Top Ten Pop Music of 2014

From Katy Perry to Pharrell Williams, these are the artists that topped the charts this year.

Introduction

It’s hard to believe that another year has come and gone, but 2014 is officially in the books. And what a year it was for pop music! From downtempo ballads to upbeat club bangers, there was something for everyone on the pop charts this year.

So without further ado, here are 2014’s top ten pop songs, as voted on by the Pop craving staff:

1. “Happy” – Pharrell Williams
2. “All About That Bass” – Meghan Trainor
3. “Shake It Off” – Taylor Swift
4. “Take Me to Church” – Hozier
5. “Bang Bang” – Jessie J, Ariana Grande & Nicki Minaj
6. “Dark Horse” – Katy Perry ft. Juicy J
7. “Stay with Me” – Sam Smith
8. “Problem” – Ariana Grande ft. Iggy Azalea
9. “Fancy” – Iggy Azalea ft. Charli XCX
10. “Am I Wrong” – Nico & Vinz

“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. The song was written by Trainor and Kevin Kadish, and was produced by Kadish. The song’s instrumentation consists of bass guitar and drums. Lyrically, it discusses positive body image.

Commercially, the song peaked at number one on the US Billboard Hot 100 and entered the top ten of several other countries. An accompanying music video was directed by Fatima Robinson, which depicts Trainor attempting to love her body despite society’s pressures to be thin. The song received praise from music critics, who applauded its light-heartedness and thanked Trainor for promoting body positivity.

At the 57th Grammy Awards, “All About That Bass” won the award for Best Solo Pop Performance. It went on to sell 11 million units worldwide, becoming the eighth-best-sellingsingle of all time. In October 2014 it was revealed that “All About That Bass” was the most streamed song on Spotify in the United States that year.

“Bailando” by Enrique Iglesias

“Bailando” by Enrique Iglesias topped the list of the top ten pop songs of 2014. The song was a huge hit in both Europe and America, and it was notably the first Spanish-language song to top the Billboard Hot 100 chart in over a decade.

“Blank Space” by Taylor Swift

“Blank Space” is a song by American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift from her fifth studio album 1989 (2014). It was written by Swift, Max Martin and Shellback. The song was released to radio by Republic Records on November 10, 2014 as the album’s second single, after “Shake It Off” and is the second track on the album. Musically, “Blank Space” is a synth-pop power ballad with lyrics that satirize the media’s perception of Swift and her relationships.

The song received generally positive reviews from music critics who praised its production and Swift’s songwriting style. Commercially, the track debuted at number 18 on the Billboard Hot 100 and eventually peaked at number one after 26 weeks, making it Swift’s longest chart-topping run in the United States. Furthermore, it became Swift’s second number-one single in Australia and topped charts in Denmark, New Zealand, Ireland, Netherlands, Norway and Scotland. In 2015,”Blank Space”, along with “Bad Blood”, won Favorite Pop/Rock Song at the American Music Awards.A music video for “Blank Space” was filmed in October 2014 and premiered during the opening show of the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show that same month. It featured Swift as a sociopathic girlfriend who viciously breaks up with her boyfriends after they cross her path. The video was nominated for four MTV Video Music Awards – winning Best Female Video – while also winning Best Visual Effects Myles Erfurth & Prashant Panjiar), Best Art Direction Evan Browning Rentz)and Best Cinematography Tobias Schliessler).It also won best video of 2015 at Fuse TVMesh Reichwald & Brendan Varni)and best pop video at Much Music Video AwardsNikki Martin & Aaron A.)
Reception:
Billboard gave “Blank Space” a positive review saying that “[T]he sardonic humor laced throughout ‘Blank Space’ – which finds its star chronicling how she will quickly transform from sweet dating partner to psycho girlfriend after falling too hard too fast – fits perfectly [with] 1989’s look as sleekly stylized synth-pop.” Eric Renner Brown of Entertainment Weekly gave a mixed review of “Blank Space”.

“Boom Clap” by Charli XCX

“Boom Clap” is a song by English singer Charli XCX, released as the second single from her second studio album, Sucker (2014). The song was written by Charli XCX and Fred Gibson, and produced by Gibson. It is an electro-pop song, featuring instrumentation from a drum machine and guitar. Lyrically, the song is written in the perspective of “The Fault in Our Stars” character Augustus Waters while he is on his deathbed, reminiscing about his relationship with Hazel Grace Lancaster.

Critical reception of “Boom Clap” was positive, with many critics praising its sound and lyrics. The song peaked at number eight on the UK Singles Chart and number six on the US Billboard Hot 100. It also reached the top 10 in several other countries including Australia, Canada, New Zealand and Sweden. The song’s accompanying music video was directed by Marc Klasfeld and features clips from The Fault in Our Stars intercut with footage of Charli XCX performing in concert.

“Chandelier” by Sia

“Chandelier” is a song by Australian singer Sia Furler, released as the lead single from her sixth studio album, 1000 Forms of Fear. Written by Sia and Jesse Shatkin and produced by Greg Kurstin, the song was released on 17 March 2014 as a digital download. It is an electropop song, featuring electronic music elements including use of synth drums and percussion. Lyrically, “Chandelier” is a song about addiction and partying.
The music video was directed by Sia and Daniel Askill, and features dancer Maddie Ziegler. It became a sleeper hit on YouTube, receiving over 300 million views in under six months.”

“Dark Horse” by Katy Perry

“Dark Horse” is a song recorded by American singer Katy Perry. It was released as the third single from her fourth studio album, Prism (2013). “Dark Horse” combines the genres of trap and hip hop, replicating what has been described as a ” Southern rap-techno mashup”. The song features trap drums, trance synths, and occult imagery.

The song became Perry’s eleventh number one on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, and held the position for three weeks. It also topped the charts in Australia, Canada, Ireland, New Zealand, and South Korea. “Dark Horse” was certified five-times platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), and ranks as one of Perry’s most successful songs to date. To date, “Dark Horse” has sold over 13 million copies worldwide.

“Fancy” by Iggy Azalea

“Fancy” is a song recorded by Australian rapper Iggy Azalea for her debut studio album, The New Classic (2014). It features English singer-songwriter Charli XCX, and was released on 17 February 2014 by Def Jam Recordings as the fourth single from the album. “Fancy” was described as an electro-hop song. It peaked at number one on the Billboard Hot 100, becoming both Azalea’s and XCX’s first number-one on that chart. The song reached number one in several other countries including Canada, Ireland and the United Kingdom. It is one of the best-selling singles worldwide of 2014.

The accompanying music video for “Fancy” was directed by Director X and published online on 19 March 2014. The clip was met with generally mixed reviews from music critics, who complimented its colorful visuals but criticized its lack of originality. “Fancy” won the 2015 MTV Video Music Award for Best Hip-Hop Video and was nominated for four other categories, including Video of the Year.

“Problem” by Ariana Grande

“Problem” is a song by American singer Ariana Grande, featuring Australian rapper Iggy Azalea. Written by both alongside Savan Kotecha and its producers, Max Martin and Shellback, it premiered on April 28, 2014 on Hit-Boy’s Beats 1 radio show World Record. The track was released by Republic Records on April 28, 2014 as the lead single from Grande’s second studio album My Everything (2014). “Problem” is an up-tempo dance-pop and R&B song with influences of hip hop, which runs for a duration of three minutes and twenty-seven seconds.

The song’s pitch registered at 210 hertz, making it one of the highest pitched notes ever sung by a pop artist. It also features an horns instrumentation. Lyrically, it finds Grande dealing with a double standard in relationships. “Problem” was generally well received by most music critics upon release who praised its arrangement and called it one of the year’s best singles, while some criticized Iggy Azalea’s verse. Commercially, the single debuted atop the Billboard Hot 100 chart in the United States becoming Grande’s second consecutive number one hit from My Everything after “Break Free”.

“Stay with Me” by Sam Smith

At number ten on our list of the Top Ten Pop Songs of 2014 is “Stay with Me” by Sam Smith. This ballad about unrequited love peaked at number two on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and was nominated for Song of the Year and Record of the Year at the 57th Grammy Awards.