Top 200 Songs of the 2010's - Part 1 - #200 to #181

Part 1 - #200 to #181

As the end of the decade draws closer, so does the opportunity to look back at the many memories a person has had in the last ten years of their life. Ten years is a long period of time. You can meet people who change you, go to places you’d never have imagined of going to, and achieve the seemingly impossible. All the while in the outside world, the political climate changes, social attitudes evolve and new technologies are constantly developed.

For me, trying to take in and understand of all these things that have happened in a period of time - both personally and in the bigger picture - has always been difficult. But for every year since 2012, I’ve found my own personal way to chronicle these eras of my life through something that means a lot to me - By discussing the music I love. Those of you who know me may know that every December, as a big passion project, I post a list of my personal top 100 songs of the year.

But 2019 feels like a special year. It is the final year of the 2010’s - the end of an era which saw me graduate from high school, university and take my first real steps into adulthood. So with that in mind, I’m going to do something different this year.

Ladies and gentlemen, this year I will be counting down my personal Top 200 Songs of the 2010’s!

This is my biggest project yet, and I cannot wait to share and discuss it with you guys. Let’s take a trip down memory lane together, one last time this decade.

200. Cold War Kids - "First" (2014)

There's no better way to kick off a list with a song literally called "First". Watching this song become a minor hit was quite a welcome surprise, since at the time, I hadn't paid much attention to Cold War Kids since 2007's "Hang Me Up To Dry".

199. London Grammar - "Wasting My Young Years" (2013)

London Grammar's If You Wait is a calming album with a very minimalist sound, making it a great album for sitting alone at night and pondering about life. "Wasting My Young Years" is a song that has stuck with me in times where I take a step back at my youth and think about the mistakes I've made in the past.

198. Ou Est Le Swimming Pool - "Dance The Way I Feel" (2010)

One of the decade's first losses in music was that of synthpop band Ou Est Le Swimming Pool's lead singer Charles Haddon. Shortly after the band's biggest hit "Dance The Way I Feel" was gaining some traction, Haddon had committed suicide. One can only wonder what music we would've gotten from this band, had Haddon survived the decade. Rest In Peace.

197. Ed Sheeran - "You Need Me, I Don't Need You" (2011)

My very first impression of Ed Sheeran was not with one of the heartfelt ballads that he would be mostly known for, but it was with an impressive performance of his Jason Mraz-esque acoustic-rap single "You Need Me, I Don't Need You" - specifically, the SBTV performance in which he performed the song solely with a loop pedal. It's always been a personal favourite of mine - even if it has been overshadowed by his many, many hits - just because it's fun in its own unique way.

196. Broods - "Heartlines" (2016)

For such a small country, New Zealand has been a rich source for indie-pop this decade. Not only was this song performed by the famous brother-and-sister duo from NZ, but it also has writing credits from Lorde.

195. Biffy Clyro - "Black Chandelier" (2013)

Biffy Clyro paint a picture of two lovers at the end of each others' rope on "Black Chandelier", decorated with oxymoronic lyrics about white shadows and cute little cups of cyanide.

194. Lizzo - "Juice" (2019)

Success has been a long time coming for Lizzo. Having released material and built an underground fanbase as early as 2013, the Minneapolis-based artist released a fantastic album this year with Cuz I Love You, and a potential hit in the fantastic "Juice"...only to have a two year old song not featured on the album become her breakout hit instead.

193. Pvris - "You And I" (2016)

Lyn Gunn's dark, forceful vocals stand out on this particular track from Pvris' debut. It shows her potential to follow the likes of Amy Lee and Hayley Williams in the pantheon of strong female vocals in alternative rock.

192. Hatchie - "Without A Blush" (2019)

With the passing of Dolores O' Riordan in 2018, I revisited The Cranberries' music for a short time, before realizing that I had a soft spot for the band's ethereal dream-pop. With her debut album Keepsake, Hatchie does a good job in filling that niche, in creating a modernized version of that sweet sound.

191. Harry Styles – "Sign of the Times" (2017)

Harry Styles’ love for classic rock has always been rather obvious. Even in the days when he was in One Direction, the group’s songs always seemed to take some slight sonic influence from groups such as The Who, The Clash and Journey. But when Styles went solo following the group’s disbandment in 2016, he went all out. His debut solo single “Sign of the Times” is a grand ballad with a sound, which pays loving homage to the late David Bowie.

190. Pale Waves - "Television Romance" (2017)

They say you should never judge a book by its cover. My first impression of Pale Waves was an intriguing one - the thumbnail of the YouTube video for "Television Romance" displaying lead singer Heather Baron-Gracie in her goth get-up like some fusion of Robert Smith and Helena Bonham-Carter. Turns out I was in for a shock when I clicked on the video, only to find a young band's sparkling re-interpretation of 80's new-wave.

189. Zara Larsson - "Lush Life" (2015)

Alright, fine. I admit I was only really into Zara Larsson's music for a short time because I had a big old celebrity crush on her. Looking back, a lot of her music and sound is very derivative of better artists, and hasn't really aged well. "Lush Life", though, is still a fun summer jam that I enjoy to this day.

188. Alex Lahey - "Every Day's The Weekend" (2017)

Alex Lahey makes the kind of shout-along kind of power pop-rock that I've been missing for years. For a few months, I would listen to this song as soon as I left work every Friday afternoon. It really does get you pumped for the weekend.

187. Lil Uzi Vert - "XO Tour Llif3" (2017)

"XO Tour Llif3" features many of the signifiers of the new wave of emo-influenced rappers and overall gloominess in hip-hop in the late 2010's; a tale of fractured relationships, dark personal thoughts and abusing substances as a coping mechanism.

186. Foo Fighters - "Walk" (2011)

Foo Fighters returned at the start of the decade reinvigorated, having expanded their line-up to a five piece with the return of band-mate Pat Smear, and Nevermind producer Butch Vig manning the decks. The resulting album was Wasting Light, one of the band's best, rocking as hard as anything from the band's peak in the 90's. The album's closes with the spirit-lifting "Walk", a thundering track about starting over and giving yourself a second chance.

185. Demi Lovato - "Cool For The Summer" (2015)

For every child-actress-turned-singer, the pivot to making more adult-oriented material is almost a rite of passage. Many former pop starlets have attempted this move with varying degrees of success, but I personally think Demi Lovato pulled this off the most successfully. In 2015, Lovato released “Cool For The Summer”, a track about hot summer nights and girls fooling around with girls. The track hits hard with Demi’s forceful vocals complimenting the instrumental’s EDM and pop-rock groove.

184. Rae Sremmurd (feat. Gucci Mane) - "Black Beatles" (2016)

On the day I started university, the biggest internet craze of the moment involved videos of large groups of people dancing to a song. On the day I graduated from university, the biggest internet craze of the moment involved videos of large groups of people trying to stand still, to this song. It's funny how things cam come full circle, sometimes.

183. Lana Del Rey – "Doin’ Time" (2019)

Lana Del Rey has always had her own unique way of putting a modern twist to American nostalgia. “Doin’ Time” is her cover of a Sublime track from the 90’s about a man trapped in an abusive relationship, and features references to Southern California. Seeing as songs about dangerous love and the West Coast have been part of Lana’s past word, it’s no surprise that her re-interpretation knocks it out of the park.

182. Selena Gomez - "Bad Liar" (2017)

Just like Demi Lovato, there was a long period of time where I didn't really care for Selena Gomez's music either. While she doesn't have anywhere as big of a vocal range as Demi, what she does have is access to producers who know how to create a fitting environment for her voice, and a good taste in music. My favourite song of hers, "Bad Liar", was after all, the brainchild of Gomez's and producer Julia Michaels' love for Talking Heads' iconic bassline for "Psycho Killer".

181. The Black Keys - "Gold On The Ceiling" (2012)

Good old fashioned rock may not have had the healthiest showing on the charts this decade, but The Black Keys were in the right place to fill in that niche in a time where EDM ruled the airwaves. To this day I'm not sure what "gold on the ceiling" is a metaphor for.