Top 100 SONGS of the Decade (2010-2019)
"Why are lists great till they got to be great?”
It’s happening! It’s here! The list of the decade has arrived.
The 2010-2019 decade is coming to a close and before you read further, let’s *breathe innnnn* and *breathe outtttt.* Okay one more time. Great! We made it y’all. Despite 2016’s best efforts to end us all, we rounded that corner still intact. America’s democracy may be in shambles and 3 years later Britain is still Brexiting. But hey, we all got country problems, that’s the human in us.
Real footage of the US and Britain catching up in 2016 post-Trump and Brexit.
When I look back at the music of this decade, I see extraordinary change, both in the soundscape of America and the nature of who are our celebrities are (Hey Lil Nas X . Waddup Cardi B). Some of our beloved stars kicked off the decade with such promise, only to turn into dark twisted shadows of themselves (👀Kanye West). Other stars achieved legendary status. And, by stars I strictly mean Beyoncé. The true Artist of the Decade. The AMAs forgot that she existed and gave that award to Taylor Swift earlier this year. #electoralcollege
To be fair, folks like Drake, Rihanna, Adele, and Ariana Grade did well for themselves and were super stars in their own right. They came in like wrecking balls, slayed the charts, and left behind an impressive catalogue that defined the 2010s. Overall, this decade gifted us serious BOPs! More tunes for our head tops! Anthems! And musical events that defined and shaped pop-culture. Don’t believe me? Call me…maybe. 🙂
So in honor of the decade that started off with a bottle of jack a la Tik Tok , I present to you all MY list of the Top 100 Songs of the Decade.
Note, I underlined, bolded, AND capitalized my because this is a personal list of what I think are the best songs of the decade. They include songs that made a cultural impact both in the wider pop-verse, but also in specific genres, movements, and careers of musicians I enjoy.
I’m sure there will be disagreement. For instance, some of y’all would like to see country songs. I hate to say it, I hope I don’t sound ridiculous. I don’t know what this genre is. It could be playing down the street, I wouldn’t -I wouldn’t know a thing. Sorry to country.
When I’m asked to identify post-2016 Kanye West.
And Rock. As well as classical music, Soundcloud rap, American Folk Bluegrass, MAGA Metal etc. To make the list meaningful, I stuck with songs that I knew and engaged with over the decade. Yes, it took a while. Every song was deliberately chosen with care; no song could be on the edge of glory. They all had to be great, glorious, iconic in some way, shape, or form. In the end, I narrowed down a decade of music to 100 songs and I am excited to share with you a list that is 100% that 😉. And for your listening pleasures, I created a Spotify playlist of all the songs here: Top 100 Songs of the Decade
Top 100 Songs of the Decade
100. Old Town Road (remix) - Lil Nas X feat. Billy Ray Cyrus (2019)
When country meets trap, and works? ‘Old Town Road’, is a record breaking song, spending 19 weeks at the Number 1 spot on the Billboard Hot 100. This song is a product of the streaming era (genre mixing, short, soundtrack to TikTok memes) just as much as Lil Nas X’s celebrity is uniquely a product of the social media era. In many ways, the success of ‘Old Town Road’ and Lil Nas X symbolizes how much the music industry has changed in just 10 years.
99. Hands To Myself - Selena Gomez (2015)
98 . Fancy - Iggy Azalea feat. Charli XCX (2014)
97. Shut Up And Dance - Walk the Moon (2014)
96. Cheerleader (Felix Jaehn Remix) - Omi (2014)
95. Born This Way - Lady Gaga (2011)
94. Back To Back - Drake (2015)
93. Rack City - Tyga (2011)
92. Give Me Everything - Pitbull feat. Neyo, Afrojack, and Nayer (2012)
91. Wake Me Up - Avicii (2013)
R.I.P. to Avicii who was an incredible DJ and music innovator in the 2010s. ‘Wake Me Up’ besides being a massive single at the time, also highlights the genius of Avicii. As EDM pop-music became saturated with stale production, he combined “country” with “dance” music and birthed a whole new sub-genre.
90. F*ck You - Cee Lo Green (2010)
89. 2 On - Tinashe feat. Schoolboy Q (2014)
88. The Weekend - SZA (2017)
87. Post To Be - Omarion feat. Chris Brown and Jhené Aiko (2014)
If you know this song, you know THE lyric sung by Jhené Aiko that catapults this song to the next level. #BootyLikeGroceries. During the mid-2010s, DJ-Mustard production swept hip-hop and produced gems, that I’ve ranked in the 80s (‘2 On’, ‘Post To Be’, ‘Loyal’). These songs were club-ready, fun, and helped push pop-music away from the EDM beats of the early 2010s and into more hip-hop and trap friendly production that characterized the remainder of the decade.
86. Titanium - David Guetta feat. Sia (2011)
85. Motorsport - Migos feat. Cardi B & Nicki Minaj (2017)
84. Work From Home - Fifth Harmony feat. Ty Dolla $ign (2016)
83. Somebody I Used To Know - Gotye feat. Kimbra (2012)
I loved this song. So did America and the world actually. It topped the Billboard Hot 100 chart for 8 weeks and was number one in 23 countries. ‘Somebody I Used To Know’ is a mid-tempo duet about partners dealing with the dissolution of their relationship. Gotye and Kimbra trade barbs and accusations, but are singing so sweetly, you forget the song is beautifully bitter.
82. FEFE - 6ix9ine feat. Nicki Minaj and Murda Beatz (2018)
81. Loyal - Chris Brown feat. Lil Wayne, French Montana, Too Short, and Tyga (2013)
80. Motivation - Kelly Rowland (2011)
79. APESH*T - The Carters (2018)
78. Milionària - Rosalia (2019)
77. Everything Is Embarrassing - Skye Ferreira (2012)
In the early 2010s, I entered the world of indie-synth pop through “Everything Is Embarrassing” and never looked back. This song is nostalgia wrapped in melancholy set to lush 80s-style production. Fans of Solange’s “True” era and Blood Orange would appreciate the sonic landscape of this song so vividly painted by producer Dev Hynes. The year “Everything is Embarassing” was released, Billboard, New York Times, Los Angeles Times, The Guardian, Pitchfork and more all listed it as one of the best tracks of the year. They’re not wrong. The song is an undeniable vibe.
76. Shallow - Lady Gaga feat. Bradley Cooper (2011)
75. Wrecking Ball - Miley Cyrus (2013)
74. Started From The Bottom - Drake (2013)
73. Boom Clap - Charli XCX (2014)
72. Chandelier - Sia (2014)
71. Can’t Stop The Feeling - Justin Timberlake (2013)
70. Style - Taylor Swift (2014)
Taylor is a controversial 2010s artist, there’s no denying that. On her 5th studio album, ‘1989’ she pivoted to straight pop and won a second “Album of the Year” Grammy. From a pop music standpoint, the album is solid, with hits like ‘Shake It Of’ , ‘Blank Space’ and ‘Bad Blood’ reaching Number 1 on the Billboard Hot100. I put “Style” on this list because I believe it’s Taylor Swift’s most innovative pop song on the album. The chorus is Taylor Swift at her best. Specific, imaginative, and youthful in exuberance.
69. Before I Let Go - Beyoncé (2019)
68. Hot N*gga - Bobby Schmurda (2014)
This song is 🔥 and made significant contributions to the culture. How could we forget the Schmoney dance? And the classic lyric 🗣“MITCH CAUGHT A BODY ‘BOUT A WEEK AGO!!!”
67. Supercut - Lorde (2017)
66. Lean On - Major Lazer feat. MØ and DJ Snake (2015)
65. Boys - Charli XCX (2017)
64. Pour It Up - Rihanna (2012)
63. I Love It - Icona Pop feat. Charli XCX (2012)
62. Super Bass - Nicki Minaj (2010)
The single that introduced the pop world to Nicki Minaj and her captivating flow. Of course, there’s one song that permanently put her on the map, which fans know is coming up. In the mean time, ‘Super Bass’ was a fun bop and the brave among us who learned the verses would forever be feeling ourselves.
61. Black and Yellow - Wiz Khalifa (2010)
60. Starboy - The Weeknd (2016)
59. In My Feelings - Drake (2018)
58. Broccoli - DRAM feat. Lil Yachty (2016)
57. Praying - Kesha (2017)
‘Praying’ is Kesha at her best. Kesha sings this ballad with emotional and vocal clarity and exudes strength and a will to persevere. At its release, many people interpreted the lyrics to be in reference to Dr. Luke, her ex-manager who she accused of sexual assault. In ‘Praying’, Kesha takes the higher ground. In the Me-Too era, ‘Praying’ takes on additional emotional resonance and will be regarded as Kesha’s most impactful work.
56. All I Do Is Win - DJ Khaled (2010)
55. Mask Off - Future (2016)
The flute. The repetitive “Molly, Percoset.” The song was a club favorite and captures Future’s indelible influence over the industry.
54. SICKO MODE - Travis Scott (2018)
53. Hello - Adele (2016)
52. Dance (A$$) Remix - Big Sean feat. Nicki Minaj (2011)
51. Run The World - Beyoncé (2011)
50. Two Weeks - FKA Twigs (2014)
Every now and then, we encounter a song that completely alters our musical appetite. FKA Twigs’ ‘Two Weeks’ is one of these songs. It introduced me to indie-RnB and songs with sparse production and haunting vocals. The song is tantalizing in its restraints. The production is tight, never deviating above or below a certain emotional state. The song neither gives away to release nor does it stay constant. This dynamic is ultimately enticing as is FKA Twig’s voice - breathy, desperate, and absolutely alluring. ‘Two Weeks’ goes down as one of the best of this genre and catapulted the career of a one of a kind artist.
49. Countdown - Beyoncé (2011)
48. Bad and Boujee - Migos feat. Lil Uzi Vert (2016)
47. Telephone - Lady Gaga feat. Beyoncé (2011)
46. Sorry - Justin Bieber (2015)
45. Clique - Kanye West and Big Sean feat. Jay Z (2012)
The beat. The bravado. The Boys said “ain’t nobody f*cking with my clique clique clique clique clique.” We said: you right.
44. Uptown Funk - Bruno Mars (2014)
43. One Dance - Drake (2016)
42. Into You - Ariana Grande (2015)
41. Black Beatles - Rae Stremmurd feat. Gucci Mane (2016)
40. Monster - Kanye West feat. Rick Ross, Jay Z, Nicki Minaj, Bon Iver (2011)
“Pull up in the monster, automobile Gangsta. With a bad bitch that came from Sri Lanka!”
I guarantee half of you who read that line went on to finish the rest of Nicki Minaj’s ‘Monster’ verse. I know y’all! Overall the song is fantastic, with Jay Z and Kanye delivering memorable verses. But the standout, absolute killer verse comes from Nicki Minaj who completely SLAYS and dwarfs the titan Jay Z and the self-titled genius Kanye West on his own track. Her ‘Monster’ verse is the perfect combination of clever writing and excellent delivery. Nicki Minaj leans into her trademark theatricality, which subsequently put her on the map and made her a hot artist to feature quite early on in her career. She said it herself on ‘Monster’: “50K for a verse no album OUT!”
39. Despacito (remix) - Luis Fonsi and Daddy Yankee feat. Justin Bieber (2016)
38. Truth Hurts - Lizzo (2017)
37. Losing You - Solange (2012)
36. Rolling In The Deep - Adele (2010)
35. Teenage Dream - Katy Perry (2010)
‘Teenage Dream’ is the title track of the wildly successful ‘Teenage Dream’ album that spawned 5 consecutive number 1 singles from Katy Perry, a feat completed before only by Michael Jackson. The song ‘Teenage Dream’ captures classic early Katy Perry. Youthful, fun, with a healthy dose of nostalgia. Why wake up from a dream if the music feels this carefree.
34. No Problems - Chance The Rapper feat. Lil Wayne, 2 Chainz (2016)
33. I Like It - Cardi B, Bad Bunny and J Balvin (2018)
32. The Way - Ariana Grande feat. Mac Miller (2013)
Ariana’s debut single, ‘The Way’ was a sleek, fresh, welcome ode to the late 1990s/early 2000s RnB sound. She samples Big Pun’s “Still Not A Player” and brought back a timeless sound that had fallen out of vogue, and perfectly complemented her voice. Ariana’s pop risk paid off, and 6 years, 4 albums later, Ariana Grande is bigger than ever.
31. Trap Queen - Fetty Wap (2014)
30. Royals - Lorde (2013)
29. Needed Me - Rihanna (2016)
28. Flawless (remix) - Beyoncé feat. Nicki Minaj (2014)
Nicki Minaj and Beyoncé fans waited for this collaboration for years. YEARS! And the day we got it, the world stopped (Beyoncé was in the habit of doing this in the mid-2010s). Nicki rapping “I score before I even throw the ball / These b*tches washed up and there’s no f*cking soap involved” Wow, no one was ready. To hear Beyoncé sing “of course some sh*t goes down when there’s a billion dollars on the elevator” was a hard flex and a reference to the infamous Met Gala Solange -Jay Z elevator incident. Our culture is used to seeing two rappers link up and boss out. To see two women at the the top of their game do it? #Flawless.
27. Ultralight Beam - Kanye West (2016)
26. Boo'd Up - Ella Mai (2017)
25. Some Nights - fun. (2012)
24. The Wire - HAIM (2013)
HAIM, a band comprised of three sisters, released their debut single - ‘The Wire’ and totally endeared critics and listeners alike. The song is upbeat, earnest, and self-reflective without being over-wrought. We all can relate to “fumbling it when it came down to the wire.” Overall, this is a pop gem from a wonderful band.
23. Bitch Better Have My Money - Rihanna (2015)
22. Thank u, next - Ariana Grande (2018)
21. Oblivion - Grimes (2012)
20. All Of The Lights - Kanye West (2010)
19. Hold Yuh (remix) - Gyptian feat. Nicki Minaj (2010)
This song will always be danceable. It will aways sound fresh. The beat - simple. The ways to move your body to this song - infinite. Timeless sensuality oozes from ‘Hold Yuh’ making it a standout dancehall song from the decade.
18. Electricity - Silk City and Dua Lipa (2018)
17. What’s My Name- Rihanna feat. Drake (2010)
16. King's Dead - Jay Rock, Kendrick Lamar, Future and James Blake (2018)
15. 212 - Azealia Banks (2012)
14. HUMBLE. - Kendrick Lamar (2017)
13. Drunk In Love - Beyoncé feat. Jay Z (2013)
“I‘ve been drinking. I’ve been drinking.”
Beyoncé snapped on this song. Positively and absolutely snapped. The lyrics, the vocals, the visuals, ‘Drunk In Love’ is one of the best tracks off the industry-changing self-titled album. I listened to ‘Drunk In Love’ for the first time in December 13th, 2013 (when the album was surprise dropped) and soberly fell in love. I did not know I could love a song so intensely. The song is trap, it’s hip-hop, it’s RnB, it’s Beyoncé at her finest and most understatedly confident. Culturally, the song delivered us the “stripper kick” dance move, the controversial line “eat the cake, Anna Mae”, and the best ad-lib: “surfboardt.” On ‘Drunk In Love’ we hear a sexually in control Beyoncé unashamed to sing about how much she loves loving her husband. ‘Drunk In Love’ would go on to win two RnB Grammys, be nominated for Video of the Year, and be regarded in pop culture as one of the best Beyonce-Jay Z collaborations.
“WE BE ALL NIGHT!”
Ugh. Obsessed.
12. Nice For What - Drake (2018)
The 2010s in many ways was the Decade of Drake. Spotify and the charts don’t lie. Drake stepped on everybody’s neck. He was a streaming giant, a meme generator, a guaranteed hit maker, and a musical chameleon. On the stellar track, ‘Nice For What’, Drake decided to step up his rudeness and record a song that was so damn good, so damn irresistible, so damn danceable there was nothing the culture could do but submit to Drake’s ubiquity. ‘Nice For What’ would top the charts for 8 non-consecutive weeks, replacing Drake’s own ‘God’s Plan.’ ‘Nice For What’ was later replaced by Drake’s sixth number one single ‘In My Feelings.’ In short the man was prolific. I reviewed what makes ‘Nice For What’ outstanding in my review: Hitting Them Angles and Drake’s Quest to Conquer Our Hearts.
11. Cut To The Feeling - Carly Rae Jepsen (2017)
Name a more perfect pop song. I’ll wait.
‘Cut To The Feeling’ is sweet, sweet joy melted into a delicious syrupy paste mixed with confetti, rainbows, and pop-sheen magic that no other artist in this decade has mastered. Periodt! This a pop song that does exactly what it has to do. Deliver emotion, deliver ecstasy, deliver liberation. When you blast this song and dance care free, you’ve cut straight to the feelings. And the sweet joy that glues this song together uplifts. Carly Rae Jepsen, while being criminally underrated and critically beloved, delivers the bops, and on ‘Cut To The Feeling’ we hear an artist who has perfected the spell of pop music.
Top 10
10. Bodak Yellow - Cardi B (2017)
Cardi B doesn’t have to dance. She makes money move. She also moves the culture single handidly with the force of her personality and strength of her rap performance. Her debut single ‘Bodak Yellow’, captures her power as a rapper who delivers memorable lines, hard-beats, and a rap persona with charisma that enchants millions on social media. As a song, ‘Bodak Yellow’ transforms crowds, turning people into beast hype machines. The beat starts, and all of a sudden we’re screaming 🗣 “I SAID LITTLE B*TCH I DON”T FUCK WITH YOU” and wondering, “how did we get here?” But then we look around and see everyone else screaming every word to this song, and we realize we are alright. We’re simply in the Bronx spiritual plane, shepherded in by Cardi B herself. Finally, ‘Bodak Yellow’ made chart history as it’s only the 2nd hip-hop song by a female artist to reach Number 1, where it stayed for three weeks. Cardi B would later hit the top spot a few more times, but Bodak Yellow remains her most epic entry and this real life Blinderella’s entrance to the culture. Thankfully for us, she’s not going anywhere.
9. Cranes In The Sky - Solange (2016)
Restorative. Rejuvenating. Reincarnating.
‘Cranes In The Sky’ is honey to our ears and therapy for our souls. Solange released ‘Cranes In The Sky’ from her marvelous album, “A Seat At The Table” where she tackles the joys and pain of existing in the world as a black person and black woman. The album is contemplative and healing, with ‘Cranes In The Sky’ being a centerpiece of the album’s mission. The song works via vivid imagery, as Solange sings about her struggles to overcome depression and being out of herself. Released in a taxing year sociopolitically (2016), ‘Cranes In The Sky’, slows us down, and provides us space to rest, rejuvenate, and if we need, reincarnate the parts of ourselves that can shrivel and dim in brightness. The production of ‘Cranes In The Sky’ is sparse. The kick drum provides a feeling of consistency as we follow the hills and valleys of Solange’s harmonies. “Away, away, away….” Solange sings transporting the reader to a higher place, where cranes in the sky reside peacefully and unperturbed.
8. We Found Love - Rihanna feat. Calvin Harris (2011)
If anyone was in college or in general was of the going out age in 2011, this song has a special place in your heart. In the early 2010s, EDM music found its way to American pop music and took up shop. Pop music became dance music, with house beats, hard beat drops, and unrelenting floor-on-the-floor beats made for energetic dancing. DJs like Calvin Harris, David Guetta, Avicii, and Skrillex rose to prominence and the dance sound proliferated. In comes Rihanna. Already a hit machine, she dropped “We Found Love” and nothing was the same. The song blew up around the world, topping the charts in 25 countries, including the United States, where it reigned number 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 for 10 consecutive weeks and became one of the best-selling singles of all time. It’s not surprising. The song is pure joy, pure ecstasy, pure disinhibition. The electro-house beat at the time felt fresh. And there is a real appeal to the lyrics “we found love in a hopeless place.” Somehow Rihanna manages to make this love exciting; but also what does a hopeless place really matter if the beat is everything you could hope for and more.
7. Someone Like You - Adele (2011)
That opening piano riff. We all know it, we’ve all heard it, we’ve all felt the melancholy sink in our hearts like pennies in water. And then come the lyrics, slow and deliberate: “I heard that you’re settled down, that you found a girl, and you’re married now.” In one line, Adele sets up one of the epic heartbreak ballads of the decade. ‘Someone Like You’ is a sorrowful song, but the song soars because Adele’s vocal performance is devastatingly good. You hear the pain in her vocals, the stretching of her vocals, the cracking of her voice in the high notes. The sudden jolts in volume from low to high back to low contributes to the song’s drama. Adele paints a picture of a great love that not only didn’t last, but hurts, to the point of wishing to find someone just like the person. While Adele’s love may have come to an end, ‘Someone Like You’ will go down as one of the great breakup ballads of this decade.
6. Pynk - Janelle Monae feat. Grimes (2018)
‘Pynk’ is perfection. A standout single from a standout album, Dirty Computer. Listening to the album inspired me to write my most in-depth blogpost ever, where I analyzed the album’s imagery, music, and message: Dirty Computers Got the Juice: An Analysis. Instead of regurgitating my analysis from last year, I’ll offer a fresh perspective for why ‘Pynk’ is iconic. The song is a masterclass in the use of metaphor. Here, the meaning of pynk transcends color and enters the world of sensuality and sexuality. Pynk refers to flesh, to the inner parts of ourselves we reserve for intimacy. Pynk symbolizes vulnerability and access, “the truth we can not hide.” And for Janelle Monae, her desires are directed towards a woman. This fact is important. ‘Pynk’ as a pop song and video centers same-sex relations between two black queer women. And all the while, we can’t help but bop along to the scintillating guitar riffs and sing along to lyrics of sexual liberation. The song is universal and inviting. I’m not surprised. After all, deep inside we’re all just pynk.
5. This Is America - Childish Gambino (2018)
Donald Glover aka Childish Gambino is a rare talent in the industry. He sings, raps, dances, writes, directs, AND acts. He does all these activities well, infusing carefree black boy energy and astute social commentary into his art. ‘This is America’, a song only an artist like Childish Gambino can make, is a poignant critique of gun violence and race in America. Lyrics like “get your money, black man” and “America, I just checked my following list, and you motherf*ckers owe me” encapsulate hundreds of years of American history into smart, succinct, punchy lines. The song of course can not be separated from its provocative and thought-provoking video. The juxtaposition of gun violence next to jovial dancing, utter chaos next to carefree black bodies, was a lot. Just like America. The final image of Childish Gambino, a black man, running from a faceless white angry mob was haunting, especially given the lyrics we hear over the imagery: “You just a black man in this world. You just a barcode, ayy.” This is America. Finally, the song made history for being the first rap song to win Grammys for “Record of the Year” and “Song of the Year.” The song also won “Best Rap/Sung Performance” and “Best Music Video.” Get your money, Black man!
4. Runaway - Kanye West feat. Pusha T (2010)
This song makes me cry purely from its beauty. On ‘Runaway’, Kanye West captures self-reflective raw emotion in production, lyrics, and performance. Kanye, who had just humiliated himself at the 2009 VMAs by interrupting Taylor Swift’s win recorded the ‘My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy’ album as an apology to the American public. The album has no song explicitly apologizing, but on songs like ‘Runaway’, Kanye turns inward and confronts all his vices. He sing and raps about them. He self-awarely celebrates them, asking listeners to make a toast to the douche-bags and scum-bags while simultaneously telling people to run away as fast as they can. The power of this song is Kanye West acknowledging his toxicity. He is one of the douche-bags and scum-bags, he sings about. And his solution is to further isolate himself, asking people to people to run away and leave him to be alone. It’s a clever. Undoubtedly, the magic of the song is the outro. This is where my tears start to flow. The outro is superb. The disembodied Kanye voice is so deeply auto-tuned, we barely make out words. But we do pick up on his outpouring of emotion. He sounds like a wounded monster trying to communicate, yet there is no language, just sound. This is Kanye West’s apology to America. Kanye may not have the words, but he does have music. And the music is so great, how could we ever run away.
(Turns out becoming a MAGA head will do it)
3. Dancing On My Own - Robyn (2010)
Robyn is the pop auteur for people in the know. I remember where I was when I first heard the song. I was a sophomore at Yale, studying I’m sure, but really going through the melodramatic moods characteristic of your early 20s. My friend plays ‘Dancing On My Own’, and I hear a dazzling blend of synth pop and percussion with devastating lyrics juxtaposed against each other. Robyn soars as she sings about a situation that is steeped in imagery of sadness and aloneness:
“So far away, but still so near / the lights go on the music dies / But you don’t see me standing here / I just came to say goodbye”
Damn Robyn, don’t do this to us! The song excels in this space and popularized the indie "sad bop" that is at once truly sad and truly a bop. Besides being a perfectly constructed pop song, ‘Dancing On My Own’ birthed one of the most devoted fan bases in pop music. Furthermore, the song became ample fertilizer for a pop music underground that endures today and has no need or wish to emerge. For people in the know, we keep dancing on our own.
2. Formation - Beyoncé (2016)
At this point in her career, what more could Beyoncé do? Her self-titled album forever changed the music industry and cemented her status as the pre-eminent artist and entertainer in the world. By the mid-decade, she had already sung at Barack Obama’s second inauguration, headlined a Super Bowl halftime show, and developed an un-matched discography. Beyoncé appeared to reach a zenith. And then ‘Formation’ dropped and she shot up to the stratosphere of artistic excellence.
‘Formation’ is a black liberation song. It’s a feminist song. It’s a song about self-empowerment that is unflinching in its homage to Beyoncé’s black Southern roots. Beyoncé who at this point seldom overtly referenced her background, surprise released ‘Formation’ , a song that states unequivocally Beyoncé is a black woman. She is also proud, rich, and at the top of her game. Her haters are corny with that Illuminati mess. What I love about ‘Formation’ the most is its lyrics double as a “how to” manual on life.
“I dream it, I work hard, I grind till I own it.”
“Slay trick or get eliminated”
“You know you’re that bitch when you cause all this conversation”
“Always stay gracious the best revenge is your paper”
These lyrics are more than stellar Instagram captions. These are Beyoncé lessons, straight from the source. On ‘Formation’, Beyoncé lets us in on her secrets. She implores us to get in formation and keep hot sauce in our bag. Swag.
1. Work - Rihanna feat. Drake (2016)
This song is excellence. In fact the best of the decade. On ‘Work’, we have two of the biggest stars with undeniable chemistry and flare boasting singing rapping and spouting syllables about their love. The beat pulsates, rhythmically. It’s constant. It forces you to gyrate. To put in work. Rihanna’s vocal performance is enticing here. Her Caribbean cadence glides over the synth notes. How she sings work at some points, never completing the ‘kuh’ sound is part of the magic. The emphatic Patois elevates the mono-syllabic sounds and injects sexual energy and tension into the song. And then there’s Drake. “If you had a twin I would still chose you”. His f*ck boy jumps out to the next level here and yet we root for this pre-destined doomed relationship. The lyrics about lovers, Rihanna and Drake, willing to make it work are appealing, especially given their alleged history. Clocking in at 3:39s the song comes and goes with every single second being of sonic importance. ‘Work’ became Rihanna’s 14th number 1 single, lead the chart for 9 weeks, and appeared on numerous ‘Best of the Year’ lists. I love ‘Work.’ The videos are fantastic, the second one especially (fight me!). In the Drake-Rihanna discography both separately and together, ‘Work’ ranks as their best work. 😜
If you’ve gotten to this point, Congratulations! And thank you!! I hope you enjoyed the list. Also, I’d love to hear your thoughts.
Disagree with my rankings? Did I miss a song? Is one of the songs I chose basura? Let me know in the comments below. Till then, enjoy this Spotify playlist of the Top 100 Songs of the Decade
Best,
Wahala Jr.
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