The Best Pop Music of 2014

2014 was an incredible year for pop music. These are our picks for the best pop songs of the year.

Introduction

2014 was an excellent year for pop music. We saw a resurgence of traditional pop, led by artists like Taylor Swift and Sam Smith, as well as the continued rise of newer pop stars like Lorde and Charli XCX. It was a year of great singles, from Iggy Azalea’s “Fancy” to Ariana Grande’s “Problem.”

There was also a lot of excellent album-oriented pop music released this year, fromColdplay’s “Ghost Stories” to Lana Del Rey’s “Ultraviolence.” In this article, we’ll countdown the best pop albums of 2014.

Best Pop Songs of 2014

The year 2014 was a great year for pop music. There were many great songs that were released this year, and it was hard to narrow it down to just a few. However, these are the songs that we think were the best of the best.

“All About That Bass” by Meghan Trainor

“All About That Bass” is a song recorded by American singer-songwriter Meghan Trainor for her 2014 debut EP and her 2014 studio album, Title. Written by Trainor and Kevin Kadish, the song was released on June 30, 2014 as the lead single from the album. It was accompanied by a self-directed music video. The song samples bass lines from “Booty” by Martin Solveig and Dragonette. Lyrically, it discusses positive body image.

Commercially, “All About That Bass” peaked at number one on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart for eight non-consecutive weeks, making it Trainor’s first and only number one single in both the United States and Canada. It topped the charts in 58 countries, including Australia, Austria, Brazil, Bulgaria, Canada, Denmark, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Japan (Billboard Japan Hot 100), Lebanon (Lebanon’s National Chart), Mexico (Billboard Mexico Ingles Airplay), New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ), Poland (Polish Airplay Top 50), Slovakia (Rádio Top 100 Oficiálna) and South Africa (MTV Base Official South Africa Top 40). In October 2014 Webolution released an online campaign titled #AllAboutThatBASS which featured people of all shapes and sizes dancing to the song while lip syncing to its lyrics having been filmed via webcam. The video went viral amassing more than 88 million views within its first month of release becoming Trainor’s second most watched YouTube video after “Dear Future Husband”.

“Shake It Off” by Taylor Swift

Released in August 2014, “Shake It Off” is a disco-influenced pop song that sees Swift move away from her trademark country-pop sound. The track was co-written and produced by Swedish pop producer Max Martin, who is known for his work with other artists such as Britney Spears, Katy Perry, and the Backstreet Boys. “Shake It Off” was an instant success upon its release, debuting at number one on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and becoming Swift’s second consecutive number one single in the United States. The song also topped charts in numerous other countries, including Australia, Canada, and the United Kingdom.

“Bang Bang” by Jessie J, Ariana Grande, and Nicki Minaj

“Bang Bang” is a song recorded by English singer Jessie J, American singer Ariana Grande, and Trinidadian rapper Nicki Minaj. It was written by Max Martin, Rickard Goransson, Savan Kotecha, Peter Svensson, Ali Payami, and its producers shellback and payami. It was released on July 28th, 2014 by Republic Records as the lead single from Jessie J’s third studio album Sweet Talker (2014), Grande’s second studio album My Everything (2014), and Minaj’s third studio album The Pinkprint (2014).

Best Pop Albums of 2014

2014 was a great year for pop music fans. Some of the best pop albums were released this year and there was a lot of variety to choose from. Let’s take a look at some of the best pop albums of 2014.

“In the Lonely Hour” by Sam Smith

On May 26th, 2014, Sam Smith’s debut album In the Lonely Hour was released in the United States. The album had been released earlier in may in the United Kingdom and other countries. The album is a collection of pop, R&B, and soul songs written by Smith and a variety of co-writers. The number one single “Stay With Me” is anthem about unrequited love that has become popular worldwide. “Money on My Mind”, “Good Things”, “I’m Not the Only One”, and “Lay Me Down” are also popular singles from the album.

Critical reception for In the Lonely Hour has been positive. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from professional critics, the album received an average score of 74, which indicates “generally favorable reviews”, based on 27 reviews. Popdust gave In the Lonely Hour 5 out of 5 stars and said that it was “one of those perfect records: an album with something for everyone but doesn’t pander or make any obvious sacrifices in quality.” The A.V. Club gave the album a B+ and said that it was “an accomplished collection of present-day blue-eyed soul.”

“X” by Ed Sheeran

Ed Sheeran’s debut album, “+” (“plus”), was released in September 2011 and entered the UK charts at number one. The album has been certified six-times platinum in the UK and has sold over four million copies in the US. “X” (“multiply”) is Sheeran’s second studio album, released in June 2014. The album debuted at number one on both the UK Albums Chart and the US Billboard 200. “X” has been certified three-times platinum in the UK and has sold over two million copies in the US.

“1000 Forms of Fear” by Sia

Sia’s “1000 Forms of Fear” was one of the best pop albums of 2014. The album peaked at #1 on the US Billboard 200 and #2 on the UK Albums Chart. It was certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) and double platinum by the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA).

The album received positive reviews from critics, who praised Sia’s voice and songwriting. AllMusic’s James Christopher Monger called it “a triumphantly introspective step forward.”

“1000 Forms of Fear” includes the single “Chandelier”, which peaked at #3 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and was certified triple platinum by the RIAA.

Conclusion

In conclusion, the best pop music of 2014 was a mixture of old and new faces. While some established artists like Taylor Swift and Katy Perry continued to produce great music, there were also new artists like Iggy Azalea and Ariana Grande who made their mark on the pop music scene. 2014 was certainly a great year for pop music, and I can’t wait to see what 2015 has in store for us!