Intro | 100-91 | 90-81 | 80-71 | 70-61 | 60-51 | 50-41 | 40-31 | 30-21 | 20-11 | 10-1
20. Bad Blood - Taylor Swift feat. Kendrick Lamar
Peak: 1 (June 6); Weeks on chart: 25; December 26 position: NR
Allegedly a giant diss on Katy Perry, "Bad Blood" debuted at the 2015 Billboard Music Awards. The hit immediately shot to the top of the next Hot 100 chart, interrupting what would eventually be a 12-week run for "See You Again." The music video basically proves that Taylor Swift is the most powerful human being in the world, with a squad that runs deeper than the Pacific Ocean. The single version of "Bad Blood" is different from the album version; I'm still not sure which version I prefer.
19. Take Me To Church - Hozier
"Take Me To Church" was one of the top two songs in America at the start of 2015. The alternative hit with an anti-discriminatory message continued its Hot 100 run through May, spending more weeks on the chart this year than it did last year. Hozier's most recent single, "Someone New," earned some playtime on adult contemporary stations but reached nowhere near the success of "Take Me To Church."
18. Good For You - Selena Gomez feat. A$AP Rocky
The sexy lead single from Selena's Revival album is one of my favorite songs of the year. The former Disney star went from "guilty pleasure" to just "pleasure" as this song blazed up the charts. In spite of many trials that would make a lesser artist give up on multiple occasions, Selena burst back into the public spotlight with poise, sass and charm. She is poised for many more years of musical success, and that sounds good to me.
17. Where Are U Now - Skrillex & Diplo feat. Justin Bieber
Peak: 8 (July 18); Weeks on chart: 41; December 26 position: 38
One of the longest-charting songs in 2015, "Where Are U Now" is the highest-ranking song on this list never to make the top five on the Hot 100. The song is a double-collaboration between EDM duo Jack U - a project of highly successful DJ's Skrillex and Diplo - and America's favorite bad boy. This is also the lowest-peaking 2015 hit attached to Prince Bieber's name, yet due to its longevity the highest-ranking Bieber track on this list. "Where Are U Now" previewed the Biebs' massive fall success.
16. Blank Space - Taylor Swift
Peak: 1 (five weeks in 2014, January 3-10); Weeks on chart: 36; December 26 position: NR
Queen Taylor's most successful 2015 single rang in the year as the number one song in the U.S.A. "Blank Space" is currently the second-most-viewed video in YouTube history; Swift's satirical look at her reputation as a serial dater resonated as perhaps her best single ever. With her long list of Starbucks lovers, Taylor endeared herself to millions this year. She had plenty of blank spaces on her list of fans, in which many undoubtedly wrote their names.
15. Want To Want Me - Jason Derulo
Derulo, after smash hits "Wiggle" and "Talk Dirty" dominated 2014, seemed comparatively quiet this year. Sneaking under the radar, "Want To Want Me" had a surprisingly long run in the top 10 and wound up one of the 15 biggest songs of 2015. This song took quite a long time to grow on me; I actually think it was nearing its Hot 100 stay before I actually enjoyed listening to it. Congratulations, Jason Derulo, on another year of success.
14. 679- Fetty Wap feat. Remy Boyz
"679" has my favorite chorus of any of Fetty Wap's hits from this year. This song was a top 10 mainstay most of the year's second half, finishing the year just outside the top 10. It will continue to gradually fall on the chart over the next few months, but the success of "679" caps an incredible year for Wap and his Remy Boyz. Fetty has positioned himself to be one of the most successful rappers in the latter half of this decade.
13. Love Me Like You Do - Ellie Goulding
Peak: 3 (March 7, April 18); Weeks on chart: 34; December 26 position: NR
I avoided liking this song for as long as possible because of the 50 Shades of Grey tie-in, but I couldn't resist forever. LMLYD is now one of my favorite songs from 2015; Ellie's voice is almost ethereal and entirely irresistible. This song proved to me that I can't not love Ellie Goulding, no matter what movies her music may be in.
12. Lean On - Major Lazer & DJ Snake feat. MO
Peak: 4 (August 29-September 5); Weeks on chart: 36; December 26 position: 17
"Lean On" was the hottest EDM track of the year; with a contagious beat and strong female lead vocal the song spent the entire latter half of the year in heavy rotation on radio stations. The song was featured prominently in the 2015 YouTube rewind, and also was part of one of the best mashup covers of the year. It was a successful follow-up for featured artist DJ Snake, whose "Turn Down For What" was one of the top 15 songs of 2014.
11. Cheerleader - OMI
Omi's infectious hit earns the 2015 CU:BS award for "Song of the Summer." The song's six weeks at number one were tied for fourth-best of any 2015 song. The song also just has the ultimate summer feel with its reggae beat and trumpet solo. No other song this year is so reminiscent of sandy beaches, shaved ice and the blazing hot sun. As an aside, for the longest time I heard the lyric in the pre-chorus as "Do I make you feel like Jeter?"
Tomorrow, the conclusion of this very time-consuming list! I will crown 2015's Artist, New Artist, and Song of the Year!
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