Kworb's Top Songs Of The Year: #30 to #21
#30 Avril Lavigne "What The Hell" (584 points)
Avril Lavigne's latest album
Goodbye Lullaby was not as successful as her previous albums, but it was again a good one. I thought "What The Hell" was her best lead single yet. People criticized it for being too immature for her age, which didn't make sense to me at all. Katy Perry is the same age and no one complained about "California Gurls". Madonna was approaching 50 when "Hung Up" was a global smash. So keep on making those immature pop songs Avril. They are excellent.
#29 Coldplay f/ Rihanna "Princess Of China" (588 points)
It's hard to believe I once despised Coldplay with every fiber of my being. But after a couple of great albums they have earned my respect and even some of my adoration. "Princess Of China", an unlikely collaboration with Rihanna, was a wonderful surprise. The "you really hurt me" outro is too epic for words.
#28 Owl City "Angels" (592 points)
One hit wonder Owl City is no longer on people's minds, but I gave his album
All Things Bright and Beautiful a listen and was shocked how good it was. This song is one of the standouts.
#27 Devlin "London City" (603 points)
Remember Utada Hikaru's "Passion", which topped my year-end chart for two consecutive years (2006 and 2007), and was also top 10 in 2005 and 2008? Just when I thought 2010 would be its last (6th) appearance on my year-end chart (although last year it was in the unpublished #51-#100 section), I found out a British rapper had used a sample of it in his song "London City". I listened to it and was instantly smitten. The sample is used to perfection, and it reminds me of how well Dido's "Thank You" sounded in Eminem's "Stan". So "Passion" lives on.
#26 Lady Antebellum "We Owned The Night" (604 points)
I don't really consider myself a fan of Lady Antebellum, and I've never listened to their albums in full, but maybe that should change. They keep releasing singles I love. Last year it was "American Honey", and this year it was "We Owned The Night". An excellent song with a non-standard structure. I was pleasantly surprised that this too became a hit for them.
#25 Alan "Hu Huan / Echoes" (618 points)
This year I really got into Tibetan singer Alan Dawa Dolma, after listening to her compilation album. Although commercially it was a bad year for her, I really enjoyed her new single "Hu Huan" (The Call), and also its Japanese version "Echoes". Her voice is quite otherworldly.
#24 Adele "Someone Like You" (640 points)
There was no escaping Adele this year, and I don't think anyone minded. This is truly one of the great ballads of our time.
#23 Lady GaGa "Hair" (739 points)
I thought "Hair" was one of the most inspirational songs of the year. It's the only GaGa song that got to #1 on my chart, so that shows how much I love it. Her GMA performance of it in particular was stunning. It's a shame it was never released as a single.
#22 Within Temptation "Faster" (772 points)
2011 was also the year where all my favorite female-fronted bands went further into decline. Evanescence are just plain bad now, and Nightwish's new album couldn't hold my interest for long. Within Temptation are now the only ones who are still releasing quality music, but sadly
The Unforgiving was their worst album yet. Didn't stop me from rocking out to lead single "Faster", though.
#21 Kelly Rowland f/ Lil Wayne "Motivation" (776 points)
Why wasn't this a global smash? It's so damn good. One of the few songs that truly qualify as sexy, the beat and Kelly's vocals are just mesmerizing. Even Lil Wayne is awesome on the track.