And so it begins, the BEST OF 2011, Day 1!
10.) T.H.E. (The Hardest Ever)
will.i.am, Mick Jagger, & Jennifer Lopez
This track came to us a little towards the end of the year, but it certainly is a standout. will.i.am certainly does well enough on his own, but certainly not to the extent of Fergie, or Taboo and Apl.de.ap (oh wait a minute, scratch that, it’s just Fergie). Remember back in 2008 when will.i.am tried to go solo? I’m sure we vaguely remember “I Got It From My Mama”, but that was the end of that. Then they all came back to the Black Eyed Peas, but this time with their elctro-dance style that rang in the new decade with such partying! Since then, will.i.am has been producing hits for Usher, Rihanna, Nicki Minaj, and Britney Spears, continuing with his dance-style sound. Now he’s back solo, but this time with two special guests as backup, JUST in case. And let me tell you, this song DOES go hard!
9.) “Give Me Everything”
Pitbull, Ne-Yo, Afrojack, & Nayer
Who DIDN'T hear this song at all? I mean, I certainly never heard it played on the radio enough! Pitbull continued his winning streak in Top 40 this year, but this time bringing along not 1, not 2, but 3 guests for this hit song. Nice to hear that Ne-Yo is still alive!
8.) “Last Friday Night (T.G.I.F.)”
Katy Perry
This song mainly is on the countdown (and just may be on the Top 20 songs of 2011) for the music video alone! The 80’s homage, the catchiness of the song, and the plethora of guest appearances in the video, it was one of my favorites songs of the summer!
7.) “Titanium”
David Guetta & Sia
Everyone may be picking David Guetta’s collaboration with Usher, “Without You” as one of their favorites, but my favorite David Guetta collaboration came from a song that was only released as a promotional single (so far at least). Sia, known for her haunting, silky voice and her indie pop music made an appearance on this song from David Guetta’s “Nothing But The Beat” album. From A-list guest stars like J-Hud, Chris Breezy, Lil’ Wayne, Usher, Nicki Minaj, and Timbaland, Sia was the standout in my eyes, and this infectious, inspirational power song blew the roof off!
6.) “On The Floor”
Jennifer Lopez & Pitbull
You know I have to show love for my girl who came back stronger than ever in the beginning of this year! With a well-watched judging position on American Idol, to another hit album, and not to mention having the privilege of hearing this song every 30 seconds, J.Lo was back! Though she did get divorced, that wasn’t big enough news to destroy this more-than-deserving comeback. Although this song may remind some of a famous cartoon theme song (Smurfs anyone?), it still was banging on the radio, the video had so many views, and she continued her dominance in pop music. Here’s to even bigger and better things for Ms. Lopez in 2012!
5.) “Till The World Ends”
Britney Spears
Another comeback story (although this one was a little unexpected), Britney Spears proved that besides reaching 30 years old this year, she could still party hard (maybe not dancing wise, but certainly with her hits songs). There was nothing for Britney to really come back from, but when she released “Femme Fatale”, it felt like she was trying to prove something. She still had enough relevance in pop music to stay on top among all the youngin’s out there. “Till The World Ends” rings true with 2012 coming up, but it certainly got us moving in 2011.
4.) “Super Bass”
Nicki Minaj
I never thought I’d say this, but thank you Taylor Swift! Nicki Minaj’s “Super Bass” was a lovely little surprise bonus track from the digital version of her #1 album “Pink Friday”. But thanks to a Taylor Swift cover that landed on YouTube, it helped the song become the next single, and THAT’S where everything took off! Minaj spent 2010 as the guest that everyone had to have on their song. Then she went solo and proved she was #1. She continued her dominance in music this year with “Moment 4 Life” and “Fly”, but it’s “Super Bass” that got us all boom-ba-booming all over the place!
And who can forget another great moment with little Sophia Grace!
3.) “Moves Like Jagger”
Maroon 5 & Christina Aguilera
Maroon 5 scared me a little when they released their last album back in 2010. It was very repetitive, and a lot of it sounded like old material that they had already released. But thanks to Adam Levine’s role on The Voice, he was able to sparkle with his surprise collaboration with Christina Aguilera, thus bringing everyone this song! It’s thumping beat, the dirty lyrics, and man oh man that shirtless video, this song was hard NOT to love!
2.) “The Edge of Glory”
Lady GaGa
Lady GaGa goes big all the time, and that’s why this song and video were such surprises to some people. She went a little more simple where the video is concerned, but it still was classic GaGa (of course with a lovely appearance from the late Clarence Clemons). This song brings back the magic of the 80’s: the dramatic breaks, the rocking sax-solo, and the inspirational message underneath. This song means a lot more having heard the inspiration behind her writing it. It was inspired by GaGa’s grandfather as he was dying, and seeing the love that he and GaGa’s grandmother had in the last couple of days. Tear-jerker right there, but still a breathtaking song from this year.
And here is the true meaning behind the song itself:
1.) “We Found Love”
Rihanna
A writer for MTV said it best when he was describing this song for their Top 20 countdown. “I used to think I would always remember Rihanna for “Umbrella” as her signature song, UNTIL this was released”. Rihanna continued her yearly streak and gave us another strong hit album, arguably one of THE best of 2011. And “We Found Love” (which is still dominating the music charts) had us all dancing and singing that we all could find love in hopeless places. Even the video (which some may have thought included a Chris Brown appearance at first glance) was banging and outstanding. Well done Rihanna! May you continue to bless us with more great music every year!
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