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10. Say You Won't Let Go - James Arthur
Peak: 11 (June 3 & 24); Weeks on chart: 52; December 30 position: NR
James Arthur asked the world to "Say You Won't Let Go," and the world apparently listened. Though it never entered the top 10, "Say" had to be timed out of the Hot 100 after a full year on the chart. It was one of only three songs to reach that plateau in 2017 (barring something terrible, our number one song will also be getting retired from the Hot 100 later in January). Personally, I never got into the breakout hit by the English X-Factor alum. It doesn't have the sonic appeal of most other songs on the list and honestly comes off a little Sam Smith-y. If that's the case, maybe it's no wonder the world fell in love while I remained apathetic.
9. Humble. - Kendrick Lamar
Peak: 1 (May 6); Weeks on chart: 37; December 30 position: 47
The Year of Kendrick was accentuated by Lamar’s first number one hit as a primary artist. I doubt that’s something he’ll be bragging about, since the entire point of “Humble” is, well, humility. Nonetheless, the song you’ll be hearing every time Kendrick Lamar wins a Grammy this coming February was the first single in over two months to dethrone “Shape Of You” on top of the Hot 100. Humbly or not, I think that’s worth celebrating.
8. Congratulations - Post Malone feat. Quavo
Peak: 8 (July 8-15); Weeks on chart: 50; December 30 position: NR
We've discussed the dynamic 2017 experienced by Post Malone to some extent, but his domination of the charts began with a slow buildup. "Congratulations" was undoubtedly a lot of high schools' graduation song this year; the title is ready-made for the occasion and Malone's style of music is ready-made for the youth of today. Surprisingly, Post's first-ever top 10 entry didn't reach its chart apex until the middle of summer. The hit just fell out of the Hot 100 in time for the final issue of the year, cementing Post Malone's legacy as one of the biggest pop stars of the year.
7. Unforgettable - French Montana feat. Swae Lee
Peak: 3 (August 19-26); Weeks on chart: 36; December 30 position: 40
French Montana has been around a while, occasionally appearing on the Hot 100. His biggest hit to date, however, has undoubtedly been the mega-jam “Unforgettable.” This rhythmic dance hit has been in the minds and ears of American music consumers for most of 2017; in fact it remained in the top 40 all the way through the final chart of the year. My most striking memory of “Unforgettable” was listening to it immediately after winning an escape room in Nashville this summer. Great times.
6. Something Just Like This - The Chainsmokers feat. Coldplay*
Peak: 3 (April 15); Weeks on chart: 39; December 30 position: NR
It’s surprising how well rock singer Chris Martin’s voice fits the musical stylings of EDM superduo The Chainsmokers. The American public loved the grouping, sending "Something" to a triple platinum certification in 2017. Perhaps an underrated song despite its long Hot 100 run, “Something Just Like This” was the most successful hit of an incredibly successful year for the duo of Andrew Taggart and Alex Pall. I always like to point out how most of the world's first exposure to these guys was 2014's "#SELFIE" and how amazing it is that they were able to transform a gimmicky track into a sustained period as the premiere names in electronic dance music. Good on ya, The Chainsmokers.
5. Believer - Imagine Dragons
Peak: 4 (August 26, September 9); Weeks on chart: 45; December 30 position: 33
Music historians will be hard-pressed to discuss the state
of rock music in the 2010s without including Imagine Dragons in their
conversations. After the monumental Billboard 200 performance of their debut LP
Night Visions, the Nevadan band
returned to prominence this year with their first top-five single since 2013.
“Believer” can hardly be considered this year’s best song, but it’s a solid
track from a band with a history of producing solid modern rock songs.
4. Body Like A Back Road - Sam Hunt
Peak: 6 (April 22); Weeks on chart: 41; December 30 position: NR
Sam Hunt is well on his way to becoming this decade’s
biggest country music act. After just missing out on last year’s top songs list
(“Break Up In A Small Town” ended at 104 on the #Top100of2016), the hip-hop
inspired Hunt was a mainstay on the charts dated February 18 through December
2. I’ll admit “Back Road” was something of a guilty pleasure for me this year; its
genre confusion makes me think I should not like the song as much as I do. Nonetheless, Hunt's biggest hit yet may end up being the pop-country song of the decade.
3. Despacito - Luis Fonsi feat. Daddy Yankee & Justin Bieber
Peak: 1 (May 27-September 9); Weeks on chart: 35; December 30 position: 31
Some years the competition for “Song of the Summer” is
heavily-contested. 2017 was not one of those years. The Bieber remix of this
Latin hit was the only track to chart atop the Hot 100 from Memorial Day until
Labor Day. Despite not debuting until the first week of May, its phenomenal
chart performance throughout the summer easily cemented “Despacito” as one of
the year’s three biggest songs.
2. That's What I Like - Bruno Mars*
Peak: 1 (May 13); Weeks on chart: 48; December 30 position: 43
Bruno Mars’ 24K Magic era
started off with one of the decade’s biggest bangs, with the Mark Ronson collab
“Uptown Funk” dominating 2015. While Mars is likely not done releasing singles
from his late-2016 studio album, he struck six times platinum with “That’s What
I Like.” Despite charting only one week atop the Hot 100, Bruno’s second Magic single spent nearly half the year
as one of Billboard’s top five songs. I personally became obsessed with “That’s
What I Like” after he performed the smash hit at the Grammys back in February;
it remained in heavy rotation on my Spotify all spring.
And now, the only song that could possibly top this list, and the most obvious year-end number one since I've been keeping track of the Hot 100:
1. Shape Of You - Ed Sheeran*
Peak: 1 (January 28, February 18-29); Weeks on chart: 49; December 30 position: 23
Prior to 2017, Suffolk-raised crooner Ed Sheeran was known
mostly for his poignant lyrics, flaming red hair and for releasing one of the
greatest love songs of our generation. However, despite the massive success of
“Thinking Out Loud” Sheeran had yet to reach the pinnacle of the Hot 100 with
any single. Enter the rhythmic jam “Shape Of You” and Ed’s third full-length studio
album, Divide. Not only did “Shape”
hit number one almost immediately, it also spent 12 total weeks on top. The song remained a top 10 hit for a record 33 weeks, finally dropping out of the upper echelon in mid-September. It comes as
no surprise, then, that Sheeran’s biggest song to date ends up earning my Song
of the Year award, and the number one spot on the #Top100of2017.
So here's that playlist, as always:
Lastly, an announcement of sorts: I've been keeping this blog active for an insanely long time, often with little to no indication that my work is being acknowledged. Therefore, I've decided I should divert my attention from CU:BS into other aspects of my life. While this doesn't mean I'm shutting the blog down, it does mean the end of any regular or semi-regular series I've hosted on CU:BS, including this one. I may chime in with a quick song report, March Madness pick, or poem from time to time, but for the most part the blog is going to be quiet until further notice. Will this be a permanent situation? Perhaps. I could have all my stuff figured out by summertime and this announcement could have been made in vain. But I don't want to raise anyone's expectations or my own stress level if I need to take a semi-permanent or permanent break from using the platform of this blog.
The tl;dr: I'm not doing this project anymore, or any other recurring series I've posted to this blog.
It's been a fun ride. Here's to a healthy, prosperous, and - most of all - happy 2018. I love you guys. Thanks for your patience and understanding.
-C
-C
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