This past year has given the world a lot to work with music wise, and no one was complaining. We were given surprises, comebacks, collaborations, remixes, let-downs, new classics and proof that Taylor Swift really can only write about one thing.
This year started on a note so strong, it was hard to imagine anything better coming next. We'll just hand the trophy over to Beyonce now for dominating 2014 days before the year even started. Her triumphant kick-off seemed to have produced a domino effect of musical hits this year. Coincidence or not, I'll just give her the credit. She is one of many who blew listeners away with catchy lyrics and infectious beats. I'm almost afraid to say goodbye to the past twelve months of constant hits, so 2015, you have huge shoes to fill. Here's what you couldn't stop listening to in 2014:
"Happy" – Pharrell Williams
Everyone's favorite anti-aging wizard, Pharrell, kicked off the year with an upbeat flair that no one could stop thinking about. "Happy" stayed in our hearts and our Recently Played playlists for months, and the single itself stayed at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 for three weeks, so this one was hard to ignore. "Happy" reminded us of the musical genius that Pharrell is, and that ten-foot-tall vintage Vivienne Westwood hat he wore to the 2014 Grammy's will simply never let us forget him again."Rather Be" – Clean Bandit feat. Jess Glynne
I'm going to be honest: the first time I heard this song, I could have bet you this was Natasha Bedingfield's song (tell me I'm not the only one). To my naive despair, I later found out this summer song was the creation of U.K.'s Clean Bandit. The band's hit turned out to be the most streamed song in the UK this past year, coming in hot with a total of over 32 million streams."Drunk in Love" – Beyoncé feat. Jay Z
Please name a song with a greater impact on pop culture this year, I dare you. For months, I felt like I couldn't go on social media without seeing some sort of reference to "Drunk" one way or another. Surfboard, watermelon, "I've been drankin'" and "we be all night" are just some of the many elements to Instagram captions we saw in 2014. The glamorous beat and witty lyrics made this a non-stop play for parties or the middle of the day. Thank you once again Mr. & Mrs. Carter.
"Pompeii" – Bastille"Pompeii" is one of the most underrated/overrated songs I personally have heard in a while. The strong drum and the somber-yet-uplifting tone of lead singer, Dan Smith, is powerful enough to inspire those who are deepest in the dumps. "Pompeii" is that kind of song that gets randomly played in the middle of a party: everyone in the room is arm in arm, singing their hearts out and then each person leaves believing in love again.
"Sanctified" – Rick Ross feat. Kanye West x Big Sean
If you could define power in a song, this would be it. That is all. Carry on.
"Zero to 100" – Drake
For a Drake song that is overplayed at every gathering and is always on the radio, I have yet to want to stop listening, and it appears the world feels the same. The beat is so good it could make a statue want to start moving. Not to mention the sharp lyrics that make the listener want to sit in front of A-Z Lyric's page of this song and get each line down to a T.
"Fancy" - Iggy Azalea feat. Charli XCX
Those who loved this song absolutely loved it and those who hated it couldn't have hated it more. Either way, there was no running from Iggy's breakout single this year. "Fancy" went triple platinum this past August and rose the Australian native to A-List stardom. Also, Iggy's flawless recreation of the film "Clueless" definitely earned her brownie points with new fans.
"Stay High" – Tove Lo
Tove Lo came out of the woodwork with this instant hit from her album, "QUEEN OF THE CLOUDS." This song works in two perfect ways. One, jumping to the beat and making use of this party-crowd pleaser. Or two, for those gray Sundays where you can't stop thinking about your ex and are crying in between singing the lyrics.
"Blank Space" – Taylor Swift
I don't know what it is, but I have never seen a group of college students explode over a song like this one. Along with "Shake it Off," T-Swift cooked up some serious magic with these songs, which don't seem to be going away anytime soon. It looks like all of these over-publicized relationships were well worth it, Tay!
"Or Nah" – Ty Dolla $ign feat. The Weeknd, Wiz Khalifa & DJ Mustard
There are a lot of impressionable words in this song, but the title of the hit was the most popular. Ty Dolla $ign's mainstream breakout became a saying on its own. What's better PR for yourself than your own song producing a popular slang term? Am I right... or nah?
"Take Me to Church" – Hozier
Hozier's breakout song blew up on Michigan State's campus after the release of a Spartan Football trailer featured the tune this past fall. The fact that Spartans were reminded of our team every time we heard this made us come back. A gorgeous tune with a powerful band and beautiful lyrics is what made us stay.
"Chandelier" - SiaIt is nearly impossible to not sing your heart and soul out when this one is played. It turns out Sia has written songs for Beyoncé , Britney and Xtina, so instant smash hits are nothing new to the singer/songwriter. The passionate ballet performed by Dance Mom's star Maddie Ziegler adds the perfect amount of drama to this single's video.
"Hot Neighbor" - Bobby ShmurdaThis song gets the people GOING. If you want a group of college kids to break out dancing and screaming lyrics, "Hot Neighbor" was the track to play. As a staple of Michigan State tailgates, I can honestly thank this song for all the fun it brings. Not to mention, Shmurda pulled a Beyoncé by giving a new meaning to the phrase "about a week ago." He also started a movement of bright-eyed girly-girls shouting "GET UP OUT MY TRAPHOUSE" at any opportunities that presented themselves.
