The 20 Highest Selling Songs Of 2014 So Far, Reviewed In Under 70 Words
We listened to the year's most popular songs, so you don't have to.
In my former role as editor of The Music Network – the magazine that compiles the national radio airplay charts – I was required to listen to every single song serviced to commercial radio. All of them. As you can imagine, I heard a lot of what the British refer to as “ol’ tosh”, but after about six months, the combination of this aural onslaught and constant chart watching makes it quite easy to predict a hit single when you hear one. So, armed with this expert knowledge, I’ve reviewed the 20 highest-selling songs in Australia this year – so far.
‘She Looks So Perfect’: 5 Seconds Of Summer
5 Seconds Of Summer are the Sydney version of One Direction but with electric guitars, indie cred, and a number in their name like all the great pop punk bands. If there was a Australian version of The OC, this would probably be the theme song, and you’d probably get Josh Thomas involved in a Seth Cohen-type role. This song hit #2 in the US, because Australia is currently the centre of the musical world (it used to be New Zealand).
‘Say Something’: A Great Big World Feat. Christina Aguilera
If you are a beloved TV character and you are dying, this would be the perfect song to go out to. What were songs like this used for before The Voice?
‘Problem’: Ariana Grande Feat. Iggy Azalea
The best pop song that will be released this year. It sold an obscene amount, because everyone who heard it was instantly all, “ADD TO CART”. File alongside: Kelly Rowland’s Work, Amerie’s One Thing, Beyonce’s Crazy In Love, and Ricki-Lee’s Do It Like That.
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‘Addicted To You’: Avicii
Avicii’s previous hit ‘Wake Me Up’ was basically ‘Cotton Eye Joe‘, yet it was one of the biggest singles of 2013, which means we are on track for a ‘Macarena’ remake to storm the charts in a few months. It’s funny how if you take any EDM banger with a 4/4 beat and add an acoustic guitar, it turns into a hoedown.
‘Rather Be’: Clean Bandit Feat. Jess Glynne
Spiller’s ‘Groovejet (If This Ain’t Love)’ will be retroactively blamed for this one.
‘Magic’: Coldplay
Fun fact: Chris Martin was the first artist in musical history to split from Gwyneth Paltrow and shoot a clip in Newtown within the same calendar year.
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‘Shot Me Down’: David Guetta Feat. Skylar Grey
“Fuck no. He’s so gross.” – Lorde
‘Let It Go’: Idina Menzel
The top YouTube comment on this video says: “This song is so relatable because everyone has something that they should let go of.”
‘Fancy’: Iggy Azalea Feat. Charli XCX
Judging from her accent, Iggy must have been raised on the Brooklyn side of Mullumbimby, NSW.
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‘Trumpets’: Jason Derulo
Jason Derulo’s first few singles opened with him singing his own name. This song features trumpets, the word ‘trumpets’ is in the lyrics, and there are a lot of trumpets in the video clip. The cover for his album Tattoos has a tattoo of the word ‘tattoo’ on it. His latest single is called ‘Wiggle Wiggle’.