John's Top 10 Pop Songs of 2010

With 2010 coming to a close, now's the time to reflect back on the best of the year. Lists of the best in movies, music, video games are already out there and we'll be seeing more and more right up until year's end. In keeping with the spirit of the season, I'd like to present my own top ten picks for best pop songs of the year 2010.

#10 - Raise Your Glass - Pink

Pink's star has risen considerably with each new set she's put out and this great song is the first of three new songs on her latest, a greatest /hits album. Watch the video for it here.

#9 - Only Girl in the World - Rihanna

This still-hot dance floor anthem made it to number one on the iTunes downloads chart within 48 hours of its release. Watch it for yourself and have a dance here.

#8/#7 - Break Your Heart/Dynamite - Taio Cruz

British singer Taio Cruz has had a great year, with not one, but two songs to make it big time. These two singles received hot airplay all year long and are both great, sing a long fun. Watch "Break Your Heart", featuring Ludacris, here and "Dynamite" here.

#6 - Love the Way You Lie - Eminem, featuring Rihanna

I've never really been a big Eminem fan, but this one is undeniably a great work and Rihanna's hook just makes it all the more memorable. Check out "Love the Way You Lie" right here. (Warning: explicit lyrics)

#5 - Airplanes - B.o.B.

Can we pretend that airplanes in the night sky are like shooting stars?
I could really use a wish right now

Newcomer Bobby Ray Simmons, Jr., AKA B.o.B. has had a really big year in 2010, with three top ten smashes and several awards won. This one, featuring singer Hayley Williams, has such a catchy chorus that it stays in my head for hours after every listen. Watch the video for "Airplanes" here.

#4 - F**k You - Cee-Lo Green

I've been a huge fan of the group Gnarls Barkley ever since that wonderful little ditty "Crazy" was released in 2006 (see Artist Profile: Gnarls Barkley). Well earlier this year, Gnarls singer Cee Lo Green released a song from his new solo album entitled "F**k You." The song went viral, garnering more than 1.4 million views on YouTube in its first week of release. The song, though full of that nasty word, is old-style catchy and a fun listen. Check it out here.

#3 - Just the Way You Are - Bruno Mars

Though this one got way overplayed during the year, this song from multi-talented newcomer Bruno Mars is a bona fide love song for all time. The lyrics and melody to this song are as beautiful as they get. Check it out here.

#2 - Bad Romance - Lady GaGa

Though this one was released as a single in December 2009, it really hit the big time early this year. The first single off of GaGa's sophomore effort, "The Fame Monster", this one became a dance floor anthem and had everybody singing her name.

Rah rah, ah, ah, ah
Rama, rah ma ma
GaGa ooh la la
Want your bad romance

Check out the video for "Bad Romance" here.

#1 - California Gurls - Katy Perry

This one, from Perry's "Teenage Dream" CD, was the perfect summer feel good, sing-a-long song. With a very catchy hook and rapping by hip hop superstar Snoop Dog, "California Gurls" was and still is a fun tune. Watch the video for "California Gurls" here.

Honorable Mentions:

Find Your Love - Drake
Hey Soul Sister - Train
OMG - Usher
I Like It - Enrique Iglesias
Telephone - Lady GaGa and Beyonce
Teenage Dream - Katy Perry
I Gotta Feeling - Black Eyed Peas

Sources:

http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/1283341/artist_profile_garles_barkley.html?cat=33

http://www.billboard.com/news/billboard-bits-cee-lo-s-f-you-is-viral-hit-1004110817.story#/news/billboard-bits-cee-lo-s-f-you-is-viral-hit-1004110817.story

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bad_Romance

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/B.o.B

http://www.last.fm/music/Bruno+Mars

http://www.last.fm/music/Rihanna/_/Only+Girl+(In+The+World)

http://www.last.fm/music/Taio+Cruz

http://www.metrolyrics.com/bad-romance-lyrics-lady-gaga.html