The Best Pop Music of 2014
While many music critics will write about the best music of 2014 at the end of the year, we thought we’d take a look at the best pop music of the year so far.
Introduction
It was a great year for pop music, with a number of artists releasing excellent albums and singles. In this article, we’ll take a look at some of the best pop music of 2014.
We’ll start with Taylor Swift, who released her fifth album, “1989,” to critical acclaim. The album’s first single, “Shake It Off,” was a massive hit, reaching #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. “1989” went on to debut at #1 on the Billboard 200 album chart, making Swift the first artist since the Beatles to release three consecutive albums that debuted at #1.
Another artist who had a great year was Iggy Azalea, who released her debut album, “The New Classic.” The album’s lead single, “Fancy,” featuring Charli XCX, was an international hit, reaching #1 in several countries. “The New Classic” was also a commercial success, debuting at #3 on the Billboard 200.
Other notable releases in 2014 include Sam Smith’s debut album “In the Lonely Hour,” which debuted at #2 on the Billboard 200; Ariana Grande’s second album “My Everything,” which debuted at #1 on the Billboard 200; andColdplay’s sixth album “Ghost Stories,” which debuted at #1 on the Billboard 200.
The Best Pop Songs of 2014
It’s been an incredible year for pop music, with huge hits from both established artists and newcomers. Here are our picks for the best pop songs of 2014.
“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, by Epic Records as the lead single from the album. It topped the US Billboard Hot 100 chart for eight consecutive weeks and unseated “Fancy” by Iggy Azalea; Stay with Me” by Sam Smith; “Bang Bang” by Jessie J, Ariana Grande and Nicki Minaj; and “Shake It Off” by Taylor Swift as the longest-running number one of 2014. The song sold 11 million units worldwide, becoming the third best-selling song of 2014 and one of the best-selling singles of all time.
The music video was released on August 1, 2014, directed by Fatima Robinson. As of December 2019, the video has received over 2 billion views on YouTube, becoming one of the website’s most viewed videos.
“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. The song was written by Swift, Max Martin and Shellback. It was released to radio by Republic Records on August 18, 2014 as the album’s lead single. “Shake It Off” is a pop track and its lyrics describe Swift’s ability to rise above haters. Upon release, the song received mixed reviews from music critics but was a commercial success, becoming Swift’s sixth consecutive top-ten hit in the United States and reaching number one in Australia and Canada. The single also won Favorite Song at the 2015 People’s Choice Awards. A music video for the song premiered on August 18, 2014. Swift appeared in various settings including a ballroom where she performed choreographed moves with other dancers dressed like her; she also donned novelty costumes including several leotards throughout parts of the video.
The video won Best Pop Video at the 2015 MTV Video Music Awards and has been viewed over two billion times on YouTube as of January 2020.
“Dark Horse” by Katy Perry
“Dark Horse” is a song recorded by American singer Katy Perry. It was released on September 17, 2013, by Capitol Records as the second single from her fourth studio album Prism (2013). Perry co-wrote the song with its producers Max Martin, Dr. Luke, and Cirkut. It is a midtempo song with elements of trap music and features a minimalist production that incorporates a rattling bassline, synth pads, and occasional hip hop-inspired drum beats throughout the verses. The song’s lyrics are about “a volatile relationship with Kuala Lumpur Warisan Don Negara founder/leader Anwar Ibrahim”, that is “about being in love with a bad boy and hopefully not getting burned.”
Commercial performance
“Dark Horse” debuted at number 84 on the US Billboard Hot 100 on the week ending November 30, 2013. The following week, it reached number 66 and peaked at number 25 on January 11, 2014, becoming Perry’s 16th top-40 single in the country. As of July 2014, it has sold 4 million copies in the United States. In Canada, “Dark Horse” reached number 42 on the Canadian Hot 100 chart and was certified double platinum by Music Canada for sales exceeding 160,000 units. In November 2015 the song was ranked at number 24 on Billboard’s Greatest Songs of All Time list.
“Happy” by Pharrell Williams
“Happy” is a song performed by American singer and record producer Pharrell Williams, from the Despicable Me 2 soundtrack album. The song additionally served as the lead single from Williams’ second studio album, Girl. It was released on November 21, 2013, alongside a long-term licensing deal with Columbia Records, and entered several international music charts, becoming Williams’ most commercially successful single to date.
The single was nominated for Best Original Song at the 86th Academy Awards and earned Williams two Grammy Awards for Best Pop Solo Performance and Best Pop Song. Despite being nearly 10 years old, “Happy” still manages to remain popular and is considered one of the best pop songs of 2014.
“Problem” by Ariana Grande
“Problem” is a song recorded by American singer Ariana Grande, featuring Australian rapper Iggy Azalea. It was released by Republic Records on April 28, 2014 as the lead single from Grande’s second studio album My Everything (2014). The song was written by Grande, Savan Kotecha, Ilya and Max Martin, being produced by the latter two with Shellback. “Problem” is an uptempo dance-pop and R&B track with influences of hip hop and trap music. The chorus features uncredited vocals from American hip hop artist Big Sean. Lyrically, the song is about a relationship where the girl feels she is not getting enough attention.
“Problem” debuted at number three on the Billboard Hot 100 selling 438,000 copies in its first week, becoming Grande’s second top ten and Azalea’s third. It remained in the top ten for seven weeks before peaking at number two for five weeks. The single also debuted at number one on the Hot Digital Songs chart selling 434,000 copies in its first week; it was eventually certified double Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) denoting digital sales of over 2 million copies. Internationally, “Problem” reached number one in Hungary and peaked within the top five in Australia, Denmark, Finland, France, Greece, Ireland and Sweden; as well as peaking within the top ten in Belgium (Flanders), Belgium (Wallonia), Canada CHR/Top 40 radio airplay charts), Israel among others. A music video for “Problem” featuring cameos from Big Sean and Iggy Azalea was released on May 30th 2014 through Grande’s official Vevo channel being directed by Jon Jon Augustavo. As of December 3rd 2018 it has received 755 million views on YouTube making it Grande’s fourth most watched video of her channel only behind “No Tears Left to Cry”, “Side to Side”, and “Break Free”.
The Best Pop Albums of 2014
It’s hard to deny that 2014 was a great year for pop music. Artists like Taylor Swift, Ed Sheeran, and Sam Smith dominated the charts with their catchy hooks and infectious melodies. But what were the best pop albums of the year? Let’s take a look.
“My Everything” by Ariana Grande
Ariana Grande’s “My Everything” is one of the best pop albums of 2014. It debuted at #1 on the Billboard 200 and has sold over 2 million copies in the US. The album features the hit singles “Problem”, “Break Free”, and “Love Me Harder”.
“1989” by Taylor Swift
“1989” is the fifth studio album by American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift, released on October 27, 2014, through Big Machine Records. As with her previous album, “Red” (2012), “1989” is a pop record with heavy synthesizers, programmed drums, and processed background vocals. Lyrically, the album speaks of young love and personal growth.
Upon its release, “1989” received critical acclaim from music critics, who praised its production and applauded Swift for transitioning into a pop style. The album debuted atop the Billboard 200 with first-week sales of 1.287 million copies, becoming Swift’s third album to do so and the fastest-selling album in over a decade in the United States. Five of its singles (” Shake It Off”, ” Blank Space”, ” Style”, ” Bad Blood”, and ” Wildest Dreams”) were top ten hits on the Billboard Hot 100 chart; these songs occupied the top three positions on the chart simultaneously. The album has sold over 5 million copies in the US and over 9 million copies worldwide.
“X” by Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran’s “X” took the pop world by storm in 2014. The album shot to the top of the charts and stayed there for weeks, thanks to catchy singles like “Sing” and “Don’t.” “X” also earned Sheeran a slew of awards, including Best Pop Vocal Album at the Grammy Awards.
“In the Lonely Hour” by Sam Smith
On In the Lonely Hour, Sam Smith effectively communicates the conflicting emotions of lovesickness, ranking it among 2014’s best pop albums. The English singer-songwriter broke into the mainstream with his feature on Disclosure’s 2013 hit “Latch,” and his emotive style is on full display throughout In the Lonely Hour. The lyrics are raw and vulnerable, exploring the idea of unrequited love with honesty and humor. And while some of the tracks deal with complex topics like heartbreak and loneliness, they’re also irresistibly catchy and easy to sing along to. It’s no wonder that In the Lonely Hour has been praised by critics and fans alike – it’s a truly impressive debut album that announced Sam Smith as a major new talent in pop music.
“Ghost Stories” by Coldplay
Coldplay’s “Ghost Stories” is one of the best pop albums of 2014. The album takes a more mellow and introspective approach than their previous albums, and it paid off. The album is full of beautiful and catchy melodies, with lyrics that are both personal and relatable. It’s the perfect album for a rainy day or a long car ride. If you’re looking for something new to listen to, “Ghost Stories” is definitely worth checking out.
Conclusion
2014 has been an amazing year for pop music, with so many talented artists released some incredible songs. It’s hard to narrow it down to just ten, but these are the tracks that we think have been the stand-out hits of the year.
1. ‘All of Me’ by John Legend
2. ‘Happy’ by Pharrell Williams
3. ‘All About That Bass’ by Meghan Trainor
4. ‘Shake It Off’ by Taylor Swift
5. ‘ rather Be’ by Clean Bandit feat. Jess Glynne
6. ‘Budapest’ by George Ezra
7. ‘Chandelier’ by Sia
8. ‘I Will Never Let You Down’ by Rita Ora
9. ‘Jealous’ by Nick Jonas
10. ‘Ghosts’ by Halsey
