The 20 Best Songs of 2015

It was borderline impossible, but I managed to scrape together 20 songs released in (or very close to) 2015 that didn't suck big donkey dick. Actually, the songs on this list are some of the best I've heard in years! I guess you can't have great successes without incapacitating failures? In any case, these are the 20 best songs of 2015:

20. Kacey Musgraves-"Biscuits"
Though much of her "Pageant Material" album is loaded with great songs, "Biscuits" still stands above them all because it's instantly memorable, insanely catchy, and just rings true with its message and Kacey's no-nonsense attitude about it all. Plus, who doesn't love biscuits? Haha

19. Jess Glynne-"Don't Be So Hard On Yourself"
Now, there have been PLENTY of self-help songs to come out this decade, but only a few of them were as engaging as this. Jess Glynne is a deep house singer with a deep, smoky voice that invigorates your ears when she sings about giving yourself a break and forging ahead of setbacks and road bumps.

18. Purity Ring-"Heartsigh"
The lyrics are abstract and could mean anything (as is the case with most indie acts like future-pop duo Purity Ring) but the bubbling production and wistful hook put everything into clear perspective. Innovative as it is accessible, "Heartsigh" is what sunny pop should sound like in 2015.

17. Purity Ring-"Push Pull"
A little darker, a little more concrete than "Heartsigh", but "Push Pull" is far more intricate and less laden with frilly sound effects. It's also much more substantial, musically and lyrically, and still manages to cater to the underground while pleasing those in the mainstream looking for a change of pace.

16. Zedd and Echosmith-"Illusion"
Even if it is a little too long, and gets repetitive half-way in, "Illusion" features beguiling vocals from Echosmith (particularly Sydney Sierota), and wonderfully contemplative music to support the lyrics that are straight-forward yet can work in multiple contexts.
 

15. Marina and the Diamonds-"Savages"
Marina Diamandis won the pop game in a lot of respects this year. Taken from her superb third album, "Froot", "Savages" is a brutally honest commentary on modern-day society and really takes a hard look at how violence influences us. Some might call it misanthropic--I call it genius and truthful.
 
14. Kelly Clarkson-"Someone"
It's too bad that her latest chart-topping album "Piece By Piece" didn't get more exposure this year, because it had a handful of really great songs. Take "Someone" for example, an electro-ballad that's burned with soul, once again courtesy of Clarkson's powerhouse voice. Lyrically, it's a little campy, but the general atmosphere of the song elevates it out of Sam Smith territory and into balladeer brilliance.
 
13. Marina and the Diamonds-"Froot"
The title track of her third album, "Froot" is a deliriously fun and insanely catchy slice of pure disco. Donna Summer could have cut it in 1978, or maybe Kylie Minogue after her 2000 modern-pop makeover, but only Marina could muster up the sensual energy needed to fuel this song's carnal pulse. Sexy, provocative, fun: everything Katy Perry wishes she could be.

12. Carly Rae Jepsen-"Run Away With Me"
Her supposed comeback moment didn't make a dent in the US, and it's not hard to see why: "Emotion", her latest album, was big on critical hype but came up short in terms of delivering great pop music (maybe in 1985, but now the nostalgia craze is straight up tiring and nauseating). Still, the lead-off track "Run Away With Me" shows Carly Rae could have made a smash pop record had she kept the grooves as intoxicating as this song, while mining the lands of contemporary pop instead of re-hashing what's been done to death.
 
11. Enya-"The Humming"
The long-awaited return finally happened in late 2015! No one was expecting Enya to change her successful formula, but the subtle alterations in her approach this time around proves that she isn't (and never was) a one-off fad. "The Humming" is one of her best songs ever, jaunting along to a 6/8 meter and describing the origins of the universe. 
 
10. Hilary Duff-"One In A Million"
"Breathe In. Breathe Out.", Hilary Duff's first album in eight years, is what Carly Rae Jepsen's "Emotion" should have been. Hilary has been energized by her long break, and it perfectly shows in the Tove Lo-penned "One In A Million". It has a big, soaring chorus, effervescent beats, and doesn't get grating after repeated listens. It's utterly fresh, suggesting that the real gem pop album was over-looked.
  
9. Carly Rae Jepsen-"Love Again"
Don't let this fool you, "Love Again" is one of only a few great pop songs on "Emotion", even if it still co-opts 80s cheese and synths, its built on a singular ingratiating hook that's backed by production that's not too obsessed with recreating a lost decade. A perfect balance of old and new, music that Jepsen maybe have wanted to make, but didn't fully succeed in.
 
8. Marina and the Diamonds-"Blue"
Back to the disco, "Blue" is a dynamite pop song that never feels to poppy or vying for mainstream credibility. Its light, hooky, and memorable, but it's definitely not disposable fluff. David Kosten's mixture of real instruments and warm synths provides a more unique spin on 80s-indebted pop, proving just how good Marina's "Froot" album is.
 
7. Adele-"Hello"
Is it as great as "Rolling in the Deep" or "Set Fire to the Rain"? No, and nothing on "25" is, but Adele sure knew how to pick a smash comeback single. After three years of Ed Sheeran's snoozing and Sam Smith's whining, the world was in desperate need of a soul-rejuvenation. Adele more than delivered with "Hello", a song that might not be revolutionary but is sturdy and timeless.
 
6. Chvrches-"Afterglow"
Is it possible that a Scottish synth-pop trio could do Enya better than Enya herself in 2015? It's pretty obvious that it's very possible, because Chvrches strip their music to the core, leaving synthesizer keyboards as the only instrument in this stupendously great song. On a sonic level, it's gorgeous, Lauren Mayberry's vocals are strongly emotive, and the production actually builds and decays with the motions of the lyrics. A ballad doesn't have to be static, and Chvrches prove that it can actually be invigorating too.
 
5. Grimes-"Flesh Without Blood"
It turns out an indie-electronic artist would show the mainstream what fun and carefully constructed pop is really all about. Several hooks run throughout the verses and chorus, Grimes' vocals sound assured and confident,  and synths are mixed with heavy guitars that drive the song's anthemic pulse. It's so good, in fact, that how anyone (pop fan or not) could not like it is baffling. 
 
4. Chvrches-"Clearest Blue"
A straight-ahead dance track would've made a bigger splash in 2013, but even now, Chvrches expand on their star-making recipe by adding stronger hooks, diversifying the sonic effects, and once again having the song build to a climax rather than overplay its hand the first couple of seconds in. Much more energetic than anything they've ever done, who knew that Chvrches could even pull off a happy song and not have it sound corny or cliched?
 
3. Mark Ronson and Bruno Mars-"Uptown Funk!"
You were expecting this to be number one, and I can see why. A knockout hook, literally funky beats and production, early-80s sounds mixed with Bruno Mars' contemporary swagger, everything here works together to produce an intoxicating listen. It's been done before, though, so I can't give points on originality, nor can I overlook the immense amount of calculation that went into this (Mark Ronson choosing Bruno Mars, literally one of the biggest stars on the planet right now, and naming a song after a genre of music everyone in the world loves? Yeah, he knew what he was doing here). Still, I'll give credit where credit is due, and "Uptown Funk" is pretty bad-ass, no matter how many times you hear it.
 
2. Grimes-"REALiTi"
Oh Grimes, you think that the demo of this song you released in March 2015 wasn't the best you had to offer this year? Not only is it the best track on "Art Angels", her latest album, "REALiTi" may be on the best pop songs ever released in the 21st century. EDM influences aside, there was nothing else as dreamy, alluring, or enveloping as this song in 2015, and I hope it eventually is recognized as a landmark in 2010s music. 
 
1. Madonna-"Wash All Over Me"
The Queen reigns supreme. It edged out "REALiTi" as the best song this year not because it is more experimental or groundbreaking. It's the best song of the year because it doesn't pander to any trend, throwback or modern, it's consistently moving and resonates far longer than its four minute run-time, the lyrics are philosophical and ring true no matter who you are, and finally someone has the balls to look at the world and realize its flaws are not going to be fixed by ignoring them. "Wash All Over Me" is a song that makes you think; whether or not you agree with doesn't matter, because it demands your attention and really gets under your skin. It's not flimsy like other cheap pop acts this year, it's not asinine or unoriginal, and it's definitely not built on the goal for easy listening and agreement. Madonna has dug back into the existential parts of herself that were already beautiful on "Ray of Light", but in the dreary and shallow landscape of 2015, "Wash All Over Me" is a song that everybody should listen to at least once.