Favorite Songs - 10-1 - 2011

And we come to our glorious conclusion. My favorite ten songs of the year. These were the songs that, for better or worse, would NOT leave me alone. Although, I am glad they didn’t.

10. Lil Wayne - “How To Love”

Easily Lil Wayne's most heartfelt moment, this was also probably the best track on 'Tha Carter IV'.

9. James Vincent McMorrow - “We Don’t Eat”

Melancholy and nostalgic, the Irish singer-songwriter hits it home in this sprawling, building piece. 

8. Cady Groves - “This Little Girl”

Undeniably catchy and full of attitude, Ms. Groves might get a chance at the radio airplay she's been looking for.

7. Panic! At The Disco - “The Ballad Of Mona Lisa”

A return to the cleverness and unique songwriting that made so many of us fall in love with P!ATD in the first place, "The Ballad" is tongue-in-cheek and a lot of fun.

6. Wale - “Slight Work (ft. Big Sean)”

My surprise love of the year! I listened to Wale's sophomore album, and this stuck out like gold in a coal mine. So much fun, so original.

5. Teddybears - “Rocket Scientist (ft. Eve)”

Never released as a single (at least not in the US), Teddybears work their magic yet again (sadly, for no one to see).

4. Lady Gaga - “Marry The Night”

"Marry The Night" opens 'Born This Way' very appropriately, as it also defines it. Hard, in your face, and dark, "MTN" is Lady Gaga's favorite on the album, and a close second for me as well.

3. Lady Gaga - “The Edge of Glory”

I didn't want to put two of her tracks in the top 10, but she didn't give me a choice. "The Edge" is a masterpiece of pop music. Huge, original, and meaningful, it shows that Gaga is always able to have at least one or two epics on each record.

2. Florence + the Machine - “Shake It Out”

Haunting, yet uplifting, the second single from Florence + the Machine's second album is a stunner. It's kind of like "Dog Days Are Over", except...more.

1. Adele - “Someone Like You”

Adele couldn't have done a single thing better here. When was the last time that we all had a great heartbreak song? This was the first song in American history to hit #1 that was nothing more than a piano and a vocal, so that's something. Also, this song just happened to come out (and by that I mean when her album was released in January) at a time when my heart was least prepared for this simple behemoth. This song impacts me so much, I don't even let myself listen to it anymore. Sometimes you just need  to put things away for a while to be able to enjoy them later.

Yeah yeah yeah! Another year! Well, I hope you all enjoyed the list, and I hope you maybe discovered some new tunes that you will grow to love.