Tuesday Top Ten: Favorite Songs of the 2010s by Year

Well shit.  We're in a new decade.  Thus far, it's the Warring Twenties (trademark pending).  Before we are all obliterated in a nuclear war, let's take a look back at the music of the Teens.  It wasn't all good, but it wasn't all bad.  There were some fantastic songs released each year, and that's really what this post is about.  These aren't necessarily the "best songs of the 2010s," since I think that requires some modicum of objectivity, which I frankly don't think can really exist when it comes to music.  You either like a song or you don't, and no fucking music critic, millennial hipster, or tween can take that away from you.  With that in mind, here are my favorite songs from each year in the last decade, in chronological order, with some honorable mentions (in alphabetical order by artist).  Some are popular, some are obscure, all are great -- well, in my opinion, anyway.  And lest you think I'm only a hard rock and metal guy, as you'll see, my list and the honorable mentions feature songs from many genres, from hard rock to metal to pop to indie rock to soul to garage soul to rock to garage rock to hip hop to glam to blues to electropop to punk to funk.  And who knows, maybe all the Russian bots that are reading this will discover some swinging American rock and roll.

1.  2010:  "Fuck You" by Cee-Lo Green

Back in January 2011, I did my annual review of music in 2010 -- since I had time to do such things when I only had one child -- and I chose Cee-Lo Green's "Fuck You" as my favorite song of 2010.  That has not changed.  As I said back then, it's the catchiest song with a dirty word you've ever heard.
Honorable mention:  "Unstoppable" by Foxy Shazam; "White Night" by The Postelles; "Back From Cali" by Slash featuring Myles Kennedy & The Conspirators; "I Don't Wanna Hear It" by J. Roddy Walston & The Business

2.  2011:  "These Days" by Foo Fighters

This was a tough choice, and JC Brooks & The Uptown Sound's cover of Wilco's "I Am Trying to Break Your Heart" was a very close second.  I went with "These Days" because I think it's a great and catchy rock song with a simple and relatable message:  you -- yes, you, the uppity man or woman who thinks his or her shit don't stink -- will get the comeuppance you deserve. Because you, too, shall die.
Honorable mention:  "Lonely Boy" by The Black Keys; "I Am Trying to Break Your Heart" by JC Brooks & The Uptown Sound; "Black Snake" by Black Joe Lewis & The Honeybears; "Pressure and Time" by Rival Sons

3.  2012:  "'45'" by The Gaslight Anthem

This was another tough one.  Say what you will, but "Call Me Maybe" is a damn good pop song, and it was basically the song that I most associate with the summer of 2012.  But I had to go with "'45'" -- and yes, the actual song title has quotation marks, which is why I put the single quotes in there, as I am, in fact, a slave to grammatical conventions -- by one of my favorite bands of the last 15 years, The Gaslight Anthem.  The song is a driving rocker about not wanting to let go of a lost love.  It's the kind of song that epitomizes why I love the band.
Honorable mention:  "Hold On" by Alabama Shakes; "Come On!" by The Hives; "I Love It" by Icona Pop featuring Charli XCX; "Call Me Maybe" by Carly Rae Jepsen

4.  2013:  "Cigarette Daydreams" by Cage The Elephant

2013 suffered from kind of the opposite problem as the previous two years.  There wasn't any song or two that really stuck out, but rather, there were a lot that I really liked.  So, I decided to go with a relatively sweet, poppy song by one of the better rock bands of the past decade, Cage The Elephant.
Honorable mention:  "Get Lucky" by Daft Punk featuring Pharrell Williams; "Lite Dream" by Diarrhea Planet; "Monstrance Clock" by Ghost; "The Hipster" by Black Joe Lewis; "The Man That Never Was" by Rick Springfield, Dave Grohl, Taylor Hawkins, Nate Mendel, and Pat Smear; "Heavy Bells" by J. Roddy Walston & The Business

5.  2014:  "Spinners" by The Hold Steady

You knew I was gonna include something by The Hold Steady, who is one of my favorite bands.  2014's Teeth Dreams was kind of the band's return to a little harder rock, certainly as compared to their prior album, Heaven is Whenever.  "Spinners" is a great song about a small town girl letting loose in the big city.
Honorable mention:  "Alabama Coldcock" by Black Pistol Fire; "Rollercoaster" by Bleachers; "Something From Nothing" by Foo Fighters; "Going to Hell" by The Pretty Reckless; "Uptown Funk" by Mark Ronson featuring Bruno Mars; "Figure It Out" by Royal Blood; "Lazaretto" by Jack White

6.  2015:  "Cirice" by Ghost

Swedish metal band Ghost is one of the most interesting (and best, in my opinion) bands to emerge from the last decade.  Like KISS and GWAR before them, they wear costumes to mask their true identities, although the lead singer's real identity is actually known by this point.  But the fact of the matter is that they also make great music.  "Cirice" off of 2015's Meliora is a crashing, plodding metal song that rightly won the Grammy in 2016 for Best Metal Performance.  Is it a love song or a commentary about the manipulation of religion?  Or both? Also, the video is fantastic.
Honorable mention:  "Cold Cold Cold" by Cage The Elephant; "Open Fire" by The Darkness; "Ex's & Oh's" by Elle King; "S.O.B." by Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats

7.  2016:  "Put Your Money On Me" by The Struts

The Struts unapologetically summon the rock of yesteryear to bring hope and arena-ready rock to millennials.  Their 2016 album Everybody Wants is fantastic.  They are amazing live.  "Put Your Money On Me" is my favorite of their songs.
Honorable mention:  "Good as Hell" by Lizzo; "Hardwired" by Metallica; "Take Me Down" by The Pretty Reckless; "New Order" by Alex Stezowski; "Victorious" by Wolfmother

8.  2017:  "Solid Gold" by The Darkness

Speaking of glam, The Darkness are still one of the most entertaining rock bands around.  2017's Pinewood Smile album is a beautiful amalgamation of everything that is still good about rock and roll.  If you desire some tongue-in-cheek lyrics set to well-oiled rock and falsetto vocals, then get Pinewood Smile.  Case in point is "Solid Gold," a saucy little rock song with the self-aggrandizing chorus:  "Well we're never gonna stop / Shitting out solid gold."  I sure hope not.
Honorable mention:  "Two Cats" by Linsey Alexander; "Rack of Glam" by The Darkness; "Safari Song" by Greta Van Fleet; "Entitlement Crew" by The Hold Steady; "Near to the Wild Heart of Life" by Japandroids

9.  2018:  "Got to Let the Good Times Back Into Your Life" by Razorlight

I know I wasn't the only one who was excited that Razorlight -- or at least Johnny Borrell and three other guys -- released their first album in ten years.  I also had some trepidation.  Their debut album, 2004's Up All Night, is one of my favorite albums from the aughts, and I enjoyed their other three albums as well, but could the magic be rekindled?  Yes.  Yes it could.  The first time I listened to the album after I got it, when "Got to Let The Good Times Back Into Your Life," I audibly said "yes!" to myself.  It's a great, catchy indiepop rock song that reminds me of The Knack and Television and Johnny Thunders all at once.
Honorable mention:  "She Kissed Me (And It Felt Like a Hit)" by Art Brut; "Dance Macabre" by Ghost; "Body Talks" by The Struts; "Nightclub" by The Vaccines; "I Don't Know Anything" by Andrew W.K.

10.  2019:  "Bored and Razed" by The Raconteurs

Jack White can do no wrong.  That is a simple, undeniable truth.  Needless to say, I'm glad The Raconteurs got back together and put out another album last year.  I love "Bored and Razed," both the play on words and the song itself.  Jack, I know you're reading this.  The world needs more of your music, so keep it up. Also, call me. Let's hang out and listen to records or something.
Honorable mention:  "Go" by The Black Keys; "Easter Is Cancelled" by The Darkness; "Denver Haircut" by The Hold Steady; "Sleepy Joe's Cafe" by Bruce Springsteen; "Everyone is Everyone" by Vintage Trouble

Well that was a fun little exercise, wasn't it?