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Posted by: Riser 18th December 2018, 11:17 PM

Finally starting this week! Due to time constraints I'm heavily reducing the number of "recaps" this year, but the countdown, hopefully a top 60, will remain intact with full commentary, and I'll lead up to it with a handful of honorable/dishonorable mentions, i.e. recapping songs that won't make it in the official EOY. It'll just be more like 10-15 rather than the usual 40-50. I'm excited, and the #1 is yet to be decided! Predictions are welcome, and the recaps will go alphabetically by artist as usual. Starting with a "dishonorable mention", who could it possibly be?

Side note: Artists starting with a 6 or an X will not be mentioned or acknowledged in this thread.

EDIT: Or skip the thread and see the top 60 below (in spoiler tags):
1. Taylor Swift “Delicate”
2. Shawn Mendes “In My Blood”
3. Imagine Dragons “Whatever It Takes”
4. Halsey “Without Me”
5. Juice Wrld “Lucid Dreams”
6. Kendrick Lamar & SZA “All The Stars”
7. Post Malone feat. Ty Dolla $ign “Psycho”
8. Alessia Cara “Growing Pains”
9. Ariana Grande “God Is A Woman”
10. Walk The Moon “One Foot”
11. Bebe Rexha feat. Florida Georgia Line “Meant To Be”
12. Mabel & Not3s “Fine Line”
13. Rita Ora “Anywhere”
14. The Weeknd & Kendrick Lamar “Pray For Me”
15. Meghan Trainor “No Excuses”
16. Charlie Puth “The Way I Am”
17. A$AP Rocky feat. Skepta “Praise The Lord (Da Shine)”
18. Ella Mai “Boo’d Up”
19. Panic! At The Disco “High Hopes”
20. David Guetta & Sia “Flames”
21. Dennis Lloyd “Nevermind”
22. Liam Payne & Rita Ora “For You”
23. Post Malone “Better Now”
24. Tiesto & Dzeko feat. Preme & Post Malone “Jackie Chan”
25. Maroon 5 “Wait”
26. Carrie Underwood “Love Wins”
27. Tyga feat. Offset “Taste”
28. Zayn “Let Me”
29. Logic & Marshmello “Everyday”
30. Silk City & Dua Lipa “Electricity”
31. Alessia Cara “Trust My Lonely”
32. G-Eazy feat. A$AP Rocky & Cardi B “No Limit”
33. Ariana Grande “Breathin”
34. Loud Luxury feat. Brando “Body”
35. Cardi B, Bad Bunny & J Balvin “I Like It”
36. M-22 feat. Medina “First Time”
37. Troye Sivan “My My My!”
38. Kendrick Lamar feat. Zacari “Love.”
39. King Princess “1950”
40. Lil Dicky feat. Chris Brown “Freaky Friday”
41. P!nk “Beautiful Trauma”
42. Ary “Already There”
43. Keala Settle “This Is Me”
44. Bruno Mars & Cardi B “Finesse”
45. Calvin Harris & Dua Lipa “One Kiss”
46. Alice Merton “No Roots”
47. Little Mix feat. Nicki Minaj “Woman Like Me”
48. Years & Years “Sanctify”
49. Taylor Swift “…Ready For It?”
50. Ria Mae “Bend”
51. Lady Gaga & Bradley Cooper “Shallow”
52. Bryce Vine “Drew Barrymore”
53. Charli XCX feat. Troye Sivan “1999”
54. Rita Ora “Let You Love Me”
55. Kacey Musgraves “Space Cowboy”
56. Dierks Bentley feat. Brothers Osborne “Burning Man”
57. Dierks Bentley “Woman, Amen”
58. Kacey Musgraves “High Horse”
59. Shawn Mendes & Zedd “Lost In Japan”
60. NF “Let You Down”

Posted by: CodySleighBell-y 18th December 2018, 11:22 PM

No X Ambassadors then?

Posted by: Petivity 19th December 2018, 08:17 PM

Looking forward to this! Enjoy most of the music you listen to so hope to make a few discoveries here!

Posted by: JosephCarey 20th December 2018, 04:26 PM

Hyped *.*

Posted by: Riser 20th December 2018, 10:14 PM

Ooh, I'm not sure there will be many songs people don't already know...but hopefully a few!
Banned until further notice

Posted by: Riser 20th December 2018, 10:25 PM

Bazzi "Mine"
Bazzi featuring Camila Cabello "Beautiful"

Usually I like short songs. It's impressive to me when anyone can fit an entire song into less than 2:30, and if it's not a good song at least it's over with quickly. Unfortunately I can't even get through the first verse of "Mine" without switching to something else. To Bazzi's credit, it is a unique-sounding hit, and became a hit in the most unconventional way, from some sort of Snapchat meme (apparently??? I've never used Snapchat so idk). I certainly don't see the appeal of it without the meme.
Bazzi himself has barely made an impression on me either. The interviews I've heard were so deadpan and boring, and his singing voice sounds pretty unremarkable too. Follow-up single "Beautiful" was more of the same, but the addition of Camila Cabello does add some much-needed personality to the song. He's done well to break through in the streaming era, even if it was mostly by luck (aren't they all?), but Bazzi is the first of my dishonorable mentions for 2018.

Bebe Rexha "I'm A Mess"

Five years after Bebe first took off with her feature on "Take Me Home", she continues to be as hit-and-miss as ever, if not more so. It's safe to say she didn't have anything to keep her momentum going after "Meant To Be", and so she gave us "I'm A Mess" which is very much just okay. It was nice that she finally got her album out, but this song was no incentive to actually listen to it. I have heard "2 Souls On Fire" which is a lot better IMO, and "Ferrari" which I'm not sure would've done better tbh, but good on her for finally getting a top 40 hit all on her own, on Billboard at least!
The highlight of its run as a single was her performance on Big Brother which sent it to the top 3 on US iTunes! It did sound a bit better as an acoustic version too. It's just not a well-written song, the melodies are clunky and it's a poor display of her vocals. The message is good though, yay for embracing your flaws and whatnot. That said, I reckon Bebe's done promoting her album now and will move on to something else next year.

Posted by: SantaDalek32 20th December 2018, 11:07 PM

These three songs are okay

Posted by: Calum 20th December 2018, 11:18 PM

Excited for this countdown Jordan *.*

I loved Beautiful for a couple of weeks then it very quickly lost its appeal.

Posted by: dancember 21st December 2018, 10:36 AM

Bazzi is such an inessential pop singer. I liked Mine for a few weeks but it isn't really that good, and Beautiful was fairly bad. No doubt he'll be forgotten about soon as Spotify stop putting him on Today's Top Hits.

Didn't like I'm A Mess either, it just shows the worst of her voice.

Posted by: Petivity 21st December 2018, 10:47 AM

Mine was a proper earworm for me, I remember going round university open days having it stuck in my head. Agree that Beautiful was completely dull and pointless though.

Posted by: sergejdordij98 21st December 2018, 10:45 PM

The first 2 songs are good, except for "I'm A Mess", which I can't stand.

Posted by: Riser 3rd January 2019, 06:10 AM

Thanks for the comments, this will be resuming very soon I promise I had absolutely no time for it over Christmas but am just about able to start catching up on mine and everyone else's EOYs

Posted by: Riser 5th January 2019, 02:41 PM

Cardi B featuring Kehlani "Ring"
Charlie Puth featuring Kehlani "Done For Me"

Is it just me or is Kehlani cursed to never have a hit, and passing that on to any song she features in? I really like her but her chart history is pretty depressing, and yet I thought someone like Charlie Puth could easily break the curse for her. Tbh I'd never liked a Charlie Puth single up to this point, but objectively "Done For Me" sounded smooth and solid enough, especially considering his consistent chart fortunes. Seriously, what else could've gone wrong with it other than Kehlani?
Kehlani did finally crack the Billboard top 40 last year with her seventh top 100 entry, when her feature on Cardi B's "Ring" debuted at #28 as an album track on release week. This got a fair amount of airplay in the US after "I Like It", and Kehlani's chorus was genuinely stuck in my head for most of October and November. Cardi (or her label) barely gave it a push since she was probably already planning to release "Money", which is a shame because "Ring" is, well, better in all aspects IMO. Kehlani's luck reminds me of Bebe Rexha pre-2018, so maybe this year she can have her "Meant To Be" moment?

Posted by: DalekTurret32 5th January 2019, 02:55 PM

Ring is decent and Done For Me is one of my favourites from Puth, shame this didn't crack the Top 40
The only time Kehlani cracked the UK Top 40 so far was in 2017 when she was featured on the Stormzy song "Cigarettes & Cush", and that only charted due to an album bomb.

Posted by: Riser 6th January 2019, 08:56 PM

Demi Lovato "Tell Me You Love Me"

Prior to Demi's unfortunate health issues last year, it was nice to see her finally hitting her stride and going from strength to strength, all leading to her Clean Bandit feature giving her a very first #1. But that didn't stop "Tell Me You Love Me", the second and final single from the album of the same name, from being relatively overlooked despite the roaring success of "Sorry Not Sorry". So here's a little recognition for it now!
Actually it's not even one of my favorites of hers, but I was willing it to do well for her anyway and disappointed that it fell short. The melody is just not very gripping but Demi's vocals can make anything sound better. I think this could be pretty well remembered anyway even without being a hit. Crazy how after 10 years her star is still growing each era, can that continue once she's through with recovery?? Here's hoping!!

Posted by: DalekTurret32 6th January 2019, 09:10 PM

Tell Me You Love Me is a great song and one of my favourites from Demi, along with the tear-jerking Sober

Posted by: PeteFromLeeds 7th January 2019, 10:00 PM

Tell Me You Love Me is actually one of my favourite Demi songs, I really thought it could be a hit as well as it deserved it

Posted by: Riser 7th January 2019, 10:07 PM

5 Seconds Of Summer "Want You Back"
5 Seconds Of Summer "Youngblood"

Forgot to include 5SOS in the beginning so casually slotting them in here It's no secret that this group benefited far more from the previous chart climate than the current one, but they somehow beat the odds to earn their most enduring hit to date. But first we'll start with "Want You Back", which had the same short shelf life as their other recent singles and gave the campaign a far from promising start. That said I really like the song, my favorite from 5SOS since their debut!
"Youngblood", on the other hand, clearly had something that their other songs didn't and quickly became a Spotify #1 in their homeland, followed by the rest of the world catching on. I really didn't get it at first and still am not sure that I do, but the surprise success was enough to warm me to the song. So far it hasn't carried over to their follow-up singles but I haven't listened to any of those yet either. Still, hopefully a sign of more unlikely hits in 2019.

Foster The People "Sit Next To Me"

If you like "Pumped Up Kicks" but haven't kept up with Foster The People you're really missing out. They never deserved to be one-hit wonders in the first place, but after seven years someone finally decided that "Sit Next To Me" was worthy of the extra promo to be their next crossover hit. It fell just short of the Hot 100's top 40, peaking at #42 - not bad though for their first entry since 2012! I had the pleasure of seeing them live this summer as well.
Honestly, if you didn't know any better, I'd forgive you for thinking Foster The People had three hits in the past year. Not only do Portugal. The Man's "Feel It Still" and lovelytheband's "Broken" sound like Mark Foster on vocals (this is based on my parents hearing both songs, months apart from each other, and both times asking if it was Foster The People I agree they're similar though!), but all three bands have three-word names with "the" in the middle. Suddenly I have a theory as to how these random alternative crossovers are being selected

Posted by: Riser 9th January 2019, 09:54 PM

Halsey featuring Big Sean & Stefflon Don "Alone"
Halsey featuring Lauren Jauregui "Strangers"

Wtf was this single choice. After "Bad At Love" became a massive solo hit for Halsey, her momentum was nearly sabotaged by releasing this damp squib of a song next. Of course we know she's actually fine as she currently sits at #1 on Billboard, but that still doesn't justify what happened with "Alone". The production is boring and doesn't suit her voice, and the addition of Big Sean and Stefflon Don did nothing to rescue it from terribleness. As soon as I heard the intro on the radio I would switch stations every time.
"Strangers" wasn't a 2018 single and technically shouldn't be included here, but needless to say, how was that not chosen instead!? Sure it's a collab with a lesser-known Fifth Harmony member, but it has sooo much more emotion and chemistry, compared to "Alone" which felt very very forced. I guess same-sex love songs are still too risky in 2018 which is a shame. It's a bit pointless now anyway since Halsey's 2019 is looking very very promising--quality wise and chart wise!

Kelly Clarkson "I Don't Think About You"

On the other hand, sometimes bad single choices can still be good. I mean, while Kelly's album was a big return to form and all but a couple of the songs are great, I'm not sure who thought "I Don't Think About You" was the second-most single-worthy track on it. We were originally told it would be either "Heat" or "Medicine", both of which were definite highlights and would have made a decent impression. I'm still quite disappointed she didn't go with either of those (for single 2, obviously "Heat" became the third one).
"I Don't Think About You" is still a very nice ballad, of course, and I enjoyed hearing it on the radio but it does not stand out in Kelly's singles discography like the aforementioned songs would have. My best guess is they didn't want two uptempos in a row, or were trying to make this the era's "Piece By Piece" moment (both being piano ballads and all), even though that couldn't be re-created without the promo or timing that the former had (i.e. her Idol performance). It hardly matters anymore now that Kelly's no longer a chart force so I'm just moaning from a fan's perspective. Fingers crossed I'll be seeing her live this year!!

Posted by: Riser 11th January 2019, 03:00 AM

Migos "Stir Fry"

After several years I finally found a Migos song that's not only good, but pretty spectacular! It took some magic from Pharrell, or should I say a lot of magic because there's a LOT going on here. And the production is by far the highlight here, an incredible array of instruments and rhythms that somehow blend together perfectly. I feel like Pharrell has had a pretty bad rap around here lately (some of it deserved tbf) so this was a nice reminder that he's still a musical genius.
I'll even give Migos some credit too, it's nice to hear the three of them cohesively doing their own thing rather than just repeating what each other says. Stuck between two singles that both got more attention simply for who was featured on them (Nicki & Cardi B on "Motorsport", and Drake on "Walk It Talk It"), it felt like "Stir Fry" barely had its moment to shine. But if we have to deal with Migos being popular for a few more years, at least we can hope for more songs like this one.

Posted by: Riser 15th January 2019, 12:02 AM

Well this has died a death so here's the rest of the honorable mentions. I'll move on to the proper EOY countdown ASAP

Niall Horan "On The Loose"

Niall finished off a very solid album campaign, which I think we can agree has gone pretty spectacularly, with "On The Loose". When I first heard it I thought it was a deep house song along the lines of "Prayer In C"...not only was I wrong but it doesn't sound nearly as dated as that would. My next guess would've been John Mayer actually because it has that vibe too. According to Wiki Niall was actually channeling Fleetwood Mac for this song. Shows what I know!
Anyway, while the song wasn't a standout fave it was still a delight to hear and perfect to play in the car. Sadly, being a post-album single, it did not trouble the charts, although its airplay in the US was very respectable and comparable to how "Too Much To Ask" did. Niall did awesome getting four singles from his album in the first place. I think he's set himself up better than Harry or Zayn have for a successful second album, which I certainly wouldn't have predicted when the boys first went their separate ways.

Portugal. The Man "Live In The Moment"

If you like "Feel It Still" and haven't heard anything else from Portugal. The Man, you're missing out. They actually had a decade span of previous albums and singles which makes their out-of-the-blue smash hit even more remarkable. Actually "Feel It Still" just never did it for me, for whatever reason I never warmed to it despite usually loving the token rock hit of any given moment. Luckily, the other singles from Woodstock did not disappoint.
"Live In The Moment" is less of a subtle, catchy earworm and more of an alt-rock anthem, with the verses building up to a big chorus. It sounds ready-made for TV commercials, which sure enough Volkswagen took advantage of, and I'm sure it's been played at sporting events too. It's easily my favorite Portugal. The Man song now, admittedly helped by the fact it wasn't overplayed on radio. I'm interested to hear what they release next and if it can overcome their one-hit-wonder status. Stranger things have happened!

Travis Scott "Sicko Mode"

Now time for one of the absolute biggest growers of the year for me. "Sicko Mode" didn't grow enough to be in my top 60, unless I make some last-minute swaps, but I've sure done a complete 180 on it since my first listen. I think anyone could be forgiven for not "getting" it at first, considering how disjointed the song is, just a completely unconventional song structure and there's hardly a tune there to make up for it. But once it clicks it is damn good.
I guess 2018 will be considered Travis's breakthrough year despite the number of singles and features he's had before then. Prior to "Sicko Mode" I had only really liked him on "Know No Better" but hadn't heard anything bad by him either. He's properly talented but obviously won't appeal to everyone. Also this song is the only thing I enjoyed hearing from Drake this year. That was strange because I'm definitely usually a fan. This is the final recap before my actual EOY countdown so let's leave it at that!

Posted by: jakewild 15th January 2019, 04:17 PM

1000% to this

Posted by: DexTheHalls 16th January 2019, 12:52 AM

Most of those honourable mentions, especially the last three, are amazing! Can’t wait to see what made your actual EOY chart

Funny they you thought On The Loose was Prayer In C like at first, I’m not sure what I thought of it tbh as it completely skipped me by on the album and I didn’t get into it really until the album. I never thought of it as Fleetwood Mac inspired though but I do actually see the influence - mostly in the instrumental

Posted by: PeteFromLeeds 16th January 2019, 09:04 PM

Live In the Moment was nice enough but it didn't have anything on Feel It Still and couldn't even outlast it in my Personal Chart back in 2017 I agree that Sicko Mode did really grow on me though, it's weird having basically three mini-songs in one but I do end up dancing to it!

Posted by: DalekTurret32 17th January 2019, 11:39 PM

Want You Back and Youngblood showed an interesting transition to a more pop rock sound for 5SOS, with the latter being my favourite song from them along with Girls Talk Boys.
Stir Fry is a great, upbeat song from Migos, with some fantastic production from Pharrell Williams. All three of the rappers sounded like they had a fun time doing their verses.
I also like On The Loose. It's probably my favourite of the Niall solo tracks I've heard.
SICKO MODE is a swell song. The beat switches were constructed very well and each section had its own unique, hypnotic sound that got me out like a light, like a light, like a light.

Posted by: Riser 18th January 2019, 12:23 AM

Thanks for the comments Okay one more honorable mention and then I should have #60-#51 posted tonight!

Kim Petras "Can't Do Better"

This is absolutely one of the best songs I heard in 2018, but I don't feel right ranking it with all the others for some reason. It was a late discovery and one I was careful not to overplay, and as a result ended up forgetting to chart it. Might save it for next year maybe? But excuses aside, this is literal pop perfection. The build-up is very well executed and the hook is just glorious, almost life-changing. It pains me that any Kim Petras song would surely be vetoed in BJSC now because I think "Can't Do Better" could've been an even bigger winner than "Heart To Break" was. She should also already have a handful of smash hits in the real world by now! You literally "can't do better" than this, pun intended. Kudos to 96.5 Rock FM in Lusaka, Zambia as well as Radio Disney for playing this otherwise I'd never have been introduced to it!

Posted by: Riser 18th January 2019, 01:52 AM

60. NF "Let You Down"
NF just sneaks into the EOY with his breakthrough hit. He seemingly came out of nowhere to score a #1 album in the US, then managed to get "Let You Down" charting as high as #2 in Sweden and Norway, plus #6 in the UK and #12 in the US. I think timing was on NF’s side, with the likes of G-Eazy, Logic, MGK and Macklemore also having hits around the same time, but this song stood out just enough. He even managed a follow-up hit in the US! Must admit I’ve liked everything I’ve heard from him so far.

59. Shawn Mendes & Zedd "Lost In Japan"
One of the most poorly-handled single releases of the year, dare I say? As much as I liked both versions of "Lost In Japan", Shawn’s label got what they deserved for sitting on their hands without pushing a second single, then turning this song into a remix no one asked for and thinking it would somehow be a hit. I’m glad it stalled in the charts and hope it stops them from ever repeating that strategy for him. That said, I do enjoy the remix and the video was especially good, giving us a mash-up of both versions.
Previous EOY history for Shawn: "Stitches" (#3, 2015), "Mercy" (#10, 2017 & #36, 2016), "There’s Nothing Holdin’ Me Back" (#54, 2017)
Previous EOY history for Zedd: "Break Free" (#8, 2014), "Starving" (#27, 2016), "Get Low" (#27, 2017), "Stay" (#38, 2017)

58. Kacey Musgraves "High Horse"

I’m not sure "High Horse" even appeared in my personal chart, it was just an obvious highlight from Golden Hour that grew on me more as time went on. Kacey does some fabulous genre-bending here and becomes a bit of a disco queen, a pleasant surprise since she’s hardly known for going uptempo. Her lyrics are effortlessly good as usual which I’ll touch on more very soon

57. Dierks Bentley "Woman, Amen"

Of course Dierks is guaranteed to be in my EOY every era, but this year he only scrapes in against some strong competition. "Woman, Amen" is a pretty simple ode to his wife and has a very familiar feel from the melody to the anthemic production. Not sure exactly what song it reminds me of but it’s just a solid lead single.
Previous EOY history: "I Hold On" (#14, 2014), "Drunk On A Plane" (#35, 2014), "Riser" (#42, 2015), "Somewhere On A Beach" (#55, 2016)

56. Dierks Bentley feat. Brothers Osborne "Burning Man"

Here’s Dierks again with the collab of my dreams, teaming with Brothers Osborne who are also no stranger to my chart and EOY. Dierks’ album is called The Mountain and thematically it was a more authentic version of what Justin Timberlake tried to do with Man Of The Woods. This song would’ve been higher had it not impacted so late in the year, it was his highest-charting song in my chart in over four years and just has an awesome build-up to the chorus. It genuinely plays on the strengths of both artists.
Previous EOY history for Dierks: "I Hold On" (#14, 2014), "Drunk On A Plane" (#35, 2014), "Riser" (#42, 2015), "Somewhere On A Beach" (#55, 2016)
Previous EOY history for Brothers Osborne: "Stay A Little Longer" (#9, 2016), "It Ain’t My Fault" (#30, 2017)

55. Kacey Musgraves "Space Cowboy"

Here’s Kacey again with my favorite song from Golden Hour! "Space Cowboy" is more in her element of slow tempo and minimal instrumentation, the piano intro with her vocals grabbed me right away. What I love about her lyrics is how she uses typical country buzzwords but never falls into the usual country music stereotypes, instead she always puts a different spin on them. The same can be said for "High Horse", a testament to her clever songwriting for sure.

54. Rita Ora "Let You Love Me"
Now this is more like it, Rita. "Girls" may have backfired but thank goodness she basically had "Anywhere Part 2" up her sleeve, which led to her album finally seeing the light of day!!! "Let You Love Me" is even getting airplay in the US so who knows what other unthinkable thing it will do next!
Previous EOY history: "Anywhere" (#51, 2017)

53. Charli XCX feat. Troye Sivan "1999"
"1999" is also disadvantaged from impacting late in the year, I’m still loving it and would surely put it higher here a couple months from now. Best video of the year if I’m not forgetting anything, and we didn’t have to fact-check all the references like we did earlier in the year.
Previous EOY history for Charli: "Boom Clap" (#3, 2014), "Fancy" (#4, 2014)
Previous EOY history for Troye: "Youth" (#8, 2016)

52. Bryce Vine "Drew Barrymore"

This did pretty well in the US for a new artist with no prior features and no track record anywhere else. It caught me by surprise on first listen in May and held up well over the summer as it gained airplay. I can take or leave the chorus, but the lyrics in the verses are great!

51. Lady Gaga & Bradley Cooper "Shallow"
I’ll just take this opportunity to gush over A Star Is Born, the most hyped I’d been for a movie in years and the first time I’ve ever seen a film the night before it premiered. So glad it lived up to expectations, in fact it probably still exceeded them! "Shallow" was one of the undeniable pop moments of the year and I’m still amazed it managed #1 in so many countries. Shame it didn’t in the US but top 5 is still outstanding for it! Plus a re-peak isn’t totally out of the question if the Grammys or Oscars go the right way…:o
Previous EOY history for Lady Gaga: "The Cure" (#34, 2017)

Posted by: JosephAvery 19th January 2019, 06:46 PM

I totally prefer Want You Back to Youngblood too, I'm not quite sure why the latter caught on quite so much but it was nice to see them smash anyway!!

I love both versions of Lost In Japan but my god, they really messed up that campaign. I'm not quite sure HOW they managed to screw it up so much after it got off to a fine start??

Love the impacts for Rita and Charli too !!

Posted by: PeteFromLeeds 19th January 2019, 08:04 PM

Idk if I've mentioned it before but what sort of a name is Dierks? Giving Burning Man a listen anyway, it's a nice guitar-y piece and I can see it being a grower. Nice to see 1999 in here as well, I was surprised how much I liked that one! Although according to your EOY histories, both Charli and Troye seem to have morphed into Katy Perry

Posted by: Riser 25th January 2019, 01:05 AM

My thoughts exactly! Thanks Joseph

Oops I was using Katy's from last year's EOY as a template for this year's. I'd have caught it a lot sooner had I read your comment before now :')

Oh and Wiki says "His middle name, Dierks (which he now uses as his first name publicly), is also his maternal great-grandmother's surname." I actually didn't know it's his middle name, but apparently his first name is Frederick...in which case Dierks has a much better ring to it Thanks Pete!

Posted by: Riser 25th January 2019, 01:54 AM

50. Ria Mae "Bend"

"Bend" is quite an old song by now, according to my Shazam history I first heard it in August 2017 on Canadian radio, then forgot about it until somehow coming across it again in January, thinking it sounded familiar, then finding it in my Shazam history . Must have been a slow-burner of a hit up there! The video is very good, one of my faves of the year and channels Christine & The Queens! It was a BJSC potential for me but I was convinced it would flop, only to be proven incredibly wrong by popchartfreak

49. Taylor Swift "…Ready For It?"
Not a 2018 song by any means, but "…Ready For It?" didn’t click with me until the start of the year, so here it is! First used as promo for the NFL if I remember correctly, which seems odd but it really is the perfect song to get hyped or energized even in a sports setting! A definite highlight of Reputation and really should’ve been bigger than it was, probably would have if it wasn’t released the week after LWYMMD.
Previous EOY history: "Shake It Off" (#22, 2014), "Wildest Dreams" (#25, 2015)

48. Years & Years "Sanctify"
While not a fan of "King" or "Shine", I did like enough Years & Years songs to be hyped for their return last year, and their opening single did not disappoint! It was a shame to not see "Sanctify" catch on the way their other hits have, but even with a low peak it had a good run. This is their first appearance in my EOY!

47. Little Mix feat. Nicki Minaj "Woman Like Me"
Speaking of which, this is also Little Mix’s first appearance in my EOY! You can count me amongst those who are annoyed at them constantly doing collab after collab, as pointless as it may be to feel that way. So I did not have high hopes for "Woman Like Me" when it was first announced, but lo and behold it was a major earworm! I was only listening to it twice a week—Fridays on the chart show and Mondays on the chart update—but it was genuinely stuck in my head the rest of the week just from that! Nicki did a good job on it too, so I was quick to eat my words on this one.
Previous EOY history for Nicki: "Side To Side" (#18, 2016), "Kissing Strangers" (#33, 2017)

46. Alice Merton "No Roots"
It was nice to see this song finally make its mark on both sides of the pond last year! It barely scraped the Billboard Hot 100 but had good airplay here for quite a few months. More frustrating was how close it was to making the UK top 40, but in a way I didn’t even think it’d get as close as it did. I managed to get my dad into this song and he stans it with me now *.*

45. Calvin Harris & Dua Lipa "One Kiss"
If you’d told me a year ago that a Calvin Harris song would be the biggest song of the year in the UK, I sure wouldn’t have believed you! I’d call "One Kiss" a return to form although I didn’t mind his 2017 output either.
Previous EOY history for Calvin: "Thinking About You" (#50, 2014), "Pray To God" (#39, 2015), "My Way" (#41, 2016)
Previous EOY history for Dua: "Be The One" (#3, 2017), "New Rules" (#4, 2017)

44. Bruno Mars & Cardi B "Finesse"
Bruno’s third album campaign seemed to end rather abruptly after "Versace On The Floor" stalled, so I was pleased to see him stretch it out for a few more months after all. Everyone was jumping on the Cardi B bandwagon but no one did it better than Bruno; adding Cardi to "Finesse" gave it that extra 24K magic and made it sound even more like it came from the 90s. I’m honestly surprised at how quickly it fell off the charts compared to "That’s What I Like".
Previous EOY history for Bruno: "Young Girls" (#44, 2014), "That’s What I Like" (#6, 2017)
Previous EOY history for Cardi: "No Limit" (#39, 2017)

43. Keala Settle "This Is Me"
Still haven’t watched The Greatest Showman but the soundtrack was totally unavoidable last year especially for chart followers. "This Is Me" is fab even without the context of the film, as are some of the others. It was also one of my favorite songs to follow in the singles chart, I’m still in awe that it got to #3 in the UK and EOY top 10! Definitely stands out amongst the other chart behemoths of the past decade so it was a pleasant surprise to see the UK embrace it as much as they did. I was hoping that’d happen in the US too, even to a lesser extent, but sadly it never did. Looking forward to finding out whether hits from musical films will be a continuing chart trend in 2019 or if 2018 was just a fluke.

42. Ary "Already There"

Anyone in BJSC gets their "Spin My World" moment sooner or later, and this year was my turn. Not only did "Already There" sound like a smash to me, it had top 5 odds from early on in the semifinals, only to not even qualify, missing out by one place. To add insult to injury, the aforementioned Ria Mae song did go top 5 after I’d changed my mind on sending it. I don’t mean that to be negative, that’s just how it happened and it simply wasn’t meant to be! Anyway, I love Ary’s voice so much and hope she brings out more music soon

41. P!nk "Beautiful Trauma"
"Beautiful Trauma" is P!nk at her absolute finest. I just love her songs like this, "True Love", "Please Don’t Leave Me" etc. where they’re relatable, admitting love’s not perfect, and they’re just portrayed in a way that only P!nk could do. I love how this one goes back and forth from ballad to uptempo, the build-up to the chorus is spectacular and so is the overall theatrical feel to it. Definitely my favorite of hers since "Try"!
Previous EOY history: "What About Us" (#63, 2017)

Posted by: PeteFromLeeds 25th January 2019, 08:22 PM

Bend was a great BJSC song, were you planning on sending it the same contest or one before? Love how No Roots is still getting mentioned even though it feels like absolutely ages (two years now?) since it was sent to BJSC *.*

Posted by: JosephAvery 25th January 2019, 10:03 PM

Cardi my queen *.* Finesse is definitely my highlight of the 24K Magic era, and the added Cardi magic really elevated it from forgettable album track to surefire smash

Shame #47's cancelled

Posted by: Liаm 29th January 2019, 10:15 AM

Kacey slayage Space Cowboy isn't one of my absolute faves but it's still beaut, High Horse is ofc pop perfection <3

Posted by: Riser 1st February 2019, 05:01 AM

40. Lil Dicky feat. Chris Brown "Freaky Friday"
I actually first heard this at a bowling alley, without the context of the video. But it was love at first listen just for a throwback to the DJ Mustard era – just see the previous EOY history below, I loved that in 2014. The lack of radio play kept it from any sort of overkill so it makes my EOY top 40, and that’s all I have to say really. Either you love it or you don’t!
Previous EOY history for Chris: "Loyal" (#18, 2014), "Show Me" (#26, 2014), "New Flame" (#40, 2014)

39. King Princess "1950"
This must have been on some prominent Spotify playlists because I remember seeing it higher on the Spotify chart than you’d expect for a song of its nature. I took a listen out of curiosity and kept coming back to it! "1950" ended up a top 20 hit in Australia which was pretty rad. Not sure if I buy the Sound of 2019 hype for King Princess, but "Talia" and "Pussy Is God" aren’t bad either so we’ll see if she keeps it up quality-wise!



38. Kendrick Lamar feat. Zacari "Love."
This was the last single pushed from Kendrick’s album if I remember correctly, and an unexpectedly good one. Great vocals from Zacari, who I’d like to hear more from. Kendrick followed it up with something even better – more on that later!
Previous EOY history for Kendrick: "The Greatest" (#36, 2016)

37. Troye Sivan "My My My!"
Troye seemed like such an effortless talent a few years ago. Last year saw a bit of a sophomore slump for him but moreso because Bloom’s promo and release strategy was really really bad. "My My My!" is a serious gem although I didn’t think so at first, was quite the grower for me. He exudes more confidence than ever before so you can definitely sense the progression, or dare I say evolution, from his debut!
Previous EOY history: "Youth" (#8, 2016)

36. M-22 feat. Medina "First Time"
How nice was it to hear Medina’s voice again! Everything about "First Time" was a triumph from its general perfection to its chart longevity. I forgot it only peaked at #20, deserved at least top 15!

35. Cardi B, Bad Bunny & J Balvin "I Like It"
Cardi caught the tail end of the Latin bandwagon with a collab you just knew was going to be massive on first listen. "I Like It" was an undeniable, irresistible bop, you probably saw the comments here from folks who can’t stand Cardi B as a person but admitted she really knocked it out of the park here. It was the closest thing we had to a definitive summer hit last year, and with a lack of upbeat hits at the time we really needed it!
Previous EOY history for Cardi: "No Limit" (#39, 2017)
Previous EOY history for J Balvin: "Mi Gente" (#19, 2017)

34. Loud Luxury feat. Brando "Body"
These days it’s far too rare to see a global Canadian hit that isn’t from Drake, The Weeknd, or the Biebs. Or even in the Canadian charts for that matter. So I’d say "Body" exceeded all expectations when it rightfully smashed, especially for a dance track that wasn’t from an established artist. Loud Luxury is a great artist name too. Bravo!

33. Ariana Grande "Breathin"
Can we just at the bridge of this song, with the guitar solo and everything? I’d go out on a limb and say "Breathin" will stand the test of time better than the other Sweetener singles. Since it was her smallest hit out of the four she had last year, I hope it’s not forgotten about in the long run, or even in a year. It may have taken til December to peak in my chart, but better late than never. What a song <3
Previous EOY history: "Break Free" (#8, 2014), "One Last Time" (#4, 2015), "Focus" (#30, 2015), "Into You" (#1, 2016), "Side To Side" (#18, 2016), "Everyday" (#22, 2017)

32. G-Eazy feat. A$AP Rocky & Cardi B "No Limit"
"No Limit" has the misfortune of having my love for it split between two years, so it only scrapes the EOY top 40 twice. Aside from that there’s not much misfortune to be found! I originally thought any song featuring Cardi B would be just a cheap attempt at an easy hit, but I’ve been proven wrong multiple times now, and first and foremost here. A top-notch effort from every artist involved.
Previous EOY history for G-Eazy: "Me, Myself & I" (#20, 2016), "No Limit" (#39, 2017)

31. Alessia Cara "Trust My Lonely"
Alessia is flopping hardcore in the real world but she can still do almost no wrong in mine. A reggae-pop song was always going to be a hit with me, so here it is. "Trust My Lonely" even continues her trend of using adjectives as nouns (following "Scars To Your Beautiful" of course) so really, what’s not to like about it? She didn’t even delay her album release when this flopped, I stan such a queen!
Previous EOY history: "Wild Things" (#2, 2016), "Scars To Your Beautiful" (#7, 2016), "I'm Yours" (#47, 2016), "Stay" (#38, 2017), "1-800-273-8255" (#44, 2017)

Posted by: Riser 1st February 2019, 05:04 AM

I *think* it was the same contest but maybe the month before And yes, two years since 'No Roots'! Longevity legend <3

Okay Michael

Posted by: PeteFromLeeds 1st February 2019, 07:53 PM

I don't think I've heard Trust My Lonely! Giving a listen now, I mean... it's not bad but it's not something I would particularly choose to listen to which is such a shame as she went from getting my EOY #1 last year to me just completely going off her

Posted by: Jade 2nd February 2019, 12:03 AM

I'm so pleased to see some love for '…Ready For It?' here even if it did take a little while to click! You hit the nail on the head with that whole write-up, it really does leave you feeling so hyped and energised. The perfect example for me was when it came on shuffle recently while I was running on the treadmill, I wanted to run for MY LIFE while it was on, that pounding production is just everything *.* I think it's in my top 5 Taylor songs of all-time already!

'No Limit' is such a favourite too! I didn't think much of G-Eazy but this finally turned things around, the verses (of the radio edit anyway ) and chorus are fire <3

Posted by: DalekTurret32 2nd February 2019, 12:07 AM

My My My, First Time and No Limit are great tracks, and Breathin is one of my favourites from Sweetener along with No Tears Left To Cry.

Posted by: JosephAvery 2nd February 2019, 10:35 PM

I Like It is EVERYTHING, that was so spot on, even if Bad Bunny goes on for about 5 hours

Posted by: Jay ☆ 4th February 2019, 02:26 AM

Hi Jordan!!

My favourites from the Top 50 so far: Breathin, Body, I Like It, First Time, My My My!, Beautiful Trauma, This Is Me, Finesse, One Kiss, Woman Like Me, Sanctify and ...Ready For It?

Definitely agree that Troye has evolved into a more confident artist! He's one of my absolute faves... seeing him in about 3 weeks on tour *_*

Posted by: danG 4th February 2019, 07:41 PM

Great to see Calvin Harris, Loud Luxury, M-22 and Cardi here! (even if Calvin is way too low!)

Posted by: Dexton 8th February 2019, 10:27 AM

Lot's of 10/10 songs here! *.* Too many to list!

Great to see King Princess getting recognition here though, 1950 is a great song though I can't say I'm too fond of anything else she's released. They're okay songs but nothing spectacular. Alessia Cara is a nice face here too. LOVE that Wild Things was your #2 song of 2016 - by FAR my favourite from her and definitely one of my favourites from the year too. Same for Scars too, and 1-800 though it was much higher in my EOY chart never mind it was #49 for me but certainly should have been higher

Love.

Posted by: Riser 8th February 2019, 11:11 PM

Ooh thanks for all the comments!! Thanks for your patience as I've only had time to do one section a week. Almost done though

Ah I forgot she was your #1 last year! That's a shame you're not enjoying her new music, although you're certainly not alone based on where she's charting these days I'm still very much a fan but would hate for her to be a one-album wonder when she's still so young.

Yay for the Wild Things love! Hopefully I've saved some 10/10 songs for the top 30, you'll find out momentarily ;o

Posted by: Riser 8th February 2019, 11:27 PM

*I've lost all willpower to do commentary at this point so sorry if it descends into me blabbering :')*

30. Silk City & Dua Lipa "Electricity"
The two biggest growers of the year for me are in this section. The first one is "Electricity", which I originally insisted was only getting hype because of Dua Lipa and wasn’t actually any good…boy did that change. That piano build-up before the drop is just irresistibly good!
Previous EOY history for Dua: "New Rules" (#4, 2017), "Be The One" (#3, 2017)

29. Logic & Marshmello "Everyday"
I’m guessing this song isn’t really representative of Logic as an artist and is just him capitalizing on his mainstream success. It went largely unnoticed, but a great collab nonetheless!
Previous EOY history for Logic: "1-800-273-8255" (#44, 2017)



28. Zayn "Let Me"
Unpopular opinion alert…this is superb. Absolutely a bad single choice by all means, we really needed something upbeat from Zayn instead of two ballads in a row, but other than that I love "Let Me". A nice little throwback to the R&B/pop of 10 years ago, the likes of "Hate That I Love You", "With You" etc. I’ll leave it at that lest I get chased away with pitchforks
Previous EOY history: "Like I Would" (#34, 2016), "Dusk Till Dawn" (#9, 2017)

27. Tyga feat. Offset "Taste"
Here’s my other biggest grower of 2018! I don’t know what happened but after originally finding this embarrassing, the production became catchy, the lyrics became amusing rather than cringeworthy and the rest was history.

26. Carrie Underwood "Love Wins"
Her comeback single "Cry Pretty" just never did anything for me, but Carrie followed it up with her best song since at least 2012 if not earlier. On "Love Wins" Carrie sings for peace and unity, two things we need now more than ever, and the song is genuinely powerful rather than just making a statement for the sake of making a statement. There’s more where that came from on her album, particularly "The Bullet". Talent wins!



25. Maroon 5 "Wait"
Another unpopular entry maybe? Yes "Wait" is derivative and trend-chasing but it was refreshing to hear Maroon 5 on their own again, without another mismatched feature tacked onto the song. Sure enough their following single was the worst offender yet but "Wait" was indeed an earworm, for better or worse.
Previous EOY history: "Animals" (#6, 2014), "This Summer’s Gonna Hurt Like A Motherf*****" (#10, 2015), "Sugar" (#28, 2015), “Cold” (#20, 2017)



24. Tiesto & Dzeko feat. Preme & Post Malone "Jackie Chan"
These next two songs are the result of Post Malone becoming probably the most unlikely pop star of the moment. Equally unlikely was him being on a dance hit, although credit goes to Tiesto for taking the original and elevating it to "banger" status. It never really got old either, just a shamelessly fun bop!
Previous EOY history for Post Malone: "Rockstar" (#59, 2017)

23. Post Malone "Better Now"
But the real Post Malone masterpiece is "Better Now", Posty’s most radio-friendly song to date while still very true to him as an artist. Great lyrics, great melody/hooks, and his vocals aren’t grating like they sometimes are. After not liking "Congratulations" at all he really won me over in the space of a year with five incredible singles in a row, one of which is still to come!
Previous EOY history: "Rockstar" (#59, 2017)

22. Liam Payne & Rita Ora "For You"
Liam gets to be the highest 1D member in my EOY this year, ending Zayn’s two-year reign. Admittedly he can’t take much credit as Rita does most of the work here, but his one verse and half a chorus are solid too.
Previous EOY history for Liam: "Get Low" (#26, 2017)
Previous EOY history for Rita: "Anywhere" (#59, 2017)

21. Dennis Lloyd "Nevermind"
Payola or not, I love that random songs from even more random artists can still break through and reach the masses, like this did despite the singer being from Israel and the song being two years old. Speaking of Israel, I forgot about Netta and "Toy" but that was a moment too. They can be joint #21

Posted by: JosephAvery 8th February 2019, 11:45 PM

Rita my ICON *.*

Posted by: Jay ☆ 11th February 2019, 06:59 AM

Love: For You, Electricity
Like: Better Now, Jackie Chain, Taste & Let Me

Posted by: Riser 16th February 2019, 02:06 AM

Jackie Chain?

Posted by: Riser 16th February 2019, 02:25 AM

20. David Guetta & Sia "Flames"
If you thought each Guetta/Sia collab had diminishing quality from the one before it, hopefully "Flames" proved you wrong. Personally I’d rank it second behind "Titanium" (and would rank "She Wolf" last as opposed to "Bang My Head"). They tried something different on this one and it really works, with a strong chorus to boot.
Previous EOY history for Sia: "Chandelier" (#33, 2014), "Elastic Heart" (#35, 2015), "The Greatest" (#36, 2016), "Cheap Thrills" (#52, 2016), "Dusk Till Dawn" (#9, 2017)

19. Panic! At The Disco "High Hopes"
Somehow even without a proper hit in years, the Panic fanbase has stayed incredibly loyal over the past decade, and deservedly so because the music has been consistently good too. "High Hopes" was by all means the comeback hit he deserved, extremely catchy and full of hooks. Really awesome for Panic to have a new signature song after all this time

18. Ella Mai "Boo’d Up"

Ella Mai was probably the biggest came-outta-nowhere breakthrough of 2018, so much so that most of us didn’t even realize she’s British at first. "Boo’d Up" serves delicious throwback vibes and did especially well considering how overlooked female R&B has been lately. Ella’s music has been a breath of fresh air so far!

17. A$AP Rocky feat. Skepta "Praise The Lord (Da Shine)"
I wasn’t expecting A$AP Rocky to have two #1s in my chart in less than a year! "Praise The Lord (Da Shine)" is an absolute banger and achieved the rare feat of blocking an Alessia Cara song from #1 in my chart. Skepta was quite an inspired choice for a collab partner and certainly helped "Praise The Lord" in the UK charts, which was great to see.
Previous EOY history for A$AP Rocky: "No Limit" (#39, 2017)

16. Charlie Puth "The Way I Am"

It took three years for Charlie Puth to release a single that I actually liked, and in this case "like" is an understatement – it was a #1 in my chart! I think it’s his voice I’m not a fan of, more so than the songs themselves, but all I can say is "The Way I Am" was VERY instant, that guitar intro won me over before I even knew whose song it was. Brilliant!



15. Meghan Trainor "No Excuses"

Meghan’s third era has been everything I wanted from her so far, aside from, y’know, an album release. "No Excuses" was super instant and packs so much into two and a half minutes, and she released about 10 other promotional singles that were also really strong. My deluded stan moment of the year was courtesy of this song, I played it on repeat on Spotify for weeks to counteract their equally-deluded snubbing of her from playlists and whatnot. Unfortunately this ruined all my suggested playlists that are based on my listening history, they’re now full of outdated bubblegum pop and 9 months later I still haven’t been able to fix it :’)
Previous EOY history: "Lips Are Movin’" (#36, 2014), "Me Too" (#24, 2016), "No" (#45, 2016)



14. The Weeknd & Kendrick Lamar "Pray For Me"
"Pray For Me" is firmly my second-favorite song from The Weeknd now! The production really elevates it. For some reason it underperformed by his standards, missing the top 5 on Billboard and top 10 in the UK, only for the beyond-bland "Call Out My Name" to peak higher weeks later…although PFM probably sold more overall.
Previous EOY history for The Weeknd: "I Feel It Coming" (#2, 2017 and #29, 2016)
Previous EOY history for Kendrick: "The Greatest" (#36, 2016)

13. Rita Ora "Anywhere"
Rightfully compared to "Run Away With Me" both in its lyrical content and its utter pop perfection, plus you could say equally frustrating to watch in the charts. "Anywhere" certainly didn’t fall short of the top 40, but its multiple weeks at #2 behind "Havana" were a definite disappointment. But silly me for focusing on that; just having Rita back in the first place was amazing, and the fact she gave us her best single ever (a tall order for her!) was icing on the cake. Plus her real success was on the Buzzjack Multichart, breaking the record for most weeks at #1 with 13!
Previous EOY history: "Anywhere" (#59, 2017)

12. Mabel & Not3s "Fine Line"

"Fine Line" is the song I was most hyped about pre-release in 2018. There was a clip of it at the end of the "Finders Keepers" video that sounded really promising, and it didn’t disappoint! The rest of Mabel’s year wasn’t so memorable, but she’s gone and smashed it already in 2019...I still prefer this over "Don't Call Me Up" though!
Previous EOY history for Mabel: "Finders Keepers" (#57, 2017)

11. Bebe Rexha feat. Florida Georgia Line "Meant To Be"
"Meant To Be" was quite the storybook moment for Bebe’s career, when you think how for years she was always on other people’s hits and couldn’t manage one of her own. At first a country/pop collab with Florida Georgia Line seemed like the most random idea ever, but it got country radio on board which was very clever and really helped its fortunes over here. (Shame it’s all gone to her head so quickly ) Also it’s just a fitting song to be her breakthrough – if it’s meant to be, it will be, and I guess it was meant to be after all. Of course this logic doesn’t bode well with her new single being called "Last Hurrah"
Previous EOY history for Bebe: "Me, Myself & I" (#20, 2016), "In The Name Of Love" (#48, 2016)

Posted by: Riser 21st February 2019, 06:04 AM

10. Walk The Moon "One Foot"

Previous winners of my EOY with "Shut Up And Dance" in 2015, Walk The Moon have followed that up with another top 10! "One Foot" is every bit as euphoric and catchy as their other best singles, while also standing on its own and not sounding like they tried to recreate "Shut Up And Dance". Unfortunately they only released one more single from this album and swiftly moved on. Don’t expect their new one "Timebomb" to be in here at all next year, I’m definitely not a fan
Previous EOY history: "Shut Up And Dance" (#1, 2015 and #56, 2014), "Different Colors" (#48, 2015), "One Foot" (#47, 2017)

9. Ariana Grande "God Is A Woman"
Ariana still holds the record for most #1s in my chart, but she wasn’t able to add to her tally in 2018. She came frustratingly close with "God Is A Woman", which peaked at #2. This one finally got me hyped for Sweetener after "No Tears Left To Cry" and "The Light Is Coming" didn’t live up to the hype for me. The lyrics are QUITE bold, a result of her growth as an artist as there’s no way she could have pulled this off in earlier eras.
Previous EOY history: "Break Free" (#8, 2014), "One Last Time" (#4, 2015), "Focus" (#30, 2015), "Into You" (#1, 2016), "Side To Side" (#18, 2016), "Everyday" (#22, 2017)

8. Alessia Cara "Growing Pains"

No one’s surprised to see Alessia here, right? Musically "Growing Pains" was everything I wanted except that it ended abruptly and needed a final chorus; thankfully most radio stations agreed and added another chorus to it! US radio tends to be loyal to a fault so, even with iTunes and Spotify indicating that no one was here for this song, I was lucky enough to hear it loads as many stations gave it chance after chance to succeed. Despite her album bombing, I’m probably an even bigger fan of Alessia than I was a year ago!
Previous EOY history: "Wild Things" (#2, 2016), "Scars To Your Beautiful" (#7, 2016), "I'm Yours" (#47, 2016), "Stay" (#38, 2017), "1-800-273-8255" (#44, 2017)

7. Post Malone feat. Ty Dolla $ign "Psycho"
Post Malone followed up "Rockstar" and "I Fall Apart" with his most brilliant single yet, the lovely and laid-back "Psycho". His only turn-off for me had been how grating his singing voice sounds, so with this one being more restrained I was completely on board. I have a weird fondness for the lyric "my roof look like a no-show", the most humble brag I’ve seen about driving a convertible.
Previous EOY history for Post Malone: "Rockstar" (#59, 2017)
Previous EOY history for Ty Dolla $ign: "Saved" (#58, 2016), "Bacon" (#56, 2016)

6. Kendrick Lamar & SZA "All The Stars"
Kendrick Lamar ties with Post Malone, Rita Ora, and Cardi B for the most entries in my EOY this year, with three each. "All The Stars" is also the highest non-#1 in my EOY, and is higher than both songs that blocked it ("Fine Line" and "No Excuses"). SZA steals the show on the chorus but Kendrick’s verses are magnificent too. It’s one of my two favorite music videos of the year as well, the visuals are just stunning A shame this is up against "Shallow" at the Oscars, can’t they both win?
Previous EOY history for Kendrick: "The Greatest" (#36, 2016)

Posted by: JosephAvery 21st February 2019, 09:34 PM

Queens left, right and centre *.* Rita the queen of life, Ariana the queen of the charts, and Bebe the queen of country music

Posted by: Riser 27th February 2019, 02:38 AM

5. Juice Wrld "Lucid Dreams"

I don’t know Juice Wrld’s back story but I just imagine it being similar to Owl City where he’s making songs in his parents' basement or something. "Lucid Dreams" sounds like a hit yet at the same time you can just tell it was discovered somewhere in the depths of the internet. I guess I’m saying it’s amateur-sounding but that is such a big part of its charm. The other big part would be the Sting sample, which I actually wasn’t familiar with so it sounded fresh to me unlike others. It’s a reminder that the most random songs can still be hits, which to me is one of the best things about following music. Nothing else I’ve heard from Juice Wrld is anywhere near this level of greatness but I’ll keep on hoping there’s more where this came from.

4. Halsey "Without Me"

Usually my last #1 of the year only lands in the #40-#31 area of my EOY as it’s disadvantaged from being released so late in the year. Not so this time! "Without Me" benefits from being my longest-running #1 of the year and, also, just from being an extra-special song. The stars really aligned for this one, it seemed to get near-unanimous love and became the smash it deserved to be. I was already a fan but this cemented my love for Halsey, which means (hot take) I’ve finally forgiven her for "New Americana"
Previous EOY history: "Now Or Never" (#16, 2017), "Bad At Love" (#15, 2017)

3. Imagine Dragons "Whatever It Takes"

I’m excited that three of my favorite artists are in my top 3, guess it was a good year for my faves! "Whatever It Takes" was my favorite song on Evolve, and a guaranteed hit in America with Imagine Dragons being radio darlings here, so I was thrilled it got the attention it deserved. It was nice to hear a more classic-sounding Imagine Dragons song since "Thunder" was such a sonic departure for them. I was also lucky enough to see them live, the only non-festival concert I attended in 2018 and I’ll likely get to see them again this summer. On a personal level, the band has been outspoken about mental health awareness, among other things, and it’s meant a lot to me the past couple years. Nice to have them back in my EOY top 5, it may not happen again for a while with their newest album being pretty underwhelming
Previous EOY history: "On Top Of The World" (#37, 2014), "I Bet My Life" (#5, 2015), "Shots" (#36, 2015), "Believer" (#41, 2017), "Thunder" (#18, 2017)

Posted by: Mack. 28th February 2019, 02:42 PM

New to the countdown here, Riser. Great to see Juice WRLD and Halsey in your Top5. It is a shame that 'Whatever It Takes' only just scraped in the Top100 in UK.

Posted by: Riser 5th March 2019, 05:04 AM

2. Shawn Mendes "In My Blood"


Shawn Mendes has an excellent track record on my chart, and that continued in 2018 with "In My Blood" becoming his second #1. I can't believe he's managed to out-peak the #3 placing of "Stitches" in 2015's EOY, but it’s all down to "In My Blood" being insanely good. The chorus barely even has words, the instrumental carries so much of the emotion and Shawn simply adds to it with probably the most powerful vocals he's ever had. The song still hasn’t got old and probably never will at this point. Shawn's trajectory as an artist has been outstanding and I'm willing to bet he'll keep improving and make something even better than this. But for now he’s #2, with only one song left to reveal…
Previous EOY history: "Stitches" (#3, 2015), "Mercy" (#10, 2017 & #36, 2016), "There’s Nothing Holdin’ Me Back" (#54, 2017)

Thanks for following along and commenting as always! We'll end with a recap of the top 60.
1. Taylor Swift “Delicate”
2. Shawn Mendes “In My Blood”
3. Imagine Dragons “Whatever It Takes”
4. Halsey “Without Me”
5. Juice Wrld “Lucid Dreams”
6. Kendrick Lamar & SZA “All The Stars”
7. Post Malone feat. Ty Dolla $ign “Psycho”
8. Alessia Cara “Growing Pains”
9. Ariana Grande “God Is A Woman”
10. Walk The Moon “One Foot”
11. Bebe Rexha feat. Florida Georgia Line “Meant To Be”
12. Mabel & Not3s “Fine Line”
13. Rita Ora “Anywhere”
14. The Weeknd & Kendrick Lamar “Pray For Me”
15. Meghan Trainor “No Excuses”
16. Charlie Puth “The Way I Am”
17. A$AP Rocky feat. Skepta “Praise The Lord (Da Shine)”
18. Ella Mai “Boo’d Up”
19. Panic! At The Disco “High Hopes”
20. David Guetta & Sia “Flames”
21. Dennis Lloyd “Nevermind”
22. Liam Payne & Rita Ora “For You”
23. Post Malone “Better Now”
24. Tiesto & Dzeko feat. Preme & Post Malone “Jackie Chan”
25. Maroon 5 “Wait”
26. Carrie Underwood “Love Wins”
27. Tyga feat. Offset “Taste”
28. Zayn “Let Me”
29. Logic & Marshmello “Everyday”
30. Silk City & Dua Lipa “Electricity”
31. Alessia Cara “Trust My Lonely”
32. G-Eazy feat. A$AP Rocky & Cardi B “No Limit”
33. Ariana Grande “Breathin”
34. Loud Luxury feat. Brando “Body”
35. Cardi B, Bad Bunny & J Balvin “I Like It”
36. M-22 feat. Medina “First Time”
37. Troye Sivan “My My My!”
38. Kendrick Lamar feat. Zacari “Love.”
39. King Princess “1950”
40. Lil Dicky feat. Chris Brown “Freaky Friday”
41. P!nk “Beautiful Trauma”
42. Ary “Already There”
43. Keala Settle “This Is Me”
44. Bruno Mars & Cardi B “Finesse”
45. Calvin Harris & Dua Lipa “One Kiss”
46. Alice Merton “No Roots”
47. Little Mix feat. Nicki Minaj “Woman Like Me”
48. Years & Years “Sanctify”
49. Taylor Swift “…Ready For It?”
50. Ria Mae “Bend”
51. Lady Gaga & Bradley Cooper “Shallow”
52. Bryce Vine “Drew Barrymore”
53. Charli XCX feat. Troye Sivan “1999”
54. Rita Ora “Let You Love Me”
55. Kacey Musgraves “Space Cowboy”
56. Dierks Bentley feat. Brothers Osborne “Burning Man”
57. Dierks Bentley “Woman, Amen”
58. Kacey Musgraves “High Horse”
59. Shawn Mendes & Zedd “Lost In Japan”
60. NF “Let You Down”

See you next year for what I assume will be a year-end AND decade-end countdown, if I have the ambition for it!

Posted by: Mack. 6th March 2019, 01:37 PM

Hi Riser,

From your Top60, I like:

1. Taylor Swift “Delicate”
2. Shawn Mendes “In My Blood”
3. Imagine Dragons “Whatever It Takes”
4. Halsey “Without Me”
5. Juice Wrld “Lucid Dreams”
6. Kendrick Lamar & SZA “All The Stars”
7. Post Malone feat. Ty Dolla $ign “Psycho”
8. Alessia Cara “Growing Pains”
9. Ariana Grande “God Is A Woman”
10. Walk The Moon “One Foot”
12. Mabel & Not3s “Fine Line”
13. Rita Ora “Anywhere”
14. The Weeknd & Kendrick Lamar “Pray For Me”
15. Meghan Trainor “No Excuses”
16. Charlie Puth “The Way I Am”
17. A$AP Rocky feat. Skepta “Praise The Lord (Da Shine)”
18. Ella Mai “Boo’d Up”
19. Panic! At The Disco “High Hopes”
20. David Guetta & Sia “Flames”
21. Dennis Lloyd “Nevermind”
22. Liam Payne & Rita Ora “For You”
23. Post Malone “Better Now”
24. Tiesto & Dzeko feat. Preme & Post Malone “Jackie Chan”
25. Maroon 5 “Wait”
27. Tyga feat. Offset “Taste”
28. Zayn “Let Me”
29. Logic & Marshmello “Everyday”
30. Silk City & Dua Lipa “Electricity”
31. Alessia Cara “Trust My Lonely”
32. G-Eazy feat. A$AP Rocky & Cardi B “No Limit”
33. Ariana Grande “Breathin”
34. Loud Luxury feat. Brando “Body”
35. Cardi B, Bad Bunny & J Balvin “I Like It”
36. M-22 feat. Medina “First Time”
37. Troye Sivan “My My My!”
38. Kendrick Lamar feat. Zacari “Love.”
39. King Princess “1950”
40. Lil Dicky feat. Chris Brown “Freaky Friday”
41. P!nk “Beautiful Trauma”
43. Keala Settle “This Is Me”
44. Bruno Mars & Cardi B “Finesse”
45. Calvin Harris & Dua Lipa “One Kiss”
47. Little Mix feat. Nicki Minaj “Woman Like Me”
48. Years & Years “Sanctify”
49. Taylor Swift “…Ready For It?”
51. Lady Gaga & Bradley Cooper “Shallow”
53. Charli XCX feat. Troye Sivan “1999”
54. Rita Ora “Let You Love Me”
59. Shawn Mendes & Zedd “Lost In Japan”
60. NF “Let You Down”


This is a great end of year countdown.

Posted by: PeteFromLeeds 11th March 2019, 12:22 PM

Intersting to see Delicate as your #1, I don't really remember you saying you loved it but that's my fault I guess Lots of decent songs up there I think Fine Line might be my favourite of the ones in the final page - it was a real shame to see it peak at #11 but it looks like she's made up for that now!

Great recap and countdown, I've enjoyed following!