I would like to preface this list by making me sound like less of a tool. My definition of "mainstream" is music that gets substantial airtime on top-40 radio. I am not trying to sound like a douchebag hipster.
10) Nelly - "Just a Dream" - I actually don't like this song that much. It kinda sounds like Nelly plagiarized "Sweetest Girl" by Wyclef Jean on the melody. It was just so awesome to see Nelly on top of the charts again that I had to put it on here. STL represent.
9) Trey Songz feat. Nicki Minaj - "Bottoms Up" - This song sounds like something circa 2004 with its great dirty club feel. Plus, Nicki totally deserves a mention on this list as she tore it up in 2010.
8) Willow - "Whip My Hair" - My neck hurts just listening to this song. There is way too much talent in this family. (And she really does have talent. Take a look at "Baby Rihanna" here.)
7) Jesse McCartney - "Shake" - I don't know how the hell Jesse managed to escape Aaron Carter purgatory, but somehow he did and he brought this catchy single with him. I thought this was the perfect example of how the actual singer was completely indispensable on top-40 songs, but McCartney actually wrote this. Props.
6) B.o.B. feat. Bruno Mars - "Nothin' On You" - I was so glad when this song hit the airwaves because it felt like it'd been forever since there was a good male-vocal radio hit. After all the Gagas, Beyoncés, and Ke$has, this was a real refresher.
5) Katy Perry - "Teenage Dream" - I know "California Gurls" was the hit of the summer, but this was my personal 2010 fave from Mrs. Russell Brand. Plus, the Glee cover was one of the few Glee songs I've liked (read: "been able to listen to without purging") all year.
4) Flo Rida feat. David Guetta - "Club Can't Handle Me" - Can't say I've seen Step Up 3D, but this song is in it. It's also damn catchy and has the word "club" in it, which generally guarantees success.
3) DJ Khaled feat. T-Pain, Ludacris, Snoop Dogg, Rick Ross - "All I Do Is Win" - I'm a little partial to this song because they played it all the time at Mizzou's football games (At least while all we were doing was winning. Fucking Nebraska.) Plus, this song has the single most effective use of a whole rest in the history of top-40 radio.
2) Rihanna - "Only Girl (In the World)" - I'm so glad Rihanna is back. Not to be a Rude Boy, but I wasn't a big fan of her last album (maybe I shouldn't be so Hard on her). She's back with a vengeance, red hair, and this track, which has some of the best production I've heard on a dance single in a while and is super infectious in an anthemic kind of way.
1) Justin Bieber - "Baby" - Did I really just put J. Biebz at the top of a list of things that are good? Yes. Let me just clarify: I don't have Bieber fever. I don't even have the sniffles. I hate that 12 year-old lesbian. But this song is actually moderately passable, and by moderately passable I mean really fun and danceable. But in a I-really-hate-this-tool-and-can't-wait-til-his-voice-drops kind of way.
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