The Top 10 Everything of 2011

In 54 wide-ranging lists, TIME surveys the highs and lows, the good and the bad, of the past 12 months

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10. Foster the People, 'Pumped Up Kicks'

This surprise hit finds frontman Mark Foster declaring that the kids with the cool shoes, cool clothes, and cool attitudes better run away from him before he shoots them. And yet, he's delivered this murderous threat as a fuzzy dance pop tune; the exact type of song that those oh, so cool kids are going to want to sing. With a subdued drum beat and spoken-word verses, the electronic-tinged track is one of the most undeniably enjoyable tunes to hit the Billboard charts this year.