While most of middle school is cringe-worthy and should not be mentioned, the music was great. Katy Perry was playing on every radio station, and what middle schooler didn't rock out to Taio Cruz? You're lying if you say that you never go back now and then and listen to your favorite jams from your early teen days. These are, in my opinion, the top 12 middle school throwback songs:
1. Tik Tok - Ke$ha
This song defined middle school days. Ke$ha had a number of hit songs in the early 2010s, but none rivaled her masterpiece "Tik Tok." At the time, this song was rebellious, making your tween self feel a little cooler when you listened and screamed the lyrics along with your friends.
2. Hey, Soul Sister - Train
Did you think this was the greatest love song of all time when you were 11? Most likely. It was impossible to escape this song, as it was repeatedly played on the radio and in school. Not to mention, there were numerous parodies made of it.
3. Dynamite - Taio Cruz
If you told middle schoolers in 2011 that Taio Cruz would be a long forgotten name by 2016, they wouldn't believe you. Dynamite was played at middle school dances across the country, and we know you had it on your iPod Nano as well.
4. I Gotta Feeling - The Black Eyed Peas
Most songs of this time were a strange mix of rap, speaking and singing, and no one did this better than The Black Eyed Peas. "I Gotta Feeling" was their most popular song, with Fergie belting out the lyrics and will.i.am dropping the sick beat.
5. California Gurls - Katy Perry
It's completely impossible to have a middle school throwback playlist without mentioning Katy Perry. It seemed like she had a new top single single out every other week, including "Firework" and "Hot N' Cold." However, the fact remains that her most timeless classic goes to "California Gurls."
6. Halfway There - Big Time Rush
While they may not have been as high on the charts as Taio Cruz or Katy Perry, Big Time Rush still held a place in girls' hearts around middle schools across the United States. Not only did they have their own TV show on Nickelodeon, they also had full albums out and even went on tour (my 2011 self is super jealous if you did).
7. Party Rock Anthem - LMFAO Featuring Lauren Bennett and GoonRock
This song changed every 11 year old's life. The music video, which now has over a billion views, was watched excessively so you could learn all of the dance moves. It was many people's favorite song on Just Dance. We all know you practiced over and over to get a perfect score.
8. Super Bass - Nicki Minaj
There was no greater sense of accomplishment or pride than being able to flawlessly rap this entire song when it first came out. Even today, is there a greater feeling than hitting all of the words in a Nicki Minaj song perfectly?
9. What Makes You Beautiful - One Direction
One Direction instantly won the hearts of thousands of tween girls after their first single, including my own heart. This song not only was a great rock out song in the car, but it also was the beginning of the One Direction obsession for the next four years.
11. We Are Young - fun. Featuring Janelle Monae
Now, this song was a bit more serious and less dance-y than most other songs on this list. Still, "We Are Young" was the slow song that defined our middle school years.
12. Call Me Maybe - Carly Rae Jepsen
No matter how much you hate the song now, would middle school have even been the same without it? "Call Me Maybe" was the ultimate summer jam. At one point, we all knew the Harvard Baseball Team's cover of it.
13. Baby - Justin Bieber
It had to be done. When this song first came out, all middle schoolers knew it and listened to it, whether they loved it or not. This was the Bieb's first single, and it instantly skyrocketed him to stardom and started Bieber Fever.
Go online and look up all of your favorite middle school songs and sing along, whether it's by Ke$ha, The Black Eyed Peas, or maybe even Justin Bieber.
