Top Pop Music Hits of 2009
A look at the top pop music hits of 2009, including songs by Lady Gaga, Beyonce, and Taylor Swift.
Introduction
The year 2009 saw many new singers and groups emerge on the pop music scene. Several established artists also released new albums and singles that were very popular with fans. The following list includes some of the top pop music hits of 2009.
Top Pop Hits of 2009
One of the top hits of 2009 was Lady Gaga’s “Poker Face.” The song peaked at number one on the Billboard Hot 100 and stayed there for three weeks. It was also a top hit in the United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, and many other countries.
“I Gotta Feeling” – The Black Eyed Peas
“I Gotta Feeling” is a song recorded by The Black Eyed Peas. The song was written by Fergie, George Pajon, Jr., Will.i.am, Allan Pineda and Jaime Gomez, and produced by will.i.am for the band’s fifth studio album, The E.N.D. (“The Energy Never Dies”) (2009). The song was released as the fourth single from the album on June 23, 2009 in the United States and February 22, 2010 in the United Kingdom. “I Gotta Feeling” spent 14 consecutive weeks atop the Billboard Hot 100 chart, making it the second longest-running single at number one in history behind “One Sweet Day” by Mariah Carey and Boyz II Men (which spent 16 weeks at number one).
The song received generally positive reviews from music critics who praised it for its hook as well as club-oriented sound while some criticized it for alleged use of auto-tune and lack of originality. The Black Eyed Peas were ranked as two-time Grammy Award winners in 2010 including Record of the Year for this song and “Boom Boom Pow”. In February 2010, “I Gotta Feeling” became the first song ever to sell more than one million downloads in a week in UK history; “I Gotta Feeling” is also currently ranked as [time period]’s best-selling single of all time worldwide with sales exceeding 12 million copies sold.[1]
“Boom Boom Pow” – The Black Eyed Peas
“Boom Boom Pow” is a song by The Black Eyed Peas released as the lead single from their fifth studio album, The E.N.D. It peaked at #1 on the US Billboard Hot 100 for 12 weeks, becoming the group’s second longest-running US number-one single (after “I Gotta Feeling”) and their first ever UK number-one single. “Boom Boom Pow” topped the charts in 18 other countries including Australia, Canada and Germany.
“Party in the U.S.A.” – Miley Cyrus
“Party in the U.S.A.” is a song by American singer Miley Cyrus for her debut studio album Meet Miley Cyrus (2007). It was released on August 25, 2009, by Hollywood Records as the lead single from the album. The song was written and produced by Jessie J, with additional writing from Dr. Luke, Claude Kelly, and DJ Frank E. “Party in the U.S.A.” is a mid-tempo track that incorporates refrains of the 1998 hit “Never Gonna Give You Up” by English singer Rick Astley. American rapper Jay-Z contributes a tongue-in-cheek rap verse. “Party in the U.S.A.” peaked at number two on the Billboard Hot 100 and has been certified multi-platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), denoting shipments of over three million copies in the country as of January 2010. An accompanying music video for the song was directed by Chris Applebaum and features Cyrus performing at various patriotic themed events, interspersed with footage of everyday life in America set to visual motifs reminiscent of television commercials from the 1950s and 1960s.
“Love Story” – Taylor Swift
“Love Story” is a song written and recorded by American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift. It was released on September 12, 2008 by Big Machine Records as the lead single from Swift’s second studio album Fearless (2008). The song was written by Swift and produced by Nathan Chapman. It was inspired by Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet and used as a storytelling device. The song is a midtempo country pop ballad and its lyrics describe a love story that ended tragically. “Love Story” became Swift’s first number one single in Australia, while it peaked at number four on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart. Music critics praised “Love Story” for its lyrical detail and have since listed it as one of Swift’s classic singles, earning it Billboard’s 100th Anniversary Song award in 2013.
The accompanying music video for “Love Story” was directed by Trey Fanjoy and featured Swift as Juliet Capulet and Tyler Hilton as Romeo Montague. The video gained mixed reviews for its adaptation of the original storyline; some critics praised it while others accused it of being unoriginal. Despite this, “Love Story” has been viewed more than 919 million times on YouTube, making it Swift’s third most-viewed music video there.
“Poker Face” – Lady Gaga
Poker Face” is a song by American singer Lady Gaga from her debut studio album, The Fame (2008). It was released on September 26, 2008 as the album’s second single. “Poker Face” is a synth-pop song in the key of G♯ minor, following in the footsteps of her previous single “Just Dance”, but with a darker musical tone. The main idea behind the song is bisexuality and was a tribute by Gaga to her rock and roll boyfriends. Lyrically, it features gambling metaphors and innuendos.
The song attained worldwide success, topping the charts in twenty countries including the United States, United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand and Canada. In the US “Poker Face” was one of 2009’s best-selling singles with 3 million copies sold. It peaked at number two on the Billboard Hot 100 and topped the charts in several other countries including Australia, Canada, Germany, New Zealand and Poland. An electrifying live performance of “Poker Face” on The Ellen DeGeneres Show gained Gaga mainstream attention resulting in similar success outside the United States where it topped ten single charts including Austria, Belgium (Flanders), Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Denmark,”Poker face” became one of Gaga’s most successful singles internationally.
“Just Dance” – Lady Gaga
“Just Dance” is a song performed by American recording artist Lady Gaga. The song was produced by RedOne and co-written by RedOne, Gaga and Akon, while also featuring vocals from Colby O’Donis. It was released as the lead single from Gaga’s debut album, The Fame, and was serviced to mainstream radio stations on April 8, 2009. The single peaked at number one on the Billboard Hot 100, becoming Gaga’s first entry on the chart as a lead artist. It spent three non-consecutive weeks atop the chart and topped the Hot Dance Club Songs chart for six weeks.
The accompanying music video for “Just Dance” was directed by YouTube user Christopher Hamrick, who previously helmed footage of an Electrocute performance in 2006 that was used as an animated gif in one of Gaga’s MySpace profiles. In the video, Gaga is seen interacting with her backup dancers in a dimly lit dance-floor. As she sings the song’s lyrics, she occasionally drinks from a glass of alcohol. Several other scenes include shots of donnas dancing with men in suits or kissing each other. The video ends with all the dancers being drenched in white paint.]
“Fireflies” – Owl City
“Fireflies” is a song written and recorded by American electronica project Owl City. It was released as the second single from his debut studio album, Ocean Eyes. The song entered the Billboard Hot 100 at number 97 and peaked at number one on February 27, 2010, making it Owl City’s most successful single to date. The track spent a total of five non-consecutive weeks atop the chart. In 2010, “Fireflies” won Song of the Year at the American Music Awards and was also nominated for Record of the Year and Best Dance Recording at the 52nd Grammy Awards.
“Use Somebody” – Kings of Leon
“Use Somebody” is a song by American rock band Kings of Leon. It was the second single from the band’s fourth studio album Only by the Night (2008), released on December 8, 2008. The song received positive reviews from music critics and became a commercial success for the group, peaking at number four on the Billboard Hot 100 in the United States, number two in Australia and New Zealand, and number one in thirteen countries. It was certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) and gold by both the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) and the British Phonographic Industry (BPI). Globally, it was 2009’s seventh best-selling digital single with 7.5 million copies sold that year.
The music video was directed by Jake Nava and filmed in Los Angeles in December 2008. It shows Kings of Leon on a rooftop with lead singer Caleb Followill standing near a woman he is attracted to, who is also attracted to him but hesitant to pursue anything because she is involved with someone else. The video won Favorite Rock Video at the 2010 MTV Video Music Awards. In an interview with MTV News days after release of Only by the Night, Caleb said: “We wanted to write songs that connected with everybody out there regardless of whether you were 16 or 60 years old … With ‘Use Somebody,’ it feels like everybody can relate to that.”
Rolling Stone ranked “Use Somebody” as its third-best song of 2009; Kings of Leon’s only other entry on that list was their 2006 hit “Sex on Fire”, which placed at number two hundred thirty-one for that year. In terms of singles from Only by the Night that did not reach number one, “Use Somebody” trailed only lead single “Sex on Fire”, which peaked at number three on both pop charts in Canada and America, respectively; similarly, it placed behind album opener “Crawl”, which peaked at number forty-two on Billboard’s Alternative Songs chart but did not register elsewhere in North America or Europe until early 2010.”Use Somebody” has appeared in numerous television shows and films such as One Tree Hill, The Office, Tangled, Valvomo movies Uuno Turhapuro muuttaa maalle & Uuno Turhapuro armeijan leivissä & American Reunion.
“Hot N Cold” – Katy Perry
“Hot N Cold” is a song recorded by American singer Katy Perry. It was released as the second single from her second studio album, One of the Boys (2008). The song was written by Perry, Dr. Luke and Max Martin, and produced by Luke and Benny Blanco. “Hot N Cold” was one of the songs that leaked onto the internet in May 2008 before the release of One of the Boys.
The song is a midtempo pop tune with a “catchy hook” and “snappy pop beat”. The verses are based around a texture created by synthesizers while the chorus features “thumping drums”. Additionally, backing vocals say “ay-oh” throughout giving the impression that Perry is singing to someone.
According to Perry, despite its title, she wrote it as an ode to her ex-boyfriend who had broken up with her twice; she stated that she wanted to write something so sweet which would make him want to get back with her last time.Critics gave “Hot N Cold” mixed reviews; some believed it was too similar on sonically level to Ms. Perry’s previous singles while others praised its hook and fun sound. However, many critics praised its clever writing and overall catchiness; some gave it outright praise while others named it among their favorite tracks on One of the Boys. It also became another smash hit for her, becoming her third consecutive Hot 100 number-one after “I Kissed a Girl” and “Thinking of You”, making Ms. Perry only the second artist (behind Rihanna) since Michael Jackson in 1988/1989 to achieve such feat! The single remained at its peak for four consecutive weeks before being replaced by Beyoncé’s “Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)”, which went on to become one of 2009’s defining hits!
“Hot N Cold” peaked at #3 on Billboard’s Pop Songs chart, making it one of 2009’s biggest radio hits!
“I Kissed a Girl” – Katy Perry
“I Kissed a Girl” is a song recorded by American singer Katy Perry for her second studio album, One of the Boys (2008). It was released on April 28, 2008, by Capitol Records as the lead single from the record. The song was written by Perry, Dr. Luke, and Max Martin; produced by Luke and Martin. “I Kissed a Girl” is a pop rock song with elements of new wave. Perry stated its lyrics are “about the magical beauty of a woman”. The song sparked controversy for its homosexual themes but was generally well-received by music critics, who praised its production and commercial appeal.
The single peaked at number one on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart, becoming Perry’s first US number-one single and fifth non-consecutive number one in Australia. The song remains Perry’s biggest hit worldwide. A groundbreaking pop hit which paved the way for other tracks with bisexual themes to enter mainstream pop culture, it became one of that year’s defining anthems of gay pride.”
Conclusion
By the end of 2009, it was clear that the popScene had been through a major shift. Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera, two of the biggest female pop stars of the early 2000s, were now facing stiff competition from a new generation of singers. Lady Gaga, Beyonce, and Taylor Swift were among the most successful artists of 2009, and their success would continue into the 2010s.
