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The Best 100 Songs of the Decade, 91-100


First things first: the title is a bit of a misnomer. What you are about to read isn't an overview of the "best" songs of from 2010 through 2019, which would require some sense of objectivity. These are my favorite tracks of the decade, in all their varied, often stupendous, sometimes awful, upside down glory. Now that we have that out of the way, let's begin.

Over the next month, I will periodically drop a 10-song chunk of the Top 100 list, in countdown order. Today, we begin with songs 91 through 100. It would be tempting to label these "the bottom ten," but that would be inaccurate, as there are a lot -- A LOT -- of songs that I listened to during this decade that haven't made the cut. So, consider these the least of the best.

Hmm, not sure that sounds much better. Regardless, here we go...




100. Mid Air / Paul Buchanan - 2012

Featured in the time travel generational movie About Time, this melancholy song caught my ear.




99. Feel For You / Bat for Lashes - 2019

My mind can drift (in a good way) and I can lose myself for a bit in this song that kind of just bops along. Glad to see Bat for Lashes back with new material.




98. Dissolve / Absofacto - 2017

I wish that Jonathan Visger (aka Absofacto), a songwriter & performer from the upper midwest, was more well-known, and would release more material. He does nice, good, chill music, and Dissolve is my favorite of his work.



97. Brilliant / Ultravox - 2012

From Vienna to this bittersweet single in 2012, Ultravox has always crafted interesting music.



96. Oh My Heart / R.E.M. - 2011

I was never a constant fan of the band from Athens, but have enjoyed some of their songs here and there. This track, from their last studio album, isn't too shabby.



95. Tardy for the Party / Kim Zolciak - 2010

Such a ridiculous tune, but I can't deny getting the biggest kick out of it back when I watched The Real Housewives of Atlanta.



94. Love Me Again / John Newman - 2013

I don't have much to say about this one, except that I like Newman's full-on vocals in it. Oh, and it was kinda neat how it turned up in the closing credits for Edge of Tomorrow.



93. Here For You / Jean-Michel Jarre featuring Gary Numan - 2016

Jean-Michel Jarre put together a project where he combined music he'd composed with some pretty nifty guest vocalists (including Pet Shop Boys, Cyndi Lauper, and Mr. Gary Numan, who graces our selected entry). Numan's haunting vocals and the music's stomping beat come together to create a song about devotion, even when you can sense the pain bubbling underneath.





92. Extra Luv / Future featuring YG - 2017

The lyrics to this song are somewhat absurd, up to including the opening line, which I misheard for many months as, "Too much pepper in my life, baby." Still, I like the see-saw undercurrent of the tune, along with the boldness of how the song just opens with the spoken lyrics.


91. Wings / Haerts - 2013

Featured in the film Love, Simon, this song plays toward the end, when Simon is on his own to meet the anonymous person he's been corresponding (and falling in love) with. The scene got to me on an emotional level, and the inclusion of this track helped bump-up the feelings.




And, there you have the first ten entries in the countdown of my favorite songs of the decade. Another set of ten will be coming soon!


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