The Best of Pop Music in 2014
A look at the best pop songs of 2014, including hits from Taylor Swift, Katy Perry, and more.
Introduction
It’s been an amazing year for pop music, with a wide variety of sounds and styles to enjoy. From the catchy hooks of Meghan Trainor’s “All About That Bass” to the blockbuster success of Taylor Swift’s ” Shake It Off,” there has been something for everyone.
And that’s just the beginning. Other stand-out tracks included Iggy Azalea’s “Fancy,” Sam Smith’s “Stay With Me,” Ariana Grande’s “Problem,” and Pharrell Williams’ “Happy.” It was truly a year to remember in pop music.
So, without further ado, here are our picks for the best pop songs of 2014:
The Best Pop Songs of 2014
It’s been a great year for pop music, with a wide variety of catchy, heart-warming, and just plain fun songs to choose from. Here are our favorites- the best pop songs of 2014!
“All About That Bass” by Meghan Trainor
“All About That Bass” by Meghan Trainor was one of the most popular pop songs of 2014. Released in June of that year, the song entered the Billboard Hot 100 at number 84 and eventually peaked at number one, where it remained for eight weeks. The song also topped the charts in several other countries, including Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom.
“All About That Bass” was criticized by some for its messages about body image, but it was embraced by many listeners who found its positive message about self-acceptance to be empowering. The song’s popularity helped to launch Trainor’s career, and she went on to release her debut album, Title, in 2015.
“Shake It Off” by Taylor Swift
“Shake It Off” is a song recorded by American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift for her fifth studio album, 1989. It was written by Swift, Max Martin and Shellback. The song was released to radio by Republic Records on August 18, 2014, as the album’s lead single. “Shake It Off” is a pop song with influences of neo soul and hip hop. Lyrically, it is dedicated to Swift’s haters and spent six weeks atop Billboard Hot 100, becoming her second number one single from 1989 and the sixth overall single from the album. A critical success, “Shake It Off” received a Grammy Award nomination for Record of the Year. A music video directed by Mark Romanek was released on August 18, introducing ballet and hip hop styles besides traditional dancing styles.
The song entered the US Billboard Hot 100 at number 84 due its airplay during the first week of release and eventually topped the chart after 12 weeks with sales of 4.9 million copies in that country alone being its biggest market. As of March 2019, “Shake It Off” has sold over 10 million copies in the US alone and over 20 million copies worldwide making it one of the best-selling singles ever released by Republic Records.
“Habits (Stay High)” by Tove Lo
Tove Lo’s “Habits (Stay High)” was one of the best pop songs of 2014. The song is about a break-up and how the protagonist deals with it by using drugs and alcohol to forget. The song is catchy and relatable, and it’s one of those songs that you can’t help but sing along to.
“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, Savan Kotecha, Rickard Göransson and its producer, Dr. Luke, for Jessie J’s third studio album, Sweet Talker (2014). It was released on 29 July 2014 as the lead single from said album. The track peaked at number three on the Billboard Hot 100 in the United States, becoming Jessie J’s third top 10 single in the country and Grande’s fifth. In the United Kingdom “Bang Bang” debuted at number two on the UK Singles Chart tattoos eyebrows jimmy fallon august 2014 week end date marking Grande’s fourth consecutive top 5 single in the country as well as Minaj’s second consecutive top 5 single after “Anaconda”. Elsewhere it peaked within the top five of sixteen countries including Australia, Canada, France and Germany. A music video for “Bang Bang” was directed by Hannah Lux Davis and filmed in Los Angeles in May 2014. It premiered on Vevo on 29 July 2014. The video features all three artists dancing to choreography by Amy Cosler throughout various colorful backdrops.
“Bang Bang” has been described as an up-tempo song with influences of R&B and hip hop while also being an EDM track with influences of house music. The song lyrically features all three artists talking about how they are great at what they doas well as each other. Reviews for “Bang Bang” were mixed with some critics calling it a “catchy tune”, but others calling it “generic”. Commercially it was successful debuting at number three on the Billboard Hot 100 and becoming Jessie J’s third top 10 song in the US while also being Grande’s fifth top 10 single and Minaj’s tenth overall making her only the female artist with the most Hot 100 entries in 2014 beating out Taylor Swift who had nine entries that year. As of September 2015 “Bang Bang” has sold 2.9 million copies worldwide becoming both Jessie J’s best selling single to date as well as Ariana Grande’s third best selling behind only her singles “Problem” featuring Iggy Azalea (5 million) and “Break Free” featuring Zedd (3 million).
“All of Me” by John Legend
John Legend’s “All of Me” was named Song of the Year at the 57th Grammy Awards. The ballad topped Billboard’s Hot 100 chart for three weeks and spent a total of 32 weeks on the chart.
The Best Pop Albums of 2014
It was a great year for pop music. We saw a lot of amazing new album releases in 2014, from established artists and newcomers alike. In this article, we’ll be taking a look at the best pop albums of 2014.
“In the Lonely Hour” by Sam Smith
In the Lonely Hour is the debut studio album by English singer and songwriter Sam Smith. It was released in May 2014 on Capitol Records UK. The album’s lead single, “Lay Me Down”, was released in February 2014. Commercial success followed with “Money on My Mind”, which peaked at number one in the UK, and “Stay with Me”, which reached number two on the UK Singles Chart and entered the top ten in several other countries, including Australia, Canada, New Zealand and the United States.
The album received generally positive reviews from music critics, who commended Smith’s vocal performance and songwriting. At Metacritic, which assigns a weighted mean rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, In the Lonely Hour received an average score of 74%, based on 27 reviews, which indicates “generally favorable reviews”.
“My Everything” by Ariana Grande
Released in August 2014, “My Everything” is the second studio album by American singer Ariana Grande. The album debuted at number one on the US Billboard 200, selling 169,000 copies in its first week. Album singles “Problem”, “Break Free”, and “Love Me Harder” all achieved commercial success worldwide. “My Everything” received generally positive reviews from music critics, who praised Grande’s vocal range and praised the album’s diversity in comparison to her debut album.
“X” by Ed Sheeran
“X” is the second studio album by English singer-songwriter, Ed Sheeran. It was released on 20 June 2014 in Australia and New Zealand, and worldwide on 23 June through Asylum Records and Atlantic Records.
“1989” by Taylor Swift
“1989” by Taylor Swift was one of the best pop albums of 2014. It was a commercial and critical success, debuting at number one on the Billboard 200 and selling more than 1.287 million copies in its first week. The album received positive reviews from music critics, who praised its retro sound and Swift’s songwriting. It won the Grammy Award for Album of the Year, making Swift the first female solo artist to win the award twice.
“Ghost Stories” by Coldplay
“Ghost Stories” by Coldplay is one of the best pop albums of 2014. The album peaked at number one on the US Billboard 200 and was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Pop Vocal Album. The album’s first single, “A Sky Full of Stars”, peaked at number six on the US Billboard Hot 100 and was certified double platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).
Conclusion
What a year 2014 was for pop music! We saw the return of some of our favorite performers, as well as the emergence of new stars on the scene.
There were so many great songs released this year, it was hard to narrow it down to just a handful. But we did our best, and here are our picks for the best pop songs of 2014.
-“All About That Bass” by Meghan Trainor
-“Shake It Off” by Taylor Swift
-“Bang Bang” by Jessie J, Ariana Grande and Nicki Minaj
-“Dark Horse” by Katy Perry ft. Juicy J
-“Problem” by Ariana Grande ft. Iggy Azalea
-“Stay With Me” by Sam Smith
-“Fancy” by Iggy Azalea ft. Charli XCX
-“All Of Me” by John Legend
