The Best of twostepcubchart 2011, Part 5...

Merry Christmas, everyone, and time for my next installment of the biggest hits on my weekly list for 2011. This time GaGa, Clarkson, and Bruno make their first appearance. And like before, I've included peaks on the major music charts in the US from Billboard magazine as well as official European charts.

60. Lady GaGa - You And I (from the CD Born This Way)

twostepcubchart peak: #5 (one week)
US Hot 100 peak: #6
US Adult Pop peak: #6
US Adult Contemporary peak: #24
US Dance Club Play peak: #1 (one week)
UK Singles peak: #23
Global Dance Tracks peak: #33

Mother Monster's first ballad single release and fourth single from Born This Way extended her record of having all her promoted singles make the pop Top 10 in America. Produced by Robert "Mutt" Lange, it does have more than a passing resemblance to a Shania Twain song, but as her most accessible track seemed to have the most mass appeal.




59. Kelly Clarkson - Mr. Know It All (from the CD Stronger)

twostepcubchart peak: #2 (four weeks)
US Hot 100 peak: #10
US Adult Contemporary peak: #12
US Adult Pop peak: #1 (2 weeks)
UK Singles peak: #4
Germany Singles peak: #18

The first season American Idol heralds her fifth CD with this first single, a great kiss-off number in her grand "Since You Been Gone" style. The video clearly has her sights on some in the media and in her own record company. Hmmm.




58. Colbie Caillat - I Do (from the CD All Of You)

twostepcubchart peak: #15 (one week)
US Hot 100 peak: #23
US Adult Pop peak: #7
US Adult Contemporary peak: #26

Ingenue and Jennifer Aniston doppelganger Caillat delivered a sugary love song in time for Valentine's Day. This is a song as light as a feather, but not offensive, hence its longevity.




57. Chris Young - Tomorrow (from the CD Neon)

twostepcubchart peak: #19 (2 weeks)
US Country Singles peak: #1 (one week)
US Hot 100 peak: #36

Former Nashville Star winner Young earns his 4th consecutive #1 country hit with this heartbreaking ballad about a love gone wrong. It nicely set up his third CD, and further upped his Nashville clout.




56. Miranda Lambert - Baggage Claim (from the CD Four The Record)

twostepcubchart peak: #9 (one week)
US Country Singles peak: #3
US Hot 100 peak: #44

Lambert is another Nashville Star alum, and although she didn't win on her season (she placed third), she far surprassed the success of anyone else on that show. And she did it not through cliched pop-country mess expected from a reality show contestant, but the most daring and interesting female mainstream country from this year. It's like she's the anti-Blake Shelton. And "Baggage Claim", while straying into Sheryl Crow-ish territory, established her ability for a fun, sassy record amongst her more serious work. Marriage (to Blake) will do that to you.




55. Taylor Swift - Back To December (from the CD Speak Now)

twostepcubchart peak: #23 (one week)
US Country Singles peak: #3
US Hot 100 peak: #6
US Adult Pop peak: #11
US Adult Contemporary peak: #14

Taylor's third and highest single on my year-end list, her "Taylor Lautner song" was a much more adult and restrained effort from the singer, and pushed her into a much more widespread audience.




54. Train - Save Me, San Francisco (from the CD Save Me, San Francisco)

twostepcubchart peak: #12 (3 weeks)
US Hot 100 peak: #75
US Adult Pop peak: #7
US Adult Contemporary peak: #15
US Triple-A peak: #23

Pat Monahan and the boys send their fourth single from their album, an ode to their hometown, to the top-10 of the adult-pop chart, and a video that gives a nod to California's marriage conundrum.




53.Bruno Mars - The Lazy Song (from the CD Doo Wops and Hooligans)

twostepcubchart peak: #12 (2 weeks)
US Hot 100 peak: #4
US Adult Pop peak: #2
US Adult Contemporary peak: #13
UK Singles peak: #1 (one week)
France Singles peak: #11
Germany Singles peak: #9

Bruno's third single from his debut album, "The Lazy Song" was noted not just for its simple but entertainingly fun beat, but for its kooky video, featuring a videocam clip of Mars and a bunch of monkeyheaded backup dancing loafers, became viral on the YouTube.




52. Bush - The Sound of Winter (from the CD The Sea Of Memories)

twostepcubchart peak: #4 (one week)
US Hot 100 peak: #104
US Rock Songs peak: #1 (5 weeks)
US Alternative Rock peak: #1 (6 weeks)

Gavin Rossdale comes back after seemingly an eternity of being just Mr. Gwen Stefani by reassembling Bush and returning to the top of the alt-rock chart for the first time in a dozen years.




51. Andy Grammer - Keep Your Head Up (from the CD Andy Grammer)

twostepcubchart peak: #19 (2 weeks)
US Hot 100 peak: #53
US Adult Pop peak: #5
US Adult Contemporary peak: #11

LA-based singer-songwriter Grammer has his first hit with this ultra-positive ode that hung around the charts forever because no one had the heart to say no. He skated perilously into smarmyville, but this song is a winner solely because it comes from a guy coming up from the ground, not preaching from the heights. And the lil kids love it.




Well, that's it for the bottom half of my year-end chart. Stay tuned next time for more from Train and Caillat, as well as a #1 hit for the biggest one-woman act, and a judge from my favorite singing competition show this year, and again no, NOT J-Lo.

Peace, out.