Year-End Special (Part 4): Zedd – Year Of 2018

I've already discussed 2018 for music in my previous three year-end posts. I don't think much has changed between 2017 and 2018. We still have a lot of mediocre rap having success although it wasn't as bad in 2018. 2018 was mostly Drake as he spent a shit ton of weeks at #1. But his three #1 hits were all pretty good, with the latter two being two of the best songs of the year. But overall, I feel like the music slightly improved, though not by much.


Today, I'll be discussing Hits 1's Top 45 Year-End countdown. I feel like I repeat myself every year because their year-end lists have the same issue every year where there are a lot of rankings that I felt were out of a place and a predictable #1. But I don't really have a say in it, so I kind of just roll with it. So I'm just going to go through this list and give my thoughts on each of the songs similar to what I've done in previous years. Each song with get a score from 0 to 5 (with one exception). Then at the end, I will do a large Top 45 Review and it will look very similar to how I do the weekly Top 20 Reviews. These are the different categories with the number of points for each.

• Crap (0 Points)
• Bad (1 Point)
• Mediocre (2 Points)
• Decent (3 Points)
• Good (4 Points)
• Great (5 Points)

And just like previous year, each category will be given a separate color to help better distinguish them from each other. It'll essentially be the usual color-code with some changes. Here is the modified color-coding for each of the six categories.

• Crap: Red
• Bad: Turquoise
• Mediocre: Yellow
• Decent: Pink
• Good: Blue
• Great: Green

When I do Top 20 Reviews, I usually add an extra bonus point to the score if the best song on the countdown appears in the Top 20. I'll be doing the same here because the best song of the year happens to appear in this list. That song will be given a score of 6 instead of 5. I don't think that extra point really has much of an effect on a final score out of 225, but we're going with it anyway.

So with that, I think we're ready to dive into the list. Note that the parenthetical number for each song indicates where the song peaked on the countdown. I will note how many weeks every #1 song spent at the top. Now before we get to this year's Fresh 45, here are last year's Top 5 songs.

5. Ed Sheeran – Castle On The Hill

4. Shawn Mendes – There's Nothing Holdin' Me Back

3. The Chainsmokers/Halsey – Closer

2. Zedd/Alessia Cara – Stay

1. Ed Sheeran – Shape Of You

And now I present to you the Top 45 Songs of 2018 according to SiriusXM Hits 1!

45. Demi Lovato – Tell Me You Love Me (#5) [5; Great]

I'm kind of surprised this song made the list since it was in free fall after peaking in the Top 5. But I am very glad to see it here because it's a great song that was very underrated just about everywhere. I talked a lot about this one in my Top 45 Songs of 2018 post where I put Tell Me You Love Me at #7. I do really love this song because it has great production. I love how the verses lead into the chorus. I love the gospel-feel it has and all the hand claps in the chorus. The horns sound great. Demi Lovato sounds fantastic in the verses and the chorus. It is a massive improvement from the mess that was Sorry Not Sorry and Tell Me You Love Me is arguably her best song since Heart Attack. She's put out some great songs since then, but none of them struck me as really amazing like Tell Me You Love Me did. I'm glad Hits 1 picked up on it and that it was successful enough to make this list. It's a fantastic song.

44. Halsey – Alone (#11) [4; Good]

Halsey is not exactly an artist that I love. She doesn't have very many great songs and her bad songs and like, really bad. In 2018, we got Alone, which is pretty good for the most part. I like the beat and Halsey sounds pretty solid. Hits 1 played the original version, which is why this only gets a good. The rerelease featuring Big Sean and Stefflon Don is the much better version in my opinion as both of the guest artists add quite a bit to it. That version would've given the song a great and a spot in my Top 45 Songs of 2018, but Hits 1 would never play a version of a song with rap if they don't have to even though it's better. Seriously. The original version became a lot less interesting after hearing the version with the rap verses. I still like it. It just would've been better if they played the version that made the song popular. I am glad it made the list though because the song is solid.

43. MAX/Gnash – Lights Down Low (#6) [5; Great]

This song received much more hate than it deserved. I have a thing for these kind of songs and I really like MAX. I've been a fan for a little while and I think he has a great voice. It's quite amazing how far this song has come. It debuted on Hit-Bound in January of 2017 and spent over a year on the countdown. I was surprised it missed the 2017 Year-End list, but here it is on the 2018 one. I really love the song. It's beautifully-written and MAX sounds fantastic as he always does. Gnash brings it down a little bit and I do prefer the original album version. But his verse isn't bad by any means. I love the production and the love song-vibe I get from it. It's slow and it's nice and I love songs like this. The music video honestly hit me in the feels. It's a really great song and I placed it at #19 in my Top 45 Songs of 2017. Had I not done that, I probably would've ranked it in the Top 10 this year. But I didn't think it would be this successful. I'm glad it was though because it's beautiful and MAX is extremely talented and underrated. I loved this when it was first on Hit-Bound, and I still love it to this day after almost two years. Some songs just stick with me and Lights Down Low did that in every way possible because it excels at everything from the writing and production to the vocals and emotion. I'll stop now, but I do truly love this song and I'm glad it was such a success.

42. Kelly Clarkson – Love So Soft (#7) [0; Crap]

I actually forgot this song existed. It's Kelly Clarkson's worst song and I don't know if one can really argue otherwise. I really like her because I think she has a fantastic voice. Her earlier songs like Behind These Hazel Eyes were great. Stronger was great. I absolutely adored Piece By Piece (the album version because the radio edit was overproduced and took away the emotion while the idol version was underproduced and boring). But Love So Soft shows Kelly Clarkson trying to unleash her inner R&B and it was very poorly-produced as it has elements of trap that don't exactly fit well with Clarkson's voice. She barely shows off her vocal capabilities in this song and the chorus includes a bunch of voice cracks which I find quite irritating. I know Kelly Clarkson is incredibly talented, but this song doesn't show that at all. And for her to go from something as beautiful as Piece By Piece to this, it just doesn't work. I don't like this song and I don't know why Hits 1 held onto it for so long despite it not being a hit. It's not even just the fact that it's a trap song. There are some other songs on Meaning Of Life like Whole Lotta Woman that are actually pretty damn good. It's just that Love So Soft was such a poor choice for a lead single. So this is terrible and I hope to never hear it again.

41. Dua Lipa – New Rules (#11) [4; Good]
This is one of those songs that was great at first, then was good, and then got pretty old because of how much it was overplayed. I do like it once again, but I don't think it's that great anymore. It is definitely catchy and Dua Lipa sounds pretty good. I like the chorus, but the drop is pretty annoying and that kind of brings the song down for me. I also don't really like the lyrics that much personally. But everything else about it is solid and I'm glad Dua Lipa had a hit with it because she's very talented. I remember really her vocals in Scared To Be Lonely by Martin Garrix, which was underrated. She sounded great on that song and it deserved better. But New Rules is good at the very least. It's interesting because this song was the #1 song of 2018 according to the American Top 40, and it's only #41 here because it dropped pretty early. But that's Hits 1 logic, so I'm not surprised.



40. The Chainsmokers/Emily Warren – Side Effects (#6) [5; Great]
These guys certainly had an interesting year in 2018. The first couple of songs we got from them were Sick Boy and You Owe Me, both of which are decent at best and were step downs from what The Chainsmokers had previously done. Everybody Hates Me and Somebody were both pretty bad. These guys were on a serious decline, and then they released Side Effects, which is easily the best thing they've done this year. I talked a lot about it in my Top 45 Songs of 2018 post. But I like how groovy the song is. It's really catchy and enjoyable. That chorus is great. Emily Warren sounds really good throughout the whole song. It's not as amazing as Something Just Like This, which is the second best song of 2017. But like I said, it's the best thing they've done this year and I prefer this over songs like Don't Let Me Down and Closer. This was a step in the right direction for The Chainsmokers and I'm glad it was a hit on Hits 1 despite it not being much of a hit anywhere else. I didn't think it would make this year-end list, but I'm glad it did.



39. Portugal. The Man – Feel It Still (#5) [1; Bad]
I was kind of hoping this wouldn't make the year-end list. But here it is because of course even though it felt much more like a 2017 hit than a 2018 hit. This was Alt Nation's #1 song of 2017, so that should say something. I actually used to like this song for some reason and I included it in my Top 45 Songs of 2017, which I regret. Radio killed it for me and it made me realize that this song is actually not that good at all. The vocals are pretty bad and I don't know why I liked them at first. The production is very weird. There's honestly not that much else to the song. Those vocals though are really annoying and brought the song down a lot. It's a shame that Live In The Moment, i.e. the better song, did not do as well because it's far superior. But nope. Portugal. The Man will be a one-hit wonder for a song that is not good in the slightest. It does not deserve to be here.



38. Bebe Rexha – I'm a Mess (#3) [5; Great]
I've always kind of liked Bebe Rexha ever since she was featured in Cash Cash's song Take Me Home, which was a decent hit. That was a great song. In 2018, she released her debut album Expectations, which I enjoyed for songs like 2 Souls On Fire, Knees, Self Control, and I'm A Mess. I don't know if I should consider this a guilty pleasure or not, because I do think it is a very good song. The guitar opening sounds great. I like Bebe Rexha's vocals. I think she has a great voice and she sounds pretty good here. I can understand if one doesn't like what she was going for lyrically, but I like it personally. I think it's a cool song, although I think 2 Souls On Fire would've been a better choice for a single as that song is better. But I'm A Mess is still really good and I'm glad it was successful on Hits 1 in 2018 even if that success is now starting to fade away. Bebe Rexha has done better, but this is still enjoyable.



37. Dua Lipa – IDGAF (#9) [2; Mediocre]
I like Dua Lipa and I think she's talented, but this song is not that good. I find it very underwhelming and boring. I like New Rules because it's fast and catchy, but IDGAF just doesn't live up to that. The song does nothing for me. It just starts off pretty boring and then goes nowhere even through the chorus, which is not very interesting. I don't find the song very appealing lyrically. After all, in the chorus, they tell the people to shut up. Overall, I don't really like this song. Dua Lipa has done a lot better and there are better songs on that album of hers that were more deserving of being singles. It kind of annoys me that this somehow made the year-end list despite not being that big of a hit, and One Kiss by Calvin Harris somehow did not make it. I think it's obvious which of the two songs is better and Hits 1 was in the wrong here. But you know what? We're just going to move on because this song is not worth anymore of my time.



36. Foster The People – Sit Next To Me (#6) [5; Great]
Now this is a great song. If you read my Top 45 Songs of 2018, you'd know that this landed at #5. So obviously, I love it quite a bit. I was a massive fan of Pumped Up Kicks and it was definitely a highlight of 2011. I personally think Sit Next To Me topped that song. I like how it opens up and I really enjoy the verses and the chorus. It's a very catchy song and it has great production. The backing vocals sound really good. Mark Foster sounds great all throughout this song and I feel like he showed off his voice better here than on Pumped Up Kicks. It's a really nice little indie-pop song that puts me in a good mood every time I hear it. It's one of those songs where I just don't see how people can hate it. It's very cool and interesting. I like this kind of relaxing alternative-type music. I don't think I cared for it too much when it first debuted on Hit-Bound, but it really grew on me and I fell in love while it was still on Hit-Bound. So I was glad that it made the countdown and that it did well peaking at #6. I didn't really expect this to a hit, but I'm really glad that it was because it deserved it. I'm still kind of annoyed that this missed the Billboard Year-End Hot 100 list and songs like Mi Gente and Believer repeated. But this song is quality and deserved everything it got and much more. I'm glad this was another hit for Foster The People.



35. Charlie Puth/Kehlani – Done For Me (#7) [5; Great]
I am a little surprised that this song managed to make this year-end list. But I'm very happy about it because it is the second best single from Voicenotes and it was definitely close to being the best. Last year, Mr. Puth brought Attention, which I ranked lower than I should've in my Top 45 Songs of 2017. It really is a great song and Charlie Puth's best as of right now. It's the best single from Voicenotes, but right behind it is Done For Me, which was the fourth pre-release single from Voicenotes before the album came out. I remember when the song came out, I listened to it, and I was very impressed. It thankfully got released as an official single and good things happened from there. The production is solid and kudos to Puth for doing a nice job with it yet again. Charlie Puth sounds great and he has shown us once again that he is a great singer. It showed on See You Again by Wiz Khalifa and did not really show again until Attention. In Done For Me, he shows off his voice nicely. I really love Kehlani's voice. She's done many collabs within the past couple years and she has an amazing voice. I think she's very underrated and incredibly talented. I love her verse and I think she sounds great with Charlie Puth. It's a shame this didn't live up to its predecessors because it's one of Charlie Puth's best songs and it's much better than the bland The Way I Am, which thankfully missed this list. I'm really happy this song made it despite not being massive.



34. Marshmello/Bastille – Happier (#1, 2 Weeks) [5; Great]
Marshmello, along with Zedd, falls into the category of "Talented EDM producers who went mainstream and became generic." I'm a fan of what Marshmello has done in the past. His best song is easily Ritual featuring Wrabel and I'm willing to fight anyone who says otherwise. But even after Marshmello went generic, we got Happier, which is easily the best of Marshmello's mainstream hits. I didn't love this one at first, but it's definitely one of the biggest growers of 2018 for me. I'll admit that the drop is kind of generic. But I still enjoy it to an extent. What really sold this song for me is Dan Smith. His vocals here are great. I really like his voice. It's always been one of the strongest things in Bastille's music. His voice just shines here and I love it. Without him, this song wouldn't be nearly as great as it is. That being said, it's still not his best because the production is very mainstream and could be much better. But I'm very happy that out of his three hits in 2018, this is the one that hit #1 because it's the only one I can consider good at the very least. So yeah. I really like this song even though Bastille saved the song for me. I know Marshmello is capable of better, but this is enjoyable.



33. G-Eazy/Halsey – Him & I (#3) [2; Mediocre]
I used to really like this song, but it just did not hold up well. G-Eazy has done much better. I really liked Me, Myself, & I and No Limit was a great song and probably one of the best songs of the year. But Him & I is just not very interesting compared to those. I was very fascinated at the whole G-Eazy and Halsey collab and I thought it was like the coolest thing ever at the time. But now I don't really like Halsey's voice anymore and I don't really enjoy her chorus at all. G-Eazy sounds okay in the verses. He has definitely sounded better though in his other, better songs. I kind of like the production though and the dark vibe the song gives off. I think it's the most interesting thing about the song. But the meaning of the song kind of brings it down because it's a song about G-Eazy and Halsey's love for each other, which I felt was risky since I did not think their relationship would last. I was right. It lasted shorter than I thought it would. So now, Him & I has become meaningless and it makes the song a lot less enjoyable for me. It's just there. So yeah. I'm probably never going to listen to this again and I'll stick with better songs like No Limit.



32. The Weeknd, Kendrick Lamar – Pray For Me (#5) [5; Great]
I kind of thought this song would've been ranked higher because it had insane longevity. But this is still pretty good. I really like the song and I believe I put it at #24 or something like that in my Top 45 Songs of 2018. It's not the best song from the Black Panther soundtrack. That would be All The Stars by Kendrick Lamar and SZA (my #10 of 2018), which only lasted four weeks on the Weekend Countdown for some reason. But still, Pray For Me is solid and it's easily the better of the two hits The Weeknd had in 2018. Is this his best song? No. That would probably be songs like The Hills, Starboy, or maybe even I Feel It Coming. But Pray For Me still has that something that makes it very enjoyable. It's like Starboy 2.0 in the sense that it's fast and cool. His voice sounds great here. He's a great singer and he definitely shows it on this song. Kendrick Lamar delivers a very solid verse with great flow. I thought he did a very nice job in this song and I'm very satisfied with his work for this soundtrack. Kendrick Lamar is the best rapper right now and The Weeknd is a great singer. Putting them together can only result in good things and out came Pray For Me, one of the best songs of the year. I'm very glad this was a hit.



31. Imagine Dragons – Natural (#1, 1 Week) [5; Great]
I still think the gap between the releases of Evolve and Origins was too small. I feel like there should have been more time in between and we should've had a song like Walking The Wire be a single from Evolve because it's the best song on there. But instead, we got Natural, which is nowhere near as amazing, but it's really good. It's like Believer 2.0 in the sense that it's the lead single and there's more yelling in the chorus. But unlike Believer, I actually quite liked Natural from the start. It's still nowhere near Imagine Dragons' best work, which would be the three big singles from Night Visions (i.e. their best album). But Natural still has what it needs to be an enjoyable song. Dan Reynolds sounds really good, even when he's yelling. The production is solid and the band sounds good. I also give it extra for being one of the only two good songs from Origins, which was pretty unenjoyable as a whole. Overall, the song is great and I'm glad it was a hit. There just should've been a longer gap between Evolve and Origins because Imagine Dragons is getting a little overexposure and I feel like it hurts how people view them. They also need to spend more time on their albums because Origins is what happens when you rush to get something done without actually putting in time and effort.



30. Maroon 5/Cardi B – Girls Like You (#4) [5; Great]
This barely made it onto my Top 45 Songs of 2018. It came out at #45 and I still think it was worthy of making the list. Despite me not liking this at first, I really enjoy it now. Maroon 5 have obviously done much better in the past, particularly with their first two albums. Girls Like You continues to show that Maroon 5 is not much of a band anymore. But I find this song in particular quite enjoyable. The guitar sounds nice and Adam Levine gives a good vocal performance. The chorus is catchy and one that would always get stuck in my head. I like what the song was going for lyrically. Cardi B's verse the best thing about the song. I don't usually like her or her music. But she adds quite a bit to Girls Like You and makes it much more interesting to the point where I would never listen to the original version. I really like her flow and I think she actually has something interesting to say for once. I don't get her appeal overall, but Girls Like You is an example of something she has done well. I'm surprised this never hit #1 on the Weekend Countdown since Hits 1 loves Maroon 5, just recently became obsessed with Cardi B, and the song was #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 for many weeks. It shocks me to see a huge Maroon 5 song like this one not hit #1. But whatever. It's a great song and I'm glad it grew on me.



29. Backstreet Boys – Don't Go Breaking My Heart (#3) [5; Great]
The return of the Backstreet Boys was definitely unexpected, but I'm very happy about it. I talked a lot about this one in my Top 45 Songs of 2018, where it landed at #9. I really love this song. I still remember the day it was released and it was #1 on iTunes. I was shocked to see a new Backstreet Boys single. I listened to it and I really enjoyed it. I'm a fan of quite a few of their biggest hits, so I was hoping that this would become a hit as well. Even though this didn't get massive, it was pretty successful on Hits 1, which made me very happy. It's a very catchy song. I love the piano opening and the chorus is one that always got stuck in my head. I like their vocals and I like the lyrics. The track was very well-produced. I have a thing for boy bands and I'm glad to see these guys back at it because they are incredibly talented. Don't Go Breaking My Heart was a great return and I wish it had become a bigger hit. But it still successful on Hits 1 peaking in the Top 5, which is great. I'm glad Hits 1 picked up on it and held on to it (it's still on the countdown at the time of writing this). Their upcoming album, DNA, is definitely one that I'm looking forward to because it has three great songs released from it so far. I would love to see Chances or No Place chart on Hits 1, but we'll see what happens. I'm glad this song made the year-end list.



28. Selena Gomez/Marshmello – Wolves (#3) [3; Decent]
I liked this one a reasonable amount at the start. I can say that it's much better than the Revival singles as well as Fetish and Bad Liar (which was my #1 least favorite song of 2017). Selena Gomez sounds pretty good here on Wolves and her vocals are probably the best thing about the song. But something about it just did not stick with me. I don't really like Marshmello's production and I find the drop pretty generic, even more generic than Happier. Radio also kind of killed it for me because it was always playing whenever I was in the car. I don't know. This song just did not stick like It Ain't Me did. That song was my #1 favorite song of 2017 but that's mostly because I'm a Kygo stan. But that song aged pretty well with me and I still really enjoy it. I can't say the same about Wolves unfortunately because I find Marshmello's production here more generic and a lot less interesting than Kygo's production on It Ain't Me. So yeah. I still find Wolves decent, but both Selena and Marshmello have done better in 2018. Marshmello did better with Happier and Selena did better with a song that we'll get to in a little bit. But this is definitely better than 2016-2017 Selena. It's not great, but it's improvement at least.



27. Macklemore/Kesha – Good Old Days (#1, 1 Week) [5; Great]
In 2017, Macklemore brought the single Glorious featuring Skylar Grey, which I really liked from the moment it debuted on Hit-Bound. That song did pretty good on the countdown towards the end of 2017. Then we got Good Old Days as the follow-up single and I loved it just as much as I loved Glorious. Their two very different songs as Glorious is upbeat and cool, whereas Good Old Days is more of a ballad. Good Old Days was my #4 favorite song of 2018, so I fell in love with it quite a bit. It's a very beautiful song in every way possible. Macklemore has great voices that flow nicely. I love Kesha's chorus. I think she sounds great there and I love her raw vocals. I love the production. It's a very nice ballad. The piano sounds great. I absolutely love the songwriting and the lyrics as the song is about looking back on life and your younger years. I think that's something we need to hear more of in music. The song is beautifully-written. Despite this being pretty underrated for the most part, I'm glad it was successful on Hits 1. I was so happy when it managed to hit #1 because I didn't think it would. It deserved more weeks at #1, but of course The Middle came in right after. But still, one week is pretty good and I'm very happy that this song was successful on Hits 1. Good Old Days is exactly what pop music needed. I never expected a Macklemore and Kesha collaboration. But it worked out so well.



26. Ariana Grande – No Tears Left To Cry (#4) [3; Decent]
I've had an interesting relationship with this song. I didn't really like it at first. Then it grew on me with time. And then it faded on me again. Now it's kind of just there. I find No Tears Left To Cry very overrated for the most part. It's a decent song in and of itself. But it's nowhere near as amazing as people made it out to be. I enjoy the first 20 seconds of it and I feel like it would've been a much better song if Ariana had stuck with that for the whole song. It loses quite a bit of my interest when it speeds up and Ariana starts speak-rapping, which does not sound very good at all in my opinion. She sounds pretty good in the chorus, but that's kind of it. The verses are not very interesting overall and her rapping sounds very awkward. She has obviously done much worse with songs like Side To Side and Everyday, but No Tears Left To Cry is nowhere near as great as songs like Into You and Love Me Harder, two of my favorite songs from her. This song is just nothing special at all. I did not love Sweetener as a whole and this song I don't think was a great choice for the lead single. But whatever. I don't dislike the song. I just don't care for it and I think it's overrated. This will definitely be forgotten at some point, at least for me. I'm hoping we can get something better from Ariana in the future, which I don't think we will since the first two singles for her next album are worse than this. But we'll see what happens.



25. NOTD/Bea Miller – I Wanna Know (#6) [1; Bad]
I used to like this song back when it was new. But now I just don't like it anymore and I blame Hits 1 entirely. They only brought this song in because of Bea Miller, who is not that interesting. It was never a big hit except on Hits 1, where it is apparently the 25^th biggest song of 2018. It's not even that good. Bea Miller does not sound that great here and the production is not very good. The drop is very annoying. But what really tanked this song for me was how Hits 1 overplayed the hell out of it for a song that neither a hit nor a great song. This was never meant to survive overplay and sure enough, it did not. So yeah. If I had to pick one song in 2018 that was murdered by overplay, it would be I Wanna Know. Even without the overplay, the song itself is not good and did not deserve such a long run on the countdown. It's still on the countdown now, but fortunately, I see it's end coming very soon (i.e. this upcoming weekend). Overall, this was very overrated and the song is not good.



24. Khalid/Normani – Love Lies (#2) [5; Great]
Taken from the soundtrack for Love, Simon, which is a great movie, we have Love Lies by Khalid and Normani. I really like Khalid as an artist. I think he has a great voice. Even though I didn't enjoy Young, Dumb, & Broke that much, I could see the appeal. But then we got Love Lies, which I really liked from the first listen. Khalid sounds great here and I think he shows off his range very nicely. Normani sounds great as well and I think she has the best voice out of all the Fifth Harmony members. She and Khalid have great chemistry and it shows throughout this song and the live performances they've done of this song. They both sound great together in the chorus. It's a really nice R&B song and I'm glad it became a hit. It was first released back in March I think because that's when the movie came out. The song may have been released earlier. But I've enjoyed it since its release and it took a while to hit the radio. But I'm glad it eventually did because it's great and one of the best songs of 2018 from one of the best movies of 2018. It's still doing well on the countdown now. So I'm curious to see how much longer it'll stick around.



23. Camila Cabello – Havana (#1, 1 Week) [5; Great]
I don't like Camila Cabello overall and I did not like Crying In The Club, which fortunately did nothing. But then a little while later, we got Havana, which as of right now is her best song. I talked about why I liked this in my Top 45 Songs of 2018, but basically I love the whole Latin vibe of the song. I like a good Latin song and Havana is an example of that. It's very catchy and the production is really good. Camila Cabello actually sounds pretty good on here. I don't like her voice overall, but she doesn't try too hard in Havana, which is why it sounds good. I think she should always sing like this because then she would never sound as grating as she does in some of her other songs. Young Thug's verse brings the song down a lot because I hate his voice. But Hits 1 played the solo version, which is better than the original collab. But overall, I like this and I'm glad it was a big hit for her because, like I said, it's her best song and I don't know if there's much competition. I wish all of her songs were like this, but unfortunately that's just not the case...



22. Camila Cabello – Never Be The Same (#1, 1 Week) [0; Crap]
This song reminds me of why I don't like Camila Cabello overall. Never Be The Same is probably her worst song and most certainly should not have been released as a single. This did make an appearance in my Worst Songs of 2018 post, where this ranked at #3 for worst songs of 2018 on Hits 1. Although for a good chunk of the year, I had planned on putting this song at #1 because it's really bad in every way. I hate the production and the weird sultry vibe she was going for. The beat sounds really bad. Her voice sounds terrible from the very first line and I knew immediately that this would not be a pleasurable listen. The pre-chorus is just awful the way she tries to rhyme "NicotEEN, heroEEN, morphEEN". I also hate her falsetto and I think it sounds awful. I don't know why her production team let her go through with this. The chorus is probably the worst part of the song because then she goes into full-on shouting mode and it sounds absolutely grating. That chorus is exactly why I don't think she's a good singer. I'll admit that the Kane Brown remix kind of helped the song because Kane Brown is a better singer than Camila. But it still wasn't good. This did not deserve to be a single and it most certainly did not deserve to hit #1 because it is a terrible song and definitely one of the worst things I've heard in 2018. There is absolutely nothing good about this song and I genuinely hope to never have to suffer through it again.



21. 5 Seconds Of Summer – Want You Back (#1, 1 Week) [5; Great]
This was not exactly a hit anywhere else, but I'm so glad it ranked above Never Be The Same. I've liked 5 Seconds of Summer's music in the past, but not many of their songs stuck with me. She Looks So Perfect and She's Kinda Hot both faded on me big time. Jet Black Heart is easily their best song. But Want You Back is one of their better songs as well. It did not make my Top 45 Songs of 2018, but it was honorable mention and would've been #50. It's a very catchy song overall and I find it quite enjoyable despite how short it is. I really like the chorus and their vocals sounds very good. The lyrics are solid. There's honestly nothing to dislike about it. I wish it was a bigger hit outside of Hits 1, but I'm pleased that it spent a week at #1 on the Weekend Countdown. These guys have done better, but Want You Back is one of the few songs from them that I can see myself coming back to. It has great instrumentals, great production, great vocals, and honestly just great everything. It's a great song that was underrated outside of Hits 1 and it deserved better.



20. Marshmello/Anne-Marie – Friends (#5) [0; Crap]
To think that I actually used to like this song. Initially, I thought it was kinda cool and interesting. I liked the guitar and Anne-Marie's little opening. Now I can't stand it. I don't hate this to the extent that other people do, including the YouTube critics. Like Jon from ARTV put this as the #2 worst song of 2018. I don't hate it that much, but I see no appeal to it whatsoever. The song is very generic and it's not very easy to tell that it was produced by a DJ like Marshmello. There's barely anything to the production aside from a lazy beat in the chorus and annoying guitars all throughout. I'd say this is a disgrace to EDM, but this isn't even EDM in the slightest. Anne-Marie's scratchy voice does not sound good at all. She's not a good singer and even though I liked her on Rockabye by Clean Bandit, she sounds pretty bad on Friends. The whole friend-zone theme of the song is really stupid and I hate the lyrics as the song tries so hard to relate to the people friend-zoning others. I think this is a very poor excuse at a relatable song. It's terribly-produced, terribly-written, and terribly-sung. This is Marshmello at his low and I'm glad he got better with the release of Happier. Seriously. This is the same man who produced Ritual, which is a great EDM track. Friends is a lame pop song that did not deserve to be as big as it was.



19. Charlie Puth – How Long (#1, 2 Weeks) [4; Good]
Charlie Puth lands at #19 for the second year in a row. This year, it's with the inferior, but still solid, How Long. I don't love this song now as much as I did initially. If I were to rank the four singles from Voicenotes, this would land at #3. I still like it because it's catchy and Charlie Puth sounds pretty good. It just feels a lot like Attention 2.0 and I think that song is a lot better. Also, How Long was overplayed quite a bit and I don't think it survived as well as Attention did. This song also got less interesting after Done For Me was released because upon that song's release, I really enjoyed it and I thought it was better than How Long, which I still think it is. But How Long is still pretty good compared to Charlie Puth's earlier work like Marvin Gaye and One Call Away. If it comes on the radio, I'll listen to it. But it's not something I can picture myself coming back to in the long run. Attention and Done For Me have much better chances of getting more listens from me in the future. How Long will probably just be forgotten. I am glad it got big though because it's good Charlie Puth compared to Nine Track Mind Charlie Puth. And it's definitely better than The Way I Am, which is easily the weakest Voicenotes single.



18. Niall Horan – On The Loose (#3) [5; Great]
This made an appearance at #23 in my Top 45 Songs of 2018. When looking at the routes taken for the solo projects of the five One Direction members, three of them went down good paths. Hopefully you know which three I'm referring to. One of them is Niall because I like his acoustic-alternative-pop style. Last year, he brought This Town, which was a nice song but I thought it was quite boring, and Slow Hands, which I enjoyed quite a bit. On The Loose is arguably his best song because it's fast and I love that guitar. It sounds great all throughout the song. Niall shows off his great vocals nicely. The song has good instrumentals. The production is solid. This spent a lot of time on the countdown even though it wasn't a massive hit anywhere and I honestly didn't mind it because it was a great song unlike I Wanna Know. Like I said, On The Loose is probably Niall's best song and I'm glad it was released as a single and did well on Hits 1 even if it wasn't as big as Slow Hands. I'm interested to see what Niall will bring in the future.



17. Shawn Mendes – In My Blood (#1, 2 Weeks) [5; Great]
Probably the biggest surprise from my Top 45 Songs of 2018 was In My Blood coming in at #2. I did not love this song when it was new. I think I had it in blue for a little while. But that definitely changed over time. Once again, I think In My Blood is Shawn Mendes' best song for many reasons. First of all, it has great instrumentals. The guitar sounds great and I love the instrumentation in the chorus. Shawn Mendes shows that he's a very talented musician. The songwriting has definitely improved and I really like the lyrics to In My Blood. I believe the song touches on the issue of anxiety, which is not something discussed in music very often. It shows Shawn's talent as a songwriter. In My Blood also shows his talent as a vocalist. I love how he sings the verses and then belts out the chorus. I think he sounds great. I love his voice. I love how the song closes out. Everything about this song works really well and I do stand by my statement that it is his best song. Putting him at #2 for 2018 might've just seemed like me stanning him since I've made it very clear that I find him very appealing to my eyes. But I genuinely think this song is a gem and I'm so glad it was big and a #1 hit on Hits 1. Shawn Mendes has matured a lot since Life Of The Party. In My Blood is a high for him and I'm so happy it got nominated for Song of the Year at the Grammys even though the award will probably end up going to Shallow.



16. Lauv – I Like Me Better (#5) [0; Crap]
I've made my thoughts on this song very clear in my Worst Songs of 2018 post, where I Like Me Better landed at #2. When this debuted on the countdown, I did not think it would last very long at all because it was such an irrelevant song at the time. Of course, this ended up being a sleeper hit despite the song being fucking garbage. That opening sucks. I can't think of anything that would make me want to change the radio station faster. Whatever the hell that instrument is is a massive turn-off right from the get-go. Of course it returns for the so-called "drop", which sounded terrible the way it was blended with chopped-up vocals from Lauv. That instrumental is probably the most obnoxious thing I've heard in music in 2018 because that is the big reason why I Like Me Better is such a terrible song. Aside from that, Lauv does not sound good and the repetitive gets quite annoying. The songwriting is terrible and "I like me better when I'm with you" is probably one of the worst compliments I've heard in a while. That doesn't say anything about the other person. It's really stupid. I don't know if Lauv thinks it's clever or something. He tried to do something different with this song and the result is excruciating to my ears. The fact that it was so overrated only made matters worse. This is a god awful that did not deserve all the success it got. I will never see the appeal whatsoever because this has absolutely no redeeming qualities. It is a massive piece of garbage.



15. Selena Gomez – Back To You (#2) [5; Great]
This is the best song Selena Gomez has put out as lead artist in a long time. It's taken from the soundtrack for season 2 of the Netflix series 13 Reasons Why. There are a couple other songs from there that I really enjoy, which will be discussed in what I believe will be my next year-end post. But Back To You is what I want to hear from Selena. This is a massive step up from the Revival singles because Selena Gomez is actually singing here and not whispering in a non-sexy way like she's been doing with everything before It Ain't Me. I love the song opens up with the guitar leading into the first verse. Her vocals in the verses sound kind of whispery, but not really at the same time. I hear more vocal talent in the verses for this song than the entirety of Bad Liar. I think she does a very nice job with the chorus. The drop is more enjoyable here than it is on Wolves. The lyrical content is solid. I see no wrong with this song. It's definitely the best thing Selena Gomez has done in a while as a solo artist and I'm glad it became such a big hit. It peaked at #2 on Hits 1 and had great longevity, which is why it's ranked this high. I'm glad it landed above I Like Me Better and I think this is a very great song. Though not quite as amazing as It Ain't Me, it's still something I'll possibly come back to in the future and it's better than Wolves.



14. Fall Out Boy – The Last Of The Real Ones (#1, 2 Weeks) [5; Great]
I like Fall Out Boy as a band. They've made many great songs in the past. MANIA is one of the worst albums of 2018 and The Last Of The Real Ones is the only song on that album that I can see myself enjoying farther into the future. I give it extra credit for being a massive step up from that atrocious lead single that we do not speak of. But it's arguably the only song from the album that sounds remotely like their older days. It has a great rock vibe that lets me know that Fall Out Boy is indeed still a band and not electronic sellouts (I'm looking at you Thirty Seconds To Mars). This song has great instrumentation and great production. Patrick Stump's voice sounds really good. The chorus is cool and energetic and the song is pretty fun overall. I was annoyed last year when this song was not picked up by Hits 1 because they went right from Champion to Hold Me Tight Or Don't even though this song was released in between those two. But it was picked up a little late this year (the same week as High Hopes). I did not think it would last long and sure enough, it became a #1 hit, which makes me happy because this is the best song from the album and one of the best songs in a while. Even though it has done nothing outside of Hits 1, I'm glad it was a hit on Hits 1 because it's great and it deserved it. It's still going strong, which makes me happy.



13. Imagine Dragons – Thunder (#1, 3 Weeks) [2; Mediocre]
I've had a love/hate relationship with Thunder. At the very listen, I thought it was mediocre. Then it got better with time. Then I started to hate it because I thought it was garbage compared to Night Visions (which it still is when comparing). Now I don't hate it and I just think it's very mediocre. I think the reason I don't hate it anymore is because of Origins and actual pieces of garbage like Machine. That one is actually annoying. Thunder is just lifeless as hell for a song by the band who made Radioactive, which is their best song by the way. The band doesn't sound very strong here and Dan Reynolds has a great voice that he does not show on this song. The backing vocals are really annoying and the song is extremely repetitive to the point where there are parodies of this on YouTube where they replace every noun in the song with Thunder or something like that. That last chorus is one of the most repetitive things I've heard in 2017 and 2018 since this was a hit both years. I'll give it to them that it's not the worst thing they've ever done. But it's incredibly boring and they've done much better in the past. It's annoying that this was a single from Evolve and not Walking The Wire. But whatever I guess. I gave this song a 0/5 in the 2017 Year-End list and it just so happens to get upgraded this year only because the song is nothing worse than generic. I thought this was the band at their lowest. I had no idea how much lower they could go until we got Origins.



12. Halsey – Bad At Love (#1, 2 Weeks) [3; Decent]
I liked this song initially because I mostly liked the chorus and I thought it was a step up from Now Or Never, which was a nothing of a song. Over time though, this did fade on me quite a bit. I don't love Halsey's vocals anymore, although I do consider this one of her better vocal performances. The production is not very interesting and I can't care less about these lyrics. So her voice alone is not enough to make it a good song. I much prefer Alone because that actually has great production and a much better beat. But of course Bad At Love was the bigger hit. Overall, I thought it was pretty overrated as a song and Halsey is pretty overrated an artist. So yeah. I don't have else to say. This song is okay for a Halsey song. It's better than Without Me but I would prefer more songs in the future like Alone.



11. Maroon 5 – Wait (#4) [1; Bad]
It's crazy to think that this is the same band that made She Will Be Loved, which is like my #2 favorite song of all time. I absolutely love that song and Wait is NOWHERE near that song. It just shows how Maroon 5 has evolved for the worse. Although I liked What Lovers Do and Girls Like You, I did not Red Pill Blues as a whole. Wait is not a good song at all. I oftentimes referred to this song as Wait by The Adam Levine Experience because there's no band. It's a weird song with this strange electronic production that doesn't sound very good. Adam Levine doesn't sound terrible but the vocal effects on his voice in the chorus do not sound good and I hate the strange as hell production. Their songs used to be pop-rock. Wait is this strange electronic song that does not sound fitting for a band. This isn't as bad as Don't Wanna Know or Help Me Out with Julia Michaels. But it's still pretty bad. I want another This Love, She Will Be Loved, Wake Up Call, Won't Go Home Without You, or Makes Me Wonder. Their first two albums are where the gems are located. They're classics that I have remembered for many years and will continue to remember. Wait will NEVER be remembered beyond this year. I categorized it as bad, but it's easily trash compared to the songs I just listed. Maroon 5 needs to seriously up their game. I'm already having doubts about how well this Super Bowl Halftime Show is gonna go.



10. Walk The Moon – One Foot (#2) [6; Best Song of the Year]
I didn't have the best relationship with Walk The Moon back in 2015 when Shut Up and Dance was overplayed as hell. But then a few years later, we got One Foot, which over time I have decided is their best song. During its time on Hit-Bound, I quickly went from finding it a solid tune to the best song on Hits 1 at that time. It's just such a lovable song that I can't think of a single reason why someone would hate it. One Foot is the pure definition of a jam and a banger and I absolutely adore it. The song has great instrumentals and I love the guitar. The beat is great, especially in the chorus. The drop is amazing and it's a lot better than what actual EDM producers have been making this year. It honestly just makes me want to get up and dance and not very many songs do that for me. Nick Petricca has great vocals and I love his voice all throughout the song. One Foot is pure perfection because it has great vocals, great lyrics, and phenomenal production. It always puts me into a good mood because it's a fantastic upbeat jam that just makes me smile every time I hear it. This is definitely something I'll be coming back to in the future because it's incredible in every sense of the word. This was severely underrated everywhere except Hits 1, which is a shame. But I am glad that it did great on Hits 1. It bugs me that this never hit #1 because The Middle blocked it off. But I'm still happy it had a #2 peak and made the Top 10 of the year. That's pretty great. I love this song and it was very worthy of being my #1 favorite song of 2018.



9. Bebe Rexha/Florida Georgia Line – Meant To Be (#1, 1 Week) [4; Good]
I hold the unpopular opinion of liking this song, although I can 100% totally see why people dislike it. It's a weird infusion of pop and country with a trap beat and for some reason, it works for me. The piano opening reminds me of Florida Georgia Line's song H.O.L.Y. and I kinda like it. I like the vocals from both Bebe Rexha and F.G.L. for the most part. I think they sound great when they come together. I've heard two versions of this song. The official version is where Florida Georgia Line have the first verse and pretty much take over the song. The other version is what my local pop radio stations would play where Bebe Rexha handled the first verse and also sings the first chorus with Florida Georgia Line on backup. I thought the latter version sounded better because I really like Bebe Rexha's voice. The big criticism I have for the official version is that we don't get to hear her very much. The trap production I think is okay. I don't hate it, but it could definitely be better. Honestly, I enjoy the song overall despite what many people think. I can definitely see why people aren't huge on it. But I'm glad it was a hit for Bebe Rexha even though it's not her best song because I've always found her to be pretty underrated. I'm glad she has had success in 2018 and I enjoyed Expectations as a whole. There are definitely better songs on there than this one.



8. Taylor Swift – Delicate (#1, 3 Weeks) [3; Decent]
I did not enjoy Taylor Swift's Reputation overall, especially compared to 1989. That album had great singles for the most part, whereas the Reputation singles have been a mixed bag for me. The lead single was not good and the second one was forgettable. End Game is the best single in my opinion. But then we got Delicate and I've been mixed on it. It's a nice song and I can appreciate it for that. I like the lyrics and the songwriting is better on here than it is on other Reputation songs. Musically, I find this song boring. I usually like slower, more calm songs like this. But this one just does nothing for me. She has a good voice, but I don't think it's good enough for this kind of song. I do give it credit though for being the closest thing to a 1989 song whereas songs like Look What You Made Me Do and I Did Something Bad show a clear evolution, which I would say is for the worse. I most certainly do not dislike Delicate. If it comes on the radio, I'll probably just listen to it. I just think Taylor Swift has done much better and that this song is nothing special. I am glad it was a hit though because it's the second best single from Reputation.



7. Hailee Steinfeld & Alesso/Florida Georgia Line/watt – Let Me Go (#1, 1 Week) [5; Great]
I remember last year when Ms. Steinfeld had a Top 10 of 2017 single titled Starving, which I still dislike intensely. I've referred to Let Me Go as Starving 2.0. But it's very obvious that Let Me Go is the MUCH better song. Starving was a mess all around with lazy vocals, annoying drops, and scratchy guitars. Let Me Go does everything better. The drop is not amazing, but it's still pretty interesting and it's definitely a lot better than Starving's drop. Florida Georgia Line sound pretty good in their verse and I'm cool with the fact that they don't do much else. But I have to say, Hailee Steinfeld impressed me more than I thought she could. I've always thought of her as a good singer even though she didn't show it much in Starving and Most Girls. But Let Me Go is easily her best vocal performance to date. That chorus is amazing. She sounds fantastic and I just love every second of it. This is the only Hailee Steinfeld song I can see myself going back to. That being said, it is her best song by a clear mile and I'm glad it ranked higher this year than the inferior Starving did last year. I really like this and I'm so glad it was a hit on Hits 1. It took like six months to reach the #1 spot, but I'm glad it did. It had great longevity. This is a highlight of 2018 and I'm happy to see Hailee Steinfeld topping her game as a vocalist. This did not deserve to be as underrated as it was everywhere else.



6. Ed Sheeran – Perfect (#1, 1 Week) [5; Great]
Ed Sheeran's Divide had many great singles, including Perfect. This is definitely a highlight of 2017 and 2018. It's like the prequel to Thinking Out Loud. While Thinking Out Loud is a great song for a wedding, Perfect is a great song when you first fall in love. I would know as someone who fell in love and got into a relationship earlier this year. I love this song and its lyrics. Maybe it's because I'm a sucker for sweet love songs. Maybe it's because I actually relate to it. But either way, this is a very sweet song and I'm so glad it was a single. Obviously the songwriting is great and I like the fact that it's this pure, innocent love song with no sexual references or anything like that. I love a nice romantic song like this one. The guitar sounds really nice. Ed Sheeran shows off his vocals very nicely. I think he is a great singer and I really like how his voice sounds on Perfect. The remixes are okay, but I think they all ruin the song in some way. The original version is the best version and there is no competition. That's the version I fell in love with. I'm glad this song was as successful as it was because it's just a perfect love song. This is why I really like Ed Sheeran. The song is sweet, moving, and perfect for those with significant others. I'm glad it was a hit and I'm happy it hit #2. It deserved all the success it got and this Top 10 ranking on the year-end list.



5. 5 Seconds Of Summer – Youngblood (#1, 5 Weeks) [5; Great]
It is just fives across the board here. Youngblood has become 5 Seconds Of Summer's biggest hit over the course of 2018, which I'm frankly okay with. This just barely missed my Top 45 Songs of 2018 coming in at #46. But I do really like it and I consider it one of the best of 2018. I like the instrumental and the vocals sound really in the verses. Then we get a chorus with just vocals and a stomping beat, which I actually really like. I think it sounds really cool. The production is solid. I think it's a very enjoyable song. It's not their best obviously. That would be Jet Black Heart. But I consider Youngblood one of their better songs along with Want You Back because, like I said earlier, songs like She Looks So Perfect and She's Kinda Hot just did not stick with me in the long run. I think Youngblood and Want You Back both have better potential to be played again by me in the future. So I am totally cool with this being their biggest hit because it is a great song. I'm happy with the amount of time it spent at #1 and I'm glad it's still doing well even though it should probably be on its way out soon because it's a 2018 hit that shouldn't stick around too far into 2019. But it is a great song that deserved all the success it got.



4. Panic! At The Disco – High Hopes (#1, 8 Weeks) [5; Great]
This song managed to land in the Top 10 for my Top 45 Songs of 2018 at #8. High Hopes is a jam that I loved from the very listen as soon as it was released. Then it got quickly picked up by Hits 1 and I knew we'd be getting another Panic! At The Disco hit. Say Amen was big at the time and I was ready for High Hopes to come in. I knew it would be a hit on Hits 1. But little did I know that this would soon become Panic! At The Disco's biggest hit surpassing I Write Sins Not Tragedies. It did take a while to get picked up everywhere else. So Hits 1 was actually early with this song. But I'm happy with how successful it became even if it took a little while. It's a very fun song. The trumpets sound great and I love Brendon Urie's vocals. The lyrics are really good and the track was very well-produced. It's just a fun anthem that always had my attention from the very first second. I'm happy with this being Panic!'s biggest hit because it is a great song and I'm glad it spent as many weeks as it did at #1 on the Hits 1 Weekend Countdown. Even after 8 weeks at the top, I still love this song. I don't think I'll ever get sick of it at this point because I'm just so happy to see Panic! At The Disco finally have a big hit. They deserve it because they're incredibly talented. I'm happy that High Hopes was the song that did it for them.



3. Panic! At The Disco – Say Amen (Saturday Night) (#1, 4 Weeks) [5; Great]
This also appeared in my Top 45 Songs of 2018 at #19. It's not as great as High Hopes, but it's a very solid lead single. I remember the day this was released along with (Fuck A) Silver Lining. I thought both of them were very enjoyable. Say Amen I thought was slightly better and I'm glad it was picked up by Hits 1. It doesn't surprise me that they played this nor does it surprise me that it hit #1. Hits 1 definitely became Panic! At The Disco stans ever since Death Of A Bachelor. Say Amen is a very catchy song. The backing vocals were kind of annoying at first, but they're not as bad anymore. Brendon Urie sounds great throughout the song, especially the chorus. It's very catchy and it's the kind of chorus that I would always be singing to myself even if I wasn't listening to the song. But Brendon really shows off his voice well. That high note at the end is everything. I'm not exactly sure how the music video relates to the song, but I still enjoyed it quite a bit because Brendon Urie is very appealing to my eyes. But that aside, this is a great single from Pray For The Wicked, which was an enjoyable album. I wish it had become a hit everywhere else, but at least it was big on Hits 1 spending multiple weeks at #1. It's still on the countdown now and I'm cool with it staying however much longer it wants. Also I announced this in my best list, but I'm going to be seeing Panic! At The Disco live during the Pray For The Wicked tour in February. So I'm very excited about that.



2. Imagine Dragons – Whatever It Takes (#1, 1 Week) [5; Great]
There were points in time where I did not like Believer or Thunder because of how different they were from Night Visions. I don't hate them now and Believer I consider a good song. But they're still inferior in comparison to that great debut album. Whatever It Takes is the closest thing to Night Visions that Evolve has to offer. I thought Evolve was very mediocre with Whatever It Takes and Walking The Wire being the only great songs from there. That being said, I'm glad one of them was released as a single. Whatever It Takes is great because it's fast and cool. It has great production. I like how fast the verses and that pre-chorus are. The chorus is very enjoyable and I think Dan Reynolds sounds great. I really like the lyrics. This is the kind of song I can picture hearing on one of those athletic-type shows or a sporting event. It's a very cool, motivational song that is musically a massive step up from the Evolve singles prior to this one. Despite this spending a shit ton of time on Hit-Bound, it managed to debut eventually and I'm glad it became as big as it did. I'm also glad we did not have a replay of what happened in last year's year-end list with The Chainsmokers where Closer was ranked higher than Something Just Like This despite the latter being the bigger 2017 hit. Whatever It Takes deserved to be ranked above Thunder and I'm glad it was. I'm hoping future albums of theirs can have more songs like Whatever It Takes because this is the Imagine Dragons that I love.



1. Zedd/Maren Morris/Grey – The Middle (#1, 9 Weeks) [0; Crap]
I went off on this song in my Worst Songs of 2018 post where it was ranked as the #1 worst song on Hits 1 of 2018. I still remember when this came out and I saw that was a collab with Maren Morris and Grey. I loved Maren's solo tracks like My Church and 80s Mercedes, so I had hopes that she would sound good. But I remembered Grey from the terribly-produced Starving by Hailee Steinfeld. I listened to The Middle and I was not impressed in the slightest. Back when True Colors was released, I stood up for Zedd in EDM debates because I believed he was incredibly talented as True Colors was a great album. But now he has became this lazy producer putting generic music out for the mainstream audience to eat up. This man used to produce bangers that I still revisit to this day. And now in 2018, we get something as generic as The Middle. The production is awful. I hate how high-pitched it is and the beat is not very interesting at all. The ticking clock has been overused. The drop is extremely generic and actually incredibly annoying. The production is like a mix between Starving, which I've made clear that I don't like, and Stay, which is also very bland. Maren Morris' vocals are pretty painful to listen to as her voice is drenched in auto tune, which is sad for me to say considering that I've enjoyed her music in the past. This is the worst thing she has done in her career so far and this is Zedd at an all time low. This is worst "EDM" track I've heard in 2018 and Zedd is no longer the same talented individual he used to be. I am not looking forward to a new album from him and I will stick with Clarity and True Colors, where he was actually a great producer. This did not deserve 9 fucking weeks at #1 and it is not worthy of #1 of the year. Hits 1 needs to get better taste. The Middle is nothing more than overrated garbage.


Those were my reviews for Hits 1's Top 45 of 2018. Now I'm going to rank every song in a Top 45 Review, which is very similar to my Top 20 Reviews. Each song got a ranking that you see in my Top 20 Reviews every week. This is what they are for So with that, here is Hits 1's Top 45 of 2018 ranked based on my opinion.


Top 45 Review
0 – Crap:
45. Zedd/Maren Morris/Grey – The Middle
44. Lauv – I Like Me Better
43. Camila Cabello – Never Be The Same
42. Marshmello/Anne-Marie – Friends
41. Kelly Clarkson – Love So Soft

1 – Bad:
40. Portugal. The Man – Feel It Still
39. NOTD/Bea Miller – I Wanna Know
38. Maroon 5 – Wait

2 – Mediocre:
37. Dua Lipa – IDGAF
36. Imagine Dragons – Thunder
35. G-Eazy/Halsey – Him & I

3 – Decent:
34. Selena Gomez/Marshmello – Wolves
33. Ariana Grande – No Tears Left To Cry
32. Halsey – Bad At Love
31. Taylor Swift – Delicate

4 – Good:
30. Bebe Rexha/Florida Georgia Line – Meant To Be
29. Charlie Puth – How Long
28. Dua Lipa – New Rules
27. Halsey – Alone

5 – Great:
26. Bebe Rexha – I'm A Mess
25. Imagine Dragons – Natural
24. Marshmello/Bastille – Happier
23. 5 Seconds Of Summer – Want You Back
22. 5 Seconds Of Summer – Youngblood
21. Maroon 5/Cardi B – Girls Like You
20. The Chainsmokers/Emily Warren – Side Effects
19. Khalid/Normani – Love Lies
18. Imagine Dragons – Whatever It Takes
17. Camila Cabello – Havana
16. The Weeknd, Kendrick Lamar – Pray For Me
15. Niall Horan – On The Loose
14. Panic! At The Disco – Say Amen (Saturday Night)
13. Charlie Puth/Kehlani – Done For Me
12. Fall Out Boy – The Last Of The Real Ones
11. Selena Gomez – Back To You
10. Ed Sheeran – Perfect
9. Hailee Steinfeld & Alesso/F.G.L./watt – Let Me Go
8. MAX/Gnash – Lights Down Low
7. Backstreet Boys – Don't Go Breaking My Heart
6. Panic! At The Disco – High Hopes
5. Demi Lovato – Tell Me You Love Me
4. Foster The People – Sit Next To Me
3. Macklemore/Kesha – Good Old Days
2. Shawn Mendes – In My Blood

BONUS: 6 – Best Song Of The Year:
1. Walk The Moon – One Foot

Final Score: 168/225 = 74.67% (B)


I definitely this Year-End post out sooner than I did last year, where I believe this came out in February. It still took a lot of time and effort, so I'm glad I can finally share it with you guys. This year, the Weekend Countdown gets a 74.67%, which is a pretty good improvement from last year's 65.3%. I didn't think 2018 was that much than 2017. But apparently on Hits 1, it was definitely better by quite a bit. Also, just a quick heads up that this ranking you just saw is most likely not the same thing I submitted to Montavis for the Hits 1 Rankdown. I don't remember what I submitted to him, so I just re-ranked the list. I'm pretty sure the changes are minor, but they're not exact copies of each other. Just thought I'd point that out.


I still have more Year-End posts on the way. I was planning on getting the Best Songs of 2018 Outside of Hits 1 post done before this one. But things have changed. That one I think will come next. I also still plan on reviewing the Billboard Year-End Hot 100 of 2018. I even have another year-end post idea in mind that I might try to do. We'll see how it goes. But with that, that is all I have for you guys today! I will see you all this weekend for my Weekend Countdown post. Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoyed! :)