To be fifteen in Britain in 2011 was to have “Someone Like You” by Adele everywhere, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2 on every screen, and The X Factor on after school. That year, gas cost £1.34/L and the BlackBerry Curve and BBM pinging in every classroom was the new thing. Born in 1996? You turned 15 in 2011 — a teenager from 2009 to 2015, right in the window a soundtrack bonds to you for life.
Compiled by the Original Lore archive from period charts, box-office and price records. How we build these · sources noted throughout.
Someone Like You — AdeleThat single held piano note, and suddenly a whole country was quietly falling apart over Adele in the kitchen.
Moves Like Jagger — Maroon 5 feat. Christina AguileraThe cheeky whistled hook that soundtracked riots-summer normality, stuck in your head through every bus ride to sixth form.
Party Rock Anthem — LMFAO'Every day I'm shufflin'', and every party ended with somebody's terrible attempt at it across the laminate flooring.
Price Tag — Jessie J feat. B.o.BJessie J insisting it wasn't about the money, sung defiantly at a time when nobody your age had any.
We Found Love — Rihanna feat. Calvin HarrisCalvin Harris arriving, Rihanna finding love in a hopeless place, yellow diamonds lighting up every dark student club.
If you were 15 in Britain in 2011, this was inescapable — that bare piano and Adele's crack of heartbreak spilling out of every radio, every school corridor, every X Factor cover. It taught a whole generation how to feel sad on purpose, beautifully.
the year-end #1 was the UK's best-selling single of 2011.
the movies you are watching in 2011
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2
The King's Speech
The Inbetweeners Movie
The Hangover Part II
Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides
the tv shows you are binging in 2011
The X Factor
Downton Abbey
The Only Way Is Essex
Doctor Who
Top Gear
the games you are playing in 2011
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3
FIFA 12
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
Minecraft
Just Dance 3
Battlefield 3
what things cost in 2011
What things cost in 2011
a litre of petrol
£1.34
a pint of lager
£2.99
a 1st-class stamp
46p
a gallon of gas
£1.34/L
minimum wage
£6.08/hr
a movie ticket
£6.40
the average income
£26,200
trending this year
Photo by Dennis Cortés, released under CC0 1.0 (public domain)InstagramPhoto by Zach Vega (Wikimedia Commons), source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:IPhone_4S_No_shadow.png · CC BY-SA 3.0SiriPhoto by Santeri Viinamäki (Wikimedia Commons), source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Snap_on_smartphone.jpg · CC BY-SA 4.0Snapchat (launching)Wikimedia Commons, source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Spotify_logo_2008%E2%80%932012.svg · Public domainSpotify FreeWikimedia Commons, source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Google%2B_logo_(2011-2019).png · Public domainGoogle+
the gadgets you just got
Photo by Derek Hatfield (Wikimedia Commons), source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:BlackBerry_Curve_20100818.jpg · CC BY 2.0BlackBerry CurveMerveillePédia, via Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 3.0iPhone 4SPhoto by Evan-Amos (Wikimedia Commons), source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Nintendo-3DS-AquaOpen.png · Public domainNintendo 3DSPhoto by Mono (Wikimedia Commons), source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:IPad_2_Black_Front.jpg · CC BY-SA 3.0iPad 2Photo by Intel Free Press (Wikimedia Commons), source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Amazon_Kindle_Touch.jpg · CC BY 2.0Kindle
what everyone is snacking on
Photo by Rerrj at English Wikipedia (Wikimedia Commons), source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Greggs_sausage_rolls.jpg · CC BY-SA 4.0Greggs sausage rollPhoto by Evan-Amos (Wikimedia Commons), source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Wispa-Split.jpg · Public domainWispaWikimedia Commons, source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Monster_Munch_pickled_onion_1.jpg · CC0Monster MunchPhoto by Dan arndt (Wikimedia Commons), source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Dairy_Milk_Freddo.jpg · CC BY-SA 4.0FreddoPhoto by Evan-Amos (Wikimedia Commons), source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Maynards-Wine-Gums.jpg · CC0Wine gums
what everyone is drinking
AI-generated illustrationCapri-SunAI-generated illustrationRelentlessPhoto by Melaneas (Wikimedia Commons), source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Ribena-All-Sizes-and-Flavours.jpg · CC BY-SA 4.0RibenaAI-generated illustrationWKD BluePhoto by GreaterPonce665 (Wikimedia Commons), source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Vimto_Can.jpg · CC BY-SA 4.0Vimto
what made the news in 2011
Prince William marries Kate Middleton at Westminster Abbey as millions watch
The England riots erupt across London, Birmingham and Manchester in August
News of the World shuts down amid the phone-hacking scandal
Amy Winehouse dies aged 27 at her home in Camden
Photo by John Pannell (Wikimedia Commons), source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Kiss_Wedding_Prince_William_of_Wales_Kate_Middleton.jpg · CC BY 2.0William and Kate marry at Westminster AbbeyPhoto by Alan Stanton (Wikimedia Commons), source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Carpetright_store_after_Tottenham_riots.jpg · CC BY-SA 2.0England riots sweep London and other citiesPhoto by News International (Wikimedia Commons), source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:News_of_the_World_Logo_2009.svg · Public domainNews of the World closes over phone-hackingPhoto by Daniel Morrison (Wikimedia Commons), source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Amy_Winehouse_Live_2007,_Mar%C3%A7o.jpg · CC BY 2.0Amy Winehouse dies aged 27Photo by Paul Farmer (Wikimedia Commons), source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:London_2012_Olympics_Countdown_Clock,_Trafalgar_Square_-_geograph.org.uk_-_2372639.jpg · CC BY-SA 2.0London marks one year to go until the 2012 Olympics
what everyone is saying
"the squeezed middle"Oxford's UK Word of the Year, the recession-hit household
"well jel"TOWIE-born slang for very jealous
"reem"Essex for gorgeous or brilliant, courtesy of Joey Essex
"swag"the all-purpose word for effortless cool
"amazeballs"the era's favourite way to say brilliant
