Best of 2011: Songs #10-1

Finally!

OK, a quick run-down of the 40 songs we've already been through:
50. "Perth" - Bon Iver
49. "Sydney (I'll Come Running)" - Brett Dennen
48. "Mama's Broken Heart" - Miranda Lambert
47. "Words I Never Said" - Lupe Fiasco ft. Skylar Grey
46. "Price Tag" - Jessie J ft. B.o.B
45. "Greed" - Patrick Stump
44. "I Want My Mojo Back" - Scott H. Biram
43. "Sun of a Gun" - Oh Land
42. "Rope" - Foo Fighters
41. "Two Against One" - Danger Mouse and Daniele Luppi ft. Jack White
40. "You Make Me Feel..." - Cobra Starship ft. Sabi
39. "CocknBullKid" - CocknBullKid
38. "Montreal" - Red Kite
37. "Kmag Yoyo" - Hayes Carll
36. "Party Rock Anthem" - LMFAO ft. Lauren Bennett and GoonRock
35. "Stronger" - Kelly Clarkson
34. "Midnight City" - M83
33. "Cough Syrup" - Young the Giant
32. "Up Up Up" - GIVERS
31. "Dance With the Devil" - The Sounds
30. "Don't Sit Down 'Cause I've Moved Your Chair" - Arctic Monkeys
29. "Bloody Poetry" - Grieves
28. "Under Cover of Darkness" - The Strokes
27. "Dear Professor" - The Dean's List (ft. The Band Perry)
26. "Cry Baby" - Lady Linn and Her Magnificent Seven
25. "Go!" - Santigold ft. Karen O
24. "Up" - James Morrison ft. Jessie J
23. "Need You Now" - Cut Copy
22. "Without You" - David Guetta ft. Usher
21. "A Long Time" - Mayer Hawthorne
20. "We Found Love" - Rihanna ft. Calvin Harris
19. "Civilization" - Justice
18. "Every Teardrop is a Waterfall" - Coldplay
17. "Hello" - Martin Solveig ft. Dragonette
16. "Second Chance" - Peter Bjorn and John
15. "Countdown" - Beyoncé
14. "Heart Attack" - Raphael Saadiq
13. "Somebody That I Used to Know" - Gotye ft. Kimbra
12. "If I Die Young" - The Band Perry
11. "Stare Into the Sun" - Graffiti6


10. "Little Black Submarines" - The Black Keys


Two feels, two tempos, but seamlessly tied together with simple lyrics. The Black Keys are able to show their Who-esque balladry and still be completely badass with their blues roots.


9. "Settle Down" - Kimbra


The intro is so clever and fun and when Kimbra starts the first verse, her voice is so smooth, it's perfect. The beat sounds open and fresh. Makes me want to name my daughter Nebraska Jones.


8. "Get Some" - Lykke Li


Dirtiest song of 2011. Those tribal drums are sick , but seriously those lyrics....


7. "The Edge of Glory" - Lady Gaga


Lady Gaga's musical ability is overshadowed always, but true to the roots of her stage name, she taps into her classic rock vocal chords and defines pop. Or, what pop should be.

6. "Barton Hollow" - The Civil Wars
Download

Folk artists Joy Williams and John Paul White delve into their Deep South influences and churn out this beautiful piece.

THE ELITE

5. "The Weight of Love" - Snow Patrol


Snow Patrol has really mastered The Build-Up, as evidenced by "The Weight of Love". The chant-like back-up vocals and the wailing guitar that pops up during the chorus is a lovely hearken to Fleetwood make, I think.


4. "Lover to Lover" - Florence + the Machine


Florence Welch's brand of "Chamber Soul" is an exciting ride. Her voice is always nuanced and entertaining, but Florence also has this uncanny ability to go from tremulous and delicate to stormy and powerful at the drop of a hat. This is the most soul-infused track on her album, so it's no mistake it is the one that made this list.


3. "N***as in Paris" - Kanye West and Jay-Z


Kanye and Jay-Z have a tradition of making awesome music. Minimal, but effective background beat (even that dubstep break), but this song is all about the lyrics. "Provocative," yes, and seriously, both Kanye and Jay break it down. Genius.


2. "Call It What You Want" - Foster the People


Mark Foster and his boys have the funnest song in 2011 with "Call It What You Want." Supremely underrated (it was a REALLY good album, so that's somewhat understandable), this song is just amazing. The disco synth rhythm, only, like, two verses of lyrics and the rest is just them rocking out (seriously, the second and last verse ends with ~1:45 left on the track). Also, what an awesome feeling to just sit back and say, I'm gonna do me, have fun and not care what you label it.


1. "Rolling in the Deep" - Adele


While #3 is all about the lyrics and #2 is mostly about the music, #1 really puts them both together. Adele's passion and voice are irresistible. One of the best breakup songs EVER. So often Adele effortlessly belts out insane notes with power, but she never seems to let the animal within out of the cage. There are glimpses of that in this song. The clapping, stomping and background singers are great touches. It was a bit tired due to mainstream radio getting a hold of this track and not letting it go, but you can't deny her this spot.