My Top 100 Favourite Songs 2010-14 Edition: #1 (+ more!)

We’ve finally arrived at the end of this listing. It may have taken a lot longer than I ever expected to (it should have only been 100 days!)  but we got there! I hope you’ve enjoyed this listing and I’m sure you want to know what my favourite song has been over the Last Half Decade. Before we get there, I’d just like to recap the whole listing from #100 to #2…

#100: Madness – Muse
#99: Scary Monsters and Nice Sprites – Skrillex
#98: Neat Little Rows – Elbow
#97: No Reflection - Marilyn Manson
#96: Explain My Heart - Saul Williams
#95: I'm in the Mood... For Beards - The Beards
#94: She's Not Gone Yet But She's Leaving - The Fratellis
#93: Shotgun - Limp Bizkit
#92: Can't Rely on You - Paloma Faith
#91: Blue Blood Blues - The Dead Weather
#90: Rebellion - Linkin Park (feat. Daron Malakian)
#89: Paradise – Coldplay
#88: Sing - Ed Sheeran
#87: Mein Land – Rammstein
#86: Elephant - Tame Impala
#85: Love Turns to Hate - The Eighties Matchbox B-Line Disaster
#84: On Top of the World - Imagine Dragons
#83: G.D.F.R. - Flo Rida
#82: Evil Eye - Franz Ferdinand
#81: Little Monster - Royal Blood
#80: Blurred Lines - Robin Thicke
#79: Brendan's Death Song - Red Hot Chili Peppers
#78: Go Kindergarten - The Lonely Island (feat. Robyn)
#77: The Negative One – Slipknot
#76: Royals – Lorde
#75: Government Trash - Death From Above 1979
#74: Survival – Eminem
#73: Sick Bubblegum - Rob Zombie
#72: Gentleman – PSY
#71: Go Right Ahead - The Hives
#70: These Days - Foo Fighters
#69: Word Crimes - Weird Al Yankovic
#68: One for the Road - Arctic Monkeys
#67: Nightmare - Avenged Sevenfold
#66: Princess of China – Coldplay (feat. Rihanna)
#65: Kill the Power – Skindred
#64: Where's Your Car Debbie? – Slaves
#63: Suit and Tie - Justin Timberlake (feat. Jay-Z)
#62: Stevie – Kasabian
#61: Narcissistic Cannibal – KoRn (feat. Skrillex and Kill the Noise)
#60: Bad Girls - M.I.A.
#59: Devil in I – Slipknot
#58: Tighten Up - The Black Keys
#57: QWERTY – Mushroomhead
#56: Radioactive - Imagine Dragons
#55: Dibby Dibby Sound - DJ Fresh vs Jay Fay feat. Ms Dynamite
#54: Came Back Haunted - Nine Inch Nails
#53: Gangnam Style – PSY
#52: Warning – Skindred
#51: Bassline Junkie - Dizzee Rascal
#50: Fat Around the Heart - King 810
#49: Supremacy – Muse
#48: Bridge Burning - Foo Fighters
#47: Never Never – KoRn
#46: Sandpaper – Fozzy (feat. M Shadows)
#45: Out of the Black - Royal Blood
#44: Eez-eh – Kasabian
#43: Sweet Sour - Band of Skulls
#42: Berzerk – Eminem
#41: Santo Domingo - Jon Fratelli
#40: Talk Dirty - Jason Derulo
#39: 99 Percenters – Ministry
#38: The Vampyre of Time and Memory - The Queens of the Stone Age
#37: Right Now – PSY
#36: Panic Station – Muse
#35: Figure it Out - Serj Tankian
#34: Lonely Boy - The Black Keys
#33: Low Hangin' Fruit - Tenacious D
#32: Days Are Forgotten – Kasabian
#31: Figure it Out - Royal Blood
#30: It Gets Worse - Mindless Self Indulgence
#29: Karma - Jamie N Commons
#28: Get Up! – KoRn (feat. Skrillex)
#27: Snap Out of It - Arctic Monkeys
#26: Hey – Slaves
#25: Thrift Shop – Macklemore and Ryan Lewis
#24: Megatron - Crazy Town
#23: If I Had a Tail - The Queens of the Stone Age
#22: House of Pain - Hot Action Cop
#21: Howlin' For You - The Black Keys
#20: Something From Nothing - Foo Fighters
#19: Thieves - Limp Bizkit
#18: Jack Sparrow - The Lonely Island
#17: Do I Wanna Know? - Arctic Monkeys
#16: Blame it on the Boom Boom - Black Stone Cherry
#15: Black Skinhead - Kanye West
#14: Baby We're Refugees! - Jon Fratelli
#13: The Island - Pt II (Dusk) – Pendulum
#12: Dance - Saul Williams
#11: Ain't No Grave - Johnny Cash
#10: Niggas in Paris - Jay-Z and Kanye West
#9: Smooth Sailing - The Queens of the Stone Age
#8: Rap God – Eminem
#7: Custer – Slipknot
#6: I Just Had Sex - The Lonely Island (feat. Akon)
#5: Killem All - King 810
#4: Jungle (Remix) - Jamie N Commons and the X-Ambassadors (feat. Jay-Z)
#3: Uptown Funk - Mark Ronson (feat. Bruno Mars)
#2: Bangarang – Skrillex (feat. Sirah)

Okay so my favourite song over the Last Half Decade is…

#1 “The Hunter” by Slaves
Released: 17/11/14
Album: Are You Satisfied?

If you know me well, chances are high you probably had an inkling that this would be #1 on my list. And you know what? I actually debated putting it lower in the list because of the fact that it was an obvious choice for me. But when it comes down to it, there is only one song that stands out to me as above and beyond anything else released over this five year period.

I absolutely love this song. I absolutely love this band. I’m so happy I got to see them last month, they were incredible. I love the riff, I love how the song builds up, the video is pretty cool too, it’s discretely catchy and it’s… just… so… cool. I’m not a massive punk rock fan but with Slaves making garage rock merge with punk (a formula done by other bands, I’m not saying they’re the first) they have something that does sound raw and passionate and it packs a massive punch. I do encourage anyone who likes British rock, or punk, or garage rock a listen to this band. Seriously they’re one of the coolest new bands out there, and this is their biggest hit to date, and, clearly in my opinion, the best too.

Here's the video if you want to hear it!

And that’s it! Many thanks for putting up for my long periods of absences in the making of this listing. I’ll probably do a Top 100 Favourite Music Singles of the Decade of 2010-19 in the year 2021 or something. Here’s some nerdy stats of my listing if it appeals to you:

Annual breakdown of music singles:
2010 – 9
2011 – 21
2012 – 16
2013 – 27
2014 – 27

First and last singles on the list in chronological order:
First: “Sick Bubblegum” by Rob Zombie – released 11^th January 2010 (#73)
Last: “Megatron” by Crazy Town – released 17^th December 2014 (#24)

Artists with Two Entries:
Coldplay (#66, #89); Imagine Dragons (#56, #84); Jamie N Commons (#4, #29); Jon Fratelli (#14, #41); King 810 (#5, #50); Limp Bizkit (#19, #93); Saul Williams (#12, #96); Skindred (#52, #65); Skrillex (#2, #99)

Artists with Three Entries (maximum cap):
Arctic Monkeys (#17, #27, #68); The Black Keys (#21, #34, #58); Eminem (#8, #42, #74); Foo Fighters (#20, #48, #70); Kasabian (#32, #44, #64); KoRn (#28, #47, #61); The Lonely Island (#6, #18, #78); Muse (#36, #49, #100); PSY (#37, #53, #72); The Queens of the Stone Age (##9, #23, #38); Royal Blood (#31, #45, #81); Slaves (#1, #26, #64); Slipknot (#7, #59, #77)

Albums with Two Entries:
48:13 by Kasabian (#44, #62); Are You Satisfied? by Slaves (#1, #26); Brothers by The Black Keys (#21, #58); Memoirs of a Murderer by King 810 (#5, #50); (Mylo Xyloto by Coldplay (#66, #89); Night Visions by Imagine Dragons (#56, #84); The Path of Totality by KoRn (#28, #61); Psycho Jukebox by Jon Fratelli (#14, #41); Turtleneck and Chain by The Lonely Island (#6, #18); Volcanic Sunlight by Saul Williams (#12, #96)

Albums with Three Entries:
…Like Clockwork by The Queens of the Stone Age (##9, #23, #38); The 2^nd Law by Muse (#36, #49, #100); .5: The Gray Chapter by Slipknot (#7, #59, #77); AM by the Arctic Monkeys (#17, #27, #68); The Marshall Mathers LP 2 by Eminem (#8, #42, #74); Royal Blood (#31, #45, #81)

I thought I’d do a Mixtape Playlist so if you wanted to listen to the “Best Of” in one go, you can do now this way. I’ve set a cap of only one song per artist. Not familiar with my Mixtapes, here’s a description of what one is:

A Mixtape is a playlist of a certain genre, band or era. The list is generally 80 minutes long, the same length of a blank CD, with further recommendations if some of the songs aren't to your taste. Remember kids, downloading is wrong!

The Best of The Last Half Decade (2010-14)

1.       Uptown Funk - Mark Ronson (feat. Bruno Mars)

2.       Jungle (Remix) - Jamie N Commons and the X-Ambassadors (feat. Jay-Z)

3.       Black Skinhead - Kanye West

4.       I Just Had Sex - The Lonely Island (feat. Akon)

5.       Rap God – Eminem

6.       The Island - Pt II (Dusk) – Pendulum

7.       Bangarang – Skrillex (feat. Sirah)

8.       Niggas in Paris - Jay-Z and Kanye West

9.       Dance - Saul Williams

10.   Ain't No Grave - Johnny Cash

11.   Baby We're Refugees! - Jon Fratelli

12.   Howlin' For You - The Black Keys

13.   Do I Wanna Know? - Arctic Monkeys

14.   Smooth Sailing - The Queens of the Stone Age

15.   Something From Nothing - Foo Fighters

16.   The Hunter – Slaves

17.   Blame it on the Boom Boom - Black Stone Cherry

18.   Thieves - Limp Bizkit

19.   Custer – Slipknot

20.   Killem All - King 810

And here are your five alternatives:

1.       House of Pain - Hot Action Cop

2.       Megatron - Crazy Town

3.       Thrift Shop – Macklemore and Ryan Lewis

4.       Get Up! – KoRn (feat. Skrillex)

5.       It Gets Worse - Mindless Self Indulgence

I’ve also made this Mixtape on YouTube, you can view and listen to it there if you want by clicking here!

And… that’s the end! Thank you all so much for reading and following this listing. Check out the Music tab above for anything else on music I’ve covered over the last five or six years on this website if you haven’t already. It’s nearly Christmas so I’ll take this opportunity to wish you all a Happy Holidays and a Happy New Year!

If you missed #2 go here - or go back to #100 by going here.

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My Top 100 Favourite Songs 2010-14 Edition: #2

#2 “Bangarang” by Skrillex feat. Sirah

Released: 16/1/12

Album: Bangarang EP

If you would have told me five years ago that one of my favourite songs in recent years would have been a dubstep song I’d have laughed in your face. As a genre I don’t like dubstep but in my recent years, as explained a few times in this Top 100 listing, I have grown to appreciate certain dance  tracks due to going out clubbing a lot a couple of years ago. And this is as groovy to dance to as it gets. For a long time I didn’t know this was Skrillex in particular but that it was a dubstep track that got played in a remix in my local club all the time, usually fused in with “Be Faithful” by Fatman Scoop. I tried to find said remix on Youtube and couldn’t find it, and actually have attempted to do my own version of it on my computer with mixed to positive results. But the original, and that club remix I danced to many times over the years, has given me a huge appreciation for this song. Credit where it’s due, Skrillex has produced an incredible dubstep track here, and I can really see it being considered to be one of the best dance tracks of all time in years to come. It’s a heck of a banger.

Here's the video if you want to hear it!
  
If you missed #3 go here.

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My Top 100 Favourite Songs 2010-14 Edition: #3

#3 “Uptown Funk” by Mark Ronson and Bruno Mars

Released: 10/11/14

Album: Uptown Special

By now you either hate this song or probably feel that it’s overplayed. I mean there’s probably a smaller minority of people that aren’t fed up of this song by now.

 

But back at the end of 2014 and for the first half of 2015 (I know that year isn’t covered in this listing but still, the release date was 2014) – this song was played. A LOT. And you know what? I didn’t care. I absolutely loved this song, I was never tired of hearing it, it’s for me one of the funkiest, coolest tracks ever made. It was an instant classic. When we look back on this decade for music, and we think about what the best songs were, this song will be on many MANY lists. Because it was, and is, that damn good. I don’t hate on the song at all, I mean yeah, sure, I skip it now when it comes on just because of the sheer volume of times I’ve heard it over the last 2 years but there will be a point probably in the next few years when this song will stop being in that “overplayed” category and start to transcend into the “classic tracks” category.

 

It really reminds me of “Hey Ya” by The Outkast, for me this song is this decade’s equivalent. They’re both funky tracks that got played over and over again, one is now considered to be a classic, time will tell if this one will be. But if I were a betting man, I’d say I’m very very sure this song will follow suit.

Here's the video if you want to hear it!
 
If you missed #4 go here.

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My Top 100 Favourite Songs 2010-14 Edition: #4

#4 “Jungle (Remix)” by Jamie N Commons and the X-Ambassadors (feat. Jay-Z)

Released: 26/12/13 (original) 15/6/14 (remix)

Album: VHS (original, X-Ambassadors album)

I accidentally classed this as a 2013 track but it’s actually 2014 if we’re talking about the remix. It doesn’t really matter either way.

 

Jamie N Commons is a terribly underrated artist, I think I’ve said this a few times now. He’s the guy that sings the chorus in this massive blockbuster summer hit of 2014. He’s done some other awesome songs too, and you may remember him on this earlier at #29 with “Karma”.

 

Jay-Z really bring the whole song together with his awesome rap, before Jay-Z helped out with the remix the song was great but not spectacular. This song is still used on adverts even now more than two years later because of how good it is and how pumped it can make you feel, especially in sports. I listened to this song so many times in 2014 and still play it today, it’s just so much fun to listen to, and of course, it helps that my son loves singing it too!

Here's the video if you want to hear it!

If you missed #5 go here.

For the latest updates on my work, including all my latest radio shows, follow me on Facebook and Twitter here!

My Top 100 Favourite Songs 2010-14 Edition: #5

#5 “Killem All” by King 810

Released: 31/3/14

Album: Memoirs of a Murderer

My new favourite metal band. I actually did an article on this website over four years ago now about how I feel that metal as a genre is dying because there aren’t many new bands coming out and being successful, breaking new ground for future metal bands. It just feels like all the old great metal bands are the only bands that are getting any sort of positive attention on a mainstream scale. Sure, you could argue that metal as a genre doesn’t need that, but for me it’d be nice!

 

Anyway, fast forward a few years and I’ve finally found that new band I was looking for. If you’ve not heard King 810 – then THIS is the track to listen to. It’s as heavy as anything Slipknot have produced and the lyrics are what the band is about in a nutshell – Flint, Michigan isn’t a nice place to live, it’s called “Murder Town” because it has the highest death rate in all of the US. King 810 sing about the struggles of living there as well as the pride they have for their hometown – it may be a hard place to live but they still love their city and love their people. “Killem All” as a track is as great as any metal track released in the last half decade, but as the meaning behind the song goes, and how much I love everything about it, my respect and love for the song is so much greater. I really like this band and encourage anyone who loves their metal to give them a go. Seriously.

Here's the video if you want to hear it!

If you missed #6 go here.

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My Top 100 Favourite Songs 2010-14 Edition: #6

#6 “I Just Had Sex” by The Lonely Island and Akon

Released: 8/1/11

Album: Turtleneck and Chain

Just missing out on the Top 5 is the absolutely brilliant “I Just Had Sex” by The Lonely Island with Akon. The Lonely Island have released some of the funniest songs over the last 10 years, and have definitely got the crown for funniest group right now. Well, I say right now but they haven’t released an album for a few years now, unless you count the soundtrack to their movie Popstar.

 

This is possibly the best song of the lot though. I do change my mind about what my favourite Lonely Island song is but this is definitely up there very consistently. At one point I did play this a lot but now I try not to, and when it comes on you really enjoy singing along and it’s fresh again. It’s an anthem of sorts I’d say – celebrating sex! And it’s just so so funny. The video is absolutely hilarious too of course (it got to #58 in my all time favourite music videos list), and Akon does a brilliant job working with these three comedians, both in the song and on the video. His little smile is adorable; you can just tell he’s having such a blast working with these guys.

Here's the video if you want to hear it!

If you missed #7 go here.

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My Top 100 Favourite Songs 2010-14 Edition: #7

#7 “Custer” by Slipknot

Released: 10/10/14

Album: .5: The Gray Chapter

So here’s another album that have three singles on this listing. Slipknot’s latest album is tremendous piece of work, it’s certainly up there with their other albums. I was happy to say I saw the tour of the album, and had actually heard “Custer” live.

 

Yes I definitely prefer this to the other two main singles off the album. This never got as much airplay as “The Devil in I” or “The Negative One” but for me it’s the best of the bunch, and by some distance too. I don’t even know why I love it so much, but it’s become one of my all time favourite Slipknot tracks. It has to be for it to get this high on this list of course. If you’ve not heard it you’re seriously missing out. I love the chorus and it was so much fun to headbang to live, I can tell you that.

Here's the video if you want to hear it!

If you missed #8 go here.

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My Top 100 Favourite Songs 2010-14 Edition: #8

#8 “Rap God” by Eminem

Released: 15/10/13

Album: The Marshall Mathers LP 2

Well what a fucking song this is!! I’m sure if you like Eminem you’ll know EXACTLY why this song is not only on this list but, as high on this listing as it is. If you ever, EVER doubted that Eminem somehow lost pace or lost his ability to sling mud verbally at anyone and everyone then listen to this. This song is Eminem on form. This song is Eminem in a nutshell. This song is possibly the best song he’s ever produced. Period. In my opinion anyway. Honestly, Eminem pulls all the stops here to tell everyone that he is a Rap God, he is still the best in the business at what he does and he doesn’t give a fuck if you think otherwise. And that “supersonic speed” rap towards the end of the song… insane. According to Wikipedia it’s 6.5 words per second! He truly is a Rap Bot, Rap Bot!

Here's the video if you want to hear it!

If you missed #9 go here.

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My Top 100 Favourite Songs 2010-14 Edition: #9

#9 “Smooth Sailing” by The Queens of the Stone Age

Released: 27/2/14

Album: ...Like Clockwork

When I first drafted out my Top 100, this actually was placed at #1. And while I absolutely love this song, could I genuinely say, over the five years of music we’re covering, is it my favourite music single? And I just couldn’t commit to that.

As I said, it’s not that it’s not great, it’s one of the funkiest, coolest songs Queens have ever done. It stands out as the highlight track on a dark and gloomy album, as the ray of light of what Queens can do when they want to lower the tone and play fun music. It’s truly funky – I’m sure more people would love this song if they’d heard it but unfortunately it was barely given any airplay despite a cool music video set in Japan. Honestly – give this song a listen if you’ve not heard it, it’s so damn fricking cool.

Here's the video if you want to hear it!

If you missed #10 go here.

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My Top 100 Favourite Songs 2010-14 Edition: #10

#10 “Niggas in Paris” by Jay-Z and Kanye West

Released: 13/9/11

Album: Watch the Throne

So yesterday we had Johnny Cash and today we have Jay-Z and Kanye West. Crazy. Anyway, kicking off the Top 10 in a very different style is the collaborative effort of Jay-Z and Kanye, in what, for me, is probably my favourite song by either artist, working together to create, again, my opinion, what is one of the best hip hop songs, certainly in the last decade or so. That being said even against my opinion it received critical acclaim and even won a Grammy award so it’s definitely not just me! It’s such a catchy, creative track, and it’s fascinating that the egos of both Jay-Z and Kanye never clashed during the process of this exceptional hip hop track. This song reminds me of my clubbing days from a few years ago. It was so much fun to dance to and to let loose to. I just love it, simple really.

Here's the video if you want to hear it!

If you missed #11 go here.

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My Top 100 Favourite Songs 2010-14 Edition: #11

#11 “Ain’t No Grave” by Johnny Cash

Released: 23/1/10

Album: American VI: Ain't No Grave

This song and album was released seven years after the legendary Johnny Cash passed away. In the final months of Johnny Cash’s life he was still recording material for future albums, and a few have been released posthumously. This for me, hits the heartstrings and gives me just as many goosebumps as “Hurt” did. It was so good The Undertaker used it as his entrance theme for Wrestlemania. It’s amazing what a man can do knowing he is deteriorating, knowing he hasn’t got long to live on this planet. People like Johnny Cash and, more recently, David Bowie have released some of their best music knowing there time was coming to an end. And Johnny Cash looked at Deaths Door and stuck his middle finger at it. And this was the music he produced in doing that. If you’ve not heard this song, seriously, you’re missing out. It’s a masterpiece.

Here's the video if you want to hear it!

If you missed #12 go here.

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My Top 100 Favourite Songs 2010-14 Edition: #12

#12 “Dance" by Saul Williams

Released: 5/5/11

Album: Volcanic Sunlight

Saul Williams is an artist I mention a lot on this website and personally because for me, there are fewer underrated artists around than him. He truly does transcend “genre”, because while he’s a poetic hip hop artist by trade, he mixes in so many genres like rock, electronic, industrial metal, African tribal music and even soul music from the seventies. This album, “Volcanic Sunlight” is a fantastic example of that (I’ve reviewed it actually for this website, you can read that here). And “Dance” for me, even if it is a single, is a huge highlight on the album. The video is gorgeous too. It’s strange actually because it doesn’t sound like anything else he has done before or since, it’s mainly an electronic hip hop track but I can’t even compare it to bands or artists in that genre. It’s truly a song you’ll have to hear, it’s so damn cool. And if you do listen to it and like it, please listen to his other shit, he’s a heck of an artist, a king of underground slam jam poetry hip-hop that mixes so much other styles of music into his art. And lyrically, he’s as good if not better than anyone else out there at the moment.

Here's the video if you want to hear it!

If you missed #13 go here.

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