Mike's Top 100 of 2015 Countdown (Completed!)

[Libra]

Libra Mike here, looking to put the wraps on 2015 with this countdown of my 100 biggest songs of the year.

#6

The woman behind the 6th biggest song of 2015 had experienced her share of frustration on my chart prior to this year. Her first song to chart, "Lights", stalled at #12 for 5 consecutive weeks in early 2012. Then, in 2013, she had a chance to claim a #1 hit on Calvin Harris's "I Need Your Love" - but that stopped just short, at #2. Then last year, she had another shot at the top spot with her own song "Burn" - but that also burned out at #2. This year, she finally reached that top spot - and she did it for two weeks with this song. That too-good-to-be-denied smash at #6 in the Top 100 is:

Ellie Goulding - Love Me Like You Do

Peak: #1 (2 weeks)
Weeks charted: 20
Inverse total: 554 points (#6)
Pyramid total: 9199 points (#7)

[Libra]

Ellie Goulding, and "Love Me Like You Do", my 6th biggest song of 2015.

#5

Well, we've been on quite a string of songs all sung by women in this final hour - and we're up now to the biggest song of the year by any woman on my chart. And not just any woman - this woman is, quite simply, a Country legend. But don't take my word for it - let her nearly four decades-long career speak for itself. On my chart, she certainly laid a claim to fame this year, by becoming the oldest artist ever to sing a #1 song. And she did so, on her 60th birthday! This legendary smash is at #5 for the year:

Reba McEntire - Going Out Like That

Peak: #1 (2 weeks)
Weeks charted: 20
Inverse total: 556 points (#5)
Pyramid total: 9476 points (#4)

[Libra]

Reba McEntire at #5 in the year's Top 100, with the biggest song of the year by a woman - "Going Out Like That".

#4

Next in the Top 100, is the only act in the Top 10 to have ever had one of the ten biggest songs of a prior year, if you can believe that! They had the 8th biggest song of 2011 with "For the First Time", a song that topped out at #2 on my chart. And until now, that had been their biggest song ever on my chart. Well, this year, they've done one better, as they finally scored their first #1 song back in July. And they did it with - what else? - a hard-hitting ballad. At #4 for the year:

The Script - Man on a Wire

Peak: #1 (2 weeks)
Weeks charted: 23
Inverse total: 582 points (#2)
Pyramid total: 9281 points (#6)

[Deleted]

#6!!!

[Libra]

The Script with the 4th biggest song of 2015, "Man on a Wire". They walked the #1 wire for two weeks with that one.

Well, we're almost home now. There's just three songs to go in this countdown of my 100 biggest of 2015. We'll find out who reigns supreme for 2015 in just a couple of minutes!

[Libra]

Well, this is it - just three songs to go in my countdown of 2015's biggest and best!

#3

The third-biggest song of the year is also the biggest album cut in the year's Top 100 - but with an 80s synthtastic melody like this has, it was bound to be a smash on my chart. In fact, it also set the record for my chart's Top 40 era for the highest debut since I expanded to a Top 40. It debuted up at #25 back on the week of March 28. At #3 for the year:

Walk the Moon - Aquaman

Peak: #1 (2 weeks)
Weeks charted: 19
Inverse total: 563 points (#4)
Pyramid total: 9803 points (#3)

[Libra]

My third-biggest song of 2015, Walk the Moon's "Aquaman" - a song that spent 5 weeks lodged at #2 before finally breaking through and hitting the top for 2 weeks right at the end of Spring.

#2

The premise behind my second-biggest song of 2015 is a fairly simple one. Its narrator is looking to have a fun night out doing something that I'm sure most of us have done at some point - singing karaoke! Its lyrics are so incredibly relatable, and the song itself is so much fun, that it couldn't help but become the huge smash that it was this year. I only wish that could have carried over into real-world success. It spent a total of twelve weeks in my Top 10 - three of those at #2, two more at #1.

Smallpools - Karaoke

And, for this song, the band apparently released two videos for it. Therefore, you get to choose your viewing pleasure while listening to the #2 song of the year (both videos are the exact same length). You can either go for:

OR

(I strongly suggest that live listeners not choose both - you don't want to be late on the #1 song of the year!)

Peak: #1 (2 weeks)
Weeks charted: 18
Inverse total: 576 points (#3)
Pyramid total: 10131 points (#2)

(P.S.: I probably shouldn't even need to say this, but if you've figured out what #1 is going to be by now, NO SPOILERS PLEASE! )

[Libra]

Smallpools, with my #2 song of all of 2015, "Karaoke".

Well, we've been through 99 songs over 7 days, and now - we have arrived! It's time now for me to reveal what my biggest song of 2015 is.

#1

It's a ballad that spent four weeks at #1 as Spring turned to Summer, which is more than any other song this year. Like the song we just heard, "Karaoke", this also spent a total of twelve weeks in the Top 10. In fact, among songs that debuted during the year (i.e. weren't on the January 3 chart), it had the fastest rise into the Top 10, getting there in just 5 weeks.

Suffice it to say that it's a song that hit incredibly hard and incredibly fast. And apparently I'm far from the only one who felt that way: It was also one of the biggest hits of the year in general, spending 12 weeks atop Billboard's Hot 100. For my chart in 2015, it's the king!





My #1 song for all of 2015 is:

Wiz Khalifa featuring Charlie Puth - See You Again

Peak: #1 (4 weeks)
Weeks charted: 21
Inverse total: 586 points (#1)
Pyramid total: 10152 points (#1)

[Libra]

#1 for 2015 - Wiz Khalifa and Charlie Puth, with "See You Again". For Wiz Khalifa, it's yet another example of inconsistent consistency - it's only the second time he ever hit my chart. On the first, he also spent four weeks at #1 - that was as the featured act on Maroon 5's "Payphone". And that song ranked at #12 for 2012 - now, he takes the lead, and he's raked in the biggest song for all of 2015. For Charlie Puth, it's the 6th time in my eight year-end surveys that an artist has had the #1 song of the year with their first song that ever hit my chart.

And, that's it! That's all of them, my 100 biggest songs of the year on Mike's Top 40 for 2015. Hope you've enjoyed this presentation of my Top 100 songs of 2015, and a big thanks to those who've been following along throughout the week. Much appreciated!

If by chance you came along to this after I counted these down throughout the week...well, you're reading this now, aren't you? Glad to see you've dropped by!

[Rose Wintur]

This was a fun chart to follow! I really liked your format. Swap out your #1 for Years & Years though and then all will be well

[Deleted]

Excellent #1!

[Juan Carlos]

Great countdown Mike! I really enjoyed following it. I guess you should know which tracks I like the most on it, which tends to be a lot actually.

Anyway, pleased to see "Love Me Like You Do" in the Top 10, as well as "Style", "Papercut", "Lush Life" and "Omen" in the Top 20, among others.

[Deleted]

Your tastes are fantastic. <3

I love "Lush Life", "I Really Like You", "Little Toy Guns", "Love Me Like You Do", and The Script in general.

Then there is your #1, and I have to say I don't think you could possibly choose a better #1 for 2015. For me personally, that song has such an unutterably deep personal connection. The song itself was released not long before the time in which this kid at my school committed suicide, and that song played a major part in helping me recover from that traumatic experience. The constant reassurance it gave me that one day I'd see him again was the supreme solace at a time in which it was desperately needed. Now, I get chills just about every time I listen to the song. It's just so perfect in my opinion. No other song from this past year could possibly touch it, at least for me.

[Sean]

Great countdown!!! That was fun to follow along to! I was expecting Reba to be high, but didn't know she'd be that high!!! <3

[Zeebz]

Wonderful countdown! It was a delight to follow, even if Carly was ranked too low!

[Libra]

Jan 3, 2016 0:19:11 GMT -5 @jb23241 said:

Then there is your #1, and I have to say I don't think you could possibly choose a better #1 for 2015. For me personally, that song has such an unutterably deep personal connection. The song itself was released not long before the time in which this kid at my school committed suicide, and that song played a major part in helping me recover from that traumatic experience. The constant reassurance it gave me that one day I'd see him again was the supreme solace at a time in which it was desperately needed. Now, I get chills just about every time I listen to the song. It's just so perfect in my opinion. No other song from this past year could possibly touch it, at least for me.

Sad to hear that that happened.

One that might come close, though, is a song that breaks into my Top 10 this week.

[sadchild]

we only have one overlapping song between our lists

#36 Twenty One Pilots - Stressed Out

and i think that's very cool because i've found more new songs to listen to from your list than any others! like this one, which i'm digging right now. i didn't know they had new music out! thanks!

#30 Great Lake Swimmers - Zero in the City

[Mike is BAD]

I havent even heard some songs on here...