Happy New Year: A look back at 2010



2010: Year in Review

 



I love the beginning of a new year because it gives me a chance to reflect on the past 365 days. And my fave part of looking back is reflecting on the songs and artists that made the year special.

Here’s a short list of the songs that made 2010 memorable.


Teenage Dream, Katy Perry
This has become one of my all time fave songs. Serious. Say what you will about Katy Perry, but she has created an awesome youth anthem.


Find Your Love, Drake
I love practically all of Drake’s songs (it was very difficult to choose just one for this list!), but this song is my favourite. Not only is the song hot, but the tropical setting for the video ups its sexy factor!


OMG, Usher f/ will.i. am
This high energy single is great for getting your dance on in the club or getting your sweat on in the gym. OMG came out earlier this year, but has yet to leave my playlist.

Telephone, Lady Gaga f/Beyonce
Awesome song and equally entertaining video. Gaga owned 2010!


Grenade, Bruno Mars
A tormented love song? How could I not love it. J’adore Bruno Mars.

Bullet Proof, La Roux
This isn’t a song that I would normally listen to, but I have to admit, this bubbly dance track is so catchy and infectious, it’s damn near impossible to ignore. I love the 80s vibe and techno feel. This song reminds me of the summer of 2010.


Only Girl In The World, Rihanna
Thankfully Rihanna released this upbeat song. Her last CD was a little depressing (remember the song, Russian Roulette?) and I was actually questioning if I would ever like another Rihanna track. Luckily Only Girl In The World was released and I have remained a Rihanna fan.


Your Love, Nicki Minaj
What Nicki lacks in talent, she more than makes up with her wildly fascinating personality and creativity. She took an almost forgotten Annie Lennox track and retooled it to create one of the hottest songs of the year. Shout-outs to Lil X for the riveting video!


Monday Morning, Melanie Fiona
After listening to the song just once at work, I fell in love. It’s a melange of Motown-esque orchestration with a hint of reggae. Her raspy soulful voice blows all the wannabe songtresses out of the water. She’s def my fave new artist of the year.

I Invented Sex, Trey Songz

Okay, the title is a little raunchy and boastful, but it really is a great r&b song(ahem, baby making song!). On this track, Trey lets his woman know that he’s that good, that it’s like he invented sex. Daaaam!

Thanks for reading my list. What do ya think? What were some of your fave songs for 2010?

-Michelle

The Grammys

There are only a handful of award shows that get me to drop everything and sit glued to the tube for extended periods of time—and the Grammys is one of them. I made sure to do everything that I needed to do by 8pm on Sunday, Jan 31st, 2010.


Even though the Grammys are extremely political (psst...sometimes the person most deserving doesn’t get the award, and it goes to an artist that is good, but deserved it ages ago), I can’t miss it because I love to watch the performances.


I viewed every minute of the 3 and half hour telecast and it was.....uh, okay. It wasn’t as fun and exciting as I would have liked, but it was alright.


Here’s my breakdown of some of the performances of the night. Let me know if you agree, disagree or think I’m too picky! LOL!

The Performances

Beyoncé- If I Were A Boy

I'm a Beyoncé fan, but her performance was a bit dry and boring. It was flashy, but it didn’t get me moving. I felt a sense of nostalgia during her “You Oughta Know” interlude (originally sung by Alanis Morissette), but it didn’t quite serve a purpose. I was waiting for Alanis to run up on stage and sing with Beyoncé, but that never happened. Oh well.

Lady Gaga- Poker Face
I totally appreciate her energy and creativity that she brings to her performances. You can’t deny the bedazzled one that!


The first half of her performance was good. I even liked her costume. It was crazy, but I thought it looked cool! The second part of her performance kind fell flat. She played the piano alongside Elton John (it sorta reminded me of when Eminem performed with Elton John ages ago). It wasn’t a particularly bad performance; I was just anticipating something more electrifying.

P!nk- Glitter In The Air
I know a lot of people with disagree with me, but I will say it. The P!nk performance was good, but I did not love it as much as everyone else. Am I the only one that remembered that she did a similar routine on another award show? Don’t get me wrong, it was good, and the woman is talented, but it seemed a little too familiar.

Jamie Foxx f/T-Pain & Slash- Blame it
Call me ghetto, but I loooved this performance. I thought it was hilarious. Jamie and T-Pain got me dancing in my living room. They got crunk up in there!

Drake f/Lil Wayne & Eminem- Forever
This is officially my song of the moment. I keep saying that I’m not a Drake fan, but I continue to write about his songs. Yes, I think I’m in denial (or a hater!) I think that I will be lusting over the man soon enough!


I liked this performance because it injected a little hip hop into the award show. It was also cute to see Taylor Swift (someone I don’t peg to be a hip hop fan) get her dance on to this song. Soo cute!

Well, that’s my take on the Grammys. Let me know what you think. E-mail me at michelle@happygrrls.com

-Michelle