The Top 100 Songs of 2014: 100-91

This is part of my Top 100 Songs of 2014 series. To see specific entries click on the following links:

Intro | 100-91 | 90-81 | 80-71 | 70-61 | 60-51 | 50-41 | 40-31 | 30-21 | 20-11 | 10-1

100. Steal My Girl - One Direction


Peak: 13 (October 18); Weeks on chart: 11; December 27 position: 70

With just three weeks in the Top 30, "Steal My Girl" barely scratches the 2014 list. The song is One Direction's latest hit, although it will not go down in history as the band's most memorable song. I only recently have found this song tolerable; incidentally, I began enjoying "Steal My Girl" once its popularity began declining.

99. 2 On - Tinashe ft. Schoolboy Q



Peak: 24 (August 9); Weeks on chart: 24; December 27 position: NR

"2 On" was one of the many songs that put DJ Mustard on the map in 2014. The song is Tinashe's first Hot 100 single as well. It spent seven weeks between Nos. 20 and 30, reaching its peak in the second August chart. "2 On" has an infectious beat and Tinashe's voice is easy on the ears. One of the more underrated songs of 2014, "2 On" will perhaps become the beginning of a successful music career for Tinashe.

98. Adore You - Miley Cyrus

Peak: 21 (March 1); Weeks on chart: 18; December 27 position: NR

"Adore You" first reached the Hot 100 in 2013; it entered the Top 30 in the January 11 chart. Miley's massive success with "We Can't Stop" and "Wrecking Ball" overshadowed her third single from Bangerz; nonetheless, "Adore You" spent eight weeks inside the Top 30. This song certainly was nowhere near as memorable as the other two Bangerz hits, but thanks to Miley Cyrus' superstardom it was able to secure a 2014 Top 100 spot.

97. 7/11 - Beyonce

Peak: 13 (December 20); Weeks on chart: 3; December 27 position: 20

"7/11" is the third single from Beyonce's self-titled album to reach the Top 30 and is her second-best performing single from the album thus far. Debuting at No. 18 on the December 13 chart, the music video for "7/11" features Beyonce unwrapping Christmas presents, among other things. The song and its lyrics certainly do not come across as family-friendly for the holiday season; the superstar was better off when she actually sang her songs instead of faux-rapping them.

96. The Hanging Tree - James Newton Howard feat. Jennifer Lawrence

Peak: 12 (December 13); Weeks on chart: 3; December 27 position: 23

The Hunger Games: Mockingjay song debuted high enough on the chart in December to garner a year-end Top 100 spot, but its steady decline from No. 12 to No. 15 to No. 23 suggests "The Hanging Tree" will not have much consideration for the 2015 year-end Top 100. One of Hollywood's most recognizable young stars sings a haunting lyric over an eerie instrumental; "Hanging Tree" certainly is one of 2014's most unique songs.

95. American Kids - Kenny Chesney



Peak: 23 (August 2); Weeks on chart: 20; December 27 position: NR

"American Kids" stayed on the weekly charts throughout most of the latter half of 2014, spending nine weeks in the Top 30 during July, August and September. It is a fun, laid back song by one of my all-time favorite country music artists and one of just six country tracks to make the 2014 Top 100.

94. La La La - Naughty Boy feat. Sam Smith



Peak: 19 (May 10); Weeks on chart: 20; December 27 position: NR

Before Sam Smith became the phenomenon behind "Stay With Me" and "I'm Not The Only One", he was the featured vocalist in the Naughty Boy hit "La La La", a song which had its most success this spring. The song spent seven weeks in the Top 30, but was off the Hot 100 entirely just five weeks after its final Top 30 appearance in June. "La La La" perhaps foreshadowed the success of Smith in the latter half of 2014, but only barely made the year-end Top 100 list itself.

93. 23 - Mike WiLL Made-It feat. Miley Cyrus, Wiz Khalifa and Juicy J



Peak: 11 (October 5, 2013); Weeks on chart: 23; December 27 position: NR

"23" had its biggest success in 2013, but still spent 10 weeks in the Hot 100 to begin 2014. The song's 2014 peak was No. 14 in the January 11 issue, and it remained in the top 30 through February 1. A mass collaboration between one of 2013's most controversial pop stars, two of rap's biggest names and one of the genre's hottest producers of the past two years, "23" was enough of a holdover success into 2014 that it managed to sneak into this year's Top 100.

92. Can't Remember to Forget You - Shakira feat. Rihanna

Peak: 15 (February 15); Weeks on chart: 19; December 27 position: NR

Colombia's native daughter continued to prove her Hips Don't Lie in the video for "Can't Remember", a duet with Barbados-born Rihanna. This is yet another song that surprisingly did not have as much chart success as one might think, spending merely six weeks in the Top 30 during February and March and never charting higher than No. 15. Considering both women's international fame and Shakira's recent run as a judge on NBC's The Voice, "Can't Remember To Forget You" was a relatively unsuccessful single.

91. Radioactive - Imagine Dragons


Peak: 3 (four weeks in 2013); Weeks on chart: 87; December 27 position: NR

One of the biggest songs of 2013 managed to remain in the Hot 100 through May of this year, including a 2014 resurgence that saw the song rise to as high as No. 13 in the February 15 chart. "Radioactive" spent seven weeks in the Top 30 during 2014. Its continued success earned the Imagine Dragons megahit a spot in the year-end Top 100, capping an incredible run for one of the most successful singles of the decade so far.

The Top 100 Songs of 2014: An Introduction

This is part of my Top 100 Songs of 2014 series. To see specific entries click on the following links:

Intro | 100-91 | 90-81 | 80-71 | 70-61 | 60-51 | 50-41 | 40-31 | 30-21 | 20-11 | 10-1

Another year is coming to a close. The music of 2014 was memorable for Taylor Swift's much-acclaimed transformation into pop, the emergence of Iggy Azalea and Meghan Trainor as superstars, Pharrell Williams' infectious "Happy", the country spending the majority of the year not Letting Go of the iconic Frozen melody and much, much more.

I have compiled a list of the top 100 songs of 2014, based on the top 30 songs in each Billboard Hot 100 weekly chart dated 2014 (the chart for January 4, 2014 counted even though it was released in 2013; similarly, the January 3, 2015 chart will not be considered although its release will be in 2014).

Each song received a point value based on its position in each week's chart (the No. 1 song received 30 points, the No. 2 song received 29 and so on down to No. 30, which  received one point). I compiled 52 weeks of data as such and ranked the songs accordingly after I considered each 2014 chart.

Starting with songs 100-91 Tuesday, Dec. 22, I will reveal my 2014 Top 100 list 10 songs at a time for 10 days, including personal notes about each hit. This will conclude with the biggest 10 songs of the year - and a Spotify playlist of all 100 songs - on New Year's Eve. Check back each day around 1 p.m. (EST) for a new post.

Have a blessed holiday season, and enjoy the music!

As a bonus, here are two songs that just missed the list.

102. Centuries - Fall Out Boy


Peak: 22 (September 27); Weeks on chart: 14; December 27 position: 26

"Centuries" debuted at No. 22 before dropping out of the top 30 for seven weeks. It bounced around between 25 and 30 for the last six charts of the year, finishing two points behind the No. 100 song of the year. This is one of the better underrated songs of 2014's latter half; Fall Out Boy's pop crossovers have always been pleasant surprises and "Centuries" is no exception.

101. Thinking Out Loud - Ed Sheeran


Peak: 6 (December 27); Weeks on chart: 10; December 27 position: 6

If I do this again next year, I would expect this song to place somewhere in the 2015 Top 100. "Thinking Out Loud" entered the chart in the October 25 issue but only broke into the Top 30 in the penultimate chart of the year. Had it reached December 27's Top Five, "Thinking" would be Sheeran's third song on my year-end list. The redheaded singer-songwriter continues to show why millions have fallen in love with his music and prove that he will be a strong force in music for a long time to come.

Song of the Day - October 30, 2014

This is the fifth song in my Throwback Thursday series, in which we'll progressively head back in the history of popular music. This week's song was the number one song in America on this day in 1996.

In the mid-90s, a new dance craze swept the world. The dance required sixteen counts to complete and primarily centered around hand and arm movements (but you could get into it with your hips too). Simple, catchy and not overly suggestive, the Macarena was - and still is - a staple of dance parties everywhere.

Behind the dance was our second Latin-themed song in as many Throwback Thursdays. The Los Del Rio hit reached number one on the Billboard chart in August of 1996 and remained there 14 weeks through the middle of November. At the end of the year, Macarena earned the honor of the best song of 1996.


Enjoy the mid-90s fashion.

As someone who has two left feet, the Macarena has always been one of my favorite dances. Growing up I would do the Macarena dance to most songs, for the mere fact that I can't dance at all. Thank you, Los Del Rio, for giving me my signature 16-count move.

Next week: 1995

Song of the Day: October 23, 2014

This is the second song in my Throwback Thursday series, in which we'll progressively head back in the history of popular music. This week's song was the number one song in America on this day in 1999.

One of the biggest musical acts at the turn of the century was Carlos Santana. First bursting onto the scene in the late '60s, Santana and his eponymous band had spent the '80s and '90s in decline and hiatus.  Santana, inducted into the Rock 'n Roll Hall of Fame in 1998, then released a breakout album in 1999 which included two songs that would become among the band's greatest hits.

Santana teamed up with Matchbox Twenty frontman Rob Thomas for the debut single from their new album Supernatural, titled "Smooth". On October 23, 1999 Smooth, which was written by Thomas, became the number one song on the Billboard chart - a spot the song did not relinquish until January of 2000. After spending nearly three months as the hottest song in America, Smooth went triple-platinum and won three Grammy awards. 



Smooth is highly infectious, with a summer fiesta feel. The percussion, horns and guitar playing blend perfectly. Thomas's unique vocal style adds a distinct flavor to this hit unlike any other song released in the last 20 years. Fifty years from now, we will still see this song as a classic hit and quite possibly as the song that defined the late '90s.

Next week: 1996

Song of the Day: October 22, 2014

The second edition of Pentatonix Wednesday features the band's cover of the Clean Bandit hit "Rather Be".

Rather Be is a fantastic song to begin with and it is an absolute joy to hear Kirstie singing the lead in this cover. The cover is not much different feel-wise than the original, but Kevin's beatboxing gives it a small twist. It's an average cover by Pentatonix standards, but still one you can jam to for hours on end.

Next Pentatonix Wednesday: White Winter Hymn