Just two more left!
#10: "The Hills" by The Weeknd
Third song he's been on for this list, but his second as a main artist.
The music is very strange for an R&B track. It sounds almost like an R&B drum line set over a horror movie style synth line, at least in the verses. The chorus music line changes to a more standard R&B bass line, but that bass line sounds like it is bored, despite having no actual emotion (being music, and all). The bridge has the most interesting music, with a nice piano line, but it doesn't last very long. Vocally, this is not as enjoyable as "Can't Feel My Face". The Weeknd just doesn't have a great voice for slower, thoughtful songs.
The lyrics are, apparently, about trying to get out of the friend zone with a girl, despite many lyrics painting the main character as a bit of a...disreputable sort, with lines about her sending him to rehab, how he slept with two girls before meeting up with her). Oh, and there is a random "The Hills Have Eyes" reference, because that makes sense.
The main issue with this song is the tempo. If this was a more standard R&B song, along the lines of Jason Derulo, it might be easier to look past the lyrics and somewhat weak vocals. However, because The Weeknd decided to do the song as almost a ballad, the music itself isn't all that strong, which weakens the song considerably. I'd rather hear "Can't Feel My Face" 20 times before hearing this song once.
#9: "Earned It" by The Weeknd
Back to back Weeknd! Oh, and this song is the second hit off of the "Fifty Shades of Grey" soundtrack.
The music is better than the last song for about two seconds, before kicking off into a strings section and bass that...does not really fit The Weeknd's voice, although the music isn't bad by itself. The piano line that shows up fairly often is quite nice as well. The Weeknd's voice, once again, lets the song down a bit. He doesn't have the strongest voice, but he spends more time in falsetto with this song, and he admittedly sounds quite good in that range.
The lyrics are complimenting a girl, saying he loves her, she's perfect, and they belong together. It's all somewhat standard stuff, but looking at the movie it was written for, doesn't really fit.
This song is quite a bit better than "The Hills", but isn't without its own problems. The music doesn't really seem to fit The Weeknd, his voice is definitely on the weak side, and while the lyrics aren't too bad, they don't really fit the movie it was made for. That said, as far as songs written for movies this year, I can see this being a hit above and beyond the movie itself, which is more than I can say for "The Hanging Tree".
#8: "Watch Me" by Silento
Silento is a rapper who is known for this song, because it is his only single so far. He released it on Youtube, became big, he got signed, and it was released as his debut single, and so far, that's all he's done, other than a couple of guest appearances in other songs.
Musically, you know those songs that use synth lines to imitate arcade beeps? That's basically what song has going musically, but without any real game they are inspired from, just trying to cash in on a craze. As for the vocals, Silento has the most obnoxious voice of anyone I've heard this year. I know he is only 18, but he sounds about 12, and is shouting his lyrics rather than actually rapping.
The lyrics are listing dance steps. It's a step below most dance songs, however, because while they are explaining how to do new dances, Silento is just listing a bunch of existing dances. For example, "Watch me whip/now watch me nae nae".
Do I really have to say what I think of this song? It's terrible in just about every way. The music at least has something going for it, in that it is more bland than terrible, but Silento has an awful voice, and has to be supported by back-up singers, and even for a dance song, the lyrics are totally pointless. Avoid this song.
#7: "Blank Space" by Taylor Swift
Taylor's fifth, and last, song on this list.
The music is not too bad, but it is on the weaker side of Taylor's songs this year. The piano and drums combo sounds good, and is much slower than her normal side, but it never really grabs you, and even the synth and guitar that show up later don't do a lot to add to the experience. This is the weakest of Taylor's slower songs this year as well. She sounds good in the chorus, but the verses have her affect a style of singing to the beat that compromises her skills.
This song was basically Taylor Swift attacking the media from a different angle than "Shake It Off", this was her showing what kind of person she'd have to be to live up to the image the media was painting her as.
It sounds like I disliked the song, but I actually did like it. It's just that she's shown that she can do better. The music never really grabbed me, and her stylized singing wasn't the right way to go. Still a good song, and it works well with other singers as well!
#6: "Shut Up and Dance" by Walk the Moon
Every year, there is one fluke rock hit from a band that just has a big break out. That is this song.
The song has a very nice alt-rock song. This song hits you hard with the guitar line, and never lets you down. Unlike a lot of songs that start off hard, but just plateau, this song does enough to keep that from happening, both through somewhat slower parts to mix it up and a really cool guitar solo. The vocals aren't bad, either. They aren't necessarily that strong, but the music is clearly the focus of the song, and the singer is good enough to not distract from the song.
This song is about as simple as it can get. Boy meets girl in the club, he tries to pick her up, she says the title.
This song has been played a lot. Any time a rock band gets a big hit, it gets a lot of play because hey, you need variety. But somehow, I have not gotten tired of this song. The vocals are decent, and the lyrics are cheesy fun, but the music is the strength of the song. This really is the kind of song that makes you want to say "shut up and dance with me", and I mean that in a good way. Music video's pretty dang funny, too. Oh, and the guy in the second video is someone I've been following on Youtube for a while named Caleb Hyles. He is awesome, and you should check him out.
Well, we're almost there. What songs were the biggest of the year? What songs managed to get even more attention than "Shut Up and Dance"? You can either wait to find out...or just scroll down a bit.
Previously: #15-11 [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/read/326.935772-2015-Billboard-Top-100-15-11]
Next: #5-1 [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/read/326.936372-2015-Billboard-Top-100-5-1]
#10: "The Hills" by The Weeknd
Third song he's been on for this list, but his second as a main artist.
The music is very strange for an R&B track. It sounds almost like an R&B drum line set over a horror movie style synth line, at least in the verses. The chorus music line changes to a more standard R&B bass line, but that bass line sounds like it is bored, despite having no actual emotion (being music, and all). The bridge has the most interesting music, with a nice piano line, but it doesn't last very long. Vocally, this is not as enjoyable as "Can't Feel My Face". The Weeknd just doesn't have a great voice for slower, thoughtful songs.
The lyrics are, apparently, about trying to get out of the friend zone with a girl, despite many lyrics painting the main character as a bit of a...disreputable sort, with lines about her sending him to rehab, how he slept with two girls before meeting up with her). Oh, and there is a random "The Hills Have Eyes" reference, because that makes sense.
The main issue with this song is the tempo. If this was a more standard R&B song, along the lines of Jason Derulo, it might be easier to look past the lyrics and somewhat weak vocals. However, because The Weeknd decided to do the song as almost a ballad, the music itself isn't all that strong, which weakens the song considerably. I'd rather hear "Can't Feel My Face" 20 times before hearing this song once.
#9: "Earned It" by The Weeknd
Back to back Weeknd! Oh, and this song is the second hit off of the "Fifty Shades of Grey" soundtrack.
The music is better than the last song for about two seconds, before kicking off into a strings section and bass that...does not really fit The Weeknd's voice, although the music isn't bad by itself. The piano line that shows up fairly often is quite nice as well. The Weeknd's voice, once again, lets the song down a bit. He doesn't have the strongest voice, but he spends more time in falsetto with this song, and he admittedly sounds quite good in that range.
The lyrics are complimenting a girl, saying he loves her, she's perfect, and they belong together. It's all somewhat standard stuff, but looking at the movie it was written for, doesn't really fit.
This song is quite a bit better than "The Hills", but isn't without its own problems. The music doesn't really seem to fit The Weeknd, his voice is definitely on the weak side, and while the lyrics aren't too bad, they don't really fit the movie it was made for. That said, as far as songs written for movies this year, I can see this being a hit above and beyond the movie itself, which is more than I can say for "The Hanging Tree".
#8: "Watch Me" by Silento
Silento is a rapper who is known for this song, because it is his only single so far. He released it on Youtube, became big, he got signed, and it was released as his debut single, and so far, that's all he's done, other than a couple of guest appearances in other songs.
Musically, you know those songs that use synth lines to imitate arcade beeps? That's basically what song has going musically, but without any real game they are inspired from, just trying to cash in on a craze. As for the vocals, Silento has the most obnoxious voice of anyone I've heard this year. I know he is only 18, but he sounds about 12, and is shouting his lyrics rather than actually rapping.
The lyrics are listing dance steps. It's a step below most dance songs, however, because while they are explaining how to do new dances, Silento is just listing a bunch of existing dances. For example, "Watch me whip/now watch me nae nae".
Do I really have to say what I think of this song? It's terrible in just about every way. The music at least has something going for it, in that it is more bland than terrible, but Silento has an awful voice, and has to be supported by back-up singers, and even for a dance song, the lyrics are totally pointless. Avoid this song.
#7: "Blank Space" by Taylor Swift
Taylor's fifth, and last, song on this list.
The music is not too bad, but it is on the weaker side of Taylor's songs this year. The piano and drums combo sounds good, and is much slower than her normal side, but it never really grabs you, and even the synth and guitar that show up later don't do a lot to add to the experience. This is the weakest of Taylor's slower songs this year as well. She sounds good in the chorus, but the verses have her affect a style of singing to the beat that compromises her skills.
This song was basically Taylor Swift attacking the media from a different angle than "Shake It Off", this was her showing what kind of person she'd have to be to live up to the image the media was painting her as.
It sounds like I disliked the song, but I actually did like it. It's just that she's shown that she can do better. The music never really grabbed me, and her stylized singing wasn't the right way to go. Still a good song, and it works well with other singers as well!
#6: "Shut Up and Dance" by Walk the Moon
Every year, there is one fluke rock hit from a band that just has a big break out. That is this song.
The song has a very nice alt-rock song. This song hits you hard with the guitar line, and never lets you down. Unlike a lot of songs that start off hard, but just plateau, this song does enough to keep that from happening, both through somewhat slower parts to mix it up and a really cool guitar solo. The vocals aren't bad, either. They aren't necessarily that strong, but the music is clearly the focus of the song, and the singer is good enough to not distract from the song.
This song is about as simple as it can get. Boy meets girl in the club, he tries to pick her up, she says the title.
This song has been played a lot. Any time a rock band gets a big hit, it gets a lot of play because hey, you need variety. But somehow, I have not gotten tired of this song. The vocals are decent, and the lyrics are cheesy fun, but the music is the strength of the song. This really is the kind of song that makes you want to say "shut up and dance with me", and I mean that in a good way. Music video's pretty dang funny, too. Oh, and the guy in the second video is someone I've been following on Youtube for a while named Caleb Hyles. He is awesome, and you should check him out.
Well, we're almost there. What songs were the biggest of the year? What songs managed to get even more attention than "Shut Up and Dance"? You can either wait to find out...or just scroll down a bit.
Previously: #15-11 [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/read/326.935772-2015-Billboard-Top-100-15-11]
Next: #5-1 [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/read/326.936372-2015-Billboard-Top-100-5-1]