Celeb News: Pop Dust Top 100 Songs of 2011

Beyond Say

100. Madonna – “Give Me All Your Love”
99. Wiz Khalifa – “Top Floor”
98. Girls – “Alex”
97. Buddy – “Awesome Awesome”
96. Fiend – “Absolutely”
95. Lady Antebellum – “Just a Kiss”
94. Uncle Murda – “Warning”
93. Kelly Clarkson – “You Love Me”
92. Jay-Z & Kanye West – “Gotta Have It”
91. Blake Shelton – “Honey Bee”

90. Wale – “That Way”
89. Metronomy – “The Look”
88. Afrojack – “Take Over Control”
87. Beyonce – “Schoolin’ Life”
86. Mike Posner – “Bow Chicka Wow Wow”
85. Alex Gaudino – “What a Feeling”
84. Eric Church – “Drink in My Hand”
83. Blink-182 – “Up All Night”
82. ASAP Rocky – “Peso”
81. Katy Perry – “The One That Got Away”

80. Taylor Swift – “The Story of Us”
79. Neon Indian – “Polish Girl”
78. Cher Lloyd – “With Ur Love”
77. Lil B – “Bill Bellamy”
76. Cut Copy – “Take Me Over”
75. Patrick Stump – “Allie”
74. Ace Hood – “Hustle Hard”
73. David Nail – “Let it Rain”
72. Chris Brown – “Beautiful People”
71. SBTRKT – “Wildfire”

70. Making Friendz – “Situation”
69. Skrillex – “Scary Monsters & Nice Sprites”
68. Joy Formidable – “Whirring”
67. Lemonade Mouth – “Determinate”
66. Lloyd – “Dedication to My Ex”
65. Luke Bryan – “Country Girl (Shake It For Me)”
64. Rihanna – “Cockiness (Love It)”
63. Toby Keith – “Red Solo Cup”
62. Avril Lavigne – “What the Hell”
61. Waka Flocka Flame – “Grove St. Party”

60. Lady Gaga – “Marry the Night”
59. Drake – “Take Care”
58. J. Cole – “Work Out”
57. Britney Spears – “How I Roll”
56. Das Racist – “Michael Jackson”
55. Meek Mill – “I’ma Boss”
54. Billy Currington – “Love Done Gone”
53. Beyonce – “End of Time”
52. Lykke Li – “I Follow Rivers”
51. Avicii – “Levels”

50. Ke$ha – “Blow”
49. Coldplay – “Every Teardrop is a Waterfall”
48. Florence and the Machine – “Shake It Out”
47. Jason Aldean – “Dirt Road Anthem”
46. Charli XCX – “Stay Away”
45. Lil Wayne – “6 Foot 7 Foot”
44. Rapture – “How Deep is Your Love?”
43. Bruno Mars – “It Will Rain”
42. JoJo – “The Other Chick”
41. Adele – “Someone Like You”

40. Justin Bieber – “Otis” Freestyle
39. Selena Gomez & The Scene – “Love You Like a Love Song”
38. Jane Doze – “Young Hearts Wanna Beat on Their Own”
37. Hyuna – “Bubble Pop”
36. Childish Gambino – “Fire Fly”
35. Pistol Annies – “Hell on Heels”
34. Lady Gaga – “Born This Way”
33. Rick Ross – “I Love My Bitches”
32. Martin Solveig & Dragonette – “Hello”
31. Pitbull – “Give Me Everything”

30. Big Sean – “My Last’
29. Katy B – “Broken Record”
28. Rebecca Black – “Friday”
27. Drake – “Marvin’s Room”
26. Gotye – “Someone That I Used to Know”
25. Dev – “In the Dark”
24. Beyoncé – “Love on Top”
23. Jay-Z & Kanye West – “Otis”
22. Tyler the Creator – “Yonkers”
21. Ke$ha – “Sleazy (Remix)”

20. Demi Lovato – “Skyscraper”

Quote:

There's a long and distinguished history in pop of women triumphing over personal, institutional, or romantic adversity by singing aching songs that cut to the heart of those troubles, from Billie Holiday and Édith Piaf to Karen Carpenter and Stevie Nicks to Mary J. Blige and, just this year, Adele. Demi Lovato's attempt to join this lineage isn't particularly surprising -- Hollywood Records labelmate Miley Cyrus made her bid to join the ranks of grown-up pop last year, to mixed results -- but what might have surprised people who hadn't paid attention to Lovato's years honing her talent was just how striking the final result would be. Attributing the cathartic resonance of "Skyscraper" to her time in treatment, and the inevitable whispers about what "exhaustion" really means in Hollywood, is easy; but a compelling backstory doesn't mean anything if you don't have the intelligence and precision with which to communicate it effectively. Lovato does -- and it's her skilfull expressiveness that turns "Skyscraper" from a routine believe-in-yourself ballad to a statement of righteous purpose. —Jonathan Bogart

19. Kelly Rowland feat. Lil Wayne – “Motivation”

Quote:

The only thing you need to know to understand "Motivation" is that the guy who produced Beyoncé’s "I Care" thought it sucked. Jeff Bhasker, who's also responsible for "Party" and "Rather Die Young," practices the production style now in vogue for capital-I Important R&B and rap: big sounds driven by live instrumentation (horns, electric guitar, piano), its cues taken from big-budget pop artists of the 80s like Prince and Lionel Richie. "Motivation," though, draws on the minimalist electro you hear in post-Glitter Mariah Carey, carefully picking just a few spare loops to serve as a foundation for the vocalist to go exploring; it's no accident that Rowland's producer on this also worked on Usher's Raymond vs. Raymond. That Destiny's Child's Andrew Ridgley went this direction tells you one thing about the state of R&B, but the fact that the Grammy-nominated "Motivation" was a huge hit tells you another. (The existence of a dubsteppy Diplo remix tells you yet a third thing.) Cold synth plinks still work when you do it as well as Kelly does here, conjuring a chilly, futuristic sensuality and leaving room for Wayne's surprisingly coherent and substantial contribution. There's not a lot of character there, but that's sort of the point. Beyoncé sings "I Was Here" to make sure we are explicitly, consciously aware of her presence and importance; "Motivation" and its ilk connect with us bodily, playing down the importance of the singer in favor of the overall experience of the song. —Mike Barthel

18. Weeknd – “What You Need”

Quote:

It was the song you heard before you knew who the hell The Weeknd was, and unfortunately for people coming to it after his rather careerist identity came out, that mystery is a serious flavor enhancer for "What You Need." The official video looked more like a fan creation, staying on a still photo for the duration of the song, but instead of an album cover, curious YouTubers were encouraged to stare at a scratchy black-and-white picture of a faceless woman in what appeared to be a hotel room; to pile anonymity on top of anonymity, the account's username was "xoxxxoooxo." Even the voice, when you first heard it, was buried behind more echo than is customary even for contemporary R&B, sounding further from your ears than the sampled voices that introduced the track. The overall effect was like walking into an empty room to find a boombox which played the still, chiming backing track while someone sung at you from behind a one-way mirror. And that's why it's perfect. "What You Need" took the fashion for shoegaze that gripped electronic artists a few years back and applied it to the personality-focused realm of R&B, in the process turning its relentless mystery from twee personality disorder to coy come-on. When so much of pop is gratingly, desperately self-promoting - like me on Facebook! Retweet to win a prize! - The Weeknd's willfull obscurity was bracing precisely because it didn't seem to care what you needed. —M.B.

17. Katy Perry – “Last Friday Night (T.G.I.F.)”

Quote:

Pink flamingos, hickies, vomit. Recalling those never-ending nights that leave you with sparse memories and resounding headaches, Perry made her push for the record books with a fun, singalong about getting drunk and acting stupid. Dr. Luke and Max Martin once again work their magic, this time bringing the embarrassing yet amusing (and sometimes relatable) ingredients that make for an epic night out to forefront of pop music rather than simply hinting at bad behavior. Perry's chanting delivery makes the track more inclusive, allowing everyone to sing along before giving way to a lengthy saxophone solo that celebrates the more mature elements of the weekend's kickoff, which trumps both back and front seat joy rides. —Emily Exton

16. DJ Khaled feat. Drake, Lil Wayne & Rick Ross – “I’m On One”
15. Robyn – “Call Your Girlfriend”
14. Brad Paisley & Carrie Underwood – “Remind Me”
13. College – “A Real Hero”
12. Rihanna feat. Calvin Harris – “We Found Love”

Quote:

There's a reason one of the classic disco hits is called "Last Night a DJ Saved My Life" -- hopeless places are all over dance music. Maybe that's because of the manifold injustices still suffered by key members of the dancing demographic -- younger, working-class, with a wide range of ethnicities and sexual orientations -- or maybe it's because the freedom and joy of dance sounds that much better when the drama's heightened. Rihanna knows a lot about both real-life drama and the uses of fictional drama; but her performance here doesn't dwell on the hopeless place. It's all about the love, and Calvin Harris's surging electronic crescendos imitate the endorphin rushes she's singing about -- or, if you're on the right dancefloor at the right time, causing. —J.B.

11. Nicola Roberts – “Beat of My Drum”

10. Britney Spears – “Till the World Ends”

Quote:

The apocalypse was on everyone’s minds in 2011, and Britney Spears and Dr. Luke were smart enough to know that the one place that doesn’t care about the prospect of the world ending—in fact, the one place where they sort of welcome it as an acceptable consequence—is the dance floor. “Till the World Ends” offered listeners a club jam so enthralling that it seems only right that doomsday should be at its end, with its slithery synth intro, anticipation-building pre-chorus, filter-house breakdown section and hugely satisfying release of a wordless chorus. (You might be able to get through the “woah-ah-oh-oh-oh” chanting without throwing your hands in the air, but we guarantee you’ll throw something up there.) Most such jams would content themselves with partying until the morning, but that’s not good enough for this song: “See the sunlight / We ain’t stopping / Keep on dancing till the world ends.” See you in December 2012, Britney. —A.U.

9. Lady Gaga – “Edge of Glory”

Quote:

“Marry the Night” might be the heart of Born This Way, but “The Edge of Glory” is its soul, grafting Springsteen rock onto sound-system synths, the slickest, shiniest, glammest subset of metal and the New York and youth mythology of RENT (the sound, sentiment and video are all essentially “Out Tonight.”) It’s the last track on the album, and Lady Gaga’s delivery, which throughout the album goes from the plaintive chant and pushed-to-a-breakdown roars of “Marry the Night” to be screwed, stuttered, pitch-slicked and whiskey-slurred, but here she’s absolutely confident, even triumphant. She’s reached the precipice, see, and she’s ready to jump and soar; every shout of “the edge” gets larger and more glorious. “The Edge of Glory,” of course, will forever be remembered for another thing: it’s E Street Band saxophonist Clarence Clemons’ final recording, and in retrospect, it’s hard to imagine a more generous gift than how the music parts like curtains around his cameo. And even if it’s ambiguous what precisely is past said edge of glory, or even what the hell it means (in interviews, Gaga’s said it’s death), that’s not the point. The destination doesn’t matter so much as feeling the rush. —K.S.A.

8. Frank Ocean – “Novacane”

Quote:

“Novacane” sounds like what it’s about, a gorgeously produced blur of directionless synths, dull buzzes and fuzzy percussion that eventually drives itself to collapse into a druggy haze that’s kind of too pretty and too dimly comfortable to want to leave. Frank’s delivery is the same; those perfect ad-libs (“yikes,” “perfect”) are the only times he breaks through his relentless, affectless, almost singsong delivery; eventually, all his harmonies losing steam, muffling themselves in pitch-shifting, and his words run into each other until first punctuation, then sentences, then individual words and syllables drop away, leaving nothing but a lone, inert synth by the end. “Novacane” is an Odd Future offshoot, so of course it’s full of exaggeratedly sordid situations, not-exactly-praised women and provocateur-ready catchphrases (“cocaine for breakfast,” or perhaps “f— me long, f— me numb / love me now, when I’m gone, love me none.”) But with “Novacane,” you don’t get the sense that Frank’s either bragging, humblebragging or trolling; you’re seriously drawn in, as if it really is the last lucid dispatch from someone too gone to report back again. It’s not a pleasant place to get lost in, but it’s also remarkably easy. —K.S.A.

7. LMFAO feat. Goonrock & Lauren Bennett – “Party Rock Anthem”
6. Beyoncé – “Countdown”

Quote:

A cacophony of frenetic sounds—rattling percussion, blaring trumpet, reggae-flavored synths, twinkling steel drums—work to convey the complexities of Beyonce’s relationship. “Dedicated to the one [she] loves,” the chorus operates on a gimmicky ten to one countdown, but the titular metaphor is hardly the track’s most notable moment. Bey flexes all of her her vocal chords, opting for softness on the breathy hook (“Oh, killing me softly / And I’m still falling”) all while maintaining her B-is-from-Texas swagger. In an album filled with emotional catharsis via huge, sweeping ballads, “Countdown” finds the middle ground between calling upon your female army to eviscerate the male gender entirely, and begging your man to come to bed. It’s undoubtedly a love song; a sassy take on treating a man well that undercuts any subservient imagery by the assertion that B—and all of us ladies—come first. He should be so lucky to have her grind up on him. Go ahead and try not to bounce to “me and my boof and in my boof boof riding.” And those steel drums. Always more steel drums, please. —E.E

5. Chris Brown feat. Lil Wayne & Busta Rhymes – “Look At Me Now”

Quote:

“Deuces” paved the groundwork for Chris Brown’s comeback, but “Look At Me Now” made it undeniable. The year’s first great pop jam, “Look At Me Now” was exactly what Chris Brown needed for a total career re-invention, re-casting the once-squeaky-clean teen singer as a rapping skater brat, making him seem legitimately cool for the first time in his career in the process. Of course, plenty of singers have tried rapping without cool being the first word that came to mind, but CB was given a hell of a handicap by a loopy, bubbling, whistling Diplo beat that sounded like the obvious evolution of The Neptunes’ “Drop It Like It’s Hot” track (in other words, awesome), as well as stellar supporting appearances by rap vets Busta Rhymes and Lil Wayne. Make no mistake, though—the song is still unmistakably Breezy’s, whether he’s crooning “Ladies love me / I’m on my Cool J,” inviting haters to “say hi” to his dick (wouldn’t be the last time in 2011) or bragging on the song’s brilliant stop-start chorus, “I’m gettting payyy-puhhhhrrrr!” Love him or hate him, “Look At Me Now” proved that while many may have been ready to write Chris Brown’s career off in 2008, in reality, we’re only done with the first act. —A.U.

4. Foster the People – “Pumped Up Kicks”
3. Jay-Z & Kanye West – “*****s in Paris”

Quote:

Cocky opulence meets self-introspection over the Hit Boy-produced beats on Watch The Throne’s statement piece. Reminiscing about what his life could have been (“I’m shocked too / I’m supposed to be locked up too”) Jay-Z uses his past to justify his current “ballin” lifestyle (“If you escaped what I’ve escaped / You’d be in Paris getting ****ed up too”) while Kanye is less apologetic for his behavior, using his verses as opportunity to act out with comic relief like the little brother we know and love (“Prince William’s ain’t do it right if you ask me / Cause if I was him I would have married Kate & Ashley”). The duo somehow manages to make good use of the seemingly out of place Blades of Glory dialogue to explain the song’s tittle (“No one knows what it means, but it’s provocative!”) suggesting it’s one big joke to them, too. Name-dropping the likes of Gucci, Louis and Margiela gives way to an overpowering bass that shakes you to the core, with a sense of self-importance emanating from the speakers as a haunting chorus rises, signaling what you already know (“You are now watching the throne”). There’s a reason why Jay and Ye look like they’re having so much fun when they perform this track.

2. Adele – “Rolling in the Deep”

Quote:

You don’t really know this song. That is to say, it’s almost impossible that you don’t sorta know this song, that if someone were to mumble-hum “the scars of your love…” you’d mumble-hum back “…remind me of us” and then, because you’ve just gotta, sneak away to some empty room where nobody can overhear you belt out “we could have had it all!” Patti Smith knows what I’m talking about, as does Limp Bizkit, John Legend, the Air Force and approximately 5 percent of YouTube’s karaokists. “Rolling in the Deep,” like a boulder that kicked off an avalanche, had that much of an effect on popular culture. But it didn’t start that way. The song, in the beginning, is propelled only by twitchy guitar, the kick drum, bass and piano come in later, poised and understated. In fact, the whole song’s that way. Bear with me — Adele doesn’t sing about her pain so much as matter-of-factly inform you that it’s there. Yes, even in the chorus; you’d expect it to completely, clichedly soar, overblown out, but it doesn’t; it’s got a backing chorus, but they’re relatively quiet, the piano lines don’t stomp so much as walk single-file into the verse, and even Adele’s belting is lower in the mix and more controlled than you probably remember. It’s meticulous craft, and it’s a deliberate artistic decision. “Rolling in the Deep” isn’t really about catharsis. It’s about control — the sense that no matter what’s been done to you, how sloppily anyone’s played your heart to how clumsy a beat, you’re still the one with the final, eminently reasonable words. No wonder half the world has covered this; what better way to take control than to sing along? —K.S.A.

1. Nicki Minaj – “Super Bass”

Quote:

Such effervescent bubbly pop put Minaj in a new light this year, transforming into someone who can playfully bounce along to a catchy “boom badoom boom boom badoom boom” chorus instead of simply fighting to be heard amongst a group of her male counterparts. But that’s not to say she isn’t fierce. Her spit-fire rapping and the manipulation of both tone and texture of her words (“I said, excuse me you’re a hell of a guy / I mean my, my, my, my you’re like pelican fly”) helps to reinforce her skill set, providing a nice juxtaposition to the sugary sweet, Ester Dean-assisted vocals, while producer Kane Beatz creates a skeleton that revisits Miami booty-bass music. Filled with attitude that will inspiring copycats to mimic her speedy and charismatic delivery, Minaj’s lyrics are both flirtatious and assertive. She appreciates the presence of a fine looking man without forgetting herself and her accomplishments (“Yes I did, yes I did, somebody please tell him who the eff I is”), making it easy to be loved by everyone from her younger pop peers to even her tiniest fans. —E.E.

Beyond Say

Yas @ Beyonce having 4 entries.

DG1

Beyoncé: Schoolin' Life, End of Time, Love On Top, Countdown

HausOfA-M

Marry The Night.

bendi_94

PRA over SLY?!
Something is really wrong in all those year end lists.....

YaBoiJay18

Countdown is getting so much love....**** you radio!!!!!!

Starstruck.

Wow Skyscraper!!!

Quiqui4eva

Great list! Who could hate on it when pretty much everyone's fave is on it

Beatz

"Super Bass" is like a critic's darling this year! I have seen it in various lists

It's such a good song tho. Deserved IMO.

@michael

You did not just use a zero as a capital O.

MTN, BTW, and TEOG

KORDEI

Schoolin' Life MUST be a single later on...

thegmangrant

"How I Roll" needs to be a single!

The critics agree!

GeezusHaberdash

more love for Countdown & Love On Top. Some new love for End Of Time. & an unreleased bonus track, Schoolin' Life, is slaying the acclaim of other ppl's whole discographies
Who else BUt?!

Also,

for Cockiness

Ariel

Quote:

46. Charli XCX – “Stay Away”
42. JoJo – “The Other Chick”

Cap10Planet

LOL @ all this sudden "Super Bass" love. I love the song now, though.

JM4ever

28. Rebecca Black – “Friday”

dont tell me they are actually serious

Beyond Say

Quote:

Originally posted by @michael.

You did not just use a zero as a capital O.

MTN, BTW, and TEOG

??

YourMadGesty

Quote:

100. Madonna – “Give Me All Your Love”

A leaked demo better get that promo.

Chemist

How i roll yasss

FAME.

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72. Chris Brown – “Beautiful People”

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5. Chris Brown feat. Lil Wayne & Busta Rhymes – “Look At Me Now”