Noahspike

Great top 5 so far - I absolutely adore 'Pure Shores' :heart:

Among my all-time favourite songs I'd say.

It just refuses to age! Gonna listen now :o

Some great inclusions here, Jake, particularly 'Gunshot' 'The Heart Wants What It Wants' (the remixes of which I haven't heard but I'm sure they're wonderful), 'Bassically', 'I Loved You' and 'Jerk Ribs'.

I agree with many of your points on Cheryl's music, especially how 'I Don't Care's mimed, half-arsed X Factor performance and subsequent #1 status is representative of how low people's standards have dropped for her. I wasn't surprised in the slightest to see it exit the charts quickly as it's an incredibly basic, throwaway song with shockingly bad vocals in the chorus but the very fact it debuted at the top spot says it all. I think sometimes when people talk about things like 'legacy' and 'artistry', it can come across as pretentious/snobbish to some people but you make very valid points. I don't understand how people can steadfastly defend someone who continually produces utterly uninspired, disposable, trend-chasing attempts at hits.

Having said that, have you heard 'Only Human' the song, out of interest?! It's excellent and exactly the kind of music she should be doing.

#75 | Mark Ronson ft. Bruno Mars | Uptown Funk

UK | 01

Ire | 01

Kicking off my top 75 songs of the year is a large dollop of retro FUNK in the form of Mark Ronson's Bruno Mars-featuring soon-to-be-if-not-already ubiquitous throwback comeback track 'Uptown Funk' :funky:. From the opening lines (about Michelle Pfeiffer's white gold or something??? Meh, who cares :music:), it's very clear we have a gigantic out-and-out banger on our hands. Possibly the most instantly impactful and infectious track I've heard this year, it brings all of the best sonic and lyrical elements of 70's disco funk to the present day while sounding effortlessly fresh and unique. I love when an undeniable smash hit like this comes along and seemingly manages to unite music lovers of hugely varying backgrounds. I'm also very glad I'm a fan and not nearly tired of it (yet) as I know it'll be inescapable for the next several months at the very least. :drama:

#74 | Hopium ft. Phoebe Lou | Dreamers

UK | -

Ire | -

For better or worse, Hopium's 'Dreamers' has really spoken to me from the first time I heard it. The hazy, dreamy (for want of a more inspired word :arrr:) production juxtaposes Hopium's harsh, direct words for the song's subject: 'You said this would be your year/But you f***ed around, now December's here/You must be one of the dreamers'. As someone who has an unhealthy tendency toward procrastination, I actively avoided listening to 'Dreamers' in the few weeks before my uni assignment deadlines this month as it was all just a little too close to home! Anyway, now all of that's out of the way I can return to fully appreciating this gem of a song, the Unknown Sound Edit of which gave me my second hit in BJSC a couple of months ago. :D

#73 | The Script | Superheroes

UK | 03

Ire | 01

'Superheroes' is very much a case of 'if it ain't broke...', both based on its commercial performance and with regard to my personal opinion of the track. The Script returned this year with a typically ~inspirational~ lead single complete with a video featuring a touching story to pull at our heartstrings and I have no shame in saying I lapped it all up from the off! The song definitely doesn't show any musical progression on the part of the Dublin trio but as long as they continue to produce catchy, well sung, enjoyable songs like 'Superheroes', I'm not particularly bothered. Having said that, I was very surprised (despite good radio support for the song) that it stuck around high in the charts for so long and that their schtick seems to be as popular as ever. :o

#72 | Pearl | Not Enough

UK | -

Ire | -

This song is far too ~underground~ for Youtube so I've had to use a soundcloud link #hipsterlife :drama: (doesn't work quite so well following The Script but I'm gonna roll with it). In July, White Room Records released 'Open', an album credited to Pearl (an actual person or a 'project' - I'm still unsure) which features the gorgeous slow jam 'Not Enough'. This track is a thing of utter beauty, with subtle, whispery, layered vocals and harmonies creating a wonderfully relaxing, almost spiritual piece of music which I've found makes perfect listening for winding down at the end of a long day. I considered entering this into BJSC but figured it would most certainly flop which would hurt my heart too much. </3

#71 | Shakira ft. Rihanna | Can’t Remember To Forget You

UK | 11

Ire | 07

It seems the general consensus on 'Can't Remember To Forget You', one of the most anticipated collaborations of the year (with the most annoying title of forever :arrr:), was that it was a disappointment, with a particularly lacklustre and underwhelming chorus. Certainly it underperfomed in the UK charts, relative to the artist names involved, peaking at #11 and falling pretty fast (albeit with a strong boost from the duo's sex tape official music video release). I never quite got the criticism. From Shakira's indistinguishable first verse to Rihanna's 'I'd give my last arm to hold you tonight' :huh:, (I've just realised it's 'dime' but it definitely sounds like 'arm') it's all a bit of a jam really. It also led to

The other three are all ones that I forgot to put in my own EOY :drama: I'm not very good with remembering to put in post-album singles and that M.O. song had vanished from my memory, I'd even forgot to chart it at the time oops! A really refreshing throwback sound.

Oh, I know the feeling. In fact, I was looking at your chart and realised there were songs I hadn't even considered which may well have made mine. :drama:

Good that there was stuff you like anyway. I've a feeling you may be a fan of #75 at least. :o

hey now is probably my favourite track from if you wait, absolutely stunning. what a voice *-*

Same here I think, and yeah her voice is stunning. :heart:

#80 | OneRepublic | I Lived

UK | 29

Ire | 44

I'm not usually a fan of motivational, inspirational, grab-life-by-the-balls anthems but OneRepublic's 'I Lived' manages to get the carpe diem message across effectively as part of a very enjoyable track that doesn't feel in any way patronising. Ryan Teddar has proven time and time again that he knows his way around a decent melody and this song is no exception, with catchy, pounding verses leading to a euphoric, uplifting and thus thematically-fitting chorus. As soon as I heard some of the lyrics I was immediately reminded of Beyoncé's 'I Was Here' and upon discovering that Tedder had a hand in writing that song I can only conclude, dear readers, that some ~recycling~ has occurred :o. For instance, 'I Was Here' features lines such as 'I want to say I lived each day until I died' and 'I lived, I loved/I was here/I did, I've done everything that I wanted' while 'I Lived' is all 'I, I did it all/I owned every second that this world could give' etc. (I don't exactly know where I'm going with this but the similarity may be mildly interesting to someone, idk!)

#79 | will.i.am ft. Cody Wise | It’s My Birthday

UK | 01

Ire | 25

Beyhold perhaps my guiltiest and most pleasurable guilty pleasure of the year :o. This track is a bop-and-a-half and the sooner we all admit this to ourselves, the better.

#78 | Katy Perry | This Is How We Do

UK | 33

Ire | 31

Speaking of bops :banana:, the fifth (and final?) single released from Katy Perry's third album, 'Prism', is the infectious, comical and very fun 'This Is How We Do'. I remember this song sticking in my head more than any other when I checked out the album last year (and I also immediately thought it was very much 'Last Friday Night' 2.0 in a similar way to how 'Dark Horse' is a bit of a rehash of 'E.T.'). With somewhat cringe-worthy spoken ad libs, a detached vocal delivery throughout and off-beat lyrics which reference ping-pong, tacos and Mariah Carey-oke, the song clearly doesn't take itself seriously and as such, is perfectly suited for parties and celebrations. The video is perhaps my favourite of Katy's - a real feast for the eyes that's highly re-watchable.

#77 | London Grammar | Hey Now

UK | 37

Ire | -

One of my favourite British acts to emerge in the last couple of years, London Grammar continued the commercial success that they achieved with their debut album into 2014, with post-album single 'Hey Now' surprisingly reaching the Top 40 (for two whole weeks, no less :o). 'Hey Now' is lyrically sparse and, at least for me, doesn't exactly convey much as to its theme or meaning. However, the haunting, surging vocal runs of Hannah Reid are more than enough for me to appreciate the track's immense beauty and ensure I return to it again and again.

#76 | M.O | Dance On My Own

UK | 49

Ire | -

Reaching #38 in the UK sales chart in August, M.O's 'Dance On My Own' was one of the first 'victims' of streaming, having to settle for a #49 debut/peak officially. Featuring strong, feisty vocals over a ~sick~, bangin' beat, 'Dance On My Own' is throwback girl group R&B at its best. I was gutted it narrowly missed out on a Top 40 placing as it would be so refreshing to hear more tracks like this in the charts. Aside: one of the members of the group is an absolute dead ringer for Jessie Ware. :o

Noah don't turn to the dark side re: 1D :drama:

Gahhh I think it's too late. :blink:

(Thanks for the seal :o)

Sunlight is great (I adore the vocals) and Harry's part on night changes is amazing. I also adore Boom clap, definitely one of my favourite songs from a movie this year :wub:

Wow, looks like that section got the all-important Ultra-v seal of approval. :yahoo:

Night Changes is STUNNING and easily one of my favourite 1D tracks :heart: The whole FOUR album is absolutely wonderful.

 

Excellent chart so far Noah!

Thanks Joseph! Agreed on 'FOUR' - it really surprised me how good it is. If I get around to making an album countdown, it's sure to feature.

Very lovely description of 'Dancing in the Dark'. I am glad you were won over by it in such a way, hearing things like that makes BJSC feel SO worthwhile. I too will be keeping an eye out for him next year (aside: a bit of showbiz goss, he is dating Jessie J! Who knew~ :o :mellow:) Yay for Josef Salvat too ofc!

Yeah I'm very glad I joined BJSC for all the great discoveries, many of which were provided by yourself! Re: Jessie J, let's hope he doesn't go to her for musical advice. :drama:

boom clap is fantastic, i remember being enticed by the first second and kept repeating it for ages. i love the video for some reason too although nothing really happens..

 

sunlight is v nice too, wasn't really keen at all on the ~8 hour version seven sent to bjsc but the radio version really got me dancin'. shame it wasn't released a few months earlier 'cause it would've been one of my summer tunes but instead it felt a bit odd.

 

1d have turned me on their side this era too, i've hated some of their previous stuff namely best song ever and live while we're young but thye've strayed from that and made some very good songs and album. hope they continue with this style

It appears I'm not alone and there are many recent 1D converts on here :o. Cheers for your comments!

So no female hooks/collaborations at all? Hmm. Anyone else think he'll re-release the album (similar to Amy's re-release of 'Back To Black' with all females? Or not bother? :lol: (I'm sorry if any of the names are in fact female, but to me they're male names (even though I've never heard of them) except for maybe Keyone?

What a criminal abuse of brackets :drama:

#85 | Charli XCX | Boom Clap

UK | 06

Ire | 08

Capitalising on the mainstream success she achieved with her feature on one of the most surprising smash hits of the year, Charli XCX was quick to release solo offering 'Boom Clap', a song which was conveniently part of the soundtrack to the high-profile film adaptaion of 'The Fault In Our Stars'. Despite liking it on first listen, I remember thinking the track was quite dated and amateurish with its Avril Lavigne-esque cheerleader chorus and I assumed it wouldn't do too much commercially. Obviously I was wrong as it turned into a genuinely big hit, helped considerably by its association with the film but also on its own merits as a simple and expressive anthem of young love.

#84 | Nothing But Thieves | Lover, Please Stay

UK | -

Ire | -

The second and final entry on this countdown from Nothing But Thieves is the stark acoustic ballad 'Lover, Please Stay', a song still without a traceable studio version :arrr:. This is one of the most emotional songs of the year for me – in fact I may have even shed a tear one of the many times I've listened to it :o. Accompanied by a solitary guitar, the band’s lead singer Conor Mason's fragile, quivering vocal in the opening verses gradually develops into a loud, intense cry of desperation for his loved one before returning to a whisper in the song's final moments. I'd imagine this song would destroy you if you’re feeling heartbroken. </3

#83 | Professor Green ft. Tori Kelly | Lullaby

UK | 04

Ire | 58

I never thought I'd be counting a Professor Green track as one of the year's best but then his contribution to my enjoyment of 'Lullaby' is minimal. I've always disliked his rapping style and whiny delivery and I pretty much zone out for his verses in this track (although strangely they don't bother me at all) but my attention is definitely captured by Tori Kelly's angelic vocal in the chorus. I was glad to see this do well in the charts (even though it's highly formulaic, structurally uninspired and belongs in 2010) as it's a stunning song and Professor Green seems like a nice enough fella, despite his incessant whining. ^_^

#82 | One Direction | Night Changes

UK | 07

Ire | 14

As the second single from One Direction's fourth album, 'Night Changes' is very much representative of the new, matured, soft rock-esque sound of the world-conquering boyb[r]and. A stripped-back ballad with beautiful harmonies throughout, it is lyrically and sonically a cut above the majority of their back-catalogue for me. The video is also very enjoyable if you keep watching beyond the first couple of minutes :o. As an aside, I’m somewhat concerned that I've found myself slowly but surely morphing into a Directioner with the ‘FOUR’ era. :drama:

#81 | The Magician ft. Years & Years | Sunlight

UK | 07

Ire | -

The Magician's 'Sunlight', the first of three Years & Years-related tracks to feature in this countdown, was first brought to my attention by the song's noted enthusiast on Buzzjack, SevenSeize, when he entered it into BJSC several months ago. Although I was a fan of it at the time for its effortlessly summery, feel-good production and superb, soaring vocals, it wasn't until it charted in the top 10 in October that it really hit me cos chart validation. It really is quite a ~sick~ tune. :music:

I'm definitely with you on 'Dibby Dibby Sound'. It took me several weeks but I managed to finally get past the dibbyness and I saw the light ^_^

Really like that section, particularly the inclusions of Kyla La Grange (who I only heard for the first time a couple of days ago :o), Ella's 'Yours' and Pharrell's 'Gust Of Wind' :heart:

EDIT: Oops, how apt that the first time I post with mah brand new widgets is in your thread :kink:

#90 | Luke James | Dancing In The Dark

UK | -

Ire | -

I have Bal to thank for bringing 'Dancing In The Dark' to my attention, after he entered the sensual R&B jam into BJSC a few months ago. Luke James' layered, breathy vocals and falsetto help to create a warm, atmospheric track exploring the theme of late-night ~dancing~ (SHAGGING). Being in a separate semi-final to D'yermak'er in that particular contest, I made the mistake of listening to the track when I was unable to vote for it and found that it overshadowed and distracted me from almost everything I was supposed to be evaluating :drama:. Anyway, having subsequently been impressed by further songs of his, Luke James will most definitely be an artist I’ll be following closely in 2015.

#89 | Coldplay | A Sky Full Of Stars

UK | 09

Ire | 03

The second single from Coldplay’s sixth studio album 'Ghost Stories', 'A Sky Full Of Stars' sees the four-piece in an unlikely collaboration with Swedish supastardeejay, Avicii. As a casual Coldplay fan, I was intrigued by the partnership but initially found it disappointing, dismissing it as generic, trend-chasing and a track which was clearly shoehorned onto an otherwise cohesive album in order to increase its commercial appeal. While I haven’t exactly done a 180° on that verdict, I found that it grew immeasurably on me via passive re-listening over several months, with it gradually revealing its euphoric beauty and eventually cementing itself among the band’s best material.

#88 | Lana Del Rey | Ultraviolence

UK | 105

Ire | -

'Ultraviolence', the title track and second UK single from the much–anticipated follow-up to Lana Del Rey's 'Born To Die', is one of those songs that washes over me without really capturing my attention, despite its heavy subject matter. As such, the questionable lyrics, which some critics have said glorify domestic violence, are pretty much irrelevant to my enjoyment of the song. As a whole, I find it mellow, haunting, eerie and somewhat other-worldly, which results in a relaxing and very pleasant listening experience. ^_^

#87 | Beyoncé | Partition

UK | 74

Ire | 57

Yo 'Drunk In Love', I'm really happy for you, I'mma let you finish but 'Partition' is definitely the best single released from Beyoncé's self-titled album (and possibly the best track on the album but I wouldn't know as I still haven’t heard it in full :drama:). The song is about Yoncé politely requesting a bit of privacy from her driver so she can partake in some backseat ~award show preparation~ (SHAGGING). Like 'A Sky Full Of Stars', this took its time to grow on me but I fully appreciate it now for the jam that it is, helped considerably by the excellent video. :o

#86 | Josef Salvat | Shoot And Run

UK | -

Ire | -

Josef Salvat, possibly my favourite 'new' artist of the year, was introduced to me by Math (who deservedly won BJSC with the singer's 'Open Season', which [*SPOILER* omg] won’t appear in this countdown for another while yet :o). Longtime Salvat fan Bal then led me to the 'In Your Prime' EP, which features the absolutely wonderful 'Shoot And Run'. Similar in many ways to typical Lana Del Rey fare, the track is dark and dramatic throughout, utilises hip-hop beats/instrumentation and begins with a somewhat detached, understated vocal delivery. The highlight for me is definitely the post-chorus 'she shoots and...she shoots and...she...shoots...and...she.........RU-uH-UH-uH-UH-uH-UH...'etc. (anyone who's heard it will hopefully know what I’m talking about cos I can’t describe it any other way!) :unsure:

'Holding Onto Heaven' and 'If I Go' really are highlights of the year, aren't they? :heart: Amazing quality countdown so far, can't wait to see more soon!

Thanks Math! I'll be sure to check out yours as well :D

Ready For Your Love is LUSH :heart: glad it really smashed, if only Real/Here For You were massive chart hits too :( can't get everyting my way i guess.

 

I love Ella Eyre's voice but her songs don't do too much for me sadly.

 

Holding Onto Heaven (and Let Go For 2nite as well) were quite disappointing efforts from Foxes especially following from Youth and of course the stunning Clarity.

 

Lover Not A Fighter is really poor by Tinie's standards :no: I even muted it on the chart show a few times oops, mostly due to Labrinth's chorus being annoying tbh.

 

Will stay tuned and hope for some more banging tunes~

Doesn't seem like we've a huge amount of common taste but it's always interesting to get different takes on songs and hopefully there'll be a bit more overlap down the line!

FOXES! Omfg, she made it :yahoo:, my favorite track from her definitely. One of the best songs this year for me and vastly under-appreciated :(

 

If I go :wub: stunning as well! I really hope Ella can crack success next year (although top 20 singles aren't awful :) )

Yeah definitely not but I'd love to see her get a genuine hit as I love her voice :heart:

Looking forward to the rest of this, such high quality already including 'Ready for Your Love' :wub: Loving the commentaries, you articulate everything so well!

 

CFNR to win :cheer:

Appreciate that - it definitely doesn't come naturally and I've struggled a bit to articulate the appeal of certain songs so that's great to hear! CFNR may be in with fighting chance so stay tuned :o

Sweet, can't wait to see how much overlap we have! So far Foxes and Aloe Blacc are potentials. They'd end up pretty low for me too, but love 'em both!

 

Hard Work :wub: Very glad you linked me to that. I'm shocked that you've grown tired of Graveyard Whistling!

 

Awesome start :D

Interesting - looking through my list, I'd imagine there's a fair bit of overlap to come :o

And yeah, I wouldn't say I'm tired yet of 'Graveyard Whistling' but it unfortunately doesn't have the same appeal it once did due to excessive hammering :/

I quite like ready for your love and holding onto heaven is stunning, definitely my favourite foxes song :wub:

Also if I go is amazing, Ella so deserves to break out :wub:

I'm a bit surprised yourself and a few others regard 'Holding Onto Heaven' so highly as I thought it'd be a more unpopular inclusion but that's great to hear!

#95 | Eliot Sumner | Information

UK | -

Ire | -

Having previously released an album, 'The Constant', under the name I Blame Coco, 2014 saw Sting's daughter Eliot Sumner ditch her band and moniker to go it completely alone. I've been a fan of her voice since 'Self Machine' (which I originally thought was sung by a man :o) and was delighted that she returned with an EP this year, the title track of which perfectly displays her brooding, husky vocals. Somewhat darker than her previous material, 'Information' is a guitar-led, synthy track building to a huge chorus in which Eliot longs for answers following a break-up, with lines such as 'I need to know you're thinking of me/I need to know you're there' shouted out in desperation.

#94 | Gorgon City ft. MNEK | Ready For Your Love

UK | 04

Ire | -

'Ready For Your Love' proved a big hit in the UK (but not in Ireland, what's that about? :angry:) for Gorgon City and MNEK at the beginning of the year, spending an impressive 16 weeks in the Top 75. The minimalistic, atmospheric house track took its time to grow on me, with MNEK's laid-back vocal delivery eventually winning me over after repeated Chart Show listens. I was perhaps a little biased against this from the outset due to it being locked in a tight three-way chart longevity battle with (*SPOILER* omg :o) one of my favourite songs of the year along with a typically disposable but widely-appealing will.i.am single. The standout part of 'Ready For You Love' for me is undoubtedly the soaring, effortlessly sung middle 8.

#93 | Ella Eyre | If I Go

UK | 16

Ire | 80

From one BBC Sound Of 2014-shortlisted artist (MNEK) to another, Ella Eyre only managed to really capture my attention this summer with the release of 'If I Go', despite a high-profile feature last year. Her highly distinctive, soulful tone, coupled with an almost snarling vocal delivery, is front and centre in the song over a tempo-shifting drum 'n' bass track that builds to a thundering chorus. Ella was unfortunate (or depending on your perspective, fortunate enough) to finish runner-up to Sam Smith for both the Sound Of 2014 and BRITS Critics' Choice awards and has since experienced moderate commercial success, with two short-lived top 20 singles. I can't help but wonder how different things would have been had she triumphed over Sam (as it's always hard to determine how self-perpetuating these types of awards are) but for now I anticipate her album in the new year and hope it'll lead to her well-deserved breakthrough.

#92 | JUCE | Call You Out

UK | -

Ire | -

I believe I was introduced to this track via a Buzzjack thread started by Griff (so cheers Griff, if you ever come back and read this :D) and it was very much an instant hit with me. JUCE, a female trio from London, have been likened to early Sugababes with their 90's-inspired R&B/pop output and it's not hard to see why based on their spring blog hit 'Call You Out', which is definitely the best track I've heard from them. I find it infectious on its own merits but the video, which is full of 90's references including an ode to TLC's 'Creep', really elevates it to a new level of enjoyment. If you remember the decade (so I'm talking pretty much exclusively to you, Bal, out of those who have commented in this thread so far :lol:) it's well worth watching!

#91 | Foxes | Holding Onto Heaven

UK | 14

Ire | 46

Foxes hasn't managed to top her 2013 hit 'Youth' for me, but 'Holding Onto Heaven' definitely comes the closest of everything I've heard since from the Grammy-winning love child of Jameela Jamil and Diana Vickers. I felt at the time of its release that it was generally underrated on here, much like in the charts, but it wasn't until revisiting the track recently that I appreciated it in all its glory (< half-arsed reference to her album title :magic:). Starting off with a vulnerable vocal, the song builds to an anthemic, synth-ridden chorus and the whole package is really quite beautiful. :o

Tinie making the top 100 and not Foxes :drama:

Stay tuned :o

(Also, glad that you made a discovery in 'Graveyard Whistling'!)

:snif:

Yay for VÉRITÉ and that Sam Smith BEAUTY getting mentions but EEK i expected the other 2 to be well in the top 100 here! Hope that's a sign of the QUALITY of the hundred and not a sign of your sillybeanness :angry:

I may live to regret it but unfortunately I had to make a few tough decisions and those tracks were particularly close to making it in. I am unsure if this makes me a sillybean but please feel free to call me out on that as you see fit!

Zombie is amazing and one of my favourite indie songs this year so great to see it here :wub: Hard work and the man are also good

Very glad to get your approval as I've seen that you have high standards (thinking specifically of your comments on Riser's thread for 'All Of Me')!

I completely agree that 'I saw my teacher from college, she says she thinks that I'm great

I'm gonna give her the D cause she never gimme an A' is the highlight of the lyrics in LNAF :lol: He really is a lyrical genius, definitely my favourite of the rappers of the past few years. Pass Out/Frisky are ofc very good too

Zombie is very good as well, I agree the heavy accent increases my love for it but it's very strong on its own accord. Even my dad likes it a lot :lol: Rabbit Hole is slightly better for me though :D

Haha, I've always loved that verse and it's good to see it has another fan here. Great to see some 'Zombie' love too but I've yet to hear 'Rabbit Hole' so will check that out soon!

Thanks for the comments!

^ This was a bloodbath, guys :cry:

#100 | Tinie Tempah ft. Labrinth | Lover Not A Fighter

UK | 16

Ire | 30

Kicking off the top 100 is the third single from Tinie Tempah's second album 'Demonstration' which features long-term collaborator, Labrinth. I seem to remember this generally being disliked at the time it charted but I was always a fan. While not quite reaching the heights of the duo's previous efforts and indeed being somewhat derivative of former glories, it's the lyrical content that makes this for me, as is so often the case with Tinie's output. There's a quirky wit to many of his verses, exemplified by lines such as 'I feel like Cruella de Vil the way I be stealing the spot', 'I used to sit on the settee eating a tin of spaghetti' and of course the cleverly phrased verse about ~reuniting~ with his former teacher. :o

#99 | Jamie T | Zombie

UK | 36

Ire | -

'Zombie', taken from his third studio album 'Carry On The Grudge' (strong contender for album title of the year right thurr) returned Jamie T to the UK Top 40 after a five year absence. I was very pleasantly surprised to see him achieve mainstream recognition once more, especially considering he was away for so long, as he was one of the standout artists from my school years and I still regularly listen to tracks like 'If You Got The Money', 'Sheila' and 'Sticks 'n' Stones', if only for their no(ah)stalgic value :heart:. As such, the real appeal of 'Zombie' for me lies in its catchy, poppy, heavily-accented chorus, which isn't much of a departure sonically from his late noughties (HATE this word ugh) heyday.

#98 | Aloe Blacc | The Man

UK | 01

Ire | 04

Possibly another unpopular choice considering the lukewarm response to it on Buzzjack, Aloe Blacc's first credited #1 hit, 'The Man', is somewhat of a guilty pleasure for me. I recognise the criticisms; the shameless 'Your Song' sample, the repetition in the chorus, the fact it sort of plods along without really going anywhere and sounds very dated in the process, but I still find it catchy and have a lot of time for it (well, four minutes :mellow:). Although I haven't heard anyone else sing it, I imagine it's Aloe's rich tone that's the real selling-point here for me. It was a shame that his album campaign pretty much collapsed after this passed, as I'd love to have heard more of him in the charts.

#97 | Nothing But Thieves | Graveyard Whistling

UK | -

Ire | -

Speaking of great voices being the selling-point of songs, it's the dulcet tones of Nothing But Thieves' lead vocalist which always seem to elevate the band's mellow indie-pop offerings for me - 'Graveyard Whistling' being no exception. The song, which explores the virtues of atheism, begins in a typically understated style and gradually builds and builds to an angsty middle 8 which then explodes into a final chorus. Although I found that it didn't stand up too well to repeated listens (and there was a period over the summer when I was hammering this song on the daily), I felt it was only right that it made my top 100 of the year as it proved very popular on the site, giving me my first ever BJSC hit. :D

#96 | Ella Henderson | Hard Work

UK | -

Ire | -

Premiered as a promo track in the run-up to the release of Ella Henderson's album 'Chapter One', 'Hard Work' caught my attention immediately, helped undoubtedly by the simple and effective accompanying video of her travelling the world to record her debut record. While Ella is known for her powerful vocal delivery and range, the strength of this track is in its simplicity and stripped-back...ness :huh:. I like the sentiment of the song - 'You're hard work but you're good for me'. It's short and sweet and thankfully isn't overshadowed by ambitious production or vocal acrobatics.

Going to give 'Automatic' a listen now on the strength of what you said in that write-up!

Agree with you on 'Adore You'. I thought it was a good song and a bold single choice but it seemed to me at the time that it was left to fend for itself with practically no promotion, which was never going to result in a hit considering the song's subtlety. It's almost like the label had blown their budget by then and just abandoned the 'Bangerz' campaign completely. Speaking of which, 'Adore You' must be the most misleading single ever in terms of the style and sound of its parent album (not that I've heard it either)!

Ultra-V and Nelly ready to get noahstalgic :yahoo:

TY <3

Ok I've just realised the 'End Of Year' text in my banner thing is slightly left of centre (which I guess could represent my v inspired music taste??? No) and that'll annoy me but I'll try my best to forget about that now cos I'm about to start my TOP 100 SONGS OF 2014 COUNTDOWN and I'm bloody excited tbqhwy :D

Firstly, here are 38 beauts which unfortunately failed to make the cut cos yolo~

Ariana Grande ft. Zedd | Break Free

Avicii | Addicted To You

Banks | Brain

Banks | Drowning

Cathedrals | OOO AAA

Chris Brown ft. Lil Wayne & Tyga | Loyal

Clean Bandit ft. Jess Glynne | Real Love

David Guetta ft. Sam Martin | Dangerous

Disclosure ft. Mary J Blige | F For You

Elijah Blake | Give Me You

Ella Henderson | Yours

Ellie Goulding | Beating Heart

Foster The People | Coming Of Age

Foxes | Let Go For Tonight

George Ezra | Budapest

James Bay | Hear Your Heart (Tontario Edit)

James Wolf | Can’t Get Enough

Jess Glynne | Right Here

Jessie Ware | Say You Love Me

Katy B | Still

Kiesza | Giant In My Heart

Klingande | Jubel

Kwabs | Pray For Love

Little Mix | Salute

London Grammar | Sights

Macklemore & Ryan Lewis ft. Schoolboy Q & Hollis | White Walls

Maroon 5 | It Was Always You

Meghan Trainor | Lips Are Movin

Paolo Nutini | Scream (Funk My Life Up)

Parra For Cuva ft. Anna Naklab | Wicked Games

Route 94 ft. Jess Glynne | My Love

Sam Smith | Leave Your Lover

Sigma | Nobody To Love

Sinead Harnett ft. Snakehips | No Other Way

The Vamps ft. Demi Lovato | Somebody To You

Tiaan | Devil’s Touch

VÉRITÉ | Weekend

Wretch 32 | 6 Words

In amongst some BJSC standouts, there are regrettable losses of some of my favourite artists such as Katy B, Kwabs, Jessie Ware and Banks (all of whom have made my top 100 with superior offerings). Also, please spare a thought for poor Jess Glynne who did not fare well there at all, losing three of her four contenders :(

100-96 coming up next :o

I still have no idea what she is begging for

I like to imagine she's waiting impatiently after midnight on a Sunday for Martin to post the brand new iTunes thread. We've all been there.

Nicki and Iggy dont really do it though, do they?! I suppose Black Widow maybe, but that is one of Iggys worst imo anyway.

 

And I never like all bitchy female contestants either (although way off topic, and this has obviously been bothering you for some time). Helen for example is one of my most hated housemates ever!

 

Tbh, it was more the way he went around it with calling Ellie out when as far as I am aware, has not said anything bad about him and then everyone just jumped on his side. If it wasnt for that, I wouldnt really care.

Listen to Nicki and Iggy's lyrics and you'll find they're full of arrogance, smugness, pretence - everything you insist on criticising Ed for! It's just an observation. I recognise people have different preferences and I'm speaking in generalites - not just about yourself, but it is annoying when there's clear double standards with your 'arrogance' argument!

EXACTLY.

 

Dont is a prime example of this. He is an arrogant self righteous prick

You've used 'Don't' as an example before of his supposed arrogance and smugness yet female artists such as Nicki Minaj and Iggy Azalea (both of whose music is absolutely full of these traits) are generally celebrated here (and it's the same with bitchy female Big Brother contestents etc) because this arrogance makes them 'fierce queens'! This is way off-topic but something I've noticed about there being a definite female bias on Buzzjack with regard to personalities. 'Don't' is a song about being screwed over - give the guy a break.

in terms of context in 10 years from what will really be remembered looked upon as stalwart classics?

'Thinking Out Loud' most definitely (speaking as someone who's sick of that song and was never blown away by it in the first place).

'Gunshot' feels like one of the more upbeat tracks off the album and it's now used to sell cars.

Oh wow Gunshot, never actually heard anything from her before but I heard the song on an advert and it instantly attracted me and I reached for my phone and shazamed it immediately.

Late (both to this interaction and 'Gunshot' in general) but I was on Youtube last week and an ad came up for Peugeot (?) with the song and it completely hit me round the face with its excellence that I had to DROP EVERYTHING so to speak and pause it (imagine pausing a Youtube ad :o) to find out what it was. Interestingly a load of the comments on the official video for 'Gunshot' are about the car ad bringing them there - just shows you the impact of that form of promotion. Anyway I really love this and wasn't at all disappointed with the full thing. Beautiful track :heart:

Demi could have at least tried to make more of an effort than just being all 'LOOK! BALL GOWN! VOCAL RANGE!' etc.

What were you expecting?! She performed the song more than competently IMO.