The Top 40 Songs of 2014

The time has come once again! After twelve months of hearing the wide scope of artists to grace our headphones, I've completed yet another list of the 40 most successful mainstream hits. Obviously, there was a LOT to choose from this year, and honestly so many songs became huge, it was hard to find a ranking that adequately ranked the scale of their success. But, as always, I found a way to make it work! From the British invasion (Charli XCX, Sam Smith, Clean Bandit, Ed Sheeran, Disclosure, Passenger) to the land down under (Sia, Iggy Azalea), from long-time stars (Pharrell, Katy Perry, Nicki Minaj, Maroon 5, Taylor Swift) to newcomers bred right here in the USA (Meghan Trainor, Echosmith), 2014 was a hotbed for talent, both new and old. But no matter who the artist, the radio was definitely jam-packed with hits from virtually everywhere around the world (only Asia was skipped, oddly). So, without further blabbering, here are my picks for the best songs of 2014, with their peak positions on the Billboard Hot 100 and Billboard Year-End charts!

40. American Authors-Best Day of My Life
Peak: 11     Billboard Year-End: 31

39. Aloe Blacc-The Man
Peak: 8     Billboard Year-End: 48

38. Shakira and Rihanna-Can't Remember to Forget You
Peak: 15     Billboard Year-End: 85

37. Echosmith-Cool Kids
Peak: 13     Billboard Year-End: 59

36. Tove Lo-Habits (Stay High)
Peak: 3     Billboard Year-End: 32

35. Clean Bandit and Jesse Glynne-Rather Be
Peak: 10     Billboard Year-End: 41

34. Jason Derulo and Snoop Dogg-Wiggle
Peak: 5     Billboard Year-End: 40

33. Zedd and Hayley Williams-Stay The Night
Peak: 18     Billboard Year-End: 94

32. Disclosure and Sam Smith-Latch
Peak: 7     Billboard Year-End: 28

31. Paramore-Ain't It Fun?
Peak: 10     Billboard Year-End: 47

30. Sia-Chandelier
Peak: 8     Billboard Year-End: 25

29. Calvin Harris-Summer
Peak: 7     Billboard Year-End: 33

28. Nicki Minaj-Anaconda
Peak: 2     Billboard Year-End: 36

27. Beyonce and Jay-Z-Drunk in Love
Peak: 2     Billboard Year-End: 35

26. Charli XCX-Boom Clap
Peak: 8     Billboard Year-End: 34

25. Maroon 5-Maps
Peak: 6     Billboard Year-End: 29

24. Iggy Azalea and Rita Ora-Black Widow
Peak: 3     Billboard Year-End: 26

23. Ariana Grande and Zedd-Break Free
Peak: 4     Billboard Year-End: 37

22. Ellie Goulding-Burn
Peak: 13     Billboard Year-End: 39

21. Imagine Dragons-Demons
Peak: 6     Billboard Year-End: 23

20. Justin Timberlake-Not A Bad Thing
Peak: 8     Billboard Year-End: 45

19. Passenger-Let Her Go
Peak: 5     Billboard Year-End: 19

18. Jessie J, Ariana Grande, and Nicki Minaj-Bang Bang
Peak: 3     Billboard Year-End: 27

17. A Great Big World and Christina Aguilera-Say Something
Peak: 4     Billboard Year-End: 17

16. Bastille-Pompeii
Peak: 5     Billboard Year-End: 12

15. Nico and Vinz-Am I Wrong?
Peak: 4     Billboard Year-End: 14

14. DJ Snake and Lil Jon-Turn Down for What
Peak: 4     Billboard Year-End: 15

13. Idina Menzel-Let It Go
Peak: 5     Billboard Year-End: 21

12. Taylor Swift-Shake It Off 
Peak: 1 (4 Weeks)     Billboard Year-End: 13

11. PitBull and Ke$ha-Timber
Peak: 1 (3 Weeks)     Billboard Year-End: 11

10. Meghan Trainor-All About That Bass
Peak: 1 (8 Weeks)     Billboard Year-End: 8

9. Ariana Grande and Iggy Azalea-Problem
Peak: 2     Billboard Year-End: 9

8. OneRepublic-Counting Stars
Peak: 2     Billboard Year-End: 5

7. Magic!-Rude
Peak: 1 (6 Weeks)     Billboard Year-End: 7

6. Sam Smith-Stay With Me
Peak: 2     Billboard Year-End: 10

5. Jason Derulo and 2 Chainz-Talk Dirty
Peak: 3     Billboard Year-End: 6

4. Iggy Azalea and Charli XCX-Fancy
Peak: 1 (7 Weeks)     Billboard Year-End: 4

3. John Legend-All of Me
Peak: 1 (3 Weeks)     Billboard Year-End: 3

2. Katy Perry and Juicy J-Dark Horse
Peak: 1 (4 Weeks)     Billboard Year-End: 2

1. Pharrell-Happy
Peak: 1 (10 Weeks)     Billboard Year-End: 1