Walk The Moon "Different Colors"

Of course Walk The Moon were going to appear here. Their album is one of very few that I listened to this year, and by the time I got around to it "Different Colors" was already a single and high in my affections. It's a perfect album opener and is a good representation of the band: super catchy, slightly quirky, high-energy, great lyrics, etc. I love the main hook, "different colors carry each other", it's a subtle celebration of diversity and reminds me of their shows which are very noticeably colorful. Speaking of which, this also sounded SO GOOD live and that's a story I will hopefully give in full detail later :o.

I was curious to see if their future singles would get more attention as a result of "Shut Up And Dance" becoming a rightful worldwide smash, and so far that has clearly not happened. I hoped this would at least scrape into the charts, but even Radio 1 didn't playlist it which was a bit rood. Thankfully it's not their final single from the album, as they just yesterday uploaded a single edit for "Work This Body", which is a great choice! I just would've liked to have heard "Different Colors" on the radio more than five or six times.

X Ambassadors "Renegades"

http://www.reviewstream.com/images_items/96LhXkwNW.jpg

X Ambassadors were not on my radar at all in terms of having a breakthrough hit or releasing their debut album. "Jungle" didn't impress me at all and it didn't hang around for long, so I was surprised to see them come back at all, let alone with something that sounded nothing like it. "Renegades" was love at first listen for me: a surprisingly uplifting song, especially when watching the video, which tells stories of people with various disabilities and shows them accomplishing things that would be impressive even for able-bodied folk.

In a promo opportunity that seemed almost too good to be true, in the US "Renegades" was used in commercials for the Jeep Renegade. Wikipedia says it was actually written with that intent, which I find very hard to believe just because I like it so much. How can a song meant strictly for product placement sound so...authentic? The TV exposure certainly helped but it's also succeeding on the strength of the song itself, judging by its good chart performance in other countries. I'm glad to finally see it in the UK top 40 and hope it can do as well as Echosmith and "Cool Kids" early last year. :wub:

Zedd featuring Jon Bellion "Beautiful Now"

Zedd featuring Selena Gomez "I Want You To Know"

http://energyfm.es/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/tn-zedd-beautifulnow-2_0-300x300-300x300.jpg

I was excited for Zedd's return with new music, and curious to see if he had done enough over the past two years to properly establish himself. It turns out the answer is no, not quite, but the singles were nearly as good as those from his debut. I particularly liked "Beautiful Now" for not having a well-known artist on it, which worked well for him on "Clarity" but ever since he'd opted for more recognizable vocalists. It didn't work quite as well in this case, mostly due to Jon Bellion's voice not being very distinct IMO, but I loved the chanting in the chorus and thought the song as a whole sounded pretty amaze on the radio. So despite coming across as slightly generic I thought it was a nice summer single and would've liked it to see the top 40 at least.

This reminds me that I actually did enjoy Selena Gomez at one point in the past year. As a much bigger fan of dance-pop Selena than R&B-lite Selena, "I Want You To Know" was a huge breath of fresh air after her greatest hits single introduced a new sound that I've yet to connect with. For a short time I had hope that "The Heart Wants What It Wants" was just a one-off and this collab would be a return to form, but instead it was the other way around, this being a brief nod to the old (or should I say young) Selena leading into the Revival era and a full musical transition by the end of the year. Now that she's having more success than ever before, I don't expect her to go back anytime soon. </3

I only heard Renegades in full less than a week ago but I really like it! Muuuuch better than Jungle, didn't expect it to sound anything like it does either.

 

I Want You To Know is fantastic :heart: Not heard Beautiful Now, but Papercut is even better than IWYTK for me. Not just the Troye stan inside speaking, I promise! :kink:

I only heard Renegades in full less than a week ago but I really like it! Muuuuch better than Jungle, didn't expect it to sound anything like it does either.

 

I Want You To Know is fantastic :heart: Not heard Beautiful Now, but Papercut is even better than IWYTK for me. Not just the Troye stan inside speaking, I promise! :kink:

Yay, glad to hear!!!

 

I listened to Papercut once and I'm pretty sure I liked it but that's as much as I remember :kink:

 

I ended up with three songs that I either decided not to include until later or just forgot about. I’m just going to rush through these so I can be done but here they are!

 

Cage The Elephant "Mess Around"

Cage The Elephant are (is?) still getting good airplay in the States, several years since their initial breakthrough. I did not think much of "Mess Around" at first but I like it now. Harry in particular should listen if he hasn’t yet. :magic:

Charlie Puth "One Call Away"

A major improvement from "Marvin Gaye", but just about anything would be. I’m very surprised and disappointed that "One Call Away" has missed the top 40 in the UK after following up a #1. In the US "Marvin Gaye" only reached #21 but this has snuck into the top 40 and could maybe outpeak it. I think that’s helping it stick around in the UK chart, particularly with streaming, and from now on we’ll probably see more songs get a second chance in this way if they become a hit in the States, although it’s been done before streaming with re-releases and such. That said, I really don’t think Charlie has what it takes to be a pop star and think he’s already had far more success than he deserves.

 

X Ambassadors "Unsteady"

http://i97.photobucket.com/albums/l219/Yoshi538/a2fd9b1e-2c39-4f2a-aa79-a5e36ec9ce2c.jpg

I like "Unsteady", which is X Ambassadors’ second single in the US, but it doesn’t hold a candle to "Renegades". If this is really the second-best song on X Ambassadors’ album, then I don’t think they’ll be doing as well as, say, Cage The Elephant are several years later.

 

 

I do hope to still do a proper countdown but I may not be able to start it for a few days. Please keep checking this thread and thanks for all the comments so far!!!

Highly convinced that the UK is just waiting for the US to latch onto "One Call Away" fully.

Yessss to them :heart:

Last year at this point I did a best signatures of the year countdown because I had so many good ones. They weren't as good this year so I won't do that but I will award a #1 anyway. This was my #5 signature of 2014 and I still used it for a couple months of 2015, definitely one of the best ones I've ever had :wub:

 

1. Crab!

http://i.kinja-img.com/gawker-media/image/upload/s--QhiSaA4H--/g27hdkumlg9tt6tdmsqe.gif

 

Okay, sooo planning to start this and maybe even finish it over this coming week. Only 1/3 of the songs featured already are actually among my faves of the year, so which ones will be making a second appearance and what other songs will make the cut? :o

FINALLY! In the end I decided only 54 songs were worthy enough for my countdown, and this post takes us all the way to #41. The commentary will be all over the place, with some well-thought-out essays, some paragraphs, some with just a sentence or two and some with no commentary at all if I already reviewed them earlier. Enjoy!

 

http://i97.photobucket.com/albums/l219/Yoshi538/18fb8858-adcc-4fc4-9990-71411ceed50d.jpg

 

54. One Direction "Night Changes"

I loved this since it was first released, but even more so when it crossed over to the US in early 2015 and became one of 1D's few hits that weren’t entirely front-loaded. Much deserved in this case as I'd consider it one of their best. It's a shame the group is just months away from a hiatus when they've honed their sound so well and are just now at their commercial peak singles-wise. I'm still upset they didn't release "Where Do Broken Hearts Go" after this!

 

53. Pink "Today’s The Day"

Still waiting for a new Pink album but she did tease us a bit by releasing one song for the Ellen Degeneres show. I haven't been watching Ellen to see if she actually uses it, but it's pretty incredible and could have done well as a proper single too. I have high hopes for her next era after hearing this. Oh, and the best thing—she now has a song called "Today's The Day" and another called "Tonight's The Night" :magic:

 

52. Take That "These Days"

Here's another song that carried over from late 2014. I certainly didn't expect such an infectiously catchy song from Take That, especially without Robbie on board. This was one of my favorite songs to play on plug.dj, in part because the video is so wonderful.

 

51. Andy Grammer "Good To Be Alive (Hallelujah)"

 

50. Magic! "No Way No"

"No Way No" was Magic!'s fourth single, and yes they did release that many even though most people only ever heard the first one. I was lucky enough to hear this on the radio and was hooked immediately; even "Rude" didn't get such an instant reaction from me! They really shouldn't have sat on this for so long, silly hens.

 

49. Twenty One Pilots "Stressed Out"

 

48. Walk The Moon "Different Colors"

Is it time for me to tell the story about seeing Walk The Moon live? They were in Nashville for two nights the same weekend I was there, but by the time I found out the first night was sold out and the second had only single seats available. I checked at the ticket office the day of the show and was told the same thing, so I tried to accept the fact I wouldn't get to see them. We were in Nashville for my cousin's birthday and had dinner reservations that night anyway, but the thought of missing Walk The Moon was lingering in my mind the whole time. Luckily we were with a friend who lives in the city and offered to give me and my dad a ride to the venue after dinner, just to see if there still might be tickets available. But we didn't get far because there was a college football game nearby that had just ended, so traffic was at a standstill, and by this time it was already past 8:00 when Walk The Moon was scheduled to start. Our friend re-routed us all the way around the city to enter downtown from the other direction, and dropped us off a few blocks away at around 8:10 or 8:15. As luck would have it, there was one window open at the ticket office. I ask the lady behind the counter if there's anything left. She says she has two pairs of seats (remember I was previously told only single seats!), one of which is in Row F (i.e. THE SIXTH ROW). My dad knows a few Walk The Moon songs and agrees to buy a ticket with me. We walk in 20 minutes late but there they are, playing the intro to "Different Colors" which was the first song in their set! Just in time!!!! It was too perfect, I felt like I was in a movie with the way everything fell into place and needless to say it was the best first experience of Nashville that I could've ever imagined!

 

47. Ed Sheeran "Thinking Out Loud"

Also from 2014 :P I consider this a definite pop masterpiece and the best song Ed has created, but it ranks lower than "Sing" and "Don’t" did last year because "Thinking Out Loud" suffered from a lot more overplay. I was really hoping for it to be Ed's first US #1 but it ended up stuck at #2 behind "Uptown Funk".

 

46. Chris Young "Lonely Eyes"

This is basically a much-improved version of Sam Smith's "Stay With Me". Not really, but I noticed the chorus is pretty similar but more uptempo. And I never got sick of hearing this over and over the way I did with "Stay With Me".

 

45. David Nail "Kiss You Tonight"

I don't know what to say because nobody knows him but David Nail is seriously underrated :'( I've just checked Wikipedia and this song also peaked in 2014 :')

 

44. Natalie La Rose feat. Jeremih "Somebody"

Sampling Whitney Houston made for a very clever debut. It's a shame Natalie ran out of ideas after that.

 

43. Daya "Hide Away"

 

42. Dierks Bentley "Riser"

You might assume this is the song that inspired my username, but actually I chose Riser when it was announced as Dierks' album title, a few months before I ever heard this song. Thankfully it didn't disappoint and was amazing to see him perform it live! :wub:

 

41. Becky G "Lovin' So Hard"

If only this had been the follow-up to "Shower", rather than "Can’t Stop Dancin'", maybe—just maybe—things would have panned out differently for Becky. It's basically a continuation of the happy and carefree emotion that made "Shower" so enjoyable. Even Austin Mahone couldn't ruin it!

P!nk releasing a random single made me lol a bit. I knew it wasn't gonna go anywhere, but did anyone really expect it? It's a cute song tho.

http://i97.photobucket.com/albums/l219/Yoshi538/790a7c59-d615-4cbc-89fe-24e2c25cded8.jpg

40. Demi Lovato "Cool For The Summer"
Finally Demi has her "I'm not that innocent" moment, and personally I'd rank it almost as high as Britney's and Christina's from back in the day. Great to hear her push the envelope not only lyrically but sonically too, in fact I barely even notice what she's singing when the production is so captivating. It also took me ages to notice the chorus has a melody similar to "Domino" by Jessie J, but I think we can agree that Demi improved it.

39. Calvin Harris feat. Haim "Pray To God"
I pray to God that Haim will release a new album this year.

38. Tori Kelly "Hollow"

"Hollow" comes from a re-release of Tori's album and holy crap is it mind-blowing. It took me several listens just to comprehend the power of Tori's vocals, let alone take in the music itself. If this is what she performs at the Grammys I'm going to need serious medical attention.

37. Sheppard "Geronimo"

36. Imagine Dragons "Shots" / "Shots (Broiler Remix)"


35. Sia "Elastic Heart"
Can't say I saw this coming for proper hit status even after "Chandelier" became a smash, but kudos to whoever decided to re-release "Elastic Heart" because it was a huge pleasure to hear on the radio and the chart show, and who could forget the video. There was also the irony of The Weeknd being removed from the track just as he was becoming a very big name himself and could have helped sell it, but of course Sia's more than capable of holding her own on it. That last-chance boost to #10 in the UK on Easter was so fulfilling!

34. Carly Rae Jepsen "Run Away With Me"
I know I mostly comment on these songs in terms of their chart performance and their place in the artist's career trajectory, and of course I'd have a lot to say in that regard about "Run Away With Me", the biggest and most disappointing chart injustice of 2015. But this song is too special to be analyzed so negatively. Instead of being sad about never hearing it on the chart show, I can't help but feel grateful to be listening to it at all, and especially proud of Carly for recording it and defying anyone who dared write her off as a one-hit wonder with no real potential. We should try to remember "Run Away With Me" not for falling short of the UK top 40 or the Billboard Hot 100, but simply for the incredible record that it is.
That said, I made the most of every time I heard it on the radio, which was a lot more often than I would have expected. I even heard it this morning so huge thanks to Hot 101 in Y-town for inexplicably keeping it on regular rotation, and Z88 for playing it for a month or two. I hope the casual listeners know how lucky they are :snif: :wub:

33. Jess Glynne "Don’t Be So Hard On Yourself"
One of those songs where the title is clunky and not promising at all, but it totally delivers anyway. The lyrics taught me a life lesson or two, making this song a great little pep talk at a time when I often needed one, and Jess makes it sound honest and genuine when I was expecting it to be a bit patronizing. Bonus points for the drum solo in the video!

32. Tori Kelly "Should've Been Us"


31. Cash Cash "Surrender"

Cash Cash were absolutely awful when I first heard them in 2009—basically a poor man's 3OH!3, which is about the worst thing anyone could be—but surprisingly they've stuck around and won me over years later when they released "Take Me Home". They’re still a pretty generic dance group, and on the surface "Surrender" seems even more basic than "Take Me Home" (not to get confused with Jess Glynne) but its simplicity allows the vocals to really shine and that’s what makes this song so sweet.

http://i97.photobucket.com/albums/l219/Yoshi538/7402b297-15ef-4beb-8e0d-71018d6f23f5.jpg

30. Ariana Grande "Focus"
http://imagesmtv-a.akamaihd.net/uri/mgid:file:http:shared:mtv.com/news/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/aria-1446210044.gif
"Focus" is Ariana's third #1 on my chart which gives her more than any other artist. I firmly disagree with anyone who doesn't think this song is perfection. It may take all the best elements from "Problem" and "Bang Bang", and even the synths from "Break Free", but is distinct enough to stand out from all of those. If anything it's a much improved version of "Problem", if one must compare. Production-wise it's one of the best I've heard all year, from the percussion intro to the synths to the incredible brass breakdown later on. I can't fault the melody or the lyrics either as it all fits seamlessly, making this one of Ariana’s best songs and one that was just too good to be appreciated properly. Yes, I am looning a bit, but if you can't be convinced, forget it and go focus on something else.

29. OneRepublic "I Lived"
This was supposed to be the follow-up to "Counting Stars" and I was so disappointed when it was scrapped in favor of an album re-release and the rather formulaic "Love Runs Out" (which to be fair is also pretty good). Thankfully "I Lived" got its chance to shine afterward, cementing its place as one of my favorite tracks from OneRepublic. Yes it was in my 2014 EOY but had its peak the following January so here it is again. Seeing as Native is nearly three years old now there had better be a new album coming!

28. Maroon 5 "Sugar"

27. Zac Brown Band "Homegrown"

This caught my attention when it was released on the same day as Kelly Clarkson's "Heartbeat Song" and had a surprisingly better start than her on iTunes. That was before I listened and realized "Heartbeat Song" was quite bad and "Homegrown" was outstanding, but just based on the two artists it was a surprise nonetheless. Country has more than its fair share of small-town anthems but few are as genuine as this, as I could actually relate to the lyrics in the absence of the usual "dirt road back road truck fishing truck" formula. So laid-back and perfect for driving, it's my new favorite from Zac Brown Band.

26. Echosmith "Bright”"


25. Taylor Swift "Wildest Dreams"
It's been ages since I last loved a Taylor single so instantly, an ongoing problem ever since she became a pop hoe. Thankfully one of my two faves from 1989 did get a single release, and thankfully the radio edit didn't ruin the original. I'm not sure I ever noticed the difference between the two, actually. I just still can't believe to this day what a flawless Lana Del Rey impersonation "Wildest Dreams" is. Definitely record more songs like this in the future please and less songs like "Style" and "Welcome To New York". :D

24. Cam "Burning House"


23. Brett Eldredge "Lose My Mind"

Brett is one of the few recently-established country singers with an actual sense of direction and artistry, not selling his soul to faceless bro country or going too far into pop like Sam Hunt but still pushing some boundaries and having some originality. He also benefits from having a voice that's not only recognizable but also seriously good. So far I've liked each of his singles more than the last, but I reckon it'll be tough for him to top "Lose My Mind".

22. Fetty Wap feat. Monty "679"

21. DJ Snake & AlunaGeorge "You Know You Like It"

:hi:, here are some Saturday afternoon ramblings for chu. ^_^

 

Yasss crab, slay em' <333

 

'Night Changes' came on at work yesterday after having not heard it in ages and it sounded like such a damn classique :wub:, so much so that I momentarily forgot it was so recent/by 1D. I really liked it at the time of release but I'm not sure I appreciated it as being one of the band's best and most accomplished. It definitely has a timeless feel to it and I'd guess will be one of the go-to tracks for people/radio in years to come, despite not being among their biggest and most recognisable hits right now.

 

Have to thank you for introducing me to 'No Way No' as there's no way no (:/) I'd have come across it otherwise. 'Rude' was incredibly instant for me (think I detailed that in my 2014 EOY :thinking:) but I think this one could have topped that. The band's just too good with melodies <3. Would have been interesting to see how their fortunes would've differed had this been the follow-up to their big smash.

 

It was great to see Ed getting well-deserved Grammys acclaim for 'Thinking Out Loud' and I agree with you on it being a masterpiece and modern classic - thought that from the first time I heard it on Jools Holland. No obscene amount of radio plays can take away from that of course, but unfortunately it does mean I can't really enjoy the song anymore :/. I actually think of it as being bigger than Ed himself at this stage and find it difficult to rank it among his back catalogue. I'm sure it'll still be valued highly in decades to come so it's cool to have witnessed a song that like take off from the beginning. B-)

 

Really hope the professionals got to treat yo scalp post-'Hollow'/'Let It Go' mash-up in time so as to prevent any long-term damage :(. I still haven't checked that performance out oop, but my expectations are sky-high. Speaking of Tori, I never knew you liked 'Should've Been Us' so much. :o <3

 

Completely forgot about 'Elastic Heart' finally getting boosted to #10 :heart:! That has to have been my favourite chart moment of last year as it really felt like she'd missed her chance. I decided to omit that track from my own countdown as I'd loved it so much prior to 2015 but I'm kind of regretting that now, with its top 10 peak being such a defining chart moment. :unsure:

 

'Focus' is k.

 

Lovely stuff so far. :funky:

 

(Ofc I mess up something and have to have an edit line ugh :))

Edited February 20, 20169 yr by Noahspike

:hi:, here are some Saturday afternoon ramblings for chu. ^_^

 

Yasss crab, slay em' <333

 

'Night Changes' came on at work yesterday after having not heard it in ages and it sounded like such a damn classique :wub:, so much so that I momentarily forgot it was so recent/by 1D. I really liked it at the time of release but I'm not sure I appreciated it as being one of the band's best and most accomplished. It definitely has a timeless feel to it and I'd guess will be one of the go-to tracks for people/radio in years to come, despite not being among their biggest and most recognisable hits right now.

 

Have to thank you for introducing me to 'No Way No' as there's no way no (:/) I'd have come across it otherwise. 'Rude' was incredibly instant for me (think I detailed that in my 2014 EOY :thinking:) but I think this one could have topped that. The band's just too good with melodies <3. Would have been interesting to see how their fortunes would've differed had this been the follow-up to their big smash.

 

It was great to see Ed getting well-deserved Grammys acclaim for 'Thinking Out Loud' and I agree with you on it being a masterpiece and modern classic - thought that from the first time I heard it on Jools Holland. No obscene amount of radio plays can take away from that of course, but unfortunately it does mean I can't really enjoy the song anymore :/. I actually think of it as being bigger than Ed himself at this stage and find it difficult to rank it among his back catalogue. I'm sure it'll still be valued highly in decades to come so it's cool to have witnessed a song that like take off from the beginning. B-)

 

Really hope the professionals got to treat yo scalp post-'Hollow'/'Let It Go' mash-up in time so as to prevent any long-term damage :(. I still haven't checked that performance out oop, but my expectations are sky-high. Speaking of Tori, I never knew you liked 'Should've Been Us' so much. :o <3

 

Completely forgot about 'Elastic Heart' finally getting boosted to #10 :heart:! That has to have been my favourite chart moment of last year as it really felt like she'd missed her chance. I decided to omit that track from my own countdown as I'd loved it so much prior to 2015 but I'm kind of regretting that now, with its top 10 peak being such a defining chart moment. :unsure:

 

'Focus' is k.

 

Lovely stuff so far. :funky:

 

(Ofc I mess up something and have to have an edit line ugh :))

Thanks! You forgot to fix the thing you messed up though :unsure:

 

I do like Should've Been Us so much! :o <3 It had a four-month run of 31-21-12-22 on my chart and is the second-highest song in my EOY that missed my top 10 (the highest being in the next section! Along with more Tori ^_^).

http://i97.photobucket.com/albums/l219/Yoshi538/3bf41f1b-2ea8-4714-a364-78e4ba151849.jpg

 

20. X Ambassadors "Renegades"

 

19. Ellie Goulding "On My Mind"

I loved getting a taste of Ellie's more aggressive side when she released "On My Mind". In this case it's conveyed more in the production than through her vocals but the lyrics do pack a punch as well. The chorus is the absolute best, loud and punchy and full of rhythm. There was nothing else like this on the radio last year and it makes me glad that, for the most part, Ellie's still making some pretty unique pop and not blending in completely.

 

18. Ne-Yo "Coming With You"

This is so deliciously 90s, much like another song in this section. The shuffling beat is gorgeous and the horns are a nice touch but Ne-Yo deserves plenty of credit too for that smooth voice of his. His dance songs have never been that great which makes it all the more surprising that he nails it perfectly this time. “Coming With You” is probably my favorite Ne-Yo song now—or else it’s tied with “Closer”.

 

17. Clean Bandit & Jess Glynne "Real Love"

Clean Bandit never pushed a second single in the US after "Rather Be" got to #10, but I was lucky enough to start grad school just after "Real Love" was released, and the university radio station was basically the only one in America that played it. Usually I don't like when two artists try to recreate their hit collaboration but "Real Love" is an exception, in some ways even better than "Rather Be".

 

16. R. City feat. Adam Levine "Locked Away"

http://33.media.tumblr.com/c8459bf2834501248caae91e335d207f/tumblr_nthvblm8zq1rkmofxo3_500.gif

Not groundbreaking by any means but it's simple and catchy and I was surprisingly in love from the first time I heard "Locked Away". Despite being a big Maroon 5 fan, I've never really liked anything Adam Levine had featured on, although "Stereo Hearts" was okay. Of course he's the only reason this was a hit but R. City do a great job carrying the rest of the song. Seems like a one-off success though, if you've heard R. City's second single you'll understand why they've had better luck as a production duo rather than as a proper recording artist.

 

15. Tori Kelly "Nobody Love"

 

14. Justin Bieber "Sorry"

I first heard "Sorry" on accident, liked it right away and by the time I realized who it was, it was too late to reconsider. I'm not yet giving in to Bieber being a credible artist now but holy crap "Sorry" is the best thing he has ever recorded. The production reminds me of 90s classics like KWS "Please Don't Go" and Londonbeat "I've Been Thinking About You." Overall it's a monster of a song jam-packed in under three minutes; the only thing it really lacked was a proper video but obviously that hasn't hindered its chart performance.

 

13. Adele "Hello"

http://i.perezhilton.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/giphy(4).gif

Erm what is there to say about this that hasn't already been said? My only disappointment with "Hello" is that it wasn't love on first listen; it needed a few more plays to grow but thank goodness it did because I can't imagine not liking any Adele song, let alone one that shattered sales records and was so exciting to watch from a charts standpoint. As it turns out, a slightly underwhelming Adele song is still leagues ahead of anyone else's best efforts.

 

12. Omi "Cheerleader"

http://cdn.yourepeat.com/media/gif/001/476/411/2dbb696fc5ec7f77a1e4f472e1e9bd4e.gif

 

11. Hailee Steinfeld "Love Myself"

http://media.giphy.com/media/n83NMrRx2xpRe/giphy.gifhttp://media.giphy.com/media/ZlO97tl5p1HYA/giphy.gif

 

 

Only 10 songs remain…but I haven't put them in order yet :kink: So your guess is as good as mine at this point!

Loving the Tori appearances! It frustrates me how she's basically on the verge of breaking through but it just isn't happening really :( Such a huge talent and that voice!! :heart:

 

Real Love :') horrible woman x

 

Sorry :wub: not quite my fave Justin song but I'd rank it maybe around third?? So so good, it's amazing how big it's been for him (and the other two singles this era!)

 

Loving a lot of this so far Jordan *.*

10. Maroon 5 "This Summer’s Gonna Hurt Like A Motherf***er"

Oddly, the song I most associate this with is "This Is How We Do" by Katy Perry. Both were released at the end of the album campaign, both were summer singles, both were very different sounds for their respective artists, but all the better for it—underrated from a charts standpoint but artistically a massive highlight from each artist...both were underplayed rather than overplayed, both are just generally incredible and share a #2 peak on my chart with strikingly similar chart runs. Oh and both song titles start with "This". :kink: I'm hoping for another similar summer anthem this year to form a trinity with these two!

 

9. Adam Lambert "Ghost Town"

"My heart is a ghost town" is a lyrical theme you'd think would be more prominent, or even overused like "love is a battlefield/war/etc.", especially when it's done so well in this song courtesy of Adam Lambert. The video is somewhat seizure-inducing due to the flashing light, but otherwise beautiful with the concept of dancing the pain away, which works especially well at the end of the song. The emotion is spot-on as well; Adam's known for his theatrics and his powerful voice but "Ghost Town" was a reminder that he's just as good when he uses restraint. I promised earlier that I'd call this an absolute triumph because that's exactly what it is, but of course I could say the same about most of the remaining songs! Most American Idol stars don't manage to pull off a comeback once they stop getting radio support, so now that Adam has done it I can only hope others might follow suit, especially with the entire show coming to an end next week.

 

8. Ellie Goulding "Love Me Like You Do"

That build-up from first chorus to second chorus to third chorus is sensational, I still can't believe how perfect it is! I was disappointed when this stalled at #3 in the US but it does mean that "Lights" retains its honor as Ellie's biggest hit in America. Plus, across the pond it righted the wrong of "Burn" being her biggest UK hit—it still is in terms of sales, but not in terms of weeks at #1.

 

7. Thomas Rhett "Crash And Burn"

With his sophomore album Tangled Up, Thomas Rhett went from being just another bro-country singer to one of the next heavy-hitters in the genre. His current output has so much more artistry to it, and best of all shows off a very tasteful pop side. Lead single "Crash And Burn" is the epitome of this progression, combining his distinct but rather marmite voice with wonderfully catchy production to create the best country song I've heard in a very long time. It even has the Popchartfreak seal of approval, with a long run on his chart and peaking at #2! I usually don't get this passionate about a new artist (even Dierks fell off my radar after his first single), but I've got two that I'm really paying attention to now…Thomas Rhett and Tori Kelly.

 

6. Rihanna, Kanye West & Paul McCartney "FourFiveSeconds"

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I will not hear another bad word said about this song. So what if you weren't expecting Rihanna to go into acoustic, nearly folk territory, the truth is she pulled it off just as easily as any of her biggest hits. The whole package is just so 90s to me which I have so much appreciation for. Sonically it reminds me of "To Be With You" by Mr. Big with all the harmonies in the chorus, and of course all the denim in the video is a fantastic touch too. I had every hope that Rihanna might go further down this route, but with the following two singles in mind, maybe it was meant to be a one-off all along. I'm glad it produced one of the greatest gems of her career without derailing the rest of it like a lot of us feared.

FourFiveSeconds :music:

5. Imagine Dragons "I Bet My Life"

My expectations were rather high after Imagine Dragons' incredible first album, and they were not met by this song on first listen. In particular I recall my disappointment in the chorus being "I bet my life" repeated over and over, a far cry from their earlier hits which also had some degree of repetition but were catchy and well-crafted too. Imagine Dragons were doing so consistently well for a band in the 2010s and I wanted to see that continue, so a lackluster lead single was a significant letdown for me.

But then life got a little bit crazy and the song started to hit home. I was making regular trips to the hospital to visit my younger brother who was seriously ill and had to spend a full month there. As the days went on I noticed myself hearing "I Bet My Life" on the radio more often, usually on my journey there or sometimes on the way home. It was a long, challenging, and very worrying month for my family, so this song came at just the right time for me, providing a sense of comfort, a glimmer of hope, and real meaning to the words "I bet my life on you". And of course that helped me to fully appreciate the song itself, with such a glorious build-up as it goes along leading to the *TRIUMPHANT* shouting in its final moments. So, by no small miracle, my brother made a slow but full recovery and our lives are back to normal now, and here this song is in my top 5 of 2015!

 

4. Ariana Grande "One Last Time"

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There are a few songs that come to mind when I try to think of the perfect pop song—"My Life Would Suck Without You", "Waking Up In Vegas", "Your Love Is My Drug", "The Edge Of Glory"—but I think they've all been outdone by Ariana’s masterpiece "One Last Time". I already gave this a couple paragraphs at the start of the thread and really it goes without saying anyway, this is the pinnacle of Ariana's career so far and the standard every artist should aim for from now on. And yet three songs have beaten it, which surprises me and means it must have been a good year!

 

3. Shawn Mendes "Stitches"

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I was lucky enough to see Shawn Mendes in concert back in July, when "Stitches" was first becoming a hit in the US! My cousin had an extra ticket and needed someone to go with her at the last minute, so I was brave and sat in a crowd of shrieking teenage girls and disinterested parents to watch Shawn, who actually is worth shrieking over to be fair (but I did not partake :heehee:). For most of the show it was just him and his guitar, much like Ed Sheeran but without the necessary stage presence to pull it off. In fact he did a cover of "Thinking Out Loud", as well as "Fallin'" by Alicia Keys. By the end his songs were starting to sound the same so they work a lot better on record, but hey it was free for me and we had a good time!