"Somebody That I Used to Know" is pretty good, "All About That Bass" is undeniably fun, and Adele's "Rolling in the Deep" is definitely worth a listen. There's a lot of silly music in every decade, and there is a lot of good music that doesn't make the charts. Some songs make the charts as much for an appealing or scandalous video as for the music (Wrecking Ball?), but I don't care to dismiss the whole decade of hit songs just because there is some crap in it, and many of the better songs get so over-played they become ear-worms. Besides this quiz isn't based on anyone's favorite music, it's a quiz testing recent knowledge of pop music artists. No one is asking you to like the songs.
Not all my cup of tea, but I'm inclined to think it is in fact not bad.
Sure there must be a lot of bad music nowadays just due to the sheer volume of new music, but I find it hard to believe that as opposed to everything else, music is the only thing that has gotten worse with technology.
The lyrics maybe, as there is less original stuff to write about, but clearly technology like autotune must be helpful otherwise we'd still just have the good singers at the top of the list, no?
People here might not like it, just like old guys watching sports, longing for the the good old days, but that doesn't mean it's worse.
You're all partially right. Popular music has long been trite fluff, back to the 50s at least, with a few better songs and a few better artists finding mainstream success here and there. Same as today. On the other hand, while bad pop music is nothing new, popular music does tend to be even stupider than ever, and compared to the 60s, 70s, 80s and 90s, pop songs today do have less to say. Even if it's not as big of a difference as some make it out to be. But there is definitely a trend toward focusing more on music that has a beat and is "danceable," along with a trend toward lyrics that are much less subtle and, objectively, just more stupid. Even if it's more of a slight and gradual evolution than the night and day difference some imply.
Oddly, the first song that was ever auto-tuned was Cher, who absolutely did not need it. Such a shame that it was invented and became a crutch for talentless musicians.
The only people I've ever heard that used it for something good are The Key of Awesome.
Electronic Dance Music for the 2000s is no different than Disco for the 70s. Dumb lyrics with a beat you can dance to. "Shake your groove thing, shake your groove thing, yeah yeah. Show 'em how we do it now..." Not exactly awe inspiring lyrics. This trend isn't new. And amongst all of the EDM, Adele still shines bright above it all showing that people genuinely have an interest in strong vocals and lyrics.
what instruments do you play? I play the violin, cello, mandolin, banjo, guitar, harmonica, triangle, and the piccolo. Im telling you that all of these songs are good. especially black Beatles... sent flowers but you said you didn't receive them....
True...most of this list is fairly forgettable pop or "R n B" aimed at a teenage market (as music has been since the 50s). Hazard a guess to say that you wouldn't hear any of this list on the radio in 5 years
There has been some good stuff come out in the past 4 years, but it generally doesn't make the top 10.
Every generation has standards that become classics, but there is a lot more music being played today, 24 hours a day. Only a few truly great songs are written each decade. The rest of the time has to be filled with something, which opens the gate to lots of fluff and filler which is chosen to appeal to the market which buys the most music. I'm a child of the '60s and I think that's the best music, and I still play it along with classical, jazz, and classic country. Those of you who are '90s children probably prefer that decade's music. It's just how we define ourselves. I strongly dislike today's music, just as kids of today strongly dislike mine. That's okay.
While I agree that not all of the music that comes out is horrible, most of the popular ones tend to be the ones I dislike (and seemingly everyone else)
I am not sure most people like the music of their decade (besides maybe in their teen years itself) I generally like 1920-1950s music... (or older... dont mind classical or even gregorian )
I'm a Gen Z, born in 2001. I'm not particularly fond of modern music--95% of the music I listen to is from before I was born. I'm especially love the '70s and '80s. In fact, I'd say most of my friends have music tastes that skew older. And unlike tom88, it's not because of my parents, who don't even consume American music--I just listen to older music cuz I think it's better.
For those who are interested, I highly recommend this article about how the new music industry is dying. On the one hand, it's disappointing to see new music lose so much of its influence. At the same time though, I feel like it's bound to happen when music stops innovating, which I'd say is true of the past two decades.
According to the Wikigods, Gangnam Style made it to number 1 on the Billboard chart for "Hot Rap Songs," which is kind of inexplicable. Not asking for Quizmaster to rethink the list, though, as I get that it doesn't count.
Gangnang Style is not #1 because most of its playbacks were on youtube and, at the time, Billboard didn't took acount youtube into its statistics. I believe that, given the repercussion of Gangnang Style, Billboard started counting youtube views the next year. That's how big Gangnang Style was.
My deliberate ignorance of modern pop music caused me to only get 12 answers. But I went through the list afterward and recognized a bunch more artists who I have heard of but didn't think of.
The only one I am familiar with that I can stand is Gotye. Eminem used to be okay but I haven't heard anything I like from him in many years now.
Every night, I cry myself to sleep, trying my hardest to appreciate AC/DC, but still thinking that it just sounds like an old woman spilling hot tea on herself.
The hot 100 top pop tunes have sucked regardless of Era. They package it and feed it to teenagers and they wolf it down. And the execs laugh at them all the way to the bank. The artists ( I use the term loosely) wallow in their self importance until their fans grow up and realize how ridiculous they really are.
Not anymore. Ever since Billboard started tracking data from Nielsen Music, not to mention the addition of streaming data and iTunes sales, songs have been staying on the charts for much longer than songs in the 1960s or 1970s.
There is good music out there, but you won't hear it on top 40 stations. Most of the stuff on this list is mindless junk designed to appeal to the lowest common denominator. Once every few years a song with a modicum of quality slips onto the list, but those are the exception, not the rule.
My cousins in Bangladesh were obsessed with that song, and with the Mannequin Challenge in general. I love them, but there was one time we visited and that's all they did for several days. Really got on my nerves.
OKAY, MUSIC TODAY IS TERRIBLE, WE GET IT. I like some of these songs, don't really like others. Everyone has their own taste in music. But you don't need to use this comments section to boast about your low score because "this generation has such poor taste".
Most people seem to stay stuck in time with the music they liked in their teens and 20s. Pop music has always been awful according to older generations.
My tastes actually seem to go backwards. The older I get, the further back I look to discover music that's fresh and interesting to me. At this rate, I'm gonna be one of those weird old people that listens to mostly classical music someday.
I am weird too, the three most played genres by me is classical, metal and irish folk. Ow and blues/bluegrass. (and old jazz and... well ok I guess this is not top 3 genres anymore haha)
I actually think a lot of the people commenting on how terrible all the music is haven't even actually listened to a lot of it. They see the names of the artists and find them weird and unrelatable, and then they are turned off by the whole lot. I am quite sure if you liked Norah Jones 20 years ago (and why wouldn't you if you like any form of pop or jazz at all?) then you would probably like a lot of Adele too. If you liked seventies and eighties funk and R&B, then you should really give Bruno Mars and Lizzo a listen. They irony of hating on so much of the music today by baby boomers is that so much of what is popular now borrows heavily from seventies soul and R&B. Now, if you hated that then, probably you won't like this either.
2000s were terrible you’re just looking back fondly as you’ve forgotten all the rnb rubbish that was in the charts then. Same way I look back fondly on the early 10s and think now is bad. Every year has a few good tunes the rest are awful.
Music should stay exactly the way it was when I was young. That was the best music. All music since then is terrible. I don't like that society stops catering to my generation specifically. Boo hoo hoo.
I've yet to see a music-based quiz on this site that doesn't have a generous helping of "this isn't real music/this music is rubbish" comments. It's right up there with the whole Turkey/Cyprus Europe vs Asia argument in terms of repetition.
Now there's a quiz topic: most common topics of trolling commentary on Jetpunk (just rolls right off the tongue)
some people like this kind of music, some people don't. How about instead of hating others for their taste in music, yall get over it and let people live. You're all acting like children just chill
Y'all are gonna hate on me so much for this but I wish One Direction was on here, they had a lot of top hits! Also, you guys can say they're just a "stupid pop bubblegum" boyband, but their management completely controlled them and didn't let them write a lot of their earlier music, plus, all their unpopular music is really beautiful and meaningful and much better than the pop hits their management chose for them, they've inspired countless people to love themselves and be themselves, so anyone hating on them may think that people who like them are the shallow stupid people, but in reality, you guys are the shallow ones for assuming and hating without actually knowing. And I think some of their songs should've been on here (yes, I know Pillowtalk was but I don't count that)
I think music can mean a lot to someone without it being good. I think everyone grew up with certain songs that were special to them and helped them with things. And because certain things resonate with you, you see the song in a whole different light.
The highest the reached was #2 which debuted at that spot. It was blocked by "Blurred Lines", which was a radio giant at the time. I know Wikipedia isn't always a reliable source, but they do cite Billboard. On the week charted August, 31st (2013), "Blurred Lines" reached a peak of 228.9 million radio listens with the song having the largest audience ever in the USA.
"Blurred Lines" broke a record established by "We Don't Belong Together" by Mariah Carey in 2005. On the chart dated July 9th, 2005, the song reached its peak audience of 212.1 million radio listens. Currently, "We Don't Belong Together" is third place in terms of peak audience as "Happy" by Pharell Williams achieved 225.9 million radio listens dated April 12th, 2014 placing "Happy" by Pharell Wiliiams second on the leaderboard
The Weeknd's "Heartless" just hit #1, which needs to be added. https://www.billboard.com/articles/business/chart-beat/8545778/the-weeknd-heartless-no-1-hot-100
I missed only 2 on the right column but 24 on the left... Maybe I'm getting too old for "hip" music. But nice to see great new talents in there like Lewis Capaldi.
The #1 song for the last week of the decade (Dec 28) has been announced. After the quiz was updated on Dec 6, two songs have hit #1; Heartless and All I Want For Christmas Is You.
Well, yes and no. As with anything, it's a matter of taste to some degree, but it's pretty close to objective that a meal from a three-star Michelin restaurant is a better meal than a McDonald's Happy Meal, even if a six-year-old doesn't think so. I myself have little patience for people and their "music nowadays is terrible! Wah, wah!" schtick because it's condescending, because most of these people can't play or write music of their own, and because these same whiners always think *their* generation's pop music (whether it be the Beatles, Van Halen, Pearl Jam, or Fall Out Boy) is music's apex. The irony is that classical musicians could likewise scoff at the notion that any of those bands is "real music," but they usually don't because they have truly devoted themselves to music and appreciate its craft. But anyone who says the Stones, Dylan, Queen, (all of whom I love) or any other 20th-century rock act is "real music" compared to classical or jazz is kidding themselves.
You make good points but I don't agree with the comparison between music and food. Food can sometimes be objective. McDonald's doesn't have as many fresh ingredients and is usually rushed, while a Michelin restaurant is the opposite. Music is just sounds. Whether the sound is coming from a physical or digital instrument, they're just sounds. So the way I see it, there is no such thing as a good or bad music.
Living for the fact Mariah managed to squeeze herself into the decade with a track she wrote 25 years ago. First artist to have a #1 in four consecutive decades. LEGEND
Why is everyone hating on new music? Everyone has their own opinions in music. I don't like all that 70s rock, but I don't come on informational quizzes just to hate on it.
1. People always will advertise their hatred toward any form of art that is popular that doesn't speak to them. 2. The music industry is objectively declining (this trend started long before covid) - there is a lot less money going around, so there is less variety of artists "making it big," and the artists who are not making it big are making less money compared to previous decades. 3. Genres outside of pop music (which has always been degraded by critics) are getting far less attention than they used to. Yes, it is true that disco music established a lot of poor quality trends, and was despised by a majority of people in that era, but there were a lot of other alternatives at the time. There's still plenty of good music out there, it just takes turning over a few rocks to find it.
A year ago I made a list ranking all the Number #1 hits of the 2010s, so I decided I'd challenge myself by not looking at the hints and just guessed everything blindly. Got 42/67, pretty satisfied, although I missed some big ones (Sia, Miley, Kendrick, LMFAO). I'm surprised almost a quarter of JetPunkers know Rae Sremmurd and how it's spelled, given rap is usually a weak spot for the website overall.
Music taste is always opinion and NEVER fact. Y'all sound like my 50 year old dad talking about how bad modern music is. You just don't like it because it's new; all new music is hated for a while until years later when it becomes appreciated. In the 60s, adults didn't like Elvis Prestly or the Beatles because it was a new kind of music they haven't heard of. In the 80s, adults said that rock music and bands like Led Zeplin or GunsNRoses are a negative influence to kids. In the 2000's, people loved to shit on Britney Spears. Yet today all of these artists are loved and respected for what they brought to the music industry. When y'all say today's music is bad, it doesn't say anything about the music itself. All it says is that you have become OLD AF
I think the main reason why a large portion of people think this decade is 'bad', is because people didn't grow up with it. I was a kid, and these songs are all super nostalgic to me. And 80s music is less interesting (the vast majority)
Same!! I was like 10 when I heard most of these songs (apart from the most recent ones) so listening to them are the best! I'm listening to a throwback music channel right now
Well I got slightly more than 50%, which is honestly better than I might have hoped for. I think a lot of the other songs I'd know if I heard them, but while I hear artists' names in the press and I hear the music, I often don't hear the two together.
Get Lucky stalled out at number 2 almost the entire time Blurred Lines was at number one. That does make Pharrell one of a few artists to simultaneously have a #1 and #2 though.
I literally can sing/hum/play all these songs in my head, I know the tune, the words, all of it, but I can only remember the artists for 45 of them. Incredibly frustrating.
Not even close. On a technical level Pharrell Williams, Sia and maybe a couple others (I'd put up Gotye and fun., as short as their runs were) have him outclassed as songwriters/producers. As a singer Adele, Ariana Grande, Lady Gaga and of course Mariah Carey run laps around him. In terms of general acclaim/critical respect he's well liked but no Kendrick Lamar, Rihanna or Adele, and though he's close to the top in terms of sheer popularity he's still galaxies away from Drake or Taylor Swift.
This was back when music was actually good! Magic! Great artist. These throwback songs are honestly the best. Now, music on the charts suck and it's all just random beaats and lyrics thrown together, but alt/indie music nowadays 👌
I understand some of these are the main artists and not the featured artists, but "See you Again" only listing Wiz Khalifa, when Charlie Puth wrote the song and sings the majority of it...Although I guess I feel the same way about "Uptown Funk" being more of a Bruno Mars song than Mark Ronson...I'm sure the DJ is doing his thing, but that's Bruno's swag selling it.
Sure there must be a lot of bad music nowadays just due to the sheer volume of new music, but I find it hard to believe that as opposed to everything else, music is the only thing that has gotten worse with technology.
The lyrics maybe, as there is less original stuff to write about, but clearly technology like autotune must be helpful otherwise we'd still just have the good singers at the top of the list, no?
People here might not like it, just like old guys watching sports, longing for the the good old days, but that doesn't mean it's worse.
The only people I've ever heard that used it for something good are The Key of Awesome.
There has been some good stuff come out in the past 4 years, but it generally doesn't make the top 10.
Im from the (early) 80s btw
For those who are interested, I highly recommend this article about how the new music industry is dying. On the one hand, it's disappointing to see new music lose so much of its influence. At the same time though, I feel like it's bound to happen when music stops innovating, which I'd say is true of the past two decades.
The only one I am familiar with that I can stand is Gotye. Eminem used to be okay but I haven't heard anything I like from him in many years now.
I guess most people know the harlem shake but don't know who wrote it
Now there's a quiz topic: most common topics of trolling commentary on Jetpunk (just rolls right off the tongue)
ah well long live the comment section...
Y'all can say whatever you want about these songs but I grew up with so many of these songs and that's not gonna change
See You Again- Charlie Puth AND Wiz Khalifa
Uptown Funk- Bruno Mars AND Mark Ronson
Any list with Cardi B on belongs in the bin.