On The Download Counts Down The ‘Best Of’ Music In 2009 & The Decade

What an amazing year – and decade – it has been for music!

Just a small handful of us started writing this online music column for Access Hollywood in mid-2008. Since then, numerous music lovers from various departments on our staff have become contributors.

We all put our heads together to create our own personal lists, combine them, and then fine tune them to make our final choices. To say that we agonized and argued passionately over them would be an understatement (our debate on whether or not Kings of Leon’s latest album was good enough to be on our “Best Albums of the Decade” list was particularly animated!) – heck, we practically spilled blood.

But all of this was done in the name of how much we all love music.

So, to Nancy, Joe, Jeremy, Ivan, Jolie, Alex, Breanna, David, Damu, Steve, Anthony, Selin, James, Eugene, Bret and countless other music lovers at Access – thank you! And here’s looking forward to an even more dynamic 2010!

2009 Songs of the Year:
10) “Please Don’t Leave Me,” Pink
9) “When Love Takes Over,” David Guetta feat. Kelly Rowland
8) “Poker Face,” Lady Gaga
7) “Million Dollar Bill,” Whitney Houston
6) “The Fear,” Lily Allen
5) “Pretty Wings,” Maxwell
4) “Zero,” Yeah Yeah Yeahs
3) “I Gotta Feelin’,” The Black Eyed Peas
2) “Bad Romance,” Lady Gaga
1) “Empire State of Mind,” Jay-Z feat. Alicia Keys

Honorable Mentions: “Celebration,” Madonna, “Waking Up In Vegas,” Katy Perry

2009 Albums of the Year:
10) “Backspacer,” Pearl Jam
9) “It’s Not Me, It’s You,” Lily Allen
8) “One Love,” David Guetta
7) “All I Ever Wanted,” Kelly Clarkson
6) “Born On Flag Day,” Deer Tick
5) “The Element Of Freedom,” Alicia Keys
4) (tie) “The Fame Monster,” Lady Gaga, “Fearless: Platinum Edition,” Taylor Swift
3) “The E.N.D.,” the Black Eyed Peas
2) “It’s Blitz,” Yeah Yeah Yeahs
1) “BLACKSummersNight,” Maxwell

Honorable Mentions: “21st Century Breakdown,” Green Day, “No Line on the Horizon,” U2

Songs of the Decade:
10) “Gold Digger,” Kanye West feat. Jamie Foxx
9) “Umbrella,” Rihanna
8) “Cry Me A River,” Justin Timberlake
7) “Rehab,” Amy Winehouse
6) (tie) “Single Ladies (Put A Ring On It),” and “Crazy In Love,” Beyonce
5) “Crazy,” Gnarls Barkley
4) “Hey Ya,” OutKast
3) “Fallin,” Alicia Keys
2) (tie) “Mr. Brightside,” The Killers and “Beautiful Day,” U2
1) “Lose Yourself,” Eminem

Honorable Mentions: “Before He Cheats,” Carrie Underwood, “Smile,” Lily Allen, “Viva La Vida,” Coldplay, “Paper Planes,” M.I.A., “Yeah!,” Usher, “Hollaback Girl,” Gwen Stefani, “In Da Club,” 50 Cent, “Not Ready To Make Nice,” The Dixie Chicks

Albums of the Decade:
10) “White Blood Cells,” The White Stripes
9) “Back to Black,” Amy Winehouse
8) “Futuresex/Lovesounds,” Justin Timberlake
7) “The Blueprint,” Jay-Z
6) “A Rush of Blood to the Head,” Coldplay
5) “How To Dismantle An Atomic Bomb,” U2
4) “Home,” The Dixie Chicks
3) “The College Dropout,” Kanye West
2) “Songs In A Minor,” Alicia Keys
1) “American Idiot,” Green Day

Honorable Mentions: “Tha Carter III,” Lil Wayne, “Hail To The Thief” and “Kid A,” Radiohead, “Stankonia,” OutKast, “I Am… Sasha Fierce,” Beyonce, “Stripped,” Christina Aguilera, “The Fame,” Lady Gaga, “Confessions on a Dancefloor,” Madonna, “Only By The Night,” Kings of Leon, “Oops!… I Did It Again,” Britney Spears