4

 

http://i1283.photobucket.com/albums/a556/jennacolemanfan/EOY%2014/WildHeart_zpstiqcuddm.png

 

The Vamps - Wild Heart

 

5-4-6-9-14-22-25-27-33-37-41-X-10-7-1-1-4-7-5-4-11-17-8-11-15-22-12-25-33-37-37-42-46-4-12-19-22-23-36-39-38-35-41-X (42 non-consecutive weeks)

 

"Tonight we'll dance, I'll be yours and you'll be mine"

 

'Wild Heart' - the second single to be taken from The Vamps' début album 'Meet The Vamps' finishes at a very respectable #4. I've known of this song for a long while now, from before the official studio version premiéred - I remember watching all of their videos on YouTube, and then they posted their 'Wildheart' video (glad they changed it to two separate words because looking back at that title now, it doesn't look quite right - much like 'Razorheart' by Violet Days - that really should be called 'Razor Heart', but oh well - can't win them all), and I was automatically in love with the song, so when I found out that the song would be on their début album, and we'd have a studio version, and not only that but it would turn out to be the second single and we'd have another hit from them - I was over the moon! It remains such an amazing song, even now. This did chart in my 2013 EOY, but the only song it feels right saying belongs in 2013 is 'Can We Dance'.

 

This isn't my favourite single of theirs, but it is their second best. 'Last Night', 'Can We Dance' and 'Oh Cecilia' are all great, the latter of which is the weakest of all five, 'Last Night' is FABULOUS and 'Can We Dance' remains amazing. I don't love it as much now as I did previously. It's still an AMAZING song and it was the perfect way for them to kick-start their career and get everybody on side - they were different to any other band out there - they had something to prove and something a bit unique to offer - but now I'd definitely say there are two others that trump that, this, and one other song - but which could that be? (clue: it's not a mystery, you just need to know what their fourth single was x).

 

Anyway, back to the song. The video for this is pretty amazing! I love the whole concept and the setting. All of their videos are different and throw a different story at us. Obviously with 'Can We Dance' we had the house party and the morning after - it probably would have been heaven to have been on the set for that video, for 'Wild Heart' we have the desert location, which makes them all look 100x hotter - Brad in particular - 'Last Night' we have the theme/fun park theme, 'Oh Cecilia' we have a stranded desert island theme - one thing I can say about their next album is I'm definitely excited to see what the videos will be like! They're always so fun and suit each of the songs SO well - so I'm hoping that not only the music can better that of this era, but the videos can too! The only direction from here is up, really.

 

3

 

http://i1283.photobucket.com/albums/a556/jennacolemanfan/EOY%2014/IntoTheBlue_zpsbb2akppu.png

 

Kylie Minogue - Into the Blue

 

1-1-1-1-2-4-5-4-7-9-11-15-16-10-13-19-28-43-38-47-48-46-50-46-49-X-1-6-11-16-25-35-39-X (32 non-consecutive weeks)

 

"When I got my back up against the wall, don't need no-one to rescue me

 

'Cause I ain't waiting up for no miracle, yeah tonight I'm running free into the blue"

 

Smashing the top 3 is none other than the Queen - Kylie Minogue - with the first single from her twelfth studio album 'Kiss Me Once', 'Into the Blue'. This was such a perfect way for her to launch the campaign to make 'Kiss Me Once' a decent-sized smash. Sadly, in the world of Official UK Charts, t'was not meant to be. The song only managed a peak of #12 in the UK, and the album didn't exactly perform much better. Still though, she smashed it in Sandénia (woo!) totalling in at 5 non-consecutive weeks at the top spot, and the album performed similarly, having five consecutive weeks at the top, with a further one following the Kiss Me Once Tour. I really don't understand how this didn't hit the top 10 officially, it has all the makings of a perfect Kylie song - and surely the fanbase would have lapped this up in their droves?! It has the punchy backing track, close to perfect vocals (I feel like on this album she really has allowed for her voice to be very exposed and really highlight that she *can* sing (we all know she can, but yeah); see: 'If Only', 'Kiss Me Once', etc.), and a video that was, for what it was, decent.

 

Speaking of the video, it wasn't exactly anything monumental by Kylie's standards. In the past, we've had videos for songs such as 'Please Stay', 'In Your Eyes', 'Spinning Around', 'Can't Get You Out of My Head' and 'On a Night Like This' - all of them that remind me so much of my childhood. I remember first getting into Kylie and ADORING the video for 'Please Stay' - not only did she look absolutely incredible in the video, but she had very lovely dancers when she slid down that pole and landed in what was a very raunchy diner / pub setting. Dancing on top of snooker tables with open-topped gentlemen and girls dancing around in their pants, lying on top of a pinball machine, etc - it was all very perfect really. This video though, as much as I think it does its job as intended and it suits the song - it's quite disjointed at parts and it won't exactly go down as a classic. And let's not even speak about any of the other videos from this campaign - not that there are many others at all to go on, but the video for 'I Was Gonna Cancel' is quite possibly her worst to date, bar none. It reminds me in parts of the 'Come Into My World' video - but even that one had standards and a great concept to match.

 

I think the one thing that makes me love this song so much (more-so than 'If Only', which for a while I considered my favourite of her output in 2014), and more than the rest of the material from 'Kiss Me Once' is the Kiss Me Once Tour. Having this as the encore really was the only option. 'All the Lovers' was a given towards the end of the show, but I'm gad she didn't repeat Les Folies and go all out with that again. 'Into the Blue' was performed perfectly. Although some of the crowd had decided to leave before she even had the chance to return to the stage (HATE when that happens, it's like "sit your f***ing ass back down on your seat bitch, nobody's going anywhere!!1!"), it was a perfect moment, seriously stunning.

 

Hey Calum!

 

I'm all caught up now, and I love how thorough your write-ups are!

 

Love your 5SOS picks and the inclusion of 'Happy Little Pill' is amazing. Love it!

2

 

http://i1283.photobucket.com/albums/a556/jennacolemanfan/EOY%2014/Amnesia_zpsjyejvovm.png

 

5 Seconds of Summer - Amnesia

 

21-5-7-8-10-3-1-1-2-2-2-3-4-6-5-6-5-7-10-13-18-16-18-20-28-32-35-39-45-42-40- (32 weeks to date)

 

"I wish that I could wake up with amnesia and forget about the stupid little things

 

Like the way it felt to fall asleep next to you and the memories I never can escape, 'cause I'm not fine at all..."

 

I honestly don't know where to start with this song, but I'll start by saying that at #2 it's 5 Seconds of Summer (aka. my absolute favourite band of the year by a country mile - sorry The Vamps, you put up an excellent fight and you're still my boys, but you faced fierce competition x), with 'Amnesia' - the third single to be taken from their self-titled début album. I was surprised to see this released, not because I didn't want it to be released at all (because it really is their best single by a landslide), but because I thought it would have been the one that got away and was just kept as a gem of an album track. But it did get released, we got an absolutely stunning and perfect lyric video, a perfect video for the single itself, we got beautiful artwork, and regarding the song we got one that just truly exposed their vocals and proved that they could sing, and BEAUTIFULLY at that.

 

Where to start with the lyrics in this song? There's so many moments from the past year of my life that I can relate to in this song. I'll try and go through a few of them, but most of them just either relate to one specific person who I've had the most incredible memories with the past year, and wouldn't change any of it for the world, but at times it has been rough and there have been times where I wish I could wake up with amnesia and forget any of the bad stuff happened and that things could just... stay the same as they were, but that's not the case. This song has also helped me to overcome so many demons as well. There are so many lyrics from the song that ring true with me, but just to put a few (or rather a lot of them) out there: "And even though your friends tell me you're doing fine, are you somewhere feeling lonely even though he's right beside you?" - this one just really hits me. They're all about one relationship really.

 

"Sometimes I start to wonder was it just a lie, if what we had was real how could you be fine, 'cause I'm not fine at all?", "And the dreams you left behind, you didn't need them, like every single wish we ever made", "And the memories I never can escape", "And all my friends keep asking why I'm not around, it hurts to know you're happy, yeah it hurts that you moved on", "It's like we never happened, was it just a lie?" and "If today I woke up with you right beside me, like all of this was just some twisted dream, I'd hold you closer than I ever did before, and you'd never slip away" - they all just give me goosebumps. You can really feel the pain in Calum's voice when he's singing these lyrics as well, it's so raw and there's so much emotion just seeping out of him, almost as if it's his past relationship the lyrics are relating to. Who would ever end a relationship with Calum Hood, aka. a most perfect human and somebody who just seems like one of the most happy, amazing people ever, I do not know why, but it could be Luke, Michael, or Ashton the song is about. Or all four of them at some point. Maybe.

 

Speaking of Calum, let's just take a look at him in all his flawlessness:

 

http://38.media.tumblr.com/64e9ae3647b7e9741b91c40a91b8b5ee/tumblr_n9ppq257RX1r1s2p7o3_500.gif

 

Can anybody REALLY look any more perfect? Both instances are him looking his absolute best. I actually find both of these videos to be incredibly emotive and I actually get something out of them, unlike a lot of other videos for pop bangers and ballads that are out there at the moment. There are a few exceptions, but these two are definitely at the top of my list. In the lyric video, we have a really simple situation. We have the four boys in black and white, looking perfect (as if it needed mentioning again), and then we have a lot of very empty looking locations and scenarios. I don't know what it is about it, but it all just gives me shivers. In this video, they all look as if it means something deep down to them, something very powerful and something that makes all four of them feel vulnerable. Then we have the official video where Calum takes centre stage and he, like in the lyric video, looks incredibly vulnerable (and sexy and perfect and hot and SCHAMAZING, all at the same time), as does Luke. But then we get into the flow of things and it's as if they al seem to absorb power from somewhere and they gather strength and there's power at the end. Ugh, all of it's just really, really brilliantly executed. There aren't enough words.

 

And now it all boils down to one question... what is the #1 song of 2014? :o

 

#1 Song of 2014

 

http://i1283.photobucket.com/albums/a556/jennacolemanfan/EOY%2014/SomebodyToYou_zpsgqddct5b.png

 

The Vamps - Somebody to You (feat. Demi Lovato)

 

9-4-1-5-9-5-1-2-2-4-6-9-9-3-5-6-8-9-8-7-9-9-8-10-9-11-11-12-13-19-20-19-21-23-29-31-33-37-38-41-42- (41 weeks to date)

 

"Everybody's trying to be a billionaire, but every time I look at you I just don't care

 

'Cause all I wanna be, all I ever wanna be, yeah, yeah, is somebody to you..."

 

I didn't know where to start with 'Amnesia', but I ended up going on for ages and my fingers are now numb from typing so much, so I'll try and get all I need to say about this in but keep it short and sweet at the same time (although such a song deserves going on for hours about, and deserves such long paragraphs about it), but yes. The BEST SONG OF 2014, for me, is none other than The Vamps featuring Demi Lovato with the fourth single to be lifted from their début album 'Meet The Vamps' - 'Somebody to You'. I knew when I first heard this that it was something special, and I knew it was going to do very well in my chart. I also lived in hope for a while that it would become a single, and it eventually did, and it was the perfect release. And now it's here, at the end of the year (or at the start of 2015), as the best song of the year. There have been so many amazing songs to have come from 2014 - one look at my top 20 and that's the 20 songs that define the year for me, in extremely special ways, but this song really is in a completely separate league of its own. It's the whole package, and I really couldn't have asked for anything better from one of my favourite bands.

 

Never did I expect that when I started watching The Vamps' YouTube videos that they'd turn out to be a group that would end up smashing the UK charts, have songs ending up in the top 5 alongside some of the most annoying songs of the year ever - but somehow my boys have done it. They've managed to fend off the competition and they've become a massive name. Down to this song, and the feature from the incredible Demi Lovato, it's probably helped to boost their status in the U.S as well - and rightly so. They deserve to be massive over there as well, and with their current trip to Australia as well I'm hoping they're taking advantage of that to get their name out there and at least let people know who they are and they've got some of the most incredible music ever out there - or maybe they're just on a quiet little holiday where James can inevitably take more shirtless selfies and post them on Instagram every 20 minutes (wouldn't have it any other way x).

 

I feel like I've watched a group of four boys grow into stars. At the very beginning there were just three of them - Brad, James and Tristan - three very innocent looking young chaps who were posting covers on a weekly basis to their YouTube channel, and even then they were amazing. I still go back and listen to 'Just Give Me A Reason' a fair bit, because that's by far my favourite cover that they've done. They've grown SO, SO much since then though. They've added a new member (Connor) to the group since, and they've recorded a whole album and it's insane (jameela:) to think that we're on the brink of album #2 now. Couldn't be prouder, and this is the one song that stands out from ANY of the others on 'Meet The Vamps'. I feel like now is the time though where I actually need to start talking about 'Somebody to You'. So here goes.

 

Although I do prefer the Demi version of this, I do feel like the original version needs a shoutout. It was my favourite from the album, had all the 11's going when it came to rates or ranks or what have you, and it still does, but with Demi's vocals added into the mix, and having her blasting out that chorus alongside Brad as well is just a perfect moment for pop music. I think she really helped sell the song completely and 100% to me, and many many others. The video for the song is another thing about it that's just wonderful. Not only do all four of them actually look amazing in it (I just said Tristan looks amazing somewhere and somehow, what is happening to me?!), and Demi looks stunning! No qualms at all with that and I wouldn't have had them do anything different with it, it does the job perfectly and although the video doesn't take itself too seriously, it doesn't make me love it any less.

 

Speaking of 'serious' though, as I've already mentioned that each of the songs in the top 20 have one extremely special connection with me in some way or another, this is the one that I can connect to the absolute most. This is the one that I immediately play first when I just put my earphones in and listen to music in the car to work and go into a little world of my own, or when I'm just feeling a bit down and need to listen to music to make me feel that little bit better. This song is about one particular person who I love more than anybody in the world. She honestly means the world to me, but the fact of the matter is (and this is how the song relates to me very deeply) - it's just not a two way street. The cars are only going in one direction and the special kind of love I have for this one person just isn't finding its way back, or maybe I'm just a little bit blind. But anyway yes, this is the song I'll forever relate with one person, and it'll never mean the same thing to anybody else, and I'll never really relate it to anybody else. I just always find myself thinking of said person whenever I hear the song, and I'm grateful a song has had such a powerful effect on me. Even if it does leave me a little tender and emotional.

 

The one lyric that really does mean the most to me is "everybody's trying to be a billionaire, but every time I look at you I just don't care" - I could have all the money in the world or do anything in the world to make that money - but fuck that, all I want is for you to feel the same as I do about you. End.

 

:hi:

 

I suspected that would be #1 as i remember how much it means to you (and that paragraph up there confirms it!). My favourite from them so very happy to see it smash here <3 In fact i actually like the entire top FOUR (slight shade to 'She Looks So Perfect'). 'Into the Blue' in particular is fab and 'Amnesia' is wonderful.

 

Interesting choice of Katy highlight. I really like the track but wouldn't put it as high. 'Wonderland' i WOULD though. Grow to love it more and more with every listen :heart:

eek forgot about all of the people finishing off their EOY's after mid-jan. :( sorry !!

 

somebody to you is pretty lovely, loved the revamp (pun so intended) for the single version too. last night is still their best for me though, such a good pop song. i bought the album for 99p from google play and don't regret it at all, a very good boyband pop album. if FOUR didn't exist it would've been my favourite since like Busted :lol: girls on tv is my favourite album track

 

was never huge on amnesia though, found it a bit boring. don't stop is their best for me, i'd still listen to it out of choice now. they do make some good tunes though so hopefully they'll be around for a while yet.