2013 was a year where pop music seemed to have an identity crisis. It wasn’t EDM, it wasn’t alt-rock, it wasn’t bubblegum…it was a mix, and in my eyes, that’s what pop music should be. The following list of 50 songs should reflect some of that diversity, although I’m sure I’ve missed a few gems along the way. Enjoy!
50. XO/Beyonce
49. Love and War/Tamar Braxton
48. Safe and Sound/Capital Cities
47. I Love It/Icona Pop
46. Hey Brother/Avicii
45. Need U (100%) (feat. A*M*E)/Duke Dumont
44. Thinking About You (feat. Ayah Marar)/Calvin Harris
43. Treasure/Bruno Mars
42. Night Train/Jason Aldean
41. Stay (Feat. Mikky Ekko)/Rihanna
40. Falling/Haim
39. Somebody Loves You/Betty Who
38. In Your Care/Bright Light Bright Light
37. The Mother We Share/CHVRCHES
36. Overdose/Ciara
35. Get Lucky (feat. Pharrell Williams)/Daft Punk
34. My Love Is For Real/Nomi Madness?
33. Broken Parts/Måns Zelmerlöw
32. Pretty/The Weeknd
31. Play It Again/Luke Bryan
30. Hang on 2 Your Love (feat. Durand Bernarr)/Sam Sparro
29. Nuclear/Destiny’s Child
28. I Hope/Rebecca Ferguson
27. My Songs Know What You Did In The Dark/Fall Out Boy
26. Part II (On the Run) (feat. Beyonce)/Jay Z
25. Love Me Again/John Newman
24. Follow Your Arrow/Kacey Musgraves
23. Atmosphere/Kaskade
22. Love Again/Pentatonix
21. The Apple/V V Brown
20. I Was a Fool/Tegan and Sara
19. Blurred Lines (feat. T.I. & Pharrell)/Robin Thicke
18. Dream Girl/SHINee
17. Baby I/Ariana Grande
16. Hurt You/Toni Braxton & Kenny “Babyface” Edmonds
15. Classic/MKTO
14. #Beautiful (feat. Miguel)/Mariah Carey
13. Let Her Go/Passenger
12. Mirrors/Justin Timberlake
11. Burning Bridges/OneRepublic
10. Traveling Alone/Jason Isbell (not charted in US)
Mountains rough this time of year
Close the highway down
They don’t warn the town
When Southeastern came out mid-year, the raves were instant and continuous. I had no choice but to check it out, and for once I agreed with the level of praise being heaped on it. While a lot of people have identified “Elephant” as their favorite song, but I was instantly hooked by the simple yet elegant tale of a man on the road with so much to share but no one to share it with. Sometimes the best stories have the fewest words.
9. How Long Will I Love You/Ellie Goulding (not charted in US)
How long will I love you
As long as stars are above you
And longer if I can
It took a bit of time for me to warm up to the moodier vibe of Halcyon when it came out last year, but the album grew on me. “Anything Can Happen” SHOULD have been bigger in the US, but it just scraped the top fifty and then disappeared. When the deluxe version of Halcyon (entitled Halcyon Days) came out, I had already heard “Burn,” and in any other circumstance that song would have been on this list. But then I heard Ellie’s cover of the Waterboys’ “How Long Will I Love You” and it was instantly clear what song would be my favorite. So simple and yet emotionally complex. Near perfection.
8. Do What U Want (feat. R. Kelly)/Lady Gaga (#13 US to date)
I could be the drink in your cup
I could be the green in your blunt
Your pusher man
Yeah I got what you want
I stand by my belief that ARTPOP was sabotagued by the Gaga PR machine, not by the material. While not “art,” ARTPOP is another solid collection of hook-laden pop songs that don’t deviate far from the “Bad Romance” school of pop. However, “Do What U Want” is amazing in both its diversity and its genius pitting Gaga with R&B lothario R. Kelly. Yes, the Christina Aguilera version brings something different to the table that makes it work, but it pales in comparison the original version with Kelly vamping on the intro and providing some well-placed diversity on an otherwise uniformly-sounding album. And let’s not even get into what I thought R. Kelly was singing on first listen…
7. Vocal/Pet Shop Boys (#1 Dance US)
I like the singer
Hes lonely and strange
Every track has a vocal
And that makes a change
The Pet Shop Boys became the PSB I have been missing for a long time on Electric, and no song on that album captured my attention more than the house anthem “Vocal.” From the first time I heard it, I felt a kinship with the clubgoes so well portrayed by lead singer Neil Tennant. That was the club I wanted to be in, those were the people I wanted to be there with, and “Vocal” was the track I wanted to hear in the middle of the dance floor.
6. Move/Little Mix (not charted in US)
Get your back off the wall
Don’t you get comfortable
Looking so hot
I think that I might fall
Little Mix made some noise in the US in 2013, earning the highest debut for a UK girl group with their debut album when it hit the Billboard Top 200 at number four in May of this year. The single “Wings” went Gold, but then things slowed down a bit. 2014 is looking to be a bigger year for them with the promotion of “Move” kicking in for the US after having been top five in parts of Europe, including a tour with Demi Lovado. The sparse production works well with the ladies’ harmonies, and in a world where “Blurred Lines” succeeded in part by sounding different from everything else on the radio, “Move” may have a good shot here with a little bit of luck.
5. Hold On, We’re Going Home (feat. Majid Jordan)/Drake (#4 US)
Cause you’re a good girl and you know it
You act so different around me
Cause you’re a good girl and you know it
I know exactly who you could be
When Drake dropped “Started From the Bottom” early in 2013, it seemed like he might have had something to prove. Despite consistently being the biggest selling artist in the rap game, talk about privilege and being soft will inevitably follow Drake through his career. Drake railed against the perception that he had an easy road of it, and “Started” became an instant hit. So of course he followed it with the most pop-sounding song of his career “Hold On, We’re Going Home.” He may not have the smoothest voice in the game, but he knows how to use what he’s got. Big props for bringing the super-talented Majid Jordan along for the ride as well.
4. Brave/Sara Bareilles (#26 US to date)
Say what you wanna say
And let the words fall out
Honestly I wanna see you be brave
The first time I heard “Brave” back in April (wow…that long?), I was smitten. The song feels different than most of her material because of its lack of romantic content, and yet it feels like it fits in with the whole of her discography. Yes, it’s a song of empowerment for the downtrodden and bullied, but the song avoids being a cliche simply by being blunt. Sara was rewarded for writing a pop anthem by being nominated for two Grammys including Album of the Year.
3. Flatline/Mutya Keisha Siobhan (not charted in US)
Stay gone, darling I won’t hang on
I can feel the flatline, that oughta be a wave
Oh no, darling I can’t hang on
I can feel the flatline, that oughta be a wave
The Origibabes came back with what I felt was a sure-fire hit. Sparse, slinky production, combined with the harmonies that their fans came to love and even expect. Sure thing, right? Wrong. The song just barely cracked the top 50 in the UK, debuting at number fifty and then dropping like a stone. The rumors are flying about their next move, but let’s hope their record company can do a bit more to help them connect with the listening public and grant them the return to greatness that they have been flirting with.
2. Royals/Lorde (#1 US)
And we’ll never be royals (royals)
It don’t run in our blood
That kind of lux just ain’t for us
We crave a different kind of buzz
When a song stays at number one for nine weeks, you’d expect to be sick of it, right? That didn’t happen with “Royals,” at least for me anyway. It’s been a long time since a song this fresh sounding connected with listeners in such a big way, and follow-ups “Team” and “Tennis Court” are following the royal lead. Some took it as a dis on hip-hop, but for me it was just a statement that we’re doing our own thing, no matter what the media or our peers say.
1. Elevate/St. Lucia (not charted in US)
I don’t know how you do it
But somehow you’ve always will be there
And there’s nothing to it
But somehow you’ve always understand
When I saw St. Lucia open for Ellie Goulding in February, I knew I’d stumbled on someone who wasn’t afraid to grab the 80s and drag them into the 2010s. Little did I know just how great it would sound once a full-length album was released. When the Night as a whole is a sonic blast of sun, sand and shades, but no track on that record shined brighter than “Elevate.”
ALBUM OF THE YEAR
BEST NEW ARTIST
RECORD OF THE YEAR
SONG OF THE YEAR
And to mix things up a bit…
BEST ELECTRONIC/DANCE ALBUM
1. Closer/Ne-Yo (Year of the Gentleman) – No song this year stuck with me more than this one, which took a good three months to catch fire, but when it did, it headed straight to the Top 10. When future generations want to see how to write a perfect dance-pop song, they’ll look to “Closer”. (#7)
2. Run (Bonus Track)/Leona Lewis (Spirit – Deluxe Edition) – How impressive is it that a cover song performed live almost six months earlier finally ended up being a single all its own, while topping the UK charts in the process. If there was any question of Leona’s validity as a pop vocalist, this should erase those doubts. (#81 to date)
3. Human /The Killers (Day & Age) – There were two questions that came up when this song first hit the Internet: 1) was it “dancer” or “denser”? 2) how high will this end up on everyone’s year-end list? (#32 to date)
4. Chasing Pavements/Adele (19) – Best debut single of the year by a mile, this tale of reconciling the conflicted feelings of a dying relationship showed much depth, and sounded years beyond a 19-year-old newbie. When she hits that final chorus, it gives me goosebumps. (#82)
5. I’m Yours/Jason Mraz (We Sing, We Dance, We Steal Things) – We can’t all be visionaries like Fizzy Pop (this was on his list in 2006), but when it finally came around for the rest of us, it just wouldn’t let go. It’s the feel-good record of the year, no doubt. Happiness is hearing this track live as part of a sing-along. (#6)
6. Gravity/Sara Bareilles (Little Voice) – The first of several album cuts on the list. From that minimal piano intro, to the simple cry toward the end, it’s an emotional powerhouse from start to finish. One of my live music highlights of the year was hearing this song when she stopped in Denver. (NA)
7. Let It Go/Will Young (Let It Go) – Another album cut from a record that’s guaranteed to be in my Top 10. The pure honesty and stress of recognizing the failings of a man hit me hard upon first listen, and the impact has only grown upon repeated plays. Let’s hope that Will can finally leave the “Idol” title behind, and just be recognized as a true artist. (NA)
8. Damaged/Danity Kane (Welcome To The Dollhouse) – Sadly overlooked on most lists, it was impossible to avoid this song in the first half of the year, but when you break it down, pop music doesn’t come much more pure than this. Killer hook, fluffy lyrics, and vocals just strong enough to hold themselves above all of it. Diddy found the formula, even if it may have only been a one-shot fluke. (#10)
9. Boyfriend (Pete Hammond 7″ Mix)/Alphabeat (This Is Alphabeat) – Talk about taking a good song and making it great, Alphabeat really found their footing by hooking up with Pete Hammond. This song will always be driving down the highway in Michigan in the summer to me. (NA)
10. All Alone/Chris Richardson (All Alone – Single) – While this song didn’t get the attention that it deserved, it hopefully put the tastemakers on alert that C Rich has a genuinely unique perspective that will lead to big things in the future. A simple melody and lyrics belie an emotionally complex song. (NA)
11. Forever/Chris Brown (Exclusive – The Forever Edition) – To some, this might seem like blasphemy, but I’m good with this being at #11. Love the song, but somewhere along the line it overstayed its welcome. Amazing hook, though. (#1)
12. The Loving Kind/Girls Aloud (Out Of Control) – I heard the raves, and paid them no mind originally, since I’ve only met one GA single that really rocked my world (“Call the Shots”). Let’s be honest, though…like a car wreck on the side of the road, I couldn’t help but stop and check it out with the Pet Shop Boys and Xenomania attached to the track, and I’m glad I did. If even for 3 minutes, Girls Aloud seem to know the meaning of sophisticated pop. (NA)
13. Spiraling/Keane (Perfect Symmetry) – “Wooooooooo!” The first time I heard that, I was lost. From a band that innovates how instruments are utilized in pop songs, that vocal flourish marked the beginning of the most uplifting song of the year. (NA)
14. Sweet Dreams/Beyoncé (I Am…Sasha Fierce) – While everyone else is bragging on “Single Ladies”, my jam has been “Sweet Dreams” ever since it leaked as “Beautiful Nightmare”. The final CD version is a tad too busy for my liking, but in it’s purest form, the record is brilliant. (NA)
15. Black and Gold (Album Version)/Sam Sparro (Black and Gold) – On first listen, I proclaimed this song “LAME”. I quickly ate my words, as that chorus just haunted me like the hot wings I had for dinner tonight. His CD was a welcome blast of 80s-inspired freshness, and “21st Century Life” should be up in this piece as well. (NA)
16. Never Ever Gone/Chris Cagle (My Life’s Been a Country Song) – My top country song this year would be burned at the stake by country purists, but Chris has a huge potential hit on his hands with this one. I haven’t heard Chris have this much fun with a record since “Chicks Dig It”. I’m pretty sure his album is dead, thanks to a domestic abuse situation back in Nashville, but the fact this won’t be released is a big ol’ shame. For you non-country heads, I dare ya to go to iTunes and check it out. You won’t be sorry… (NA)
17. Hollywood’s Not America/Ferras (Aliens & Rainbows) – This song hit my radar when it was used during Hollywood week on American Idol, but who knew that a consolation prize theme song would help bring such and amazing CD to the American public. Er, or at least to my attention, as the record barely sold anything. (#62)
18. Beautiful (Feat Colby O’Donis & Kardinal Offishall)/Akon (Freedom) – The newest of the tracks on this countdown comes from 3 people that even six months ago would have caused me to laugh at a potential inclusion, but this track just works for me. As I said a week ago, this could potentially be the biggest record of Akon’s career. (#19 to date)
19. You Found Me/The Fray (You Found Me) – From their February 2nd sophomore release, this song takes the “How To Save A Life” formula to the next level. For me, it’s the epitome of a “why bad things happen to good people” kind of record. (#15 to date)
20. I’m That Chick/Mariah Carey (E=MC2) – So the rumor goes that this song was L.A. Reid’s pick for the first single, instead of “Touch My Body”, and now we’re on single #7 (feels like it), and “Touch” is the ONLY hit she’s had. What gives, Mimi? Give the people what they want, mm’kay? (NA)
21. Girl You Never Knew /Georgia Wonder (Hello Stranger – EP)
26. So What/P!nk (Funhouse)
31. Sandcastle Disco/Solange (Sol-Angel and the Hadley St. Dreams)
36. Just Dance/Lady GaGa feat Colby O’Donis (The Fame)
Stumble It!
Pop Music Notes 