good to see Matoma, Blonde and Jax Jones get some recognition here!

I haven't listened to his second album yet but those two songs are absolutely stellar offerings. It's sad to hear that the album doesn't quite meet the standards those singles set for it.

Well these are on Adam's third album actually, his second one was in 2012. :P

 

Oh gosh, I haven't listened to 'Gunshot' in such a long time so I'm enjoying that right now. And I'm with you on 'Fun' and Pitbull in general, most of his songs are just irresistible. 'Wildest Dreams' was a massive highlight from 1989, I'm still amazed at how perfectly Lana Del Rey it is.

Hi jaf!

 

I kinda agree with you that Hey Mama just sort of happened but that worked in its favour for me because it meant that I was adoring it for months on end because I was hearing it on radio way after I'd first been enjoying it, it had a really long chart run on my personal chart!

 

It's a shame Wildest Dreams wasn't a big hit actually because it always one of my highlights from 1989 but with no Spotify at all, what does she expect :( It all feels very sweet and it has a lovely melody, her last era has just been hit after hit for me.

 

Worth It is another track that was huge on my EOY last year as well. It was just such a jam and the girls just had IT in the video and live performances of the track. It's one of those tracks you can't help but just dance and lip sync too, same goes for Work From Home from this year too! :lol:

Hey Josh,

 

FYI my name is actually Jafet not Jaf :lol:

 

@Hey Mama: Yeah it kind of worked to its' benefit that it had no proper impact date. It meant that I could enjoy it for much longer without getting sick of it.

@Wildest Dreams: I agree. Taylor's downfall is definitely the lack of Spotify availability (which we're witnessing again with the Zayn collab which probably would have been a contender for No. 1 if it were on Spotify). I also agree that 1989 has just been a torrent of hits haha!

@Worth It: Agreed, although I did find the girls a bit awkward in the video but they more than made up for it in Work From Home where they are absolutely sizzling!!

 

Thanks for commenting!

 

All Cried Out, Wildest Dreams, Worth It, Body Talk and You Dont Own Me were all great!

Hey Santa (lol),

 

Glad you liked so many songs on that last countdown! :D

 

Thanks for commenting!

 

 

Hey there! :D

 

I really like Sparks, Hilary was on top form last year, I loved her album! I actually preferred My Kind and Night Like This from the album.

 

You Don't Own Me is my favourite from that section, I loved it around the middle of last year but got back into it when it became a hit in the UK, really great track, the singing and the rapping complement each other nicely I think!

 

Fantastic stuff :D

Hey Joseph,

 

@Sparks: I haven't really listened to her albums outside of the singles, but from what I heard it seems she took a step in a great direction!

@You Don't Own Me: I only really discovered it when it was performed by Lauren on X Factor tbh haha. I loved her version but then found the even more superior version from Grace herself to be absolutely amazing. And I agree, the rapping fits very well in the song.

 

Thanks for commenting!

 

good to see Matoma, Blonde and Jax Jones get some recognition here!

Hey Dan,

 

Glad you enjoy those songs! Tropical house is one of my favorite genres today. Not even remotely bored of it!

 

Well these are on Adam's third album actually, his second one was in 2012. :P

 

Oh gosh, I haven't listened to 'Gunshot' in such a long time so I'm enjoying that right now. And I'm with you on 'Fun' and Pitbull in general, most of his songs are just irresistible. 'Wildest Dreams' was a massive highlight from 1989, I'm still amazed at how perfectly Lana Del Rey it is.

Hey Riser,

 

Oops I totally knew that lmao. Misspoke a bit haha!

 

@Gunshot: Omg I'm glad I'm reviving that song a bit for you! I absolutely love Lykke Li, such an underrated artist and I remember when I saw her live in 2014 at Rock Werchter festival - she was absolutely amaaazing! Shame so many people left after she performed 'I Follow Rivers' mid-show :(

@Fun: I know!! Pitbull is pretty much the epitome of guilty pleasure lmao! He's so corny but sooo fun (no pun intended)!

@Wildest Dreams: Ohh I had never even thought about the LDR connection but you're right. Wildest Dreams sounds totally like it could be tweaked just a little bit and fit perfectly on a Lana album.

 

Thanks for commenting!

 

Next batch up today!

Time for another round of cuts:

 

http://i.imgur.com/tIKYEuw.pnghttp://i.imgur.com/Snq9ev8.pnghttp://i.imgur.com/lMA1TnM.pnghttp://i.imgur.com/0EhuGYW.pnghttp://i.imgur.com/OBY2ysS.png

 

XXXX180 20 Alesso featuring Tove Lo – "Heroes (We Could Be)"

XXXX179 13 Chris Brown – "Fine By Me"

XXXX178 15 Magic! – "No Way No"

XXXX177 10 Vök – "Waterfall"

XXXX176 06 Justin Bieber – "Love Yourself"

XXXX175 08 Of Monsters and Men – "Empire"

XXXX174 12 Jessie J – "Masterpiece"

XXXX173 11 The Weeknd – "The Hills"

XXXX172 17 Sia – "Alive"

XXXX171 19 X Ambassadors – "Renegades"

 

http://i.imgur.com/VVpfFok.pnghttp://i.imgur.com/7Zu8ILu.pnghttp://i.imgur.com/PLjG72G.pnghttp://i.imgur.com/yO2fIGu.pnghttp://i.imgur.com/5chfbdV.png

 

http://i.imgur.com/mR3GnVG.png

 

 

180 | "Heroes (We Could Be)" by Alesso featuring Tove Lo

I'm so incredibly glad that Tove Lo was able to become the pop princess that she is today. She's released so many smashes, each one better than the one before. 'Heroes' was really only maybe the second or third single of hers to do any damage to the charts and who better to team up with than EDM kingpin Alesso. Really though this took a while to sink in for me but once it did it was hard to deny how amazing this song is. For me it reminds me of those cold winter months of January and February 2015 while I was still living in my hometown and some awesome nights with my best friends. What a tune. Tove Lo has another song on the chart but this is Alesso's only song this year, although his SHM bros have some songs coming up later on.

 

XXXXPersonal Peak: No. 20

XXXXImpressions Peak: No. 15

XXXXSales (to date): 201.300 copies

XXXXWeeks in Top 100: 13 weeks

 

 

179 | "Fine By Me" by Chris Brown

I'll be honest, I think Chris Brown is an absolute f**kin' idiot, but god damn if his music isn't catchy AF. He's a talented bast*rd and even though I feel obligated to dispise his personality I can't help but love his music. 'Fine By Me' is a catchy Pop number with cheeky lyrics you can't help but sing along to. One of my best friends is a huge Chris Brown fan so whenever he releases a new song I'm usually the first person she shares the news with lmao. As if being a good singer with a catchy catalogue wasn't enough, as showcased in the video (and most of his videos really), Chris is a really good dancer too. His videos rarely make sense though but that's really beside the point lol. This is his second of NINE entries on the countdown, oh lordy.

 

XXXXPersonal Peak: No. 13

XXXXImpressions Peak: No. 08

XXXXSales (to date): 20.700 copies

XXXXWeeks in Top 100: 14 weeks

 

 

178 | "No Way No" by Magic!

Flashback to summer 2014 and some annoying reggae-pop band called Magic! was seemingly on the rise. They had one hit and then POOF! Gone. While initially I was relieved, later I heard some of their other stuff and relieved I was no more. 'No Way No' is catchy and funky and I'd definitely have preferred this one getting the attention that 'Rude' got two years ago. Honestly once the overplay of their debut hit died down they became much more tolerable and I can't deny the fact that they brought something fresh to the scene. The singer is pretty creepy in their videos though lol and their lyrics aren't anything we haven't heard before really. It is fun though. It's also their only entry here.

 

XXXXPersonal Peak: No. 15

XXXXImpressions Peak: No. 32

XXXXSales (to date): 202.400 copies

XXXXWeeks in Top 100: 12 weeks

 

 

177 | "Waterfall" by Vök

If you ever need a suggestion for a great icelandic band this will forever be in my Top 5. Vök is an chill-electro-something trio that started out in 2013 I think and have since been one of my favorite icelandic bands and they are even better live! The singer, Margrét, has one of the most soothing voices in pop music and while this is definitely not my favorite song of theirs to date it's a pretty damn good song still. Thankfully the band is getting some international attention these days as one of their most recent songs found its way into an episode of MTV's 'Scream' in the newest season. This is unfortunately Vök's only entry on the countdown but only because it's the only song they released last year.

 

XXXXPersonal Peak: No. 16

XXXXImpressions Peak: No. 21

XXXXSales (to date): 202.800 copies

XXXXWeeks in Top 100: 13 weeks

 

 

176 | "Love Yourself" by Justin Bieber

This is a song that hardly needs any introduction since everyone and their mother grew tired of it before 2016 even started. This is the third-lowest placing top 10 hit if I recall correctly, and the biggest reason for it placing so low is mostly due to the constant overexposure we were put through almost immediately after it got released. This wouldn't have been such a bad thing if the song wasn't so terribly average. The Bieber domination of Q4 in 2015 was not really something I enjoyed too much because it just felt like too much for me. After a while I could enjoy the song a bit more but my favorite incarnation of this was when some rando couple on youtube remade it as 'F**k Yourself' lol which is really what the song should have been called lol.

 

XXXXPersonal Peak: No. 06

XXXXImpressions Peak: No. 02

XXXXSales (to date): 203.500 copies

XXXXWeeks in Top 100: 11 weeks

 

 

175 | "Empire" by Of Monsters and Men

Although I enjoyed OMAM's second album as a whole, I wasn't necessarily that big of a fan of the individual singles as they got crammed down our throats like crazy on radio here. 'Empire' is definitely the exception though. The song is definitely my favorite from 'Beneath the Skin' and I think it may be for the fact that it's the song that most felt like it could have been on the debut album which truly is a masterpiece. It feels fairytale-like, just like the ones on the debut album, and the video is pretty spectacular as it tells the story of a young woman in love with a much older woman which is probably not something many bands would touch down on even today, but in the end tells a rather beautiful story about love. This is their only entry on the countdown.

 

XXXXPersonal Peak: No. 11

XXXXImpressions Peak: No. 04

XXXXSales (to date): 204.200 copies

XXXXWeeks in Top 100: 12 weeks

 

 

174 | "Masterpiece" by Jessie J

Now I know Jessie isn't exactly the most popular singer at BuzzJack but lol I'd be lying if I said I didn't like most of what she releases (pretty much everything except her biggest hit tbh lol). I was honestly stumped that this didn't smash as it seems like a textbook JJ hit, but maybe that's just the problem. For me it was a fun song to sing along to in the car with my friends. It's inspirational but not in a awful in-your-face try-hard way for me as it's simple and uplifting instead of being a sobfest. Also no matter how you feel about Jessie ain't nobody gonna tell me she doesn't have an amazing vocal range. This is her only song in the countdown.

 

XXXXPersonal Peak: No. 12

XXXXImpressions Peak: No. 16

XXXXSales (to date): 204.600 copies

XXXXWeeks in Top 100: 12 weeks

 

 

173 | "The Hills" by The Weeknd

What a year for The Weeknd 2015 was. He released this smash and 'Cant Feel My Face' at around the same time and both absolutely smashed the charts into bits. It took my a while to get into this song, but when I finally started to really like it it was starting to get severely overplayed on radio. 'The Hills' is edgy and cool though, much like the artist behind it, and it's really no surprise that the song did so well. This was a huge favorite of my friends so it was hard for me to escape it even when I was over it, but ultimately I'll always look back at this song fondly as one of the biggest hits of 2015 although it wore off quickly for me initially. Perhaps unsurprising but The Weeknd still has two hits coming up, but neither of them are 'Earned It' which got cut shortly before the Top 200 at No. 246.

 

XXXXPersonal Peak: No. 10

XXXXImpressions Peak: No. 06

XXXXSales (to date): 205.900 copies

XXXXWeeks in Top 100: 11 weeks

 

 

172 | "Alive" by Sia

Sia is one of my favorite artists of all time and she always delivers with those massive emotional songs. Some have been maybe a tad underwhelming to me but they are always great songs nontheless. 'Alive' is one of those songs that I'll admit it took me a while to really get into it but I guess that's just because I expect SO much from this woman that it's hardly fair of me. I guess part of it was also the fact that I wanted another song to be released at that time (which we'll be seeing later on). 'Alive' is a beautiful pop vocal phenomenon and showcases everything that makes her such an amazing composer. The video is also, of course, beautiful as per Sia tradition. Even though this song doesn't fit into my Top 10 Sia songs of all time it's still an amazing offering. Sia really is a gift to humanity and that's why we'll be seeing four more songs from her on the countdown.

 

XXXXPersonal Peak: No. 17

XXXXImpressions Peak: No. 22

XXXXSales (to date): 206.700 copies

XXXXWeeks in Top 100: 13 weeks

 

 

171 | "Renegades" by X Ambassadors

I honestly have no idea where this song came from but I remember hearing it on the radio and being like "whoa what is this smash?" It's not the typical kind of song that I like but there's something about the beat and the vocals that just captivates me. This was huge in Iceland and you could hear it on all the major stations multiple times a day for a while which I definitely did not mind. It's easy to spot that this is the perfect crossover hit, and I guess that's what got everyone's attention. It can be cool when a song treads the line between adult contemporary and something the younger kids enjoy, but it can also be super annoying lol. I never really got tired of this song though. This is their only song on the chart, but they'll come back in 2016 with the help of a remix.

 

XXXXPersonal Peak: No. 19

XXXXImpressions Peak: No. 10

XXXXSales (to date): 207.200 copies

XXXXWeeks in Top 100: 13 weeks

Hi jaf again :D

 

Omg at No Way No making it :o Magic just feel so forgotten already but I had their album and actually thought it was pretty decent. Nothing was as good as Rude of course but NWN was one of my highlights and I loved the reggae sound, a huge shame they'll end up one hit wonders imo.

 

Fairytale-like is the perfect way to described Empire imo and it is one of my favourites too! The album was absolutely stunning though, I'm jealous of it getting crammed down your throats by radio :lol: Crystals was definitely my favourite from the last era though, utterly gorgeous :wub:

 

It's a huge shame that Jessie J basically bombed last era because some of the tracks were fantastic. I felt like Masterpiece and Sweet Talker could have been huge hits if she was getting the same support as she was in her first era. I also like pretty much anything she puts out, she has a lot of style and you can't really deny she does have great vocals.

 

The Hills was actually my favourite Weeknd track for sure last year. ICFMY and In The Night were catchy tracks but I liked how dark and edgy this seemed in comparison. Not the sort of track I was expecting to be so huge but I'm glad it was. His singles streak has been excellent as of late and Starboy/IFIC have only added to that!

 

Loving these write-ups so far :wub:

Alive & Empire are my favourites out of that lot, both are catchy!

178 | "No Way No" by Magic!

Flashback to summer 2014 and some annoying reggae-pop band called Magic! was seemingly on the rise. They had one hit and then POOF! Gone. While initially I was relieved, later I heard some of their other stuff and relieved I was no more. 'No Way No' is catchy and funky and I'd definitely have preferred this one getting the attention that 'Rude' got two years ago. Honestly once the overplay of their debut hit died down they became much more tolerable and I can't deny the fact that they brought something fresh to the scene. The singer is pretty creepy in their videos though lol and their lyrics aren't anything we haven't heard before really. It is fun though. It's also their only entry here.

OMG. I LOVE THIS SONG :wub: I actually loved 'Rude' as well but tried a couple more songs and wasn't impressed, then much later heard 'No Way No' on the radio and had to play the video over and over and over. It totally should've been the follow-up to 'Rude' although it may not have made a difference, it seems Magic! were destined to be one-hit wonders. What a jam, though.

 

This is my first time hearing 'Fine By Me' :o Really liking this too, wow. I thought he was done with dance-pop so this is surprising and quite refreshing to hear.

 

You'll be surprised to know 'Waterfall' is sort of well known on Buzzjack :o I genuinely like it and had it on my iPod for about a year! Haven't listened to anything else from Vök but maybe I'll have to do that now.

 

I actually never gave OMAM's second album a chance because the singles disappointed me, so it's nice to see that the rest of it is good. I actually saw them open for Florence + The Machine for my birthday this year which was really really wonderful...but mostly because of Florence, I must admit. :P

 

Personally, I think the problem with 'Masterpiece' is that the verses are sooooo much better than the chorus. The chorus isn't even bad, but it almost sounds like a different song from the verses. Even so, it really deserved to smash!

 

'Renegades' is another huuuuge fave of mine from last year. They actually made it for a car advert so I'm amazed at how good it actually is. I saw X Ambassadors live this year too and they were outstanding. That 2016 remix sounds like something that could be in my EOY as well :thinking:

 

Okay I'll try not to type this much every time but that entire post had me really excited :lol:

Hi jaf again :D

 

Omg at No Way No making it :o Magic just feel so forgotten already but I had their album and actually thought it was pretty decent. Nothing was as good as Rude of course but NWN was one of my highlights and I loved the reggae sound, a huge shame they'll end up one hit wonders imo.

 

Fairytale-like is the perfect way to described Empire imo and it is one of my favourites too! The album was absolutely stunning though, I'm jealous of it getting crammed down your throats by radio :lol: Crystals was definitely my favourite from the last era though, utterly gorgeous :wub:

 

It's a huge shame that Jessie J basically bombed last era because some of the tracks were fantastic. I felt like Masterpiece and Sweet Talker could have been huge hits if she was getting the same support as she was in her first era. I also like pretty much anything she puts out, she has a lot of style and you can't really deny she does have great vocals.

 

The Hills was actually my favourite Weeknd track for sure last year. ICFMY and In The Night were catchy tracks but I liked how dark and edgy this seemed in comparison. Not the sort of track I was expecting to be so huge but I'm glad it was. His singles streak has been excellent as of late and Starboy/IFIC have only added to that!

 

Loving these write-ups so far :wub:

Hey Josh! Thank you so much for the comments!

 

No Way No: I agree. Magic feels forgotten and maybe a bit dated already but I feel like their follow-ups have been much better than the debut hit, and it is kind of sad that they'll end up as a 1HW.

Empire: Yeah Crystals was beautiful but I didn't catch on to it quite as well as Empire which is why it stalled just outside my Top 200. I'm always happy to see Icelandic bands get recognition outside of Iceland.

Masterpiece: Omg! Yes, Sweet Talker is great too although I'll have that on my 2014 "short"-list lol. I never really understood why she's so hated around here, as the only song of hers that I actually dislike is 'Price Tag' lol.

The Hills: Yeah I agree this is much darker and edgier than the pop-friendly CFMF and ITN but ultimately I'm way more into that sound than this urban beat but this is still amazing. You'll be seeing both Starboy and IFIC on my 2016 countdown for sure!

 

Thanks so much for the comments and praise Josh! It means a lot!

 

Alive & Empire are my favourites out of that lot, both are catchy!

Hey WiseMan,

thanks for the comments and glad you like those! :D

 

OMG. I LOVE THIS SONG :wub: I actually loved 'Rude' as well but tried a couple more songs and wasn't impressed, then much later heard 'No Way No' on the radio and had to play the video over and over and over. It totally should've been the follow-up to 'Rude' although it may not have made a difference, it seems Magic! were destined to be one-hit wonders. What a jam, though.

 

This is my first time hearing 'Fine By Me' :o Really liking this too, wow. I thought he was done with dance-pop so this is surprising and quite refreshing to hear.

 

You'll be surprised to know 'Waterfall' is sort of well known on Buzzjack :o I genuinely like it and had it on my iPod for about a year! Haven't listened to anything else from Vök but maybe I'll have to do that now.

 

I actually never gave OMAM's second album a chance because the singles disappointed me, so it's nice to see that the rest of it is good. I actually saw them open for Florence + The Machine for my birthday this year which was really really wonderful...but mostly because of Florence, I must admit. :P

 

Personally, I think the problem with 'Masterpiece' is that the verses are sooooo much better than the chorus. The chorus isn't even bad, but it almost sounds like a different song from the verses. Even so, it really deserved to smash!

 

'Renegades' is another huuuuge fave of mine from last year. They actually made it for a car advert so I'm amazed at how good it actually is. I saw X Ambassadors live this year too and they were outstanding. That 2016 remix sounds like something that could be in my EOY as well :thinking:

 

Okay I'll try not to type this much every time but that entire post had me really excited :lol:

 

Hey Riser!

 

No Way No: I KNOW! It's such a missed opportunity to not have followed up 'Rude' with this banger but who knows it feels like they maybe just got lucky with Rude as that will prob be their only hit!

Fine By Me: Ohh yay I'm glad you're finding new music while going through this list! You'll be happy to know his last album was full of surprises like this one - another one will be coming up later!

Waterfall: Omg I am shocked to hear that this is actually popular here, I did not know that but I am so happy to hear that! I definitely recommend 'Waiting' and 'Before' to new listeners. Maybe even 'Ég Bíð Þín'.

Empire: Omg I'm so jealous to hear you saw F+TM on your birthday but even more surprised to hear they opened up for her! That's amazing. But yeah they do have a couple of great songs on the new album but mostly it doesn't quite compare to the debut.

Masterpiece: I never really looked at it that way but you might just be right! Nonetheless I still think it deserved to smash too!

Renegades: Oh really I did not know they made it for a car advert but when you say that it kind of makes sense haha!

 

Thank you so much for commenting but please do NOT hold back for me! I looove reading long and detailed comments to this so you're only making me happy when you write detailed replies :D

Hiya!

 

That Alesso song (Heroes) is great dance song and easily his best imo although I really like Cool too :wub:

 

I would say Love Yourself is my second favourite Bieber song now after Beauty And A Beat :o

 

The Hills is my favoutire The Weeknd song tbh although I would say a couple of his new songs could overtake that oops :lol:

 

Alive is okay I enjoy a bit more than I did before but still not her best :o

 

Renegades is good tbh

 

Love Yourself is excellent! Justin's really been on form this era for me :wub: Alive is good but I much prefer Cheap Thrills and The Greatest out of this era's singles!

Time for another round of cuts:

 

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XXXX170 11 Rudimental featuring Ed Sheeran – "Lay It All On Me"

XXXX169 20 Shaggy featuring Mohombi, Faydee and Costi – "I Need Your Love"

XXXX168 15 Fall Out Boy featuring Demi Lovato – "Irresistible"

XXXX167 12 Madonna – "Ghosttown"

XXXX166 12 Elle King – "Ex's and Oh's"

XXXX165 10 Sia – "Elastic Heart"

XXXX164 18 Luke Friend – "Hole In My Heart"

XXXX163 13 James Bay – "Hold Back The River"

XXXX162 17 Shy'm – "L'effet de Serre"

XXXX161 15 Donkeyboy – "Downtown"

 

http://i.imgur.com/YiVssFY.pnghttp://i.imgur.com/2jZX50W.pnghttp://i.imgur.com/uNG9Qrv.pnghttp://i.imgur.com/IqA9dIT.pnghttp://i.imgur.com/gKzcIU0.png

 

http://i.imgur.com/mR3GnVG.png

 

 

170 | "Lay It All On Me" by Rudimental featuring Ed Sheeran

Rudimental really are among the MVPs of deep house right now and this collaboration with Ed Sheeran shows exactly why they deserve all the praise they get. Although I much preferred their previous matchup with Sheeran (yet to come), this is just so smooth it's impossible not to adore this beat. This song feels a bit timeless to me as I can't really put my finger on when exactly it was peaking for me, but I remember it was a smash for a while all around me. Ed's voice matches perfectly with the beat and makes me really wish this was the only kind of music he put out lol. Both artists involved have another entry appearing later on the chart and "coincidentally" (well, not really) it's another collaboration of the two artists lol.

 

XXXXPersonal Peak: No. 11

XXXXImpressions Peak: No. 07

XXXXSales (to date): 207.900 copies

XXXXWeeks in Top 100: 13 weeks

 

 

169 | "I Need Your Love" by Shaggy featuring Mohombi, Faydee and Costi

I have a hard time believing I'm the only who was surprised to see Shaggy spring up all of a sudden last year, but I'm not complaining at all because this is one smash of a song! I have no idea who anyone featured on the song is with the exception of Mohombi, who has also stayed out of the spotlight for a while. This song never fails to get me hyped as it just feels a bit epic and feels like something you would shake your ass to at a beach party in Spain or something. I kind of wish this had been bigger but I think it was relatively big in mainland Europe, right? I really can't help but sing along to this song whenever I hear it. It's just so fun! Unsurprisingly, none of these people appear again on my countdown.

 

XXXXPersonal Peak: No. 20

XXXXImpressions Peak: No. 17

XXXXSales (to date): 210.000 copies

XXXXWeeks in Top 100: 15 weeks

 

 

168 | "Irresistible" by Fall Out Boy featuring Demi Lovato

I have always had a soft spot for Fall Out Boy, and having already listened a lot to this song prior to adding Demi to it I was always going to end up loving this new version even more (since I'm a huge Demi fan). FOB have definitely been on top form in the past few years, and American Beauty/American Psycho is a great album. The video is a funny take on what if in the store in NSYNC's 'Its Gonna Be Me' video there was a bin full of misfit toys that nobody wanted lmao. The Fall Out Boys really know how to make a catchy song and Demi's vocals are a great addition as she combats Patrick's voice very well. This is FOB's only entry of 2015 but they have a lot more hits in the 2013-2014 area. Demi, however, will be appearing twice more on the countdown.

 

XXXXPersonal Peak: No. 15

XXXXImpressions Peak: No. 22

XXXXSales (to date): 212.900 copies

XXXXWeeks in Top 100: 14 weeks

XXXXOther Hits (Fall Out Boy): Back To Earth (No. 341); Uma Thurman (No. 462)

 

 

167 | "Ghosttown" by Madonna

I always find it very funny when two artists release songs by the same obscure name at around the same time. In 2015 we got two Ghost Towns; one from Madonna and another one from Adam Lambert. The songs are both pop dance songs, but that's about where the similarities end. Madonna released probably my least favorite album of hers in a while but it wasn't all bad. The singles were great and this emotional number caught my attention almost immediately, even before it was released as a single. Madonna is one of my all-time favorite artists so I'm always going to at least give her music a chance and I'm glad I did for these few songs that I got hooked on because there really only is one Madonna. Unfortunately only one other song of hers made the Top 200.

 

XXXXPersonal Peak: No. 12

XXXXImpressions Peak: No. 17

XXXXSales (to date): 214.100 copies

XXXXWeeks in Top 100: 12 weeks

 

 

166 | "Ex's and Oh's" by Elle King

This is one of those songs that I was really surprised that I actually liked but there is something about the song that just caught my attention immediately (and no it wasn't all those half-naked studs in the video lol). Elle has a unique country-esque sound though it's still poppy enough that it crosses over into smash territory. The song is insanely catchy and I remember hearing it all the time on the radio but still for some reason I didn't get even remotely sick of it. King is also really good live and I remember seeing her perform this on Jimmy Kimmel (I think) and I was impressed because she really knows how to control that powerhouse voice of hers. She doesn't quite have the look of a popstar but then again who cares. She looks like a lot of fun to hang out with too lmao. This is her only song on the countdown.

 

XXXXPersonal Peak: No. 12

XXXXImpressions Peak: No. 09

XXXXSales (to date): 214.400 copies

XXXXWeeks in Top 100: 13 weeks

 

 

165 | "Elastic Heart" by Sia

Ok so let's get one thing clear: I love this song and it's one of the best Sia songs BUT it would be a lot higher if the released version had been the one featuring Diplo and The Weeknd which is just so vastly superior to the Sia only version. Don't get me wrong, it's still amazing, but it just feels lacking in comparison with the version we got first. I will probably feature that version on the 2012 countdown though, so this song will get its' day. Now back to the Sia only version. Sia has lately been known for making some amazing videos and although it took me some time to appreciate this one I can now say it definitely is a masterpiece. At first I thought it was weird but now I see the emotion behind it and it's not quite so black and white as you originally may think. Also Shia Labeouf is really hot. Sorry. I had to say it. Fear not Sia fans though, because she still has three more smashes to come.

 

XXXXPersonal Peak: No. 10

XXXXImpressions Peak: No. 03

XXXXSales (to date): 215.500 copies

XXXXWeeks in Top 100: 13 weeks

 

 

164 | "Hole In My Heart" by Luke Friend

First of all, for some annoying reason the music video is blocked for me on youtube so I had to add a live vocal instead, which really isn't half bad tbh (translation: it's really good). I didn't actually watch Luke's season of X Factor so I had no idea who he was when I bumped into this song on Spotify but I loooove this song. This song hit me hard because at the time I was dealing with heartbreak and that's exactly what Luke is singing about so I had this on repeat for a while. He has this interesting thing in his voice, that raspy kind of thing, that just hits all the spots for me. I haven't heard anything else from him but this was definitely something I listened to a LOT during the spring of 2015. He looks like a sweet kid so I kind of hope he gets at least some success in this field because he really has a great voice.

 

XXXXPersonal Peak: No. 18

XXXXImpressions Peak: No. 34

XXXXSales (to date): 216.600 copies

XXXXWeeks in Top 100: 14 weeks

 

 

163 | "Hold Back The River" by James Bay

Never would I have thought I would like this year's lucky alt. rock chart smasher incarnation of Tom Odell/George Ezra, but man did James Bay exceed all of my god damn expectations by a mile. Even though I may not have listened to a lot of his songs by choice (he's played a lot on the radio here) it's hard not to like him. 'Hold Back The River' is easily his second best song (the best one coming up much later on the countdown) and his voice is amazing to listen to. He is one of my brother's favorite artists and I can easily understand why. His album is really good and it includes one of my absolute favorite songs of the year, which is Bay's second and final song on the countdown, but you're gonna have to wait a while for that one. James packs an emotional punch with his songs and it's not hard to understand why he's gotten so much recognition for his work.

 

XXXXPersonal Peak: No. 13

XXXXImpressions Peak: No. 10

XXXXSales (to date): 218.000 copies

XXXXWeeks in Top 100: 13 weeks

 

 

162 | "L'effet de Serre" by Shy'm

I *REALLY* love discovering new amazing pop music in languages I cannot even try to pretend to understand. French is like that for me. That's exactly why I absolutely love this song from this singer I have never heard from before. The song, which apparently translates to "The Greenhouse Effect" (thanks Google Translate), is pretty much what you call pop perfection and the video is weird, creepy but ultimately really cool. The chorus has an impressive dance hook that really makes you wish you understood the song and were currently at some rave dance club up in Paris or something lol. Just listening to this again makes me realize I never actually followed up on any of her other music and that I definitely should do that right now. Shy'm has never entered a chart of mine before and this is her sole entry this year as well but there is another french pop smash much higher on the countdown yet to come.

 

XXXXPersonal Peak: No. 17

XXXXImpressions Peak: No. 22

XXXXSales (to date): 218.400 copies

XXXXWeeks in Top 100: 14 weeks

 

 

161 | "Downtown" by Donkeyboy

From one international smash to another we go from France to Norway. Donkeyboy is a popular norwegian pop-dance artist who you might know as the artist behind Joe McElderry's 2010 flop cover 'Ambitions'. Last year we got two great songs from them, this being the better one ('Lost' places No. 308), and I'm honestly surprised this didn't at least touch the charts outside of Norway. It's a dance-pop tune with an infectious chorus making use of all these popular 'ooh', 'aah' and 'eehs' that seem to be ever so prevalent today. If you like checking out international pop music or just need something to enter a forum music contest then this is definitely something you should check out.

 

XXXXPersonal Peak: No. 15

XXXXImpressions Peak: No. 30

XXXXSales (to date): 219.000 copies

XXXXWeeks in Top 100: 13 weeks

XXXXOther Hits (Donkeyboy): Lost (No. 308)

I Need Your Love was great :music: I did prefer the 'Habibi Love' version though

 

Some other decent songs here, especially Hold Back the River & Lay It All on Me :D

Hiya jaf!!

 

I do sort of forget Lay It All On Me exists nowadays but both that and the Bloodstream remix were huge highlights for me last year. Rudimental seem to work really well with Ed Sheeran and his voice mixes with their production so smoothly as you say.

 

Omg at I Need Your Love making it here, I adored that last year but completely forgot it even happened. Was so amazing to see SHAGGY get a hit in 2015 but it was such a catchy tune and you can't help but love it really.

 

It was weird that we got two Ghost Towns in 2015 :lol: Madonna's was definitely my favourite though, I like all of her new output really but the majority of it is not on par with her classics whereas I though Ghosttown really felt like a classic Madonna ballad, a shame it's so unlikely she'll be able to get a proper hit nowadays :(

 

Elastic Heart was in my EOY top 10 last year and remains her best track ever for me with The Greatest coming in second place now. It's gorgeous and so uplifting and I love the dramatics of the video too.

 

James Bay's more uptempo tracks are definitely his best for me, HBTR and IYEWTBIL were my main two highlights from his recent era but saying that, his voice is lovely so I do like the slower ones like Let It Go too. Hope he comes back soon and manages to get an equally massive second era.

 

:D

170 11 Rudimental featuring Ed Sheeran – "Lay It All On Me"

169 20 Shaggy featuring Mohombi, Faydee and Costi – "I Need Your Love"

168 15 Fall Out Boy featuring Demi Lovato – "Irresistible"

167 12 Madonna – "Ghosttown"

166 12 Elle King – "Ex's and Oh's"

165 10 Sia – "Elastic Heart"

164 18 Luke Friend – "Hole In My Heart"

163 13 James Bay – "Hold Back The River"

 

Hi Jaf....I really like these all these but my favourite HAS to be Hold Back The River never gets old :heart:

 

Hold Back the River and Hole in My Heart were two of my absolute favourites last year :wub: Luke was my favourite on X Factor 2013, I've seen him live five times :lol: I'd recommend checking this out if you'd like another song by him!

 

Any chance of this continuing, Jafet!? :o