Canon Fodder: The Ten Best Songs of 2010?

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Stephen Totilo and N'Gai Croal created a game, Canon Fodder, to try to identify the best video games of all time.

Starting with GameRankings.com's list of the 10 highest-scoring games of all time, they asked various game developers to either 1. swap the positions of any two games or 2. replace a game.

I thought it'd be fun to play Canon Fodder with Pitchfork's Top 10 Tracks of 2010 as the starter list.

The Top 10 Tracks of 2010
1. Ariel Pink's Haunted Graffiti – "Round and Round"
2. Kanye West – "Runaway [feat. Pusha T]"
3. LCD Soundsystem – "I Can Change"
4. Robyn – "Dancing on My Own"
5. Big Boi – "Shutterbugg [feat. Cutty]"
6. Kanye West – "Power [feat. Dwele]"
7. Joanna Newsom – "Good Intentions Paving Company"
8. James Blake – "I Only Know (What I Know Now)"
9. Arcade Fire – "Sprawl II (Mountains Beyond Mountains)"
10. Janelle Monáe – "Tightrope [feat. Big Boi]"

Move 1 by "Phoodie of the Year" Drew Lazor
1. Ariel Pink's Haunted Graffiti – "Round and Round"
2. Kanye West – "Runaway [feat. Pusha T]"
3. LCD Soundsystem – "I Can Change"
4. Robyn – "Dancing on My Own"
5. Big Boi – "Shutterbugg [feat. Cutty]"
6. removed: Kanye West – "Power [feat. Dwele]" / added: Katy Perry – "Teenage Dream"
7. Joanna Newsom – "Good Intentions Paving Company"
8. James Blake – "I Only Know (What I Know Now)"
9. Arcade Fire – "Sprawl II (Mountains Beyond Mountains)"
10. Janelle Monáe – "Tightrope [feat. Big Boi]"

Move 2 by Ogre
1. Ariel Pink's Haunted Graffiti – "Round and Round"
2. Kanye West – "Runaway [feat. Pusha T]"
3. LCD Soundsystem – "I Can Change"
4. Robyn – "Dancing on My Own"
5. removed: Big Boi – "Shutterbugg [feat. Cutty]" / added: Lil B – "Cold War"
6. Katy Perry – "Teenage Dream"
7. Joanna Newsom – "Good Intentions Paving Company"
8. James Blake – "I Only Know (What I Know Now)"
9. Arcade Fire – "Sprawl II (Mountains Beyond Mountains)"
10. Janelle Monáe – "Tightrope [feat. Big Boi]"

Move 3 by DJ Ben
1. removed: Ariel Pink's Haunted Graffiti – "Round and Round" / added: Wiz Khalifa – "Black and Yellow"
2. Kanye West – "Runaway [feat. Pusha T]"
3. LCD Soundsystem – "I Can Change"
4. Robyn – "Dancing on My Own"
5. Lil B – "Cold War"
6. Katy Perry – "Teenage Dream"
7. Joanna Newsom – "Good Intentions Paving Company"
8. James Blake – "I Only Know (What I Know Now)"
9. Arcade Fire – "Sprawl II (Mountains Beyond Mountains)"
10. Janelle Monáe – "Tightrope [feat. Big Boi]"

Ben wanted to replace "Round and Round" with "Power (Remix) [feat. Jay-Z and Swizz Beatz]," but we decided that the game is more interesting if you cannot add a previously removed song.

Move 4 by Forest
1. Wiz Khalifa – "Black and Yellow"
2. Kanye West – "Runaway [feat. Pusha T]"
3. LCD Soundsystem – "I Can Change"
4. Robyn – "Dancing on My Own"
5. Lil B – "Cold War"
6. Katy Perry – "Teenage Dream"
7. removed: Joanna Newsom – "Good Intentions Paving Company" / added: Beach House – "Real Love"
8. James Blake – "I Only Know (What I Know Now)"
9. Arcade Fire – "Sprawl II (Mountains Beyond Mountains)"
10. Janelle Monáe – "Tightrope [feat. Big Boi]"

Move 5 by Matt Adams
1. Wiz Khalifa – "Black and Yellow"
2. Kanye West – "Runaway [feat. Pusha T]"
3. LCD Soundsystem – "I Can Change"
4. Robyn – "Dancing on My Own"
5. Lil B – "Cold War"
6. Katy Perry – "Teenage Dream"
7. Beach House – "Real Love"
8. James Blake – "I Only Know (What I Know Now)"
9. Arcade Fire – "Sprawl II (Mountains Beyond Mountains)"
10. removed: Janelle Monáe – "Tightrope [feat. Big Boi]" / added: The National – "Bloodbuzz Ohio"

Move 6 by Nerdy Neil
1. elevated: Kanye West – "Runaway [feat. Pusha T]"
2. lowered: Wiz Khalifa – "Black and Yellow"
3. LCD Soundsystem – "I Can Change"
4. Robyn – "Dancing on My Own"
5. Lil B – "Cold War"
6. Katy Perry – "Teenage Dream"
7. Beach House – "Real Love"
8. James Blake – "I Only Know (What I Know Now)"
9. Arcade Fire – "Sprawl II (Mountains Beyond Mountains)"
10. The National – "Bloodbuzz Ohio"

Move 7 by Me
1. Kanye West – "Runaway [feat. Pusha T]"
2. Wiz Khalifa – "Black and Yellow"
3. removed: LCD Soundsystem – "I Can Change" / added: Jamie Lidell – "Your Sweet Boom"
4. Robyn – "Dancing on My Own"
5. Lil B – "Cold War"
6. Katy Perry – "Teenage Dream"
7. Beach House – "Real Love"
8. James Blake – "I Only Know (What I Know Now)"
9. Arcade Fire – "Sprawl II (Mountains Beyond Mountains)"
10. The National – "Bloodbuzz Ohio"

That's all the moves I could muster late Tuesday night. I hope to get some more people to contribute. In the meantime, comments are posted in chronological order (nudge nudge wink wink).

Move 8 by dedleg
1. Kanye West – "Runaway [feat. Pusha T]"
2. Wiz Khalifa – "Black and Yellow"
3. Jamie Lidell – "Your Sweet Boom"
4. Robyn – "Dancing on My Own"
5. removed: Lil B – "Cold War" / added: Gorillaz – "Superfast Jellyfish [feat. De La Soul and Gruff Rhys]"
6. Katy Perry – "Teenage Dream"
7. Beach House – "Real Love"
8. James Blake – "I Only Know (What I Know Now)"
9. Arcade Fire – "Sprawl II (Mountains Beyond Mountains)"
10. The National – "Bloodbuzz Ohio"

Move 9 by Josh
1. Kanye West – "Runaway [feat. Pusha T]"
2. Wiz Khalifa – "Black and Yellow"
3. Jamie Lidell – "Your Sweet Boom"
4. elevated: Beach House – "Real Love"
5. Gorillaz – "Superfast Jellyfish [feat. De La Soul and Gruff Rhys]"
6. Katy Perry – "Teenage Dream"
7. lowered: Robyn – "Dancing on My Own"
8. James Blake – "I Only Know (What I Know Now)"
9. Arcade Fire – "Sprawl II (Mountains Beyond Mountains)"
10. The National – "Bloodbuzz Ohio"

Move 10 by Jordan Ginsberg
1. Kanye West – "Runaway [feat. Pusha T]"
2. Wiz Khalifa – "Black and Yellow"
3. Jamie Lidell – "Your Sweet Boom"
4. Beach House – "Real Love"
5. Gorillaz – "Superfast Jellyfish [feat. De La Soul and Gruff Rhys]"
6. elevated: The National – "Bloodbuzz Ohio"
7. Robyn – "Dancing on My Own"
8. James Blake – "I Only Know (What I Know Now)"
9. Arcade Fire – "Sprawl II (Mountains Beyond Mountains)"
10. lowered: Katy Perry – "Teenage Dream"

Move 11 by Ryan McKern
1. Kanye West – "Runaway [feat. Pusha T]"
2. Wiz Khalifa – "Black and Yellow"
3. Jamie Lidell – "Your Sweet Boom"
4. Beach House – "Real Love"
5. Gorillaz – "Superfast Jellyfish [feat. De La Soul and Gruff Rhys]"
6. The National – "Bloodbuzz Ohio"
7. Robyn – "Dancing on My Own"
8. James Blake – "I Only Know (What I Know Now)"
9. Arcade Fire – "Sprawl II (Mountains Beyond Mountains)"
10. removed: Katy Perry – "Teenage Dream" / added: Kate Nash – "Do-Wah-Doo"

Move 12 by Steven
1. Kanye West – "Runaway [feat. Pusha T]"
2. Wiz Khalifa – "Black and Yellow"
3. Jamie Lidell – "Your Sweet Boom"
4. Beach House – "Real Love"
5. Gorillaz – "Superfast Jellyfish [feat. De La Soul and Gruff Rhys]"
6. The National – "Bloodbuzz Ohio"
7. Robyn – "Dancing on My Own"
8. James Blake – "I Only Know (What I Know Now)"
9. Arcade Fire – "Sprawl II (Mountains Beyond Mountains)"
10. removed: Kate Nash – "Do-Wah-Doo" / added: Far East Movement – "Like a G6 (Remix) [feat. 50 Cent]"

9 Comments

  1. Drew 15 Dec 10 at 10:42

    Ooh, I probably wouldn't have removed the "Power" remix…

    Reply ↓
  2. dedleg 15 Dec 10 at 11:56

    "Cold War" is a pretty good hip hop song but I wouldn't say it's anything particularly transcendent. Going with "Superfast Jellyfish" off Plastic Beach.

    Move 8 by dedleg
    1. Kanye West – "Runaway [feat. Pusha T]"
    2. Wiz Khalifa – "Black and Yellow"
    3. Jamie Lidell – "Your Sweet Boom"
    4. Robyn – "Dancing on My Own"
    5. removed: Lil B – "Cold War" / added: Gorillaz feat. De La Soul – "Superfast Jellyfish"
    6. Katy Perry – "Teenage Dream"
    7. Beach House – "Real Love"
    8. James Blake – "I Only Know (What I Know Now)"
    9. Arcade Fire – "Sprawl II (Mountains Beyond Mountains)"
    10. The National – "Bloodbuzz Ohio"

    Should have been the song of the summer.

    Reply ↓
  3. Ryan 15 Dec 10 at 15:56

    Big fan of the OTHER cold war (the Janelle Monae song) that came out this year but Tightrope is too good to let it go

    Move 9 by McKern
    1. Kanye West – "Runaway [feat. Pusha T]"
    2. Wiz Khalifa – "Black and Yellow"
    3. Jamie Lidell – "Your Sweet Boom"
    4. Robyn – "Dancing on My Own"
    5. Gorillaz feat. De La Soul – "Superfast Jellyfish"
    6. removed: Katy Perry – "Teenage Dream" / added: Janelle Monáe – "Tightrope [feat. Big Boi]"
    7. Beach House – "Real Love"
    8. James Blake – "I Only Know (What I Know Now)"
    9. Arcade Fire – "Sprawl II (Mountains Beyond Mountains)"
    10. The National – "Bloodbuzz Ohio"

    Reply ↓
    1. Jon 15 Dec 10 at 21:01

      Ineligible move, McKern. As noted, you cannot add a previously removed song. Try again.

      Reply ↓
  4. Ryan 16 Dec 10 at 09:04

    Can't. Song is too good to lose; best bassline of the year. I can't call it the best song of the year but it's got to be in the list. Bump it to honorable mention if you must.

    Reply ↓
  5. Ryan 16 Dec 10 at 09:41

    Wait, no. I'll play along:

    Move 11 by McKern
    1. Kanye West – "Runaway [feat. Pusha T]"
    2. Wiz Khalifa – "Black and Yellow"
    3. Jamie Lidell – "Your Sweet Boom"
    4. Beach House – "Real Love"
    5. Gorillaz – "Superfast Jellyfish [feat. De La Soul and Gruff Rhys]"
    6. The National – "Bloodbuzz Ohio"
    7. Robyn – "Dancing on My Own"
    8. James Blake – "I Only Know (What I Know Now)"
    9. Arcade Fire – "Sprawl II (Mountains Beyond Mountains)"
    10. removed: Katy Perry – "Teenage Dream" / added Kate Nash – "Do Wah Doo"

    Reply ↓
  6. Forest 16 Dec 10 at 15:22

    Looks like much of the fighting right now is over the last few spots. Everyone seem to agree with the top 5?

    When does it end?

    Reply ↓
  7. Ryan 16 Dec 10 at 16:39

    My Top-10 of the year bares no resemblance to this aggregate in any meaningful way whatsoever.

    Reply ↓
  8. Adam 17 Dec 10 at 00:09

    Yeah, my top 10… doesn't look anything like this. I want to participate, but no point adding any crusty sludge metal to the list when it'll just be removed by the next person. I see lists like this and sometimes I'm glad I have tinnitus and 40% hearing loss on my right side. I have a feeling there's a reason you didn't ask me outright to participate Jon.

    Reply ↓

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