Part 3 - #60 to #41
60. Charlie Puth – “How Long”
I was listening to this song a lot when I was visiting Vietnam back in January. We visited Ha Long Bay, so naturally I’d sing “Ha Long has this been going on?” whenever this song was on.
59. George Ezra – “Shotgun”
In the early 2010’s, almost every year there’d be a new British-guy-with-guitar up in the charts. Ed Sheeran was really the first one, but then you had Passenger, James Bay, Jamie Lawson and numerous others. Because of this, I didn’t really care for George Ezra the first time around. Now that the charts have completely changed, I’m more welcome to the fact that he’s somehow notched up another hit. In other words, I could get used to this.
58. Ariana Grande – “breathin”
“Sweetener” has felt like more of a healing album for Ariana, in many ways. “Breathin’” is a track about how Ariana deals with going forward day-by-day, while trying to deal with her often stressful lifestyle. Sometimes all you need to do is just breathe.
57. Gang of Youths – “Let Me Down Easy”
I’m super late on the Gang of Youths train, I know. It took me a while. But once their music clicks, it’s something that you can really feel close in your heart. The big single off their latest album was “Let Me Down Easy”, an upbeat but bittersweet track about breaking up and staying optimistic in the aftermath.
56. Hatchie – “Sugar & Spice”
When I first heard Hatchie, my first thought was “People still make music as sincerely sweet as this?”. It was a refreshing throwback to the era of 90’s dream-pop acts like The Cranberries and Sixpence None The Richer, who sincere sweetness I feel we could use a lot more today.
55. Bishop Briggs – “White Flag”
I am convinced that this song is basically just a female version of Rag N Bone Man’s “Human”. I mean, just listen to it. Clapping percussion, deep and impassioned vocals, and it all leads up to a massive, booming chorus.
54. Jack River – “Limo Song”
Jack River put out one of the most underappreciated albums this year with the stunning, poppy “Sugar Mountain”. “Limo Song” is one of many highlights on the album, and it almost has a kind of country vibe, with its whistling and prominent slide guitar riff.
53. CHVRCHES – “Get Out”
The first taste of Chvrches music we got this year was a song with relatively simple production and a repetitive chorus, which understandably made fans doubtful of their upcoming album. I still like it though.
52. Rita Ora, Bebe Rexha, Charli XCX & Cardi B – “Girls”
Admittedly, this is probably one of the more problematic tracks on this list. Hayley Kiyoko criticized this song for being about girls kissing each other after a few drinks, instead of creating a proper look into the lives of queer women. Look, that’s fair enough. But I just like how the song sounds. It’s fluffy, its bright, and the chorus gets in your head.
51. Billie Eilish – “You Should See Me In A Crown”
Remember five years ago when Lorde sang about being a ruler and that “you can call me queen bee?”. Now imagine what happened if that queen turned evil, and you’ve got the character Billie Eilish portrays on “You Should See Me In A Crown”.
50. Anne-Marie – “2002”
And here it is, folks. The first signs of 2000’s nostalgia has arrived. You know you’re getting old when pop singers are finally singing about years that you can actually remember.
49. Eves Karydas – “Couch”
You may remember when Eves appeared on my 2015 list under the name Eves The Behavior. Well, this year she’s back with a new name, new attitude, and new, fresh, poppier sound.
48. Wafia - “I’m Good”
I associate this song a lot with the memory of driving to work with Triple J on the radio, because damn, have they been flogging the hell out of this song for the last few months. That’s not a complaint at all. A super funky song about breakups is okay in my book.
47. Dua Lipa – “IDGAF”
It’s always interesting hearing the different ways the radio can handle a pop hit with a prominent F-bomb in the chorus. I’ve heard many different edits, but none ever really do the original song justice.
46. The 1975 – “It’s Not Living (If It’s Not With You)”
Alright, file this one under “Songs That Sound Like They’re About Love On First Listen But Are Actually About Drugs”. Surprisingly, not that an uncommon category for the band.
45. Last Dinosaurs – “Eleven”
Last Dinosaurs came back with a bang this year, with a catchy indie-pop track heavily inspired by The Strokes and a music video with some iconic Brisbane landmarks. It truly did make me homesick when I was in Hervey Bay.
44. Pale Waves – “There’s A Honey”
“There’s A Honey” is the song that introduced Pale Waves to the world. A fusion of goth aesthetic and bright, glittery 80’s pop-rock, reconstructed for the modern era by four young Mancunians where weren’t even alive to witness the sound the first time.
43. The Weeknd (feat. Kendrick Lamar) – “Pray For Me”
One of the big hits from the Black Panther soundtrack. I actually once heard this at a church youth meet-up, which was a bit weird. But I can dig it.
42. The Wombats – “Turn”
The great thing about The Wombats is the weird ways that Matt Murphy uses his words to express his feelings. Something as simple as “I love you” can be turned into something as weird as “I like the way your brain works”.
41. CHVRCHES – “Miracle”
Love Is Dead by all accounts is Chvrches’ aiming to make their poppiest album yet. “Miracle” is an example of the band going all-out with this; the chorus explodes into massive drums and an ominous “oh-woah” runs underneath.
#100 to #81 | #80 to #61 | #60 to #41 | #40 to #21 | #20 to #1 | Full List
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