Our No. 1 songs: 2011

Summary

All Songs Considered – "Our No. 1 Songs: 2011"

Host: Robin Hilton | Guest/Co-host: Stephen Thompson
Release Date: September 29, 2025

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Overview

In this nostalgic episode, Robin Hilton and Stephen Thompson revisit 2011, dissecting the songs that defined the year both personally and for NPR's All Songs Considered crew. As part of their ongoing retrospective series, the conversation weaves through pop anthems, indie gems, lasting impressions, and the songs that turned into standards—punctuated by playful banter and musical excerpts.

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Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. What Defined 2011 for All Songs Considered?

• Stephen opens the table: He sets the tone by recalling two contrasting but defining tracks from 2011—one a pop juggernaut, the other an NPR favorite.

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2. The Wake-Up Call to Pop: Rihanna's "We Found Love"

[01:09–02:07]

• Stephen Thompson: "That is 'We Found Love' by Rihanna featuring Calvin Harris. A song that woke my ass up to pop music." (01:09)
• Robin Hilton: Admits this song was a blind spot, having missed its radio ubiquity:
  "You listen to the radio... and I never, ever have the radio on, and so I miss so much of it..."
  "But this was one that I had totally missed." (01:43)

Insight:
Stephen credits "We Found Love" as a major pop milestone for him, despite typically focusing on more indie music. Robin points out generational differences in music exposure, highlighting the influence of family and daily routines on discovery.

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3. NPR Favorite: King Creosote & Jon Hopkins – "Diamond Mine"

[02:24–04:50]

• Stephen Thompson:
  "King Creosote and Jon Hopkins... made this one perfect record together in 2011. It was my favorite album of the year. It was Bob Boilen's favorite album of the year. ... We couldn't agree on anything except for the sheer perfection of this perfect jewel of a record." (03:28–03:55)
• Robin Hilton: Admits initial hesitance:
  "I had really fallen for Jon Hopkins' solo music... it was so abrasive compared to this. When I saw Jon Hopkins' name next to an album title, that's what I was hoping to hear. And then I heard this completely different thing." (04:32–04:50)

Insight:
"Diamond Mine" is honored as a rare consensus pick—a record uniting the entire NPR Music team in its gentle beauty. Robin's initial expectations are subverted by the album's delicate nature compared to Jon Hopkins’ previous, more abrasive electronic work.

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4. Robin’s No. 1 for 2011: Gotye’s "Somebody That I Used To Know"

[05:15–08:27]

• Stephen Thompson: Surprised this is a 2011 song, immediately recognizes the track:
  "Was this 20–I was thinking of this song as 2012." (05:15)
• Robin Hilton: On Gotye's vanishing act:
  "Still, one of the most insanely infectious songs of all time came out in 2011 on the album 'Making Mirrors.' He's put out nothing since then." (07:04)
• Stephen Thompson:
  On the song’s legacy:
  "This song is back on the pop charts because Doechii has the song 'Anxiety' that interpolates this song... and that's turned out to be Doechii's biggest hit so far...it's triggering people's nostalgia for this song." (07:21)

Insight:
"Somebody That I Used To Know" is raised as an example of lightning-in-a-bottle success, remaining a radio giant and now a nostalgia trigger for newer generations—even resurfacing thanks to contemporary interpolations.

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5. Other Notable Songs & Albums of 2011

a. The Decemberists – "June Hymn"

[11:10–12:03]

• Stephen Thompson: Calls it "the best Decemberists song."
• Robin Hilton: Respectfully disagrees, preferring earlier material but acknowledges its merit.

b. Wye Oak – "Civilian"

[12:12–13:36]

• Stephen Thompson: Cites the album "Civilian" as a 2011 standout.
• Robin Hilton: Reminisces about their live webcast from Sasquatch and Stephen’s enduring affection for the band.

c. Fleet Foxes – "Helplessness Blues"

[13:36–15:17]

• Stephen Thompson: "One of your favorite songs of all time..."
• Robin Hilton: Articulates its theme:
  "It's all about realizing that your life doesn't have to be remarkable to be fulfilling... it can be wonderful just to be a small part of something bigger. Great bit of wisdom from Fleet Foxes in 2011." (14:45–15:03)
• Stephen Thompson: Acknowledges not always relating to the band's music but is moved by Robin's explanation.

d. Adele – "Someone Like You"

[15:32–18:41]

• Robin Hilton: "We didn't even mention Adele... 'Someone Like You' came out that year." (15:40)
• Ann Powers (as cited by Robin): "It's essentially a standard, like from the classic American Songbook." (17:23)
• Stephen Thompson: Praises Adele's Tiny Desk performance:
  "I have probably watched it 50 times. The vocal is even better than on the record. I was floored by it." (17:54)
• Robin Hilton: Recalls Adele’s effortless brilliance at the Tiny Desk:
  "She came in, sat down, belted out the whole set. Absolute perfection." (18:09)

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Memorable Quotes

• Stephen Thompson on Pop:
  "A song that woke my ass up to pop music." (01:34)

• Robin Hilton on "Helplessness Blues":
  "It's all about realizing that your life doesn't have to be remarkable to be fulfilling." (14:45)

• Stephen Thompson on "Diamond Mine":
  "We couldn't agree on anything except for the sheer perfection of this perfect jewel of a record." (03:55)

• Robin Hilton on Adele's Tiny Desk:
  "She came in, sat down, belted out the whole set. Absolute perfection." (18:09)

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Timestamps for Important Segments

| Timestamp | Segment | |-------------|-----------------------------------------------------------| | 00:16 | Opening: 2011’s defining songs | | 01:09 | Rihanna “We Found Love” & pop's impact | | 02:24 | King Creosote & Jon Hopkins “Diamond Mine” | | 05:15 | Gotye “Somebody That I Used To Know” | | 07:21 | Sampling and Gotye’s footprint in modern music | | 10:42 | Other noteworthy 2011 music: Decemberists "June Hymn" | | 12:12 | Wye Oak “Civilian” | | 13:36 | Fleet Foxes “Helplessness Blues” | | 15:40 | Adele “Someone Like You” | | 17:23 | The song as a new American standard | | 17:54 | Adele’s NPR Tiny Desk performance reflection |

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Tone and Style

Throughout, the hosts’ dynamic reflects deep camaraderie, playful rivalry (re: “I’m always trying to cheat” – 02:10), and a shared reverence for the power of music discovery. Their affection for these songs, and for the NPR team’s collective tastes, is palpable, giving long-time listeners nostalgic warmth and newcomers a guided tour of 2011's musical landscape.

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Conclusion

Robin and Stephen’s journey through 2011 is a celebration of musical breadth—from chart-toppers to NPR canon, individual obsessions to collective standards. Their picks and reflections illustrate the personal connections that songs forge, and the enduring debate about what makes music timeless. As they wrap up, they set the stage for a look back at 2012, continuing NPR’s tradition of thoughtful curation and conversation.

Transcript

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[Robin Hilton]

It's All Songs Considered. I'm Robin Hilton. Stephen Thompson here. Welcome to the nostalgia train, Stephen.

[Stephen Thompson]

Choo choo, choo, choo.

[Robin Hilton]

Robin. We're up to 2011, and we're looking back at the songs that stand out most to us from those years, both personally and for all songs considered. And what do you think of when you think of 2011?

[Stephen Thompson]

I'm gonna give you 10 seconds of one song.

[Robin Hilton]

Okay.

[Stephen Thompson]

And then I'm gonna play a different song.

[Robin Hilton]

O is my 10 second sub.

[Stephen Thompson]

Yeah, I think it is. What's the damn song?

[Robin Hilton]

I have no idea.

[Stephen Thompson]

That is we found Love by Rihanna featuring Calvin Harris.

[Song Lyrics]

Shine a light through my nose and door Love your life I will defy Run away? Cause I need you more? Feel the heartbeat in my mind the.

[Stephen Thompson]

Song, I think arguably the song there. There certainly have been others along the way. Kelly Clarkson had some songs, but a song that woke my ass up to pop music.

[Robin Hilton]

You know, one advantage you have in that whole world over me is you. You listen to the radio, like FM radio in the car, driving around, and I never, ever have the radio on, and so I miss so much of it. And I'm only starting to tune into more of it now as my kids get older and they're trafficking it into the house, you know? But this was one that I had totally missed.

[Stephen Thompson]

Oh, my gosh, Robin. It is such a banger.

[Robin Hilton]

But it sounds to me like you were gonna try to cheat and do two songs.

[Stephen Thompson]

I'm always trying to cheat.

[Robin Hilton]

Okay, well, what's the second? Since I totally whiffed that one. What's the.

[Stephen Thompson]

This one you're likelier to get because I think it more speaks the language of a lot of the music that we have played and celebrated on All Songs Considered over the years.

[Song Lyrics]

And I've gone toward my travels growing silver in my sideburns.

[Robin Hilton]

Is this Jens Lechtman?

[Stephen Thompson]

No.

[Robin Hilton]

I know this voice so well.

[Song Lyrics]

Water.

[Stephen Thompson]

I give King Creosote and John Hopkins. They've put out this record.

[Robin Hilton]

I know how much you love this album. Oh, my gosh.

[Stephen Thompson]

This record. It's called most appropriately named album Diamond Mine. Yeah.

[Robin Hilton]

Yeah.

[Stephen Thompson]

It is just a. It is just a feast of shimmering beauty.

[Robin Hilton]

Yeah.

[Stephen Thompson]

John Hopkins, the electronic musician, he's been making gorgeous ambient music and kind of EDM and You know, he's been working in that space for years and years and doing tons of beautiful stuff. King Creosote is a Scottish singer songwriter, very prolific Scottish singer songwriter. And they made this one perfect record together in 2011. It was my favorite album of the year. It was Bob Boylan's favorite album of the year. It was one of Tom Huizenga's favorite.

[Robin Hilton]

Album of the year.

[Stephen Thompson]

As one of Hart's favorite albums of the year, this record reached across the NPR Music team, where we couldn't agree on anything except for the sheer perfection of this perfect jewel of a record. It is so, so beautiful. And just sitting here listening to it while you're going, what is it? Oh, no, I don't know what to do. I'm just sitting here, like, feeling my blood pressure lowering and lowering and lowering because this perfect voice is taking me back.

[Robin Hilton]

I had an obstacle to falling in love with this as much as everyone else. Cause Bob liked it.

[Stephen Thompson]

It was totally.

[Robin Hilton]

It's a hard pass, but no, I totally remember how much you loved it. And everyone else loved it too. But I had really fallen for John Hopkins solo music. And it was his electronic stuff. And, like, he had this album called Insides that had come out.

[Stephen Thompson]

Wow. Such a good record, which was incred.

[Robin Hilton]

But it's so abrasive compared to this. When I saw John Hopkins name next to an album title, that's what I was hoping to hear. And then I heard this completely different thing. But they're so perfect together. But here's what I'm going to pick as my number one song for 2011. And unlike the things that you've played for me, you will 100% get this almost immediately.

[Stephen Thompson]

All right. Oh, my gosh. Was this 20? I was thinking of this song as 2012. This is somebody that I used to know. Featuring Kimbra by Gautier.

[Song Lyrics]

Now and then I think of when we were together? Like when you said you felt so happy you could die? I told myself that you were right for me but felt so lonely only in your company. But that was lover to make us still remember. You can get addicted to a certain kind of sadness. Like resignation to the end Always the end. So when we found that we could not make sense? Well, you said that we would still be friends. But I'll admit that I was glad that was over. But you did enough to cut me off. Make out like it never happened that we were nothing Now I don't even I need your love but you treat me like a stranger and I feel so rough.

[Robin Hilton]

We've talked about this with some of the other bands and artists who have left huge imprints on us over the years and then haven't done much. Gauthier still, one of the most insanely infectious songs of all time came out in 2011 on the album Making Mirrors. He's put out nothing since then.

[Stephen Thompson]

Yeah, he's really, he's really kind of disappeared back into the woodwork. And it's not like, oh, his records aren't connecting with people. He's just kind of stepped back from music. And there have been these hints that he might come back. I was just writing about this song recently because this song is back on the, on the pop charts because Dochi has the song anxiety that interpolates this song, right. And, and like, and that's turned out to be Dochi's biggest hit so far. And so all of a sudden people are hearing that, and not only does it have the absolute ball of charisma that is Dochi attached to it, but it's triggering people's nostalgia for this song where people are hearing it and are like, man, you know what song? I loved that one.

[Robin Hilton]

Yeah.

[Stephen Thompson]

You know, because this song, if you were around in 2011, and especially 2012, when this song was all over radio playlists, you could not escape it. It was one of the three songs that were on the radio. And when we talk about 2012, we'll talk about a couple of the other songs that were a part of that mix. But it's a great song, man.

[Robin Hilton]

It is absolute perfection. All right, let's take a quick break, and then when we come back, we can just kind of quickly run through some of the other stuff that we loved from 2011.

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[Robin Hilton]

Stephen, what else you got for 2011? What else takes you back or stands out from that year for you?

[Stephen Thompson]

2011, honestly, was just a great year for music. There was great pop music. There was great folk music. I mean, the Decemberists put out what I think is the best Decemberists song. June Hymn.

[Song Lyrics]

Here's a hymn to welcome in the day Heralding a summer's early sway and all the bulbs all coming in to begin the thrush's bleeding battle with the wrens Disrupts my reverie again Pegging clothing on the line Training Jasmine how to vine up the arbor to your door and more Standing on the landing with the war you shouldered all the night before.

[Robin Hilton]

Not my pick personally for the best, the best Decemberist song, but certainly no issue with you flagging it for 2011.

[Stephen Thompson]

Oh, my God.

[Robin Hilton]

I'd go with anything from the Crane wife, which I think we already talked about from a few years before. Yeah, but what else you got? What else for 20?

[Stephen Thompson]

2011? Why Oak put out civilian that year?

[Song Lyrics]

Faults but I can hide them I still keep my baby teeth in the bedside Take away my jewelry, you still sleep in the bed with me My jewelry.

[Robin Hilton]

Yeah, you were, man. You were loving Wye Oak through this stretch of years. Yeah, they come up a lot around this time. Also in 2011, we did a live webcast of a concert by Wye Oak from the Sasquatch Music Festival, and they did this song. I remember them doing this song. You can actually still hear that. You can hear the full set that they played at Sasquatch. That's still on our site. Keep going. What else you got?

[Stephen Thompson]

One of your favorite songs of all time, Helplessness Blues by the Fleet Foxes.

[Robin Hilton]

I thought about that. Yeah, I almost picked that.

[Song Lyrics]

I was raised up believing I was somehow unique, like a snowflake distinct among snowflakes Unique in each way you can see and now after some thinking, I'd say I'd rather Be a functioning cog in some great machinery serving something beyond me. But I don't. I don't know what that will be. I'll get back to you someday soon. You will see.

[Robin Hilton]

Love, love, love this song. Not much has changed for me, honestly, as far as themes and music that resonate with me goes. I mean, this is a song. It's all about realizing that your life doesn't have to be remarkable to be fulfilling.

[Stephen Thompson]

Yeah.

[Robin Hilton]

That your life doesn't have to be, you know, incredible. Remarkable just to even be wonderful. It can be wonderful just to be a small part of something bigger. Great bit of wisdom from fleet Foxes in 2011.

[Stephen Thompson]

It's really interesting that you say that about this particular band, whose music has always sounded really, really, really beautiful. But I don't always find myself relating to it or really connecting with it. But you've contextualized this song quite nicely, Robin. I'm gonna listen to.

[Robin Hilton]

Just go grab a beer and listen to it again. No, But I mean, 2011. You talked about finding pop music that year. We didn't even mention Adele.

[Stephen Thompson]

Oh, my gosh.

[Robin Hilton]

And someone like you came out that year.

[Song Lyrics]

Yeah. I heard that you settled down that you found a girl and you're married now I heard that your dreams came Guess she gave you things I didn't give to you Old friend why are you so shy? Ain't like you to hold back or hide from the light I hate to turn up out of the blue uninvited But I couldn't stop stay away I couldn't fight it I had hoped you'd see my face and that you'd be reminded that for me it isn't over Never mind I'll find someone like you I wish nothing but the best of you too don't forget me I think I remember you say sometimes it lasts and loves but sometimes it hurts instead.

[Robin Hilton]

I remember when we talked about this song on the show on All Songs considered in 2011. I think we featured it on our Best of the Year so Far episode. I'll credit Ann Powers with saying this, but I think she noted that this is one of the many things that's so perfect about this song is that it's essentially a standard, like a classic. It's essentially a standard, like from the classic American Songbook.

[Stephen Thompson]

It's a standard. That's a great way of putting it. It's a standard. Yeah, you're right.

[Robin Hilton]

And 2011, also the year Adele played.

[Stephen Thompson]

The Tiny Desk, she opened with that song, and I have probably watched it 50 times. It's so I think the tiny desk version, I think the vocal is even better than on the, than on the record. I just was floored by it.

[Robin Hilton]

Yeah. Thunderous. Her voice, it was incredible. And if you remember, you know, now when we do tiny desks, bands come in a couple hours before they rehearse, they warm up and work out any kind of issues with the audio and stuff like that. Adele just came in, sat down and just started singing. She came in, sat down, belted out the whole set. Absolute perfection.

[Stephen Thompson]

Yeah, I remember that.

[Robin Hilton]

But we can go out on this. And until next week, when we look back at 2012, thanks as always, Stephen.

[Stephen Thompson]

Thank you, Robin.

[Robin Hilton]

And for NPR Music, I'm Robin Hilton. It's all songs considered.

[Song Lyrics]

Nothing compares, no worries or cares Regrets and mistakes their memories made. Who would have known how bittersweet this would taste?

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