100 BEST SONGS OF 2011 »

From Lady Gaga instructing us to put our paws up and Adele lamenting just how much she and her man could have had at the beginning of the year, to Bruno Mars predicting a murky forecast and Jay-Z and Kanye taking one more—just one more—stroll through Paris at year’s end, 2011 has been a fantastic year for pop music of all shapes and sizes. Over the next week, we’ll be counting down our 100 favorite songs of the year—songs that made us dance, made us think, made us cry, most of them all at the same time. Check out 100-81 at the link above, including Pharell proteges, Beyoncé bonus tracks, and Mike Posner porno soundtracks, and check back tomorrow for 20 more.