Reasons people gave for the songs we're voting on. If there is no reason listed, it's because no reason was given.
God Is A Woman – Ariana Grande - Britney, N'Sync, and the Backstreet Boys defined the late 90s. Ariana Grande was a defining figure of the late 2010s. She can sound like anybody, but nobody can sound like her.
Harlem Shake – Baauer - The first #1 hit driven by YouTube views, it arguably paved the way for many Vine/Musical.ly/Tik Tok meme-driven hits throughout the decade (for better or for worse).
Somebody Loves You – Betty Who - the best pop song is always just a simple love song
Hold Up – Beyonce - Beyoncé and I both love Santigold and this song shows.
Retrograde – James Blake - I feel like this song brought a lot of unconventional sounds to the mainstream.
Clearest Blue – Chvrches - This song is by all means epic. It is a slow build to an epic payoff at the end. Lauren's voice is one of the best in the industry.
Charlie Brown – Coldplay - Powerhouse intro that solidified Coldplay as an arena mainstay and a hipster target (undeservedly so) for years to come. Also, see reason #2 reasons.
I Really Like You – Carly Rae Jepsen
Cool For The Summer – Demi Lovato - I'm not voting Taylor Swift because I know she'll receive lots of nominations. But I think this song, with all the sex appeal and the energy it has, has to be on the list.
Sober – Demi Lovato - pop songs usually don’t get more real and personal than this one. not sure this song will get any other votes, but its honesty and expression of vulnerability deserves mention as a standout track of the decade.
Sorry Not Sorry – Demi Lovato - Perfect pop songs for me are ones that are full of energy and empowerment. This has both in abundance.
Latch – Disclosure
Hold On, We’re Going Home – Drake - This song is infectious. I had it on repeat for months when this first was released.
Broken Horses – Freelance Whales - While this album came out in 2010 I believe this album is one of the best albums of the decade, Broken Horse is about a 'horse' that got scared and ran away, and I feel it reminds me of this generation, 2008-2016 was supposed to be about hope instead we saw this country face the biggest wave of fear I've ever seen, fast forward to today we live in constant chaos and instability, it was if that horse that ran away was our morals/ethics where did it go? I don't know? 'You saw something I did not in the night, you saw something I did not in the night' I think we all thought we saw something yet we were blindsided when what we thought was impossible came true.
Somebody That I Used to Know – Goyte - It was stuck in my head for the better half of 2012.
I Like That – Janelle Monae - It's a great jam that somehow gets even greater in the context of the album. I can listen to it on repeat. It's fun, it's serious, it's a "little crazy, little sexy, little cool." The chorus gets stuck in your head and the song's message is one we all should hold on to. In other words, it "keeps the whole world afloat."
Sister – K. Flay
FourFiveSeconds – Kanye West, Rihanna, Paul McCartney