The Top 30 Songs of 2006*: #20-11

In 2006, the NASA spacecraft Cassini-Huygens detected liquid geysers shooting from the Saturn moon Enceladus, indicating a possible presence of water.  The Winter Olympics were held in Turin, Italy.   Anja Pärson of Sweden won the gold medal in the women's slalom and took bronze in the downhill and combined.  Meanwhile, the social networking website Twitter was founded.  In sports, the Miami Heat turned back the Dallas Mavericks 4 games to 2 to win the National Basketball Association Championship while the St. Louis Cardinals ran over the Detroit Tigers 4 games to 1 to win the World Series.

In music, these songs were among the year's best:  

#20:

Waiting On The World To Change

John Mayer

In 2006, acclaimed guitarist and singer-songwriter John Mayer released this song, which originally peaked at #14 overall and #1 on the Adult Contemporary chart.  Mayer won the Grammy Award for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance and the song has gained significantly in the 10 years since.  It has the eighth-best like-to-dislike ratio on YouTube of all songs from 2006.

#19:

Black Horse And The Cherry Tree

K.T. Tunstall

K.T. Tunstall released the song from her debut album Eye to the Telescope, named after her experiences at her foster father's physics laboratory at the University of St. Andrews in Scotland.  Song #19* peaked at #10 in Italy and #15 in the U.S., but rose to #4 on the more-important Adult Contemporary chart.  Tunstall earned a Grammy nomination for Best Pop Female Vocal Performance for the song.  Like "Waiting On The World To Change", it continues to get stronger, now ranking 14th for the year for like-to-dislike ratio on YouTube..  

#18:

Far Away

Nickelback

This smash hit #1 on the Mainstream Top 40 chart and #8 overall in the U.S. and #2 in Australia and New Zealand.  It ranks 15th for the year in like-to-dislike ratio on YouTube.

#17:

Dirty Little Secret

All-American Rejects

Here is the lead single from the second album by the American rock group from Stillwater, Oklahoma.  Originally, it peaked at #9 in the U.S.  To date, it has sold over two million copies and continues to be relevant, ranking #6 among songs of the year in its like-to-dislike ratio on You Tube.

#16:

My Humps

Black Eyed Peas

This Double Platinum smash won the aforementioned Grammy Award for Best Pop Vocal Performance by a Duo or Group and the MTV Video Music Award for Best Hip-Hop Video.  It hit #1 in Australia, New Zealand and Ireland, #3 in the U.S., the U.K. and Switzerland, #4 in Austria, the Netherlands and Norway, #5 in Denmark, #7 in Finland and #9 in Italy. The song continues to be relevant, ranking #3 among songs from 2006 in YouTube views.

#15:

SexyBack

Justin Timberlake

At #15, former NSYNC lead singer Justin Timberlake, with the first #1 hit of his solo career.  It had a lock at the top for seven weeks in the U.S. and also roared to #1 in the U.K., Germany, Canada, Australia, Ireland, New Zealand and Norway and reached #2 in Belgium, Norway and Switzerland, #3 in Finland, Hungary and Italy, #5 in Austria and Sweden, #7 in the Netherlands and #8 in France.  With sales over three million, Timberlake also won praise in the form of a Grammy Award for Best Dance Recording, the People's Choice Award for Favorite R&B Song and Male Artist of the Year at the MTV Video Music Awards.  One of the Top 10 songs of 2006 originally, it has slipped in the years since as airplay has fallen off.

#14:

Be Without You

Mary J. Blige

With 15 weeks at #1 on the R&B chart in the U.S., this song is not only one of the biggest career hits for Mary J. Blige but also one of the biggest R&B songs of all-time.  It reached #3 overall in the U.S, #5 in Switzerland, #6 in the Netherlands and #9 in New Zealand.  "Be Without You" won Best R&B Song and Best Female R&B Vocal Performance at the Grammy Awards and was nominated for both Record of the Year and Song of the Year.

#13:

Over My Head (Cable Car)

Fray

With both The #24 Song of 2006* and this one, the Fray had an excellent year.  Originally, it peaked at #8 in both the U.S. and Denmark, but Billboard ranked it #13 for the year and it has maintained good strength since.  The Fray were nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals, losing to "My Humps" by the Black Eyed Peas.  "Over My Head" has sold over two million copies.

#12:

Dani California

Red Hot Chili Peppers

In Song #12*, lyricist Anthony Kiedis describes the death of Dani, a poor, young Southern girl who moved to California, became a mother and lived a hard, fast, unsettled life", according to notes on the CD Stadium Arcadium.  The song features the guitar work of John Frusciante, whose one minute solo at the end of the song is patterned after Jim Hendrix's intro to "Purple Haze".  "Dani California" peaked at #6 overall in the United States and spent 14 weeks at #1 on the small segmented Modern Rock chart.  It also peaked at #1 in Canada, #2 in the U.K. and Sweden, #4 in Italy, #5 in Norway, #7 in New Zealand, Ireland, Austria, the Netherlands and Spain and #8 in Australia.  The Chili Peppers captured Grammy Awards for Best Rock Song and Best Rock Vocal Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals.

#11:

Promiscuous
Nelly Furtado and Timbaland

This song by Canadian Nelly Furtado presided at #1 for 6 weeks and also hit #1 in Canada, New Zealand and Denmark, #2 in Australia, #3 in the U.K., #4 in Finland, #5 in Ireland and Scotland, #6 in Germany and Switzerland, #8 in Italy and #9 in the Netherlands.  The song won Single of the Year at the Billboard Music Awards and was nominated for Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals at the Grammy Awards.