I think you missed Sean Paul's credit :) xx Seriously Cheap Thrills is fantastic, easily a contender for my favourite Sia song, and Sean Paul is ESSENTIAL I find.

 

Make Me... would've been a hit if it were by a brand new artist, such a shame it wasn't given much of a chance simply because she's Britney and Radio 1 have taken a disliking to her Lol. Regardless of chart success, I'm glad she's still delivering amazing tracks, definitely one of her best lead singles :wub:

I would love it to kickstart a new trend for boy band singles, they've really set the bar high - i can't remember one this strong in a while! Such a sophisticated sound and i'm glad the public warmed to it too because it could've gone either way.

I can think of a fair few good boyband singles but certainly nothing that changed the format like 'All Night' did. For once, it seems 'cool' to say you like a boyband single.

 

It's strange to think back to when 'Work' and 'One Dance' were first released and how ridiculous the notion of them being hits were, given they've since become two of the biggest club staples of the year, with no night being complete without busting out your best moves to them. 'Work' sounded like a jumble of inaudible slurring and 'One Dance' felt like it had nothing to it; no peak, no hook, no nothing. Yet these criticisms ended up being the very essence of what made them so successful. The almost lazy, half-hearted hook of 'Work' was in fact the epitome of what a hook is and should be and 'One Dance' has a beat that gets under your skin, starting with some mild toe-tapping to letting leash with completely wacky moves.

 

'Cheap Thrills' is also a song that is inescapable in the club - much more overtly commercial sounding than 'Work' or 'One Dance' but nevertheless a song I didn't expect to take off as much as it did. I know Sia had a huge hit with 'Chandelier' but, for some reason, I just didn't think she'd be capable of doing it with 'Cheap Thrills'. I remember hearing it played in a club shortly after it was announced as a single and I don't recall anyone taking much notice of it at all. Move forward to the summer and it really is the ultimate Friday/Saturday night anthem. I still hope that her more emotional songs get recognition though because this is where Sia particularly excels - I'm all for her having success but I wouldn't want her to become totally associated with 'Cheap Thrills'-esque songs.

 

As has been said many a time, 'Make Me...' is one of the year's biggest examples of "should/could have been a hit". Really cool, sultry sound that explodes with the almost orgasmic "oohs" in the chorus. Also one of the few times that a rent-a-rapper feature actually enhances a song too.

I think you missed Sean Paul's credit :) xx Seriously Cheap Thrills is fantastic, easily a contender for my favourite Sia song, and Sean Paul is ESSENTIAL I find.

 

Make Me... would've been a hit if it were by a brand new artist, such a shame it wasn't given much of a chance simply because she's Britney and Radio 1 have taken a disliking to her Lol. Regardless of chart success, I'm glad she's still delivering amazing tracks, definitely one of her best lead singles :wub:

I actually did miss his feature lmao. It took ages for me to prefer his version but now there's no looking back :') Not my fave Sia song but up there x

 

Make Me... should've been massive it's so infuriating :'( A cult hiT though ~ I agree (and it's how I will grow to think of Gaga v soon, as long as she keeps the music coming and good i'm happy *.*)

 

I can think of a fair few good boyband singles but certainly nothing that changed the format like 'All Night' did. For once, it seems 'cool' to say you like a boyband single.

 

It's strange to think back to when 'Work' and 'One Dance' were first released and how ridiculous the notion of them being hits were, given they've since become two of the biggest club staples of the year, with no night being complete without busting out your best moves to them. 'Work' sounded like a jumble of inaudible slurring and 'One Dance' felt like it had nothing to it; no peak, no hook, no nothing. Yet these criticisms ended up being the very essence of what made them so successful. The almost lazy, half-hearted hook of 'Work' was in fact the epitome of what a hook is and should be and 'One Dance' has a beat that gets under your skin, starting with some mild toe-tapping to letting leash with completely wacky moves.

 

'Cheap Thrills' is also a song that is inescapable in the club - much more overtly commercial sounding than 'Work' or 'One Dance' but nevertheless a song I didn't expect to take off as much as it did. I know Sia had a huge hit with 'Chandelier' but, for some reason, I just didn't think she'd be capable of doing it with 'Cheap Thrills'. I remember hearing it played in a club shortly after it was announced as a single and I don't recall anyone taking much notice of it at all. Move forward to the summer and it really is the ultimate Friday/Saturday night anthem. I still hope that her more emotional songs get recognition though because this is where Sia particularly excels - I'm all for her having success but I wouldn't want her to become totally associated with 'Cheap Thrills'-esque songs.

 

As has been said many a time, 'Make Me...' is one of the year's biggest examples of "should/could have been a hit". Really cool, sultry sound that explodes with the almost orgasmic "oohs" in the chorus. Also one of the few times that a rent-a-rapper feature actually enhances a song too.

Haha i'm exactly the same with Work and One Dance, thought they were both quite "oh..." initially but they expertly spun their ways into everyone's heads over the year.

 

Thanks for the detailed comment as always Liam, always love reading your thoughts on the tracks <33

I switch up my cup, I kill any pain

 

 

10. The Weeknd ft. Daft Punk - Starboy

 

HausofPride

 

We start the top 10 with the comeback single from The Weeknd, released off the back of his weakest album BY FAR from me I did not go into it with high expectations at all. But teamed with out of this world Daft Punk, for a song with a similar sentiment and theme, it sky-rocketed into my affections pretty instantaneously and I was back in love with the dark, brooding stellar artist. The song is about pride and appreciating the things around you. It features The Weeknd crashing his previous earnings and starting anew. He sings of his family, his successes and does it so unashamedly proudly that there is an invigorating sense of self established throughout. It's rare to see someone open up so explicitly and why shouldn't he sing of his praises and celebrate them. Moreso than a song of personal triumph it become a celebratory song for anyone listening, encouraging them to look at what they've done and realise that we can all be star boys - if I was to digress and bring in Kubrick.. a Starboy for me is someone that has achieved perfection in themselves and is able to look within themselves finding the most beautiful, pure spirit inside. It's an almost unbelievable state, but The Weeknd makes it possible for all.

I'm not standing in the shade, I'm running 'round circles

 

 

09. Tkay Maidza - Simulation

 

HausofFun

 

Tkay Maidza smashed it out of the park with this huge single from massive album Tkay. Simulation is a fun, joyous cry for release from the mundane and is delivered with spark, wit and personality. She sings of breaking rules, changing lanes and escaping from the same routine of life to somewhere more exciting and invigorating. The song helps to accomplish that, being so upbeat, with a tinny production and and electrifying chorus. In a year where work consumed a large part of my life, music like this reminds you that fun is a priority and no amount of hard graft will make you as truly happy as invigorating music. It's a shame the song received such a lacklustre music video because apart from that it has everything going for it to be a huge smash.. perhaps this coming year it can achieve that?

One Dance & Work :dance: 2 I simply never got tired of hearing last year (well One Dance maybe just a tad :P)

 

Starboy proved to be a real grower for me, whereas I Feel It Coming I loved after about 2 or 3 listens.

 

Tkay Maidza, not heard that song but definitely a promising talent!

Simulation is great! We still need to get round to hearing her album *.*

Simulation is stunning, the lyrics juxtaposed with the cheery production combine so well and it just has such a magical feel to it! Tkay is such a talent so I'm willing her to get a hit, if not with this then something else has to surely?

Hopefully Tkay can get a hit! Simulation would be the ideal one to do it, just needs exposure :(

 

 

Take me in your arms, take me for all I have

 

 

08. Sia - One Million Bullets

 

HausofPain

 

 

In a huge year for Sia, with everyone falling for her rejected tunes, for me this song stood above the rest. It's the loudest, proudest, most abrasive song on the album and most fully reveals the pain and angst that the artist conveys. The refrain of 'danger is coming' is one of the most beautiful moments of the album as it reveals that no matter how much you love and adore another there will always be danger waiting around the corner. It's a song of unrequited love: "how many will you take?" isn't so much a direct question, but more a plea for love to be returned that is never answered. And then we move to the delivery of the song: it is Sia screaming her lungs out in the chorus, her voice breaking and falling apart in the pre-chorus and her trying to manage and control her emotions in the verses. It is a song of vocal acrobats to convey the complexity of love particularly when that love is not returned. Very relatable, as with all Sia songs but one that hit me harder than any number of bullets because it has a way of bringing love and lust into a crushing reality, one that isn't safe or protected. Yet another stunning moment in her discography and how sweet is the lyric: "I'd give my life for one of your belly laughs"? :'(

One Million Bullets is one of my highlights from This Is Acting too, great track :wub: Also has the title of the least awful artwork from the era? (pre re-issue) :')

Every one of my fears has vanished

 

 

07. Carly Rae Jepsen - Higher

 

HausofSelfBelief

 

 

A song that I am getting back into now, from the B-Side album to last year's #1, Carly brings this 80s, synth pop vibe back with vengeance in the glorious Higher. I adore the opening synth introduction, and how it continues in beautiful pace throughout. In true Carly fashion she sings with the sweetest of vocals and on the surface it's a joyous, optimistic song but deep down it's one of heartbreak and longing for better. The chorus is so catchy and sing-a-long and she has proved once again how expertly she has perfected the genre of powerful, alluring, retro, synth pop. If she can keep this up for another era she'll really prove herself as one of the most honest and legitimate pop artists around now, with such a flare for pure, no-thrills, but totally thrilling, invigorating pop music. Higher is one of her best and most explicit messages of hope and prosperity in love.

 

I've began to see this as a song of personal sense and triumph too - putting yourself first because that's the only one that can truly make you feel higher than the rest. Listen to it with that understanding and it opens up a whole other level, one of self-importance and belief and value. A complex song with yet more lyrical genius from Carly <3

Im a motherf*ckin starboy :cool: What a unreal jam :heart:

 

I have grown to love One Million Bullets since its release on the album *.*

Edited January 10, 20178 yr by HarryEzra

Even if we drift somehow, I'm never gonna sleep alone

 

 

06. Peking Duk ft. Elliphant - Stranger

 

HausofLoneliness

 

 

Just missing out on the top 5, we have a song that is still hitting me to this day and is making more and more sense with every listen. A fine song, featuring Haus fave Elliphant, who here becomes a distant, lone voice amid the tinny, haunting production from Peking Duk. Explosive chorus, stunning vocals and a chilling message of isolation, hope and finding yourself in the darkness. A truly magnificent pop moment which finds itself in its celebration of loneliness and desolation. It allows these states to become wondrous, dangerous things. The hook of 'stranger take me home tonight' is both enticing and repelling and it's this confusing dichotomy that has me returning to the song over and over again. A definite "driving/walking alone past midnight in the pitch black" sort of song, but even listening in the middle of the day, you're transported to that dark place of loneliness and it's a special feeling.

:hi: Bal, sorry for not checking in for a while :(

 

I remember listening to Stranger a little while back and thinking it was nowhere near as good as High (which is still true for me) but it's really growing on me at the moment, Elliphant provides excellent vocals and the production is top notch too, a shame this will probably be another missed opportunity in the UK :(

 

Starboy is badass too, you just feel so damn cool walking with that blaring in your ears :lol: I also like the Daft Punk addition and the whispering in the chorus, I must admit that IFIC has grown on me even more than this has now and may well be his best track for me now, ridiculously catchy :wub:

:hi: Bal, sorry for not checking in for a while :(

 

I remember listening to Stranger a little while back and thinking it was nowhere near as good as High (which is still true for me) but it's really growing on me at the moment, Elliphant provides excellent vocals and the production is top notch too, a shame this will probably be another missed opportunity in the UK :(

 

Starboy is badass too, you just feel so damn cool walking with that blaring in your ears :lol: I also like the Daft Punk addition and the whispering in the chorus, I must admit that IFIC has grown on me even more than this has now and may well be his best track for me now, ridiculously catchy :wub:

Heyy Josh, no worries!

 

I still don't really think Stranger is as good as High but both are fantastic for different reasons and give me different feels. It needs to be a hit :( (like it is in Australia!)

 

Haha glad i'm not the only one that feels cool~ while listening to it :lol: IFIC is another good 'un! Thanks Josh <3

You shouldn't be fighting on your own

 

 

05. Major Lazer ft. Justin Bieber & MØ) - Cold Water

 

HausofResilience

 

 

Bieber has been hot property for a while now and with MØ bursting onto the scene in pure pop gold fashion, Major Lazer teamed up the perfect combination for this summer smash. Opening with a declaration of honesty, the song is a joyous, hopeful number tinged with a sense of sadness and beauty. The production is sublime, Bieber's vocals are open and raw and MØ is a welcomed, if subtle addition to the mix - the perfect ingredients at perfect rates. It's lyrically stunning and delivered with perfection. A song that has stuck with me for months and while I don't return to it as much as other songs in the top 10 it's one that I will always enjoy when I hear and one that always make me respect the people around me and the love I have for them. No matter how far we live away from, separate from or move on from, ties with built with those we are closest to will never be severed and this song reveals that in majestic fashion.

Cold Water is excellent, was totally instant with me :wub: I wish MØ was in it a bit more but Justin sounds fantastic anyway, my favourite Major Lazer song to date!

Cold Water is fun, I like it. Loving your commentaries, very well written and thoughtful.

Yes for Cold Water appearing this high :dance:

 

I was a bit disappointed by Stranger myself, I think they set the bar so high with High :kink: that I was expecting something even better!