Dr. Luke: Top 50 Songs

Dr. Luke Top 50 Songs

American songwriter and record producer born Lukasz Gottwald in Providence, RI on 9/26/1973. Often worked with Max Martin. Wrote and produced singles for Kelly Clarkson, Pink, Avril Lavigne, Katy Perry, and Ke$ha; the latter alleged sexual assault and abuse by Gottwald. For a complete list of this act’s DMDB honors, check out the DMDB Music Maker Encyclopedia entry. Click here to see other acts’ best-of lists.

Awards:

Top 50 Songs These are the top 50 songs co-written and/or produced by Dr. Luke. Dave’s Music Database lists are determined by song’s appearances on best-of lists, appearances on compilations and live albums by the featured act, and songs’ chart success, sales, radio airplay, streaming, and awards. The song’s chart peaks in the United States (US) and United Kingdom (UK) are listed after the year of the song’s release. DMDB Top 1%: 1. Ke$ha “Tik Tok” (2009) #1 US, 4 UK 2. Katy Perry “Roar” (2013) #1 US, 1 UK 3. Katy Perry with Snoop Dogg “California Gurls” (2010) #1 US, 1 UK 4. Katy Perry “I Kissed a Girl” (2008) #1 US, 1 UK 5. Katy Perry with Juicy J “Dark Horse” (2013) #1 US, 4 UK 6. Miley Cyrus “Party in the U.S.A.” (2009) #2 US, 11 UK 7. Flo Rida & Ke$ha “Right Round” (2009) #1 US, 1 UK 8. Maroon 5 “Sugar” (2014) #2 US, 7 UK 9. Pitbull & Ke$ha “Timber” (2013) #1 US, 1 UK 10. Kelly Clarkson “Since U Been Gone” (2004) #2 US, 5 UK 11. Miley Cyrus “Wrecking Ball” (2013) #1 US, 1 UK 12. Taio Cruz “Dynamite” (2010) #2 US, 1 UK DMDB Top 2%: 13. Katy Perry “Hot N Cold” (2008) #3 US, 4 UK 14. Avril Lavigne “Girlfriend” (2007) #1 US, 2 UK 15. Katy Perry & Kanye West “E.T.” (2010) #1 US, 3 UK 16. Doja Cat “Say So” (2019) #1 US, 2 UK 17. Katy Perry “Teenage Dream” (2010) #1 US, 2 UK DMDB Top 5%: 18. Katy Perry “Last Friday Night (T.G.I.F.)” (2010) #1 US, 9 UK 19. Flo Rida “Good Feeling” (2011) #3 US, 1 UK 20. Doja Cat & SZA “Kiss Me More” (2021) #3 US, 3 UK 21. Kelly Clarkson “My Life Would Suck Without You” (2009) #1 US, 1 UK 22. Doja Cat “Woman” (2021) #7 US, 13 UK 23. Katy Perry “Wide Awake” (2012) #2 US, 9 UK 24. Jessie J & B.o.B. “Price Tag” (2011) #23 US, 1 UK 25. Katy Perry “Part of Me” (2012) #1 US, 1 UK 26. Doja Cat “Need to Know” (2021) #8 US, 11 UK 27. Pink “U + Ur Hand” (2006) #9 US, 10 UK 28. Ke$ha “We R Who We R” (2010) #1 US, 1 UK 29. Britney Spears “Circus” (2008) #3 US, 13 UK 30. Doja Cat & The Weeknd “You Right” (2021) #11 US, 9 UK 31. Pink “Who Knew” (2006) #9 US, 5 UK 32. Kelly Clarkson “Behind These Hazel Eyes” (2004) #6 US, 9 UK 33. Katy Perry “The One That Got Away” (2010) <#3 US, 18 UK DMDB Top 10%: 34. Nicki Minaj “Super Freaky Girl” (2022) #1 US, 10 UK 35. Latto “Big Energy” (2021) #3 US, 21 UK 36. Rihanna “Where Have You Been” (2010) #5 US, 6 UK 37. Pitbull & Ne-Yo “Time of Our Lives” (2014) #9 US, 51 UK 38. Saweetie & Doja Cat “Best Friend” (2021) #14 US, 35 UK 39. Jessie J “Domino” (2011) #6 US, 1 UK 40. Rock City with Adam Levine “Locked Away” (2015) #6 US, 2 UK 41. Britney Spears with Nicki Minaj & Ke$ha “Till the World Ends” (2011) #3 US, 21 UK 42. Ke$ha “Die Young” (2012) #2 US, 7 UK 43. Ke$ha “Blow” (2010) #7 US, 7 UK 44. Ke$ha “Take It Off” (2010) #8 US, 15 UK DMDB Top 20%: 45. Britney Spears “Hold It Against Me” (2011) #1 US, 6 UK 46. Nicki Minaj with Drake, Lil Wayne, & Chris Brown “Only” (2014) #12 US, 35 UK 47. Avril Lavigne “Keep Holding On” (2006) #17 US, -- UK 48. Katy Perry “Unconditionally” (2013) #14 US, 25 UK 49. Karmin “Brokenhearted” (2012) #16 US, 6 UK 50. Rihanna “You Da One” (2011) #14 US, 16 UK Resources and Related Links: DMDB Encyclopedia entry for Dr. Luke Dave’s Music Database: “Acts’ Profile Pages and Best-of Lists” First posted 7/27/2023; last updated 8/9/2023.

“This Is Me” released from The Greatest Showman

This Is Me Keala Settle & the Greatest Showman Ensemble

Writer(s): Benj Pasek, Justin Paul (see lyrics here) Released: October 26, 2017 First Charted: January 13, 2018 Peak: 58 BB, 40 A40, 3 UK, 74 CN, 10 AU, 1 DF (Click for codes to charts.) Sales (in millions): 4.0 US, 3.0 UK, 8.11 world (includes US + UK) Airplay/Streaming (in millions): -- radio, 624.20 video, 864.00 streaming

Awards: Click on award for more details.

About the Song: The Greatest Showman was a musical biopic about P.T. Barnum, who created the Barnum & Bailey Circus. The 2017 movie starred Hugh Jackman as Barnum and included Zac Efron, Michelle Williams, Rebecca Ferguson, and Zendaya in the cast. The story follows Barnum as a young man who meets his future wife, Charity (Williams), and opens a wax museum after losing his job as a shipping clerk. At his daughters’ suggestions, he adds freak performers, including a bearded lady and a dwarf, to the show. There was a real-life bearded lady named Annie Jones Elliot who worked with Barnum in his “Greatest Show on Earth” and served as a spokesperson for his “Freaks” show. She was “known for her musical talents and gracious etiquette.” SF In the movie, she is portrayed by Keala Settle and serves as the center of the song “This Is Me.” Director Michael Gracey explained in an interview that “we knew that it was going to be the anthem of the film.” YT The song is written by Benj Pasek and Justin Paul, who also wrote music for the Broadway musical Dear Evan Hansen and the Oscar-winning film La La Land. “This Is Me” is set when Barnum is embarrassed by the troupe and bars them from an after party. Led by the bearded lady, they storm the party anyway, refusing to be ashamed of who they are. Pasek said the song was inspired by “people who had lived in the shadows their whole lives and…wanted to feel love and acceptance, and…they make a statement – not only to him, but to themselves.” SF It serves a powerful message about not being afraid to be who you are and to celebrate your individuality. A phenomenal rehearsal video shows Settle singing the song with the ensemble in rehearsal. She had to be coaxed out from behind her music stand. At one point, she is nearly in tears and Hugh Jackman takes her hand to encourage her. By the end, the entire room is on its feet and belting the song out together. The song was released as the first official single from the soundtrack. It won the Golden Globe Award for Best Original Song and was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Original Song as well as a Grammy for Best Song Written for Visual Media. The song was also recorded by Kesha for The Greatest Showman: Reimagined, which also featured performances by Pink, Kelly Clarkson, Zac Brown Band, Sara Bareilles, and others. Resources: SF Songfacts.com WK Wikipedia YT YouTube.com (2018). “The Greatest Showman Featurette – This Is Me with Keala Settle” Related Links: First posted 1/31/2025.

Pitbull & Ke$ha “Timber” hit #1

Timber Pitbull & Ke$ha

Writer(s): Lukasz “Dr. Luke” Gottwald, Armando Perez, Kesha Sebert, Pebe Sebert, Henry Walter, Jamie Sanderson (see lyrics here) Released: October 7, 2013 First Charted: October 20, 2013 Peak: 13 US, 14 DG, 13 RR, 11 A40, 11 UK, 18 CN, 4 AU, 22 DF (Click for codes to charts.) Sales (in millions): 10.0 US, 1.29 UK, 14.11 world (includes US + UK) Airplay/Streaming (in millions): -- radio, 1592.18 video, 1221.97 streaming

Awards: Click on award for more details.

About the Song: Armando Christian Pérez, known as Pitbull, was born in 1981 in Miami, Florida. The Latin rapper first charted in 2004 with M.I.A.M.I., a gold-selling top-20 album, and its top-40 hit “Cujo.” He landed his first top-10 hit in 2009 with “I Know You Want Me (Calle Ocho)” and topped the charts with “Give Me Everything” in 2011. He’d racked up eight top-ten hits by the time he hit #1 in 2013 with “Timber.” The song was the lead single from his EP Meltdown and featured American singer Ke$ha. This was the ninth top-ten hit for each of them. In the UK, it was the third #1 song for each of them. The pair had previously worked together on the 2009 Pitbull song “Girls” and remixes of Ke$ha’s songs “Tik Tok” and “Crazy Kids.” Pitbull initially wanted Rihanna for the song but she wasn’t available. SF The song was produced and written by Dr. Luke among others. It hit #1 in some fifteen countries and sold nearly ten million copies worldwide in 2014. WK The song features harmonica, which gives it “a country square dance vibe.” SF Pitbull said he was inspired to use the harmonica after hearing Avicii’s hit song “Wake Me Up.” SF In 2014, Lee Oskar and others filed a copyright infringement lawsuit that the harmonica melody in “Timber” is identical to the one in Oskar’s 1978 song “San Francisco Bay.” SF Meanwhile the title, a reference to what lumberjacks yell when cutting down trees, “gives the song a rustic vibe and creates a play on the phrase ‘It’s going down.’ We know Pitbull won’t be working in a forest anytime soon, so it becomes a big party metaphor.” SF Resources: DMDB encyclopedia entry for Pitbull DMDB encyclopedia entry for Ke$ha SF Songfacts WK Wikipedia Related Links: First posted 8/8/2023.

Ke$ha hit #1 with "Tik Tok"

Tik Tok Ke$ha

Writer(s): Kesha Sebert, Lukasz "Dr. Luke" Gottwald/Benjamin Levin (see lyrics here) Released: August 7, 2009 First Charted: October 11, 2009 Peak: 19 US, 17 BA, 16 DG, 17 RR, 14 A40, 4 UK, 19 CN, 18 AU, 13 DF (Click for codes to charts.) Sales (in millions): 8.0 US, 1.2 UK, 18.0 world (includes US + UK) Airplay/Streaming (in millions): 0.5 radio, 668.0 video, 962.04 streaming

Awards: Click on award for more details.

About the Song: “Tik Tok” was not Ke$ha’s first run at the charts; it wasn’t even her first #1. Earlier in 2009, she did a guest vocal on rapper Flo Rida’s “Right Round,” a Billboard Hot 100 chart topper for six weeks. However, “Tik Tok” marked her debut as a lead solo artist and was named Billboard magazine’s song of the year. The song marked a collaboration with producer/songwriter Dr. Luke, who had worked with Ke$ha on “Right Round.” Dr. Luke had become the notable go-to-guy for female pop divas having done notable work for Katy Perry, Britney Spears, Kelly Clarkson, Avril Lavigne, and Pink. He has said he was drawn to her via a demo in which she had both sung and rapped. Naysayers critiqued the upbeat dance-pop sound as too similar to tracks such as Lady Gaga’s “Just Dance.” Slate magazine’s Jonah Weiner said the song falls between “charmingly daft and deeply irritating” WK as it details the story of a girl who “wakes up drunk, stays drunk, finds a dance floor and (spoiler alert) gets even drunker.” WK However, most critics praised the song’s celebration of partying. Digital Spy’s Nick Levin called it “completely trashy in the best possible way.” WK Drowned in Sound’s David Renshaw said, “world rocking it might not be, but as a piece of disposable pop it captures a moment and boasts a huge hook.” WK Rapper and mogul P. Diddy appeared on the track, thanks to coincidence. Ke$ha references him in the first line of the song (“Wake up in the morning feeling like P. Diddy”). The same day she shared the song with Dr. Luke, Diddy called him for the first time ever to suggest they work together. According to Ke$ha, he came in that same day to rap a couple lines for the song. SF Resources: DMDB Encyclopedia entry for Ke$ha SF Songfacts WK Wikipedia Related Links: Last updated 7/27/2023.

Top 50 Songs of 2009

Dave’s Music Database: Top 50 Songs of 2009

These are the top 50 songs of 2009 based on their overall performance in Dave’s Music Database, which is determined by combining chart data, sales figures, streaming, video views, and aggregates from year-end lists and charts. Check out “Top Songs and Albums of the Year” lists here. DMDB Top 1%: Black Eyed Peas “I Gotta Feeling” Ke$ha “Tik Tok” Lady Gaga “Bad Romance” Lady Antebellum “Need You Now” Jay-Z with Alicia Keys “Empire State of Mind” hey Train “Hey, Soul Sister” Miley Cyrus “Party in the U.S.A.” Flo Rida with Ke$ha “Right Round” DMDB Top 2%: Owl City “Fireflies” Jay Sean & Lil Wayne “Down” DMDB Top 5%: David Guetta with Akon “Sexy Bitch” (aka “Sexy Chick”) Lady Gaga & Beyoncé “Telephone” Rihanna “Rude Boy” Kelly Clarkson “My Life Would Suck Without You” Taio Cruz with Ludacris “Break Your Heart” Miley Cyrus “The Climb” Mumford & Sons “Little Lion Man” Train “Marry Me” Jason Derulo “Whatcha Say” Black Eyed Peas “Meet Me Half Way” Iyaz “Replay” Lady Gaga “Alejandro” Linkin Park “New Divide” Phoenix “1901” Pearl Jam “Just Breathe” Keri Hilson with Kany West & Ne-Yo “Knock You Down” Muse “Uprising” Pitbull “I Know You Want Me (Calle Ocho)” DMDB Top 10%: Jason Derulo “In My Head” Drake “Best I Ever Had” Black Eyed Peas “Imma Be” Green Day “21 Guns” Kid Cudi vs. Crookers “Day ‘N’ Nite” Michael Bublé “Haven’t Met You Yet” Britney Spears “3” Mumford & Sons “The Cave” LaRoux “Bulletproof” Green Day “Know Your Enemy” Eminem with Dr. Dre & 50 Cent “Crack a Bottle” Pearl Jam “The Fixer” Brad Paisley “Then” Jay-Z with Rihanna & Kanye West “Run This Town” Drake with Kanye West, Lil Wayne, & Eminem “Forever” Animal Collective “My Girls” One Republic “Secret” Soulja Boy Tell’em with Sammie “Kiss Me Thru the Phone” Bat for Lashes “Daniel” Rihanna “Russian Roulette” Shakira “She Wolf (Loba)” Resources/Related Links: Dave’s Music Database: Top Songs and Albums by Year lists Dave’s Music Database: Songs of the Year lists First posted 1/18/2023.

Flo Rida “Right Round” hit #1

Right Round Flo Rida with Ke$ha

Writer(s): Lukasz “Dr. Luke” Gottwald, Tramar Dillard, Peter Hernandez, Philip Lawrence, Justin Franks, Allan Grigg (see lyrics here) Released: January 27, 2009 First Charted: January 18, 2009 Peak: 16 US, 16 DG, 12 RR, 31 A40, 63 RB, 11 UK, 19 CN, 16 6 (Click for codes to charts.) Sales (in millions): 7.5 US, 0.6 UK, 12.0 world (includes US + UK) Airplay/Streaming (in millions): 0.4 radio, 261.3 video, 490.81 streaming

Awards: Click on award for more details.

About the Song: “’Right Round’ was never supposed to be an artistic statement…’Right Round’ is a party song, and it’s not really supposed to do anything other than facilitate dancing and singing along. Its commercial success is proof of concept; the song did what it was intended to do.” SG The song sold 636,000 downloads WK the week of February 19, 2009, leaping from #58 to #1 WK and shattering the single-week record (418,000) set just a week earlier by “Crack a Bottle” by Eminem, Dr. Dre, and 50 Cent. WK “A year before ‘Right Round,’ the previously unknown Dade County rapper Flo Rida scored an out-of-nowhere monster hit with his club-rap jam ‘Low.’” SG “T-Pain’s unforgettable earworm of a hook was the real star.” SG Similarly, “Right Round” owed a great deal of its success to a sample of Dead or Alive’s “You Spin Me Round Like a Record” and production by the Smeezingtons. The production team was comprised of Philip Lawrence, Ari Levine, and a then-unknown Bruno Mars. Lawrence said the idea came about when he and Mars “were sitting in a car, listening to beats and ‘throwing out ’80s ideas.’” SG Songwriter and producer Dr. Luke also played a significant role. He “started off in the rap world” SG but got famous from “the glittering centrist pop baubles that he made with mentor Max Martin.” SG “When Dr. Luke worked with rappers, he didn’t really make rap songs. Instead, he crafted sleek, gleaming electronic pop tracks that crowded rappers’ voices over to the corners of the mix…When electro-pop took over the Hot 100, a savvy but personality-free rapper like Flo Rida could make a whole lot of money with a Dr. Luke beat.” SG “Over that beat, Flo Rida singsongs his boilerplate strip-club gibberish like an AI version of Nelly.” SG He said the song is “about a young lady, she might be in the strip club and she’s got my head spinning round.” WK “If you don’t listen to what he’s saying, Flo Rida’s ‘Right Round’ flow is pretty impressive…but…his lyrics don’t even make sense: ‘Lil mama, I owe you just like the flowers/ Girl, you the truth, with all of that goody power.’” SG The song also introduced pop singer Ke$ha, who “sings something like 10 words” SG on the song. Within the year, she would top the charts on her own with “Tik Tok.” She had signed a deal four years earlier with Dr. Luke’s Kemosabe label and wrote songs for other artists as well as providing backup vocals. On “Right Round” her “raspy, horny voice sounds cool on the song, and her interplay with Flo Rida turns it into more of a reciprocal oral-sex thing, but her whole personality doesn’t exactly shine through.” SG Resources: DMDB encyclopedia entry for Flo Rida DMDB encyclopedia entry for Ke$ha SG Stereogum (5/17/2023). “The Number Ones” by Tom Breihan WK Wikipedia Related Links: First posted 7/28/2023.