2009 was a year of club shit. But club shit doesn't always have to be bad! There can be good club shit as well. Just follow me on this. In addition to good party songs, there were also surprises from this year that I had forgotten about. 2009 seems like such a long time ago, because it was. Deal with it. We're in 2020 now and time will keep on marching on whether we like it or not. But in the interest of keeping things light, I'm going to opt not to continue the macabre nature of existential discussion and instead discuss fun club shit. Let's go!
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We've been in such a rock-anemic period of pop music for quite some time now. It's hard to even remember a time when rock music was just as alive and well as pop or rap. This isn't necessarily a bad thing, as genre popularities ebb and flow and we may see a rock resurgence in the future. But it does make these sorts of hits look all the more anomalous.
10. "Use Somebody" - Kings of Leon
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gnhXHvRoUd0
"Use Somebody" feels anthemic in a way that most rock songs don't anymore. I think the last truly anthemic band we got like this to hit the mainstream was fun., and they were decidedly more indie than Kings of Leon, who act as classic rock stars. This feels like a song that could have played well in any decade. It's a slice of timeless rock that you just don't get anymore. Nowadays, the closest thing we get to "rock" on the charts is rock-adjacent pop like Brendon Urie's Panic! At The Disco or *shudder* Maroon 5. So it's good to go back to 2009, a year when rock felt a lot more accessible and fun. This is a song that will keep playing in my head for years to come.
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And speaking of anthemic songs of 2009...
9. "I Gotta Feeling" - The Black Eyed Peas
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uSD4vsh1zDA
Say what you will about The Black Eyed Peas. I certainly have, check out my recent blog post. But there's no denying the ability they had in the 2000s to make relentlessly catchy, earwormy songs. And if those songs make you feel like you're at a party where everyone's party, that's a bonus. "I Gotta Feeling" evokes exactly that feeling. It's a party song for everyone. You could sing that chorus about anything and it would pump you up. You could be in for an evening of washing dishes and that song would get you pumped to wash those dishes. It's a feel-good anthem, and quite possibly the last excellent Black Eyed Peas song. If only they could keep up this momentum instead of disappearing up their own asses.
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8. "Live Your Life" - T.I. ft. Rihanna
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=koVHN6eO4Xg
If you had told me that a song interpolating the Numa Numa song would not only smash the Billboard charts, but also be an actual good song, I would have called you nuts. Yet, even eleven years later, here we still are. Part of why this song works so well is just how talented and charismatic Rihanna is. Rihanna's monster decade would still be to come at this point, but with this song she proves that she can hold her own on guest verses as well as her own songs. She turns in a mesmerizing yet effortless performance here. Stunning.
The other part of this song that works is very similar to how "I Gotta Feeling" works: it's an uplifting song for basically everyone, with a particularly earwormy and applicable chorus. Sure, it also works to massage the egos of T.I. and Rihanna alike, but what pop song in 2009 didn't do that? This came out during a recession, but it also came out at a time when pop music felt particularly affluent. "Live Your Life" always puts me in a good mood, and I hope sharing this song with you does the same.
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I was never really sure what to make of this one. All I know is that it hooked me from the first time I heard it.
7. "Let It Rock" - Kevin Rudolf ft. Lil Wayne
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u0n4eMGXAyk
Who is Kevin Rudolf, exactly? Where on earth did he come from? And why am I asking similar questions about him that I did about Jay Sean, yet this song ended up on my best list and "Down" on my worst? Heck, both songs even feature Lil Wayne. The parallels are unavoidable. And yet... this song is so much obviously better than "Down" it's not even funny.
Kevin Rudolf is just as much a nobody as Jay Sean is, but he doesn't present himself as one in his music. If you were an alien visiting planet Earth and trying to understand popular music, you'd think this guy was one of the biggest stars in the world. And the SONG was certainly everywhere, but it never made Kevin Rudolf a household name or anything. The song seems to have superseded the "star", rather than wallowing in its anonymity like "Down". And to be fair, you have to give Kevin Rudolf credit for that. He really sells that rock star swagger, making this a surprisingly more credible rock song than "Use Somebody". Yes, even with Lil Wayne on the track. Miracles do happen.
All I know is that it was a joy to come back and re-listen to this song again to write this post. I don't think Kevin Rudolf will be making a comeback anytime soon, but at least he gave us this. So let it rock!
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6. "Waking Up in Vegas" - Katy Perry
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1-pUaogoX5o
This is the best Katy Perry song. No substitutions, no exceptions. This is the only Katy Perry song I loved from the first time I heard it, probably because it's the most pop-rock of her singles. This wouldn't sound too out of the ordinary from Avril Lavigne, for example. What can I say? It just works for me, the way most Katy Perry songs don't. There's an energy to this one that doesn't usually show up with Katy Perry. It's the most fun of her songs, by far. It doesn't sound quite as artificial as something like "California Gurls". Yeah, yeah, I know, it's basically a rock bias with this one. But Penn and Teller are also in this video! How can you not love it?
Look, this is likely the only time you'll see me singing Katy Perry's praises on this blog, so take it or leave it.
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Seems kind of pointless to talk about Kanye West at this point. I know there's the argument for "death of the author", but even without taking into account all the shitty things he's said and done, his output the past few years has been mostly dogshit. almost enough to make you forget that, at one point, he was the biggest rapper in the world.
5. "Heartless" - Kanye West
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Co0tTeuUVhU
Kanye at one point was a musical genius, but I think he's sputtered out of both fuel and goodwill at this point. Which is a damn shame, because through the 2000s he was on fire. This is from his album 808s & Heartbreak, one that wound up a bit more polarizing than his previous efforts. But I'd argue this song makes the whole album worth it on its own. It's a mesmerizing track that swerves from anger to sadness to regret. A track that definitely doesn't live up to its name, as there is clearly a lot of heart and soul put into it.
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qL02p9KhABo
When people think of rock bands from the 2000s, they typically think of Fall Out Boy or Green Day, the mega-stars. I'd like to make a case to remember these guys a little better.
4. "Gives You Hell" - The All-American Rejects
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uxUATkpMQ8A
I'm not really sure why The All-American Rejects didn't get their dues the way aforementioned bands above did. They certainly had the chops and the capability to make catchy songs. This song wound up being their most successful to date, peaking at #4 on the Hot 100 and becoming 4x Platinum. And while I love all of the All-American Rejects' stuff, this is definitely the choice that makes the most sense in terms of crossover appeal. It's the most fun, if brainless, of their songs. And it's got a big crowd chant to kick off the third chorus. The All-American Rejects have flirted with notoriety before this point, but here they struck gold. And hell, I'm not too good for silly songs like this, especially when they're presented in such a fun, crowd-pleasing way. I love The All- American Rejects, and it's good to see them not being rejected from the Hot 100.
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When the question is Katy Perry vs. Lady Gaga, it's Gaga all the way. Not even a contest.
3. "Poker Face" - Lady Gaga
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bESGLojNYSo
When Lady Gaga took the pop world by storm in 2009, it felt like we finally had a new pop superstar to replace the Britneys and Aguileras of the early part of the decade. One which would influence the sound of pop music for years to come. And "Poker Face" is the smash hit that we absolutely needed this year to bring pop back. Prior to this, the landscape had mostly been rock, rap, and R&B. Nothing wrong with the three R's, of course, but something still felt missing. Lady Gaga came in to fill that void. "Poker Face" is one of those boringly perfect pop songs that there's really nothing to say about at this point. It's just goofy enough to be catchy, and Lady Gaga's monstrous personality does a lot to propel this song to star quality. She would get even better as the years went on, but "Poker Face" is absolutely a highlight in her discography.
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2. "Day 'n' Nite" - Kid Cudi
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VrDfSZ_6f4U
This song feels like the turning point for a lot of popular hip hop in the 2000s. Not that every song needs to be spiritual lyrical miracle, but by 07/08 it was getting pretty ridiculous. And Kanye cannot carry the torch on his own. So it's nice to see a song like this about mental illness and drug use that takes a more thoughtful and musically subtle approach. I appreciate this song greatly for being around in 2009.
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R7UrFYvl5TE
I remember buying Kelly Clarkson's album when it came out and all the singles were huge. Listening to that album still brings me back to my childhood, and thus I've always had a soft spot for her music, even when it's not at its greatest. Her comeback at the end of the decade was something to behold, like an old friend coming back to say hi. Hi, Kelly.
1. "My Life Would Suck Without You" - Kelly Clarkson
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cRM70Jw7F4M
Basically, this song lives on Kelly Clarkson's vocals. She is a powerful singer that is a towering presence when she's giving it her all. And I definitely hear it in this performance. Not everyone can take a chorus like "My life would suck without you" and make it credible. But Kelly Clarkson does just that. I believe every word of this song because she sings so earnestly. I know American Idol is pretty much a sham, but even they get it right sometimes. Kelly Clarkson is a great example of that.
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