I really wanted to start this off with the worst songs. But I needed at least one more week to think about it. So I thought I would break tradition of internet music critics this year and start with the best hit songs of the year. But first let me talk about 2016 itself.
Here is where I go unoriginal by saying that 2016 was a bad year for music. Even if you take 2015 out of the equation, this year was still shit. While there was some gems throughout the year, the bad songs were just unbearable. So bad, that I had to go over top 10 for the worst songs which will be coming next week, I promise you that.
With that said, there were some songs that were good enough and didn't make us want to go deaf. Now, let's go through a few rules for my list.
1. It has to include songs that made the billboard year-end list for 2016.
2. If it didn't make the list but made the top 20 at any point from December 2015 to November 2016, it can be included as well.
3. There are songs on the year end list for this year that also made last year's list. To make it fair, I will not include them. So for this list, it cuts out
- See you Again by Wiz Kalifa ft. Charlie Puth
- Can't feel my face and The Hills by The Weeknd
- Lean On by Major Lazer, DJ Snake ft. MO
- Hello by Adele
- and Here by Alessia Cara
And keep in mind, this is my own personal opinion about the songs that I enjoy. So I don't want to hear any "You can't like this song" or "How Dare you. You are a terrible person for liking this". I want none of that. With that said, let's begin with:
Honorable Mentions:
Heathens By: Twenty One Pilots (Year-End Peak: 21)
So I didn't see the Suicide Squad movie. But if this song is something to expect from the movie then I should take a look as "Heathens" was a joy to listen too. The instrumentation is spot on, the vocals is something I personally enjoyed even if some people didn't. The lyrics is basically a warning to you about the life in prison with psychopaths and killers and how you don't want to be near them, and it is spot on. The effects can be distracting but it isn't too much of a bother. As it is, it's enjoyable for a dark song at least.
Pillowtalk By: Zayn (Year-End Peak: 22)
I'm surprised that it was Zayn of all people from One Direction who would get the first solo hit. Even more surprised that it debut at Number 1 on the Hot 100. But the biggest surprise for me was that I kinda like the song. There are some problems basically coming from Zayn himself. While he is a good singer, I'm not sure if he is showing his full potential yet. Even in this song, he seems to be pulling a bit back in his delivery. Not too much that he isn't trying at all, but I would have liked to be heard more. The one thing this song has going for it, is the production. The production is one of the best this year had to offer. That was enough for this to be a honorable mention. Also, small shoutout to the bizarre video. Felt like I was in a strange film with Gigi Hadid in it who I have a bit of a crush on. Don't worry, the list gets more controversial moving forward.
Say It by: Tory Lanez (Year-End Peak: 74)
Honestly the reason this is a honorable mention is because of the chorus. I could listen to it all day, it's so entertaining. But, the rest of the song isn't too bad either. Tory Lanez is a decent performer, the production is nice, though the lyrics in the verses are not that special. But still, the chorus makes it worth it.
Ride by: Twenty One Pilots (Year-End Peak: 20)
I'm just gonna say this right now. I actually don't hate the effects in Tyler Joseph's vocals. I never found it that annoying. A bit distracting, but not to terrible. But this is a song I would use as party track. Why have Flo Rida or The Chain-smokers when you can have fun tracks like this?
I know what you did last Summer by: Shawn Mendes and Camilla Cabello (Year-End Peak: 86)
This came as a shock to me. At first, I didn't think much of this song. But then I had to listen to it again recently to make these lists and......its actually better then when I remembered it. Though I admit, that I am not a fan of Camilla, and she really does knock things down a bit. Personally I would have preferred Lauren out of the Fifth Harmony players to have solo hits. Though this song does have things going for it. The acoustic guitar is really well done, with the lyrics, it was a good idea to make the song a duet, and actually, Shawn Mendes is on point with his performance. As in, I can understand what he is saying from beginning to end. I'll take this over any Drake/Rihanna collaborations that were made this year with "Work" and "Too Good".
Broccoli by: D.R.A.M Ft. Lil Yachty (Year-End Peak: 34)
Alright, I'll admit. This song grew on me since my first episode discussing the billboard top 10 at that time. The whole piano video game beat is quite entertaining and has gotten better with each listen. Of course, D.R.A.M is a big presence in the song. He is a lot of fun to listen to, he is full of positivity it leaves a smile on my face. The reason this isn't in the top 10 is because of Lil Yachty. He is a bland presence and makes lines like "Fifty Shades of Grey, beat that p**sy like Hulk Hogan* and the imfamous *we gon turn this s**t to Columbine*. Major turn off. But everything else makes it worth a listen.
H.O.L.Y by: Florida Georgia Line (Year-End Peak: 49)
I know, I know, Buy your sharp knives to get me for putting a Florida Georgia Line song in a positive list. Anyone that knows me, knows that I am not a big fan of country music. But that's a talk for another day. Believe it or not, there are things that work for me about this song. I enjoy the piano instrumentation, and there is this subtle feel when you hear the music. And after hearing "Cruise", it is nice to hear Florida Georgia Line to seem serious and not have really awful corny lines. Though the religious talk can be a bit much especially with making the acronym "High On Loving You". But it is enjoyable enough.
Ok, now for the Real list Starting with:
Number Ten
I remember hearing a song from her that was intended to be the lead off single for her album. But it got removed as the song flopped hard. Rightfully so, because that song was terrible. But with that, I was nervous on what was gonna happen and I was expecting the worst. But thankfully, we had this song that debut in the top 10. And really with this song *And album* I could see that people will stop laughing and pays attention as this song was actually good.
#10: Dangerous Woman by: Ariana Grande (Year End Peak: 36)
Yes, Ariana Grande is starting off this top 10. No, it will not get better. When "Focus" was made, I was nervous on what to expect but thankfully this song replaced "Focus" and became her big hit for this year. First we get the music that starts out a bit like a western which is slow, subtle and it works out. It's a good thing they kept it a medium volume as it mostly we hear what is usually the best part of Ariana's music which is her vocal performance. She is a big presence, and it's a good thing as she is a good singer. The lyrics is about Ariana talking about being her own person and that she doesn't need a man to be in control of her while saying that something about him makes her feel "Dangerous". People usually don't believe this dangerous stuff coming from Arianna Grande for some reason as she shown this kind of stuff before in "Love me Harder". For me, to make this kind of stuff work, you need a good style, have a big presence so that you can be heard, and seem cool and ready for anything. And Ariana makes it work here. If we can't have a Demi Lovato hit with the song "Confident" which would have topped this list, then I'm glad we have this. Good work
Number Nine:
I find it weird that the biggest song of the summer was from a Animated DreamWorks movie. And this was from a year where we had hits from movies like "Alice through the looking Glass", and "Suicide Squad", yet the big one came from the movie "Trolls". How can you make a song from movie like that work? Somehow, Justin Timberlake found a way.
#9: Can't Stop the Feeling by: Justin Timberlake (Year-End Peak: 9)
Funny, the ninth biggest song of the year is my ninth best song of the year. But don't expect "Love Yourself" to be number one. Anyway, when I think of this song, I start to think of "Happy" from Pharrell in 2014. Another song from a animated movie, Except it was a Universal Studios movie. I was wondering why I was reminded of "Happy" when listening to this song. But then I realized they both have something that makes those songs work. They are full of positive energy. They both make you want to get up and dance as the beat is so much fun to listen too. I probably wouldn't sing the chorus as it mostly has the word "Dance" in it. But the lyrics isn't terrible as it talks about feeling good inside wanting to keep moving which is find enough. And that Justin Timberlake is the song singing it makes it better. He is one of the more known voices of pop music, and he still pulls it off at the age of 35. It makes up for the song "Love Never felt so Good" in 2014. *Sigh* But this song is good all the same. Well done JT.
Number Eight:
I am all in for more Swedish music entering the hot 100 if we get more songs like this.
#8: Never Forget You by: Zara Larsson Ft. MNEK (Year-End Peak: 46)
If you read my review on her song "Ain't my Fault" then you would know that I do like Zara Larsson. She made nice music in "1" and she keeps going with songs like "Lush Life" which would have easily made the list if it became a hit but it wasn't for some reason. But "Never Forget You" is a good song all the same. I don't hate EDM as much others do, and this has probably the best drop of the year. It's rare that you use the word subtle when it comes to EDM drops, but it should be said here as it really works. The lyrics are about 2 people having this connection since they first met and will love each other even if they are apart. But the best part is the performances of Zara Larsson and MNEK. They have strong vocals and they do show some chemistry in the song which is something a duet needs. When you listen to these two, you can tell that they care about each other till the day they die. I'm glad this became a hit. Great work. And Zara Larsson, can't wait for that album to come. But may I ask that you watch what you say with the feminism. Your kind of close from going over the line. Just saying.
Number Seven:
OMG PEOPLE OF THE PRESS, THIS IS SHOCKING NEWS. SOMEONE HAS PUT A SONG WITH LIL WAYNE ATTACHED IN THEIR BEST LIST.
#7: Sucker for Pain by: Lil Wayne, Wiz Kalifa and Imagine Dragons with Logic, Ty Dollar Sign Ft. X Ambassadors)
Yeah, Heathens is not my favourite song from the Suicide Squad Soundtrack. It should not work with the artists they put in it, yet I can't help but like it. While I do admit that they kind of wasted X ambassadors by giving him only one line said three times, there are still things to enjoy it. Mainly, the performers of the rappers. For the first hit he has, Logic shows that he has potential in the mainstream. Even if I can't tell what he is saying sometimes as he goes so fast. Then you have Ty Dollar Sign who gives a chilled out, smooth performance, Wiz Kalifa shows some kind of effort. With this and "See you Again", maybe he should stick to just songs from movie soundtracks. But the most surprising performance is Lil Wayne. He has been critics punching bag for bad songs for the last few years. But this song might have him on the way to redemption. He sounds healthy as he talks about death and suicide. Interesting. And then you have the hook with Imagine Dragons. Which has the big presence from the lead singer. Weird it works for a song about chaining people up and tying them down. But that's the kind of world we live in where dark songs are a thing. Thanks for that The Weeknd.
Number Six:
Like I said before, duets can be a good thing when you are talking about two people as it gives us both of their sights in things. There have been times where it doesn't work. But with songs like "Never Forget You" and "I know what you did last Summer", 2016 did have times where duets work. But there is one hit duet song that works the best. And it came from two people I thought wouldn't work well together in a song.
#6: Close by: Nick Jonas Ft. Tove Lo (Year-End Peak: 66)
When I heard that Nick Jonas and Tove Lo was making a song together, I didn't think it would work. We have someone that talks about getting high to stop thinking of someone, and someone that pathetically tries to look like a badass to stop a girl from leaving him *Which didn't work*. But I listened to it as I am a fan of Tove Lo and was surprised from what we got. We have a song about two people trying to get close to each other but things keep stopping them from doing so like space and their own insecurities. I didn't know how they could make it work especially with the line "Space is just a word made up by someone who's afraid to get too close". Yet, these 2 made things work. Mostly by the performances where again, they show to have some kind of chemistry. And no, i'm not talking about the video, this is coming from the song itself. As you can tell from my picks so far, I do like to see some subtlty in the music when it is needed. And this song shows that they can keep things balanced with the music without going over the top. I wasn't expecting much with this song at first, and in the end, these two made a good song. I'm not sure if I can forgive Nick Jonas for "Jealous" yet though. Time will tell.
Number Five:
I am 7 episode into this series. My first episode was the top 10 of the Billboard Hot 100 Review. I wasn't kind to most of the 10 but there was this one song that stood out for the best. And if you saw that episode, then you should know that this song was gonna be on this list.
#5: Starboy by: The Weeknd Ft. Daft Punk (Year-End Peak: 58)
This song is something I would expect with Daft Punk involved. And The Weeknd makes it better with delivery and writing. This is a ego-trip talking about the haters and fame. Usually, I would hate it when people talk about how big they are. Yet The Weeknd found a way to make the cliché tolerable. He says that he is a starboy as basically, we made him that way. Just the one line "Look What you Done" said it all. It was the fans that made him one of the biggest stars right now. Without the fans going to the concerts, buying the dvds or streaming, the hits would not be hits. The Weeknd is aware of it. I have not seen that before. I find that really refreshing. He's not bragging to be an a**hole or to show off. He's doing it as he has worked hard, and he got the support from what he knows it came from.....us. That is the kind of song I can get behind. For that The Weeknd, I bow down to you.
Number Four:
You ever have that artist or group that you thought you would never like their music as you hate them so much. But then they make one song that was shockingly good that you had to think of that these people can do in the future. For some people, it's Drake, Justin Bieber, Meghan Trainor, Iggy Azuela, or Will.I.am. For me this year........... it was Fifth Harmony. *Head Down*
#4: All in my Head *Flex* by: Fifth Harmony Ft. Fetty Wap (Year-End Peak: 93)
I am not a fan of Fifth Harmony. I find songs like "Sledgehammer" and "Worth It" to be songs that do not add much to the table. When Fifth Harmony made another album this year, I was preparing for the worst. While things didn't help much with a song i'll talk about at a later date, "All in my Head" was not something I was expecting. It was actually good. It was a song that was clearly made for the summer, but it was a nice summer beat. And that's saying something as summer songs tend to suck. Fetty Wap is a fun presence. I wouldn't be surprised if D.R.A.M had inspirations from Wap. There were also choices that worked like that Camilla is only on one verse and isn't all around the song. You have Lauren perform a strong bridge and then you have Dinah and Normani perform the chorus and they just own the song. This song showed that these girls do have talent and in the right hands, they can make good music. Good Job Fifth Harmony, this was a good song.
Number Three:
Oh look, more of the weeknd.
#3: In the Night by: The Weeknd (Year-End Peak: 61)
If this guy keeps it up, I might end up calling myself a fan one day. In this song, we have The Weeknd talking about a girl on her own dealing with pain and abuse for money. She dances as a way to make things better with money and to eliminate the pain. It's dark territory but that is expected coming from The Weeknd. But its the framing that makes it work as he says she can't walk away and that we don't understand what is really going on, so we can't judge things. Seeing how he talks about these stories and what she does, maybe he is the one to know what's going on. And with that, we have amazing production and a strong performance from him. Sorry JT, you're great, but The Weeknd is now the closest to being the new Michael Jackson with the music. And we have a great song to go with it.
Number Two
Ok, let's move away from the dark territory. Let's go to something more light. It's the return Grande-Land.
#2: Into You by: Ariana Grande (Year-End Peak: 51)
That's right. TWO Ariana Grande songs on this list. I will apologize to no one. Here we have a song where Ariana being in charge of the relationship. While she is trying to be "dangerous", she's not being a total bitch here *Cough-Daya-Cough* Like I said, these kind of things work with the smooth smart performance of the performer and Ariana pulls it off. The Production is well done. I like the finger snapping in the beat, it makes things more interesting. Note people, Whistling is bad. Finger Snapping is good. The one thing that really makes the song near the top is the build up of the music and singing. It started smooth and then went all out by the end. Happy this became a hit and Thankfully we have Ariana Grande this year to show that while we had terrible music in 2016, we had people like her to count on for good quality. But what can top this?
Number One:
This should be a interesting choice for number one. This year had a weird mix in quality. Fifth Harmony made a song I like, Shawn Mendes made a song I like. Even Bieber had I song I liked with "Sorry" but made top 10 in 2015 so It wasn't eligible this year. But this song I knew would be somewhere near number one. But "Confident" by Demi Lovato didn't even make top 20 but this was a good choice as well. With that said....
#1: Stressed Out by: Twenty One Pilots (Year-End Peak: 5)
Weird. How does a song that has this line "My Name is Blurryface and I care what you think" and be called the best hit song of 2016? Well, there are things to be said in this song. I am a 20 year old Canadian that just started life in college. I am trapped with non-stop work with little time to just sit around, play some games and have fun. Life has become stressful and there are times where I want to just stop and escape. I knew life would never be the same again as it was as a kid. This song, is basically a callback to our nostalgia. Yes there is the first verse that talks about Joseph wanting to be a better artist with better sounds and not wanting to rhyme all the time. Then you have the other verses and the chorus where it talks about wanting to be in the good old days as a kid. Where our moms sang us to sleep. Where we can have fun in our treehouses. Where we didn't have to worry about what to wear. And where we can have fun with our dreams and imaginations. We need songs like that in our life. When things are stressful, you can have that song with good production, smart writing, and some weird but fun effects near the end, and have it go back to your nostalgia days of being a kid and feeling young. And this is the song I will call the best hit song of 2016. The song to our childhood.
Thanks for listening. I'll see you for the worst hit songs list. Promise.
