As summer 2010 is rapidly coming to an end, another collection of seasonal anthems is in the books. Despite big album releases from Tom Petty, Drake, 3OH!3, and Arcade Fire, the genre of the summer was without a doubt dance pop. Being the biggest ladies in music at the moment, Lady Gaga and Ke$ha both had huge summer hits on the radio and in clubs, with “Alejandro” and “Your Love Is My Drug,” respectively.
In the men’s corner, Enrique Iglesias made a surprising comeback with “I Like It,” and Mike Posner became the season’s biggest newcomer, thanks to the success of his “Cooler Than Me.” Hip-hop took a turn towards alternative this summer with Travie McCoy’s “Billionaire” and B.o.B. and Haley Williams’ “Airplanes” (the song that everyone could not get out of their heads no matter how hard they tried).
However, as far as the ultimate summer anthem of 2010 goes, the battle comes down to “California Gurls” by Katy Perry, with a little help from Snoop Dogg, and Usher’s “OMG” featuring will.i.am. Both songs spent the majority of June and July capitalizing the top-2 positions on the Billboard Hot 100 and a considerable amount of time at number one. “California Gurls” is dancy, fun, and catchy, making it perfect for the radio or a club, but it’s mindless enough to provide the perfect backdrop to any summer party. Usher, on the other hand, takes a more laid-back approach with “OMG.” Still easy enough to dance to, the song is perfect for both parties and those low-key, chill-out moments. So who wins the title of 2010’s summer anthem? There’s no way to choose between these songs, so this one ends in a draw.
However, the true star of the summer was without a doubt Eminem. While the single “Not Afraid” was already a hit going into the summer, the song maintained popularity and became one of the most popular songs of the season. When his highly anticipated album, Recovery, was released, the album took the world by storm and spent five straight weeks at number one in the US. Recovery’s second single, “Love The Way You Lie,” which features Rihanna, debuted at number two, where it spent a few weeks before climbing up to number one and becoming one of the summer’s biggest hits.
