Top 10 Singles of 2014

Published by Rick on Tagged Uncategorized

What gets me is seeing other year-end lists of this sort and finding NONE of my favorite songs on any of the so-called authorities’ top 10’s or 20’s, but finding quite a few on THEIR lists that will be on my Bottom 10 list which I’ll share in a couple days. Still, for the second year in a row, I found it easier to find a top 10 than a bottom 10, but if that’s a sign music’s getting better, well, let’s hold judgement on that. One common aspect I found in quite a few songs I liked was an instrument I usually was on the fence about, the saxophone. The appearance of the sax redeemed records that I might have otherwise totally loathed, like “Problems” by Ariana Grande and Iggy Azalea, or “Crazy Stupid Love” by Cheryl (luckiest woman on the planet) Fernandez-Versini. The latter came thisclose to making that list, and that would have been a major concession on my part. Here they are, for better or worse:

10. SHAKE IT OFF – TAYLOR SWIFT (Peak positions: #2 UK, #1 US) Just for making the transition complete, from faux country sweetheart to rock and rollin’ bee-yatch. A fun song that I somehow never tired of.
9. BUDAPEST – GEORGE EZRA (#3 UK) Good soulful voice makes a basic I-IV-V blues progression interesting. Haven’t been quite as impressed by his follow-ups unfortunately.
8. YOU RUIN ME – VERONICAS (#8 UK) SOMETHING good had to come out of Australia, other than white girls convincing themselves they’re black. These twins made a bit of a splash five years ago, then spent four years in litigation before finally being allowed to record again. While this is not exactly a comeback single, it’s a beautiful well-sung melody encompassing a full-on diss, speaking of which…
7. UGLY HEART – G.R.L. (#11 UK) Little Mix could have had fun with this one, but this amalgam of Brit, American and Canadian girls had their moment. The line “Your smile could light up New York City after dark” says so much about how we can be taken in by a pretty face. Sad note that the group has been in a bit of limbo since group member Simone Battle killed herself in September. There’s also a personal note on this one, as another group member, Natasha Slayton, is the daughter of US comedian Bobby Slayton, whom I’ve known since long before she ever existed.
6. UPTOWN FUNK – MARK RONSON feat. BRUNO MARS (#1 UK, #3 US) Bruno Mars made my top 10 last year with his retro piece “Treasure,” which reminded me of early 80’s LA Soul. This year, he teamed up with Ronson to re-create the funk of possibly a couple years later, reminding me of Cameo, or Zapp minus the vocoder. This record wasn’t supposed to be released in UK until 2015, but because X Factor runner-up Fleur East did such a magnificent cover of it, the politics dictated that the original not be trumped. Perhaps it kept Fleur from winning the competition, but all’s fair, it’s a great record, and she’ll have a career.
5. SUMMER – CALVIN HARRIS (#1 UK, #7 US) He might have done much the same thing, maybe even better, 5 years ago with “I’m Not Alone,” but it does seem that Harris’s solo efforts resonate better with me than his collaborations. That said, I also liked his pairing with Ellie Goulding, just not as much as this one.
4. JUBEL – KLINGANDE (#3 UK) A major Euro-disco hit during the summer, this is what I was saying above about the saxophone’s unexpected forefront role this year. Don’t hardly need any lyrics, as the French DJs’ sweet groove steals the thunder of whatever else might feel a need to be said.
3. SAY YOU LOVE ME – JESSIE WARE (#22 UK) As a way of throwing this magnificent singer a bone, Bob Geldof enlisted her to be on Band Aid 30, but not as a soloist. A shame, because her singing on this one, which as far as I can tell is not auto-tuned, could piss on all the Emile Sandés that got their token line. And for the video of this beautiful tune, she just sits and sings (how dare she!), the only concession to technology being a computer-generated bird that flies in and out of her hand.
2. LULLABY – PROFESSOR GREEN feat. TORI KELLY (#4 UK) Eminem probably could have done this one, maybe he has, and I’ve missed it. British rapper Green’s poignant tale of coping with depression, that’s right up Mr. Mathers’ alley! Prepare for waterworks if you watch the video, as a tale unfolds of a grandfather/ grandson relationship, and the guy dying of a heart attack as he’s working on his truck. And sitting in a similar truck singing the lovely refrain is American singer Kelly. I can’t listen to this one enough, despite its near 5-minute length.
1. SING – ED SHEERAN (#1 UK, #13 US) When I auditioned for “The Voice UK” this past summer, the people conducting the audition encouraged us all to sing along with the “Wo-o-o” section as a vocal warm-up. Having just come back from 3 weeks in the US, I’d missed the initial release of Sheeran’s “X” album, as well as this single, which had gone straight in at #1, so this was the first time I’d hear the song, but obviously not the last. It is in fact, STILL on the charts (and moving up again!) as 2014 comes to a close. I haven’t gotten sick of it, and apparently neither has the general public.

All in all, a good year musically, until you see my bottom 10 in a couple days. Best to all of you, and thanks for reading and supporting my blogs this year. Hope to never run out of things to say.

December 30th, 2014



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