ILM's Top 100 Tracks of the 2010s

the (airquote) 'public' notion of pop that I associate these tracks polls with

I was curious how many of the top 100 were "singles" and which were "deep tracks", though I don't really understand how or if that distinction exists in 2022.

It seems to, at least with regard to the artists I’m familiar with here (the pop artists).

"Not bad" results. I expected more internal outrage but overall can't complain despite a few unacceptably low placements:

39 Miguel - Adorn
47 Fetty Wap - Trap Queen
112 Ariana Grande - thank u, next
139 Janet Jackson - No Sleeep
141 Big Boi ft. Cutty - Shutterbugg
152 D'Angelo and The Vanguard - Another Life
169 Robyn - Hang With Me
183 Tkay Maidza - U-Huh
191 Playboi Carti - Magnolia
200 Rihanna - Needed Me
543 Young Thug - Stoner (was i the 1 vote? i dont remember)

It’s telling that the tracks I mention didn’t get nominated when every single one was better than anything Swift has ever released.

Telling of what?

That would be telling

"Red Nose" was #693 in the 2013 tracks poll, while "Gas Pedal" didn't get any votes (not sure it was even nominated). The fact that they didn't place in a decade poll is telling of the fact that Sage the Gemini is (shocker) less popular than Taylor Swift.

543 Young Thug - Stoner (was i the 1 vote? i dont remember)

― billstevejim, Saturday, August 20, 2022 10:34 AM (three hours ago) bookmarkflaglink

i was the lone voter for this (my number one)

rude to use a picture of max listening to inspector norse as the graphic for its entry, imo

Telling as in my tastes, which I am not claiming are superior, just have very little to do with popular consensus around here— hence why I stay away from decade and probably year-end polls from here on, I find getting invested in them emotionally fraught because very little that I value ever places

Of everything I nominated, 4 placed.

I took neither the nominations nor the voting process very seriously, and I co-ran eight EOY polls. It's just frivolous fun with great looking pictures.

five of mine placed which is I think slightly lower than what is usually the case with end of year polls

Lana del Rey is another one. She’s quite famous but I’ve never heard her music out in the wild. Not sure what the context to hear her music would be. Boutique hotel lobbies? Hipster clothing stores?

― ✖✖✖ (Moka), Saturday, August 20, 2022 2:08 PM (yesterday)

I used to have this job as a parking lot attendant* and there was this divorced couple that I saw regularly meeting in the parking lot one summer to effect transfer of their daughter, who was maybe 7yo

So early one Sunday morning, dad pulls into the lot in his red convertible, daughter in the front passenger seat**, and they are just blasting I mean positively BLASTING the song "Video Games" loud enough to to be heard blocks away; loud enough to make joggers stopped at intersections rotate not just their heads but their entire persons scanning the area for danger; loud enough to put to flight birds who have heretofore spent their whole lives among the branches of a nearby willow oak

His daughter seemed to be enjoying the moment. I couldn't tell how his ex-wife in her parked car felt about watching this.

———
*: If it matters/helps you picture it, this was the "make sure people who park at this downtown grocery store aren't boarding a bus to the college campus" type of parking attendant job, rather than the "collect money from drivers and make the arm go up and down" type

**: This part of the memory may not be true

ex-wife pulls out blasting Destroyer

btw I need it recorded that Trap Queen hasn't left my head in 4 days

I've heard "Video Games" played by a boutique hotel lobby pianist

I knew it

"Doin' Time" got regular play on alternative/modern rock radio iirc.

I don't know what constitutes 'in the wild' by my local rock station (in Atlanta) used to play "Mariners Apartment Complex" with some regularity.

"young & beautiful" was pretty prominent in the wild

I once heard Chinatown by Destroyer playing at a Winners (which is the Canadian equivalent of Marshalls).

Thought experiment: imagine it's "Feel You" that's 9:41 minutes long and "Venice Bitch" that's 4:11. Holter inevitably brings some actual ideas for filling an extra 5+ minutes and the world is a marginally better place. *ducks*

I like Feel You. Was only introduced to Venice Bitch through this poll, but that LDR song and that video are all-time great

whoops, just remembered I might prefer Black Hearted Brother's "UFO" to "Sugar for the Pill"

I voted for Have You in My Wilderness and NFR! rather than those individual songs, but I like them both at their current lengths. "Feel You" is a delicate expression that shouldn't go on for too long, while "Venice Bitch" is lost in rumination.

surprised j hus - dem boy paigon did not place

there are no surprises on ILM, only cold, hard truths

i voted for "did you see" which i was also disappointed (but not surprised) to see not place

So, I kind of did something crazy. I went through our decade lists and put together our top tens from each year showing how they look now and how they looked then. In the now lists the numbers in the brackets are where they were in their years. In the Then lists, it shows where they placed in the end of decade list last week.

Hopefully that all makes sense and is interesting to at least someone else that isn't just me.

2010 Now

1. Robyn - Dancing On My Own (6)
2. Javiera Mena - Luz de Piedra de Luna (73 in 2012)
3. Diddy-Dirty Money ft. Swizz Beatz - Ass on the Floor (77)
4. The-Dream - Yamaha (4)
5. Janelle Monáe ft. Big Boi - Tightrope (8)
6. School of Seven Bells - I L U (14)
7. Nicki Minaj - Super Bass (3 in 2011)
8. Games - Strawberry Skies (61)
9. Katy Perry - Teenage Dream (16)
10. Girl Unit - Wut (1)

2010 Then

1. Girl Unit - Wut (108)
2. Waka Flocka Flame - Hard in Da Paint (127)
3. Ariel Pink's Haunted Graffiti - Round and Round (371)
4. The-Dream - Yamaha (39)
5. Arcade Fire - Spiral II (Mountains Beyond Mountains) (Did not place LOL)
6. Robyn - Dancing On My Own (5)
7. Big Boi ft. Cutty - Shutterbugg (141)
8. Janelle Monáe ft. Big Boi - Tightrope (47)
9. Rihanna - Rude Boy (Did not place probably as it was originally released in 2009)
10. Kanye West - Monster (936)

2011 Now

1. Azealia Banks ft. Lazy Jay - 212 (1)
2. Destroyer - Kaputt (29)
3. Beyoncé - Countdown (4)
4. Beyoncé - Love On Top (83)
5. Pachanga Boys - Time (12 In 2012)
6. Lana Del Rey - Video Games (2)
7. Destroyer - Suicide Demo for Kara Walker (159)
8. M83 - Midnight City (9)
9. 2NE1 - I AM THE BEST (38)
10. Gang Gang Dance - Glass Jar (76)

2011 Then

1. Azealia Banks ft. Lazy Jay - 212 (6)
2. Lana Del Rey - Video Games (55)
3. Nicki Minaj - Super Bass (75)
4. Beyoncé - Countdown (12)
5. Todd Terje - Snooze 4 Love (588)
6. Miguel - Sure (Did not place)
7. Britney Spears - Till the World Ends (237)
8. Desloc Piccalo ft. Adiah - Drumz (313)
9. M83 - Midnight City (65)
10. Kreayshawn - Gucci Gucci (217)

2012 Now

1. Todd Terje - Inspector Norse (1)
2. Carly Rae Jepsen - Call Me Maybe (2)
3. Sky Ferreira - Everything Is Embarrassing (7)
4. Grimes - Oblivion (9)
5. Lorde - Royals (28 in 2013)
6. Kendrick Lamar ft. Jay Rock - Money Trees (Did not place)
7. Miguel - Adorn (3)
8. Frank Ocean - Thinkin Bout You (23)
9. Jessie Ware - Wildest Moments (55)
10. Taylor Swift - All Too Well (278)

2012 Then

1. Todd Terje - Inspector Norse (1)
2. Carly Rae Jepsen - Call Me Maybe (3)
3. Miguel - Adorn (37)
4. Katy B ft. Jessie Ware - Aaliyah (238)
5. Usher - Climax (105)
6. PSY - Gangnam Style (114)
7. Sky Ferreira - Everything Is Embarrassing (22)
8. Chairlift - I Belong In Your Arms (78)
9. Grimes - Oblivion (25)
10. Future - Turn on the Lights (410)

2013 Now

1. The Knife - Full of Fire (4)
2. Paramore - Ain't It Fun (12)
3. Burial - Come Down To Us (135)
4. Paramore - Still Into You (3)
5. Daft Punk ft. Pharrell Williams & Nile Rodgers - Get Lucky (1)
6. Classixx ft. Nancy Whang - All You're Waiting For (31)
7. Charli XCX - SuperLove (44)
8. CHVRCHES - The Mother We Share (18)
9. Amel Larrieux - I Do Take (8)
10. HAIM - If I Could Change Your Mind (90 in 2013/56 in 2014)

2013 Then

1. Daft Punk - Get Lucky (59)
2. Mariah Carey ft. Miguel - #Beautiful (349)
3. Paramore - Still Into You (53)
4. The Knife - Full of Fire (14)
5. Ciara - Body Party (1342)
6. Jessie Ware - Imagine It Was Us (180)
7. Duke Dumont - Need U (100%) (473)
8. Amel Larrieux - I Do Take (74)
9. Bunji Garlin - Differentology (170)
10. Haim - Falling (91)

2014 Now

1.Tinashe ft. Schoolboy Q - 2 On (1)
2. Future Islands - Seasons (Waiting on You) (4)
3. Skepta ft. JME - That's Not Me (15)
4. FKA twigs - Two Weeks (2)
5. Richard Dawson - The Vile Stuff (14)
6. Taylor Swift - Style (6)
7. Alvvays - Archie, Marry Me (54)
8. Aphex Twin - XMAS_EVET10 [120​]​[​thanaton3 mix] (210)
9. Taylor Swift - Blank Space (8)
10. Tove Lo - Habits (Stay High) (16)

2014 Then

1. Tinashe ft. Schoolboy Q - 2 On (10)
2. FKA twigs - Two Weeks (43)
3. Rae Sremmurd - No Flex Zone (541)
4. Future Islands - Seasons (Waiting on You) (16)
5. Rich Gang ft. Young Thug & Rich Homie Quan - Lifestyle (999)
6. Taylor Swift - Style (58)
7. Clean Bandit ft. Jess Glynne - Rather Be (1070)
8. Taylor Swift - Blank Space (72)
9. Sofi de la Torre - Vermillion (129)
10. Vic Mensa - Down On My Luck (724)

2015 Now

1. Grimes - REALiTi (Demo) (1)
2. Carly Rae Jepsen - Run Away With Me (5)
3. Susanne Sundfør - Delirious (16)
4. Susanne Sundfør - Fade Away (14)
5. Kendrick Lamar - King Kunta (3)
6. Carly Rae Jepsen - Boy Problems (23)
7. Kendrick Lamar - Alright (7)
8. Donnie Trumpet & the Social Experiment - Sunday Candy (9)
9. Fetty Wap - Trap Queen (2)
10. Demi Lovato - Cool for the Summer (6)

2015 Then

1. Grimes - REALiTi (Demo) (2)
2. Fetty Wap - Trap Queen (47)
3. Kendrick Lamar - King Kunta (18)
4. Miguel - Coffee (223)
5. Carly Rae Jepsen - Run Away With Me (4)
6. Demi Lovato - Cool for the Summer (56)
7. Kendrick Lamar - Alright (24)
8. Missy Elliott ft. Pharrell Williams - WTF (Where They From) (323)
9. Donnie Trumpet & the Social Experiment - Sunday Candy (26)
10. David Bowie - Blackstar (102)

2016 Now

1. Solange - Cranes in the Sky (3)
2. Ariana Grande - Into You (5)
3. KING - Native Land (63)
4. Rae Sremmurd ft. Gucci Mane - Black Beatles (1)
5. Grouper - Headache (58)
6. Rihanna ft. Drake - Work (6)
7. KING - The Greatest (49 in 2015)
8. KING - Hey (Extended Mix) (62)
9. Migos ft. Lil Uzi Vert - Bad and Boujee (25)
10. Mitski - Your Best American Girl (2)

2016 Then

1. Rae Sremmurd ft. Gucci Mane - Black Beatles (34)
2. Mitski - Your Best American Girl (92)
3. Solange - Cranes in the Sky (9)
4. Beyonce - Formation (362)
5. Ariana Grande - Into You (27)
6. Rihanna ft. Drake - Work (42)
7. Shura - What's It Gonna Be? (322)
8. A Tribe Called Quest - We the People (Did not place)
9. Lindstrøm - Closing Shot (1286)
10. David Bowie - I Can't Give Everything Away (115)

2017 Now

1. Sun-El Musician ft. Samthing Soweto - Akanamali (6)
2. Slowdive - Sugar for the Pill (13)
3. Paramore - Hard Times (8)
4. Wolf Alice - Don't Delete The Kisses (41)
5. Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit - If We Were Vampires (57)
6. Bicep - Glue (12)
7. Selena Gomez - Bad Liar (4)
8. Dua Lipa - New Rules (2)
9. Lorde - Green Light (21)
10. MONDO GROSSO ft. Hikari Mitsushima - Labyrinth (35)

20. Charli XCX - Boys (1)

2017 Then

1. Charli XCX - Boys (263)
2. Dua Lipa - New Rules (97)
3. Carly Rae Jepsen - Cut to the Feeling (202)
4. Selena Gomez - Bad Liar (96)
5. Kendrick Lamar - DNA (299)
6. Sun-El Musician ft. Samthing Soweto - Akanamali (7)
7. Kendrick Lamar - Humble (271)
8. Paramore - Hard Times (67)
9. Migos - T-Shirt (609)
10. Future - Mask Off (438)

2018 Now

1. The 1975 - Love It If We Made It (2)
2. Lana Del Rey - Venice Bitch (4)
3. Ariana Grande - no tears left to cry (5)
4. Peggy Gou - It Makes You Forget (Itgehane) (1)
5. Kacey Musgraves - Slow Burn (21)
6. Simmy - Umahlalela (39)
7. Ariana Grande - thank u, next (6)
8. Koffee - Toast (199 in 2018 / 36 in 2019)
9. StarBoy ft. WizKid, Terri, Spotless & Ceeza Milli - Soco (156)
10. MGMT - Me and Michael (45)

2018 Then

1. Peggy Gou - It Makes You Forget (Itgehane) (40)
2. The 1975 - Love It If We Made It (13)
3. Ella Mai - Boo'd Up (275)
4. Lana Del Rey - Venice Bitch (19)
5. Ariana Grande - no tears left to cry (21)
6. Ariana Grande - thank u, next (112)
7. Jessie Ware - Overtime (Did not place)
8. Janelle Monáe - Make Me Feel (509)
9. Mitski - Nobody (393)
10. Kero Kero Bonito - Only Acting (198)

2019 Now

1. Big Thief - Not (2)
2. Charlotte Adigéry - High Lights (59)
3. 100 gecs - money machine (6)
4. Dua Lipa - Don't Start Now (15)
5. Hatchie - Stay With Me (36)
6. Róisín Murphy - Incapable (11)
7. Weyes Blood - Andromeda (18)
8. Purple Mountains - Snow Is Falling In Manhattan (4)
9. Caroline Polachek - So Hot You're Hurting My Feelings (34)
10. Billie Eilish - Bad Guy (31)

15. Busy Signal - Balloon (1)

2019 Then

1. Busy Signal - Balloon (173)
2. Big Thief - Not (28)
3. Richard Dawson - Jogging (151)
4. Purple Mountains - Snow Is Falling In Manhattan (86)
5. Lil Nas X - Old Town Road (Did not place)
6. 100 gecs - money machine (43)
7. Billie Eilish - Bury a Friend (659)
8. Tresor feat. Msaki - Sondela (276)
9. Burna Boy - Anybody (521)
10. Jessie Ware - Adore You (Did not place)

"sprawl ii" placed 147

"old town road" placed 1088 but i suspect it would have gotten more than one vote if anyone had remembered to nominate it

Ah sorry, I knew some of my numbers would be off. I did all this in the last few evenings when I was tired and also trying to pay attention to The Americans. Serves me right for LOLing at thinking Arcade Fire hadn't placed at all.

My biggest surprise is just how much things have changed in our 2019 lists.

Appreciate you putting that together, kitchen person. Interesting to me, anyway

Thanks Vinnie. I'm a huge nerd when it comes to things like this.

the 2010-2014 lists at the time were/are amazing

"get lucky" at #1 though

Thanks so much KP. Somewhere above I requested for someone to do this very comparison as I was very curious to compare results for eoy vs eod.

Of course results would vary since the userbase has changed so much. Makes more sense to see different results for 2010-2017 than on recent years, though.

I think I actually like way better the top 2010-2015 now than then. That said, If you cherrypick winners you can come up with a pretty good top 10 every year.

I'm geeky for this type of data, thanks kitchen person

Haha it hadn't occurred to me that "Nobody" and "Boo'd Up" up had been solid gold 2018 top 10 material when sifting through the spectacularly unpopular tracks on my ballot last week.

thanks for that kp, interesting stuff! 2012 was great

i think i prefer the “then” list in basically every year

temps pergoon

The "now" lists look more polite, polished, considered, canonical. ILM self-congratulation annoys me, but most of the legitimately unique outliers are gone now (otoh, the 2016 "now" list looks totally absurd, as much as I love King). As easy as it is to find missing stuff to complain about, part of that is because what is there is fairly unobjectionable. I quickly skimmed pitchfork's list the other day, and while it suffers from being done mid-2019, it's spikier than these results

Were you all, like, doing the Gangnam Style dance in public in 2012 or something?

Well, this poll is an aggregation of aggregations - the more time you reduce to a single rundown, the more that the popularity cream rises to the surface. It isn't entirely the fault of the voters; I'm sure many ballots had some unusual choices on them, but the less-unusual choices are the ones that will appear, because to get into this poll, a song needed to have accumulated consensus. Of course, some consensuses are stronger than others.

Taken to an extreme, if we were to poll the last 60 years of popular music, in the exact same way, it would only be the absolute most obvious stuff that made it into the top 100 from last decade. There might not even be any Taytay! Sike there would still be like 3 of hers

Brilliant work, kp. Was hoping someone would do something similar.

If we remove the repeated artists the Top 10 for 2016 would be:

2016 Now
1. Solange - Cranes in the Sky (3)

2. Ariana Grande - Into You (5) 

3. KING - Native Land (63)

4. Rae Sremmurd ft. Gucci Mane - Black Beatles (1) 

5. Grouper - Headache (58) 

6. Rihanna ft. Drake - Work (6)
7. Migos ft. Lil Uzi Vert - Bad and Boujee
8. 
Mitski - Your Best American Girl
9. David Bowie - Blackstar
10. Melanie De Biasio - Blackened Cities

Which is honestly a great top 10 imho and almost as good, if not better than the eoy one, although I miss Shura and ATCQ from that one.

Xxxpost to rob

In terms of the then/now comparison, I'll say that obviously cross-decade votesplitting plays a role. If you're KING and you only release one album in a decade, that's going to have outsize representation compared to artists that released numerous albums