Only a few months ago, the clock struck twelve and we were launched into a new era. A new decade.
It is in these times of absolute boredom that I reflect the most. So a few weeks ago I started to look through some of my favorite songs of the last decade. Songs that impacted me. Not all of them are indie darlings, which is something I’ve come to realize is my intrinsic, almost Pitchfork-ian taste that I thought defined my taste between 2010 and 2020 isn’t entirely accurate. Charli and Hugh’s inward poptimism forced me to reassess things and how they were true to myself.
I had grown up with pop, rhythm & blues, new jack swing, eurodance, j-pop, and all sorts of sounds that at the time were not critically beloved. They have always been part of me and sometime during my time here on BEA I learned to appreciate all of where I came from musically-speaking. I wasn’t a metalhead who was falling victim to indie pop and contemporary “inferior” styles, because it was always part of me. I was just lying to myself. I treated myself as an upper-crust critic without a full understanding of my literary philosophy or belief of the musical palate I had built. I of course realize myself and what I know and why I was trying to put on this half-façade. At thirty-one years old, I now think I am beyond the belief that I have to be the smartest person in the room and that certain musical styles are beneath me. I have always had an inkling about this. I have hated music theory purists and bad faith subjectivists about equally for as long as I can remember, even if I did not know how to put it into words.
It's funny how steadfast I was to dismiss people whom I believed were bad actors.
I have changed a lot, I suppose. Maybe, in part, me realizing my queerness in 2017 is a key factor in this? I don't know. I feel like I'm rambling.
I guess what I’m trying to say is this: all music is valid and should be contextualized and weighed upon its own merits. Not some arbitrary “objective” scaling that people perceive as correct. Pop should not be judged for the sum of all its parts from a rockist perspective. This is the primary ideology of poptimism that I find fascinating and utterly correct. Disco, Funk, and Pop lived by their own merits and journalists in the 1970s looked at them as the enemy and judged them from the outlook of rock and roll. It was intellectually dishonest and philosophically evil. And it broke public confidence through a manipulative, insincere outlook that was out to not perceive art but rather demonize it from before the pen hit the paper. I think now in 2020 we understand this complicated history, or at the very least accept that it was unfair.
I think the most important part is the artists today look back with fondness rather than disdain. And it is with that I’d like to go on to the meat of this thread; this diary.
The 2010’s is the most diverse decade for so many factors and I judge the art within it based on its own merits, intentions, and design. It is quite possibly my favorite decade in modern music (music produced after 1950, following the album format gaining traction). I'd like to have a conversation with you about what I think are transcendent songs within the decade. Welcome to my Favorite Songs of the Decade.
Table of Contents
“Body Talk”, Foxes, 2015
Last edited by mickilennial on 04/08/2020 09:35; edited 1 time in total
Scoring in the Top 25 in the UK in 2015, “Body Talk”, is a significant pop hit showing frontline what exactly Louisa Allen can do when given the right atmosphere. Obviously, the song itself holds firmly in the shadow of Sweden’s Robyn, who influenced the breakaway electropop revolution five years prior.
Foxes wrote:
Oh, let your body talk
Even when you feel so lost
What I personally like about this song goes well beyond the synths, but of the song’s actual energy.
The desperation and resolution in the shadow of a breakup is really something else even if lyrically speaking we have seen this song-and-dance many times before. The heavily engineered soundscape only lends to the rather simplistic pop melodies, and honestly I think it’s a way better song than one might perceive it to be upon first glance. If this is one such song of the Robyn-brought pop revolution, then bring on the revolution. Throw those who don’t accept it and adore it in the gulag. This is the future whether you like it or not.
Now this is something I hope doesn't die off in 3 posts. You've always had a way to cut to the meat of things. May you fond on.
Yeah, I just need to set a schedule for doing diaries. I kind of burnt out of my last thread because I didn't have any inspiration to do it. You'd think with COVID I'd no longer be busy, but apparently not.
I'll try to post mini-entries every week from here on out.
Quite possibly the most important pop song of 2010 from the most important pop album of 2010.
Robyn was a fixture in pop stardom in the 90s and early 00s. The proto-teen pop star that was on the verge of real international success. After five years onward from starting her own label and being able to control her own image and musical direction, Robyn turned herself into a electro-pop heavyweight and with Body Talk she molded the future of pop music. Everyone from Charli XCX to Carly Rae Jepsen took influence from this version of Robyn, from this defining sound that Robyn brought to the table in no way anyone else before her did.
But no song on Body Talk is as iconic and memorable as Dancing On My Own.
Between the stuttering synth line to the lyrical nature of the song, Dancing On My Own is the foremother to my last entry (ironically sharing the same name as the album this entry is from), as I have mentioned. For those interested in the greater history here I reccomend watching this youtube doc on the subject.
Robyn was supposed to be the new pop icon in the late 90s instead of Britney Spears, but she chose another path. And I'm glad that she did. That video looks interesting too. _________________ Finally updated the overall chart
Robyn was supposed to be the new pop icon in the late 90s instead of Britney Spears, but she chose another path. And I'm glad that she did. That video looks interesting too.
Also her producer left her for the United States to produce those artists.
This little tidbit is covered by the doc a good amount. It's amazing how Robyn defined two eras of pop music with two completely different sounds. That's a once in a lifetime talent.
Quite possibly the most important pop song of 2010 from the most important pop album of 2010.
Robyn was a fixture in pop stardom in the 90s and early 00s. The proto-teen pop star that was on the verge of real international success. After five years onward from starting her own label and being able to control her own image and musical direction, Robyn turned herself into a electro-pop heavyweight and with Body Talk she molded the future of pop music. Everyone from Charli XCX to Carly Rae Jepsen took influence from this version of Robyn, from this defining sound that Robyn brought to the table in no way anyone else before her did.
But no song on Body Talk is as iconic and memorable as Dancing On My Own.
Between the stuttering synth line to the lyrical nature of the song, Dancing On My Own is the foremother to my last entry (ironically sharing the same name as the album this entry is from), as I have mentioned. For those interested in the greater history here I reccomend watching this youtube doc on the subject.
Great stuff!!! My kids & I love her and this track!
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