I think I was a bit fatigued with the male rap verse / female singer chorus formula at the time so didn't really get into 'Read All About It', then became sick of the ubiquitous solo version. However reading your commentary was really moving 🫂

Shame 'Earthquake' didn't get a turn at the top as that has aged sooooo well for me! Even with the Simon / SyCo reference.

Shakespeare has been awfully quiet since Pitbull rhymed Kodak with Kodak otherwise can take or leave 'Give Me Everything'.

It's alright, one of those I've enjoyed on nights out but I don't believe I've ever once listened to out of choice.

I do quite like Give Me Everything, more for 'club night nostalgia' than anything else. That Kodak line was amazing free marketing for them!

Heart still play it constantly, but often a short edit with just Ne-Yo's part over and over again, it's quite odd really as the track is nothing without the Pitbull raps.

“Give Me Everything” is certainly elevated by the Ne-Yo chorus, and some of the Pitbull rapping is iconic as you say. All in all it’s fun but nothing amazing

“We R Who We R” is OK - she did the trash bop style well but the likes of “Tik Tok” and “Take It Off” are much better.

Not big on “Read All About It” really - the chorus rap thing feels quite tired. Still it’s better than the dreary Emeli solo version.

Read All About It is decent (another one better than my personal chart peak of 74 suggests), people react to loss in many ways, but songs about death re-awaken stuff for me, so I tend to avoid them, it's tough enough having traumatic memories return all over again just by hearing ambulance sirens or any number of other random things. Emeli of course can make anything sound better, one of those taken-for-granted singers I think - not showy, but still a cut above most pop stars.

Pitbull and Ne-Yo have both had a good new track out this year, a sure sign that I'm softening towards them as not being irritating where I might have thought that at the time given hit after hit. Give Me Evrything is jolly enough, I like it. And again, a peak of 66 is a bit harsh from me. That said, I genuinely prefer Pitbull's current non-hit Fireball, it's more interesting and more of a fun bop, and Ne-Yo's single Up Out And Gone is better than Give Me Everything as well.

"Give Me Everything" is a BOP and would also be in my Top 10.

Give Me Everything is absolutely superb, truly iconic - great to see it so high. All involved make it great, it's one of the definitive club bangers of the era - it sounds great in 2026 which a lot don't.

I do enjoy Read All About It - feels very raw and one of the better rapper/singer male/female collabs there were of this era.

It’s not usually my sort of music, but I have quite the soft spot for Give Me Everything.

Tune!

Give Me Everything is a big dumb fun song, still enjoyable.

My biggest favourites are still to come, I wonder if you’re picking the same top 3 as me?!!

Catching up a bit, Give Me Everything another very big throwback to that club banger phase, very of it's time but again, like Party Rock Anthem, I do have a bit of nostalgic fondness for it and the Kodak-Kodak rhyme is wonderful. Read All About It is also quite of it's time as rap ballads with a pop female feature seemed to always pop up in the charts or over the radios, but I did like it even though it wasn't the most original, I do think Labrinth's Earthquake should've got to number 1 though, it always felt a lot bigger and was another huge anthem from my (brief) clubbing days.

We R Who We R felt like a number 1 reflective of a new release by that artist rather than it being her best work, it's very derivative of her other songs and doesn't feel that well remembered. Also don't think Grenade has aged that well, but I did love that at the time, I do think he would go on to find a more appropriate sound through the decade.

Heart Skips a Beat is my favourite by Olly and is still a nice, breezy number when I do hear it, Dance With Me Tonight felt like his peak though, I did enjoy it but got a bit tainted by overplay.

Catching up, 'Grenade' is not quite on a par with 'Just The Way You Are' for me, but it showed Bruno could do a heavier pop song. I'd say it feels more or less forgotten compared to 'Rolling In The Deep' which it held off #1, but I see Bruno's parent album is currently on its 444th week in the Top 100, while Adele's 21 has been stuck on 436 for over a year, so maybe it isn't?

'Dance With Me Tonight' is another serviceable pop song from Olly, though as often with him I find it a little on the beige side. The Ke$ha one isn't a highlight for me, it seemed like a 'Tik Tok' retread that was belatedly reaping its success.

I hadn't warmed much to Professor Green's previous hits when this autobiographical one came along, a sad tale - can only imagine how it resonates with your own loss around this time 😢 I do have some time for the Emeli Sandé solo version, though like that whole Emeli era it was maybe too ubiquitous for a while, taking off as it did from the 2012 Olympics closing ceremony after she had already appeared in the opening one, and then soundtracking one of the Britain's Got Talent performances from 2013 winners Attraction.

'Give Me Everything' is one of those of-its-time hits that remain enjoyable in the right environment, the Pitbull lyrical highlights have all been mentioned and the other artists all bring something worthwhile to it as well.

6 – Price Tag – Jessie J ft B.o.B

2 Weeks at #1 / Weekly Sales – 84,076 / 95,697

#4 in EOY 2011 – Total Sales of 981,300

In late 2010 English singer Jessie J released her debut sing Do It Like A Dude, that debuted at #25 and went up and down the charts before finding a peak of #2 just a few weeks before her second single Price Tag was released. Released at the end of January and featuring US artist B.o.B Price Tag debuted at #1 selling 84,076 copies in it’s first week and stayed there for a second week as well where its sales increased selling 95,697 copies. Where the music and video for Do It Like A Dude seemed quite dark pop and music and video for Price Tag was much more bright and colourful. With an undeniably catchy chorus “It’s not about the money, money, money. We don’t need your money, money, money” it’s easy to see why this was such a success not just in the UK but globally as well.

 

I’ve mentioned a few times already about my fondness for the #1’s from earlier in 2011, well songs in general that were released in the first half of 2011 and this is another example. It came at such a joyous and happy time in my life and I have memories of listening to this walking home from the train station every evening after work for at least a few weeks. This with One The Floor, Rolling In The Deep, S&M and Dirty Talk were just some of the songs getting repeated listens every day on my commute to and from work. I probably only have this slightly ahead of One The Floor as I felt this wasn’t so generic, not that there’s anything wrong with On The Floor.

Elsewhere in the charts the two weeks this was at #1, Enrique Iglesias continued his resurgence with Tonight (I’m Loving You) debuting at #5, the Taio Cruz/Kylie Minogue collaboration Higher peaked at #8 and Rihanna’s S&M rose to #20. Moving on to week two and a mid week release for the hotly anticipated new Lady Gaga single Born This Way saw it only manage a #3 debut, what could’ve been if it had a full week of sales and Adele’s Someone Like You dropped from #33 to #47, but that drop was only going to be short lived.

So that leaves us with my top 5 which are in alphabetical order:

Don't Hold Your Breath

On The Floor

Someone Like You

We Found Love

What's My Name

The lyrics for 'Price Tag' are just as relevant today. It's a shame not many took Jessie's advice at the time.

I really like Price Tag, more now than when it was released I think. It has an infectious energy and a good message.

4 hours ago, Paddington James said:

So that leaves us with my top 5 which are in alphabetical order:

Don't Hold Your Breath

On The Floor

Someone Like You

We Found Love

What's My Name

Looks like my top four are still here while I like the remaining song too and it would be in my top 15.

Price Tag is a good track, I did like Jessie in her debut era and B.o.B worked well on it.

Love Price Tag - would be in a similar position for me.

4 hours ago, Paddington James said:

So that leaves us with my top 5 which are in alphabetical order:

Don't Hold Your Breath

On The Floor

Someone Like You

We Found Love

What's My Name

Good list for the top 5 - the only one I leave out is "Don't Hold Your Breath", which I find very mid.

'Give Me Everything' I compared with 'Club Cant Handle me and yes its harder hitting dance I compared it to early 00s dance at the time. A bit grim sounding with the heys but I did quite like it at the time.

'Price Tag' I didnt like at all, just found it a disappointment after 'Do It Like A Dude' which I was a fan of. In retrospect 'Do It Like A Dude' is a bit cringe though.

I find 'Price Tag' quite contrived and borderline annoying if I'm honest.

I was obsessed with “Price Tag” at the time. Less so now, but it might well still be my #1 here. I still think it has a general sparkle about it that not many 21st century pop songs have achieved.