John's World's Top 20 Pop Songs of 2014

At the end of each year, I like to look back at the music that's rocked my world throughout...and maybe some of these have rocked yours too.  Up until last year, I'd done this sort of post for Yahoo Voices, but since that's gone I'll just have to do it here, lol.  I'm going to preface this post by stating, as if you already didn't know, that my type of music is almost always dancey stuff.  On occasion I find things of other genres that I like, but it's rare.  So if you're looking for any type of rock or alternative stuff in my list of the best in pop for 2014, then you've come to the wrong place.

So herein take a look at John's World's Top 20 Pop Songs of 2014...

#20 - Rude - Magic!

Why you gotta be so rude?
Don't you know I'm human too?
Why you gotta be so rude?
I'm gonna marry her anyway

Okay, I know I already said not to expect anything alternative on this list, and here I go with the very first tune an alternative song.  What can I say?  Throughout the latter part of spring and into summer, the oh so catchy chorus of this one seemed to play out over and over in everyone's heads, including mine.  I posted it on June 11th and you can check it out here.



#19 - Timber - Pitbull and Ke$ha

One of the better collaborations of Pitbull's career features dance singer/songwriter Ke$ha.  This one's got an awesome hook and the track is lighthearted and fun.  Check out a recent Song of the Day post featuring Timber.

#18 - Jealous - Nick Jonas

Anyone who's been following this blog knows that I love Nick Jonas.  The man has come out in a big way this year (and I don't mean closets!), and all the while embracing his fans of the gay persuasion. This, so far, is the biggest hit of his newest eponymous album, and, um,, yeah!  Check out Jealous.



#17 - I - Kendrick Lamar

OMG, I absolutely LOVE this brand new one from R&B singer/rapper Kendrick Lamar.  I discovered it on Spotify only recently, and posted it as Song of the Day just a week and a half ago, and it's good enough to be one of the bestest songs of the year.  Smooth groove, smooth vocals...great vibe!  Check it out...



#16 - Riptide - Vance Joy

Another Spotify-discovered song that I absolutely LOVE!  It's by a relatively obscure Aussie singer Vance Joy and the words just make you want to sing along.  Check out this Song of the Day feature from October here.

#15 - Am I Wrong - Nico and Vinz

I just posted the other day that the feature for this Song of the Day back in July garnered the highest number of page views for the year 2014 under that tag. Check out the infectiously island-infused Am I Wrong.


directlyrics

#14 - Uptown Funk - Mark Ronson with Bruno Mars

I said it back on December 9th that this one was going to be a smash, and from what I'm seeing and hearing, it already is.  This high energy, Minneapolis-inspired funk is nothing but down home fun! Don't believe me just watch...



#13 - All of Me - John Legend

I admit that it took me a long time to get this one.  It is a ballad, after all...but there was one day at Cherry Grove over the summer when it came on and nearly everyone in the bar was singing along to every word and I didn't know it.  Well I know it now and I love it, especially the dance version! Check out the beautiful All of Me.

#12 - Rather Be - Clean Bandit, featuring Jess Glynne

Here's one my personal favorite tunes of 2014.  This one is so beautiful, so sweet, and so melodic that I just can't not listen all the way through whenever it's played.  If you don't know it, then you'd better check it out...



#11 - Fancy - Iggy Azalea, with Charli XCX

First things first, I'm the realist...

What a big year 2014 was for the Aussie rapstress (who's been taking a lot of b.s. from that other Azealia) Iggy Azalea, who first gained notoriety on Ariana Grande's smash Problem and then whipped it up on this funky, bassy jam.

#10 - Happy - Pharrell Williams

This oh so 'happy' tune finally brought some very well-deserved attention to a longstanding multi-talented artist Pharrell Williams.  This one is of a new breed of genre that's brought back some old feel good funk and was definitely a precursor to Mark Ronson's Uptown Funk.  Check out the Happy Song of the Day Post from February.



#9 - Royals - Lorde

Though this masterpiece from young New Zealand singer/songwriter Lorde was released in 2013, it still got lots of airplay in 2014.  The Grammy winning Royals is one of those songs that comes along only once in a blue moon and is very deserving of a spot on the top ten tunes of 2014.

#8 - Talk Dirty - Jason DeRulo

Ooh, this was a fun one.  A little...no, a lot...on the explicit side, but it's got that R&B smooth swagger that's so fun to jam to.  Check out Talk Dirty.


#7 - Waves - Mr. Probz

My face above the water
My feet can't touch the ground
I can see the sands on the horizon
Every time, you are not around
And I'm slowly drifting...

The year 2014 saw a resurgence of chill/lounge music, and this one lead the way, growing in popularity throughout the year.  The Robin Schulz (who I've really come to love) remix is the one that you all know and it goes a lil something like this...



#6 - Problem - Ariana Grande, with Iggy Azalea

Now a year I ago, many of us never even heard of Ariana Grande, but after this one with the oh so appropriate in-your-face lyrics and the infectious dance track, she's become a huge part of the current pop music landscape.  Check out the Problem Song of the Day Post from May.

#5 - Take Me to Church - Hozier

Here's another song I only recently discovered from Irish indie singer Hozier.  The Grammy-nominated song is simply powerful and the video is equally so.  Check out this Song of the Day post of Take Me to Church.

#4 - All About That Bass - Meghan Trainor

One of the most iconic and popular songs of the year comes from newcomer Meghan Trainor and she had us all thinking about bass and treble in a whole new way.  Check out All About That Bass.

#3 - Sing - Ed Sheeran

Ed Sheeran was one of the most successful artists of the year 2014, and this is the one that was his springboard to success.  With the help of producer Rick Rubin, Sheeran recorded his second studio album, X, a compilation of twelve stellar tunes.  The album has earned the singer many accolades, nominations and fans, including me, and though I love the entire set, this one featuring Pharrell Williams has to be my favorite!




forbes

#2 - Shake It Off - Taylor Swift

This one is so irresistable it's got to be one of the catchiest and funnest songs of all time!  Check it out...

And the players gonna play play play play play 
And the haters gonna hate hate hate hate hate...



#1 - Dark Horse - Katy Perry, featuring Juicy J

All the while I was thinking about this post, I was sure that I was going to name Swift's tune the #1 Song of the Year, and then I remembered this one.  Katy Perry's Dark Horse came out in late 2013 and its title is very appropriate.  It wasn't originally aimed to be a single, but its perfect blend of thumpy beats, Juicy J's raps and mystical feel simply induced all who heard it to listen and listen and listen.  Oh, what a great song!  Take another listen...


So there you have it, my Top 20 Pop Songs for 2014.  I hope you've enjoyed reading and reliving some of the year's best music and please let me know down in the comments some of the songs that rocked your world in 2014.  Stay tuned for my annual countdown of the year's 30 best dance/club tunes coming soon!

Song of the Day - Timber - Pitbull and Ke$ha

Today is a long-awaited day for me, as two giant trees in front of my house will be coming down. I say a long time coming because they've needed to come down ever since I've been living here...since 1998.  As you can see from the picture, the two trees sit at the foot of my driveway, leaving little room for auto navigation and making the driveway itself very narrow.  Also, the trees are in pretty bad shape, physically, too.  A couple of years ago, Sandy completely shaved off the top half of the one closest to my front yard and for a while there, it looked like I had some sort of giant sculpture in front of my house...

So anyway, here's a perfect song for the day, for me...TIMBER!!!!!

Song of the Day - Timber - Pitbull, featuring Ke$ha

It's goin down
I'm yellin' timber
You better move
You better dance...



I am not Ke$ha's biggest fan, but I do love some of her songs.  And Pitbull!  Oh, this one just sticks in your head all day after you hear it. So catchy!!!



Pitbull '' Timber '' ft. Ke$ha - (Official... by lyricscity

John's World Top 30 Dance/Club Songs of 2013, Part 2: #'s 20-11

Happy New Year 2014 to all of my fellow dance music fans.  For the third year in a row I've decided to tackle my 30 favorite dance/club songs of the year 2013.  Please keep in mind that though I've checked out a lot of other top dance song lists for the year, my tastes are different and unique to me, and so the songs you see here may or may not be included in what the 'experts' say. 

Like last year, I will be posting these in three separate posts of ten songs, in descending order.  Here is the middle post, from #20 - #11.  As always, comments are appreciated.  And here we go...

#20 - Let Me Love You  - Ne-Yo

I've always loved the soulful voice of Ne-Yo, especially on a dance track, and this one is awesome, feelgood stuff! !  Check out Let Me Love You...


Ne-Yo - Let Me Love You (Until You Learn To... by juicyremixes

#19 - Gettin' Dumb - will.i.am, with apl de ap  2NE1

I reviewed this one in May as a part of the track by track reviews of #willpower.  I've listened to it plenty of times since and I've concluded that it's a great dance track.  The vocals, the beats, the music...funky!!!!! Check out Gettin' Dumb on Daily Motion.

#18 - Lay Me Down - Avicii

Avicii first came under my radar with his awesome club track, Levels, a little over a year ago.  Then came the fabulous Wake Me Up, and then when his True album came out, I downloaded it and it soon became one of my favorite albums of the year.  In addition to that first smash single, there are plenty of great dance tracks to be found here, including this one.

Lay Me Down is a typical, fast-paced, anthemic dance track that's got a really nice groove.  Featuring the vocals of Adam Lambert and the talents of Nile Rodgers, this one needs to get more listeners.  Check it out on YouTube.

#17 - I Like How It Feels - Enrique Iglesias

I'm not sure if it's me and the way I listen to music or just the way music is presented these days.  I hadn't really heard too much from Enrique in awhile, but a short browse on iTunes and I found that he is indeed still making music and good stuff at that.  I posted this one as Song of the Day in October and it did well with page views.  It's Enrique style all the way and that means it's catchy and fun!

Enrique Iglesias Feat. Pitbull - I Like How It... by Henrietta-Aime-Fumer_Tv

#16 - You Make Me - Avicii

Another awesome track from True, this one's thumpin' and bumpin' all the way!  Awesome!


Avicii - You Make Me (Official Music Video) by WoudaRecords

#15 - Walking On Air - Katy Perry

Here's yet a new dimension to Katy Perry on her new Prism album, a track made for dancing!  YES!

#14 - Donatella - Lady Gaga

Here's my immediately favorite song off ARTPOP.  I love the spoken, saucy intro, and the Gothic dramaticism of the entire track.  It is THE dance track on the record.  Check out Donatella right here.


Audra Mae - newsok

#13 - Addicted to You - Avicii

Yet another Avicci song, and this one's similar to Wake Me Up in that it's got that nice and unique blend of country and club music.  The singer is Audra Mae, who sounds on here a lot like a cross between one of those big name women country singers of a few decades ago and the vintage female singers of a few years ago, like Duffy or even Adele.  Wonderfully arranged and  nicely produced, this one feels just like an old country song reworked into a club tune.  Check out Addicted to You.

#12 - Come n' Get It - Selena Gomez

This Indian-influenced tune from Selena Gomez is especially catchy and became the singer's first top ten hit on Billboard's Hot 100.  Check out the infectious Come n' Get It...


Selena Gomez - Come & Get It by emreorhan_1997

#11 - Timber - Pitbull, featuring Ke$ha

It's going down, I'm yelling timber
You better move, you better dance
Let's make a night you won't remember
I'll be the one you won't forget

This pleasant dance tune from unlikely duo Pitbull and Ke$ha works surprisingly well.  Check it out...


Pitbull feat. Kesha - Timber by kiss_fm

So there you have it, #'s 20 to 11 on my countdown for the best dance tunes of 2013.  Stay tuned to the top 10 dance music songs of 2013 coming soon, and in the meantime, check out the past two years of great dance songs and relive some fond memories, as well as part one of this list:

2013

John's World Top 30 Dance/Club Songs of 2013, Part 1: #'s 30 - 21

2012

John's World Top 30 Dance/Club Songs of 2012, Part 1: #'s 30 to 21

John's World Top 30 Dance/Club Songs of 2012, Part 2: #'s 20-11

John's World Top 30 Dance/Club Songs of 2012, Part 3: The Top Ten

2011

The Top 30 Dance Songs of 2011, Part 1, #'s 30-21

The Top 30 Dance Songs of 2011, Part 2, #'s 20-11

The Top 30 Dance Songs of 2011, Part 3, #'s 10-1

Song of the Day - Tik Tok - Ke$ha

The Guardian

I am really loving Timber, Ke$ha's new song with Pitbull, but unfortunately it is only available on YouTube, so I am unable to post it here unfortunately.  So I find myself in a Ke$ha kind of mood today anyway and here's one that I love to dance to... Happy Saturday!

Kesha - Tik Tok [HD] by Henrietta-Aime-Fumer_Tv

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John's World Top 30 Dance/Club Songs of 2012, Part 2: #'s 20-11

We continue this morning with our countdown of my picks for the best 30 dance/club songs of the year.

#20 - Gimme All Your Luvin - Madonna

L-U-V Madonna!

Okay, well I'm sure this isn't on many people's top lists of songs for the year, but hey, I love Madonna and I'm actually one of the few who find this song fun.  Yeah, it's kitschy, but it's also catchy, kind of 80's, and very danceable, so there!


Madonna "Gimme All Your Luvin'" Integrated Compilation from Interscope Brand Partnerships on Vimeo.

riripedia

#19 - Birthday Cake - Rihanna

It's not even my birthday
And you wanna lick that icing on it

One of my favorite sexy-ass tracks from RiRi's Talk That Talk album is really only a short interlude on the original set, but Ms. Thang reunited with ex-boyfriend Chris Brown for a longer, dirtier remix of the record, which did get lots of airplay in clubs.  Check out Birthday Cake.

#18 - Where Have You Been - Rihanna

The 5th single from Talk That Talk is still getting lots of airplay in the clubs.  Love the reverb in the chorus!  Check it out on YouTube.



#17 - Loca People - Sak Noel

I've got a funny story to tell on how I first noticed this one.  I was at Cherry's On the Bay in Fire Island one night and I was standing near the bar, chatting with some guy I know, and this drunk-as-a-skunk woman was standing nearby.  Well, if you don't know this song, the main tag line is "What the F**k?," and it was playing at this particular time.  I hadn't taken notice of the song or the tag line until after lighting a cigarette.  I hadn't even taken a puff yet when the woman flung her arms out and knocked it out of my hand, simultaneously singing the words.  My friend looked at me and mouthed "What the F**k?," and the woman just went on dancing, not even knowing what she had done.

Anyway, from then on I started liking the song, dancing to the funky beat whenever it came on.  I even tried my hand at making a video to the song, that was before I did True Love, and on that same night I took a lot of silly pictures of myself, which I posted on Facebook under the title, Johnny, la gente esta muy loca!, another favorite line from the song.

The tune is a cover of another song, What the Olya, by an artist named Klara, and it was reworked by Spanish disk jockey Sak Noel, with vocals by Dutch vocalist Esthera Sarita.  I'm posting it here, and be forewarned....lots of expletives (one of the reasons why it was never a Song of the Day)...but it's oh so dancealicious!

When I came to Spain, and I saw people partying, I said to myself, "What the F**k?"...


Sak Noel - Loca People from Cees Spin on Vimeo.

#16 - Pound the Alarm - Nicki Minaj

The year 2012 saw Nicki Minaj transform herself from hard core rapstress extraordinaire to dance hall princess.  Her vocals work really well with the poppy dancey sound that I love so much and this one's got a great dance floor beat!Check out Pound the Alarm on John's World.

#15 - Turn Up the Radio - Madonna

If Madge had any chance to make it big with M.D.N.A., this was it. Turn Up the Radio is a bona fide dance floor anthem!

#14 - Gangnam Style - Psy

Okay, I understand that this one was so big that it's probably closer to the top on other lists, but to me it was more of a pop phenomenon than a dance floor hit.  Of course it should be on a list of the best dance songs of the year because it is dancey.  The song made it to #3 on my year end list of top pop songs for the year, and one of my favorite performances of the song, other than the video itself, was Psy's appearance at MSG with Madonna back in November, which you can see here:



#13 - Die Young - Ke$ha

I feel your heartbeat to the beat of a drum
Oh such a shame that you came here with someone
So while you're here in my arms
Let's make the most of the night 
Like we're gonna die young

The first single off Ke$ha's latest album, Warrior, is one of her most catchy.  It's really too bad it got banned from the airwaves after the Newton tragedy...it's just bad timing, but really, how is it any different than let's say Prince's 1999?  Check out Die Young.

International business times

#12 - Scream and Shout - will.i.am and Britney Spears

I really was not crazy about this song when I first came across it, but it has grown on me by leaps and bounds.  Despite the heavy altering of Brit's voice, the dance club beats make me wanna shake my hips every time I hear it.  Check it out:

It's Britney bitch!

will.i.am - Scream & Shout ft. Britney Spears from David Duque León on Vimeo.

#11 - Levels - Avicii

This track is slamming!  Sampling Flo Rida's Good Feeling and adding a feelgood dance music track, this one really got me going when Avicii opened up for Madge at Yankee Stadium.  Check out Levels.

So there's the middle ten of my top thirty dance/club tunes for the year 2012.  Check out the first ten tracks on the list below:

John's World Top 30 Dance/Club Songs of 2012, Part 1: #'s 30 to 21

And see last year's list...

The Top 30 Dance Songs of 2011, Part 1, #'s 30-21

The Top 30 Dance Songs of 2011, Part 2, #'s 20-11

The Top 30 Dance Songs of 2011, Part 3, #'s 10-1

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What Are You Listening To? Fall 2012

I've been wasting too much time trying to decide where to put this piece.  The What are you listening to? series has been published on Yahoo Voices every season for the past couple of years, save the summer of 2012.  It was back then that I was having difficulty getting things published and so even though I penned one for the summer (which was a bust anyway), it was never published.  Now I'm back in the swing of things over there and I can re-introduce the series over there, I figured I'd post it here instead, as it is late in the season.  I will continue the series on Yahoo for the next installment, but in the meantime here is the fall 2012 edition:


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What Are You Listening To? Fall 2012

What kind of music listener are you? Are you up on the newest tracks from your favorite artists, or do you prefer to listen to nothing but oldies? Do you listen to rock, rap, country, or something else?  Do your listening habits change from time to time or do you pretty much stick to your usual stuff? We all have our own habits for listening to the music we enjoy, and the variety of music that's out there is so vast that no two people have the same exact musical tastes or preferences.

One of my favorite things about having an iPod is the ability to organize your music into folders, or playlists (check out Creating Customized Playlists on iTunes and Creating Smart Playlists on iTunes ). With this feature, it's so easy to put songs together that will suit the way you listen to music. Some of the playlists that I keep in my iTunes library include titles such as "Party Songs", "Sad Songs" and "All Time Faves", etc.  One of the most listened to playlists in my iTunes library is a folder that I like to call "Current".

"Current" is the folder where I keep the music that I like to listen to the most. It is the one playlist in iTunes that I'm most often changing, and is the purpose for this series. Music is as fluid as anything, and I enjoy adding great new stuff to my music collection. I keep all of my new stuff in the "Current" folder, as well as some favorites from the past year or so. My passion for music motivates me to want to share some of the good music I listen to with other music lovers who share my tastes.

Without further adieu, I present some offerings from my "Current" playlist this fall.  Many of them I’ve featured on my blog’s very popular “Song of the Day” posts, and I’ve linked some of the songs below to them.  These are the songs I listen to on a daily basis during my commute to and from work or in the house while I'm doing some house cleaning. Most of the songs are dance oriented, as that is my thing, but there’s some pop, R&B, and rock listed here, as well.  Hopefully you'll find something new to get excited about.

After a dull summer of new music, the fall scene has awakened with some big-time releases that have gotten my iTunes account buzzing.  Check out what I've been listening to...

Individual Songs

Scream and Shout - willi.i.am and Britney Spears

I spoke of this one in the most recent Music News Bytes and at the time I said I wasn't too crazy about the track.  To me, it's just more of the same old, same old, and Britney doesn't even sound like Britney on it.  However, after hearing the reactions of some friends and after taking a couple more listens, the song is growing on me, if only as a mindless tune to dance to, which is something I like.

Boys and Girls - Martin Solveig, featuring Dragonette

In recent months I've become a big fan of Martin Solveig.  Ever since having a big hit last winter with the frenzied Hello, I've taken notice and have downloaded a few of his tunes, including this one.  All I can say about this one is fun!  Check it out:  

Martin Solveig & Dragonette "Boys & Girls" from onelove on Vimeo.

Can't Stop / Big in Japan - Martin Solveig, featuring Dragonette & Ready to Go, featuring Kele

Three more Solveig concoctions that have all been featured here on John's World.  All of them are just like the previous tune: fast-moving, dancealicious, and fun!  Check out Can't Stop, Big in Japan and Ready to Go.

Too Close - Alex Clare

I featured this rockish one back in September, and have grown to love it even more with dance remixes that I've been hearing a lot at the clubs.  Great one!

I Found You - The Wanted

The Wanted is back with a brand new single, their best since Glad You Came.  Check out I Found You.

Some Nights - Fun

Fun made huge waves with their song We Are Young last winter.  I have to admit I wasn't too crazy about that one, but this war-themed tune seems perfect for another time and I can't help but stop and listen whenever I come to it on my iPod.  

Pound the Alarm - Nicki Minaj

Though I'm not as big a Nikki fan as some, I think her voice and style work well on the dance floor, and this is a good dance tune.  Check out Pound the Alarm.

Die Young - Ke$ha

I've said many times before that I think Ke$ha does not have a voice for singing, but she does have an ear for what's hot and the first single off her new Warrior album is her best yet.  Very catchy and a great track, too!  Check out Die Young.

Albums

The Truth About Love - P!nk

It's no secret to any who follow this blog just how much I love Ms. P!nk, and this record has already been way played out on my iPod, and I'm still not sick of it.  Great tunes through and through.  Check out my track by track reviews of The Truth on John's World, and check out me lip-syncing to my favorite song off the album, True Love:

Me lip-syncing to P!nk's "True Love" from John Myers on Vimeo.

Lotus - Christina Aguilera

There's been a lot of pressure on Christina Aguilera to get back in the game after her commercially disappointing Bionic album, and her newest is good, but does it fit the bill?  I've been reviewing the tracks on this one, one at a time, which you can check out here.  The dance stuff is pretty good, and so is the ballad between X-Tina and country singer Blake Shelton, but the rest of the slow stuff is yawn inducing, mostly.

Unapologetic - Rihanna

Here's another one I've been reviewing, song by song, and mostly I'm disappointed in Miss Ri-Ri's latest effort, especially compared to the last one.  Check out my take on the tracks from Unapologetic right here.

Spirit Indestructible - Nelly Furtado

Nelly's latest is good,, not great, but since I've been a big fan of hers since the beginning I take a listen every once in awhile.  Standouts include the title track, Big Hoops, Bucket List, and this one, the funky Parking Lot:

   

Nelly Furtado - Parking Lot from BestFan TV on Vimeo. 

Calvin Harris, Natalia Kills, Wynter Gordon

Other noteworthy albums I've been listening to include the latest by a new favorite Calvin Harris, and two lesser known artists Natalia Kills and Wynter Gordon.  Harris' newest, 18 Months, is not as good as his last, Ready for the Weekend, but there is some good stuff on this one, including the fantastic I Need Your Love, with Elie Goulding, the funky Drinking from the Bottle, with Tinie Tempah, and the stellar Sweet Nothing, featuring Florence Welch, from Florence + the Machine.

Natalia Kills - freak deluxe

Natalia Kills is a Brit pop singer whose album I bought on a whim and boy am I glad I did!  This one features some great stuff, including the fun Free, with will.i.am, the dark, driving Wonderland, and the light-hearted and silly Kill My Boyfriend.  Really, most all of the songs are great on this one from 2011.  Highly recommended!

Some of you may know Wynter Gordon from 2010's dance smash Dirty Talk.  Well, I love her voice and recently downloaded her EP With the Music I Die, and it's pretty good.  Especially good is the bubble gum sweet Till Death and Buy My Love.  Check out the former right here.

Well there you have it, most of what I've been listening to this busy fall for new music.  As always I hope you've found something new to get excited about, if you haven't already.  Stay tuned to Yahoo Voices for the next installment coming sometime in January/February.  As always, thanks for checking me out!

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