r/popheads • u/raicicle • Jan 05 '18
[REVEAL] The Top 100 Tracks of 2017, according to r/popheads (Begins 5PM EST, 1 Hour From Posting)
At 5PM EST (that's exactly one hour from now), I'll be counting down the Top 100 Tracks of 2017, according to r/popheads. The full 100 songs will be playing on plug.dj non-stop, so join us there! It's gonna be a long night (about six hours or so), so pop in and out at any time you want, but make sure you're here for the big reveal of the Top 10.
After every 25 songs get played on the plug, I'll be posting the writeups for that quarter of the list (and lots of amazing people have helped with the writing, so please give them a read). You'll find a link to the full list HERE. It will be continually updating, and I will post links to each individual segment too.
Intro & Honorable Mentions | 100-76 | 75-51 | 50-26 | 25-1 | Full List | Stats & Numbers
Thanks for coming, everyone!
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u/monalisafrank Jan 06 '18
I really wish Spotify had an option to play playlists in reverse order, so that I could listen to stuff like this in countdown mode. Or is there a way???
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u/twat_brained Jan 06 '18
We really have no excuse not to follow the Rules now, especially since they're #1
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u/ldarquel Jan 06 '18
Apple Music Playlist of Top 100: https://itunes.apple.com/nz/playlist/popheads-top-100-tracks-of-2017/pl.u-6DdKuZq1bxY
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Jan 06 '18
Only 1 man in the top 10 artists, true r/popheads style
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u/thegeecyproject Jan 06 '18
There's 8 men actually; Calvin Harris, Frank Ocean, Quavo, Offset, Takeoff, Young Thug, Taylor York and Zac Farro.
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Jan 06 '18
My bad; that wasn't the top 10 I was talking about. I was talking about the top 10 voted for artists: https://medium.com/@itsrai/the-top-100-tracks-of-2017-according-to-r-popheads-stats-numbers-9583cdf9f508
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u/THE_PC_DEMANDS_BLOOD Jan 06 '18
well shit im deeply regretting not nomming software upgrade u/luxmor
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u/thegeecyproject Jan 06 '18
u/raicicle, do you think you have a version of the list without the 3-songs-per artist rule? I'm curious to see who dominates. And as usual, thank you for all the great work you put into this. I (and a lot of people it seems) really enjoyed it.
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u/raicicle Jan 06 '18
The best way to nose about is to look through the spreadsheet! Here's a download.
The list without the rule enforced is labelled 'Raw List'.
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u/nooodisaster Jan 07 '18
Taking out the 3-per rule, Lorde had 9 songs in the top 100. True queen!!
(also superfruit was really paid dust by yall, wow)
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u/raicicle Jan 06 '18
Yep, I'll try to get that up in a little bit! The infographic has some of this info already.
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u/StarlordPunk Jan 06 '18
There’s stats about which artists got the most votes linked in the post, and Lorde and Taylor had a lot across multiple songs
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u/bbfan132 Jan 06 '18
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u/over9000skeletons Jan 06 '18 edited Mar 11 '25
water six payment work rich wise fragile exultant ripe sink
This post was mass deleted and anonymized with Redact
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u/raicicle Jan 06 '18
Thank you so much everybody for coming along the reveal! Congratulations to Dua for being our #1 artist this year with 'New Rules'!
Huge thanks to all the writers involved. Lots of love, all <3 <3
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u/eklxtreme Jan 06 '18
Great work with all those incredible write-ups and organizing this whole activity :)
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u/Number3rdInTheVoting Jan 06 '18
The Owl City prank was amazing, thank you for putting this together!!
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u/MissyBee37 Jan 06 '18
Thank YOU for putting this together!!!! It was a ton of fun, and a pretty solid list overall!! Thank you for your hard work!!!
P.S. Many kudos for pranking us all!!! I totally fell for it lol. I was so confused!
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u/raicicle Jan 06 '18
Full List
1. Dua Lipa - New Rules
2. Paramore - Hard Times
3. Lorde - Perfect Places
4. Kesha - Praying
5. Camila Cabello - Havana feat. Young Thug
6. Carly Rae Jepsen - Cut To The Feeling
7. Calvin Harris - Slide feat. Frank Ocean, Migos
8. Selena Gomez - Bad Liar
9. Lorde - The Louvre
10. Tove Lo - Disco Tits
11. Harry Styles - Sign of the Times
12. Lana Del Rey - Love
13. Bleachers - Don't Take the Money
14. Lorde - Green Light
15. Charli XCX - Boys
16. Taylor Swift - Getaway Car
17. Halsey - Strangers feat. Lauren Jauregui
18. Kendrick Lamar - DNA.
19. Taylor Swift - Call It What You Want
20. Kendrick Lamar - HUMBLE.
21. Lil Uzi Vert - XO TOUR Llif3
22. St. Vincent - Los Ageless
23. SZA - Drew Barrymore
24. Charli XCX - Lipgloss feat. CupcakKe
25. Taylor Swift - Delicate
26. Charlie Puth - Attention
27. SZA - Love Galore feat. Travis Scott
28. Aly & AJ - Take Me
29. Kygo & Selena Gomez - It Ain't Me
30. Paramore - Fake Happy
31. Paramore - Rose-Colored Boy
32. Portugal. The Man - Feel It Still
33. Clean Bandit - Symphony feat. Zara Larsson
34. Demi Lovato - Sorry Not Sorry
35. Katy Perry - Chained To The Rhythm feat. Skip Marley
36. Kesha - Learn To Let Go
37. N.E.R.D - Lemon feat. Rihanna
38. Allie X - Casanova
39. Calvin Harris - Feels feat. Pharrell Williams, Katy Perry, Big Sean
40. Drake - Passionfruit
41. Lady Gaga - The Cure
42. Billie Eilish - bellyache
43. Frank Ocean - Chanel
44. Lana Del Rey - Cherry
45. Rita Ora - Anywhere
46. Sigrid - Don't Kill My Vibe
47. Ed Sheeran - Castle On The Hill
48. Katy Perry - Swish Swish feat. Nicki Minaj
49. Lana Del Rey - Lust For Life feat. The Weeknd
50. Miley Cyrus - Malibu
51. Selena Gomez - Fetish feat. Gucci Mane
52. St. Vincent - New York
53. SZA - Prom
54. MUNA - I Know A Place
55. Charli XCX - 3AM (Pull Up) feat. MØ
56. Demi Lovato - Daddy Issues
57. P!nk - Beautiful Trauma
58. Allie X - Paper Love
59. Jessie Ware - Midnight
60. Katy Perry - Bon Appétit feat. Migos
61. Kesha - Rainbow
62. Martin Garrix - Scared to Be Lonely feat. Dua Lipa
63. Niall Horan - Slow Hands
64. Cardi B - Bodak Yellow
65. Cashmere Cat - Quit feat. Ariana Grande
66. Charlie Puth - How Long
67. Ed Sheeran - Shape of You
68. Mura Masa - 1 Night feat. Charli XCX
69. The Killers - The Man
70. Alvvays - Dreams Tonite
71. Dua Lipa - Lost In Your Light feat. Miguel
72. Halsey - Bad at Love
73. Julia Michaels - Issues
74. Julia Michaels - Uh Huh
75. Luis Fonsi - Despacito (Remix) feat. Daddy Yankee, Justin Bieber
76. Sigrid - Plot Twist
77. St. Vincent - Pills
78. Tyler, The Creator - 911 / Mr. Lonely
79. Vince Staples - Yeah Right
80. Billie Eilish - COPYCAT
81. HAIM - Want You Back
82. Harry Styles - Kiwi
83. The xx - I Dare You
84. Thomas Rhett - Craving You feat. Maren Morris
85. Tyler, The Creator - See You Again feat. Kali Uchis
86. Vince Staples - Big Fish
87. Bridgit Mendler - Diving feat. RKCB
88. Halsey - 100 Letters
89. Kelly Clarkson - Love So Soft
90. Kim Petras - I Don't Want It at All
91. Miley Cyrus - Younger Now
92. Arcade Fire - Everything Now
93. Kali Uchis - Tyrant feat. Jorja Smith
94. Kelela - LMK
95. Kendrick Lamar - LOVE. feat. Zacari
96. MØ - Nights With You
97. Perfume Genius - Slip Away
98. Rina Sawayama - Cyber Stockholm Syndrome
99. Sabrina Carpenter - Why
100. Zedd - Stay feat. Alessia Cara
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u/lunasaflowers Jan 06 '18
honestly SO happy that see you again and 911/mr. lonely squeaked it on there at all, god bless
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u/snidelaughter Jan 06 '18
6/10 of my top 10
that I never submittedare in and three of them are in the top 10 and I'm still annoyed lmao5
u/wellgroomedmcpoyle Jan 06 '18
Dang you know this was a good ass year when "Chanel" is at #43 and "Boys" barely cracks the Top 15.
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u/Nerdy_boy_chris Jan 06 '18
Crazily enough, half of my Top Ten hits made this list! And two of them made the list last year. So I guess I am in tune with the zeitgeist.
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u/StarlordPunk Jan 06 '18
Wait did Supercut not even make the 100?
#NotMyPopheads
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Jan 06 '18
supercut actually just missed out. it would have been number 15 if it wasnt for the 3 song rule
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u/eklxtreme Jan 06 '18
Only three of each artist was allowed in the top 100
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u/StarlordPunk Jan 06 '18
I know but Supercut and Homemade Dynamite are better than all three that made it tbh
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u/Nerdy_boy_chris Jan 06 '18
Man, fitting that Paramore doesn’t receive their dues. No Grammy noms, debuted at number 6 on the Billboard 200, not a single hit. And now this. Truly the darkest timeline.
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u/raicicle Jan 06 '18
1. Dua Lipa - New Rules
The runaway hit of the year, at least for Popheads, has come from the heavenly figure of Dua Lipa. Despite only having released her debut album this year after releasing singles from it non-stop in the time period that has seen me grow wrinkles, it has took until ‘New Rules’, the album’s sixth technical single, for Dua to move from anonymous pop starlet to bona-fide star. The song gave her her first UK #1, and infected the upper reaches of the Billboard charts like a tenacious flu, and gave everyone a fever in the process (until everyone got vaccinated and stopped her from cracking the Top 10 which is a travesty).
While catchy, architectural, trend-hopping songs by random pop girls are pretty much everywhere these days, ‘New Rules’ defies expectations by being genuinely brilliant in all ways, and its popularity comes because of that simple fact. It propels itself through its run length with insatiable energy unlike any other song this year, and even its most climactic moments, feels like an endless rumbling buildup. It’s a bold and fierce song, yet has enough subtlety for new elements to catch you on each listen; indeed, the song is so compelling in all of its facets (Dua’s voice, the lyrics, the melodies, the production) that you wonder if it makes sense for any song to be this great. Even Coldplay’s Chris Martin went out of his way to call ‘New Rules’ perfect, and that’s not even the song on Dua’s album that he helped write.
At the heart of ‘New Rules’ is a vital and life-affirming dancehall beat, the same sort of summery rhythm that Rihanna drew from last year with ‘Work’ and like that song manages to stay afloat above the masses of other tropical-flavored songs by being a little bit weirder, a little bit closer to what makes dancehall tick. Listen to the song and perhaps you might notice that it’s just a little bit faster than maybe you’d expect a song like that to be. It’s not quite rushed, but it does have a sense of urgency and tempo, and restless tension as the synths run up in those uneasy chromatic trickles. Its a perfectly timed and paced pop song in all regards.
One, don’t pick up the phone. Two, don’t let him in. Three, don’t be his friend. Dua’s novel approach to the classic quandary of how to get over an ex is genius, and is also ridiculously fun to sing along to. Unsurprisingly, it’s the rules that have made the song the viral hit it is, as instantly meme-able as it is surprisingly profound. The beauty of it is in its simplicity, and its strength comes from Dua’s characteristically husky voice being the one singing it. These are not just rules, these are commandments, and Dua’s here to deliver some heavenly justice.
The iconic music video captures so much of what makes this song the list-topper it has for Popheads. It’s beautifully choreographed, with Dua passed from friend to friend in some sort of primal girl-power ritual, before she undergoes a divine ascension—I mean, she literally walks on water. ‘New Rules’ feels like the culmination of a lot of years of hard work for Dua Lipa, and her tenacity as a relative newcomer into a harsh industry should be applauded. There’s something pretty damn low-budget about the video compared to the monolithic efforts that the likes of Taylor Swift and Katy Perry have been pumping out this year, and it acts as a refreshing tribute to what the success of ‘New Rules’ represents—a championing of honest, no strings-attached good music. —Rai
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u/snidelaughter Jan 06 '18
it wasn't even the best song on the album to be put out as a single last year
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u/StarlordPunk Jan 06 '18
This might be the anger over Hard Times not winning talking, but Hotter Than Hell was better. Yeah I said it popheads, fight me
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u/yikesville Jan 06 '18
Not complaining that she got #1, but Hotter Than Hell is by far her best song.
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u/Nerdy_boy_chris Jan 06 '18
Even better: this song is mad overrated. Fight me.
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u/StarlordPunk Jan 06 '18
Tbf I would have it in my top 10 but I think it would’ve been nearer 10 than 1
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u/snidelaughter Jan 06 '18 edited Jan 06 '18
1. Taylor Lautner - Dream Dream Dream Dream (Dream Dream)
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u/Nerdy_boy_chris Jan 06 '18
Man, I finally get how Gaga stans felt after the 2013 rate.
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u/raicicle Jan 06 '18
2. Paramore - Hard Times
Paramore has been around for over a decade, which seems absurd to think about at this point. Hayley Williams practically hasn’t aged whatsoever, which makes it tempting to believe, if you haven’t thought of Paramore for a fair few years, that they’re still peddling the same old emo pop punk that their album Riot! made them famous for. So, in comes 2017 Paramore (with a new trio lineup featuring the return of founding member Zac Farro on drums, who provides a welcome energy to the arrangements) with Williams gone all hipster platinum blonde and them all dressed up like an episode of Art Attack (Americans, search it up). ‘Hard Times’ was the first taste of their new sound, which has more in common with the early 80s rock of the Talking Heads and Blondie than the 00s pop punk sound that got them famous. And there’s definitely a touch of the sunny rhythms and instrumentations of Afrobeat that Paul Simon brought to notoriety with Graceland.
It’s different-sounding from their beginnings for sure, but it’s dishonest to say that it’s surprising. The band’s transformation into ambassadors of pop for a new generation of bright-eyed teens has always been on its way, nowhere more apparent than on 2013’s self-titled Paramore and its gospel choir-backed indie pop hit, ‘Ain’t It Fun’. To re-iterate the point, Paramore has been around for over 10 years, and to expect the band—and especially a band of this much rebellious and intoxicating energy—to be doing the same thing for that entire time is silly.
Thankfully, there’s pretty much no real reason to argue against the sound change, because ‘Hard Times’ is ecstatically brilliant. The vibrant backdrop of marimba, funk-tinged bass and post-disco guitar riffs makes for a great interpretation of the 80s, and feels both part of and clearly distinct from the 80s revivalism that people like Taylor Swift and Carly Rae Jepsen have made popular in critical circles. It’s bright, streamlined and angular, yet Hayley Williams’ introspective lyrics that deal with depression lay disguised in plain sight on its surface, a reminder that you can’t really get rid of the band’s roots. There’s black humor in lines like “All that I want is a hole in the ground/You can tell me when it’s alright for me to come out”, and a wildly singable dejection in the “Hard times!” refrain. It’s some of the sharpest yet understated lyricism of their entire career, and shows off the maturity that the band has gained with a decade of experience and wisdom without sacrificing any of their youthfulness. —Rai
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u/Tomato_Motorola Jan 06 '18
All you “heaux” are underestimating the height of true artistic quality, A.K.A Queen Bhad Bhabie. Her lyrical/musical abilities are TRUELY unappreciated. For example, her method of pronunciation is a comment on how Western culture is easing into the concept of a hip-hop dominated music industry and how the newcomers to hip-hop are transitioning over from basic, washed-out, sterilized music to real, down-to-earth hip-hop. Her use of the repetition technique in relation to ‘I got it’ is not an indication of laziness in her songwriting skills, but instead a comment on the prominence of consumerism in the modern society. The long list of what she has in life in this song is a metaphor for the issue of compulsive, instant gratification where anything can be bought, and also a metaphor for the rise of the millennial generation and their unwillingness to work towards purchases, as anything can be purchased easily with the funds of their superiors. While you may hate on her just because she’s the “cash me outside” girl, she has a extensive career ahead of her, especially if she continues with the quality she has presented so far. I await the day that she is nominated for AOTY.
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u/raicicle Jan 06 '18
2. Owl City - All My Friends
Adam Young of Owl City has been freed from his label. Armed with nothing but himself, his talent, and a love for music, who knows what he'd do next. In 2016, the young Owatonna native composed 11 "scores" dedicated to various historical events, incorporating orchestral, ambient, and post-rock. In 2017, he set out to record a brand new album, titled Cinematic, dedicated to his life story and all the wonderful places he's seen. He gets to writing it, and ends up making an electropop-infused album that's bound to reel his fans back in. After finishing the 18-track behemoth, he must decide on a lead single. He chooses All My Friends, the only song of its kind on the album, inspired by Jake Owen and his love for his high school friends.
Bad choice. I'm awestruck, I can't even call this polarizing, this was hated across the map, from his "Hoot Owls" (bad name btw) who were looking for Ocean Eyes pt. 2 to the unfortunate few who heard of Adam Young's """comeback""" and decided to check out his mess. Adam Young is really sweet, kind, and humble, but sometimes he goes overboard, as shown by his Twitter account, his ode to Taylor Swift, and this song. It's easy to see why people hate it. The verses are an unfortunate example of why the simple phrase "Country Rap" garners scorn (awestruck, sayin' 'aww shucks'), and the Kidz Bop-inspired chants of young kids may as well be ripped straight from Adam's torture chamber. But to give credit where its truly due (after all, this was the #1 voted song by Popheads), it's pure at heart and a total anthem. All My Friends is lit by a campfire of optimism, it's a well-meaning, fresh throwback to the days of youth, even in a musical market oversaturated with one nostalgic tirade after another. In life, it's the relationships we make that really define and shape us, and Adam knows it best. Lest we get a far too personal track from his further work in Cinematic, All My Friends really represents the album in its firm desire to document Adam's past whilst using it as an inspiration for his listeners. Thank you, popheads, for choosing this wonderful anthem as the #1 best song of 2017. —ExtraEater
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u/MissyBee37 Jan 06 '18
1 best song of 2017
But, it's NO. 2.
Is this our proof this is a ruse??? Are you trolling us????
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u/Nerdy_boy_chris Jan 06 '18
Wait a minute, are we against Paramore winning? Because I will not tolerate Paramore slander.
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u/raicicle Jan 06 '18
3. Lorde - Perfect Places
‘Perfect Places’ superficially seems like a pretty paint-by-numbers 80s-inspired pop song that could have perhaps slotted in somewhere on Carly Rae Jepsen’s Emotion. Yet, everything about Lorde’s songwriting feels likes she’s just doing what comes out of her life experiences, and simply happens to accidentally make a pop song in the process. Much fuss has been made in the media about Lorde’s ’incorrect songwriting’, a sage quote from Max Martin, an academic master of meticulous pop structure. He’s right, of course, and you can hear it in ‘Perfect Places’ when you look a bit closer—the pre-chorus disappears after its first use, there’s no bridge at all (a recurring trend across Melodrama). These small imperfections give the song an organic sense of spontaneity that works in its favor immensely, and works to make it feel distinctly Lorde.
‘Perfect Places’ is the closer to Melodrama, which is essentially a concept record about a house party. Lorde, barely in her 20s now, dealing with the onset of adulthood (and being a global popstar too) yet is still very much immersed with teenage inhibitions, sees the idea of the party as something completely and utterly resolute in both all its joy and also all of the emotional and physical mess that comes with it. ‘Perfect Places’, as it turns out, is a very good closer. It has a just-right mix of triumphant and melancholy imbued in its sound and particularly its lyrics. “All of our heroes fading/Now I can’t stand to be alone”, Lorde sings, calling to mind a number of names; Is it Bowie? Prince? One of the other many musical heroes that have passed away in recent years, whose passings mark the end of an era?
The song’s outro is a hypnotic recitation of “All the night spent off our faces/Trying to find these perfect places/What the fuck are perfect places anyway?” and it acts as some of the hardest-hitting lyricism in Lorde’s discography. Even if you’re not necessarily off your face all the time, the image manages to capture the singular experience that so many young adults face of simply getting through life. —Rai
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Jan 06 '18
OH MY GOOOOOOOOD PARAMORE SWEETHEARTS YOU'RE SO CLOSE
Also Homemade Dynamite and Sober > Perfect Places
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Jan 06 '18
Hard Times making Top 3 over Havana and Praying is so unexpected but I’m so happy. They deserve it so much.
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u/Piccprincess Jan 06 '18
If Hard Times somehow gets #1 I will post a picture of tubbs in the snow in 14 F degree weather
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u/Therokinrolla Jan 06 '18
if hard times is number 1 I will celebrate and then call your local animal shelter
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u/StarlordPunk Jan 06 '18
Lorde or Dua, who you got?
(Paramore = Team Chaos, let’s goooooo)
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u/Nerdy_boy_chris Jan 06 '18
Team Paramore all the way!
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u/StarlordPunk Jan 06 '18
Just wait til Man’s Not Hot turns up at 3 and flips everything on its head
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u/raicicle Jan 06 '18
4. Kesha - Praying
Catharsis is the name of the game with ‘Praying’. In it, Kesha tells her story of going through hell and back, and finds strength and solace in forgiving her wrongdoers for the wrongdoings done upon her. She has forgiven them, but can they forgive themselves? That is the question that Kesha asks, although she asks it without any hint of spite—hate begets hate is the mantra to keep in mind here. Of course, this is as direct a response imaginable besides just mentioning his name to producer Dr. Luke, whose shadow has plagued Kesha’s existence for years. On a meta-level, the song is quite obviously detached from his sugary production with Ryan Lewis instead offering up something more organic in its instead. That isn’t to reduce this song simply to that backstory however, and you absolutely do not need to be aware of that in order to hear the rawness in Kesha’s voice and in the sheer emotion of the song.
It’s not necessarily the most revolutionary song of all time (and this year seems to be a year of forgoing complex pop in favor of variants of the classic four-chord pop ballad joining the likes of Lana’s ‘Love’ and Harry Styles’ ‘Sign of the Times’), but Kesha’s delivery elevates a song that could have been quite cheesy into something genuinely affecting. Her voice first wraps around the piano before soaring above it in the song’s climax, and only a few other choice flourishes make their way into the track (squealing, barely tuned strings and primal thumping drums towards the end).
I say that ‘Praying’ is forgiving in nature, but the overall effect makes it one of the most biting and fiery songs Kesha has ever released towards a transgressor. Kesha more than anyone has given practically everything to end up where she is today, and this song is proof of that—when she launches into the pinnacle that is her incredible high note, she makes the world listen. —Rai
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u/raicicle Jan 06 '18
5. Camila Cabello - Havana feat. Young Thug
Walking away from one of the biggest girl groups of all time is no simple decision to make. 2017 has marked the first proper forays into a solo career for Camila Cabello, former member of Fifth Harmony and now burgeoning superstar in her own right, thanks to ‘Havana’, which has become her best-performing song by a margin. Her other solo efforts have been passable, but didn’t feel like a reflection as her as an artist. ‘Crying in the Club’ was undeniably a pretty catchy effort, but it also sounded pretty much like her singing a Sia demo and the Christina Aguilera-sampling chorus also didn’t help either.
It’s therefore rather joyous that ‘Havana’ stands as a testament to Camila’s own fervent and ineffable charisma. Latin pop? A worrying statement to make, since no-one really wants another reggaeton or trop-pop song as long as the twin singularities of ’Despacito’ and ‘Mi Gente’ exist. But this is Latin pop of another sort entirely, and comes as a breeze of fresh Cuban air in the current pop climate. Sure, it is intensely trendy, thanks to its slight trap flavor and Young Thug’s guest appearance, but it is also uniquely informed by Camila’s Hispanic heritage (without bowing to reggaeton). The song is predominantly driven by Cuban salon-style, orquesta típica piano, and a trumpet part informed by Camila’s part-Mexican heritage (which solos all across the second half of the track with a hot hazy air). The “Havana oo-na-na” hook is irresistibly simple and every melody in the song is rich with folksy Latin chromaticism.
There’s a general sort of West Side Story vibe to the whole affair, which also contrasts American life with the plight of Hispanic immigrants from the Caribbean (Camila’s lyrics contrasting Havana and East Atlanta—Young Thug’s hometown—and indeed lines like “And papa says he got malo in him” which could have easily been straight from the musical). Camila channeling her Cuban heritage does nothing but wonders for her, and it adds a huge amount of authenticity and natural confidence to a track that another popstar may not have delivered nearly as well. —Rai
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u/Nerdy_boy_chris Jan 06 '18
I was expecting y’all to get this to number 2. You know, fitting.
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u/Therokinrolla Jan 06 '18
this personally offended me and I will be reporting this
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u/Nerdy_boy_chris Jan 06 '18
Ok, but had this placed at number two on the list, everyone would be making this joke.
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u/ThatParanoidPenguin Jan 06 '18
hard times over Havana?
It's like I dont even know this sub anymore
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u/raicicle Jan 06 '18
6. Carly Rae Jepsen - Cut To The Feeling
This is technically not supposed to be a Carly Rae Jepsen year. After 2015’s Emotion and 2016’s Emotion: Side B, one would imagine that we’d have to wait a while before anything appeared from her side as she readies herself for her much-anticipated next era. Yet, that hasn’t stopped her from keeping her foot in the door this year by releasing a song she lent to the soundtrack of a slightly naff animated film where she voices a ballet teacher as a single. Thankfully, the song, yet another irresistible pearl of glistening 80s pop, is much better than the film.
You can tell why she left it off Emotion, which is no insult to its quality, mind. As she mentioned herself, the song felt too “cinematic and theatrical” to fit into the nocturnal gesturing of the aforementioned album, and even Emotion’s most power-pop moment in its very opening “Run Away With Me” is laden with wistfulness, which is something that “Cut To The Feeling” does not try to pretend to have in its vocabulary—this is a sunny grandiose pop anthem, prime material for song of the summer (which, admittedly, did not happen but that’s beyond the point).
It’s not as rapturously enveloping as Emotion, nor as sophisticated as Emotion: Side B, but “Cut To The Feeling” is magnitudes bigger and more concentrated than anything she’s done before, forgoing the more subtle nuances of her 80s touchstones for capturing the decade’s bombastic spirit (and perhaps returning to her bubblegum roots to some extent as well, for a little extra dose of pure ecstasy). Even her voice sounds enormous, which is impressive given that Carly isn’t usually known for a powerhouse voice. Other popstars perhaps have something to learn from Carly when she can literally release a loosey from a B movie soundtrack and conquer the year. Queen of 2017. Long may she reign. —Rai
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u/Piccprincess Jan 06 '18
The last 6 songs better be
New Rules
Perfect Places
Havana
Praying
Cut to the Feeling
Hard Times
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u/Nerdy_boy_chris Jan 06 '18
I mean, there’s no reason why it wouldn’t be. I can’t think of any other song that would take any of those spots.
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u/raicicle Jan 06 '18
7. Calvin Harris - Slide feat. Frank Ocean, Migos
My personal conspiracy theory is that Calvin Harris’ new dodgy moustache is actually an ancient relic possessed by the dead spirits of funk-loving aliens that has taken him over. Hence, exit Calvin Harris the DJ and enter Calvin Harris the boogie ringleader. When ‘Slide’ dropped as the first song from his Funk Wav Bounces era, I’m sure a fair few people had the thought of “Wait, this is Calvin Harris?” and fair enough, it’s a long way away from the squelchy electropop during his nerdy skinny years, and the streamlined EDM after he magically became a fitness model. Of course, Calvin Harris has always conjured up the summer but ‘Slide’ finally injects something into his music that has often been lacking, which is warmth. Out go the icy-cold rave stabs, and in come warm Rhodes keyboards, vintage analogue synths galore and healthy dollops of Californian sun-soaked bass.
It’s already a relatively pleasant surprise seeing Calvin Harris try out something that doesn’t scream machismo EDM, but the guests themselves make for pretty big surprises as well. Frank Ocean is the obligatory guest vocalist, but it’s curious to see him move into something so obviously poppy after coming off the back of a subtle and slightly obtuse record like Blonde. The same goes for Migos who seem to be popping up on every song possible this year, but ‘Slide’ is certainly one of their more interesting excursions and one of the most detached from their usual trap fare.
The best Calvin Harris songs in the past have been the ones with guests that have imbued his slight variants on the same house song with their own unique personality: see the gothic soul of ‘Sweet Nothing’ with Florence Welch, or the ‘Edge of Seventeen’-channeling ‘Pray to God’ with HAIM. It’s still true of new-era Calvin, and ‘Slide’ stands out amongst the many similar cuts on Funk Wav Bounces Vol. 1 mostly thanks to Frank Ocean’s ability to make the song entirely his own. He delivers lines like “Do you slide on all your nights like this?” with distinctly muted, laid-back mien. He doesn’t even have to try to simply exude personality all over the track, and even when he’s pitched up as a curious sample as in the song’s intro and outro, he sneaks in some gloriously whimsical lyricism (“I might empty my bank account/and buy that boy with a pipe”).
It does seem rather improbable that this whole thing came together, but it’s certainly no bad thing that it did. This may be a new style for Calvin, but one’s stayed the same at least: he’s still making the premium songs of the summer, year after year. —Rai
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u/nooncrawler Jan 06 '18
Glad to see Slide this high up on the list. Should've been a worldwide summer smash last year.
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u/lunasaflowers Jan 06 '18
guys why did i decide to stay up for this top 100. i'm sick and i can hear birds singing outside
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u/raicicle Jan 06 '18
8. Selena Gomez - Bad Liar
‘Bad Liar’ begins with the legendary Tina Weymouth bassline of the Talking Heads’ ‘Psycho Killer’. It’s not unreasonable to imagine that that sample certainly cost Selena’s label a hell of a lot of money, but frankly Selena probably has the cash between her Disney money, her 13 Reasons Why money, her fashion endorsement money and the money from her multiple chart-friendly EDM collabs over the years. For such a commercial goliath, it's somewhat surprising that 'Bad Liar' re-interprets that 'Psycho Killer' bassline with such smart wit that even David Byrne himself commended the song. It's even more surprising that Selena Gomez may have made something that could legitimately be called a little bit weird.
The whole song feels like a deconstruction of a basic pop song. It's just a few elements when you reduce it to its most important parts: that bassline, some syncopated claps, and her vocals. Those elements don't really interact with each other in any sort of complex way, but the simple way in which they do is fundamentalistic and lets each of those elements shine to the best ability.
Her vocals are obviously going to need addressing. It's no surprise that Selena has earned herself the tasteful nickname of "Whisper Queen", in her career, and the stream-of-consciousness, I'm-telling-an-interesting-story-for-Vogue-magazine delivery of the verses doesn't really dispel that title. It's in all respects incredibly compelling however, and the most mature Selena Gomez has been despite how much the memeyness of it all tries to make you think otherwise (I have to say that there is something a little bit MIKA's 'Grace Kelly' and/or internet classic 'The Duck Song' about the whole affair).
If you weren't already aware, the song was written by, among others, Julia Michaels. She's certainly become one of the most distinctive songwriters recently, and songs like 'Bad Liar' or 'Hands to Myself' from two years ago are imbued with the same restrained minimalism and freeform gossipy melodies that are on Julia Michaels' own songs (see her breakout hit 'Issues'). But, Selena has a certain humorous quality to her delivery that Julia Michaels doesn't quite suit, and Selena's lyrics, regardless of who wrote them, do feel like they were meant for her. In 'Bad Liar', she travels across the line "Call me an amenity" like it's a slip-n-slide. Other lyrics like "But just like the Battle of Troy/there's nothing subtle here" have the same glorious absurdity as her famous "metaphorical gin and juice" lyric.
But let's not beat around the bush here. The centrepiece of the song is its obscenely catchy chorus, as she repeats "I'm tryin'" far too many times to count. If 'Bad Liar' is a pop song at its most laid-bare, it's fitting that its chorus is a pop hook at its most devilish and concentrated. But even in the paradigm of her pop music, there is space for imperfection. She only barely sings the chorus in tune, and her passionate unbounded yelp of "oh baby" in the bridge comes across as desperately fanatical in its sudden unmusicality. It's a shame that 'Bad Liar' wasn't the hit that Selena deserved to have this year, because it's the most human and eccentric song she's ever made. —Rai
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Jan 06 '18
i've been lurking but i just wanna say i'm happy bad liar made it this far. selena's most cunning delivery yet tbh. the conversational singing, the minimalistic production, and the out-of-the-ordinary lyrics all work to capture the best aspects of having a crush.
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u/vagenda Jan 06 '18
So happy this song is getting its due here, it's great and far and away the best thing Selena has done. I think it was unfairly maligned when it came out for being a bit left of centre but it all just works so well for me.
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u/StarlordPunk Jan 06 '18
I’m honestly a bit gutted it’s not higher but given the initial response I’m not surprised. Although I am biased because Psycho Killer is my absolute favourite song ever
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u/eklxtreme Jan 06 '18
Top 5 prediction (since I was already wrong about my top 10):
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New Rules
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Havana
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Cut To The Feeling
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Praying
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Hard Times
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u/StarlordPunk Jan 06 '18
Supercut should be up there instead of Praying but otherwise I’m happy with this
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u/raicicle Jan 06 '18
9. Lorde - The Louvre
‘The Louvre’ quickly starts off as one of the most radio-friendly-sounding songs on the entirety of Melodrama, between its Taylor Swift-esque guitars and similarly Swiftian melody that flits between two conversational notes, but it doesn’t take long for a touch of the weird to materialise. The soaring pre-chorus and its Tumblr-rebloggable closing statement of “Broadcast the boom boom boom boom/and make ‘em all dance to it” feels ready to leap into an even more enormous pop chorus (Jack Antonoff’s anthemic 80s touches are audibly felt in the verses, and he certainly knows how to peddle a gigantic chorus) but instead the whole song drops out into a fuzzy, muted anticlimax. Its side-chained bassy glory is unsurprisingly curated by Flume, an artist pairing we first saw when he made a very high-profile remix of Lorde’s own ‘Tennis Court’.
The subversiveness of the song barely disguises the fact that ‘The Louvre’ is potentially one of the happiest songs Lorde has ever written, and it sees her deeply and intensely in love with her paramour, as lines like “I am your sweetheart psychopathic crush” or the titular “They’ll hang us in the Louvre/Down the back, but who cares—still the Louvre” suggest. Lorde has a perspective that feels both entirely universal to young adults yet somehow completely unique to her, and every line is unequivocally Lorde in execution as you listen. Its bizarre that it’s took until Lorde for someone to really capture what she has in her music, but it’s also not surprising that she has created a slew of imitators in her wake as everyone realised “wait, that’s a thing we can try to do too”. Far too often, the emphasis is on the word “try” though, as what others try to do comes to Lorde as naturally as just living life.
There’s a point a third of the way into the song where grandiose Queen-style pianos suddenly emerge in the midst of the fog as she half-deadpan comments “Okay I know that you are not my type”, and with the sheer brashness and confidence of her confession of love, you do wonder whether she knows what she’s doing. I don’t think Lorde knows, but I imagine that’s part of the fun. —Rai
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u/Nerdy_boy_chris Jan 06 '18
Tbh not a bad top 10. I’d rather have Sign of the Times over New Rules, but hey.
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u/raicicle Jan 06 '18
10. Tove Lo - Disco Tits
‘Disco Tits’ sits as a surprisingly unique-sounding song in 2017’s pop climate thanks to its lively revival of the sound of UK house, something that’s seemingly dropped off the map for a few years. The only major pop star who’s been trying their hand this year at the previously dominant pop sound is Katy Perry, but those attempts (‘Swish Swish’ being the most prominent on Witness) have underperformed compared to her usual standards perhaps because of how untrendy the house sound currently is. It’s not really deterred Tove Lo however, and you get the impression that she’s not really aiming for something, uh, public-friendly anyway between the song’s name and that cover art. Basically, it’s saying something when your album being called Blue Lips is the most subtle thing about your entire schtick.
Either way, what Tove Lo delivers is intoxicatingly fun and aggressively sexed up, as usual. While driven by its house beat, the name hints to the disco influences of the song that give it a distinctly old-school sensuality (the production feels particularly glitzy and is punctuated with fuzzy vintage synths, while the melody has a faint Diana Ross and Donna Summer vibe about it at points). The hook, of course, is utterly ridiculous. Much like last year’s ‘Cool Girl’, it feels like there’s pretty much no effort present in the hook whatsoever, which is this barely-emoted spoken word sort-of-thing: “I’m sweatin’ from head to toe/I’m wet through all my clothes/I’m fully charged, nipples are hard/Ready to go” Tove intones. Monotone it is, but don’t do the song a disservice by mistaking her ice-cold deadpan humor with laziness, because it’s not. What we end up with is a rather irreverent and brilliant take on pop music which is honestly all we can ask from Tove Lo in this day and age. With the rest of the world frankly being a bit of a downer, it’s perhaps worth making an active effort to be as carefree as Tove Lo talking about her hard nipples. —Rai
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u/lunasaflowers Jan 06 '18
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Lil Pump - Gucci Gang
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Lil Pump - Gucci Gang
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Lil Pump - Gucci Gang
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Lil Pump - Gucci Gang
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Lil Pump - Gucci Gang
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Lil Pump - Gucci Gang
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Lil Pump - Gucci Gang
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Lil Pump - Gucci Gang
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Lil Pump - Gucci Gang
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Lil Pump - Gucci Gang
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u/raicicle Jan 06 '18
11. Harry Styles - Sign of the Times
If One Direction had a face, it was Harry Styles. The most ‘household’ of the group’s five members, Styles’s solo career also seemed to be the most intriguing in the wake of One Direction’s indefinite hiatus. However, time was taken, and this was no Justified. When the song was released, this became even more clear. ‘Sign of the Times’, rather than beginning Harry’s solo career with a ready for the charts pop hit, is a five minutes long epic pop-rock song with a distinctive throwback flavor. The song takes off from a dour, slow piano chord, backed by what sounds like a UFO taking off. The song feels like an ascension of some sort, from the spacey vocals of Styles to the droning, building instruments. The wailing guitars give the song a feel not unlike the stadium rock anthems of the 1970s, with a clear Bowie influence above all. The song climaxes with building guitars and an angelic chorus that gives way to a quiet ending to the most interesting debut single in a long while. —ThereIsNoSantaClaus
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u/raicicle Jan 06 '18
12. Lana Del Rey - Love
Lana Del Rey has made a name for herself in the music industry for one thing: sadness. Quickly after her debut she became a symbol of female despair, a paramour whose relationships always ended in tears and tragedy. Each of her album covers depict her staring at the camera with a forlorn pout, except for one- on the cover of 2017’s Lust For Life, she shines a bright, joyful smile. You would never guess that big toothy smile belonged to the woman that once told Rolling Stone magazine that she “wished she were dead already.” Lust For Life itself is a big departure from her past works, taking on a markedly more hopeful outlook on life and love. At the helm of this is the lead single, ‘Love’.
‘Love’ is an anthemic, booming song inspired by sixties girl-groups. The instrumental is not groundbreaking for Lana—atmospheric drums and strings dominate the track, making it as cinematic as past tracks ‘Ultraviolence’ and ‘Born To Die’. What sets 'Love' apart from these tracks is that it makes the leap from love as a tragic concept, to love as a hopeful concept. ‘Love’ is dedicated to Lana’s leagues of young fans, centered around how exciting it can feel to be “young and in love.” Lana becomes an omnipotent onlooker, observing young people as they go about their lives, and dealing advice: “Seen so much, you could get the blues/But that don’t mean that you should abuse it.” She’s done a great deal of reflecting on her own youth, in songs like ‘Carmen’ and ‘This Is What Makes Us Girls’ from the destructive and wild era of Born To Die, which reflect on her struggles with alcoholism and getting herself into trouble. In ‘Love’, she’s wishing something better upon her fans, lifting them up by reminding them that the world is theirs to mold. Her delivery is loving and reassuring, and her vocals sound as beautiful as ever on the ethereal bridge, repeating once again that there’s no need to worry about the future. Following the release of ‘Love’, Lana stated “The past 4 albums have been for me, but this one is for my fans, and where I hope we’re all headed.” Lana experienced somewhat of a political awakening in 2016 & 2017, giving Lust For Life a political flair, contextualizing itself as an album made in response to Trump’s America. As young people become the forefront of protests and political revolution, Lana commends our ability to remain empowered by love in the face of turmoil. Lust For Life marks a turn from darkness to sunshine in Lana’s discography, with ‘Love’, a shining beacon of hope, leading the way. —ramenworshipper
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u/Piccprincess Jan 06 '18
Jack just slumber partied his way into the top 15 your favs cant relate
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u/Nerdy_boy_chris Jan 06 '18
But will he slumber party his way to the top? That’s the true question
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u/raicicle Jan 06 '18
13. Bleachers - Don't Take the Money
As well as practically working with everyone this year, Jack Antonoff has also been releasing new Bleachers music as well, a look at his esoteric and distinctive songwriting in its most concentrated form. His collaborators this year have been characterised as very strong-willed artists with massively distinctive songwriting styles of their own, and Antonoff’s knack of making his influence heard among that all is scarily impressive. Now, when you give him the train conductor’s hat, not even Lorde has the tools to escape from Mr. Antonoff’s Wild Ride (she appears as backing vocals on ‘Don’t Take The Money’, but she is merely a cog in the enormous stadium-sized machine that Jack is building). Antonoff has an intimate understanding of emotional pacing, where to pull back and where to deliver ecstatic climax. ‘Don’t Take The Money’ churns along with unstoppable momentum—huge gated drums, pulsing synth bass, vocals that have him essentially shouting in your face all through the chorus—but he knows to give listeners a reprieve two-thirds of the way in, a moment exactly long enough to process the adrenaline he’s delivered before it’s back onto the rollercoaster once again. —Rai
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u/raicicle Jan 06 '18
14. Lorde - Green Light
For the lead single heralding the return of pop wunderkind Lorde, ‘Green Light’ offers little familiarity for fans that connected with the moody minimalism of her debut. And yet, it functions perfectly as an entry piece for Melodrama, tossing listeners into the deep end of a new sound and trusting them to get on board. It also serves to introduce some key themes that resonate throughout the album: the fraught emotional territory of first heartbreak; negative feelings both stifled and healed with hedonism; and a keen self-awareness from Lorde about the responsibility and giddy power that comes with processing emotions through the public platform of songwriting (“I whisper things/the city sings them back to you” is the dark, vaguely threatening twin to joyous anti-chorus repetition of ‘The Louvre’: “Broadcast the boom boom boom boom/and make ‘em all dance to it”).
The abrupt shifts in tone and intentionally off-kilter rhyme scheme in the first verse keep listeners without a solid anchor for about as long as a pop song can realistically sustain, and other peculiar choices spring up throughout. But all that discomfort and uncertainty, improbably wrapped up in a club-ready banger, perfectly reflects Lorde’s position as the narrator: perched precariously between the disappointment and anger of a failed relationship and the electric possibility that comes with moving on, she fills the space in between with a party. —vagenda
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Jan 06 '18
from months of denial, I have now come to terms that this is actually my fave song off of Melodrama.
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u/vagenda Jan 06 '18
I'm glad I got to write about this wonderful song, which is one of my favourites of the year even though it isn't even one of the three Lorde songs I voted for! She's just that good folks
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u/raicicle Jan 06 '18
15. Charli XCX - Boys
2017 has ended up being one of the worst possible years to justify celebrating men, but Charli somehow manages to make it happen. Her ode to the male form and its accompanying video, a hodgepodge of men ranging from Mac Demarco to Jay Park to Brendon Urie all doing Sexy™ things, straddles the line between subversive feminism and gratuitous sexualisation in a way that gets the best of both worlds. Indeed, it straddles another line too, that between her PC Music experimentalism and the commercial pop that her label so desperately wants her to release, and frankly it seems to have been a pretty great success (it’s worth noting that this is one of the few songs of hers that Charli did not write, but it captures her essence well). The rougher edges of the PC Music-style production are sanded down but the overall oddball spirit remains (the Super Mario coin noise alone is one of the most genius additions to a pop song in the past few years), and it’s paired with an almost comically simple and ridiculously undeniable hook which is basically just the word “boys” repeated a lot. Come for the boys, stay for the bop. —Rai
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u/DoctorWhoWhenHowWhy Jan 06 '18
2017 has ended up being one of the worst possible years to justify celebrating men, but Charli somehow manages to make it happen.
SCREAMING. What a way to start this write-up.
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u/raicicle Jan 06 '18
16. Taylor Swift - Getaway Car
If there is a song on reputation that summarizes the relationships Taylor was involved in the times between the releases of 1989 and reputation, ‘Getaway Car’ is a perfect song for that. In this song, she uses metaphors to compare a doomed relationship to a “getaway car”, proclaiming at the start of the song in an autotuned voice “No, nothing good happens in a getaway car” that would later be repeated at the end of the chorus of the song.
Why does nothing good happen in a getaway car? A getaway car drives really fast. This alludes to the fact that the relationship between Taylor and Tom Hiddleston was formed quickly after it was announced that Taylor and Calvin Harris broke up, and the relationship between Taylor and Tom itself was short-lived as well due to media scrutiny. When you’re in a getaway car, the police will obviously chase you around. This police that Taylor was referring to is the media, who had eyes on her and Hiddleston since the tabloids leaked a picture of them kissing on the beach.
Considering the messy circumstances, Taylor knew this relationship was going to fail. And she didn’t blame anyone for this. She just knew. This ballad tragedy backed with Bonnie and Clyde imagery is one of the best songs on the album, with the production that has the most Jack Antonoff-isms on a Taylor Swift song ever. Yet, it has the classic Taylor style of songwriting that is melodramatic and cinematic that people will either love or hate. Whatever it is, it’s no denying that this New Taylor still has some Old Taylor in her when it comes to songwriting. —DoctorWhoWhenHowWhy
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u/DoctorWhoWhenHowWhy Jan 06 '18
I am so proud to be asked to do a write-up for my favorite song on reputation.
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u/raicicle Jan 06 '18
17. Halsey - Strangers feat. Lauren Jauregui
Halsey is one of the most controversial figures in the pop landscape right now; she divided audiences with her debut effort Badlands, a moody, seductive alt-pop effort that established Halsey as a new, fresh star. Despite the criticisms against her (or maybe directly because of them) she's remained in the public spotlight enough to see widespread success with her sophomore album hopeless fountain kingdom, which contains one of the most complete, polished pop songs of the year with ‘Strangers’.
In a contrast to Halsey's typical sound, which is slow and ethereal, ‘Strangers’ is a punchy synthpop anthem. Sharp synthesizers serve the groove throughout the track, with smooth, glossy keys gliding across the back. Lyrically, the song tackles the hardships of a same sex couple, with Halsey and Lauren Jauregui (of Fifth Harmony fame) trading verses about the struggles and emotional distress regarding their relationship. Both of the vocal performances are passionate, but not overbearing, as they work together with the beat to create what I consider to be pop perfection. This track is a landmark in Halsey's career, and a single release in 2018 with subsequent success seems not only logical, but likely. —dropthehammer11
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u/raicicle Jan 06 '18
18. Kendrick Lamar - DNA.
"I live a better life, I'm rollin' several dice, fuck your life.” With his critically acclaimed 2017 album DAMN., Kendrick Lamar proved he was the most popular rapper and most critically acclaimed rapper in the world, and nothing short of the best rapper alive. The first song on the album ‘BLOOD.’ is just an interlude, setting up the story of the album and ending in a Fox News snippet of racist assholes criticizing his performance of ‘Alright’ at the 2015 BET Awards. This perfectly leads into what is, in my opinion, one of the best hip-hop songs of the decade, ‘DNA.’ It is one of the best and biggest rap songs in recent memory with such an aggressive, bar-after-bar-after-bar delivery. Producer Mike WiLL Made-It had to create the beat based off of an acapella version of the song Kendrick rapped in the studio, and had to add the second part after the beat switch like. Despite no promo, ‘DNA.’ debuted at #4, giving Kendrick two top 5 singles that week along with ‘HUMBLE.’ and got play on hip-hop radio. It enjoyed 10 weeks in the Top 40 and 20 total charting weeks. —FuckUpSomeCommas
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u/raicicle Jan 06 '18
19. Taylor Swift - Call It What You Want
The fourth and final track released before Taylor Swift’s newest album, reputation, is a welcome change of pace from the other previews of the record Taylor gave us. ‘Call It What You Want’ is a love song, but it’s not without context. It’s the second to last track off of reputation, and like many of the songs on the album, Taylor gives us small glimpses of what she’s been doing these last few years. “Nobody’s heard from me for months,” she notes. “I’m doing better than I ever was.” And like many of the songs off of reputation, ‘Call It What You Want’ is about falling in love with her hot British heartthrob boyfriend (can you blame her?). Perhaps one of the most tender, honest lyrics on the album is where Taylor describes how she’s “laughing with [her] lover, making forts under covers,” and it is a genuine moment of unbridled love. Partnered with some soft, layered Antonoff synths and contrasting trap snares, ‘Call It What You Want’ is one of Taylor’s dreamiest songs, and certainly one of the best songs on the album. —Piccprincess
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u/raicicle Jan 06 '18
20. Kendrick Lamar - HUMBLE.
“My left stroke just went viral” is probably the line everyone and their mother has recited insanely loud with pure nihilistic joy at some point this year, in a prophetic move from Kendrick Lamar. To Pimp a Butterfly was all the way back in 2015, yet his absence was barely noticeable with the legendary aura that Kendrick has cultivated since then. He’s fully aware of it of course, and that is in many ways the point of ‘HUMBLE.’ whose video sees him recreating The Last Supper and dressed at the Pope—partly serious, partly tongue-in-cheek. His lyricism is perfectly concrete and feels like a series of religious commandments against Mike WiLL Made-It’s piano-driven trap-styled beat (a world away from the jazz stylings of To Pimp a Butterfly). Even choice diversions into topics like the media portrayal of women (“Show me something’ natural like ass with some stretch marks”) feel perfectly calculated in the song, and you get the sense that Kendrick is teasing as much as he physically can from this unusually poppy and hooky song structure rather than ramble on into something more freeform, not because he’s lazy but because he can. Step back, and you notice that there’s something bizarrely ironic about ‘HUMBLE.’ in that he barely even has to tell others to be humble in his presence: he practically proves it before the song’s even begun. —Rai
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u/DoctorWhoWhenHowWhy Jan 06 '18
Morning guys. Stay tuned for the announcement of the Popheads Charts Year-End chart right after this!
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u/raicicle Jan 06 '18
21. Lil Uzi Vert - XO TOUR Llif3
Originally left off of Lil Uzi Vert's debut album, Luv Is Rage 2, ‘XO TOUR Llif3’ became the little song that could for this SoundCloud rapper. With some chart success stemming from singles from 2016 mixtapes Lil Uzi Vert vs. the World and The Perfect Luv Tape, Lil Uzi Vert was on his way to becoming a rap icon. ‘XO TOUR Llif3’ sealed the deal. The song was an immediate SoundCloud smash upon release, forcing his label to scramble to put the track on Spotify. The song soared to the top ten, becoming his highest charting solo single. The track itself is a triumph, a depressing and moody party track in the vein of ‘Swimming Pools (Drank)’ or ‘Codeine Crazy’. "Push me to the edge/all my friends are dead," he entices. He doesn't shroud the intent of this track behind glossy production or encouraging delivery. Instead, Uzi snarls over dark, percussion-heavy TM88 production. Armed with an Interstellar sample, ‘XO TOUR Llif3’ has one of the most menacing, hard-hitting beats of the year. And no one else is as equipped to dominate this track as Uzi, who barely even enunciates on most of the verses, opting for this drawn out, washed over delivery that feels more akin to a pained cry for help than a mass of words. —ThatParanoidPenguin
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Jan 06 '18
this is higher than Drew Barrymore.
this is higher than Delicate.
this is higher than Dreams Tonite
wtf r/popheads
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u/raicicle Jan 06 '18
Find the writeups for 50-26 here!
50-26
26. Charlie Puth — Attention
27. SZA — Love Galore feat. Travis Scott
28. Aly & AJ — Take Me
29. Kygo & Selena Gomez — It Ain’t Me
30. Paramore — Fake Happy
31. Paramore — Rose-Colored Boy
32. Portugal. The Man — Feel It Still
33. Clean Bandit — Symphony feat. Zara Larsson
34. Demi Lovato — Sorry Not Sorry
35. Katy Perry — Chained To The Rhythm feat. Skip Marley
36. Kesha — Learn To Let Go
37. N.E.R.D — Lemon feat. Rihanna
38. Allie X — Casanova
39. Calvin Harris — Feels feat. Pharrell Williams, Katy Perry, Big Sean
40. Drake — Passionfruit
41. Lady Gaga — The Cure
42. Billie Eilish — bellyache
43. Frank Ocean — Chanel
44. Lana Del Rey — Cherry
45. Rita Ora — Anywhere
46. Sigrid — Don’t Kill My Vibe
47. Ed Sheeran — Castle On The Hill
48. Katy Perry — Swish Swish feat. Nicki Minaj
49. Lana Del Rey — Lust For Life feat. The Weeknd
50. Miley Cyrus — Malibu
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u/raicicle Jan 06 '18
22. St. Vincent - Los Ageless
Only Annie Clark, better known under her stage name, St. Vincent, could write a song that evokes sensuality, despair, and regret, yet make you feel so damn good about it. ‘Los Ageless’ looks at lost love, denial, and fear, and throws it in with top notch sharp production. The best way to really look at this song is through a comparison of another song, ‘New York’. The absolute minimalistic sound, mainly backed by piano, makes this heartbreak feel bipolar. ‘Los Ageless’ is big and spacious, opening up for more guitar, and louder production, and even a soulful bridge filled with a religious analogy to the mindset she lives in after a break-up. This sorrow and pain felt by Annie is the fuel she needed to really connect and re-establish her sound after her critically acclaimed self-titled album. Assisted with Jack Antonoff, together they re-built St. Vincent, and made her sound polished and refined, yet broken and vulnerable, a paradoxical world I’d love to live in if it meant I could get more music like this. —Wailordfan
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u/raicicle Jan 06 '18
23. SZA - Drew Barrymore
This song was the first most people heard of R&B singer songwriter SZA—well, not counting her feature on Rihanna’s smash album Anti last year—and, boy, what an introduction. Across this heartbreaking track she explores feelings of inadequacy and rejection through direct, but hard hitting and personal lyrics. Her commanding voice is complemented beautifully by warm guitars and strings while she paints a vivid picture of past experiences, so much so that the listener can’t help but to feel a part of her world. We’re in the same party, watching her across a crowded room and clouds of smoke as she longs for her ex-lover who brought his new girl.
While the subject matter is nothing new, this song showcases SZA’s undeniable talent for storytelling. She is Drew Barrymore here, at her lowest point, before the happy ending of Never Been Kissed comes and she’s overwhelmed by loss and heartbreak. By taking this moment we’ve seen, and lived through, a thousand times and stripping it down to its bare bones through the lens of her own experiences, SZA makes it crystal clear that in terms of conveying raw emotions, she is second to none. —Number3rdInTheVoting
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u/raicicle Jan 06 '18
24. Charli XCX - Lipgloss feat. CupcakKe
It’s funny and inspiring to see how this collaboration came to be. It all started when a stan on Twitter asked Charli if she could do a collab with CupcakKe, which Charli enthusiastically replied “omg i love too!” and asking how she could reach out to CupcakKe for a collab.. Not too long later, CupcakKe replied to Charli with her e-mail address and a collaboration was born.
‘Lipgloss’ is the closer to Charli’s mixtape Number 1 Angel that talks about the celebration of sex and vaginas and keeping it “sticky icky” like lipgloss. This sexually-charged bop, backed with an energetic, fun production from SOPHIE and A.G. Cook is perfect for CupcakKe, who sets herself as a sex-positive rapper, despite earlier critics dismissing her as a joke. Sure, this song feels more like a “CupcakKe feat. Charli XCX” track but this doesn’t change the fact that the people of Popheads loves this song and is definitely the most hyped track from the mixtape.
This song definitely proves PC Music might be the future of pop music and it also launched CupcakKe into more popularity after gaining some following on Twitter with her earlier songs. Whether CupcakKe or PC Music would ever have mainstream appeal or not is up for debate but there is no doubt that CupcakKe has been getting praise left and right by Stan Twitter and professional music critics alike and PC Music has no signs of slowing down anytime soon. And we must thank Charli for all of this. —DoctorWhoWhenHowWhy
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u/raicicle Jan 06 '18
25. Taylor Swift - Delicate
Like the layered vocoder in the intro, ‘Delicate’ excels with the emotional layers stacked throughout the track. The re-affirmation of someone’s love of you, followed by the first impressions in a dark room, and the infectious hook of isn’t it’s to close out the chorus. From her most recent release, Taylor Swift returns to her roots with comparisons and conversational lyricism, partnered with the industrial sounds of Max Martin, lines like “Oh damn, never seen that color blue” and “handsome, you’re a mansion with a view” seem even more vibrant sung over such a grey sounding track, creating a spectrum of emotion and sound alike much of her best work from previous years. In an album filled with ups and downs, ‘Delicate’ proved the infamously dead old Taylor must not have crossed over into the afterlife quite yet. After all, you can mostly certainly assume this old Taylor was ghost writing with the quality we see here. —Wailordfan
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u/animefangrant62 Jan 06 '18
Delicate only at #25 is just another example of how homophobic this sub is
[I actually don't care for Delicate too much tbh so this ranking is more than fair]
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Jan 06 '18
‘Delicate’ proved the infamously dead old Taylor must not have crossed over into the afterlife quite yet. After all, you can mostly certainly assume this old Taylor was ghost writing with the quality we see here.
I'm really proud of my old Taylor/ghost writing joke/comment in this!
Thank you so much for letting me write in this awesome project u/raicicle
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u/raicicle Jan 06 '18
26. Charlie Puth - Attention
In a May 2017 interview with Genius, Charlie Puth described how he decided to "Taylor Swift" his initial approach as a mainstream artist, which he defined as gaining a large audience through approachable, universal music before releasing more personal work. 'Attention', he stated, marks the start of the "'this is about me' music, this is what I've wanted to say for a long time". The track details the exploits of his ex to toy with his emotions, as a weakened but defiant Charlie sings "You just want attention, you don't want my heart" in his breathy falsetto. The hook introduces another centrepiece in the form of a funky bass-line that kicks the track up a notch. 'Attention' continues with groove in tow but doesn't get carried away so as not to steal away from its sentiment, stripping back at the last pre-chorus as Charlie's emotions come through more noticeably. The shift from Nine Track Mind to 'Attention' is one that Charlie's been eager to make, and it's a welcome change for me and many others on the sub too. —kyrgyzzephyr
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u/raicicle Jan 06 '18
27. SZA - Love Galore feat. Travis Scott
SZA hasn't ever been quite your basic urban pop artist, and she has proven it over the years. With the newfound fame she had with the first single off Ctrl, ‘Drew Barrymore’, SZA built up the hype behind her with ‘Love Galore’. With what seemed like a generic topic (past lovers of loveless relationships), she makes a song that hooks the listener from the first second: the autotuned intro of Travis Scott and the almost whispered "love" of SZA leaves for a first verse of half-rapped, half-sung slow lines, with the rapper's ad-libs.
But the gem of ‘Love Galore’ is the pre-chorus. "Why you bother me when you know you don't want me?", she sings as the roll of hi-hats turns into a synth that does high and lows. "Why you bother me when you know you got a woman? Why you hit me when you know you know better?”. SZA has a special pen for petty lines, and this is one of them. ‘Love Galore’ might not be a political, defining or world-moving song, but it shines for what it accomplishes: being a song about being heartbroken, yet recovering and finding strength to talk about it. And on top of all, she makes it an enjoyable song, with what will define 2017: hi-hats, kicks and drums, 808s, synths, a rapper feature, a delivery saddled between singing and rapping. As the slow sample rolls out there are few more things to do than playing it again. —VodkaInsipido
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u/raicicle Jan 06 '18
28. Aly & AJ - Take Me
Before I discuss the song, I'd like to bring up the cover to their Ten Years EP. Please take a proper look at it. Ponder its design and its creative intentions. Now that you've done that, allow me to ask some questions. What the fuck is going on in this picture? Why is there a random weed? A random triangle at the bottom? Why are Aly's arms bent like that? Where even are they? But these questions end up being pointless, because even though these parts of the cover make no sense individually, they come together and evoke emotion: affected cool, wistful nostalgia, or blissful euphoria. The EP's lead single, ‘Take Me’, is similarly unconcerned with cohesion or narrative. It is pure emotion, jumbles of thoughts and phrases that do not fit one another yet come together to create something meaningful and evocative, like dots of color in an impressionist painting. They all build up to that gutteral cry of "When you gonna take me out," pleading as if they want to be assassinated as much as dated, then dropping into a beautiful synth melody straight out of the 80s. I could not have envisioned a more dramatic style change in the ten years since their last proper music release, and it feels so great to have them back. —letsallpoo
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u/Piccprincess Jan 06 '18
if new rules isnt #1 this sub has failed
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u/xCaseykill10 Jan 06 '18
Either new rules, praying, green light, delicate, or havana tbh
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u/raicicle Jan 06 '18
29. Kygo & Selena Gomez - It Ain't Me
The whisper queen meets the king of chill. Tropical house has evolved so intensely into tropical pop in recent years that ‘It Ain’t Me’ sounds almost fresh in how much it doesn’t channel the syncopations of dancehall and reggaeton in favor of its four-on-the-floor house beat. Of course, this is Kygo’s interpretation of four-on-the-floor which is danceable in concept but not in execution. Where his music has always felt most at home is their eternal presence on Spotify playlists that are probably named ‘Chill Summers’ or ‘Evening Vibes’ or something like that. This is no insult to Kygo however, whose distinctive brand of production has made him one of the most recognisable and compelling EDM artists out there. His approach to production is subtle, and elements like finger-style guitar are allowed to breathe in the mix, and this particularly applies to Selena’s soft voice—she sounds perfectly at home in more minimal pop songs. Perhaps most subtly of all is that the song’s sleepy appearance actually hides a quiet energy that allows it to be as captivating as it is. —Rai
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u/raicicle Jan 06 '18
30. Paramore - Fake Happy
The intro of ‘Fake Happy’ is a bit of a feint, a hushed Taylor Swift acoustic thing that feels like a direct musical translation of Paramore’s morose lyrics. Yet, the false start switches up into an upbeat candy-coated ditty that sounds like Fleetwood Mac making a funk song, kinda a musical representation of the “fake happy” Hayley Williams speaks of in the lyrics (and the song’s bridge almost sounds like someone doing an acappella rendition of the Super Mario Bros theme). She delivers those lyrics with a lot of genuine edge and bite that stops the track from falling into bubblegum nothingness too—for instance, there’s a satisfyingly dramatic exhale at the end of each “If I smile with with my teeth” she forces out of her sadness. It’s not all doom-and-gloom however, and in a roundabout way, she calls for solidarity and strength in understanding one another: “I bet everybody here is fake happy too,” she cries out at the end of the chorus. Paramore continue to soundtrack our angsty days like no other. —Rai
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u/raicicle Jan 06 '18
31. Paramore - Rose-Colored Boy
‘Rose-Colored Boy’ begins with a warm, easy groove that could be blaring out of the speakers of a convertible cruising up the Pacific Coast Highway in a John Hughes montage. Off-microphone shouts of “Low key, no pressure, just hang with me and my weather” call back to the album’s opener ‘Hard Times’, and like that track, Hayley Williams contradicts the warm, summery sound with lyrics that hint at something more downbeat. The song unfolds into a one about a girl at odds with her optimistic boyfriend, mirroring the clash between music and lyric.
It’s easy to take the track at face value and bop along with it, even to mindlessly sing lines like “I’m right at the end of my rope/A half empty girl/Don’t make me laugh, I’ll choke” with no second thought. The just out-of-sight theme is a testament to Paramore’s writing ability; ‘Rose-Colored Boy’ is just one of many examples. —borpo
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u/raicicle Jan 06 '18
32. Portugal. The Man - Feel It Still
It’s now time for the obligatory indie pop hit of the year, and this time it comes from the minds of a band fronted by an actual stereotype of a hipster. ‘Feel It Still’ is a slinking piece of retro-informed soul pop, which employs the iconic hook of ‘Please Mr. Postman’ for its chorus—a pretty effective way of getting into everyone’s heads (lest everyone forget that Gotye’s ’Somebody That I Used To Know’ was basically just ‘Baa Baa Black Sheep’). There’s something effortlessly cool about the song, verging on being freakishly so, and you begin to wonder whether it was intentionally weaponised to target every millennial on the planet. The incessant funk bass and blasts of reverberant horns feel somewhere between Arctic Monkeys’ last album and the equally viral Saint Motel hit, ‘My Type’ (unsurprisingly, both those bands also have their millennial audience on lockdown). Its dominance this year, whether it be in Apple commercials or for Vitamin Water, is well-deserved though: it’s sharp and perfectly crafted; probably not the anthem for rebels, but it’ll certainly give you a good kick. —Rai
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u/Nerdy_boy_chris Jan 06 '18
I did not know that STIUTK is basically Baa Baa Black Sheep and now I will never I hear it.
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u/raicicle Jan 06 '18
33. Clean Bandit - Symphony feat. Zara Larsson
A follow up to their UK smash 'Rockabye', Clean Bandit teams up with Swedish singer/songwriter Zara Larsson for the beautiful, moving 'Symphony'. With its delicate production that builds into a magnificant ending, the song…well, the song becomes its namesake—a symphony. In the song, Zara admits to her lover that she just wants to be with them whenever she can. "And when you're gone, I'll feel incomplete," croons Zara, reminiscing on her love over a chorus of strings and synths, trying to soothe her worries of heartbreak. 'Symphony' lets its calm simplicity take the listener's worries away and tells you it'll be alright. There will always be pain when someone's gone. Enjoy the symphony while you can. —dirdbub
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u/raicicle Jan 06 '18
34. Demi Lovato - Sorry Not Sorry
Lovato’s unapologetic ode to her haters ironically became the biggest hit of her career. Surely, ‘Sorry Not Sorry’ failed to match the abrasiveness and fervor of ‘Cool for the Summer’, rather it followed the trend of trap-inspired pop, but after Lovato almost gave in to Twitter trolls last year, perhaps it was appropriate for her to address how difficult it is for her haters to unnerve her now. Perhaps she deserved to stroke her ego and call herself a “savage”.
‘Sorry Not Sorry’ sounding like many songs put together as one—looping piano keys similar to those of Ariana Grande’s ‘The Way’, song structure resembling Chance the Rapper’s ‘No Problem’, badass lyricism inspired by Kehlani’s SweetSexySavage, and Lovato’s signature brash belting—made the simple song sound full of variety. Lovato has stated that ‘Sorry Not Sorry’ was made as a fun song with no ill intent, but the song grasps the fierceness she was aiming for by not only showing how confident she is but also how much she thrives off the bitterness of her haters. What a cheeky way of expressing how passionately she wants her haters to seethe. —Skiddos
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u/raicicle Jan 06 '18
35. Katy Perry - Chained To The Rhythm feat. Skip Marley
‘Chained to the Rhythm’ was born out of a period of confusion and in turn, as a political anthem, is confusing. It's highly dependent on a message that's fascinatingly unclear, and it's to the song's weakness that Katy never says anything more interesting than, "Bad things are happening! Pay attention!" The song wants to be both the woke song about turning off the radio and also the song that's playing on the radio. In a way it's fascinatingly subversive, perhaps unintentionally, but if a song's getting played on the radio, it might as well be a song with legitimate meaning behind it. As a song, ‘Chained to the Rhythm’ remains magnificent, emerging from a fuzzy disco sound and riding on a wave of distorted cheer and fun. Katy never fails to sound earnest, even at the end with her words echoing around her and into the darkness, which is the closest the song ever gets to legitimate despair. It's not perfect - I'm still unsure if "Skip Marley" is a name or a suggestion. But for all of the song's failings, it's oddly appropriate; it wouldn't be a Katy song or a 2017 song if it didn't have a little mess and a legitimate meaning. —letsallpoo
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u/MissyBee37 Jan 06 '18
I think the confusion really works for this song. You're so right that it was born out of a time of confusion, and I think the ambiguity and the way it calls out both the listener and the singer for being part of the problem is both uncomfortable and appropriate. I absolutely loved it at first -- the beat! the melody! -- then went through a spell where it felt... awkward to listen to because it felt like it was shaming us all for being part of the problem and offering little hope besides "thought we could do better." But as the year unfolded and more people started resisting, speaking up, trying to make things better, and yet more shit keeps happening, the song fell into a, ahem, rhythm, for me, representing that -- yeah, the world's got a lot of problems, and anytime we're tuning out of them by staying in our own bubble, we're part of that problem, but if we keep reminding ourselves to stay aware and keep trying to stretch that bubble, grow, do better... Maybe that's all we can do. And the song serves as a bop of a reminder to keep doing those things.
Anyway. That's my two cents and reflection. TL;DR: I think the confusion works. I love this bop!
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u/raicicle Jan 06 '18
36. Kesha - Learn To Let Go
Kesha has found solace in the sheer act of making good music, and understands that letting go of bad feelings is the way to move on with life as she details on ‘Learn To Let Go’. “So, I think it’s time to practice what I preach/Exorcise the demons inside me”, begins the chorus, one of the most honest and willing statements Kesha makes on the song whose propelling pop-rock beat mirrors the message. So many artists have gone back-to-roots in the past two years, but Kesha is perhaps the one who has best pulled it off, marrying the music and lyrics in superb fashion—and without sacrificing any of her interesting pop sensibilities in the process (‘Learn To Let Go’ is insanely catchy, after all). Sticking to her new mantra has done her well, and her music seems more natural than ever because of it. In the video for the song, she’s seen revisiting her childhood memories, but the intent is clear despite the nostalgia: she’s very much looking to the future from now on. —Rai
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u/thegeecyproject Jan 06 '18
So that means Praying is the only Kesha song left on here?
#JusticeForHymn #JusticeForWoman
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u/raicicle Jan 06 '18
37. N.E.R.D - Lemon feat. Rihanna
Pharrell Williams has been a mainstay of the music industry for as long as many of us have been alive, either through his solo pursuits, production duo The Neptunes or hip-hop/rock group N.E.R.D. The group was recently revived after seven years without a project, led by this collaboration with one of the biggest names in the game. 'Lemon' is propelled by its bouncy beat that's more a series of bursts than a rhythmical framework. Pharrell voices the bulk of the track, matching the energy of the beat with his exuberant rapping. Yet for all his enthusiasm, Rihanna steals the show in typical Rih fashion. The Barbadian's attitude and swagger ooze through her rap verse as she proclaims "It's Rihanna ni**a, my constellation in space". While the track has yet to see the commercial heights that would be expected of two artists of their calibre, the aligning of these stars is a definite spectacle. —kyrgyzzephyr
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u/raicicle Jan 06 '18
38. Allie X - Casanova feat. VÉRITÉ
Allie X never fails to make the perfect pop song. ‘Casanova’ is energetic, emotive, surprising, and thrilling. She's able to paint the perfect atmosphere to suck you into her world, filled with mystery, love, lust, and heartbreak. Her quirkiness is utterly captivating. Before you know it, a little worm has snuck its way into your ear and found a place to stay for the rest of time. “Casanova fucked me ova/left me dying for your love”, you'll soullessly chant, until your vocal chords ache and your mind is nothing but mush. “Casanova, casanova/Now you're all I'm thinking of”, you mutter, never able to stop, fully entranced by the mesmerizing production and her longing, methodical vocals. But as the song repeats for the thousandth time you then realize you never want it to stop. That's the magic of Allie X.
Many thanks to Allie X for being so lovely a participant in r/popheads' first ever AMA. You'll always have a special place in our heart. —Mudkip1
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u/raicicle Jan 06 '18
39. Calvin Harris - Feels feat. Pharrell Williams, Katy Perry, Big Sean
Before becoming the highest-paid DJ in the world and one of the most recognizable names in EDM, Calvin Harris was just a young musician posting tracks on MySpace while struggling to make it in the music industry. The Scottish DJ finally gained attention with his electro funk debut album I Created Disco, which was written, produced, and performed entirely by Harris himself. Though a couple tracks achieved mild success on the UK Singles Chart, the album received mixed reviews (Pitchfork gave the album a 3.7 and The Guardian awarded it merely 1 out of 5 stars) leading Harris to focus more on "electro" than "funk".
After several years producing EDM and club bangers, Harris returned to his roots for Funk Wav Bounces, Vol 1, this time with a slew of A-list collaborators. ‘Feels’, the fourth and highest charting single from the album, should be a mainstay on any Summer Pop playlist. With vocal features by Pharrell Williams, Katy Perry, and Big Sean and songwriting assistance from Starrah ('Havana', 'What Lovers Do') Harris delivers a chill, tropical song perfect for a late night at the beach. Though the verses and chorus are catchy, and so too is Big Sean's verse in the bridge, the most interesting elements are further back in the mix—the shouted ad-libs from the featured artists are all supported by Harris's addictively funky bass guitar line and electric guitar licks. This song is pure fun and it's no wonder this song remains one of the most listened to songs in Popheads’ Hot 40 chart history. —elvis-gold
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u/raicicle Jan 06 '18
40. Drake - Passionfruit
Since his triumphant arrival in 2009 with ‘Best I Ever Had’, Drake has been nothing short of ubiquitous in pop. His experiments pull the mainstream, willingly or unwillingly, in all sorts of surprising directions. Drake’s latest foray into dancehall brought him unprecedented commercial success; ‘One Dance’ and ‘Work’ became inescapable and influenced a year’s worth of pop to come. His Caribbean state of mind would prove even more fruitful on More Life. With a crew of producers new & old he created a pristine run of tracks that synthesize his in-the-moment tropical leanings with the best aspects of his tried-and-true sound.
‘Passionfruit’ in particular is a perfect concoction of many of Drake’s previous artistic explorations. His melancholy crooning sounds straight off Take Care, but icy, crackling synth stabs call back the nostalgic ‘Hotline Bling’ and bouncy arpeggios create an engulfing tropical haze overtop everything else. By fusing these disparate components together so smoothly the track maps effortlessly onto every mood imaginable. I found myself yearning to hear it driving through Carolina back roads & marveling at snow falling all the same. For Drake this ubiquity has become effortless. He almost feels bored with unending pop success; soon after ‘Passionfruit’ left the charts, Drake did the same himself for the first time since 2009. —forthecommongood
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u/raicicle Jan 06 '18
41. Lady Gaga - The Cure
2017 was the year that Lady Gaga got back into the spotlight. With her Super Bowl performance being the most watched Super Bowl performance of all time, and has gotten positive critical acclaim, with CNN even naming her ‘This Land Is My Land’ as the #1 Political Moment in Pop Music this year. Fast forward two months and after a certain someone got pregnant with twins and had to cancel her Coachella set, Lady Gaga took her place. I remember watching a Rabbit stream of the Coachella set with a few popheads at almost 4 AM, she went through all her hits and fan favorites like ‘Venus’ and ‘Speechless’ throughout the show. But one could not prepare themselves for the surprise introduction to ‘The Cure’ midway through the set, written by Gaga and DJ White Shadow and produced by Gaga and newcomers Detroit City.
Gaga finally brought back the pop that was missing from Joanne. It incorporates tropical pop influences with finger snaps and an electronic dance beat. It was created in response to all the atrocities going on throughout the world. It's now my most played song of the year, with hundreds of plays above the competition. Lady Gaga is the cure, and she'll fix you with her love. —Elitefourbrad
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u/raicicle Jan 06 '18
42. Billie Eilish - bellyache
If you were ever wondering what you were doing with your life, try not to dwell on the fact that Billie Eilish is a mere 15 years old and already running the whole damn show. She falls squarely into the alternative pop zeitgeist that has consumed the industry, but manages to differentiate herself from any of her peers like Lorde or Lana Del Rey or Tove Lo or the fifty other people doing their own brand of it simply through immeasurable personality and deeply magnetic songwriting. She speaks with maturity beyond her young years—the song is basically about murdering someone after all—but there’s also something incredibly youthful about her lyrics that only work with her behind the wheel (honestly, imagine anyone but Billie Eilish pulling off a line like “Now I’ve got a bellyache”). It seems rather impossible that anyone this young can already be such a perfectly formed popstar, but the haunting harmonies and acoustic guitar strums of “bellyache” is all the proof you need that she’s very much real and here to stay. —Rai
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u/raicicle Jan 06 '18
43. Frank Ocean - Chanel
Frank Ocean as an artist is impossible to predict. His mysterious, secretive image makes every move he makes very quickly and highly analyzed and scrutinized, and yet the end result is almost always different from what anyone could have predicted. ‘Chanel’ might be Frank’s most traditionally made and structured song in a while, but there’s still very little that sounds anything like it. What does “see both sides like Chanel?” mean? As a lyric, it leaves a lot open to interpretation, as a lot of Frank’s words often do. The song drifts along, with Frank ranging from passionate wailing to an effortless delivery that’s almost rapping but not quite. He touches on police brutality, sexuality, love, and credit cards, but the switches in topic are so effortless you might not even notice. The production behind pulsates and claps softly, with an instantly recognizable piano melody. The song is a one-off released with one of Frank’s Beats 1 radio episodes, but it doesn’t feel like a cheap throwaway or a Blonde leftover. A lot of effort was put into the delicate melodies and interesting lyrics, but with the loose and almost freeform aesthetic that has defined Frank’s recent music. Everything about ‘Chanel’ works and feels very Frank, resulting in a song that only he could have made. —ThereIsNoSantaClaus
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u/raicicle Jan 06 '18
44. Lana Del Rey - Cherry
Lana’s career up to this point has been a series of destructive romance and tragic relationships put into song. Her fourth studio album, Lust For Life, takes a detour and finds Lana letting go of those habits and starting anew, with ‘Cherry’ being the epitome of her newfound attitude. Against heavy trap drums and guitar Lana takes her stance against destructive relationships. Lana herself called the tone of this song “annoyed”; she loves her man so much but she recognizes the danger, with “fuck” and “bitch” interspersed throughout displaying her awareness of what she must avoid.
She’s so in love she falls to pieces for him, but he ruined her vintage celluloid seamed memories and her fucking peaches, so he has to let him go. ‘Cherry’ is a song with attitude and Lana taking control of herself, shedding her Born To Die persona and turning into a strong character, all in a three minute trap-tinged bop. —therokinrolla
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u/9spaceking Jan 07 '18
Andrew Huang, lknowledgable on music theory and decent composer, argues Find Me is the number one song of 2017... what arguments does r/popheads have against him?