Side 10 of 11
2009
I Gotta Feeling, Drake's debut, Kid Cudi dreams
The top 10
- 01
I Gotta Feeling
The Black Eyed Peas
dance-popclubFind similar tracks →On the charts
#1 on the Hot 100 for 14 weeks. Year-end #1 of 2009.
Why it mattered
David Guetta's four-on-the-floor production turned BEP into the most-played wedding band in human history. Whether you wanted it or not, this song was 2009.
- 02
Boom Boom Pow
The Black Eyed Peas
dance-popclubFind similar tracks →On the charts
#1 on the Hot 100 for 12 weeks.
Why it mattered
BEP's first #1 of the year. Every kid in America had this stuck in their head from April through July, and then 'I Gotta Feeling' arrived.
- 03
Empire State of Mind
Jay-Z · feat. Alicia Keys
new yorkpop-rapFind similar tracks →On the charts
#1 on the Hot 100 for five weeks. Jay's first #1 as lead artist.
Why it mattered
Alicia Keys's piano hook turned a city into a singalong and the song into the unofficial anthem of New York for the next decade.
- 04
Down
Jay Sean · feat. Lil Wayne
dance-popclubFind similar tracks →On the charts
#1 on the Hot 100 for two weeks.
Why it mattered
A British R&B singer and an Auto-Tuned Lil Wayne hook over a J.R. Rotem dance beat. The dance-pop wave was now flooding every corner of the chart.
- 05
Day 'N' Nite
Kid Cudi
alt-rapblog eraFind similar tracks →On the charts
Peaked at #3 on the Hot 100 in the US.
Why it mattered
Cudi's blogged-into-existence breakout. His sing-rap-mumble style would influence the next decade of hip-hop more than anyone in 2009 realized.
- 06
Best I Ever Had
Drake
torontoblog eraFind similar tracks →On the charts
Peaked at #2 on the Hot 100. Drake's first major-label single.
Why it mattered
The mixtape kid from Toronto turned a Boi-1da beat into a chart-topping debut. The era of Drake had quietly begun.
- 07
Run This Town
Jay-Z · feat. Rihanna, Kanye West
clubposse cutFind similar tracks →On the charts
#1 on the Hot 100 for two weeks.
Why it mattered
The most A-list possible posse cut, and a preview of the Kanye/Jay 'Watch the Throne' alliance to come. Three of pop's biggest stars at their absolute commercial peak.
- 08
Throw It in the Bag
Fabolous · feat. The-Dream
new yorkclubFind similar tracks →On the charts
Peaked at #18 on the Hot 100; massive at NY radio.
Why it mattered
Fab and The-Dream made one of the smoothest R&B-rap singles of the year. The-Dream's hook game was absolutely peerless from 2007-2009.
- 09
TiK ToK
Ke$ha
electro-popclubFind similar tracks →On the charts
#1 on the Hot 100 for nine weeks (mostly in 2010).
Why it mattered
Released in August 2009, dominated 2010. Dr. Luke's electro-pop machine, Ke$ha's bratty drawl — and pop turned permanently into one big party.
- 10
Poker Face
Lady Gaga
electro-popclubFind similar tracks →On the charts
#1 on the Hot 100 for one week.
Why it mattered
Gaga's first true crossover from club hit to global pop monster. The 'p-p-p-poker face' hook was everywhere — radio, ringtones, TV ads — for the entire year.
