Basically, how I did it was I looked at my list of all the debuts from this year (including late last year) and I just picked out about 50 songs that were really good. Then, of course, I eliminated 5 songs from the list so that I had a perfect 45. So before we get to it, let's quickly go over the rules for this countdown.
1) Only songs from the Weekend Countdown are eligible for this list. If it spent at least one week on the countdown within the year, it is eligible. Songs that were on Hit-Bound w/ Mikey Piff, Hits & Misses w/ Pete Wentz, or the YouTube15 w/ Jenna Marbles, but not the countdown, are not eligible for this list.
2) No songs from previous year-end rankings are eligible for this year's rankings. If only I had not ranked Taylor Swift – Blank Space in last year's rankings, then it would've been ranked really high in this year's rankings. I've been enjoying that song more than ever this past year and it sucks that it's not eligible for the Top 45 of 2015. I probably shouldn't have ranked Out Of The Woods last year either since it's now getting popular and I won't be able to rank it in 2016.
3) Songs that debuted in late December are not eligible. The cutoff date for eligible songs was the week of December 12, 2015, making Gwen Stefani – Used To Love You the final song to be eligible for this year's rankings. The following songs debuted a little too late for this year's rankings, but will be looked at first for consideration for the Top 45 or Bottom 5 of 2016.
- Shawn Mendes/Camila Cabello – I Know What You Did Last Summer
- Jason Derulo – Get Ugly
- Adele – When We Were Young
- Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats – S.O.B.
- Charlie Puth – One Call Away
- Twenty One Pilots – Stressed Out
Now, to refresh your memory, here are the Top 5 songs from the Top 45 of 2014:
5. Maroon 5 – Maps
4. Enrique Iglesias/Sean Paul – Bailando
3. Avicii/Dan Tyminski – Hey Brother
2. Nico & Vinz – Am I Wrong
1. Calvin Harris/John Newman – Blame
Okay. Now that we went over all that, it's time to get to this year's Top 45 Songs of 2015! I hope you enjoy! Let's begin!!!
45. David Guetta/Sam Martin – Dangerous - That infectious beat along with Sam Martin's killer vocals calls for a really good song. It's non-stop catchiness all throughout the song! And that orchestral ending to finish it off just worked really well! Well done, David Guetta. It sucks that this song only lasted two weeks on the countdown.
44. 5 Seconds Of Summer – She's Kinda Hot - Possibly this band's catchiest tune up-to-date. The lyrics don't really have a meaning to me. But the super catchy instrumentals, catchy guitar solo, and nice performance on the vocals pretty much make up for that.
43. Fifth Harmony – Sledgehammer - Fifth Harmony never fails on their vocals. This song has a pretty cool beat to it. I really like just about everything about it! Nice job, ladies!
42. Bea Miller – Fire N Gold - I'm not lying when I say that I did not see that powerhouse of a chorus coming. I'm quite surprised by how successful this song was on the countdown. But hey, I'm not complaining. There were times I had this song on repeat.
41. Meghan Trainor – Dear Future Husband - One of the rare occurances in which Meghan Trainor's voice does not sound like nails down a chalkboard (in other words, this is her only good song). I did not like this song at first because it sounded too much like something from the 1900's. But I definitely grew into it and found the 20th century feel to be a really catchy factor. Of course, it doesn't always work that way. But it did for this song.
40. Charli XCX – Break The Rules - Pretty damn underrated. I really liked this song when it first came out and I still do. This song got me shoutin', "I don't wanna go to school. I just wanna break the rules!"
39. Ne-Yo – She Knows - My man Ne-Yo has one of the best male voices I've ever heard. This song had some interesting instrumentals used. But Ne-Yo's voice shined through the whole song.
38. Echosmith – Bright - Echosmith's music tends to get old pretty quickly. This one isn't your average upbeat pop song. It was done more acousticly and that worked out very well for this group. There was a point where this song put me in a good mood whenever I heard it.
37. The Vamps/Demi Lovato – Somebody To You - These super young and talented guys did such a great job on this song. The chorus always got stuck in my head. These boys can definitely sing, and adding Demi Lovato (one of the best singers ever) only made this song even better. Well done boys.
36. Major Lazer/DJ Snake/MØ – Lean On - This song had a hella catchy beat. The vocals were done pretty well. The music video was very interesting. Overall, this song is a favorite of mine from this year and deserved the success it received.
35. R. City/Adam Levine – Locked Away - Adam Levine (almost) never disappoints. He delivers a really solid chorus in this song. R. City's verses sound really good as well. These guys killed it with this song. Welcome to the music industry, Rock City.
34. Ariana Grande/The Weeknd – Love Me Harder - Personally my favorite song from My Everything. This was also the first song I've heard involving The Weeknd. This song didn't blow up on Hits 1 as much as I hoped it would. But it debuted, at least.
33. Little Mix – Black Magic - Have you seen these girls perform? They got some serious moves! But seriously, this song got me out of my seat and moving to it, whether or not what I do is considered dancing. It has had a lot more success here on Hits 1 than anywhere else.
32. Sam Hunt – Take Your Time - Sam Hunt's talking the verses actually worked pretty well in this song. The chorus sounds really nicely done. It peaked at, I believe, #7 on this countdown. So pretty successful if you ask me.
31. Fifth Harmony – Worth It - This song would've been better had they not edited out Kid Ink's verses. But as far as the song goes, it's one of those songs that has to play at a party in order to make it a party. Like seriously. These ladies scored big with this song. So fucking catchy!
30. Nick Jonas – Chains - This is definitely my favorite song from Nick Jonas as a solo artist. I think it was around this time last year when I first heard it on Hits 1 and was really enjoying it. Like I immediately went on my phone, looked it up, and listened to it again. That's how good it was.
29. Calvin Harris/Ellie Goulding – Outside - Still not sure if Outside is better than Harris and Goulding's previous collaborated song, I Need Your Love. Outside had some excellent vocals from Ellie Goulding and a pretty interesting sounding beat that worked really well.
28. Carly Rae Jepsen – I Really Like You - The day this song came out, I was jamming out to it so hard! It's a catchy upbeat pop song that just gets stuck in your head everytime you finished listening to it. Her new album, E-MO-TION, is really good as well.
27. Sam Smith – Like I Can - His best song since Stay With Me. This man had such a soulful voice and he sounds so passionate in his music that it's really hard to turn it down. And this is one of those songs and it's nice and upbeat. I'm so glad this song become at least somewhat popular because it was always a favorite of mine from In The Lonely Hour.
26. Shaggy/Mohombi/Faydee/Costi – I Need Your Love - I never thought this song would hit Top 40 radio. I'm so glad it did. The pop/reggae artist really did well on this song. The chorus was almost always in my head. The beat is just irresistible.
25. One Direction – Where Do Broken Hearts Go - This song was never actually released as a single. Hits 1 just picked up on it for whatever reason. This song and No Control were my two favorites from FOUR. These boys' vocals sound really good in this song.
24. Jason Derulo – Cheyenne - Three short weeks was just not enough. It was nice while it lasted. Of the three Jason Derulo songs to debut on the countdown this year, this one was the best.
23. Shawn Mendes – Stitches - My current celebrity crush, Shawn Mendes, did an excellent job with his smash hit, Stitches. I really like this song. I loved it from the beginning and I still kind of like it now. Of course, by now I've heard it a little too many times. But it's still a good song.
22. All Time Low – Something's Gotta Give - The alternative/rock group, All Time Low had that really catchy song earlier this year, Something's Gotta Give. This was actually really successful on Hits 1 for a song that didn't much attention elsewhere. I definitely had this song on repeat at some point.
21. R5 – Let's Not Be Alone Tonight - This group had the song, Heart Made Up On You, from 2014 that was really good, but only lasted two weeks on the countdown. Let's Not Be Alone Tonight proved to be their more successful song. I was always singing along to this song. It's just so freakin' catchy!
20. Nicki Minaj – The Night Is Still Young - I love this song. Anything Nicki Minaj does sounds really good. The Night Is Still Young always sounded like a more radio-friendly pop song, which is what I like most from her. Songs like this one and Starships. But seriously, Nicki Minaj is the Queen of Rap. Anyone who says Iggy Azalea is better is not someone you need to have in your life.
19. Nova Rockafeller – Made In Gold - This song about gold sounded a little stupid and annoying at first listen. But I immediately grew into it and it quickly became a song that I turned the volume up to whenever it came on the radio. This song has a hella catchy chorus that definitely should've gotten more attention. But it was featured in the soundtrack for the movie, The Duff. So I guess that's something.
18. Demi Lovato – Cool For The Summer - The day this song came out, I listened and jammed out to it at least 10 times within that same day. It's a perfect summer jam. The electric guitar in the chorus is something I can't get enough of. That instantly got me hooked on the chorus. It's not her best song, but it is one of my favorites.
17. Pitbull/Chris Brown – Fun - F.U.N. FUN! Along with Cool For The Summer, this was one of my summer songs of 2015. The beat is just really catchy. I've said this a million times, but Chris Brown has one of the best voices I've ever heard. The man can sing. So many people judge him on his character and fail to notice the awesome voice he has. Pitbull's verses were done really nicely as well. It's not as good as their previous collaboration, International Love, from 2012. But Fun was still a very well done song.
16. Panic! At The Disco – Victorious - This group has never really disappointed me. I absolutely love Brendon Urie's voice and this song has amazing instrumentals to make it an awesome song. Honestly, this song is victorious! Way to get me cranking the volume up when it comes on the radio.
15. Wiz Khalifa/Charlie Puth – See You Again - This song was originally going to be somewhere in the Top 5. But radio kind of killed it and so many better songs came along that it didn't even make the cut into the Top 10. It is still a beautiful tribute to Paul Walker. It's one of the few Wiz Khalifa songs I actually loved at some point. I may not like it that much now, but I loved it for quite a while. So it just had to be on this list.
14. Marlon Roudette – When The Beat Drops Out - The guy has a really nice voice and the beat in this song is really catchy. When it first debuted on the Weekend Countdown, I could not stop listening to it. Unfortunately, this song didn't get much recognition around the United States, which I'm not really happy about because the song is really good. It's a nice pop song that you don't hear much of these days. I still love this song to this day and I knew that it had to be ranked relatively high on this list.
13. One Direction – Drag Me Down - This song came out completely unexpected and still immediately shot up to #1 on iTunes. I wasn't over-the-top in love with it when it first came out. But as time went on, I quickly fell in love with the song and I could not stop listening to it. It's the boys' first single without Zayn Malik, who departed from the band early this year. Frankly, I think they're better off without him. This was a really good lead single for their album, Made In The A.M. (which, by the way, is a really good album).
12. Tori Kelly – Should've Been Us - This girl can sing! Her debut single, Nobody Love, was okay. I didn't find it too special. This song, however, shined in so many lights. Her voice sounds amazing in the chorus and she can really hit those high notes! Damn girl! You're voice is out of this world!
11. Zedd/Jon Bellion – Beautiful Now - I love Zedd. This song lasted a short 3 weeks on the Weekend Countdown, which really saddened me. This song is excellent. It has me hooked from the very beginning all the way until the very end. I love the beat. Jon Bellion's vocals are beyond excellent, especially in the chorus. This song was almost always in my head. I was always singing it to myself. It's an amazing song that should've been Zedd's biggest song this year, not the inferior I Want You To Know.
We have now entered the Top 10. I definitely took the time going through every song to make sure I was making the right decision ranking them where they are currently ranked.
10. Lorde – Yellow Flicker Beat - This song, with no competition, is Lorde's best song. It starts off quiet and kind of mysterious, then the song progressively gets louder until we reach the banger chorus where I can just see Lorde's crazy dancing initiate. She performed this song live a couple of times and nowadays, I enjoy watching her live because I think her dancing is really fun to watch. Awesome seems to be the perfect word to describe this song. It definitely should've gotten more attention in places other than Hits 1.
9. The Weeknd – Earned It - This song was a pretty successful song around the world, but only peaked at like, #14 on this countdown. I don't understand. I love this song. The Weeknd's voice is really soothing and calm all throughout the song. A song like this one is nice to have every now and then. It was featured in Fifty Shades Of Grey, which I probably would've been able to guess just by listening to the song. Earned It is definitely one of the best songs of the year. I probably won't care much about it in the future. But I really enjoyed it this past year.
8. Audien/Lady Antebellum – Something Better - I guess I can be happy that it managed to make it on this countdown even though it didn't last too long. It's still on the countdown as I'm typing this, but it's pretty damn low. I have no idea how many times I've listened to this song within the past month. Obviously, it was a lot. I love Lady Antebellum and their vocals in the song were just spot on. Hillary Scott's voice in the chorus is just amazingly done. I throughly love this song. Excellent job, Audien. You have made a very good first impression.
7. Adam Lambert – Ghost Town - I was anxiously waiting for this song to be released because I knew it would be amazing, which it was. This song has a really catchy and that whistle that immediately got me hooked was very hard to turn down. I had my doubts about this song hitting mainstream radio and I'm so glad it did. It lasted quite a while on Hits 1, so I'm impressed. Adam Lambert never disappoints. His debut album, For You Entertainment, was really good. I liked his sophomore album, Trespassing, as well. And now I really like his newest album, The Original High, which features this song and new single, Another Lonely Night. Overall, I really do love this song. I'm sure a lot of you knew that this song had to be in this list if you knew how much I love the song.
6. Justin Bieber – Sorry - This song is SPOT ON!!! I immediately fell in love with it when I first listened to it and it is my favorite song at the moment. I love Justin Bieber. He has a really nice voice. He's really hot. This song is probably my favorite song off of his new album, Purpose. What Do You Mean? was good, but it seemed kind of bland and didn't really have much to it. But Sorry is completely different story. Skrillex helped produce it which explains why it's pretty much a dance song. Every time this song comes on the radio, I turn the volume up. I'm always jamming out to this song and it is just excellent. It's good to have you back, Justin.
5. Ellie Goulding – Love Me Like You Do - This song proved to be Ellie Goulding's biggest song up-to-date considering it was #1 in many places, including Hits 1, which made Love Me Like You Do her first #1 song on the Weekend Countdown. I loved this song when it was first released and I still love it now. As much as the chorus gets repetitive at times, I never get sick of it. This song just never gets old. The music video is really nice as there is some beautiful scenery as well as clips taken from the movie, Fifty Shades Of Grey, since this song is featured in that soundtrack along with Earned It. This song is a little over 4 minutes long and I enjoy every second of it. It definitely deserved to be a #1 song.
4. The Weeknd – The Hills - Dark and mysterious is what we like from The Weeknd, very similar to our #9 song, Earned It. The beginning of this song immediately reels me in and gets me interested in where the song is going. It has one of the most interesting beats this year. I absolutely love the chorus. I can't believe it was on the countdown for such a short period of time. The fact that it never hit #1 on American Top 40 kind of pissed me off too since it's a multiple-week #1 song on the Billboard Hot 100. This song is definitely my favorite song from The Weeknd and so much better than Can't Feel My Face. It's songs like these that I want from The Weeknd. Dark and mysterious.
3. X Ambassadors – Renegades - I don't exactly know what made me fall in love with this song so much. I guess it's just something different and out of the ordinary, especially on Top 40 radio. Of course, this was popular on alternative stations before it transferred over to mainstream stations. I really like X Ambassadors. Their music is so catchy. Some of the lyrics in this song sound pretty meaningful, especially in the bridge of the song. I really like the chorus and I love the guitar solo ending. It was a pretty cool way to bring the song to a close. I like Sam Harris' vocals in the band on a lot of their songs. They remind me of Imagine Dragons and I find that funny since I just recently released that it was Imagine Dragons who gave X Ambassadors their start. At first, I thought of this as some ordinary song, then I suddenly fell in love with it and I can't even explain it. But it's definitely a favorite of mine.
2. Hozier – Take Me To Church - I can't even began to say how much I love the meaning of this song. It's definitely the most meaningful song of 2015 in my opinion. It's mainly about religion and how certain religious "laws" affect other people. The main thing the song is about is homosexuality as emphasized in the music video for the song. I recall myself crying when I first watched the music video just because of how emotional it is. And not only that, but the fact that this is reality. People are constantly getting judged because of things like their sexuality which they cannot change. You guys know that I'm very open about my sexuality. This video and the song overall hit me hard. What I want you to get out of this is for you to not judge people. We're all human beings, we're all different, and that is okay. Alright, enough with the sad talk. I think Hozier has a really nice voice. The song has a nice use of instrumentals. Overall, it's a beyond excellent song. Now you might be wondering how it's not #1. But this next song just wowed me from first listen and it's still stuck with me. And that song is.............
1. David Guetta/Nicki Minaj/Bebe Rexha/Afrojack – Hey Mama - A lot of you guessed this song would be #1. Some of you guessed Renegades, which was indeed a very good guess. It was a really tough call between this one and our #2 song, Take Me To Church, for which song should be #1. Unlike Take Me To Church, this song doesn't really have any meaning to it and the music video makes absolutely no sense to me. But this song is amazing in every other aspect. I enjoy every second of this song. The David Guetta and Afrojack production really did pay off on this song. Nicki Minaj's rapping the verses were done really well. Bebe Rexha's vocals in the chorus sound amazing. Another thing I love about the song is how fast-paced it is. It's a little over 3 minutes long and honestly, I think David Guetta here put every second to good use. The beats all throughout this song are so irresistible that they do not leave your head. The use of the trumpets in the chorus sound really good as they mix in with Bebe Rexha's vocals very nicely. I love pretty much everything about this song. Every single time it came on the radio, I cranked the volume up. Even my dad loved this song too and we would always jam out to it. Then again, he loves everything with Nicki Minaj. But still. It's David Guetta's best song up-to-date. It's a great song you would want on the radio and the perfect song you would want to get down to at the club. If I'm at a club and this song comes on, you better get out of the way 'cause I'm heading straight for that dancefloor. Overall, it is a beyond excellent masterpiece of a song that deserved the amount of success it received. As for all four of these artists, excellent job on creating the #1 song of 2015. Also, this is the third year in a row in which an EDM song has been #1 of the year. But yeah. Excellent job, everyone.
So that was it guys! I can't believe it's over! All that waiting and it's done. But yeah. These were the 45 best songs of 2015 based 100% on my opinion. I know a lot of you predicted that the #1 song would be #1. Did you agree on any of these? Did you disagree? Let me know in the comment section down below. Keep in mind, this list is entirely my opinion. So don't go saying everything is wrong. Thank you guys for all the support you give me and this blog. 2015 was a great year for us! I hope you all have a fantastic New Year's and a great start to 2016! See you guys!
