Friday, December 30, 2016

The Top 20 Best Hit Songs of 2016



Well, 2016 is just about in the books, and what an eventful year it turned out to be. Many of you may be thinking that 2016 is a year you’d like to just forget about and turn the page on, but wait! There’s some great music to listen to first!

While 2016 may be officially over tomorrow, for the folks over at Billboard it ended back on December 14, when they released their list of the top 100 biggest songs of the year, topped inexplicably by Justin Bieber’s “Love Yourself.” As always, I’ve picked my favorite 20 songs from their list and have ranked them from 20 down to number 1.

In a bit of a surprise, 2016 was actually a serious rebound year for pop music, and I would say these 20 songs are as good a crop of hits as we’ve had in quite a while. So sit back, turn the speakers up, and enjoy! 

Note: Youtube doesn't allow embedding of music videos anymore so you'll have to click the links to hear the songs. There’s also a bonus Spotify playlist at the bottom if you just want to skip ahead to the music...


We’re only one song into the countdown and I think we’ve already found the most laughable video of the year. I have so many questions. Did they find an existing construction site to film on or did they...construct one just for the video? Did they think it would be sexy to show guys measuring blueprints and girls operating heavy machinery and welding flames? And Ty Dolla Sign’s “I put in work like a timesheet” line has to win line of the year as well. Overall this is a great party song if you just focus on the beat and close your ears to, well, pretty much everything else about it. A real winner.


Once again I have more to say about this song than I can reasonably fit into one paragraph. Obviously this was the song of the summer and I can’t really argue with that, but I always felt like there was some sort of joke I wasn’t in on. I mean...no one knows what Desiigner’s actually saying at pretty much any point in this song, right? We all just laugh along and pretend he’s speaking English? Again, not a problem, but I just want to make sure no one actually appreciates this song for any more than a dope beat and a million opportunities to make up your own version of the lyrics.

18. Drake featuring Wizkid and Kyla- "One Dance":

How the third-biggest hit of 2016 (according to Billboard) and the other main contender for Song of the Summer doesn’t have an accompanying music video on Youtube is maybe the biggest mystery of the year in music. Apparently it's included in some sort of Apple Music-exclusive short film. Guess I'll never see it then. Either way, it’s certainly not the best song of the year but considering its ubiquity, it’s fairly impressive that I never got tired of it. And, it marks the first of many songs in this list which took its inspiration from Caribbean and reggae beats, which may be the other story of the year in music this year.


No newcomer burst on the scene quite as prolifically in 2016 as G-Eazy, who carried on a rich tradition of being compared to other white rappers like Asher Roth, Hoodie Allen, and even Eminem. This was his big hit, though, and interestingly its video seems to already be reflecting on his newfound fame. My advice for G is to enjoy the ride and let his talents take him wherever he can go, and definitely to keep working with Bebe Rexha, whose vocals are the only reason this song makes my top 20.


I was so excited to see Flume on the Billboard charts this year. It was about time he broke through in the US market after putting out so many solid songs that charted everywhere else but here. I do wish he could have maybe broken through with something else but this is still one of his better tracks, so I’ll have to settle for it. Sometimes in life, you have to settle and stop hoping for perfection. Wait, what were we talking about again? Oh yeah, if it gets more Flume onto the radio, it can only be a good thing.


I have a lot less to say about this song and video than I had to say about Fifth Harmony’s other entry in this list. It’s just a great catchy pop song, and the video is pretty much exactly what you might expect. I suppose you could call it flexin’. We’ll see if we hear from them in 2017- I’m certainly hoping we do. Girl groups FTW.


Remember that song “100 Years” by Five For Fighting? You still hear it at Walgreens pretty much every time you’re in there. Well, it’s gotten an update from a Danish band that has a very firm grasp of the concept of the passage of time, and a slightly less firm (but still impressive) grasp of the English language. Much like the Five for Fighting song, it’s a little bit silly but I found it pretty easy to get into, and I’m sure we’ll be hearing it at Walgreens for the next 20 years. By that time, Lukas will be almost 60!


Welcome to the 2016 countdown, Justin! In Hollywood, they say you haven’t really “made it” until you show up in this space. If there was a consolation prize, I’d say it was having the #1 AND #2 songs on the Billboard Year-End chart, which Justin did this year with this and “Love Yourself.” As for this song, notice the reggae riddim present here, and also notice that Justin himself does not even appear in the video, but it still winds up being incredibly cocky since all the ladies present him with a “WE <3 JB” sign at the end, as if dedicating their tireless performance to their generous benefactor. Hard to think of anyone with a better life than Biebs at the present moment.


If you wanted to say this was the best pure pop song of 2016, I wouldn’t argue with you. If you wanted to argue it was the best song of Justin Timberlake’s career, I wouldn’t argue with that either. if you wanted to point out that it was only released as the soundtrack to a stupid Dreamworks animated troll movie, I would tell you to shut up and just enjoy the music. I doubt I’ll ever love another JT song as much as I loved “Can’t Stop The Feeling,” so let me just have this one, OK?


You can feel free to disagree, but to me, 2016 was the year of the Chainsmokers in the music world. They had three entries in the year-end top 30, after basically only being known for a joke-hit (“Selfie”) before this year. “Roses” was the second-best of these three, even if it was a little silly that it seems to have been named after its guest vocalist. And, as with their other videos, I have to say I’m coming up empty on what’s going on in this one. Never mind, though, it’s a great song that will hopefully stand the test of time.


Look at Nick Jonas being all grown up! And recording sultry duets with Sweden’s #1 bad girl Tove Lo! Seriously, his rebirth into a fully-grown pop star has been overshadowed a bit by Justin Bieber, but Nick deserves some recognition of his own, and doing a song (and video) like this absolutely helped me see him in a new light. If you had told me last year that a dude whose previous claim to fame was wearing a purity ring would have the sexiest song of 2016 I would have never believed you.


I wonder if applications to be on Ariana Grande’s security team spiked after this video came out. Looks like the gig can sometimes come with perks. Ariana had a huge 2016 with her album Dangerous Woman, and it looked like “Into You,” which marks the album’s frenetic high point, would be her highlight for the year, but another song came breaking onto the scene late in the year and changed the storyline. You’ll have to keep reading to find out what it is...


Somehow despite being a huge fan of Coldplay’s music and videos, I’d never seen this one until I wrote this writeup. I’m not sure whether I find the CGI Coldplay dancing gorillas awesome or a little bit creepy, or maybe both. I think it’s awesome until they look you in the eye with their blue eyes. That part is extremely unnerving. As for the song, well, I’m not sure what more there is to say about Coldplay- it’s like they have a permanent lock on my top 10 every year as long as they keep putting out beautiful, uplifting, catchy songs like this one.


More Bieber, as a guest vocalist this time. What can I say, the dude was everywhere this year. Major Lazer and MØ topped last year’s chart with “Lean On,” but this year the competition was a little tougher so they settle for #7. As great as this song is, it just doesn’t quite have the extra oomph that it takes to crack the top 5, let alone the top 5. Bonus points for using natural beauty to accentuate the video, though. Oh come on, you know what I meant.


Calvin and Rihanna had one of the biggest songs of the decade when they last teamed up on “We Found Love.” Calvin knew he needed to follow that up with something equally awesome, so he turned to the best lyric-writer he knew, Nils Sjoberg, to come with something catchy. You may know Nils from some of his prior work on songs like “You Belong With Me,” “Our Song,” and “22.” Nils’ lyrics may be the most forgettable part of this song, however. Rihanna’s vocals and Calvin’s unmistakable beats make this a worthy follow-up (indeed, an update) of “We Found Love,” and it finds itself in a similar spot on my year-end chart. Viva la Calvin. Sorry, Taylor.


OK, gripe time. And no, I’m not referring to how confusing the music video is (why would they let Halsey change hairstyles in between shoots, to the point of making her almost unrecognizable?) Here’s my gripe: this song was #1 for 12 weeks this year, more than any other song. It sure seemed to me like the most ubiquitous song of the year. (And yes, I happened to really like it). Yet somehow, it only clocked in at #10 on Billboard’s year-end chart. It should have been #2 at the lowest. Clearly Billboard needs to fix their formula. Let’s also note that “Closer” had 2016’s most memorable lyrics- almost too many different standout lines to count. The key? Specificity. Give people something that stands out (and it helps if it tugs at the heartstrings a little) and you too can top the charts for 3 months straight and then get screwed at the end of the year! OK, let’s move on.


Last Bieber appearance of 2016, I promise. Also, second year in a row that DJ Snake hits the top 5. He contributed to last year’s #1 “Lean On,” and he carries a similar sound to great success here. This is one of those songs that stands up incredibly well to repeated listening. It may never be my first choice but it’s never far from the top either. That’s a true accomplishment, and it’s part of what makes this the perfect #4. Nothing wrong with it, but just underneath the true heavyweight of 2016. Also, love the video-game angle of the music video- it’s the only way that level of violence and crime is acceptable to glorify.


As I said back in my “Into You” writeup, I absolutely didn’t see this song coming. There’s no valid explanation for why I loved it so much. But from the first time I heard it, I was absolutely hooked. Something about the heavy bass coming in at the end of the first chorus just got me so amped every time I hear it. The reggae beat was perhaps 2016’s hottest. I always ended the song at a much higher volume than I started it. Always. It’s pure pop/hip-hop/dancehall perfection. But in a year as strong as 2016, it only comes in third.


It’s a little bit cheap that I’m allowed to include this song, because it came out in September 2015. But close readers will remember that I included it in my Personal Favorites column at the end of last year and pegged it for success in 2016. Well, score a point for me on that prediction. It qualified for this year’s chart and I was very close to putting it at #1 because there may not have been a song this year that I loved more intensely than this one. Ultimately, though, when I considered all the angles it came up just short.


Others may disagree, but to me 2016 was The Year of Seeb more so than anything else. They took a quiet acoustic Mike Posner song and not only turned it into the best song of the year, but also resurrected Posner’s career, even as the song’s lyrics, somewhat ironically, introspectively discuss his same career’s downfall. Seeb also had several other standout remixes and originals in 2016 that helped define the year musically, but none rose above quite like this one. I know I’m thankful for Seeb’s breakthrough this year, and I hope Mike Posner is too. Something tells me he might be a little more conflicted than I am given his ambivalence about his own success.

Well there you have it, people. A bounce-back year for pop music, and a countdown that hopefully has you feeling some optimism for 2017. Let’s hope we see a continued resurgence in the new year, and in the meantime, I’ll be back shortly with my Personal Favorites of 2016 blog, so stay tuned for that. Happy New Year! As always, here’s the United State of Pop 2016 video to tide you over. It went heavy on the Calvin Harris and Rihanna this year...




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