So here I am, Shamelessly jumping on the bandwagon, I am going to present to you my top 50 singles of 2011!

 

I don't often frequent this place, so there's no personal chart or chart runs to calculate this in particular, they're just basically songs I own ranked on how much I like them, quite simple really :P

 

I hope to get through 50-31 today, 30-11 tomorrow and maybe even finishing the top 10 before the year's out, this may not go entirely to plan, so just bear with me

 

I haven't really listened to enough albums this year, so we start with honourable mentions with tracks that I do own and like, but didn't quite make the final list:

 

Chase & Status feat. Delilah - Time

The Wanted – Glad You Came

Inna – Sun Is Up

Wynter Gordon – Dirty Talk

Templecloud – One Big Family

Swedish House Mafia – Save The World

Katy Perry – Last Friday Night (T.G.I.F)

Nero – Me & You

Chase & Status feat. Tinie Tempah - Hitz

Alex Gaudino feat. Kelly Rowland – What a Feeling

Tinchy Stryder – Let It Rain

Ed Sheeran – The A Team

Birdy – Skinny Love

Aloe Blacc – I Need a Dollar

 

so, the first 5 are imminent!

Edited December 31, 201113 yr by C.W

50. Bruno Mars - Grenade

 

 

first up we see one of the first number 1s of the year, from a man who has had quite a good year to say the least - his second number 1 and one of the biggest selling hits of the year, it may have got slightly boring from overplay and my mum and my sister fawning over him -_- but its still a very good, emotional number that was a deserved success for him, he does have a better song still to come though.

 

49. Wretch 32 feat. Example - Unorthodox

 

 

it did get old quite fast granted, but the second single from newcomer Wretch 32 was certainly my favourite from him, the sample works really well and Example really pulls a great chorus off, it deserved to be number 1 over the extremely average follow up, Don't Go

 

48. Vato Gonzalez feat. Foreign Beggars - Badman Riddim (Jump)

 

 

there's not a whole lot to say here and won't be to everyone's taste, but I really liked this undeniably fun, rap-dance record

 

47. Calvin Harris feat. Kelis - Bounce

 

 

the comeback from the Scottish king of dance Calvin Harris now, it was always gonna be hard to top something like I'm Not Alone, but this was still pretty great - a dance beat that sounds like it was straight out of a Nintendo 64 game, but is VERY infectious and Kelis' vocals aren't entirely brilliant, but the lyrics add a sense of breaking out to the song, overall, a pretty good comeback, of course, it sounds GREAT in a club

 

46. Delilah - Go

 

 

newcomer Delilah really caught my attention with this rather wonderful track - not relying on a massive chorus and taking pride in its understated nature, it sounded so different to anything else in the charts and was a breath of fresh air for me - I'm not sure how it ended up so low in this case :lol: I guess I must've overplayed it a bit, but its still a beautiful song

Edited December 29, 201113 yr by C.W

45. DJ Fresh feat. Sian Evans - Louder

 

 

the first major success for DJ Fresh now, a really upbeat, summery dance anthem here, it alas did get rather old quite quickly, but it did sound really good at the time, maybe one that sounds best when the weather's nice

 

44. Labrinth feat. Tinie Tempah - Earthquake

 

 

I must admit, I'm very surprised I'm charting this! when I first heard this, I thought this was an over-produced mess and was very glad it lost number 1 to Read All About It, however, on repeated listens, it just grew on me more and more until I really liked it, the whole thing is a rather epic affair, particularly that breakdown and I can (eventually) see how this has gone on to receive a lot of love this year

 

(and just watching the video now! WOW! :o )

 

43. Calvin Harris - Feel So Close

 

 

the second of two for Calvin Harris, the second single and, alas, another number 2 for him. It may not be the most original dance track ever, but its still, like Bounce, undeniably infectious and was probably the better of the two for me, as I think his voice fits the song quite well, oddly...

 

42. Jessie J feat. B.o.B - Price Tag

 

 

I'm very up and down with Jessie J, I wasn't a fan at first, I just couldn't get into her, in general, she's grown on me a lot, it may not be particularly original and slightly cheesy, but its a very pleasant and catchy listen and one of my favourite number 1s of the year, just don't ask me my thoughts on her live singing... :kink:

 

41. LMFAO feat. Lauren Bennett & Goonrock - Party Rock Anthem

 

 

now why do I like this? its incredibly unoriginal, trashy, generic and it matches them in the music and lyrics, the good thing is, its pretty much totally aware of this and doesn't care, it simply a song to have a good time to, and it certainly is great fun to listen to and does its job excellently. For that reason, its really quite hard to dislike and not hard to see how its been so successful this year

 

 

Love "Go" and although I did not chart it I have recently started to like "Feels So Close".

^FSC was a bit of a grower for me too, it sounded a bit lifeless at first, but I grew to really like it

 

anyways next 10:

 

40. Lady Gaga - Born This Way

 

 

the comeback track from the star of 2009, Lady Gaga now. Definitely quite the polarising record on here, I fell into the former as I really like the synths and 'Don't be a drag, just be a queen' is a pretty great line, and whilst its a far cry from what she was hyping it up to be, its still a dam good pop record, although I think I'll take just the track over the video thanks :lol:

 

39. Gym Class Heroes feat. Adam Levine - Stereo Hearts

 

 

an extremely catchy, bright hit from the Gym Class Heroes now, I've never been a huge fan, but they've done some good songs, this would probably be one of my favourites, Adam's part definitely makes it though :wub:

 

38. Maroon 5 feat. Christina Aguilera - Moves Like Jagger

 

 

speaking of Adam, here we see one of the biggest hits of the year - and its easy to see why this was big - incredibly infectious, fun and clever little tune that clearly clicked despite the artists rapidly fading in relevance, it took a while to click with me, but I'm sort of just getting into it now, even though overplay may have killed it for some :lol:

 

37. Lady Gaga - The Edge Of Glory

 

 

and so completes our Adam Levine sandwich with Lady Gaga bread and Gym Class Heroes and Christina Aguilera sauce thrown in to flavour :D by far her best song this era imo, Judas was just a bit of a mess for me, so I was glad when she released with this very classy and quite emotional number with a saxophone solo from the late, great Clarence Clemons

 

36. Jennifer Lopez feat. Pitbull - On The Floor

 

 

another one I didn't really expect to chart when I first heard it, originally sounding like a trashy, desperate attempt to fit in, but over time I saw how it really stood out from the average generic club banger, I love the latin vibe from it and even Pitbull's rap adds something to it, I love his rhyming :lol: oh and her? I still definitely would :wub:

Edited December 29, 201113 yr by C.W

35. Christina Perri - Jar of Hearts

 

 

the female piano ballad has been very popular in the charts this year (see the best selling single of the year!) and this was no exception, relative newcomer Christina Perri made quite an impact with this, I recognised it at first from Glee, but didn't take proper notice until it charted, it may have been overplayed a bit, but its still an absolutely gorgeous song, allowing her voice to soar behind a lovely backing track, definitely a deserved success.

 

34. Martin Solveig feat. Dragonette - Hello

 

 

one of the first songs I heard this year, an instantly brilliant track - a really fun backing track, cheerful, chirpy lyrics pulled off the effect by Dragonette, a great little number fully worthy of a place in my top 35

 

33. Noah & The Whale - L.I.F.E.G.O.E.S.O.N

 

 

I wasn't ever expecting to hear from Noah & The Whale again after the wonderful Five Years Time, but this track proved they still had it in them - a very breezy and enjoyable little tune with quite a universal message behind it, one of the few 'indie' hits of the year, its certainly deserved

 

32. Sean Kingston - Party All Night (Sleep All Day)

 

 

:blush:! So yeah, this is a bit of an embarrassing addition, and probably just reflects how great The Inbetweeners Movie was and how it reflected me just moving into Uni and actually getting a semi-social life, but its an undeniably enjoyable song, let it be known I'm not a fan of his at all, but I have soft spot for this

 

31. Example - Stay Awake

 

 

the second of three which features this man, who has had quite a good year scoring two straight UK number 1s, this one alas was a bit more default than anything and bombed out of the chart quickly, its a shame, as its really good imo, not as good as his other one which is of course still to come, but still very good and I have no idea what he's singing about but I do have a liking for that lyric 'Did we take it too far? Did we chase the rabbit into Wonderland?' pretty cool ay? :P

 

that's it for today, 30-11 will hopefully be coming tomorrow! where we get into some songs that I love

Particularly liking Edge Of Glory, Jar Of Hearts and Price Tag from you list so far

Particularly liking Edge Of Glory, Jar Of Hearts and Price Tag from you list so far

 

thanks for commenting :D I think you'll like some of the more alternative stuff still to come

 

-x-

 

moving on:

 

30. Dappy - No Regrets

 

 

another slightly controversial inclusion, the first solo success for N-Dubz frontman, Dappy, yes, I know he's a right twat, but this song is very good! a very surprisingly emotional rags-to-riches story with a good message behind it, and its even got a gospel choir in it!

 

29. Take That - Love Love

 

 

the UK's favourite manband now with the official single release from the X Men-First Class film, I've always liked Take That, and this song was no exception, it may sound a bit too similar to their earlier release Kids, but its still a joyful, infectious number from them, and its one where its not all about Robbie and Gary

 

28. Bruno Mars - It Will Rain

 

 

the second of two in my countdown for Bruno Mars now, and his most recent release - this is actually my favourite from him, it may not be full of hooks and killer choruses, but its layered with genuine emotion that he captures extremely well in his soulful voice, I've always found him an extremely talented and charming singer and never really got all the hate he got on here - this is definitely worthy of that acclaim

 

27. Lana Del Rey - Video Games

 

 

Adele and Christina Perri have had massive success with ballads this year, why couldn't this have matched them too? :( the debut release from newcomer Lana Del Rey, its a slightly darker type of ballad and may not be easily accessed by all, but her hypnotic vocals really make this a stunning and captivating listen, I definitely look forward to hearing more from her in 2012

 

 

26. The Naked & Famous - Young Blood

 

 

something slightly different now, one that wasn't actually a hit this year - I found out about this song through a camera advert but I never knew the name for it, once I heard it in full, safe to say, I absolutely loved it - everything about this song is unique and beautiful, the synthesiser line and the shrill but captivating vocals and the restrained but effective male vocals, HOW wasn't this a hit?! :cry: its one I've only discovered recently, hence the lowly placing, but it still is definitely deserving of a top 30 placing

25. Don Omar feat. Lucenzo - Danza Kudoro

 

 

a hit in Europe long before it became a hit over here - too long in fact, a clear summery song yet it was released over here when it was getting dark at 5 o'clock in the evening :blink: so alas it never really took off - still an amazingly fun song, one I think I'll get to love more when summer comes around :P there was also an utterly needless English version of this song featuring Pitbull, thankfully the British public saw sense and brought the original over this...

 

24. Nero - Promises

 

 

possibly the ultimate non number 1 of 2011 now, a status that is completely undeserved imo - the third single from dubstep duo Nero isn't their best (that's still to come) but is still a brillaint piece of euphoria from them, granted it did get old quite quickly, so I suppose the quick exit wasn't entirely surprising :(

 

23. Rizzle Kicks - Down With The Trumpets

 

 

the debut single from rap newcomers Rizzle Kicks now, a bit of classy rap is never unwelcome in the charts these days for me, and this was just that - the brass trumpets adding a nostalgic feel to a cheerful, bright rap record, the mix of rap and soul from the two voices also works very well

 

22. Rihanna feat. Calvin Harris - We Found Love

 

 

now Rihanna is VERY hit and miss in general for me, sometimes she's great (see Umbrella, Unfaithful) I merely like some of her songs, but sooner or later I've tired of them after about two listens and cannot listen to them any more (see Only Girl, Don't Stop The Music, Disturbia) and some are just downright awful (see S&M), her success doesn't surprise me but her overexposure can annoy me - however, I really like this one - a rather simple yet euphoric and uplifting dance smash that works well on both parts, and despite hearing it quite a lot, it HASN'T tired on me yet, well look at that Rihanna, you've just scored a hit with me :o

 

21. Professor Green feat. Emeli Sande - Read All About It

 

 

and just missing the top 20, we see the first number 1 for UK rapper Professor Green and up and coming star Emeli Sande, definitely deserved in both cases - people may call it a Love The Way You Lie rip-off...well I think its better than that overrated crap thank you. A surprisingly emotional number from the man who previously bought us such deep numbers like 'Need You Tonight' and 'Just Be Good To Green', Emeli's vocals are of course beautiful and work excellently, but Pro Green's rapping also works excellently and it really is a joint effort in this case to make something wonderful

 

top 20 starting later today!

Like all the songs in your last post apart from Danza Kuduro, horrible song! :puke2: I don't think I gave 'Down With The Trumpets' enough love when it first came out, their album is rather good! :D I don't think their next single (Traveller's Chant) will do that well though, perhaps scraping top 40? I do like it though, but it's much more downbeat.

That's a good point about Down With The Trumpets, it's surprisingly classy. I love rappers mixing their voices up as well.

 

A lot of good stuff so far, looks like its getting better as you go, I think Read All About It and We Found Love are brilliant. Video Games, It Will Rain, No Regrets, Jar Of Hearts... all great songs.

 

I'm actually quite interested what your #1 will be, as I don't think you've mentioned it.

Is it wrong for me to start feeling the love for Price Tag after so many months its been out. I'm just getting into it now. :o

 

"Its all about the money money money"

Like all the songs in your last post apart from Danza Kuduro, horrible song! :puke2: I don't think I gave 'Down With The Trumpets' enough love when it first came out, their album is rather good! :D I don't think their next single (Traveller's Chant) will do that well though, perhaps scraping top 40? I do like it though, but it's much more downbeat.

 

Hi Klumzee, thanks for commenting :D I haven't heard Traveller's Chant yet, I'd be intrigued to hear a downbeat song by them though

 

 

That's a good point about Down With The Trumpets, it's surprisingly classy. I love rappers mixing their voices up as well.

 

A lot of good stuff so far, looks like its getting better as you go, I think Read All About It and We Found Love are brilliant. Video Games, It Will Rain, No Regrets, Jar Of Hearts... all great songs.

 

I'm actually quite interested what your #1 will be, as I don't think you've mentioned it.

 

Glad you're enjoying it Eyes :D my number 1 probably won't be all that surprising in the end, just think about who I like :lol:

 

 

Is it wrong for me to start feeling the love for Price Tag after so many months its been out. I'm just getting into it now. :o

 

"Its all about the money money money"

 

it did take me a while to get into it too, I do that with SO many songs too though! :lol:

 

anyways, moving on:

20. Cee Lo Green - Bright Lights Bigger City

 

 

the third release from Cee Lo Green now, and its probably my favourite from him even against Forget You, his retro-soul vibe clicked quite well with the UK, I really like the synths in this, the rap verse from Wiz Khalifa isn't entirely needed, but its bearable enough and certainly doesn't take anything away from the song

 

19. Nicki Minaj - Super Bass

 

 

yes, NICKI MINAJ features in my Year End top 20, whod'athunkit :o I'm not really a fan to put it lightly, I was less than impressed when she chose to rap all over one of my favourite songs of 2009 <_< (Dominoes by The Big Pink) and her voice just really put me off, but this really converted me - MAYBE its to do with the incredibly infectious chorus not actually being sung by her but this song grew on me so much to the point where I loved it, and even Nicki's rapping actually sounded quite good on the song, its her deserved biggest solo hit for me

 

18. David Guetta feat. Usher - Without You

 

 

the third single release from David Guetta featuring vocals from Usher now, I do have time for both artists, but the overexposure for both puts me off them (especially in the latter's case when its a song like OMG -_- ), this however was wonderful, heartbreak euphoria if you like - Usher's vocals work very well and Guetta's beats actually sound a bit different from his usual recycled beats!

 

17. Olly Murs feat. Rizzle Kicks - Heart Skips a Beat

 

 

I always thought Olly had potential for something really good (more than Joe McElderry certainly) and I saw that partially with his releases last year, but this was something else - its just SO catchy, and can even get annoying in this case as I CAN'T STOP humming it but thats the beauty of it, Rizzle Kicks' part isn't entirely pointless and it was a deserved success for him

 

16. Avicii - Penguin

 

 

slightly strange inclusion maybe I don't believe this charted in the UK at all, of course I first found out about this track when it was stolen sampled by Leona Lewis for her song 'Collide', you won't find that weak excuse for an upbeat song in this chart, but it did at least make me recognise this, I'm a sucker for instrumentals anyway but I love how this replays such a simple but catchy melody quietly at first then building up to monstrous levels (no pun intended), I dunno why its called 'Penguin', but how great would a music video featuring penguins dancing to this be? :D

 

11-15 will follow, after I've had my dinner..

Edited December 30, 201113 yr by C.W

15. Tinie Tempah feat. Ellie Goulding - Wonderman

 

 

I'm always a sucker for Ellie Goulding, alas she didn't have any notable success herself this year so this will have to do :P nah, seriously, Tinie's fifth single release is definitely one of my favourites from him, Tinie's usual cocky but charming lyrics fit well alongside Ellie's vocals and the bassline is pretty mega in itself, its a shame it didn't get top 10 really, although it did very well for a fifth single

 

14. Foster The People - Pumped Up Kicks

 

 

one of the most surprising hits of the year, but my God, was it a good surprise! an rather beautiful number here by Foster The People with a catchy chorus and really chilled, laid back feel which just adds to its beauty. I was a bit stumped as to what 'Pumped Up Kicks' were at first, but apparently they're shoes! :D

 

13. Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds - AKA...What A Life

 

 

I always loved Oasis, so I did have a relative interest in what Noel and Liam would come up with when their sad but inevitable spilt came about, I always thought Noel was just that little bit than Liam in both song writing and vocally, and after hearing what they both came out with, my opinion hasn't changed - I wasn't really interested in Beady Eye's material which from what I heard was pretty much a reject from Oasis' earlier albums! Noel on the other hand came up with something better - 'Death of You & Me' was quite good, but THIS was something else, a hauntingly brilliant four minute track, it really is the track that Oasis should've done in the last decade and was a minor, and once again proved who was the true steam behind Oasis...

 

12. Nero - Guilt

 

 

the highest song from Nero in my chart isn't their highest charting but also isn't their least successful (well since they became famous anyway), somewhere in between :P but Guilt remains my favourite track from them by far, the female vocals air desperation but also are very gripping and create a sense of tension and the backing track of course is classic shimmering dancefloor material, if they had to have a number 1, it really should've been this

 

11. Same Difference feat. Alcazar - Karma Karma

 

 

bet you didn't expect to see that here did you? :lol: and tbh neither did I at first! but this is quite something from what I first thought were the cheesy has beens from a forgettable series of X Factor, its lyrics are rather bizarre, but its just such a joyful, unbelievably infectious slice of European style dance pop, so energetic it almost caught me by surprise :o :lol: its so beyond anything I expected from an X Factor act, and whilst it isn't really enough to get me into them in general, it was probably one of the biggest musical surprises of the year

 

that's your lot for now, the top 10 should be done tomorrow

Edited December 30, 201113 yr by C.W

OK, I'm going to get this all done before the year is out, so here's the top 10:

 

10. Neon Trees - Animal

 

 

so starting out the top 10 is a good old helping of 'landfill indie' which was a surprise hit in the US and a rare top 40 appearance (just admittedly) for an act of their type over here, I'm not going to try and call this song an innovative guitar masterpiece as it isn't, its quite a standard indie track, but its very catchy and I'm a sucker for this type of music, so I really grew to love it and it comes in at the top 10 of the year (I purchased it when it was 59p on Itunes, It was only then I really got into it)

9. Ludovico Einaudi - I Giorni

 

 

technically not a 2011 song, but one that came to my attention and charted for the first time then so its allowed here, campaigns normally irritate me these days, but I can thank Greg James for this as it introduced me and probably many others to this sublime piece of music - depicting an old story of a hippo who was cherished by a village before being killed by a hunter, used a lot in popular culture usually to reflect loss, I was vaguely familiar of it before, but hearing the whole thing, it sometimes makes me feel like crying even if I'm in the best of moods, the simple melody of a piano is the ultimate instrument of power and emotion in this case and succeeds on so many levels. Never failing to give me goosebumps, certainly a well earnt place in my top 10

Edited December 31, 201113 yr by C.W

8. Florence & The Machine - Shake It Out

 

 

I STILL HAVEN'T GOT THIS ALBUM!! :angry: :( I've always liked Florence ever since her debut (even though Lungs was a little patchy imo) and I was very excited when she brought some new material out - 'What The Water Gave Me' was a very good, but not amazing after repeated listens though, this however was something else - a lot more simple musically, but nonetheless still epic sounding, a shout along chorus with some pretty great lyrics ('its hard to dance with the devil on you're back, so shake him off' :wub: ) and generally classic Florence that deserved far more success than it got, certainly all the success You've Got The Love got! so yes, I look forward to the album

 

7. Coldplay - Every Teardrop Is a Waterfall

 

 

did you think I'd forgotten them? :D of all releases in 2011, this was the one I was most looking forward too, Coldplay are of course my favourite band ever, point and laugh if you must, but no other band quite speaks to me like their music does. They do have another song to come naturally so I guess I'll save most of my commentary on the album for then, but the first track this era was a bit of a grower, but as I listened to it more and more, it really clicked - an understated, difference yet still quite marvellous single from them, it set up the album in a good way, then they released Paradise and...well, I'll save most of my commentary for when that comes :P

6. The Vaccines - If You Wanna

 

 

one that I probably didn't expect to be this high, but it has grown on me MASSIVELY in the past few months and is definitely one of the songs I listen to the most from 2011 now, Post Break Up Sex was a a fairly good attempt from them, but I felt they sounded like they were stuck in 2006, but this really changed my mind! it may not be very original, but its extremely catchy and sounds absolutely amazing in a club when you're half pisseds, which I must admit was one of the reasons that it grew on me so much! :lol: Freshers 2011 :D