10) ‘Perfect Illusion’ – Lady Gaga
This track had a mixed response on the whole, and it has been a song I’ve had in the background rather than one I’ve given my undivided attention to. But I still think it is very underrated. It is the best song Lady Gaga has released in years, and she is a great popstar when she is on form.
9) ‘Work From Home’ – Fifth Harmony feat. Ty Dolla $ign
Ironically, I started liking this from listening to it on my way to work! I love the production on this song. The video is OK, but it looks like nobody in it has ever been near a building site. You know that bit of the beginning of Toy Story 3 where we see what the scenarios Andy is acting out with his toys would look like if they were real? I think this video would be a bit like that, as if someone had been playing with Barbie dolls and toy bulldozers and toy cement mixers.
8) ‘Closer’ – The Chainsmokers feat. Halsey
If you’d told me that The Chainsmokers would do one of my top ten songs of a year when ‘#SELFIE’ was released I wouldn’t have believed you, but ‘Closer’ did, and ‘Roses’ was quite close to making the top ten too. I like the Blink 182 reference in ‘Closer’ and you can’t help singing along to the chorus. I know the video is the lyric video, but I like it better than the official one, and the couple in it have a hell of a lot more chemistry than the Chainsmokers guy and Halsey do.
7) ‘We Stand Up’ – Kat Krazy feat. Ina Wroldsen
There are a lot more dance music tracks than usual in my top ten this year! ‘We Stand Up’ is very catchy, if slightly melancholy. I really like the “life is a merry-go-round” hook. I’d say it’s an earworm, but one that settles in comfortably inside your head.
6) ‘The Sound’ – The 1975
‘The Sound’ took a while to grow on me. In some ways I think it might be because I liked ‘Chocolate’ from The 1975’s first album a lot more. But once I began to like ‘The Sound’, I loved it and felt I should have liked it earlier. It is such a catchy track, and already sounds like a classic.
5) ‘Love You Better’ – Anton Powers
DJ and producer Anton Powers provided a great cover version of Another Level’s ‘Be Alone No More’ last year. In fact, I liked it better than the original. ‘Love You Better’ was Anton Powers’ own song, and it is really good. I’m a sucker for uplifting music with sad lyrics. The vocalist in the song has such a lovely voice, and I still haven’t been able to find out who she is! I hope to hear more from her anyway.
4) ‘Final Song’ – MØ
Danish singer-songwriter MØ has been releasing her own tracks as well as guest appearances on Major Lazer’s songs for the past few years, and the excellent tropical house track ‘Final Song’ is my favourite to date. I particularly love the line “Take us to a higher ground here and now whatever you do just don’t look down.”
3) ‘Forever’ – J Sutta
This was a solo track by former Pussycat Dolls member Jessica Sutta. I think this should have been a massive million selling hit. It wasn’t, but I still played it endlessly. I really like the bizarre dream sequence neon spaceship A Midsummer Night’s Dream-esque video.
2) ‘Stay Alive’ – Andy Black feat. Matt Skiba
Andy Black, the name Black Veil Brides frontman Andy Biersack is using for his solo career, collaborated with Alkaline Trio’s Matt Skiba for ‘Stay Alive’. I found this song very relatable in terms of going through struggles with anxiety and depression, and the instrumental helps make it a powerful, atmospheric song.
1) ‘Lush Life’ – Zara Larsson
‘Lush Life’ by Swedish pop star Zara Larsson, is a summer song which, yes, sounds best in the summer, but I listened to it all year round, from January to December, and I never got tired of hearing it. It is a great pop song, the message of not worrying too much and living in the moment is a good one.
I know that technically ‘Lush Life’ is from 2015, but it didn’t chart properly in the UK, where I live, until 2016, and has I’ve said I’ve played this song from January through to December, it is without a doubt my favourite song of the year.
If I hadn’t put Viola Beach – ‘Swings and Waterslides’ at the top of my mid-year limbo list, then they would have been included in this Top Ten of 2016 list and would have been number 2. So then, in my top ten of 2016, the top 2 would have been two songs that weren’t even from that year. Says a lot about 2016 really.
Still, whatever you think about 2016, it will soon be 2017. Happy New Year Everybody!
headphonedaydreams 