Intro | 100-91 | 90-81 | 80-71 | 70-61 | 60-51 | 50-41 | 40-31 | 30-21 | 20-11 | 10-1
90. Ghost - Ella Henderson
Peak: 21 (March 7); Weeks on chart: 20; December 26 position: NR
"Ghost" was one of my favorite songs at the start of the year, even though the song did not peak until March. Henderson's voice in "Ghost" is superb, and the beat is driving without being overbearing. On my list of favorite 2015 songs, this would easily rank in the top 20.
89. She Knows - Ne-Yo feat. Juicy J
Peak: 19 (March 14); Weeks on chart: 20; December 26 position: NR
Perhaps because it was reminiscent of Ne-Yo's prime in the mid-2000's, perhaps also because of Juicy J's old-school style of rapping, "She Knows" was quite possibly my favorite hip-hop track to come out of 2015. The song debuted in November 2014, but was not a chart success until early in 2015. For Juicy J, "She Knows" built to the success of 2014's number one, "Dark Horse," on which the rapper was also featured.
88. Slow Motion - Trey Songz
R&B crooner Trey Songz provided this 2015 hit that just missed out on the top 25 in the Hot 100. "Slow Motion" is a sexy slow jam befitting Songz's voice. If you don't really remember the song, it probably is because it got most of its play on non-hip hop, light R&B stations.
87. Love Yourself - Justin Bieber
Peak: 4 (December 5); Weeks on chart: 4; December 26 position: 5
The latest-debuting song on this list, the third single from Bieber's wildly successful album Purpose peaked at its debut. "Love Yourself" has moved back up to the fourth spot on the Hot 100 for the January 2 chart, which means it is quite possible the song has not yet reached its ultimate peak.
86. Tuesday - I LOVE MAKONNEN feat. Drake
One of the hottest hip-hop tracks at the start of the year - and a 2014 Top 100 song - "Tuesday" stuck around long enough in 2015 to earn the 86th position in this list. I liked this song more than many rap tracks at the end of last year; still, I never had a burning desire to hear "Tuesday" after it dropped from the Hot 100.
85. Marvin Gaye - Charlie Puth feat. Meghan Trainor
Peak: 21 (October 10); Weeks on chart: 20; December 26 position: NR
I actually really like this song from one of this year's breakout stars and one of last year's top new artists. The melody is highly catching and begs for a three-part harmony in parts, Charlie and Meghan's voices are highly compatible, and it of course alludes to one of the great soul artists of all time. "Marvin Gaye" could've done away with the modernized 808 machine during the second verse in favor of a throwback beat created perhaps with an actual drum set. But let's not get too picky - this was still one of the underrated pop tracks of the year.
84. All Eyes On You - Meek Mill feat. Chris Brown & Nicki Minaj
Meek Mill will be best remembered by getting absolutely owned by Drake this summer. His lasting Hot 100 legacy will likely be this song, featuring two other not-so-favorable personalities in Chris Brown and Nicki Minaj. Sorry, Meek and Nicki, but when you try to create controversy for the sake of creating controversy, you get a #Top100of2015 review focused more on your actions than your music.
83. CoCo - O.T. Genasis
Peak: 16 (February 14); Weeks on chart: 14; December 26 position: NR
This not-so-subtle ode to cocaine dealers was actually one of my favorite hip-hop songs on this list. Much like "Tuesday" last year, it's not necessarily the quality of the track that I enjoy; the song just makes me laugh. My favorite line is absolutely "Bakin' soda, I got bakin' soda." (PSA: Don't sell cocaine. It's dangerous and absolutely illegal.)
82. Focus - Ariana Grande
Peak: 7 (November 7); Weeks on chart: 6; December 26 position: 24
Stylistically, "Focus" is not much different from Ariana's 2014 megahit "Problem". The pop starlet's 2015 is much better known by the donut-licking incident; perhaps that is a contributing factor to this song's relatively poor performance compared to two or three other songs that debuted around the same time. In case you were wondering and didn't know, Jamie Foxx provides the voice for the chorus in this song.
81. The Hanging Tree - James Newton Howard feat. Jennifer Lawrence
By far not the best-performing soundtrack song in 2015, "The Hanging Tree" lost its appeal when the remix version came out. Now that the last movie in the Hunger Games franchise is finally out, I may actually read the books. If there is a single released from the current film's soundtrack, expect to spend the next month or two in the Hot 100 as well.
Sam Smith, Selena Gomez, and more highlight the next segment of the list. Check back tomorrow for 80-71!
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