I still try my best to keep up with the charts and listen to the big songs of the year. I still have hope for the pop charts to bring in some great, fun and catchy tunes to my life. Sadly, we are still at a time where that isn't what is popular. It's all about the slowed down, trap beat and drowsy music. With the hot 100 year-end list out now, I went through it and picked out the songs that I remembered for being really good and really bad. So here's a list of songs that I thought were the best and the worst of the year. I didn't get a chance to listen to EVERY single song, but I've heard most of them at least once.
#10 Worst: Drake - God's Plan
Starting things off with the biggest artist of the year here (and the world at this point) Mr.Drake. Drake dropped his much-anticipated album "Scorpion" this year and destroyed the charts with multiple songs. It was a very mediocre album, but at least better than his last official album "Views", which isn't saying much. This song was the number one selling song of 2018 and it didn't have any competition. The closest thing to taking that spot was 2017's highest selling artist Ed Sheeran's team up with Beyoncé, but even that wasn't enough. This is far from Drake's worst song, which is why it's high on this list. It's still a pretty boring song with the kind of lyrics you expect from any Drake song.
#10 Best: G-Eazy - No Limit (Cardi B, A$AP Rocky)
So this song kinda sucks... but I've listened to more times than I care to admit. I still wonder what keeps bringing me back to this song. Is it the beat? the cheesy outdated lyrics? G-Eazy lying about how much sex he's having? I don't know. It all works together to make a wonderfully cheesy song that is so bad is good. Add Cardi B throwing out super dated Jared from Subway line and you got a keeper.
#9 Worst: Tyga - Taste (Offset)
It's always a sad day to see Tyga still has a career in music. With some of the worst lyrics in the game and a personality that is non-existent, Tyga always surprises me. Surprises me that someone with this little talent still finds ways to stay relevant. In this song, Tyga spews his usual overly sexual lyrics with no real energy and a boring beat to match. Thankfully this song features Offset, who adds nothing to the song, but at least gives me a break from having to listen to Tyga pretend to be an artist.
#9 Best: Drake - Nice for What
Wait, what is this? A Drake song in the best list? No that's gotta be a typo. Nope. This is actually a really good song by Drake, which is crazy for me to say. It's felt like a long time since Drake actually released a song that I really enjoyed, but this is actually very good. It's got a good energy to keep the song going, along with better lyrics from Drake. The background vocals that run throughout the entire song work really well with the flow of the song and never get annoying. The video is also good if you ever get a chance to watch it. The lyrics/video actually feel like they have some meaning behind it and don't just feel like Drake complaining about his haters like his songs usually seem to go.
#8 Worst: Tekashi69 - FEFE (Nicki Minaj)
Oh look, another lazy song about sex on the charts. The team-up of Tekashi69 and Nicki is a strange one, and it doesn't really work too well. It's kind of like Beyoncé and Sheeran, where one is clearly way out of the others league. In this case though, it's the woman (Nicki) who is out of the guys league. Nicki seems to just put her name on anything these days without a care of how it will affect her career. That's how you build a catalog of bad music, by putting your vocals on literally anyone who asks you nicely. It sucks because I think Nicki has WAY more talent then she often shows, and working with mediocre artists like Tekashi69 doesn't help her at all. This is just a bad song, with bad music and lyrics that will be forgotten in a year or less.
#8 Best: Migos - Stir Fry
Man, this song is catchy as hell. The awesome beat and music with the great flow from Migos. It all works together so well, and it's a joy to listen to. When I found out that Pharrell was the one who produced this song it all made so much sense. He's always had a special way with music and his talent shows here. Taking artists that I've never been too interested in and helping them come out with songs like this one. I can't get over how awesome the beat on this song is. If only Pharrell could make all the pop songs on the charts. Really, what we need is producers like Pharrell who bring out the best in artists and really showcase their talent. When you put good music behind a good artist it makes good music, go figure.
#7 Worst: Camila Cabello - Havana
I guess TECHNICALLY this song isn't worst than "FEFE", but I did hear it at least 100 times for than "FEFE" so there's that. There's also the fact that the song has a verse by one of the worst rappers around in Young Thug. This is a song that gets a little worse with every listen and its flaws become easier to spot with multiple listens. Repetitive music, boring lyrics and not much personality from Cabello. It's a song that feels like any other artist could have done and it would have been just as popular.
#7 Best: Ariana Grande - no tears left to cry
Someone who DOES have personality is Ariana Grande. Here she brings a nice uplifting song as her first single from her new album that dropped this year. It was meant to uplift herself and others around her after a tough year she had. It works well as an uplifting song, helped a lot by Ariana's great vocals and decent music to go along with it. This song is in a lot of ways the opposite of Havana, in that every listen helps the song instead of hurt its quality. Plus it has all the personality that Havana wishes it could have. It's not Ariana's best work, but the meaning behind the song and the talent involved make it an above average song.
#6 Worst: Bebe Rexha/Florida Georgia Line - Meant to Be
On the subject of no personality, here is "meant to be" by three cardboard cutouts that kind of resemble humans. A song that was written by robots who don't understand human emotion or how to tell a story. Keep things as vague as possible in the hopes that it will get a bigger audience since anyone can relate to it. Keep singing clichés over and over again and call it a song. Add a vaguely hip-hop beat so that all the young people will like it. Make millions of dollars. Repeat. It just feels like one of those songs that was created specifically to be a huge hit. Not that every song that was created to be a hit is bad, but this one is just really lazy and obvious about it. There's nothing that makes this song stand out in any way or make it worth coming back to.
#6 Best: Sza / Kendrick - All The Stars
This is what a team-up should be like! The super talented Sza and Kendrick Lamar teamed up with each other to create a great song to be a part of the also great Black Panther movie. An amazingly catchy chorus alongside some great verses by Kendrick and Sza. Pretty nice of Disney to let Kendrick drop some f**ks in the verse for their Black Panther song, kids are gonna love that. Kidding aside, this song works in every way from beginning to end and is one of the best movie tie-in songs I've heard in a while. Sadly it's chances to win an Oscar were probably killed the day "A Star is Born" came out... damn you Lady Gaga and your beautiful voice.
#5 Wost: Imagine Dragons - Believer
First things first: this band is awful. Second things second: this song is awful. Third things third: I can't remember. Just like how this band can't remember how to make good music.
#5 Best: Marshmello / Bastille - Happier
It was a huge surprise to see Bastille back in the charts this year, I thought they were done after "Pompeii" a few years ago. Though this isn't exactly a traditional Bastille song as it's more of a Marshmello project with Bastille vocals. Still, I enjoy this style of music as it's one of the few styles that I can really get behind in the pop charts (as you'll see in the rest of my list). The music is good and I'm really happy to hear Bastille's vocals again on the radio/charts. Lyrically it's not breaking new ground, but it takes the idea of a breakup and puts a little more of a positive spin on it.
#4 Worst: J Balvin / Willy William? - Mi Gente (Beyoncé)
Probably the most annoying song of the year. Super loud and obnoxious, with music that will give you a headache. Beyoncé tries her hand in Latin(?) music but picks the worst song to do that with. I honestly can't even listen to this whole song, because of how annoying the music is. The vocals aren't much better anyway, Beyoncé isn't doing anything to really add to the song except having her name attached to it which will probably bring in listeners. The other two guys are just as annoying as the music.
#4 Best: Marshmello / Anne-Marie - FRIENDS
Anne-Marie is my favorite pop artist of the year, sadly this was the only song that charted high this year from her. It's one of my least favorite of hers, but still better than most other pop songs of the year. There's something about her personality and vocals that I really like. Her music is a lot of fun to listen to and she clearly has A LOT of talent. She also has good music to back up her vocal talent, so that is a big help. "FRIENDS" is a great pop song that tackles an interesting subject that I'm sure many people can relate to, especially in 2018. If you're looking for a great pop album to listen to, go check out Anne-Marie's debut album.
#3 Worst: Lil Pump - Gucci Gang
I almost didn't put this song on the list since I thought it was a little bit too easy. Everyone hates this song...or at least that's what I thought. If that were true then this song never would have charted as high as it did. I still don't know if this song is a joke. Is it supposed to be bad? I can't believe that it would be that self-aware though. It's not clever in that way. It's just a lazy song that for some reason people really caught on to. It's music like this that makes me feel old and out of touch.
#3 Best: Dua Lipa - New Rules
This song really came out of nowhere this year (or last year). Every now and then the charts bring in a song like this. A song that takes you by surprise in a good way. A song that deserves all the attention that it's getting. A song that lives up to the hype. A song that feels new and exciting and brings hope to the idea that good new artists can still get attention on the charts. This song is the perfect introduction to Dua Lipa, even though I can't say I'm a huge fan, I can say that this song made me want more of her. That's what a single is supposed to do. It's supposed to make you want to hear the rest of the album, and a song like this works amazingly for that.
and that moment right before the chorus kick in is amazing.
#2 Worst: Imagine Dragons - Thunder
It's amazing to think what qualifies as rock these days. Currently, the two biggest rock artists in the US aren't even rock artists (Panic at the Disco and Imagine Dragons). This isn't good rock music and it's not even good pop music. It's emotionless and boring music that lacks any real emotion or energy. This from the band that made one of the most uniquely awesome songs in "Radioactive". The worst songs to me are the ones by artists that I used to actually like, but feel like they aren't trying anymore. I'm totally okay with Imagine Dragons not being so much a rock band anymore, but I want them to make music that actually feels like it has some work behind it.
#2 Best: Childish Gambino - This is America
Donald Glover might be the most talented/creative human living on earth right now. Everything he touches is GOLD. I wasn't expecting to hear more from his Childish Gambino project this year, so this song was a huge surprise. A very topical song and one that feels like it belongs in 2018 more than ever. It's always nice to hear a song that charts be more than just about sex/drugs/sex/money/sex. Even better when the song actually has a speaks about important topics. The song also has great music to back up the lyrics, making it that much better.
THE WORST! Maroon 5 - Girls Like You (Cardi B)
I don't know how they manage to pull it off. How they can keep somehow getting worse with every new release. It's like setting fire to a pile of ashes at this point with Maroon 5. Adam Levine and friends don't even feel like they trying anymore. For a band with six members, this feels so incredibly empty. There are bands with three members that make more full-sounding songs than this. This is just so incredibly boring and lifeless. It's got a terrible hook and it's not even catchy like most Maroon 5 songs. This song has no redeeming qualities at all. Even Cardi B couldn't bring anything to this song. I just need Maroon 5 to go away now. PLEASE. This was one of the most successful songs of the year, so Maroon 5 really have no reason to do anything better.
THE BEST! Zedd - The Middle
There are so many little details in this song that work. From the ticking effects, synth beats to the vocals, bass, and production it all works super well. It's not only insanely catchy, but it has a lot of details in the music to put it above any average song. Zedd and Grey work very well together to make a song really tight in its music. Nothing feels out of place, it all feels deliberate and that really makes it stand out. This really shows that you don't have to sacrifice detail in order to have a great and successful pop song in the charts. It's everything that I look for in a pop song, that's why it was my favorite of the year. To think I hated this song at one point...
Well, that's the end of my list. Feel free to share your thoughts and send me some good pop songs.
0 comments:
Post a Comment