2010 Hits: The 120 Most Popular Songs From 2010 – 2019
Written by: Bobby McNeill
Table of Contents
The 2010s are peppered with great songs of all styles of music. The Internet and social media-enabled an unprecedented rapid release of the new tracks: hardly written, the pieces could be heard and downloaded in seconds already.
Numerous hits were created in the years between 2010 and 2019. The following list presents 120 of the most popular and successful songs of the 2010s.
(You can find a Spotify playlist at the end of the article.)
1. Rolling In The Deep – Adele (2010)
Rolling In The Deep from album 21 was Adele’s first hit song. In the song about a spurned lover. Despite light at the end of the horizon, reconciliation is not possible.
In the song, Adele states that she is settling accounts with her ex-boyfriend, whom she lost to another woman. Outstanding is Adel’s soulful voice, which harmonizes perfectly with the song’s lyrics. In 2016, Adele prohibited Donald Trump from using her music for his “election campaign.”
Adele’s “Rolling In The Deep” reached № 1 on the charts in both the US and Germany and went multi-platinum.
2. Radioactive – Imagine Dragons (2012)
Radioactive was released from the albums “EP Continued Silence” and “Night Vision” in 2012. Imagine Dragons frontman Dan Reynolds describes the song as an awakening and realizing that you want to see and experience something brand new in your life.
Although Radioactive was not the chart-topper par excellence, it was a very successful song. In the U.S., it was awarded diamond status and is among the most best-selling singles of all time.
Among several awards, Imagine Dragons received a Grammy for Best Rock Performance for Radioactive in 2014.
3. Happy – Pharrell Williams (2013)
“Happy” is a song from the soundtrack to the film “I – Simply Incorrigible 2”. In Germany, “Happy” is one of the best-selling singles ever, with over one million purchases. Pharrell Williams sang, wrote, and produced the song.
“Happy” became number 1 on the charts in the US, as well as in the UK and Germany, and many other countries. In 2014, the song was nominated for Best Movie Song at the Oscars, and in 2015 it won a Grammy for Best Music Video. Worldwide, “Happy” received 2 gold, 61 platinum, and 2 diamond awards.
4. Roar – Katy Perry (2013)
“Roar” is taken from Katy Perry’s fourth album “Prism”. It’s about strength and that you should always stand up for yourself. In the US and the UK, “Roar” reached № 1 on the charts; in Germany, the song made it to № 2. “Roar” received a total of 4 gold and 39 platinum awards and received the diamond record in the US.
5. Take Me To Church – Hozier (2013)
The song was written as a criticism of the Catholic Church, which, according to Hozier, condemns homosexuals and women as sinners. His song describes the act of love as something positive, no matter between which sexes it takes place.
“Take Me To Church” was nominated for a Grammy for “Song of the Year” in 2015. In the US and the UK, the song reaches № 2 on the Billboard charts.
6. Wake Me Up – Avicii (2013)
“Wake Me Up” is a song by one of the best DJs of all time: Avicii. He produced the song but did not sing it. The singer is Aloe Blacc.
In the UK and many European countries, it was the Summer hit of the year 2013 and was on the charts at number 1. In the US, the song reached number 4. “Wake Me Up” was the first song ever to be awarded a diamond record in Germany. In addition to the diamond record, “Wake Me Up” received 1x gold and 76x platinum worldwide.
7. Wrecking Ball – Miley Cyrus (2013)
“Wrecking Ball” is a song from the 4. Studio album (Bangerz) by Miley Cyrus. Beyoncé was originally slated to sing the song. However, the songwriters felt that the song would not suit Beyoncé and gave the song to Miley Cyrus.
The content of the song deals with the opposing sides of a relationship. The music video for the single was very controversial because Miley Cyrus is naked at times to see there. Despite this, or perhaps because of it, Miley Cyrus won the MTV Video Music Award for Best Video in 2013.
With the music video’s release, Miley Cyrus finally achieved her first number 1 hit in the US.
Cyrus hit #1 on the charts in the UK with both “Wrecking Ball” and the album “Bangerz.”
8. Stay With Me – Sam Smith (2014)
Stay With Me is from the debut album by Sam Smith. It’s a ballad that describes the moment on the morning of a one-night stand when the person you spent the night with leaves and you’re left alone.
That moment when you think, “I wish….Even though you’re not in love at all, but it’s nice to have someone with you at night”.
Stay with Me won the Grammy for song of the year in 2014. He also won in the category “Record of the Year.” The song climbed to #1 on the charts in over 12 countries worldwide.
9. Uptown Funk – Mark Ronson ft. Bruno Mars (2014)
Uptown Funk is not one of the mainstream hits of its time; rather, it is a nod to the music scene of New York and Los Angeles at the beginning of the 1990s. Hip-hop, soul, funk, R’n’B in its purest form… this is what makes this song so special.
The choreography in the music video for Uptown Funk has inspired countless people to flash mobs.
Uptown Funk was a huge success in the US, spending 14 weeks at the top of the US Billboard Hot 100. But the song also became a hit in other countries, reaching 3x diamond, 50x platinum, and 2x gold status. In addition, Uptown Funk was named Single of the Year at the 2015 Brit Awards.
10. Alright – Kendrick Lamar (2015)
Alright is a special song. 2015 with a Grammy for the Best Rap Song and best rap performance awards, Platinum in the US, endorsed by activists, highly regarded on the streets, the song became an anthem for the Black movement in the US.
The song was sung at big festivals as well as at protest movements. Protests against the war, police violence, protests against Trump. Hang in there, fighting for a better tomorrow… that’s the slogan of “Alright.”
In a time marked by terror, “Alright” does not promise a better world, but that there is a way to survive.
11. Hello – Adele (2015)
Hello is a song from the third album (25) by Adele. The content of the song is about nostalgia and regret.
According to Adele, the song does not describe her relationship with a specific person, but with many people she loves, but with whom she no longer has contact.
In addition to the great chart successes (Adele landed with Hello both in the US and the UK, as well as in most European countries, Canada and Australia on the number 1 of the charts), Adele won with the song also three Grammy Awards: Single of the Year, Song of the Year, Best Pop Solo Performance.
12. Can’t Stop The Feeling – Justin Timberlake (2016)
Can’t Stop The Feeling is taken from the movie “Trolls.” The song was first performed in Europe as part of the film’s promotion.
Timberlake appeared for it at the Eurovision Song Contest 2016 and performed the song for the first time, which became an Earworm And also became one of the summer hits of 2016.
It was nominated for a 2017 Golden Globe and an Academy Award, among many other nominations and awards. The song received a Grammy for the best music in a visual medium.
Can’t Stop The Feeling was number 1 worldwide for several weeks on the iTunes charts, singles charts, and downloads. Timberlake achieved quite a few platinum and gold records worldwide with his movie song, and in France, the song was awarded a diamond.
13. Shape Of You – Ed Sheeran ( 2017)
Popular and successful: this can hardly be said of any other song of the late 2010s as clearly as of Shape Of You by Ed Sheeran.
Ed Sheeran originally wrote the song for Rihanna, but his music label convinced him to sing the song himself. It is about a love affair. A person falls in love with a woman in a bar, and the relationship develops further in the bar during the song.
The song became a mega success. Worldwide, it occupied first place in the singles charts for weeks. In Germany, Ed Sheeran was the first artist to have two songs at #1 and #2 at the same time in the German charts. With Castle On The Hill, he landed at #2 on the singles chart simultaneously as Shape Of You.
He also achieved the same in the British charts. By July 2017, Shape Of You was the № 3 best-selling single of all time (sales plus streaming).
In the USA, Sheeran entered the Billboard Hot 100 at № 1. Here he reached #6 with Castle On the Hill simultaneously, making Ed Sheeran the first singer to get two songs in the top 10 of the Billboard Hot 100 at the same time.
Sheeran reaches the top 10 positions in all charts worldwide with the song. In countless countries, the song was at number 1. Numerous awards achieved Shape Of You, in 2018, including a Grammy for Best Pop Solo Performance.
5 diamond records, 83x platinum and 1x gold awards, the song may call its own.
14. Perfect – Ed Sheeran (2017)
Perfect is a song about a relationship that develops from childhood and later becomes great love in young adulthood. Ed Sheeran wrote the song for his current wife, whom he knew since childhood.
Shallow is probably one of the most successful and popular songs of the whole 2010s. At the same time, hardly any other song has received as many awards as Shallow has.
Lady Gaga herself wrote the song for the movie “A Star Is Born” with Mark Ronson, Andrew Wyatt, and Anthony Rossomando. Shallow is the key song of the entire film, and lady Gaga sings the song together with Bradley Cooper. It is an essential component for the film, as it represents the breakthrough in the music scene for one of the main characters, Ally, portrayed by Lady Gaga.
The song is about believing in someone and at the same time leaving the shallow waters and experiencing something profound.
Shallow was at the top of the charts worldwide for weeks and won one award after another. 2x the song has reached diamond status so far, 34x it has been certified platinum. Among its many accolades are the 2019 Academy Award and 2019 Golden Globe for Best Film Song and 2 Grammys in the categories of Best Pop Duo/Group Performance and Best Song Written For Visual Media.
16. Born This Way – Lady Gaga (2011)
Born This Way is taken from the album of the same name. The lyrics, in which Lady Gaga ascribes to each person their own sexuality, are remarkable.
The way he was born, the way man is perfect. Due to the lyrics, the song was not played in Malaysia resp, and specific lyrics were censored while playing.
Born This Way reached № 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 and was the 19th most popular song of the year. The song immediately made it to № 1 on the Billboard charts right from the start. At its release, the song was the fastest-selling single ever on iTunes, with over 1 million digital sales after only five days worldwide.
The song spent weeks at number 1 on the charts in numerous countries.
17. Call Me Maybe – Carly Rae Jepsen (2011)
Call Me Maybe was released by Canadian singer Carly Rae Jespen in September 2011. It was the lead song from her first album, “Curiosity.” However, the track first became internationally known when Justin Bieber and Selene Gomez tweeted about their song on Canadian radio.
Thus, the song practically owes its worldwide success to the Internet.
In the USA, Canada, and Great Britain, Call Me Maybe reached № 1 on the singles charts. The song reached platinum status nine times. The dynamic song has a simple message: “I just saw you, can’t forget you….here’s my phone number…give me a call…”
18. Video Games – Lana Del Rey (2011)
Video Games from the studio album “Born To Die” was released in September 2011. The song was promoted by MTV in December 2011, as it was selected as the “Push Act” of the month by the television network.
It got Video Games played in all commercial breaks on all MTV stations.
“Video Games” has received several awards from critics since its release. In addition, the song was awarded a total of 4x gold and 8x platinum worldwide. The song was considered Del Rey’s “breakthrough hit” and was a commercial success, charting to number one in Germany, Iceland, and Luxembourg.
19. Gangnam Style – Psy (2012)
Gangnam Style has also probably only become famous and successful thanks to the Internet. It was the most clicked video on YouTube for a long time with the most “likes” ever.
This even puts Gangnam Style in the Guinness Book of Records.
The song originates from K-Pop (Korean-language pop music). Gangnam Style is the first song to make it out of restricted K-pop and the international music scene.
Gangnam is a district of the city of Seoul. Psy parodies the luxury and wastefulness of the people who live there or strive to achieve that lifestyle with his hit.
In many countries, the song has been number 1 in the charts for weeks; in the US, Gangnam Style reached number 2. Psy won the MTV Europe Award 2012 in “Best Video” with this song. The song came 2x gold and 38x platinum status. Psy had numerous performances with Gangnam Style, z. B. am 85.
Birthday of King Bhumibol in Thailand or front of President Obama on the broadcast “Christmas in Washington.” On New Year’s Eve 2012, Psy performed in New York’s Times Square, celebrating his 35th birthday with over a million people there. Birthday.
20. I Knew You Were Trouble – Taylor Swift (2012)
The song is from the album Red from 2012. Taylor Swift describes the song as chaotic, reflecting the feelings she had while writing the lyrics. The song is about the love for a “bad boy.”
Although the girl knows that the relationship won’t last, she tries it anyway not to regret not having tried it afterward.
In the American charts, the song rose to number 2. In Europe, he entered the top 10 in most charts. Worldwide, “I knew you were trouble” went 6x gold and 23x platinum. The song won the MTV Video Award for “Best Female Video” in 2013.
The ranks 21-120 of the best songs of 2010:
Each song is linked to the corresponding music video via the title.
