My First Annual Best and Worst Songs of the Year List -- 2011 Edition

First off, let me just say that I'm fully aware this isn't the most inclusive list. For example, there's no country, hip-hop, or dance/R&B music on it. I generally don't listen to anything besides rock and pop, so unless a song is awesome enough to catch my attention--like last year's "Single Ladies" by Beyonce or "D.J. Got Us Fallin' in Love" by Usher--it's not gonna make my list.

This year nothing outside my preferred genres piqued my interest. But all the pop & rock songs listed below are pretty great, I think.

TOP TEN BEST SONGS OF 2011:

10. "Lonely Boy" -- The Black Keys Completely rocking yet groovy at the same time, this song has a guitar riff that would make the Church Lady stand up and play air guitar.
9. "Brand New Day" -- Trevor Hall I don't know anything about this guy, but he's got a cool, throaty voice. And the song is super-feel-good.
8. "Cough Syrup" -- Young the Giant Chris Martin so wishes he wrote this catchy tune.
7. "Mr. Know It All" -- Kelly Clarkson I love a song that calls out a dude for being a jerk. Adding a great beat and Ms. Clarkson's powerful voice makes it pop perfection.
6. "The Last Living Rose" -- P.J. Harvey Ms. Harvey is one of my all-time favorite artists. This song is beautiful and haunting.

5. Tie: "The Calamity Song" and "This Is Why We Fight" -- The Decemberists Two interesting, expertly-constructed, and catchy tunes from the same album. I can't decide which one I like best.

4. "Holdin' on to Black Metal" -- My Morning Jacket Hiring an all-female choir to sing back-up on this song was brilliant. A bunch of hairy dudes + ladies in robes = pure magic.

3. "Lost in My Mind" -- The Head and the Heart The soaring harmonies in this song's chorus are spectacular. I smile every time I hear it.
2. "Pumped Out Kicks" -- Foster the People Even if I'm driving in my car when this awesome song comes on the radio, I can't help but dance and sing along. Watch out, highway patrol!

1. "Rolling in the Deep" -- Adele Yes, it was over-played and yes, Adele was over-exposed in 2011, but this song is pretty much perfect. I was completely blown away the first time I heard it...it deserves to be #1.

And since you can't have a "Best" list without a "Worst" one....

TOP FIVE WORST SONGS OF 2011:

5. "I Wanna Go" -- Britney Spears The worst Auto-Tune nightmare EVER.

4. "Moves Like Jagger" -- Maroon 5 I happen to like this band, which usually puts out delicious pop songs. Expecting more from them makes me extra-hate this one.

3. "Party Rock Anthem" -- LMFAO This joke-of-a-song was everywhere all year long. It just plain sucks. 

2. "Comeback Kid (That's My Dog)" -- Brett Dennen If I'm home when this stupid tune comes on the radio, I have to sprint across the room to turn it off. Dumb, dumb, dumb song. 

1. "Friday" -- Rebecca Black Putting this at #1 almost feels like a cop-out because it's so obvious. But the song is absolutely awful. You know the gory details, I don't need to explain myself.

That's my list...hope you enjoyed it. Maybe it even introduced you to a great song or two that you hadn't yet heard. If so, yay!

Happy 2012!