For my 20,000 Pageview Special, I’ve decided to share of list of my Top 10 Songs of 2016. Now, 2016 wasn’t really the best year for music in general, in part due to a lot of mediocre music being released. Still, that doesn’t mean I can’t find a good song worthy of being in my Top 10. Let’s get right into it, shall we? But first, here are some of the few honorable mentions I want to talk about:

TWENTY ØNE PILØTS – Heathens
Taken from the Suicide Squad movie soundtrack, the blogging community had mixed opinions about this one. In fact, this was Graham’s most hated song of 2016. As for me, I beg to differ. This is a special kind of song for TWENTY ØNE PILØTS in general. In terms of the lyrical content, you can see that it talks about newcomers coming from different backgrounds. In fact, they wrote this song about their fan-base. This is another win for this band, and I wish we had more songs like this.

Adele – Send My Love (To Your New Lover)
I’ll admit, it’s not her best single off of 25. There were definitely some better single choices in the album than this one. Still, I can’t deny the fact that this is still good for what it is. Although the production may not seem like much, the rest of the song itself is a different story. Looking at the lyrical content, Adele shows that she is still a fantastic songwriter, and her vocals are still stellar, even when it’s not her best. Overall, she pleases my ears yet again with this one.

Lukas Graham – 7 Years
I’m going to ask you this one simple question: which would you rather listen to? A nonsensical rap song like Desiigner – Panda, or a boring song that tells a great story about a father & son relationship like this one? For me, I’m going to choose the latter. It’s sad that most people here in the blogging community don’t appreciate this just because they find it boring. I’ll admit, I wasn’t head over heels about this one at first, but I warmed up to it big time. Lukas Graham did a very nice job at making a good first impression as a band. Too bad this was their only hit in the states.

Coldplay featuring Beyoncé – Hymn For The Weekend
Adrian’s #1 song of 2016, and for a very good reason. This is an interesting collaboration that turned out well for both artists. The production is absolutely superb on all fronts. Both Chris Martin’s & Beyoncé’s vocals blend together very nicely. Actually, Beyoncé’s vocals are easily the best part about this song. I love how she opens the intro with the line, “Let me shoot across the sky”, along with the nature-like sounds in the background. Most radio stations played the SeeB remix at the time this became popular. While I do like the remix, it’s nothing compared to the original. I’m pretty pleased this became a hit for both artists.

Mike Posner – I Took A Pill In Ibiza
What? Were you guys expecting this to be in my Top 5 or something? Sorry to disappoint you, but I think differently. Anyway, this is probably one of my favorite comeback singles of 2016. It’s a huge step up from the bland and mediocre Cooler Than Me. He tells a story and he tells it really well. Mike Posner showcases his vocal talent with emotion, and the songwriting is amazing. The SeeB remix played on most radio stations made it even better than the original. Overall, this song is one of the few perfect examples of how to make a comeback in the music business.

Now, with all the honorable mentions out of the way, here is a list of my Top 10 Song of 2016 and my thoughts on the songs below. So, get ready:

10. P!NK – Just Like Fire
Taken from the Alice Through The Looking Glass movie soundtrack, this song was adored by the blogging community. They can explain it better than I can, but I’ll try to make it as simple as possible. While P!NK isn’t necessarily my go-to artist, at least she can make great music, and this is no exception. I absolutely love P!NK’s verses in this one, as well as both the chorus and the pre-chorus. Not too much else I can say about it, but I’m glad this became another huge hit for her, hitting the Top 10 on most charts in 2016.

9. Zara Larsson featuring MNEK – Never Forget You
Don’t you love it when a Swedish artist manages to get a hit in the states? That’s pretty much what happened with Zara Larsson when she released this song. It tells a story about being in a relationship in a way which one can never forget the other, even when he/she is alone. And I’m sure people can relate. I love how their vocals blend together. For both artists, they did really well at making a good first impression.

8. Demi Lovato – Confident
Ah, yes. The follow-up single to the amazing Cool For The Summer. The chorus in this one is just awesome, and I love how Demi can hit those high notes. As the title track says, there’s nothing wrong with being confident in yourself so long as you continue to do. The music video was pretty cool too, but I won’t get into it right now. While it doesn’t quite live up to its predecessor, this is still a keeper.

7. Adele – When We Were Young
It’s basically a lesser version of Hello, but I don’t care. This song is still amazing by any means. Many music critics called this one of the best songs of 2016. Unfortunately, the blogging community doesn’t feel the same way. I beg to differ. From her great vocals to the divine lyrical content, this is probably the best single off of 25. While I may still enjoy its predecessor, I may find this one to be even better.

6. TWENTY ØNE PILØTS – Stressed Out
After putting themselves on the radar with Tear In My Heart, the band decided to take advantage of that and release a follow-up late in 2015. I’ll make it simple: this is probably their best song they’ve released in my opinion. Although their vocals may not be necessarily the best, the biggest reason why I love this is the lyrical content, period. It tells a story about how when we were kids, we always played pretend, but today we’re always stressed out, as the song title says. It also has some cool lines, especially near the end of the bridge where they sing, “Used to dream of outer space, but now there laughing in my facing singing, ‘Wake up, you need to make money’, Yeah”. Tyler Joseph has proven to be a great songwriter. He shows that you can add cool lines and still come up with great lyrical content, unlike many artists who have tried and have failed mightily. *cough* AJR *cough*. Yeah, it’s definitely my favorite single off of Blurryface and I’m glad it was a huge success.

5. 5 Seconds Of Summer – Jet Black Heart
Come to think of it, there’s not really a whole lot to like about 5 Seconds Of Summer in general. They have some pretty good songs though (Hey Everybody!, Girls Talk Boys, Amnesia, etc.), so I’ll give them that. However, no song stands out to me more than Jet Black Heart. When this song came around, I was impressed. It talks about that special someone in our lives and that you still love them no matter what. This is song that not only is fun to listen to when going on a ride with friends, but it’s also something that people can relate to. It does have that classic rock vibe which we don’t really get to hear nowadays. That said, I wish this was a bigger hit elsewhere because this is fantastic.

4. The Chainsmokers featuring Halsey – Closer
If both Roses & Don’t Let Me Down were the start of chart success for The Chainsmokers, there was no doubt that they would end up having their biggest hit of their career at some point in time. And lo and behold, this is the one. This song nearly broke all kinds of records (both in streaming and on Billboard). What’s more interesting about it is the fact that we get to hear the vocals from Andrew Taggart himself. You don’t really hear those often in DJ collaborations. I love Halsey’s vocals as well. They blend together very well in this song. Plus, it helps that it has references to Blink-182. I do still enjoy this song so much, and I’m happy to see that this became their biggest hit of their career.

3. Ariana Grande – Into You
Ah, yes. The follow-up to the title track off of Dangerous Woman, and a epic one at that. For me, this is easily her best song she’s ever released by a landslide. I love how Ariana can try to be sultry and make it work, unlike some artists who are currently going that route nowadays. *cough* Selena Gomez *cough*. The production put together by producer Max Martin is near-flawless, and I absolutely love the lyrical content, especially when it has references to Mariah Carey’s 2008 single, Touch My Body. Speaking of which, I also love how Ariana channels her inner Mariah Carey in this one. Again, Ariana manages to impress me with her second single off of that album.

2. Ellie Goulding – Something In The Way You Move
Nowadays, it’s very rare to find an artist who continues to impress with each single they’ve released. Back in the day, artists such as Mariah Carey, Céline Dion, Britney Spears, Christina Aguilera, and Whitney Houston were many examples that come to mind. This decade, you have Lady Gaga, Katy Perry, Rihanna, and Taylor Swift who have managed to impress me many times (though each had a few hiccups along the way, which were not to my liking). However, to me, there’s no artist that never fails to disappoint me than Ellie Goulding. Ever since she went into the spotlight with Lights, every single she has released has wowed me to the point where she’s now one of my favorite artists of the decade. Something In The Way You Move is no different. For me, it’s my third favorite single from her (only behind Lights and Love Me Like You Do). I absolutely LOVE both the chorus and the pre-chorus. Her vocals absolutely shine bright like a diamond (no reference to Rihanna). Not only that, but Ellie Goulding has also proven herself to be one of the best songwriters around when looking at the lyrical content of this song. Even though this wasn’t a bigger hit like I wanted it to be, I’m still love it no matter what. Thank you, Ellie Goulding, for making yet another amazing song.

1. Rachel Platten – Stand By You
Okay. Now I’m quite sure many of you did not expect this to be my #1 song of 2016. I had thought long and hard about what should I put as my #1, and I’ve decided that this song was worthy of getting the top spot on my list. It’s the follow-up to the awesome Fight Song, which was (and still is) a huge favorite of mine 2015. Now, as much as I really love its predecessor, I actually find this one to be superior. In fact, this song is basically EVERYTHING I LOVE about Rachel Platten as an artist. The chorus is probably the best thing I’ve ever heard in a long time. Rachel’s vocals absolutely shine in this one. It is also a huge step up in terms of the lyrical content, which is better written than even that of Fight Song. Yet, as much as I really love this song on its own, that’s not even the best of it. The best thing about this song is the music video. It may not seem like much, but she just looks absolutely stunning, and I love how she dances with the choir in the music video. I was overjoyed to see this being another hit for Rachel, what with it reaching #2 on the Hits 1 weekend countdown. Overall, Rachel Platten has managed to impress me yet again, and I’m hoping she continues to make music just like this, because this is absolutely divine across the board.

And that’s that! Those are my Top 10 best songs of 2016! You can share your thoughts about it in the comments below. It took a while, but I finally made this list. Again, thank you all for reading my blog and making my page special!