The Best of Twostepcubchart 2011, Part 3...

Hey folks, it's round three of my recap of the biggest songs on my weekly music chart from the last year. This post sees the first of the seventeen songs that made #1 on my list in 2011, as well as a judge on a Fox singing competition, but not the one you're probably thinking of. I've included the peak positions on my chart as well as the major lists on Billboard magazine and worldwide charts. And away we go...

80. Avril Lavigne - What The Hell (from the CD Goodbye Lullaby)

twostepcubchart peak: #28 (3 weeks)
US Hot 100 peak: #11
US Hot Adult-Pop peak: #12
UK Singles peak: #16
France Singles peak: #18
Germany Singles peak: #20

Lavigne feted her recent amicable divorce from Sum-41 frontman Deryck Whibley with this frantic bad-cheerleader rant which sounded more teenybopper that a lot of the actual teen artists out there. Fun, throwaway, and harmless, she made saying "hell" almost Kids Bop-esque.




79. Jerrod Niemann - What Do You Want (from the CD Judge Jerrod & The Hung Jury)

twostepcubchart peak: #25 (2 weeks)
US Country Singles peak: #4
US Hot 100 peak: #52

Niemann followed last year's #1 debut single "Lover, Lover" with a quiet, burning ballad about a broken relationship echoed by backing vocals from co-writer Rachel Bradshaw, daughter of football legend Terry.




78. OneRepublic - Secrets (from the CD Waking Up)

twostepcubchart peak: #5 (1 week)
US Hot 100 peak: #21
US Adult-Pop peak: #3
US Adult Contemporary peak: #8
US Dance Club Play peak: #28
German Singles peak: #3

Hot songwriter Ryan Tedder's group escaped the sophomore slump with a solid album that included this track, which seems directed at his critics, as well as possibly one Kelly Clarkson, who complained how his composition for her "Already Gone" and Beyonce's "Halo". I guess you can crib from yourself, eh? Either way, this was a mature and welcome addition to pop radio, keeping it in the US top 40's lower half for a good chunk of the end of 2010 through the beginning of 2011.




77. Charlie Wilson - You Are (from the CD Just Charlie)

twostepcubchart peak: #25 (2 weeks)
US R&B Singles peak: #13
US Adult R&B peak: #1 (11 weeks in 2011)

Wilson, the former lead singer for 80's dance-funk powerhouses the Gap Band (of "You Dropped A Bomb On Me" fame) has spent the last ten years solo as a quiet storm balladeer, and "You Are" is the perfect "wedding-style" song for those too-sweet moments. I do admit though I hanker for just a sliver of good old bass groove from him.




76. Luke Bryan - Country Girl (Shake It For Me) (from the CD Tailgates & Tanlines)

twostepcubchart peak: #22 (2 weeks)
US Country Singles peak: #4
US Hot 100 peak: #22

Bryan jumped up to at least B+ list if not A- with the first single from his first country #1 CD, and even though it surprisingly didn't top the country radio singles list, it sold like hotcakes, even more than songs higher on the chart. It's teetering on corny, but Bryan puts enough growl in it to sell it.




75. Nicole Scherzinger - Don't Hold Your Breath (from the upcoming CD Killer Love)

twostepcubchart peak: #20 (2 weeks)
US Hot 100 peak: #86
US Dance Club Play peak: #2
UK Singles peak: #1 (one week)
Global Dance Tracks peak: #27

Former Eden's Crush/Pussycat Doll Scherzinger has astonishingly had trouble establishing a solo career, even though she has both the looks and the pipes for it. Her debut CD is still getting tweaked before being released in the states after one top-40 hit with "Right There", but this worldwide smash deserved a better fate in the States. After a #1 run in Britain in the spring of 2011, it took until the fall to make it to the US. It did linger for 16 weeks on the dance chart, which is quite ancient for that list. I guess we just need to wait for her X Factor US judge position to pay off like J-Lo....oh wait, nobody watches that show. And the most publicized moment of that unwatched show is Nicole basically kicking a crying preteen off the show because she couldn't make a decision. Not good.




74. Matt Nathanson - Faster (from the CD Modern Love)

twostepcubchart peak: #22 (one week)
US Hot 100 peak: #74
US Adult-Pop peak: #11
US Adult Contemporary peak: #24
US Triple-A peak: #4
US Rock Songs peak: #44

Nathanson saw his latest album make it into the US top-20, spearheaded by this fun, horn-speckled love song that bears more than a little resemblance to George Michael's "Faith" mixed with Redbone's "Come and Get Your Love"...




73. Kenny Chesney featuring Grace Potter - You & Tequila (from the CD Hemmingway's Whiskey)

twostepcucbchart peak: #20 (one week)
US Country Singles peak: #3
US Hot 100 peak: #33

Chesney toned town the beach antics on this highlight from his latest CD, and as the fourth single from that work it's refreshingly restrained, with help from alt-rock gem Grace Potter.




72. David Guetta featuring Usher - Without You (from the CD Nothing But The Beat)

twostepcubchart peak: #1 (4 weeks in 2011)
US Hot 100 peak: #4
US Adult Pop peak: #15
US Dance Club Play peak: #3
US Dance Airplay peak: #1
UK Singles peak: #6
French Singles peak: #6
German Singles peak: #7
Global Dance Tracks peak: #1

The reigning #1 on my current chart, David Guetta had his biggest chart success with a decidedly mainstream cut with superstar Usher as the highlight of Guetta's quite enjoyable album. It's funny how such lyrics of heartbreak can't propel such a happy-ass groove. The video's totally corny, though.




71. Sick Puppies - Maybe (from the CD Tri-Polar)

twostepcubchart peak: #2 (one week)
US Hot 100 peak: #56
US Adult-Pop peak: #8
US Alternative Rock peak: #6
US Rock Songs peak: #15
US Adult Contemporary peak: #27

Aussie rock outfit has their biggest hit two years after the release of their excellent album with this power-ballad, breaking even into old-people-genres (AC). It's nice to see good ol' post-grunge pop back like 15 years after the fact.




That's it for this set of ten, stay tuned for another singing competition judge that's not J-Lo, the rock band with the biggest-selling album by a group this year, and not just any bass.