Thank you for your support everyone! I'm glad people are showing interest in my countdown and hopefully I will continue to get viewers/comments. Without further ado, here's the first update of the countdown...
91.
Somebody Loves You, Betty Who
92.
Just Give Me a Reason (feat. Nate Ruess), Pink
93.
Don't Wait, Mapei
94.
Work B**ch!, Britney Spears
95.
Where Are We Now?, David Bowie
96.
We Were Us, Keith Urban & Miranda Lambert
97.
Belong to the World, The Weeknd
98.
Power Trip (feat. Miguel), J. Cole
99.
Alive, Empire of the Sun
100.
Started From the Bottom, Drake
Kicking off the countdown at the bottom is the aptly titled
Started From the Bottom. Drake's 2013 lead single boasts an extremely catchy hook as Drake details his journey that took him to the top. For the third time in a row (following "Headlines" and "Over"), I have found Drake's second single to be superior to his lead, so this will not be the last time you see Drake as a lead artist in the countdown.
Following Drake is Empire of the Sun's
Alive. The duo consistently proves to be quirky and refreshing with their bewildered outfit choices and music video direction. Their own lead single from their sophomore album has proved to be a highlight of 2013 for me. I've tweeted the hook
loving every minute 'cus you make me feel so alive about a million times at this point.
2013 saw the release of a rap/sung collab between two of my favorite 2012 breakout artists in
Power Trip. Miguel outdoes his wonderful hook in Lotus Flower Bomb here as he utters the ever-so-catchy question,
"would you believe me if I said I'm in love?" The song continuously flows back-and-forth between the two artists as J. Cole holds his own with his verses.
Next up on this urban-heavy update is The Weeknd's
Belong to the World. As a big fan of his previous work in the Trilogy, I found his actual debut KIss Land to be underwhelming. With a single exception, his second single was certainly a highlight of the new album. This song could easily fall into the tracklist of one of my favorite albums, Take Care, so it's no surprise why I enjoy it so much.
The single male country artist finds himself at #96 in the countdown, perhaps because it features one of my favorite female country artists. Taylor's "Highway Don't Care" was probably the it-country-song of the year, but I certainly preferred
We Were Us. There's no way this stomping song will not catch your attention, and the chemistry between the two artists is audibly undeniable.
My one dispute? It does not have a damn single cover!
David Bowie's back! But don't count on the same old Bowie. His lead single,
Where Are We Now? blew me away on the first listen. It's evident that Bowie has matured, and the soft-spoken song is capable of making a big bang. As Bowie repeatedly asks the question in the title, your heart breaks at every word, every piano key, and every strum of the guitar.
This update so far has been underwhelming for someone who is seeking their pop faves, right? Don't worry, Britney is waiting for you at #94! As underwhelming as Britney Jean may be to you, it produced a damn great lead single in
Work B**ch!. I can't deny the power of a song that makes me want to stomp down a runway at every listen. Whether it's the hard-heating synths or Britney's tired delivery of lines like
you better work, b**ch! that I enjoy so much, it's undeniable Britney did her damn thing on this track.
Don't Wait by Mapei is one of my favorites discoveries this year and I'm still not entirely sure how it found herself in the bottom bunch, but alas. The song reeks of vulnerability in the verses that is enhanced by this beauty's (that single cover!!) vocals and when the chorus kicks in, I can't help but let it all out alongside Mapei
(/dramatichighschoolstudent). The instrumental captures you as well, ranging from an acoustic guitar, to bongos, to... the snap of your damn fingers.
Grammy's 2014 nominations had me a bit pressed, but I can't deny they were correct in Best Pop Duo/Group. Four of the five nominees are present in my countdown, with
Just Give Me a Reason falling below the rest. Had you asked me to make a Best-of-2013 (so far) countdown in the middle of the year, this beautiful song would be top twenty, for sure. The hype may have died down since then (down twenty spots, even), but I will never not enjoy such a wonderful gem.
FINALLY finishing off this long block of text is Betty Who's
Somebody Loves You. Synthpop! Synthpop!!! My absolute favorite. I wish I hadn't made such a late discovery of Betty Who ha EP because I absolutely love it. This single has grown on me so quickly and it's a technically perfect pop song in my opinion. Can she please, please smash in 2014?
Hope you enjoyed the first update!
Question: would you prefer five songs per update or is ten at a time fine?