I thought it would be cool to compile a list of songs that were runners up to the #1 spot on the Billboard Hot 100. For now it's just this decade, perhaps I'll expand it to this start in 2000.
Below are all the songs this decade that have a #2 peak on the Hot 100.
2010
3 weeks
"Dynamite" by Taio Cruz
Blocked by "Love the Way You Lie" by Eminem f/ Rihanna
2 weeks
"Need You Now" by Lady Antebellum
Blocked by "Break Your Heart" by Taio Cruz f/ Ludacris (1 week) & "Rude Boy" by Rihanna (1 week)
1 week
"Replay" by Iyaz
Blocked by "Tik Tok" by Ke$ha
"Today Was A Fairytale" by Taylor Swift
Blocked by "Tik Tok" by Ke$ha
"We Are the World 25 for Haiti" by Artists for Haiti
Blocked by "Tik Tok" by Ke$ha
"Airplanes" by B.o.B f/ Hayley Williams of Paramore
Blocked by "OMG" by Usher f/ will.i.am
"BedRock" by Young Money f/ Lloyd
Blocked by "Imma Be" by The Black Eyed Peas
2011
4 weeks
"**** You" by Cee Lo Green
Blocked by "Born This Way" by Lady Gaga
1 week
"****in' Perfect" by P!nk
Blocked by "Grenade" by Bruno Mars
2012
7 weeks
"Gangnam Style" by Psy
Blocked by "One More Night" by Maroon 5
6 weeks
"Payphone" by Maroon 5 f/ Wiz Khalifa
Blocked by "Somebody I Used To Know" by Goyte f/ Kimbra (1 week) and "Call Me Maybe" by Carly Rae Jepsen (5 weeks)
2 weeks
"Lights" by Ellie Goulding
Blocked by "Call Me Maybe" by Carly Rae Jepsen (1 week) and "Whistle" by Flo Rida (1 week)
1 week
"Boyfriend" by Justin Bieber
Blocked by "We Are Young" by fun. f/ Janelle Monáe
"Wide Awake" by Katy Perry
Blocked by "Call Me Maybe" by Carly Rae Jepsen
"Die Young" by Ke$ha
Blocked by "Diamonds" by Rihanna
2013
5 weeks
"Get Lucky" by Daft Punk f/ Pharrell Williams
Blocked by "Blurred Lines" by Robin Thicke f/ Pharrell Williams & T.I.
3 weeks
"We Can't Stop" by Miley Cyrus
Blocked by "Blurred Lines" by Robin Thicke f/ Pharrell Williams & T.I.
1 week
"I Knew You Were Trouble" by Taylor Swift
Blocked by "Locked Out Of Heaven" by Bruno Mars
"Mirrors" by Justin Timberlake
Blocked by "Can't Hold Us" by Macklemore & Ryan Lewis f/ Ray Dalton
"Best Song Ever" by One Direction
Blocked by "Blurred Lines" by Robin Thicke f/ Pharrell Williams & T.I.
2014
5 weeks
"Problem" by Ariana Grande f/ Iggy Azalea
Blocked by "Fancy" by Iggy Azalea f/ Charli XCX
2 weeks
"Counting Stars" by OneRepublic
Blocked by "Timber" by Pitbull f/ Ke$ha
1 week
"Drunk in Love" by Beyoncé f/ Jay-Z
Blocked by "Dark Horse" by Katy Perry f/ Juicy J
Trivia
Blocked Songs That Spent More Than One Week At #2
1. "Gangnam Style" (7 weeks)
2. "Payphone" by (6 weeks)
3. "Get Lucky" & "Problem" (5 weeks)
4. "**** You" (4 weeks)
5. "Dynamite" & "We Can't Stop" (3 weeks)
6. "Need You Now", "Lights", & "Counting Stars" (2 weeks)
Songs That Were Blocked By More Than One Song
"Need You Now" by Lady Antebellum was blocked by "Break Your Heart" (1 week) & "Rude Boy" (1 week).
"Payphone" by Maroon 5 f/ Wiz Khalifa was blocked by "Somebody I Used To Know" (1 week) & "Call Me Maybe" (5 weeks).
"Lights" by Ellie Goulding was blocked by "Call Me Maybe" (1 week) and "Whistle" (1 week).
Other
Taylor Swift is the only artist this decade to be blocked from #1 more than once.
This decade, Ke$ha has blocked a total of four songs from #1 which is the most for any artist. Rihanna, Carly Rae Jepsen, Robin Thicke, Pharrell Williams, & T.I. each have blocked three songs while Bruno Mars is the only artist to have blocked two.
Five artists this decade have at least one blocked single and at least one single that blocked another single: Ke$ha, Katy Perry, Maroon 5, Pharrell Williams, & Iggy Azalea.
This decade, only three songs have blocked more than one song and (somehow) they each blocked not just one... but three songs each: "Tik Tok" ("Replay", "Today Was A Fairytale", & "We Are the World 25 for Haiti"), "Call Me Maybe" ("Payphone, "Lights", & Wide Awake"), and "Blurred Lines" ("Get Lucky", "We Can't Stop", & "Best Song Ever").
This decade, the only two artists to block themselves from #1 are Pharrell Williams ("Blurred Lines" blocked "Get Lucky") and Iggy Azalea ("Fancy" blocked "Problem").
A big thank you to member
Aatthew with help with the formatting and extra tidbits of info.
