Best of the Decade: Music

Lyrah Panarigan, Editor in Chief
December 18, 2019

Music has a way of communicating more than just words – it portrays emotion, paints a picture and tells a story. Over the course of time, music has transformed and developed a rhythm of the given year. This past decade, these top songs were heard millions of times all over the world, allowing people near or far to connect together through times of happiness or tragedy. More importantly, these songs speak to our childhood and spark memories associated with the music. 

Information from: Billboard & www.songfacts.com

SONG TITLE ARTIST PEAK YEAR FUN FACTS
TiK ToK Ke$ha 2010 Although released in 2009, Kesha Rose Sebert’s electropop/pop song did not reach its peak until 2010 – becoming the first #1 of Billboards Hot 100 of this decade. 
Rolling In The Deep Adele 2011 One of Adele’s most notable songs, this catchy heartbreak tune won Adele a Grammy as the “Record of the Year”.  
Somebody That I Used To Know Gotye featuring Kimbra 2012 Gotye’s guitar sample, played repetitively through the Indie-pop hit and comes from Brazillian musician Luiz Bonfá’s “Seville”.   
Thrift Shop Macklemore & Ryan Lewis featuring Wanz 2013 Thrift Shop, unlike majority of contemporary rap during this time, speaks about buying cheap and looking for the best bargains while feeling stylish, even when wearing “granddad’s clothes”. 
Happy Pharrell Williams 2014 The Despicable Me 2 soundtrack’s catchy chorus, with its title sung 56 times, took this year’s spotlight, along with garnering the Grammy for Best Music Video.
Uptown Funk! Mark Ronson featuring Bruno Mars 2015 This new party anthem became an international sensation, being the #1 hit in multiple countries. Ronson and Mars performed this song at the 2016 Super Bowl, accompanied with Coldplay and Beyoncé.
Love Yourself Justin Bieber 2016 Bieber’s #1 hit was co-written by Ed Sheeran, who was planning to add it to his ÷ album. Love Yourself was the third consecutive US #1 hit from Bieber’s album, Purpose.
Shape of You Ed Sheeran 2017 Sheeran’s Marimba-rich hit broke Spotify records, played 6,868,642 within the first 24 hours of its release. 
God’s Plan Drake 2018 Drake’s hit not only smashed the charts, but also used the budget on the music video to give to various causes in Miami. 
Old Town Road Lil Nas X featuring Billy Ray Cyrus 2019 This unlikely combination of trap with country, became the launch of Lil Nas X’s career in the music industry, as well as boosting the popularity of a new social media, TikTok.