This Saturday, the Triple J Hottest 100 is back but this time it takes a new form in counting down the 100 best songs from the past decade.
Votes are being submitted and shared all over social media as music lovers really comprehend the past decade of tunes.
An Aussie (and kiwi) song goes in favourite to take out the song of the decade with Goyte’s 2011 global smash hit “Somebody That I Used To Know”
The likes of “Do I Wanna Know” by Arctic Monkeys, “Never Be Like You” by Flume and “The Less I Know The Better” by Tame Impala as well as Flume, Gang of Youths and even Violent Soho are also in the mix to be top of the pops.
It’s been a diverse decade of music with female artists featuring prominently, the majority of the winning artists being Australian and the odd controversy such as Taylor Swift being excluded in the 2014 countdown.
We’ve crunched the numbers, gone deep into the Neds record library (well Spotify and Youtube) and sussed out what all our mates are voting for via their social media posts to come up with this comprehensive preview ahead of this Saturday’s countdown.
While the market has “Somebody That I Used to Know” as the favourite, we’re going to back an outsider to take out top gong in this countdown of the best of the 2010s.
Using the science of looking at people’s votes being shared online, Rufus Du Sol’s 2016 10 minute epic track “Innerbloom” is featuring prominently amongst a big sample of votes.
The nine-minute chilled out track reflects a lot of what the Triple J audience has liked over the past decade – especially in the second half of it – and the other favourites in the market could eat into each other’s votes.
Rufus Du Sol appears to be consistent in the poll sampling and this track could be the one that comes out on top.
With a bigger playing field than just the best songs of the year, it might not be the most obvious track that takes out the number one spot – especially with Triple J’s diverse playlist and listenership.
Therefore, I’m happy to take the nine-minute track at $9.
Arguably the biggest song to come out of New Zealand since “Slice of Heaven” by Dave Dobbyn, Royals is a great bet to crack into the top 10 of the Countdown.
The 2013 smash hit featured prominently at the time and finding someone who doesn’t like the song is a tough thing to do.
When you think of the big songs from the past decade, Royals will be right in the mix and should scrape in for a top 10 finish.
Some hottest 100 predictors have even got this down to finish on top, but it’s best to play it safe with this one.
Violent Soho has a loyal fan base, their music is pure grunge rock and roll and is a great Aussie band.
Expect them to be at the business end of the countdown this Saturday.
Expect this Gang of Youths track to get to the final stages of the Countdown this Saturday.
Gang of Youths have a loyal fan base and are Triple J favourites, it also helps that their music is actually good and people love voting for Australian bands.
A good price at the current (time of publish) $1.55 on offer.
This market is currently a two-horse race between favourite Runaway (Feat. Pusha T)- Kanye West at $1.80 or Foster the People’s Pumped Up Kicks at $2.25
A number of our markets has had Kayne feature prominently however, you need to think like a Triple J listener.
If it were pre 2016 and pre-Trump presidency, he might be a chance to dominate in the countdown but of recent, he’s kinda been on the nose with the younger Triple J audience.
Despite the fact, Kanye is a genius, Pumped Up Kicks has broader appeal and isn’t as divisive – despite the fact it’s about a mass shooting.
Back Foster the People to bring it home for the Americans.
If we’re backing it to win the number one song in this Hottest 100 of the Decade, then clearly we’ll put it down as top Aussie Track.
Should we be right backing it to win at $9 and be top Aussie Track at the $7 (at time of publish) makes for great value.
Or you could request a market on Smoko by The Chats being the number one Aussie track in what would be the ultimate act of patriotism.
Arctic Monkey’s track “Do I Wanna Know” is not only one of the hot favourites to win but it’s also at the shorter than Winx-like odds of $1.05 to take out top track from the UK.
The only competition it faces is “Breezeblocks” by Alt J at $7 or “Tokyo (Vampires and Wolves)” by the Wombats at $15 and both of those songs I’d put down in the 25 – 11 range whereas “Do I Wanna Know” is a dead cert for top 10.
Give this one a miss.
This is one of my best bets for the entire countdown.
Triple J, Hottest 100 and Hilltop Hoods have gone hand in hand over the past decade and I’m more than confident at least three of their tracks from the past decade will make the countdown.
I would be shocked if “I Love It (Featuring SIA)”, “1955” and “Cosby Sweater” did not all make the cut on Saturday and unlike supporters of Bernie Sanders on Super Tuesday, Hilltop Hoods fans will vote and vote in big numbers.
People forget that this track, when released back in 2010, was huge.
Not only that incredibly catchy tune and if you listen back to it you can’t help but like it.
Wouldn’t be surprised if it gets a run early 100 – 85 range in the countdown.
Like A Versions have featured prominently in Hottest 100’s of recent and DMA’s cover of Cher’s 1998 classic “Believe” is the $1.20 favourite.
There’s good value in no Like a Versions to make the cut at $3.50 but I feel that will be highly unlikely given that Triple J listeners love them.
If you think DMA’s won’t make it (which they will) then go ahead and take the no Like a Versions at the current price but I reckon it’s best to give this one a miss.
It’s clear the trading team here at Neds are right into the Hottest 100 and have a number of specials for Saturday’s countdown.
Some options include: The number 1 voted track to NOT be a former number 1 from a previous Hottest 100, All 10 of the former number 1 tracks from previous Hottest 100s to make the top 100, The top 3 voted tracks to all be Australian artists (Featuring on a track does not count), Any artist to have 2 or more tracks in the top 10 (Featuring on a track does not count) and Any Like a Version track to make the top 20.
For mine, I really like the “Any artist to have 2 or more in the top 10” at the $2 price.
Can very much see a Gang of Youths or even Tame Impala getting more than one place in the top 10 based on predictions and the general feel of how a Triple J song of the decade countdown might play out.
At the time of publishing, both “Thrift Shop” by Macklemore and recent 2019 winner Billie Elish “Bad Guy” were both equal favourites at $2.50.
I feel the run for “Bad Guy” to make the countdown has been left too late, as it is the most recent winners, and the fact the song is getting played to death on not just Triple J but on television ads and in general.
People are simply sick of this song.
Bad Guy is a unique song and Billie is a star but I’d expect her time will come in the next hottest 100 of the 2020s.
Should the song make it, I’d expect it to poll in the 100 – 91 bracket.
Also factor in the novelty vote, people are voting for Thrift Shop on the basis that it’s f**king awesome. (See what I did there?)
The market for this category has Kanye West the favourite but I feel it’s likely to be either a tie between Kanye and Gang of Youths or Gang of Youths come out one song ahead.
Gang of Youths tracks like What Can I Do If The Fire Goes Out, The Deepest Sighs, The Frankest Shadows, Let Me Down Easy and Magnolia should all feature at the start, midway and the business end of the countdown this Saturday.
Kanye West, Tame Impala, Flume are also in the mix but I expect this one to be tied between two or possibly three acts.
We’ve already got them down to win the Top Aussie category and at the $4 price, this is outstanding value..
The bookies have pitted a number of songs against each other and if that song finishes higher in the countdown – you win.
It’s a pretty simple concept and always a fascinating topic of discussion.
So without further or do, here are my tips
I reckon this outstanding 2012 track from Alt J might just pip Kanye in this matchup and is the favourite.
The punters on the money with this one.
Matt Corby might have the fact he’s an Aussie making him favourite in this market but I’ll take the Brit-Pop catchy tune over an acoustic guitarist singing about a break up any day of the week.
The Wombats also happen to be one of this author’s favourite bands and I’m confident at the $2 price it’ll give Matt Corby the result he got on Australian Idol.
Gang of Youths are the $1.12 favourite and while personally, I prefer the Tame Impala song you can’t argue that this track is likely to be in the top 3 (as we have tipped).
Would be a major upset if The Less I Know The Better finishes higher but I just can’t see it happening.
Punters can’t split the two tracks in this market and it really could be a toss of a coin as to what song finishes higher.
Given I’ve tipped Pumped Up Kicks to be the highest American song, I’ll go with consistency and back it to win this matchup as well.
You would think Vance Joy will make the top 10 but I think Lorde’s Royals will just beat it in the overall countdown – most likely at the business end.
It’s also a far better song compared than Riptide.