Almost there!
#10: "Stay With Me" by Sam Smith
Trifecta! Although this was his only solo year-end charting this year.
The music line is piano-driven. Actually, it reminds me a bit of the piano line in "Lean On Me", which is not a bad thing. It's slow, verging on dull, but gives the song more of a church feel. Although that might be more because of the choir in the chorus. Vocally, Sam Smith does a pretty solid job. He spends a large chunk of time in a lower register, but he does show off a pretty good range when he needs to.
This song is a little different than you'd expect from the music. Basically, Sam Smith is asking a one-night stand to stay with him, while admitting there is no love there. Well, either one-night stand or friends with benefits, but either way, not quite the gentle love song.
This song isn't bad, but it is a bit boring. Even with the unique twist on the subject matter, everything else about the song sounds too much like a church hymn. Sam Smith has a nice voice, but it isn't enough to put the energy into the song that it desperately needs. Appreciate the idea, but the delivery is just too boring.
#9: "Problem" by Ariana Grande feat. Iggy Azalea
Double trifecta!
Well, it's been a couple of years since I've heard sax in a song. Unfortunately, too much of the song outside of that is standard Ariana Grande fare, which rapidly gets a bit dull. Speaking of Ariana Grande, holy hell. She's usually a good singer, and she's not bad on the verses, but on the bridge...yeesh. Iggy, again, shows some decent rapping skills that are negated by the fact that she is trying way too hard to be a girl from the Bronx.
The lyrics to this song are...well, confusing. She seems to bounce with ease between saying she's better off without her ex, and saying she misses him. I did like Iggy's reference to Jay-Z's "99 Problems", saying that she has "99 problems, but you won't be one".
I had decently high hopes for Ariana Grande after "The Way" last year, but she disappointed me three times this year, including with this song. Other than the sax, the music is boring, Ariana Grande was pitchier than normal, and the lyrics just don't really have any coherence to them. Iggy Azalea's guest verse was easily the best part of the song, even if she sounded fake, just because that was the only part of the song where the artist seemed to be having fun, rather than trying to force themselves into the pop star mold. I may not have 99 problems with this chart, but this song is one.
#8: "All About That Bass" by Meghan Trainor
Meghan Trainor is a singer-songwriter and record producer from Massachusetts. She's been working on getting into the record industry for 6 years, but her big break came when she was signed to Epic Records by L.A. Reid after she played this song for him on a ukulele. It became a huge hit, and the following single and album were also pretty big hits.
This song has a very different sound to it. It's bass driven, but sounds like a 50's or 60's doo-wop type of song as well, complete with quartet. It makes this song recognizable, to say the least. Which is more than I can say for Meghan Trainor. It's not that she's bad, and she has a decent singing voice, but when she "raps", she sounds like an attempt at Nicki Minaj rather than herself. She should stick to singing.
This song is basically Meghan Trainor bragging about having a big butt. She cannot lie. She's all about the backside (called "bass" in this song via extended metaphor), and announces that she is bringing booty back.
I have one problem with this song. The music is pretty good. It's simplistic, but has a nostalgia throwback feel to it. Meghan Trainor's rapping is mediocre, but she spends enough time singing to make up for it. My issue is the song matter. Don't get me wrong, I'm all about celebrating that you aren't part of the "Hollywood thin" crowd. But "I'm bringing booty back"? Having an entire song about how you don't fit in with the standard of the music industry because you've got an above-average derriere? I hate to break it to you, Meghan, but you are about 25 years late. Sir Mix-a-Lot did it. Jason Derulo did it. Nicki Minaj did it. What did they all do? Proclaim how awesome big butts are. You can't bring booty back, because it never went anywhere! Again, this song is not bad, but the message is kind of like someone announcing, in the year 2004, that they are dating inter-racially. There's nothing wrong with it, but the general reaction is "And...?"
#7: "Rude" by MAGIC!
Magic (I refuse to stylize their name when I can get away with it) is a Canadian reggae fusion band. This was their debut single.
The music, as you might expect from hearing the genre, is heavily reggae influenced. The same simple guitar, but catchy riffs. There is a bit of keyboard in the verses and bridge, giving the song an overall reggae-lite feel, not that there is anything wrong with that. Vocally, Nasri sounds decent enough. He has the reggae feel in his inflections, but his overall tone and style sound natural, rather than sounding like he is trying to fit into a group he doesn't belong to (hear that, Iggy? Probably not).
The lyrics to this song are pretty simple to understand. He's asking a girl's father if he can marry her. Father says no, Nasri gets a backbone, asks the father why he's gotta be so rude, and declares that he's going to marry her anyway. At least, that's what they seem to be trying to get across, but...
It is a rare song where the lyrics actively contradict the message or story behind the song, but this song is one of those rare songs. The main reason is simple. Each time, the bridge mentions the father's response. It changes between the bridges. The first bridge, it's "Good luck, my friend, but the answer is no." Second bridge changes it to "The answer's still no," and the final bridge is "No still means no." Ignoring the fact that, if anything, the father was overly polite in rejecting the proposal, the fact that the answer changes each time shows that after being turned down, and declaring he'll marry her anyway...HE ASKS AGAIN!
Seriously, this is how I imagine the conversation going. "Can I marry her?" "No." "Screw you, I'll marry her anyway! But seriously, can I have your blessing?" "No!" "Fine! I don't need it! ...But seriously, can I?" "*looks over newspaper* Dumbass." Other than the conflicting lyrics (I think I pointed out well enough how much they contradict each other), the song is fine. The beat's extremely catchy, and Nasri has pretty solid vocals. Just...don't look too deeply at the lyrics.
#6: "Talk Dirty" by Jason Derulo feat. 2 Chainz
Trifecta! As for 2 Chainz, he is a rapper. I've reviewed several of his songs in past lists, and most of them sucked.
That is a weird musical choice. The main music line is basically a synth line, but there is a saxophone used for the hook. It's not bad, actually. Maybe a little simple, but still has a good energy about it. Derulo's voice is...a different story. He sounds whiny, somehow, like he is trying to sound annoying. 2 Chainz's guest verse is pretty much what I expected. Nothing to write home about, other than how painfully crude he is.
This song is basically Jason Derulo singing about all the international love he gets. He doesn't speak their language, but he's still got game!
I spent about half of this song with my face buried in my hands. Jason's singing voice is grating at best, 2 Chainz is blandly crude, and the lyrics are laughable. And yet...there is something just goofily fun about this song. If you go into it expecting to not take it seriously at all, you will have a good time. Ignoring 2 Chainz's guest verse, and some rather questionable choices of countries visited (Haiti? Really?). I mean, how can you take any song that suggests setting up a "menage a threeo" seriously?
Well, that list was not as painful as I was prepared for. But now, the question you've all been asking (assuming you didn't, you know, look it up). What were the top 5 of the year? What were the absolute biggest hits of 2014? Well, wait no more!
Previously: #15-11 [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/read/326.869164-2014-Billboard-Top-100-15-11]
Next: #5-1 [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/read/326.869331-2014-Billboard-Top-100-5-1]
#10: "Stay With Me" by Sam Smith
Trifecta! Although this was his only solo year-end charting this year.
The music line is piano-driven. Actually, it reminds me a bit of the piano line in "Lean On Me", which is not a bad thing. It's slow, verging on dull, but gives the song more of a church feel. Although that might be more because of the choir in the chorus. Vocally, Sam Smith does a pretty solid job. He spends a large chunk of time in a lower register, but he does show off a pretty good range when he needs to.
This song is a little different than you'd expect from the music. Basically, Sam Smith is asking a one-night stand to stay with him, while admitting there is no love there. Well, either one-night stand or friends with benefits, but either way, not quite the gentle love song.
This song isn't bad, but it is a bit boring. Even with the unique twist on the subject matter, everything else about the song sounds too much like a church hymn. Sam Smith has a nice voice, but it isn't enough to put the energy into the song that it desperately needs. Appreciate the idea, but the delivery is just too boring.
#9: "Problem" by Ariana Grande feat. Iggy Azalea
Double trifecta!
Well, it's been a couple of years since I've heard sax in a song. Unfortunately, too much of the song outside of that is standard Ariana Grande fare, which rapidly gets a bit dull. Speaking of Ariana Grande, holy hell. She's usually a good singer, and she's not bad on the verses, but on the bridge...yeesh. Iggy, again, shows some decent rapping skills that are negated by the fact that she is trying way too hard to be a girl from the Bronx.
The lyrics to this song are...well, confusing. She seems to bounce with ease between saying she's better off without her ex, and saying she misses him. I did like Iggy's reference to Jay-Z's "99 Problems", saying that she has "99 problems, but you won't be one".
I had decently high hopes for Ariana Grande after "The Way" last year, but she disappointed me three times this year, including with this song. Other than the sax, the music is boring, Ariana Grande was pitchier than normal, and the lyrics just don't really have any coherence to them. Iggy Azalea's guest verse was easily the best part of the song, even if she sounded fake, just because that was the only part of the song where the artist seemed to be having fun, rather than trying to force themselves into the pop star mold. I may not have 99 problems with this chart, but this song is one.
#8: "All About That Bass" by Meghan Trainor
Meghan Trainor is a singer-songwriter and record producer from Massachusetts. She's been working on getting into the record industry for 6 years, but her big break came when she was signed to Epic Records by L.A. Reid after she played this song for him on a ukulele. It became a huge hit, and the following single and album were also pretty big hits.
This song has a very different sound to it. It's bass driven, but sounds like a 50's or 60's doo-wop type of song as well, complete with quartet. It makes this song recognizable, to say the least. Which is more than I can say for Meghan Trainor. It's not that she's bad, and she has a decent singing voice, but when she "raps", she sounds like an attempt at Nicki Minaj rather than herself. She should stick to singing.
This song is basically Meghan Trainor bragging about having a big butt. She cannot lie. She's all about the backside (called "bass" in this song via extended metaphor), and announces that she is bringing booty back.
I have one problem with this song. The music is pretty good. It's simplistic, but has a nostalgia throwback feel to it. Meghan Trainor's rapping is mediocre, but she spends enough time singing to make up for it. My issue is the song matter. Don't get me wrong, I'm all about celebrating that you aren't part of the "Hollywood thin" crowd. But "I'm bringing booty back"? Having an entire song about how you don't fit in with the standard of the music industry because you've got an above-average derriere? I hate to break it to you, Meghan, but you are about 25 years late. Sir Mix-a-Lot did it. Jason Derulo did it. Nicki Minaj did it. What did they all do? Proclaim how awesome big butts are. You can't bring booty back, because it never went anywhere! Again, this song is not bad, but the message is kind of like someone announcing, in the year 2004, that they are dating inter-racially. There's nothing wrong with it, but the general reaction is "And...?"
#7: "Rude" by MAGIC!
Magic (I refuse to stylize their name when I can get away with it) is a Canadian reggae fusion band. This was their debut single.
The music, as you might expect from hearing the genre, is heavily reggae influenced. The same simple guitar, but catchy riffs. There is a bit of keyboard in the verses and bridge, giving the song an overall reggae-lite feel, not that there is anything wrong with that. Vocally, Nasri sounds decent enough. He has the reggae feel in his inflections, but his overall tone and style sound natural, rather than sounding like he is trying to fit into a group he doesn't belong to (hear that, Iggy? Probably not).
The lyrics to this song are pretty simple to understand. He's asking a girl's father if he can marry her. Father says no, Nasri gets a backbone, asks the father why he's gotta be so rude, and declares that he's going to marry her anyway. At least, that's what they seem to be trying to get across, but...
It is a rare song where the lyrics actively contradict the message or story behind the song, but this song is one of those rare songs. The main reason is simple. Each time, the bridge mentions the father's response. It changes between the bridges. The first bridge, it's "Good luck, my friend, but the answer is no." Second bridge changes it to "The answer's still no," and the final bridge is "No still means no." Ignoring the fact that, if anything, the father was overly polite in rejecting the proposal, the fact that the answer changes each time shows that after being turned down, and declaring he'll marry her anyway...HE ASKS AGAIN!
Seriously, this is how I imagine the conversation going. "Can I marry her?" "No." "Screw you, I'll marry her anyway! But seriously, can I have your blessing?" "No!" "Fine! I don't need it! ...But seriously, can I?" "*looks over newspaper* Dumbass." Other than the conflicting lyrics (I think I pointed out well enough how much they contradict each other), the song is fine. The beat's extremely catchy, and Nasri has pretty solid vocals. Just...don't look too deeply at the lyrics.
#6: "Talk Dirty" by Jason Derulo feat. 2 Chainz
Trifecta! As for 2 Chainz, he is a rapper. I've reviewed several of his songs in past lists, and most of them sucked.
That is a weird musical choice. The main music line is basically a synth line, but there is a saxophone used for the hook. It's not bad, actually. Maybe a little simple, but still has a good energy about it. Derulo's voice is...a different story. He sounds whiny, somehow, like he is trying to sound annoying. 2 Chainz's guest verse is pretty much what I expected. Nothing to write home about, other than how painfully crude he is.
This song is basically Jason Derulo singing about all the international love he gets. He doesn't speak their language, but he's still got game!
I spent about half of this song with my face buried in my hands. Jason's singing voice is grating at best, 2 Chainz is blandly crude, and the lyrics are laughable. And yet...there is something just goofily fun about this song. If you go into it expecting to not take it seriously at all, you will have a good time. Ignoring 2 Chainz's guest verse, and some rather questionable choices of countries visited (Haiti? Really?). I mean, how can you take any song that suggests setting up a "menage a threeo" seriously?
Well, that list was not as painful as I was prepared for. But now, the question you've all been asking (assuming you didn't, you know, look it up). What were the top 5 of the year? What were the absolute biggest hits of 2014? Well, wait no more!
Previously: #15-11 [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/read/326.869164-2014-Billboard-Top-100-15-11]
Next: #5-1 [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/read/326.869331-2014-Billboard-Top-100-5-1]
