Imagine you’re 6 again, riding in your car as your family drives by the coast. You turn the volume up, and all you want to do is dance because Katy Perry’s “California Gurls” crescendos through the car.
For me, the early 2010s was the “it” era of music. It became so associated with nostalgia for me that I just had to create a Spotify playlist for it. The era has the perfect blend of pop, electronic dance music (EDM) and hip hop. Because there were so many popular genres, it created more variety in well-known artists, leading to more distinctive sounds with different rhythms and many original melodies.
These days, I get most of my new music recommendations from Spotify, or even more often, those addicting 10-15 second clips from a TikTok or an Instagram reel. Unfortunately, this means that while I may love those mere seconds of the melody, the rest of the song usually turns out to be pretty disappointing, such as Doechii’s “Anxiety.”
But back in the 2010s, artists didn’t have to worry about creating songs with the idea of making a small part blow up for TikTok, which meant — in my opinion — more songs with a nostalgic feel and raw emotions. For example, I’ve always admired Kelly Clarkson’s vocal range and her ability to effortlessly build up to the chorus in her songs, such as in her hit song “Stronger (What Doesn’t Kill You).” Similarly, I’ve always drawn to Adele’s unique rich tone in songs like “Set Fire to the Rain.” Listening to these songs again makes me feel empowered, motivated and, well, stronger.
With the blend came a new genre of dance pop, with stronger drum beats and catchy melodies. Even today, Carly Rae Jepson’s “Call Me Maybe,” Bruno Mars’ “Uptown Funk” or One Direction’s “What Makes You Beautiful” can often be heard on the dance floor.
The era also had such simple, beautiful melodies like Passenger’s “Let Her Go” and Adele’s “Someone Like You.” While the tune may be slow and repetitive, there was something special in it — these songs emphasized the artist’s true emotions, which weren’t necessarily always anger-driven like you’d think. For example, my favorite part is at the end of “Let Her Go,” where there is pure silence in the background as Passenger sings. Even though he’s repeated the lyrics over and over again, hearing it without the backing track makes me feel so different. Just chills.
There’s also the clearly articulate and clean lyrics of the time. Nothing can compare to the lines of Macklemore, one of the greatest songwriting geniuses. Some of my other favorite lines include Gotye’s “You can get addicted to a certain kinda sadness” in “Somebody that I Used to Know” or “All this time I was finding myself, and I didn’t know I was lost” in Avicii’s “Wake Me Up.”
Most of the songs these days require a lot of heavy symbolism and backstories. Music is an artist’s expression, and there’s nothing wrong with a straightforward message.
In the 2010s, I’d like to say, as Charlie Puth and Wiz Khalifa would put it, “It’s been a long day without you my friend. And I’ll tell you all about it when I see you again.”
