ASCAP: Songs of the Year (1914-2024)

ASCAP: Songs of the Year, 1914-2024

The American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP) formed in 1914. They are a membership association of more than 930,000 songwriters, composers and music publishers. In honor of their 100th birthday, they created a list of their top 100 songs as well as a list of the songs of the year from 1914 to 2013. This page includes all of the songs on that list as well as awards for Pop Song of the Year. I can’t find an official list of the latter, but have compiled those songs to receive the award from 2005 to 2023. FYI – ASCAP identifies the songs by the songwriters, not the performers, but I have identified the performer associated with the highest-ranked version of the song even if that version doesn’t correspond with the referenced year. Click here to see other lists from publications and/or organizations. ASCAP Award for Pop Song of the Year: 2024: Rema & Selena Gomez “Calm Down” 2023: The Kid Laroi with Justin Bieber “Stay” 2022: Dua Lipa with DaBaby “Levitating” 2021: Post Malone “Circles” 2020: Jonas Brothers “Sucker” 2019: Zedd “The Middle” 2018: Ed Sheeran “Shape of You” 2017: Justin Bieber “Love Yourself” 2016: Walk the Moon “Shut Up and Dance” 2015: John Legend “All of Me” 2014: Robin Thicke with T.I. & Pharrell Williams “Blurred Lines” 2013: Fun with Janelle Monáe “We Are Young” 2012: Adele “Someone Like You” 2011: Train “Hey, Soul Sister” 2010: Coldplay “Viva La Vida” 2009: Alicia Keys “No One” 2008: Fergie “Big Girls Don’t Cry (Personal)” 2007: Ne-Yo “So Sick” 2006: Mariah Carey “We Belong Together” 2005: OutKast “Hey Ya!” ASCAP Song of the Year (2014 List): 2013: Bruno Mars “Locked Out of Heaven” 2012: Rihanna with Calvin Harris “We Found Love” 2011: LMFAO with Lauren Bennett & GoonRock “Party Rock Anthem” 2010: Beyoncé “Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)” 2009: The Fray “You Found Me” 2008: Leona Lewis “Bleeding Love” 2007: Fergie “Big Girls Don’t Cry (Personal)” 2006: Sean Paul “Temperature” 2005: Green Day “Boulevard of Broken Dreams” 2004: Hoobastank “The Reason” 2003: Uncle Kracker with Dobie Gray “Drift Away” 2002: Puddle of Mudd “Blurry” 2001: Train “Drops of Jupiter (Tell Me)” 2000: Brian McKnight “Back at One” 1999: Sixpence None the Richer “Kiss Me” 1998: Backstreet Boys “As Long As You Love Me” 1997: The Wallflowers “One Headlight” 1996: Celine Dion “Because You Loved Me” 1995: Martin Page “In the House of Stone and Light” 1994: All-4-One / John Michael Montgomery “I Swear” 1993: UB40 “Can’t Help Falling in Love” 1992: Genesis “Hold on My Heart” 1991: Amy Grant “Baby Baby” 1990: Alannah Myles “Black Velvet” 1989: Bette Midler “Wind Beneath My Wings” 1988: George Michael “Father Figure” 1987: U2 “I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For” 1986: Berlin “Take My Breath Away” 1985: John Cougar Mellencamp “Small Town” 1984: George Michael “Careless Whisper” 1983: Eurythmics “Sweet Dreams Are Made of This” 1982: John Cougar Mellencamp “Jack and Diane” 1981: Phil Collins “In the Air Tonight” 1980: REO Speedwagon “Keep on Loving You” 1979: The Doobie Brothers “What a Fool Believes” 1978: Billy Joel “My Life” 1977: Eagles “Hotel California” 1976: The Four Seasons “December 1963 (Oh What a Night)” 1975: Peter Frampton “Baby I Love Your Way” 1974: Lynyrd Skynyrd “Sweet Home Alabama” 1973: Brooks & Dunn “My Maria” 1972: Eagles “Take It Easy” 1971: Rod Stewart “Maggie May” 1970: The Jackson 5 “I’ll Be There” 1969: The Beatles “Come Together” 1968: Louis Armstrong “What a Wonderful World” 1967: Marvin Gaye & Tammi Terrell “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough” 1966: The Mamas & the Papas “California Dreamin’” 1965: The Beatles “Yesterday” 1964: The Temptations “My Girl” 1963: The Beatles “She Loves You” 1962: The Contours “Do You Love Me?” 1961: Elvis Presley “Can’t Help Falling in Love” 1960: Elvis Presley “It’s Now or Never” 1959: Percy Faith “Theme from A Summer Place” 1958: The Skyliners “Since I Don’t Have You” 1957: Buddy Holly & the Crickets “That’ll Be the Day” 1956: Johnny Mathis “Wonderful Wonderful” 1955: Doris Day “Whatever Will Be, Will Be (Que Sera Sera)” 1954: The Chordettes “Mr. Sandman” 1953: Bill Haley & the Comets “We’re Gonna Rock Around the Clock” 1952: Nat “King” Cole “When I Fall in Love” 1951: Natalie Cole with Nat “King” Cole “Unforgettable” 1950: Nat “King” Cole “Mona Lisa” 1949: Gene Autry & Pinafores “Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer” 1948: Lenny Welch “Since I Fell for You” 1947: Francis Craig Orchestra with Bob Lamm “Near You” 1946: Nat “King” Cole “Get Your Kicks on Route 66” 1945: Bobby Darin “Beyond the Sea” 1944: Bing Crosby with John Scott Trotter’s Orchestra & Williams Brothers Quartet “Swinging on a Star” 1943: Dick Haymes & the Song Spinners “You’ll Never Know” 1942: Glenn Miller Orchestra with Tex Beneke & Marion Hutton “I’ve Got a Gal in Kalamazoo” 1941: Glenn Miller with Tex Beneke & the Four Modernaires “Chattanooga Choo Choo” 1940: Glenn Miller “In the Mood” 1939: Glenn Miller “Moonlight Serenade” 1938: Judy Garland “Over the Rainbow” 1937: Shep Fields & Bob Goday “Thanks for the Memory” 1936: Benny Goodman Orchestra “Sing, Sing, Sing (With a Swing)” 1935: Patty S. Hill & Mildred J. Hill (songwriters) “Happy Birthday to You” 1934: The Flamingos “I Only Have Eyes for You” 1933: Duke Ellington “Sophisticated Lady” 1932: Fred Astaire with Leo Reisman’s Orchestra “Night and Day” 1931: Dooley Wilson “As Time Goes By” 1930: Wayne King with Ernie Birchill “Dream a Little Dream of Me” 1929: Eddie Cantor “Makin’ Whoopee” 1928: Bobby Darin “Mack the Knife” 1927: Artie Shaw “Stardust” 1926: Gene Austin “Bye Bye Blackbird” 1925: Ben Bernie Orchestra “Sweet Georgia Brown” 1924: Paul Whiteman with George Gershwin “Rhapsody in Blue” 1923: Isham Jones “Swingin’ Down the Lane” 1922: Paul Whiteman & His Orchestra “Three O’Clock in the Morning” 1921: Nora Bayes “Make Believe” 1920: Paul Whiteman Orchestra “Whispering” 1919: Marion Harris “After You’ve Gone” 1918: Charles Harrison “I’m Always Chasing Rainbows” 1917: American Quartet “Over There” 1916: Billy Murray “Pretty Baby” 1915: Olive Kline (as Alice Green) with Edward Hamilton “Hello Frisco!” 1914: Heidelberg Quintet “By the Beautiful Sea” Resources/Related Links: Dave’s Music Database: “Lists from other publications and/or organizations” ASCAP.com ASCAP.com (2/13/2014). “ASCAP Celebrates 100th Birthday with Top Songs Lists” First posted 5/18/2023; last updated 5/8/2024.

Rema “Calm Down” released

Calm Down Rema with Selena Gomez

Writer(s): Divine Ikubor, Andre Vibez, Michael Hunter (see lyrics here) Released: February 11, 2022; remix with Selena Gomez: August 25, 2022 First Charted: September 7, 2022 Peak: 3 BB, 110 BA, 14 RR, 7 AC, 12 A40, 3 UK, 19 CN, 11 AU (Click for codes to charts.) Sales (in millions): 5.0 US, 1.8 UK, 9.27 world (includes US + UK) Airplay/Streaming (in millions): -- radio, 1802.08 video, 2120.92 streaming

Awards: Click on award for more details.

About the Song: Afrobeat singer/songwriter and rapper Divine Ikubor (stage name Rema) was born in 2000 in Nigeria. He first gained recognition in 2019 with the song “Dumebi.” He signed a deal with the record label Jonzing World that same year. After two EPs, he released his first studio album, Rave & Roses, in 2022. After the lead single, “Calm Down,” was remixed with Selena Gomez, it became his first chart entry on the Billboard Hot 100, peaking at #3. It was her ninth top-ten hit. “Calm Down” is now regarded as the biggest Afrobeat song of all time. WK Rolling Stone said Rema “is the kind of singer who savors simple pop pleasures with a track that’s appropriately warm, bright, and captivating.” WK Rema said the song “is all about the events that led me to finding love at the time.” WK He said he met a girl dressed in yellow at a party. Her friends were being stuck up and Rema told the girl, “Yo, just calm down. Let’s have a chat.” SF He said they talked and danced but she wanted to stay with her friends. Nonetheless, the two stayed in touch and hit it off. On the remix with Selena Gomez, she assumed the perspective of Rema’s love interest. SF Vanguard writer Adegboyega Remmy Adeleye said that Gomez “complements Rema’s vibe perfectly, maintaining the same energy as the original release.” WK Rema said that while some artists have an egotistical attitude that anything they contribute would be “dope…she wanted to know if I resonated with whatever she did on it – and I did. I loved it.” SF Resources: DMDB encyclopedia entry for Rema DMDB encyclopedia entry for Selena Gomez SF Songfacts WK Wikipedia First posted 3/24/2024; last updated 10/16/2024.