Best of the 2010s - Music

Music these days may not be for everyone, but I remain positive and hopeful that there are some good songs out there at a time where everyone can now stream music and be able to listen anywhere and at anytime. So this post is dedicated to looking at the best music from the last decade. We are focusing only on the singles that debuted in each year and I won't spend too much time on news because when it comes to musicians, most tend to not really care about it and it goes from bizarre to just plain weird and then your like"the heck?!". Of course as always, the music is music I have listened to myself and really enjoyed. It will mainly be new music so no covers, remixes, mash ups and the like. Also the music will mostly be those that have reached somewhere near or at the top of the UK charts with some occasional ones from other charts too (not necessarily in the UK also. Won't be adding any musical scores because you all know which scores I would pick just by looking at my film, TV and video game lists that I have done already. Also no classical music because I respect them too much and most tend to be newer arrangements of already well established pieces anyway. Also due to potential copyright problems, I will only be using still images for each single and there will be runner ups as always too. So grab your headphones or sound systems and lets listen to some of the best music of the 2010s:

2010 - F**k You (CeeLo Green)

Let's start with a feel good song. So CeeLo Green is an artist known for having a singing voice that is both powerful and fits in quite well with his genre of music which is soul. In this song, we hear of a time where he in character was once attracted to a girl or two. But they rejected him so he basically says f**k you (or Forget You if you listen to the radio friendly version) to them and kind of rubs it in their faces that he has become a success from having very little. A nice song with some feel good vibes and a great and soulful music video to go with it. Great song as are the few below.

Runner Ups:

• Pass Out (Tinie Tempah Feat. Labrinth)
• OMG (Usher Feat. will.i.am)
• California Gurls (Katy Perry Feat. Snoop Dogg)
• Airplanes (B.o.B Feat. Hayley Williams)
• Dynamite (Taio Cruz) 
• We Speak No Americano (Yolanda Be Cool & DCUP)

2011 - Someone Like You (Adele)

Lots of people nowadays really like Adele. Some may not, but generally most do. Her voice is very distinct so you know it is her that is singing. So she has chased pavements, rolled in the deep and has found her hometown glory. Now she sings about a broken relationship and is coming to terms with it. Kind of a thing that has been done to death by many artists, but with her take there is a bit more to it and you really cannot beat a powerful piano like you hear in the song. I really enjoyed listening to her song here and yeah its worth a listen as are the following below.

Runner Ups:

• Party Rock Anthem (LMFAO Feat. Lauren Bennet & GoonRock)
• Heart Skips a Beat (Olly Murs Feat. Rizzle Kicks)
• Paradise (Coldplay)
• Good Feeling (Flo-Rida)
• Titanium (David Guetta)
• Somebody That I Used To Know (Gotye Feat. Kimbra)
• We Are Young (Fun. Feat. Janelle Monae)

2012 -Gangnam Style (Psy)

YouTube can be full of weird and wonderful stuff. One thing it is known for nowadays is making lots of people instant celebrities overnight. One such example is Psy who comes from Korea. Now music that comes from the eastern part of the world tend to be a bizzare version of pop. Gangnam Style does feel like bizarre pop, but its one of those rare things that has dance moves to go with it which is lacking in a world that's already had things like the Cha Cha Slide, the Fast Food Song, Cotten Eye Joe and so many other great, bizarre and annoying songs. I may have hated it to begin with, but even I can't argue with how big this song quickly got. I like it a fair bit and its a great one to dance to. So yeah check it out and also check out the one below too.

Runner Up:

• Troublemaker (Olly Murs Feat. Flo-Rida)
  

2013 - Get Lucky (Daft Punk Feat. Pharrell Williams)

The DJ duo of Daft Punk have come a long way. So many great songs they have done and after a short hiatus after doing the score for Tron: Legacy, they returned with a feel good song that actually has some nostalgia to it (particularly because it is a disco song). The song is as you can imagine, about the good fortune of connecting with someone as well as some kind of sexual chemistry. It is an absolutely great song that is suitable for discos and also shows that the French duo that are Daft Punk are not done yet. Plus with Pharrell Williams involved, this very well could be the best thing he has worked on aside from the Despicable Me soundtrack. So yeah, great song as are the following below.

Runner Ups:

• Counting Stars (OneRepublic)
• Happy (Pharrell Williams)
  

2014 - Uptown Funk (Mark Ronson Feat. Bruno Mars)

I haven't been too keen on Bruno Mars for a while particularly because of that one song with has a verse about putting your hands in your trousers (which is what we call pants here in the UK). But despite that, I know he has a good voice that is distinct. So the song is considered a multi genre song as it has a bit of funk pop, soul, boogie and disco pop to name a few. It seemingly has a 1980s nostalgia thing going for it too which had a renewed interest recently because of so many artists wanting to capture those good ol' days. Created from a jam session, this song addresses fashion, a man's masculine physique and self love with a combination of rapping and actual singing that's full of metaphors, arrogance, charisma and fun. Overall a great song that can be used in discos and even when people want to walk in a certain way. So yeah a good song from a great singer and a great music producer as is the runner up below.

Runner Up:

• Stay with Me (Sam Smith

2015 - Hello (Adele)

Second one for Adele and its another one of those coming to terms with a break up songs. Not to be confused with the many other songs called "Hello" (especially the Lionel Richie one), the song talks about mainly regret over what happened as well as the theme of nostalgia. I can relate to this one in a way because for so long I have had now ex-friends who have tried to control me, boss me about and come to the point of breaking me mentally and emotionally. And listening to this song makes me think about whether they regret what they did. All I want is for them to say sorry, accept that they are not as perfect as they claim to be and move on. Its not hard, but some people are just too into denial about themselves. But anyway, the song is great. Its one that as I said I can relate to in a way. So yeah another great one for Adele and check out the runner ups below too.

Runner Ups:

• See You Again (Wiz Khalifa Feat. Charlie Puth)
• Cheerleader (OMI)

2016 - Can't Stop The Feeling (Justin Timberlake)

I know not many people like Trolls considering that the advertising for it was quite over the top and that it can be seen as a somewhat betrayal to the toys that the film is based on. But to be honest its actually not too bad of a film and the music is decent at best. But arguably the best part of the film was this very song. Its another one of those feel good songs and one that pretty much tells the story of someone who can't help but dance. Its a song full of positivity (which I wish everyone could have every once in a while) and energy and just great fun. A good song for a disco and maybe even a club or two as well.

2017 - Symphony (Clean Bandit Feat. Zara Larsson)

So the first time I heard this song was during a Christmas not too long ago when the BBC released their Christmas Idents. These particular Idents (which are a short piece that features the channel logo and something to go with it as the announcer tells us what's on next) were a stop motion animation about a young girl practising her dance moves while her father gets things ready for Christmas. But at the actual performance, the girl has stage fright until the father steps out and reminds her of the dance moves. Its a sweet little animation that shows how this form of animation can create a great story. So going back to the song, its about how through the mediums of music and dance can people really connect with one another. A great song that shows how singers and DJs can work well in harmony with a song about how simple things can bring people together. A great song overall.

2018 - Ashes (Celine Dion)

It kind of goes without saying that this song perfectly describes the feelings we had about the superhero films of 2018. So many great heroes died (though as we know now, they were actually sort of dead) and this song really shows how emotional that can be. Plus I know she has been doing a lot since Titanic, but Celine Dion returns to form in this song which gives great power to in her voice thus showing that she isn't done yet. Plus Deadpool as a balley dancer is pretty hilarious in the music video. Most will argue that the song works better with Avengers: Infinity War than in Deadpool 2 and yeah they are right there. I mean its funny when used in the latter, but the former is really where it fits far better. So yeah a great and emotional song from one of the world's best artists out there.

Runner Up:

•  This is America (Childish Gambino)

2019 - (I'm Gonna) Love Me Again (Elton John & Taron Egerton)

And we finish up with what may be Elton John's last piece of new music before he retires. So with the release of Rocketman came a new song from Elton John which he worked on with Taron Egerton who starred as him in the film. I guess the song brings the film full circle as it is in every way a song about Elton John's life. But unlike many songs nowadays which are artists talking about themselves (yes I'm looking at you Drake), this one is actually pretty good. Elton John's voice while much deeper these days, is still as powerful as ever alongside Taron Egerton who no one really knew how good of a singer he is. A good song that reflects on his life and is the perfect song to end the film on. As well as to end the decade with too.

So that's it for music. As always, feel free to leave comments below about your favourite music of the decade and let's hope the next decade has good music too.