The Top 10 Best Hit Songs of 2009

The Top 10 Best Hit Songs of 2009

In the following article, I take a look at the best year of the 2000s for the Hot 100 and take a look at some of the songs that make it so great.

Hey guys, welcome back to Fire’s Flaming Hot Takes for another year-end list. Today, we’re jumping into the top 10 best hit songs of 2009!

So 2009 is a year that is extremely strong all things considered, as I said in my worst list, we were firmly in the deep end of the club boom, and I’m pretty sure this was the biggest reasons this is often considered one of the all-time worst years for the Hot 100, because to be charitable, a lot of it has aged...interestingly. And we also had country music and adult contemporary music having really prominent showings which really highlighted a divide I touched upon in my worst list; we had the people that were partying along with the club music on one side, and then those who weren’t and seriously pretending it wasn’t happening on the other. So with that, let’s get this list started off, there were 69 songs on the Hot 100 year-end list for 2009 that I found good or better, including repeats from 2008 - and as a reminder of the rule as always, the songs had to debut on the year-end Hot 100 list for 2008 in order to qualify, so “Viva La Vida” by Coldplay and “Love Story” by Taylor Swift are unfortunately ineligible for this list. So let’s get this party started as always with our honorable mentions!

HM #1: Jordin Sparks - Battlefield (YE: #57, PEAK: #10)

Yeah, if this and her two songs on my 2008 best list are any indication, I think I like Jordin Sparks more than I had previously realized, I just love her voice haha, it helps really elevate a song that otherwise admittedly doesn’t really have much, I do like the piano and the thunderous kick and I think the repetition of the word “battlefield” in the chorus while it feels like Sparks is falling into the background of the production has a good enhancing effect of something I’m not sure I can pinpoint. Yeah, this entry is proof that I’m a horrible critic, let’s move on, it’s a great song but yeah, it’s only an honorable mention for a reason.

HM #2: Shakira - She Wolf (YE: #64, PEAK: #11)

This just sounds great, from the funky bassline to the synths to those strings on the bridge to Shakira’s playful delivery with so much charisma. I even like the wolf howls that she does, I mean I’ll certainly take it over her dying seal impression or whatever the fuck she did on “GIRL LIKE ME”. Then the content...I honestly have no clue what’s about haha. Yeah, great little song, can we have more of this Shakira, and not “GIRL LIKE ME” Shakira please?

HM #3: The Veronicas - Untouched (YE: #69, PEAK: #17)

Why did this make worst lists before? Seriously, I don’t get it, this was such a great discovery for me when I listened to this year-end list, and it utterly slaps, from the production which is comprised of thunderous electric guitars and enticing strings to our duo themselves, who are absolutely slaying here, the adlibs throughout help add to the incredibly adrenaline-filled vibe of the song, also helping is the stream-of-consiosness feel of the verses, The Veronicas don’t even take a moment to breathe here and that helps this song out a lot weirdly enough. Yeah, great song, The Veronicas probably deserved more success stateside - they actually did have a hit in Australia in 2014 called “You Ruin Me” which is also great - but at least for now, I’m happy we have this.

HM #4: Iyaz - Replay (YE: #83, PEAK: #2)

For what sounds like a Sean Kingston ripoff, this sounds pretty great! It feels oddly nostalgic even though I have no real memories associated with this song haha. It’s just a really sweet song, from the synths to the incredibly sticky hook to the genuine sweetness of the lyrics about how lovestruck Iyaz is over this girl. It never really feels cloying to me. Great song, Definitely deserves a revisit if you haven’t heard it in a while.

HM #5: Jim Jones & Ron Browz f/Juelz Santana - Pop Champagne (YE: #98, PEAK: #22)

I don’t have much to say about this other than that this is one of the single funniest songs I’ve heard in my entire life, and yeah, I probably only put this here for ironic liking more than anything, but I mean, when you got the autotune as awful it is here plus the amateurish at best rapping and the minimalist production that only puts all the attention on that autotune and rapping, can you really blame me? Yeah, this is a masterclass in so bad it’s good, and honestly it deserves to be on my best list if only for how hilarious it is.

HM #6: Justin Bieber - One Time (YE: #89, PEAK: #17)

Oh yikes, I’m not gonna make any friends for this, but eh, young Justin Bieber was always a huge guilty pleasure of mine, even when I pretended to hate him in 5th grade just to hop on the bandwagon haha. What can I say? I never hated young Bieber’s voice and the synths sound really nice here, even if Bieber should not use the word “shawty”, yes the repetition of “one time” throughout the song could be a bit grating I guess, but Bieber’s voice here just rings out so much innocence that I can excuse it. Overhated banger.

HM #7: Green Day - 21 Guns (YE: #78, PEAK: #22)

I have not heard Green Day’s album 21st Century Breakdown, I’ve seen someone say that this song plays better on the album but I’m judging this purely as a song standing alone, and it’s a great one, it’s a bit of a slow one but it does hit extremely hard all the same, the guitars have some punch and Billie Joe Armstrong has such a potent voice even if it feels a bit too muted here, no it’s no “Boulevard Of Broken Dreams”, but it’s still a great song.

Alright, now for the list proper!

10…So 2009 was a huge year for the Black Eyed Peas, this year, they broke the record for the most consecutive weeks at #1 with 26 weeks, one of the songs they did it with was the biggest song of the year - “Boom Boom Pow” - which I do also really like but in a year as strong as 2009 it wasn’t particularly close to making this list, this one was the other song that helped them break this record and it’s awesome!...

10. Black Eyed Peas - I Gotta Feeling (YE: #4, PEAK: #1)

I didn’t realize just how big this song was apparently in 2009, I only learned now that apparently it’s in the Billboard Hot 100’s top 10 biggest songs of all time, and well, I can’t really say it doesn’t deserve that title because this very well may be the single most iconic party song of all time. I actually do have a positive memory associated with this song even if not from 2009, on New Years Eve 2021 my best friends and I had a “dance party” and this was one of the songs we blasted haha, and seeing even the parents getting involved with it just made the atmosphere extremely fun hahaha. But anyway onto the song itself, the production doesn’t feel nearly as dated as so many hits from this year can often feel, with the guitar lick that sounds amazing to the synths that build up so much swell to all and additionally all of the Peas sound like they’re having so much fun and they bring in everyone for the fun. It’s even to the point where the repetition isn’t that bad to me! It’s just so happy and infectious that I don’t get how anyone could outright hate this, but then again I was far too young to remember any overplay this song got, so maybe that was the reason, who knows. Great song, and probably the best hit the Black Eyed Peas have ever had.

9...So what are some names of artists you think of when you think of the club boom? Maybe Katy Perry or Lady Gaga, the latter of whom you could make a credible argument for being the reason the club boom...

9. Lady Gaga f/Colby O’Donis - Just Dance (YE: #3, PEAK: #1)

This is just a lot of fun! With the synths being tighter than you expect to Lady Gaga having such a powerful presence making you wanna well...just dance. And she really makes up for how forgettable Colby O’Donis is on the track and the content...well it’s just dumb party lyrics that I have a massive soft spot for. Definitely my favorite Gaga song, no “Poker Face” is not making this list - it’s a song that I like some days and other days I find obnoxious - “Just Dance” however has always been consistently great for me, a great song, sometimes you just gotta dance.

8...Flaming hot take incoming...

8. Miley Cyrus - The Climb (YE: #21, PEAK: #4)

Every criticism I’ve seen about this song by YouTube music critics said that this song is really boring or that Miley can’t sing and sure, I can see the former criticism admittedly but the latter one doesn’t make sense to me. Yes, Miley’s vocals may be better suited for songs in the vein of “Midnight Sky” or “Prisoner” but I don’t think they’re terrible here. I think they actually help this not feel boring to me, but I’d be lying if I said that a scene from High School Musical: The Musical: The Series involving this song didn’t play at least a little bit of a role in me liking this song, but I do think the song is pretty strong on its own merits too; yes the content is pretty cliche “it’s not about the destination, it’s the journey that counts” but Miley sells it good enough to make it not feel like generic shlock to me and anyway, there’s a place for songs like this, at least for me. Excellent, overhated song.

7...It’s so good to see a song where kicked-in-the-balls Jason Derulo’s vocals work!...

7. Akon f/Colby O’Donis & Kardinal Offishall - Beautiful (YE: #54, PEAK: #19)

I’m  so glad that someone finally gave Akon a beat that flatters his voice! From the hazy synths to the content, which is just genuine lovestruck sweetness for this girl, and then we got our two guests, who are both honestly forgettable but they’re not enough to detract from an excellent song, it’s not my favorite song named “Beautiful” given Bazzi’s from 2019 exists, but hey, I still love this.

6...Another flaming hot take incoming...

6. Colbie Caillat - Fallin’ For You (YE: #68, PEAK: #12)

Yeah, I think I like Colbie Caillat way more than I should and had previously thought haha, but “Fallin’ For You” is honestly one of the most adorable songs I’ve heard on my Hot AC station in recent memory, it probably comes down to Caillat’s vocals being really sweet and sounding lovestruck to match the content. And then there’s the production, which isn’t anything complex, sure, it’s just an acoustic guitar, but it sounds really nice. Yeah, call it boring AC radio filler, I don’t care, I love it.

5...Oh she’s sweet but a psycho- oh shit oops wrong song...

5. Jay Sean f/Lil Wayne - Down (YE: #20, PEAK: #1)

It’s the return of D major!! Honestly, that’s probably the biggest reason I love this song, but really, the hook here is incredibly sticky and the synths sound great, Jay Sean is also delivering a pretty great performance here to make up for Lil Wayne honestly kinda sounding bad on here. Yeah, I love this song quite a bit, and there were still 4 songs better, I told you 2009 was strong!

4...So I remember when I posted my best list for 2005 on Pulse Music Board’s Discord server, I got a little backlash for not putting “Since U Been Gone” on that list, and look, it’s good, and the hook is definitely iconic, but I’ve never thought it rose above just merely “good”, sorry. But if you want tha Kelly Clarkson song that was extremely instant for me, potentially even more than “Behind These Hazel Eyes”...

4. Kelly Clarkson - My Life Would Suck Without You (YE: #23, PEAK: #1)

I mean, from the chugging, energetic pop rock groove, to Kely’s incredible vocals to the guitars with so much power, this is just so much fun, and the content...which is about despite how clearly bad the relationship is, they complete each other and Clarkson says that her life would suck without this guy. Also, let’s face it, the chorus is the musical equivalent to a sugar rush, hearing it just makes you want to belt it out even if you sound like a dying constipated goat while doing it like me haha. Excellent song that in many other years for the 2000s, it would likely be my #1, and yet at the very end of the decade there were 3 songs better...

3..Is this a flaming hot take? I honestly don’t know...

3. Miley Cyrus - Party In The USA (YE: #29, PEAK: #2)

Okay seriously, why do people hate this? This is a fun song about Miley moving to LA from Nashville and being nervous about fitting in, every criticism I’ve seen of this song from YouTube music critics just mentions something about the autotune or the line “I'm noddin' my head like, ‘Yeah’/Movin' my hips like, ‘Yeah’” - and I don’t get this criticism at all, to me this line amplifies the sentiment of Cyrus not feeling like she’s fitting in and trying hard TO fit in. And yeah even if the bass feels like it’s cranked up a bit too much at times, the autotune is barely noticeable for me, so I don’t get that criticism. But yeah, the rest of the production, which is really just a sharp-sounding guitar that just sounds so summery and fun. Yeah, it’s harmless teen pop that works incredibly well for me, a bop!

2.Well, by now you’ve probably picked up on a theme on the entries higher up on this list: fun songs, and this is certainly no exception to that...

2. Boys Like Girls - Love Drunk (YE: #72, PEAK: #22)

Yeah, it’s probably my inner Disney Channel fan talking here because this is now the second time these guys have finished at #2 on one of my best lists. But hey, while not quite as good as “The Great Escape” from 2007, this is still tons of fun, from that great hook to that awesome key change and then we get to those guitars with tons of high energy and frontman Martin Johnson having such a great time on this song, helping this song kick that much ass and be all the more fun. Yes, it may be too anthemic for its own good, but I don’t consider it a drawback at all, especially when it’s this much of a banger.

1...So, there definitely was a point in time several years ago where I would’ve been utterly flamed for having this song top my best list, but I feel like people have overall gotten kinder to this song over the years, and I’m beyond happy about that, this is a song I consider one of my top 5 favorite songs of all time and there was no way in fucking hell that this song wasn’t gonna top this list, let alone make it in the first place, yeah this is so thoroughly a classic to me, I don’t care, I couldn’t call anything else my favorite hit song of 2009...

1. Owl City - Fireflies (YE: #60, PEAK: #1)

This song is simply magical to me, and if you hate this, I’m sorry you didn’t have a good childhood. “Fireflies” is a song that I may have never really heard back in 2009 (or at least I don’t remember hearing) but it nonetheless evokes a feeling of nostalgia and longing for simpler times. The most obvious interpretation of the lyrics is that the “fireflies” in this song are the memories that Young has all flooding back to him as he’s trying to fall asleep, but hey, it’s an interpretation that I believe too. Then the production: yes it sounds really nerdy, but that’s the entire point of the song, it’s intentionally uncool to the point of swinging back around to being likeable. It also captures that child-like innocence of wonder, it’s unabashedly being itself like a little kid would likely do and then the chorus, which just sounds utterly euphoric, with the cascading piano keys and the swell of the bass as it feels like the song is almost breaking into a catharsis of which I’m unable to clearly explain. But of course, we cannot forget the bells that open up the song, just contributing to how unique this song sounds. With all the sweeping atmospherics and strings, it just feels like a blob of childlike innocence in song form in the best way possible. Yes I feel like everyone relates to this on at least a basic level of yearning for simpler times, but just for a moment, when I listen to this song, those simpler times feel tangibly in reach somehow, and thus, I’m not overstating when I say this is not only the best hit song of 2009, but one of the best songs of all time.

Well those are the best hit songs of 2009, hopefully they make my case of this year being incredible for hits, next list, the worst hit songs of the 2000s! And as always, Spotify playlist is below this article and if you wanna comment your own lists of the best hit songs of 2009 or predict the order of my worst hits of the 2000s could be, please comment below, I’m eager to see them! Other than that, if there are any songs you’re surprised to see miss/make this list, comment your thoughts below. But until then, you’ve been reading Fire’s Flaming Hot Takes, and I’ll see you next time!

Spotify Playlist