(real ones know the base image here is my profile background pic on Buzzjack, has certainly been this way ever since the new site, depicting a starry background and a character from one of the best TV anime airing solely during 2010, Angel Beats)

Hello. It’s been some time since I dedicated a lot of writing to anything resembling charts on this forum, so I hope you’ll bear with me if I get any chart facts wrong – though I am also very happy to be corrected, as my philosophy goes in the politics forum, the truth matters above all else.

What is also true and unassailable is my ranking of the 36, yes, THIRTY-SIX number ones of 2010; though contractually other rankings and opinions welcomed. I wouldn’t say these rankings are entirely unorthodox but certainly they will differ from how some people would rank them so please compare as I go along.

So, 2010. The year of My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy. Plastic Beach. The ArchAndroid. The Age Of Adz. Still A Sigure Virgin? (by Ling Tosite Sigure, check ‘em). The Suburbs. Body Talk if one has to throw a bone to Buzzjack faves. Incredible year, a classic, one might say.

Oh. Yeah. This is not, in fact, Rate Your Music. Let’s go back to how I approached music in 2010, when I actually lived through it.

In the world, the UK had had a split but all in all genial general election ('I agree with Nick') that led to what we in the biz call the ConDem Nation, The King's Speech film sold out audiences in the UK, at least two of this year's #1s are directly connected with real world events outside of the music-entertainment complex, the iPad and Instagram both get their starts, I watched Eurovision for the first time and there was a revolution in Kyrgyzstan.

I was 16-17 in 2010, which makes it a very significant year for me, full of parties and confused adolescence in which the songs on Radio 1, and in the charts, played a huge role. I can remember specific moments in time accompanied by nearly all of these #1s from 2010, and many other big hits besides those, even half a life away. This was also the year where I unlocked a bit of a… special interest in the charts. This wouldn’t stay for long, I stopped following the charts regularly around 2014-15 and focused on other interests. But while it lasted, and it lasted long enough for me to join and lock on to a literal chart forum, I was listening to every song in the top 40, comparing recent chart runs on chart websites, keenly listening to the chart show to find out who was next up – and with such turnover at the top this was an exciting era.

I love this year in music, it is very important to me as effectively ground zero of me being ‘conscious’, aware of the names of songs, how comparatively well songs performed commercially, which is just one step away from knowing how well they’re perceived critically. Though, and I will expand on why as we get to each song to prevent too many generalities, the lineup here is somewhat mixed in quality.

One indication I will put in your mind, to go along with the images you may have in your mind of artists releasing transient knockoffs of their former hits or those with little discernible musical talent hitting the top spot, is that this was the first year in UK chart history that the year-end #1 was NOT a number one at any point during the week. Eminem and Rihanna's rather good collaboration 'Love The Way You Lie' was the year's biggest seller, yet never made it to the top of the weekly chart. Does that say more about its longevity or the lack of commercial staying power of songs on this list? We'll expand on that too.

That said many good songs did still make it to #1 here. Even those that there are problems with, they still hold a specific and lovely nostalgic sound for me, and it won’t take long before we get to songs I enjoy hearing. I have a lot of very mixed feelings about most of these songs and if there is any message I want to deliver with this countdown, it’s that having things to criticise about a song does not mean it is completely devoid of merit. And as I type that, I am straining myself to not make a sly comment about the track that’s first up…

We enter a new decade with this one but here are the previous entrants in this series, check them out if you missed them:

2000 by gooddelta

2001 by awardinary

2002 by Roba

2003 by Julian

2004 by Popchartfreak

2005 by Chez

2006 by Jade

2007 by Scene

2008 by Herbs

2009 by jimwatts

Looking forward to this! 2010 I remember a lot musically because of following the chart more online, music channels like 4Music and also I started listening to the radio more in this year.

Edited Wednesday at 20:283 days by TheSnake

There were some absolute crackers hitting the top this year (one by an act mentioned in the OP) and some absolute dross. Will be fun to follow!

Will JLS or Alexandra show up first?

Hype!

36. Shout For England – Shout (feat. Dizzee Rascal & James Corden)

2 weeks at #1 (entered 19^th June): 01-01-03-15-40-62-98

Kept off #1: Tinie Tempah (feat. Labrinth) – Frisky & K’Naan – Wavin’ Flag

EOY #65

 

I almost don’t want to put this one up first as I already know I have so much I want to write about the abomination that is this song, or the cultural context it exists in, or whether it’d be better to save this a few weeks down the line when there’s an actual World Cup going on, or to lament about how much better it would be for this thread to be able to write about the two songs it kept off #1 instead. When there’s writing material I know I want to write about I’m happy to save it for later, while I’m still fresh. But don’t worry, this is me on normal mode, I won’t slow down and James Corden not playing ball (in several ways) isn’t going to stop me.

There is no universe in which this isn’t finishing last though because it really is that bad. What is this horrendous Frankenstein of a song anyhow? Ostensibly released as a football song in the vein of ‘Three Lions’, ‘World In Motion’ and ‘We’re On The Ball’, it was an unofficial release for the England national football team at the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa that to its credit, at least was set up as a charity single for Great Ormond Street Hospital. Though, being for charity has never saved a song from criticism if it is bad, and they often are.

It starts with a limp, lacklustre cover of Tears For Fears’ ‘Shout’, already a song far too downtempo, slow and sad to really serve as a proper anthem. To be honest I’ve never really cared for this as a song either, and its easily imitate-able chorus makes it excruciating whenever re-invented or remixed. It also then mixes in the football-like chants from Blackstreet’s ‘No Diggity’, because creating an original base was far too much work for the talented auteur James Corden. Who isn’t even the main artist on this one, that being the useless shadow entity ‘Shout For England’, which is just James and Dizzee under a name that only works for this song. Poor Tears For Fears.

I know it’s popular to hate on Mr Corden, but here it's deserved, he really doesn’t add much to this song besides the knowledge that you’re joining a lifeless chant that would be outdone by most crowds you would come across at an actual football match. Which is to say, this song is not last because I am, as a member of a music forum, Vitamin-D-deficient, and likely to use the term ‘sportsball’ to show how much I don't care about sweaty men chasing balls around fields, nor am I too gay to care at all about sports battles. It’s last because I love a good football song to accompany my occasional enjoyment of football and this offensively bad nonsense is not only horrible to listen to, it kept one of the best footballing songs in a generation rising to #1 in a far more organic way.

Tinie Tempah’s ‘Frisky’ was a very decent second single that in my recollection was most notable for its refrain ‘would you risk it for a chocolate biscuit’ which became a bit of a memetic phrase among people I knew at the time – it failing to get to #1 here did interrupt Mr Tempah’s streak, but for the long term, he had better.

But no, the real crime was ‘Shout For England’ blocking the anthemic ‘Wavin’ Flag’, a World Cup related remix of Canadian-Somalian singer K’Naan’s song, turning it very respectfully from a song about longing for freedom for one’s people into also longing for freedom for one's people so you can wave your flag at an international football match. That’s a little flippant so please understand I really have nothing but love for it, one of the best football songs in history, certainly one of my all-time favourites (possibly just a little bit influenced by playing with it on the FIFA World Cup 2010 video game) and it seems a cruel joke even years on that the second week of a naff charity single blocked what would have been a pleasant surprise at #1, one that would be somewhere on the other end of this countdown had it surpassed ‘Shout’.

The one slight bright point in 'Shout For England' is Dizzee Rascal attempting to rescue it with a bit of his usual flow, which works at a couple of moments, though I really think he phoned it comparatively in here (‘Come on England, we need to sort it out’, ‘leave the wags alone’), with nothing more than lyrics that owe far too much to Three Lions even as they try to reframe it as a unity line to come together and support the team – little tip for all future aspiring football song writers, if it’s still referencing the fact that we ain’t won anything then it’s still going to be creatively whiny, unsportsmanlike and indicative of our superior attitude to international football.

Of course I could end up going into the fan relationship with the England national team at this point and how comparatively toxic it had gotten around 2010 with the national team regularly called disappointing for going out in major tournaments at the… quarter-finals, all the way up to not even qualifying for Euro 2008. History doesn’t help this song that 2010 was a tournament that again we didn’t do very well, in, in this instance losing out to a rather humiliating 4-1 defeat to Germany in the round of 16.

All I will really say about this song’s relationship with the tournament is that Dizzee, as a rapper, has the option to namecheck specific players as he writes his flows and add in a bit of flair and tournament liveliness to this, the song for England at the 2010 World Cup. He chose a mere 4, a bit low, but fair if they’re top performers. 3 of these were Wayne Rooney, Aaron Lennon and Rio Ferdinand. Let’s have a look at those lyrics:

We need Rooney in tip top condition
Aaron Lennon down the wing like he's on a mission
It ain't no superstition, its not a luck thing
Rio Ferdinand nobody can f**k with him

None of these three scored for England in the World Cup. Wayne Rooney was heard on camera saying ‘Nice to see your own fans booing you’ after a woeful 0-0 draw with Algeria a mere day before this song’s first chart week (how's that Come Together England spirit), and Rio Ferdinand was ruled out of the entire World Cup 5 days before this song was first released. Nobody even got a chance to f**k with him.

Admittedly Steven Gerrard, also namechecked slightly later, did score a goal in the first few minutes of England's campaign against the USA. The team then failed to build on any of that, USA equalised, and we drew to the goddamn Americans. Yay. And they won our group, which contributed to our aforementioned drubbing by Germany. As a tournament song, it didn’t have longevity beyond the tournament, but this doesn’t even come back occasionally at times of new tournaments like many of the more classic football songs do, despite being a number #1 for two weeks unlike many of those. 'Three Lions' is getting played and talked about 1000 times more in 2026 than anyone remembering this critical disaster.

I’ll end off this one, after talking for far too long about football, to say one thing. This version of the song isn’t on Apple Music. A version with slightly updated lyrics relating to the tournament of that year and actually better production was released with little fanfare two years later as ‘Shout 2012’ – it didn’t trouble the charts that time, thankfully, we’d all moved on - and that is the only edition available on Shout For England's profile. It is on Spotify, but I doubt those numbers have moved much in the last decade. 3.9 million now. I'd be surprised if it cracks 4 million by the end of this tournament.

Yep that can get in the bin (along with Corden)!

Yeah no complaints with that in last. Rubbish and I agree with you on 'Wavin Flag definitely deserving the 1 that week as don't care for 'Frisky' either.

Great to see love for the majestic “Wavin’ Flag”. Might be the best football record of the century for me, though not that much competition.

This on the other hand is ghastly. I do love the original “Shout” but it’s about shouting as a form of therapy so the meaning is totally mangled. You know you’ve sold out when you go from “Bonkers” to this in the space of a year.

Terrible cover, pointless, and I was so disappointed in it from Dizzee as had been loving his output more and more since his debut up to 2009.

But 2010 was definitely the year he started to go off the boil in terms of quality. I suppose there's often a point somebody becomes so big culturally that they get offered high profile gigs like this that in hindsight it would have been better to say no to. And yes, Wavin' Flag (and Waka Waka) were far better and better remembered football songs from that year. This was a stain on the No.1 spot.

Really looking forward to this countdown. 2010 had some great #1’s.

Yes last place is definitely deserved. Football songs are generally absolutely awful when taken purely as ‘songs’ (with 1 brilliant exception) and though some can be ironically ‘good’, this is an abomination.

Really looking forward to your countdown @Iz様 🌟

Edited Thursday at 08:033 days by Jaz13music

When I got the PM asking if I wanted to do one of these, 2010 was an option but it had been taken before I saw it. A quick scan of the 2012 and 2014 number ones there was only one choice, so went with the former as there's a dozen or so great songs I want to write about. As with most of these countdowns, I won't remember a lot of what is to come so will be interesting to see if I curse you reading PMs before me wishing these were the songs I was writing about. When I properly looked at what I'd signed up to an initial reaction was "36 number ones?! FFS" so at least there's one angle where I can't be frustrated at not getting to have 2010.

Being a huge football fan and traveller to watch England games, I probably hold more of a nostalgia for football songs than they deserve. As a result, Shout might not be as low but I can't imagine it'd hit the heights of my top 30, as football songs go it really is the pits.

I have totally forgotten this existed, and playing it now..I really dont mind it in comparison to the abominations that were footballers trying to sing rubbish team songs of the 70's and 80's cluttering up the charts. I usually dont like covers re-written either, but Shout is pretty classy to start with, so that's already one up on most football tunes. But what did I think if it at the time?

I didn't bother to chart it. So not fussed and it didnt make any impression on me. Nuff said.

2 hours ago, RabbitFurCoat said:

When I got the PM asking if I wanted to do one of these, 2010 was an option but it had been taken before I saw it. A quick scan of the 2012 and 2014 number ones there was only one choice, so went with the former as there's a dozen or so great songs I want to write about. As with most of these countdowns, I won't remember a lot of what is to come so will be interesting to see if I curse you reading PMs before me wishing these were the songs I was writing about. When I properly looked at what I'd signed up to an initial reaction was "36 number ones?! FFS" so at least there's one angle where I can't be frustrated at not getting to have 2010.

Being a huge football fan and traveller to watch England games, I probably hold more of a nostalgia for football songs than they deserve. As a result, Shout might not be as low but I can't imagine it'd hit the heights of my top 30, as football songs go it really is the pits.

2012 also has some really interesting songs, I'll be looking forward to seeing what you have to say about those - and similarly I haven't looked too deep into some of the more forgotten ones from other years so I have a few surprises.

Just diabolical, as is his other one still to come.

I agree with @gooddelta that he definitely lost it compared to the previous year.

No wonder we lost the World Cup that year with that dross. 🙄

I hope James Corden and Dizzee are really embarrassed about it. The 2010 World Cup songs from Shakira and K'Naan were far superior.

Edited Thursday at 21:192 days by Charlielargepotatoes

Should have been 'Wavin' Flag' that got the #1 spot. Even Akon ft Keri Wilson's 'Oh Africa' was better than Shout.

Always hate the world Cup hysteria anyway (prefer the women's euro/world cups as dont feel forced to watch/support them) so this god awful song made it even worse in 2010 it deserves to be last

I was in a similar place in life to you in 2010 so have the same sort of nostalgic vibes for this time period, 2010's chart toppers were very of their time for the most part, but I definitely have some fondness attached to them, I was still very into the charts.

Would agree with that last placer, there are just no redeeming qualities to it at all for reasons others have already said, poor No Diggity suffers just as much as Shout and it's annoying I can never listen to either without thinking of this monstrosity!

I did really like Wavin' Flag at the time, it's very anthemic, I didn't gather at the time how much Coca Cola mangled with the original meaning of the song, but I've still got fondess for it. Waka Waka I think was the best World Cup song that year though, can't believe that one didn't make the top 20.