Indulge, A Real Fine Top 75

[Zeebz]

Thrilled to see your year end chart! <3

[trebor]

Some excellent songs you charted at #1!  :)
We even have three matches! (and 2 are female voices!)  ;)

[bboat11]

It is awesome to see what all your #1s have been! Nice job keeping up with this for an entire year so far :) I can't wait to see what your year-end list looks like. I hope you will tell us what your strategy is for determining songs' year-end positions!

[josh]

Looking forward to your year-end stuff. Also, please add me to the tags. :)

[.indulgecountry]

Jan 4, 2016 18:20:34 GMT -5 bboat11 said:

It is awesome to see what all your #1s have been! Nice job keeping up with this for an entire year so far :) I can't wait to see what your year-end list looks like. I hope you will tell us what your strategy is for determining songs' year-end positions!

Much like my method for compiling my chart, it'll be very subjective and without any concrete measurement, though obviously peak positions and total plays over the course of the year will be factored in to help me place things before personal preference tweaks the order a bit. :)

[Deleted]

Excellent #1 and top 10.

[.indulgecountry]

I just finished making my list for my year-end Top 50 of 2015! I may still rearrange some things, but it is basically complete. I'll start revealing it soon, perhaps later tonight. In the meantime though -- because I've seen others do it and it looked fun -- I made a little poll so y'all can guess what will be my #1 song of the year.


Tags: Zeebz Fancy H. McCreerian sabre14 bboat11 hitseeker. jhomes87 LBTrocks surfy Kanenrá:ke wavey. zack97 Sean trebor Flip nick64 Juan Carlos popstop J'back trustypepper raylatch98 @jakelmmrs44  defying gravity Daniel Collins bigfan101 josh :)

[Zeebz]

Jana for the win! :)

[Deleted]

Kelsea or Jana will be acceptable otherwise eh I will just keep my mouth shut

[trebor]

Jana will win. 

[bigfan101]

Ah, Kelsea!

[.indulgecountry]

Jan 7, 2016 17:26:21 GMT -5 raylatch98 said:

Kelsea or Jana will be acceptable otherwise eh I will just keep my mouth shut

Okay, I can understand not liking 1D or RaeLynn, but this shade against Reba and especially Sara Evans is not okay. >:(

[Deleted]

I'm thinking Jana! :)

[Deleted]

Jan 7, 2016 17:42:54 GMT -5 .indulgecountry said:

Jan 7, 2016 17:26:21 GMT -5 raylatch98 said:

Kelsea or Jana will be acceptable otherwise eh I will just keep my mouth shut

Okay, I can understand not liking 1D or RaeLynn, but this shade against Reba and especially Sara Evans is not okay. >:(

You know my stance on Sara Evans she's okay but that song just bored me. Reba well she'll be a good alternative I thought you had a second Raelynn song so I guess that's response is justified since I quickly posted that responses,

[.indulgecountry]

Jan 7, 2016 18:03:05 GMT -5 raylatch98 said:

Jan 7, 2016 17:42:54 GMT -5 .indulgecountry said:

Okay, I can understand not liking 1D or RaeLynn, but this shade against Reba and especially Sara Evans is not okay. >:(

You know my stance on Sara Evans she's okay but that song just bored me. Reba well she'll be a good alternative I thought you had a second Raelynn song so I guess that's response is justified since I quickly posted that responses,

I don't think I've really seen you give an opinion of Sara Evans or that particular song (just "A Little Bit Stronger"), but okay.

[Deleted]

Jan 7, 2016 18:11:54 GMT -5 .indulgecountry said:

Jan 7, 2016 18:03:05 GMT -5 raylatch98 said:

You know my stance on Sara Evans she's okay but that song just bored me. Reba well she'll be a good alternative I thought you had a second Raelynn song so I guess that's response is justified since I quickly posted that responses,

I don't think I've really seen you give an opinion of Sara Evans or that particular song (just "A Little Bit Stronger"), but okay.

Sorry I just have never loved her music as I have found it lately going in a rather bland tone. I am willing to admit she has a strong tone and a good voice and I do like some of her songs like As If. Just lately she's bored me sorry 

[bboat11]

Considering that "Good Love Is Hard to Find" is your FAVORITE song on Slow Me Down, and Sara Evans is your FAVORITE artist, I am going to be a rebel and go with that choice. I cannot believe I am the only one to use that logic thus far!

[.indulgecountry]

And so it begins....

50) "Dime Store Cowgirl" - Kacey Musgraves
Peak: #11 (*still charting*)



"Dime Store Cowgirl" sneaks onto the bookend position of my year-end Top 50 thanks to a whole heck of a lot of plays this year despite it *only* being at #11 as of the final chart for 2015. It's chart life is far from over and it was definitely one of my favorite country music releases of the year, so I had to sneak it in there at the bottom. From the first time I heard the song, it quickly became one of my favorite things that Kacey Musgraves has ever done. The melody is very strong and I love the lyrics. It's a crime against humanity that this gem didn't even chart! Also, damn her for not making this into a music video. :'(

49) "Only" - Nicki Minaj f/ Chris Brown, Drake, & Lil Wayne
Peak: #3



"Only" was definitely my favorite rap song of the past year and is probably my overall favorite Nicki Minaj song. The eerie beat is really unique and I loved the lyrics, especially during Nicki and Drake's verses. This was one of my go-to tracks at parties in the first half of 2015 and I got too much excitement from drunkenly reciting the Nicki and Drake verses while I was at it, fwiw. Just a fun song all around.

48) "Raise 'Em Up" - Keith Urban f/ Eric Church
Peak: #3



"Raise 'Em Up" was the perfect final single to cap off a perfect singles era for Keith Urban's last record. He picked all of my favorite songs from Fuse for radio, and I was ecstatic to see this one go to radio. I'm not particularly keen on Eric Church as an artist, but this duet works so, so well and they just sound fantastic together. My favorite moment of the song is actually a part during Eric's verse (oddly enough) when he sings the end of the "Don't ever let 'em tell you who you are" line. The tone of his voice on the word 'are' is melt-worthy.

47) "Bailando" - Enrique Iglesias f/ Sean Paul, Decemer Bueno, & Gente de Zona
Peak: #1 (1 week)



"Bailando" marks the first of two Latin songs that grace my year-end chart. Like "Only," this one had a big benefit of being one of my favorite party songs of the early half of last year and it had a very low burn rate for me, which allowed it to last long enough to go #1 on my chart long after it should've probably been gone. As a result of that though, it is the lowest-ranking #1 song of the year.


46) "I'm Comin' Over" - Chris Young
Peak: #4 (*still charting*)



"I'm Comin' Over" is another song that is still charting, though with it already in the Top 5, it's chart journey is coming to an end soon. Despite not having peaked yet, it racked up a lot of plays for me in 2015 that help land it on the bottom of this countdown. A lot of people have compared this track to his big hit, "Tomorrow," which is a comparison I can totally get behind. It's not quite as good as "Tomorrow," but it's pretty close and definitely one of my favorite male country songs of the year and served as the start of a wonderful return to form for Chris Young as one of my top male country singers after disappointing me with his prior album.


45. "Like a Cowboy" - Randy Houser
Peak: #1



"Like a Cowboy" was a damn good song, and it really surprised me coming from Randy Houser, an artist who really doesn't excite me at all. This single sticks out like sort of an anomaly for me among his other releases, but this one is just an absolutely wonderful song from a lyric and production standpoint, and Houser's vocal performance on it is stunning. Sometimes he has a penchant for almost shouting on his songs, which I hate, but he definitely showed a different side to his voice on this one. Overplay has killed it a bit for me though and as a result it ranks pretty low despite being a #1 hit.




Tags: Zeebz Fancy H. McCreerian sabre14 bboat11 hitseeker. jhomes87 LBTrocks surfy Kanenrá:ke wavey. zack97 Sean trebor Flip nick64 Juan Carlos popstop J'back trustypepper raylatch98 @jakelmmrs44  defying gravity Daniel Collins bigfan101 josh :)

[bboat11]

YES! I love this format through which you are revealing your list! It takes time, but you are going to be so proud and have an excellent resource to look back on when you are done!

[trebor]

Congrats! This looks HUGE! Very well presented. Kudos!  :)

[Deleted]

49, 48, 47.

[.indulgecountry]

44) "Burning House" - Cam
Peak: #3 (*still charting*)



"Burning House" is another song that is currently still charting at year's-end (and thus it winds up a little low on the countdown), but it has definitely had a great latter half of the year and deserves to be here. Plus, it's comfortably perched in the Top 3! Not as instant for me as her debut single (#RIP), but this is certainly a beautiful composition and its success at country radio has been a wonderful sight to see, no doubt. I'm very happy with Cam's debut album and look forward to (hopefully) charting several more hits off the record in 2016. As for "Burning House," it has the distinction of being one of my favorite music videos of the year, and the production and vocal performance are just hauntingly stunning.

43) "Where Are Ü Now" - Justin Bieber
Peak: #4



"Where Are Ü Now" was such an enjoyable return for me from Justin Bieber. The production on this track and general feel of the song was very mature and different coming from him, and the vocal performance he delivered on it was a strong effort. Beautiful start to his comeback after a few years absence and I couldn't be happier about how it turned out both commercially and artistically. I was obsessed with the Believe record and it was one of the quickest albums to reach 1,000 plays on my Last.fm ever, but I think he really raised the bar with Purpose higher than I had ever anticipated.

42) "Shotgun Rider" - Tim McGraw
Peak: #1 (1 week)



"Shotgun Rider" ranks low on the year-end list due to it really hitting its stride at the very beginning of the year, and while it has held up very well and is among my favorite singles Tim McGraw has probably ever released in his long career, it was at a disservice based on when it was released to rank higher. Still, it's absolutely wonderful. Incredibly strong melody and the perfect radio single. I wasn't surprised at all that it became on of his biggest hits of the past few years.

41) "Style" - Taylor Swift
Peak: #3



"Style" is sandwiched right in the middle of the singles of the 1989 era for me; much, much better than the lead single and "Bad Blood" (and now "Out of the Woods," which is easily my least-favorite of the era), but overshadowed by "Blank Space" and "Wildest Dreams." It is still every bit an excellent song though and was a lovely single. It came up short of hitting the top, but I was a big fan of it nonetheless and it certainly bolstered a fantastic year for Taylor Swift.


40) "Closer to Nowhere" - Kellie Pickler
Peak: #2



"Closer to Nowhere" was by far the most amazing new song on Kellie Pickler's last album, which was also my favorite set from her to date, but it was sadly DOA at country radio by the time it was released. I loved it too much though to pass on charting it and once I decided to, I had to follow through with my love of it and it sailed all the way to the runner-up position, becoming the first tune on my chart to ever finish with a #2 peak. Not a bad consolation. This remains one of her best songs for me and has one of the strongest melodies and enjoyable choruses of her very strong catalog. Perfect example of Pickler putting her neo-traditional spin on something more radio-friendly for today's country radio, though radio sadly still passed on it.


39) "Little Red Wagon" - Miranda Lambert
Peak: #3



"Little Red Wagon" is far from one of my favorite Miranda Lambert songs, but it was a big grower for me after being released as a single. Loved the music video, especially the desert setting (which is always a good bet for me), and the whole song is just insanely fun. It probably wasn't a good idea for country radio at all, but it definitely lent itself well to some energetic live performances from Miranda Lambert. She brought the kind of sass needed to pull off such an off-the-wall song lyrically and (for me anyway), it worked. It also reminds me a fair bit stylistically of "Fastest Girl in Town" from her prior record, which was one of my favorites.




Tags: Zeebz Fancy H. McCreerian sabre14 bboat11 hitseeker. jhomes87 LBTrocks surfy Kanenrá:ke wavey. zack97 Sean trebor Flip nick64 Juan Carlos popstop J'back trustypepper raylatch98 @jakelmmrs44  defying gravity Daniel Collins bigfan101 josh :) [/quote]

[Zeebz]

Perfection. I enjoy every song so far, and I love that you've kicked this off! Flawless taste as usual. <3

[Deleted]

Love almost everything.

[.indulgecountry]

38) "On to Something Good" - Ashley Monroe
Peak: #6



"On to Something Good" just missed the Top 5 on my chart but it enjoyed great longevity thanks to my love of The Blade as one of the finest country releases of 2015. It racked up an incredible number of plays from me over the course of the year and as a result it probably should've peaked a *little* higher, but oh well. The track is insanely catchy and was a great first stab at country radio for Ashley Monroe since joining the Warner Bros. Nashville division (nothing from the Like a Rose project was never properly promoted to radio). Unfortunately it was released during an onslaught of new releases from new artists in the spring 2015 and many suffered by being lost in the shuffle; this blissfully cheery uptempo being one of the greatest casualties of that.

37) "Diamond Rings and Old Barstools" - Tim McGraw
Peak: #2



"Diamond Rings and Barstools" being released as the final single from the Sundown Heaven Town record couldn't have made me happier. One of the most old school and traditional-leaning songs on the album, I was not anticipating that this would ever see the light of day on radio, but luckily Tim McGraw still flexes his abilities to push unconventional fare up the charts sometimes with choices like this in between the radio fodder. The vocal performance, production, lyrics, harmonies from his cousin Catherine Dunn... basically everything about this is country music perfection.

36) "Hello" - Adele
Peak: #6 (*still charting*)



"Hello" is another one in the still charting camp, but there is no doubt this one is headed for the top. While it only had a couple months of 2015 to make a splash, it definitely made a big one and has had a very rapid climb into the Top 10 and had already racked up enough plays to be among my most listened-to songs of the year. This song is just so, so beautiful. Adele's comeback hit was everything I didn't know I needed and wanted from her. She really surprised me with this one, which is saying a lot because my expectations were already unusually high after delivering so many incredible songs with 21. "Hello" was quickly risen up the ranks to be one of my personal favorite Adele songs.

35) "Girl in a Country Song" - Maddie & Tae
Peak: #1 (1 week)



"Girl in a Country Song" was just hitting its peak of popularity on country radio right around the time my chart started so despite finishing at #1, it ranks lower since it spent most of the year off the chart (whereas their follow-up "Fly" spent almost all of 2015 on the chart, lol). But this has held up very well and their debut album release has only helped with that. Everything about this song is just wonderful right down to the reason it exists, and these girls definitely came out swinging with such a bold statement song for a debut single. The fact that it pulled off so well and that they were able to keep their momentum as they moved on from this is a gift.


34) "Put My Heart Down" - Sara Evans
Peak: #1 (2 weeks)



"Put My Heart Down" had just been tragically cut loose by country radio at the time I launched my personal chart, but I was still all over it, so naturally it only seemed fitting for Sara Evans to score my chart's inaugural #1 hit. This one started out at the top so it only had down to go from there and thus it didn't spend a lot of time on the chart, but it was one of my favorites from Slow Me Down. Love, love, love the concept of the music video and Sara Evans' look for it is fantastic. It was also one of her most radio-friendly releases to country radio since her comeback with "A Little Bit Stronger," but I suppose country radio didn't care and her label totally botched the album era anyway, which was tragic to witness. :'( But "Put My Heart Down" goes down as a wonderfully catchy, perfectly-performed, and well-produced gem in my country queen's strong catalog.


33) "Dibs" - Kelsea Ballerini
Peak: #8 (*still charting*)



"Dibs," despite only having reached #8 by the end of the year, is one of my Top 5 most played tracks of 2015 and that played a big influence in it ranking this high. This earworm of a follow-up to one of my favorite female debut singles in recent memory was the perfect single choice to keep up her momentum. The production on this track, particularly the use of the banjo, is very enjoyable and Kelsea's youthful and fun vocal performance made this one of my favorites to hear on radio in 2015. It also didn't hurt that the song was saturated in hooks and clever lyrics: the "If you've got a Friday night free and a shotgun seat / Well I'm just saying, I ain't got nowhere to be" was one of the most infectious lines of the year for me hands-down.




Tags: Zeebz Fancy H. McCreerian sabre14 bboat11 hitseeker. jhomes87 LBTrocks surfy Kanenrá:ke wavey. zack97 Sean trebor Flip nick64 Juan Carlos popstop J'back trustypepper raylatch98 @jakelmmrs44  defying gravity Daniel Collins bigfan101 josh :)

[Deleted]

37, 36, 35, 33.

[LBTrocks]

Ashley <3

[.indulgecountry]

Jan 10, 2016 1:30:45 GMT -5 @jakelmmrs44 said:

37, 36, 35, 33.

What kinda shade to Queen Sara Evans tho? :(

[bboat11]

We have a Sara Evans sighting! Ladies and gentlemen, we have a Sara Evans sighting!!

[Deleted]

Jan 10, 2016 1:47:53 GMT -5 .indulgecountry said:

Jan 10, 2016 1:30:45 GMT -5 @jakelmmrs44 said:

37, 36, 35, 33.

What kinda shade to Queen Sara Evans tho? :(

I just haven't heard that Sara Evans song ever, that's all.