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Tuesday, December 31, 2024

New Musical Express (NME): Songs of the Year, 1953-2024

New Musical Express (NME):

Songs of the Year, 1953-2024

New Musical Express (NME) is a British music magazine first published in 1952. The magazine was responsible for the first UK singles chart that same year and has gone on to publish multiple best-of lists (links at bottom of page) throughout its history. Based on those lists are the top songs of each year from 1952 to 2008. From 2009 on, the top songs are determined by year-end lists.

Check out other “songs of the year” lists here.

2024: Chappell Roan “Good Luck, Babe!”
2023: Lana Del Rey “A&W”
2022: Beyoncé “Cuff It”
2021: Olivia Rodrigo “Good 4 U”
2020: Cardi B & Megan Thee Stallion “WAP”
2019: Mura Masa with Slowthai “Deal Wiv It”
2018: Ariana Grande “No Tears Left to Cry”
2017: Lorde “Green Light”
2016: Rihanna with Drake “Work”
2015: Skepta “Shutdown”
2014: Future Islands “Seasons (Waiting on You)”
2013: Daft Punk with Pharrell Williams “Get Lucky”
2012: Palma Violets “Best of Friends”
2011: Lana Del Rey “Video Games”
2010: Foals “Spanish Sahara”
2009: Bat Lashes “Daniel”
2008: M.I.A. “Paper Planes”
2007: The Gossip “Standing in the Way of Control”
2006: Hot Chip “Over and Over”
2005: Arctic Monkeys “I Bet You Look Good on the Dancefloor”
2004: The Killers “Mr. Brightside”
2003: The White Stripes “Seven Nation Army”
2002: The Libertines “Time for Heroes”
2001: The Strokes “Last Nite”
2000: Eminem “The Real Slim Shady”
1999: Aphex Twin “Windowlicker”
1998: Beastie Boys “Intergalactic”
1997: The Verve “Bitter Sweet Symphony”
1996: Manic Street Preachers “A Design for Life”
1995: Pulp “Common People”
1994: Oasis “Live Forever”
1993: Rage Against the Machine “Killing in the Name”
1992: Radiohead “Creep”
1991: Nirvana “Smells Like Teen Spirit”
1990: Sinéad O’Connor “Nothing Compares 2 U”
1989: The Stone Roses “Fools Gold”
1988: The La’s “There She Goes”
1987: Sugarcubes “Birthday”
1986: The Smiths “There Is a Light That Never Goes Out”
1985: Kate Bush “Running Up That Hill (A Deal with God)”
1984: The Smiths “How Soon Is Now?”
1983: The Smiths “This Charming Man”
1982: This Mortal Coil “Song to the Siren”
1981: The Specials “Ghost Town”
1980: Joy Division “Love Will Tear Us Apart”
1979: The Clash “London Calling”
1978: The Undertones “Teenage Kicks”
1977: David Bowie “Heroes”
1976: Sex Pistols “Anarchy in the U.K.”
1975: Queen “Bohemian Rhapsody”
1974: Bob Marley & the Wailers “No Woman, No Cry”
1973: T-Rex “20th Century Boy”
1972: Lou Reed “Walk on the Wild Side”
1971: Marvin Gaye “What’s Going On”
1970: Derek & the Dominos “Layla”
1969: David Bowie “Space Oddity”
1968: The Rolling Stones “Jumpin’ Jack Flash”
1967: The Beatles “Strawberry Fields Forever”
1966: The Beach Boys “Good Vibrations”
1965: Bob Dylan “Like a Rolling Stone”
1964: The Kinks “You Really Got Me”
1963: The Ronettes “Be My Baby”
1962: Booker T. & the MG’s “Green Onions”
1961: Ben E. King “Stand by Me”
1960: The Shirelles “Will You Love Me Tomorrow”
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: Little Richard “Tutti Frutti”
1954: Bill Haley & His Comets “We’re Gonna Rock Around the Clock”
1953: The Orioles “Crying in the Chapel”

Resources/Related Links:

Dave’s Music Database: “‘Songs of the Year’ lists”
Readers’ All-Time Top 10 Singles (2/76)
Top 100 Singles All Time (1976)
Top 150 Singles All Time (2/28/87)
40 Records That Captured the Moment (songs and albums, 5/9/92)
100 Best Indie Singles Ever (7/25/92)
Top 100 Singles All Time (11/02)
Top Cover Versions of All TIme (5/05)
The Greatest Tracks of the Decade 1996-2006 (9/06)
The Greatest Indie Anthems Ever (5/5/07)
The 25 Greatest Alternative Love Songs (2/14/09)
Tracks of the Decade (2000-2009) (11/09)
Users Top 150 Tracks) (10/11)
30 Beautiful Song Lyrics (5/24/12)
Readers’ Best Tracks of the Last 60 Years (7/28/12)
Greatest No. 1 Singles in History (12/29/12)
100 Greatest Songs of NME’s Lifetime (2012)
500 Greatest Songs of All Time (2/8/14)
Tracks of the Decade (2010’s)…So Far (6/15)

First posted 4/12/2019; last updated 1/3/2025.

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.

Digital Dream Door: Songs of the Year (1920-2024)

Digital Dream Door:

Songs of the year, 1920-2024

Digital Dream Door offers multiple best-of music lists, including song-of-the-year lists from 1940 to present. Here are the best songs from each year:

Check out other “songs of the year” lists here.

2024: Kendrick Lamar “Not Like Us”
2023: Miley Cyrus “Flowers”
2022: Harry Styles “As It Was”
2021: Lil Nas X “Montero (Call Me by Your Name)”
2020: Cardi B & Megan Thee Stallion “WAP”
2019: Lil Nas X with Billy Ray Cyrus “Old Town Road”
2018: Lady Gaga with Bradley Cooper “Shallow”
2017: Ed Sheeran “Shape of You”
2016: The Weeknd with Daft Punk “Starboy”
2015: Adele “Hello”
2014: Mark Ronson with Bruno Mars “Uptown Funk!”
2013: Daft Punk with Pharrell Williams “Get Lucky”
2012: Psy “Gangnam Style”
2011: Gotye with Kimbra “Somebody That I Used to Know”
2010: Adele “Rolling in the Deep”
2009: Black Eyed Peas “I Gotta Feeling”
2008: Beyoncé “Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)”
2007: M.I.A. “Paper Planes”
2006: Gnarls Barkley “Crazy”
2005: Gorillaz with De La Soul “Feel Good Inc.”
2004: Franz Ferdinand “Take Me Out”
2003: OutKast “Hey Ya!”
2002: Eminem “Lose Yourself”
2001: The Strokes “Last Nite”
2000: Radiohead “Idioteque”
1999: Eminem “My Name Is…”
1998: Lauryn Hill “Doo Wop (That Thing)”
1997: The Verve “Bitter Sweet Symphony”
1996: Fugees “Killing Me Softly”
1995: Coolio with L.V. “Gangsta’s Paradise”
1994: TLC “Waterfalls”
1993: Beck “Loser”
1992: Dr. Dre with Snoop Doggy Dogg “Nuthin’ But a ‘G’ Thang”
1991: Nirvana “Smells Like Teen Spirit”
1990: Sinéad O’Connor “Nothing Compares 2 U”
1989: Public Enemy “Fight the Power”
1988: Tracy Chapman “Fast Car”
1987: Guns N’ Roses “Sweet Child O’ Mine”
1986: Run-D.M.C. with Aerosmith’s Steven Tyler & Joe Perry “Walk This Way”
1985: Dire Straits “Money for Nothing”
1984: Prince “When Doves Cry”
1983: The Police “Every Breath You Take”
1982: Michael Jackson “Billie Jean”
1981: Joan Jett & the Blackhearts “I Love Rock and Roll”
1980: Blondie “Call Me”
1979: Pink Floyd “Another Brick in the Wall Part II”
1978: Gloria Gaynor “I Will Survive”
1977: Bee Gees “Stayin’ Alive”
1976: Eagles “Hotel California”
1975: Bruce Springsteen…Born to Run
1974: Bob Marley & the Wailers “No Woman, No Cry”
1973: Lynyrd Skynyrd “Free Bird”
1972: Stevie Wonder “Superstition”
1971: Led Zeppelin “Stairway to Heaven”
1970: Derek & the Dominos “Layla”
1969: Led Zeppelin “Whole Lotta Love”
1968: Marvin Gaye “I Heard It Through the Grapevine”
1967: Aretha Franklin “Respect”
1966: The Beach Boys “Good Vibrations”
1965: The Rolling Stones “(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction”
1964: The Righteous Brothers “You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feelin’”
1963: The Kingsmen “Louie Louie”
1962: Booker T. & the MG’s “Green Onions”
1961: Ben E. King “Stand by Me”
1960: The Shirelles “Will You Love Me Tomorrow”
1959: Ray Charles “What’d I Say”
1958: Chuck Berry “Johnny B. Goode”
1957: Elvis Presley “Jailhouse Rock”
1956: Elvis Presley “Hound Dog”
1955: Little Richard “Tutti Frutti”
1954: Bill Haley & His Comets “We’re Gonna Rock Around the Clock”
1953: The Drifters “Money Honey”
1952: Lloyd Price “Lawdy Miss Clawdy”
1951: The Dominoes “Sixty Minute Man”
1950: Fats Domino “The Fat Man”
1949: Hank Williams “I’m So Lonesome I Could Cry”
1948: Wynonie Harris “Good Rockin’ Tonight”
1947: T-Bone Walker “Call It Stormy Monday”
1946: Nat “King” Cole “The Christmas Song (Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire)”
1945: Louis Jordan “Caldonia”
1944: The Mills Brothers “You Always Hurt the One You Love”
1943: Al Dexter & His Troopers “Pistol Packin’ Mama”
1942: Bing Crosby with the Ken Darby Singers & the John Scott Trotter Orchestra “White Christmas”
1941: Billie Holiday “God Bless the Child”
1940: Artie Shaw “Stardust”
1939: Glenn Miller “In the Mood”
1938: Benny Goodman “Sing, Sing, Sing (With a Swing)”
1937: Count Basie “One O’Clock Jump”
1936: Robert Johnson “Cross Road Blues (aka ‘Crossroads’)”
1935: Bing Crosby “Silent Night”
1934: Duke Ellington “Cocktails for Two”
1933: Ethel Waters “Stormy Weather (Keeps Rainin' All the Time)”
1932: Duke Ellington with Ivie Anderson “It Don’t Mean a Thing if It Ain’t Got That Swing”
1931: Cab Calloway “Minnie the Moocher (The Ho De Ho Song)”
1930: Paul Whiteman with Jack Fulton “Body and Soul”
1929: Fats Waller “Ain’t Misbehavin’”
1928: Louis Armstrong “West End Blues”
1927: Gene Austin “My Blue Heaven”
1926: Gene Austin “Bye Bye Blackbird”
1925: Vernon Dalhart “The Prisoner’s Song”
1924: Paul Whiteman with George Gershwin “Rhapsody in Blue”
1923: Bessie Smith “Down Hearted Blues”
1922: Fanny Brice “My Man (Mon Homme)”
1921: Paul Whiteman “My Mammy”
1920: Al Jolson “Swanee”

Resources/Related Links:

Dave’s Music Database: “‘Songs of the Year’ lists”
Digital Dream Door

First posted 4/6/2019; last updated 12/31/2025.

Thursday, December 31, 2020

Top 50 Songs of 2020

Dave’s Music Database:

Top 50 Songs of 2020

These are the top 50 songs of 2020 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%:

Glass Animals “Heat Waves”
Dua Lipa with DaBaby “Levitating”
DMDB Top 2%:
The Weeknd with Ariana Grande “Save Your Tears”
24K Goldn with Iann Dior “Mood”
Cardi B with Megan Thee Stallion “WAP”
BTS “Dynamite”
DaBaby with Roddy Ricch “Rockstar”
DMDB Top 5%:
Chris Brown with Young Thug “Go Crazy”
Jawsh 685 with Jason Derulo “Savage Love (Laxed – Siren Beat)”
Lady Gaga with Ariana Grande “Rain on Me”
Future with Drake “Life Is Good”
Ariana Grande “Positions”
Megan Thee Stallion with Beyoncé “Savage”
Justin Bieber with Quavo “Intentions”
Wizkid with Justin Bieber & Tems “Essence”
The Kid Laroi with Miley Cyrus “Without You”
Taylor Swift “Cardigan”
Tate McRae “You Broke Me First”
Billie Eilish “Therefore I Am”
Taylor Swift “Willow”
Ava Max “Kings & Queens”
Ariana Grande with Justin Bieber “Stuck with U”
Eminem with Juice Wrld “Godzilla”
Twenty One Pilots “Level of Concern”
Justin Bieber with Benny Blanco “Lonely”
Juice Wrld with Marshmello “Come & Go”
Gabby Barrett “The Good Ones”
Ariana Grande “34+35”
Dua Lipa “Break My Heart”
Luke Combs “Forever After All”
Drake “Toosie Slide”
AJR “Bang!”
DMDB Top 10%:
Justin Bieber “Yummy”
SZA “Good Days”
Pop Smoke “What You Know Bout Love”
Justin Bieber with Chance the Rapper “Holy”
Drake with Lil Durk “Laugh Now Cry Later”
The Scotts (Travis Scott & Kid Cudi) “The Scotts”
BTS “Life Goes On”
DJ Khaled with Drake “Popstar”
Powfu with beabadoobee “Death Bed (Coffee for Your Head)”
6ix9ine with Nicki Minaj “Trollz”
Lady Gaga “Stupid Love”
Giveon “Heartbreak Anniversary”
Internet Money with Don Toliver & Nav “Lemonade”
JP Saxe with Julia Michaels “If the World Was Ending”
Jonas Brothers “What a Man Gotta Do”
Beyoncé “Black Parade”
The Killers “Caution”
Chris Stapleton “Starting Over”

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.

Saturday, August 22, 2020

Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion debut at #1 with “WAP”

WAP

Cardi B & Megan Thee Stallion

Writer(s): Cardi B, Megan Pete, Austin Owens, James Foye III, Frank Rodriguez, Jorden Thorpe (see lyrics here)

Released: August 7, 2020

First Charted: August 22, 2020

Peak: 1⁴ BB, 1² DG, 1¹⁰ ST, 1¹⁰ RB, 1³ UK, 1⁴ CN, 1⁶ AU, 28 DF (Click for codes to charts.)

Sales (in millions): 8.0 US, 1.2 UK, 11.2 world (includes US + UK)

Airplay/Streaming (in millions): -- radio, 1097.67 video, 1369.63 streaming

Awards:

Click on award for more details.

About the Song:

Cardi B had already topped the Billboard Hot 100 with “Bodak Yellow (Money Moves” (2017), “I Like It” (2018), and “Up” (2020) when she paired with Megan Thee Stallion for her fourth #1. The latter was born Megan Jovan Ruth Pete in Texas in 1995. She had also been part of the rap game since 2017, experiencing her first big success with “Hot Girl Summer” (#11 BB, 2019). She had her first chart-topping success earlier in 2020 with a remix of “Savage” that paired her with Beyoncé.

Pairing these two American rappers together was a no-brainer. Not surprisingly, it was the first female collaboration to debut atop the Billboard Hot 100. The song was fueled by heavy bass and drum beats and a sample from 1993’s “Whores in This House” by DJ Frank Ski. Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion rap about “how they want to be pleased by men, specifically referencing numerous sexual practices” ^WK and “exchanging dirty talk about their lady parts.” ^SF

Some praised the song for “its sex-positive message and for empowering women.” ^WK Pitchfork’s Lakin Starling called it “a nasty-ass rap bop, bursting with the personality of two of rap’s most congenial household names.” ^WK The New York Times’ Jon Caramanica said it was “an event record that transcends the event itself.” ^WK NPR’s Taylor Crumpton said it was “an already iconic song about women sexuality.” ^WK

There were also conservative pundits who criticized the song for sexually explicit lyrics. The New York Times’ Ben Sisario said it “is almost certainly the most explicit song” ^SF to top the Hot 100. A clean radio version of the song made changes to the song, such as substituting the hook “wet-ass pussy” (the title is an acronym for “Wet-Ass Pussy”) with “wet and gushy.” ^WK Cardi B explained that the video used the censored version because “even YouTube was like ‘Hold on…that song might be too nasty.’” ^SF

Resources:

DMDB encyclopedia entry for Cardi B
DMDB encyclopedia entry for Megan Thee Stallion
^SF Songfacts
^WK Wikipedia

First posted 1/16/2024; last updated 10/13/2024.

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Tuesday, December 31, 2024