Well, it's that time of year again. The holidays are near, schools are letting out for winter break, and Billboard has published its list of the top 100 hits of the year. So, once again, I will be reviewing the list song by song, and announcing my personal top and bottom 10 at the end, as well as an overall view of the year in terms of hit music. Good? Bad? Ugly? We shall see.
#100: "Perfect" by One Direction
I had a sense that there would be a 1D song on this list, but I'm surprised the only song of theirs to make the list just barely did.
The music opens with a light piano line, but that piano line is eventually overridden by a loud bass line in the verses. The chorus, meanwhile, has an overdone synth line that almost drowns out the vocals. Another thing that is fairly distracting is some sort of what I can only describe as an Auto-tuned female shouting in the background at random intervals. The vocals in general are fine, with Harry Styles and Louis Tomlison taking alternating verses. They both sound fine, and add different sounds to their parts, but the overall effect is merely...decent.
The song's lyrics are about as cliched as you can get in a love song these days. Both singers talk about how they aren't perfect, and they have flaws. However, the chorus goes on to state that if the girl loves him (whichever one is up to you), and can deal with or look past the flaws, then he is perfect for her.
This song is a pretty big step back for One Direction. I liked their hits the last couple of years, but this is about as generic as you can get. I know it's a boy band, and I shouldn't judge the lyrics too harshly, but "If you ignore my flaws, then I'm perfect"? That's like me saying "If you ignore my inability to catch or run with a football, I'm an All-Star NFL player." They aren't addressing their flaws. They are brushing them off. There is a difference. Add in generic vocals and music, and you have a song that isn't unlikable, but doesn't add anything, either. Perfect, this is not.
#99: "See You Again" by Wiz Khalifa feat. Charlie Puth
This is a re-review, as it reached #3 on last year's chart.
The song opens with a piano line done by Charlie Puth. It's not exactly the most complex piano line, but it definitely is recognizable as being part of this song. Once Wiz Khalifa starts his rapping, a hip-hop drum line and bass synth is added in, before switching back to the piano line for Charlie Puth. It sounds somewhat schizophrenic, but the producer on this song does a good job of easing the way between piano and hip-hop production, making the transition feel much more natural.
Charlie Puth's vocals are somewhat weak, but that's not necessarily a bad thing, given the song's subject matter. It's a serious, sad song, and at times, Puth seems on the verge of tears. Wiz Khalifa, meanwhile, shows that he is quite a solid rapper sometimes, with good flow. That said, he does use a bit of Auto-tune, and he doesn't seem quite as connected with the subject matter as Puth.
This song, for those of you unaware, was written last year for The Fast and the Furious 7. However, it took on a life of its own (pun unintended) when Paul Walker died in the middle of filming. This song is, essentially, a farewell to both his character (on Khalifa's part) and actor (on Puth's part), with lyrics reminiscing on the past and the chorus saying that it's hard without him, but the singer will tell Walker all about it when he, well, see the title.
This song didn't quite work as much for me this year as it did last year, but it's not a bad song by any means. The production is tight, easing the transition between the piano hook and hip-hop beat quite well, and Puth's gentle voice and limited range actually help in this song. However, Wiz Khalifa seems a bit disconnected from the song, even with his actual talent showing through more than usual. I can still listen to it and enjoy it, but it's not a "go-to" song.
#98: "Tiimmy Turner" by Desiigner
Desiigner is a rapper from Brooklyn, New York. He first hit it big this year, after starting out five years ago on his music career at the age of 14 after being shot. This was not his big hit, however. That will come much later in this list.
The backing for Desiigner is a little odd for a rap song. The opening of the song is essentially that "Aaah" that you hear in the background of serious moments in action movies these days. Even when the hip-hop production proper kicks in, it is joined by a synth line, and sometimes piano. Desiigner himself has pretty good flow, and despite having a style of rapping that can be hard to understand due to the combination of slurring his vocals and being Auto-tuned heavily, he still does have parts that are understandable.
For those of you who weren't watching Nickelodeon in the 2000's, Timmy Turner is a character from the show The Fairly Oddparents. This song is basically "What would Timmy Turner be like if he was a gang member?" If you can actually understand the words, it actually paints a pretty dark portrait of wishing for revenge and getting any woman he wants, knowing his soul is damned the whole time.
I don't know if I really enjoyed listening to this song, but it does have something going for it that a lot of gangsta rap doesn't nowadays: conviction. Desiigner is clearly rapping about something close to him, something he grew up dealing with. The lyrics, if you can understand them, show that he knows just how dark the bad parts of the lifestyle are, and he does not glamorize the mindset of the gangster at all, saying that if he had his way, he'd destroy everyone he saw, and have any woman he wanted, just because he could. Desiigner's style isn't for everyone, but if you do like his style of rapping, and don't mind a dark song, this will suit you just fine. The title annoys me, but I'll write it off as it being Desiigner's first year of success establishing himself, and Desiigner only being 19 as of this writing.
#97: "Wicked" by Future
Future is also a rapper, from Atlanta this time. His style of rapping, using Auto-tune while rapping and singing, is one that is used by a lot of newer rappers, something Future himself has said isn't for everyone.
The intro is actually pretty solid, giving the song a boost of energy with the hook, something needed with Future's rapping style. The production is tight, and overall gives the song a more upbeat feel than usual for rap songs these days, while still maintaining a dark feel. Future's rap style, despite using Auto-tune heavily, is still quite understandable most of the time, and he has decent flow.
The lyrics to this song are somewhat confusing. Overall, Future seems to be portraying himself as a badass gangster, given the title and bragging nature of the song, but he doesn't really seem to be giving a coherent dialogue. Instead, you end up with quartets like "Now she going, now that ***** going/I purchase Avion and now she lit, huh/Wedding band rings on me lit, huh/Married to the game, I'm the shit, huh". It does somewhat get the message across, but it comes off as being more stream-of-consciousness from a drug user. Which, given his rapping style, may be intentional.
I didn't care much for this one. The rapping style is fine enough, and the backing track was very interesting and appreciated, but the lyrics were just too random for my liking. Even when I was able to piece together the image, what I got was the exact opposite of "Tiimmy Turner": a song bragging about how awesome the life is, and how he can get anything he wants.
#96: "Humble and Kind" by Tim McGraw
From rap to country. Which, nowadays, are pretty much the same thing with different music. Still, if anyone can stick to more traditional country material, it's Tim McGraw.
The music is quite standard for country. You have your acoustic guitar playing, your steel guitar adding to it, and that's pretty much what you get musically. That's not to say that the music is bad, but I'm not sure this song would stand out much among other country songs on a musical note. That is, until you get to the guitar solo, which is a surprising touch in this song, and one that works quite well. Tim McGraw, much like the music, sounds good, and has definitely aged well, but I'm not sure I could pick him out from a crowd. That said, he definitely sounds about 10 years younger than he actually is, which says a lot about how good he actually is.
This song is basically about what you'd think from the title. Tim McGraw is urging the listener to always stay humble and kind, lest they grow up bitter and upset. It's a bit of a generic message, to be sure.
I actually liked this song a fair bit. The music is mostly standard country, but that guitar solo raised it up several notches. Tim McGraw sounds good, and while his message is one that is generic, his earnest delivery of that message makes me much more willing to listen to it. He sounds like someone who is genuinely humble and kind, and is speaking from experience at how much it helps you to do so. If you don't like country, this won't change your mind, but if you can tolerate country, I'd give it a listen.
So far, not too bad. Two disappointing songs, and another song that wasn't quite as good as I remembered, but this early on, I've had worse.
Next: #95-91 [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/read/326.945308-2016-Billboard-Review-95-91]
#100: "Perfect" by One Direction
I had a sense that there would be a 1D song on this list, but I'm surprised the only song of theirs to make the list just barely did.
The music opens with a light piano line, but that piano line is eventually overridden by a loud bass line in the verses. The chorus, meanwhile, has an overdone synth line that almost drowns out the vocals. Another thing that is fairly distracting is some sort of what I can only describe as an Auto-tuned female shouting in the background at random intervals. The vocals in general are fine, with Harry Styles and Louis Tomlison taking alternating verses. They both sound fine, and add different sounds to their parts, but the overall effect is merely...decent.
The song's lyrics are about as cliched as you can get in a love song these days. Both singers talk about how they aren't perfect, and they have flaws. However, the chorus goes on to state that if the girl loves him (whichever one is up to you), and can deal with or look past the flaws, then he is perfect for her.
This song is a pretty big step back for One Direction. I liked their hits the last couple of years, but this is about as generic as you can get. I know it's a boy band, and I shouldn't judge the lyrics too harshly, but "If you ignore my flaws, then I'm perfect"? That's like me saying "If you ignore my inability to catch or run with a football, I'm an All-Star NFL player." They aren't addressing their flaws. They are brushing them off. There is a difference. Add in generic vocals and music, and you have a song that isn't unlikable, but doesn't add anything, either. Perfect, this is not.
#99: "See You Again" by Wiz Khalifa feat. Charlie Puth
This is a re-review, as it reached #3 on last year's chart.
The song opens with a piano line done by Charlie Puth. It's not exactly the most complex piano line, but it definitely is recognizable as being part of this song. Once Wiz Khalifa starts his rapping, a hip-hop drum line and bass synth is added in, before switching back to the piano line for Charlie Puth. It sounds somewhat schizophrenic, but the producer on this song does a good job of easing the way between piano and hip-hop production, making the transition feel much more natural.
Charlie Puth's vocals are somewhat weak, but that's not necessarily a bad thing, given the song's subject matter. It's a serious, sad song, and at times, Puth seems on the verge of tears. Wiz Khalifa, meanwhile, shows that he is quite a solid rapper sometimes, with good flow. That said, he does use a bit of Auto-tune, and he doesn't seem quite as connected with the subject matter as Puth.
This song, for those of you unaware, was written last year for The Fast and the Furious 7. However, it took on a life of its own (pun unintended) when Paul Walker died in the middle of filming. This song is, essentially, a farewell to both his character (on Khalifa's part) and actor (on Puth's part), with lyrics reminiscing on the past and the chorus saying that it's hard without him, but the singer will tell Walker all about it when he, well, see the title.
This song didn't quite work as much for me this year as it did last year, but it's not a bad song by any means. The production is tight, easing the transition between the piano hook and hip-hop beat quite well, and Puth's gentle voice and limited range actually help in this song. However, Wiz Khalifa seems a bit disconnected from the song, even with his actual talent showing through more than usual. I can still listen to it and enjoy it, but it's not a "go-to" song.
#98: "Tiimmy Turner" by Desiigner
Desiigner is a rapper from Brooklyn, New York. He first hit it big this year, after starting out five years ago on his music career at the age of 14 after being shot. This was not his big hit, however. That will come much later in this list.
The backing for Desiigner is a little odd for a rap song. The opening of the song is essentially that "Aaah" that you hear in the background of serious moments in action movies these days. Even when the hip-hop production proper kicks in, it is joined by a synth line, and sometimes piano. Desiigner himself has pretty good flow, and despite having a style of rapping that can be hard to understand due to the combination of slurring his vocals and being Auto-tuned heavily, he still does have parts that are understandable.
For those of you who weren't watching Nickelodeon in the 2000's, Timmy Turner is a character from the show The Fairly Oddparents. This song is basically "What would Timmy Turner be like if he was a gang member?" If you can actually understand the words, it actually paints a pretty dark portrait of wishing for revenge and getting any woman he wants, knowing his soul is damned the whole time.
I don't know if I really enjoyed listening to this song, but it does have something going for it that a lot of gangsta rap doesn't nowadays: conviction. Desiigner is clearly rapping about something close to him, something he grew up dealing with. The lyrics, if you can understand them, show that he knows just how dark the bad parts of the lifestyle are, and he does not glamorize the mindset of the gangster at all, saying that if he had his way, he'd destroy everyone he saw, and have any woman he wanted, just because he could. Desiigner's style isn't for everyone, but if you do like his style of rapping, and don't mind a dark song, this will suit you just fine. The title annoys me, but I'll write it off as it being Desiigner's first year of success establishing himself, and Desiigner only being 19 as of this writing.
#97: "Wicked" by Future
Future is also a rapper, from Atlanta this time. His style of rapping, using Auto-tune while rapping and singing, is one that is used by a lot of newer rappers, something Future himself has said isn't for everyone.
The intro is actually pretty solid, giving the song a boost of energy with the hook, something needed with Future's rapping style. The production is tight, and overall gives the song a more upbeat feel than usual for rap songs these days, while still maintaining a dark feel. Future's rap style, despite using Auto-tune heavily, is still quite understandable most of the time, and he has decent flow.
The lyrics to this song are somewhat confusing. Overall, Future seems to be portraying himself as a badass gangster, given the title and bragging nature of the song, but he doesn't really seem to be giving a coherent dialogue. Instead, you end up with quartets like "Now she going, now that ***** going/I purchase Avion and now she lit, huh/Wedding band rings on me lit, huh/Married to the game, I'm the shit, huh". It does somewhat get the message across, but it comes off as being more stream-of-consciousness from a drug user. Which, given his rapping style, may be intentional.
I didn't care much for this one. The rapping style is fine enough, and the backing track was very interesting and appreciated, but the lyrics were just too random for my liking. Even when I was able to piece together the image, what I got was the exact opposite of "Tiimmy Turner": a song bragging about how awesome the life is, and how he can get anything he wants.
#96: "Humble and Kind" by Tim McGraw
From rap to country. Which, nowadays, are pretty much the same thing with different music. Still, if anyone can stick to more traditional country material, it's Tim McGraw.
The music is quite standard for country. You have your acoustic guitar playing, your steel guitar adding to it, and that's pretty much what you get musically. That's not to say that the music is bad, but I'm not sure this song would stand out much among other country songs on a musical note. That is, until you get to the guitar solo, which is a surprising touch in this song, and one that works quite well. Tim McGraw, much like the music, sounds good, and has definitely aged well, but I'm not sure I could pick him out from a crowd. That said, he definitely sounds about 10 years younger than he actually is, which says a lot about how good he actually is.
This song is basically about what you'd think from the title. Tim McGraw is urging the listener to always stay humble and kind, lest they grow up bitter and upset. It's a bit of a generic message, to be sure.
I actually liked this song a fair bit. The music is mostly standard country, but that guitar solo raised it up several notches. Tim McGraw sounds good, and while his message is one that is generic, his earnest delivery of that message makes me much more willing to listen to it. He sounds like someone who is genuinely humble and kind, and is speaking from experience at how much it helps you to do so. If you don't like country, this won't change your mind, but if you can tolerate country, I'd give it a listen.
So far, not too bad. Two disappointing songs, and another song that wasn't quite as good as I remembered, but this early on, I've had worse.
Next: #95-91 [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/read/326.945308-2016-Billboard-Review-95-91]
