Goodbye 2010!

I’ve had a great week spending my last half of winter break at home with family and friends, catching up on everyone’s busy lives, and of course eating lots and lots of food.  Now, I’m enjoying my last 24 hours in the Golden State before I have to fly back to the Windy City tomorrow (classes start up again on Monday, bleh!).  I’m also realizing that the year is about to come to end, a fact that has sort of sneaked up on me as I’ve been so busy making the most of my short two-week break from school.  I also find myself away from Jason, in contrast to the last two years where we’ve spent and celebrated the New Year’s together in DC, so that may be another reason why it doesn’t feel like a new year is approaching.

Our New Year’s celebrations in DC the last two years consisted of going to JR’s, a gay bar, to countdown to the end of the year.  Part of the festivities that take place there include a countdown of the top 10 TV moments and the top 10 songs of the year during the last hour before clock strikes midnight.  Well, to make up for the fact that Jason and I will not be there to take part in their countdown, I will do a little countdown of my own of what I think were the top 15 songs of the year for me (I’m not even going to attempt a countdown of TV moments due to my lackluster TV watching habits this year).  So here we go, the songs that made 2010 a memorable year!

15. Empire State of Mind – Jay-Z and Alicia Keys

This was a great song to kick off the year and on repeat while I was in the Big Apple early spring.  As I was applying to law schools and getting ready for the next chapter in my life, this song seemed to appropriately reflect my big hopes and dreams for the future.  And I loved belting out Alicia’s parts!

14. Like a Prayer – Glee Cast

The much anticipated Madonna episode on Glee was fabulous, and so was their rendition of one of my favorite songs by the Material Girl.  I’d definitely put this rendition up there with UCLA Awaken Acapella’s version from my college years.

13. Only Girl (In the World) – Rihanna

This song and the next have only recently made it on my list of “Songs That Keep Getting Stuck In My Head,” but with a great beat and make-me-feel-sexy lyrics it was really only a matter of time before it became a part of my repertoire.  Definitely one of those songs that makes me shout “Get it gurrrl!”

12. Like A G6 – Far*East Movement

Like the previous song, this song does a great job of getting party started and booty shakin’ to the awesome beats.  Always guaranteed to cause some turbulence!

11. DJ Got Us Fallin’ In Love – Usher

Of all the Usher songs that came out this year this is by far the one I liked the most.  This disturbingly weird yet funny viral video helped ingrain this song in my head as well (sort of a throwback to the “Numa numa” video from back in the day haha).

10. Love the Way You Lie – Eminem

This quickly became my go-to angry song whenever I started feeling frustrated about something and needed to vent.  Leave it to Eminem to put out a great song that just makes you want to punch someone in the face and feel good about it haha.  The music video is just as visceral and powerful:

9. Magic – B.O.B.

Rivers certainly still has the golden touch and is not afraid to use it.  The first time I heard this song I couldn’t help but grin as I found myself uncontrollably tapping my feet and bopping my head.  Nothing like a catchy feel-good song to melt my worries away, well done B.O.B. and Rivers!

8. Firework- Katy Perry

This song quickly became a favorite of both Jason and me and instrumental in keeping us motivated through the ups and downs of our first semester in law school.  The song was also especially inspirational for the fact that Miss Perry dedicated the music video to the Trevor Project in response to the several tragic suicides committed by LGBT youth this past summer.  Way to raise awareness Ms. Perry =)

7. Just the Way You Are – Bruno Mars

With his sweet and melodious voice, Bruno Mars was certainly a great newcomer onto the music scene this year.  This lyrics in this song are lovely as is but the harmonies he uses make it that much better. Can’t wait to hear what he puts out in future albums!

6. Telephone – Lady Gaga

Miss Gaga struck again this year after her fabulous break out in 2009.  For awhile, this was my go-to pre-party song whenever I was getting ready for a night of debauchery in DC.  The music video was done in true Lady Gaga fashion and one of my favorites this year.  Check out the full version:

5. Teenage Dream – Katy Perry

As fun as California Gurls was, Miss Perry followed it up with another great song that took us back to the days of young, uninhibited love in Teenage Dream.  Passionate and carefree, the song captures that special rush you feel after experiencing all those great firsts: first crush, first kiss, first fill-in-the-blank, etc.  Take a peek under that fort built out of sheets :

4. Your Love is My Drug – Ke$ha

Hey!  Haaaaaay.  Although Tik Tok is officially the number one song of 2010 according to the Billboard charts and produced a great Simpsons intro video, it was this whimsical song that got me giggling like a little girl at the end.  This song and California Gurls battled it out between Jason and I for our favorite song of the summer, with Jason on Team Perry and me on Team Ke$ha based on which song we each grew to favor first.  The winner?  An undisputed tie =).  P.S.  I like your beard.

3. Dynamite – Taio Cruz

Usually I don’t appreciate when a song tries to tell me what to do, but I couldn’t help but throw my hands up in the air not sometimes but every time this song came on.  Thus, for personal safety reasons, I had to take this song off my workout playlist. =P  But seriously, I couldn’t have asked for a better song that could guarantee to get everyone up on their feet and having a good time without having to tell them twice!

2. California Gurls – Katy Perry

Nothing like a good song that gratuitously proclaims its gurls (as the Beach Boys would surely agree) as California’s greatest commodity to get any west coaster hootin’ and hollerin’ proudly.  Or at the very least you were guaranteed to see this uprooted California native do just that at venues in DC and Chi-town whenever this song came on.  One of the leading ladies of pop, Miss Perry certainly left her mark on this year (and with the gays) with this fabulous song.  West Coast, REPRESENT!

1. Bad Romance – Lady Gaga

Yes, 2010 was once again the year of the Gaga with plenty of hits to keep us dancing all night long.  But she didn’t just stop there.  Lady Gaga took her popularity to the road and became a fierce advocate of the repeal of Don’t Ask Don’t Tell–among the many other LGBT causes she has spoken out for–earning her a tweet from the most powerful person in the Senate, Majority Leader Harry Reid.  For that and all her talent, Lady Gaga earns my top spot this year.

Happy New Year everyone!  Here’s to a fabulous 2011! =)

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