. Certainly don’t come close to doing so the way ‘Colder Weather’ does. And that is why it is my choice for the #1 hit song of 2011.