25. Jennifer Lopez, “First Love”
Max Martin gives J.Lo a serious pop gem, which the world wholly ignores in favor of high art (“Booty”). Ooo-oh!
24. Ariana Grande, “Love Me Harder (feat. The Weeknd)”
Like Jenny’s non-hit, Ari serves up lush synth-pop, regardless of how awkwardly forced The Weeknd‘s feature feels.
23. Kylie Minogue, “Into The Blue”
Shimmering, sparkling and oh-so-quintessentially Kylie. Bah-loo-oo!
22. Iggy Azalea, “Fancy (feat. Charli XCX)”
It’s difficult to remember that point in time before radio played 2014’s “Song Of Summer” to death (and also the whole “Igloo Australia” thing), but we did genuinely love this one once. And hey, Clueless!
21. Sky Ferreira, “I Blame Myself”
Sky gets a little pep in her step on a bouncy, guilt-ridden beat for an unexpected dance-off in the streets.
20. Charli XCX, “Boom Clap”
Boom! Clap! The sound of Charli finally breaking out with a hit of her own!
19. Kiesza, “Hideaway”
’90’s House subtly dominated in 2014, and this song is arguably the most triumphant torch bearer of them all.
18. Tinashe, “Pretend (feat. A$AP ROCKY)”
Slaynashe turns it around and proves she’s got more to offer than just getting turnt at the club.
17. Jessie Ware, “Tough Love”
Jessie came quietly breezing back to us with her brand of sophisticated, wispy soulfulness.
16. FKA twigs, “Two Weeks”
Aggressively sexual lyricism meets skeletal electro-R&B. Trying to understand the hype? Here’s where you begin.
15. G.R.L., “Ugly Heart”
The girls suffered a tragic loss this year, but their promise should always be remembered.
14. Route 94, “My Love (feat. Jess Glynne)”
All roads led to Jess Glynne in 2014.
13. Chelsea Lankes, “Secret”
It kind of sounds like a Jennifer Paige song. Need I say more?
12. Becky Hill, “Losing”
With the help of MNEK, the UK vocalist delivered one of the most stunning debuts of 2014.
11. Robyn & Röyksopp, “Do It Again”
They’ve done it before. They did it again. And again. And again. And again.
10. Clean Bandit, “Rather Be (feat. Jess Glynne)”
Earnest, orchestral-meets-electronic bliss that remains as thrilling today as it did on the first play. Like “We Found Love,” it’s universal.
9. Katy B, “Crying For No Reason”
Apart from Robyn, no one delivers heartbreak on the dance floor better than Little Red herself.
8. Years & Years, “Desire”
I still can’t put my finger on exactly how to describe Years & Years (electro-soul-garage-reggae-synth-pop?), but the BBC Sound Of 2015 nominees struck gold with their snappy, chant-heavy love-or-lust dance anthem.
7. Tove Lo, “Habits (Stay High)”
The song wasn’t released in 2014. In fact, it took over a full year to hit its stride stateside. But forget about charts: This one’s a triumph in Swede-pop, and the Swedish cousin to Sia‘s “Chandelier.”
6. Lana Del Rey, “West Coast”
Our Brooklyn Baby transitions from hip-hop beats to hazy psych-rock, resulting in the year’s most jarring, yet hypnotic reintroduction.
5. Taylor Swift, “Blank Space”
Spotify’s arch-nemesis goes fucking crazy, with the help of Max Martin and Shellback…and a notepad. *Pen click*
4. Nick Jonas, “Jealous (feat. Tinashe)”
Bae meets bae, and relationship insecurity has never sounded more sexy.
3. Ariana Grande, “Break Free (feat. Zedd)”
2. Tinashe, “2 On (feat. Schoolboy Q)”
Pop’s Great Hope gets faded, goes dumb, then goes more dumb while serving up moves that channel Janet and Britney.
1. Sia, “Chandelier”
After having spent the past four years writing songs for quite literally everyone (from Rihanna to Beyoncé to Britney to Celine Dion), Sia swung into 2014 with her grand reintroduction to the pop world: A cautionary, seemingly autobiographical tale of a party girl gone out of control.
From the insane (and all-but-inimitable) vocal acrobatics to the genuinely explosive production by Greg Kurstin and Jesse Shatkin, Sia delivers the best of both her worlds: The rawness of her lyricism as a singer-songwriter (“Help me, I’m holding on for dear life…“) combined with the tight pop hooks she’s delivered to all the biggest superstars. Oh, and it’s safe to say the unforgettably eerie, beautifully choreographed video featuring a bewigged Maddie Ziegler, which has gone on to become one of the year’s most popular spoofed looks, helped too.
In other words, Sia snatched everyone’s wig…including her own.
LISTEN TO THE TOP 50 ON SPOTIFY*
*EXCEPT SOME THAT ARE UNAVAILABLE BECAUSE THIS WORLD IS CRUEL AND UNFAIR**
**BUT I DID THROW IN BOOTLEG SPOTIFY KARAOKE-STYLE VERSIONS OF SOME OF THOSE UNAVAILABLE SONGS AS A SPECIAL TREAT