2010-2014 represents a lot of things to me. It represents the pinnacle years of my high school life, my teen years in general, and a significant part of my life period. Music has always been an integral and, in my opinion, necessary part of my life. It has been there with me through everything and some songs have really struck a chord with me (pun intended). It has helped me grow as a person and become who I am today. I may have changed a lot myself in the past 5 years, but some of my favorite songs haven't. To celebrate this period in my life, despite its MANY ups, and unfortunately downs, I want to show you all my 100 favorite songs of the past 5 years, from the time I was 14 in 2010 until the time I was 19 in 2014.
Half-Decade Special: Top 100 Songs of 2010-2014
100-91:
100 Avicii - Wake Me Up (featuring Aloe Blacc)2013
It's overplayed, universally known, and most importantly, it remains universally loved to this day. The first time I heard this song, I knew it would become a hit with its unique blend of folk, dance, and pop that could basically appeal to anyone with at least somewhat of an open mind. It's catchy, an anthem, and undoubtedly one of the most timeless singles of the decade. It will be a classic when we look back at the 2010s, and it will certainly will be for me as individual with all the memories I now associate with it. My friends in college always used to break out in song when it came on, and everyone else in the room would join in, lol. Songs with power to bring people together deserve every piece of success they get. My only criticism is that Aloe was robbed of his due feature credit since the song wouldn't be the same without him. I can only hope he got a deserving paycheck.
99 Naughty Boy - La La La (featuring Sam Smith)2013
The first time I heard this song, I absolutely hated it. I thought that the hook was annoying and that the song was boring. I'm so glad that I learned who Sam Smith was in 2014 and grew to adore La La La. Despite my initial judgment, the hook is actually one of the best of the last two years, and the "slow" beat by Naughty Boy is hypnotic and minimalist so that Sam's voice can shine. This was the very first song I ever heard Sam Smith's voice in, and I was taken aback at how beautiful it is. With his naturally soulful voice, La La La expertly blends the lines between R&B & pop, an automatic huge plus for me and a sign that the song will age well on my playlists for years. In addition to production and vocal details, the lyrics are some of my favorite of recent times, too. Because who can't relate to people who talk too much BS? Personal favorite line is the phenomenally written "when you hiss and preach about your new messiah, 'cause your theories catch fire".
98 Rihanna - Cheers (Drink to That)2010
There was no artist more important to me in the 2010s than Rihanna. She will by the first artist I define my teen years by. To this day, her music always lifts my mood, and one of my go-to anthems every Friday has become Cheers. It's much different than anything else she's done in her career, but for this reason it has a ton of replay value . It sounds like an odd set-up at first: a pop/rock song with a sample of Avril Lavigne, sung by an R&B/Pop Artist. However, Rihanna makes it work and even more, singing the song with both an island and a rock twang in her vocals. It's a sing-along-at-the-top-of-your-lungs kind of song the one that makes you forget if your schoolweek happened to suck, the one you play to celebrate big events in your life, and the to remind you that Rihanna is the modern queen of pop.
97 Usher - Lil Freak (featuring Nicki Minaj)2010
Usher got a lot of flack during 2010 for selling out during the Raymond v Raymond era, but I had just started getting into his music around that time. The first single I absolutely loved from that album, if I remember correctly, was Lil Freak. It's a very forward and bluntly sexual song, yet fun and tongue-in-cheek enough to not feel degrading. This is helped by Nicki's highlight of the song verse, in which she steals the show in classic Nicki fashion. Every line she utters is instantly quotable and easy to memorize, not to mention she perfectly compliments Usher's verses, even shouting out Usher (and Cassie and Diddy) near the end. Usher is also in top form here. While this song is forgotten by the masses, it's one of Usher's most repeatable and underrated sex jams to date.
96 Jhené Aiko - Eternal Sunshine2014
This one already appeared in my Top 100 Songs of 2014 list at #14, so I don't have much more to say on it. To summarize what I said before: it's a peaceful, beautifully sung and produced highlight on her album and my favorite Jhené song to date. It's makes me want to lie down on a beach, lol. Highly recommended for mood music and if you like PR&B.
95 Clean Bandit & Jess Glyne - Real Love2014
This is a song from 2014 that unfortunately didn't make my year-end list simply because I literally just discovered it less than a week ago. However, I've already played it a crazy amount of times and it's become one of my favorite dancepop records of the past few years. I even prefer over Rather Be, another dancepop record I think is incredible. Clean Bandit always deliver with their underrated beats, such as here where they create an intricate mix of violin, bass, and piano, giving the song a lot of different sounds to follow. Jess sounds even more powerful and soulful than the instruments behind her, giving the song more depth and kick. Although RL is clearly an attempt to score another hit after Rather Be, it's a well-done rehash and (imo) even better than the song that inspired it. If it's like Rather Be with me, I'll be playing this a LOT in the next year.
94 Beyoncé - Countdown2011
4 was my favorite Bey album to date until her self-titled in 2013, and for good reason when it includes numerous songs as good in quality as Countdown. It's one of more experimental pop anthems of the past five years, with a beat that goes from horns to synths and back multiple times. It's not quite dancepop, it's not quite R&B, so exactly what is it? Especially in 2011, when dancepop was everywhere, it straddled perfectly in the middle of every genre Bey had done before (maybe except rock), giving Bey a total standout, knockout track that the masses should've eaten up. It's a shame that it underperformed, but it's honestly it's probably not "easily digestable" enough for the public. It deserved to be a #1 for her.
At least it got a video! The 4 era deserved so much more overall, period.
93 Taylor Swift - I Knew You Were Trouble.2012
This one left me in pleasant shock the first time I heard it. I had already heard WANEGBT, which was very pop, but I never expected Taylor and dubstep to collide in one of the best pop singles of the past couple years. It was by far her most purely pop and experimental song to date. Max Martin's contribution really shows here, as the chorus is a massive explosion of sound, production, and catchiness quite unlike any previous Taylor single. Taylor's songwriting abilities aren't lost in the mix, though, as she sings memorable and entertaining verses that tell a story about, well... a guy who's a lot of trouble. A lot of people had been afraid Taylor wouldn't change it up after Speak Now, but she proved everyone wrong after they heard this. It rightfully reaffirmed her humongous music industry status in late 2012, and in my opinion, it was the first jewel in her growing crown of modern pop royalty status. She's always been pop at heart, but IKYWT was the bridge she needed.
92 Young the Giant - Cough Syrup2010
Apparently, this song has existed since 2008 when the band was previously known as The Jakes. However, it was released by the now Young the Giant on their self-titled 2010 album. While a lot of hit rock songs tend to age badly and become annoying, Cough Syrup is a total other story. It's aged beautifully to my ears and in fact, gets better with time. It's a gorgeously written and sad song about depression and arguably, suicide. The guitars, vocals, and lyrics all create the appropriate atmosphere and make the song a bittersweet pill to swallow. Despite the subject matter, the song is hugely relate-able and emotional. It always makes me feel something and stop in my tracks to pay attention no matter what I'm doing. It's by far one of the best rock songs of the past five years.
91 Kanye West, JAY Z & Big Sean - Clique2012
Musically, Kanye West has had a stellar decade with his own solo albums. While I only liked a couple songs from his GOOD music compilation 2 1/2 years ago, Clique was by far my favorite. It has a really dark beat and all-around vibe, yet the song is simply a bragging rights hip hop song. It's well done, though. All three artists contribute worthy and memorable verses, but Kanye West & JAY Z are the highlights (favorite line is JAY Z's: "turn that 62 to 125, 125 to a 250, 250 to a half a million, ain't nothin' nobody can do with me"). Kanye goes absolutely HAM during his verse in terms of energy, giving the song a nice finale. It's dramatic and sounds high-stakes, which always gives me a sense of excitement when I play it LOUD on a speaker on on my headphones. A lot of people would disagree, but I prefer this a lot over the more well-known Mercy. It's more fun and has better lyrical content.