2009 Vh1 Top | 20

“This is it!” he announced. “The final countdown of 2009… and the final countdown of the decade !”

Alicia’s voice filled the room. Mia had never been to New York, but this song made her believe she could go anywhere. Concrete jungle, green lights, dreams all that. She closed her eyes and imagined her future self—older, cooler, living some big city life. 2009 Mia had no idea what was coming. But this song felt like a promise.

As the credits rolled, Mia grabbed a blank CD-R and opened iTunes. She made a playlist: VH1 Top 20 of 2009 – My Life So Far. 2009 vh1 top 20

Here’s a good story built around the countdown—focusing on the emotional and cultural moment of that specific year in music. Title: The Last Night of the Decade

December 26, 2009. A basement bedroom in a suburban house. Posters of Lady Gaga, The Black Eyed Peas, and Kings of Leon on the walls. A clunky desktop computer with iTunes open. A TV tuned to VH1. “This is it

Mia remembered hearing this on a bus ride to a field trip last spring. The way Caleb Followill’s raspy voice cut through her cheap earbuds—it made her feel less alone in a crowd of classmates she didn’t quite fit in with.

Then she hit play on “Poker Face,” turned up the volume, and danced in her basement like nobody was watching. Concrete jungle, green lights, dreams all that

It was the Saturday after Christmas. Snow fell outside, but inside, 16-year-old Mia sat cross-legged on her carpet, a bowl of popcorn in her lap, watching the VH1 Top 20 Video Countdown —the year-end special. Host Jim Shearer was hyped, his signature energy bouncing off the screen.