So many songs, so little real estate on the charts…

The business of scoring a pop hit is a fickle, fickle game. Who knows what the perfect recipe is to concoct a hit single these days? There doesn't seem to be one anymore. Hits can come out of nowhere, from artists who aren't even on the radar. Season veterans can promote their latest single as hard as they want, but hit seemingly materialize from thin air.

Unfortunately, not every single can be the smash hit it should be. In the past year, we've been gifted a veritable embarrassment of smashes, but inevitably some don't make an impact. Where does that leave us? Stuck lamenting the bad hand dealt to the best bangers by our favorite musicians, such as these 10 recent pop singles that should have been smash hits.

1. “New Romantics” by Taylor Swift

Of all the singles from Taylor Swift’s Album of the Year winner 1989, "New Romantics” was the most emblematic of the era and most deserving of chart success. I might never get over this undisputed masterpiece being relegated to the seventh single with a tour video. Why “Out of the Woods” needed to be a radio single, I will never understand. She could have gotten one last No. 1 with “New Romantics.”

2. “Stone Cold” by Demi Lovato

If you think my feelings about “New Romantics” are strong, multiply that by infinity and that’s how I feel about “Stone Cold.” It's Demi’s crown jewel. It's her greatest vocal delivery to date. It's her big ballad. And we allowed it to straight up flop. Where was the Billboard Hot 100 debut? Where was the EDM remix that gave it a radio push? Where will her Grammy nomination go now that radio has silenced this anthem? Now that she's on her Future Now Tour with Nick Jonas and already releasing new singles (like the equally underrated "Body Say"), all hope is lost. “Stone Cold” should have been the biggest hit of her career.

3. “Wild” by Troye Sivan

Before he snagged a Top 25 hit with “Youth,” Troye released one of the best songs of 2015, “Wild.” He's since re-released the track with a feature from fellow young newcomer Alessia Cara, and even that collaboration isn't blowing up. However, the original "Wild" single was accompanied by a trio of very important music videos that kicked off his debut album. Still, I’m not crazy here. I know “Wild” probably couldn’t have been a pop radio hit (though, honestly, anything is possible). At the very least, it could have impacted alternative radio. But there’s no looking back and “Wild” will forever be the stunning introduction to an extraordinary album and artist.

4. “Run Away with Me” by Carly Rae Jepsen

I can’t. I simply cannot believe that the single best pop song (and album) of last year was reduced to a series of Vine memes. I know that Carly Rae Jepsen has attained something of loyal cult following, but I will NEVER forgive the mainstream for sleeping on and downright ignoring the should-have-been song of summer 2015. I need the names and numbers of the people who let this happen. It’s a pop injustice to the highest offense.

5. “Make Me Like You” by Gwen Stefani

Why’d you have to go and make “Make Me Like You” not become a hit? Gwen came back better than ever, and her second single from the No. 1 album This Is What the Truth Feels Like more than proves that fact. To date, “Make Me Like You” has only peaked at 54 on the Hot 100, but if this had been released 10 years ago, there’s no doubt (ha!) it would have cracked into the higher rankings. It’s too catchy and stylized to be a mere footnote in her solo comeback story.

6. “Colors” by Halsey

I have been jamming to “Colors” since Halsey dropped her debut album Badlands last August, so I was elated when she announced it would be the third single. I was fully prepared for Halsey to crossover into the mainstream and be the latest alt-pop success with “Colors.” It’s bright, it’s moody, it’s perfect for any kind of weather. But nothing, and it left me blue. “Colors” should have been Halsey’s biggest hit, but it didn't earn her that honor. Instead, she received her first No. 1 hit teaming up with EDM duo The Chainsmokers for "Closer."

7. “Invincible” by Kelly Clarkson

I had very high hopes for “Invincible” after Piece By Piece’s first single “Heartbeat Song” bottomed out just outside the Top 20. Written by Sia, it’s the kind of anthemic power ballad that plays right into Kelly’s strengths. I already saw it burning up radio, being in every movie trailer, and becoming the theme song for this summer's Rio Olympics. But it didn’t even chart on the Hot 100. Hold on, I need a minute to compose myself… (Thankfully, Piece By Piece earned a Top 10 hit with its title track.)

8. “Hollow” by Tori Kelly

Coming off two modest hits with “Nobody Love” and “Should’ve Been Us,” the piano driven power ballad “Hollow” was a harder sell. But it’s perhaps one of the most Tori Kelly songs Tori Kelly has ever sent to radio. For that reason, and the reason that it’s equal parts meaningful and damn catchy, it should have been a massive hit, one to score Tori her first Grammy Award nomination outside of the Best New Artist category.

9. “Rock Bottom” by Hailee Steinfeld

When Hailee Steinfeld released her Haiz EP, “Rock Bottom” was an early favorite, the one I couldn’t wait to hear on the radio. Following the runaway success of “Love Myself,” Hailee commissioned a remix of “Rock Bottom” with her pals DNCE as her second single. However, the song didn't nearly reach the heights of its predecessor, even on A/C radio where it should have blown up. Shame, shame, shame.

10. “Sparks” by Hilary Duff

THERE’S NOTHING LEFT TO BE SAID. I will never get over this. Buy Breathe In. Breathe Out. on iTunes then maybe you’ll understand.

What other pop singles do you think should have been smash hits?