Ladies and gentlemen, introducing our No.1 pop song of 2010. Theo and Adam from Manchester duo Hurts burst onto the scene earlier this year with their rather brilliant debut single ‘Better Than Love’. With its thundering beats and electronic instrumentation, it harked back to the heady days of the 1980s British pop scene when bands like OMD, New Order and the Pet Shop Boys were all the rage.
But it was the follow-up that took our breath away. Telling the story of a man hell-bent on ending his life being saved by a woman called Suzie, the track employed the subtle tick of a metronome as percussion, before Theo popped in with some fragile vocals to tell the tale. Then… that glorious chorus.
The clip was stylishly minimalist too, with a quartet of dancers trying their hand at synchronised swimming and Theo looking pensive by the pool.
But ultimately, it was the A grade instrumentation coupled with a fab melody and a great story that turned a song that spoke of love, optimism hope into one of the classiest and most engaging pop songs we’ve heard for years.
Brilliance. It really is a ‘Wonderful Life’.
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Anonymous says
It’s amazing that this was first released in April 2009 and was heard by just a few, for it to get re released and reach a wider audience
Anonymous says
mykl has been picking this for months (hes on another site as well as me) lol; and so have I, this track is amazing with such a simple depth to it that is at the same time so complex, amazing!
-Braedan
fishpOp says
Great choice. :D
Anonymous says
A truly epic song. A brilliant choice for number 1. And with 8 females occupying the top 10 (with the exception of Miami Horror) it is great to see a male act make it to the top. And their album is suitably epic too…’Devotion’ is the best album track this year!
Mary says
Excellent choice for #1. Been digging The Hurts album all year.
Happy new yea to you Auspop, thanks for keep us all up-to-date with the latest pop news.
Daniel in Dubai says
Very good choice, ausPoP…. Hurts is probably more my pick for album of the year more than single of the year. That honour, if it were mine to bestow, would go to Just The Way You Are by Bruno Mars… Wonderful Life would be two or three.
After Hurts, album honours for the year, for me, go to Speak Now by Taylor Swift and Progress by Take That.
Thanks for your top ten – I’m a sucker for a good list!
Mykl_77 says
OMG! I so picked this (Damian can verify). This is definitely one of the best pop tracks of the year, if not all time!!!