90: Gas Street Music & Michael Shannon - Fruit Of My Life

Gas Street Music are a worship collective from Gas Street Church in Birmingham. They had a whole album out this year but this was the one that stuck with me the most, focussing on living out the fruits of the spirit in our daily lives. This peaked at number 13 in my chart back in August (and is apparently the only song ever with the word 'fruit' in its title to enter my chart!)

89: Ziferblat - Bird of Pray

Eurovision o'clock! This didn't grab me massively at the time but it grew on me a lot after the contest, one of the more rock-ier of the entries this year with some amazing outfits and made even more impressive by the fact that the lead singer was suffering from laryngitis throughout! Plus through Googling the band's name I've now discovered that there's a coffee shop called Ziferblat where you pay for the amount of time you spend in there, not what you consume - a concept that clearly interesting enough for me to bother writing about it here.

88: Reverend And The Makers - UFO

I must admit I've not heard anything from Reverend and the Makers since the early 2010s, but something (probably their song with The Lottery Winners last year) made me want to check out their music again, and so they've had two Top 40 hits this year. This one, a song focussing on how we would explain the mess of this world to aliens if they did indeed exist, was the higher peaking of the two but the lower-charting in my EOY. I think I actually discovered this when poking through WhoOdyssey's 'indie track of the week' which has been a great source of new music recently.

87: Elle Limebear & CalledOut Music - One God

A beautiful song by two of the UK's best known worship artists, this one focusses on the community of the church, and how 'we're not as divided as we are connected' as the lyrics say - a very timely reminder that we can't do the Christian walk on our own. This cracked my Top 10 just before Lent this year.

86: The Fray - Angeleno Moon

Yes, apparently The Fray are still a thing! This is a fairly standard indie-pop song but a very nice one at that (apparently 'angeleno' means something from Los Angeles, not a random Italian guy as I initially thought). Another song that made its way into my Top 10 just before Lent.

85: Harrison Storm & Brittany May - You Beside Me

Now to a song from the very start of the year, this is a lovely guitar-strummy winter warmer of a duet focussing entirely on the love they have for each other - a bit of a break from the other Harrison Storm song I know which are quite moody! This one spent quite a bit of time in the lower echelons of my chart back in 2024 before peaking at number 6 right at the start of the year, matching Harrison Storm's highest peak back in 2024 with 'Tomorrow'.

84: Stephen Stanley - i still have you

Stephen Stanley is another great worship artist, incorporating more guitars and a slightly 'rougher' voice than a lot of his contemporaries. This one is a song about his trust in God regardless of what happens in his life, and how having a child has shaped this even more.

83: New Wine Worship & Sharyn - Anointing

This is the first chart-topper to drop out, reaching the top spot at the end of August with a climb from #70 (which may be a record in my own chart?) It's very simply a call for the Holy Spirit to be at work, but the snog really resonated with me when I first heard it.

82: Inhaler - Billy (Yeah Yeah Yeah)

I'll preface this with the fact that I have no idea who Billy is or what this song is about, but it's incredibly catchy and one of those you just find yourself tapping your toes along to. It marks Inhaler's first Top 40 hit in my chart since Love Will Get You There back in 2023.

81: Stephen Stanley - idols

And we finish with a second song by Stephen Stanley! Musically it's very similar to i still have you but with the focus being a plea for God to help him remove 'idols' (Christian slang for things that we put ahead of God and effectively 'worship', even though they can't give the satisfaction we can get from knowing who we are in God). This one was a Top 5 hit in my charts, reaching #5 in late October.

On 05/01/2026 at 22:58, Jade said:

I was the person who sent 'Lonely Town' to Nuggets! Not the most spectacular finish indeed but I'm delighted to see it in an EOY countdown

It's a great song! A shame I wasn't in the contest to give it the points it deserved Thanks Jade!

Hi Pete

I decided to check out the Fray and Reverend and the Makers tracks because they both released songs I loved growing up.

The first thing I noticed about The Fray track is it's a different vocalist. It really gives them a different vibe to the 'How to Save a Life' days. It sounds pretty nice.

'UFO' is pretty wacky. A lot more whimsical than I was expecting. They always remind me of peak 'Soccer AM' days but this song isn't that vibe at all 🤣

Excited to find out what else is to come

Nice to see David Kushner pop up here! I've been a fan of his since hearing Miserable Man when that made the chart, it's a shame he's not managed much more in a chart sense but the music's still strong. His latest release Bittersweet Dreams is my favourite of his 2025 singles!

80: Zoe Me - Million de Mois

The first time in a while that a follow-up to a Eurovision entry has made a decent dent in my charts (Voyage is still to come), this cracked my Top 10 in the summer. I do love her voice and the production of the song (translated 'Million Months' in English) is great, if James Bond was French this could easily be the theme.

79: Reverend and the Makers - Haircut (ft. Vicky McClure)

Yes, the lead singer of Reverend and the Makers is called John McClure but as far as I can see he isn't related to the featured artist Vicky McClure, who apparently is usually an actor and makes her singing debut on this track. It's incredibly catchy, the theme is unfortunately about a relationship that is breaking down but at least we can hear both sides of the story and it's the sort of song that gets you clapping and dancing along!

78: Steph Macleod - Serenity

The first of two Steph Macleod songs in my EOY, this is a very simple song which takes a well-known prayer about serenity and combines it with the 'this is the day that the Lord has made' verse from the Psalms. This is one of those songs which is very simple musically but really resonated with me, and just feels so relevant when sung as a part of worship.

77: Amistat - stranger

German duo Amistat had a #1 in my chart at the end of last year with 'hello', and this is the follow up to that. It's a bit more toe-tappy than that one but follows a similar theme of hurt in relationships, but with the lead singer boldly stating that neither he nor the subject of the song are strangers, but that they'll always know each other. This got to #2 in my chart earlier in the year.

76: Josh Gauton - Thomas, I Get It

If you get the reference in the title you can probably guess what this song is about - it's the first time Josh Gauton has explicitly mentioned faith in quite a few years, although his songs are quite clearly saturated in Christian imagery. It's a song about the difficulties of faith from someone who has clearly been through highs and lows, but I'm fairly sure he's still on the path. It's in his traditional 'moody indie' style though so makes for really interesting listening.

75: Jim Noir - Out Of Sight

Jim Noir was a favourite of my dad's growing up so I've always had a soft spot for him. Although we all completely missed this song being released and so I only charted it in August despite it being released in October 2024! It's probably his liveliest tune to date with the flute (or high-pitched synth?) backing track, and of course as per usual the lyrics are slightly bizarre.

74: The Afters - You Never Gave Up On Me

The Afters were the first Christian act to have a #1 in my chart all the way back in 2017. This is their first Top 10 hit in my chart since 2021, cracking the Top 5 at the start of the year with a fairly standard but equally very well-put together worship song, reminding us that God will always be there for those of us who trust in Him, even when we walk away and give up on ourselves.

73: Cosmos in Buzunar - I AM BACK

This band are from Moldova, and that's the sum total of everything I know about them I've just googled 'buzunar' and Google is showing me pictures of pockets so that's what it must mean, you learn something new every day! I AM BACK is a brilliant indie-synth-pop (don't ask me to categorise things into genres, I will fail!) track which to be fair I imagine Buzzjack would quite enjoy!

72: Tors - Never Give Up

The highest appearance in my chart for British band Tors to date, this is quite simply a joyful song about never giving up! It's the sort of music I love, voices in harmony, guitars and drums, and a really positive message to share. It entered my chart just before Christmas 2024 and got into my Top 5 at the start of the year.

71: Mumford & Sons - Malibu

The first of two Mumford songs to appear here - I kept saying that I would make sure I listened to the Rushmere album as I loved both the songs I've heard from it, but I never did! There have always been questions around whether Mumford and Sons would consider themselves Christians, and whilst this song doesn't mention God (indeed it's named after a city in California, bizarrely) the lyrics of the song arre quite clearly drawing from Christianity (especially the 'shadow of your wings' line in the chorus) and really is a joyful song which expresses a sense of praise and love. This entered my Top 10 just before lent but in the end was eclipsed by the album's title track which is still to come!

5 hours ago, LewisGT said:

Hi Pete

I decided to check out the Fray and Reverend and the Makers tracks because they both released songs I loved growing up.

The first thing I noticed about The Fray track is it's a different vocalist. It really gives them a different vibe to the 'How to Save a Life' days. It sounds pretty nice.

'UFO' is pretty wacky. A lot more whimsical than I was expecting. They always remind me of peak 'Soccer AM' days but this song isn't that vibe at all 🤣

Excited to find out what else is to come

Ah I hadn't realised The Fray had changed vocalist, I'm really rubbish at noticing those things The Dutch band Kensington who I really like swapped their vocallist for an American and I didn't notice at all until I found out on Wikipedia! Glad you're enjoying the song though. Thanks Lewis!

4 hours ago, JosephStyles said:

Nice to see David Kushner pop up here! I've been a fan of his since hearing Miserable Man when that made the chart, it's a shame he's not managed much more in a chart sense but the music's still strong. His latest release Bittersweet Dreams is my favourite of his 2025 singles!

Yeah I like his music as well, he's certainly a very deep thinker and a lot of his songs seem to have a few layers to them lyrically. Thanks Joseph!

70: Kensington - A Moment

The first song from Dutch band Kensington in quite a few years - as I mentioned I had completely missed the fact they had replaced their lead singer, I'm so unobservant This is a great song though, maybe nt quite as memorable as some of their others but focusses on a moment of love between the singer and the subject. This peaked at #2 in my chart in the spring.

69: James Marriott - I Don't Want To Live Like This Anymore

Quite fitting for this one to appear here given he's just managed his first Top 40 hit! I also discovered this one from chart recaps back when it had its sole week in the Official Charts, always good to see new indie music cracking the charts and his tone of voice is great as well. It cracked my Top 10 just before Lent and stuck around for a little while afterwards.

68: Ax and the Hatchetmen - Blurry Lights (with Albert Hammond Jr)

Another bizarre name for a band here in Ax and the Hatchetmen! A very catchy indie-pop song which I think is just about meeting and dancing with someone on a night out? I hope so anyway, the guitar in the chorus really makes this one though.

67: Jonathan Ogden & Praise Lubangu - Safe

Jonathan Ogden had two #1s in my chart this year which are still to come, but this one definitely deserves its moment in the spotlight. It's very chilled with a slight tinge of jazz in there as well, reminding us that we can be confident in God when we put our trust in him. It's certainly not standard guitar-fare, and the two voices on the song work together very well on it.

66: fieldlily - Grow

Another newcomer to my chart this year, fieldlily is a folk/alternative duo consisting of two sisters. This one took a while for me to love it, but it really did... grow on me (I don't think there's any way I could have avoided that pun!) It's a song about navigating life as it is today and growing into what your life truly is meant for.

65: Shkodra Elektronike - Zjerm

Time to blow the Eurovision klaxon again? This was Albania's entry (although I've since found out that they've both spent most of their lives in Italy!) and there's something a bit quirky in this that really grabbed me. It is the one that grew on me the most after the contest - whether that's the snappiness of the vocals in the chorus, the semi-rap in the middle or something else I'm not quite sure, but it only just missed out on topping my chart.

64: Josh Gauton - In The Water

Another Josh Gauton song makes an appearance now. It's quite similar to all his others, quite moody but with a positive twist in the final line of the vocals ('There must be something in the water, pulling me, drawing me out'). Made the Top 5 in my charts in the summer.

63: Limoblaze - Pray

The closest to a pure rap song you'll get in my Top 100 this year I think? It's certainly different to the sort of music Limoblaze usually puts out as he's mostly in the Afrobeats space, but again it's a song I warmed to the more I heard it. I don't think I need to explain what the song is about given the title!

62: St. Lundi - Mercury

I find it amazing that I discovered St. Lundi by complete chance back in 2021 on a feature on a SeeB track, given how much of a staple of these countdowns he's been since! This strikes me as something that would have done well at Eurovision, a fairly steady tempo that's very easy to tap along to (and that I do keep getting mixed up with 'Burning Down' by Alex Warren!) This didn't make my Top 10 but has been a long runner in my Top 40 for a good few months.

61: Dan Stirling & Gareth James - Morning

We lose another chart-topper now! Again this is more on the alternative side of worship, and definitely worth a listen even if it is a little abrupt in places. We always need a reminder that 'joy comes in the morning' when things don't seem to be on our side in this life.

Nice to see "Zjerm" on here!

60: Phil Wickham - What An Awesome God

I've been aware of worship leader Phil Wickham for years - we sing plenty of his songs in church, and Sunday's Coming was a great Easter song from a few years back. This was the first one to crack my Top 40 though, and hence the first to make my EOY! It's a 'cover' of the famous old Christian song 'Our God is an Awesome God', but instead of just using a repeated refrain he adds his own verses in to tell the story of who Jesus is and what he will do in the future. It's a brilliant song and pretty catchy as well.

59: Zoe Me - Voyage

Another Eurovision track here! I thought this was so beautiful on the night, quite a contrast to a lot of the songs that went all out in being 'big' and full of energy, this was a simple ballad asking someone to go on a journey with them. The sped-up violins in the bridge added a bit of drama but that was all. I did fear this wouldn't do too well as it was an auto-qualifier and sadly at least in the public vote my fears were confirmed with it not getting any points (although I voted for it!) It was great that so many juries did give it points though - just a bit of a shame that the 'nul points' was announced right at the crunch-time of the votes. It got to #2 in my own chart.

58: Curtis Harding - There She Goes

I had never heard of Curtis Harding before this year but I discovered this one through a random trawl of the Radio 6 playlist and found its piano riff and generally positive energy very appealing. It bridges the boundary a little bit between alternative and R&B/soul, and whilst it only got to #18 in my chart it was a really slow burner for me, spending 12 weeks inside the Top 40. And he followed it up with The Power which is a great song as well!

57: Pat Barrett - All This In A Name

This was a song I found just by scrolling through Spotify's All New Christian and Gospel playlist - Pat Barrett had got to #2 in my chart with Scatter back in 2023 but I hadn't gone back to listen to anything more from him so thought I'd give this a go. There's nothing particularly 'special' in how it's produced, it's just a really good worship song about the name of Jesus and what that's mean to people throughout history and to us today.

56: Andrew Ripp - Breakdown

Aaand looking at the songs that are to come I've realised this is the second in a run of six Christian songs in a row! This one is very light-touch on the faith side though as it only mentions God once. The focus here is on the fact that you can get through the storms of life, and that when things seem to be caving in there's often light on the other side. This got to #8 in my chart back in May, a seventh Top 10 single in a row for Ripp!

55: Connor Price, Taylor Hill & Maverick City Music - I Need Help

I've not heard too much from Connor Price - I gather that whilst he is a Christian his music isn't usually focussed on him, so this song was breaking new ground. Oh and this is a rap song so forget what I said about Limoblaze being the only rap song in my EOY in the last comment This is simply a song about struggling with faith, and the fact that you shouldn't be afraid to ask for help, both from others and from God.

54: Josiah Queen & Brandon Lake - Can't Steal My Joy

The first of two Josiah Queen songs in my EOY, he has had quite the year becoming more well known as an artist. His music is inspired by artists like Mumford and Sons and Rend Collective so he brings something a little bit different to the usual contemporary Christian artists, and this song is just a brilliant song about the confidence he has in God. And adding Brandon Lake gives a different voice as well which is great!

53: Grace Graber & Daniel Spriggs - My Favorite Part

Another year, another EOY hit for Grace Graber, who as a Christian shines a light on the difficulties people have with mental health and how a genuine faith can help to combat that. My Favourite Part is again fairly light-touch on mentions of God but it's clear that she's singing from a place of faith, talking about the fact that there is someone there for you even when you can't see it.

52: Strings And Heart - oasis for my soul

A new name in my EOY now, I discovered Strings And Heart through their song 'Kerosene' which is very punchy - this one slightly less so, but it's a great guitar song (I think the 'strings' in their name refer to guitar strings, certainly not hearing any violins in their music!) and was the first song of theirs to crack my Top 10, doing so in December.

51: SERA - Firestone

SERA is also a new artist in my chart - she's Dutch, and I think that's about as much as I know about her. But this song is great, an alt-pop song about standing strong in the fire. I must admit I don't actually know what a firestone is, I remember Kygo singing about one back in 2015 and this is the first time I've heard one mentioned since! This peaked at #9 in my chart in December.

Great to see 'Zjerm' appearing here!

It was one of my favourite songs from last year's Eurovision and the charisma of the performers really sold it on stage too. Glad it finished in the top 10 of the final

I think Zjerm is one of the most unusual hits in my chart but I enjoyed it a lot at Eurovision!

Nice to see "Voyage" on here.

50: The K's - Breakdown In My Bedroom

I hadn't heard of The K's before their Albums Chart #1 earlier in the year, but after that I thought I'd give some of their music a listen and really got into this one. It's a song about the anxieties of being in certain social situations and how that all comes out when you're alone, along with a reminder to be easy on yourself as it's 'your first time existing, there's time to learn'. This peaked at #5 in my chart back in September.

49: Chance Pena - Collapse

Another debutant in my chart, Chance Pena is a singer-songwriter from America. Collapse is a fab guitar-strumming song about the difficulties of being in a relationship, but ultimately a call for his partner to hold him up and a promise that he'll do the same for them. This scraped my Top 10 at #10 in November.

48: Amy MacDonald - Can You Hear Me?

The first of two Amy MacDonald songs in my countdown (great that she has come back this year!), Can You Hear Me is a fairly simple song lyrics-wise about living your life, but comes alongside a brilliant guitar-and-drum backing that certainly got my toes tapping! This got to #3 in my chart back in September.

47: Beluga Lagoon - Isla

After hearing the Levi Heron remix of The Glen, I had to give the original artist a listen! He/they (not quite sure if it's a band?) are pretty bananas, especially with always wearing animal masks, but Isla soon became a real favourite for me and absolutely a bit of light relief amidst anything else that was going on. Hickety Pickety Bumdy Bum!

46: Jonathan Ogden - Blue Feathers

Blue Feathers topped my chart just before Lent, becoming Ogden's first #1 in my chart (although he would later have a second with Set Me Free). On the song's YouTube page Ogden mentions that it's a song that's been around for a while but never released, taking in some very personal parts of his life and things he sees as important and working them into a beautiful song. 'A little taste of heaven on the days that hurt like hell will do me well' always gets me!

45: Saint Etienne - Glad

The highest Saint Etienne song in my countdown (apparently they've said this is their last album, didn't realise that when I was happily listening to these songs!), the combinations of 'don't it make you sad' and 'don't it make you glad' certainly get you thinking. This got to #12 in my chart around August time.

44: Chinese American Bear - Kids Go Down

Chinese American Bear remain as funky as ever (no idea where the 'bear' in their name comes from though), this song is an absolute toe-tapper with the funky guitar taking the lead throughout the song. It got to #6 in my chart in February.

43: Patrick Wolf - Jupiter

Now Patrick Wolf is a name I haven't heard since about 2008! The only reason I remember him is that his name was closest to my own on my dad's Itunes so whenever I recorded nonsense on Audacity his name would be just before mine. Anyway, Jupiter was a real earworm for me, 5 minutes long but not feeling like it went on too long at all! The song documents the artist's recovery from drug addiction.

42: Tommy Cash - Espresso Macchiato

Another Eurovision song here (three more to go if I've done my maths correctly!) This song was my favourite immediately after the contest, incredibly catchy and with the mock-Italian I couldn't get it out of my head (no stress-o, no stress-o, no need to be depress-o anyone?) It topped my chart directly after the contest but was booted off the week after by one of the songs yet to come.

41: Jeremy Loops & Ladysmith Black Mambazo - Coming Home

I first discovered Jeremy Loops through one of the Worldvision contests here (he's South African) but it's been a while since I've paid much attention to him - this one kept popping up in my YouTube recommended, so eventually I caved in and gave it a listen and I'm glad I did! It combines his usual twangy guitar music with the African vocals of Ladysmith Black Mambazo in a way which makes a thoroughly vibrant and positive song.

Collapse is a great track! I've spent less time with this Chance album than his previous one but I definitely need to revisit it.

40: Steph Macleod & Nathan Jess - Prepare The Way

We kick off our Top 40 with a great worship song by Scottish singer Steph Macleod. This was his debut in my chart as lead artist (he'd previously appeared as a feature on a Noel Robinson track) but the song just really grabbed me, it's a fab energetic song and the line in the chorus 'you've broken my chains but I've gotta let go' is certainly something that resonated with me! It peaked at #3 in mid-October last year.

39: The Slow Readers Club - Boy So Blue

The Slow Readers Club aren't exactly regulars to my chart but they do appear at regular intervals, having chart appearances in 2021, 2023 and 2025! When I first heard Boy So Blue I honestly thought it was a Cut Copy song as it sounds incredibly like one, and I still can't quite get it into my head that this is by the same band that did songs like Everything I Own! Certainly on the more pop side of indie/alternative.

38: Josiah Queen - Two Wooden Beams

I think I mentioned who Josiah Queen is in my commentary of Can't Steal My Joy. This was the first song of his as a standalone artist that really grabbed me, it's feels a bit 'harder' than his usual folk-pop work largely because it's about the importance of recognising how God's love ties in to the gruesome death of Jesus on the cross (that's what the 'two wooden beams' in the title refer to). This got to #6 in my chart in July.

37: Tide Lines - Better Days

Scottish band Tide Lines are one of a few acts I've discovered through seeing their albums on the Album Chart this year! This song just missed out on my Top 10 in the summer, but is a great song looking forward to better times when we can see difficult things around us right now.

36: Ben Fuller - Walk Through Fire

Ben Fuller had a #1 in my chart with 'Who I Am' back in 2022, but other than a Christmas song hasn't appeared in my chart since, so this is a 'welcome back' to him! It's a song about how he is thankful for the trials he's been through as they have refined him and brought him closer to God. It's a lot more epic than the usual contemporary Christian fare!

35: Maverick City Music, Jordin Sparks & Anthony Garigula - Constant (ft. Chandler Moore)

Another #1 now! In fact I think this was the first new chart-topper of the year for me. On a basic level it is a song about God being constant through doubts and difficulties, but it grabbed me for two reasons - first, musically it's so good, a ballad-esque song with a melody that just flows beautifully. But also that neither Jordin Sparks nor Anthony Garigula are particularly known for singing about Jesus - so to have them both on this song testifying about Him is incredibly powerful.

34: Joshu - holding on

I can tick off another country on my #1 nationality bingo-board here as Joshu is from Antigua & Barbuda! Admittedly his family are British but he's lived all his life there. This is quite a moody song but the simplicity of just his voice and the guitar really attracted me to it. It did spend 5 weeks at the top so for it to land at number 34 is quite strange, but sadly it did fall off my chart quite quickly!

33: Seafret & KT Tunstall - Five More Seconds

I'm a big fan of Seafret (they still have another song to come) and I've always enjoyed KT Tunstall's music, so it was nice to see them collaborate here! This song is about having 'five more seconds' to try and reconcile a hurting relationship, with both vocallists stating that it's 'still worth fighting for'. It got to #9 in my chart back in September

32: ALEXSUCKS - Flowers & Dirt

An odd artist name (I know nothing about this act other than that they're American) and the title isn't the most appealing either - he's stating that he and his partner go together like 'flowers and dirt', which is certainly an inspired choice of simile! I do know that this is an incredibly catchy indie-rock song, and it got to #8 in my chart back in August.

31: Jack Garratt - Ready! Steady! Go!

And we finish with a song from Jack Garratt, who made a re-appearance this year with his first new music since lockdown! This one was incredibly catchy, with all the various instruments working together to create something quite inspired. It got to #3 back in July for me.

30: Limoblaze & Joe L Barnes - Do It Now (Agbanilagbatan)

Limoblaze seems to be doing a series of songs with Joe L Barnes - this one was released around October-time and is a bit more jolly than some of the others, going back to the Afro-worship Limoblaze is best known for. The song is about God's faithfulness, knowing they can call on Him and that if he's done it before, he can do it again. The cartoon-ish music video is certainly a bit odd though!

29: Chinese American Bear - Forever Lover

The highest entry by Chinese American Bear this year, this song is a lot more synth-heavy than their two other hits in my chart this year but still really grabbed me, the focus on the artists singing about how they want to be with their partners forever despite it being 'a long long time' is very sweet. This song got to #6 in my chart in December.

28: NEEDTOBREATHE & Tori Kelly - I've Got A Story

The only song released by former EOY winners NEEDTOBREATHE this year, this was released for the Prime series 'House of David' which, true to form, I haven't seen and I don't have a clue what it's about! This is a nice uplifting song about overcoming adversity though, and it got to #7 in my chart in June having pushed through all the Eurovision entries.

27: Kensington - Stay

The highest Kensington song in this year's countdown, it's a track about a difficult relationship that they're trying to keep afloat. Musically it's arranged in such a way that just grabs me and sticks in my head, even if the lyrics in the chorus ('why don't you just stay, stay for another day') are a little reminiscent of East 17! This got to #5 in my chart in November.

26: Together For Palestine - Lullaby (ft. Nai Barghouti, Neneh Cherry & Leigh-Anne)

The last #1 of the year (although technically not the last #1 to make it into my EOY as the first #1 of 2026 is still to come!), this was a campaign song released to support the people of Palestine during the ongoing genocide. I had actually charted Nai Barghouti's song 'Rahu' earlier in the year so was aware of her, this is just a really beautiful song though, the harmonies in the refrain have a real sense of comfort amidst the clear emotion that can be heard in the free rhythms that happen towards the end of the song.

25: Kate Flanders - Satisfier

A chart debutant now! Kate Flanders is a brilliant alternative artist that I've discovered this year, I did briefly consider sending 'Satisfier' to BJSC but I've had so many of my favourite songs treated badly by that contest I'd rather go with something I have less of a stake in myself This is definitely worth a listen though. It got to #2 in my chart back in October.

24: KAJ - Bara Bada Bastu

Another Eurovision entry, this was my second of three Eurovision #1s this year. It was Sweden's entry and the first Swedish entry to be sung in Swedish since 1998, despite the trio actually coming from Finland! It's an incredibly catchy song though, who knew saunas could create music and viral dances like this?

23: Stanfour - Stay

We've been a bit short of songs with the same name this year, so how fitting that two songs called 'Stay' show up just four places apart from each other? (incidentally I've just looked through my archives and that brings the number of songs called 'Stay' up to 5 following offerings by Zedd, Saint Nomad and Monike Linkyte). German band Stanfour have been quite sparing in releasing music over the years, but I do really enjoy this song - although just like the last one it's about convincing a partner to stick with them. 'Stay, 'cause I want you' is better as a lyric in the chorus than the Kensington one I think!

22: The Maccabees - Koya

The Maccabees did split up in 2017, but this song has apparently been knocking around since then and had remained unreleased up until this year. I actually discovered it when poking through people's charts in the Multichart submissions thread, so thanks to the people who submit there! The lyrics themselves are a bit cryptic (what does it mean to have 'a city that's finding you'?) but somehow the sound really worked well with the end of the year and Christmas approaching.

21: The Red Clay Strays - I'm Still Fine

Aaaand just missing out on the Top 20 we have a little bit of country music! This isn't the sort of song I'd usually listen to but there was just something that felt... right about it, particularly the defiant 'God's not giving me up' in the chorus. This got to #1 in my chart just after Lent.

Nice to see "Can You Hear Me?", "Espresso Macchiato", "Bara Bada Bastu" and "Stay" on here.

20: Klemen - How Much Time Do We Have Left Together?

I mis-counted on the number of Eurovision songs left, turns out this isn't the highest one! It is the highest one that topped my chart though. This was Slovenia's entry, a beautiful ballad about the singer's partner getting a cancer diagnosis and not knowing how much time he would have left with her, but equally admiring her courage. A shame this didn't qualify, I can see why it's not the sort that would do well in Eurovision but I really loved it!

19: Ball Park Music - Please Don't Move To Melbourne

Apologies if you've just moved to Melbourne It's been a while since I charted a Ball Park Music song, so I looked them up to see what they'd released recently and this popped up. It's not an instantly catchy song but it slowly grew on me, eventually cracking my Top 10. It's a song about someone they love moving away, and really hits the summer indie vibes for me.

18: Mumford & Sons - Rushmere

I'll start off by saying that for months I thought 'Rushmere' was that mountain in America with the faces on it - turns out that's 'Rushmore' and that Rushmere is actually a pond on Wimbledon Common. This song is fantastic though, really takes me back to the early banjo-heavy Mumford & Sons days and just radiates positivity! This topped my chart back in May.

17: Josh Gauton - Sanctuary

The highest Josh Gauton song to appear in my EOY this year and the only one to top my chart, Sanctuary is very much in his slow/moody style that has been present throughout the whole of this album - but there are clearly positive notes in there, particularly the refrain of 'stay with me, sanctuary / shelter me, sanctuary'. I would say it's a fairly epic song.

16: Katarsis - Tavo Akys

Now this is actually my highest-ranked Eurovision song! I'd need to go back through the archives to see how many times Lithuania has had the highest Eurovision position in my EOY - it's definitely two with this and Ciuto Tuto, but it could very easily be three with The Roop doing well in my chart as well. This is one of those songs where the lyrics deliberately make very little sense, but the style of music alongside the visuals in the contest certainly set the mood. And the UK pointed it handsomely in both the public and jury vote! I did actually vote for this song on the night alongside Voyage, but other songs overtook it during the week. This is the one that's stuck around the longest though!

15: Kinnship - Zeal

Kinnship doesn't quite hit the dizzying heights he managed last year with his EOY #2 in Toiling, but Zeal was still a #1 in my chart (and the second song called Zeal to make it into my chart - the first was by Junior Garr earlier in the year). The song seems to be about witnessing the birth of a child, however I don't think that's explicitly stated in the song, and it's quite an interesting song to listen to as it starts of slow before filling out into a dance-beat after the first chorus.

14: John Allan - Resurrection Power

American worship artist John Allan was a new discovery for me this year, and one I found just by searching through Spotify's New Christian Music playlist, but it really grabbed me. His style is quite different to a lot of Christian musicians and the track really feels like a fully-fleshed alternative song. Unsurprisingly it's about the importance of Jesus' resurrection! (and given I'm counting song titles, this is the second one with this name to enter my chart, the first being by Chris Tomlin back in 2018) This one topped my chart in December.

13: Amy Macdonald - Is This What You've Been Waiting For?

Another Amy MacDonald track now! This was the title track of her album of the same name, and seems to be a love song but the imagery feels a lot more epic than that, with the 'We need to feel the light and sound, it's all around' lyrics heading into the chorus. It's another great indie-pop track from her, and really hit the longevity mark in my chart, entering in May but reaching its peak of #8 in August.

12: Sons of Sunday - I Looked Up

An introduction for Suns of Sunday is that they're effectively a Christian supergroup if ever there was one, bringing together six well-known worship leaders including Brandon Lake, Chandler Moore and Leeland. Their music really spans the genres but I Looked Up is a slow, reflective song, which is why I loved it so much. It effectively documents how God has worked in their lives in the darkest points, and how they were able to 'look up' and see Him through the difficulties. This topped my chart in May.

11: Cut Copy & Kate Bollinger - Belong To You

And just missing out on my Top 10 we have the most recent #1 to make my EOY, having topped my chart in January 2026! It signals a great comeback for Cut Copy, bringing back their synths and other noises to create a fantastic dance-pop song which, like so many other songs in the countdown, radiates positivity and a clear care for the subject of the song.

I just heard 'Please Don't Move To Melbourne' on the Hottest 100 last week and it was a real standout among the discoveries I made! Glad to see it pop up here too.

Agreed with your comments on 'Rushmere', it was so nostalgic to listen to even when it was brand new

I like seeing the two eurovision songs on here and "Is This What You've Been Waiting For?" on here, even if I like "I'm Done (Games That You Play)" more from Amy's new album.