49 - 30 Girls Aloud 'Sound of the Underground' (81-35-35-48-30-49) (195 points)

UK #1

 

 

Girls Aloud debut single up now, as the trounced One True Voice to Christmas Number One nine years ago now to well ant truly win the battle of Popstars: The Rivals. It's very impressive that they managed to have hits for so long, although never really stopping probably helped, their longest break between singles was only 8 months. It's had remarkable consistency in this competition and this year made the final for a 5th consecutive year, true to form it finishes in the bottom half, falling from last years peak.

48 - 181 Calvin Harris 'I'm Not Alone' (181-48) (200 points)

UK #1

 

 

After having two top 10s with his first album, Calvin got his first number one in 2008 featuring on Dizzee Rascal's Dance Wiv Me, a year later he was there again with I'm Not Alone, a change of direction for him to more of a trance sound. He's had a further three top 10 hits since including two this year, I'm hoping Bounce will feature in this next year at least. The song has had a lasting impression too, as two years later it seems to have inspired a new wave of pop hits, I was shocked that this wasn't actually sampled in Eyes Wide Shut, and Yeah 3x is barely any different too.

47 - 48 Nelly Furtado 'Maneater' (08-14-27-48-47) (204 points)

UK #1

 

 

The penultimate entry for Nelly Furtado is one which stops its run of falling each year, albeit only just with a one place climb. Maneater was the mark of her transformation from reasonably successful singer-songwriter type to a huge megastar, working with Timbaland to be one of the first popstars to move to a more urban sound. It clearly worked as this became a worldwide smash along with its parent album. It was the first of four top 10 singles for her off the album, of which one is ranked higher here. With the world seemingly at her feet four years ago she does seem to have disappeared completely, her only chart entries since being four feature slots. It's hard to see her ever being anything like this successful again, although this year has proved it's certainly possible.

 

46 - NE Eminem & Rihanna 'Love The Way You Lie' (46) (206 points)

UK #2

 

 

The biggest selling single of last year now, Eminem and Rihanna's Love The Way You Lie. Due to the nature of its release it never managed to reach the top spot as there was always something ahead of it, but week after week it would overtake only to be overtaken by another new release or two. It resulted in a huge 14 weeks inside the top 10 though, of which 9 were in the top 5. Bizarrely, it didn't spend a single week in positions 8-10. After years of becoming increasingly tired and, in a way, irrelevant, it was refreshing for Eminem to come out with a more serious song, and with it featuring another of the biggest stars in the world, it was always going to be a huge hit. Rihanna is the final act to have all five of her final entries left, this being the lowest placed.

 

45 - 163 Chemical Brothers 'Galvanize' (163-45) (207 points)

UK #3

 

 

A rather impressive climb for this song, and probably the song I was most surprised made the final. It's a few years old now, has only been in the top 200 once before and it's not like they're particularly popular on this site. They had an album out last year but neither it or its singles made any impression either on the charts or on this site, so a pleasing if slightly unexplained climb for this. It was their fourth top 3 hit and is easily their most successful single since the turn of the century, true to Chemical Brothers form, it featured a guest vocalist in Q-Tip.

 

44 - 31 Beyonce 'Irreplaceable' (105-176-55-31-44) (214 points)

UK #4

 

 

After reaching the final for the first time last year this automatically qualified again and made it for a second successive year, but takes a 13 place drop overall this time around. It spend 7 weeks inside the top 10 with all of them being between #7 and #4 and was the follow-up to the much less fondly remembered number one single Deja Vu. Beyonce has generally been pretty varied in terms of her output but this is regarded as her strongest ballad, although perhaps recent single Best Thing I Never Had could overtake Irreplaceable?

43 - 112 Saturdays 'Up' (173-112-43) (215 points)

UK #5

 

 

Perhaps surprisingly making the top 100 for only the first time The Saturdays make a large climb this year with Up. For an act with their popularity it's perhaps surprising they don't fare better on here, but the majority of their material is generally too weak to cross over to people who aren't huge fans. The one song that's generally united more people and regarded as their best is this, Up, it was a sign they were perhaps here to become as big as Girls Aloud but even though they've had a string of successful singles since, they've never really lived up to that promise.

42 - 124 Timbaland ft. Keri Hilson 'The Way I Are' (88-93-124-42) (215 points)

UK #1

 

 

After spending the last three years in and around the bottom of the top 100, Timbaland's finest solo moment sees a large rise this year, climbing a total of 82 places. Featuring Keri Hilson & D.O.E.(?) this was the second single off his Shock Value album and was the song that finally ended Rihanna's 10 week run at the top with Umbrella. I am quite pleased it's climbed so much this year, for what it is I think it's great, although there were very few songs in the final I don't like so it wasn't quite enough for me to vote for it. This and Up were part of the first of 7 points ties in the final, but is ahead because of receiving more higher marks, which is how all ties have been split.

Great to see 'Up' so high, it's not my favourite of theirs actually but it's still good to see them get some recognition!

I'm VERY pleased at Teenage Dirtbag coming last of the finalists - I was expecting something like mid-30s-ish for it. :D

41 - 20 Pink 'Just Like A Pill' (15-07-20-23-20-41) (216 points)

UK #1

 

 

A remarkably consistent run is ruined slightly as Just Like A Pill takes a tumble of 21 places to put it 18 lower than its ever been before, but it's still impressive for a song to reach the final in each of its six years in this competition. Just Like A Pill was her first of two number one singles, the other, So What, never quite managed to match up to its popularity, it did enter at 32 two years ago but has soon dropped out of the top 200 altogether.

Glad 'Just Like A Pill' has stuck around well, it's definetly one of her best singles along with 'Who Knew' imo.

40 - 40 Lady Gaga 'Paparazzi' (40-40) (219 points)

UK #4

 

 

It's taken 161 songs but we've finally reached our first non-mover. Whilst Just Dance sees a decline in popularity this year Lady Gaga's third single remains in exactly the same position as 12 months ago. Paparazzi was a very different type of song to showcase after the two previous party singles and was the first single of hers to get the special video treatment, full length in around 9 minutes and telling a story. I do think it was much better than what's come in her current era. It's the first non-mover so far but will there be any more to come? She had a lockout of the top 2 last year with Bad Romance beating Poker Face but can she do it again?

Glad 'Just Like A Pill' has stuck around well, it's definetly one of her best singles along with 'Who Knew' imo.

I've never really been a fan of Pink but looking through her singles she has had far more decent ones than I actually thought. Who Knew is probably my favourite of hers, so pleasing to see it's her best performing here again.

Great positions for I'm Not Alone and Galvanize as well, two songs I didn't really expect to reach the final.

 

Shocked at how poorly 'Up' has done so far - it's one of the best pop songs of the decade for me (although it doesn't come close to touching 'Call The Shots' by Girls Aloud) and I'm hardly a huge pop fan. Would have thought top 10 would be pretty easily achievable for it.

39 - NE Girls Aloud 'Untouchable' (39) (219 points)

UK #11

 

 

As Girls Aloud have progressed over time one thing that seems to have emerged is they became more classy over time, with the trio of singles from their last album Out Of Control far removed from the more bubblegum image of a lot of their previous singles. Untouchable was the third of those singles and became their first official single (the St. Trinians debate has happened far too many times on here) to miss the top 10 ending a run 20 consecutive top 10s where they peaked in every position apart from #8. The full 6 1/2 minute version on their album is divine. Untouchable is the second highest non-2010 new entry, if only it had got one point more and it would be the highest.

 

Untouchable?! :/ Wtf is that mediocre pop song doing so high up?

38 - NE Johnny Cash 'Hurt' (38) (219 points)

UK #39

 

 

Finishing as the highest new entry on account of receiving a 1st place which Paparazzi and Untouchable didn't (3rd and 2nd were the best positions respectively) Hurt is one of the most surprising finalists there has ever been in this game. Originally recorded in 1992 by Nine Inch Nails it was covered by 71 year old Cash and released 6 months before his death in 2003 as a double A side with a cover of Depeche Mode's Personal Jesus. It just missed the top 40 originally and became his first hit for some 27 years but entered the chart again three places higher upon his death. Since his death in October of the same year his music has reached a new generation, with this song being the most popular of his.

 

37 - NE Rihanna 'Only Girl (In The World)' (37) (224 points)

UK #1

 

 

When the voting for the 2010 round started this seemed to be getting points off absolutely everyone and I thought it was going to run away with that year, and if Bad Romance was anything to go by last year, the competition as a whole, but the points started to dry up and it only ended up in 3rd behind Robyn and the Lady Gaga and Beyonce duet. I thought it would still do better than this in the final though, as it finishes as only the 4th best Rihanna song and only the 2nd best Rihanna song from last year.

"Untouchable" is just AMAZING- a song the Saturdays would sell Mollie for!