Jessie J’s “Domino” is aggressively inoffensive, but it is catchy; I am ultimately okay with how big a hit it has become.
Original Version
1. Bruno Mars – “It Will Rain”
2. Jessie J – “Domino”
3. Adele – “Set Fire to the Rain”
4. Daughtry – “Crawling Back to You”
5. Katy Perry – “The One That Got Away”
6. Rihanna ft. Calvin Harris – “We Found Love”
7. Kelly Clarkson – “What Doesn’t Kill You (Stronger)”
8. Foster the People – “Don’t Stop (Color on the Walls)”
9. The Fray – “Heartbeat”
10. Gym Class Heroes ft. Neon Hitch – “Ass Back Home”
11. Pitbull ft. Chris Brown – “International Love”
12. The Black Keys – “Lonely Boy”
13. Gavin DeGraw – “Not Over You”
14. Mary J. Blige ft. Drake – “Mr. Wrong”
15. Outasight – “Tonight is the Night”
16. Gotye ft. Kimbra – “Somebody That I Used to Know”
17. Scars on 45 – “Heart on Fire”
18. David Guetta ft. Usher – “Without You”
19. Graffiti6 – “Free”
20. Florence + the Machine – “Shake It Out”
Jmunney’s Revision
1. Somebody That I Used to Know
2. We Found Love
3. Shake It Out
4. Lonely Boy
5. Tonight is the Night
6. The One That Got Away
7. Don’t Stop (Color on the Walls)
8. Without You
9. Set Fire to the Rain
10. It Will Rain
11. Domino
12. Free
13. What Doesn’t Kill You (Stronger)
14. Ass Back Home
15. Heart on Fire
16. International Love
17. Heartbeat
18. Mr. Wrong
19. Not Over You
20. Crawling Back to You
Simplicity was the name of the game for music videos in 2011. Among my top ten and honorable mentions, five featured only the artists (or only one person instead of the artist), three were definitely each one unbroken shot (in one of those, the camera never moved), and two others looked like they were each one unbroken shot, but probably weren’t because of the effects involved.
1. Tyler, the Creator – “Yonkers” [Dir. Wolf Haley]
This is just a man, and who he is. If you have never been exposed to Tyler, the Creator before watching the “Yonkers” video, be prepared to steel yourself. And if all that you have seen of him is the enthusiastic kid who won Best New Artist at the VMA’s, follow the same advice. Attention is commanded right away by this clip, thanks to its use of black-and-white, one of the most tried-and-true attention-grabbing methods available. With the viewer at full attention, Tyler, quite literally, pours his entire self into this performance, as he eats a cockroach, vomits, and then hangs himself, never backing off the brutality of the lyrics. These elements, along with the constant shifts in the camera’s focus and the disorienting close-ups, add up to an introduction of Tyler, the Creator as offputtingly alien but in a way that cannot be ignored.
2. Duck Sauce – “Big Bad Wolf” [Dir. Keith Schofield]
Guess what, folks? LMFAO’s “Sexy and I Know It” was only the second most brazenly homoerotic music video of the year. However, that is a misnomer for “Big Bad Wolf,” because the men are not showing off for each other, and the sexuality it presents is too bizarre to be explained in normal terms. Specifically, it features a couple of guys whose genitals are the heads of the guys from Duck Sauce. I appreciate that these men are willing to show off in the same way that so many female video vixens have before them. But on the flip side, others might claim that this is a problem, and the right way to put it is that they are objectifying themselves like the girls who have come before them. But when a couple of ladies who also have cranial genitalia show up, it becomes clear that the message is mainly about everyone opening themselves to having a good time. And I do mean that in the euphemistic sense, but I mean more that as well. This video approves saying “yes” to sex, and it is talking especially to those who do not always get enough attention: the chubby, the particularly ethnic, the hairy. And it is all done in the style of the Surrealization of Sexuality.
3. Gotye ft. Kimbra – “Somebody That I Used To Know” [Dir. Natasha Pincus]
Music is about expressing feelings in ways that are generally not considered appropriate for normal social interactions. The clip for “Somebody That I Used to Know” demonstrates that maxim in a visual way. Gotye directly addresses the camera about how a recent break-up has rendered his emotions while a corresponding abstract expression of those emotions is illustrated. He then literally becomes a part of that painting. Kimbra, taking the role of the ex, is also part of that painting, and their relationship is broken such that they can literally not look each other in the eye. The arrangement of faces is reminiscent of Bergman; there is a cinematic essence to it – that of heightened reality that can only be captured by films, including music videos.
4. Martin Solveig ft. Dragonette – “Hello” [Dir. Tristan Seguela]
Music videos have sometimes been defined by as mini-movies. This description is used to distinguish those videos that attempt to be more than just a collection of images or performance footage. But those videos that try to tell stories with a beginning, middle, and end do not always take care to be clear and logical. “Hello” avoids that pitfall by giving itself a setting – a sports competition – in which the elements of a story basically fall into place on their own. The sunny setting and candy color palette make certain that this is a fun video, but the whole underdog ethos keeps it from being annoyingly frothy. Martin and his opponent – fellow DJ Bob Sinclar – look like they can actually play tennis, and the cameos from ATP players Novak Djokovic, Gaël Monfils, and Mathilde Johansson add to the authenticity. The DJ Mag rankings taking the place of ATP rankings is a clever detail that adds to the whole sense of great care being taken to present a clear and logical – and fun – mini-movie.
5. The Black Keys – “Howlin’ for You” [Dir. Chris Marrs Piliero]
The fake movie trailer conceit – especially the fake grindhouse trailer – is a particularly played-out concept, but it doesn’t matter how played-out it is when it is done right. And the video for “Howlin’ for You” is the fake grindhouse trailer conceit done right. A major part of making it work is the music, and when the music being used is by the Black Keys, there’s no problem there. The right cast is also clutch: Tricia Helfer is the right sort of ass-kicking babe, but the less obvious choices of Corbin Bernsen and Sean Patrick Flanery are even more inspired. Professional editing is also essential: the fake trailer should not constantly be showing off its fakeness; the viewer already knows it’s fake – it should maintain the illusion of realness. Once all this is accomplished, only then can the fake grindhouse trailer get away with calling Todd Bridges a “Sir” and using lines like, “I’m pretty sure God would consider it a sin not to glorify that ass.”
6. Robyn – “Call Your Girlfriend” [Dir. Max Vitali]
One’s first instinct may be to dismiss a dance performance that includes the move of sitting down, rolling over on your back, and humping the ground a few times with your head pressed against the floor. Or maybe you’re like me and you were endlessly amused by that patently Robyn-esque move. Either way, that is the silliest move in the “Call Your Girlfriend” video; meanwhile, every other move simply kills, no doubt about it. The routine is quirky and challenging – the best combination when it comes to dance. The breakdown at 2:30 is fifteen seconds of nirvana. The dopamine that must be teeming through Robyn as she dances her dance would give anyone the energy to successfully deliver the sort of break-up news that she is requesting.
7. The Black Keys – “Lonely Boy” [Dir. Jesse Dylan]
The video for “Lonely Boy” features a spur-of-the-moment improvised dance from actor/musician/part-time security guard Derrick T. Tuggle in the parking lot of a motel. And it is as awesome as it sounds.
8. Katy Perry – “Last Friday Night (T.G.I.F.)” [Dir. Marc Klasfeld and Danny Lockwood]
“Last Friday Night” features appearances from Darren Criss from Glee, Kevin McHale (not Kevin McHale the basketball player, Kevin McHale the actor from Glee), ‘80’s icons Corey Feldman and Debbie Gibson, the brothers Hanson, and Kenny G. But the most satisfactory celebrity appearance is that of perhaps the most notorious “star” of 2011: Rebecca Black. And thus Katy Perry makes her case as the Grant Morrison of music videos. Like the comic book superwriter reintroducing the most bizarre and stupidest Batman villains into the canon, the pop starlet appropriates Black as a witty commentary on the weekend culture of the 21st century. Katy Perry is not ashamed to immerse herself in the epic fails of the youth of today, but she does so in a knowingly straightforward way that may make some wonder whether or not announcing how awesome you are while acting stupidly is truly awesome. Alternatively, it may just inspire more partying. Either way, everybody wins?
9. Kanye West ft. Rihanna and Kid Cudi et al – “All of the Lights” [Dir. Hype Williams]
Videos like “All of the Lights” really make me feel for those who suffer from epilepsy, because here is one amazing viewing experience that they will likely never be able to have without seizing up. The only way for Kanye and Hype Williams to capture the essence of this title is to have variously colored lights flashing by quickly in an epilepsy-unfriendly manner. Hype is basically showing off his skills as the elder statesman of hip-hop videos. So many current hip-hop videos begin with gaudy, self-congratulatory text introducing the talent. Hype takes that method as far as it can go by making almost the entire video a succession of such gaudy, self-congratulatory text. This is what the hip-hop world has come to, and Kanye is the only one able to see it and willing to say it.
10. Battles ft. Gary Numan – “My Machines” [Dir. Daniels]
A man falls down an up escalator (think about it), and he continues to do so for about four minutes. It may sound like a Family Guy gag that defines overkill, but when it is set to the tune of a driving beat by experimental rock band Battles, it is much more bearable. The “My Machines” video is a triumph of simple visual effects, as the shaky camera and the foggy flashing lights appear to shake the foundations of the mall, and ramp up the escalator’s intensity, rocking the falling gentleman like no escalator has ever rocked him before.
Honorable Mentions: Skrillex – “First of the Year (Equinox)” [Dir. Tony Truand]
The expression of a fight against child molestation that we desperately needed.
Selena Gomez & the Scene – “Love You Like a Love Song” [Dir. Geremy Jasper and Georgie Greville]
If only all video karaoke machines knew the singer so well.
Adele – “Rolling in the Deep” [Dir. Sam Brown] and “Someone Like You” [Dir. Jake Nava]
Adele is a little bit intimidating sitting in a chair making water shake and just as intimidating walking around and singing into the camera.
Ke$ha – “Blow” [Dir. Chris Marrs Piliero]
The best use of unicorns in 2011 and the best use of “James Van Der Douche” in a while.
Lana Del Rey – “Video Games” [Dir. Lana Del Rey]
Yeah, sure, whatever, let’s include all these random clips in your video, including paparazzi footage of Paz de la Huerta.
Foster the People – “Call It What You Want” [Dir. Ace Norton]
Foster the People romp around in a mansion with some Shining-type qualities.
Rihanna ft. Calvin Harris – “We Found Love” [Dir. Melina Matsoukas]
Rihanna’s most direct confrontation yet of an abusive relationship.
Fuse, I think you’re just a little bit confused about what constitutes a hit.
Original Version
1. Flo Rida – “Good Feeling”
2. Tyga – “Rack City”
3. LMFAO – “Sexy and I Know It”
4. Snoop Dogg and Wiz Khalifa ft. Bruno Mars – “Young, Wild & Free”
5. Rihanna ft. Calvin Harris – “We Found Love”
6. Bruno Mars – “It Will Rain”
7. Katy Perry – “The One That Got Away”
8. Chris Brown ft. Kevin McCall – “Strip”
9. Kelly Clarkson – “What Doesn’t Kill You (Stronger)”
10. Pitbull ft. Chris Brown – “International Love”
11. Jessie J – “Domino”
12. Adele – “Set Fire to the Rain”
13. J. Cole – “Work Out”
14. Big Sean ft. Nicki Minaj – “Dance (A$$)”
15. Maroon 5 ft. Christina Aguilera – “Moves Like Jagger”
16. Gym Class Heroes ft. Adam Levine – “Stereo Hearts”
17. Selena Gomez & the Scene – “Love You Like a Love Song”
18. Rihanna – “You Da One”
19. B.o.B ft. Lil Wayne – “Strange Clouds”
20. T-Pain ft. Wiz Khalifa and Lily Allen – “5 O’Clock”
Jmunney’s Revision
1. Love You Like a Love Song
2. We Found Love
3. Sexy and I Know It
4. Good Feeling
5. You Da One
6. The One That Got Away
7. Set Fire to the Rain
8. Domino
9. It Will Rain
10. What Doesn’t Kill You (Stronger)
11. Moves Like Jagger
12. Young, Wild & Free
13. Rack City
14. 5 O’ Clock
15. Dance (A$$)
16. Work Out
17. Strange Clouds
18. International Love
19. Stereo Hearts
20. Strip
To be eligible for this list, songs must have been released as singles in 2011, or before 2011 but having not become a hit until 2011.
Top 5 Songs of the Year 1. Adele – “Rolling in the Deep”
“And you played it, to the beat”
“Fire starting in my heart,” “the scars of your love,” “leave me breathless” – are these anything more than the phrases scrawled throughout a hopeless romantic’s diary? A more dynamic writer than most hopeless romantics, to be sure, but these are hardly feelings that haven’t been experienced by plenty of people before Adele. But it takes a chart-topping year’s worth of difference to have those feelings matched with the perfect instrumental accompaniment: that pulsing drumbeat, that steady and soulful piano, a sprinkling of spunky guitar, and, of course, that voice. When it comes to songs about love and heartbreak, the feelings are universal. A distinguished song is all about the expression. And Adele’s voice is about as close as anything can be to the aural manifestation of all the stages of a breakup; in “Rolling in the Deep,” it contains the weight of everything that could have been.
2. The Naked and Famous – “Young Blood”
“We’re only young and naïve still”
There are plenty of songs that feature some variation of the line, “We are young.” They mostly fall into one of two categories: an apology for youth or a desire to hold onto youth forever. “Young Blood” is informed by both of those traditions, but it has more of a Zen attitude about the whole matter, and the result is sublime. The subjects of this song are how they are, and the conclusion they have come to is to immerse themselves in the moment, for better or worse. The ideas conjured by “the in-between,” “a temporary escape,” and putting off matters for the time of “eventually” paired with the images of holding hands under the stars result in a beautiful moment that is fleeting, but captured forever to the tune of that indefatigable harpsichord riff.
3. Foster the People – “Pumped Up Kicks”
“Yeah the sleight of my hand is now a quick-pull trigger”
I misheard the chorus the first several times I heard “Pumped Up Kicks.” I mistook “outrun my gun” for “run for cover” and “bullet” for “brother.” Still, I did sense that there was something a little off and dangerous about the subject. It’s one of the oldest tricks in the bag: put a controversial topic to a catchy beat and fool the audience into singing along to something they may not be comfortable with. It’s a soft form of confrontation, but often enough, as in the case of Foster the People, it is effective, because there is a fully realized character here, and the lines are witty and unusual enough to stick with the listener. And it also had the best whistling of 2011.
4. The Joy Formidable – “Whirring”
“You make me sleep so badly, invisible friend”
There’s got to be at least one song among the very best of the year that gets by almost entirely on the sheer strength of its instruments, and “Whirring,” the standout track from The Joy Formidable’s debut The Big Roar, was the biggest roar of the year. The (oft-repeated) lyrics aren’t particularly profound, but they provide plenty of sounds for frontwoman Ritzy Bryan to sink her teeth into, and they serve their purpose of adding to the impressionistic dreamscape that all comes together in one cacophonous and orgiastic blowout. “Whirring” seems to nominally be about that thin space between waking and dreaming, but that is more or less an excuse for the band members to play chicken with each other.
5. Selena Gomez and the Scene – “Love You Like a Love Song”
“And I guess right now here’s another one”
I love movies about movies, I love TV shows about TV shows, I love books about books, and I love songs about music. A major pitfall that a song called “Love You Like a Love Song” could likely face would be being overly hokey. Selena Gomez & the Scene and producing team extraordinaire Rock Mafia solve that problem by embracing the hokiness. There are the subtle bits – sprinkling in the words “lyrical,” “melody,” and “symphony” to fully characterize Selena as one who thinks about love in musical terms. But the ultimate winning moment here is that very obvious chorus: the stuttering (of the word “repeat,” super natch) that captures the beeps of electronica and the old-fashioned skipping of a vinyl record. For those who study pop love songs, here is a mirror.
AND THE REST…
Just Outside the Top 5:
Adele – “Someone Like You”
Foster the People – “Helena Beat”
The Naked and Famous – “Punching in a Dream”
My Morning Jacket – “Holdin’ on to Black Metal”
Lana Del Rey – “Video Games”
Gotye ft. Kimbra – “Somebody That I Used to Know”
AWOLNATION – “Sail”
Raphael Saadiq – “Stone Rollin’”
4 Great Songs That Were Technically Released in 2010:
Of Monsters and Men – “Little Talks”
Ida Maria – “Bad Karma”
Martin Solveig ft. Dragonette – “Hello”
Lykke Li – “Get Some”
Mandatory Black Keys Song: “Lonely Boy”
Florence + the Machine – “Shake It Out”
Coldplay – “Paradise”
Skrillex – “First of the Year (Equinox)”
Fitz and the Tantrums – “MoneyGrabber”
Childish Gambino – “Heartbeat”
Das Racist – “Michael Jackson”
Best Song That Sounds Like It’s from the Drive Soundtrack: M83 – “Midnight City”
Dance Song of the Year:
Robyn – “Call Your Girlfriend” And Three Great Top 40-Style Dance Songs:
David Guetta ft. Flo Rida and Nicki Minaj – “Where Them Girls At”
LMFAO – “Party Rock Anthem” (and “Sexy and I Know It” was great too)
Flo Rida – “Good Feeling”
Katy Perry ft. Kanye West – “E.T.”
Foo Fighters – “Rope”
Ellie Goulding – “Lights”
Lissie – “When I’m Alone”
DJ Khaled ft. Drake, Rick Ross, and Lil’ Wayne – “I’m on One”
The Rihanna Triptych, Naturally: “We Found Love” (ft. Calvin Harris), “S&M,” “Cheers (Drink to That)”
Two Great Songs from a Band I Didn’t Really Care for Before 2011: The Airborne Toxic Event – “All I Ever Wanted” and “Changing”
Twilight Soundtrack Song of the Year: The Belle Brigade – “I Didn’t Mean It”
Peter Bjorn and John – “Second Chance”
Justice – “Civilization”
Young the Giant – “My Body”
Ke$ha – “Blow”
Katy Perry – “Last Friday Night (T.G.I.F.)”
Best Cover:
Ke$ha’s version of Bob Dylan’s “Don’t Think Twice, It’s All Right”
Best Song That Wasn’t Released as a Single:
My Morning Jacket – “Victory Dance”
VH1 is lately disaplying a respectable number of similarities to Radio 104.5.
Original Version
1. Rihanna ft. Calvin Harris – “We Found Love”
2. Katy Perry – “The One That Got Away”
3. Bruno Mars – “It Will Rain”
4. Adele – “Set Fire to the Rain”
5. Jessie J – “Domino”
6. Daughtry – “Crawling Back to You”
7. The Fray – “Heartbeat”
8. Kelly Clarkson – “What Doesn’t Kill You (Stronger)”
9. Foster the People – “Don’t Stop (Color on the Walls)”
10. Pitbull ft. Chris Brown – “International Love”
11. Mary J. Blige ft. Drake- “Mr. Wrong”
12. Avril Lavigne – “Wish You Were Here”
13. Outasight – “Tonight is the Night”
14. The Black Keys – “Lonely Boy”
15. Gym Class Heroes ft. Neon Hitch – “Ass Back Home”
16. Kid Rock ft. Angaleena Presley and T.I. – “Care”
17. Florence + the Machine – “Shake It Out”
18. Scars on 45 – “Heart on Fire”
19. Gotye ft. Kimbra – “Somebody That I Used to Know”
20. Graffiti6 – “Free”
Jmunney’s Revision
1. Somebody That I Used to Know
2. Shake It Out
3. We Found Love
4. Lonely Boy
5. Tonight is the Night
6. The One That Got Away
7. Don’t Stop (Color on the Walls)
8. Set Fire to the Rain
9. Free
10. It Will Rain
11. What Doesn’t Kill You (Stronger)
12. Domino
13. Ass Back Home
14. Heart on Fire
15. Wish You Were Here
16. International Love
17. Heartbeat
18. Care
19. Mr. Wrong
20. Crawling Back to You
Original Version
1. LMFAO – “Sexy and I Know It”
2. Rihanna ft. Calvin Harris – “We Found Love”
3. Flo Rida – “Good Feeling”
4. Bruno Mars – “It Will Rain”
5. Adele – “Someone Like You”
6. Katy Perry – “The One That Got Away”
7. Wiz Khalifa and Snoop Dogg ft. Bruno Mars – “Young, Wild & Free”
8. Pitbull ft. Chris Brown – “International Love”
9. Gym Class Heroes ft. Adam Levine – “Stereo Hearts”
10. J. Cole – “Work Out”
11. Kelly Clarkson – “What Doesn’t Kill You (Stronger)”
12. Maroon 5 ft. Christina Aguilera – “Moves Like Jagger”
13. Big Sean ft. Nicki Minaj – “Dance (A$$)”
14. T-Pain ft. Wiz Khalifa and Lily Allen – “5 O’Clock”
15. David Guetta ft. Usher – “Without You”
16. Drake – “Headlines”
17. will.i.am ft. Mick Jagger and Jennifer Lopez – “T.H.E. (The Hardest Ever)”
18. Hot Chelle Rae – “I Like It Like That”
19. Lady GaGa – “Marry the Night”
20. B.o.B ft. Lil Wayne – “Strange Clouds”
Jmunney’s Revision
1. Someone Like You
2. We Found Love
3. Good Feeling
4. Sexy and I Know It
5. The One That Got Away
6. Without You
7. Marry the Night
8. Headlines
9. It Will Rain
10. What Doesn’t Kill You (Stronger)
11. T.H.E. (The Hardest Ever)
12. Moves Like Jagger
13. Young, Wild & Free
14. 5 O’Clock
15. Dance (A$$)
16. International Love
17. Work Out
18. Strange Clouds
19. I Like It Like That
20. Stereo Hearts
“What curve is there to be ahead of or behind anyway!”
Original Version
1. Bruno Mars – “It Will Rain”
2. Rihanna ft. Calvin Harris – “We Found Love”
3. Katy Perry – “The One That Got Away”
4. Daughtry – “Crawling Back to You”
5. The Fray – “Heartbeat”
6. Kelly Clarkson – “What Doesn’t Kill You (Stronger)”
7. Jessie J – “Domino”
8. Foster the People – “Don’t Stop (Color on the Walls)”
9. Coldplay – “Paradise”
10. Adele – “Set Fire to the Rain”
11. Pitbull ft. Chris Brown – “International Love”
12. Kid Rock ft. Angaleena Presley and T.I. – “Care”
13. Mary J. Blige ft. Drake – “Mr. Wrong”
14. Outasight – “Tonight is the Night”
15. Avril Lavigne – “Wish You Were Here”
16. The Black Keys – “Lonely Boy”
17. Gym Class Heroes ft. Neon Hitch – “Ass Back Home”
18. Fitz and the Tantrums – “Don’t Gotta Work It Out”
19. Florence + the Machine – “Shake It Out”
20. Scars on 45 – “Heart on Fire”
Jmunney’s Revision
1. Shake It Out
2. Paradise
3. We Found Love
4. Lonely Boy
5. Tonight is the Night
6. The One That Got Away
7. Don’t Stop (Color on the Walls)
8. Set Fire to the Rain
9. Don’t Gotta Work It Out
10. It Will Rain
11. What Doesn’t Kill You (Stronger)
12. Domino
13. Ass Back Home
14. Heart on Fire
15. Wish You Were Here
16. International Love
17. Heartbeat
18. Care
19. Mr. Wrong
20. Crawling Back to You
VH1’s Top 20 Countdown tends to inexplicably leave out some popular songs, but there is at least one other video countdown show in the game that also sets out to include mainly Top 40 videos. So I have decided to also start posting revisions to Fuse’s Top 20 Countdown. Fuse doesn’t seem to have any of those mild up-and-coming acts that VH1 seems to love, while they do have some silly hip-hop and alternative tunes that VH1 would most likely not go so far to include. With this first week, we start off with a number one that has sorely been missing from VH1 for months.
Original Version
1. LMFAO – “Sexy and I Know It”
2. Rihanna ft. Calvin Harris – “We Found Love”
3. Bruno Mars – “It Will Rain”
4. Flo Rida – “Good Feeling”
5. Katy Perry – “The One That Got Away”
6. Adele – “Someone Like You”
7. Gym Class Heroes ft. Adam Levine – “Stereo Hearts”
8. Foster the People – “Don’t Stop (Color on the Walls)”
9. T-Pain ft. Wiz Khalifa and Lily Allen – “5 O’Clock”
10. Wiz Khalifa & Snoop Dogg ft. Bruno Mars – “Young, Wild & Free”
11. blink-182 – “After Midnight”
12. Maroon 5 ft. Christina Aguilera – “Moves Like Jagger”
13. David Guetta ft. Usher – “Without You”
14. Big Sean ft. Nicki Minaj – “Dance (A$$)”
15. J. Cole – “Work Out”
16. fun. ft. Janelle Monáe – “We Are Young”
17. Coldplay – “Paradise”
18. Gym Class Heroes ft. Neon Hitch – “Ass Back Home”
19. Hot Chelle Rae – “I Like It Like That”
20. Lady GaGa – “Marry the Night”
Jmunney’s Revision
1. Someone Like You
2. Paradise
3. We Found Love
4. Good Feeling
5. Sexy and I Know It
6. The One That Got Away
7. Don’t Stop (Color on the Walls)
8. We Are Young
9. Marry the Night
10. Without You
11. It Will Rain
12. Young, Wild, & Free
13. Moves Like Jagger
14. After Midnight
15. 5 O’Clock
16. Dance (A$$)
17. Ass Back Home
18. I Like It Like That
19. Work Out
20. Stereo Hearts
Original Version
1. Katy Perry – “The One That Got Away”
2. Daughtry – “Crawling Back to You”
3. Rihanna ft. Calvin Harris – “We Found Love”
4. Bruno Mars – “It Will Rain”
5. Adele – “Someone Like You”
6. Coldplay – “Paradise”
7. David Guetta ft. Usher – “Without You”
8. The Fray – “Heartbeat”
9. Jessie J – “Domino”
10. Pitbull ft. Chris Brown – “International Love”
11. Kid Rock ft. Angaleena Presley and T.I. – “Care”
12. Outasight – “Tonight is the Night”
13. Avril Lavigne – “Wish You Were Here”
14. Foster the People – “Don’t Stop (Color on the Walls)”
15. Kelly Clarkson – “What Doesn’t Kill You (Stronger)”
16. Florence + the Machine – “Shake It Out”
17. Mary J. Blige ft. Drake – “Mr. Wrong”
18. The Black Keys – “Lonely Boy”
19. Fitz and the Tantrums – “Don’t Gotta Work It Out”
20. Kina Grannis – “In Your Arms”
Jmunney’s Revision
1. Someone Like You
2. Shake It Out
3. Paradise
4. We Found Love
5. Lonely Boy
6. Tonight is the Night
7. The One That Got Away
8. Without You
9. Don’t Stop (Color on the Walls)
10. Don’t Gotta Work It Out
11. It Will Rain
12. What Doesn’t Kill You (Stronger)
13. Domino
14. In Your Arms
15. Wish You Were Here
16. International Love
17. Heartbeat
18. Care
19. Mr. Wrong
20. Crawling Back to You
Quality-wise, 2011 was one of the best years for music this century. I guess what that means is, I was continually satisfied and surprised by the new entries in the musical areas that I listen to (and I listen to a lot of musical areas). Even when you just look at the Top 40, my impression is that the year was better than average. But you wouldn’t know it from this countdown. While I found about 30 songs on the list to be at least bearable (about the same as last year), this year’s bottom feeders are even more plainly awful than last year’s. Nickelback (worse-than-average Nickelback, that is) and Daughtry both had new tunes, so that tells you something right there.
I am not sure how VH1 could reasonably manage to ignore LMFAO this year. “Party Rock Anthem” would easily have been the most ubiquitous song of the year if there hadn’t been a song this year that was unfathomably ubiquitous.
Wasn’t there a law enacted in 2007 saying that Rihanna must appear on year-end countdowns like this one each and every year? VH1, you are in violation of the law.
Remember, my revision is not my interpretation of how big these hits were, it is my judgment of the quality of the songs. But I am alo interested in discussing whether or not VH1 accurately represented the bigness of the hits, and thus I point out in the margins what songs were ranked too high or too low.
Original Version
1. Adele – “Rolling in the Deep” (should be higher)
2. Bruno Mars – “Grenade”
3. Katy Perry ft. Kanye West – “E.T.”
4. P!nk – “F****** Perfect”
5. Foo Fighters – “Rope”
6. Mumford & Sons – “The Cave” (should be lower)
7. The Script – “For the First Time” (should be lower)
8. Cee-Lo Green – “F*** You” (should be higher)
9. Foster the People – “Pumped Up Kicks”
10. OneRepublic – “Good Life”
11. Gym Class Heroes ft. Adam Levine – “Stereo Hearts”
12. Adele – “Someone Like You” (could be higher)
13. Bruno Mars – “The Lazy Song”
14. Katy Perry – “Last Friday Night (T.G.I.F.)”
15. Maroon 5 ft. Christina Aguilera – “Moves Like Jagger”
16. Britney Spears – “Hold It Against Me”
17. Lady GaGa – “Born This Way”
18. Ke$ha – “Blow”
19. Coldplay – “Every Teardrop is a Waterfall”
20. Kelly Clarkson – “Mr. Know It All”
21. Christina Perri – “Arms” (should be lower)
22. Hot Chelle Rae – “Tonight Tonight” (could be higher)
23. Pitbull ft. Ne-Yo, Afrojack, and Nayer – “Give Me Everything” (should be higher)
24. The Band Perry – “If I Die Young”
25. Gavin DeGraw – “Not Over You” (should be lower)
26. Beyoncé ft. J. Cole – “Party” (has no business being anywhere near this list)
27. Train – “Save Me San Francisco”
28. Jason Derülo – “It Girl”
29. Andy Grammer – “Keep Your Head Up”
30. Red Hot Chili Peppers – “The Adventures of Rain Dance Maggie”
31. David Guetta ft. Usher – “Without You”
32. Nicki Minaj – “Super Bass”
33. Colbie Caillat – “Brighter Than the Sun”
34. Nickelback – “When We Stand Together”
35. Britney Spears – “Criminal”
36. Grace Potter & the Nocturnals – “Paris (Ooh La La)”
37. Demi Lovato – “Skyscraper”
38. The Civil Wars – “Barton Hollow”
39. Jessie J – “Domino”
40. Daughtry – “Crawling Back to You”
Jmunney’s Revision
1. Rolling in the Deep
2. Pumped Up Kicks
3. Someone Like You
4. Paris (Ooh La La)
5. Rope
6. E.T.
7. Super Bass
8. Last Friday Night (T.G.I.F.)
9. Blow
10. F*** You
11. Every Teardrop is a Waterfall
12. The Adventures of Rain Dance Maggie
13. Without You
14. The Cave
15. Barton Hollow
16. Mr. Know It All
17. Domino
18. Good Life
19. Give Me Everything
20. Born This Way
21. Moves Like Jagger
22. Brighter Than the Sun
23. Grenade
24. Hold It Against Me
25. Criminal
26. Tonight Tonight
27. Skyscraper
28. Keep Your Head Up
29. F****** Perfect
30. If I Die Young
31. Save Me San Francisco
32. Stereo Hearts
33. For the First Time
34. Arms
35. Party
36. When We Stand Together
37. The Lazy Song
38. Not Over You
39. Crawling Back to You
40. It Girl
