Though Top 40 radio didn’t pump out 2011’s best songs, it sure did play some memorable tunes. From eye-roll inducing and goofy to edgy and powerful, here are the jams that kept mainstream radio listenable this year. Check out which songs fell to the bottom of the barrel here.

1. ‘Forget You’ by Cee Lo Green (No. 7 on Billboard Year Top 100)

Sure, ‘Forget You’ is a three-minute wave of the middle finger to a gold-digging ex-girlfriend, but what a fun one-finger salute it is. Paired with a foxy backup singer, retro-soul funk and a cocky swagger, Cee Lo smoothly berates his former love interest. Even the most evil of exes would swoon at Cee Lo’s gruff high notes, even though he’s busy poking fun at their flirty nature and his naivety. The bass grooves are sexy, the percussion as sunny as old-school Motown and nothing rains on Cee Lo’s breakup song parade.

2. ‘Party Rock Anthem’ by LMFAO (No. 2) 

Was there a more fitting battle cry for 2011 than the rowdy opening shout of ‘Party rock!’ on LMFAO’s club-banging breakthrough? The irreverent dance-pop hit captured magic in a bottle with a winning mix of a hook-laden techno breakdown, cheesy pop culture references and half-slurred rap verses. Though it isn’t clever, subtle or smart, it sure is catchy as heck. Even though the bumbling duo has churned out less than stellar follow-ups, ‘Party Rock Anthem’ will keep fans shuffling and shaking it all through the new year.

3. ‘ Last Friday Night (T.G.I.F.)’ by Katy Perry (No. 14)

Getting a hangover has never been so fun. The Katy Perry songwriting machine cranked out hit after hit, but none managed to encapsulate the pop princess’s playful energy better than ‘Last Friday Night.’ The song bubbles and bounces its way through an ‘Oh no, it’s the day after a party, and I had no clue what I’m doing’ moment, hitting the right chords with a toe-tapping riot of choruses and a saxophone solo courtesy of maestro Kenny G. Even better is the music video, a nostalgia blast of sorts featuring Hanson and 2011’s other video superstar, Rebecca Black.

4. ‘Super Bass’ by Nicki Minaj (No. 8)

Drake put out a bluesy as heck breakup album, and Lil Wayne released his long-awaited ‘Tha Carter IV,’ but the best effort from the Young Money crew comes from the finest female rapper since Missy Elliot. Nicki Minaj spits fire, swears like a young Eminem and still keeps ‘Super Bass’ feeling like a cutesy bubblegum pop song with a killer chorus. It’s a girly-girl song with plenty of spunk and sass as Minaj lists the qualities of her dream boy, who apparently wears polo shirts and deals narcotics. Despite Minaj’s wacky persona, which may be off-putting, ‘Super Bass’ laces its powerful flow with sugared-up frosting.

5. ‘Where Them Girls At’ by David Guetta (No. 88)

Amid all the hype for gimmicky electronic artists like Skrillex and Avicii, it looked like big-time beat producer Guetta was booted from the spotlight. Then he trotted back with ‘Where Them Girls At,’ a fist-pumping jam that roars with raw adrenaline and courses with romantic tension. It features a battle-of-the-sexes brawl between Flo Rida and Nicki Minaj, and their duel is all the more fun with some nifty bass drops and a feel-good chorus. Flo Rida owns the chorus with a soaring performance while Minaj’s unhinged emotion on her verse is spot-on. It’s silly, but goofy enough to plaster a smile on your face.

ervanrhe@syr.edu

Published on December 29, 2011 at 12:00 pm

Contact Erik: ervanrhe@syr.edu | @therealvandyman