Hello, fam! This is my very first review of the Hits 1 Year-End Countdown! Hits 1 counted down the songs based on the Wutchuwant Crew. What I’m going to do is review all the songs in detail and explain my thoughts on them. Here is the color code I’ll use and the number of points for each song I review:
- Red/Orange: Putrid (0 Points)
- Turquoise: Bad (1 Point)
- Yellow: Mediocre (2 Points)
- Pink: Decent (3 Points)
- Blue: Good (4 Points)
- Green/Purple: Great (5 Points)
There you have it. When I’m finished reviewing, I’ll be doing a breakdown of all 45 songs on the list. For those who are unfamiliar, I’ll be happy to explain it to you. Every week when I post the weekend countdown, I do a Top 20 Review at the end of each post. However, because this is a Year-End post, I’ll be grading all 45 songs. The maximum score will be 225, which is the denominator. The numerator will be what my final score is. For those of you who are unfamiliar with math and/or just simply not good at it, I’ll be happy to explain. The numerator is the number that is on top of a fraction, whereas the denominator is the number at the bottom. When all is said and done, I will convert it to 100 and then I’ll give you my final grade.
But before we get to this year’s fresh 45, let’s take a look back at last year’s Top 45. Again because this is the Year-End list, the color code is very different than what I use for the weekend countdown. If you need a reminder, here it is:
- Purple – Best Song
- Green – Great
- Blue – Good
- Pink – Decent
- Yellow – Mediocre
- Turquoise – Bad
- Red – Putrid
- Orange – Worst Song
With that in mind, here is last year’s Top 45:
45. Shawn Mendes – Stitches (#1, 3 Weeks in 2015)
44. Coldplay featuring Beyoncé – Hymn For The Weekend (#4)
43. The Chainsmokers featuring ROZES – Roses (#7)
42. Shawn Mendes featuring Camila Cabello – I Know What You Did Last Summer (#9)
41. Selena Gomez – Same Old Love (#3)
40. Ariana Grande – Into You (#5)
39. Justin Bieber – Love Yourself (#5)
38. James Bay – Let It Go (#5)
37. Taylor Swift – Out Of The Woods (#7)
36. 5 Seconds Of Summer – Girls Talk Boys (#10)
35. Troye Sivan – Youth (#4)
34. Charlie Puth – One Call Away (#1, 2 Weeks)
33. Demi Lovato – Confident (#1, 1 Week)
32. Rachel Platten – Stand By You (#2)
31. The Weeknd – In The Night (#5)
30. One Direction – Drag Me Down (#1, 1 Week in 2015)
29. Adele – Send My Love (To Your New Lover) (#1, 1 Week)
28. One Direction – History (#2)
27. Meghan Trainor – NØ (#3)
26. X Ambassadors – Unsteady (#6)
25. The Chainsmokers featuring Halsey – Closer (#1, 8 Weeks)
24. Lukas Graham – 7 Years (#5)
23. Justin Bieber – Sorry (#2)
22. Fifth Harmony – Work From Home (#5)
21. TWENTY ØNE PILØTS – Heathens (#1, 1 Week in 2016)
20. P!NK – Just Like Fire (#2)
19. Selena Gomez – Hands To Myself (#3)
18. Calvin Harris featuring Rihanna – This Is What You Came For (#4)
17. Fall Out Boy featuring Demi Lovato – Irresistible (#3)
16. Zayn Malik – Pillowtalk (#2)
15. Ariana Grande – Dangerous Woman (#5)
14. Mike Posner – I Took A Pill in Ibiza (#1, 2 Weeks)
13. Shawn Mendes – Treat You Better (#1, 2 Weeks)
12. Adele – Hello (#1, 12 Weeks)
11. Taylor Swift – New Romantics (#1, 2 Weeks)
10. Daya – Sit Still, Look Pretty (#2)
9. Panic! At The Disco – Victorious (#1, 1 Week)
8. Sia featuring Sean Paul – Cheap Thrills (#2)
7. The Chainsmokers featuring Daya – Don’t Let Me Down (#1, 3 Weeks)
6. One Direction – Perfect (#1, 2 Weeks)
5. TWENTY ØNE PILØTS – Ride (#2)
4. Flo Rida – My House (#1, 1 Week)
3. Justin Timberlake – Can’t Stop The Feeling (#1, 10 Weeks)
2. DNCE – Cake By The Ocean (#1, 4 Weeks)
1. TWENTY ØNE PILOTS – Stressed Out (#1, 5 Weeks)
Now obviously, 2016 wasn’t necessarily the best of years, as you can tell. You’re probably asking yourself, how was 2017 in terms of the songs that became big on Hits 1? Well, you’ll have to read and find out! Now, before we get to this year’s fresh 45, here are some of the popular songs that, despite being somewhat successful on Hits 1, that came close, but ultimately failed to make the final cut. Note that these songs that I’ll talk about will NOT count towards my rankings. Let’s get right into it.
Lady Gaga – Million Reasons (#8) [4; Good]
Late last year, Lady Gaga made a comeback with Perfect Illusion, which was not to anyone’s liking (well, except for a select few) and thus, became a flop. Million Reasons, on the other hand, was a different story. This song was much more likable among the blogging community, in large part because it’s more calming and listenable. It’s not something you hear from Lady Gaga, mainly because it is a slow piano ballad. I do like her vocals for the most part. This song caught a lot of steam after Lady Gaga performed at this year’s Super Bowl. However, that steam died off quickly after that and thus, it was unable to make the list. I was quite shocked by how it faded away so quickly.
Martin Garrix featuring Bebe Rexha – In The Name Of Love (#6) [5; Great]
This song had some success on Hits 1 despite its short tenure on the Weekend Countdown. I’m going to make it simple: this song is divine in almost every sense of the word. Bebe Rexha’s vocals are easily the best thing about it. Martin Garrix does a very good job overall as a DJ. Not much else I can say about that. Some bloggers can explain more about it in detail better than I could. But yeah, there’s a lot to like about this song.
Portugal. The Man – Feel It Still (#5) [5; Great]
This was a unexpected hit for a indie artist. At first, I thought it was a little underwhelming, but I’ve grown into it a lot with more listens. It’s definitely something different that what you hear on the radio. Although I wasn’t necessarily big on the vocals, I do like everything else about the song in general.
Halsey – Now Or Never (#9) [2; Mediocre]
2017 was a pretty good year for Halsey. After Closer became her biggest hit up-to-date, she decided to take advantage of her popularity and started releasing more solo music. Enter Now Or Never. I did kinda liked it at first, but I got sick of it pretty easily. The production is a little too underwhelming for my tastes, and Halsey doesn’t really shine much. It’s just not the upbeat song that I wanted from her. It’s certainly better than New America, which thankfully flopped, so I’ll give her that. Overall, it’s not a bad song, but this really isn’t the type of song I want to hear from Halsey. I know she can do better. It’s a good thing she followed up with Bad At Love, which I find to be superior off of her album hopeless fountain kingdom.
Clean Bandit featuring Sean Paul and Anne-Marie – Rockabye (#9) [5; Great]
If you’re a fan of Clean Bandit’s music, I’m sure you’ll think of them by remembering Rather Be, which was a huge favorite of mine back in 2014. Fast forward to 2017, and here they are managing to impress me again. Enter Rockabye, a song that talks about motherhood. There’s a lot to like about this song. Divine production, great vocals, and of course, the lyrical content, which is easily the best thing about it. I’m sure many music critics and bloggers will explain more about this song in detail better than I could. But yeah, I’m glad this managed to become another big hit for Clean Bandit. It didn’t make the Top 45 of 2017 on Hits 1, but it did well everywhere else. It’s too bad its successor, Symphony, didn’t take off.
Sia featuring Kendrick Lamar – The Greatest (#2) [4 – Good]
Who would’ve guessed that Hits 1 decided not to edit out Kendrick Lamar’s verse in this one? Who would’ve guessed that it would reach a peak of #2 on the Hits 1 Weekend Countdown? Virtually, no one saw that coming. I certainly didn’t either, but hey, I’m not complaining. I do like this song, even though it’s no Chandelier or Elastic Heart. Sia does have something to offer in terms of her vocals. I was surprised by the amount of success that it had on Hits 1, despite keeping Kendrick Lamar intact. Again, I have no complaints about this since he contributed to the song rather nicely.
Taylor Swift – Look What You Made Me Do (#5) [5; Great]
Ah, yes. The big return of Taylor Swift as a solo artist. This was one of the most polarizing singles of the year, and I’m sure many critics will have this in their bottom 10 songs of 2017. Unfortunately for them, I’m among the unpopular crowd who thinks otherwise. Sure, there’s virtually no melody and the lyrical content may be nonsense, but I love everything else about the song. The best part about it is this line, “I’m sorry, the old Taylor can’t come to the phone right now. Why? Oh, ’cause she’s dead.” That pulls me in. And then there’s the music video, which premiered at the 2017 MTV Video Music Awards. Too bad that it was never #1 on Hits 1, what with how much they love Taylor Swift. But it did managed to make history by tying Call Me Maybe for the highest debut ever on the Hits 1 Weekend Countdown. Still, I love this song, no matter what the music critics have to say.
Katy Perry featuring Skip Marley – Chained To The Rhythm (#6) [5; Great]
It had been a while since Katy Perry released some new music. She was just coming off of her surprise single Rise, which was used for the 2016 Olympics, but failed to take off. in part because many YouTube critics and the public were not very fond of that song. But even before the flop of Rise, the quality of her music had been in question by some music critics for some time. Her last album, Prism, was seen by some as a mixed bag, what with some of her singles (Roar, Dark Horse, This Is How We Do, etc.) not to many YouTube critics’ liking. As for myself, being a huge fan of Katy Perry, I pretty much enjoyed her last album for the most part, though I do agree that This Is How We Do was disappointing to say the least. Earlier this year she released this as her comeback single, and she brought along newcomer Skip Marley. My expectations were pretty high coming into the song. And when all was said and done, I was happy with how the collaboration turned out. Simply put, this song is AMAZING! I absolutely love the production here; it’s very top-notch. And as always, Katy Perry delivers with her awesome vocals. And it’s nice that we get a contribution from Skip Marley. His verses flow pretty well, too. This is definitely one of the best comeback singles we’ve had all year and I enjoyed it from start to finish. Too bad this wasn’t the #1 song I had hoped to be.
That’s all the extras that I think were worthy of making it, but again, it ultimately just didn’t happen. There are some more extras that I want to mention, but I won’t do so for the sake of not letting this post get too long. Now with all that out of the way, I am ready to start reviewing all the 45 songs on this special Year-End list for Hits 1. Let’s dive right in!
45. Linkin Park – One More Light (#5) [5; Great]
I was saddened to hear the news of Linkin Park’s very own Chester Bennington, who commited suicide back in July. As a result, Hits 1 decided to pick up this tribute single, titled One More Light. It’s a pretty sad song, but at the same time, I do like it for what it is. Chester’s vocals are good for the most part. I don’t have too much to say about it other than the fact that it’s just a tribute single to the late Chester Bennington. He’ll be sadly missed.
44. The Weeknd Featuring Daft Punk – I Feel It Coming (#10) [5; Great]
After the title track Starboy became another huge hit for The Weeknd, it was no surprise that he would follow-up with another one in its stead. I Feel It Coming is one of the more superior songs off of the title album. I do like how he sounds like Michael Jackson. And once again Daft Punk makes a great contribution with the production overall. Plus, we actually get to hear their backup vocals, which is cool. Although it didn’t quite have the same success like Starboy did in terms of how it fared on Hits 1, I was surprised to see it manage to scrape into the Top 45 Of 2017. But hey, I’m not complaining.
43. Panic! At The Disco – Death Of A Bachelor (#7) [4; Good]
As soon as Victorious became an unexpected hit on Hits 1 back in 2016, it was obvious that Hits 1 would soon fall in love with their music, meaning that another hit was inevitable. Death Of A Bachelor was one of the two songs they picked up. The production here is a little weird in a way, because it has the alien-like intro at the beginning of the song. But after that, there’s some good stuff to like about it, mainly Brendon Urie’s vocals. Not much else I can say beyond that.
42. Ariana Grande featuring Nicki Minaj – Side To Side (#10) [5; Great]
Ariana Grande’s success of her album Dangerous Woman carried on into 2017 when she decided to make Side To Side her next single late last year. It was another collaboration with Nicki Minaj that turned out well. While I do think Bang Bang is still better, I can’t deny that this is enjoyable by any means. The reggae vibe is really what caught my attention. It kinda reminds me of a song from the 90’s which I can’t remember at this point. I do love both of their verses from both Ariana and Nicki. I am looking forward to what more Ariana has to offer. Who knows? Maybe we’ll get more good singles like this.
41. Kesha – Praying (#5) [5; Great]
There’s no artist that has made a better comeback single in 2017 alone than Kesha. I’ve been in love with her ever since she made a breakthrough with Tik Tok back in late 2009. From this point forward, almost every single she’s released has wowed me. I felt really sad for her when she was going through tough times in recent years, what with her filing a lawsuit against Dr. Luke. When she announced this song, I had high hopes that Kesha would deliver, and…I was very impressed! Praying is a huge departure from her previous singles, which were more upbeat and fun. This song is different; it is a piano ballad that we’re not used to hearing from her. It starts out slow, and we get to hear Kesha’s raw vocals for the first time. But as the song progresses onto the second verse, that’s where the powerful chorus starts to kick in. It basically puts me to tears every time I hear it. I’m in LOVE with the production, especially when it comes to the piano work; plus, the strings are very well done, too. And yet, even with all that said, that is not even the best part. The best thing about this is easily the lyrical content, which is very well written. It talks about her needing to face her own demons and telling Dr. Luke that she hopes his soul is changing and all the other stuff. As soon as I finished listening to this song in its entirety, I knew this song would receive a lot of praise from every music critic and sure enough, I was spot on. This is easily the best thing Kesha has done and definitely the best comeback single of 2017. I’m glad Hits 1 managed to pick up a song of this caliber and treated it well, even though it only spent one week in the Top 5. The rest of her album, Rainbow, is absolutely divine in EVERY sense of the word. In fact, it’s basically EVERYTHING I LOVE about Kesha in general. I won’t get into reviewing that album right now. Maybe when I have the time, I’ll be able to do a review someday. If you haven’t listened to it yet, I HIGHLY suggest you check it out. I’ll just simply say this: welcome back, Kesha!
40. Luis Fonsi & Daddy Yankee featuring Justin Bieber – Despacito (#3) [5; Great]
Oh, boy. I am not going to be making friends with virtually anybody on this one, aren’t I? Because even after tying the record of One Sweet Day for most weeks on Billboard, I’m surprisingly still not sick of this song. There I said it. Anyway, many consider this to be one of the most overrated songs of the year, but I simply don’t care because I’m loved this song from the start. And I’m talking about both versions of this song with and without Justin Bieber. It’s a Latin-based song, and I do like how Justin can sing it in Spanish. I was also in love with the verses from Luis Fonsi and Daddy Yankee. I was a little surprised that this one wasn’t #1 on Hits 1, what with it spending an insane amount of weeks at #1 on many other charts. But then again, with Hits 1 sometimes underrating some of the biggest songs in North America, maybe I shouldn’t have been that surprised. Still, I’m glad that we managed to get a cross-over hit in the United States, though it was mostly due to the remix with Justin Bieber.
39. Maroon 5 featuring Future – Cold (#3) [0; Putrid]
Here, we have the first of two mediocre to bad singles released by Maroon 5. Now, I’ll admit Cold isn’t nearly as bad as Don’t Wanna Know and I found this to be more tolerable because it somewhat sounds like much of their previous work. But it’s still not good by any means, mainly because of the lyrical content. However, this song also features Future, who is one of the worst rappers by YouTube critics and bloggers alike. Even though Hits 1 did edit out Future’s verses, it doesn’t make the song any better for me. Although I’m happy this did not hit #1 like its predecessor, I was surprised that it only spent one week in the Top 5, only peaking at #3 because of how Hits 1 treated Maroon 5’s music in the past. Still, I can’t deny that it’s pretty bad all around.
38. AJR – Weak (#10) [0; Putrid]
This one I don’t really need to talk about. If you haven’t already, you can check out my post when I reviewed my bottom 10 songs of 2017. AJR has been the type of band that hasn’t made good music. This song does have some really cool lines (“No thank you”, e.g.), which was the reason why I liked it at first. But it wasn’t long until I was losing interest in it. However, once I really started to pay close attention to the song in general, that’s when I found it to be irredeemable. The lyrical content of this song is really stupid and it got annoying after hearing it so many times. And not helping is the chorus throughout the song, especially in the last verse, because it’s just unbearable. Honestly, I just wish AJR would stop right there and leave the music business for good. Unfortunately, that doesn’t appear to be the case, as its successor is currently on Hit-Bound. I won’t get into that right now. But this song and its successor, along with the rest of the album, The Click, was panned by YouTube critics, and for good reason. So yeah, there’s really no way for me to defend this anymore.
37. Bruno Mars – 24K Magic (#6) [5; Great]
Some people were too jaded by Uptown Funk being massively overplayed when this song came around. They much prefer his older singles, such as Just The Way You Are, Grenade, etc. But me, Scott, and Miles beg to differ. I call this Uptown Funk 2.0. This is one of many examples of just how to make a comeback in the music industry. Sure, the lyrics may be nonsense, but Bruno Mars definitely showcases his raw vocal talent and his rapping skills are basically top-notch. If only the mainstream rappers would at least take a page from his book. So yeah, I definitely fell in love with the comeback single from Bruno Mars. Too bad many here don’t really feel the same way.
36. Alessia Cara – Scars To Your Beautiful (#4) [5; Great]
Last year, Alessia Cara herself made a breakthrough with her debut single Here, which is my favorite song from her. I loved how she made a great first impression by making an anti-party anthem. She impressed me once more with two follow-up single. The first being Wild Things, which unfortunately ended up being a flop and it deserved better. Her second single after that is one which caught on to the audience that I’ll be talking about. Scars To Your Beautiful is basically a self-empowerment anthem that has a deep meaning to it. I love how she talks about being beautiful no matter your looks. This is something most people can relate to. I absolutely love the chorus and the build-up leading to it. It give me the chills every time (and in a good way). Looking back at it, I consider this to be my second favorite single from Alessia Cara. Whether we get more songs like this from her, I don’t know. But yeah, I’ll be rooting for her going forward.
35. P!NK – What About Us (#1, 1 Week) [5; Great]
It wasn’t long until P!NK would release some new music, a year after Just Like Fire became a hit. That one was a huge favorite among the blogging community, and mine as well. What About Us is another example of how much I love P!NK’s music. Sure, I thought it was only a good song from the start. But then I finally started to realize how great this song actually is. And no, I don’t just say it because of Adrian, either. Actually, yes I did. There, I said it. But the point is, I’m glad P!NK got another hit because this song is just amazing.
34. Adele – Water Under The Bridge (#5) [5; Great]
As Send My Love (To Your New Lover) died down, many were waiting for Adele to bring something else in its stead. And she decided to chose this upbeat single. For me, this is easily my favorite single off of the masterpiece that is of 25, and a fan favorite as well. This song has a lot more to it in terms of the production. Like all of her previous singles, Adele showcases her songwriting skills when looking at the lyrical content. Basically, what she’s telling her listeners is a story about a relationship with. her husband. The chorus in this song is amazing. I was happy with how Hits 1 treated this song, what with it peaking at #5 and thus, making Adele have another hit.
33. Jon Bellion – All Time Low (#5) [5; Great]
Nowadays, you don’t really hear artists like Jon Bellion on the radio that often, despite the fact that he can make good music. His single, All Time Low, was no exception. I didn’t have any expectations for the song in terms of how it would fare on Hits 1, but it actually did relatively well by climbing to a peak of #5. I’m glad this was a respectable hit for Jon Bellion, because it’s a good song overall. The production is pretty well done for the most part, and I like the chorus. That’s really all I’ve got to say about it. But yeah, I’m happy this caught on with the audience, and I’m sure Adrian is too.
32. Machine Gun Kelly featuring Camila Cabello – Bad Things (#2) [0; Putrid]
Unlike some of the other songs I was never fond of, this one I actually kinda liked from the start. But as time went on, I started to pay close attention to the song in general. Simply put, this was poorly executed. I thought their vocals sound good. But other than that, what else did this song had to offer? Virtually nothing if you ask me. I’m sure there’s many worse songs on the Year-End list, but I can’t deny that this one is undesirable in the long run.
31. Lady Gaga – The Cure (#6) [5; Great]
Although this song wasn’t a big hit elsewhere, it did have a nice tenure on Hits 1. The Cure is quite different than what we hear from Lady Gaga. She sings pretty well all throughout the song. The production is also great, but at the same time, it’s kinda weird in a good way. Like I said, it did spent a pretty long time on Hits 1 for a song that wasn’t big everywhere else, peaking at #6 and barely missing out on the Top 5. It’s a good song, and I like to hear more from Lady Gaga soon.
30. Imagine Dragons – Thunder (#1, 2 Weeks) [5; Great]
When it comes to the Imagine Dragons, they’ve had a great year overall, what with this and Believer both blowing up everywhere. I actually like Thunder a little more than I do with its predecessor. The part that grabs my attention, is the word “Thunder”, and some of the lines. In terms of success, it somehow managed to lead in sales, in part because the song was used in a commercial, hence why a potential #1 was inevitable. And sure enough, it did get there. I’m very happy with the amount of success it got in such a short time, whereas Believer took a while to get there.
29. Linkin Park featuring Kiiara – Heavy (#5) [5; Great]
This comeback single from Linkin Park came pretty unexpected. What made it even more unexpected was the fact that they collaborated with Kiiara, which made me kinda question the decision to tag her along. Why? Because Kiiara produced one of the worst songs of 2016, by the name of Gold, which was described by some as a mash-up of itself. But in this song, Heavy, she actually sounds good. She really showcases her vocal talent pretty well. As for the rest of the song itself, it’s a departure from their hard rock music. They went more of a soft rock, with no rapping from Mike Shinoda whatsoever. Only Chester and Kiiara take over the entire song. It’s a pretty sweet song that got some recognition on Hits 1.
28. Demi Lovato – Sorry Not Sorry (#1, 1 Week) [4; Good]
This one had some mixed opinions in the blogging community. Some liked her new style of work. Others weren’t too kind about it. Me personally, I guess you can say I do like it somewhat. But let’s be honest, though: this is no Cool For The Summer, Heart Attack or Give Your Heart A Break for the matter. But what I can say is that it doesn’t mean this song is bad per se. It’s basically a kiss-off to the haters, much like with Taylor Swift’s lead single Shake It Off from her album 1989. I do like the production in this one, even if the chorus can be a bit overdone, hence why some were either mixed on the song in general or didn’t like it from the start. Demi Lovato is a talented singer, but I know she’s capable of doing better. Still, I don’t really mind this song, even though it doesn’t quite live up to her best work thus far.
27. Ed Sheeran – Galway Girl (#1, 3 Weeks) [5; Great]
Despite this song not being popular everywhere else, it still managed to make it to Hits 1 because of their love for Ed Sheeran. Ever since this song, along with his entire album, Divide, was released, I had been enjoying it and I still do now. Galway Girl has the folk vibe that you just can’t resist. Some of the cool lines pull me in, such as “She played that fiddle in a Irish band”. There was little doubt that this was going to be #1. Why? Because, Hits 1 loves Ed Sheeran. It’s as simple as that. And I have no problem with it because I like this song.
26. TWENTY ØNE PILØTS – Heathens (#1, 2 Weeks) [5; Great]
This was one of the most polarizing singles from last year. There were those who loathed it, while some others were in love with it from the start. Me, I am among the latter. It has a dark vibe to it, and the vocals are a little weird, but the good kind of weird. But it’s really the lyrical content that I love most about the song. It basically talks about their fan base. I was surprised that it hit #1 a second time long after it did so back in October of last year. I don’t really mind seeing it there as a repeat.
25. Steve Aoki featuring Louis Tomlinson – Just Hold On (#5) [5; Great]
Last year, Louis Tomlinson’s mother passed away due to illness, in which she battled leukemia. As a result, he decided to make a tribute single for her. And he decided to collaborate with EDM artist Steve Aoki to take on that task. I do love Louis’s vocals all throughout the song, and Steve Aoki did a very nice job with the production. It’s an uplifting song that while it’s sad, it can be a fun listen at the same time. And because this is Hits 1 and they love One Direction, it was expected that it would have some success and sure enough, that was the case. I definitely look forward to what more Louis has to offer. It’s too bad Back To You failed to become a big hit. I’m hoping that his successor, Miss You, doesn’t follow the same path like Back To You did and instead become successful as Just Hold On.
24. Sam Hunt – Body Like A Back Road (#3) [0; Putrid]
As I’ve said before, there’s no doubt in my mind that this is pretty much one of every music critic’s least favorite songs of 2017. If you’ve read my review of my Bottom 10 songs of 2017, you’ve seen this as my #1 worst song of the year. But let’s just recap what I said. For me, this is basically the Me Too of 2017, and it’s not like Me Too where I liked it in a guilty pleasure then hated it; I hated this song from day one. I am just ashamed that North America would make this a bigger hit when it really didn’t deserve it. I recently watched Spectrum Pulse’s take on that song, and he couldn’t have been more accurate. As I’ve said when this song made its debut back in the summer, Body Like A Back Road is an embarrassment to the country genre. Horrible lyrical content, bad vocals, and weak production makes this song forgettable to say the least. Unfortunately, it’s not just the song itself; the quality of country music has been on the decline in recent years. Again, as I said before you had country artists such as Rascal Flatts, Shania Twain, and even Taylor Swift who actually made good country music back then. While they may not be as good as before, at least some of their music is still listenable. This song, however, is a much different story. To me, it is the perfect representation of just how bad the country genre is today in terms of quality. And let me remind you again that this spent a record-breaking 34 weeks on the Billboard Hot Country Songs Chart. Think about that for a second. Which would you rather have? Meghan Trainor’s music, or this giant piece of garbage that I’m talking about? Me personally, I’m going with the former because unlike most people here, I don’t find Meghan Trainor to be annoying at all. Sure, her music’s been a mixed bag for me, but I rather listen to it than this country song, if you can even call it that. That’s saying a whole lot. But for real, guys, let’s get back on the subject. As big as Body Like A Back Road was, this was thankfully never a Top 5 hit on the entire Billboard Hot 100, but the voters on Hits 1 did have the nerve to put at #3, which literally makes me nervous that it would hit #1, and luckily it didn’t happen. But honestly, I’m hoping next year we don’t get anymore horrible country songs like this.
23. Train – Play That Song (#10) [0; Putrid]
When it comes to adult contemporary music, most of the songs that made it to Hits 1 are decent at worst. But there were some songs that I never liked from the start. Play That Song is one of them. I’ll bet Rachel Platten is somewhere fuming over the fact that they let this song somehow became a hit and not Broken Glass. It’s sad that people still underrate her music. As far as Train goes, I can simply say that their music has been a mixed bag. Train is one of those adult contemporary bands where they can either disappoint (Hey Soul Sister) or impress (Drive By and 50 Ways To Say Goodbye). And unfortunately, the former appeared to be the case. Simply put, this song is stiff all around. As the title says, they want radio DJ’s to play that song. But for me, I have to change the station every time it comes on because this song is garbage. Unfortunately, Hits 1 seems to disagree, as it spent a very long time on this countdown for a song that wasn’t even a big hit. If Train continues to follow that path of making stiff songs like this, then I’ll just have to find another band that’ll never disappoint me.
22. Panic! At The Disco – L.A. Devotee (#7) [5; Great]
Ah, yes. Panic! At The Disco’s last stand. L.A. Devotee is more fast-paced than its predecessor. I fell in love with the rock elements used throughout the song. And once again, Brendon Urie doesn’t disappoint in terms of his vocals. He actually shines, especially when we get to the chorus. It’s good to see this song become successful on Hits 1 despite it not being big elsewhere, and the reason being was because Hits 1 apparently started to fall in love with Brendon Urie. That’s perfectly fine by me because I do like hearing from Panic! At The Disco and I’m hoping for more of the same.
21. Julia Michaels – Issues (#6) [2; Mediocre]
This song had some mixed to negative opinions among YouTube critics and the blogging community, and I can definitely see why. Julia’s vocals really aren’t all that good. I do like the meaning behind it, mainly because we all have issues in our lives and this is something we can relate. But overall, it’s just not an interesting song and it’s easily forgotten by me (and most people). One thing’s for sure though: I’d rather listen to it than the atrocious mess that is of Uh Huh. That’s saying a lot. I do find it funny that the Morning Mash-Up added some cuss words to the song like they did with some other songs. That said, I do think Julia Michaels is better off being a songwriter than just singing, at least as of right now.
20. ZAYN featuring Taylor Swift – I Don’t Wanna Live Forever (#3) [4; Good]
Ah, yes. Two of the biggest names in music collaborating with each other. If you ask me, this was quite an unexpected collaboration between these two artists. I did enjoy it when it was new, but it didn’t quite stick with me in the big picture as much as I wanted to. As I’ve said many times, Taylor Swift never lets me down. Both her’s and Zayn’s vocals blended together nicely, despite Zayn’s high falsetto. But the production overall is a little weak, hence why it not the best song thus far. Now, this would’ve been #1 in many charts were it not for Ed Sheeran making his return to music earlier in the year. Looking back at it, I think it turned out quite well, though it’s not quite as good as before.
19. Charlie Puth – Attention (#1, 1 Week) [4; Good]
Most people weren’t looking forward to hearing from Charlie Puth again, especially after they hated pretty much the entirety of his previous album, Nine Track Mind. I myself had pretty low expectations for him, also. But after listening to Attention for the first time, I found it to be an improvement over One Call Way and We Don’t Talk Anymore. In fact, people have found this to be much more likable than these two songs I just mentioned. It took a while to catch on to the public, but it did manage to get big and hit #1 both on Hits 1 and the American Top 40. While I don’t quite enjoy it as much as I used to, I still find this to be a rather solid track in the long run.
18. Fitz & The Tantrums – HandClap (#2) [5; Great]
I love how Hits 1 can pick up songs that make your hands clap (no pun intended). It may be loud, but it’s a lot of fun too. The lead singer, Michael Fitzpatrick, does have good vocals even though he is in his 40’s (47 to be exact). While it didn’t really take off elsewhere, it did hit #2 on the Hits 1 Weekend Countdown. It’s a fun song overall. I wonder what other fun stuff do they have in store.
17. Niall Horan – This Town (#2) [3; Decent]
Ah yes, Niall Horan’s first single as a solo artist. I did enjoy this one when it was new, but it didn’t quite stick with me in the long run. I appreciate Niall for producing an acoustic track like this. I think it definitely fits him overall. This Town is a sweet song. Because of Hits 1’s love of One Direction, this was in the Top 5. While it wasn’t necessarily the best he could do thus far, at least it was a pretty decent start for him.
16. James Arthur – Say You Won’t Let Go (#3) [3; Decent]
Some people hate this because it’s too slow for their tastes, but for me, I do kinda like what this song has to offer. James Arthur went for a more acoustic track much like Niall Horan did with This Town. Though I’ll admit, it’s lacking something that make Say You Won’t Let Go more interesting and likable. That’s not to say that this song is bad at all. I do kinda like it somewhat, but it’s just doesn’t have the stick factor in the big picture. I was quite surprised to see this song become a sleeper hit, peaking at #3 on Hits 1.
15. Shawn Mendes – Mercy (#2) [5; Great]
Although this song came around back in the fall of 2016, it didn’t become a big hit until the beginning of 2017. Right off the bat, this is a much better version of Treat You Better. The lyrical content is better than that of its predecessor, and Shawn makes better use of his instruments. Both the intro and the outro where he hums are amazing. I also love both the final chorus and the build-up leading to it. While some may find this song old now, I’m not one of them.
14. The Chainsmokers – Paris (#1, 1 Week) [5; Great]
There was no doubt in my mind that The Chainsmokers would come up with another hit following the massive success of Closer. But instead of doing another collaboration, they decided to release a solo song by the name of Paris. While not quite as good as its predecessor, everything about this song is still great by any means. Andrew Taggart has proven to be a pretty good singer overall, and the production is neat as well. Don’t forget that it has uncredited vocals from Emily Warren, which is nice.
13. Maroon 5 featuring Kendrick Lamar – Don’t Wanna Know (#1, 3 Weeks) [0; Putrid]
I pretty much explained everything about this song when I did My Bottom 10 Songs of 2017. But let me refresh your mind for a second. While I do like Maroon 5 in general, I can’t say the same for this song. The tropical house elements are okay, but the lyrical content is just bad all around. Not helping is the repeating of the word “know” throughout the song. The best thing I can say about this is the music video where they were dressed in Pokémon costumes, and that was cool. But overall, the rest of the song is just garbage. I’m sure Maroon 5 can do better.
12. Liam Payne featuring Quavo – Strip That Down (#1, 2 Weeks) [1; Bad]
Of all the One Direction members going solo, I would think Liam didn’t make a good first impression in his debut single. I questioned his decision to go rap/hip-hop from the start. At first listen, I thought Quavo was an unnecessary fit to the song since he didn’t contribute much in my opinion. Even though Hits 1 edited out Quavo, the rest of the song is just mediocre at best. And guess what? Ed Sheeran was one of the songwriters for this song. Let that sink in for a minute. One thing’s for sure, though: I’d much rather listen to it than many of the current rap music flooding the charts right now. *cough* Look At Me! *cough*. Now, I’ll probably enjoy most of the solo music from the other members of One Direction, but unfortunately this just isn’t one of them. Liam’s debut single is simply not good in my opinion. Sorry.
11. Kygo featuring Selena Gomez – It Ain’t Me (#4) [5; Great]
Don’t you love it when an EDM artist not very well-known to the audience make his/her presence known to the music business? Yeah, that’s pretty much what happened with Kygo when this song became a hit. Personally, I think what made him get a big hit in the United States was the fact that he decided to bring in Selena Gomez. To put it easily, this song talks about her relationship with a guy and that it wasn’t her. The guitars throughout the song are pretty good, and Selena’s voice shines throughout. I also enjoy the build-up leading to the amazing beat drop. Kygo did a very nice job with the song overall. If you haven’t listened to his latest album, Kids In Love, I HIGHLY recommend you check it out because it is amazing.
10. Bruno Mars – That’s What I Like (#1, 1 Week) [5; Great]
Again, I’m sure some people are still too jaded by Uptown Funk being overplayed, hence why they didn’t like this song or its predecessor off of 24K Magic. But again, me, Scott, and Miles beg to differ. Although That’s What I Like wasn’t my first choice to be his next single at the time the title track was starting to die down, I can’t deny the fact that this is still enjoyable by any means. Bruno definitely showcases his raw vocals skills, and like most of his songs off the album, it has the throwback vibe that many music critics have come to embrace. Despite it spending only one week at #1, I’m very pleased to see it this high up on the Year-End, mainly because of its longevity and the fact that it spent a lot of time in the Top 10. It’s good to see Bruno Mars getting not one, but two big hits in 2017.
9. Niall Horan – Slow Hands (#1, 3 Weeks) [4; Good]
“Slow hands, like sweat dripping down our dirty laundry.” Yeah, that catchy line pulls me in. But that’s not what makes a song. Slow Hands is a pretty enjoyable tune and I was in love with it from the start. It’s pretty different when compared to some of the acoustic songs Niall Horan has put out. I find this song to be better than This Town overall. I won’t say it’s as good as some of the other singles off of Flicker, but it’s pretty solid. Still, I’m looking forward to what more Niall Horan has to offer, much like I do with Harry Styles. If you haven’t listened to his latest album Flicker, I recommend you check it out.
8. Hailee Steinfeld & Grey featuring Zedd – Starving (#1, 4 Weeks) [1; Bad]
Hailee Steinfeld came into the music scene back in 2015 when she released Love Myself as her debut single and did a few other projects (Pitch Perfect). However, after her collaboration with DNCE in Rock Bottom failed to take off elsewhere, I didn’t have any expectations for her when she released Starving. But it somehow managed to become a sleeper hit worldwide, and even spent 4 weeks at #1 on the Hits 1 Weekend Countdown. While I did really like it at first, I eventually came to the realization that it’s not all that amazing. I’ve come to find the lyrical content isn’t really that good and the guitar is scratchy. It’s not hard for me to figure out why this song hasn’t received any kind words from YouTube critics, as well as some in the blogging community. As much as I absolutely love Hailee Steinfeld, both as an artist and an actress, this song is not her best work thus far. It just isn’t. Her otherwise excellent vocals simply cannot make up for some of the flaws that I’ve just mentioned. It’s a good thing she released a follow-up single with Let Me Go, which I find to be better than its predecessor.
7. Imagine Dragons – Believer (#1, 3 Weeks) [4; Good]
While some aren’t too fond of this one, I didn’t really mind this one bit, though I didn’t really fully loved it right away. Now right off the bat, it doesn’t quite live up to their best singles (On Top Of The World, Radioactive, etc.), but it does have some elements to it. Although I’m not as wild on the chorus, the production here is quite solid and some of the lyrics are pretty good here. I watched the music video for that song and there was fighting between two boxers. It was also used on a commercial for the Nintendo Switch, in which two players were playing against each other. That was pretty cool. Anyway, I don’t quite enjoy it as much as I used to, but it’s still solid overall.
6. The Chainsmokers featuring Coldplay – Something Just Like This (#1, 3 Weeks) [5; Great]
When this song came around, many were either already sick of or starting to get sick of The Chainsmokers. Some still think they’re either getting or already overrated, but I beg to differ. I have been enjoying their music ever since Roses was a big hit. This year, they had Paris, which was also enjoyable as well. When I heard that they would collaborate with Chris Martin of Coldplay, I was excited to see what they had in store. To say the least, I was in love. It basically a rehash of Roses, except this time you have Chris Martin’s vocals. I like how he makes references to super-heroes, such as Batman, Superman, and Spider-Man. Back in the day, I watch superhero cartoons all the time where they fight bad guys and save the world. Every day, I would imagine wanting to be a superhero and facing danger. That was cool. It’s too bad Andrew Taggart doesn’t show up with his vocals; he instead works on the production. Despite this, the song still manages to impress me from start to finish. Words cannot describe how amazing this song is. I’m glad this became Coldplay’s biggest hit thus far, even though they only needed to thank The Chainsmokers for their rising popularity.
5. Ed Sheeran – Castle On The Hill (#1, 3 Weeks) [5; Great]
We have the first of two comeback singles from Ed Sheeran! I do think this, along with Galway Girl, are the two best songs off of Divide. I was very impressed with the production overall, especially with the use of guitars. I love how he tells a story about what one has experience throughout their life. He talks about his friends doing different things. It’s definitely a sweet song with a little more to it in terms of the production and I’m glad to see it being ranked higher, because as I said before, Hits 1 loves Ed Sheeran.
4. Shawn Mendes – There’s Nothing Holdin’ Me Back (#1, 5 Weeks) [5; Great]
As Mercy was starting to die down, many have wondered what more Shawn Mendes had to offer, especially given that there weren’t many good single choices left off of Illuminate. So, he decided to release this song as part of an reissue to the album. At first listen, I thought it was pretty good. But it grew on me more with every listen. I was surprised by how quickly it rose to #1 within the first six weeks on the Hits 1 Weekend Countdown. This was much more likable among music critics, mainly because it’s an upbeat track with a Latin-based vibe to it and better lyrical content. When comparing this to his other singles (Treat You Better, Mercy, etc.) off of Illuminate, I personally think this one stands out as superior. I was very pleased to see it get bigger than I expected it to be.
3. The Chainsmokers featuring Halsey – Closer (#1, 8 Weeks in 2016) [5; Great]
I pretty much explained this song when I reviewed My Top 10 Songs of 2016. Let’s go back to where it all started. The Chainsmokers themselves were coming off of two big hits back in 2016 with Roses and Don’t Let Me Down. While its successor was still gaining steam at the time, this song kinda came out of nowhere and it basically became their biggest hit up-to-date. I do love hearing from Andrew Taggart himself, who sings for the first time in this song, and Halsey makes for a very good mix. I love how their vocals blend together. Once again, I’m glad this became a huge hit for both artists, even if some music critics disagree.
2. Zedd featuring Alessia Cara – Stay (#1, 4 Weeks) [4; Good]
Oh, look. More Alessia Cara, and another big hit for her. Now, I’ll say that I did enjoy this song and I kinda still do, even though I’m still quite sick of it right now. But looking back at it, I’ll still consider it a good song. The drop here is a little weird, but that doesn’t mean it’s bad per se, and Alessia does showcase her vocal talent. Adding the ticking clock to the song was pretty cool. So yeah, this was an enjoyable tune. Although I prefer Zedd’s other singles (Stay The Night, Clarity, Beautiful Now, etc.), that doesn’t mean I won’t support this song in the big picture.
1. Ed Sheeran – Shape Of You (#1, 9 Weeks) [5; Great]
Ah yes, Ed Sheeran’s big return to music to start the year. While it wasn’t quite an epic pop song, it was still fantastic to some degree. It has the tropical house elements that’s been trending in music last year, which is very different compared to some of the acoustic tracks we’ve been getting previously from him. This song does kinda sound like Cheap Thrills in a way, especially in the intro. Some of the funny lines pull me in. Most people think Ed Sheeran is overrated, but I don’t feel the same way. I have enjoyed his music all year long and this song is no exception. Thus, I have absolutely no problem with Shape Of You being the biggest hit of his career.
Phew! That was a lot of work. Now, as I said in the introduction, I will do a Top 45 Breakdown. It’s very different than a Top 20 Review, in which I normally grade the songs in the Top 20. But here, all be ranking all 45 songs. Let’s get on with it.
Top 45 Breakdown:
0 – Putrid:
45. Sam Hunt – Body Like A Back Road
44. AJR – Weak
43. Train – Play That Song
42. Maroon 5 – Don’t Wanna Know
41. Maroon 5 – Cold
40. Machine Gun Kelly featuring Camila Cabello – Bad Things
1 – Bad:
39. Liam Payne – Strip That Down
38. Hailee Steinfeld & Grey featuring Zedd – Starving
2 – Mediocre:
37. Julia Michaels – Issues
3 – Decent:
36. James Arthur – Say You Won’t Let Go
35. Niall Horan – This Town
4 – Good:
34. Panic! At The Disco – Death Of A Bachelor
33. Charlie Puth – Attention
32. Niall Horan – Slow Hands
31. Imagine Dragons – Believer
30. Zedd featuring Alessia Cara – Stay
29. ZAYN featuring Taylor Swift – I Don’t Wanna Live Forever
28. Demi Lovato – Sorry Not Sorry
5 – Great:
27. Linkin Park – One More Light
26. Linkin Park featuring Kiiara – Heavy
25. Steve Aoki featuring Louis Tomlinson – Just Hold On
24. Panic! At The Disco! – L.A. Devotee
23. Fitz & The Tantrums – HandClap
22. Imagine Dragons – Thunder
21. P!NK – What About Us
20. Ariana Grande featuring Nicki Minaj – Side To Side
19. The Chainsmokers – Paris
18. Adele – Water Under The Bridge
17. Jon Bellion – All Time Low
16. Shawn Mendes – Mercy
15. Ed Sheeran – Shape Of You
14. Lady Gaga – The Cure
13. Luis Fonsi & Daddy Yankee featuring Justin Bieber – Despacito
12. Ed Sheeran – Castle On The Hill
11. Kygo featuring Selena Gomez – It Ain’t Me
10. Ed Sheeran – Galway Girl
9. Alessia Cara – Scars To Your Beautiful
8. TWENTY ØNE PILØTS – Heathens
7. The Chainsmokers featuring Halsey – Closer
6. Bruno Mars – 24K Magic
5. The Weeknd featuring Daft Punk – I Feel It Coming
4. Bruno Mars – That’s What I Like
3. Shawn Mendes – There’s Nothing Holdin’ Me Back
2. The Chainsmokers featuring Coldplay – Something Just Like This
1. Kesha – Praying
Final Grade: 173/225 = 77% (C+)
Overall, this was pretty decent for the most part. We’ve had plenty of good/great songs that managed to hit big on Hits 1 this time around. Now I’m hoping next year will be better. I hope you all enjoyed and again, thank you guys for reading. Let me know in the comments about what you guys think! Have a safe holidays and Happy New Year!
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