Riser's End of Decade 2010-2019 - BuzzJack Music Forum

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Riser's End of Decade 2010-2019, ALL DONE!

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PeteFromLeeds View member profile	29th August 2020, 08:51 PM Post #21
Buy yourself a car, and a house in Devon Joined: 6 May 2016 Posts: 23,892 User: 23,247	Nice to see New Rules here, one of the songs I'm really glad got to #1! Giving Touch a listen now, really nice pop music!


Riser View member profile	1st September 2020, 12:44 AM Post #22
The horrors persist, but so do I Joined: 14 July 2013 Posts: 21,941 User: 19,534	iaEmQJG2HHU 50. Maroon 5 “Animals” The first time I heard this was on my alarm clock radio in October 2014...so literally first thing in the morning, which is usually a bad sign, but instead 'Animals' debuted at #1 on my chart and stayed there for 2 months This was the first song to really win me back over as a Maroon 5 fan, after everything post-'Moves Like Jagger' was so sellout and derivative...this had just enough of an edge to it to be a real breath of fresh air! 49. Justin Bieber “Sorry” Ooh, somewhat similar to Maroon 5, I basically avoided Justin Bieber's music at all costs (Boyfriend and Where Are U Now aside) until this song came along and hooked me...by the time I figured out whose song it was, it was too late to change my mind. Your song better be good if it's going to dethrone Adele from #1, and thankfully this one was great! 48. Ariana Grande “Focus” Yes, you're reading that correctly, #48 of the decade . I will defend 'Focus' until the end of time, from the hooks to the horns and everything in between. #1 on my chart in December 2015 and still no regrets. Don't worry, there's still two more Ariana songs to come so this one's not her highest 47. Little Big Town “Tornado” Little Big Town is my favorite band these days and at the top of my list for artists I need to see live. 'Tornado' is the title track from their 2012 album and the second single after 'Pontoon', one of their biggest hits ever. Loved the grittiness of it and their harmonies are always second-to-none! 46. Plan B “Stay Too Long” Hard to believe I was still in my first year of following the UK charts when this was released! Absolutely loved 'Stay Too Long' for its mixture of rap with retro rock and roll. 'She Said' never had the same effect on me, nor did any of Plan B's other singles sadly, but I'll always appreciate him for this gem. 45. Magic! “Rude” Would we ever get a Canadian reggae group to the top of the charts these days? I think not. I'm a sucker for anything reggae and 'Rude' was no exception. It did have one-hit wonder written all over it though 44. Echosmith “Cool Kids” Another summer 2014 discovery, I was driving when I first heard 'Cool Kids' and I remember exactly which street I was on and which station was playing it. A pretty simple song, but still impressive considering how young the band was when they recorded it! 43. Adele “Send My Love (To Your New Lover)” Adele hasn't been seen since the #150-#101 section, so here she is again. We need a new album Adele! 'Send My Love' is the highest track from 25 on this countdown, she still has two left overall. Upbeat Adele songs are hard to come by so I definitely gave this one plenty of attention! 42. Sam & The Womp “Bom Bom” Another song I will continue to defend against the haters of Buzzjack One of my favorite #1s of 2012, this my friends is novelty done RIGHT! I don't understand a word she says but I recall the video being amusing and the instrumental sections just give me life, every time. 41. Calvin Harris feat. Ayah Marar “Thinking About You” Another potentially odd choice, considering how many singles Calvin had over the decade AND how many of them were massive hits. I can't explain why it's one of my fave productions of his, it just is, but Ayah's vocals certainly help as well. He could've easy ended that 18 Months era after 'I Need Your Love' so I'm very thankful this became that final single instead, and giving Calvin that record of top 10 singles to boot! New playlist time, this one's strictly for the top 50! edit: moved to most recent post


Riser View member profile	23rd September 2020, 01:06 AM Post #23
The horrors persist, but so do I Joined: 14 July 2013 Posts: 21,941 User: 19,534	8PLifPUIuic 40. Macklemore & Ryan Lewis feat. ScHoolboy Q & Hollis “White Walls” Overshadowed by their three much bigger hits but this was a jam too! The chorus is the highlight for me, I love Hollis' voice and it led me to her group The Flavr Blue and sending a song of theirs to BJSC. Mack and Ryan were a magical duo, will any of their three much bigger hits appear here too? 39. Shawn Mendes “Stitches” Actually just discovered this very recently and it sounded pretty good, I think I'm a fan! Kidding, it was my #1 in July 2015 when I had the chance to see Shawn live (amidst a crowd of teenage girls and their parents ). Was amazing to watch it go to #1 in the UK six months later! Shawn was so talented at such a young age, and this song still holds up today. 38. Biffy Clyro “Many Of Horror (When We Collide)” Their most magnificent song, as far as I know! I fondly remember borrowing my dad's iPod Touch on Super Bowl Sunday 2010 to listen to this on repeat while finishing a college art project in my basement. One does not simply remember such random things unless the song itself is just that memorable. Not even mad at Matt Cardle's version since it helped give this one its rightful top-ten peak! 37. Florence + The Machine “Cosmic Love” There are a few songs here that are technically from 2009, however this one I didn't hear until 2010. A top-three hit in Ireland due to an advert, but sadly not a UK hit. One of my most-watched videos of the decade too, really loved it! Her vocals are just too stunning for words 36. The Saturdays “All Fired Up” I was kind of a closet Saturdays stan I guess? They have a handful of great dance songs and this one was especially hypnotic for me, I just get lost in it. That said, I'm also one of the biggest 'Gentleman' fans on here, but not enough to include it in my countdown 35. Adele “Rolling In The Deep” Objectively one of the most defining songs of the decade, it was bound to be here somewhere! Shamefully not a UK #1 but I think it made up for it stateside, one of the biggest crossover radio hits ever here and it did so pretty organically. Dare I say it shattered the pop landscape? She really, really did that. 34. Imagine Dragons “I Bet My Life” This is a personal fave from when my brother spent a month in hospital fighting for his life, and this song seemed to be on the radio to and from every hospital visit, to keep my sprits up when I needed it. Thankfully there's a happy ending to that story, so now I can associate the song with that rather than the struggles that accompanied it before. <3 33. Brothers Osborne “Stay A Little Longer” Spoiler, this is the second-highest country song, only one more to go. Brothers Osborne is a duo (of brothers, obvs) and this was their debut from late 2015/early 2016. Needless to say it's not your cookie-cutter bro-country single, it's 5+ minutes with its own genuine story to tell, and my gosh it has to be one of country's best debut songs of all time. And one of the two brothers went on to marry Lucie Silvas, so there's that. 32. Rihanna “Diamonds” Weren't we just so spoiled back when Rihanna gave us an album every year! 'Diamonds' signaled a sharp turn for her after Talk That Talk and a refreshing one at that. Musically it sounded dark but the lyrics quite literally shine bright. An OA/OS #1 in the UK too if I remember right! She has so many #1s that some may fall through the cracks - I sure hope this one never does. 31. OneRepublic “Secrets” 'Secrets' was a 2010 single from OneRepublic's 2009 album, and to no one's surprise the melodies are Ryan Tedder at his best. Barely a hit in most countries but still gets regular airplay here despite a #21 peak. I think the strings really elevate it too, making it one of their best if not their very best zY6cMMtLCcQ


JosephBoone View member profile	23rd September 2020, 05:20 PM Post #24
you never forget your first time... Pronouns: he/him Joined: 19 April 2011 Posts: 121,678 User: 13,530	Hey Jordan!! My faves from the last couple of sections are Sorry, Stitches (have you heard this yet ) and All Fired Up


Riser View member profile	30th September 2020, 03:59 AM Post #25
The horrors persist, but so do I Joined: 14 July 2013 Posts: 21,941 User: 19,534	bMpFmHSgC4Q 30. Taylor Swift “Wildest Dreams” Who knew Taylor Swift could channel Lana Del Rey almost better than Lana herself? While I was still coming to terms with Taylor's full departure from country during the 1989 era, Wildest Dreams was indeed a triumph, a sign that maybe this was the right path for her all along. 29. Dua Lipa “Be The One” I remember being so impressed that a year-old Dua song could be her first top-10 hit, but it sure happened to the right song, taste well and truly prevailing. Little did we know it'd be the first of many! 28. Ellie Goulding “Lights” One of the most rewarding songs to track on the Hot 100, #2 was unfathomable back then and even now it still seems surreal. As for the song itself, I can't find the words right now to capture its beauty but hopefully #28 of the decade speaks for itself! 27. Chase & Status feat. Liam Bailey “Blind Faith” Didn't really get the love for End Credits or Let You Go, but Blind Faith has dance anthem written all over it. It struck while the dubstep iron was hot, and it quite honestly has one of the most massive choruses ever 26. La Roux “Bulletproof” Obviously this was a big UK #1 in 2009, but I think Bulletproof surprised us all in 2010, not just making the Hot 100 but going top 10! It was my absolute favorite song by that point although not so much now, so #26 seemed fair as I'd probably rank it this high in a 2000s countdown too. 25. Taylor Swift “Back To December” I could go on and on about Speak Now being Taylor's best album and its many great singles. Back To December hit me hard when it was first released, her vocals and lyrics both clicked and it's as simple as that. The highest country song in my countdown 24. Hailee Steinfeld “Love Myself” I really didn't know much of Hailee as an actress aside from Pitch Perfect, so I thought I'd be indifferent to her releasing music. Well that changed when she released one of the best debut singles ever. The message is strong but not forced, the production is wonderfully frantic and the video serves some great choreo. Absolutely stunning. 23. Icona Pop feat. Charli XCX “I Love It” I always love a pop duo! I love that Icona Pop just went all-out for a two-and-a-half-minute shoutfest, it was loud and catchy and very memorable. No time wasted, just hook after hook and you can't help but sing along. 22. Adele “Set Fire To The Rain” Finally we get to Adele's highest appearance and it's a 21 single! Another epic US hit, going all the way to #1 and giving her three in a row. So many good melodies here, I always had a feeling it'd hold up better than Rolling In The Deep or Someone Like You, and in my case it certainly has. 21. Macklemore & Ryan Lewis feat. Ray Dalton “Can’t Hold Us” Another US #1! Thrift Shop could've easily been a one-hit wonder but this was perfect for shaking off the novelty tag, a catchy chorus courtesy of Ray (his deep, smooth vocals tbh ) and the rap verses are solid too, I think I still have a fair amount memorized.


Jade View member profile	1st October 2020, 09:37 AM Post #26
Alone and wounded Pronouns: She/her Joined: 18 January 2011 Posts: 60,158 User: 12,810	'Blind Faith' is my biggest highlight from that section the chorus was the perfect fit for the dramatic X Factor UK background music when the judges would walk out during the live shows really hasn't aged at all for me despite feeling that way about a lot of other dubstep hits of that time. The Lana influence is definitely strong on 'Wildest Dreams' with its wistful nature and her vocal inflections! '1989' was jam-packed with so many strong moments. 'Wildest Dreams' is my second favourite single from the project only after 'Out Of The Woods' <3 Glad that 'Focus' isn't Ariana's highest song here


Popchartfreak View member profile	3rd October 2020, 09:13 AM Post #27
BuzzJack Legend Joined: 18 July 2012 Posts: 22,821 User: 17,376	Hi Jordan, faves from the 50 so far are the Adele's oddly none topped my charts but are all great, OneRepublic, Hailee (I'm sort of a fan since I saw her in concert in barcelona supporting Katy Perry ), Dua Lipa is terrific, love La Roux (saw her in her heyday a good bop), Chase & Status, Icona Pop, Rihanna also good. So, top 20, hmmm I really don't know!


PeteFromLeeds View member profile	6th October 2020, 08:21 PM Post #28
Buy yourself a car, and a house in Devon Joined: 6 May 2016 Posts: 23,892 User: 23,247	Didn't realise Bom Bom had haters on Buzzjack oops, I really like it, such a catchy tune. Many of Horror and Send My Love are other faves from the last few batches!


Riser View member profile	20th October 2020, 04:09 AM Post #29
The horrors persist, but so do I Joined: 14 July 2013 Posts: 21,941 User: 19,534	QUOTE(Jade @ Oct 1 2020, 05:37 AM) 'Blind Faith' is my biggest highlight from that section the chorus was the perfect fit for the dramatic X Factor UK background music when the judges would walk out during the live shows really hasn't aged at all for me despite feeling that way about a lot of other dubstep hits of that time. The Lana influence is definitely strong on 'Wildest Dreams' with its wistful nature and her vocal inflections! '1989' was jam-packed with so many strong moments. 'Wildest Dreams' is my second favourite single from the project only after 'Out Of The Woods' <3 Glad that 'Focus' isn't Ariana's highest song here Oops, I was wrong in saying Ariana has one more song to come....she actually has two! So alas, 'Focus' is only third-highest for her QUOTE(Popchartfreak @ Oct 3 2020, 05:13 AM) Hi Jordan, faves from the 50 so far are the Adele's oddly none topped my charts but are all great, OneRepublic, Hailee (I'm sort of a fan since I saw her in concert in barcelona supporting Katy Perry ), Dua Lipa is terrific, love La Roux (saw her in her heyday a good bop), Chase & Status, Icona Pop, Rihanna also good. So, top 20, hmmm I really don't know! It's good that you don't know - I want you to be surprised! QUOTE(PeteFromLeeds @ Oct 6 2020, 04:21 PM) Didn't realise Bom Bom had haters on Buzzjack oops, I really like it, such a catchy tune. Many of Horror and Send My Love are other faves from the last few batches! We haven't acknowledged the Bom Bom haters until now and we shall never acknowledge them again Thanks all of you for commenting!!


Riser View member profile	20th October 2020, 05:12 AM Post #30
The horrors persist, but so do I Joined: 14 July 2013 Posts: 21,941 User: 19,534	38IOqcYxgqc 20. Wynter Gordon “Dirty Talk” Not typically my thing but a song this hypnotic and seductive cannot be resisted. Dirty Talk was a surprise #1 in Australia in early 2011 and thankfully the UK caught on later, without making the top 20 but with a long chart run to make up for it. This meant a lot of chart show plays, and I savored every one. I fondly remember the video for this as well! 19. Lorde “Royals” I've been following the New Zealand charts for over a decade now, and one obvious highlight was this song debuting at #1 out of nowhere. Obviously this grabbed my attention, and one listen to the song made me an instant fan. Royals is single-handedly responsible for me starting to listen to NZ radio, just to hear this song...little did I know it'd be played in every country in a few more months! It's hard not to be in awe of Lorde's songwriting and artistic vision at such a young age, which others have replicated since then but Lorde and her song both remain special. And there's not one, but two more NZ songs to come! 18. The Weekend feat. Daft Punk “I Feel It Coming” Of course Starboy remains the bigger hit, but one of the nicest things about I Feel It Coming was that Daft Punk's contribution to this song was much more evident! And that's coming from me who's not really a Daft Punk fan, but their presence here is just that undeniably good. The Michael Jackson influences are great as well, it deserves to be as timeless as some of his best ballads! 17. Major Lazer & DJ Snake feat. MO “Lean On” Random anecdote: My first time hearing this was on the radio whilst driving home from getting a haircut. Not that I needed won over any further after hearing the song, but the video has gotta be in my top 10 of the decade. So effortlessly cool, colorful and exotic 16. Rihanna feat. Calvin Harris “We Found Love” I don't know how this song never got old considering how enormous of a hit it was and how often it still gets played to this day. Still sounds as good as it did on that very first listen. Imagine how different the world would be if this collab never happened - Calvin may have never broke through in America, Taylor Swift might never have dated him, Tulisa couldn't have ripped off this song for her own #1 hit (which is also a fave of mine tbf)...so this is by all means a game-changer of a song!


diva thin muffin View member profile	26th October 2020, 11:21 AM Post #31
BuzzJack Platinum Member Pronouns: he/him Joined: 20 January 2011 Posts: 5,907 User: 12,837	YESSS Dirty Talk still bangs so hard!! Happy to see it feature here. This list is shaping up very well so far, lots of songs I love and some I'd forgotten about. This really was an amazing decade in music!


PeteFromLeeds View member profile	4th November 2020, 09:12 PM Post #32
Buy yourself a car, and a house in Devon Joined: 6 May 2016 Posts: 23,892 User: 23,247	I was never a massive fan of Lean On at the time but it's grown on me since it left the chart, such a fab dance song! I Feel It Coming was definitely the best thing from that Weeknd era, although I feel he's hit new highs with his new music.


Riser View member profile	10th November 2020, 05:17 AM Post #33
The horrors persist, but so do I Joined: 14 July 2013 Posts: 21,941 User: 19,534	15. Ariana Grande “Into You” What a chorus! I've accepted it will always be weird looking back on Ariana's career and seeing how average her early, immaculate pop smashes performed chart-wise in relation to her current output. "Into You" might be the worst offender of all, but at least it accumulated massive chart sales to make up for missing the top 10. Words can't do justice to this song, but I think everyone agrees with loving it anyway! 14. Lorde “Green Light” Lorde's second album could've been anything, could've been the expected sophomore slump or could've never happened at all. But Lorde loved us enough to give us a masterpiece. "Green Light" was worth every moment of waiting, a phenomenal progression and testament to her talent. Fingers crossed her next release can reach the same highs! (Or just fingers crossed that it happens at all ) 13. Christina Perri “A Thousand Years” Not a Twilight book or movie fan but their soundtracks were sure full of gems. In perfect contrast to the dark and defiant "Jar Of Hearts", Christina completed her two-hit wonder status with a beautiful love song that's every bit as timeless as the title would suggest. 12. Ariana Grande “One Last Time” Speaking of fitting titles, "One Last Time" is Ariana's final appearance here, and I think anyone can understand why. It needed to be memorable to live up to its name, and even before the events that gave it a second meaning, she made this a song to remember, but even more so now. 11. Alessia Cara “Wild Things” "Here" was a worthy introduction and certainly relatable, but "Wild Things" was the song that made me truly take notice of Alessia Cara. She's an underrated songwriter but I'm willing to call her the Canadian Lorde, and this is in some ways her "Tennis Court" and in others her "Team". I've more or less adopted it as a personal theme song which is why it's so darn high, in fact it's the highest song from the second half of the decade! De30ET0dQpQ


Popchartfreak View member profile	12th November 2020, 11:17 AM Post #34
BuzzJack Legend Joined: 18 July 2012 Posts: 22,821 User: 17,376	Hi Jordan Highlights of 20-11 for me are def The Weeknd/Daft Punk, love that one, and also Lean On, such a groove, and We Found Love, memories of holiday videoclubs. I love clubs with video screens, you can watch the promos and shake it about a bit once alcohol levels have increased enough Royals is a goodie, Green Light OK, I like the Ariana tracks, Wynter Gordon was a top 20 track for me, 10 left to go....!


Riser View member profile	17th November 2020, 04:26 AM Post #35
The horrors persist, but so do I Joined: 14 July 2013 Posts: 21,941 User: 19,534	10. Walk The Moon “Shut Up And Dance” I first heard "Shut Up And Dance" while stuck in traffic which turned out to be a very good thing, because my mind was so blown that I definitely would've crashed if I'd been driving Such an obvious hit from first listen and it sure lived up to its potential! The only reason it's not higher is that it's been overplayed so much and may never fully recover from that, but this led me to other great Walk The Moon songs ("Different Colors", "Work This Body", "One Foot") which I thoroughly appreciate. Plus I was fortunate enough to see them live in Nashville, at the iconic Ryman Auditorium only a few rows from the stage, and story of how that all happened is probably not worth telling but made it all the more special. Anyway, I was very much obsessed with this song for those several months before its complete oversaturation, they really did a great job creating an incredible, slightly nerdy, wedding and homecoming classic. 9. Loreen “Euphoria” So I was a reader of Buzzjack, particularly the chart forum, for the entire decade despite only having an account for two-thirds of it, and one of the highlights from my lurking days was reading the iTunes thread from the week "Euphoria" got to #1 on the Big Top 40 and ended up at #3 officially. I think that was my first time experiencing proper stan culture But likewise, "Euphoria" was by far my favorite song from Eurovision that year, to the point that I ruined my brand new headphones by blasting it at full volume in the weeks that followed Not just the song but I was in awe of the performance and the video as well! Since then I've also loved a couple more Loreen songs: "My Heart Is Refusing Me" and "I'm In It With You". But experiencing the chart success of "Euphoria" is what helped make it such an enduring fave of mine from the decade, and honestly got me to stick around and eventually start posting here! 8. Rihanna feat. Drake “What’s My Name?” The song that started a whole serious of Rihanna and Drake collabs, all of which are 9s or 10s for me but they never did top "What's My Name" That first minute still gives me chills for whatever reason, back then Drake's rap was his finest moment to date and that transition into Rihanna's first verse just gets me every time. Credit goes out to Stargate too who was at his peak around this time and for good reason. Even as big of a hit as it was, I never skipped the song or got sick of hearing it. That was just a great time to be alive! 7. Paramore “Ain’t It Fun” No one makes a hit song like this anymore! Yes it was a hit in the US, a bit of a surprise considering it hadn't been one anywhere else, but I remember exactly where I was sitting when I opened that week's Hot 100 and saw it at #10, such an amazing surprise! This was also around the time I was applying for full-time jobs, finally landing one after countless attempts, and it was easy for the "living in the real world" lyrics to hit home. That outro is such a trip and a fine minute of music on its own, like I said I can't see anything like that being popular now. It really is fun, Paramore, thank you for making it fun! 6. Karmin “Brokenhearted” Oh, you thought I only liked this ironically? Well, think again At first I was as skeptical as anyone else about a Youtube duo attempting the whole pop career, just the concept of that seemed forced and then their first single "Crash Your Party" was quite the buzzkill to say the least. Just a couple listens of "Brokenhearted" were enough to change my mind, it played to Amy's strengths with some catchy production and just loaded with hooks. From there just about every other song of Karmin's became a fave of mine, from "Hello" to "Acapella" to "Pulses" and into their second album with "Sugar" and "Didn't Know You". But "Brokenhearted" is still their best, and only one song from 2012 ranks higher than it! EFEmTsfFL5A Any top 5 guesses? I think I've already revealed all of my most obvious faves which should help to leave some suspense!


Riser View member profile	3rd December 2020, 04:14 AM Post #36
The horrors persist, but so do I Joined: 14 July 2013 Posts: 21,941 User: 19,534	5. Christina Perri “Jar Of Hearts” So for all of the top 5, I can remember hearing each one for the first time and what I was doing with my life on the specific day that I couldn’t stop listening to them. Not that anyone will care but that’s what I’m going to put here. So this was summer 2010, I was spending a very late night working on a jigsaw puzzle on a Monday night, and after finally calling it a night I checked iTunes and found an artist I didn’t recognize in the top 10. Naturally that wasn’t as common at the time, so curiosity struck and I listened but was not prepared for such a hard-hitting ballad. Absolutely blown away, where could this have come from? Well, I don’t watch So You Think You Can Dance but the whole back story of how Christina Perri basically owes her entire career to getting her song on that show, is such an amazing story! So many incredible lyrics but the first that comes to mind is always “you’re gonna catch a cold from the ice inside your soul” Another fun one to watch in the charts, and a whole year would go by before we’d see it in the UK! I’m so glad she got to add more hit singles to her name, but still quite sad that she stopped after two albums. She sure made her impact in that window of time though, so kudos to her 4. Jennifer Lopez feat. Pitbull “On The Floor” So “On The Floor” was early February 2011, just after J-Lo started judging American Idol, and I must have been doing some studio assignment on a Sunday night, and something big on TV was competing for my attention too such as the Super Bowl or the Grammys. Naturally, “On The Floor” won. I remember the Youtube video I had on repeat was an early version of the song with all of Pitbull’s rapping at the beginning, if anyone has a link to that version let me know. The song itself was so on-trend, complete with RedOne production and dubstep elements, and yet it hasn’t aged, much like J-Lo herself! It was amazing to see this get to #1 in the UK and top 3 in the US at her age. It’s easy to forget that she also hadn’t had much chart success for several years before that. So this comeback era led me back to her past eras and I’ve said ever since that J-Lo has my favorite back catalog of anybody in music. So many underrated pop classics! She may have tried to recreate this one a few too many times, but in this case you gotta stick with the original J-Lo/Pitbull collab (apols to ‘Fresh Out The Oven’ for my rewrite of history there x). 3. P!nk “Try” After P!nk released her greatest hits which gave me even more appreciation of her first decade of hits than I already had, her 2012 release was the most hyped I’d been for an album of hers. “Blow Me (One Last Kiss)” didn’t quite live up to it, but out comes the album and “Try” just could not be ignored. It quite possibly has my favorite chorus of the whole decade, and that bridge before the last chorus (“Ever worry that it might be ruined” to “Are you just getting by, by, by”) hit me so hard every single time Every performance I watched was outstanding, particularly the one on X Factor which propelled the song to a well-deserved top 10 peak in the UK. She was always close to being in my top tier of faves, but this was the song that brought her there and cemented her place. 2. Lana Del Rey “Video Games” I’m not much of a music blog reader but was lucky enough to hear about Lana around the same time others were, due to still casually reading NME in summer 2011. With as many artists as these so-called journalists like to hype, I’m not sure what made me actually think she’d be worth a listen, but it happened, and once you hear “Video Games” you certainly can’t un-hear it. I was such a sucker for the random TV footage in the video and her whole vintage-Hollywood aesthetic, as well as the “sadcore” term she labeled her music with. I was so addicted that I was sneaking away at work just to listen to it because I couldn’t go more than a couple hours without doing so! It wasn’t a huge surprise that Radio 1 eventually got on board, but the fact it caught on enough to actually debut in the top 10 is still pretty surreal, as is the fact she’s still a relevant name entering the 10th year since her breakthrough. Well done Lana, but one song has finished ahead of you, what could it be? 1. The Naked & Famous “Young Blood” And the #1 takes us back to July 2010, when I was 19 and enjoying the summer after my first year of college/uni. I was looking for something to listen to while I packed for vacation, did my usual check of the New Zealand chart and saw this song had debuted at #1. It must be good then, I thought, so I played the video on YouTube and, well, the rest is history. It so perfectly captured how young and relatively carefree I was at the time, and although not as carefree as the people in the video, it was definitely relatable and set the tone for that vacation. It went on to soundtrack some other things in my life in 2011 once Radio 1 and my local alternative station picked it up, and every listen since then takes me right back to that afternoon at my old house packing a suitcase. That’s the best I can do putting it into words, but all that aside, what a debut song for these New Zealanders! They’ve certainly made a handful of gems to accompany this one. But ten years have gone by and not one song has surpassed this in my affections. 0YuSg4mts9E All right, thank you for reading and following and commenting on this thread! It’s far from the best commentary I’ve ever done but let’s just say I was burned out from the challenge of putting these in order! I’d made the preliminary list last September but like I said, it really became a project during the stay-at-home order, and it’s nice to see it finished! The final Spotify playlist is below. Who knows, maybe we’ll be back together 10 years from now doing this all over again (preferably without a pandemic, but still)