It’s time to celebrate some of the best songs of the year. Whether you’re celebrating the end of a school year or just trying to get through the next few months, these tunes are sure to be a hit. You can listen to them on Spotify or download them directly to your iPod. These are the best songs of the year so far, according to fans and experts alike.
‘Lemon’
This week’s Billboard Top 40 was a bit of a wash, but one song made a bold statement. It was the “Lemon,” an album track from N.E.R.D., which features a bona fide superstar in Rihanna. Interestingly, the song was released in November. A promo release included a shortened edit of the title track. The song is a big deal, not only for its star power but also for its hefty price tag.
Although “Lemon” has not yet become the anthem of the band’s upcoming tour, it does hold the enviable honor of being the top song on the list. To add to its tally, the song was also the most played on the chart. The track, which was inspired by video footage of Bono’s mother, also features the requisite amount of dancing, including a few from Bono himself.
For those of us with a squeaky clean vocal cord, “Lemon” is a slam dunk. One could argue that it has been for some time, but it has recently gained a new lease on life thanks to a host of dance-centric remixes. While the track may be a relic, the album’s overall longevity isn’t.
The best part of all is that “Lemon” isn’t the only song to make the cut. A trio of other songs climbed the charts in the past two weeks. Some of the highlights include Bruno Mars and Cardi B’s “Finesse,” which was ranked number five in the Billboard Rhythmic Songs list, while Drake’s new track is currently tucked into the bottom ten.
‘Stay’
Featuring Justin Bieber, “Stay” is an atypical pop song. It has Retro Disco and Funk influences. In its second week, the song racked up 25.3 million streams. The track also peaked at the top of the Billboard Hot 100 chart for four weeks. This is the longest lead artist streak in the chart’s history.
The track has been certified double platinum in the US with over two million sales units. During its four-week reign, the track has also topped the Billboard Global 200 and ARIA Singles Charts. And the song already holds gold status in Germany.
Despite its atypical features, the song has been a hit. It debuted at the top of the charts in over 20 countries, including the U.K., Australia, and South Africa. It’s also been the highest-charting song on Apple Music’s global song chart for 51 days straight.
“Stay” surpassed the previous longest-reigning lead artist, “Sorry”, which was a five-week reign. However, the song can’t match the point totals of some songs with more chart peaks.
One thing to note about the Hot 100 is that many songs are hitting the top spot in summer. While “Stay” hasn’t matched the points of a song like “Butter,” it’s still making headlines for its longevity.
Stay also beat out Adele’s 30–a song that moved upwards of 600,000 combined units in the span of less than two months. Also, Stay sold more than a million more units than the BTS hit “Permission to Dance”.
‘American Pie’
In the US, the song “American Pie” is regarded as a masterpiece. This song has a good hook and a powerful message. But it’s also a complex song with lots of double-meanings. Fortunately, it’s well-written.
The song was written by Don McLean. He wrote it for his album Tapestry in 1969. It’s a Dylan-esque ballad, full of cultural references. However, it’s also a protest song.
Its lyrics focus on a tragic moment in American history. Buddy Holly died in a plane crash in 1959. Similarly, the Big Bopper and Ritchie Valens also died in a plane crash.
“American Pie” was a commercial success, reaching the top of the charts. The song is considered to be the longest #1 single in Billboard history, and has become a part of U.S. folklore.
However, there are also critics who say it’s a bad song. The title track is seven minutes long. While this is more than the average length of most songs, it’s not the longest.
As for the message, the song reflects a time when women were happy homemakers and black people were uppity about civil rights. Ultimately, the mythology of “American Pie” collapsed over the Vietnam War divisions.
It also got a lot of airplay. However, it’s not one of McLean’s biggest moneymakers. And even then, the song has become a classic, inspiring countless musicians to cover it.
‘Don McLean’
Don McLean is a singer and songwriter who has had success in the United Kingdom and America. His songs have been covered by Garth Brooks, Madonna and Elvis Presley.
McLean was born in New Rochelle, New York, in 1945. He was interested in music from an early age and started taking voice lessons at age five. In 1968, he received a BA degree from Iona College.
While attending Iona, he met Erik Darling, a singer who also grew up in New Rochelle. They began performing together. Later, Darling introduced McLean to Lisa Kindred.
In 1973, McLean recorded his fourth album, which became a UK hit. The album included “Everyday”, a live performance of Buddy Holly’s classic, as well as a story about a petrified man.
A year later, McLean’s album American Pie reached #1 on the charts. It remained at the top of the UK charts for 53 consecutive weeks, and was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2002.
The song, “American Pie,” was also named one of the top five songs of the 20th century by the Recording Industry Association of America. In addition, it was included in the Library of Congress National Recording Registry.
McLean has been honored with awards from Austria, Sweden and Australia. He was inducted into the National Academy of Popular Music Songwriters’ Hall of Fame in 2004. He has also received an honorary doctorate from Iona College in 2001.
‘Tiesto remix of John Legend’s All of Me’
Tiesto is one of the most successful of the modern day electronic dance duos. The man has been responsible for a number of hits, including his eponymous album, the aforementioned Tiesto, and the long-running Black Hole Recordings. His first foray was the aforementioned triumvirate, and the subsequent sequel, Elements of Life, reached number one on the Billboard top electronic albums chart in the U.S. Aside from his music, Tiesto is also an accomplished record producer, most notably releasing the popular Gouryella series under his own name. He is also a philanthropist, having donated millions of dollars to charities around the globe. Among his many accolades, he is arguably the best DJ in the business, and has become the unofficial king of the global club scene.
There are several notable achievements in his portfolio, such as his foray into live electronica at the 2004 Athens Olympic Games. He is also credited with starting a new fad in the industry, namely the Club Life club, a foray which has spread to such far flung locales as Singapore, Sydney and even New York City. In fact, Tiesto is credited with being the first DJ to perform a live set at the Olympics, a feat that would be surpassed only by the likes of Michael Jackson in recent memory.
Aside from a plethora of hit singles and LPs, Tiesto’s most significant contribution to the musical landscape was his groundbreaking aforementioned triumvirate, the aforementioned Tiesto. In a recent survey conducted by Billboard, he was ranked number one, and voted as the most desirable electronic artist in the business.
‘American Top 40 with Seacrest’
American Top 40 with Ryan Seacrest is one of the most listened-to radio shows in the world. The show traces the history of the hottest songs of the week. It is broadcast on nearly 500 radio stations across the United States.
Originally created by Casey Kasem and Tom Rounds, the American Top 40 show has been syndicated internationally. The show was originally aired by ABC, but was later rebranded by the company as ABC Watermark. During its existence, the show lasted 50 years, making it the longest-running countdown show of all time.
In January 2004, Seacrest took over the host role from Kasem. However, the show was put on hiatus for several months. Eventually, Kasem retired.
After retiring, Kasem hosted two adult contemporary radio countdowns. The shows were launched on the same weekend as AT40.
In addition, Kasem explained the LDD feature of the show in his 2007 Valentine’s Day special. This is a way to allow listeners to request a song that is not on the chart. These songs only air briefly. They are usually sexually-explicit tracks that do not receive regular airplay.
As with many popular shows in the entertainment industry, American Top 40 is also available online. Users can listen to the show on their computers, smartphones, and PlayStation 4 consoles. GEICO is the main sponsor of the show, and iHeartMedia distributes the show to nearly 500 stations in the U.S.
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