This is Year 10. Since 2009, I have been counting down my top 10 pop songs of the year, so why stop now? Well, in my opinion, 2018 was not a strong year in pop, after a very strong 2017. Maybe my age is showing, but a lot of this year’s hip-hop sounds very monotone and fits a new style that I’ve never quite taken to. Oh well.
There are rules. This is a pop countdown, not a favorite music countdown. Plenty of great music never sees the pop chart but that’s for another list. I find it entertaining to discuss and debate music that people are familiar with, and that people will look back on.
So, any song that made the top 10 on the Billboard Hot 100 at any time in 2018 is eligible. There were 77 Top 10 Hits by my count this year. A record 13 of them were by Drake as a lead or featured artist. There were only 66 a year ago.
There are several ineligible songs. As usual, any song that made my previous year’s list will not be considered this year. So scratch three songs, all with one word titles: “Havana” by Camila Cabello, “Perfect” by Ed Sheeran and “Thunder” by Imagine Dragons. I also do not consider old Christmas songs that chart repeatedly every year. There were two Christmas songs that hit the top 10 this year–the ones by Mariah Carey and Andy Williams. So that leaves 72 songs from which to choose.
As usual, I welcome comments and criticism, so bring it on. I will add songs in this space beginning with #10 and ending with my top song of the year on New Year’s Eve.
1. Finesse, Bruno Mars featuring Cardi B, Atlantic
“Finesse” is a throwback song reminiscent of the New Jack Swing R&B sound that was big in the late 1980s and early 1990s. As a big fan of New Jack, I love this song. It first appeared on the 2016 album 24K Magic that did very well at last year’s Grammys. It got limited if any release as a single, but did manage to peak at #199 on the French chart. Enter Cardi B. A remix featuring a Cardi B rap was released with an accompanying video in early January 2018. The remix took off and two weeks later was sitting at #3 behind two megahits–‘Perfect” and “Havana.” It stayed in the top 10 for 14 weeks, eight of them at #3. It hit number one on four charts: Dance Club Songs, R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, Mainstream Top 40 and Rhythmic Tracks. Only the video is up for a Grammy, as the song dates back to before the eligibility period. So raise a glass to Bell Biv DeVoe, Teddy Riley, Bobby Brown, New Edition, TLC, Tony! Toni! Toné!, the late Johnny Kemp and other New Jack giants. Oh, and Cardi B got it going on.
Official video: YouTube link
Lyrics video: YouTube link
Bruno Mars & Cardi B live at the Grammys: YouTube link
Mars solo Live at the Apollo: YouTube link
Cardi B medley at iHeart awards: YouTube link
Pentatonix cover (audio): YouTube link
2. Girls Like You, Maroon 5 featuring Cardi B, 222/Interscope
“Girls Like You” comes from Maroon 5’s 2017 album Red Pill Blues. It was released as the album’s third single in April, but a remixed version with a rap verse by Cardi B was what really took off on radio, and wow, did it take off! Its 16-week run on top of the Radio Songs chart is tied with Mariah Carey’s “We Belong Together” for the longest run of this century. “Girls Like You” is immediately recognizable for its guitar picking pattern that includes six consecutive muted notes. That pattern plays through most of the song. The pattern may even be more infectious than the melody or lyrics. “Girls Like You” first entered the Billboard Hot 100 at #94 in early June 2018 and jumped all the way to #4 the following week. It spent the next three months in the top five knocking on the door of the top spot, including six straight weeks behind Drake’s “In My Feelings.” It finally went to #1 in late September and stayed there for six weeks. It remains in the top 20 at year’s end. “Girls Like You” gives Maroon 5 four number one hits and that’s Cardi B’s third. Internationally, it has topped the charts in 12 countries. It was chosen international song of the year by France’s NRJ Music Awards and is up for the Pop Duo/Group Performance Grammy. The video features many celebrity cameos.
Official video: YouTube link
Alternate (“Volume 2”) video: YouTube link
Lyrics video: YouTube link
Boyce Avenue acoustic cover: YouTube link
Jono & Ben parody video: YouTube link
Chipmunk version: YouTube link
Use in Miss Universe pageant: YouTube link
3. Say Something, Justin Timberlake featuring Chris Stapleton, RCA
A different song called “Say Something” was my #7 song in 2013. That one was also a collaboration, between A Great Big World and Christina Aguilera. This year’s “Say Something” was between pop superstar Justin Timberlake and one of country’s biggest talents, Chris Stapleton. The collaboration started with Stapleton working with Timberlake to write songs. On “Say Something,” Timberlake suggested that Stapleton sing some sections. The result was a worldwide hit that went to #1 in Slovakia and Slovenia. In the United States, it debuted at #9 in mid-February, its only week in the top 10. That followed a post-Super Bowl performance on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon. That short run was enough for Say Something to come in at #85 for the year.
Official video: YouTube link
Lyrics video: YouTube link
Live Performance BRITS 2018 (starts at 2:20): YouTube link
Live performance on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon: YouTube link
4. Shallow, Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper, Interscope
“Shallow” is likely the favorite for Best Original Song at the Oscars even before the nominations have come out. From the most recent iteration of “A Star Is Born,” “Shallow” plays a few times during the movie, notably when Gaga’s character joins Cooper’s on stage, as shown in the video. It has gone to #1 in many countries and is up for four Grammys: Song of the Year, Record of the Year, Pop Duo/Group Performance and Song for Visual Media. In the United States, following a September release, Shallow went to #5 in mid-October after the movie’s wide release. It fell out of the top 20 three weeks later but remains on the chart at year-end. The one Billboard chart in which it did hit #1 was the Dance Club chart–presumably a remix. I don’t recall having ever heard Bradley Cooper sing, but he does well here performing with a superstar.
Official video: YouTube link
Ania Deko & Grzegorz Hyży on The Voice Poland: YouTube link
Allie Sherlock cover: YouTube link
Moniqué, Justinas Jarutis cover: YouTube link
Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper (Nesco remix): YouTube link
DJ Tronky bachata remix: YouTube link
5. Pray For Me, The Weeknd and Kendrick Lamar, Top Dawg/Aftermath/Republic/Interscope
This song is probably best known from the movie, “Black Panther,” but I have yet to see it. In the film, it plays as the characters enter a casino. The song has a sound similar to some very successful recent collaborations between The Weeknd and Daft Punk. That sound seems to suit Kendrick Lamar, whose rap verses fit very well. Both Abel Tesfaye (The Weeknd) and Lamar are listed as the first two songwriters. “Pray For Me” was released on February 1, 2018. It peaked at #7 in mid-February and spent six weeks in the top 10. Billboard ranked it as the 40th biggest song of 2018 and the 19th biggest on the year-end R&B chart. The Weeknd has performed it live, pairing it with his previous #1 hit “Starboy” at Coachella, Lollapalooza and in Asia.
Official video: YouTube link
The Weeknd live at Coachella: YouTube link
Davina Michelle cover: YouTube link
Aydan Calafiore competing on The Voice Australia: YouTube link
6. Boo’d Up, Ella Mai, 10 Summers/Interscope
Ella Mai is an English singer/songwriter. Her breakthrough hit “Boo’d Up” is nominate for two Grammys: Song of the Year and Best R&B Song. Although Ella Mai is listed as a songwriter on “Boo’d Up,” it was originally written by Joelle James in 2014. The Ella Mai track originally appeared on a 2017 EP, and garnered some attention in dance clubs. It was released as a single in February 2018 and began to pick up airplay through the spring. It entered the top 10 in the first wee of June, stayed in the top 10 the entire summer, peaking at #5 in mid-July. The success of Boo’d Up led to an appearance on Saturday Night Live in November 2018 and a full album, her first, was released in October. It has been remixed by several producers and rappers, with varying success–one with Nicki Minaj and Quavo was a hit in Belgium and New Zealand. Strangely, “Boo’d Up” was only a big hit in America. It failed to make the top 40 anywhere else, including her native United Kingdom.
Official video: YouTube link
Live performance at the BET Awards: YouTube link
Ella Mai, Nicki Minaj and Quavo Remix (audio): YouTube link
Vedo cover: YouTube link
Fetty Wap remix/cover: YouTube link
7. The Middle, Zedd, Maren Morris and Grey, Interscope
“The Middle” was this year’s Target commercial song for the Grammy telecast. For the past few years, Target does a long commercial featuring a relatively new release. The collaboration that put this song together took quite some time. Zedd is a music producer and Grey as an electronic music duo. Together with Australian songwriter Sarah Aarons, they wrote “The Middle” and cut a demo in the summer 2017. They auditioned many singers to handle the lead vocals, including Demi Lovato, Camila Cabello, Tove Lo, Carly Rae Jepsen and Elle King. They went with country singer Maren Morris. That version was released five days before the Grammy telecast on January 28, 2018. By mid-March, it was in the top 10 and stayed there for 15 weeks. Its peak position was #5, which it hit on three separate occasions for four total weeks. It’s up for three major Grammys this year: Song of the Year, Record of the Year and Pop Duo/Group Performance.
Official video: YouTube link
Use in a shorter Target commercial: YouTube link
Zedd and Maren Morris live at the Omnia, Las Vegas: YouTube link
Official lyrics video: YouTube link
Boyce Avenue featuring Andie Case acoustic cover: YouTube link
Rebecca Black, Alex Goot, KHS cover: YouTube link
8. New Rules, Dua Lipa, Warner Brothers
Dua Lipa (that is her real name) is a newcomer in the United States but has had prior success in Europe. She was born in England after her parents moved there from Kosovo. “New Rules” is actually the sixth single from her self-titled album. It was released in July 2017 and spent two weeks at number one in the U.K. in late August 2017. In America, it was a slower climb. New Rules entered the top 20 in December 2017 but stayed outside the top 10 until January 2018 before peaking at #6 in mid-February. It did top the Dance Chart here. It’s an empowering breakup song with a dance-y house sound with a bit of a 1990s influence. The lyrics are not subtle. I particularly like, “If you’re under him, you ain’t getting over him.” The video is quite good and has been cited as a significant factor in the song’s success.
Official video: YouTube link
Live performance on Ellen: YouTube link
Dua Lipa with the finalists of La Voz Spain: YouTube link
Dua Lipa live at the BRIT Awards 2018: YouTube link
J. Fla cover: YouTube link
Alexander Stewart cover: YouTube link
9. Too Good At Goodbyes, Sam Smith, Capitol
Sam Smith’s first album, In The Lonely Hour, was an award-winning smash hit in 2014. He waited three years to release his second album, The Thrill Of It All. Although it debuted at number one, it didn’t sell as well as his debut album, in spite of mostly positive reviews. The lead single, “Too Good At Goodbyes,” was released in September 2017 and immediately went to number one for three weeks in the United Kingdom. It debuted at number five in America, and dropped out of the top 10 the following week. It slowly climbed to its peak position (#4) in late November 2017, and hung around the top 10 through all of January 2018. It missed my top 10 a year ago, so it is eligible again this year. It’s a breakup song backed by a gospel choir.
Official video: YouTube link
BBC Radio Live Lounge: YouTube link
Live performance at the BRIT Awards: YouTube link
Live at Hackney Round Chapel: YouTube link
Samantha Harvey & Emma Heesters cover: YouTube link
Sofia Karlberg cover: YouTube link
10. Mia, Bad Bunny featuring Drake, IMAS/Ovo Sound/Warner Brothers/Warner Latina
Mia was recorded early in 2018 and released in October. It jumped quickly to #5 on the Billboard chart and then slowly dropped, spending the one week in the top 10. On the Hot Latin Songs Chart, “Mia” has spent four nonconsecutive weeks at #1. It has battled back and forth with DJ Snake’s “Taki Taki” for the the top spot on that chart for the last three months of 2018. “Mia” has gone top 10 in seven countries and hit #1 in Spain (three weeks). I believe it is the only song in which Drake performs in Spanish.
Official video: YouTube link
Lyrics video with Spanish lyrics and English translation: YouTube link