Literally everyone has a “Best [blank] of the Decade” list going right now, so it seemed wrong for us to not contribute. As I wrote about the Best Books of the Decade, I am not the person to generate such a list. I would have to ask my kids and the results would just be Old Town Road… on repeat…. So instead, I crowdsourced it to the brilliant people in our Music program here at UW-Green Bay and created a Spotify playlist (see below) of their selections. I intend to listen to it, nonstop, until the decade is over… and you should too.
With that, here are the best songs of the decade according to the Music faculty at The University of Wisconsin-Green Bay.
Recommended by Kevin Collins:
“She Used To Be Mine” (Sara Bareilles from the musical Waitress): Sung by the main character, who is in an abusive relationship, and has found herself unintentionally pregnant. The “She” is her younger and “truer” self. Brilliant and quirky rhyme scheme used to extend lines in compelling ways. Imaginative chord changes. Starts introspectively, build to a powerful/angry rock shuffle, and ends elegantly with incredible tenderness.
Recommended by Michelle McQuade Dewhirst:
“Burn the Witch” (Radiohead): No one captures the unease of the times we live in better than Radiohead. Jonny Greenwood’s brittle string orchestra writing pairs perfectly with Thom Yorke’s lyrics and vulnerable, fragile delivery. “This is a low-flying panic attack,” translated into a song that percolates restlessly until it can no longer be contained.
Recommended by Adam Gaines:
“Them Changes” (Thundercat): Thundercat, whose career before the mid-2010s was as a top-call session bass player in LA, synthesizes the best of pop sensibilities with the resurgent jazz/funk movement he shares with other artists like Kamasi Washington. In addition to showing the world a possible new direction for jazz, “Them Changes” has enough pop appeal that Ariana Grande recently covered it.
Recommended by Eric Hansen:
“Don’t You Worry ‘Bout A Thing” (Jacob Collier): I respectfully submit Jacob Collier’s 2013 modernized rendition of Stevie Wonder’s 1973 “Don’t You Worry ‘Bout A Thing”. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pvKUttYs5ow This captivating revision of the original is one window into the mind of a modern musical prodigy-genius. Additionally, Collier uses his autodidactic skills to synthesize performance and pedagogy into artistic service. [See an example of that here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eRkgK4jfi6M]
Recommended by Randall Meder:
“Uptown Funk” (Mark Ronson/Bruno Mars): Great beat, funky horn section, solid vocals. It makes you want to move – whether you’re on the dance floor, walking down the street, or behind the wheel of a car (option three not advised).
Recommended by Sarah Meredith:
“Once Upon A December” (Stephen Flaherty and Lynn Ahrens): One of my favorites of the decade is “Once Upon A December” by Stephen Flaherty and Lynn Ahrens…from Anastasia…even though I believe it was composed earlier than 2009, it was in Anastasia in 2017.
Recommended by Bill Sallak:
“Royals” (Lorde): Gustav Mahler said that a symphony should contain an entire world; Lorde builds hers in under three and a half minutes. It’s all here—what’s wrong, what’s right, beautiful harmonies, unyielding rhythm—and like any number of things from the past decade, it came out of nowhere and changed everything.
Recommended by Courtney Sherman (who is a self-proclaimed rule-follower, expect for when it comes to the task of choosing one song as the best song of the decade. At that point, all bets are off):
“Liability,” “Writer in the Dark,” and “Supercut” (Lorde): Lorde’s entire second album, Melodrama, is one of my favorites of the decade. She rocks for the reasons that Bill already mentioned.
“Good as Hell” (Lizzo): She’s gotten a lot of buzz recently, though this song is from 2016. She blends hip-hop with gospel-soul, and as it says in the iTunes description of her Coconut Oil – EP, “It’s the rare feel-good pop pleasure that absolutely everyone can root for.”
“Praying” (Ke$ha): This artist has been big on the pop charts for a number of years. Generally, it’s not really my style. However, this song is courageous and raw. She describes this as being about triumphing in the face of adversity and finding peace in forgiving those who have hurt you. It’s by far her best singing, in my opinion, of all of her songs I’ve heard.
“Once Upon Another Time” (Sara Bareilles): She’s arguably one of the best all-around musicians (singer, pianist, songwriter) in the pop realm in recent years. I love all of her songs, but chose this one because it’s performed largely unaccompanied, and the story she spins evokes a certain brand of nostalgia. Another wonderful song by her is off of the soundtrack for the Broadway musical Waitress. It’s called “She Used to Be Mine.”
“Take Me To Church” (Hozier): This song is really good. What is most impressive is that it managed to be wildly popular for quite a while, and somehow never seemed overplayed. When you can hear a song on the radio as many times as I’ve heard this one and still like it… that’s saying something.
“Uptown Funk” (Mark Ronson ft. Bruno Mars): This one was unexpectedly fun. I think part of why it did so well is that it has a bit of a throw-back sound. Turns out a lot of people dig a robust horn section!
“When We Were Young” (Adele): Adele was big in this decade. She suffered some vocal problems, but she healed, and came back with a great album (25). I like “When We Were Young” on that album. What can I say? I love a power ballad.
I enjoy pretty much anything by Scott Bradlee’s Postmodern Jukebox. They’ve become popular in the second half of the 2010’s. Check out their innovative covers of “My Heart Will Go On” (feat. LaVance Colley), “All About That Bass” (the version on the Historical Misappropriation album), and “Careless Whisper” (feat. Dave Koz).
“Born This Way” (Lady Gaga): She’s a dominating figure in pop music. This song is broad anthem of celebration of self and others, especially those in marginalized populations. The message is both simple and fierce.
By Dr. Ryan C. Martin
Ryan Martin is the Associate Dean for the College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences and a member of the Psychology Department at the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay. He researches anger, manages the blog All the Rage, and teaches courses on mental illness and emotion. Follow him on twitter at @rycmart or All the Rage on Facebook.
