Now that 2010 has come and gone, we can look back and see what were the best-selling karaoke songs, both pop and country. Although there are reviews that are very similar in nature, this review of pop and country karaoke is different because it shows what people who sing wanted to play, not just what people who love current music wanted to hear.

Here are our top ten picks based on sales, requests, and popularity: pop chart first, then country chart. Many records we sold during the year had several of these songs on the same record, so there is no one specific method for determining the title song a buyer was interested in when purchasing the record. In other words, our picks can’t be considered 100 percent accurate as to which songs topped the chart for 2010, but we think it’s close.

The Best Pop Karaoke Songs of 2010

#1 – Need You Now – Lady Antebellum (Yes, a country group tops the 2010 pop chart; the pop mix version of this song has electric guitar replacing the country guitar accent on the chorus and bridge When I first heard this song I thought I’ve heard it before, many believe it’s similar to Alan Parsons’ ‘Eye In The Sky’ I think its chorus is similar to ‘More Than Words Can Say’ by Alias)

#2 – Katy Perry’s California Gurls – (Katy Perry has proven to be not just a flash in the pan, but a bona fide pop star. I for one thought her career was going to be short lived when her first came out single titled ‘I Kissed A Girl’, the US Top 40 fanbase is fickle and forgetful. But here she is two years later with her second album which has spawned 3 #1 hits including California Gurls. The song is catchy with the line ‘Daisy Dukes, Bikinis on top’ She needs someone to help her in the spelling department)

#3 – Hello Soul Sister by Train – (We may have thought Train was ancient history because it had been five years since they had chart success. Three of those years were on hiatus though and look now, ‘Hey Soul Sister’ has brought this band back to life. Who would have thought that a song featuring a ukulele as the lead instrument could top the charts? Maybe Tiny Tim would have, but who remembers?)

#4 – TiK ToK by Ke$ha- (A catchy tune justifiably compared to Lady Gaga’s ‘Just Dance’, this song could be a cookie cutter pattern of the many dance numbers in today’s US Top 40)

#5 – Nothin’ On You by BoB – (This debut single from artist BoB features Bruno Mars on guest vocals, but the karaoke version can obviously be sung as a solo artist.)

#6 – Glitter In The Air by Pink – (This song puts Pink on a whole new level. It is a soulful, emotional, bluesy ballad and was therefore highly requested. She performed this song at the 52nd Annual Grammy Awards at a Cirque du Sol style performance)

#7 – Lady Gaga’s Bad Romance – (Another hit from the never-predictable Lady Gaga. The characteristics of this song have been compared to her previous hit ‘Poker Face’.)

#8 – Today Was A Fairytale by Taylor Swift – (A nice little ballad featured on the ‘Valentine’s Day’ soundtrack. Although I sometimes find myself winning over some of Taylor Swift’s off-key live performances, I mostly appreciate her ballads, as do many karaoke singers Add your own voice to the instrumental arrangements and it doesn’t matter what your ‘live’ performance sounded like).

#9 – Only Girl (In the World) by Rihanna – (Rihanna continues her string of success, with this uptempo dance tune. This song became her ninth number one single, more than any other artist since 2000)

#10 – Just The Way You Are by Bruno Mars – (This song is not a remake of Billy Joel’s song of the same title. It is an original composition that is so cheesy it can make you cry. Almost every bride, her fiancée or your wife would blush if you sing this song to them, as shown in the official video for this song. This great video and Bruno Mars’ compelling voice have made this one of the most requested karaoke songs for 2010)

The Best Country Karaoke Songs of 2010

#1 – Need You Now by Lady Antebellum (This song obviously has wide appeal, as it topped the 2010 Country and Pop karaoke charts. The fact that it’s a duet helps, as many karaoke fans are looking for a song they can sing along with someone else, but since it’s a karaoke track, a singer can easily sing the whole song solo).

#2 – The House That Built Me by Miranda Lambert – (This song is about returning to your childhood home that is now occupied by other people. The hope is to reconnect with a former self there, to heal from issues and stresses not specified) caused by current life. The request is made to come only one last time and “I will not take anything but a memory”).

#3 – Carrie Underwood’s Temporary Home (Although not as commercially successful as some of Carrie Underwood’s other singles, this song has enough soul and emotion to make it one of the most requested karaoke songs of 2010)

#4 – Why Don’t We Just Dance by Josh Turner (This song is infectiously fun and appealing to most country music fans)

#5 – Water by Brad Paisley (Although not as lyrically inventive as other country tunes, the song is catchy and will likely remain a go-to song throughout the summer for his various ‘Water’ applications.)

#6 – Hillbilly Bone by Blake Shelton (This uptempo country ditty is a statement of rural pride. Note the line: “We all have a hillbilly bone deep down.”)

#7 – Stuck Like Glue by Sugarland (A catchy tune that, if it weren’t for Jennifer Nettle’s obvious country vocals, could pass for a pop song)

#8 – Cowboy Casanova by Carrie Underwood – (a late 2009 release that actually peaked in January 2010. This song is upbeat and similar to Carrie Underwood’s previous hit “Before He Cheats” in that it his message is a warning to girls about cheating men)

#9 – Rain Is A Good Thing by Luke Bryan – (Sounds like a country song is going to tell you a story or have a developing hook. For this Luke Bryan song, the theme development is this: “Rain is a good thing”, because “rain makes corn, and corn makes whiskey, and whiskey makes my baby feel a little frisky. Obviously ‘cheesy’ but it worked)

#10 – Only Prettier by Miranda Lambert – (The message of this song is that city girls and country girls are basically the same thing except that country girls are ‘just prettier’).

So if you’re a singer, 2010 gave you a lot of new music to choose from. Sometimes it can seem like there is no great new music out there. However, it may seem that way because you have become accustomed to listening to your ‘iPod’ with its music options preselected. Start getting used to listening to the radio or turning on a music channel more often, then you’ll find plenty of new selections to choose from.