Hello, fam! So with 2019 coming to a close, it is now time for me to begin counting down some of my favorite songs of the year. The consensus around the blogging community is that 2019 was deemed to be the worst year for music. But I personally don’t see it that way. While it was not a good year by any means, it was far from the worst. But it did have Old Town Road breaking the record for the longest-running #1 song in the history of the Billboard Hot 100. I’m sure some people here in the blogging community would like to forget that. It didn’t help that many of the popular songs (regardless of quality) were overplayed and what not, hence why some here called 2019 the worst. And I often talk about how overplay should never be a primary factor when it comes to being a music critic. I’ll admit there were a few instances in which radio overplay affected my thoughts on the songs. However, there are other things that need to be taken into account as well. But I’m going to stop right there for now because I’m going off-topic. I also feel like it’s just not worth discussing anymore at this moment. Right now, I’m going to put all of that aside and just simply get to the matter at hand.

2019 was really not that different compared to previous years as far as the quality of music goes. You just saw me count down my Bottom 10 Songs of 2019 in my previous Year-End post. Now, I will count down my Top 50 favorite songs of the year. This is where I’ll share my positive reviews on these songs. There were some songs that I didn’t exactly like at first, but I eventually came around to them during the course of the year. There were others that I enjoyed right from the start and were able to stick with me for a long time. That’s what I’ll be talking about here as I thoroughly go through all of them. Now with that, I am ready to begin. But there are rules and eligibility requirements that each song has to go through in order to make the list. So, let’s talk about those first.

1) A song must spend at least one week on either countdown (Hits 1 Weekend Countdown, American Top 40, or both). This does not include the ones that made it exclusively to the Billboard Hot 100.

2) Any song from Hits 1 that was on Hit-Bound or YouTube 15, but never graduated to the Hits 1 Weekend Countdown is not eligible to be on the list. The only exception to the rule is if it had spent at least one week on the American Top 40, as I mentioned above.

3) Songs that debuted in late November or December on either countdown are not eligible to be on this list. The reason being is because I wanted to avoid ranking them prematurely as some of these songs may end up getting bigger in 2020. The only exceptions to the rule are if it had spent only one week on either countdown or if it had left before December. Otherwise, they will be saved for my 2020 rankings.

Those are the rules and eligibility requirements that I just mentioned. Because of those said rules, I want to mention several songs that were unable to make its debut in time and will be in consideration for my 2020 rankings. Here are the list of songs below:

• Arizona Zervas – Roxanne
• Harry Styles – Adore You
• Harry Styles – Lights Up
• Harry Styles – Watermelon Sugar
• Hot Chelle Rae – I Hate (Love) LA
• Sofi Tukker – Purple Hat
• Travis Scott – Highest In The Room

Don’t get me wrong. There are some of those I fell in love with instantly. But not all of them are going to appear in my rankings. There will be more music as 2020 goes along. We’ll just see how the whole year plays out. Now, I’ve put together my honorable mentions for 2019. Those were songs that I loved, but were not good enough to make my final Top 50. So, here are my honorable mentions:

• AJ Mitchell – All My Friends
• Ariana Grande – Thank U, Next
• Ava Max – So Am I
• Avril Lavigne featuring Nicki Minaj – Dumb Blonde
• Camila Cabello – Consequences
• Cardi B featuring Bruno Mars – Please Me
• David Guetta featuring Anne-Marie – Don’t Leave Me Alone
• DJ Khaled featuring SZA – Just Us
• Dominic Fike – 3 Nights
  
• Halsey – Graveyard
• Jonas Brothers – Only Human
• Jonas Brothers – Sucker
• Khalid – Better
• Lauren Jauregui – Expectations
• Lukas Graham – Love Someone
• Lizzo – Truth Hurts
• Mabel – Don’t Call Me Up
• Mark Ronson featuring Camila Cabello – Find U Again
• Marshmello featuring BΔSTILLE – Happier
• OneRepublic – Rescue Me
• Panic! At The Disco – Hey Look Ma, I Made It
• P!NK – Hustle
• P!NK – Walk Me Home
• PUBLIC – Make You Mine
• Taylor Swift featuring Brendon Urie – ME!
• Thomas Rhett – Look What God Gave Her
• TWENTY ØNE PILØTS – Chlorine
• Waterparks – Dream Boy
• Why Don’t We – 8 Letters
• Zara Larsson – Ruin My Life

There are quite a few songs that I enjoyed from the beginning. But I just didn’t have enough room to place them this year.  Oh well, what can you do? Now, the last thing I’m going to do is turn back the clock and review my Top 10 favorite songs for last year.

10. Dua Lipa – New Rules
9. Taylor Swift – Delicate
8. Bruno Mars featuring Cardi B – Finesse (Remix)
7. Ed Sheeran and Beyoncé – Perfect
6. Halsey – Bad At Love
5. Camila Cabello featuring Young Thug – Havana
4. Ariana Grande – No Tears Left To Cry
3. Hailee Steinfeld & Alesso featuring Florida Georgia Line and Watt – Let Me Go
2. Selena Gomez featuring Marshmello – Wolves
1. Zedd featuring Maren Morris and Grey – The Middle

Okay, so I’ve covered pretty much everything here. I am now ready to get started. But just a fair warning before I go. The songs you’re about to see on my list are 100% based on my opinion. They stood out to me the most this year, for entirely different reasons which will be stated below. Not everyone here is going to agree with my list, and that’s okay. We all have different opinions on these songs. Are you ready, everyone? Let’s go through my Top 50 favorite songs of 2019!

50. Loud Luxury featuring Brando – Body
Kicking things off is the EDM duo Loud Luxury with a song that was released in 2017 but caught on late in 2018 and early 2019. I didn’t exactly cared for this one at first. But it kinda grew on me over time.  I’m quite fond of Brando’s voice here.  The production work that Loud Luxury did was solid overall.  The build-up leading the drop is pretty good and I like the drop itself.  It has some kind of bass to it and I’m a sucker for those.  I find myself dancing to this at times.  I think these guys did a fine job here.

49. Rita Ora – Let You Love Me
I’m not familiar with the majority of what Rita Ora has to offer, in part because she has been irrelevant in the US.  She does have success on the charts overseas with some songs.  I fell in love with Let You Love Me right from the beginning.  I think the production is pretty solid and I like the vibe here.  Rita has a good voice and she uses it to her full potential here.  I love the chorus and the way she can hit those high notes.  In addition, I like the drop after the chorus.  Overall, I’m in love with this song.  It’s too bad Rita Ora isn’t getting the success she deserves, especially in the US.  But Let You Love Me is something I’ll revisit from time to time.

48. Little Mix featuring Nicki Minaj – Woman Like Me
It was 2015, and when I was driving to work one day, I came across Little Mix and their single Black Magic. I fell in love with that song and thus, it was what got me into liking Little Mix. It’s too bad that they didn’t really have much chart success after that. A couple years back, they did have Shout Out To My Ex and Touch, both songs which I thought were divine. Unfortunately, neither of them graduated from Hit-Bound. This year, they finally made it back to the Hits 1 Weekend Countdown with this song. And it took a collaboration with Nicki Minaj to be able to do that. Woman Like Me has that reggae production that pulls me in. These girls sound good here and I like Nicki’s verse. She showed me that she is still a good rapper for the most part. I find this song to be pretty divine and definitely something I can dance to. I do wish it had more success elsewhere, because I think Little Mix are a really good girl group.

47. Ariana Grande featuring Miley Cyrus and Lana Del Rey – Don’t Call Me Angel
Taken from the Charlie’s Angels movie soundtrack, we have an interesting collaboration between Ariana Grande, Miley Cyrus, and Lana Del Rey. Coming into the song, I haven’t been very kind as to what Ariana has had to offer this year. In my previous Year-End post, you saw me place 7 Rings as my #1 least favorite song of the year. But in spite of this, I still really like Ariana Grande. I had hopes that the song would turn out to be good. And after hearing this in its entirety, she really redeemed herself. I quite like the production here and the beat sounds good. I love the way it opens up because we get to hear Ariana’s amazing voice. She showed that she is still talented vocally. I like the chorus where she shines. In addition, the verses we get from Miley and Lana are solid. Actually, I can say that Lana’s verse is the best part about the song. The way she showcases her sultry voice just wows me. This interesting collaboration was just divine. It may not have been a success because by that time, people were getting tired of Ariana. But I can definitely picture myself coming back to this.

46. Dua Lipa – Swan Song
Taken from Alita: Battle Angel movie soundtrack, we have Dua Lipa landing a spot in My Best Of The Year list for the second consecutive year. In 2018, Dua Lipa became a big name following the success of New Rules. I fell in love with that song, as well as the majority of her debut album. Swan Song is another really good song that showcases her unique vocal abilities. I love the way she can hit those high notes. The beat is really good as well and the rest of the production is just amazing. Yeah, I’m in love with this even though it doesn’t quite live up to her previous singles.

45. Zedd featuring Katy Perry – 365
I know this is an unpopular opinion, but I actually liked what Zedd has had to offer in recent years (save for a few songs that I won’t mention). As a matter of fact, he was a part of My Top 50 Songs Of 2018 with both The Middle and Happy Now, the former which was my #1 favorite song of that year. This year, he gave us a collaboration with quite possibly one of my favorite artists of the decade: Katy Perry. Right off the bat, the song is pretty divine. Zedd put some effort into the production and I quite like the ticking clock, even though it is overused. Katy sounds pretty good as usual. She doesn’t particularly shine in the chorus, but she did a fine job with her vocal performance. It didn’t quite get as big as The Middle, mostly because it wasn’t used in TV commercials. But I do like the song overall.

44. Miley Cyrus – Mother’s Daughter
Two years ago, Miley Cyrus made her comeback in the form of Malibu. I didn’t totally love that song like some others do, thought that one was pretty decent. She was coming off her last album with Bangerz, which I was indifferent on overall. Despite this, I think Miley is talented. Mother’s Daughter is quite solid. I like the production in a way and the beat sounds pretty good. Miley put on a nice vocal performance here. I also like the lyrics here. She shows how great she is at songwriting. Overall, I’m in love with this. It’s the first song I legitimately loved from her since Wrecking Ball.

43. Meghan Trainor – All The Ways
Meghan Trainor is not an artist that people love. I’m sure that people remember her for her 2016 hit Me Too, which is among the most hated songs among YouTube critics. But let’s not get into that. I want to talk about some of her latest music. In 2018, she made her comeback with No Excuses, which I was a little indifferent on. A couple months after that, she gave us Let You Be Right, which I thought was an improvement. I ranked it as my #28 favorite song of 2018. Here she is again landing a spot in my Best Of The Year list much to the dismay of many here, with All The Ways. I think Meghan sounds good throughout the whole song. The chorus is pretty divine. The instrumentation is put to good use (especially the guitar) and I really like the beat. This is probably one of the best Meghan has had to offer and unlike With You and Wave, I can definitely see myself coming back to this song.

42. FLETCHER – Undrunk
Here, we have a newcomer who made a good first impression this year. It came around early in the year when it was trending on the YouTube 15. The song was pretty good at the first listen, but it grew on me quite a lot. I find FLETCHER to be a good singer. She showcases her vocal talent in this song and I quite like the lyrics. It tells a story about wanting to get out of a relationship with someone who breaks your heart. The songwriting and her singing showed me that FLETCHER has potential. But it’s the production and the beat that really pulls me in. In a way, it sort of reminds me of Rachel Platten – Fight Song. It did start to gain momentum early on and I thought it would be a sleeper hit. But that ended up not being the case, unfortunately. In spite of this, I think FLETCHER did an fine job with this track. I’m interested to see what else she has in store in the future.

41. Ciara – Thinkin’ Bout You
I didn’t envision Ciara making her return in 2019. But I’m kinda glad she did. Thinkin’ Bout You is a really good comeback for her after a while. I quite liked some of her music such as 1, 2 Step with Missy Elliot. That’s what introduced me to Ciara, I believe. When I first heard about her return, I had hopes that her single would meet my expectations and she didn’t disappoint. Sure, it may be repetitive at times. But I love pretty much everything about the song. I like the groove and the beat. Ciara sounds good with her voice and it shows she hasn’t lost a step. I don’t have much else to say beyond that. It’s an enjoyable song with a summery vibe.

40. Jennifer Lopez – Limitless
Taken from the Second Act movie soundtrack, we have Jennifer Lopez making an appearance on My Top 50 Songs Of 2019. We all know that Jennifer Lopez is an actress, and she’s been really good at it for a long time. But she is also a very good singer. I remember back when she first broke through the music scene with If You Had My Love back in 1999. That one was a huge favorite of mine. In fact, she has quite a lot of songs that I enjoyed, although she did give us Dinero last year which was not to my liking. But Limitless is a really good song. First off, I love her voice. The first verse is just amazing and I love how it transitions from the pre-chorus to the actual chorus, where she absolutely shines. The production and the beat are on point. I love how it opens up with the piano and from there, the rest of the production kicks in. The way she transitions from the bridge to the final chorus really pulls me in. What the song talks about is not giving up. I love the creativity in the lyrics. Even though it didn’t really take off, I’m glad she released it as a single.

39. Billie Eilish – When The Party’s Over
Here, we have Billie Eilish with the first of three songs appearing on my Best Of The Year list. Unlike some in the blogging community, I have been fond of what Billie has had to offer. She has a unique and mysterious voice that pulls me in. In a way, she reminds me of Lorde. I fell in love with the song since day one and nothing has changed. Although there’s not much to the song outside of the piano, Billie really puts her unique voice to her full potential. I like the humming in the chorus and her verses are good.  I’ve listened to her album When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go? and I enjoyed it.  When The Party’s Over is one of many highlights off the album.

38. Billie Eilish – Bury A Friend
Following that, we have Billie Eilish with her second straight appearance on my Best Of The Year list.  I think this was one of the songs that introduced me to her music.  I’ll simply say that I like the minimalistic beat and the dark vibe is pretty cool.  Billie puts her unique voice to her full potential.  It fits very well with the production and I like the part where the guy says her name after the chorus.  Yeah, this is another highlight off of Billie’s discography and I’m glad it was a success elsewhere.

37. Billie Eilish – Bad Guy
Oh, lookie here! We have Billie Eilish yet again, this time with her biggest hit in the form of Bad Guy. After falling in love with both Bury A Friend and When The Party’s Over, she decides to follow-up with this song. Like in her first two singles, she put her unique voice to good use. But what sets it apart from her previous two is the production itself. There’s a lot more to it. I like the groove here and the beat is catchy. I also like how it transitions into the trap beat in the end. She did release the remix of the song with Justin Bieber, which isn’t quite as good as the original. This became a #1 hit following the massive success of Old Town Road, which spent 19 record-breaking weeks at #1. I’m glad Billie got the recognition she deserves. I think she is talented and I’m sure her momentum will continue heading into 2020.

36. Khalid featuring Normani – Love Lies
I know this was a hit from 2018. But since it carried on into 2019, I kinda had to include it. This was taken from the Love, Simon movie soundtrack. The two artists who collaborated with each other in the song both have interesting paths of their own. Khalid was a name to watch in music in recent years. I first heard of him back when he debuted with Location. Believe it or not, I actually did not like it at first. But overtime, I came around to it. Normani was a member of Fifth Harmony over the years and I thought she was pretty good during her time. When these two got together to do this song, I was genuinely impressed with the way it turned out. I quite like the lyrical content here. It’s well-written and the depth is pretty solid. Both Khalid and Normani sound good here and they have very good chemistry together. I love the chorus and the R&B vibe is just great. I’m glad this was the song that helped get Khalid the recognition he needed. I’ll remember this as one of Khalid’s best songs.

35. Kygo featuring Whitney Houston – Higher Love
Kygo lands a spot on my Best Songs Of The Year list for the third year in a row, this time around he collaborates with the late Whitney Houston with a posthumous release in the form of Higher Love. I’ve been a fan of Kygo ever since he gave us It Ain’t Me back in 2017, which I ranked #4 in My Top 50 Songs Of 2017. I’m happy that it was the song that helped him get a huge hit that year. He did release some songs this year in the form of Think About You and Carry On. But neither of them graduated Hit-Bound. However, I’m glad Higher Love started to gain traction late in the year even though it deserved much better than what it ultimately got. He uses Whitney’s vocals from her cover of the song that was originally sung by Steven Winwood. Kygo’s production work in the song is just awesome. I really like his creativity here, and it’s show how good he is as an EDM artist. The chopped-up vocals from Whitney are divine. Everything works very well here and it’s nice to see an EDM artist of his caliber be able to create this amazing song.

34. Normani – Motivation
I originally planned on saving this for my Best Of The Year list for next year because I thought it was going to gain momentum heading into 2020. But that did not work out very well as it ended up flopping and thus, it caused me to have a slight change of plans. I consider Normani to be the best singer out of all the members of Fifth Harmony and this song is proof that she is indeed talented. First off, I just want to say that the music video for this song was pretty cool. It had that throwback feel.  At the first listen, I didn’t exactly cared for it. But it slowly started to get better with each and every additional listen.  The production here is pretty cool and I like the beat.  Normani put on a good performance vocally, which is further proof as to why she is indeed the best singer from the group.  I really like the lyrics about keeping somebody “motivated”, hence the song title.  Yeah, Normani did well with her first solo single.  I wish it was a bigger hit, but it just wasn’t meant to be.

33. TWENTY ØNE PILØTS – The Hype
Last year, music duo TWENTY ØNE PILØTS gave us their latest album in the form of Trench.  I was a huge fan of their lead single, Jumpsuit, which I ranked #17 on My Top 50 Songs Of 2018.  I enjoyed quite a lot of what the album has had to offer.  It was nice to have these guys back.  Sitting at #33 this year is The Hype, and boy did this song live up to it.  The instrumentation is pretty solid and I like the melody.  Tyler did well vocally with his performance.  I like the chorus and his verses.  The lyrics are well-written.  I like how he tells a story about going through a difficult time and making it through those tough times.  I’m sure we can all relate.  The Hype is one of many highlights off of the divine album that is of Trench.

32. Olly Murs featuring Snoop Dogg – Moves
The return of Olly Murs was something I didn’t quite envision in late 2018. I’m quite familiar with some of his music. In fact, He did have some songs that were trending on the YouTube 15, such as Unpredictable, which I thought was really good. Prior to that, he did have a huge hit in the form of Troublemaker, which I liked. This year, he gave us something groovy I could dance to. I really like the disco feel to the song. It reminds me of Bruno Mars’s singles such as Treasure. Olly has a smooth voice that meshes well with the disco vibe. I thought Snoop Dogg made a good contribution. It was a nice comeback for Olly Murs. It definitely deserved better.

31. Martin Garrix featuring Macklemore and Patrick Stump – Summer Days
It was a few years ago when I first listened to In The Name Of Love with Bebe Rexha and I thought to myself, “Wow, what an amazing song!” That was the song that really got me into Martin Garrix as an EDM artist. Fast forward to 2019, and he gave me something worth remembering during the summer. He had a little help with Macklemore and Patrick Stump (the former who was a part of my Best Songs of 2018 with Good Old Days, which I ranked at #11). Summer Days definitely lived up to my expectations of what a summer song should sound like. Patrick and Macklemore both did well with their verses and I like the chorus. But it’s really Martin that ultimately got me falling in love with the song. He shows his talent as an EDM producer with the solid groove, excellent guitar riff, and a cool drop. It’s a nice song that has a summer feel to it. I think Martin Garrix deserves more success that what he is getting ultimately.

30. Ed Sheeran featuring Khalid – Beautiful People
Following a triumphant year in 2017, Ed Sheeran looked to do it all over again in 2019 with the release of No. 6 Collaborations Project. I was a little indifferent towards the album. I Don’t Care was kinda meh and Cross Me was not very good. But it did have some good songs. One was BLOW, which had a rock vibe. The other is Beautiful People, which lands a spot on my Best Of The Year list. It tells a story about being yourself and not really caring for material things. This is something that we can all relate to. As for the rest of the song, the production is pretty solid and I love the beat here. Ed and Khalid both sound good and I like their verses. Sure, there may not be much chemistry. But their vocal performance, coupled with top-notch production work, makes this a fun listen for me. I’m glad it became a success as it hit #1 on the Hits 1 Weekend Countdown. It also did really well elsewhere and I’m happy about that. Ed gave me something that I enjoyed off of No. 6 Collaborations Project. Like I just mentioned, I’m pretty split on the album as a whole. But this is a great song overall. Hopefully, these guys team up again someday.

29. BTS featuring Halsey – Boy With Luv
I remember disliking this when it first dropped. But now, I’m looking back on it and thinking, “what was I thinking?” Granted, I’ve been pretty mixed on K-Pop as a whole and I didn’t really get what the hype was about. BTS has had some mediocre songs, such as Mic Drop, which was one of my least favorite songs of last year. But after hearing some of their music lately, I find that they are actually quite talented. Boy With Luv is one of those songs that showed me their potential. I quite like the production here and the beat is interesting. The chorus pulls me in. Although Halsey sings only a few lines, she was a nice addition. I know I didn’t think that way when it was new. But my opinions have drastically changed since it left the charts. Yeah, BTS finally managed to impress me with this song. I’m interested to see what else they give us.

28. Daddy Yankee featuring Katy Perry and Snow – Con Calma (Remix)
Daddy Yankee was a part of one of 2017’s biggest hits, Despacito, which tied for the most weeks at #1 at the time. Katy Perry has been a favorite of mine for much of the decade. Putting these two together was definitely a match made in heaven. It goes without saying that this isn’t quite as good as Daddy Yankee’s earlier singles. But it is still enjoyable nonetheless. I’ve always been a sucker for Latin-based music and this is no exception. The production just pulls me in. I like the cool vibe here and the beat drop sounds pretty good. I like the verses we get from all of these guys. I don’t have much else to say. It’s a solid song and I’m glad it had some minor success.

27. Zara Larsson – All The Time
I remember when Zara Larsson came out with Never Forget You back in 2016 and I thought to myself, “this is really good”. She made a good first impression with that song and I’m glad it was a hit in the US.  The next year, she did a collaboration with Clean Bandit in Symphony and it was absolutely amazing.  In 2019, she gave us a comeback in the form of Ruin My Life. Despite that song barely missing out on making the list, I genuinely liked that song for the most part. But All The Time is actually a step up from that.  First off, I really like the groove here and the production is just on point.  Zara sounds divine all throughout the song, especially in the chorus.  In addition, we get computerized backing vocals, which I thought was pretty cool.  Overall, I’m in love with this song.  This is just a gem.  Zara has impressed me yet again.

26. Lizzo – Juice
Sitting at #26 on my best list, we have Lizzo, who became a big name in the second half of 2019 following the success of Truth Hurts. I remember when this first dropped at the beginning of the year and I quite liked it. The song had slowly been getting better with each and every additional listen. Right off the bat, this is definitely a fun retro jam. I love the disco feel the song has. It reminds me a lot of the late 70’s and early 80’s disco songs that I listened to a lot back in the day. Lizzo is a good singer, as she showed me in most of her discography. She has the type of voice that fits well for a song like this with a throwback feel. It’s some good stuff! As much as I liked Truth Hurts and Good As Hell, I find this to be even superior.

25. Marshmello featuring CHVRCHES – Here With Me
Last year, Marshmello gave me a collaboration with Selena Gomez in the form of Wolves, which I ranked as my #2 favorite song of 2018. That song showed me that he was talented. But in his latest singles, such as Friends and One Thing Right, he doesn’t showcase his talent there. However, I did like Here With Me from the day it was released. If you’ve been following my blog since last year, you’ve probably seen me put Happier in red, mostly because I thought it was another low for him. But things have changed drastically since then, and believe it or not, I’ve actually grown into that song now. So, I do kinda have my regrets. I’ll explain why in another Year-End post. But right now, I want to talk about Here With Me. I’m not familiar of CHVRCHES when it comes to their discography. But I do think Lauren Mayberry is a good singer. I like her voice in this song. Marshmello did a nice job with the production overall. He was able to put forth the effort in that department, as opposed to some of his other singles where he got lazy and didn’t do much at all. The drop reminds me a little bit of Happier. But I don’t mind at all because it’s a great song. It’s a shame that it didn’t get treated as such. At least it was successful on Hits 1 and I’m fine with that.

24. SHAED – Trampoline
On the note of alternative music, we have SHAED making a good first impression with Trampoline. I remember first hearing this song on a TV commercial some time late last year while I was watching football. Then it started to catch on in 2019 and that was when I grew into the song more. The musical trio consists of Chelsea Lee and brothers Max and Spencer Ernst.  First off, the mysterious vibe is pretty cool.  I like the creativity these guys did in terms of the production.  Chelsea showed me that she is a great singer.  Her voice is very unique in every way.  She shines in the chorus and I adore her verses.  She definitely has potential to be even more.  Simply put, this song rocks.  They did have some other cool stuff like Thunder, which I like as well.  I think Trampoline is a highlight of their discography.  I’m looking forward to whatever else they give us.

23. Stephen Puth – Sexual Vibe
Charlie Puth’s brother, Stephen, made his entrance in the world of music with this song. Around the time Charlie decided not to release anymore singles from Voicenotes, his brother, Stephen decided that it was time for him to shine, and boy he did. Chart-wise, he didn’t make much of an impact because not much was known about him at the time, other than the fact that this is Charlie’s brother. Regardless, it’s a damn good song. Well, I didn’t think that way initially. I remember having it in blue when it was on Hit-Bound. But upon deeper listen, I really grew into it. I love how Stephen is able to showcase his baritone voice. It sounds very unique and that’s what sets him apart from his brother. While I think Charlie is a better singer than him, he has the potential to be just as good, maybe better. The instrumentation is rock solid and I definitely like the beat. His deep voice, coupled with the production, meshes well with the vibe of the song. Overall, Stephen made a good first impression. Hopefully, we’ll get something more along the lines of this.

22. Charli XCX featuring Troye Sivan – 1999
I remember Charli XCX mostly for her breakthrough hit in 2014 in the form of Boom Clap. But ever since then, she hasn’t really been relevant. This year, however, she decided to turn back the clock and take us to 1999 with this song. It’s basically a better version Anne-Marie – 2002, which did not stick with me. Whereas 2002 lacked in most areas to make it interesting, 1999 improves on all aspects. Charli sounds pretty good here and I like Troye’s contribution here. His smooth voice fits well in the song. They have good chemistry together. It has references to songs such as Britney Spears – …Baby One More Time, as well as movies like Titanic. Every time I watch the music video, I get flashbacks of the pop culture that I grew up with back in the day. The 1990’s will forever hold a special place in my heart. I’m in love with the song and I’m glad that Charli and Troye gave me a upbeat song that I’ll revisit in the years to come.

21. Imagine Dragons – Bad Liar
This is the second year in a row in which the Imagine Dragons are placed at #21 on my best list. This time, it’s in the form of Bad Liar. In my previous Year-End post, they have been a part of my Bottom 10 Songs Of 2019 where I placed Machine at #4. That one was just a mess all around with obnoxious guitars and unnecessary yelling from Dan Reynolds. It was easily my least favorite song I’ve heard from them and my least favorite song off of Origins, which was not a good album for the most part, maybe even worse than Evolve. But let’s not get into that. I much rather talk about the superior single from that album. The song bears a resemblance to Demons in terms of how it sounds, which I genuinely loved. Dan is an excellent singer and he shows it throughout the entire song as opposed to Machine, where he didn’t sound good with the obnoxious yelling. I like the production and the beat here. Looking deeper into the song, it tells a nice story about Dan going through a divorce with his wife, which actually took place last year. I can easily feel that emotion in the chorus. Overall, it’s the best song off of Origins and it’s definitely something that I’ll revisit from time to time.

20. Kelsea Ballerini – Miss Me More
Kelsea Ballerini has been relevant in the country genre since the early part of the decade. I’m not familiar with most of her music given that I’ve only listened to a few of her solo singles. But she is a really good singer overall. Miss Me More is just divine in every sense of the word. I love the way it opens up with the cool beat and Kelsea’s amazing voice. It only gets better from there when we hear her sing the chorus. She put on an exceptional performance. I also like the lyrics about being independent. It sends a good message. I think it shows how talented she is as a songwriter. Yeah, it’s a catchy song with a divine chorus and awesome instrumentation. Kelsea has wowed me with this solo single.

19. Benny Blanco featuring Halsey and Khalid – Eastside
This collaboration kinda came out of nowhere last year and it eventually became a massive success on the charts in 2019. Two of these artists (Halsey and Khalid) all have good songs of their own prior to that. Halsey has some amazing songs in the form of Bad At Love and Closer (with The Chainsmokers). Khalid impressed me with singles such as Love Lies and Better, both of which I just talked about. Putting these two together was a recipe for me liking this one. I felt that way since day one and nothing has changed. I adore the verses of both Halsey and Khalid. These guys did well vocally and I feel the emotion. They have good chemistry there. And Benny Blanco made a good first impression with his production work. I like the guitar here and the vibe is pretty cool. I would argue it’s his best single thus far and I applaud Benny for doing a fine job here. I’m happy this was a success.

18. Mark Ronson featuring Miley Cyrus – Nothing Breaks Like A Heart
When I think of Mark Ronson, I often think of the epicness that is of Uptown Funk, which remains to this day a huge favorite of mine from 2015. This year, he made his comeback and he decided to team up with Miley Cyrus to create this single. I’m familiar with most of Miley Cyrus’s music. She is a good singer overall and her performance in Nothing Breaks Like A Heart really proves my point. She sounds amazing from the very first line all the way to the end. The chorus is just divine. But it’s really the production and the instrumentation that pulls me in. I absolutely adore the guitar. Mark Ronson really worked his magic here. Every he does production-wise was put to great use here. He showed me how much he has evolved as a DJ overall. Yeah, everything about the song works well to perfection. Well done, Mark. You managed to wow me yet again.

17. Jennifer Lopez featuring French Montana – Medicine
Jennifer Lopez makes her second appearance in My Top 50 Songs Of 2019, this time teaming up with French Montana in the form of Medicine. A couple years back, French Montana had his breakout hit with Unforgettable, which as the title suggests was…well unforgettable (see what I did there). I thought that one was pretty cool and I do find myself revisiting the song every now and then. I wasn’t sure what to expect coming into this song, and when I first listened to it, I was impressed. Sure, I don’t quite like the lyrics. But everything else works well here. Jennifer shows how talented she is as a singer. She sounds good in the chorus. The production is solid and I like the catchy beat. I love the way it opens up because it makes me want to dance. French Montana put on a fine performance when he sings his verse. Yeah, she redeemed herself this year with her two singles after Dinero wasn’t to my liking last year. I’m glad she is still making music. And I definitely look forward to her performance in Super Bowl LIV. I’m sure she’ll do amazing.

16. Shawn Mendes – If I Can’t Have You
I’ve been fond of what Shawn Mendes has had to offer in recent years. In 2017, he did have songs such as Mercy and There’s Nothing Holdin’ Me Back, both of which I enjoyed overall and I often revisit those songs. Then came his self-titled album last year and it was full of good singles. I liked songs such as In My Blood, Lost In Japan, and Youth, the latter being the best song off the album. Sitting at #16 is If I Can’t Have You. I remember hearing the song for the first time when it was released and I was wowed overall. It reminds me a lot of There’s Nothing Holdin’ Me Back.  It has that cool Latin vibe that pulls me in.  I really like the instrumentation and the beat is enjoyable.  Shawn does well with his smooth vocals.  The lyrics are well-written as well and it shows how much he has evolved for the better.  I’m glad it was a huge success and were it not for Old Town Road hogging the top spot, this would’ve been his first-ever #1 hit on Billboard.  But #2 is good enough, and I’m okay with that.

15. Maren Morris – GIRL
Maren Morris, along with Keslea Ballerini and Kacey Musgraves, are some of the best country acts in the genre at this moment. 80’s Mercedes was the first song I’ve heard from Maren while I was trying to surf the web and discover new music at that time. That song was a favorite of mine and it got me into liking her music. Her first album, Hero, was impressive as there were plenty of songs that I enjoyed (except for one). Last year, she was a part of my #1 favorite song of 2018 when she collaborated with Zedd in The Middle. Those who have been following my blog should know how much I adore that song. I still enjoy it to this day. Now for the second year in a row, she has landed a spot in My Top 50 Songs of 2019. This time, with her lead single GIRL from the title album. I immediately fell in love with the song when it first dropped and nothing has changed. Basically, it’s a self-empowerment anthem that talks about one’s struggles and being able to overcome them. I really like the lyrical content here and the message that it sends. Maren’s voice is just divine all throughout the song. She shines in the chorus. The instrumentation sounds really good and I adore the beat.  Yeah, this is honestly an amazing single overall.  I listened to the entirety of her latest album and there are some other good songs, such as Common.  GIRL is a highlight off her album and I’ll definitely be revisiting that song again.  Someday, I plan on doing my Top 10 favorite songs from her.  That would be a lot of fun.

14. Lauren Daigle – You Say
Although we didn’t get new music from Adele this year, we did however get music from someone who sounds eerily similar to her in the form of a Christian singer named Lauren Daigle. When I first listened to the song, I was genuinely blown away. Right off the bat, Lauren has such an amazing voice. I love the way she can sing. Here, I can feel her emotion when she sings the chorus. The piano is just divine and I like the rest of the production. The song gets better once we hit the final chorus. I was wowed by her performance. While I know there are some who dislike this, I’m definitely not among that crowd. Lauren made a very good first impression with this song. I enjoyed her album overall and it has some other songs that I love. I’m looking forward to whatever else she brings us.

13. Avril Lavigne – Tell Me’s Its Over
The return of Avril Lavigne was something I didn’t envision last year. But it was well worth the wait. I’ve been a fan of Avril Lavigne back in the 2000’s when she had songs such as Girlfriend, Complicated, and some other singles. She made her comeback when she released Head Above Water. I thought that one was amazing. But Tell Me It’s Over is just as good, maybe even better. She sounds amazing throughout the entire song. I love her voice in the bridge and how she transitions to the final chorus really gave me the chills. It shows that she hasn’t lost a step vocally. The production is just awesome and I adore the instrumentation. Looking at the lyrics, it tells a story about getting out of a relationship. I love the creativity she put in the songwriting. I can feel the emotion. Having listened to the entirety of Head Above Water, I was wowed by how much Avril continued to evolve vocally, lyrically, and musically. I’m glad she made a comeback and it’s nice to see her make music again after so long.

12. The Chainsmokers featuring Bebe Rexha – Call You Mine
For the second year in a row, The Chainsmokers have landed a spot at #12, this time with Bebe Rexha. Earlier this year, they gave me an interesting collaboration with 5 Seconds Of Summer in Who Do You Love. However, that song soured on me in record time, in part because the drop got annoying after a while. Call You Mine, on the other hand, is a different story. I couldn’t quite get into this at first for whatever reason. But overtime, it really grew on me. I absolutely love the drop here. The production is basically a rehash of Closer and This Feeling, both of which were big favorites of mine. Andrew and Alex made magic happen with the production work. I’m glad these guys didn’t lose a step here. Bebe Rexha is a good singer and she put on a nice vocal performance here.  She shines in the chorus and how it meshes well with the last drop gave me the chills.  If I were to rank all of The Chainsmokers’s music, this would probably land somewhere in the Top 10 because it is just divine.

11. Ellie Goulding featuring Diplo and Swae Lee – Close To Me
For much of the decade, Ellie Goulding has been a mainstay in the world of music. Lights was her very first major hit that I enjoyed and thus, it gave way to make her become a household name in music. She has been in the spotlight ever since then and she continues to make music. I absolutely adore almost every single she has released. Songs such as Lights, Love Me Like You Do, Burn, and Something In The Way You Move were big favorites of mine from her. Even though Close To Me doesn’t quite live up to those, it’s still a really good song overall. Ellie is a talented singer. When I listened to first three albums, she showed me her full potential vocally. I like how she doesn’t try way too hard to hit those high notes in those songs. Her vocal performance in Close To Me was pretty divine as well. She sounds good and I kinda like Swae Lee’s contribution here. Diplo did a fine job as a producer. He truly showcases his talent here, as opposed to what he did with LSD, which was no good. Ellie impressed me yet again with this song. I tried to find room to place this in the Top 10. But better songs came along during the year and thus, it just barely missed out on cracking the Top 10. Regardless, it did land a spot in my Best Of The Year list, and guess what? Her new album comes out next year. I’ll definitely be looking forward to that.

It is now time, fam. We’ve officially hit the Top 10 in My Top 50 Best Songs Of 2019. What you’re about to see below are the songs that truly stood out to me the most throughout the course of the year. It was really hard for me to figure this one out because I fell in love with every one of them. But eventually, I was able to put it together and now here they are. Prepare yourselves. I will now introduce to you all My Top 10! Here we go!

10. Dan + Shay – Speechless
On the note of country acts, we have country duo Dan + Shay making their appearance on my Best Of The Year list for the second straight year. This time around, they bring us a song that came after Tequila, in the form of Speechless. As you can recall, Tequila was a huge favorite of mine in the second half in 2018 and I ranked it at #40 on My Top 50 Songs Of 2018. That song showed me how talented these guys are musically, vocally, and lyrically. Here, they do it again in Speechless. I like the way the song opens up. We start with the piano and I listen to the awesome voice we get from Shay. It was definitely a breath of fresh air. From that point forward, I knew this would be a fun listen and sure enough, I was proven to be right. Lyrically, it reminds me of Perfect by Ed Sheeran. It basically talks about a couple getting married. The creativity these guys put in the lyrics are just divine. It is meaningful and I can feel the emotion when hearing their vocals. I’m in love with the chorus and they showcased their vocal talent throughout the rest of the song. It was pretty successful both on Hits 1 and the Billboard Hot 100 and I’m happy because they are talented. If I ever get married someday, I want this to be our song.

9. Ariana Grande – Breathin’
As I just mentioned, I haven’t been fond on what Ariana Grande has had to offer this year. In fact, you’ve just recently seen me countdown My Bottom 10 Songs Of 2019, which Ariana has been a part of. 7 Rings and Break Up With Your Girlfriend, I’m Bored are two of my least favorite songs of the year. But despite all of this, she still managed to land a spot in My Top 50 Songs Of 2019 with two songs. The first was Don’t Call Me Angel, which I recently did my take on. Here, she makes her second appearance on this list with Breathin’. It was this time last year that Ariana was riding her momentum with her comeback single No Tears Left To Cry and God Is A Woman. If I were to rank all the singles from Sweetener, I would place this at #1, with No Tears Left To Cry sitting at a close #2. Ariana sounds amazing from beginning to end. I can really feel the emotion when I hear the chorus. It was just divine. Not only that, but I adore the production off of this track. It is well-crafted and the beat was put to good use. The song talks about anxiety, which is something we actually can relate to. I get that feeling quite a lot at times. Yeah, this was a highlight for Ariana Grande and I’m glad this was a hit even though Thank U, Next overshadowed it.

8. Post Malone featuring Swae Lee – Sunflower
There was a moment in time where I was not very fond of what Post Malone had to offer. Early on, he had Congratulations, Rockstar, and Psycho, all of which I still dislike with great intensity. I wasn’t very fond of White Iverson either, but that one at least had some funny lines. Things started to change last year when he gave us Better Now, which was indeed better. I didn’t include it in My Top 50 Songs of 2018, but I considered it an honorable mention. Now, for the first time, Post Malone has made it to my Best Of The Year list. This was taken from the Spiderman: Into The Spider-Verse movie soundtrack. I remember not being very fond of it at first. But it grew on me overtime. I like how Swae Lee opens up the song, and it gets better from there. He is pretty talented and he showed me why in the chorus. Following that, we get a verse from Post himself, who did well also. I like the production and the beat.  This became a #1 hit early in the year and unlike his previous single that hit the top spot prior to that, I actually enjoyed that one.  It’s a highlight from Post Malone this year.  He did release his new album titled Hollywood’s Bleeding and it includes this song.  He also has some other stuff that I enjoyed off the album, such as A Thousand Bad Times and Take What You Want.  I’m glad this collaboration between him and Swae Lee worked out well.

7. Katy Perry – Never Really Over
Katy Perry has always been a huge favorite of mine. I remember back in 2008 when she broke through with I Kissed A Girl. I fell in love with the song and I liked what One Of The Boys had to offer. But it really wasn’t until the release of Teenage Dream in 2010 and that was then I truly got into her music. Simply put, Katy is honestly just an divine singer. There is no doubt that she is talented. She has been impressive with almost every single release, although I wasn’t really a big fan of what Witness had to offer outside of Chained To The Rhythm (which as you can recall was my #3 favorite song of 2017). Never Really Over is really no different compared to what she had before. I absolutely love Katy’s voice as always and she sounds amazing in the chorus. It’s basically about her relationship with Orlando Bloom, just by looking at the creative lyrics. She put forth the effort in her songwriting here. The beat is interesting and I love the rest of the production. This was actually produced by Zedd, which pretty much explains why there’s a ticking clock even though I’ll admit it’s overused, but I don’t care. Everything about the song is amazing. As always, I’m looking forward to whatever else Katy brings into 2020.

6. The Chainsmokers featuring Kelsea Ballerini – This Feeling
I didn’t envision the song’s momentum carrying into 2019 largely due to the fact that I didn’t think it was going to be a big hit on Hits 1. But somehow, that turned out to be the case, much of my pleasure. This song came about a month after the release of Side Effects. I was enjoying that song at the time especially after their earlier singles from Sick Boy were not to my liking. They redeemed themselves last year with Side Effects, and I gained interest in their music again. Then came the release of This Feeling, which was another improvement. I immediately fell in love with it when it was new and nothing has changed. When I first heard that they were creating a song with Kelsea Ballerini, my expectations were very high. And boy, did they delivered big time. I love the work Drew and Alex have done here in terms of the production. They really showed me that these guys are still among the best EDM duo. The drop is just phenomenal. Kelsea is such an amazing singer as she showed me in some of her solo singles. Here, she sounds absolutely divine from beginning to end. I really like the vocal chemistry between her and Drew. The final chorus really gives me the chills. This is easily their best single since Closer, which I still absolutely adore to this day. They did just recently release their new album in the form of World War Joy. While this song wasn’t included in the album as it was in their predecessor, it does have some good stuff such as Call You Mine. Hopefully, these guys end up doing another collaboration together someday because this rocks.

The first half of the Top 10 is officially complete. And now comes the second half of the Top 10, which is the Top 5. The songs in the Top 5 were chosen by me because I felt they were worthy enough for me to put them in that region. At one point in time, every one of these songs were candidates for my #1 spot. But eventually, I had to make the ultimate decision and thus, I am happy with my rankings. After months of hard work that I was able to put forth the effort in, I am ready. It is with my great pleasure to present to you all My Top 5 Songs Of 2019. Here we go!

5. Dan + Shay – Tequila
I’ll bet some of you didn’t expect me to see this song make my Best Of The Year list again, didn’t you? Dan + Shay have become my favorite country duo ever since they bought us Tequila. It made an appearance last year in My Top 50 Songs of 2018, where I ranked it at #40. This year, here it is again, this time landing a spot in the Top 5. In case I haven’t made it clear already, I adore this song with a burning passion. I love the way it opens with the piano and we get to hear them sing. Then, we get to the chorus and that’s when things really start to get interesting. I love the vocals we get from these guys. They really shine here and their vocal harmonies are just amazing. I definitely feel the emotion when I hear them sing. I love the lyrics about heartbreak and how one thinks about a relationship.  The creativity these guys put in the writing was just phenomenal.  Everything about the song is just a gem.  I saw these guys perform at the Grammys this year and it was just beautiful.  Well done, Dan + Shay.  You guys gave me something that’s pleasant to my ears.  It’s probably one of the premier country songs I’ve heard all year long.  And hey, it did win the award for Best Country Duo/Group Performance.  They deserve it.

4. Ava Max – Sweet But Psycho
Out of all the new artists coming into the fold in 2019, I consider Ava Max to be the best of the bunch. It was around Thanksgiving of 2018 when I first heard of this song. I remember being very fond of it for the most part and I was hoping it would be a hit. Sure enough, it ended up doing just that. Sweet But Psycho was definitely something that I could get into. It’s undeniably catchy as hell. Ava really made a good first impression here. She definitely showcased her vocal talent that’s perfectly suited for a song like this. She sounds amazing and I love the infectious chorus. It meshes well with the cool synths and a catchy beat. Whatever the producers were doing here, they excelled in many ways. It’s well-produced, well-written, well-sung, and honestly well done overall. If I ever revisit My Top 50 Songs Of 2019, I’m definitely remember this as the song that helped Ava make a breakthrough. She does have a song that’s similar to this in the form of So Am I, which I liked as well. I’m interested to see what else she comes up with in the future. Sweet But Psycho is a highlight of 2019 and it showed Ava Max’s potential as a singer.

3. Taylor Swift – Lover
I’m going to be straight up and simply say that I absolutely love Taylor Swift, even more so than any other artist at the moment. She really has come a long way ever since Teardrops On My Guitar was a breakout hit last decade. It was this time last year that she was riding high with her last album in the form of Reputation. I was a little indifferent on that album. But it did have some good singles such as End Game and Delicate. This year, she gave us Lover, which I fell in love with for the most part with the exception of You Need To Calm Down. I wasn’t fond of that song even though I liked the message. But I did enjoy the majority of her album, including the title track which I’m talking about. Lover is the best her album has had to offer. First off, I absolutely adore the instrumentation in this track. The drums, strings, and piano were all put to good use. Taylor has the kind of voice that fits well for a romantic song like this. She shows her full potential here and I love the chorus. The lyrics are well-written and I like how she can get creative and romantic at the same time. That has been one of Taylor’s strengths as an artist and she really shows it there. I have been enjoying it since it first dropped and I’m glad it’s doing well on the chart even though it’ll likely get caught in between years. Lover is one of many highlights for Taylor Swift from a lyrical, vocal, and musical standpoint.

2. Shawn Mendes featuring Camila Cabello – Señorita
As I just mentioned when I talked about If I Can’t Have You on my Best Of The Year list, I’ve been a fan of Shawn Mendes for a while. A couple years back, he had a song that landed a spot in the Top 5 in the form of There’s Nothing Holdin’ Me Back. Here he is again for the second time in two years, and this time around it’s a collaboration with Camila Cabello in Señorita. During the time when the song was released, there were rumors about Shawn and Camila possibly starting to date each other. It appeared to be the case when I first heard about the news and indeed, they are. I’m sure they’re happy together and when I saw them perform the song live, it was a thing of beauty. The first time these two did a collaboration was back in 2015 when they gave us I Know What You Did Last Summer. That one didn’t quite stick with me. Señorita is a much different story. This came about a month after the release of If I Can’t Have You, which I just talked about. At the time, I was enjoying that song, while I was slowly starting to get into Señorita. My opinions on this and If I Can’t Have You have kinda switched. While I still like If I Can’t Have You, I enjoy Señorita even more. I like how it opens up with the guitar and from there, I knew exactly what to expect. Camila sounds pretty good and I like her verse. But it’s Shawn himself that actually put on a better performance. His smooth vocals fit very well here. I’m in love with the Latin vibe. The instrumentation is just divine and the rest of the production is pretty damn solid overall. Sure, there may not be much in terms of the lyrical depth and it may be meaningless. But everything else here works well to perfection. This was Shawn’s first ever #1 hit on the Billboard Hot 100 and I’m very pleased about this. Well done, Shawn and Camila. You guys gave me a highlight that I’ll look back on for years.

1. Sam Smith featuring Normani – Dancing With A Stranger
2014 was the year the music world really got to know Sam Smith. He gave us a breakthrough that was Stay With Me and thus, his road to success would begin. Fast forward to 2019, and he lands a spot at #1 with quite possibly my favorite song from him in My Top 50 Songs Of 2019. Prior to this year, I didn’t quite envision myself actually falling in love with a song from Sam Smith. But now here we are. All it took was a collaboration with former Fifth Harmony member Normani, to be able to create a song that’s divine in every sense of the word. After all, he was a big fan of Fifth Harmony back when they were together and he dreamed of collaborating with one of them. I’m glad he got his wish. From the day it was released, my expectations were pretty high coming into the song. And when all was said and done, it exceeded every single one of my expectations. I don’t think I’ve ever said this before when it debuted, but I liked to call this the sequel of Love Lies. Loves Lies was a great song and I enjoyed it overall. And I can say the same for Dancing With A Stranger. First off, I’m in love with the melody here and the beat is just divine. Sam puts his vocal talent to his full potential. The way the song opens up was the first sign of how it would turn out. Then, we get Normani for the second part of the song, and she delivered big time. Her voice is just divine. If I were to rank all the members of Fifth Harmony, I would put Normani at #1 because she is the best of the bunch (Ally Brooke would come in at #2 and Lauren Jauregui at #3). And when the second chorus comes in, I can easily feel the chemistry between both of them. They have very good chemistry together. The idea of Sam Smith creating a pop song of this caliber was beyond my wildest dreams, as soul ballads are his strong suit. His first two albums showed me that. Whatever he did here worked out very well. Congratulations Sam Smith and Normani. You gave me a song that I’ll remember for years to come.

And that will do it!  My Top 50 Songs Of 2019 has officially been complete!  It was a lot of work, but I’m glad that I was finally able to get it done!  Let me know what you guys think of the list.  2019 wasn’t really the best year.  But it did have plenty of good songs, as you just saw.  I’m looking forward to what 2020 will bring us in terms of music.  I have more Year-End posts coming.  So, stay tuned for those.  Thank you all for reading.  I hope everyone here has a good Merry Christmas.  🙂