Welcome to another top 45 list of songs on Hits 1 during an entire year*!
*from beginning of November 2018 to beginning of November 2019, making posts like this takes a lot of time, ok? It ended up taking me almost two months because of logical reasons, and because last year I released this post way before the year end and that didn't make much sense. Also, I have to address the oh-my-god-this-person-is-enforcing-an-opinion-on-me-I-must-call-the-united-nations people: by the way, this post has my opinion, mine, I can't believe some people don't understand that, come on folks. I'm not forcing you to like anything and I'm not attacking you for hating a song I like. Alright now you can continue reading, sorry for that...
So I was always annoyed when people would tell me that the music of 2017 or 2018 was absolute garbage when compared to the early and mid-2010s. I really disagreed with that. Every year I found many awesome songs, and I'm sure those complainers did too. I know not everyone is like this, but I'm perfectly satisfied if I have 4-5 amazing songs that I can enjoy at any given time. And at some points in 2017 or 2018, I had a good 15 epic songs to play, and I could spend well over an hour just listening to music and doing nothing, while having a wonderful time.
Although, I can't help but complain just a tiny bit about the music in 2019. When I look back at most of the songs I played this year, the best ones all came out in previous years. And right now, my jams are mostly from Set It Off and Nico Collins, whose best music was from 2018.
But just because music was worse doesn't mean that it wasn't good. I still listen to music whenever I can, and it's rare that I run out of great songs to listen to. But still, some times this year I went all the way back to 2009 to find awesome enough music...
Anyways, enough of that. Here are the honourable mentions. It is worth saying that most of these songs would not be honourably mentioned in 2018, and that, in a couple of months from now, I will probably forget all of them (except the super popular ones):
Alex Aiono - Big Mistake
*from beginning of November 2018 to beginning of November 2019, making posts like this takes a lot of time, ok? It ended up taking me almost two months because of logical reasons, and because last year I released this post way before the year end and that didn't make much sense. Also, I have to address the oh-my-god-this-person-is-enforcing-an-opinion-on-me-I-must-call-the-united-nations people: by the way, this post has my opinion, mine, I can't believe some people don't understand that, come on folks. I'm not forcing you to like anything and I'm not attacking you for hating a song I like. Alright now you can continue reading, sorry for that...
So I was always annoyed when people would tell me that the music of 2017 or 2018 was absolute garbage when compared to the early and mid-2010s. I really disagreed with that. Every year I found many awesome songs, and I'm sure those complainers did too. I know not everyone is like this, but I'm perfectly satisfied if I have 4-5 amazing songs that I can enjoy at any given time. And at some points in 2017 or 2018, I had a good 15 epic songs to play, and I could spend well over an hour just listening to music and doing nothing, while having a wonderful time.
Although, I can't help but complain just a tiny bit about the music in 2019. When I look back at most of the songs I played this year, the best ones all came out in previous years. And right now, my jams are mostly from Set It Off and Nico Collins, whose best music was from 2018.
But just because music was worse doesn't mean that it wasn't good. I still listen to music whenever I can, and it's rare that I run out of great songs to listen to. But still, some times this year I went all the way back to 2009 to find awesome enough music...
Anyways, enough of that. Here are the honourable mentions. It is worth saying that most of these songs would not be honourably mentioned in 2018, and that, in a couple of months from now, I will probably forget all of them (except the super popular ones):
Alex Aiono - Big Mistake
Asher Angel - One Thought Away
Austin Brown - In Betweenin'
Bazzi - Paradise
Billie Eilish - When the Party's Over
David Guetta/Anne-Marie - Don't Leave Me Alone
Fall Out Boy/Wyclef Jean - Dear Future Self (Hands Up)
Halsey - Graveyard
James Arthur - Empty Space
Jonas Brothers - Cool
Jonas Brothers - Cool
Jordan McGraw - Flexible
Khalid - Talk
Lauv/Julia Michaels - There's No Way
Lizzo - Truth Hurts
Lizzo - Truth Hurts
Niall Horan - Nice To Meet Ya
Push Baby - Mama's House
Sabrina Carpenter - Sue Me
Shawn Mendes - If I Can't Have You
Thomas Rhett - Look What God Gave Her
Travis Scott/Drake - Sicko Mode
Zara Larsson - Ruin My Life
Zara Larsson - Ruin My Life
So here we go! Have fun looking through, and see you on the other side! :)
~ Well, if Panic! keeps making songs, eventually one of them has to be a little bit bad. Not completely bad - as far as I'm concerned, the only very bad song Panic! has ever made is I Write Sins Not Tragedies - but songs like Dancing's Not a Crime remind me that Brendon Urie is human and imperfect. Which is good to know, because with a voice that extraordinary, I was getting worried. Dancing's Not a Crime is still a fun song to dance to at parties, or to see in concert (oh boy, don't get me started on how awesome Panic! are live). The verses are catchy and I really don't have any problem with them - they are very enjoyable. But the chorus is... I don't want to say that it eventually gets annoying - because "annoying" is not really the word I'm looking for. It's more like... loud? Or, irritating? It's just that the horns usually work magnificently with the intense version of Brendon Urie's voice. This time, they don't work as well as usual. I haven't been saying many good things about this song, so you might be wondering why I have it on this list. So I should probably say what I like about this song. The thing is, with Brendon Urie, every time I hear his voice, I become a little bit happier. His voice is so unique, and I associate it with so many wonderful experiences I have had while listening to Panic! At the Disco. Which is a small reason why I love almost every one of his songs (the main reason is that they're basically all my style). This is a filler song never willingly play it - but when it comes up, I won't skip it. It's fun to listen to, if I'm in a good mood.
#44. Jonas Brothers - Only Human
~ I am not sure how I can say anything about this song without being mundane and obvious. I guess I'll try. It's just that my reasons for liking this song all make sense, at least I think so. This song makes me forget all my problems and become happy. It's easy to tap your foot to this in the car (and boy do I hear it a lot on all radio stations). I never willingly play this, though - if I want to dance in my living room (which I do all the time, by myself), I would probably go through hundreds of songs before thinking of playing Only Human. It is a song I prefer to enjoy while I'm relaxing, sitting in a chair, tapping my foot, and waiting for the real deal to start playing so I can jump out of my seat and start moving like I mean it.
~ I have heard this song over and over and over for months on end - I still can't spend a couple of minutes in a car without hearing this at least once on the radio. And I can't skip it or change the channel, because every single person in my family loves this song to death. But, many times during the day, this is the best song playing on the radio. It is so innocently simple, and I could easily insult the song itself and its popularity, but I won't, because I actually enjoy listening to it. The melody is simple, and the beat is pleasant - if only both of them weren't obliterated after millions of repeats on the radio - heck, the chorus already repeats itself way more than necessary within one play. Ed Sheeran and Justin Bieber have unique voices that work well together - Love Yourself was a boring joke of a song, but their voices fit nicely there too. Maybe next time Ed Sheeran and Justin Bieber collaborate, I will love the end result. I know that both these people can make amazing songs by themselves - just when they work together, they seem to get lazy.
~ This is the sort of song I should call my jam. The production is totally my style. The Weeknd has some incredibly awesome pieces of music (maybe not in 2019, but still) and Travis Scott nearly hypnotises me in his recent collab with Post Malone and Ozzy Osbourne. And, oh yeah, SZA exists too. She can be decently cool when singing with decently cool people. All three artists are really good in this song, but I didn't feel like they gave all they could have. There are no original melodies and, although it's cool, I have heard the beat many times before. I keep forgetting what this song sounds like, because it lacks creativity so much that, despite the huge potential of all the singers, Power Is Power isn't a memorable song at all.
~ It took me forever to warm up to this song, because the most memorable part was Young Thug, in the original version. The best way to describe his verse is the screams of a mouse, an elephant, and Mariah Carey getting simultaneously tortured. Once I finally gave Post Malone a chance to show his skills in Goodbyes, I regretted waiting so long. I love how the melody repeats itself, then surprises me with a few different notes and rhythms. Every part of Post Malone's part is as vocally pleasing as it is incredibly unoriginal - he probably started and completed Goodbyes in ten minutes, maximum. It's just astounding how he abuses the exact same style, and how, every single time (except maybe Psycho, or Circles, but not even), the song has an awesome rap voice and enough freshness to get me hooked in.
~ Alec Benjamin is one of my favourite new artist discoveries of 2019. Despite this year being full of fantastic slow songs, he stood out with his unique voice (which could have been a bad thing, if he didn't handle it so well) and his unusual songwriting style. He also stood out with his signature depressing photo pose, but oh well. The chorus of Jesus In LA saves it from the average verses... It's catchy, it's pleasing, and it never gets old. The verses don't have anything special, which is the main reason why I don't listen to this song that much - but I would never change the channel if Jesus In LA started playing.
~ This isn't even in my 5 favourite Billie Eilish songs. And I don't consider myself a fan of hers, when compared to some other people I know. But My Boy, Bellyache, All the Good Girls Go to Hell, and more are really, really cool songs. I have no clue how the dark emo style of Bad Guy got so big on the radio, but I had some fun listening to it every single time it came on. And that includes every time my mother played it, which was about two or three times per second at some point. The groove in Bad Guy is very interesting. I'm still not sick of the bass and of that so called drop. I like this song, and Billie Eilish in general, because I can see that refreshingly original music can still be found.
~ I feel like, in a few years, maybe even less, I might wonder why I ever liked this song. But there is something about Post Malone music in general that always makes me listen to his songs with the same enthusiasm every time. He finds one especially pleasing melody, and, with his cool voice, rams it into our heads over and over and over again - kind of like Carol of the Bells (which, when performed by the Trans-Siberian Orchestra, is my favourite Christmas carol by a mile). Just as Swae Lee starts to get annoying, Post Malone takes over and sings, lower than usual to change things up. It's hardly a collaboration as much as two dudes singing the same song one after another. But it works anyways and I can enjoy boring times if Sunflower playing in the background.
~ I'm going to talk about Ariana Grande in this post much, much more than I thought I would at the beginning of this year. I just really like what she's been doing lately in general. Boyfriend is a very smooth tune. I love dancing to it, very conservatively. Ariana Grande's voice is not squeaky and annoying in this case - it's just strangely entertaining. The song would get boring after a few listens if Social House didn't shift the hear a few times. They aren't that good, though, but, despite how generic their rapping is, they don't ruin the song nearly as much as they could have. Thankfully, Ariana Grande takes back the control fast enough, and she reminds me why I listen to Boyfriend in the first place - to calmly chill out, maybe moving slowly from side to side, perhaps with a cold beverage in my hand, hoping that nobody is watching me in this embarrassing and sad state.
~ Country music is making more and more sense these days than it used to. Kelsea Ballerini is, in my humble and bias opinion, the best female country singer right now, even better than the recent work Carrie Underwood did. I love the many simple details this song has - a few note variations, a short electronic voice part, a surprisingly sombre and low-pitched chorus... It's cool, and Miss Me More is the main reason why I restarted scouting for good songs on my country music station.
#35. Why Don't We - What Am I
~ Now this is an interesting bunch of guys. Between their slow songs like this one, and their two-minute long bops like Something Different, I have no clue how they keep showing up with new songs all the time. I never expect much from them, but somehow I am always pleasantly surprised by what they come up with. It was obvious that Ed Sheeran was involved in this song, and together, they came up with a sweet innocent tune. It really doesn't get stuck in my head, it's not catchy. But that makes the times I spend listening to What Am I that much more special.
~ Lauren Jauregui was the best Fifth Harmony member. I am still madly in love with her duet with Halsey from a while ago, called Strangers. Jauregui's voice is so imposing, it's so powerful - I feel a huge mixture of emotions from the first few notes if Expectations, before I even knew what she was saying. The chorus could move mountains if they had ears. The only issue with this song is that it drags on and doesn't change much. And, we have a couple better songs on this list that are the same style. One of them will come a bit later, and another one will show up...
~ ...right now. Tell Me It's Over can easily be compared to Expectations, which shows me which one is better. Mainly, Avril Lavigne's voice is sick. I didn't realize how badly she used it in her other songs until I heard this powerful masterpiece. Sure, the chorus is repeated one time too many, but I don't remember ever listening to this song before without dropping everything I was doing, closing my eyes, disconnecting from reality, and cherishing a few dozen seconds of Tell Me It's Over. Then, I would reopen my eyes and get on with my life (around maybe the 2 minute mark). Then, I would realize how cool this song's progression was, and close my eyes again... When I listen to this, I am either completely hooked, or mildly bored. Either way, Avril Lavigne is captivating in this tune that is much more involving than anything she has ever done.
~ The only reason why I consider myself a Bebe Rexha fan is because my entire entourage won't let me play her without constantly bickering and annoyingly and loudly complaining over the music (to be fair, I do the same thing to them all the time, but let's not be hypocritical here). Bebe Rexha's voice stands out like a surprisingly lovely sore thumb. It's almost annoying, but not quite, and if you told me you didn't like her, I would understand perfectly. I find that she adventures as far as she can go without becoming too... what's the word... too... Bebe Rexha-ish? I don't know. She is cool in an indescribable way. Last Hurrah is super catchy - the melody resurfaces in my head after months pass without me hearing this song. The repetition of the same two pleasing notes gets old very fast, but the song evolves enough from end to end
~ Now these guys are a great example of a duo that knows how to do love songs. Even before I got into any sort of relationship myself, I was emotionally struck by Dan + Shay and somehow felt in love. Speechless is not their best song - it sometimes gets boring. But it's still a very sweet song to play in the background - sometimes, you might abandon what you're doing a bit, close your eyes, and enjoy a particularly pleasing part. Other times, it plays in the background without being annoying at all, because it's very innocent. This is just a nice little song that I will never say no to playing.
#30. Camila Cabello - Liar
~ A few surprisingly awesome "latin" songs came out this past year (note the quotation marks there). Liar is not one of them. Its beat and instruments can't compare to jams like Looking at Me (by Sabrina Carpenter) or, you know, a song that's actually sung in Spanish (Pantera, for example, by Bella Santiago). I passionately hate Camila Cabello's voice, but, somehow, she uses it spectacularly in songs like Crying in the Club. In Liar, she doesn't use it that well. You might be asking yourself then what the heck it's doing up here at #30. Well, that's a very good question. When this song comes on the radio, it is a fresh break from similar-sounding pop music. It's hard to resist full-out dancing to some instrumental parts and the sort of interesting rhythms. The pop style of Liar, though, separates it from other latin songs (that are better, but less unique). Liar is unique - I still feel like it was patched together in a few minutes, after weeks of fruitless attempts, when some random person said, hey, let's stick a modified latin beat on top of some jazzy pop sax/trumpet and see if Camila Cabello doesn't make us all want to jump out the window. Ok, if you're still reading this, it's probably because this song means something to you, and so far I probably insulted it more than I praised it, so let me just end by saying that it's great at parties, it's great to show off or to recommend, since I know so many people that like it, and I will never say no to listening to it, because, despite everything, it really is a fun song.
~ Undrunk is cool. Really cool. I think it's one of the most interesting pieces of music I have heard this year. It doesn't really change from start to finish, but in between it has a sort of magic that keeps bringing me back to it. The lyrics are incredibly clever - before I heard that line "but some things you can't undo", I was cringing big time (uncall? unkiss?), but after that one line, I realized how cool that idea was. The melody is gentle, but I feel strong emotions when listening to this. And, after all the songs I have listened to, when a song causes me to feel intense sadness, or regret, or whatever... Then that is something special.
~ I don't really understand why people hate this song. I don't understand why Fifth Harmony split up, either, because they had some awesome songs together, with or without Camila Cabello. Anyways, I didn't know who the heck Ally Brooke was or where she came from, until someone told me, about a week after I heard this song for the first time. Then I saw that most of the negative comments compared Ally Brooke to the other Fifth Harmony members. And honestly, it's hard for the dance beat to compare with Pharrell's work on Havana, it's hard for Ally Brooke's voice to compare with Lauren Jauregui... This song doesn't do anything better than all the other 5H members. But it's still a solid, fun, catchy song. The tune gets stuck inside my head, and it's incredibly simple. I figured out how to play it on the piano, entirely - it's that basic. But it's unique enough that I can still have fun listening to Low Key.
~ Sweet By Psycho is not on this list, I don't like it, but I like this song. So I guess I have some explaining to do, because so many people are saying that they are identical. The reason why I love this song much, much more than Sweet But Psycho is the chorus. Sweet But Psycho keeps the same tone and style for the entire song. So Am I has this same boring, eventually annoying tone in the verses, but the chorus is completely different. Sure, the beat is similar - but Ava Max's high notes are so pleasing, I don't know why she didn't use them more in Sweet But Psycho. The contrast makes me enjoy the verses, because the sound is different. The lyrics are unoriginal, but still good - and much better than warning someone about emotionless neck breathing.
~ Another Alec Benjamin song sees him talk about something more traditional - troubles of the world, "just live through it", and sisters...? Honestly, I don't really care, because, even though what he says is much better than loads of the questionable lines on the radio, most of his other songs are lyrically better than this. If We Have Each Other opened his album, and it was a great choice to show anyone that Alec Benjamin makes songs that are slow, but nowhere near boring. The electronic instruments work well with his voice... I'm really surprised how often his voice works with a song. It shows me that you don't have to have a glorious voice to make glorious slow songs.
~ I like this song a lot. I guess I have some explaining to do, since this is the biggest songwriting joke this year (excluding that typical hip hop sex/drug garbage). Part of why I enjoy this song is the insane amount of easy-going, incredibly shallow FUN that comes with singing "mee-hee-hee". I always thought Taylor Swift had a great voice (just, when she uses it properly) and Brendon Urie has an awesome voice, apparently no matter what he does with it. If you ignore the spelling part of the song, it's fun to dance to, especially with other people. The extravagant video and Billboard Awards performance made this so much into a bubblegum pop song... I believe that neither artists care one bit if someone hates this song, because I think they had a fun time making it. I'm also glad Panic! At the Disco got loads of recognition over the past year - enough to work with even Taylor Swift. This was a cool collaboration!
~ This song never belonged on Hits 1, and I don't think Kpop ever will - I feel weird adding BTS to this list, because, well, first of all, Boy With Luv was only on Hits 1 because of Halsey, but also, Kpop is so, so different from anything playing on North American radio. I like Kpop much more than I should - and I don't even like it that much. Except BTS songs, I could count the number of Kpop songs that I love on one hand. With BTS, I would need to use both hands and some of my toes. I like BTS, not because they are great dancers, not because they are cute, not because they are cooler than the vast majority of famous singers... I like them because of their music. MIC Drop makes me dance every time I play it - and I play it all over the place, and at least once a day. Airplane pt.2 has one of the coolest grooves of any song ever, and solid rapping that only ruin the song a little bit. Boy With Luv, when compared to those two songs I just mentioned, isn't nearly as good. But I'll take this over 99% of the other Kpop songs any day. BTS must know that, no matter what song they make, it's going to be famous to some extent - what's cool is that they still put effort into making catchy melodies, original beats, and consistently interesting songs. The only problem with Boy With Luv is the rapping. The rapping in MIC Drop is insane - among the best I've ever heard. I was disappointed then to hear the bland rapping in Boy With Luv. The gentle, happy beat synchronized very well with the lovely chorus and with Halsey's mild contribution, just not with the rap.
#23. Lauv/Troye Sivan - I'm So Tired...
~ Troye Sivan has an epic voice. Because of this song, I went back to listen to some of his older songs like Youth or Wild, and man, his voice is mesmerising. Without him, I would probably forget that this song existed. Lauv is nice, and the melody is catchy, don't get me wrong - but it is repetitive. However, because Troye Sivan shifts the groove and the mood with his unique voice, I love listening to this. It isn't that unique, honestly - but it's one of few Troye Sivan songs that make their way onto the radio. So it makes me happy whenever I listen to it... I don't appreciate that guy enough.
~ This year was infested with Ariana Grande music, so none of her songs reached their full popularity potential, and many people don't remember most of her less successful songs. This is one of those that people tend to forget. I don't get that, because it's the second best song she's released this year, in my humble opinion. It continues the list of great songs with names that are way too long than they should be, such as Love Is Bigger Than Anything In Its Way, My Songs Know What You Did in the Dark (Light Em Up), and Lying Is the Most Fun a Girl Can Have Without Taking Her Clothes Off, to name a few. Ariana Grande's long-titled song takes her new rap style and uses it properly. There notes change pitch. The trap beat stops and restart. The melodies change slightly, and random sounds are thrown in here and there. The bridge changes the style, and is unexpected. All of this keeps me hooked into what would should be a normal song - and while parts of this song are quite basic, there are plenty of interesting parts that keep me coming back to this once in a while.
#21. Lauren Daigle - You Say
~ There is not much to say about this one - a wicked voice, beautiful melodies, a solid accompaniment that prevents the song from being boring, while letting the singer be the star... This song is amazing, and I know that many people agree with me. I'm surprised I didn't hear this being played much more on the radio - this is better than many Adele songs that blew up (especially When We Were Young). Either way, I'm glad it was played at all, because it's one of the few amazing songs that I was introduced to by the radio stations.
~ There is not much to say about this one - a wicked voice, beautiful melodies, a solid accompaniment that prevents the song from being boring, while letting the singer be the star... This song is amazing, and I know that many people agree with me. I'm surprised I didn't hear this being played much more on the radio - this is better than many Adele songs that blew up (especially When We Were Young). Either way, I'm glad it was played at all, because it's one of the few amazing songs that I was introduced to by the radio stations.
#20. Jonas Brothers - Sucker
~ Man, I've heard this song a lot. I still listen to it whenever it comes on the radio, though, which is incredibly often, considering its age. I never knew these brothers together, just apart - and songs like Close, Bacon, or Cake by the Ocean had me dancing all over the house. Sucker has suffered from overplay - any song would, at this rate - but it's amazing how I still enjoy the pleasingly simple melody, the whistling that reminds me just how much I hate Kill Em With Kindness, and the drum solo that keeps things lively. It's a very fun song, and I don't think anyone can deny it... I don't know any people who hate this song because of anything besides over-popularity.
#19. Dan + Shay/Justin Bieber - 10,000 Hours
~ 2019 opened my eyes to a lot of great new country songs. I do investigate into country music sometimes, but this year, I heard a lot of country on pop radio stations, which helped. Thomas Rhett continued his expertise and made loads of awesome songs of all sorts (especially Remember You Young). Blake Shelton made the rock solid, epic God's Country, which is probably in my top 10 songs from 2019 in general. And oh yeah, Dan+Shay impress me again. These two are so good... 10,000 hours is such a sweet song. So many parts of this song are cute, and the production makes the lyrics extremely clear. The strangely-rhythmed bass makes the song even more appealing, and I'm glad that I hear this one so much on top 40 radio.
~ I always take too long to give Charlie Puth's songs a first listen. I underrate him - almost all of his past few songs have sick bass lines, wonderful melodies and involving lyrics. I really don't have much to say about this particular one - I'm just glad it reminded me how good How Long or Done for Me were... Although, in my opinion, Mother is the best song Charlie Puth has ever released. It shows how he learns from the tiny imperfections in his other songs to create one of the most fun songs this year. It's strange that I rarely hear this on any radio - I even hear Attention more than this. I guess that helps keep my opinion on it very high.
~ When Trench came out, The Hype did not stick out for me: there were many better songs, and, in fact, I don't remember listening to it after the first listen, mainly because of Pet Cheetah, Neon Gravestones, and quite a few more. Then, a couple of months ago, this became the next single, so I gave it another listen. And then I realised just how foolish I was to ignore it. The Hype is a fantastic song - I love most Twenty One Pilots songs, because their appealing atmosphere cannot be compared to any other music I enjoy. The Hype is nothing extravagant - it's more of the same intriguing, involving music.
#16. AJR - 100 Bad Days
~ Oh, these guys again! I always have a lot of fun with AJR. They really are over-hated. I can't help but love the extreme simple-mindedness of basically all their songs. How does anyone believe that they deserve insults? Just look at 100 Bad Days - it's so innocent. It's just an optimistic song about how your screw-ups can be fun to recount at parties. And they aren't wrong. It's fun, and it's cool, and it's catchy. This song made me laugh when I first heard it, and to this day it makes me smile every time I hear it. I'm glad Hits 1 supports AJR, sort of. They deserve something, because they are a unique group of artists.
~ I only covered the Weekend Countdown once this past year, and I talked a lot about this song. Although it doesn't hit me as hard as it used to, this is still an epic piece of work. The notes are satisfying and the entire feel of the song is intense. The incredible surprises in the melody, the style, and the synth elements eventually are no longer surprising - and without these fun elements the song loses some of its magic. It's still here at #15, though, don't get me wrong, I still listen to it all the time - but Halsey has much better, back in the days before Closer.
#14. Ariana Grande - 7 Rings
~ Hear me out here. I don't want to listen to a rant about how this song is a huge rip off, how the lyrics are absolute #$@%, and how Ariana Grande is becoming way too arrogant... Don't tell me that, because you're probably right. In fact, you are absolutely right. But there must be a song out there that you like, even though the lyrics are really egocentric. And if not, fine, you do you. But I always liked songs because of the singing, the music, the beats... Anything but the lyrics. The lyrics are nice as an add-on, and if they're good, I'll say they're good - but if they suck, I'll ignore them. And I've been ignoring the lyrics of 7 Rings ever since it came out. Because I have to come to love everything else about this song. The Sound of Music theme song is initially a pretty good tune - it's just that my family can't go a day without talking about that musical somehow, so I've had my fair share of raindrops and roses - but Ariana Grande's take on it is fresh and relaxing. That "bridge" near the end goes against the flow of the song, and it's not as annoying as it should be... It's a pleasant surprise. This is a song I can sit back and enjoy - that is, unless my grandfather complains about the copied melody, unless my mother insults the lyrics, unless my sister criticizes her arrogance... Heck, at this rate, my dead ancestors will come out of the grave and complain about this song. But that won't change how much I enjoy it.
#13. Ed Sheeran/Khalid - Beautiful People
~ I loved Ed Sheeran's No. 6 much more than I thought I would. I guess I forgot that Ed Sheeran makes great songs. He is one of the few insanely popular artists that, in my opinion, make music worthy of this fame. Beautiful People is a wonderful song. Ed Sheeran nails the falsetto, and the beat has you hooked from the very beginning. Whenever I am in the car listening to the radio, this is a song I want to hear: and it still gets played a lot. Khalid's part makes the song take the tone down, very nicely and in a surprising way. The chorus is beautiful - the only thing is, I'm not quite sure what the guys mean with their lyrics. But I was never really interested in finding out. I just sit back and enjoy a sweet tune.
~ I have so much fun listening to this song. This song makes me happy no matter what I'm feeling, as least, until it finishes. The trap beat is better than most trap beats because of how relatively complicated it is. I always adored MAX's voice, whether it is in "happy" songs like this or Whethan and Flux Pavalion's Savage, or in the greatest slow song of all time, Lights Down Low. Quinn XCII is eventually bearable, but his boring standard voice cannot compete with MAX's incredible gift. The song is better without Quinn XCII's part. If he never sang, this song would be several spots higher.
~ Dang, Lil Wayne is a pain. This is the second time that his verses are the only bad part of a song. Luckily, Genius has an original version that I can fully enjoy, whereas I would skip Sucker for Pain most of the time once Lil Wayne got going. Anyway, it's easy to see what people don't like about LSD when you hear songs like Audio or Mountains. But it's really hard for me to understand what people have against Genius the original version. The production is so unique and cool, the song makes me want to dance, but also sit back and relax at the same time. I love this song in a strange way. Everything about this song is peculiar - the unique voices of the singers that have as many awesome hit songs as miserable fails, the lyrics that make absolutely no sense whatsoever but that are still oddly pleasing... Neither Sia, Labrinth nor Diplo can do much better than this. In fact, Lil Wayne can't do better either... But, similar to the song I just talked about, if he would just shut up, go away, and leave Genius untouched, this song would probably be in my top three.
~ I don't know who that other fella is, but him and the Blink-182 drummer owe Halsey for taking a smooth, professional song with epic production past the barrier into the realm of the greatest songs of all time. The guitar is amazing - the sound quality is better than most songs out there. I don't know how they do it, but it sounds like a live concert, even when I hear it on the radio station with the worst reception. Yungblud looks and sounds like a psycho, and honestly, you need to have something very special about you to create a song that is this much fun. The first time I heard this on the radio, I was itching to get home as fast as possible to hear it twenty times more. The title is as memorable as you can get without sounding too stupid. This song stayed on my playlist for months, outlasting other great songs that came and went. I removed it because, eventually, having a song half a year older than every other one doesn't make sense, and I didn't want to risk getting sick of it... But I doubt I will ever get through a month, a week, or possible a day without hearing this song at least once.
~ I remember when Pray for the Wicked came out and I played this song (along with several others) on repeat for a good month non stop. In what is easily one of the greatest albums ever, I considered Roaring 20s as "more of the same". But what I didn't appreciate was that this "same" is absolutely epic music. Roaring 20s is an amazingly fun song! I just like most Panic! songs better (In fact, before Hits 1 decided to start playing it a year after I did, I hadn't played this song in about 9 months, and it wasn't even on my Panic! playlist) Cool parts of this song include the different rhythm in the bass, the brass sound I love so much from many Panic! songs, and Urie's insane voice. When I went to see him in concert, which somehow was less than a year ago, the performance of this was so entertaining (well, it was the best concert I have ever been too, but this performance was one of the best ones)! I consider Panic! as my favourite artist, and the fact that I can nearly forget about my 9th favourite Hits 1 song of the year shows how much I love them.
~ I tend to only like women empowerment songs when done my Little Mix - and I only like Little Mix when they do women empowerment songs. Power is one of the greatest songs ever, and Woman Like Me keeps up with it. I might even like this one better. Little Mix are easily the greatest girl group of any kind out there right now - there isn't that much competition, but it's still something worth saying. Every single member has a remarkable voice - they all have different styles, but they work together to make a pop song that works insanely well. Remove any one part of this song, and I would never love it this much. I feel like this song was thought out - but then again, maybe Little Mix are just naturally awesome. I don't know if Hits 1 edited out Nicki Minaj, which would, surprisingly, make the song worse - in terms of quality, this is way past anything I have ever heard Nicki Minaj rap. This is the first song I gave a heart to on spotify, so I will always have it clear in my vision to play once in a while - and I will always enjoy it...
~ Look, maybe you're getting tired of seeing me talk about Alec Benjamin, but I scouted his album to see if his easily-annoying voice has ever sung in a bad song - and I didn't find anything I could easily complain about. There is mediocrity, but not much - this guy is just very good. Let Me Down Slowly is - as you can probably tell by where it is on this list - his best work. Not by that big of a margin - but at some point this was the song I came home wanting to enjoy and to sing... I really, really love it, and that's because he talks about something I have never heard about before, but also because the production is heavenly, and the melody is long and catchy at the same time. After hearing this song once, I memorized close to the entire chorus, and that happens extremely rarely. I love showing this song to people, but sadly, few people cherish it as much as I do.
#6. Miley Cyrus - Mother's Daughter
~ I love when artists I usually hate give me a good slap on the face. Without any doubt, this is the best Miley Cyrus has ever made - easy decision. I remember jamming to this song so much a few months ago when there weren't many upbeat songs out there. I love unloading the dishwasher or cleaning the shelves with this in the background... I cannot relate at all to anything she says, but that's fine, because the melody is so cool, the production is extremely fun, and everything about the song is a huge success. This song was one of 2019's best instant happiness machines.
~ It's very hard to talk about this song, because of its context, and the meaning behind the lyrics... This type of loss is awful, and the emotion behind songs like this is very fragile. But even then, I didn't know right away what this song truly meant - I just loved it for what it was. When I found out, sure, I was more sentimental when listening to this... But if you take songs like Mike Shinoda's Over Again, I probably wouldn't like it if he didn't talk about his fellow band member's suicide and how it impacted him. But Memories, without a background story, is still extremely smooth - the melody is very catchy, as it is in 99% of Maroon 5 songs. I rarely hear a reggae beat in pop songs like this, which makes this song, somehow, always fresh. I love it as much as I did initially, even though I've heard it a lot - I doubt it will ever seriously suffer from overplay. It's also comical how there is nearly no band aspect to this song, but how the artist is still Maroon 5, and not Adam Levine... Either way, I will always be glad to listen to it, as it's one of the few amazing songs all over the radio right right now.
#4. SHAED - Trampoline
~ Now this is a cool song. I never really understood much about it... What is this? Who is SHAED? Oh, they're an EDM band! Ah cool... But what is this song doing on the radio? Why is it so big that is even got a rock solid Zayn remix? What the actual heck are those lyrics?And most importantly, why on Earth am I in love with this as much as I am? This is such a calm simple song, but that ending is so freaking good - the whistling showed me that, yeah, the Jonas Brothers aren't the only ones that can whistle properly in songs... Everything about this song is so mesmerising and so, so beautiful... Her voice is not necessarily unique - but I have never heard her style of voice used this way, this well. The production and bass lines are normal and basic - but somehow I end up hooked in, intrigued by the style, the bass melody, and the actual melody... Even though it's quite simple. Every time I listen to this song, I love it more... Every time I hear it on the radio, I feel very happy for SHAED. And every time I whistle along to the melody playing in my headphones, I wonder why everyone decides to leave the house with their hands over their ears.
~ These guys weren't as successful with Trench as they were with Blurryface, which is sad, because I find Trench to be the better album. When the album was released, Chlorine was my favourite song on the album, and, now, it still is. As usual, I love the unique Twenty One Pilots aspects of the song - the words, the beats, and other effects - that aren't unheard of, but you can easily tell when it's them. Only Twenty One Pilots songs systematically get improved once I research into what the lyrics mean - especially in earlier songs on the album like My Blood. If you told me that you hated this duo, I honestly wouldn't say much - compared to, say, if you told me that you thought Panic! or The Score sucked - but I still listen to these guys all the time even though most of the radio stations have stopped played them. Anyhow, Chlorine is solid work, and I like it!
#2. Taylor Swift - Lover
~ Lover is the greatest song Taylor Swift has ever made. I never expected something this soothing and heavenly as a sequel to songs like You Need to Calm Down or ME! This year had so many slow songs, but this one stands out the strongest. Mostly because Taylor Swift has an amazing voice, but also because the melody and progressions of this song are exactly what I love - It's not unheard of, but I have never felt more relaxed after listening to another song this year. I love the drums and the bass accompaniment - they are smooth, calm, and interesting, but without disturbing the song... They match perfectly with the vibe. The chorus is beautiful - this is the sort of song I want to relate to - I want to feel what Taylor Swift describes here. And, as far as I'm concerned, that's much better than relating directly to a song. And I know that everyone plays the Shawn Mendes remix now, because of course they would, and it really isn't that annoying. But I find his voice clashes a bit with the style - and Taylor Swift sounds much nicer than him in general. So I will gladly play the original version at least once a day until I die.
#1. Tones and I - Dance Monkey
~ Ever since this song came out, I have been annoying people so much to listen to it, and when they finally do, their reactions underwhelm me. Even though most of them really, really like it. This song was huge - on my radio station it was #1 on the daily countdown for months on end - it reached number one in so many countries, and it's finally getting a lot of attention here in North America. But, I still don't think that this is enough. The thing is, I have more fun listening to this song than absolutely any other song released in the history of time. The production makes me dance and smile, even after I just found out that I am completely screwed (which happens often enough). Dance Monkey is my emotion converter. And it's my happiness multiplier. Watch out, when I'm really happy and I listen to this song, my happiness is so intense that I advise you to take cover and hold on to something safe. Tones and I has made an absolute masterpiece that I never knew could be made in this energetic, happy way. Her voice can be annoying in all sorts of songs, but in this one it fits perfectly and is the best possible voice for the job. She sounds like a lovable, amazingly entertaining psycho. The progression of the song is insane - the simplicity of the beginning builds up to an epic finale, with the support in the final chorus making nothing short of heavenly music. This song is full of musical surprises, from the very beginning, which made me love the song, immediately. I see myself listening to this song when I am 100 years old. And I will love it just as much, if not more. I said earlier that I had trouble picking my favourite songs for this list - but I don't there there was ever any doubt, from the second I first heard this song, that it would be my favourite song of 2019.
And there you go! Thank you so much for checking this out, and I hope you found some of your favourites among those. And if you didn't, well, I don't like the songs you do, oh well. If you actually read through all of that, dang, I want your autograph.
Have a wonderful holiday season, and a great new year. Cheers!
