Songs of the 2010s made us want to party
We look back on 10 years of party favourites, club classics and hip-hop bangers
Every decade has its memorable party songs, and the 2010s were no exception. It didn’t matter whether you actually attended parties, listened to Top 40 radio or spent a lot of time on the internet — party songs designed to get the dance floor bumping were everywhere.
Over the last 10 years, hip-hop music expanded in popularity. In 2017, for the first time ever, music sales analytics company Nielsen’s year-end report found R&B and hip hop were the most widely consumed genre, surpassing rock and pop, and this was reflected in many of the party songs throughout the 2010s. There was more crossover between rap and electronic dance music than ever before.
And while most of the popular party songs in North America were in English, there were notable exceptions that ushered in a new era of hit multilingual music.
It wasn’t easy to narrow them down to just 10, but here are the biggest party songs of the decade — just in time for New Year’s Eve:
Like a G6 — Far East Movement feat. The Cataracs and Dev (2010)
It didn’t matter that the lyrics barely make sense — the song was unavoidable on the radio the summer and fall of 2010. What’s a G6, you ask? Nothing at the time. Apparently Drake had referenced a G4 plane in a song and the band wanted something “flyer than a G4.” The single made Far East Movement the first Asian-american group ever to top the Billboard Hot 100 chart.
Club Can’t Handle Me — Flo Rida feat. David Guetta (2010)
One of the most popular club songs of the 2010s debuted as part of the soundtrack for Step Up 3D. Clubgoers couldn’t escape the track after it immediately received glowing reviews upon release. It peaked at No. 4 on the Canadian Hot 100 and is certified three-times platinum in Canada.
Party Rock Anthem — LMFAO feat. Lauren Bennett & Goonrock (2011)
As the duo’s first No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100, the song spent 68 weeks on the chart in total and was inescapable for much of the early 2010s. It was featured in a Kia commercial and the line “every day I’m shuffling” was referenced constantly. The more straightforward pop-dance sound kept the song popular in clubs and at parties around the world for years.
Gangnam Style — Psy (2012)
According to Psy himself, the song pokes fun at the trendy, upper-class people from the Gangnam district of Seoul, South Korea, which he compares to California’s Beverly Hills. The only lyrics in English are “Eh, sexy lady,” but that’s all it needed. From November 2012 to July 2017, Gangnam Style was Youtube’s most-viewed video.
Turn Down for What — DJ Snake and Lil Jon (2013)
The song that had parents everywhere asking their teens what it meant to “turn up,” this infectious hip-hop song consists of little more than its title repeated over a succession of big beats and energetic synths. No less than Rolling Stone magazine deemed it the second-best song of 2014.
Uptown Funk — Mark Ronson feat. Bruno Mars (2014)
This combination of funk and soul with a little dash of disco ruled the airwaves in late 2014, sounding nothing like anything else on the radio at the time. Critics praised it immediately for its infectious mix of genres. The track took seven months to finish in seven different cities, including Vancouver and Toronto. Not surprisingly, it won record of the year at the 2016 Grammys.
One Dance — Drake feat. Wizkid & Kyla (2016)
Drake’s dance hall-inspired hit was the most streamed song on Spotify until Ed Sheeran took that crown. Because it clocks in at under three minutes, it’s the perfect song to throw in a few times during the same party and easy to play on repeat. One Dance was Drake’s first song to reach
No. 1 in Canada with himself as the lead artist.
Closer — The Chainsmokers feat. Halsey (2016)
In the later half of the 2010s, DJ duo the Chainsmokers were radio gold, producing hit after hit with guest vocalists. Closer is a duet between member Drew Taggart and then-emerging pop star Halsey, and tells the story of two exes reuniting by chance. It topped the Billboard Hot 100 for 12 weeks in 2016.
Despacito — Luis Fonsi feat. Daddy Yankee (2017)
The music video for this monster Puerto Rican hit currently reigns as the most-watched video on Youtube, sitting at 6.5 billion views to date. The title means “slowly,” and the entire song was in Spanish before a remixed version introduced Justin Bieber’s vocals in English, adding to its already immense popularity.
Old Town Road — Lil Nas X feat. Billy Ray Cyrus (2019)
Lil Nas X reportedly bought the beat for Old Town Road on an online store for $30 and released the original version last year. It peaked at No. 1. Not bad, but the remix featuring Cyrus was a monster — the earworm mix of country, rap and trap was at the top of the charts for 19 weeks, making it the most successful No. 1 song of all-time on the Billboard Hot 100. It beat the 16-week record held by One Sweet Day by Mariah Carey and Boyz II Men, as well as Despacito.