The #1's of the 2010's - A Decade Study

I had the realization as I was prepping this week's post that this will be the last Billboard #1's post for the next long while. It's a little bittersweet for me because 1) I also realized I started this blog almost a year ago which seems unreal and 2) these posts have been so much fun to research and listen through, but 3) the next set of "decade studies" I have planned for the blog are going to be just as much fun.

It's weird to think about the 2010's in the past tense because I think a lot of us still feel like we're in them, and given the state of 2020 I think a lot of us wish we were still in them so we could start this year over. I found myself thinking over and over again that there was no way some of these songs were as old as they are, because it feels like they just premiered on the radio yesterday. Some of these songs you'll likely be sick of to some degree because they've been vastly overplayed. But all of them have made their mark on the music industry and have set some pretty high bars for the 2020's.

2010 - TiK ToK by Kesha (written by B. Levin, K. Sebert, L. Gottwald)

Kesha's breakout single came out my senior year of high school, and I distinctly remember it coming on KISS FM while I was parking my car to go into class and being transfixed, whispering to myself in confusion, "What the hell did I just listen to?" There have only been about 3 Kesha songs total that I liked right away and didn't take 2-3 months to like after they'd been beaten into me by various radio DJs and my friends' playlists, and TiK ToK was not one of them, but I do like it now. Released as a single in August 2009, this song was featured on Kesha's debut album Animal. It spent nine weeks at #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 and is certified Platinum by the RIAA for having sold over 6.8 million copies in the US. It was the best selling single WORLDWIDE in the year 2010, and was ranked by Billboard at #61 on their Hot 100 Songs of All Time List.

Wake up in the morning feeling like P. Diddy/Grab my glasses, I'm out the door, I'm gonna hit the city/Before I leave, brush my teeth with a bottle of Jack/'Cause when I leave for the night, I ain't coming back/I'm talking pedicure on our toes, toes, trying on all our clothes, clothes/Boys blowing up our phones, phones/Drop top and playing our favorite CD's, driving up to the parties/Tryna get a little bit tipsy/Don't stop, make it pop, DJ, blow my speakers up/Tonight, I'ma fight 'til we see the sunlight/Tik Tok, on the clock, but the party don't stop, no/Oh, ooh, oh, ooh/Don't stop, make it pop, DJ, blow my speakers up/Tonight, I'ma fight 'til we see the sunlight/Tik Tok, on the clock, but the party don't stop, no/Oh, ooh, oh, ooh

2011 - Rolling in the Deep by Adele (written by A. Adkins, P. Epworth)

2011 was the year I was introduced to Adele, and it coincidentally was also the year I became eternally obsessed with Adele. Adele is one of the singers who was able to make being a mezzo-soprano/alto COOL, and I adore all three of her albums so, so much. Released as a single in November 2010, this absolute banger was featured on Adele's second (and just about perfect IMHO) album 21. It spent 7 weeks at #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 and is certified 8x Platinum by the RIAA for selling over 8.4 million copies in the US. Rolling in the Deep holds the record for the best selling digital single by a woman in music history and was ranked #8 by Rolling Stone on their 100 Greatest Songs of the 21st Century list. The song also won Adele Record of the Year, Song of the Year, and Best Short Form Music Video at the 54th Annual Grammy Awards.

There's a fire starting in my heart/Reaching a fever pitch, and it's bringing me out the dark/Finally, I can see you crystal clear/Go ahead and sell me out, and I'll lay your shit bare/See how I'll leave with every piece of you/Don't underestimate the things that I will do/There's a fire starting in my heart/Reaching a fever pitch, and it's bringing me out the dark/The scars of your love remind me of us/They keep me thinking that the almost had it all/The scars of your love, they leave me breathless/I can't help feeling/We could've had it all (You're gonna wish you never had met me)/Rolling in the deep (Tears are gonna fall, rolling in the deep)/You had my heart inside of your hands (You're gonna wish you never had met me)/But you played it to the beat (Tears are gonna fall, rolling in the deep)

2012 - Somebody That I Used to Know by Gotye ft. Kimbra (written by W. De Backer)

You know how I mentioned in the intro about people being sick to death of some of these songs? Literally any time I mention this song to my husband, he has to tell me that he "thinks he's over it." He started saying that sometime around mid-2012 when it had been playing on the radio non-stop for months on end, but for some reason I just can't get sick of this song. The memeing of it was super fun while it lasted with all the parodies running around YouTube, but all in all I still really, really enjoy the song even eight years later. Released as a single in July 2011, this song was featured on Gotye's third studio album Making Mirrors. It spent 8 weeks at #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 and is certified 8x Platinum by the RIAA for selling over 7.9 million copies in the US. This is definitely Gotye's most successful song, and is definitely considered by almost everyone to be his signature song from his repertoire. It ended up being certified Multiplatinum in 10 countries and is certified Diamond in Gotye's home country of Australia.

Now and then, I think of when we were together/Like when you said you felt so happy you could die/Told myself that you were right for me, but felt so lonely in your company/But that was love, and it's an ache I still remember/You can get addicted to a certain kind of sadness/Like resignation to the end, always the end/So when we found that we could not make sense, well, you said that we could still be friends/But I'll admit that I was glad that it was over/But you didn't have to cut me off, make out like it never happened and that we were nothing/And I don't even need your love, but you treat me like a stranger and it feels so rough/No, you didn't have to stoop so low, have your friends collect your records and then change your number/I guess that I don't need that, though, now you're just somebody that I used to know

2013 - Thrift Shop by Macklemore & Ryan Lewis ft. Wanz (written by B. Haggerty, R. Lewis)

Did anyone else think this song was a joke? Because I totally 100% thought this song was a joke before I was suckered in like so many into enjoying it. From the insane video to the weirdly catchy melody, this sleeper hit took everyone by surprise. Released as a single in August 2012, Thrift Shop was featured on Macklemore & Ryan Lewis' debut studio album The Heist. It spent 6 nonconsecutive weeks at #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 and is certified Diamond by the RIAA for selling over 6.15 millions copies in the US. After taking the world by surprise, the song ended up winning Best Rap Performance and Best Rap Song at the 56th Annual Grammy Awards.

Now, walk into the club like, "What up, I got a big cock"/Ah, I'm just pumped up about some shit from the thrift shop/Ice on the fringe, it's so damn frosty/The people like, "Damn, that's a cold ass honky"/Rolling in hella deep, heading to the mezzanine/Dressed in all pink 'cept my gator shoes, those are green/Draped in leopard mink, girls standing next to me/Probably should've washed this, smells like R. Kelly's sheets/Piss, but shit, it was ninety-nine cents/Copping it, washing it, 'bout to go and get some compliments/Passing up on those moccasins someone else has been walking in/Bummy and grungey, fuck it, I am stunting and flossing/And saving my money and I'm hella happy that's a bargain, bitch/I'ma take your grandpa's style, I'ma take your grandpa's style/No for real, ask your grandpa, can I have his hand-me-downs/Velour jumpsuit and some hot slippers/Dookie brown leather jacket that I found, dig it/It had a broken keyboard, I bought a broken keyboard/I bought a skeet blanket, then I bought a kneeboard/Hello, hello, my ace man, my mellow/John Wayne ain't got nothing on my fringe game, hello/I could take some pro wings, make 'em cool, sell those/The sneaker heads would be like, "Aw, he got the Velcro's"/I'm gonna pop some tags, only got twenty dollars in my pocket/I'm, I'm, I'm hunting, looking for a come up, this is fucking awesome/I'm gonna pop some tags, only got twenty dollars in my pocket/I'm, I'm, I'm hunting, looking for a come up/This is fucking awesome

2014 - Happy by Pharrell Williams (written by P. Williams)

Oy, I do not like this song. Not even a little bit. Not at all. Never have, never will. Ugh. Anyway. Released as a single in November 2013, Happy was featured both on Williams' second studio album Girl as well as the soundtrack to the 2013 film Despicable Me 2 (starring Steve Carrell and Kristen Wiig), which I loved despite this song featuring prominently in it. It spent 10 weeks at #1 on the Billboard Hot 100, marking Williams' 4th #1 single but his first as the lead artist. The song is certified 11x Platinum by the RIAA for selling over 6.9 million copies in the US and won both Best Pop Solo Performance and Best Music Video at the 57th Annual Grammy Awards.

It might seem crazy, what I'm 'bout to say/Sunshine, she's here, you can take a break/I'm a hot air balloon that could go to space/With the air, like I don't care baby, by the way/Huh, because I'm happy, clap along if you feel like a room without a roof/Because I'm happy, clap along if you feel like happiness is the truth/Because I'm happy, clap along if you know what happiness is to you/Because I'm happy, clap along if you feel like that's what you wanna do

2015 - Uptown Funk by Mark Ronson ft. Bruno Mars (written by P. Hernandez, C. Wilson, D. Gallaspy, J. Bhasker, L. Simmons, M. Ronson, N. Williams, P. Lawrence, R. Wilson, R. Wilson, R. Taylor)

Ok, yes, this song has been MASSIVELY overplayed, but I still love it. It's a great party song, it's got a great beat, it's just so freaking fun to listen to, and just to reiterate - this is NOT TECHNICALLY a Bruno Mars song, it's a Mark Ronson song that features Bruno Mars. Released as a single in November 2014, Uptown Funk was featured on Ronson's fourth studio album Uptown Special. It spent a whopping 14 weeks at #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 and is certified 11x Platinum by the RIAA for having sold over 11 million copies in the US. As of July 2020, the video is the 6th most viewed YouTube video of all time with 3.9 billion views, and also was the Record of the Year at the 58th Annual Grammy Awards.

This hit, that ice cold, Michelle Pfeiffer, that white gold/This one for them hood girls, them good girls, straight masterpieces/Styling, wiling, living it up in the city/Got Chucks on with Saint Laurent, gotta kiss myself I'm so pretty/I'm too hot, hot damn, called a police and a fireman/I'm too hot, hot damn, make a dragon wanna retire, man/I'm too hot, hot damn, say my name, you know who I am/I'm too hot, hot damn, and my band 'bout that money, break it down/Girls hit your hallelujah, ooh, girls hit your hallelujah, ooh/Girls hit your hallelujah, ooh, 'cause uptown funk gon' give it to you,/'Cause uptown funk gon' give it to you, 'cause uptown funk gon' give it to you/Saturday night and we in the spot, don't believe me, just watch

2016 - Love Yourself by Justin Bieber (written by B. Levin, E. Sheeran, J. Bieber)

Ugh, I really do not like Justin Bieber but, and I am loathe to admit this, this song is not the worst thing I've ever heard. Maybe Ed Sheeran being a cowriter helps, idk, let's just move along. Released as a single in December 2015, this song was featured on Bieber's fourth studio album Purpose. While it only spent 2 weeks at #1 on the Billboard Hot 100, it spent a colossal 24 weeks in the Top 10, solidifying its place as #1 on the Year End Hot 100 list. Love Yourself is certified 8x Platinum by the RIAA for selling over 8 million copies in the US and caused Bieber to become the 12th artist in Hot 100 history to succeed himself in the #1 slot when it replaced his single Sorry on the chart.

For all the times that you rain on my parade/And all the clubs you get in using my name/And you think you broke my heart, oh girl, for goodness' sake/You think I'm crying on my own, well, I ain't/And I didn't wanna write a song/'Cause I didn't want anyone thinking I still care, I don't/But you still hit my phone up and baby, I'll be moving on/And I think you should be something I don't wanna hold back/Maybe you should know that my mama don't like you, and she likes everyone/And I never like to admit that I was wrong/And I've been so caught up in my job, didn't see what's going on/But now I know I'm better off sleeping on my own/'Cause if you like the way you look that much, oh baby, you should go and love yourself/And if you think that I'm still holding on to something, you should go and love yourself

2017 - Shape of You by Ed Sheeran (written by E. Sheeran, J. McDaid, K. Burress, K. Briggs, S. McCutcheon, T. Cottle)

This is definitely not the most melodic Ed Sheeran song, but this beat does not lie. Although also vastly overplayed, I'm still not sick of this song either. Released as a single in January 2017, Shape of You was featured on Sheeran's third studio album ÷. It spent 12 nonconsecutive weeks at #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 and is certified Diamond by the RIAA for selling over 10 million copies in the US. The song won Best Pop Solo Performance at the 60th Annual Grammy Awards and was ranked by Billboard as the 9th Most Successful Song of All Time on the Hot 100 60th Anniversary list.

The club isn't the best place to find a lover, so the bar is where I go/Me and my friends at the table doing shots, drinking fast and then we talk slow/Come over and start up a conversation with just me, and trust me, I'll give it a chance now/Take my hand, stop, put Van the Man on the jukebox and then we start to dance/And now I'm singing like, "Girl, you know I want your love, your love was handmade for somebody like me/Come on now, follow my lead, I may be crazy, don't mind me"/Say, "Boy, let's not talk too much, grab on my waist and put that body on me/Come on now, follow my lead, come, come on now follow my lead," mmm-mmm/I'm in love with the shape of you, we push and pull like a magnet do/Although my heart is falling too, I'm in love with your body/Last night, you were in my room, and now my bedsheets smell like you/Every day discovering something brand new, well, I'm in love with your body/Oh I, oh I, oh I, oh I, I'm in love with your body/Oh I, oh I, oh I, oh I, I'm in love with your body/Oh I, oh I, oh I, oh I, I'm in love with your body/Every day discovering something brand new, I'm in love with the shape of you

2018 - God's Plan by Drake (written by A. Graham, B. Korsan, D. Jackson, M. Samuels, N. Shebib, R. Latour)

Of all of Drake's songs, this isn't exactly the one I would've picked to be a Year End #1, but the people spoke in 2018 and here we are. Probably best known for the iconic lyric "She say do you love me, I tell her only partly, I only love my bed and my mama, I'm sorry," God's Plan was released as a single in January 2018 and was featured on both Drake's second EP Scary Hours and his fifth studio album Scorpion. It spent 11 weeks at #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 and is certified 11x Platinum by the RIAA for selling over 1.06 million copies in the US. The 29th song in Hot 100 history to debut at #1, it was the most streamed song of 2018 for both Apple Music and Spotify and ended up winning Best Rap Song at the 61st Annual Grammy Awards.

I been moving calm, don't start no trouble with me/Tryna keep it peaceful is a struggle for me/Don't pull up at 6am to cuddle with me/You know how I like it when you loving on me/I don't wanna die for them to miss me/Yes, I see the things that they wishing on me/Hope I got some brothers that outlive me/They gon' tell the story, shit was different with me/God's plan, God's plan/I hold back, sometimes I won't, yeah/I feel good, sometimes I don't, aye, yeah/I finessed down Weston Road, aye, 'nessed/Might go down a G.O.D., yeah, wait/I go hard on Southside G, yeah, wait/I make sure that Northside eat, and still

2019 - Old Town Road by Lil Nas X ft. Billy Ray Cyrus (written by A. Ross, B. Cyrus, J. Donald, K. Roukema, M. Reznor, M. Hill)

WHY is this a good song? WHY is it so fun to listen to? WHY were we okay with remix after remix after remix? Clearly, Lil Nas X knows something we don't. Released as a single in April 2019, the first remix of Old Town Road was featured on Nas' debut EP 7, which I talked about a little in my 2019 Favorites post at the end of last year. It spent a record-breaking 19 weeks at #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 and is certified 12x Platinum by the RIAA for selling over 12 million copies in the US. It won Best Pop Duo/Group Performance and Best Music Video at the 62nd Annual Grammy Awards and holds the record for fastest song ever to reach Diamond certification with the RIAA.

Hat down, cross town, living like a rockstar/Spend a lot of money on my brand new guitar/Baby's got a habit, diamond rings and Fendi sports bras/Riding down Rodeo in my Maserati sports car/Got no stress, I been through all that/I'm like a Marlboro Man so I kick on, come back/Wish I could roll on back to that old town road/I wanna ride 'til I can't no more/Yeah, I'm gonna take my horse to the old town road/I'm gonna ride 'til I can't no more/I'm gonna take my horse to the old town road/I'm gonna ride 'til I can't no more

And so, our time on the Billboard Hot 100 is at an end for now. Thank ya'll so much for reading; I hope these posts were fun to look back on and revisit some classics throughout the years. Happy listening, and see ya'll next week!