Here we go for the third time say whaaaaaat?
Previous Editions! 2012 2013
Avicii - Addicted to You ft. Audra Mae
February 2014
While this is an Avicii written track, it's Audra Mae that makes it. I feel bad for Mae, she doesn't get credit on the track unless you happen to google 'singer of addicted to you'. Avicii takes all the credit for this one somehow. This song is catchy, tells a story, and has a cracking video too, and is probably the most memorable song of the year for me.
Ella Henderson - Ghost
April 2014
Ella Henderson of X Factor fame comes out with this little belter as her debut single, and it's just stunning in every way. Written by Henderson, Ryan Tedder, and Noel Zancanella. It's lyrically simplistic but her vocals give it some mega oomph. Best debut of the year.
Paloma Faith - Only Love Can Hurt Like This
April 2014
I've been a Paloma fan for ages now so was glad to see her come out with some new music this year. This song is great, it's classic Paloma. Great vocals, great music, fab video too
Katy Perry - Birthday
April 2014
If 'Only Love Can Hurt Like This' is classic Paloma Faith, 'Birthday' is classic Katy Perry. It's cheeky, upbeat, catchy, and leaves a smile on your face. Yeah, it has some really basic songwriting with a few terrible puns and birthday references but Katy Perry can pull it off and make it seem not so mediocre. It's miles and miles better than the awful follow up, 'This is How We Do' that's for sure... 'Birthday' is the 'Last Friday Night' of Prism.
Sia - Chandelier
May 2014
Sia is someone who I feel is finally getting the recognition she's deserved for ages. You can't go to certain songs on YouTube without seeing some smart ass preaching about how Sia wrote it. Yes, she's written a smurftonne of charting pop songs in her time, in fact I'm pretty sure she writes them in her sleep, or just when she has like a spare 5 minutes. Just casual like. Anyway, it's Sia's own songs that are something special, she writes about pain, addiction, shame... And then that voice... that voice that can only be Sia's. Ahhhh, Chandelier is a masterpiece of a song, and isn't the video bloody brilliant? Best video of the year imo.
Jessie J - Bang Bang ft. Ariana Grande & Nicki Minaj
August 2014
Ariana Grande has had a massive year of pop mega hit collaborations. But my favourite of her collabs has to be this one with Jessie J and Nicki Minaj - probably because she's not on it all that much and because Jessie J really steals the show. I really don't care much for Ariana and her pouting and pigtails, but this song... Can't help but sing along with it and then rap Minaj's great little verse too.
Usher - She Came to Give it to You ft. Nicki Minaj
August 2014
This didn't chart as high as it should have, and it is probably the most obscure 'pop song' on the list this year which is saying something since it's Usher and Nicki Minaj. The beat is amazing and Usher kills it as usual, Nicki's weird little rap at the end is well, it's Nicki Minaj. She raps about sterly sterl and Yen (I don't know either) but I can't help but want to boogie on down when I hear this one.
Sam Smith - I'm Not The Only One
August 2014
Another love song on the list. This time from Sam Smith. It's his voice that just seems to hit the spot, and the lyrics are beautifully sad. Check out crazy Diana Agron in the video too. Mark Ronson - Uptown Funk ft. Bruno Mars November 2014
This makes the list for similar reasons that Usher did. Super catchy and makes you want to dance your pants off. Bruno Mars knows his style now and I'm glad he's not pumping out songs like 'Grenade' any more, I will listen to 100 more Uptown Funks though, throw them at me. I also predict that this will be 2014's 'Happy' and will just get out of control popular until next summer.
Lorde - Yellow Flicker Beat
November 2014
This song is just one gorgeous build up that is 100% Lorde. I love it and it's the perfect song for The Hunger Games and Katniss. We know that Lorde is a fantastic song writer and musician, but part of me always worried her follow up single to her debut album wouldn't be as good. I was wrong, it's better.
I love lists so I figured I'd slap one of these together as well. Can't be arsed with videos though... if you don't know one, search it up, give it a listen (I haven't actually seen the videos for a large number of these songs, I should really check them out sometime). No harm done. Put it together with the help of Danielle, so her opinion is thrown in throughout.
39. John Legend - You & I (Nobody in the World)
John. Legend. It may be that nothing will ever top Ordinary People for me, but this song - like every John Legend song - is graceful, beautiful, and easy to drown yourself into. If I had to pick the perfect live singer for a "cost is no object" romantic dinner with Danielle, this man would be that singer.
38. Bastille - Oblivion
Bastille because Bastille. This is probably his worst single so far... but it's still amazing. Darn him for having all his better songs released the previous year.
37. Klingande - Jubel
This is the kind of music that Danielle and I both really love and can listen to for hours. Chilled beats, some easy to sing lines scattered in, and in this particular case, a fantastic saxaphone to really just... steal you away into the song. Really good piece.
36. Robin Schulz & LILLYWOOD - Prayer In C
A simple song, really, but really nice. Great for when you're chilling. I don't drive, but I can't help but feel this would suit a drive on a summer day really nicely.
35. OneRepublic - Love Runs Out
Another band that would have been way higher on my list if I did this for 2013, but still, great song. I'm not a big fan of OneRepublic's slower stuff, but their faster stuff is quality.
34. Duke Dumont feat. Jax Jones - I Got U
Danielle overplays this or else it might be higher up the list. Mostly it gets points down for the "CAN I?" question that seems to be repeated throughout the song, noticeably at the start. I don't know if it's actually "CAN I?" but because it sounds like that, it's what I hear, and it annoys me on occasion. Otherwise it's a brilliant song that could have challenged top 10.
33. Pitbull feat. Ke$ha - Timber
Another of Danielle's big faves. I'm not a huge fan of Ke$ha or Pitbull, but they're artists I always get the songs from because they're fairly reliable. This is better than their standard, so it broke my top 40.
32. Ariana Grande feat. Iggy Azalea - Problem
If it weren't for that whispery chorus, this would have rocked high up my list, too. I love Ariana Grande, I think her voice is amazing. I think her looks distract a lot of people from that which is a shame.
31. One Direction - Steal My Girl
Danielle and I are not fans of One Direction. They're thrust in our faces all over the media in Britain and I imagine that happens with a lot of the rest of the world too. We usually just skip past their songs at every opportunity. And then this one came along and we didn't just grudgingly accept it was good, we really liked it. When a song is released by a group you don't like and you really like the song, you have to give credit where credit is due. Song be super catchy.
30. Ariana Grande feat. Zedd - Break Free
Another Ariana song, not too much to say about this one, it's just a pop song that works on pretty much all levels, and has a good chorus which is important. Only thing worth noting is that whenever Ariana goes "Hoo!" throughout this song, Danielle and I are apparently incapable of not hoo-ing along with her.
29. Calvin Harris - Summer When I met you in the Summer... the opening of this song announces itself immediately, announces the singer immediately, and is a great, great song. It's winter right now, but Danielle and I are happy to listen to this and feel like it's summer anyway (we keep the heating up). But yeah, standard (which means great) Calvin Harris stuff here.
28. Ella Eyre - If I Go
When I looked at this song on my Winamp list I had to play it a bit before I knew what it was (same for Danielle). As soon as Ella starts singing, though, you know the song. What a voice. With a voice like that, I'm really hoping Ella has a fantastic 2015 because it is too good for her to slide away.
27. Cash Cash feat. Bebe Rexha - Take Me Home
Cash Cash and Bebe Rexha perfectly compliment each other. You can notice that the beat and composition is really good. Once that distinctive voice kicks in, you're likin' it. As the song builds up and you realise just how excellently everything fits - neither singer nor music overpowering each other, but just working in perfect balance... this is a great song.
26. 5 Seconds of Summer - She Looks So Perfect
So these guys must be the new Busted or something. They're good! Their other songs could come or go for me, not too interested, but this song is catchy as hell. It just works. It was overplayed to death over here unfortunately, but I can appreciate it a lot despite that.
25. Idina Menzel - Let It Go
Enough said, right? Like the above, this has been overplayed (and over-covered, and over-mentioned, and over-quoted, and over-anything'ed) but it's not without reason. The song is fantastic. Idina sung it perfectly.
24. Sam Smith - Money On My Mind
I surprised myself putting this one so high up my list, because it's not a song I loved at any point, it was overplayed a bit, but... it's a good song. Really good. Sam Smith's best song, for me, and that's saying something because he churns out a lot of tunes that do very well. For me, notably in this song, it's the way he sings it. He sings it kind of old-school, like a real soul singer. I think he and John Legend were both on the X-Factor and I can't help but wonder what it'd be like to hear them sing a duet.
23. Dapper Laughs - Proper Moist
xD Seriously. I didn't know about Dapper before hearing this. I was hooked immediately. I was grinning as it went along, it was clearly massively tongue in cheek and the guy is blatantly a dork (and perhaps a bit of a dick after seeing some of his videos) but ahahaha, it's a song called Proper Moist, it's got a great little beat and the lyrics are terrible and that is why I love it.
22. Kenny Chesney - American Kids
Danielle and I only discovered this thanks to Spotify. We pretty much never skip this song now, it's good for almost any mood and the gentle yet solid beat it has keeps us lightly rockin' in our chairs and singing along despite not knowing all the words (ie, singing the second half of each line when we figure out which part is being sung... murmur the lines without saying words... you know how it goes).
21. Ed Sheeran - Thinking Out Loud
Oh, Ed, you suave man. This is the big song for Ed this year but not his best in our opinion, and that's just to show off how damned good this guy is. Some people are starting to not like him because he's gone mainstream but he was always mainstream, he just wasn't famous earlier. He's definitely his own man, and he definitely is at the place he deserves to be after putting in so much work to get there. I suspect this song will be sung on karaoke nights for many years to come.
20. American Authors - Best Day Of My Life
This was released way ages ago in America but for the UK, it was 2014. This song is really uplifting. It does exactly what I expect it intends to do. It's perfect for just after getting married or something like that, it's just a happy song and the world can always use more of them.
19. Rita Ora - I Will Never Let You Down
It's your average pop song at first. But every month I still want to listen to it, and every month I'm thinking I like it more than I did before. I love slow burn songs, the kind that just don't get old for you. Even more so when Danielle feels the same way. This song works for us really well.
Not on the list3525 18. Sigma - Nobody To Love
This was an afterthought for me. I must have skipped it the first time after that stupid first fifteen seconds of nonsense (at least on my mp3, dunno if I have a bad one). But then it changes completely and those piano notes strike and... oh man, one of the beats of the year, definitely. Such a feel-good vibe to it, I could probably listen to it about five times back to back and be okay with that. Actually I just moved this up another seven on the rankings it's too good to leave lower.
17. Chase & Status feat. Jacob Banks - Alive
If I've had a long day at work and am feeling tired from it, I like listening to this song as I head out the door and begin the walk to the tram stop and my commute home. It starts off nice and slow, and picks up, meaning I can get my brain ticking back into the real world and be ready to listen to faster songs.
16. Iggy Azalea feat. Charli XCX - Fancy
Iggy took a long time to grow on me, but now I think she's awesome, and this song is her best so far for me. Danielle loves it. From those first few beats, to the first few lyrics, it sets out the attitude of the song and from there it doesn't stop. It has a bit of a Gwen Stefani feel to it, now that I think about it.
15. MKTO - Classic
This is a great pop song for me, nothing left out. It's really uplifting, has a spot of funk, a spot of soul, but really it's the pop that drives it. Good singing, good voice, good beat, good rhythm, good for a dance, good for singing along. The song has... groove. Can't help but find myself unconsciously moving along to the beat in my chair right now listening to it, actually.
14. Ariana Grande - Just a Little Bit of Your Heart
I think I mentioned that Ariana doesn't get enough credit for her amazing voice, and the missus and I agreed that this song is far better for showing off what she can do. It's not perfect, but it's damn close. I don't think I can listen to this non-stop or anything like that, but during those nights when the lights are low and I'm just relaxing, maybe reading something before I go to bed or even just lying down and listening to music... I can really appreciate this song, it's beautiful.
13. Aloe Blacc - The Man
I'm surprised this didn't make my top ten and on another day, if I was in a different mood, I think it would have been, but right now I just can't feel it like I can some of the songs below. But still. C'mon! A song that has the lines "I'm the man, I'm the man, I'm the man, I'm the man. Yes I am, yes I am, yes I am, yes I am. I'm the man, I'm the man, I'm the man, I'm the man." shouldn't be this good. Because it sounds cheesy. But you know what? Aloe has the smooth class that allows him to sing this and when we sing along, we all feel like we have that class too, deep down. I love this song. Go ahead and tell everybody... I'm the man, I'm the man, I'm the man, I'm the man.
12. Sia - Chandelier
Great call by Tara on this song and I agree. Not in my top ten but damned close. Sia has a voice that never fails to stagger, it's amazing. Even by her standards, this song is a real belter.
11. Tiësto feat. Matthew Koma - Wasted
I really, really didn't expect this song to be so high up the list. Yet here we are! There is nothing immensely special about this song other than being freakin' awesome. The beat is repetitive, the lyrics are repetitive, but the beat is excellent and the vocals compliment it. It's surprisingly not a song that makes me start dancing or anything, considering it's basically dance music, but it is definitely a song that boosts my mood and keeps it high. Love it.
10. Charli XCX - Boom Clap
Just a really good song, great pop music. The entire chorus is a great hook, the beat is fantastic, the song never gets old at our place as it thankfully was never overplayed - but certainly never underplayed either. In fact, as I type this all out, Danielle just started dancing along to it in her chair while gaming right now as the chorus hit in, so clearly it does it's job well.
9. The Chainsmokers - #SELFIE
This song is an incredibly good beat, but the real winner here is the obnoxious lines that get spoken by whatever girl says them. Here are the lines that get quoted by Danielle and I from this song: "Because..." (you know it's from this song when you say it like it's said in the song), "Who wears Cheetah?", "I wanna look tan." "Livin' with my bitches, hash tag LIVE", "Wait, pause", "What a creep", "That's so rachet", "Who goes out on Mondays?" "Oh wait, never mind, I'm fine!" and, of course, "Let me take a selfie." Seriously, if you know this song, and have listened to it more than once, you'll know what I mean. This song is a great fun with a great beat.
8. Ed Sheeran - Afire Love
This is a really, really beautiful song. It's touching. If you've ever seen someone go through what Ed Sheeran is singing about, you should probably get feels when you listen to this. Ed has the ability to make genuinely meaningful songs about really difficult things, like prostitution, drugs, miscarriages and now Alzheimer's. He can bring out emotion and tell stories in ways that few artists can today. Beautiful and tragic.
7. Ella Henderson - Ghost
The second song I couldn't resist from Tara's list, this song has been played to death but I still play it all the time and neither Danielle nor myself have got sick of it yet. I didn't watch the season of X Factor that Ella was in, but they really snapped up a winner here. The song is incredible, Ella rocks it perfectly, and this is one of the best songs of 2014 from all angles, be it fame, sales, quality, personal taste, whatever.
6. Ed Sheeran - Take It Back
Perhaps a surprise mention this high up the list, and certainly as it's the top ranking Ed Sheeran song for me. However, despite the initial line for this song (I'm not a rapper, I'm a singer with a flow), I consider this Ed rapping and I love his rapping. The lyrics are quality, the rapping is good (although not as good as some of his other raps) but what always gets me every time is when he jumps from rapping to the chorus with a gorgeous "Mmmmmmmmmmm..." and that part always shows such confidence, such soul, such attitude, it's great. The chorus is decent. This isn't an emotional song, it's a badass song. Ed's not famous for that but if you listen to his albums and YouTube videos instead of just his singles then you'll find stuff like this and it's gold.
5. Jessie J, Ariana Grande & Nicki Minaj - Bang Bang
Definitely my favourite from Tara's list. This entire song is great. Jessie J opens a song perfectly designed for her voice, it blends into all three singing and they work so damned freakin' well together. Then Ariana's turn, she's got such a clean voice that compliments the other two superbly, and as much as I get really tired fo Nicki Minaj these days, I know when she's doing something I like and she does that in this song. Gets you movin', gets you groovin', this song is pop perfection. I wouldn't object to more collabs between these three, especially if they get whoever put this song together working with them. Really good.
4. Nico & Vinz - Am I Wrong
Danielle and I sing this song all the time when it's on, ad libbing freely. Easiest lyrics to learn in the world, the beat and vibe is right up our alley. Another of those songs I could listen to five times back to back and not really notice or tire of it. It lifts spirits, it makes you feel relaxed and quite loose, which is always good for dancing around. This is one of those rare songs that I might actually dare to dance to in public (probably not but I'd consider it and that's more than normal). My prediction? I'm gonna be on top of the world! Ah-yeah-yeah-yeah, woa-oah.
3. Clean Bandit feat. Jess Glynne - Rather Be
I just want to say that Clean Bandit arguably makes better use of instruments than any other group in the world. String, electonic, percussion, the works. These guys know when to turn something on and when to turn it off. And then they got Jess Glynne to do the vocals and it was the perfect choice, this is her best song by some distance. Oh man, if you can't love this song, you may have to just exit the flat every now and then because this is a staple for feel good music in our flat and we can't have you ruining our groove.
2. Zedd feat. Hayley Williams - Stay The Night
Beauty. That's what Hayley Williams voice has. This is technically a dance beat, but you could easily forget that. For me, this is a song that I could listen to a cappella, or just with a piano the entire way through. That's always how I remember it in my mind, even after to listening to it all this time, which is really weird. This was released in 2014 in the UK apparently, so I can justify it being in here - I've certainly been listening to it all year. If someone can find me a version of Hayley singing the entire song a cappella or with just a piano, I would be so freakin' grateful. Still, even in the midst of when the song is rockin' the bass and whatnot, it's awesome. I love it when it happens but all I remember afterwards, as I said earlier... that chorus, when they cut it back to just piano. Pure, beautiful vocals.
1. Mr. Probz - Waves
My number one without really having to think about it at all. This song reminds me of my honeymoon in Thailand where we lived in paradise for a week and a half, but I loved it just as much before we got there. It just happened that the song reminds me of paradise, and that my honeymoon was in paradise just happens to be a great coincidence. In fact, this song doesn't remind me of paradise, this song, if I close my eyes, takes me straight there.
So many of those are technically from 2013 though, but good list
I know a few have probably slipped through, but you'd be surprised how many songs released outside the UK in 2013 aren't released in the UK until 2014. Hell, one of those on the list was out in 2010 in other places in the world. Crazy.
Locky's Top 10 Pop Songs of 2014
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Originally Posted by Shauna
In fact, this song doesn't remind me of paradise, this song, if I close my eyes, takes me straight there.
Master of the Fork
