Intro | 100-91 | 90-81 | 80-71 | 70-61 | 60-51 | 50-41 | 40-31 | 30-21 | 20-11 | 10-1
60. Black Beatles - Rae Sremmurd feat. Gucci Mane
Peak: 1 (November 26-December 31); Weeks on chart: 14; December 31 position: NR
Currently the top song in the nation, "Black Beatles" is the first number one hit for rap group Rae Sremmurd. The song has risen to massive popularity as the soundtrack to the wildly popular mannequin challenge. Not since the Harlem Shake has a song been driven to the number one spot by its use in a viral meme, and of the two "Beatles" is far and away the better song.
59. Let It Go - James Bay
Peak: 16 (July 23); Weeks on chart: 34; December 31 position: NR
British singer-songwriter James Bay emerged quietly last year with "Hold Back The River," a song that was extremely popular overseas but never gained traction in the U.S. Still, he was rewarded with a Grammy nomination for Best New Artist then reached Billboard's top 20 with this follow-up song in 2016. "Let It Go" is a solid record, but not among my favorites on this list.
58. In The Night - The Weeknd
Peak: 12 (January 2); Weeks on chart: 20; December 31 position: NR
The final single from Beauty Behind The Madness to have extended success, "In The Night" was popular for The Weeknd at the start of the year. "Night" never reached the top 10; it is probably the most underrated single The Weeknd came out with last year.
57. 2 Phones - Kevin Gates
Peak: 17 (April 23); Weeks on chart: 25; December 31 position: NR
From his debut studio album Islah comes Kevin Gates' first single to reach a CU:BS Top 100 list. I wasn't much of a fan of "2 Phones" this year; however, it was far from the worst track of the year. If nothing else, "Phones" provides the launching pad for the career of the heavily-inked Louisiana native. It will be interesting to see if Gates' career blossoms into future Hot 100 successes.
56. Starving - Hailee Steinfeld and Grey feat. Zedd*
Peak: 12 (December 17); Weeks on chart: 20; December 31 position: 19
I fell in love with this track almost immediately upon hearing it. The electro-pop track with a female leading vocal fit right into my musical aesthetic and has been one of my favorite tracks of the latter half of 2016. 20-year-old starlet Hailee Steinfeld has hopefully found her musical niche with just the third single of her budding career.
55. 24K Magic - Bruno Mars
Peak: 4 (December 10, December 24-31); Weeks on chart: 10; December 31 position: 4
Bruno Mars can do no wrong. The much-anticipated follow up to 2015's number one song "Uptown Funk" has not left the top 10 since its October debut. The infectious "24K Magic" has been one of my most-enjoyed songs of the last two months and ignited a renewed obsession with Bruno - six of the 100 or so songs I have in heavy rotation this month are Mars classics.
Peak: 13 (August 27-September 3); Weeks on chart: 24; December 31 position: NR
Ariana Grande made her way back into my life with the release of her new album Dangerous Woman, and her third single from the album was one of my most enjoyed songs of the year. Ari puts the sad boys in their place and takes charge of her own love life in the only Dangerous single not to have cracked the top 10. It's nice that we can put the donut-licking Ariana of 2015 out of our minds...mostly.
53. NO - Meghan Trainor
Peak: 3 (April 16-23); Weeks on chart: 20; December 31 position: NR
"No" is kind of a cute song, but still is a thinly-veiled expression of Trainor's narcissism. At least the song somewhat represents the idea of independence and shuns the idea of needing to go home with someone every time you go out, which is very nice. If "No" came from an artist I had more respect for I may even have gone so far as to say I liked it.
52. Here - Alessia Cara*
Peak: 5 (February 6); Weeks on chart: 34; December 31 position: NR
Alessia Cara was a top-five newcomer this winter with her introverts' anthem "Here." This song was the catalyst for a 2016 that saw three Cara tracks land on my Spotify most-played list. To date, "Here" is the best-performing song from the 20-year-old Canadian songstress, who is nominated for a People's Choice Award for Best Breakout Artist in 2017.
51. What Do You Mean? - Justin Bieber
Peak: 1 (one week in 2015); Weeks on chart: 31; December 31 position: NR
The debut single from Bieber's Purpose went five-times platinum and remained a Hot 100 hit through the first quarter of 2016. "What Do You Mean" was the first of three songs from the album to hit number one, but the only one of the three to not end the year as one of my most-played songs. We'll be seeing much more of the Biebs as our countdown nears its conclusion later this week.
Tomorrow, look for two more songs that peaked last year, as well as a healthy dose of the man responsible for the vocals in another of 2015's biggest hits.
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