Rolling in the Deep / Adele / XL Recordings

Song

Top 10 Best Songs of the 2010S

The defining songs of the decade that dominated playlists, broke streaming records, and became the soundtrack of a generation.

2026143 viewsJul 14, 2026 Updated Oct 3, 2026

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#1
Rolling in the Deep — Adele (2010)
Its raw, gospel-tinged production and seismic vocal performance set a new standard for pop ballads, becoming the best-selling digital single of 2011 with 5.8 million downloads. The track's cultural impact extended beyond charts, inspiring countless covers and cementing Adele as a generational voice.
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#2
Blurred Lines — Robin Thicke ft. T.I. & Pharrell (2013)
The biggest-selling single of 2013, this Marvin Gaye-indebted groove spent 12 consecutive weeks at No. 1 in the UK and sold 5.5 million copies in its first year. Its controversial video and lyrics sparked a global conversation about consent and representation, making it a cultural flashpoint unlike any other track here.
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#3
Shape of You — Ed Sheeran (2017)
Ed Sheeran's tropical pop banger became the most-streamed song on Spotify for several years, surpassing Blurred Lines — Robin Thicke ft. T.I. & Pharrell (2013)'s streaming total by over 1.5 billion plays. Released in 2017, it topped charts in 34 countries and sold 41 million equivalent units globally. Its rhythmic, marimba-led production and catchy chorus set a record for the fastest song to reach 1 billion streams on the platform, achieving the milestone in just 97 days — 30% faster than the runner-up in that category.
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#4
Happy — Pharrell Williams (2013)
Written for the "Despicable Me 2" soundtrack, this infectious feel-good anthem spent 24 weeks in the US top ten and sold 6.7 million copies in its first year, making it the best-selling digital single of 2014.
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#5
Call Me Maybe — Carly Rae Jepsen (2012)
Sparked by Justin Bieber's 2012 tweet, the song accumulated over 700 million YouTube views. This Canadian pop phenomenon spent nine weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100, with digital sales exceeding 12 million copies.
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#6
Royals — Lorde (2013)
'Royals' spent nine weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100, a feat unmatched by any other debut single from a teen artist that decade. Lorde's vocal range, spanning two octaves, injects a warmth that contrasts sharply with the era's auto-tuned excess. The song sold over 10 million units globally and won two Grammy Awards, including Song of the Year. Its lyrical takedown of rap's gold-and-diamond clichés made it an anthem for austerity-minded youth, and it remains the most-shazamed song from 2013 on Shazam.
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#7
Get Lucky — Daft Punk ft. Pharrell Williams & Nile Rodgers (2013)
Nile Rodgers' guitar riff—a single repeated pattern—was recorded in just one take but became the most sampled guitar loop of the 2010s, used in over 500 releases. 'Get Lucky' spent five weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 and sold 13 million digital copies worldwide. The song won Record of the Year at the Grammy Awards and holds the record for the most weeks on the Billboard Dance Club Songs chart in 2013: 11 consecutive weeks atop the list.
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#8
Uptown Funk — Mark Ronson ft. Bruno Mars (2015)
The song won Record of the Year at the Grammy Awards and sold over 15 million copies globally, making it one of the best-selling digital singles ever. Its iconic bassline and horn stabs have been used in over 2 million TikTok videos, cementing its status as the defining party anthem of the decade. A 2016 study showed the track increases listener heart rate by an average of 8%, more than any other top-10 pop song that year.
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#9
Stay With Me — Sam Smith (2014)
With four Grammy Awards and a global streaming count exceeding 1.5 billion, 'Stay With Me' remains the decade's most decorated ballad from a debut album. The song's raw vulnerability and gospel-tinged production propelled Sam Smith to stardom, outperforming 'Old Town Road' in critical acclaim despite the latter's chart dominance. Smith's vocal delivery reaches a peak of 440 Hz, blending soul and pop into a sound that rivals Adele's emotional powerhouse.
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#10
Old Town Road — Lil Nas X ft. Billy Ray Cyrus (2019)
Holding the record for the longest-running No. 1 single in Billboard Hot 100 history at 19 weeks, 'Old Town Road' redefined genre boundaries by merging country and trap elements. Lil Nas X leveraged TikTok's algorithm, accelerating the song's reach by 45% compared to typical radio-driven successes. The Billy Ray Cyrus remix—the second-most streamed collaboration of the decade—cemented its cultural impact, transforming a novelty into a mainstream phenomenon.
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Frequently asked questions

What criteria are typically used to determine the top songs of the 2010s?

Criteria usually include commercial success, critical acclaim, cultural impact, streaming numbers, and longevity, though different sources weight these factors differently.

Why are certain popular songs like 'Uptown Funk' or 'Shape of You' missing from some top 10 lists?

No list can satisfy everyone; rankings are subjective and may prioritize genre diversity, artistic innovation, or specific editorial perspectives over pure popularity.

Which artists appear most frequently on best-of-the-2010s song lists?

Artists like Taylor Swift, Kendrick Lamar, Bruno Mars, Adele, and Daft Punk are among the most consistently featured across major publications and critic polls.

How does a typical top 10 list for the 2010s compare across different publications?

Lists vary significantly; for instance, Rolling Stone tends to emphasize genre diversity and critical darlings, while Billboard focuses on chart performance and commercial hits.

What is the consensus #1 song of the 2010s among critics?

There is no single consensus, but 'Rolling in the Deep' by Adele and 'Get Lucky' by Daft Punk featuring Pharrell Williams are frequently cited as the decade's best.