Zebra's Year End Charts - 2014

[Zeebz]

Zebra's Top 100 Songs Of 2014: 60-51

60. “Beautiful” - Ben Rector

Peak: 25
Album: The Walking In Between
Standout Lyric (Listen!): "When I was dumb and the world was young and she was beautiful" 

I think I heard this on Spotify quite early in the year in a 'music you should check out playlist' or something. I believe it was released last year, but I really grew to love it this one. At first this bored me to tears but it slowly grew on me. It spent most of its chart run simply rising up to its peak (which is much higher than I remembered) and then it quickly fell off. Enough about its chart run, though. “Beautiful” makes for a really pleasant listen, especially when I'm busy. It's basically about wanting to go back and live in a more carefree time, and he equates that with a girl who was beautiful when he was 16. Surprisingly I've actually heard this a lot while shopping, so that definitely contributes to it ranking this high. Still have no idea who he is.

59. “Don’t Tell ‘Em” – Jeremih ft. YG 

Peak: 7
Album: Late Nights
Standout Lyric (Listen!): "Rhythm is a dancer, I need a companion, girl I guess that must be you"

Jeremih tends to be quite consistent with me. I liked “Birthday Sex” and “Imma Star” and loved “Down On Me”. However, I didn’t even know that Jeremih had something new out until I first heard this on the radio shortly after it impacted pop radio. Lol. It was an instant earworm though, partly due to its interpolation of Snap’s “Rhythm Is A Dancer” and partially due to DJ Mustard's production. Fast forward to a few months later and it’s still as fun and catchy as it was when I first heard it. It peaked at number 7 in early fall.

58. “Turn Down For What” – DJ Snake & Lil Jon 

Peak: 9
Album: n/a
Standout Lyric (Listen!): "TURN DOWN FOR WHAT"

Lol. I honestly didn’t expect to like a Lil Jon song in 2014, but it turns out that I did. It had to grow on me though. It’s mindlessly fun. It became a staple whenever my friends and alcohol were involved. Good times. Another interesting fact is that it holds the record for the biggest drop out of the top ten. The drop? It fell from 9 to 27. Oh and what even was that video.

57. “Ready For Your Love” – Gorgon City ft. MNEK 

Peak: 9
Album: Sirens
Standout Lyric (Listen!): "I'm ready for the start of something new"

So, so good. I remember watching a UK chart video out of curiosity and discovering this gem. I immediately went and put in my playlist and played it over and over. It’s another one that’s still as fresh as when I first heard it. It had a lofty debut at number 20 and it peaked at number 9 just a few weeks later. Unfortunately it had terrible longevity once my top 60 became a top 100. Love MNEK's vocals here, and I really should look into more from him and Gorgon City.

56. “Summer” – Calvin Harris 

Peak: 5
Album: Motion
Standout Lyric (Listen!): "We fell in love as the leaves turned brown"

“Summer” may have been my most anticipated release this year, save "West Coast". Hot off of the heels of “Thinking About You” and “Under Control”, I was beyond ready for a new Calvin album/era. “Summer” didn’t disappoint. Well, that much. Initially it did feel lackluster compared to a lot of his earlier work, Quickly fell in love with it though. It seems to perfectly represent its namesake as it takes me right back to summer. It was inescapably fun. It raced to number 5 and had decent longevity.

55. “Addicted To You” – Avicii 

Peak: 2
Album: True
Standout Lyric (Listen!): "I'm addicted to you, hooked on your love like a powerful drug I can't get enough of"

Easily my favorite single from True. “Wake Me Up” was ridiculously overrated and it simply just didn’t hold up well at all. It didn’t help that radio kept playing it well into this summer. I can’t stand to hear it anymore. “Hey Brother” is still great, even if it burned on me a little. By the time “Brother” was wrapping up its run I was okay with the prospect of never hearing anything from Avicii ever again. That was a mistake. “Addicted To You” is still amazing. The uncredited vocals from Audra Mae truly make it shine in my opinion. This also had one of the loftiest jumps of the year, vaulting from 73 to 2. Unfortunately that would remain its peak. Why? “Crying For No Reason”. I haven’t bothered with any follow-ups yet.

54. “God Made Girls” - RaeLynn

Peak: 3
Album: n/a
Standout Lyric (Listen!): "He stood back and told the boys "I'm 'bout to rock your world""

Shoutout to Indulge for introducing me to this one! He usually gives great recommendations for country releases to listen to, but this has to be one of my favorites. I've seen a lot of comments accusing it of being sexist, but I don't think that's what she was going for here. I think it just describes a young relationship in which boys and girls compliment each other and do things for each other (i.e. dress up, clean a truck). It has a few generalizations that I could live without and it's kind of cheesy, but this is pleasant for what it is. Also a staple for busy listening this year. It quickly raced to number 3 but its longevity is lacking.

53. “Ultraviolence” – Lana Del Rey 

Peak: 8
Album: Ultraviolence
Standout Lyric (Listen!): "He used to call me poison like I was Poison Ivy"

It’s no secret that I love Lana. She’s fabulous. Seeing as Born To Die is one of my favorite albums ever, I was naturally excited for her follow-up. “West Coast” provided a perfect start to the era (still to come), yet it didn’t grab me at first. “Ultraviolence” was another story. It was probably the most instant track on Ultraviolence for me. I credit that to a sound that’s reminiscent of Born To Die. Don’t mistake it as a rehash, though – it’s very distinctly Ultraviolence as well. Lyrically it's about a failed negative relationship that wasn't good for her but still one that she still loved. It unfortunately stalled out at number 8. I haven’t charted a full-fledged follow-up to “Ultraviolence” yet, but “Brooklyn Baby” and “Shades Of Cool” are both supreme single choices. You should check those out if you haven’t already. Hell, it’s just a great album. I certainly recommend it.

52. “Drunk In Love” – Beyoncé ft. Jay-Z 

Peak: 6
Album: Beyoncé
Standout Lyric (Listen!): "Then I fill the tub up halfway and ride it with my surfboardt"

To be honest, I really didn’t like this when it was first released. “XO” was an instant love but this one just felt so lackluster. Boy was I wrong. It’s a grower for sure. Effortlessly fun, sexy, and catchy, I couldn’t resist. It was eventually overshadowed by both “XO” and “Partition”, but it definitely deserved a higher peak than it received. It’s definitely one of my favorites from early in the year, and it takes me right back to freshman year of college. Surfboardt.
Only three more entries to go.

51. “Uptown Funk” – Mark Ronson ft. Bruno Mars 

Peak: 9
Album: Uptown Special
Standout Lyric (Listen!): "Don't believe me just watch (come on)"

I almost decided to save this for the 2015 list, but I just couldn’t. It’s just so good. When I first heard it felt like a breath of fresh air. It has a nice retro funk vibe that is just inescapably infectious. Seriously, I haven’t been able to get it out of my head for days at a time. Not that I’m complaining. It just feels like Bruno is made for this kind of music. This might be my favorite thing from him ever, with only “Just The Way You Are” and “Treasure” potentially competing with it. I expect big things for this in 2015. I really hope it smashes in a similar fashion to "Blurred Lines" and "Happy". I don't care if that could cause me to potentially not care for it in a few months. It deserves it. Oh, and its peak is only that low because it’s still rising. It'll rank again next year, I'm sure of it.

---

Hope you've been enjoying so far! The top 50 will likely start tomorrow. I'll post in sets of five from number 50-26, but I'll likely post two sets a day. From 25-1 I think I'll make them all individual posts to better highlight each. This is subject to revision, but at the moment that's what I'm thinking. Can't believe this is halfway over. Oh, and more artists and albums to come soon, and quite possibly some other lists. Thanks again!

[Rocky]

Sorry, I just found this!

"Shake It Off" not in top 160? Seriously. :x
"G.U.Y." :'(

Yes, you should feel criminal for having "Magic" that low.
"Liar Liar" soooo low. :(
Yay "Look Right Through".
"Happy Little Pill" so low. :( I hope it will slay next year.
DANSE!!!! Yes!! <3
Lol, I feel the same about "Latch". Should have been bigger and should have happened earlier.
"How Long Will I Love You" <3
"Feelin' Myself" <3 Why are you ashamed lol...
yaaaay at "Why'd You Ony..."
I appreciate "Cool Kids"
and "Fever"!! Late on it? #bros It's amazing.
I feel the same about "Am I Wrong". Still impressed by the production though.
"Fall In Love" <3 So sad it underperformed for me. :x
"Human" <33333333333333333333
Anything from FOB.
OMG "Waiting Game". Your roommate's taste is flaw free.
I love "Things We Lost...", it outpeaked "Pompeii" on my chart, haha.
"Waiting All Night" is sooo old, but so good.
"Afraid"!! and anything from The Neighbourhood, really.
"Extraordinary" is beautyful.
"If I Could Change Your Mind" is low. Glad you love HAIM too.
"A Sky..." is low too.
"Can't Rely On You" as well... ("Only Love..." is way better though)
Nice to see "Digital Witness", it just started charting for me.
"Not On Drugs" is meh.

Now the top 100!

"Day Drinking" is an earworm. I don't really like country as a genre, but they are consistently releasing good music and made some amazing songs like "Tornado" and "Pontoon". <3

Yaaas Jhené, slay. How did she not stand out immediately?! :( "The Pressure" is great, but I prefer "The Worst" by far.
Nice to see "***Flawless" in there.
"Faded"!!! This song is everything.
"Hideaway" should be higher.
"Bang Bang" and "Stolen Dance" are low as well. Mess at the #11 peak for the latter. At least it did well.
I'm kinda late on "Beggin' For Thread" (mainly because I was charting another song by BANKS), but it's amazing. You should chart "This Is What It Feels Like" next, tbh.
I love "I Want It All" :DDD
"Blame" is great, I regret being so slow with it.
"Chandelier" with a top 20 peak and relatively high year-end placement? Twiiins!
"Let Go For Tonight" is great. "Youth" is something else though, a masterpiece.
"Blank Space"!!
Great to see "Benediction". I wish it had a higher peak for me, it could have been top 100. :(
"Talk Dirty"? Charted this is 2013 lol.
"7/11" <333333333
I'm so late on that 5 Seconds of Summer thing, just starting to get into "She Looks So Perfect", haha. Will probably go with "Amnesia" as a follow-up around early spring, maybe.
"No Mediocre" <3 Perfection.
"Say You Love Me" is very good. Hope it does well in 2015.
"Don't Tell 'Em" and "Turn Down For What" <3
"Summer" is meh.
"Addicted To You" is the best Avicii song ever.
Just started charting "Ultraviolence" as the 3rd single. Wish it luck!
"Drunk in Love" is so low.

[Flip]

Ready For Your Love, Summer, Addicted To You, Drunk In Love, Uptown Funk

[crystalphnx]

Jan 2, 2015 3:31:21 GMT -5 Zeebz said:

Re: "Bang Bang" - Same. [2] Agreed on the female collabos. Let's not neglect "Beautiful Liar" here. This proved to be slightly better, though, so I use it. I'd have liked to have seen it become a no. 1 too, mainly just because of the utter annoyance of having the same two songs in those positions for months.

damn, thanks for taking the time to comment on all my comments! and LOL @ "Beautiful Liar" - I was definitely tempted to mention that one too, but I don't actually love Shakira that much on her own either whereas with Rihanna, Britney, Madonna, Ariana (and even Nicki + Jessie, to a lesser extent), I love a LOT of their solo stuff.

also nice to that see you too hated the much-too-stagnant Hot 100 Top 10 in 2014. ;)

"Don't Tell 'Em" = I didn't expect to like this one, but I do. not a big hit on my chart by any means, but it's definitely listenable, and I wasn't even expecting that
"Summer" = not bad, but I like his stuff better when he uses guest vocalists (and gives them credit, unlike the fellow who charted right above him) ;) "We'll Be Coming Back" + "Sweet Nothing" especially
"Drunk In Love" = oooh...we charted this in very similar positions. you definitely picked the right lyrics

[hitseeker.]

Summer
Addicted To You
Uptown Funk
Drunk In Love
Don't Tell Em
Turn Down For What

[.indulgecountry]

YASSSS "God Made Girls"! Thanks for the shoutout, and I'm glad you really liked my recommendation because I love it too.

Also happy to see "Drunk in Love" and "Don't Tell 'Em" on there as well. Love both of those. <3

[surfy]

Don't Tell 'Em, Turn Down for What, Summer, God Made Girls, Ultraviolence, Drunk In Love, and Uptown Funk!!! <3

[Zeebz]

As per usual, thanks for the likes/views/comments everyone.

Jan 2, 2015 8:58:48 GMT -5 Rocky said:

Sorry, I just found this!

"Shake It Off" not in top 160? Seriously. :x
"G.U.Y." :'(

Yes, you should feel criminal for having "Magic" that low.
"Liar Liar" soooo low. :(
"Happy Little Pill" so low. :( I hope it will slay next year.
Lol, I feel the same about "Latch". Should have been bigger and should have happened earlier.
"Feelin' Myself" <3 Why are you ashamed lol...
and "Fever"!! Late on it? #bros It's amazing.
I feel the same about "Am I Wrong". Still impressed by the production though.
"Fall In Love" <3 So sad it underperformed for me. :x
OMG "Waiting Game". Your roommate's taste is flaw free.
"Waiting All Night" is sooo old, but so good.
Nice to see "Digital Witness", it just started charting for me.

Now the top 100!

"Day Drinking" is an earworm. I don't really like country as a genre, but they are consistently releasing good music and made some amazing songs like "Tornado" and "Pontoon". <3

Yaaas Jhené, slay. How did she not stand out immediately?! :( "The Pressure" is great, but I prefer "The Worst" by far.
I'm kinda late on "Beggin' For Thread" (mainly because I was charting another song by BANKS), but it's amazing. You should chart "This Is What It Feels Like" next, tbh.
"Chandelier" with a top 20 peak and relatively high year-end placement? Twiiins!
"Let Go For Tonight" is great. "Youth" is something else though, a masterpiece.
"Talk Dirty"? Charted this is 2013 lol.
I'm so late on that 5 Seconds of Summer thing, just starting to get into "She Looks So Perfect", haha. Will probably go with "Amnesia" as a follow-up around early spring, maybe.
"Say You Love Me" is very good. Hope it does well in 2015.
"Addicted To You" is the best Avicii song ever.
Just started charting "Ultraviolence" as the 3rd single. Wish it luck!
"Drunk in Love" is so low.

It's no problem! Glad you found it and that you have so much commentary! So glad to see all of your thoughts. <3

- "Shake It Off" and "G.U.Y." were two of the final songs that I cut, so at least they were close? They just burned on me too much. :(
- "Magic", "Liar Liar", "Happy Little Pill" (still rising, will definitely make 2015's cut), "A Sky Full Of Stars", "Can't Rely On You" ("Only Love" will be so much higher), "If I Could Change Your Mind" (still charting, hence why it's so low. Too good to pass up), "Hideaway", "Bang Bang", and "Stolen Dance" (I'm kind of upset with myself that I didn't at least let it go up one notch) are all far too low, but there's so much that I loved this year. :'(
- "Waiting All Night" is sooooo old, hence why I knocked it out early. Good though. And I agree on roommate's taste. It's definitely rubbed off on mine in a beneficial way.
- "Feelin' Myself" was always a guilty pleasure lmao.
- I'll be rooting for "Digital Witness", haha. It's too good. So late though (not complaining at all - deserves more success).
- "Day Drinking" is definitely an earworm, haha. I love love love country, but if I had to choose my favorites then Little Big Town would definitely be up there. "Tornado", "Pontoon", "Sober", and even a lot of their older stuff is fantastic.
- Re: Jhene - No idea. I enjoyed "The Worst" enough but I quickly forgot about it. Big, big mistake. It ended up growing on me tremendously. I think she's incredible now. And you won't see "The Worst" for a while. 
- Ooh, I love "This Is What It Feels Like". I'll definitely have to give it some sort of run. Glad to see you're getting into "Beggin'", though!
- TWINS!
- I still regret charting "Youth" so low. I think I'll eventually re-do my year end charts for each year of charting based on opinions alone, and "Youth" should really perform well. It's so good.
- Re: "Talk Dirty": Lol, I was so late on this (honestly this is becoming too much of a trend for my liking lmao). Then again so was the US so I suppose it's all okay. 
- Speaking of late! Hopefully "Amnesia" can be successful. I didn't care for "She Looks So Perfect", though.
- "Say You Love Me" could possibly hit number one on my weekly charts at some point in the very near future, so if that's any indication of it's impending success there you go.
- I can get behind calling "Addicted To You" his best. As long as it's not "Wake Me Up" I think I would cosign anything being called that, lmao.
- Good luck, "Ultraviolence"! It's one of my favorites from this era so it needs to smash. I'm about to chart "Brooklyn Baby" or "Shades Of Cool", but I can't decide. </3
- RIGHT? Ugh, already kicking myself for it. It *almost* made top fifty. 

Thanks for the feedback, Rocky! I really appreciate you taking the time to share all of your thoughts. <3

Jan 2, 2015 9:20:42 GMT -5 Flip said:

Ready For Your Love, Summer, Addicted To You, Drunk In Love, Uptown Funk

So glad you like those, Flip! Thanks for commenting. <3

Jan 2, 2015 12:26:51 GMT -5 crystalphnx said:

Jan 2, 2015 3:31:21 GMT -5 Zeebz said:

Re: "Bang Bang" - Same. [2] Agreed on the female collabos. Let's not neglect "Beautiful Liar" here. This proved to be slightly better, though, so I use it. I'd have liked to have seen it become a no. 1 too, mainly just because of the utter annoyance of having the same two songs in those positions for months.

damn, thanks for taking the time to comment on all my comments! and LOL @ "Beautiful Liar" - I was definitely tempted to mention that one too, but I don't actually love Shakira that much on her own either whereas with Rihanna, Britney, Madonna, Ariana (and even Nicki + Jessie, to a lesser extent), I love a LOT of their solo stuff.

also nice to that see you too hated the much-too-stagnant Hot 100 Top 10 in 2014. ;)

"Don't Tell 'Em" = I didn't expect to like this one, but I do. not a big hit on my chart by any means, but it's definitely listenable, and I wasn't even expecting that
"Summer" = not bad, but I like his stuff better when he uses guest vocalists (and gives them credit, unlike the fellow who charted right above him) ;) "We'll Be Coming Back" + "Sweet Nothing" especially
"Drunk In Love" = oooh...we charted this in very similar positions. you definitely picked the right lyrics

No problem! Thanks for taking the time to comment at all! I had to throw it out there. I don't hate it, but compared to the rest of Bey's discography it falls a little flat. Shakira is hit or miss with me, so I can understand that. Oh, and got you. I enjoy all of their discographies but their collabos all fall short.

It was horrendous. I almost stopped following altogether, haha. I didn't want everything to drop off faster than I could listen to them but I didn't want molasses-like chart movements either.

Re: "Don't Tell 'Em": I feel like that happens to me with all of Jeremih's singles, lmao. I always end up really enjoying them. Glad you enjoy it!
Re: "Summer": Definitely on the fence here. Love love love "Feel So Close" and much of his earlier work, but my favorites from him would probably be some of the ones that feature others. Love that he gives credit, unlike Avicii. Oh and those + "I Need Your Love" are my favorites from him that have a guest vocalist.
Re: "Drunk In Love": I saw! And thanks, haha. Didn't know what else I could possibly pick. That line has been inescapable all year.

Thanks for the continued commentary! <3

Jan 2, 2015 12:35:38 GMT -5 hitseeker. said:

Summer
Addicted To You
Uptown Funk
Drunk In Love
Don't Tell Em
Turn Down For What

So glad you enjoy all of those, Hitseeker! As always, love your feedback. <3

Jan 2, 2015 14:56:11 GMT -5 .indulgecountry said:

YASSSS "God Made Girls"! Thanks for the shoutout, and I'm glad you really liked my recommendation because I love it too.

Also happy to see "Drunk in Love" and "Don't Tell 'Em" on there as well. Love both of those. <3

YASSSS you. <3 It was no problem at all. Have to give credit where credit is due, haha. Oh, and so good to see that you enjoy those are well. Thanks again for the recommendation and for taking to the time to comment! <3

Jan 2, 2015 18:35:10 GMT -5 surfy said:

Don't Tell 'Em, Turn Down for What, Summer, God Made Girls, Ultraviolence, Drunk In Love, and Uptown Funk!!! <3

And thank you too, Surf! Glad you enjoy all of those. <3

[Zeebz]

Zebra's Top 100 Songs Of 2014: 50-46

Top 50! Will be going in increments of five for a while. Five more to come later tonight. It's becoming near impossible to knock things out, haha.

50. “Fancy” – Iggy Azalea ft. Charli XCX

Peak: 1 (5)
Album: The New Classic
Standout Lyric (Listen!): "I'm so fancy, you already know"

“Fancy” is probably the second most successful single this year chart wise, but it hasn’t held up as well as I would've hoped. I couldn’t stand Iggy's music before this. "Work” and “Change Your Life” both left me unimpressed, and I hadn’t even bothered to listen to “Bounce”. I didn’t have high hopes for “Fancy”, but I was hooked on first listen. Charli’s part was my absolute favorite. I loved singing along to it. I really enjoyed the instrumental, too. This is easily my favorite thing that Azalea has ever done. It quickly raced all the way to number one and it stayed there for five weeks. This allowed it to become the longest running number one of the year. It was also my birthday number one. This also helped her score a string of hits, most of which have burned on me also. Due to extreme overplay it burned on me rather quickly, but looking back on it now I enjoy it again, albeit not as much as I had previously. Oh, and I love that the video is a Clueless tribute. I love that movie. 

49. “Drunk On A Plane” – Dierks Bentley

Peak: 10
Album: Riser
Standout Lyric (Listen!): "I'll try anything to drown out the pain"

Dierks’ second entry on this list. On first listen I just thought it was another country song about drinking and having fun, but once I listened again I picked up on how melancholy it is. And that’s what makes it great. It nicely blends themes of partying and loneliness to perfectly describe what the narrator would be feeling. Despite initially not caring for it, it quickly ended up as one of my favorite country releases this year. It had amazing longevity as well. Hopefully “Say You Do” can continue Dierks’ success.

48. “Of The Night” – Bastille 

Peak: 1 (2)
Album: All This Bad Blood
Standout Lyric (Listen!): "Rhythm is a dancer, it's a soul's companion"

Speaking of “Rhythm Of A Dancer”, here it is again. This time it’s meshed with Corona’s “The Rhythm Of The Night” and it works brilliantly. They take the typically upbeat songs and make them sound dark and haunting. It's great. I had already developed an appreciation for Bastille before hearing this, but once I heard this I was ready to call myself a fan. “Of The Night” ended up going all the way to number one. It’s still a really great listen. The video is haunting, but it works with the song.

47. “Jubel” – Klingande

Peak: 10
Album: n/a
Standout Lyric (Listen!): "Save me"

Initially I didn’t get why this was so beloved by several posters here. I found it to be good but not near as good as everyone else made it out to me. The sax made me revisit it several times and it quickly became one of my favorites. The combination of the jazz and house elements. It truly makes this shine. It contains uncredited vocals from Lucie Decarne. “Jubel” means “jubilance” in German (also means cheers), and it certainly does live up to its title. It makes me happy. It’s great for when I want to dance and for when I want to relax after a hard day of work or classes. It’s perfect for any mood. I’m still not sick of it, and it definitely stuck around for a while after its peak. Should’ve peaked higher, but I’m so glad that it made the top ten.

46. “Rather Be” – Clean Bandit ft. Jess Glynne

Peak: 34
Album: New Eyes
Standout Lyric (Listen!): "If you gave me a chance I would take it, it's a shot in the dark but I'll make it"

First things first I’m the realest, this peaked too low. I don’t know why I gave it such a terrible peak, either. I think it was because I played it far too much at the beginning. It could also be because my chart as a whole was really competitive around the time it peaked. Regardless, it remains one of my biggest chart regrets of the entire year. It’s basically perfect. Glynne’s vocals are superb, Clean Bandit’s production is really fun, and the lyrics are super catchy. It was destined to be a smash, and I’m so glad it was.

[hitseeker.]

Fancy and Rather Be!!

I tried to get into Jubel several times, but it just isn't my cup of tea, was never impressed by that song :(

[surfy]

Fancy and Rather Be!!! <3

[#LisaRinna]

Favorites so far!

046 - "Rather Be" - Clean Bandit ft. Jess Glynne
051 - "Uptown Funk" - Mark Ronson ft. Bruno Mars
052 - "Drunk In Love" - Beyoncé ft. Jay-Z
072 - "7/11" - Beyoncé
075 - "Blank Space" - Taylor Swift
087 - "Haunted" - Beyoncé
088 - "Heavy Metal and Reflective" - Azealia Banks
095 - "***Flawless" - Beyoncé ft. Chimimamda Ngozi Adichie & Nicki Minaj
098 - "The Pressure" - Jhené Aiko

Bubbling Under:

128 - "Fever" - The Black Keys
134 - "Pretty Hurts" - Beyonce
155 - "Magic" - Coldplay
160 - "Dark Horse" - Katy Perry ft. Juicy J

Curious about the rest of it :)

[WotUNeed]

Happy to see "Beautiful" (I put it on my 2013 list; Ben Rector's currently based out of Nashville, so local radio will spin him), "Don't Tell 'Em", "Turn Down for What", "Addicted to You" (had thought about including this one on my own list; one of the final songs cut), "Uptown Funk", "Fancy", "Drunk on a Plane" (another I've learned only recently while going through these lists), "Of the Night", and "Rather Be"!

I'll grant you that that "God Made Girls" thing didn't strike me as particularly sexist, but her voice is rather grating and the lyrics verge on cloying. Gonna pass on a second listen for that. "Ultraviolence" seems like Lana del Rey by numbers; fine, not immediately impressive, but could grow on me if I listen more.

Overall, more fine songs added to the list!

[Albie]

60-46 is awesome Zebra! Love seeing Rather Be , Jubel, Of The Night , Fancy, Uptown Funk, Ultraviolence , Addicted To You , Summer  and Ready For Your Love!

[.indulgecountry]

Love "Fancy" and "Drunk on a Plane"! "Fancy" has burned out on me a bit as well and I don't like it as much as Black Widow, but I still loved it and it will remain one of those songs with an iconic line ("I'm so fancy, you already know"). "Drunk on a Plane" is one of my favorite Dierks single. It's a really enjoyable song that manages to be a party song but without being totally frivolous and generic. The hilarious music video definitely helps make that one as well -- what a funny clip.

"Rather Be" is nice enough. I was never quite taken by it but it's a pleasant listen on the radio. I think I heard "Of the Night" for the first time on the Dick Clark New Years Eve special the other day. At least I'm guessing that's what it was because the title sounds like something in the lyrics of what they were performing. I hadn't heard any of Bastille's material outside "Pompeii" -- which I loved, btw -- but I enjoyed that one too in the live setting. I'm gonna have to check out the studio cut now. ;)

[Flip]

Fancy!!
Of The Night and Jubel :)
Rather Be
Great countdown so farr

[crystalphnx]

50.) "Fancy" = ooh, like DIL, we've got this one in similar-ish spots too. sad to see you're not a fan of "Work", though - I didn't check it out until "Fancy" started smashing/brought Iggy to my attention, but it's definitely the second-best thing I've heard from her (though I do like "Black Widow" too. "Bounce" is OK, think I've only listened to it once)

48.) "Of The Night" = totally agree about this working brilliantly. I prefer "Pompeii", but this track is very cool and definitely noteworthy too

46.) "Rather Be" = hopefully the general public here in the States shares your sense of regret, because it definitely should've gone higher than No. 10 on the Hot 100. this one didn't make my countdown (I think it would've landed somewhere in the 70's, if I didn't cut mine off at 50), but I absolutely enjoy it. like a lot of people (I think), I definitely was under the impression that the girl in the video was Jess Glynne. can't recall exactly how/when the truth came to my attention

[H.]

Great to see Jubel, Rather Be, Uptown Funk, Drunk On A Plane, Ready For Your Love, Drunk In Love, Turn Down For What, and Ultraviolence charting.

[B-Boy]

You have so many of my faves on here.

At the moment I'm liking:

Cool Kids - I thought it was Tove Lo or Ellie Goulding at first.
Blame - Great song
7/11 - I love the video
Heavy Metal and Reflective
Not On Drugs - Great song
Blank Space - Nice follow up to "Shake It Off".
Chandelier - I heard this a couple of months ago and haven't listened to it until yesterday and today.

[Zeebz]

As normal, thanks to everyone who has offered some form of feedback or stopped by. :)

Jan 2, 2015 19:34:16 GMT -5 hitseeker. said:

Fancy and Rather Be!!

I tried to get into Jubel several times, but it just isn't my cup of tea, was never impressed by that song :(

Glad you enjoy those! Sad that you couldn't get into it, but I could see why. Thanks, Hitseeker! Greatly valued feedback, as always. :)

Jan 2, 2015 19:53:26 GMT -5 surfy said:

Fancy and Rather Be!!! <3

Glad you're enjoying those, Surf! :)

Jan 2, 2015 19:57:32 GMT -5 #LisaRinna said:

Favorites so far!

046 - "Rather Be" - Clean Bandit ft. Jess Glynne
051 - "Uptown Funk" - Mark Ronson ft. Bruno Mars
052 - "Drunk In Love" - Beyoncé ft. Jay-Z
072 - "7/11" - Beyoncé
075 - "Blank Space" - Taylor Swift
087 - "Haunted" - Beyoncé
088 - "Heavy Metal and Reflective" - Azealia Banks
095 - "***Flawless" - Beyoncé ft. Chimimamda Ngozi Adichie & Nicki Minaj
098 - "The Pressure" - Jhené Aiko

Bubbling Under:

128 - "Fever" - The Black Keys
134 - "Pretty Hurts" - Beyonce
155 - "Magic" - Coldplay
160 - "Dark Horse" - Katy Perry ft. Juicy J

Curious about the rest of it :)

Mario! Thanks for stopping by. Glad you enjoy all of those so far, and hopefully you'll find more of your favorites here. Thanks for the feedback! I appreciate it. :)

Jan 2, 2015 21:28:09 GMT -5 WotUNeed said:

Happy to see "Beautiful" (I put it on my 2013 list; Ben Rector's currently based out of Nashville, so local radio will spin him), "Don't Tell 'Em", "Turn Down for What", "Addicted to You" (had thought about including this one on my own list; one of the final songs cut), "Uptown Funk", "Fancy", "Drunk on a Plane" (another I've learned only recently while going through these lists), "Of the Night", and "Rather Be"!

I'll grant you that that "God Made Girls" thing didn't strike me as particularly sexist, but her voice is rather grating and the lyrics verge on cloying. Gonna pass on a second listen for that. "Ultraviolence" seems like Lana del Rey by numbers; fine, not immediately impressive, but could grow on me if I listen more.

Overall, more fine songs added to the list!

Good to hear about Ben! "Beautiful" definitely deserved airplay. Also, glad that you're enjoying so many! Sad to see that "Addicted To You" was cut, but at least you considered it. Oh, and glad you'be discovered "Drunk On A Plane". Still love it.

And I'll grant you that. I hadn't enjoyed anything from her previously but for some reason "Girls" clicked. I'm in agreement about the cloying lyrics. "Ultraviolence" is Lana by numbers, which is probably why I enjoyed it so much.

Thanks for the feedback, Wot! Really appreciate it.

Jan 2, 2015 22:23:56 GMT -5 Albie said:

60-46 is awesome Zebra! Love seeing Rather Be , Jubel, Of The Night , Fancy, Uptown Funk, Ultraviolence , Addicted To You , Summer  and Ready For Your Love!

You're awesome, Albie! Glad you found so many that you've enjoyed. Thanks for stopping by! :)

Jan 2, 2015 22:58:02 GMT -5 .indulgecountry said:

Love "Fancy" and "Drunk on a Plane"! "Fancy" has burned out on me a bit as well and I don't like it as much as Black Widow, but I still loved it and it will remain one of those songs with an iconic line ("I'm so fancy, you already know"). "Drunk on a Plane" is one of my favorite Dierks singles. It's a really enjoyable song that manages to be a party song but without being totally frivolous and generic. The hilarious music video definitely helps make that one as well -- what a funny clip.

"Rather Be" is nice enough. I was never quite taken by it but it's a pleasant listen on the radio. I think I heard "Of the Night" for the first time on the Dick Clark New Years Eve special the other day. At least I'm guessing that's what it was because the title sounds like something in the lyrics of what they were performing. I hadn't heard any of Bastille's material outside "Pompeii" -- which I loved, btw -- but I enjoyed that one too in the live setting. I'm gonna have to check out the studio cut now. ;)

I'm not that big on "Black Widow" actually. I think the overplay might've killed that one for me for good. Glad you agree on "Fancy". I totally agree about "Plane" - both that it is one of my favorite Dierks singles and that the video is hilarious. That was how I felt about "Rather Be" earlier in the year, so definitely understand. You should definitely check out "Of the Night"/Bastille in general. Love them. I also recommend "Things We Lost In the Fire" and their cover of "What Would You Do". Those were my favorites for sure. Thanks for the feedback, Indulge! <3

Jan 3, 2015 3:05:02 GMT -5 Flip said:

Fancy!!
Of The Night and Jubel :)
Rather Be
Great countdown so farr

Glad you're enjoying those, Flip! Thanks for stopping by! :)

Jan 3, 2015 10:22:25 GMT -5 crystalphnx said:

50.) "Fancy" = ooh, like DIL, we've got this one in similar-ish spots too. sad to see you're not a fan of "Work", though - I didn't check it out until "Fancy" started smashing/brought Iggy to my attention, but it's definitely the second-best thing I've heard from her (though I do like "Black Widow" too. "Bounce" is OK, think I've only listened to it once)

48.) "Of The Night" = totally agree about this working brilliantly. I prefer "Pompeii", but this track is very cool and definitely noteworthy too

46.) "Rather Be" = hopefully the general public here in the States shares your sense of regret, because it definitely should've gone higher than No. 10 on the Hot 100. this one didn't make my countdown (I think it would've landed somewhere in the 70's, if I didn't cut mine off at 50), but I absolutely enjoy it. like a lot of people (I think), I definitely was under the impression that the girl in the video was Jess Glynne. can't recall exactly how/when the truth came to my attention

Re: "Fancy": I was actually thinking about that after I posted it, haha. Interesting coincidence. I enjoyed "Work" this summer, but unfortunately it hasn't held up as well as "Fancy". I definitely think "Work" is the second-best thing that I've heard from her too. 

Re: "Of the Night": Glad you agree. I also prefer "Pompeii".

Re: "Rather Be": I hope so too. It definitely deserved to be much bigger that it actually was. Oh really? Interesting fact! I don't know why, but I never thought so. Strange.

Thanks for the commentary again! :)

Jan 3, 2015 11:06:02 GMT -5 H. said:

Great to see Jubel, Rather Be, Uptown Funk, Drunk On A Plane, Ready For Your Love, Drunk In Love, Turn Down For What, and Ultraviolence charting.

Glad you enjoy those, Shoosh! Thanks for following. :)

Jan 3, 2015 16:45:30 GMT -5 B-Boy said:

You have so many of my faves on here.

At the moment I'm liking:

Cool Kids - I thought it was Tove Lo or Ellie Goulding at first.
Blame - Great song
7/11 - I love the video
Heavy Metal and Reflective
Not On Drugs - Great song
Blank Space - Nice follow up to "Shake It Off".
Chandelier - I heard this a couple of months ago and haven't listened to it until yesterday and today.

B-Boy! Thanks for stopping by. Good to hear that a lot of your favorites have made the cut! "7/11"'s video might be in my top ten for the year. Love it. I enjoy "Blank Space" far more than "Shake It Off", so ia. That's interesting to hear about "Chandelier". Glad you're enjoying it now! Thanks again for the feedback! :)

[Zeebz]

Zebra's Top 100 Songs Of 2014: 45-41

45. “People Help The People” – Birdy 

Peak: 5
Album: Birdy
Standout Lyric (Listen!): "And if you're homesick, give me your hand and I'll hold it"

Lmao. Yes, I know this is super old. I unfortunately just discovered it this year. I saw that “Skinny Love” was being sent for adds and that prompted me to go back through more of her discography and I was hooked by this. Since I was already charting “Skinny Love” I decided that I would let this chart too. So glad I did. “People Help The People” is a cover of the Cherry Ghost single, just as “Skinny Love” is a cover of Bon Iver’s. I prefer this version. Her vocals are outstanding, as per usual, but the lyrics are really great too. The piano is really great too. It stalled out at number 5 just because of how old it was. Birdy is awesome in general. Check her out if you haven't already.

44. “I Got U” – Duke Dumont ft. Jax Jones 

Peak: 3
Album: EP1
Standout Lyric (Listen!): "Ask me what I did with my life, I spent it with you"

Last year I slept on “Need U (100%)” and it never charted. Thankfully that didn’t happen with this. It’s too good for that. It has a really nice summery vibe that I couldn’t resist. If anything reminds me of summer, it’s probably this. It always makes me want to dance, and dance I do. As a matter of fact these dance/house songs have absolutely dominated this year. The video reinforces the connection to summer. So fun, so carefree. I didn’t really enjoy Dumont’s follow-up, but this remains exceptional.

43. “Gooey” – Glass Animals 

Peak: 5
Album: Zaba
Standout Lyric (Listen!): "I've been here, I've done this all before"

Another discovery I can credit to Spotify! I don’t really know how to describe “Gooey”, except for the fact that it’s oddly relaxing. The production is quirky, and it definitely reminds me of dripping water. Really just a pleasant listen overall. It just peaked at number 5 not too long ago. It's having great longevity, though, as it has no apparent burn rate. Should’ve performed better on Alt, though.

42. “Right Here” – Jess Glynne 

Peak: 7
Album: n/a
Standout Lyric (Listen!): "Right here, you got me where you want me"

I love Jess Glynne so far. Her features on “Rather Be” and “My Love” are what primarily caused me to fall in love with each of those. This didn’t immediately grab my attention, but it quickly grew on me and became one of my favorites this summer. It puts me in a good mood every time I hear it. Gorgon City's production really suits her vocals. This was her debut single as a lead artist, and if she keeps delivering she has with this one she could very well become one of my favorites. Looking forward to seeing what’s next from her.

41. “Midnight” – Coldplay 

Peak: 2
Album: Ghost Stories
Standout Lyric (Listen!): "In the darkness before the dawn, leave a light, a light on"

“Midnight” is easily my favorite single from Ghost Stories to date, and that’s not an easy feat. The whole album is fantastic. “Magic” and “A Sky Full Of Stars” didn’t immediately grab my attention, but this did. I just loved how different it was from each of those. Martin’s vocoded vocals are haunting. Love the instrumental too. It makes the whole song sound atmospheric. Definitely reminds me of Bon Iver, whom I really enjoy. The Giorgio Moroder remix is outstanding as well.

[Albie]

Ok, literally yes to all of this. Beating this countdown to the floor Zebra.!   

[H.]

Midnight
I Got U
Gooey

[Rocky]

PEOPLE HELP THE PEOPLE > life

Seriously, one of my favorite piano ballads ever.

[Zeebz]

Zebra's Top 100 Songs Of 2014: 40-36

Thanks for the continued feedback! I'll respond to your comments soon. 

40. “Falling” – HAIM  

Peak: 5
Album: Days Are Gone
Standout Lyric (Listen!): "I'll never look back, never give up"

Late. I loved “The Wire” last year, but I never got around to listening to anything else from them. Thankfully my student advisor always played Days Are Gone while we were “learning” about college services and I was further exposed to HAIM. They’re fantastic. “Falling” was an instant standout from the album, and it’s probably my favorite from them overall. The pulsing beat is probably my favorite element. I also really enjoy the chorus. It’s an earworm. It has had one of the weirdest chart runs this year. It initially had peaked in the upper 20s and it was about to drop out when it suddenly re-grew on me and raced to number 5. It then had a rapid descent downwards, but this weird run has given it one of the longest chart stays this year. It truly deserves it. I still love this as much as I did back then. This would probably rank higher if it weren't so old.

39. “Heaven” – Beyoncé 

Peak: 4
Album: Beyoncé
Standout Lyric (Listen!): "So go on, go home"

My favorite non-single off of Beyoncé and my third favorite song off the album as a whole. It didn’t stand out as a favorite off of the album on first listen, but it quickly grew on me. “Heaven” contains some of my favorite vocals from her, and they effectively convey the sadness that she feels. It’s just beautiful. The minimal production really adds to the beauty of it all. It became my self-imposed seventh single from the album and her sixth top ten hit. It’s still charting, so I’d like to give it a higher peak.

38. “Stay With Me” – Sam Smith 

Peak: 43
Album: In The Lonely Hour
Standout Lyric (Listen!): "But you can lay with me so it doesn't hurt"

As I’ve stated in my commentary on Sam Smith, I initially didn’t like this. I found the chorus to be grating, and I found it to be overrated. Months later, I was listening to the radio one day and it just clicked. I adore Sam’s vocals, both on this and in general. I especially love the desperation that his voice conveys. You can feel it. The piano adds the perfect complement to his vocals. Oh, and I enjoy the choir now. They just really help to elevate the chorus. So glad that Sam had a breakthrough this year. He has definitely been a breath of fresh air. I prefer “I’m Not the Only One”, but this is still an outstanding offering from him. In any case, it’s miles better than “Money On My Mind” imo. The MJB version is also wonderful.

37. “Come With Me Now” – KONGOS  

Peak: 1 (1)
Album: Lunatic
Standout Lyric (Listen!): "I've wasted time, I've wasted breath, I think I've thought myself to death"

One of my favorite alternative hits of the entire year. The accordion in “Come With Me Now” is what really hooked me. It creates a uniquely fun vibe. I love how they shout the chorus. It’s explosively catchy and just really entertaining to listen to. It’s a shame that it took this three years to actually do something, but I’m so glad that it did. It managed to sneak a week in at number one in one of my most competitive weeks, so kudos. It also had fantastic longevity. I haven’t charted a follow-up, but I do really like “I’m Only Joking”.

36. “Ain’t It Fun” – Paramore 

Peak: 2
Album: Paramore
Standout Lyric (Listen!): "Don't go crying to your mama, cause you're on your own in the real world"

“Ain’t It Fun” is easily my favorite Paramore single to date. I enjoy everything about it. The xylophone, the gospel choir, Hayley’s soul-tinged vocals, the infectious chorus, the amusing lyrics – everything. It was the perfect follow-up to “Still Into You” (which only peaked at number 20 for me – far too low) and I’m so glad it has become their biggest hit to date. I’m not really surprised, though. It sounds so pop friendly. My favorite part of this is the chanting of “Don’t go crying to your mama”. So entertaining. This raced to number 2 in the dead of summer. It didn’t have great longevity, but I still love this.

[surfy]

Heaven, Stay With Me, Come With Me Now, and Ain't It Fun!!! <3

[Flip]

Good to see Birdy,Jess Glynne and Paramore :)

[#LisaRinna]

39. “Heaven” – Beyoncé

I think this is my least favorite from the album. but it's still a beautiful song.

[crystalphnx]

hmmm...definitely a few that I haven't heard in these latest bunches but still at least a few that I definitely know and enjoy!

44.) "I Got U" = glad to see this one popping up on so many countdowns, even though it was (sadly) never a US/Hot 100 hit. as you've said, those steel drums definitely give off a massive summery/island vibe, and the use of the sample is pretty brilliant
39.) "Heaven" = as others have said, this one is definitely beautiful, but too sad for me to listen to too often
38.) "Stay With Me" = nice to see you prefer IMTOO to this too. I actually enjoy a few of his other songs more than this ("Restart", "Like I Can"), but I'm still glad that he managed to score such a massive hit with this. although I enjoy his material on its own merits, it's also really encouraging and exciting to see an openly gay male act smashing so hard (especially in the US) with both his songs + album sales
36.) "Ain't It Fun" = I'd prolly pick "Still Into You" over this, but this was definitely a hit on my chart too. gotta love the sarcasm, and its plenty catchy too

[hitseeker.]

Right Here yasss, love that song!

Heaven and Stay With Me, also! I also thought he/the song were a bit overrated at first but then couldn't resist either. Oh, and I could never get into Ain't It Fun sadly.