Bob’s Top 100 Songs of the Decade: #80-#61

Selected from the Billboard year-end top 100 lists.

80. Style – Taylor Swift
Billboard Year-End: #29 of 2015
Okay, if anyone thinks there will be any other Tay-Tay songs in this countdown, they’ll be disappointed–this is the only one. I do like this one though, even though it was not one of her bigger hits. Max Martin crafted a song with limited vocal range that requires good timing and some staccato. Style was the third single from the 1989 album and peaked at #6 in March 2015. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-CmadmM5cOk

79: Slow Hands – Niall Horan
Billboard Year-End: #32 of 2017
This solo hit by the former member of One Direction peaked at #11 for two weeks in the fall of 2017. It was Horan’s second hit and has a funk edge it. A lot to like for me, the bass, the tune and Horan’s vocals. Supposedly, Horan was going for an ’80s Don Henley-type sound, so it’s little wonder this song contains the lyric, “Like sweat dripping down our dirty laundry.” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nBmNcLBaPUE

78. Without You – David Guetta featuring Usher
Billboard Year-End: #73 of 2011
French producer/DJ David Guetta came up with this song, in collaboration with Taio Cruz, Usher and others. He chose Usher to sing the vocals.The result was a worldwide hit that peaked at #4 in the United States. While the vocalist usually gets lead artist credit, this is a fine production and Guetta earned his billing. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jUe8uoKdHao

77. New Rules – Dua Lipa
Billboard Year-End: #16 of 2018
In North America, New Rules was Dua Lipa’s breakout hit, and it led to a Best New Artist Grammy a year ago. It peaked at #6 in February 2018. Caroline Ailin, one of the songwriters, wrote it about the temptation of getting back with an old boyfriend. It has one of my all-time favorite lyrics: “If you’re under him, you ain’t getting over him.” The video has over 2 billion views. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k2qgadSvNyU

76. Shallow – Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper
Billboard Year-End: #19 of 2019
I’ve gone through phases of liking this more and liking it less. “Shallow” was released and charted in 2018, falling out of the top 20 by mid-November. It shot back up to #1 in March 2019, following an Best Song Oscar win. Good song, overplayed more than a little. Cooper holds his own, but this song is a vehicle for Lady Gaga in both the movie and in the real world. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bo_efYhYU2A

75. Daylight – Maroon 5
Billboard Year-End: #35 of 2013
Maroon 5 had a string of big hits from their Overexposed album. “Daylight” was my favorite, although not the most successful commercially. “Daylight” appeared to peak at #14 on the Billboard chart, but a Grammy performance (in a medley with Alicia Keys) boosted it to a week in the top 10, at #7. I’m not posting the official video, as it includes the voices of fans singing along. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cpkUhIg4OBU

74. I Feel It Coming – The Weeknd featuring Daft Punk
Billboard Year-End: #34 of 2017
“I Feel It Coming” was the second single from The Weeknd’s Starboy album after the highly successful title track. Both singles featured electronica giants Daft Punk. “I Feel It Coming” peaked at #4 in April 2017. It went to #1 in Daft Punk’s home country, France. While it lacked the power of “Starboy,” this song is a bit more smooth. . https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qFLhGq0060w

73. Sugar – Maroon 5
Billboard Year-End: #5 of 2015
The third single from the V album was one of few songs to spend 20 or more weeks in the Billboard Top 10. It spent four weeks at #2 behind “Uptown Funk,” good enough to be the fifth most popular song of 2015. It has elements of dance pop and guitar funk and a very popular video with over 3 billion views. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=09R8_2nJtjg

72. Girl Crush – Little Big Town
Billboard Year-End: #63 of 2015
Fake controversy aside, this is a good song. Karen Fairchild’s lead vocals are particularly strong, backed by minimal instrumentation. Girl Crush peaked at #18 on the Billboard Hot 100 in May 2015. On the country chart, it spent 13 straight weeks at #1 and was the #2 hit of 2015. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JYZMT8otKdI

71. Someone You Loved – Lewis Capaldi
Billboard Year-End: #27 of 2019
Lewis Capaldi was that guy in the Grammy audience Sunday who looked more like a troll than a pop singer. He gave his approval as host Alicia Keys re-wrote the lyrics to “Someone You Loved” to fit the occasion. “Someone You Loved” topped the British charts for seven weeks in Spring 2019. In the United States, it took a while longer–three weeks at #1 in November and its still in the top 10 headed into February 2020. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zABLecsR5UE

70. The Middle – Zedd, Maren Morris and Grey
Billboard Year-End: #8 of 2018
Producer Zedd auditioned a long list of female lead singers for this song, including Demi Lovato, Camila Cabello, Carly Rae Jepsen, Bebe Rexha and Elle King. They chose Maren Morris, who had had a few country hits that hit the lower half of the Hot 100. “The Middle” was the first major pop hit for Morris. The song was featured in the long-form Target ad the debuted during the Grammys in 2018. It reached the top 10 in March, and stayed there for 16 weeks. It peaked three times at #5, for a week in April, another in May and two more weeks in June. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M3mJkSqZbX4

69. Rude – Magic
Billboard Year-End: #7 of 2014
This song was polarizing. Time magazine called “Rude” the worst song of 2014. It was certainly popular. “Rude” spent six weeks at #1 at the end of the summer in 2014. Magic is a Canadian reggae fusion band that has no other hits in the U.S. The band has a few minor hits in Canada, but “Rude” is be far their biggest, winning the Juno for Single of the Year in Canada for 2014. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PIh2xe4jnpk

68. Dancing With A Stranger – Sam Smith and Normani
Billboard Year-End: #14 of 2019
Forbes claims that “Dancing With A Stranger” received more airplay than any other song in 2019–another source states that if got the fourth-most play in the United States. This duet was a global hit that is nominated for Song of the Year at the Brit awards. It peaked at #3 in the U.K. and at #7 in the United States (May 2019). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=av5JD1dfj_c

67. Love Yourself – Justin Bieber
Billboard Year-End: #1 of 2016
“Love Yourself” was the third single from his Purpose album, the album that converted more than a few skeptics into acknowledging his talent. “Love Yourself” spent two nonconsecutive weeks at #1 in February 2016, and replaced his previous single, “Sorry” at the top position. For the year, Billboard listed “Love Yourself” and “Sorry” as the top two hits of 2016. “Love Yourself” is an in your face breakup song, and “Love” is essentially a substitute for another word with four letters. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oyEuk8j8imI

66. Say Something – A Great Big World and Christina Aguilera
Billboard Year-End: #17 of 2014
This is not the same “Say Something” that was at #86 (Timberlake/Stapleton). This was originally a piano ballad sung by Ian Axel, half of the duo A Great Big World. Christina Aguilera heard it and asked to get involved. The re-recorded duet quickly made the top five and spent six weeks at #4. The collaborators won the Grammy for Pop Duo/Group Performance. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-2U0Ivkn2Ds

65. Story Of My Life – One Direction
Billboard Year-End: #24 of 2014
I didn’t really take One Direction too seriously until I heard this song. The second single from Midnight Memories debuted at its peak position (#6) in November 2013 and spent the next several months going in and out of the top 10. It was a worldwide hit that was bigger on adult contemporary radio in the United States. At the time, not what I had expected from this particular boy band. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W-TE_Ys4iwM

64. It Will Rain – Bruno Mars
Billboard Year-End: #26 of 2012
From the soundtrack of The Twilight Saga Part 1 – Breaking Dawn, “It Will Rain” is a dramatic ballad from Bruno Mars. Released in October 2011, it entered the top 10 at the end of November, stayed in the top 10 for 13 weeks including five weeks at its peak position (#3). A bit similar in theme to “Grenade,” a megahit from Mars that was released a year prior. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W-w3WfgpcGg

63. Pray For Me – The Weeknd and Kendrick Lamar
Billboard Year-End: #40 of 2018
From the Black Panther soundtrack, “Pray For Me” is a rap/song collaboration between Kendrick Lamar and The Weeknd. The Weeknd had been nominated for an Oscar for a previous movie song (“Earned It”) from Fifty Shades of Grey. “Pray For Me” debuted at #7, its peak position in mid-February 2018 and hung around the chart for a few months. Lamar’s rap fits the movie well and The Weeknd’s voice goes well with the somewhat haunting sound. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XR7Ev14vUh8

62. You And I – Lady Gaga
Billboard Year-End: #71 of 2011
“You And I” was the fourth single from Born This Way, released in 2011. It peaked in mid-September at #6 and bounced in and out of the top 10 for several more weeks. It includes a percussion sample from Queen’s “We Will Rock You,” and the track features Brian May on guitar. Lady Gaga wrote it solo on the piano, intending for it to be a rock track that would by unlikely to be released as a single. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X9YMU0WeBwU

61. Boo’d Up – Ella Mai
Billboard Year-End: #61 of 2018
“Boo’d Up” was somewhat of a sleeper hit for British R&B singer Ella Mai. It was written by an American singer-songwriter named Joelle James, of whom I’m pretty unfamiliar. James thought Mai was the right singer–she was right. Its popularity was driven by social media and dance clubs. “Boo’d Up” peaked at #6 in June 2018 and was popular enough for Ella Mai to go on tour in the states and to get two Grammy nominations for songwriter James. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6YNZlXfW6Ho

Bob’s Top 100 Songs of the Decade: 100-81

My list is limited to any song listed among the Billboard top 100 of each year of the decade.

100. The Fighter – Keith Urban featuring Carrie Underwood
Billboard Year End: #100 of 2017
I likely never would have discovered this song had they not performed it on the Grammy telecast in February 2017. It actually debuted in mid-2016 upon the album release, where it charted at #69 for only a week. The single was released around the Grammy performance, and peaked at #38. Went to #2 on the country chart. To me, it’s way more pop than country. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GzT4p-OaJ5c

99. Breathin – Ariana Grande
Billboard Year-End: #72 of 2019
My favorite Ariana Grande song is one of her least successful of the past couple of years. “Breathin” was the third single from her Sweetener album, and did spend 25 weeks on the chart, but peaked only at #12 in mid-December of 2018. Grande co-wrote this song that deals with her anxiety after the Manchester concert bombing. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kN0iD0pI3o0

98. Haven’t Met You Yet – Michael Bublé
Billboard Year-End: #39 of 2010
The first single from the Crazy Love album, it peaked at #24 but spent almost all of 2010 on the Hot 100 and went to #1 on the Adult Contemporary chart. It went top five in Canada and the U.K. and top 10 in a few European countries and Australia. Bublé won the Juno award for Single of the Year in Canada. Probably his most recognizable non-cover. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1AJmKkU5POA

97. Baby Shark – Pinkfong
Billboard Year-End: #75 of 2019
Not so much a song, but a phenomenon. The song itself has been around a for a few decades in various forms, but went viral in Asia after Korean “group” Pinkfong made a video in November 2015. Pinkfong is an education brand. It hit here in August 2018 and when a friend showed me the video not long after, my response was, “This is awesome!” One of the most successful children’s songs of all-time, it even made its way to the World Series, as Washington Nationals fans sang along to Gerardo Parra’s walk-up music. The video has over 4 billion views. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XqZsoesa55w

96. Uma Thurman – Fall Out Boy
Billboard Year-End: #60 of 2015
Okay, by far my favorite thing about this song is that it samples the Munsters theme. Apparently when they were playing with this sample, it brought to mind Quentin Tarantino, so they crafted the lyrics around the Uma Thurman dance in Pulp Fiction. Released in January 2015, it peaked at #22 and I recall it getting a fair amount of summer airplay. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2VTxYQL2SbA

95. Night Changes – One Direction
Billboard Year-End: #98 of 2015
One Direction broke up for solo projects right around the time they were getting good. “Night Changes” was their last single before Zayn went solo. It went to #7 in the U.K., but only hit #34 here in the U.S. Belgians liked it–it was a #1 hit there. Interesting video regarding dates gone wrong. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=syFZfO_wfMQ

94. Truth Hurts – Lizzo
Billboard Year-End: #13 of 2019
Her new man on the Minnesota Vikings got smacked down by the 49ers. This is Lizzo’s only eligible song, as “Good As Hell” came out too late in the year to make the 2019 Top 100. Originally released in September 2017, “Truth Hurts” spent seven weeks at #1 in the Fall of 2019. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jK7oze-nu38

93. Marvin Gaye – Charlie Puth featuring Meghan Trainor
Billboard Year-End: #75 of 2015
The lyrics are more than a bit corny but I love the 1950s sound of this song. This was Puth’s first single, and it went to #1 in New Zealand, the U.K., Ireland and France. In the U.S., it got no radio play initially, as Puth was still unknown and “not on the list.” Puth later sang the chorus on Wiz Khalifa’s “See You Again,” a tribute to that dead guy in the Fast Furious movies. At that point, “Marvin Gaye” got some airplay and peaked at #21 in late summer 2015. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=igNVdlXhKcI

92. Bad Things – Machine Gun Kelly & Camila Cabello
Billboard Year-End: #41 of 2017
Camila Cabello was still a member of Fifth Harmony when the song was released, but not for long. “Bad Things” essentially is built around Cabello’s re-singing of the chorus of “Out Of My Head” by Fastball. Machine Gun Kelly provides the rap lyrics. Cabello carries this one. It hit the charts in November 2016 and made my year-end list for ’16. It darted in and out of the top 10 for over a month before finally taking off–spent two weeks at number four in February 2017. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QpbQ4I3Eidg

91. The One That Got Away – Katy Perry
Billboard Year-End: #41 of 2012
“The One That Got Away” was the sixth single from Teenage Dream and the only one not to hit #1. It spent the first two weeks of 2012 at its peak of #3. Years later, Perry said the song was written with Josh Groban in mind. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ahha3Cqe_fk

90. Cheap Thrills – Sia featuring Sean Paul
Billboard Year-End: #11 of 2016
Sia’s first (and only) #1 hit was this reggae-influenced track with a samba rhythm. I did not know that it was written to be a track on Rihanna’s Anti album, but was turned down. Sia, who co-wrote it, sang it herself with Sean Paul. It spent four weeks at #1 in August 2016 and was a huge international smash, and the best selling single ever in Italy. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nYh-n7EOtMA

89. It’s Time – Imagine Dragons
Billboard Year-End: #91 of 2012 and #47 of 2013
“It’s Time” was the first hit single for Imagine Dragons. It entered the top 20 in the final week of 2012 and peaked at #15 in January 2013. It was strong enough to make the top 100 for both years. This song came well before the very similar sounding “Best Day Of My Life,” by American Authors. The use of mandolin by Daniel Wayne Sermon gives “It’s Time” its distinct sound right from the start. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sENM2wA_FTg

88. Mirrors – Justin Timberlake
Billboard Year-End: #6 of 2013
Mirrors was the second single from The 20/20 Experience album and was inspired by his relationship with Jessica Biel as well as his grandparents’ marriage. It spent a good chunk of 2013 on the Billboard Hot 100, peaking at #2 in June. The Timbaland-produced track was successful for Timberlake internationally–it hit number one in the U.K. and four other countries. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uuZE_IRwLNI

87. Strip That Down – Liam Payne featuring Quavo
Billboard Year-End: #36 of 2017
All five members of One Direction had solo hits in 2017. “Strip That Down” was the first hit for Liam Payne. Ed Sheeran was a strong contributor, as a co-writer who provided some backup vocals. Quavo provided the rap lyrics for this song that barely made the top 10–peaking there in September 2017. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vSW2M-BB1NE

86. Say Something – Justin Timberlake featuring Chris Stapleton
Billboard Year-End: #85 of 2018
This collaboration began when Justin Timberlake joined Chris Stapleton on stage at the 2015 Country Music Association awards. “Say Something” was a songwriting collaboration between the pair and they recorded it as a duet. The result is a song that doesn’t neatly fit into any genre.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8MPbR6Cbwi4

85. Latch – Disclosure featuring Sam Smith
Billboard Year-End: #28 of 2014
When “Latch” peaked at #7 on the Billboard chart in August 2014, Sam Smith was also at #3 that week with his eventual Grammy-winning “Stay With Me.” Disclosure is an English electronic music duo who also produces other artists. This hit, “Latch,” peaked at number 11 in the U.K. in October 2012. Nearly two years later, it peaked in the U.S., hitting radio at a time when Smith was becoming popular on this side of the Atlantic. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=93ASUImTedo

84. Talk – Khalid
Billboard Year-End: #8 of 2019
Disclosure is the lead artist on my #85 song (“Latch”) and the producers of my #84 song, Khalid’s “Talk.” This song spent four weeks at #3 in summer 2019 and it #1 on the Hip-Hop/R&B chart. It was nominated for Record of the Year, but was defeated by Billie Eilish’s “Bad Guy.” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hE2Ira-Cwxo

83. Blurred Lines – Robin Thicke featuring T.I. and Pharrell Williams
Billboard Year-End: #2 of 2013 and #83 of 2014
Warning: NSFW video. How problematic can lyrics and message be? Robin Thicke recorded a classic, and while it has elements of “Got To Give It Up,” it really is not the same song. Thicke took a financial hit from Marvin Gaye’s estate but the bigger problem for me is the “I know you want it” message. Not quite the “date rape” message that some critics have expressed, but this unrated video isn’t exactly feminist. The song still sounds great–it spent 11 weeks at #1 in the summer of 2013. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zwT6DZCQi9k

82. Set Fire To The Rain – Adele
Billboard Year-End: #12 of 2012
The third single from 21 was released in November 2011 and hit the top 10 almost everywhere except in the U.K., where it peaked at #11. “Set Fire To The Rain” spent two weeks at number one in the United States in early February 2012. Because Adele underwent vocal chord surgery around the time of the release, there was no video other than this live performance for Royal Albert Hall. If I recall, that live performance got some limited radio airplay, which likely helped its chart performance. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ri7-vnrJD3k

81. Thunder – Imagine Dragons
Billboard Year-End: #22 of 2018
I still can’t explain why I like this song as much as I do. It’s repetitive, there is a weird voice alteration, but I turn up the radio whenever it comes on. “Thunder” spent 18 weeks in the top 10, including two weeks at #4 in early December 2017 and an additional week at that same spot in January 2018. On the Billboard Rock chart, it was the #2 song of the decade, although many have criticized the methodology that heavily favors crossover pop. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fKopy74weus

Next: 80-61 of the 2010s