Rolling Stone Magazine: Songs of the Year, 1949-2024

Rolling Stone: Songs of the Year, 1949-2024

These are the songs of each year as selected by Rolling Stone. The magazine was first published in 1967. By at least 1977, the magazine was selecting a “song of the year” annually. Prior to that, the songs of the year listed below were determined by the song with the highest ranking based on an aggregate of multiple best-of lists (see resources at bottom of page) over the years. You can also see the result of the aggregate as a list of Rolling Stone’s top 200 songs). Click here to see other genre-specific song lists. 2024: Chappell Roan “ Good Luck, Babe!” 2023: Eslabon Armado with Peso Pluma “Ella Baila Sola” 2022: Bad Bunny “Tití Me Preguntó” 2021: WizKid with Tems “Essence” 2020: Cardi B with Megan Thee Stallion “WAP” 2019: Billie Eilish “Bad Guy” 2018: Drake “In My Feelings” 2017: Harry Styles “Sign of the Times” 2016: Beyoncé “Formation” 2015: The Weeknd “Can’t Feel My Face” 2014: Beyoncé with Jay-Z “Drunk in Love” 2013: Daft Punk with Pharrell Williams “Get Lucky” 2012: Alabama Shakes “Hold On” 2011: Adele “Rolling in the Deep” 2010: Kanye West with Pusha T “Runaway” 2009: U2 “Moment of Surrender” 2008: Beyoncé “Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)” 2007: Jay-Z “Roc Boys (And the Winner Is)” 2006: Gnarls Barkley “Crazy” 2005: Arctic Monkeys “I Bet You Look Good on the Dancefloor” 2004: Jay-Z “99 Problems” 2003: OutKast “Hey Ya!” 2002: Missy “Misdemeanor” Elliott “Work It” 2001: Missy “Misdemeanor” Elliott “Get Ur Freak On” 2000: Madonna “Music” 1999: TLC “No Scrubs” 1998: Lauryn Hill “Doo Wop (That Thing)” 1997: The Verve “Bitter Sweet Symphony” 1996: Smashing Pumpkins “1979” 1995: Coolio with L.V. “Gangsta’s Paradise” 1994: Beck “Loser” 1993: Soul Asylum “Runaway Train” 1992: Arrested Development “Tennessee” 1991: R.E.M. “Losing My Religion” 1990: Sinéad O’Connor “Nothing Compares 2 U” 1989: Public Enemy “Fight the Power” 1988: Tracy Chapman “Fast Car” 1987: Bruce Springsteen “Tunnel of Love” 1986: Prince “Kiss” 1985: Artists United Against Apartheid “Sun City” 1984: Tina Turner “What’s Love Got to Do with It?” 1983: The Police “Every Breath You Take” 1982: Grandmaster Flash & the Furious Five “The Message” 1981: The Rolling Stones “Start Me Up” 1980: Joy Division “Love Will Tear Us Apart” 1979: The Rolling Stones “Miss You” 1978: Bee Gees “Stayin’ Alive” 1977: Bob Seger & the Silver Bullet Band “Night Moves” 1976: Eagles “Hotel California” 1975: Bruce Springsteen “Born to Run” 1974: Joni Mitchell “Help Me” 1973: Marvin Gaye “Let’s Get It On” 1972: Stevie Wonder “Superstition” 1971: Marvin Gaye “What’s Going On” 1970: Elton John “Your Song” 1969: The Jackson 5 “I Want You Back” 1968: The Beatles “Hey Jude” 1967: Aretha Franklin “Respect” 1966: The Beach Boys “Good Vibrations” 1965: The Miracles “The Tracks of My Tears” 1964: Sam Cooke “A Change Is Gonna Come” 1963: The Beatles “I Want to Hold Your Hand” 1962: The Drifters “Up on the Roof” 1961: Ben E. King “Stand by Me” 1960: Ray Charles “Georgia on My Mind” 1959: Ray Charles “What’d I Say” 1958: Chuck Berry “Johnny B. Goode” 1957: Buddy Holly & the Crickets “That’ll Be the Day” 1956: Elvis Presley “Heartbreak Hotel” 1955: Muddy Waters “Mannish Boy” 1954: Elvis Presley “That’s All Right, Mama” 1953: Hank Williams “Your Cheatin’ Heart” 1952: Lloyd Price “Lawdy Miss Clawdy” 1951: Jackie Brenston & His Delta Cats “Rocket 88” 1950: Muddy Waters “Rollin’ Stone” 1949: Hank Williams “I’m So Lonesome I Could Cry” Resources and Related Links: Dave’s Music Database: “Lists from other publications and/or organizations” Dave’s Music Database (9/16/2021). “Rolling Stone Magazine’s Top 200 Songs” RockListMusic.co.uk: “Rolling Stone Album of the Year and End of Year Critic Lists” (includes song of the year for 1978 to 2020) Rolling Stone (Sept. 2021). “500 Greatest Songs of All Time” Rolling Stone (July 2018, print issue). “Greatest Songs of the Century So Far.” Page 92. Rolling Stone (5/7/2013). “Top 500: Critics and Reader Polls, 1967-2012.” Compiled by Steve Sullivan. Rolling Stone (April 2010). “500 Greatest Songs of All Time” Rolling Stone “Songs of the Decade (2000-2009)” Rolling Stone (Dec. 2004). “The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.” Rolling Stone and MTV (12/7/00). “100 Greatest Pop Songs” Rolling Stone (Aug. 1997). “The Best Records of 5 Decades” Rolling Stone (9/8/1988, print issue #534). “The 100 Best Singles of the Last 25 Years.” First posted 4/15/2019; last updated 1/3/2025.

The Top 50 Songs of 2015

Dave’s Music Database: Top 50 Songs of 2015

These are the top 50 songs of the year based on their overall performance in Dave’s Music Database, which is determined by combining chart data, sales figures, streaming, video views, and aggregates from year-end lists. Check out “Top Songs and Albums of the Year” lists here. DMDB Top 1%: Adele “Hello” Wiz Khalifa with Charlie Puth “See You Again” The Weeknd “Can’t Feel My Face” Justin Bieber “Love Yourself” Justin Bieber “Sorry” The Weeknd “The Hills” Drake “Hotline Bling” Justin Bieber “What Do You Mean?” Lukas Graham “7 Years” Twenty One Pilots “Stressed Out” Silentó “Watch Me (Whip/Nae Nae)” DMDB Top 2%: Major Lazer with DJ Snake & MØ “Lean On” Ellie Goulding “Love Me Like You Do” Shawn Mendes “Stitches” Desiigner “Panda” Thomas Rhett “Die a Happy Man” Twenty One Pilots “Ride” DMDB Top 5%: Mike Posner “I Took a Pill in Ibiza” Disturbed “The Sound of Silence” X Ambassadors “Renegades” Jason Derulo “Want to Want Me” Little Big Town “Girl Crush” Rihanna with Kanye West & Paul McCartney “Four Five Seconds” Alan Walker “Faded” Coldplay with Beyoncé “Hymn for the Weekend” Chris Stapleton “Tennessee Whiskey” Rachel Platten “Fight Song” DNCE “Cake by the Ocean” Alessia Cara “Scars to Your Beautiful” Flo Rida “My House” Alessia Cara “Here” David Bowie “Lazarus” Adele “Send My Love to Your New Lover” The Chainsmokers with Rozes “Roses” Skrillex with Diplo & Justin Bieber “Where Are Ü Now” Kendrick Lamar “Alright” Coldplay “Adventure of a Lifetime” Calvin Harris & Disciples “How Deep Is Your Love” Beck “Dreams” G-Eazy with Bebe Rexha “Me, Myself & I” Charlie Puth & Meghan Trainor “Marvin Gaye” Selena Gomez with A$AP Rocky “Good for You” Mumford & Sons “Believe” David Bowie “Blackstar” Adele “When We Were Young” Andy Grammar “Honey I’m Good” Meghan Trainor & John Legend “Like I’m Gonna Lose You” Post Malone “White Iverson” Kendrick Lamar “King Kunta” Sam Hunt “Take Your Time” Resources/Related Links: Dave’s Music Database: Top Songs and Albums by Year lists Dave’s Music Database: Songs of the Year lists First posted 12/26/2021; last updated 1/17/2023.

The Weeknd hit #1 with “Can’t Feel My Face”

Can’t Feel My Face The Weeknd

Writer(s): Ali Payami, Savan Kotecha, Max Martin, Abel Tesfaye, Peter Svensson (see lyrics here) Released: June 8, 2015 First Charted: June 14, 2015 Peak: 13 US, 14 RR, 17 BA, 13 DG, 13 AC, 2 A40, 111 RB, 3 UK, 11 CN, 2 AU, 21 DF (Click for codes to charts.) Sales (in millions): 10.0 US, 1.8 UK, 12.72world (includes US + UK) Airplay/Streaming (in millions): -- radio, 1350.0 video, 1509.26 streaming

Awards: Click on award for more details.

About the Song: There seems to be some controversy over what this song is actually about. The line “I can’t feel my face” is taken from the 2001 movie Blow; Bobcat Goldthwait’s character utters it after taking cocaine. SF This led to speculation that the song is about cocaine. The idea isn’t without merit, considering Canadian singer Abel Tesfaye, better known as The Weeknd, is “clearly out of sorts over something that he knows isn’t good for him, but he can’t resist.” SF Musically, the unpredictable nature of the song simulates the erratic feeling cocaine induces. SF The Weeknd himself seemed to confirm this when he marveled about winning an award at a kids show for a song about “a face-numbing off a bag of blow.” WK However, The Weeknd could just as easily be singing about “a passionate affair with a woman that he knows is no good for him, but is enjoying too much to stop.” SF He sings “she’ll always get the best of me, the worst is yet to come.” SF Rolling Stone magazine suggested that he is “cleverly disguising his obsession with drugs beneath a metaphor about a dangerously hot fling.” SF This was the first #1 song for The Weeknd and the twenty-first with Swedish songwriter/producer Max Martin in the credits. However, his previous efforts had all been by groups or solo female artists. This was his first by a male solo artist. SF The song also reached #1 in Denmark, Ireland, New Zealand, and South Africa and went top 10 in Australia, the Netherlands, Norway, and the United Kingdom. WK Billboard magazine critics voted this the best song of 2015, saing “There are enough hooks in this one single for a dozen chart-toppers.” SF Rolling Stone also ranked it the song of the year, saying The Weeknd’s “showstopping vocal performance is what makes it an instant classic.” SF Spin magazine’s Brennan Carley called the song “a thoroughly definitive, all-in jam.” WK Pitchfork’s Renato Pagnani acknowledged the Michael Jackson-esque nature of the song, saying it “could have come from an alternate-dimension Thriller produced by New Age composer Vangelis instead of Quincy Jones.” WK The song was nominated for Grammys for Record of the Year and Best Pop Solo Performance. Resources: DMDB encyclopedia entry for Max Martin SF Songfacts WK Wikipedia Related Links: Last updated 7/22/2023.