The Best Pop Music of 2011
Contents
We take a look at the best pop music of 2011. From Lady Gaga to Bruno Mars, these are the artists that dominated the charts this year.
Introduction
There were a lot of great pop songs released in 2011. It was a tough year to narrow down, but we’ve selected our favorite 100 pop songs of the year.
We’ve included a mix of major hits, lesser-known tracks, and everything in between. We hope you enjoy our picks!
What is Pop Music?
Pop music is a genre of popular music that originated in its modern form in the United States and United Kingdom during the mid-1950s. The terms “popular music” and “pop music” are often used interchangeably, although the former describes all music that is popular (and can include any style). Pop music typically combines a catchy melody with simple, repetitive chord progressions that are often derived from older, folk or blues songs.
The Best Pop Songs of 2011
It was a great year for pop music with many catchy tunes and talented artists. Adele’s “Rolling in the Deep” was one of the biggest hits of the year and is still getting a lot of radio play. Other popular songs included Bruno Mars’ “Grenade”, Katy Perry’s “Firework”, and LMFAO’s “Party Rock Anthem”. Let’s take a look at the best pop songs of 2011.
“Party Rock Anthem” by LMFAO
“Party Rock Anthem” is a song by American electronic duo LMFAO, featuring British singer Lauren Bennett and American music producer GoonRock. The song was released as the first single from their second studio album, Sorry for Party Rocking in 2011. The single went to number one in Australia, Canada, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Lebanon, Mexico, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Poland and the United Kingdom. It also peaked at number two on the Billboard Hot 100 in the United States and number three in Brazil.
“Give Me Everything” by Pitbull
“Give Me Everything” is a song recorded by American rapper Pitbull for his sixth studio album, Planet Pit (2011). The song features vocals from American singer Ne-Yo, American rapper Nayer and Dutch DJ Afrojack. It was released to radio on April 26, 2011, as the lead single from the album.
“Give Me Everything” peaked at number one on the Billboard Hot 100 in the United States, becoming Pitbull’s first number-one single on the chart. It also peaked at number one in Canada and the United Kingdom, and within the top ten of many other countries. The music video won the MTV VMA for Best Video with a Message at the 2011 MTV Video Music Awards, while also receiving a nomination for Video of the Year.
“Firework” by Katy Perry
“Firework” is a song by American singer Katy Perry from her third studio album, Teenage Dream. The song was released as the album’s third single on October 26, 2010. “Firework” was written and produced by Stargate and Ester Dean, with additional writing from Perry. It is a dance-pop and disco song containing elements of electronic rock with influences of house music and synthpop. Musically, it has a marching band rhythm through most of the song and has electronic synth blasts.
The lyrics are about self-empowerment and confidence. The song has been described as an “anthem of light”. The song debuted at number 79 on the Billboard Hot 100 being the weeks’ Hot Shot Debut and eventually peaked at number 3 making it Perry’s third consecutive top three single after “California Gurls” and “Teenage Dream”. It also peaked at number 2 in Canada and topped the charts in Poland and Slovakia while reaching the top five in Hungary, Ireland, Italy, South Korea, Spain and the United Kingdom.
The song has received generally positive reviews from music critics who have praised its production, sound as well as Perry’s vocal performance on it while others have listed it as one of her best singles to date.
“E.T.” by Katy Perry
“E.T.” is a song by American singer Katy Perry from her third studio album, Teenage Dream (2010). The song features a rap verse from American rapper Kanye West. It was released as the album’s second single on February 16, 2011. “E.T.” was written by Katy Perry, Kanye West, The-Dream, Christopher “Tricky” Stewart, and Monte Neubourg. The production was handled by DJ Frank E, Dreams, West, and Stewart. The song peaked at number one on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart and became Perry’s fifth non-consecutive number-one single while also tying Michael Jackson’s record for most number-one singles from a single album. “E.T.” charted within the top five in other countries including Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom; and within the top ten in France, Ireland, Italy and South Korea
“Last Friday Night (T.G.I.F.)” by Katy Perry
“Last Friday Night (T.G.I.F.)” is a song by American singer Katy Perry from her third studio album, Teenage Dream (2010). The song was written and produced by Dr. Luke, Max Martin, and Benny Blanco. It was released on June 6, 2011 as the album’s fifth single ticketed for airplay on pop radio stations. musically, “Last Friday Night (T.G.I.F.)” is Perry’s attempt to recreate the feel of 1980s music and draws influence from that decade’s style of dance music. The accompanying music video for the song was directed by Marc Klasfeld and features Perry partying with her friends while filming home movies throughout the night.[1] It has received generally positive reviews from critics, many of whom praised its campy humor and retro atmosphere,[2][3][4] while others criticized it for being too similar to the work of previous artists such as Britney Spears.[5]
The song became a viral Internet meme after a fanmade mashup video titled “Friday Night 2003” featuring clips from various popular teen films such as Mean Girls (2004), American Pie (1999), Napoleon Dynamite (2004), She’s All That (1999), 13 Going on 30 (2004) and Bring It On (2000) was uploaded to YouTube in May 2011.[6][7][8] The video became an Internet sensation, garnering millions of views within weeks.[9][10]
On the week ending August 27, 2011, “Last Friday Night (TGIF)” debuted at number seventeen on the Billboard Hot 100 chart,[11] becoming Perry’s sixth non-consecutive top twenty single in the United States and her ninth single overall to chart on the Hot 100.[12] Additionally, it peaked at number seven on both the Hot Dance Club Songs chart[13] and Pop Songs chart;[14] as well as number fourteen on Digital Songs.[15]”
Conclusion
To sum up, the best pop music of 2011 was a mix of old and new, with some veteran artists releasing fantastic new music and some newcomers making a huge impact. There were also some great comebacks, with Justin Bieber and Adele both returning to form after taking a few years off. And, of course, there were plenty of great one-hit wonders and catchy songs that will be stuck in our heads for years to come. So whether you’re a fan of pop, rock, hip-hop, or anything in between, there’s something for everyone on this list.
