The Best of 2010 in Pop Singles

1. “Dynamite,” Taio Cruz
The first time I heard this song, I knew it was going to be my favorite song of the summer. The explosive beat and the fun lyrics helped this song become a summer song that made you want to dance. Filled with feel-good lyrics such as “I want to celebrate and live my life,” the song is made for a college audience. Usually songs with lyrics instructing the audience to put their hands in the air seem cliche and forced, but Taio Cruz makes it sound fresh and exciting.

2. “I Like It,” Enrique Igelsias and Pitbull
After “Hero” became a big hit in middle school, I’ll be the first to admit I didn’t think I’d ever hear Enrique on top-40 radio again. I heard this song for the first time this summer and was ecstatic to hear Enrique back on the radio. He may be pushing 40, but Enrique still made a hit summer song that people of all ages seemed to enjoy. Best line? Pitbull rapping about picking up Barack and Michelle Obama and partying on the White House lawn.

3. “Ridin’ Solo,” Jason Derulo
Jason Derulo’s third hit single was made for singing loudly by yourself in the car. The beats, the lyrics and the delivery are all important in this auto-tune-heavy song. Lyrics about being happy with just being by yourself and celebrating that fact makes this song a happy, feel-good song.  

4. “Telephone,” Lady Gaga and Beyoncé
This song was technically released as a single in December of last year, but in 2010 it was chart-topping. With an extraordinary music video, Gaga and Beyoncé exploded on screen just as they did on the record. The song, about the negatives of having your cell phone ringing during a good time, took a topic that was very 2010 and turned it into a song that will be played for the next few decades.  

5. “Find My Love,” Drake
I’m a self-proclaimed Drake lover. I’ve loved that man since he was Jimmy Brooks in a wheelchair on “Degrassi.” But now, Drake is a rap star, and I couldn’t be more pleased. “Find My Love,” which is near the end of his debut full-length album, is a slower song that was a perfect sleeper hit for the end of the summer.

6.  “Fuck You,” Cee-Lo Green
The Gnarls Barkley alumnus’ single, “Fuck You,” found its way up the charts in 2010 due to a viral music video. The video, kept simple and to the point, had the lyrics of the song poignantly displayed as the song played in the background. In the cute tune about lost love and the lost love’s new object of affection, Cee-Lo proclaims that “If I was richer, I’d still be with ya.” The simplicity of this one made it stand out this year.

7. “Bulletproof,” La Roux
So, I found out I may be the only person on the planet who likes this song, but after my friend’s 15-year-old sister played it for me, I was hooked. The combination of silly lyrics and the pulsating beat is a force to be reckoned with. I don’t know if I’ll ever hear anything else on the radio from La Roux, but this one will always take me back to 2010.

8. “Teenage Dream, ” Katy Perry
Just as I was beginning to turn the channel anytime “California Gurls” came on the radio because I was sick of it, Perry released “Teenage Dream.” It didn’t hit me how amazing this song was until about the fifth time I heard it. Perry’s voice captures perfectly the idea of adolescent ideas and visions. Perry’s sophomore effort, an album of the same name, is filled with hits, and it shows that Perry will be around to stay for a long time in pop music (probably way longer than any of us thought the first time we heard “I Kissed A Girl”).

9. “Break Your Heart,” Taio Cruz
Taio Cruz’s summer hit was infectious and one of the summer’s biggest earworms. The chant-like chorus helped bring this song to the forefront throughout the late months of the summer and into the fall. Ludacris’ appearance, rapping about Taio, is just icing on the cake. You can’t beat Ludacris name-checking you in your own song.

10. “Raise Your Glass,” Pink
Does anyone get cooler than Pink? She’s unlike any other pop artist on the market right now, and with the release of her Greatest Hits album, she’s put out this gem. Seeing Pink perform this song may seem slightly ironic now that she can’t exactly raise her glass with anything alcoholic in it due to her recently announced pregnancy, but that doesn’t make this song any less fun.