Top 15 Hit Songs of 2011 [Top Pop of the 2010s]

A few days ago, inspired by Todd in the Shadows videos, I embarked on the task of ranking my favorite hit songs of each year of the 2010s. This is the 2nd post in this new series, and I'd recommend checking out the 2010 list, which is the first one. Because today, we're moving on to 2011.

Todd's 2011 Best Hits List

The same simple rule applies: all of these songs come from Billboard's end-of-2011 hot 100 list. I'm not taking every single pop song of the year into consideration, because this is just a fun little hobby project. I'm not dedicated enough to this to parse through every pop song from every year of the 2010s. Way too much work. The only additional rule this time is that if it made an appearance on my list previously, I can't include it again. We don't need even more Just the Way You Are.

Obviously, these are just my personal choices, I'm not trying to say that these are the best, but rather that these are my favorites. I'm well aware that to many people, I have trash taste. I'm cool with that! 

Obligatory background on me and my taste for context:

• Currently I'm a sucker for anything with a catchy melody, my favorite genres are alternative (especially pop punk) and KPop (not relevant for this list lol), and I tend to really dig songs featuring real or simulated instruments-- guitar/brass/drum kit/etc.
• Also, to date myself, in 2011, I was 16/17 & in 11th/12th grade, depending on the time of year, and although I didn't dislike pop music, my one true love was pop punk/pop rock/alternative (favorite bands at the time: McFly, All Time Low, The Academy Is... & The Audition). 

I've decided on 15 for this specific list, because I didn't have the heart to cut it down to 10, and at the end I'll also be discussing honorable mentions as well as some songs that would've made the list if I'd made it in 2011 instead of 2020. Because why not? Also, as much as I enjoyed the songs on the 2010 list, this list is even stronger, with some of my absolute faves of the entire decade.

Without further ado, onto the list! 

15- Katy Perry- Last Friday Night (T.G.I.F.)

I think I mentioned in my previous ranking that my favorite Katy Perry songs were yet to come, and we still haven't gotten there yet, but Last Friday Night is definitely a solid entry in her discography. This is the only one of her songs that made it onto the list, but pretty much everything she released this year was in contention, because she's still in her golden years at this point. 

 

14- Lady Gaga- The Edge of Glory

On the flip side of Katy Perry, all of Lady Gaga's songs that made the hot 100 for 2011 also made my own personal top 15. Admittedly, at the time I was not a Gaga fan. Lots of complex things going on there, but I've learned and grown a lot throughout the decade and now appreciate and respect Gaga, her music, and how much she pushed the boundaries at the time. Also a moment of silence for that sax solo that just intensified the late 80s/early 90s vibes of this song. BLESS.  

13- OneRepublic- Good Life

Ah yes, more of the boring white guy music. And honestly, true to that label, I've really never had very strong opinions on OneRepublic as a whole. Pretty much all of their songs are just... there. They're fine, but it's like they exist just to fill time. I know for a fact that I have some of their music on my iTunes and that I know many of their songs but I can't name a single one of them off the top of my head apart from this one. This placing here is honestly largely nostalgia, because it was one of the omnipresent songs that I actually liked around the time I got my first car, so I heard it a lot when I first had the freedom of having both a car and license.

12- Foster the People- Pumped Up Kicks

Honestly, any time a band or indie artist song becomes a hit, it's likely to be one of my favorites. Because it's already in my musical wheelhouse, which many of these songs can't say. This is definitely more of a mellow sound than I usually enjoy, but like with Paramore's The Only Exception, it was one of my favorite songs on mainstream pop stations at the time solely on the basis that it was an indie band. Or at least sounds like one-- I know nothing about Foster the People lol. I try to curb my impulses now, but in 2011 I was in peak hipster mode.  

11- Selena Gomez & the Scene- Who Says

I love that I say 2011 was peak hipster Kristen and then immediately put essentially a Disney song on this list. This is this list's obligatory "I hate that I like this song but sometimes my ears like a song without my brain's consent" song. I really hope that makes sense and other people have songs like this too lol. This song is so cheesy and so upfront with its message of positivity, and like I said, it feels very Disney. And I begrudgingly enjoyed it at the time and feel the same now. I think it really just has the perfect combination of catchy melodies and the exact type of instrumentation I enjoy (aka actual/simulated(?) instruments and even some strings).  

10- LMFAO feat. Lauren Bennett and GoonRock- Party Rock Anthem

I love that this is only the second list and I already have archetypes of songs. This one is, of course, the song I HATED at the time, and by hated, I mean that I was lying to myself and everyone around me, because no, I wasn't listening to it ironically, I was listening to it and lowkey enjoying every second of it. I like to think I've grown in the years since 2011, but at the time I was very susceptible to hating the current hatable song of the moment, even if I lowkey liked it and didn't want to admit it. I think it was because it was electronic music? But that's ridiculous, because at the time I was also jamming to Cash Cash, who were... wait for it... also an electronic band. (side note: totally forgot about Cash Cash until writing this but apparently I still know every single word to Party in Your Bedroom lol)

 

9- Bruno Mars- Grenade

Of all of Bruno's singles/hit songs, this is one of my least favorites. And yet, here it still is. For the longest time, I kinda disregarded it, at least in terms of his songs specifically. But there's a very distinct and clear power behind his vocals in this song that just won't be denied, just like I couldn't deny it a spot on the list. I don't have a ton to say about it because I see it as a really good, solid song, that while not my favorite from him, has definitely stood the test of time.

8- Maroon 5 feat. Christina Aguilera- Moves Like Jagger

I didn't go to parties in 2011 because I was a nerdy high schooler, but if I had, my party trick definitely would've been whistling the main hook of Moves Like Jagger. Apparently that's impressive, because every time I did it in front of my friends, they thought I was cool for once. Regardless, that hook is one of those earworms where you hear it once and it's stuck in your head for the rest of eternity. Which was probably really frustrating for people who hated this song. Thankfully, I liked it even more at the time (again, I really liked Adam Levine), so this was one earworm I gladly accepted.  

7- Pink- F**kin' Perfect

Finally, some Pink! I love Pink's music. She's an extremely skilled vocalist, performer, and songwriter, and I honestly can't think of a song she's released that I didn't like. And, as seen here, she released one of the rare songs that I love more because of the lyrics than the music. You might have noticed (I generally don't lol) that when I talk about songs on here, it's mostly about the music because... that's what I care about, generally. The lyrics are secondary to me. But this song makes you stop and listen. It means something and makes you feel something. It takes a really powerful song to have that level of emotional impact for me, and this is that kind of powerful song.

6- Bruno Mars- The Lazy Song

And now we go from one really meaningful, emotional song to just a really silly, relatable song. As someone who's a serial procrastinator and "lazy" person, this one hits me on a very different emotional level from the last one lol. Perhaps I'm even using this post and series as a whole to avoid doing my real work? Who can say?! (me, I can say that, because it's very true). Anyway, honestly there's really not much I can say about this one. It's silly, it's fun, I like that about it.  

5- Lady Gaga- Born This Way

I flip-flopped these next two on the list so many times. In the end, they're essentially tied, because I love them both and have trouble picking favorites when it comes to some of my favorite artists. Lady Gaga has released a lot of big hits throughout her career, but this one is less of a hit than it is an anthem. Of all of her songs, I truly believe this one will be the one that endures the longest and becomes the biggest iconic classic, because of the impact it's had on so many people. I can't imagine the number of lives Gaga has touched with this song alone. The number is probably staggering. 

4- Lady Gaga - Yoü and I

There's just something about You and I. Even back when I didn't like Gaga, there was just something about this song that was really compelling to me. And when I finally started liking her, it was the first one I downloaded. There's just something about it that my ear really loves, and if I'm honest, it's probably my favorite of her songs. I mean it's probably the guitars and the fact that it's largely real instruments, because I'm really predictable. 

3- Gym Class Heroes feat. Adam Levine - Stereo Hearts

On the 2010 list, I referenced Gym Class Heroes, and now here they are on the 2011 list! Back in 2011, I still rarely downloaded single songs from iTunes-- I tended to either get actual CDs or download a full album from iTunes. I was a pretty band-loyal person, so downloading a random one-off song by an artist I didn't listen to often was something I only did for really special songs. You get where I'm going with this. This was one of those songs, and I don't even want to know how many plays this had on my high school iTunes, because it's probably an obscene number. Per usual, the chorus is what made me really love it, but I think I'm also discovering now that I also just really like Travie McCoy. I guess I need to go back and listen to more Gym Class Heroes lol. 

2- Hot Chelle Rae- Tonight Tonight

I was such an obnoxious hipster about this song. I was bumping their first album and single (I Like to Dance) back in 2010, and these mainstream losers are just now discovering them in 2011? Pshhh, I loved them before they were popular. In hindsight, I really understand why I wasn't cool as a teen. It's because I was really, really annoying. Anyway, although my obnoxious hipsterness about this song is thankfully long gone (replaced somewhat by the feeling that the radio ruined this song by overplaying it), this song still makes me happy from the second it comes on. It's catchy and fun, and is still a bop to this day, even if Todd in the Shadows named it his worst song of the year lol.

1- Pink- Raise Your Glass

Yeah, no other songs realistically even stood a chance at getting this spot, because this is one of those songs I could listen to 10,000 times in a row and not get sick of. It's one of those songs that's the best of both worlds-- it conveys a meaningful message, while still being a fun, uptempo song to jam to. This, my friends, is an anthem. It's an anthem for anyone who's felt like the weirdo, outcast, underdog (aka most of us, honestly). And it's a message that can come across as cheesy, but coming from someone like Pink, who's been that rebellious weirdo of pop music for her entire career, it feels very authentic, from one weirdo to millions of others. It's a meaningful song wrapped up in a lighthearted and fun package, which is what makes it the total package for me.

Alright, now that the list is complete, let's discuss some of the songs that didn't make the list.

Firstly, the ones 2011 Kristen would've 100% included:

I grew up on country music & by 2011 I wasn't really listening to it anymore apart from when in the car with my parents, but I still heard & liked a lot of them this year (and don't like them anymore).

- Barefoot Blue Jean Night by Jake Owen-- honestly might've been my #1 at the time. I had a weird obsession with it. 

- Just a Kiss by Lady Antebellum-- I liked most of their songs at the time.

- Don't You Wanna Stay by Jason Aldean feat. Kelly Clarkson-- Kelly Clarkson is the redeeming factor of this song.

- Knee Deep by Zac Brown Band feat Jimmy Buffett-- for some reason, I really liked this band.

- Remind Me by Brad Paisley and Carrie Underwood-- even in 2011, Carrie Underwood was still one of my favorite artists-- my family has loved her since American Idol.

- Take a Back Road by Rodney Atkins-- another random song that I really liked for some reason.

And finally, the ones 2020 Kristen nearly put on the list:

- Forget You by CeeLo Green-- it was thisclose to making the list, because it's iconic.

- Lighters by Bad Meets Evil feat. Bruno Mars-- almost entirely due to my love of Bruno lol.

- Super Bass by Nicki Minaj-- I don't have strong opinions on Nicki in general-- her music isn't really my thing-- but I do like this one quite a bit.

- Price Tag by Jessie J feat. B.o.B-- There's only one Jessie J song I love but I like pretty much all of them.

- We R Who We R & Blow by Kesha-- like I said, her songs blend together a bit for me, but I like all of them.

- Teenage Dream by Katy Perry-- yet another solid Katy Perry song. 

So, that's the list! As I mentioned, I hope to do one of these for each year of the 2010s. As seen by other series on my blog, I'm horribly inconsistent and incapable of completing a series, so we'll see how this goes.

On the last one, I listed a few of my least favorite songs of the year here at the very end, and tbh there really aren't any that stand out to me as ones I really disliked in 2011. So I'll just say... anything with Pitbull. Lol I don't think I've ever liked a song by him, or one he was on.  

Thanks for reading, and hopefully I'll be back soon with my 2012 list!