Top 45 songs on Hits 1 during 2018

Hello everyone! I see that this community has greatly changed since I left and it is really cool to see all these awesome new bloggers. Even though we aren't that close to the end of the year, I missed blogging and I had a lot of time on my hands, so I decided to prepare my top 45 songs on Hits 1 in 2018! Now, the cut-off date for songs eligible for this list is rather early (November 3rd, 2018) so that I could get this out while I still have the time to seriously work on this. 2018 was actually a pretty good year, especially on Hits 1, who really stepped up their game in terms of selecting decent songs to play, as evidenced by this rather long honourable mentions list, which compares to a list of something like 5 songs the last time I did this:

Troye Sivan - My My My!

Fall Out Boy – The Last Of The Real Ones

Kendrick Lamar/SZA – All The Stars

Fall Out Boy - Hold Me Tight Or Don't

Dustin Atlas/Erin Bowman - Fake Friends

Khalid/Normani - Love Lies

AJR/Rivers Cuomo - Sober Up

Loud Luxury/Brando - Body

Wolves - Animal

Portugal. The Man - Live In The Moment

U2/Cheat Codes - Love Is Bigger Than Anything In Its Way

Louis Tomlinson - Miss You

Demi Lovato - Tell Me You Love Me

Walk The Moon - Kamikaze 

Bazzi/Camila Cabello - Beautiful

All of these songs are amazing, and I really regret that they couldn't make my list. I considered expanding my list to 50 songs, but 45 is a lot of work as it is, for me to make, of course, but also for you guys to read. So we'll keep it at 45 for now. I now invite you to have a seat, settle in and begin reading my top 45 songs on Hits 1 during 2018!

#45. Imagine Dragons - Natural

~ I will not listen to this song willingly, nor on the radio. If someone arounds me requests it, I will play it, but then I will run downstairs and listen to something else. I do not like this song. Yet, somehow, I selected it as my #45. I actually don’t really know why. When I listen to this song, I compare it to Radioactive, to Demons, to Believer, and to all the amazing songs Imagine Dragons have created in their awesome past. Natural could have been so much more. The verses feel as if Dan Reynolds is two beats off the rest of the band, the pre-chorus is great by Imagine Dragons standards, the chorus is a disaster, and, when compared to Believer’s centerpiece, Natural is completely pulverized. Now and again, however, I hear a streak of awful music on the radio that is immediately followed by Imagine Dragons and Natural. I am then reminded that Imagine Dragons have spoiled me with their past music that will remain on my playlist until I die. Natural is better than many songs on the radio or on the countdown. It is a unique song with parts that would fascinate me had Imagine Dragons never existed beforehand. This song deserves a spot on this list, and that it received.

#44. LSD - Thunderclouds

~ I might regret placing this song so low. I am just upset that LSD and Hits 1 chose Thunderclouds over Genius. The latter is an amazing song that would easily be in my top 10 if it made the countdown, maybe even in my top 5. Genius was flawless, whereas Sia’s contribution in Thunderclouds is average. In Thunderclouds, I especially like specific segments of the song, such as Labrinth’s low-pitched ‘Where did love go?’ and Sia’s opening ‘All I need is one’. This track has some amazing parts, the rest being okay. This creates, globally, a solid song that did not deserve the hate it received.

#43. Walk The Moon – One Foot

~ Shut Up & Dance was probably the biggest song in this channel’s history. It was good, but not that great.  In comparison, One Foot is better, simply because it hasn’t been rammed into my head for years on end by hits 1. The drop is rather nice, and the singing is very repetitive. However, if I enjoy some sounds, then I wouldn't mind hearing them nonstop for three or four minutes. In One Foot, Walk The Moon’s lead singer uses his voice in a catchy way.

#42. G-Eazy/Halsey – Him & I

~ It is hard to listen to this song while ignoring the whole relationship gossiping about the two artists. I hear the contrast between this and Without Me, and the lyrics are definitely not pleasant. But, as it should be done, let’s ignore everything except the song itself. Halsey’s chorus is marvellous. G-Eazy is mediocre and didn’t get even close to his performance in Me, Myself, & I. Halsey’s amazing voice is the only reason I like this song. I have always loved Halsey because of her unique touch on music that sounds magical, and her work in the chorus is undoubtedly magical.

#41. NOTD/Bea Miller – I Wanna Know

~ I can’t believe how long this song stayed on the countdown when I have never heard it on any other radio stations. I still like it nonetheless, and that deserves something. NOTD’s drop was annoying at first, but I grew into it and ended up liking it a lot. I remember Bea Miller from my 2015 jam Fire N Gold. I remember hearing a very nice voice that screamed a lot, but somehow was definitely not annoying. Bea Miller’s talent carries on to this song. If NOTD selected somebody else then I Wanna Know would be a contender for my worst songs of the year.

#40. Weezer – Africa

~ This song is identical to the original version by Toto back in the day. It is impossible to find any difference between the original and the cover. What I fear when modern artists take old songs and revive them is that, in the case of songs like I Like It or Wild Thoughts, not many people knew that they were a huge rip-off. In the case of Africa and a song coming up in a long while, everybody knew that it was a cover. That gives me a more secure sense of, hey, this is a 2018 song, I can like it without being annoyed that it’s a copy of a song from 1983 (or something). I can then say that the chorus is unique and impossible to copy unless you sing the exact same song. I have never heard something that mystical in my life, and although many artists attempt to create that sort of feel, few succeed as well as Toto did in this chorus. The production is sub-par, but the standard was much lower when Africa came out in the 80s. I look at this song in an entirely different way, simply because it is old and feeble and deserves support, in some sorts.

#39. Alice Merton – No Roots

~ I never truly appreciate how catchy the bass line is in this song. I feel as if this is the song I underrate the most. I really like it and Alice Merton’s voice is really solid. There is never any exaggeration. However, this song is forgettable for me because it doesn’t offer anything I haven’t heard before.

#38. Foster The People – Sit Next To Me

~ I don’t necessarily have a strong desire to listen to 20^th century songs. Most of them aren’t that catchy, which I guess is normal, because they were targeting something different at the time than my taste. Sit Next To Me sounds so much like an ancient song, with the typical beat, and that voice! However, it is modern enough not to be annoying, so therefore I can enjoy everything else about the song. That doesn’t say much though, as the beat and the main singer make up basically everything about the song. However, in this case, I really, really like the intermediate production, especially in between the lines during the chorus. The background voices are a great addition. I feel as if I will grow out of this song any second, so I basically never listen to it. Therefore, every time the radio plays it out of the blue, I can enjoy it like a fresh experience.

#37. Louis Tomlinson/Bebe Rexha/Digital Farm Animals – Back To You

~ OneDirection’s split was actually a good move for everyone, up until they all disappeared from the face of the earth and we never heard from them again, leaving room for 5SOS to take centre stage. Harry Styles’s Sign of the Times was probably the best song out of the fifty or so songs released by the 1D members after the split, but Back To You was a close enough second. I see comments all over youtube about ‘collaborations that I never knew I needed’. Well, Back To You is definitely the collaboration I never knew I needed. The two singers really match, and they do so much better than 99.9% of the other collaborations that are popular right now. DFA’s contribution is simple, but catchy. I am always reminded, when I hear the very beginning of the song, of Hymn For The Weekend, which had the same melody in the chorus. I guess that this takes away from DFA’s originality, but the production is still simple enough to highlight the satisfying links between Bebe Rexha and Louis Tomlinson.

#36. Ariana Grande – No Tears Left To Cry

~ I definitely did not like this song when it came out. Ariana Grande rapping did not seem right based on songs like Touch It which rely on her otherworldly voice. However, this is one of the cases where I just like to listen to the song, disregarding the flaws and enjoying the better parts. In this case, the better parts would be the chorus. Ariana Grande works the high notes very, very well. The rapping is actually better than many professional rappers out there right now, but the song would definitely be better without it.

#35. Halsey – Alone

~ Big Sean and Stefflon Don were massive obstacles in the released version of this song. I am glad that Hits 1 took the album version of Alone because that is the song I love. This is one of the recent cases where Halsey reminds me that she is a great singer. She has a fantastic voice that deserves this type of song. There is not much in Alone except Halsey singing, but the production is still a catchy accompaniment. I love the verses that gradually change keys and pitch. It prepares us for something big, and the chorus is acceptable. I would have preferred a little bit more variety in terms of the chorus. There was a lot of pressure on it to rock after that great build-up.

#34. The Chainsmokers/Kelsea Ballerini – This Feeling

~ I would never have thought that Kelsea Ballerini and The Chainsmokers would ever show up together in a song title. It was almost as surprising as when FGL sang for The Chainsmokers on Last Day Alive from their recent album Memories… Do Not Open. Country and EDM are two genres that definitely do not mix, and I feel that in Last Day Alive and in This Feeling the country roots of the singers are abandoned for the electronic signature of The Chainsmokers’ EDM. Whereas Kelsea Ballerini was decent as a country artist, she actually sounds pretty natural and pretty good as a mainstream artist. The Chainsmokers are very humble in this song. I can’t necessarily point out a fantastic part of this song. It is just that every single aspect of this song is good, and that creates, globally, a good song.

#33. 5 Seconds Of Summer – Want You Back

~ This was the first 5SOS song that I actually enjoyed. I love it as much now as I did when it came out, and that is rare for a pop song. I will talk more about 5SOS later in this list when their better song comes along, but basically pop worked out for this band. The simplistic beat and the traditional band components collide without creating too much of a contrast. I always tap along to this song without really intending so.

#32. Charlie Puth/Kehlani – Done For Me

~ I always thought How Long and Attention were 2018 songs. I had them up in my top 25 until I realized that they were in fact rather old. I guess that this shows Charlie Puth’s talent to create music that never suffers from overplay. Done For Me is and forever will be fresh. The only reason that this song is a bit low is that Charlie Puth’s trio of Attention, How Long, and Done For Me sound so similar to each other that they are easily comparable. The bass line in How Long is more developed, and Puth’s voice in Attention is better displayed. Nevertheless, Done For Me is still a fantastic song by any means, and Kehlani, although being a strange choice, clashes only a little bit. This song is short, but I actually don’t mind because if it were stretched out some more then it would become too repetitive.

#31. Dennis Lloyd – Nevermind

~ I have no idea who Dennis Lloyd is, and I have no clue either what on earth is going on in this song. Everything is chaotic. The lyrics are extremely repetitive as is the beat, but a bit less. However, I like this song because of its mystery, because of the solemn aura and the innovative voice manipulation. Dennis Lloyd’s voice sound so artificial, but is fits well with the song. Nevermind is unlike any song I have heard, and I seriously doubt that any similar song will ever come out. Dennis Lloyd was extremely bold to work with this feel. I am glad it worked.

#30. The Chainsmokers/Emily Warren – Side Effects

~ Emily Warren seems to collaborate with The Chainsmokers quite a bit. It tends not to work, in general. I much preferred her in Capsize, for example, with Frenship. She is one of the best singers that let the production be the star of the song. I mean that wherever Emily Warren shows up, the beat, the drop, or the bass line are the main reasons why the song is good or bad. Don’t get me wrong, Emily Warren is a great singer and would do just fine by herself, but paired with a duo like The Chainsmokers, who have potential that they have actually used this year more or less, it simply works. The reason I love this song is because of The Chainsmokers and the bass line that rivals Charlie Puth. However, if other singers like Halsey or Lauren Jauregui appeared in this song, I feel that they would take centre stage too much and the great sounds of The Chainsmokers would be less immanent.

#29. The Vamps – Just My Type

~ I always seem to forget this song, and I don’t know why. It gets more or less lost in the sea of good pop songs that came out in 2018. Whenever I hear it, however, I realize just how good it is. The Vamps are awesome, and they have made at least five songs that I still enjoy almost daily. Somebody To You is probably in my top 10 general songs. The Vamps represent everything a boy band should be. They make feel good music with a production that makes you dance, but still feels authentic. The lead singer has a great voice. Just My Type keeps all of these aspects that, seemingly, only The Vamps can get right. I hope that The Vamps continue to create great music even if they can’t obtain that much popularity. In my books, these guys rock.

#28. Echosmith – Over My Head

~ Around this section of this list are a relatively large number of innocent happy songs. Echosmith has that sort of vibe, but if you listen closely to the lyrics you will find that this song is not that joyful. I really like the chorus. The keyboard in the background is really nice. Echosmith’s previous songs Cool Kids and Bright were really boring for me, but Over My Head is a really interesting song. Echosmith have improved, massively, their production while not changing that much.

#27. Madison Beer – Home With You

~ Madison Beer sings songs that are almost identical to modern rap songs. The lyrics and the beat are very hip-hop, but the only difference is that she sings. And the singing is good. The melody is basically the only thing going for this song, but I love it so much that I can forgive the rather awful lyrics and the generic beat.

#26. Lovelytheband – Broken

~ This is yet another innocent happy song. I don’t really have anything to say about this song because I don’t see how it is possible to dislike it. It is so insanely basic. This is one of those songs that remind you that life is good.

#25. Brown & Gray – Top Down

~ Country music is either great or awful. The awful songs are the reason I tend not to research into country music that much. However, if Hits 1 picks up, completely randomly, a really good country song, then that’s fine with me. Top Down is a great country song. The reason country music distinguishes itself from other genres is that it is so carefree and relaxed. Top Down is a great example of an innocent country song by a couple of artists who are visibly really happy. It is hard not to smile when listening to this song.

#24. Zedd/Elley Duhé – Happy Now

~ I was really happy with Zedd’s humble approach in this song. His production can get messy, and I love how simple he kept his work in Happy Now. Nevertheless, the drop is the best part of the song. This is the sort of music that Zedd should be making. Elley Duhé was a great choice for this song. I have never heard about her before this collab, although her voice is better than many famous singers. I was really glad that Zedd returned to showing his skills as being the supporter of the singer.

#23. Clean Bandit/Demi Lovato – Solo

~ I really thought that this song would do well. When it left after merely two weeks on the countdown, I was really shocked. It feels like a radio song. I guess the lyrics harmed that in many ways. I normally ignore lyrics in a song, and this is no exception. Anyway, Clean Bandit have always grabbed me into their songs with their production and their strings, and Solo adds on to this list. I really like the production. Clean Bandit have a really unique feel, even more unique than many other artists that stand out. When I first heard this on the radio, I knew it was Clean Bandit without seeing any titles, because they stay true to their talents. Demi Lovato’s voice fits extremely well. In all, Solo is simply a fun song.

#22. Eminem/Ed Sheeran – The River

~ Let’s leave the first half of this song alone. Ed Sheeran’s third repetition of the chorus followed by Eminem’s bridge is the reason I love music. I live for this. Music like this does not get any better. I fear describing it because I can never put into words the feeling it gives me. I will never grow old of listening to those thirty seconds on repeat for ten minutes because perfect harmony, drums, rapping, and singing like this, having collided better than almost ever, will always be fresh, due to the lack of this aforementioned perfection in modern music. The problem is that Eminem’s other verses are actually pretty bad, his voice is a little bit too angry in this song compared to in his other great songs like Lose Yourself, and the lyrics at some points are rather unimpressive and sometimes painful, for example “You made me terminate my baby”. Machine Gun Kelly’s Home is better because of the constant new elements added to the song as it progresses. Actually, the link isn’t that strong between Home and River, I just wanted to give a shout-out to Home because it is such a good song that deserved better.

#21. Halsey – Without Me

~ I remember in the good old days when Halsey was my favourite female artist. She had songs like New Americana, Colors, and much, much more that were really good. She seemed to head downhill after collaborating with The Chainsmokers for Closer. She became lazy, I find, because she became famous. Her songs were by no means bad, but they weren’t good either. Without Me is a contestant for my favourite Halsey song released after Closer. It doesn’t reach the caliber of the songs preceding her Chainsmokers collaboration, but this song definitely has things going for it, but I can’t really say why. It’s a guilty pleasure for me, and as it is mostly with guilty pleasures, I understand why somebody could hate this song, but I still find it catchy.

#20. Shawn Mendes/Zedd – Lost In Japan

~ I hate Shawn Mendes beyond any popular young boy singer out there right now. I do not see any talent in him. I have deeply hated almost every song he has sung and There’s Nothing Holdin’ Me Back is easily in my bottom 10 songs ever. I know he has tons of fans, which may include you, and I retain myself as best as I could not to write insults. Zedd is not better in terms of DJs: His production tends to be messy and reliant on the good work of the singer to gain my interest. I gave this song a listen for the first time about one month after it was released. I did not rush to listen to this collaboration between these two guys. Then, after listening to it, I regretted wasting a month without this song in my life. This song is absolutely fantastic. Zedd described this, as I heard on the radio, as a song that ventures into a territory into which neither him nor Shawn Mendes would normally venture (or something like that) and I feel that this is the exact reason why I love this song so much. This is not something Shawn Mendes would attempt, and this is definitely not something Zedd would create either. The fact that they both took the risk to make a song this bold seriously paid off. Zedd’s drop is perfect and Shawn Mendes sounds so different. This is one of the best remixes ever (which honestly is not that hard to achieve). This collaboration worked so well, unexpectedly at that.

#19. NF - Let You Down

~ This song is glorious. I love almost every part of it, from the rock solid verses to the powerful chorus to that absolutely magnificent ending. This song had me hooked from the get-go. I knew I would be talking about this song over and over from the second it first played on my local radio. I am glad this made Hits 1 in a time when rap music was not accepted almost at all (unlike more recently) and had a decent tenure. This guy is talented and deserved the fame this song received.

#18. Benny Blanco/Khalid/Halsey – Eastside

~If this song were longer, it would definitely be higher. This song had much more potential and it really was unfortunate that it couldn't even last three minutes. Otherwise, this song is fantastic because of its simplicity. The melody is good and Benny Blanco had it work really well with his production. This song is really happy despite its lyrics, and it stays in my head all day without ever being annoying. Halsey is amazing because she toned it down from some of her other songs. I feel that if Benny Blanco added anything else to the production, then the song would lose its elegance.

#17. The Weeknd/Kendrick Lamar – Pray For Me

~ This was one of the songs that came out early in the year that I knew would show up in my end of year favourites. The Weeknd, I feel, was a bit lazy in this, especially after he spoiled me with Reminder and Starboy. The production is still really interesting and has that signature dark The Weeknd mark on it. Kendrick Lamar is the best part of this song by far. Rare are the times when I complement rap about anything except the lyrics, but Kendrick Lamar in this song not only creates seriously thought-provoking lyrics, but also a really good beat and synergizes very professionally with it.

#16. Ariana Grande – God Is A Woman

~ Ariana Grande is overrated, but she makes really good music sometimes. Her recent album had a grand total of two good songs, and both of them are on this list: No Tears Left To Cry and God Is A Woman. I love this one in a particular guilty pleasure way. I mean that I really like this song, but I don’t know why. I guess the production is really good and her voice fits well with it, but I definitely am not big on the lyrics or the chorus voices at the end. Nevertheless, the song is still really solid, and the production reminds me of the sort of cool beat that would be in a rap song. In this case, there is an actual melody, accompanied by the beat that is honestly pretty catchy.

#15. Cardi B - I Like It

~ Until this song, I wasn't quite sure what my opinion was on Cardi B. She seemed to be getting tons of hate and tons of love, and songs like Bodak Yellow and Bartier Cardi really made it in North America. I will admit that there are better rappers, but, like Post Malone, she uses her really, really annoying voice fantastically, so well in fact that it becomes really convenient to the song. Even though I Like It is based off of a great older song, Cardi B makes it better with her rapping that turns out to be really catchy. I really love this song. In general, I do not like rap. But Cardi B created an exception.

#14. Maroon 5 - Girls Like You

~ Cardi B clashed too much in this song, so for the first time in a while I am glad with a Hits 1 edit. This song was so massive on my local radios, and the fact that I still really like it says something. The simplicity of the tune is remarkable but still very pleasing. I really love Maroon 5, the old and the new, for completely different reasons, but nowadays, Maroon 5 make the most innocent songs out there that I can just enjoy without having to feel something.

#13. Marshmello/Bastille – Happier

~ Pompeii was a pretty decent song, but otherwise I never liked Bastille. I simply did not enjoy their style, and I felt that their production was always sub-par. In this song, Bastille do not do better. I do not like the lead singer’s voice at all. Imagine, then, how much I must love Marshmello’s contribution in this song to have it this high on this list. He does fantastically. I miss those catchy easygoing drops that still have a melody of some sorts. The production all throughout is stellar and it really shows how fantastic Marshmello is as a DJ. I always look forward to his next song because there is something that distinguishes him from the other DJs that play on the radio all the time. The drop in this song is probably the best one this year.

#12. AJR - Burn The House Down

~I have never understood all of the hate for AJR. It seems that whenever a new song is released with AJR as the artist, it gets wrecked by half of this blogging community. I, in any case, have a few AJR songs that I still listen to and love, among them I'm Not Famous, Sober Up, and, of course, Burn The House Down. AJR make songs that can only be described as fun, and this one is no exception, except lyric-wise. I rarely care about the lyrics in a song, and they will only reinforce my arguments if I want it so. In this case I will simply ignore them. The bass line in this song is really catchy. AJR use sounds that are so basic, but with all the try-hards on the radio nowadays, that remind me of that famous drop in Fall Out Boy's Young & Menace, I miss songs like this. Sober Up used a cello. Who uses a cello in their pop songs in 2018? The trumpet in Burn The House Down is really nice. The thing I love about AJR is that all their songs sound extremely natural, and although it reminds me sometimes of a six year old trying to learn a new instrument, it is unique and refreshing. I had to listen to a bunch of new songs to put together this post. After listening to two or three absolutely atrocious ones, I would listen to AJR and let out a sigh of relief.

#11. Twenty One Pilots - My Blood

~ I was really surprised when this debuted recently onto the countdown. It just didn't strike me as a Hits 1 song. However, we seem to have quite a bit of Twenty One Pilots songs from Trench that have been on Hits 1 without doing much. We'll see how this one does. As far as my opinion goes, this song is absolutely fantastic. I love everything about it for the same reason I love Twenty One Pilots: this song is unlike anything I have ever heard. Twenty One Pilots' originality is keeping them fresh and fantastic. I love absolutely everything about this song without being able to justify why and where, because I feel that, globally, this song is so satisfying and just so inexplicably perfect.

#10. Justin Timberlake/Chris Stapleton - Say Something

~ After Justin Timberlake's Filthy and Supplies, I did not rush to listen to this song. I had absolutely no expectations. When this song turned out to be fantastic, I was really surprised. Chris Stapleton and Justin Timberlake collide very, very successfully and their voices make a really nice harmony. What makes this song be, in my opinion, the most unique song on Hits 1 this year, is the production. I have never heard anything like this and I probably never will. This production is so prominent and so melodically pleasing that I don't care if the song is extremely repetitive and long, because I could listen to those sounds for ages without complaining. That elegance, compared with Justin Timberlake's always-strong voice and Chris Stapleton's very nice efforts, creates, arguably, magic.

#9. 5 Seconds Of Summer – Youngblood

~ I love 5SOS’s transition of genres. Whereas they never stood out as a band beforehand, they have made two quite memorable songs this past year. Youngblood is interesting, because the change of genres shows, but there is always the ‘true’ 5 Seconds Of Summer at this song’s core. This is one of the few really good songs that are playing on the radio right now, and I will always enjoy listening to it. Normally, I can point out specific parts of a song that I enjoy or that I do not. For Youngblood, I cannot do this, because what I love about it applies to song in general, specifically the build-up. I love how the first minute or so is mellow and basically just singing. I really like the build-up from the verses to the chorus and from one chorus to the other. It really feels grand, but after analyzing this song even a little bit you can realize that not much changes from the start to the end in terms of atmosphere. 5SOS really nailed it in Youngblood. Rarely are transitions so subtle and smooth as in here.

#8. George Ezra – Shotgun

~ Budapest was a really popular song a few years ago. At the beginning, I only liked that song because I was amazed at George Ezra’s awesome low voice. But after a few listens, I realized that the only thing going for the song was Ezra’s voice. His articulation was awful, the beat was annoying and the song was repetitive. George Ezra fell off my radar after one song. However, when I heard this song I don’t remember how, I was reminded of the incredibility of Ezra’s voice and how unique it was. Now that he has combined it with really, really good production, he is bound to be on my future watch list.

#7. Bebe - I'm A Mess

~ When she is the lead artist, Bebe Rexha is either extremely annoying or just fine. She seems to work with quite a bit of genres. Eventually, she has to hit the mark, right? For me, I'm A Mess was her first amazing song. No Broken Hearts and Meant To Be were great for a little bit, and I can't count Hey Mama due to the millions of other people involved with that (fantastic) song. I feel like I'm A Mess stretches out its verses and choruses to the point where they almost get boring, but not quite. This song switches up while keeping a basic skeleton. The production is very, very well done and pop-like, but not quite. I don't really listen to this song that much due to the extreme mockery it receives from my family for its lyrics, but it was one of the first songs I would play when I would be alone. It is the sort of song to which you would tap along subconsciously. Bebe Rexha seems to be heading upward!

#6. Marshmello/Anne-Marie - Friends

~ I feel as if I placed this song much higher than it should be. When I give examples of how to negatively criticize a song, I use this as an example, because there are so many flaws. The squeaking is atrocious, the song is repetitive, and the meaning and the singing of F-R-I-E-N-D-S is so stupid. However, I still really love the song, and I don't really know why that much. I know the song is really upbeat but not like all those club remixes, since there still is some effort given into the music. During a time when the radio was playing some really questionable songs, this was literally the only good song I could hear without streaming. I owe this song, and I still have fun listening to it. This is the best collaboration this year.

#5. Panic! At The Disco - Say Amen (Saturday Night)

~ Pray For The Wicked was a fantastic album, possible the best one in a while, and among the many highlights the lead single seemed to stand strong. This is a really fun Panic! song that had me dancing all day to the tune stuck in my head. I love everything about this song, but what really stands out is Brendon Urie's voice that he uses better than almost ever, and combined with a great production that contains strange sounds I have never heard in my life, nothing can go wrong. This is not the last you will see of Panic! on this list!

#4. Twenty One Pilots - Jumpsuit

~ To recapitulate my blogging years, I love Twenty One Pilots. They are my favourite artists ever, constantly putting out original alternative songs that always catch me in different ways. From Stressed Out to Heathens, they actually seemed to capture the attention of the main public and the radio, reaching #1 on tons of charts (and boy was I happy!). However, with their newest album Trench, interest seemed to decline, and I understand a little bit the reason. However, I still find this to be a fantastic comeback single from this amazing duo. That rock solid instrumental opening drives the atmosphere through and the solemn verses lead up to a really simple drop that, in my opinion, is actually better than those of Zedd, of The Chainsmokers, and most other DJs, bar Alan Walker and Shaun Frank. The song lived up to my expectations, and to be honest I was really nervous how this would turn out. Comeback singles do not always work, and this one definitely did not in terms of general popularity. But this is still one of my favourite songs of the year for the amazing Twenty One Pilots signature vibe.

#3. Panic! At The Disco - High Hopes

~ This is, hands down, the best Panic! song. No question. Ever since I first heard of this band, a long time ago, up until Brendon Urie flying solo, Panic! has produced fantastic music in a class with very few artists that have made almost only good songs. The production, vocals, and beat is absolutely amazing and so much fun! Even though the lyrics are far from original, there are a few clever segments. Overall, this song deserves a lot and I am glad Hits 1 gave it many weeks at the top spot.

#2. The Chainsmokers - Sick Boy

~ The Chainsmokers have changed a lot since #SELFIE and their year of glory in 2017. Popular opinion definitely did not side with me, as I really, really enjoyed this first glimpse of the new Chainsmokers, which was definitely a flop. The Chainsmokers were always fantastic except for their electronic solos, which regularly lacked creativity, for example in Something Just Like This or in Closer. Therefore, I was overjoyed when they released this song without any solos at all, without any featured artist that clashed horribly with their style as Coldplay did, and with a production so good that I still have this song on my playlist and always end up dancing to it somewhat. This song is better than any of the songs currently on the countdown. This song is EDM at its best. It sucked that this couldn't get popular because it deserved so much more than the monotone Closer that somehow hit the mark for everybody.

#1. Bad Wolves – Zombie

~ Rarely do songs hit me as hard as this one did the first time I listen to them. For songs like Dusk Till Dawn, Lights Down Low, or Lost On You (by LP), songs you might recognize as my top 3 songs from 2017 in general, it took me a few or more listens to fully appreciate just how amazing they all were. This definitely did not happen for Bad Wolves’ cover. I knew when I first heard it that this would probably turn out to be my absolute favourite song ever made, and that turned out to be the case. Everything that makes a good rock song shows up here. That awesome heavy feel, the fantastic, legitimate instruments, and an out-of-this-world deep voice. What takes these aspects, and more, from good to magnificent is the pure and raw emotion behind the clear sadness felt by Tommy Vext. After listening to this song, I felt that the death of The Cranberries’ lead singer was that of someone I loved. I felt more sadness after listening to this song than after my cat died! This song has changed the way I think, the way I act, and the way I feel. Although The Cranberries deserve a lot of credit for this, their original version, to be honest, wasn’t that good. It was a marriage of a boring instrumental backbone and of a fantastic decorative voice. It had potential that the Bad Wolves expertly deployed.



Phew! We did it! Thanks so much for checking in. If you have any questions, comments, typo remarks or insults about my opinion, please feel free to leave a comment below. Until next time!