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Chapter 273: Happy

10s pop

Some of the most common musical moves of 10s pop are put to iconic use in this chapter. We’ve got the cut to near-silence before a full-volume ‘soar’ chorus slams in (“Tik Tok”), the talky, slangy breakdown (“Shake It Off”), the annihilating house-inspired beat (“I Gotta Feeling”) and the instant meme lyrics (all three of these, though the tossed off “Mazel tov” remains my favorite). How will these tropes age? Absurdly, probably, but I predict a nailed “This...sick...beat” will kill at karaoke bars for decades to come.
1. Taylor Swift

Shake It Off

2. Kesha

TiK ToK

3. Robin Thicke

Blurred Lines (ft. T.I. & Pharrell)

4. Estelle

American Boy (ft. Kanye West)

5. Maroon 5

Moves Like Jagger (ft. Christina Aguilera)

6. Ed Sheeran

Sing

7. Meghan Trainor

All About That Bass

8. Pharrell Williams

Happy

9. The Black Eyed Peas

I Gotta Feeling

10. Jay Z

Empire State of Mind (ft. Alicia Keys)