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| gooddelta's EOY 2019/end of 2010s charts, Complete - 2019 in opening post // 2010s on Page 2 |
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 28th December 2019, 04:57 PM
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 Hello?
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2019 was a solid enough year for music but not really in the charts, where hits I loved were few and far between. However there are a few peppered around my top 100. It was a very solid year however for Eurovision and Melodifestivalen, with the two contests claiming four spots in the top six between them (for comparison, last year there was nothing Eurovision or Melodifestivalen related at all in my top 15!).
Australia's wonderful entrant Kate Miller-Heidke very easily claims both my favourite song and album of the year, albeit the latter with a compilation released in 2016 that I only got round to listening to this year. My top six here also made my top 100 of the 2010s, which I'll be paying a lot more attention to later and where the commentary will be happening. But outside that in the top 10 there's lots of stuff I sent to BJSC, a rare UK smash in the shape of Mabel's absolutely wonderful Don't Call Me Up, and the redemption anthem from Sweden's only Eurovision DNQ to date, Anna Bergendhal. Over on the album charts, UK singer-songwriter Freya Ridings and European family folk-pop band The Kelly Family complete the top three, while Ed Sheeran's collaborations 'EP' and Avicii's great posthumous album round off the top five. I'll start the charts of the decade shortly, but here, in full, are my charts for 2019, with the top 100 songs also available as a playlist on Spotify here: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/0NxMtHGyi...MSNiqY038aWDINg Top 100 songs of 2019 1. Kate Miller-Heidke - Zero Gravity 2. Sarah Connor - Vincent 3. John Lundvik - Too Late For Love 4. Katy Perry - Never Really Over 5. Swim Deep - To Feel Good 6. Lina Hedlund - Victorious 7. Spinifex Gum & Marliya Choir - Sisters 8. Anna Bergendahl - Ashes To Ashes 9. DJ Sabrina The Teenage DJ - All The Beautiful Things U Do 10. Mabel - Don't Call Me Up 11. Spacetrain - Salsa Me 12. The Kelly Family - Over The Hump 13. Nolwenn Leroy - Nolwenn Ohwo! 14. IDER - Swim 15. Lily Moore - Over You 16. Lichtblick - Feuerregen 17. Becky Hill & Weiss (UK) - I Could Get Used To This 18. Dolcenera - Più Forte 19. Sheppard - On My Way 20. Zanda Zakuza - Be Mine 21. Mahmood - Soldi 22. Tones and I - Dance Monkey 23. Dolcenera - Amaremare 24. Dua Lipa - Don't Start Now 25. The Rhythm Method - Sex And The Suburbs 26. Avicii feat Agnes and Vargas & Lagola - Tough Love 27. LUM!X and Gabry Ponte - Monster 28. Sheppard - Kiss My Fat Ass 29. Wim Mertens - Close Cover 30. TRESOR & Beatenberg - Aphrodite 31. Kate Miller-Heidke - Caught In The Crowd 32. Freya Ridings - Castles 33. Westlife - Hello My Love 34. Wolfgang Wee - In My Arms 35. Kate Miller-Heidke - Ernie 36. Hanna Ferm & LIAMOO - Hold You 37. Friends feat Jean Pierre Barda - Pacmahara 38. Busted - It Happens 39. Spinifex Gum & Marliya - Dream Baby Dream 40. Agnes - I Trance 41. Valeska Muller - Daar Waar Ons Staan 42. Ed Sheeran feat Chance the Rapper & PnB Rock - Cross Me 43. Kate Miller-Heidke - Australian Idol 44. Freya Ridings - Love Is Fire 45. Barrie - Clovers 46. Dodie - Monster 47. Duncan Laurence - Arcade 48. Kate Miller-Heidke, Sydney Symphony Orchestra & Benjamin Northey - In The Dark (Live At The Sydney Opera House) 49. Laleh - Tack Förlåt 50. Keiino - Spirit in the Sky 51. Original Off-Broadway Cast of Cruel Intentions - Kiss Me 52. The Kelly Family - Fire 53. Ellie Goulding - River 54. Davina Michelle - Duurt Te Lang 55. Valeska Muller - Be Myself 56. Sheppard - Die Young 57. The Kelly Family - El Camino 58. Ed Sheeran feat Camila Cabello & Cardi B - South of the Border 59. Avicii & Aloe Blacc - SOS 60. Friends - När jag tänker på imorgon 61. Tallisker - Somewhere 62. Flecks - Samurai 63. Ava Max - So Am I 64. HUGEL - Guajira Guantanamera 65. DJ Mshega & Holly Rey - Hurricane 66. Hatari - Hatrið mun sigra 67. Way Out West - Mindcircus (Gabriel & Dresden Remix) 68. Wiktoria - Not With Me 69. Jax Jones feat Ella Henderson - This Is Real 70. Kygo & Whitney Houston - Higher Love 71. Tol & Tol - Eleni 72. Taylor Swift - Lover 73. DJ Spoony feat Sugababes - Flowers 74. Luca Hänni - She Got Me 75. Kylie Minogue - New York City 76. Zanda Zakuza - Udlala Kabi 77. Ed Sheeran feat Khalid - Beautiful People 78. Busted - All My Friends 79. Sam Johnson - Medicine For My Brain 80. Sigala & Becky Hill - Wish You Well 81. Shortland Street The Musical Cast - Kia Ora Shortland Street 82. The Knocks & Kah-Lo - Awa Ni 83. Alle Farben & Jordan Powers - Different for Us 84. Crush - Jellyhead (Motiv 8 Mix) 85. Shawn Mendes & Camila Cabello - Señorita 86. Avicii - Heaven 87. Madonna with Maluma - Medellín 88. Swimming Girls - 1 2 Many 89. Valerie Broussard - Actually (Tom Ferry Remix) 90. Sigrid - Don’t Feel Like Crying 91. Kita Alexander - Between You & I 92. IDER - Saddest Generation 93. Maroon 5 - Memories 94. Billie Eilish - Bad Guy 95. Tennyson - Face the Night 96. Vampire Weekend - Harmony Hall 97. MEDUZA & Goodboys - Piece Of Your Heart 98. Nomzi - Seksile 99. Agnes - Limelight 100. Leah - Ek Noem Jou MYNE (Cross My Heart) Top 40 albums of 2019  1. Kate Miller-Heidke - The Best Of Kate Miller-Heidke: Act One 2. Freya Ridings - Freya Ridings 3. The Kelly Family - 25 Years Later 4. Ed Sheeran - No.6 Collaborations Project 5. Avicii - Tim 6. Taylor Swift - Lover 7. Spinifex Gum & Marliya Choir - Sisters 8. Busted - Half Way There 9. Valeska Muller - My Simfonie 10. Kylie Minogue - Step Back In Time: The Definitive Collection 11. Swim Deep - Emerald Classics 12. Lichtblick - Lichtblick 13. Lana Del Rey - Norman f***ing Rockwell 14. Carly Rae Jepsen - Dedicated 15. The Rua - The Rua 16. Ariana Grande - Thank U, Next 17. Zanda Zakuza - 2018 18. Emeli Sandé - Real Life 19. IDER - Emotional Education 20. The Rhythm Method - How Would You Know I Was Lonely? 21. Sigrid - Sucker Punch 22. Marina - Love + Fear 23. Mika - My Name Is Michael Holbrook 24. Mabel - High Expectations 25. DJ Sabrina The Teenage DJ - Spellbound! 26. Madonna - Madame X 27. Sarah Connor - Herz Kraft Werke 28. Mark Ronson - Late Night Feelings 29. Friends - Best Of Friends 30. Alphabeat - Don't Know What's Cool Anymore 31. Becky Hill - Get To Know 32. Kate Miller-Heidke - Curiouser 33. Sophie Ellis-Bextor - The Song Diaries 34. Will Young - Lexicon 35. P!nk - Hurts 2B Human 36. Vanessa Amorosi - Back To Love 37. Claire Richards - Wildest Dreams 38. Bastille - Doom Days 39. Billie Eilish - When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go? 40. Sara Bareilles - Amidst The Chaos This post has been edited by gooddelta: 31st December 2019, 09:26 PM |
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29th December 2019, 10:58 AM
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IncredibleSquirrel
Joined: 8 March 2006
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I know very few of these songs, which I'm sure you're not surprised to know. However it's good to see someone else with Swimming Girls in their chart. I've really enjoyed them this year, and '1 2 Many' is my favourite of theirs too, a shame they've already disbanded though
 Good to see 'Never Really Over' so high up, it's the first song of Katy's I've particularly liked since 'Firework', and unsurprised to see Freya so high. She's got a beautiful voice, I watched her Glasto set after keep seeing her in the BBC coverage, sounds superb live - I do like her album but find it a little dull in parts to be in my top 20/30 of the year, but I absolutely adore 'Love Is Fire'. |
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29th December 2019, 12:02 PM
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Hello?
Joined: 8 March 2006
Posts: 83,055 User: 116
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QUOTE(RabbitFurCoat @ Dec 29 2019, 10:58 AM)  I know very few of these songs, which I'm sure you're not surprised to know. However it's good to see someone else with Swimming Girls in their chart. I've really enjoyed them this year, and '1 2 Many' is my favourite of theirs too, a shame they've already disbanded though Good to see 'Never Really Over' so high up, it's the first song of Katy's I've particularly liked since 'Firework', and unsurprised to see Freya so high. She's got a beautiful voice, I watched her Glasto set after keep seeing her in the BBC coverage, sounds superb live - I do like her album but find it a little dull in parts to be in my top 20/30 of the year, but I absolutely adore 'Love Is Fire'. Oh that's a shame about Swimming Girls, I checked out some of their other stuff and liked that too, but 1 2 Many is a real gem, a real throwback to 80s power pop. I think Never Really Over is probably my favourite Katy song now. Such a shame it came so late on in her career because it really would have been massive if she'd been at her peak this year. I saw Freya live about six months before she broke through with Lost Without You and it was a really spellbinding show, glad you like some of her stuff too. I think she does these uptempo songs like Castles and Love Is Fire really well, even though she's probably going to be more known as a balladeer. |
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29th December 2019, 12:13 PM
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#4
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Hello?
Joined: 8 March 2006
Posts: 83,055 User: 116
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Top 100 of the 2010s
100-91 100. Sheelah – Psycho (2010) 99. Lina Hedlund – Victorious (2019) 98. Lady Gaga – Applause (2013) 97. Pegboard Nerds – Emoji (2015) 96. Swim Deep – To Feel Good (2019) 95. Ed Sheeran – Shape Of You (2017) 94. Kylie Minogue – Dancing (2018) 93. Ortiga – Ilumbarada (2016) 92. KOLAJ – The Touch (2016) 91. Boyzone – Gave It All Away (2010) Sheelah's Scandipop thriller Psycho, one of my BJSC winners, kicks off the top 100 of the decade, just edging out Uptown Funk, which placed 101st. Also in this section are two of my 2016 BJSC entries, the world anthem Ilumbarada by Chilean act Ortiga and some brilliant Spotify pop from US duo KOLAJ in The Touch, and two other entries - the brilliant dubstep of Emoji by Pegboard Nerds and a magical indie reimagining of Rozalla's Everybody's Free, To Feel Good by Swim Deep. Alcazar member and sometime solo singer Lina Hedlund took her Victorious schlager to the final of Melodifestivalen this year, and she just sneaks into the top 100 of the decade with my sixth favourite song of this year, the euphoric Victorious. Also here is the first entry from Lady Gaga, 2013's underrated Applause, Kylie's brilliant lead single from Golden, Dancing and the first entry from Ed Sheeran, the biggest selling song of the decade, the once ubiquitous Shape Of You. Boyzone's poignant cod-reggae ballad from 2010, Gave It All Away, which was written by Mika and released as a tribute to the late Stephen Gately, rounds off this section. |
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29th December 2019, 05:41 PM
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#5
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Hello?
Joined: 8 March 2006
Posts: 83,055 User: 116
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90-81
90. Katy Perry – Never Really Over (2019) 89. Ed Sheeran – Thinking Out Loud (2014) 88. Alcazar – Blame It On The Disco (2014) 87. Hozier – Take Me To Church (2013) 86. Fleur East – Sax (2015) 85. Sanna Nielsen – I'm In Love (2011) 84. Rita Ora – Anywhere (2017) 83. Passenger – Let Her Go (2013) 82. Michael Woods – Platinum Chains (2013) 81. Swedish House Mafia feat John Martin – Don't You Worry Child (2012) Quite a commercial section here, with six UK top three hits. Katy Perry kicks off the top 90 with her recent single Never Really Over, which to me is the best single she's ever released. Shame it hasn't coincided with her career peak because this melancholy slice of pure pop deserved so much more than a UK No.12 peak. Ed Sheeran's second appearance is the 2014 monster, and another of the biggest selling songs of the decade, the beautiful and soulful ballad Thinking Out Loud. The other UK No.1 in this section is Swedish House Mafia's euphoric 2012 smash Don't You Worry Child, which still seems to get rinsed by Heart FM as one of their token dance playlist additions. Fleur East may have been a one-hit wonder with Sax, but what a fantastic hit it was. Aping Uptown Funk, which just missed out, the sax breakdown was irresistible. Long-running No.2s in this section meanwhile come from Passenger's beautiful Let Her Go and Hozier's dramatic and soulful Take Me To Church - perhaps an unexpected major hit looking back, it would certainly stand out sonically in any Spotify hits playlist. I actually sent the track to BJSC in 2013, where it finished 11th, but it took another year and a half to properly break through commercially in the UK. Also in this section is Rita Ora's 2017 hit Anywhere, which provided one of the biggest and catchiest pop choruses of the decade and was deservedly huge for her, and another BJSC entry, the progressive house gem Platinum Chains by Michael Woods. Finally, two Melodifestivalen hits make up the rest of this section - Alcazar's Blame It On The Disco, which was cut from the same cloth as Stay The Night so I was always bound to love it, and Sanna Nielsen's joyous schlager anthem I'm In Love, featuring the classic chocolate orange staging. Her next participation in the contest three years later proved to be seventh time lucky, and is still to come... |
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29th December 2019, 08:38 PM
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#6
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Hello?
Joined: 8 March 2006
Posts: 83,055 User: 116
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80-71
80. Dynoro & Gigi D'Agostino – In My Mind (2018) 79. Galantis – Peanut Butter Jelly (2015) 78. Ed Sheeran – You Need Me, I Don't Need You (2011) 77. Rachel Platten – Fight Song (2015) 76. Prance Faris – Flares (2012) 75. George Ezra – Shotgun (2018) 74. Dua Lipa – New Rules (2017) 73. P!nk – What About Us (2017) 72. Eric Saade – Popular (2011) 71. RAM & Susana – RAMelia (Tribute To Amelia) (2014) 20 years after he scored a brace of European hits, Gigi D'Agostino finally scored a UK hit last year when Lithuanian producer Dynoro remixed his classic L'Amour Toujours. The result was a fantastic dance track that went top five in the UK and spun off a load of soundalikes, though none troubled the charts. Another big chart hit, at 79, is Swedish duo Galantis with the brilliantly quirky Peanut Butter Jelly from 2015, while the third appearance from Ed Sheeran is You Need Me, I Don't Need You, his second hit. The track still goes down well at his gigs but it doesn't get much airplay these days, having been overshadowed by pretty much everything he's released since. Rachel Platten's Fight Song was a fairly surprising UK No.1 looking back, it's hard to imagine it doing so well now just four years on. But I've always loved the empowerment anthem. Another BJSC entry of mine, Flares by Prance Faris could have been a lost late 90s dance track, with shades of Sash! and various trance hits. A few recent big chart hits also appear in this section, P!nk's brilliant What About Us, my favourite single of hers to date and amazing that it came nearly 20 years into her career, Dua Lipa's now iconic New Rules, and George Ezra's summer 2018 smash Shotgun. Considering I strongly disliked everything from his first era, he had quite a turnaround in my affections with his second album, and this track was by far the highlight and a deserved smash. He will be popular. And he was, Eric Saade's huge track returned Sweden to the top three of Eurovision from the wilderness, and kicked off a superb hot streak that they've barely broken away from since. And just outside the top 70 is my most recent BJSC winner, from a whole five and a half years ago, the absolutely spellbinding RAMelia by Dutch DJ RAM, a tribute to his late wife Amelia that begins as a ballad before becoming a beautiful trance track. |
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30th December 2019, 12:16 AM
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 🔥🚀🔥
Joined: 30 August 2010
Posts: 74,584 User: 11,746
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I'll start with what I know and like from your EOY
1. Kate Miller-Heidke - Zero Gravity a great eurovision pick, it didn't translate too well into the studio version for me but was such a great performance on the night 3. John Lundvik - Too Late For Love 4. Katy Perry - Never Really Over one of her best for me as well 5. Swim Deep - To Feel Good 7. Spinifex Gum & Marliya Choir - Sisters 9. DJ Sabrina The Teenage DJ - All The Beautiful Things U Do 10. Mabel - Don't Call Me Up 14. IDER - Swim 17. Becky Hill & Weiss (UK) - I Could Get Used To This 21. Mahmood - Soldi 22. Tones and I - Dance Monkey absolutely love that this is such a mega smash 24. Dua Lipa - Don't Start Now 26. Avicii feat Agnes and Vargas & Lagola - Tough Love ooh someone else who prefers this to SOS! one of my absolute faves of this year, alongside Avicii's other 2 tracks here – great to see all 3 chart as well as the album in your top 5 29. Wim Mertens - Close Cover 32. Freya Ridings - Castles 34. Wolfgang Wee - In My Arms 42. Ed Sheeran feat Chance the Rapper & PnB Rock - Cross Me 50. Keiino - Spirit in the Sky this was for me the best performance of Eurovision this year – although my fave song (in studio form) was Darude 'Look Away' because of course it was 53. Ellie Goulding - River beautiful cover, won't be going nearly as high in my 2020 EOY (as my year starts in December) but will continue to rack up the plays every year 59. Avicii & Aloe Blacc - SOS 66. Hatari - Hatrið mun sigra 69. Jax Jones feat Ella Henderson - This Is Real this is fast becoming one of my Jax faves 70. Kygo & Whitney Houston - Higher Love Kygo had such a good 2019! 73. DJ Spoony feat Sugababes - Flowers 80. Sigala & Becky Hill - Wish You Well and this was one of my Sigala faves 84. Crush - Jellyhead (Motiv 8 Mix) 86. Avicii - Heaven 90. Sigrid - Don’t Feel Like Crying 94. Billie Eilish - Bad Guy 96. Vampire Weekend - Harmony Hall 97. MEDUZA & Goodboys - Piece Of Your Heart absolutely love this as well as Lose Control |
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30th December 2019, 04:28 PM
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#8
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Hello?
Joined: 8 March 2006
Posts: 83,055 User: 116
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70-61
70. Helene Fischer – Atemlos Durch Die Nacht (2014) 69. Le Kid – We Should Go Home Together (2010) 68. Delta Goodrem – Wish You Were Here (2012) 67. John Lundvik – Too Late For Love (2019) 66. Leddra Chapman – Story (2010) 65. Kylie Minogue – Get Outta My Way (2010) 64. The Rua – Fight For What's Right (2015) 63. Taylor Swift – We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together (2012) 62. Rivaz – Colors (2013) 61. Sheelah – The Last Time (2011) Four more of my BJSC entries bow out in this section, including German legend Helene Fischer's glorious schlager anthem Atemlos Durch Die Nacht and another of my 2013 instrumentals, the euphoric Colors by Italian dance act Rivaz, sounding like a lost Gouryella track and which I only recently found out is based on a track from 1983, Wishful Thinking by China Crisis. Also appearing are UK family trio The Rua with their bottom five in the final smash Fight For What's Right, a fine slice of MOR radio pop that could be a lost Corrs or Lucie Silvas track, and Sheelah's The Last Time, which gave me a cheeky second BJSC win less than a year after they first won for me. I've always had a motto that I'd never recycle an old act of mine in BJSC unless they put out a better track, and somehow Sheelah did indeed manage to improve on a winner, by scoring an even bigger win with a better song. Also in this section is the only appearance from perhaps the decade's biggest US female star, Taylor Swift, with the incredibly catchy We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together, from 2012's Red. Another of my favourite songs from the great late 2010-11 period during which time I was living in North Wales and driving across the border every day to work at a local newspaper in Shropshire was Le Kid's colourful anthem We Should Go Home Together, which was one of four big songs that soundtracked my epic drives through the snow that winter. The other three are all still to come... Delta Goodrem finally makes an appearance with her beautiful 2012 tribute to a friend who passed away, Wish You Were Here, while my third favourite song of this year, Swedish singer John Lundvik's Melodifestivalen winning/Eurovision jury vote (and eventual overall top five finisher) Too Late For Love, a really uplifting gospel-pop track with some fantastic backing vocals by The Mamas. The other two songs in this section are two more from the apparently brilliant 2010, Kylie's pure pop gem Get Outta My Way, from the brilliant Aphrodite album, and Leddra Chapman's quirky pop-folk song Story, which I was introduced to via BJSC. I've been a big fan of Leddra ever since but she's not bettered this song. |
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30th December 2019, 04:57 PM
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Hello?
Joined: 8 March 2006
Posts: 83,055 User: 116
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60-51
60. Nadine Beiler – The Secret Is Love (2011) 59. All Saints – One Strike (2016) 58. The Common Linnets – Calm After The Storm (2014) 57. Blue – I Can (2011) 56. Eric Amarillo – Om Sanningen Ska Fram (2011) 55. Steps – Neon Blue (2017) 54. Molly – Children Of The Universe (2014) 53. Daithi – Mary Keanes Introduction (2016) 52. The Corrs – Bring On The Night (2015) 51. Steps – Story Of A Heart (2017) A Disney ballad proved a semi Eurovision success for Austria in 2011 when Nadine Beiler's big cheesy ballad The Secret Is Love returned them to the final, though they'd go on to achieve much greater success three years later with Conchita Wurst, who alas doesn't appear here, but the act that she beat in what at the time was an unexpected top two, do. The Netherlands have been one of the contest's success stories during this decade, kicking off with Anouk's Birds in 2013 but the following year country act The Common Linnets, consisting then of Ilse De Lange and Waylon, came 2nd following a gorgeous performance and staging of Calm After The Storm. Such was its popularity, it even went top 10 in the UK charts, beating both Conchita and the UK entry Children Of The Universe by Molly, which also pops up in this section. Known previously for being the singer on Sash's 2008 hit Raindrops, which fused one of her songs as Stunt with his own smash Encore Une Fois, Molly gave real hope to UK fans with a frankly brilliant entry, which sadly got lost on the night after she sang last after some huge songs, and gave a performance that perhaps lacked power. Nevertheless, the studio version is still an anthem. Three years before, and in the same contest as Nadine Beiler, the UK had our last really impressive result, when reuinted boyband Blue entered the fantastic I Can. Sounding not too dissimilar to a hit from the year before, Written In The Stars by Tinie Tempah, the entry came top five in the televote, despite a vocally ropey performance, but tanked in the jury vote, leading it to finish 11th overall. A shame because I still believe it was one of the top three songs in the contest that year and deserved significantly better, it was even one of the top two favourites to win with the bookies, and some early big points from Bulgaria and Italy had got everyone excited before Italy and Azerbaijan's dire offerings sailed to the top. Two songs from 90s pop legends Steps also appear in this section. While the 2010s were a breeding ground for reuinted 90s pop acts, most of who tour medium sized venues together, Steps are still selling out major arenas on their own and scored both a No.1 greatest hits album and a No.2 new studio album during this decade. On that brilliant album, Tears On The Dancefloor, were both Neon Blue, a great uplifting track that features all five members on vocals and quickly became a fan favourite, and the Benny Andersson Band cover Story Of A Heart, which they really made their own, with a nostalgic video that was essentially an advert for HP's Sprocket photo printer. The Corrs also returned this decade, releasing the album White Light in 2015 after a decade in the wilderness. The lead single, the beautiful Bring On The Night, was for me up their with a lot of their classics, featuring beautiul harmonies, Sharon's trademark violin and a lovely chorus. And rounding off the reuinted 90s acts section was girl group All Saints, who after reuniting in 2006 with the underrated Studio 1, saw bigger success 10 years later (in the album chart at least) but didn't achieve a hit single this time. Lead single One Strike certainly didn't lack the quality to have been a hit though, a breezy and melodic track that picked up sonically from their early 00s material with William Orbit. Two more of my BJSC entries also appear in this section; Eric Amarillo's cheeky 2011 Swedish language dance anthem Om Sanningen Ska Fram, which was a huge hit in the contest (and in Sweden, where it was the song of that summer), and Irish producer Daithi's iconic Mary Keanes Introduction, which to my ears sounded like an easy top ten, so of course it managed to DNQ! Though it did get some redemption by finishing top three in the rejects contest. A tribute to Daithi's grandmother, whose spoken word samples appear throughout the track, it's one of the most charming and original dance tracks I've heard this decade. |
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30th December 2019, 08:07 PM
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 Buy yourself a car, and a house in Devon
Joined: 6 May 2016
Posts: 23,892 User: 23,247
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I think I'm beginning to appreciate Let Her Go more and more now, his voice is so unique and a beautiful song.
In My Mind is a really strong dance song, can't believe it was over a year since it hit the mainstream. Peanut Butter Jelly is fab as well although not one of their best for me. Giving We Should Go Home Together a listen now, very pop-py but I could se it getting stuck in my head if I heard it enough! Mary Keane Introduction is one of my favourite BJSC songs from you, such a well put together song and the vocals really add another layer to it. And Bring on the Night was a brilliant one from The Corrs as well, a great return. Enjoying the list so far! |
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31st December 2019, 10:24 AM
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#11
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Hello?
Joined: 8 March 2006
Posts: 83,055 User: 116
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These are my top 50 albums of the 2010s. Sheppard were miles ahead at No.1, with an album that I now regard as my 4th favourite of all-time. So many 10/10 songs on here, a perfect debut.
Steps a comfortable second with maybe the best album by a reuniting 90s band ever? It certainly gives Take That's Beautiful World a run for its money by being quintessentially Steps, musically and lyrically, but evolving their sound perfectly to the present day. The Corrs and Delta Goodrem will probably always have a position in these lists for as long as they release music. White Light easily stands up to the formers' past albums, absolutely brilliant, while Delta's Wings Of The Wild and Child Of The Universe were both great, but the former edges it out due to more 10/10 songs. Also in the top ten are Adele's almighty monster 21 (which deserves all the success it/she got), Kylie fantastic 2010 album Aphrodite, Ed Sheeran's second album, the excellent x, Leddra Chapman's beautiful Telling Tales, and all the way up at No.4, the best Eurovision artist album I've ever heard, from The Common Linnets. Usually you get the Eurovision entry and filler, but this album was probably my favourite country album released since Carrie Underwood's debut, completely flawless. 1. Sheppard - Bombs Away (2014) 2. Steps – Tears On The Dancefloor (2017) 3. The Corrs - White Light (2015) 4. The Common Linnets - The Common Linnets (2014) 5. Delta Goodrem – Wings Of The Wild (2016) 6. Leddra Chapman - Telling Tales (2010) 7. Delta Goodrem - Child Of The Universe (2012) 8. Ed Sheeran – x (2014) 9. Kylie Minogue – Aphrodite (2010) 10. Adele – 21 (2011) 11. Rihanna – Loud (2010) 12. Kate Miller-Heidke - The Best Of Kate Miller-Heidke: Act One (2019) 13. Ed Sheeran - + (2011) 14. Take That – Progress/Progressed (2010) 15. Ed Sheeran - ÷ (2017) 16. Avicii – True (2013) 17. Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper - A Star Is Born OST (2018) 18. Sia – This Is Acting (2016) 19. Robyn - Body Talk (2010) 20. Sara Bareilles - The Blessed Unrest (2013) 21. Lady Gaga - Born This Way (2011) 22. Steps - The Ultimate Collection (2011) 23. The Veronicas - The Veronicas (2014) 24. Emeli Sandé - Our Version Of Events (2012) 25. Taylor Swift – 1989 (2014) 26. Carly Rae Jepsen – Emotion (2015) 27. Ellie Goulding - Halcyon Days (2012) 28. Rae Morris – Unguarded (2015) 29. Kylie Minogue – Golden (2018) 30. Freya Ridings – Freya Ridings (2019) 31. Ellie Goulding - Bright Lights (2010) 32. Sheppard – Watching The Sky (2018) 33. The Corrs – Jupiter Calling (2017) 34. Rae Morris – Someone Out There (2018) 35. The Rua – Essence (2015) 36. The Kelly Family – We Got Love (2017) 37. Little Mix - Glory Days (2016) 38. Le Kid - Oh Alright! (2011) 39. Jess Glynne – I Cry When I Laugh (2015) 40. The Kelly Family - 25 Years Later (2019) 41. All Saints - Red Flag (2016) 42. Lana Del Rey - Born To Die (2012) 43. Florence + The Machine - Ceremonials (2011) 44. Freya Ridings – Live At Omeara (2018) 45. Take That – Odyssey (2018) 46. Noah & The Whale - Last Night On Earth (2011) 47. Ed Sheeran - No.6 Collaborations Project (2019) 48. Lady Gaga – ARTPOP (2013) 49. Disclosure – Settle (2013) 50. Boyzone – Brother (2010) ====================== What I said about the top 10 in their year of release: 1. Sheppard - Bombs Away (2014) Australian band Sheppard's debut album Bombs Away is the most consistently strong album I've heard since Lady Gaga's 2009 project The Fame Monster. Every song on it is really fantastic. The four singles - Let Me Down Easy, Geronimo, Something's Missing and Smile - are all really different sounding but fundamentally pop-influenced tracks while some of the album tracks are even better; A Grade Playa is pop perfection while Lingering is a gorgeous ballad with lush harmonies. I saw the band live in Camden in August and it was easily the best gig I've seen in years, they have so much energy and passion for what they do and it's incredible how accomplished the show was for a band with just one album under their belt. Bombs Away is quite easily my favourite album of the decade so far and I couldn't recommend it any more highly, there's something on it for every pop fan. 2. Steps – Tears On The Dancefloor (2017) Everything about this campaign was perfect - Scared In The Dark was a monster lead single up there with their all-time best while the album was packed with songs just as good, including the other singles Neon Blue and Story Of A Heart. But it was far from filler beyond that - Happy and Firefly are both triumphant modern pop while I Will Love Again is a soaring cover of the Lara Fabian song. Glitter and Gold and No More Tears On The Dancefloor were amongst the other highlights. Later in the year Faye, Claire, H, Lisa and Lee released a deluxe edition, and made the best even better by covering a Delta Goodrem track, Dancing With A Broken Heart, to lead the re-release with. This was joined by a beautiful Xmas song, Dear Santa, and the excellent September Sun, along with a couple of other nice new tracks. The supporting arena tour was an absolute moment, perhaps the best concert I've seen in years with great polished new versions of the classics plus many of the aforementioned tracks from this album, stellar live vocals from the entire band and incredible staging. 3. The Corrs - White Light (2015) By far my favourite ever band, I've been waiting for this album since 2004's incredible Borrowed Heaven and I certainly wasn't disappointed. Andrea, Sharon, Caroline and Jim stepped back out with this release after apparently not aging a day in the past ten years and delivered something spectacular. I really hadn't imagined this album would be so great, but one listen through reminded me of exactly why they remain my favourite band. From the traditional Irish songs - Gerry's Reel, Stay, Harmony and Ellis Island - to the gorgeous lead single Bring On The Night, the drama of White Light and the dance effort I Do What I Like, nearly everything on here is perfect. Another surprise is Unconditional, which is close to the new wave sound of Taylor Swift's Style and One Direction's Perfect, keeping the band very current sounding and up to date. This album has been well worth the wait. 4. The Common Linnets - The Common Linnets (2014) Dutch country act The Common Linnets, who represented their country at Eurovision this year with the subtle ballad Calm After The Storm, delivered a brilliant debut album; my favourite country album since Carrie Underwood's 2005 debut Some Hearts. Packed with instant hooks, lush harmonies and care and raw emotion throughout, nearly all of the songs on here are so beautifully constructed that they already sound like timeless country classics. 5. Delta Goodrem – Wings Of The Wild (2016) Immediately my favourite album of Delta's since 2004's dark opus Mistaken Identity, Wings Of The Wild had a few familiar tracks on it before release, with the career revitalising Aussie #1 Wings, the lovely piano ballad Only Human and gorgeous string-laden ballad Dear Life. Enough is my favourite track on the album other than Wings, very much in the template of the 2007 epic Believe Again, but with verses from female rapper Gizzle, so a very different prospect for Delta indeed. Elsehwere it's probably easier to list what I don't love than what I do. I suppose I could live without I'm Not Giving Up, In The Name Of Love and Encore, though all three are good. But the rest of the album is stunning. Feline and Hold On are in the sublime vein of Wings, her cover of I Believe In A Thing Called Love by The Darkness is seriously beautiful, Heavy is a classic Delta ballad, The River is thumping power pop reminiscent of the Mistaken Identity era and Just Call is really uplifitng and joyful. Overall this album just further confirms why Delta will likely forever remain my favourite artist, her quality just never dips. 6. Leddra Chapman - Telling Tales (2010) A distinctive and quirky, but gorgeous voice, Leddra's collection of piano ballads and mid-tempo acoustic strummers really warmed up a cold winter for me during Jan and Feb 2010 and carried on winning me over right into the summer, right until I grew to LOVE every song on here. Leddra has proved to me once again how hard I can fall in love with the singer/songwriter genre if it's 'just right', so roll on album number two! Highlights though are Story, Summer Song, Edie and Fooling Myself. 7. Delta Goodrem - Child Of The Universe (2012) After a huge five years away my favourite artist returned with Child Of The Universe. I fell in love instantly with the jolly comeback single Sitting On Top Of The World, the dancy Sophie B Hawkins soundalike Dancing With A Broken Heart, the gorgeous and emotional Wish You Were Here and the Tori Amos-esque stormer Hunters And The Wolves - Delta was back on top form. Add to this the jaunty country-tinged pop of Knocked Out, the Motown of When My Stars Come Out, the frantic drama of War Of Love and Child Of The Universe, and the Mariah warbling of Safe To Believe and it made for a stunning comeback. 8. Ed Sheeran – x (2014) I loved Ed Sheeran's debut album + but many found it underwhelming and called it too safe and MOR considering the variation and quality of his many independently released EPs from the years before he became popular in the mainstream. x is in a completely different league altogether to +, Ed's craft has come on in leaps and bounds in the three years between albums and it's a stunning listen from start to finish. There's plenty to choose from for fans of MOR balladry but his unique edge still shines through in songs like The Man and Afire Love while the three singles have all been perfect choices, and all incredibly varied in style. Ed just seems to get better and better. 9. Kylie Minogue – Aphrodite (2010) As something of a Kylie loon, I was hugely anticipating Aphrodite. And safe to say that All The Lovers suggested that it could be very special indeed. And that it was! First listen I was instantly won over by the glorious melodies, polished disco-pop and slick vocals. This was Kylie back at her solid best, with a full great album. The only minor niggle would be that the glorious Heartstrings was shunned - I would personally have replaced Everything Is Beautiful with it, but I know that the latter is something of a fan favourite so maybe it wouldn't have been a popular choice. Highlights for me are All The Lovers, Get Outta My Way, Aphrodite and Better Than Today but I would rank everything on the album (save for Everything Is Beautiful) as an 8.5/10 and above - a seriously great collection. 10. Adele – 21 (2011) To say that this is a second album, I think it's fair to say that Adele avoided the 'sophomore slump'! So much more mature and well produced than 19 and the songwriting is sublime from start to finish, as are her gorgeous vocals from start to finish. Unlike many of the big female stars, Adele has a powerful voice when necessary but can also show restraint when necessary. The power of Set Fire To The Rain contrasts nicely with the more mellow Cure cover Lovesong for example. Rolling In The Deep was so different to everything else out there and an incredibly gutsy lead single and Someone Like You is one of the best new ballads of recent times, and a deserved biggest selling single of the year in the UK. It feels like an 11 track 'hits' album, and any studio album where every track could have been a huge hit single if released as the lead deserves all of the praise thrown at it. Rumour Has It and Turning Tables would have been worldwide #1s if released in place of Someone Like You for example. A stunning body of work then, back in 2008 I could have never predicted that Adele would live up to the hype in such a way, but consider me convinced. She's broken just about every chart record going worldwide and it's easy to see why. This post has been edited by gooddelta: 31st December 2019, 10:50 AM |
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31st December 2019, 11:24 AM
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#12
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Hello?
Joined: 8 March 2006
Posts: 83,055 User: 116
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Now back to the singles
50-41 50. Sarah Connor – Vincent (2019) 49. Lady Gaga & Bradley Cooper – Shallow (2018) 48. Alicia Keys – Try Sleeping With A Broken Heart (2010) 47. Frances – Don't Worry About Me (2016) 46. Calvin Harris & Dua Lipa – One Kiss (2018) 45. The Corrs – White Light (2015) 44. Avicii – Wake Me Up (2013) 43. Avicii & Nicky Romero – I Could Be The One (2013) 42. Janet Leon – Heartstrings (2013) 41. Salem Al Fakir – Keep On Walking (2010) My second favourite song of this year, German legend Sarah Connor has had a career longevity that rivals P!nk. Starting out as an R&B/pop singer, and even scoring a couple of UK top 20 hits in the early 00s, she's been a consistent chart force in Germany ever since and had recent success with her German language albums, mostly full of powerful rocky and soulful ballads. Vincent, to me, is the best song she has ever put out. Powerful, melodic, and with meaning to the lyrics, I heard it a lot on the radio while abroad this year in Austria and Germany and I would highly recommend it to anybody that hasn't heard it. Another comeback kid last year was Lady Gaga, who with actor Bradley Cooper scored a surprise No.1 with the rock ballad Shallow, one of her finest singles to date from the brilliant A Star Is Born film/soundtrack. They both fully deserved their success with this now classic track. Rewinding back to the very start of the decade, Alicia Keys' Try Sleeping With A Broken Heart was one of my favourite songs of December 2009 but continued to be high in my affections throughout 2010, when it got an official single release, so the Prince-esque mega ballad deserves its place in the top 50 here. From the same year was a Melodifestivalen gem, the quirky and anthemic Keep On Walking by the brilliant Salem Al Fakir, who was runner up but really deserved to win over Anna Bergendhal's This Is My Life. I can only imagine how well it might have done at Eurovision. Salem worked a lot with Avicii and was the singer on his 2013 single You Make Me. While that didn't make this list, two of the late and great Swedish DJ and producer's 2013 singles did - and appear next to each other here. The beautiful I Could Be The One, a collaboration with Nicky Romero which features vocals by Noonie Bao, topped the UK chart early that year but was quickly overshadowed by the gigantic smash Wake Me Up, which kicked off a country-tinged dance trend for a little while. With memorable vocals by Aloe Blacc, it stood out massively at the time and is still genius. This section also features another huge dance UK No.1, the excellent One Kiss by Calvin Harris & Dua Lipa from last year, and another Melodifestivalen entry, 2013's underrated pop banger Heartstrings by Janet Leon, which sounded like the best song Agnes had never released but criminally failed to even make it out of its heat. Meanwhile, back to the ballads, UK singer-songwriter Frances' Don't Worry About Me didn't see any sort of commercial success whatsoever, which is a great shame because the song and video are both beautiful and she has a stunning voice, I don't really understand why she was slept on. Finally, the dramatic and brilliant title track from The Corrs' 2015 comeback album White Light, supposedly about Amy Winehouse, also makes an appearance in this section, as probably the best track they'd put out since the material on 2004's Borrowed Heaven. |
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31st December 2019, 11:44 AM
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#13
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Hello?
Joined: 8 March 2006
Posts: 83,055 User: 116
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40-31
40. Mura Masa feat Nao – Firefly (2015) 39. Take That – These Days (2014) 38. Clean Bandit feat Jess Glynne – Rather Be (2014) 37. Steps – Scared Of The Dark (2017) 36. Rae Morris – Don't Go (2012) 35. Roll Deep – Green Light (2010) 34. Gotye feat Kimbra – Somebody That I Used To Know (2011) 33. Stromae – Alors On Danse (2010) 32. Sheppard – Geronimo (2014) 31. Cascada – Glorious (2013) The top 40 kicks off with a glorious, understated little dance track that deserved way, WAY, more attention that it received, the excellent and hypnotic Firefly by UK producer Mura Masa and singer Nao from 2015. Take That's surprise 2014 UK No.1 These Days (in as much as it was their first No.1 in six years, and they had to knock Band Aid 30 off the top to manage it) is next up. Probably the band's last GREAT song, the uptemo track sees the now trio singing in tandem throughout. Another No.1 smash from the same year, on a much larger scale, was Clean Bandit and Jess Glynne's genius single Rather Be, which sounded so incredibly fresh at the time. Clean Bandit were definitely one of the best things to happen to commercial pop music in this decade, bringing some creativity to a decade where hits at times veered on bland and samey. Steps' comeback single Scared Of The Dark managed a surprise top 40 entry two years ago and despite its low peak has now become something of a pop classic that way more people know than its peak suggests (see also Kylie's Dancing). A schlager/hi-NRG gem in the Alcazar mould, the song was a perfect comeback for the quintet and lead a fantastic album and year overall for them. Series Six (I think) of Skins introduced the world to Don't Go by Rae Morris, which was the beautiful soundtrack to the closing scenes of that series. An absolutely stunning piano ballad, by a singer who would go on to become one of my favourites of the 2010s, the track was another of my BJSC entries, where it finished 14th. Roll Deep had an unexpectedly fruitful 2010, scoring two No.1 singles with Good Times (which spent three weeks at the top) and Green Light, which is perhaps more forgotten by the general public, but was easily my favourite of the two. Such a feelgood and anthemic track, which is fun to both rap and sing along to. The following year, a curious song by Gotye and Kimbra was sent to BJSC and flopped spectacularly, but I really liked it and pointed it. It continued to grow on me over time, and the same thing evidently happened to everyone else as the strange song wormed its way into the public affections, eventually becoming a massive UK No.1 single in early 2012. Sounding like a cross between The Police and Baa Baa Black Sheep, it was so refreshing to see a track like this do so well. The UK didn't take every global smash to their hearts though. Belgian singer/producer Stromae's mega French language song Alors On Danse was an irresistible groove, but the language barrier was apparently too hard to overcome and it peaked at No.25 here. I did amusingly hear it out in a club with my German housemates when living in Wales, directly followed by We No Speak Americano, mistakenly leading them both to believe that the UK must be purveyors of foreign language music. Easily my favourite new act of the decade, Aussie band Sheppard's biggest hit was the UK top 40/Aussie No.1 hit Geronimo, a huge and catchy indie-pop anthem. And finishing just outside the top 30, the year after Loreen won Eurovision with Euphoria, German dance legends Cascada tried their luck with a similar sound, albeit more in the vein of their usual material. Despite Glorious being an excellent track, it all went a bit wrong on the night, with many people feeling it was trying to emulate Euphoria, and Natalie's vocal performance being a little out of time with the track. After a good run of success in the preceding years, it finished a disappointing 21st for Germany. This post has been edited by gooddelta: 31st December 2019, 11:45 AM |
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31st December 2019, 12:11 PM
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#14
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Hello?
Joined: 8 March 2006
Posts: 83,055 User: 116
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30-21
30. Lorde – Royals (2013) 29. David Guetta feat Sia – Titanium (2011) 28. Dolcenera – Un Altro Giorno Sulla Terra (2018) 27. Delta Goodrem feat Gizzle – Enough (2016) 26. Delta Goodrem – Hunters And The Wolves (2012) 25. Tove Styrke – White Light Moment (2010) 24. Ellie Goulding – Love Me Like You Do (2015) 23. The Veronicas – You Ruin Me (2014) 22. Rihanna feat Calvin Harris – We Found Love (2011) 21. Owl City & Carly Rae Jepsen – Good Time (2012) Four more UK No.1s appear in this section. New Zealand teenager Lorde burst onto the scene...again via a BJSC flop which I pointed but nobody else did. I didn't really expect it to become a huge hit but luckily pre-streaming becoming completely dominant the music industry was pushing in more interesting directions and audiences around the world took Royals, a unique track by an immense talent, to their hearts. Titanium first emerged as a grat (?) in mid 2011, and instantly topped my personal chart, I was delighted to hear Sia back, as she'd flown under the radar for her entire career up to this point. Fortunately this proved a real turning point for her and helped her to become one of the decade's biggest and most unlikely superstars. Titainum is an absolutely blistering, huge song, balancing light and shade perfectly in the verses and chorus. The song did eventually top the UK charts and became a massive seller for Sia and French producer David Guetta. Ellie Goulding may be sitting pretty at No.1 with River at the moment, but in 2015 she had a huge chart topper that was No.1 because people actually actively bought it, rather than being force fed it through Alexa. Love Me Like You Do is one of the decade's biggest ballads and a perfect single from Ellie, a gorgeous and powerful track with a brilliant vocal from one of the decade's best singers. And the other UK No.1 in this section was Rihanna and Calvin Harris' monster 2011 hit We Found Love. With both acts firing on all cylinders at the time, Calvin's drop was and remains immense, maybe his best to date, while Rihanna's vocals were crystal clear perfection and remind me of how much I've missed her over the last few years. There are two appearances from Delta Goodrem in this section, 2016's Enough, which is sonically in the mould of her 2007 epic Believe Again in places but stands out with a rap from female rapper Gizzle. A really different sound from Delta which worked brilliantly well, albeit wasn't a commercial success for her. Meanwhile, Hunters And The Wolves from 2012 evoked Tori Amos in the best possible way, a quirky and dramatic song that I sent to BJSC, where it finished second on a points tie with the winner - the first of two occasions that this happened to me... The Veronicas had a brace of late 00s hits in the UK, the biggest being Untouched, and probably nobody expected them to ever have another. But five years later they returned with the gorgeous and tender ballad You Ruin Me, which was luckily picked up and spammed by Heart FM, at a time when they could still create hits, and it duly went top 10 in one of the greatest chart justices of the decade. Carly Rae Jepsen is a favourite of many internet pop fans, and she has indeed had a brilliant decade. But while the likes of Call Me Maybe and Run Away With Me missed my top 100, perhaps criminally, her only appearance is the unlikely top five hit with prior one-hit wonder Owl City, the delightful and fun Good Time from summer 2012, which completely soundtracked a very fun summer for me and deserves its place here. Swedish singer Tove Styrke, who was an Idol contestant, released the shining pop brillance of White Light Moment back in 2010, and it was another of big four 'songs I drove to work with in the Wales snow'. One of the best Scandipop songs of the decade, it boasts a huge chorus, sparkling production and a great vocal from Tove, who became more critically acclaimed later in the decade. Another song that brings back memories, taking me right back to my gorgeous summer holiday in Sicily in 2018, is Italian singer Dolcenera's Un Altro Giorno Sulla Terra, which also features in this section. Sounding as if it should be part of some incredible Brazillian carnival, the track is drenched in sun and joy, with a middle-eight instrumental breakdown that makes me dance every time. Another BJSC DNQ that I just couldn't fathom, but that's everybody else's loss. |
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31st December 2019, 07:49 PM
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#15
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Hello?
Joined: 8 March 2006
Posts: 83,055 User: 116
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20-11
20. Rihanna feat Drake – What's My Name (2010) 19. Ed Sheeran – The A Team (2011) 18. Kate Miller-Heidke – Zero Gravity (2019) 17. Jennifer Lopez feat Pitbull – On The Floor (2011) 16. Sanna Nielsen – Undo (2014) 15. Poli Genova – If Love Was A Crime (2016) 14. Clean Bandit feat Sean Paul & Anne-Marie – Rockabye (2011) 13. Freya Ridings – Lost Without You (2018) 12. DJ Kent feat The Arrows – Spin My World (2013) 11. Delta Goodrem – Wings (2015) The top 20 kicks off with the third of my 'big four of late 2010', Rihanna and Drake's brilliant What's My Name, which is actually my overall favourite Rihanna single to date. A fun singalong with smooth vocals from both and irresistible production, it's the highlight of her career opus in my eyes, Loud. Ed Sheeran's fourth and highest entry on the countdown is his debut single The A Team. It may have been overshadowed in sales terms since then by many of his other singles, but this hard hitting tale is still my favourite song to date of his, and was my soundtrack to summer 2011, really standing out at the time amongst all of the club bangers in the charts. The best song of this year by a mile was Zero Gravity, Australia's Eurovision entry by Kate Miller-Heidke. A singer I'd been familiar with and liked a lot of her stuff in the past, this song really made me recognise her genius and its Eurovision performance that saw her swaying around on a pole against an immense backdrop is probably the biggest spectacle I've seen at the contest. She finished 9th, having ranked top 10 with both the juries and the public with this sublime opera influenced pop-dance track but she deserved SO much better. Jennifer Lopez achieved an unexpected career comeback in 2011 with the RedOne produced dance banger On The Floor. Based on the 80s song Lambada, the song was instantly my favourite J.Lo track to date and Pitbull's rap on the track was equally iconic. It was a deserved UK No.1 in a chart climate that sadly makes it hard for any woman over the age of 35 to achieve commercial success. On her seventh attempt at Melodifestivalen victory, eternal bridesmaid Sanna Nielsen finally achieved the win with the dramatic and brilliant Undo. In the Celine Dion power ballad mould, Undo only narrowly won the competition, run incredibly close by dark horse Ace Wilder's Busy Doin' Nothin', but unlike 2008 when she failed to win with Empty Room despite topping the public vote, this time it was just enough to see her through. At Eurovision she placed third after a flawless performance, only finishing behind the massive entries from Conchita Wurst and The Common Linnets. And the song even scraped Sanna into the UK top 40 for a week! Two years later, the best entry of the year came from a very unexpected source - Bulgaria! I wasn't a fan of Poli Genova's 2011 entry but in 2016 she returned with the storming pop song If Love Was A Crime, which had just enough modern Spotify pop flourishes, but with Kylie influences and even a sprinkling of Bulgarian language in the chorus. It even kicked off an unlikely run of contest success for Bulgaria, who finished 2nd after Poli had taken them to a then new high of 4th, winning me a lot of money in the process after my each way confidence bet cashed out. Poli was narrowly pipped to the post in my end of year chart in 2016 though by the song that just stays narrowly ahead, Rockabye, by the inspired combination of Clean Bandit, rising star Anne-Marie and the legendary Sean Paul. With touches of Ace of Base and the classic Clean Bandit production, this was always going to be a winner, and so it proved, becoming the Christmas No.1 for that year despite being released in November and having already been at the top for ages. This also won me a lot of money that year! One of my favourite BJSC entries of mine of this decade was Lost Without You by Freya Ridings. I was absolutely spellbound by the track the first time I heard it, and by Freya's powerful voice. The version I sent, which was Live at St Pancras Church, also featured a gorgeous string section that was missing from the studio version that later went on to become a surprise but very welcome long running UK top ten hit for Freya. In 12th place for the decade is another of my entries, the infamous DNQ Spin My World by South African producer DJ Kent and featured act The Arrows, whose output I have continued to love ever since. Melding a hypnotic deep house beat with a simple but beautiful piano melody and singer Pamela Myburgh's unique voice and croissant hairstyle, it was instant love on first listen and I've continued to hammer the track regularly ever since. I also fell hard in love with the video, set in The Arrows' home of Durban, which looks gorgeous. Just missing a place in the top 10 is this decade's highest entry for the great Delta Goodrem. While there were plenty of great songs on Child Of The Universe, Wings was easily the best track she had put out since 2007's Believe Again. A dance-pop track with a huge chorus, soaring vocals and a brilliant piano breakdown, Wings was Delta firing on all cylinders and it even became another No.1 for her down under. As part of some rare UK promo for the song, she came over to London to perform a secret gig and at G.A.Y., both of which I got to see, amazingly even getting to meet her in one of my favourite evening's of the decade |
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31st December 2019, 08:34 PM
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#16
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Hello?
Joined: 8 March 2006
Posts: 83,055 User: 116
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10-6
10. Walk The Moon – Shut Up And Dance (2014) While I'd liked a couple of US band Walk The Moon's older songs, they didn't stand out as anything special to me until I first became aware of Shut Up and Dance in late 2014. A blistering 80s power pop/rock throwback, it was an instant smash with me and I sent it to BJSC where it came 4th, later impressively replicating that the following year in the official charts, with a No.4 peak, and huge longevity and total sales. One of the decade's biggest singalong songs and choruses, it certainly deserves a place in my top ten. 9. Kylie Minogue – All The Lovers (2010) Kylie had always been one of my favourite artists, with loads of 10/10 songs, like What Do I Have To Do, Better The Devil You Know and Some Kind Of Bliss, she'd never really had an 11/10 moment of perfection for me until All The Lovers. The magical lead single from Aphrodite was Kylie's last true big hit in the UK, but it was an incredibly deserving swansong, quickly becoming a huge favourite amongst almost her entire fanbase. Crisp, shimmering electro production, soft and breathy but romantic vocals from Kylie and a dreamy chorus all came together to make this Kylie's finest moment in years. It also leaked on the same week as Robyn's Dancing On My Own and Katy Perry's California Gurls, making it a real treat of a week for pop fans. 8. Måns Zelmerlöw – Heroes (2015) Måns had entered Melodifestivalen a couple of times before, in 2007 with the huge Cara Mia and then in 2009 with Hope & Glory, which famously finished only fifth despite being the favourite for a while, to huge gasps from the audience (I was there - it was a moment). But in 2015 he returned with Heroes, which drew sonically from both Avicii's recent country-dance output, and the recent No.1 from David Guetta, Lovers On The Sun. A huge melody, the not unattractive Måns and an incredibly cute and creative performance was only going to go one way, and sure enough it won Melodifestivalen and subsequently Eurovision, becoming Sweden's second win of the decade and sixth overall, albeit not winning the televote this time around. It even got to No.11 in the UK when streaming wasn't yet king! 7. Take That – The Flood (2010) The Take That reunion had already been quite a story to tell from 2006 to 2009 but it somehow stepped up into the highest gear possible in 2010 when the fairytale completed and Robbie rejoined the band. A five piece for the first time since 1995 (and for the last time - as he and Jason both subsequently left), their combined forces would have been enough to guarantee a smash, but the high quality of the Progess album guaranteed record breaking album. A slightly leftfield album both musically and lyrically that was nothing like Beautiful World and The Circus, the only song that vaguely fit the TT 2.0 mould was The Flood. With brooding verses leading to one of the biggest pop choruses of the decade, chart wise the track somehow stalled at No.2 in the UK, but it had me hooked, and joined Rule The World and Shine to make up my holy trinity of Take That songs. Pop perfection from probably the biggest pop reunion of all time and the absolute peak for them during this decade, I hammered this during my time living in Wales and fondly remember belting it out in the car on many occasions. 6. Avicii & B & B And Choir – We Write The Story (2013) 2013 was to date the only time I've attended Eurovision in person. With it being in Malmo, Sweden, I just had to go. Even though I was only at the back with an obscured view, the atmosphere was electric, and like nothing I'd ever seen before. But earlier in the day I'd also attended the final dress rehearsal, where I had a much better view in the centre of the crowd. It was during this time that I first enjoyed the opening act, Swedish megastar Avicii at the peak of his powers had teamed up with ABBA's Benny and Bjorn for a blistering choral dance track that would play for six and a half minutes at the start of the show while each of the acts walked out across a bridge over the audience's heads. Many of modern day Eurovision's conventions were laid in Malmo, including this artist presentation, which was awe-inspiring to me at the time (especially when Bonnie Tyler and Natalie Horler walked out above me). And this absolutely incredible piece of music soundtracked the whole thing, leading to an instant memory made. My love was cemented later that evening during the final itself, and then again when I eagerly downloaded it as soon as it became available. One of the most grand and epic dance songs I've ever heard, it combines a number of my loves (Eurovision, Avicii, ABBA, choral music) in one place and was really never going to fail to become a favourite of mine. |
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31st December 2019, 08:43 PM
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#17
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Hello?
Joined: 8 March 2006
Posts: 83,055 User: 116
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5. Lena - Satellite (2010)
The first time I heard Satellite I think I gave it 7/10, which was ridiculous looking back because it's such a joy. Germany had been subject to some dismal Eurovision results for almost the entire 00s but they changed the format up in 2010 and looked to pair the best singer with the best song. Lena performed a few songs that evening, including the charming Bee, but the quirky Satellite was probably never going to lose. Lena was the most charismatic performer the nation had fielded for years, the song stood out hugely among the 2010 crop and was installed as one of the favourites alongside Safura's Drip Drop. Naysayers weren't so sure; a performer with a marmite voice singing for poor form Germany? Right hand side of the scoreboard surely beckons...I'd been looking at the charts across Europe, where it had been a major hit in the Germanic territories and was gaining pre-contest traction in Scandinavia and to me winning over the music buyers is half the battle to a major contest hit. So it proved, and Lena went on to win with easily the best performance of the evening, and was also my favourite song of a brilliant year that also featured heavyweights like All The Lovers and The Flood. Pure pop perfection and Lena is deservedly still a big pop star in Germany. |
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31st December 2019, 08:50 PM
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#18
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Hello?
Joined: 8 March 2006
Posts: 83,055 User: 116
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4. Maroon 5 feat Christina Aguilera – Moves Like Jagger (2011)
Maroon 5 were one of the biggest bands of the mid 00s but had fallen off the radar somewhat by 2011. After a series of flops, they teamed up with fellow fading star (and Adam's fellow The Voice judge) Christina Aguilera (one of my all-time favourite artists) for a funky pop song influenced by Mick Jagger and the recipe was...a surprisingly gigantic hit. Moves Like Jagger was a million selling single in the UK, famously spending seven weeks at No.2, and each week losing out to a different song at No.1. It deserved the top - it reactivated Maroon 5's career - they are still successful now over eight years later - turned me into a fan and brought Christina back onto the airwaves. An effortless whistle hook and an irresistible chorus, it was annoying to many but it remains one of my favourite smash hits of the decade. |
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31st December 2019, 08:57 PM
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#19
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Hello?
Joined: 8 March 2006
Posts: 83,055 User: 116
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3. Wiktoria – As I Lay Me Down (2017)
Swedish singer Wiktoria's first Melodifestivalen entry was Save Me in 2016. A country-pop beauty, it put her on the radar, and she did very well first year out, especially with the public, but her slightly screechy voice put off some people. It was sadly a similar scenario the following year where she turned up with a much bigger, brighter and better song in every way, coming 2nd with the public, but faltering with the juries. Sounding like a huge pure pop song right out of the bubblegum era of the late 90s (think B*Witched minus the Irish jig), but retaining a touch of the country charm of Save Me, As I Lay Me Down is such a bright, bouncy and joyous track and I'd have so loved to have seen it at Eurovision that year, where I'm sure she would have won over the European public. |
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31st December 2019, 09:12 PM
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#20
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Hello?
Joined: 8 March 2006
Posts: 83,055 User: 116
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2. Sheppard – A Grade Playa (2014)
From what was easily my favourite album of the decade, is my second favourite song of the decade. The first time I listened to Aussie band Sheppard's debut album Bombs Away, A Grade Playa hugely stood out to me. I'd assumed that George Sheppard was the band's only main singer but this track made me realise that his green-haired sister Amy was just as capable of fronting a really great tune. The lyrics of a woman scorned, and clearly not to be messed with, are married up to a really powerful pop-rock production, my favourite part of which is without a doubt the harmonies which are just one of many areas where Sheppard really excel as a band. George joins in for the excellent 'go on, go on, go on, go on, be gone!' post-chorus before Amy jumps back into the second verse with great lyrics such as 'if there were a medal for the biggest sleaze, there wouldn't be any other nominees, I'm guessing all your lies are a blessing in disguise for me'. The bassline kicks in harder for the second chorus before the sublime harmonies make an emphatic return. The music slows down for a delicately sung line from Amy after the middle eight before a wonderfully unexpected key changes powers through. The production becomes almost dubstep-like at this point, with the punching bassline adding yet another layer to a brilliantly complex pop song. And then the final 25 seconds, a reprise of the 'go on, go on, go on, go on, be gone' harmonies, make for a perfect outro. I sent it to BJSC, where it was my favourite of every song I sent to the contest this decade, and it DNQ'd, as all the best songs do! But it clearly didn't dampen my love for a still amazing track. This post has been edited by gooddelta: 31st December 2019, 09:12 PM |
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