Best Singles of 2011

2011 was the return of the single!! Ok, not really. But, you gotta admit, there were huge, career-defining ones. Christina Aguilera got back her mojo, Nicki Minaj finally broke over into the pop mainstream, Adele had everyone reaching for their Kleenex, Lady Gaga married the night, Rihanna found love in a hopeless place, while Britney had us all dancing till the world ended even though it didn't. But that's besides the point. Here's a look back at 50 of the best songs released as singles through-out 2011 that I thought, absolutely rocked the mainstream pop and indie worlds and certainly had my hand on the "repeat" button.

50. The Weeknd- The Knowing

49. The Rapture- How Deep is Your Love

48. The Kills- Satellite

47. Lykke Li- Sadness is a Blessing

46. Lana Del Ray- Video Games

45. The Vaccines- Wetsuit

44. PJ Harvey- The Words That Maketh Murder

43. Young the Giant- My Body

42. Drake- Marvin's Room 

41. Maroon 5 feat Christina Aguilera- Moves Like Jagger

40. Lady Gaga- The Edge of Glory

39. Wild Beasts- Bed of Nails

38. Beruit- Sante Fe 

37. tUnE-yArDs-  Bizness

36. David Guetta feat Usher- Without You

35. Rihanna- Man Down

34. Nicki Minaj- Super Bass

33. Chris Brown feat Busta Rhymes and Lil Wayne- Look at Me Now

32. Lykke Li- I Follow Rivers

31. Florence + the Machine- No Light, No Light

30. Lil Wayne feat Rick Ross- John

29. Adele- Someone Like You

28. The Strokes- Under Cover of Darkness

27. Coldplay- Every Teardrop is a Waterfall

26. M83- Midnight City

25. Lil Wayne feat Cory Gunz- 6 Foot 7 Foot

24. St. Vincent- Cruel

23. Cults- Go Outside

22. Nas- Nasty

21. Britney Spears feat Nicki Minaj and Ke$ha- Till the World Ends Remix

20. Lady Gaga- Marry the Night

19. Bjork- Crystalline

18. Kanye West and Jay-Z- Otis

17. Fleet Foxes- Helplessness Blues

16. The Black Keys- Lonely Boy

15. Kanye West and Jay-Z- Niggas in Paris

14. Frank Ocean- Swim Good

13. Rihanna feat Calvin Harris- We Found Love

12. Adele- Rolling in the Deep

11. James Blake- The Wilhelm Scream

10. Robyn- Call Your Girlfriend

Nobody does pop music quite like Robyn, and even with an album almost two years old, she continues to churn out superior tunes you'll probably not hear on the radio.

9. Beyonce- Countdown

What with the chorus and how she pronounces the word "boo," this song is silly as they come. But listen past that, and it's one of the best love songs you'll hear all year.

8. Tyler, the Creator- Yonkers 

Yes, he eats a cockroach in the video. Yes, he hangs himself too. But ignore the video for a bit. Ignore the part about stabbing Bruno Mars in his esophagus, too and what we have left is a striking rap performance referencing the best of early Eminem. 

7. Radiohead- Lotus Flower

2011 was a really visible year for Radiohead, and where did it start? This song. It's one of the best written singles this year, with my fave line being "'cause all I want is the moon upon a stick, just to see what if..."

6. Foster the People- Pumped Up Kicks

The song of the summer, hands down, but why is it about... killing people? No matter. It's fun and it's got hooks for days.

5. Kanye West feat Rihanna, Kid Cudi- All of the Lights

It wasn't the ginormous hit it should have been, but man does it sound like it. Rihanna turns in a great vocal performance on the chorus, but the spotlight belongs to that beat. Hands down.

4. Florence + the Machine- Shake it Out

Name me a pop song more euphoric and transcendental than this released in 2011. I'll wait. Can't find one? Neither could I. 

3. Coldplay- Paradise

It's a silly song, one I didn't even particularly like when it was just released, so i'm just as surprised as you are that it's this high. But, i've come to realize, and can't emphasize enough, that this is one of their best songs. Right up there with "Yellow," "Clocks" and "Viva La Vida." Yes I said it.

2. Bon Iver- Holocene

I can't say exactly what this song is about. In fact, if I said I didn't know, I would be completely honest. However, i'm still moved every time I listen to it. If you're looking to the lyrics to actually find meaning, you probably won't; Justin Vernon was always more of a linguist than he was a story-teller. ("Christmas night, it clutched the light, the hallow bright above my brother, I and tangled spines...") But if that one line "...and at once I knew I was not magnificent" repeated through-out is any indication, this isn't a mere cerebral experience. It's a realisation of something greater, higher than self.

1. Girls- Vomit

"Nights I spend alone, I spend 'em runnin' round lookin' for you, baby" begins this plaintive song. And in all honestly, that's basically as far as it goes lyrically. However. HOW. EVER. The things that happen within this song's almost 7-minute running time is far from pedestrian. It starts with a plucking guitar, builds to crunching, psych-rock guitar solos all before a gospel choir comes in at the end. Yes, a gospel choir. And as pretentious and ridiculous as that all sounds, it's absolutely beautiful when heard. Indeed, I could find no other song released this year that gave me the same feelings, moved me in the same ways and ushered me to the same places as this song did. Trust, I looked.