Top YouTube Videos of 2010

YouTube yesterday published its annual list of most-watched videos, and the eclectic mix of professional, semi-professional, and truly amateur videos on the 2010 list proves once again that you only need to be original to catch-on, go viral, and attract tens of millions of views.

Although the list excludes studio-produced music videos, teen singing sensation Justin Bieber managed to make the list anyway, thanks to a popular fan video and a little help from Jimmy Kimmel. Ke$ha’s Tik Tok also made the list, but probably not in the way that the singer had in mind!

Here’s the top 5, with a few notes on what to expect!

1. Bed Intruder Song

A strange interview given by the brother of an attempted assault victim (itself a hugely popular YouTube video) was turned into a bizarre song – and a video that attracted over 47 million views!

2. “Tik Tok” Parody: Glitter Puke

BarelyPolitical’s funny, over-the-top parody of Ke$ha’s chart-topping single. The video was part of the Key of Awe$ome series of YouTube videos, which have attracted over 100 million total views!

3. Greyson Chance Singing “Paparazzi”

Third place went to a true amateur video recorded by Greyson Chance’s brother, as the then unknown eighth-grader sang Lady Gaga’s Paparazzi at a high school talent contest. Just weeks later he was performing live on Ellen and getting congratulatory messages from Lady Gaga herself!

4. Annoying Orange Wazzup

There can be very few parents of children over the age of 8 that are not familiar with Dane Boedigheimer’s Annoying Orange videos. The Wazzup video was particularly annoying, despite being watched over 27 million times!

5. The Man Your Man Could Smell Like

Actor Isaiah Mustafa couldn’t have imagined what he was getting himself into when he recorded an Old Spice commercial for this year’s Super Bowl. After the original ad was an Internet sensation, it spawned a real-time social media campaign that generated over 100 million views in a week!

The rest of the top 10:

6. Giant Double Rainbow – once of nature’s most spectacular sights, filmed in Yosemite National Park.

7. This Too Shall Pass – another amazingly-creative music video from OK Go.

8. The Twilight Saga: Eclipse Trailer – with New Moon taking 4th spot last year, Twilight gets credit for making the top 10 list two years in a row.

9. Jimmy Surprises Bieber Fan – a viral video of a 3-year-old fan crying over Justin Bieber could only be topped by a video of her meeting with the great man himself.

10. Gymkhana THREE, Part 2 – professional rally driver Ken Block speeds through a gymkhana course with a difference!

Despite the millions of views recorded by the above videos, none of them even comes close to the popularity of the top music videos. Last year, Pitbull led the way with I Know You Want Me, which was seen over 82 million times. This year’s #1? Justin Bieber’s Baby with over 400 million views, making it the most popular YouTube video ever!