31 Best Songs From 2010 - Music Grotto (2024)

There were so many great tracks from 2010 that if you’re making a playlist, you might not even know where to start. We’re going to tell you the 31 best songs from 2010 below, so read on to find out who makes our list!

1. Love The Way You Lie – Eminem Feat. Rihanna

First up is Eminem with the track Love The Way You Lie, which features Rihanna. This song was a massive hit as it detailed two people in a toxic and abusive relationship. The track comes from his album Recovery and landed at number one on the Billboard Hot 100, Hot Rap Songs, Rhythmic, and Mainstream Top 40 charts. It won a Billboard Music Award for Top Rap Song and was nominated for several Grammy Awards, although it didn’t win.

2. OMG – Usher Feat. will.i.am

Next is Usher featuring will.i.am on his song OMG, which was from his album Raymond V. Raymond. This track did get mixed reviews because he used auto-tune in it and a lot of music critics didn’t like that, but it still was commercially a success. It went to number one on the Billboard Hot 100 and Dance Single Sales charts while making it to two on the Mainstream Top 40.

3. Just The Way You Are – Bruno Mars

Bruno Mars was massively successful around 2010, and his song Just The Way You Are is probably one of the most well-known tracks from his debut album Doo-Wops & Hooligans. While the critics said this song was corny, it was a hit with the public and made it to number one on the Billboard Hot 100, Adult Top 40, and Adult Contemporary charts. It also was his debut single and is what made him a household name.

4. Not Afraid – Eminem

Eminem released his album Recovery in 2010, and he’s on our list again with the hit track Not Afraid. This was the first single from that album, and it’s a song with a positive message about getting away from violence and drugs and becoming a better person. It was a huge hit, and critics loved the track because of its positive message, which helped it peak at number one on the Billboard Hot 100 and it landed at eight on the Hot Rap Songs chart.

5. Imma Be – The Black Eyed Peas

The Black Eyed Peas are next with Imma Be, which comes from their album The E.N.D. and this track is slang for saying I will or I am going to be. It was a huge success commercially although critics had mixed reviews of the song. You may know this track from The Hangover Part II or The Other Guys. It made it to number one on the Billboard Hot 100 and Dance Club Songs charts, while hitting two on the Mainstream Top 40 chart.

6. Nothin’ On You – B.o.B Feat. Bruno Mars

B.o.B is a rapper and his debut song Nothin’ On You makes our list, which comes from B.o.B Presents: The Adventures Of Bobby Ray. This track is a mix of Southern hip hop, rap, pop, and R&B, and critics thought it had a great positive message and that it was sweet. It topped the Hot Rap Songs and Billboard Hot 100 charts while also hitting number one on the Mainstream Top 40 and Rhythmic charts!

7. Stuck Like Glue – Sugarland

Country group Sugarland is next on our list with Stuck Like Glue, which is all about how a woman and her man are stuck on each other like glue. This track comes from the album The Incredible Machine, and it hit number one on the Country Digital Songs chart while landing at 17 on the Billboard Hot 100.

8. Hey, Soul Sister – Train

Train makes the list with their hit song Hey, Soul Sister, which was from the album Save Me, San Francisco. This was one of their best tracks and charted higher than their other songs to date, with it being the best-selling track on iTunes for 2010. It was an international success too, hitting number one in more than 16 countries! This track won a Grammy for Best Pop Performance By A Duo or Group With Vocals and hit number one on the Adult Top 40 and Adult Contemporary charts.

9. California Gurls – Katy Perry Feat. Snoop Dogg

Katy Perry had a hit with California Gurls, which featured Snoop Dogg, and this was from her album Teenage Dream. This song was the answer to Jay-Z and Alicia Keys’ track Empire State Of Mind, so it’s talking about why California is great and what makes it special.

It’s a summer song and anthem and tribute to California. It landed on the Billboard Hot 100 at the number one position and also hit number one on the Mainstream Top 40, Dance Club Songs, Dance/Mix Show Airplay, and Adult Top 40 charts.

10. TiK ToK – Ke$ha

Next up is Ke$ha with Tik Tok, which is a song that is based on her personal life and comes from her first album Animal. It’s a track that’s all about being carefree and not letting things bring her down. It landed at number one on the Billboard Hot 100, Mainstream Top 40, and Dance/Mix Show Airplay charts.

11. In My Head – Jason Derulo

Jason Derulo is on the list with his hit song In My Head, which was from his debut album. This track was incredibly popular, and there was a remix made that featured Nicki Minaj. It hit number one on the Mainstream Top 40 but peaked only at five on the Rhythmic and Billboard Hot 100 charts. It’s a song that also was popular internationally and hit number one in the UK, Poland, and Australia.

12. We Used To Wait – Arcade Fire

Next up is We Used To Wait by Arcade Fire, which comes from their album The Suburbs, and it made it to 22 on the Alternative Airplay chart. You may have heard about this song since it was part of Google Creative Lab’s experimental project called The Wilderness Downtown, which was a music video that featured interactive elements. This experiment was used to exploit both Google Chrome and HTML 5.

13. Need You Now – Lady Antebellum

One of the biggest tracks of 2010 was Need You Now by Lady Antebellum, now known as Lady A. This song is all about how you feel lonely and want companionship so you call someone in the middle of the night. It was the debut track for the band in Europe and the UK. It won Grammy Awards including for Record and Song of the Year. This track hit number one on the Hot Country Songs, Adult Top 40, and Adult Contemporary charts but only placed second on the Billboard Hot 100.

14. Telephone – Lady Gaga Feat. Beyoncé

Lady Gaga makes our list with Telephone, which features Beyoncé, and this song is off her album Fame Monster, which was the reissue of Fame. This track is all about her feeling like she doesn’t have time to have fun anymore because she’s working so much and there’s a lot of pressure on her to perform. It hit number one on the Mainstream Top 40 and Dance Club Songs charts while peaking at three on the Billboard Hot 100.

15. Baby – Justin Bieber Feat. Ludacris

Up next is Justin Bieber with Baby, which was one of his most famous and well-known songs, and it features Ludacris. Critics loved this track for its chorus and lyrics and said it’s one of the best songs in pop music of the decade. The track hit number five on the Billboard Hot 100 and hit 11 on the Rhythmic chart.

16. Dynamite – Taio Cruz

Taio Cruz had a massive hit with Dynamite, which comes from the album Rokstarr, and this song also has a remix version with Jennifer Lopez. It was second in terms of sales by a British musician with Adele’s Rolling In The Deep being number one. It landed at number two on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and five on the Adult Top 40 chart.

17. Rude Boy – Rihanna

Rihanna is on the list with Rude Boy, which comes from her album Rated R, and it’s a mix of reggae, R&B, and even raggamuffin. While some people didn’t like how monotonously she sang in the song, other people said this track was the best on the album. It landed at number one on the Billboard Hot 100 chart as well as the Mainstream Top 40 and Rhythmic charts.

18. Bed Rock – Young Money

Bed Rock makes our list, which is a song by Young Money featuring Lloyd, and this was from their collaborative album called We Are Young Money. The track hit number one on the Rap Songs and Rhythmic charts. It hit number two on the Billboard Hot 100 and Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart and placed sixth on the Billboard Pop Songs chart.

19. Runaway – Kanye West Feat. Pusha T

Kanye West and Pusha T got together for the track Runaway, and this song is from his album My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy. It’s a very personal track that goes into how he felt about his relationships that failed and how he finally accepted what the media thought of him. It made it to nine on the Hot Rap Songs chart while hitting 12 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.

20. Just a Dream – Nelly

Nelly is next on the list with his song Just A Dream, which comes from his album 5.0, and by October, just a couple of months after it was released, it had been certified by the RIAA as Triple Platinum. It hit number one on the Mainstream Top 40 chart and Rhythmic chart while making it to three on the Billboard Hot 100 and six on the Hot Rap Songs chart.

21. Misery – Maroon 5

Maroon 5 is on the list with Misery, which was from their album Hands All Over, and it was the lead single from this album to be released. This song is all about realizing his relationship is failing, and he’s in a difficult situation. The lyrics describe the desperation that you feel when you want someone to be in your life but find out it’s more complicated than that to keep them around.

22. How Low – Ludacris

Ludacris was still releasing hot music in 2010, and his song How Low makes our list from his album Battle Of The Sexes. This track made it to number two on the Hot Rap Songs and Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs charts while peaking at six on the Billboard Hot 100. It was certified Double Platinum by the RIAA and is his top-selling single as a solo artist.

23. Cooler Than Me – Mike Posner

If you’ve ever seen Beauty And The Geek Australia, then you probably heard Cooler Than Me by Mike Posner, which was the first song he released off of his debut album 31 Minutes To Takeoff. This track peaked at number six on both the Adult Top 40 and Billboard Hot 100 charts. It landed at number three on the Mainstream Top 40 and 23 on the Adult Contemporary charts.

24. Haven’t Met You Yet – Michael Bublé

Next up is Michael Bublé who released the track Haven’t Met You Yet from the album Crazy Love, and he dedicated this song to his wife. This was his first hit in the UK, peaking at number five. In America, the track hit number one on the Adult Contemporary chart, 12 on the Smooth Jazz Songs chart, and 24 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.

25. Find Your Love – Drake

Rapper Drake had a hit with Find Your Love, which comes from the album Thank Me Later, and it was the second single from this album to be released. You may have seen the music video, which is hard to forget since it features a woman who’s in a gang and Drake having a notorious encounter with her. Critics enjoyed it, and this track received commercial success too, peaking at number one on the Rhythmic Chart while hitting five on the Billboard Hot 100.

26. Soldier Of Love – Sade

Calling all fans of The Lady, next is Sade with the song Soldier Of Love, which was released in January 2010 on iTunes. This track was their first song in 10 years and comes from their album of the same name. The track was nominated and won a Grammy Award for Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group With Vocals. It went to number one on the Smooth Jazz Songs chart and hit 52 on the Billboard Hot 100.

27. Carry Out – Timbaland Feat. Justin Timberlake

Peaking at eight on the Mainstream Top 40 and 11 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart is Carry Out by Timbaland. The song famously features Justin Timberlake, who he has worked with for a long time. It comes from his album Shock Value II and was released as the third single to be released from this album.

28. Try Sleeping With A Broken Heart – Alicia Keys

Alicia Keys is on our list with Try Sleeping With A Broken Heart, which is all about trying to stop thinking about a previous boyfriend and vowing she will move on from that relationship failure. The song comes from her album The Element Of Freedom, and it’s thought to be the best track on that album. It made it to two on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart and Adult R&B Songs chart while only peaking at 27 on the Billboard Hot 100.

29. Live Like We’re Dying – Kris Allen

Kris Allen is a country star that was all over the radio in 2010 with the song Live Like We’re Dying, which comes from his self-titled debut album. The track was a huge success in America and New Zealand as well as Canada. The song is all about not taking life or a day for granted and living every day as if it was your last. It reached three on the Adult Top 40 chart, eight on the Adult Contemporary chart, and 18 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.

30. Mine – Taylor Swift

Next is Taylor Swift who had a hit with Mine, which comes from her album Speak Now. This song is all about how she often runs away from falling in love because she fears her heart will be broken. It is similar to other tracks she wrote about love but has a more mature view of it on this album. It hit number one on the Adult Contemporary chart, two on the Hot Country Songs chart, and landed at three on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.

31. The Only Exception – Paramore

Calling all fans of Gossip Girl, you may know The Only Exception by Paramore, which is last on our list and comes from their album Brand New Eyes. This song was a hit, and it was different from other tracks they’d previously released. It was nominated for a Grammy for Best Pop Performance By A Duo or Group With Vocals, and it made it to nine on the Adult Top 40 chart while peaking at 24 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.

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