Au$tin's Best of 2014: Songs 50-1/Artists 25-1

[Au$tin]

Only three more weeks until the 2014 chart year ends! (Damn, already?!) That means it's time to start building up hype for my year-end chart! It will begin December 1 with a list of honorary mentions. It will end December 31 with the posting of the number one artist and song of the year!

So, as per usual, let's take a poll! Which song do you think will land atop my list this year? What about artist?

[H.]

I can't wait for this.

[surfy]

Lol, I'm totally guessing, but

Chandelier & Demi Lovato

[H.]

I guess Rather Be and Lorde, but I agree with Surf, Chandelier and Demi I think have a good chance.

[nick64]

I guessed "Rather Be" and Katy, because she's the only one I can remember having more than one big hit for you this year. Although I think Demi did well too, and it would be awesome to see her at the top!

[Au$tin]

I see some good thinking going on. Demi had two top ten hits with incredible longevity this year. Chandelier and Rather Be both killed it in their huge point totals and longevity. I believe there was only a week or two that didn't have Lorde on the chart. And Katy is the only artist to score two number ones this year (as well as two other top tens).

[popstop]

I can't think of anything Kelly has done this past year besides her Christmas album.

[Au$tin]

Nov 18, 2014 11:57:01 GMT -5 popstop said:

I can't think of anything Kelly has done this past year besides her Christmas album.

Very true. This chart year does, however, include December 2013 in which Wrapped in Red completely dominated. Granted, that's only a month's worth of big points, but it was enough to put her in the running for top artist of the year along with recurrent data.

[Au$tin]

The poll is closed! Looks like the consensus is "Rather Be" will be my number one song. The number one artist, however, is a toss-up between Lorde and Katy! I notice "Let It Go," "Dark Horse," and "Chandelier" also received a few votes as did Avril Lavigne, Demi Lovato, and Taylor Swift. We shall see...

So, as promised, before the countdown begins, here is a look at the songs that charted this year, but failed to make the top 100.

101. Britney Spears - Perfume 64.024
102. Imogen Heap - Me the Machine 61.716
103. Rihanna - What Now 60.654
104. Ella Henderson - Ghost 55.255
105. Glass Animals - Gooey 55.159
106. Christina Perri - Human 54.481
107. Michael Jackson - Love Never Felt So Good 54.230
108. MisterWives - Reflections 53.410
109. Lilly Wood & the Prick - Prayer in C 53.005
110. Demi Lovato - Let It Go 51.232
111. Jason Derülo - Trumpets 51.207
112. Cher Lloyd/T.I. - I Wish 48.667
113. Travis Barker/Juicy J/Liz - Live Forever 47.386
114. The Veronicas - You Ruin Me 45.399
115. Christina Aguilera - We Remain 45.325
116. Imagine Dragons - On Top of the World 44.336
117. Lee DeWyze - Blackbird Song 43.758
118. Kristen Bell/Agatha Lee Monn/Katie Lopez - Do You Want to Build a Snowman? 43.474
119. Fergie - L.A.LOVE (la la) 42.459
120. Kelly Clarkson - Underneath the Tree 41.269
121. Lorde - Yellow Flicker Beat 41.138
122. Bruno Mars - Gorilla 39.681
123. Taylor Swift - Blank Space 39.389
124. Ariana Grande/The Weeknd - Love Me Harder 35.080
125. Avril Lavigne - Give You What You Like 34.567
126. Jessie J - Magnetic 33.136
127. Miley Cyrus - Do My Thang 32.854
128. Tegan and Sara - Closer 32.611
129. Fall Out Boy - Alone Together 30.684
130. Karmin - Drifter 30.238
131. Fall Out Boy - Centuries 28.629
132. Kristen Bell/Idina Menzel - For the First Time in Forever 28.548
133. Miley Cyrus/Nelly - 4x4 28.246
134. Juicy J/Wiz Khalifa/Ty Dolla $ign/Kill the Noise/Madsonik - Shell Shocked 28.021
135. Lorde - Buzzcut Season 27.673
136. Ed Sheeran - All of the Stars 27.617
137. Taylor Swift - Wildest Dreams 27.283
138. Avril Lavigne - Rock N Roll 26.138
139. Lana Del Rey/Cedric Gervais - Summertime Sadness (Cedric Gervais Remix) 26.069
140. Taylor Swift - Bad Blood 25.117
141. Emeli Sandé - My Kind of Love 25.077
142. Lorde - Ribs 22.520
143. Luke Bryan - That's My Kind of Night 22.186
144. Kristen Bell/Idina Menzel - For the First Time in Forever (Reprise) 20.334
145. Taylor Swift - Style 20.249
146. Gwen Stefani - Baby Don't Lie 20.154
147. Daughtry - Battleships 19.713
148. Tiësto/Matthew Koma - Wasted 19.464
149. Katy Perry - Roar 18.390
150. Taylor Swift - Out of the Woods 18.082
151. Childish Gambino - Retro (ROUGH) 16.012
152. Katy Perry - International Smile 14.939
153. Drake/Majid Jordan - Hold On, We're Going Home 14.404
154. Selena Gomez - The Heart Wants It Wants 14.166
155. Paloma Faith - Can't Rely on You 13.608
156. Avicii - Wake Me Up! 12.046
157. Mark Ronson/Bruno Mars - Uptown Funk 10.429
158. Taylor Swift - Red 10.308
159. Christina Grimmie - Tell My Mama 10.119
160. 78violet - Hothouse 9.309
161. Taylor Swift/Ed Sheeran - Everything Has Changed 5.737

And as for the artists:

51. Ellesello 153.095
52. Tech N9ne 152.402
53. Kendrick Lamar 152.402
54. ¡MAYDAY! 152.402
55. Kendall Morgan 152.402
56. Becky G 149.269
57. Disclosure 144.548
58. KONGOS 143.681
59. DJ Mustard 143.236
60. Meghan Trainor 141.736
61. Cassadee Pope 139.627
62. The Band Perry 138.521
63. Lady Gaga 138.307
64. Paloma Faith 133.645
65. Nico & Vinz 131.907
66. B.o.B 131.019
67. X Ambassadors 127.556
68. Jamie N Commons 127.556
69. AJR 127.096
70. Rascal Flatts 126.906
71. Echosmith 126.138
72. MAGIC! 125.362
73. MKTO 124.108
74. R. Kelly 123.039
75. Priscilla 121.303
76. Ciara 119.208
77. Sam Hunt 118.051
78. Blake Shelton 116.994
79. Thirty Seconds to Mars 115.676
80. Iggy Pop 114.436
81. Chad Kroeger 111.214
82. Zedd 108.964
83. Passenger 108.676
84. Avicii 105.593
85. Kristen Bell 104.542
86. Snoop Dogg 102.939
87. JAY Z 100.36
88. Fall Out Boy 94.55
89. Jack and Jack 85.637
90. Mike Will Made-It 83.128
91. Bruno Mars 79.329
92. Maddie & Tae 78.941
93. The Fray 78.38
94. The Veronicas 75.191
95. Aer 74.717
96. One Direction 74.303
97. Mary Lambert 74.197
98. Michael Jackson 71.808
99. Fergie 71.697
100. Imogen Heap 68.778
101. 78violet 67
102. Christina Aguilera 61.828
103. Glass Animals 60.633
104. Ella Henderson 60.185
105. Christina Perri 59.761
106. MisterWives 58.384
107. Lilly Wood & the Prick 58.149
108. Gwen Stefani 55.755
109. Travis Barker 52.068
110. Liz 52.068
111. Lee DeWyze 46.546
112. Agatha Lee Monn 45.038
113. Katie Lopez 45.038
114. Tegan and Sara 38.214
115. The Weeknd 37.674
116. Nelly 37.011
117. Emeli Sandé 30.079
118. Kill the Noise 29.742
119. Madsonik 29.742
120. Lana Del Rey 27.803
121. Cedric Gervais 27.803
122. Luke Bryan 26.485
123. Selena Gomez 22.133
124. Daughtry 21.182
125. Childish Gambino 20.873
126. Matthew Koma 20.291
127. Tiësto 19.597
128. Drake 17.173
129. Majid Jordan 15.091
130. Mark Ronson 10.266

[Au$tin]

Also, shameless promo. (Sorry if you've already been in here. Also, if you would like to not be tagged in the future, please just let me know!)

josh Lozzy nick64 surfy Juan Carlos hitseeker. Zeebz @jf816 @dawson Libra Lahey's Lucky Star Sean Rocky Agent Yoncé Devin @drag27 H. M1tchD Rose "Payola" Nylund @xiivi bate K. @iwannago YourFaveIsAFlop Fancy Soldado de Juguete nivekwriter1 heyhey21 Adonia popstop

[Agent Yoncé]

This has been a sucky year in music for my liking. I hope next year picks it up.

[Au$tin]

	100 Christina Grimmie Must Be Love 64.656 points	Debut: September 14 Peak: #16; November 2-November 9 Run: 38-35-23-26-22-20-18-16-16-20-19-21... Favorite Line: "Take me to a doctor, 'cuz I'm shaking, I need water"
When I first heard this song, I'll admit I wasn't too impressed. However, it only took a few listens before I found myself humming it at random points during the day. This is one of those songs that isn't immediately amazing, but it is catchy and a fun song to listen to. It peaked at number 16 in early November. Unfortunately for it, it got lost in the shuffle of what I'm now deeming "Dry October," which was the period in which overall chart points dropped tremendously due to my hectic shcedule. The chart still hasn't fully recovered from it yet, by the way. In the end, it's a decent song and a good way to kick off the top 100!
	99 Shakira Rihanna Can't Remember to Forget You 64.669 points	Debut: February 9 Peak: #22; March 30 & April 13 Run: 38-38-30-27-27-26-26-22-28-22-39 Favorite Line: "I see only the good, selective memory"
Of course the hype for this one was high once it was announced two sultry and sexy females from Latin America and the Caribbean were teaming up. Unfortunately, the result was pretty lackluster. However, I can't deny that even though it isn't exactly the hot club banger I was expecting, it does have its moments. For example, Rihanna's vocals in her verse are similar to those in "Man Down," and I'm totally okay with that! Shakira even has some nice adlibs as well. Overall, the song just kind of falls flat. The song was definitely aided by that nearly pornographic video. If my roommate wasn't constantly playing the video no doubt for his "spank tank," the song probably would've peaked lower for me, haha!
	98 One Direction Story of My Life 66.680 points	Debut: December 22 Peak: #21; February 9 Run: 33-33-25-22-23-22-23-21-31-35-40 Favorite Line: "I spend her love until she's broke inside"
I would have never dreamed I would see a day when One Direction would make my chart. (Though, I said the same thing about Justin Bieber before "As Long As You Love Me" became a top ten hit!) Generally, I find One Direction's music to be incredibly whiny or too much geared towards females aged 13-17. However, "Story of My Life" is totally different. The folk/singer-songwriter influences make this quite the tune. It definitely is also aided by the fact that it's one of those song that's so hard to resist singing along to. The song peaked at 21 in early February due to a high burn rate for me. However, this song has aged very well for me, and I wish I could go back and rechart this one. It deserves a much higher peak based on how much I've grown to like it now. My favorite part is easily the acoustic strip-down after the bridge that then explodes into the beat-driven chorus. Sounds so great!
	97 Mary Lambert Secrets 67.264 points	Debut: September 28 Peak: #4; November 30 Run: 26-19-18-17-14-13-8-6-6-4... Favorite Line: "I love my butt and won't shut up, and I never really grew up"
Much like "Must Be Love," "Secrets" didn't immediately grab my attention upon first listen. What did happen, though, was I kind of forgot about it until I heard it on the radio, and it just suddenly clicked! The lyrics are so cheeky, but at the same time adorable. I also love her vocals in this one. The way she kind of puts that upward inflection at the end of each line in the verse is so fun! This is another one of those hard-to-not-sing-along-to kind of songs. Also, the "so-o-o-o-o-o-o what" hook with those trumpets underneath... love it! I would also like to point out that the more I hear this, the more I could see Ke$ha doing this, and my inner Ke$ha stan goes berzerk thinking about that. I would totally not be opposed to Ke$ha following this sound in her next dollar-less album. Or even more like this from Mary.
	96 Aer Says She Loves Me 67.669 points	Debut: February 2 Peak: #18; March 23-March 30 Run: 36-37-33-27-24-24-25-18-18-20-37 Favorite Line: "Despite her good side and some good sex, I'd rather go through amnesia, like forget all about it"
Here's a song that probably most Pulsers don't know exists. This is such a nice, catchy, throwback-feely tune. The song definitely is heavily influenced by the chilled/laid-back sound from the likes of Smash Mouth, Sugar Ray, etc. The chorus is an addicting sing-along and the verses are almost rapping/almost talking, and they have some pretty tongue-in-cheek lyrics, such as my favorite line. The song had a pretty high burn rate for me, resulting in a peak of 18 after a fairly slow climb, which explains its fast death. Then the song went dormant for me. TBH, I forgot it existed for a long time until I was making this year-end list, haha!
	95 Miley Cyrus Adore You 68.098 points	Debut: January 26 Peak: #19; March 16 Run: 39-37-36-37-29-25-22-19-20-24-35 Favorite Line: "When you're near me, I feel like I'm standing with an army of men armed with weapons"
For the life of me, I'll never understand why this was a single from Bangerz and why the era just ended here. It makes me pretty bitter about this one, but putting that bitterness aside, this is a nice little tune. The opening ballad of Miley's dive into urban album is sweet and innocent (though, the video definitely isn't!), but is about a minute too long and is one of those songs I have to be in the mood for. Miley's vocals shine bright on it, though, as most of her ballads showcase. Her vocals combined with the subject matter of the song definitely show how vulnerable Ms. Cyrus is. I also really love it when those strings come in at the end of the chorus. The drum beat in this one is also pretty cool. It's not a bad song at all, obviously, as it's in my top 100 for the year, I'm just bitter that it got the single treatment over the likes of "Drive," "#GETITRIGHT," "Do My Thang," and "On My Own."
	94 Maroon 5 Animals 68.823 points	Debut: September 21 Peak: #7; November 30 Run: 36-20-11-15-14-16-17-13-10-12-7... Favorite Line: "Don't deny the animal that comes alive when I'm inside you"
This song's run is bizarre. When I first heard it, I fell in hardcore love with it. That beat over the verses was great, and when the pre-chorus hits, I lose my shit! That rhythm is sick! And the song's early chart run showcases this: in three weeks it was right outside the top ten's door looking like a strong contender for a future number one. However, it hit a HUGE brick wall there, not reaching the top ten for another six weeks. It had a pretty harsh burn rate with me that has since subsided, but it starting to grow back (as the fall from 7-13 on this week's chart shows). In the end, that pre-chorus is still one of the strongest things Maroon 5 has ever done, and it will foever tie me into loving this song no matter what my feelings about the rest of the song fluctuates between. (Also, that coyote howl after the bridge. Badass.)
	93 The Fray Love Don't Die 69.121 points	Debut: January 19 Peak: #18; February 16 Run: 39-32-33-31-18-19-19-21-21-28-35 Favorite Line: "You can box it in, bury it in the ground"
Like "Says She Loves Me," I forgot this existed until year-end came around! This is the first song from The Fray that I've been behind since "How to Save a Life," which has aged terribly for me, BTW. So in the end, it's become the only other song from The Fray I can currently say I like after "Over My Head (Cable Car)." "Love Don't Die" is very OneRepublic-ish, and even Isaac Slade's vocals sound oddly similar to Ryan Tedder's. The stomp-clap beat is infectious. I really wish this would have caught on more. Unfortunately, I think it was a bit too similar to "Counting Stars" to really take off at the time. (Lol, OneRepublic.)
	92 Hilary Duff Chasing the Sun 70.059 points	Debut: August 17 Peak: #15; October 26 Run: 28-24-28-21-27-20-19-23-23-26-15-27-34-40 Favorite Line: "Gotta get it while our hearts are young"
For those who didn't quite catch it, I stan hard for Hilary Duff. She was one of the first artists I was a HUGE fan for. Her absense from the music industry has always been a slight void for me. So, words could not express my excitement over her return. She returned with "Chasing the Sun," a nice chilled/laid-back summery acoustic tune. Not exactly what I was expecting, but it is still without a doubt naturally Duff. I was never crazy over this song, especially when "All About You" was released a few short weeks later and took over my excitement, but this did manage a number 15 peak, which is decent. I'll definitely be revisiting this track every summer for a nice sit in the shade by the pool tune.
	91 Maddie & Tae Girl In a Country Song 71.621 points	Debut: September 7 Peak: #21; Ocotber 5-October 12 Run: 39-31-27-24-21-21-22-22-22-22-23-26-24... Favorite Line: "Now we're lucky if we even get to climb up in your truck, keep my mouth shut, and ride along"
I am so glad that this song was made. I have no idea who Maddie & Tae are, but kudos to them for having the female balls to finally call country music out for turning into a trashy all male fest of "beer, truck, and country girls!" Ugh. Bro country is disgusting. This song showcases some pretty talented vocals. One of the girls sounds eerily similar to Miranda Lambert, so I'm all for that! To add to that, it pokes fun at Blake Shelton's awful "Boys 'Round Here" and that God-awful "Redneck Crazy" in a clever tongue-in-cheek way, and I am so here for the Conway Twitty and George Strait references! The song just doesn't seem to want to die for me. It's spent an insane amount of time hovering in the upper 20s, and just this week finally made the top 20!! (Though, that's gonna count for 2015's year-end list.) Here's hoping for some more good music from these gals in the future!

---

	50 Hippie Sabotage 157.801 points	Tracks This Year: Stay High (Habits Remix) - #9
I don't have a lot to say here. This is a production duo that did the remix for Tove Lo's "Habits (Stay High)." The song was a big hit for me, and it alone aided in helping these guys appear in the top 50 artists list. I haven't heard anything they've done outside of the "Habits" remix, but I know they did a really good job with it. I may have to check out more of their stuff.
	49 Charli XCX 160.727 points	Tracks This Year: Boom Clap - #2 Top Recurrents This Year: 1) I Love It - 6.096 points
This chick reminds me of what you would get if you combined Gwen Stefani with Lorde. That's not a terrible combination at all, but I'm still not quite sure of what to make of her yet. I do like her addition into Icona Pop's "I Love It" last year, and obviously "Boom Clap" was a massive hit for me this year. She also made "Fancy" tolerable from Iggy Azalea. Unfortunately, I don't care for her "Break the Rules" song out now. Hm...
	48 Jason Derülo 163.693 points	Tracks This Year: Wiggle - #17 Trumpets - #17 Top Recurrents This Year: 1) Whatcha Say/In My Head - 3.048 points 3) Ridin' Solo - 1.524 points
Jason Derülo is always so hit and miss with me. His second album did nothing for me after having three solid singles from his debut. His big hit this year, "Talk Dirty," was a major miss for me, but the follow-ups caught on. "Wiggle" is pretty similar to Maroon 5's "Animals" in the way I went from absolutely loving to getting quickly burnt on it, and the same thing happened with "Trumpets." Weird. He's not bad, but I feel like a lot of his material sounds like album filler.
	47 P!nk 168.135 points	Tracks This Year: Are We All We Are - #14 Top Recurrents This Year: 1) Just Give Me a Reason - 8.382 points 2) So What/Try - 5.334 points
P!nk slays a bit by making in onto this list this year by almost doing nothing. "All We All We Are" peaked at 14 early in the year after it was kinda-sorta pushed in Australia. I love P!nk and think she's an amazingly talented artist. Her vocals are so fucking good and her performances are out of this world amazing. She is definitely the top artist on my list to see live in concert. I am looking forward to what she has in store for us in 2015. I feel like she's going to come back stronger than ever in the spring or summer.

josh Lozzy nick64 surfy Juan Carlos hitseeker. Zeebz @jf816 @dawson Libra Lahey's Lucky Star Sean Rocky Agent Yoncé Devin @drag27 H. M1tchD Rose "Payola" Nylund @xiivi bate K. YourFaveIsAFlop Fancy Soldado de Juguete nivekwriter1 heyhey21 Adonia popstop

[hitseeker.]

Some very nice songs on this first batch, Austin. Thanks for the tag! :)

[H.]

Great to see Shakira and The Fray charting.

[Juan Carlos]

Good to see "Can't Remember to Forget You" and "Story of My Life" there, as well as Charli XCX and P!nk. I think that I also need to check Hippie Sabotage's work besides "Habits (Stay High)".

[nick64]

100. Wasn't crazy about it when it came out, but only listened once.
99. Loved this one! It burned quickly, but it's a nice catchy tune.
98. I never really got too into it, unlike most of their singles, but also unlike most of their singles, it's held up fairly well for me. Kinda like a sleeper hit situation. Idk lol.
97. It's alright. Cute lyrics, but got old very quick.
96. Idk it
95. Dull single choice, but a cute ballad. Should've released "#GETITRIGHT".
94. Flawless. So completely flawless. Completely agree on the pre-chrous being everything.
93. A nice fun tune. One of their better offerings in recent years.
92. Great poolside song, but that's all it has going for it imo.
91. One of my favorite country songs this year! These girls are awesome, and those lyrics are fantastic! I definitely recommend checking out their EP. It's really good.

50. Was never too crazy about the remix *shrugs*
49. Hated "I Love It", but everything since has been great. "Break The Rules" is actually my favorite so far lol.
48. I lowkey stan for Jason lol. This album's had a lot of disappoint for me though, and while I loved the first three singles, "Wiggle" and "Trumpets" are my least favorite singles from him ever. So basically opposite of you lol.
47. Love her! "Are We All We Are" is great!

Great list so far! :)

[Zeebz]

Great batches, both! I like all but "Must Be Love" and "Says She Loves Me", which I just don't know. I'll have to check them out soon. I also really like most of the bubbling under.

[Au$tin]

josh Lozzy nick64 surfy Juan Carlos hitseeker. Zeebz @jf816 @dawson Libra Lahey's Lucky Star Sean Rocky Agent Yoncé Devin @drag27 H. M1tchD Rose "Payola" Nylund @xiivi bate K. YourFaveIsAFlop Fancy Soldado de Juguete nivekwriter1 heyhey21 Adonia popstop

If you would like to not be tagged in the future, please just let me know!

	90 Rihanna Jump 73.525 points	Debut: April 27 Peak: #15; Run: 35-40-39-29-20-23-15-19-21-22-31-40 Favorite Line: "When you fuck them other girls I bet they be wondering why you always call my name"
"Jump" was the final single off of Rihanna's Unapologetic album, and unfortunately, it was only released in a few select countries. This song is such a jam. Its instrumental is so dark and twisted sounding. It largely samples "Pony" by Ginuwine, but in an amazing way. The chorus is pretty much word-for-word a cover despite a few words altered slightly. The chorus slowly builds into this hip-hop/dubstep fusion that just sounds so cool. The song also reignited my love for "Pony" this year, which is a classic. I fondly remember playing this for my roommate once, and he hated it and "Pony." Not because they sounded bad, but simply because he hated the lyrics. He didn't understand why a dick is being referred to as a "pony" instead of something more valiant like a "stallion." I guess he had a point, but that doesn't deny the fact this song is sexy and catchy, and he will deal.
	89 Paloma Faith Only Love Can Hurt Like This 73.762 points	Debut: September 21 Peak: #5; November 23 Run: 32-22-12-6-8-9-12-9-9-5-6... Favorite Line: "When you come close I just tremble"
I absolutely love this song. I remember wanting to check out new music, so I went onto Top Hits Online to see what people around the Internet were into, and this track was in the top ten. I had never heard it before, obviously, but the moment it started, I fell in absolute love. Her voice, the production, the lyrics, it all meshes together is some orgasmic piece of art. Paloma's voice is uniquely her own, and she owns it. Especially when she just nails that octave jump after the second chorus! The production is what really drew me in. This song sounds like it comes straight out of the 50s, but not in the upbeat sock-hop was like last year's "Dance with Me Tonight" by Olly Murs. This was like a 50s ballad, and I love every single second of this masterpiece. Also, those lyrics are just so beautifully written. When Dianne Warren is at her best, damn can she write some good stuff.
	88 Mike Will Made-It Miley Cyrus Wiz Khalifa Juicy J 23 74.655 points	Debut: March 23 Peak: #19; May 11 Run: 39-36-38-38-25-20-22-19-20-29-34-37 Favorite Line: "I'm so fly, I'm gettin' head like a blowdryer"
I was super late at getting into this song! This song came out shortly after "Wrecking Ball," but I never got into in until about March this year, long past "Wrecking Ball"'s 10-week run at number one on my chart. The production is so slick! Of course, I never really have problems getting into hip-hop songs' productions. It's their lyrics that are hard for me to get into, but "23," despite it's mediocre lyrics, are hilarious to sing along with nonetheless. Honestly, I got to the point where I had the whole song memorized. Also, can I just say Miley's verse is probably my favorite. Her flow is surprisingly good! Juicy J's is probably my second, and Wiz's third. But I like the entire song.
	87 Maroon 5 Lucky Strike 75.203 points	Debut: January 12 Peak: #21; March 23 Run: 37-30-30-32-33-36-25-28-28-24-21-27-30 Favorite Line: "She said 'I'll feel you later, go ahead and fantasize'"
"Lucky Strike" was like "Jump" in the sense that it was the album's last single with an odd release schedule. "Strike" was released solely to hot AC radio here in the states, but only lightly. It was sent, but never got an adds date. Strange as af. Also, a huge shame. "Lucky Strike" was so obviously the big smash of the Overexposed album, and instead we got "Daylight" as an official single. The song is heavily influcned by 70s disco, and that's a sound you wouldn't imagine Maroon 5 doing, but damn, do they NAIL it! The song is so energetic, so loud, and so exceptionally well done production wise, that you can't help but get into it. There's absolutely no way anyone is remaining still while listening to this. One in a million, indeed.
	86 Jack and Jack Wild Life 76.606 points	Debut: September 7 Peak: #9; November 2 Run: 36-22-17-14-15-13-13-10-9-10-18-21-28... Favorite Line: "Everybody hanging like a string from a Tampax (ugh!)"
Okay, so, yeah, Viners are officially releasing music now. Our world is getting stranger each day. But, oh well, if they're releasing things like this, I'm okay with that! I love the production in this song a lot. The bass is so sick, the snapping is infectious, and when it's paired with that monkey scream and lion roar, it's like something straight out of a rave. (Actually, this is definitely on my part playlist. Along with one other song later to come.) These boys can also rap like crazy. Their flow is intense, and the lyrics are much like "23" in not being very good, but so hilarious that you can't help but like this.
	85 Colbie Caillat Try 81.950 points	Debut: August 10 Peak: #16; September 28 Run: 33-30-31-31-19-18-18-16-20-19-21-20-20-27-31-36 Favorite Line: "Wait a second why should you care what they think of you"
Beauty took a new form in Colbie Caillat's "Try" this summer. "Try"'s video went viral after it spread around Facebook as it took many girls of all ages and slowly took their make-up off, including Colbie herself. The video itself was a very cool message, but when it was playing over this gorgeous song, it was just that much more compelling. The song's verses are very well done. In fact, you could argue that the real hook is in the verses rather than the chorus. The verses kind of give this dark sound, an element of stress and fear, but then the chorus hits and it's like some enlightening burst of light. Exceptional production. It's a shame that this never really took off past the viral video. (Of course, it doesn't help that it was never really pushed to radio. Bad move.)
	84 Avicii Hey Brother 82.748 points	Debut: April 13 Peak: #17; May 18-June 1 Run: 29-19-22-21-19-17-17-17-23-27-29-39-38-40 Favorite Line: "There's an endless road to re-discover"
I have to admit, I wasn't much into this song when it was first released, but for some reason I heard it over the radio at one point during spring break, and it just clicked. Honestly, even though it ended up peaking way lower than "Wake Me Up!" on my chart, this song has aged much better and I love it way more than "Wake." The vocals on this one are on point. I don't remember the name of the man singing, but I do remember that he's older and white, which I wasn't expecting, haha! His vocals are very bluegrassy and when they're layered over this EDM/folk beat, it works so well. This song is also one of those songs that hits my emotions despite it having no real tie in any asepct of my life, but for some reason, it reminds me greatly of an amazing friendship that has formed with me ex-roommate. I wish I could understand why that is, but I guess some things can't be explained. It makes me sad, but hopeful at the same time.
	83 Lorde Biting Down 83.165 points	Debut: August 24 Peak: #11; October 19-November 2 Run: 39-35-34-25-19-17-17-12-11-11-11-20-27-27-32... Favorite Line: "Breathed so deep I thought I'd drown"
"Biting Down" was never a single from Pure Heroine or The Love Club, but over the summer, it was used in promos for the final season of Netflix's Hemlock Grove, so I took that as an excuse to chart this! And what better time?! It ended up peaking over Halloween. The song is very dark and minimalistic. Lorde's vocals are on point, as usual, and the lyrics are superbly amazing. The song describes an instance where Lorde is performing and ends up forgetting some of the words to her own song. Though, due to the lyrics' ambiguity, this can easily be replaced with any embarassing instance. The song peaks for me when Lorde sings "listen to the beats resound" right before the instrumental cuts away and then comes back in with some wicked drum beat. I am such a huge Lorde fan now, and this song just confirms that to me. God, I love this song.
	82 Beyoncé JAY Z Drunk in Love 84.629 points	Debut: March 30 Peak: #7; April 20 Run: 40-23-15-7-18-10-12-21-14-24-26-31-40-40 Favorite Line: "Been serving all this, swerve, surfing all in this good, good"
Here is another song that took me a long time to get into! (Must be a theme in this section.) I wish it hadn't, because then I would have been able to join in on the Beyoncé craze right at its height. The production on this song is so good. Dat bass, doe! Also, Beyoncé just NAILS the vocals on this one so goddamn well. "We be ALL NIGHT! LOO-OO-OOVE!!!!" This song probably also has my favorite lyrics of any Beyoncé song, and I'm so happy "surfboardt" became a "thing" for a while. It still kind of is at points. I remember my ex-roommate sent me a Snapchat one time of him on top of a foldable table yelling "surfboardt" over and over. WTF? Anyway, JAY nails his verse as well. Such a slick flow. These two together can do no wrong. I guess it's that chemistry they have.
	81 P!nk Are We All We Are 8.866 points	Debut: January 5 Peak: #14; March 16 Run: 32-25-26-24-22-23-23-16-18-19-14-16-30-34 Favorite Line: "Four - that's how many years it took me to get through the lesson that I had to do it all on my own"
And the other theme of singles that weren't really singles continues! "Are We All We Are" was the album's final single in Australia/New Zealand or whatever. This song had always been a standout to me on the album, and I was glad to see it getting to see the light of day somewhere. P!nk is so goddamn good when it comes to angsty anthems. (See: the M!ssundaztood anthem.) I just love how there's this sense of uprising in this song. It just sounds like this song is constantly building, which almost makes it sound like some war propaganda song. (Are you? Are you coming to the tree?) My favorite part is definitely the bridge as she's counting down from four. SO. GOOD. Gah! The constant "are we all we are" chants are so addicting as well. Very well done song by one of my favorite artists.

---

	45 Lzzy Hale 171.489 points	Tracks This Year: Shatter Me - #3
Lzzy Hale is the lead singer of the heavy rock band Halestorm, of which my suitemate is a HUGE fan. Halestorm almost charted before with the track "I Miss the Misery," but missed by just a small amount of points. Lzzy, however, made it onto the chart this year in a song called "Shatter Me," in which her vocals were layed over the amazing instrumentation of Lindsey Stirling's. Lzzy Hale's vocals completely slay on the song, and let's be honest, Ms. Hale is also pretty damn hot. Looking forward to some new music from Halestorm in 2015 and some more of Lzzy Hale.
	45 Lindsey Stirling 171.489 points	Tracks This Year: Shatter Me - #3
And of course, since both artists only charted with one song and neither has another song I got into this year, they are tied at the same spot of #45. Lindsey Stirling may have only one song on my iPod in the form of "Shatter Me," but I can definitely recognize the true musicianship and talent of this violin player. She's so exceptionally good, and I hope she can one day break out more into the mainstream. "Shatter Me" almost did so, so I'm willing to bet that she's not far off from her moment in the Sun.
	44 Ty Dolla $ign 172.977 points	Tracks This Year: Or Nah - #6 Shell Shocked - #35
Ha! And so begins the list of strange hip-hop/rap artists making it onto the list. Ty Dolla $ign charted on two tracks this year, and one of them became a surprising hit for me. I actually really like this guy's vocals. They're reminiscent in style of R. Kelly, which is odd because his lyrics aren't anywhere close to Kelly's levels. His flow is also pretty good. He's not an artist that I'm likely going to get into very much, but I'll probably enjoy the ocassional verse or two from him.
	43 T.I. 182.319 points	Tracks This Year: I Wish - #5 Tik Tik Boom - #6 Top Recurrents This Year: 1) Blurred Lines - 3.810 points 2) Whatever U Like - 0.762 points
T.I. makes it onto the list thanks to two featured credits this year. The guy can never seem to wow me with his own material, but he can lay down a nice verse every once in a while. I don't care much for his verse in "I Wish," but he completely nails it in "Tik Tik Boom," which elevates the song to another level for me.
	42 Imagine Dragons 182.686 points	Tracks This Year: On Top of the World - #20 Tiptoe - #16 Top Recurrents This Year: 1) Radioactive - 11.430 points 2) Demons - 7.620 points 3) Round and Round/Underdog/Working Man - 1.524 points
Imagine Dragons started off the year by ending their first era. I'm a huge fan of their first era and the music they made during that time period was just really good. I was very happy when I could start charting "Tiptoe" once they performed it on the Grammys earlier this year. However, their newer material is kind of disappointing for me. Hopefully the two songs I've heard just aren't doing the rest of the album justice, but my hopes aren't very high. I'll always have Night Visions, though. Damn good album.
	41 Bastille 183.221 points	Tracks This Year: Pompeii - #2
Bastille almost make the top 40 this year based solely on one smash hit (which is a good sign that it will place high on the songs list). I really like the lead singer's vocals, and the style of "Pompeii" is very nice. I didn't much care for the rest of their material, though, aside from a cool cover of "Wrecking Ball" my suitemate showed me.

[popstop]

Looking forward to the rest of your list. :)

[josh]

yas at jump and wild life. glad i'm not the only one who likes the latter haha. it will place higher than 86 for me (spoiler)

[surfy]

I love Grimmie, but I was underwhelmed by her debut, hopefully the next song is better.

Nice to see CRTFY, Story of My Life, Adore You, Animals (I had the same problem with overkill), Chasing the Sun, and Girl IN a Country Song!

How do you calculate points for your chart?

Jump was a single? Damn! Why didn't I chart that?!?!?

23!!! (Miley's is my favorite too!)

Try, Hey Brother (burned off fast for me), Biting Down (anything from Pure Heroine is amazing!), and Drunk In Love!!!

Great list so far!!!

[nick64]

"Wild Life" is flawless. Gonna do really well on my year-end list as well.

[H.]

Great to see 23, Drunk In Love, and Paloma charting.

[surfy]

I hadn't even heard of Jack + Jack, but OMG "Wild Life" is going to be my new jam! <3

[Juan Carlos]

"Jump", "Only Love Can Hurt Like This" and "Drunk In Love" are the ones I like in this batch, while good to see Imagine Dragons and Bastille there.

[Au$tin]

Dec 22, 2014 20:23:15 GMT -5 josh said:

yas at jump and wild life. glad i'm not the only one who likes the latter haha. it will place higher than 86 for me (spoiler)

OMG, I didn't know anyone else here liked the song as much as I do, haha!

Dec 22, 2014 20:23:29 GMT -5 surfy said:

How do you calculate points for your chart?

I actually discussed that a bit before here:

Nov 26, 2014 17:45:00 GMT -5 Au$tin said:

For my year-end chart (as of this year):
This one is a bit more complicated. I first total up all of the weekly chart points in an Excel spreadsheet. Then in the next column, it's the total number of plays for the tracking period. For example, Artist A's "Song Z" has 319.05 points and was played 76 times in the year. Then I total ALL songs' points and playcounts. The total playcounts divided by the total points gives me a percentage. That perecentage is then multiplied by each song's point total. Then whatever the other percentage is to equal 100% is multiplied by the playcount. That gives me a pretty accurate representation of my personal taste. I have been doing this formula since last summer for the seasonal charts as well.

Here's an example:
Artist A - Song Z 424.80; 66
Artist B - Song Y 408.25; 73
Artist C - Song X 405.80; 68
Artist D - Song W 401.90; 76
Artist E - Song V 398.70; 79
Artist F - Song U 383.35; 80
Artist G - Song T 381.25; 74
Artist H - Song S 377.05; 64
Artist I - Song R 362.70; 62
Artist J - Song Q 358.35; 66

Point Totals: 3902.15
Playcount Totals: 708
708/3902.15 = 18.144% - This means each song's point total will be multiplied by 0.18144
100-18.144 = 81.856% - This means each song's playcount will be multiplied by 0.81856
Those two numbers will be added together to give each song's year-end point total!
This gives us:
Artist A - Song Z 131.101
Artist B - Song Y 133.828
Artist C - Song X 129.290
Artist D - Song W 135.131
Artist E - Song V 137.006
Artist F - Song U 135.040
Artist G - Song T 129.747
Artist H - Song S 120.800
Artist I - Song R 116.559
Artist J - Song Q 119.044

Giving me the top ten as:
1. Artist E - Song V 137.006
2. Artist D - Song W 135.131
3. Artist F - Song U 135.040
4. Artist B - Song Y 133.828
5. Artist A - Song Z 131.101
6. Artist G - Song T 129.747
7. Artist C - Song X 129.290
8. Artist H - Song S 120.800
9. Artist J - Song Q 119.044
10. Artist I - Song R 116.559
Note that neither the song with the highest playcount or the song with the largest amount of total points is the #1 song. The #1 song, though, had the highest total points given my formula, and when I look at this list, I notice that I probably would list "Song V" as my favorite out of the ten. It seems complicated, but it really isn't. It takes little to no time at all.

Dec 22, 2014 20:42:19 GMT -5 nick64 said:

"Wild Life" is flawless. Gonna do really well on my year-end list as well.

Yay, another one!

Dec 22, 2014 20:55:10 GMT -5 surfy said:

I hadn't even heard of Jack + Jack, but OMG "Wild Life" is going to be my new jam! <3

YES! Convert!

[surfy]

Haha, damn your system is complicated!

[nick64]

I just remember it being super high on iTunes one day, and giving it a curiosity listen (didn't use Vine, had no clue who they were), but that chorus was just irresistable!

[Agent Yoncé]

I've grown to really appreciate 'Jump' after hearing it in mashups 8)

[hitseeker.]

Jump!
Lucky Strike (forever pressed it was not a single!)
Try
Hey Brother
Drunk In Love

Great list so far, Austin, looking forward to the rest of it!