For a brief period of time, this was the biggest song of all time in Australia simply for its refusal to drop out of the charts. I guess it makes sense given how this was a party jam from two members of the Gordy family released during the height of the club boom, although as you'll quickly discover from this list, I'm not a huge fan of the 2010's club boom.
This was so inescapable here in Australia and over in Kimbra's native NZ that it managed to become a massive worldwide success several months after its initial release, not bad for an indie duet between two artists that even in the southern hemisphere remain one hit wonders to this day with this ballad.
Although it may not seem like it, this is in fact a collaboration that was commissioned to be the theme song of a reality series as Christina Aguilera and Adam Levine from Maroon 5 were judges on the Voice America when this initially came out. It signaled a new chapter for the latter as his subsequent releases with his band would shift towards a more pop direction compared to their rock roots.
We have the second appearance from LMFAO this early on from my list, it goes to show you how inescapable these two were for their second album even if that success faded almost as instantly as it came for them. I guess this was meant to be their version of "I'm too sexy," mainly because it came out twenty years after that track and both songs having a similar reputation nowadays.
This is the only hit that Carly Rae Jepsen had on her own throughout the world, oh sure she had a hit with Owl City after this took the world by storm, however none of her other singles managed to take hold anywhere outside her native Canada. As it turns out, this only became a worldwide smash due to an endorsement from Justin Bieber of all people, meaning this is actually a success due to the Beliebers.
While this wasn't the first novelty track to make it big through the internet, it was the song which convinced Billboard to change how they calculated their charts due to it failing to get to number one in America due to it being a foreign language track that wasn't receiving much airplay over there. Naturally this decision would ruin the music industry throughout the decade, although that certainly wasn't this song's fault as it's just a harmless diss track towards the citizens of the Gangnam district in Korea.
It may surprise you to learn that this wasn't an immediate chart topper here in Australia, in fact it didn't top our charts at all as it was only a modest success upon its initial release and only became a best seller due to the One direction phenomenon taking off throughout the rest of the world. Indeed, this is one of the lower charting songs to appear this high on this list to give you an idea of how much of a sleeper hit it was down under.
This is the last song from Guy Sebastian to have a featured artist from America, this time it's Lupe Fiasco who provided a rap verse for the former reality show winner which also failed to connect with an audience in the northern hemisphere.
There was a time where people were excited for what Macklemore had to offer the music industry, I won't go into why that's no longer the case except to say that people weren't happy with how much critical acclaim he and Ryan Lewis received at the expense of others back in the day. In any case, we have their breakthrough single about not wasting your money on expensive fads and instead being conscious with your spending habits.
This was originally released as a single in 2010 to deafening silence, not even an endorsement from Triple J could make this a hit for the trio Foster the people upon its initial release that year. It was given a second chance when it finally crossed over in their native America which allowed it to be a success worldwide, although it was technically a hit twice here in Australia as it received a boost in popularity early in 2012 for some reason.
There didn't seem to be any signs of Flo Rida slowing down in the music scene as this became yet another instant success for the rapper, although in this case I think this is due to the presence of Sia on the chorus as this was released shortly after the mainstream exposure she received on "Titanium" with David Guetta. It feels strange that her popularity would skyrocket from this collaboration whilst the rappers would decline.
This is one of those bittersweet hits that I've featured on this site as the band in question would go their separate ways just after it became a massive hit for them worldwide. I'm not sure why they called it quits as EDM would continue to thrive as the decade went on, however I'm guessing they didn't have much faith in this song when they released it and felt its success was a fluke when it took off.
To think this remains Coldplay's biggest hit in certain parts of the world, although I'm guessing their big hit would've been "Clocks" or "Speed of sound" had digital downloads been legal when those songs were initially released as singles. Even so, this is one of the more divisive tracks from the band's catalogue likely due to it sounding like something that was made specifically for web commercials.
Well, if there's one artist I really don't like talking about, it's Nicki Minaj as in addition to me not liking her music, she also happens to have a long list of controversies both in and out of the music scene that I'd rather not get into. Here we have her biggest hit which showcases her more as a pop star than a rapper given how there's hardly any rapping on the track.
Many people have had issues with this song from Flo Rida over the years, namely because they believe it stole the success that "Levels" from Avicii would've otherwise had given how the rapper uses that song as a chorus to connect his verses about how he has a good feeling about his future prospects.
This was supposed to just be the third advanced single for Calvin Harris's album 18 months; however, it was ultimately chosen as the lead single to Rihanna's album Talk that talk given how it came out around the same time she had completed that album. As such, it's the rare track from the Scottish producer where he's the featured artist instead of the vocalist which I feel should've been the case for all of his other singles.
Well, I've been pretty positive towards Taylor Swift so far on this list, let's change that by highlighting one of my least favourite songs from her due to it being her attempt at dubstep. Normally my problems with her come from her writing, however here it's the way it sounds which I'm guessing was the case due to it coming out around the height of Skrillex's popularity who ushered in the sub-genre into the mainstream.
Oh look, a song about oral sex becoming a huge worldwide hit from Flo Rida, I mean I guess you can argue it's more innocent than that except anyone who's familiar with the concept of "blowing a whistle" will know what this song is actually about. This was an easy chart topper for the Miami rapper and one that likely led to the rise of the politically correct crowd that would dominate the remainder of the decade.
Well, I think this is the first love song to become a success to have Legos as a metaphor for how a relationship is working out, it was certainly a unique spin for love songs which no doubt helped it be a massive success for Ed Sheeran during the first half of the decade. He would have a few more hits from his debut album before he went to work on the theme to the second Hobbit film.
Well, I guess I hyped up this collaboration when I brought it up when discussing the two hits that both artists on here had respectively, so here we are with that collaboration which seemed to bring out the best of both of them. Adam Young would struggle to recapture this success artistically if the numerous complaints from his longtime fans are anything to go by, however Carly would become a critical darling with her subsequent releases.
To think that this is the final hit single that Britney Spears has had in her career (as of this writing at least) mainly because I'm not even sure she's on this track given how uncharacteristic her performance is on this track compared to the rest of her catalogue (she sounds like Lady Gaga to me.) This also feels like something that was meant for a Black-Eyed Peas album that Will I am instead used for his solo album.
This is the other big hit that the Justice Crew had in their career, it came out two years prior to their earlier entry and is another example of a party track that was made to light up the dance floor and little more.
This is the second and final hit to come from Fun, a band who was popular throughout 2012 thanks to having two massive hits from the indie sphere which cropped up around the time the club boom was coming to an end. Despite how big the band was this year; they would go on hiatus once the album cycle was done where Nate Reuss would embark on a solo career and Jack Antonoff would become an in-demand producer.
This was the first song from Bruno Mars to take influence from a past genre as opposed to a particular artist, although it was obvious that this was meant to be a tribute to the Police given how quickly people compared it to that band's back catalogue upon its initial release. Admittedly Bruno has always been quick to credit his inspirations as his debut album was heavily inspired by the works of Billy Joel.
Following the success of "Moves like Jagger" from earlier on this list, Maroon 5 decided to make that be the template of their new sound which resulted in their mainstream popularity skyrocketing at the expense of them alienating their existing fanbase as well as angering internet critics for the better part of a decade at this point. Here they recruit Wiz Khalifa to provide them a guest verse on a song about a relationship coming to an end.
Well, it looks like I can finally feature an artist from Iceland whose name isn't Bjork on this site, here we have the one and only international hit from Of monsters and men who took the world by storm a year after its initial release due to it being a duet between two people about how they'll always be in each other's hearts. I guess this was the precursor to "Never forget you" between MNEK and Zara Larsson.
This took a while to take off given how the indie sphere had taken a back seat to the club boom during the early phases of the 2010's, however it was given a massive boost in popularity several months after its initial release due to it being performed at the 2012 Superbowl as well as it being covered on Glee of all things. The band is best known for their earlier entry on this list; however, this too was a massive hit for them.
This was written by Sia, I thought I'd bring that up because Rihanna said yes to this track where it became a huge worldwide chart topper for her but no to "Cheap thrills" (which is still to come) which wound up being a huge worldwide chart topper for Sia later in the decade. I guess I am curious to see a version of this song from Sia herself given how similar Rihanna sounds to her.
This second single from Overexposed more or less confirmed the direction that Maroon 5 were heading in which many of their detractors will tell you is little more than a solo project for Adam Levine without him having the courtesy of making it as such. This song is also infamous for keeping "Gangnam style" from earlier on this list from the number one spot in America, which prompted Billboard to change how they calculated their charts.
This cover of the Bon Iver track from 2008 was originally released in 2011 to deafening silence for English singer Birdy, I'm guessing because the original was well known in the indie sphere despite that also being a flop for the American folk band. It was given a new life in 2012 in Australia when it was covered by a contestant in X factor Australia that year as were many indie tracks throughout the decade.
If you're confused as to why this Irish trio decided to collaborate with Will I am of all people, that's because him and lead singer Danny O'Donoghue were judges on the Voice UK and that they were trying to build up buzz for the show the same way that Maroon 5 and Christina Aguilera did the year prior. It paid off as the show and the song were both massive hits for everyone involved.
It turns out this was the theme to a straight to video film known as Mac and Devlin go to high school, a film that happens to star both Snoop Dogg and Wiz Khalifa as high school students, the former being held back for many years to get around how old he was to be in high school while the latter being a valedictorian of the school. Naturally the song is the only thing people feel is worth remembering about the film.
No this isn't named after the Bobby McFerrin track of the same name; this is instead an original track from Guy Sebastian he released as the first advanced single to his biggest album Armageddon.
On the surface, this seems like a tribute to the 80's action series of the same name, it would make sense given hot the theatrical adaptation was a commercial success around this time and Mr. T's popularity had resurfaced as well. It turns out that this is actually about a woman being on type A drugs (which is the heavy stuff for the uninitiated) and how this makes Ed concerned for her wellbeing.
This was a song that took forever in a day to reach the upper echelons of the charts here in Australia, I'm guessing because we Aussies had to learn to love this EDM track from the Swedish duo Icona pop who admittedly, are an acquired taste given how abrasive their music can be. This was also the world's introduction to Charli XCX who would go on to have critical acclaim in the indie pop sphere after this.
This was the second of two bonus tracks to come from Katy Perry's reissue of her third album Teenage dream (cleverly titled the Complete confection) it showcases her being wide awake to the fact that her marriage to Russell Brand was doomed from the start and that she was foolish to go through with it (you could even say she "got woke" to what was happening.)
It looked like Florence + the machine would be a one hit wonder with "You've got the love" from the start of the decade, however when this song was featured in a pivotal moment in the popular TV drama Vampire diaries, it connected with us Aussies in a way that made it an instant success for the band despite it failing to do so anywhere else in the world.
This was the lead single to Taylor Swift's album Red, an album that many regard as her transition from country to pop music given how it has elements of EDM on some of the tracks as well as most of the country elements she was known for up until this point being absent on her songs. I promised I'd be nice to all the entries on this list, so I'll leave my commentary at that.
On the surface, this feels like a Bjork track given how it manages to recapture the bombast that the Icelandic singer was best known for during her heyday in the 90's. It turns out that this was the one and only hit from the British trio Sam and the womp which features vocals from its female member who calls herself Lady OO, that would certainly explain the monkey noises she makes throughout the track.
This was the biggest hit that the Gym class heroes were able to achieve here in Australia, here they recruit the British YouTuber singer Neon Hitch to provide them a chorus which somehow allowed this to got to number one here despite being heavily delayed for some reason.
I've been known to make a joke about how Taio Cruz should've sobered up before releasing his second album as this lead single to said album is indeed about him having a hangover and little else, it seems like an oddly legitimate criticism as it was also his final hit anywhere in the world even with the appearance of Flo Rida on the track.
It looked like the sophomore album from Matthew Colwell AKA 360 would be a huge flop like his debut was back in 2008, however the success of this track where indie singer Gossling sings a chorus about how she was warned about boys like him that serves to connect how he is in a relationship ensured that he would be one of the biggest Australian rappers of the decade along with the Hilltop hoods.
This had a bit of a delay to its release here in Australia, likely because it was one of the first hits of the decade to incorporate dubstep into the production and we Aussies needed to make the likes of Skrillex a genuine success before we allowed others to follow suit here. This was the only hit down under to have Tinie Tempah as the British rapper provides a guest verse for his fellow Brit Labrinth on this track.
This was the first of a string of hits that Rudimental had in Australia and throughout the world, it's also the first song to have John Newman who would go on to have a big hit the year after its release with "Love me again." Indeed, these guys would recruit a bunch of talented British vocalists to provide a voice to their EDM such as Emeli Sande, Jess Glynne and even Ed Sheeran.
For five years, this was Kesha's final hit anywhere in the world as despite her promising to dial back on the overproduction on her second album, it was still seen as a vacuous and shallow record complete with one of the most hated songs of the decade in the form of "Crazy kids." This at least was well received due to it being a song about living like you would die young, a sentiment that connected well with audiences.
I thought we were done with E.P's appearing on the singles chart by this point in time, but it appears we weren't as we have the E.P from the runner up of the fifth season of Australian idol Matt Corby becoming a massive hit for the indie singer following him cutting ties with the reality show and joining the Australian indie sphere. The strength of this E.P comes from its key track "Brother" which was a massive hit on Triple J.
I think it's safe to say that dubstep isn't my thing, I can tolerate it in small dosages such as with many of the other entries on this list, however a whole song of the EDM production just gives me a headache after repeated listens. This isn't the case for fans of Skrillex who managed to help him score a massive hit in Australia with this track from his E.P of the same name.
This is the only other hit that Pitbull had that didn't have any assistance from anyone else in the music industry, although in this case it was due to it being the theme to the third Men in black film which came ten years after the second film and was better received due to it having a better story to go along with the film as opposed to the second film. The theme song wasn't on the other hand as it was panned by critics and audiences alike.
If I had to choose a favourite Nicki Minaj track, this would be it as everything that normally irritates me about her is nowhere to be found on here. This is weird because this is often considered to be one of her worst songs likely due to it stripping her of her personality as well as dialing up the autotune to a million, but for some reason, this doesn't bother me or the tons of people back then that made this a hit.
This was Flo Rida's attempt at conscious rap which I'm sure he attempted to try and branch out of his typecast of being a club rapper, it was a hit for him mainly for the sample which was of an obscure song from the 80's that was a minor hit on Billboard and nowhere else in the world. The song in question is "Piano in the dark" by Brenda Russell which naturally skyrocketed in popularity on the internet when this came out.
This is a remix of a song known as "Danza Kuduro" by Lucenzo, the remix was done by Haitian producer Qwote who also recruited Pitbull for this remix to help the rapper collaborate with every known Latin artist during the 2010's. The original song and this remix were both popular back in the day thanks to the overwhelming success of the Zumba craze which included both songs in their playlists.
This was the penultimate hit that Delta Goodrem had in her career, the final would come later in the decade when she finally redeemed herself in the Australian LGBT community who had turned against her due to her relationship with Brian McFadden who's an open homophobe. This was a hit due to her involvement with the first season of the Voice Australia, making it the only hit to come from that season.
This was the last hit that Chris Brown had outside his native America for seven years, it was only a worldwide hit due to it being a part of the club boom right when the scene was coming to an end as well as it seeming like a last hurrah from him as (at least in Australia) he was replaced with Jason Derulo as the prince of RNB.
This is one of two big hits that Nigerian born Australian singer Timomatic achieved, the other was "Parachute" from over a year after this became a hit from him which suggests he was in the running to becoming our prince of RNB given how Chris Brown only achieved three hits throughout the decade down under. Tim initially got his fame from Australia's got talent as a dancer rather than a singer for what it's worth.
This was competing with Flo Rida's "Wild ones" at the time of its initial release, I bring this up because both songs have Sia on their respective choruses which goes to show you how much we Aussies wanted to hear the Australian singer on hip hop tracks at the start of the decade.
This was originally a flop for Rihanna as it was released coincide her album Talk that talk where it got overshadowed by the lead single from earlier on this list, it was given a second chance several months later likely due to it sampling Johnny Cash's "I've been everywhere" in the chorus. The track was coproduced by Calvin Harris alongside Rihanna's regular producers, meaning this was also meant for the club scene.
This was another club banger that made it big during the height of the club boom, this time it's from Belgian DJ Laurent Wery who recruited Swiftkid and Dev on this beat he created to provide vocals for him. If the name Dev sounds familiar to you, that's because she was the featured vocalist on "Like a g6" from much earlier on this list with the Far east movement.
This was the third and final hit that Gym class heroes had from their (to date) final album which was only a hit here in Australia and NZ, I'm guessing this was due to the trio recruiting Ryan Tedder who was quickly rising up the ranks as a go to artist not only for songwriting but also for being a featured singer for other people's songs.
This is the only other hit that Will I am had following BEP's hiatus from 2011, it was his first hit after a string of duds he tried to release to promote his second solo album (including a collaboration with J-Lo and Mick Jagger of all people.) Here he recruits Dutch singer Eva Simons who scored her one and only hit in Australia with this track that contains an oddly passionate performance from the rapper.
This was the other big hit that Katy Perry had from the Complete confection, a reissue of Teenage dream that also serves as the soundtrack to her autobiographical film of the same name she released in 2012. Much like "Wide awake," this song was also about her divorce from Russell Brand and how she wasn't going to dwell on him any longer than she needed to.
Toto's "Africa" for some reason became very popular throughout the 2010's, one of the earliest signs of its popularity was when Jason Derulo sampled it for the fourth single from his second album which only we Aussies seemed to appreciate given how he was considered the new prince of RNB down under. I'm guessing it was when this became a hit for him that he decided to test out his career trajectory here before doing so in his homeland.
This was the third hit to come from Justin Bieber's second album Believe, this time we have Nicki Minaj as the featured rapper which allowed this to be the albums biggest hit in Australia given how popular the female rapper was that year.
People are divided on P!nk's album the Truth about love, mainly because they feel that it showcases a rather abrasive side of her that seems to suggest that she isn't as mature as she was throughout the 00's. Personally, I find she was just blowing off steam as she had just reconciled her marriage with her husband, that and it also has ballads like this which help ground her maturity throughout its runtime.
There was a bit of controversy when Samantha Jade won the fourth season of X factor Australia, namely that she was already a failed pop star when she appeared on the show which meant that it was little more than a stunt to finally have her career take off. I guess it temporarily paid off for her as she scored a huge hit with this victory single before she once again faded into obscurity.
This was originally an album track from Ceremonials which like their previous entry on this list, flew under the radar due to the band not being known as a singles group like some of their contemporaries. It was given the remix treatment from Calvin Harris who propelled the songs popularity worldwide just in time for him to drop his album 18 months which featured his official collaboration with Florence Welch (which we'll look at in a bit.)
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