Top 10 Songs From The 2010s You Forgot Were Awesome
#10: “Your Body”(2012)
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Christina Aguilera We’re starting off our list with a bang… literally. “Your Body,” Christina Aguilera’s steamy ode to hookups, was poised to be her comeback single after her 2010 album “Bionic” underperformed commercially. Sadly, the song continued the downward trend, but looking back, it’s a great maximalist slice of early 10s EDM. Aguilera’s powerhouse vocals are on full display, and the busy Max Martin-produced track complements them perfectly. The accompanying music video is also one of her best, with a hot pink aesthetic and black widow storyline. Aguilera barely performed or promoted the song upon its release, but finally did the song justice seven years later by making it the opening number of her 2019 Las Vegas residency.
#9: “Resistance” (2010)
Muse Dystopian novels were all the rage in the 2010s, and the fascination occasionally bled over into music. “The Resistance” is a concept album about political revolution, and its title track fully leans into the theme. With lyrics of star-crossed lovers and government distrust, “Resistance” is a rock retelling of George Orwell’s “Nineteen Eighty-Four.” Muse frontman Matt Bellamy said that he was inspired by characters Winston and Julia, and the secret relationship they’re forced to hide. The second verse references the novel’s Thought Police, its totalitarian villains who crack down on thought crimes. With a catchy piano instrumental and layered backing vocals reminiscent of Queen, it remains one of Muse’s finest moments.
#8: “In the Dark” (2011)
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Dev No, this isn’t a Kesha song, but you’d be forgiven for thinking so. Dev’s breakout single, “In the Dark” isn’t as remembered as her feature on Far East Movement’s “Like a G6,” but it’s aged much better. It lacks the latter’s product placement and clumsy metaphors, and its sultry saxophone hook is a total earworm. Although “In the Dark” was a minor hit peaking at #11 on the Billboard Hot 100, it deserved to crack the Top 10 and have some successful follow-ups. Perhaps Dev didn’t stand out enough from her peers at the time, and got lost between Kesha, Katy Perry, and Lady Gaga all releasing similar music. Either way, we’ll always have this 2011 time capsule to return to.
#7: “Flames” (2018)
Interview with In Flames
David Guetta & Sia Sonny and Cher, Lindsey and Stevie, and… David Guetta and Sia? While the songwriting duo was never romantically involved, their creative chemistry is responsible for many of the 2010s’ biggest club hits. Some of them are more remembered than others, but “Flames” is an underrated gem in the Sia-Guetta collab canon. Released in 2018, the instrumental is a modernized take on their sound, and has more in common with The Weeknd than either artist’s work from the decade’s first half. As always, Sia loves a motivational lyric and “Flames” is full of them. Perfect for an early morning run, it’s lighter and breezier than “Titanium,” and has less of a PSA feel to it.
#6: “Next to Me” (2012)
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Emeli Sandé Ah, yes. Our favorite Adele song. No, really: Emeli Sandé’s real name is Adele, and she went by her middle name to avoid confusion with the already-similar fellow British soul singer. Her breakout single, “Next to Me” was a breath of fresh air upon its release, for its subject matter sadly unusual in pop music: a healthy relationship with a faithful partner. The lyrics also contain some religious subtext, with Sandé leaving it up to the listener’s interpretation whether the song is about a man or God. In a pop landscape saturated with heartbreak and infidelity, “Next to Me” is a reminder that not every love story ends in tragedy.
#5: “Trap Queen” (2014)
Fetty Wap Pie’s on the menu, and we don’t mean apple or pumpkin. One of the bigger hits on this list, “Trap Queen” is frustratingly underrated for how influential it was. It’s always been viewed as a viral meme song first and foremost, but it’s a genuinely good piece of pop-rap. While it was far from the first trap song, the subgenre really blew up after Fetty Wap’s catchy, funny, and oddly romantic take on a rather unsavory subject. “Trap Queen” was the rare hip-hop song to resonate with listeners and artists of other genres, with the likes of Taylor Swift and Fall Out Boy performing it on stage with him. Never have illegal activities sounded so fun!
#4: “Too Close” (2011)
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Alex Clare Although released in 2011, the Diplo-produced banger didn’t take off until 2012 when it appeared in ads for Internet Explorer 9. Alex Clare’s “Too Close” sounds slightly dated, but given how many trends of the time it manages to fit together, it’s the perfect throwback song. Soul and folk influences dominate the verses, with a chorus commencing with a massive dubstep drop. Equal parts Adele, Gotye, Imagine Dragons, and Skrillex, it’s a mishmash of styles and sounds that only could have worked in 2011. Alex Clare could have been much more successful in the years following “Too Close,” but had to turn down promo spots falling on Friday and Saturday because of his Orthodox Judaism.
#3: “Highway Tune” (2017)
Greta Van Fleet Rock is constantly evolving, but it’s never truly dead. Never were people more sure of that than when Greta Van Fleet hit the scene in 2017 with “Highway Tune.” The band’s debut single, it’s a three-minute love letter to Led Zeppelin with a side of Rush. “Highway Tune”’s guitar riff sounds like it was written by Jimmy Page himself, and lead singer Josh Kiszka’s vocals have garnered endless comparisons to Robert Plant. Plant has commented on the resemblance, calling Kiszka a “beautiful little singer” and jokingly saying he hates him. Greta Van Fleet has since released plenty more music, but it was their very first release that reignited excitement for hard rock.
#2: “Can’t Remember to Forget You” (2014)
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Shakira feat. Rihanna When two mononymed pop icons finally team up, it’s sure to be a smash… right? In a cruel twist of irony, “Can’t Remember to Forget You” is mostly forgotten. In 2014, Shakira enlisted Rihanna to feature on a reggae song about getting over someone who’s bad for you. Their combined star power on the track is overwhelming, and its summery vibes are enough to induce a heatwave. Rihanna was the perfect choice to accompany Shakira on the Caribbean-inspired track given her catalog of reggae and dancehall hits like “Man Down” and “Pon de Replay.” The pair never performed the song together live, but in a parallel universe, Rihanna would have been a special guest at Shakira’s Super Bowl halftime show.
#1: “The Promise” (2017)
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Chris Cornell While you may have forgotten this song was awesome, there’s no way you could ever forget the man behind it. Whether with Soundgarden, Audioslave, or his solo career, Chris Cornell has touched the hearts of listeners everywhere. Written for the film of the same name about the Armenian genocide, “The Promise” is even more poignant with the knowledge that it was Cornell’s last solo song before his untimely death. Proceeds for the song went to the International Rescue Committee, and it was nominated for Best Rock Performance at the 2018 Grammys. With its uplifting lyrics about survival in adversity, “The Promise” is a mission statement for everything the beloved legend means to people.
