45. KAREN HARDING - Say Something [uK Peak - 7] [My Peak - 6]

 

 

44. MNEK & ZARA LARSSON - Never Forget You [uK Peak - 5] [My Peak - 4]

 

 

43. SNAKEHIPS feat. TINASHE & CHANCE THE RAPPER - All My Friends [uK Peak - 5] [My Peak - 1]

 

 

42. ONE DIRECTION - Perfect [uK Peak - 2] [My Peak - 6]

 

 

41. ONE DIRECTION - Drag Me Down [uK Peak - 1] [My Peak - 1]

 

 

 

'Say Something' was a staple of all my pre-drinking sessions this year - that bass hits hard. I'm guessing Karen will remain a one hit wonder though. It was nice to see MNEK finally get a big hit this year but even better that Zara Larsson broke through as well. Expect to see more of her in the 2016 countdown. 'All My Friends' is still one of my current favourites and managed to make considerable headway on this chart despite it being released so late in the year. And we finish with a One Direction double whammy: A take on Taylor Swift's Style (which I like to think is intentional) and their best single for a couple of albums - Drag Me Down. I don't care how "uncool" it is for a guy to like 1D, I will miss their presence on my charts next year.

Five terrific songs in their own way, #45-#41.

 

 

40. NICK JONAS - Levels [uK Peak - 46] [My Peak - 6]

 

 

39. NATALIE LA ROSE feat. FETTY WAP - All Around The World [uK Peak - 14] [My Peak - 4]

 

 

38. SIA - Alive [uK Peak - 30] [My Peak - 1]

 

 

37. ELLIE GOULDING - Love Me Like You Do [uK Peak - 1] [My Peak - 1]

 

 

36. DAVID ZOWIE - House Every Weekend [uK Peak - 1] [My Peak - 1]

 

 

 

Into the top 40 we go! We begin with a severely underrated Nick Jonas track that had a long life on my charts on the vain hope that it would pick up steam, but alas it was not meant to be. It's a similar tale for Natalie La Rose whose steamy follow-up track never really caught on. Professional banshee Sia turns up once more - I personally love the vocal cracks on Alive but I know it's like torture to some people! I'm very surprised Ellie is quite low on my list - it really is one of my songs of the year so it must have just been released in a busy period. And I am taking a long hard look at myself at seeing David Zowie above her. Jesus that track got old REAL FAST. Oh dear.

35. IGGY AZALEA feat. JENNIFER HUDSON - Trouble [uK Peak - 7] [My Peak - 3]

 

 

34. RITA ORA - Poison [uK Peak - 3] [My Peak - 5]

 

 

33. PURITY RING - Begin Again [uK Peak - n/a] [My Peak - 4]

 

 

32. LITTLE MIX - Love Me Like You [uK Peak - 11] [My Peak - 2]

 

 

31. KELLY CLARKSON - Heartbeat Song [uK Peak - 7] [My Peak - 6]

 

 

 

We start off with two songs that I had forgotten would be in this countdown - both benefited from a long pre-release but ultimately both are not the artists best offerings. 'Poison' sounds like a demo and 'Trouble' never really builds any momentum. Purity Ring delivered one of the best kept secrets of 2015 - their album 'another eternity' is synth-pop genuis. I'm not too sure about that bizarre video though. Little Mix rode high this year and this 50s girl group pastiche was spot on and was still charting as the year ended. Kelly Clarkson remained releasing the same sort of song - time to switch it up!

30. CHARLI XCX feat. RITA ORA - Doing It [uK Peak - 8] [My Peak - 2]

 

 

29. PETITE MELLER - Baby Love [uK Peak - 30] [My Peak - 2]

 

 

28. ADAM LAMBERT - Ghost Town [uK Peak - 71] [My Peak - 1]

 

 

27. MARINA & THE DIAMONDS - I'm A Ruin [uK Peak - 169] [My Peak - 2]

 

 

26. FLEUR EAST - Sax [uK Peak - 3] [My Peak - 1]

 

 

 

5 pretty great songs here. The Charli XCX song is packed full of girl power and as I read on the Popjustice forum, "it would make a great Spice Girls comeback single". The video is tacky but amazing as well. Petite Meller's weird take on pop was music to my ears but understandably didn't really take off - I'm still quite impressed that it breached the UK top 40 though. Shame that 'Barbaric' was just a carbon copy. 'Ghost Town' was a huge hit waiting to happen but I think his lack of promotion in the UK hampered that - that haunting whistling sound is one of my favourite "drops" of 2015. Marina goes a bit Kate Bush-y on 'I'm A Ruin', the outstanding highlight from 'Froot'. And then we have the best X Factor guest performance of the series. Yes, it may be a little like 'Uptown Funk' but what a debut! Obviously I am now praying that 'More And More' won't be a total flop.

25. SIGMA feat. ELLA HENDERSON - Glitterball [uK Peak - 4] [My Peak - 4]

 

 

24. MACKLEMORE & RYAN LEWIS - Downtown [uK Peak - 11] [My Peak - 2]

 

 

23. THE WEEKND - Can't Feel My Face [uK Peak - 3] [My Peak - 2]

 

 

22. CARLY RAE JEPSEN - I Really Like You [uK Peak - 3] [My Peak - 1]

 

 

21. YEARS & YEARS - Shine [uK Peak - 2] [My Peak - 2]

 

 

 

I never expected to see 'Glitterball' so high up on this countdown - it's a pretty basic Sigma song, elevated by the wonderful Ella Henderson but it's something I rarely listen to now. I was fully prepared for Downtown to be massive and so was very surprised when it wasn't - Macklemore gets so much hate but I think he's consistently delivered great singles - Downtown is one of them. Hook after hook, a great old school vibe, quotable lyrics and to top it off an amazing video. Going a bit more uptempo definitely paid off for The Weeknd as he scored a massive hit with this song, perfecting a homage to MJ. 'I Really Like You''s shine has somewhat dimmed as it gets a bit overshadowed on the album but at least we have that sweeter-than-sugar chorus and amazing Tom Hanks-featuring video. And then we have my favourite new band of 2015 Years & Years who were so close to getting THREE entries in the top 20 but fell at the last hurdle.

20. FLORENCE + THE MACHINE - Ship To Wreck [uK Peak - 27] [My Peak - 2]

 

 

19. ADELE - Hello [uK Peak - 1] [My Peak - 2]

 

 

18. GRIMES - Flesh Without Blood [uK Peak - n/a] [My Peak - 1]

 

 

17. TOVE LO - Talking Body [uK Peak - 17] [My Peak - 2]

 

 

16. CARLY RAE JEPSEN - Run Away With Me [uK Peak - 58] [My Peak - 1]

 

 

 

We're finally into the top 20! Florence starts off with the euphoric 'Ship To Wreck'. I always prefer the upbeat, slightly ramshackle Florence and this powers through so brilliantly. Of course Adele had to feature here somewhere - when we look back at 2015 it will be her success we remember. And Hello is actually a brilliant song so I can't complain that much. I much prefer Grimes however, as 'Art Angels' was my favourite album of 2015. She managed to match her creativity and experimentalism with massive pop choruses and the end product is one of my favourite song/video combinations. Expect more from her in 2016. It was so pleasing to see Tove Lo have some success with the sexy (but not trashy) Talking Body. And I don't really need to say much about no.16 as she seems to be very close to Buzzjack's hearts.

15. YEARS & YEARS - Eyes Shut [uK Peak - 17] [My Peak - 2]

 

 

14. DEMI LOVATO - Cool For The Summer [uK Peak - 7] [My Peak - 1]

 

 

13. GALANTIS - Peanut Butter Jelly [uK Peak - 8] [My Peak - 1]

 

 

12. CALVIN HARRIS & DISCIPLES - How Deep Is Your Love [uK Peak - 2] [My Peak - 1]

 

 

11. YEARS & YEARS - King [uK Peak - 1] [My Peak - 1]

 

 

 

You can't beat a good pop winter ballad and 'Eyes Shut' is no exception. I actually expected this to challenge for number one in the official charts but it came nowhere close but is still enjoying decent longevity. Demi continues her trend of only having one decent hit each album era and apes Miley by sexing up her image and generally becoming insufferable. Peanut Butter Jelly should be infuriating as it is so bloody catchy but it is a pure sugar rush. Calvin scores his biggest hit in ages on my chart by adapting his sound a little - the deeper house elements suit him. And we finish with another Years & Years banger that was just one point away from the top 10. 'King' is pure pop brilliance and it was such a moment to see it top the UK chart.

10. FOXES - Body Talk [uK Peak - 25] [My Peak - 2]

 

 

9. FIFTH HARMONY feat. KID INK - Worth It [uK Peak - 3] [My Peak - 3]

 

 

8. TAYLOR SWIFT feat. KENDRICK LAMAR - Bad Blood [uK Peak - 4] [My Peak - 1]

 

 

7. JUSTIN BIEBER - Sorry [uK Peak - 1] [My Peak - 2]

 

 

6. TAYLOR SWIFT - Style [uK Peak - 21] [My Peak - 1]

 

 

 

Foxes returns with 80s throwback 'Body Talk' - if only the rest of the album was as inspired. She should have released 'Cruel' as a follow up! Fifth Harmony finally hit it big in the UK with 'Worth It' - which is so catchy it borders on being infuriating. But those damn horns. Also Kid Ink might have the most pointless rap feature of all time. Both Taylor and Justin manage to get two songs in the top 10 - despite 1989 being released last year! While Bad Blood might not be one of Taylor's strongest singles, the Kendrick remix and the star-studded ridiculous feature manage to propel it to my top spot. Justin has had the mother of all comebacks and songs like 'Sorry' are the prime reason why - they are awesome pop songs (still confused how Love Yourself looks to be the biggest of his hits however). We finish with the most underrated single from 1989 - the sublime 'Style'. That opening guitar is everything.

Finally we come to the end and only in early March which is not bad by my standards!

 

5. JUSTIN BIEBER - What Do You Mean? [uK Peak - 1] [My Peak - 1]

 

 

4. MADONNA - Living For Love [uK Peak - 26] [My Peak - 1]

 

 

3. LITTLE MIX - Black Magic [uK Peak - 1] [My Peak - 1]

 

 

2. JESS GLYNNE - Hold My Hand [uK Peak - 1] [My Peak - 1]

 

 

LORD how did Jess Glynne get to number 2 in this chart?! Very disappointed in myself. Any the other three track are absolute monsters - Justin's breezy take on tropical house, Madonna's best song since 'Hung Up' and Little Mix bringing pure pop back are concrete proof that 2015 was a great year for music.

So my highest charting song of 2015 is......

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

1. MAJOR LAZER & DJ SNAKE feat. MO - Lean On [uK Peak - 2] [My Peak - 1]

 

 

 

Thanks for reading!