Hi, I’m Stellar in Neverland, and I write about music a lot. I’m tempted to make music-related posts every week, but that would get tiring. I guess I just like talking about music as a way to compensate for my lack of musical talent? I’ll try to come up with a non-music-related post for next week, but I can’t make any promises. I have a music-related post for this week, and it might be my longest yet. So I’ve talked about how I like watching music-related videos, often by the channel KM TV. I actually check their channel frequently so I can see if I can make posts inspired by their videos. I saw this one, Songs you may have forgotten about, and I decided that would be a good one. Between the title (because I love that feeling of hearing a song I haven’t heard in a while and singing every word) and the fact that my eternal fave Ariana Grande appears on the thumbnail, I thought it was a good idea. This is going to be like a First Impression even though I should know most of these songs. I’m going to briefly talk about each song and then give a score out of 10 for each one.
#1. “2U” by David Guetta ft. Justin Bieber
Since maybe 2015, Justin Bieber has been a consistently reliable source for big-name producers to use for vocals for their songs. He’s a megastar, so they know people will buy the song solely because of name recognition. His voice is good, but not particularly distinctive, and it tends to sound pretty good in the EDM genre. Occasionally the songs Biebs features on, such as “Where Are U Now” by Skrillex and Diplo and the “Despacito” remix (even though that’s not EDM) are good, but mostly they’re generic. “2U” is definitely a generic one, and its only noteworthy claim is that it’s yet another bland Bieber Feature™ released between 2015 and 2017. Bieber’s vocal performance is pleasant, but not anything special, the melody is uninteresting, and the production is boring. Except for that one synth towards the end, which is frankly pretty annoying. Despite being released only a year ago, this song is probably one you forgot because there isn’t anything worth remembering about it. 5/10
#2. “Stargazing” by Kygo ft. Justin Jesso
Other than one song we’ll talk about later on and a few other songs I’ve listened to for previous blog posts, I’m really not that familiar with Kygo’s work. I will say that I’ve liked pretty much every song I’ve heard, but other than that one song we’ll talk about later, none of them have really made all that much of a lasting impression on me. When you first listen to “Stargazing”, it’s good but not anything overly special. It has good production, even if it does sound like most other Kygo songs. Featured vocalist Justin Jesso gives a great performance, especially with the falsetto in the hook. The song is overall good but a little generic...until you look up the lyrics. This is a song about a son who is trying to communicate with his dead father by stargazing. And wow, that is an unusually heavy but ultimately very sweet premise for a song. I can’t say I’ve ever heard a song with that premise before. This is a good song, but I can’t say it’s an all-time favorite and I don’t think I’ll really listen to it again unless it comes up in another post like this. 7.5/10
#3. “1-800-273-8255” by Logic ft. Alessia Cara & Khalid
Yikes...I do not want to talk about this song. Not only does it talk about a very touchy subject (the title is the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline in the US, which you should absolutely call if you need to), but it leaves me really conflicted. But I’m still going to talk about it, because I have a lot to say. On one hand, I support it highly. This song’s popularity skyrocketed after the artists performed it at the VMAs, and after the performance, the number of calls to the NSPL increased by over 50%. I completely appreciate Logic using his platform to raise awareness of important issues such as mental health and suicide prevention, and the fact that this song did end up helping so many people makes me happy. But on the other hand, I do feel like it could have been executed better. The way the song presents it is that the main character is depressed and straight-up says, “I don’t wanna be alive, I just wanna die”. Then they just call up the hotline and BAM EVERYTHING IS WONDERFUL, and like, that’s not how recovery works? Like, yeah, the suicide hotline is a great place to get help if you’re in a dire situation, but things don’t happen that quickly for most people. Recovery takes time. Another big issue I have is how Logic goes, “Who can relate? WOO!” in the pre-chorus. I get that he’s trying to show people that they aren’t alone, but dude, you’re singing about suicide, which is a horrible, tragic issue. Why do you sound so happy? Finally, I feel like they dumb down the issue and don’t show just how complex depression is. Logic has said that he’s never personally struggled with suicidal thoughts, and you can tell. And while I’ve never struggled with depression, I do know that it’s a lot more complex than “I don’t wanna be alive, I just wanna die”. In the end, I have my problems with the execution of “1-800-273-8255”, but I am glad it exists because of the good it has done for people with depression and suicidal thoughts, showing them they’re not alone and how to get help. So for that, I can’t get too mad at it. Because I have no idea what my opinion of this song truly is, I’m just going to skip a score just this once. Instead, I will end this segment by linking Wikipedia’s list of suicide crisis lines, which contains crisis lines for many other countries. If available, use the number for your country if you’re struggling with depression or suicidal thoughts, or if you are worried one of your peers is struggling with them. If you do have suicidal thoughts, well, I’m not gonna give you false hope by saying things will get better automatically, but I will say that things will only get better if you let them. Use resources like a trusted friend or family member who will listen, a therapist, or the suicide hotline. And remember, I genuinely, from the bottom of my heart, believe that you can get better. And if some random person on the internet you’ve likely never met before believes in you, hopefully that’s enough to make you reconsider ending your life. Stay safe, my friends.
#4. “Shake It Off” by Taylor Swift
Hahahahaha nobody forgot about this song. Yeah, it’s like, four years old, but nobody forgot about it. It’s quite possibly the most famous songwriter g by the biggest pop star on the planet, and it still gets played frequently on the radio and in movies, TV shows, commercials, and viral videos. But does it deserve that recognition and legacy? Well...listen. My Taylor Swift opinions have been all over the place over the years, and even though I’m starting to come around on her again (because she does seem like a genuinely nice person who deeply cares about her fans, even if she has made some mistakes and she can be cringey on occasion), I still don’t like “Shake It Off”. Hell, even in 2015 when my Taylor stanning was at its peak, I could never stand this song. I’ve just always found it annoying and repetitive, and the lyrics don’t make sense. The whole point is that it’s about how she doesn’t care about the haters, and yet if she really didn’t care about the haters, why would she make a song about them? I’m sick of hearing it everywhere and I don’t know why it hasn’t died already. 3.5/10
#5. “Fetish” by Selena Gomez ft. Gucci Mane
I actually haven’t listened to this song until now, and that was probably a good choice. Selena Gomez has maybe one or two good songs (we’ll get to one of them later!), and everything else is just boring for me. I think part of the reason why I think that is because I’m a person who loves listening to amazing vocalists, singers with vocal ranges to die for and gorgeous, powerful tones. Naturally, I get nothing out of Selena Gomez, whose voice is so weak she’s often nicknamed “Whisperlena”. Plus her music is just middle-of-the-road pop that I can get from any other current female pop star. “Fetish” tricks you into thinking it’s interesting, experimental, and “artsy”, but it’s really just the same bland pop stuff Selena’s been pushing for her entire career. I will say is that naming your song “Fetish” is a risky move, but not in a good way as I feel dirty every time I Google it to look up the lyrics. Other than that, nothing about this is memorable or catchy or worth talking about, and there’s a reason you “may have forgotten it”. 4/10
#6. “Lean On” by Major Lazer ft. DJ Snake and MØ
To be completely honest, I didn’t like “Lean On” the first time I heard it. I thought it was weird but not in a good way and pretty overrated. I’m not sure when or how it hit me that it was amazing, but when I did fall in love with it, I fell hard. It’s not your standard EDM song. Not only does it have some weird (but awesome) synth choices, it’s also way more chill and laid-back. EDM normally stands for “electronic dance music”, but this really isn’t a song you go nuts at a club to, it’s more a song you sway to while relaxing on the beach. MØ’s vocals are unique and combine with the beat really well, and the synth breakdown before the final chorus took a little bit to get used to but ultimately became my favorite part of the song. 2015 was overall a really good year for music, and I’d argue “Lean On” was one of the best songs to come out that year. It’s also an all-time favorite for me, to be honest. 10/10
#7. “Rain” by The Script
I talked about this song in my very first First Impressions post all the way back in October. To be honest, I don’t really come back to most of the songs I discover from First Impressions posts like that unless they appear in another video I write my posts about or happen to be really amazing. So because of that, I haven’t come back to “Rain” since I wrote that post. I remember I really didn’t have much to say about it, and I still don’t. I’m really tempted to copy and paste what I said about it then, but I won’t. Eh, screw it, yes I will, because I’m weak.
“I only know two songs by The Script ("Breakeven" and "Hall of Fame") and both are great. This one is pretty good too. The beat reminds me of "Shape Of You" by Ed Sheeran, but I like this song way more. The "oh-oh-oh"'s after the chorus are absolutely fantastic. This is a solid breakup song, too bad I don't have much else to say about it. 7.5/10”
#8. “Praying” by Kesha
Yes, I know this song wasn’t as big of a hit as some of Kesha’s other songs (“Tik Tok”, “Die Young”, etc.), but if you’ve heard it, you can’t possibly forget it. The song’s concept of a woman taking back control after she has suffered physical, sexual, and emotional abuse, somewhat forgiving what her abuser has done but hoping he realizes his crimes and can find peace with them is one that sticks with you. Considering 2017 was the year of #MeToo and countless women bravely coming forward to share their stories of sexual abuse, I think “Praying” was the most important and symbolic song to come out in 2017. I’ve already talked about why it’s great in numerous places, so I’m just gonna link a compilation video of people losing it over Kesha's amazing high note. Yeah, that sums up my thoughts pretty nicely. 10/10
#9. “Signs” by Drake
Despite Drake’s immense popularity, this song only peaked at #36 and lasted a mere six weeks on the Billboard Hot 100. I think it’s less of “I forgot about this song” and more “I’ve straight-up never heard it”. Last week, I said “Drake is generally hit-or-miss for me. He has his good songs like "Forever" and my favorite "Hold On, We're Going Home", but at times he can just be really boring,” and this is what I mean when I say Drake can be really boring. “Signs” is basically the same song as “One Dance” from 2016. Both songs have the same watered-down dancehall production and they both just drone on without changing. They’re dull, lifeless, and good examples of Drake on an off day, where he doesn’t care about the quality of his song, just about making money. Good thing Drake decided to start making good music again with “Nice For What” instead of continuing to make boring “One Dance” ripoffs like this. 5/10
#10. “Your Song” by Rita Ora
I’ve said before that I used to have a weird bias against Rita Ora, but that has since faded away. I don’t love her or anything, I just realized that she’s just not worth getting angry about. She’s just your average harmless pop star (except for that “Girls” song, which I actually haven’t heard yet, but I’ve heard about the controversy. Look it up on your own time.) Besides, “Anywhere” is a legitimately great song. I believe “Your Song” was her single released before “Anywhere”, but I heard the latter first. And I hate describing so many songs in this post as “generic”, but this one unfortunately is. It’s not bad, it’s just your ordinary tropical-pop song. You could give this to Little Mix or Demi Lovato or somebody and nothing would change. The only kind of noteworthy things about it are that 1. Ed Sheeran co-wrote it, and you can hear him doing backup vocals, and 2. I hilariously misheard the first line. It’s actually, “I woke up with a fear this morning”, but I thought she was saying, “I woke up with a fetus morning.” That doesn’t even make any sense! Stellar, you’re deaf. 7/10
#11. “Roar” by Katy Perry
Hahahahaha nobody forgot about this song. Similar to “Shake It Off”, “Roar” is quite possibly the most well-known song by one of the biggest pop stars in the world. Also similar to “Shake It Off”, I’ve never liked “Roar” despite the fact that I was a pretty big Katy stan when it came out. “Roar” was the first single from Prism, the follow-up album to Katy’s mega-smash album Teenage Dream, and you can tell. The thing that has always pissed me off about the song is that it felt like Katy was just treading water. “Roar” is lyrically very cliche and unoriginal-sounding, being a near-carbon copy of “Brave” by Sara Bareilles. It’s a boring self-empowerment anthem Katy probably made because “Firework”, another self-empowerment anthem, was one of her biggest hits and she wanted to make a quick buck. There was no artistic progression between the Teenage Dream singles and “Roar”, and it ultimately felt like a letdown. However, despite being thoroughly mediocre, it’s continued to prosper, being regularly played on the radio since its release and being featured in movies, TV shows, and video games. The fact that something as underwhelming as “Roar” is likely Katy’s best-known song instead of “Teenage Dream” or “California Gurls” infuriates me. 3/10
#12. “Redbone” by Childish Gambino
Me listening to “Redbone” for the first time: Hey, it’s that song from the memes! I like this song. 9.5/10
Me listening to “Redbone” for the billionth time: Yeah this is the best song ever 100000000000/10
“Redbone” is one of the rare songs that I haven’t gotten sick of, despite the fact that it’s five-and-a-half minutes long and I’ve heard it so many times. It’s another song I’ve talked about a lot, so I won’t really say much, but I really could go on for hours about why this song is such a masterpiece for me. It’s just so soulful and so good. At this rate, it’s an all-time favorite. Also, can we talk about how talented Donald Glover (aka Childish Gambino, in case you didn’t know that) is? I mean, I’m looking up the dude’s Wikipedia page and he is credited as an “actor, comedian, singer, songwriter, rapper, producer, director, and DJ”. Truly the Renaissance man of our time. (also “Redbone” is really just a 10/10. I don’t give out anything higher than 10/10, not even as a joke. But still, a 10/10 is nothing to laugh at. After all, it is the highest score I give.)
#13. “Be Mine” by Ofenbach
I talked about this song in one of the posts I linked just above (the link on the word “about), and I haven’t listened to it much since then, so my thoughts haven’t changed. It’s a pretty cool EDM song with a nice, chill vibe. It’s just one thing that I need to get off of my chest: I praise the guitar riff as being “excellent” when it’s literally two notes. Like yeah, if you can make a simple yet creative riff a la “Seven Nation Army”, all the power to you. But there’s a fine line between being simple and straight-up not being enough. This riff is so simple I could probably play it, and I can’t play guitar. The song is still good, but that one thing I said about it will piss me off forever. 7.5/10
#14. “Power” by Little Mix ft. Stormzy
My opinion on Little Mix has always been that they’re some of the best vocalists of this generation and they can make some great pop songs, but most of their music just isn’t worthy of their vocals. That’s definitely true for “Power”. This song just...isn’t good. The girls sound great, serving aggressive vocals and tons of attitude, but that’s where my praises end. The lyrics are weak, the melody is grating, and the drop is abysmal. The high-pitched “I got the, I got the power” during the drop is so annoying. Stormzy doesn’t offer anything interesting and was clearly added because they wanted a random rapper to give them an “urban edge”. Plus the “motorbike” outro is pretty stupid and has no reason to be there. The song is as a whole very obnoxious to me. However, the biggest problem I have with it is wasted potential. I mean, Little Mix could totally do a sassy girl power anthem like this, but instead they make it obnoxious and campy in all the wrong ways. Songs like “Wings”, “Black Magic”, and “Touch” are killer pop tunes, and I’d like to hear more in that vein from them and less of...whatever this is. And as much as it pains me to say it, when it comes to songs called “Power”, I’ll stick to Kanye’s. Even though he thinks slavery is a choice. 3.5/10
#15. “Down” by Fifth Harmony ft. Gucci Mane
It’s funny that they put a Fifth Harmony song right after a Little Mix song, considering that they’re the two biggest girl groups in the world (excluding kpop), and their fans are constantly at arms comparing the two. Personally, I think comparing them is useless, as they’re both talented, beautiful, and hardworking women and it’s unnecessary to put one down to praise the other. Also, in my opinion, both girl groups have a few amazing songs (“All In My Head” and “Write On Me” are my favorite 5H songs), but mostly their music has been unremarkable. This was the first single Fifth Harmony released after Camila Cabello left, and since I didn’t like her voice at all, I thought the band would improve without her constantly hogging the spotlight. Unfortunately, “Down” is just a rehash of their biggest hit, “Work From Home”. It’s repetitive with a basic beat and decent but not mindblowing vocals from the girls. Gucci Mane offers nothing interesting to the song and it’s overall a waste of my time. If you were to compare this to “Power”, I would say I ultimately prefer “Down” because it’s not obnoxious, but I don’t care for either. 5/10
#16. “Closer” by The Chainsmokers ft. Halsey
Hahahahaha nobody forgot about this song. Last month I did a post comparing songs of the 2000s and songs of the 2010s, and I talked about this one. I specifically go into detail about why “Closer” is an instant classic, like it or not, so I’m just gonna do my Obligatory Copy-Paste Laziness Thing that I do in every single post (again) and call it an 8/10:
“On the other hand, neither of the people singing on "Closer" are really that good. For whatever reason I like Halsey, it's not because of her voice, and the Chainsmoker dude straight-up can't sing. However, "Closer" is one of the biggest instant-classics of this generation. Everything about it is iconic, from the opening "hey" to the sing-along-worthy chorus to the simple drop which is literally three notes, maybe even less. The Chainsmokers are kind of scumbags, but they made a really good pop song here. It's not my favorite song ever or anything, but just like, as a pop song, it succeeds immensely.”
#17. “The Way I Are” by Bebe Rexha ft. Lil Wayne
Surprise, I’m doing TWO Obligatory Copy-Paste Laziness Things in a row, and three overall in this post! But you know what, I have to talk about 36 songs. You can’t seriously expect me to put effort in all of them. The post I’m copy-pasting is the same one I did for the “Closer” copy-paste.
"The Way I Are" (despite the stupid title...seriously, why did they think the bad grammar was a good idea?) is a lot more fun and feels more like a typical chart-topper, even though it didn't even chart on the Billboard Hot 100. It's a lot more generic, though, with generic lyrics about dancing and a repetitive chorus. It goes in one ear, stays in your head for a little bit, and then goes out the other.”
It’s a boring, boring song, and I don’t really want to write about it again so I’m giving it a 5.5/10 and calling it a day.
#18. “One Last Time” by Ariana Grande
Considering I’m a massive Ariana Grande fan to the point where there are probably more posts on this blog where I praise her then there are ones I don’t, you’re probably assuming I love this song. And here is where I present my most unpopular Ariana Grande opinion: I don’t absolutely love “One Last Time”. It’s a good song, with heartbreaking lyrics and one of Ariana’s most emotionally sincere vocal performances. This song became a symbol of the Manchester terrorist attack and I understand its importance to Ariana, her fanbase, and the people of Manchester. I even love the music video because she cast her former Victorious costar, Matt Bennett, as her boyfriend and I always shipped their characters on the show together. But I honestly feel like it’s a little boring as a song. The beat is generic EDM-pop and the melody is kind of bland for me. This has always just been a song I’ve liked but never loved, and considering its emotional significance with the Manchester tragedy, that makes me feel like a horrible person. 7.5/10
#19. “Most Girls” by Hailee Steinfeld
I’m not sure how to feel about Hailee Steinfeld. She’s a good singer, but most of the songs I’ve heard from her are mediocre. She just doesn’t have anything interesting to distinguish her from the crop of new pop girls, like Zara Larsson, Dua Lipa, or Bebe Rexha. I admire the message of “Most Girls” a lot. It’s something of a feminist anthem, saying that it doesn’t matter how girls dress or act, because we’re all strong and inspiring and beautiful. That message is one of my core beliefs. However, there really isn’t anything interesting about the song musically. The high-pitched vocals in the drop are annoying, but other than that it’s just your average trop-pop song. Pretty much any other pop girl could do something like this in her sleep. But still, I admire the message a lot, so I won’t be too hard on the song. 6.5/10
#20. “Crying in the Club” by Camila Cabello
This was Camila’s first single after leaving Fifth Harmony, but you’d be forgiven if you forgot it. It looks like her label really expected it to do well, seeing as the sound is very trendy and the song was even written by Sia. However, it just didn’t catch on, so they scrapped it from her album and made “Havana” the lead single. And while “Havana” has soured on me (mainly because it’s so overplayed), I definitely think it was a smart decision to focus on it. “Havana” is a lot more interesting sonically than “Crying in the Club”, which sounds like “Cheap Thrills” and “Shape of You”. The lyrics are basically about dancing your pain away, and they’re somewhat cliche but I still find that theme cute. Camila’s voice is grating as usual. Look, her nasally tone is a love-it-or-hate-it thing, and as much as I don’t like being negative, I’m firmly in the latter camp. So basically this song is generic (drinking game: take a shot every time I call a song “generic” in this post!) and really tells us nothing about who Camila is as a solo artist. And due to the success of “Havana”, it will probably be completely forgotten in five years. 5.5/10
#21. “Malibu” by Miley Cyrus
Miley Cyrus just can’t win, it seems. In 2013 when she was doing her sexual-provocative- swinging-on-wrecking-balls schtick, the general public was like, “Ew Miley, put some clothes on! My childhood is ruined!” Then in 2017, she came back with a more wholesome image and the general public was like, “This is boring! We want Bangerz Miley back!” It shows an unfair double standard for female artists. If they’re sexual, they’re sluts and bad role models, but if they’re wholesome, they’re boring and need to loosen up. It disgusts me, because why should we care about how our female artists choose to present themselves? I mean, they’re musicians, so shouldn’t we judge them on their music and not how they dress? Anyways, I’m proud of Miley for making positive changes in her life, such as getting sober, and I am glad she seems to be genuinely happy now. But I’d be lying if I said I loved this song, and I feel bad for that. It’s pretty and calming, I guess, but mainly I just find it boring. I feel like a hypocrite for ranting about double standards and then perpetrating those same double standards, but I’m not gonna lie and say it’s a good or interesting song when it’s not, at least for me. 6/10
#22. “Congratulations” by Post Malone ft. Quavo
So it’s something of a running gag here that I’m always praising Post Malone’s music, and yet I have no idea why I like it. This is the song that basically started that love affair(?). I have stated that one of my theories as to why I like Post is cuz all his music is nauseatingly catchy, and that definitely applies here. “Now they always say ‘congratulations’, worked so hard forgot how to vacation” is definitely something I’ve quoted on numerous occasions, and it’s a pretty great hook. It’s a song you listen to when you want to celebrate and feel awesome about yourself. Despite the fact that he’s been openly homophobic so I feel a little gross praising him, I have to admit that Quavo’s guest verse is actually pretty good too. The part when he’s like “I gotta play on my phone” makes me laugh because...SAME. Overall, “Congratulations” isn’t actually that good of a song objectively, but I’m, like, unable to skip it. Every time it comes on shuffle, I just have to listen to it, and I’m not really sick of it yet, which is a rare feat. 9.5/10
#23. “Sign of the Times” by Harry Styles
Back when One Direction was at their peak popularity, I hated them, solely because I was being an edgy twelve-year-old. Because of that edgy-twelve-year-old-ness, Harry was my least favorite member because he was the “pretty one”, the one all the girls obsessed over. Now that all of the One Direction members have gone solo, I can say my previous Harry Styles opinions were completely wrong. Out of all of the band’s solo works, Harry’s are the only ones I’ve consistently enjoyed. Beginning your solo career with a five-and-a-half-minute power ballad that draws from 70s glam rock is a really ballsy move, especially when your former bandmates are mostly staying in the pop lane. However, it’s a risk that definitely pays off. “Sign of the Times” just feels epic and Harry’s vocals are incredible, proving that he’s way more than just “the pretty one in that boy band”. It’s a shame it took me so long to realize that. This isn’t a song I listen to frequently, but whenever I do, it’s a treat. I feel like over time, people will end up forgetting this song, but then they’ll hear it randomly and realize how truly fantastic it is. A hidden gem. 10/10
#24. “The Cure” by Lady Gaga
Last summer, my brother had baseball tournaments nearly every weekend, so I spent a lot of time home alone. During this time, I would play the radio in the kitchen while making lunch or washing the dishes, and “The Cure” was a song that was played a lot. Because of that, I think I have some kind of bond with it. I can’t say it’s my favorite Gaga song, and truth be told, the tropical house-inspired production does sound like she’s just following trends. But still, it’s Gaga. Admittedly I’m not very familiar with her deep cuts, but out of her singles, there really aren’t any I outright hate. Lady Gaga is one of the most influential, talented, and creative performers of the new millenium, and even on lesser material like “The Cure”, she’s still able to carry a song with that amazing voice of hers. I really like the message of this song too. It’s widely believed to be about a friend of Gaga’s who was struggling with cancer and would eventually pass away a few months after the song’s release. In the lyrics, Gaga’s saying that she may not have the cure for the disease, but she will do her best to offer emotional support. It’s lyrically one of Gaga’s most real songs, and combine that with a catchy and sweet melody and you ultimately get a pretty solid tune. 8/10
#25. “Mask Off” by Future
I’m familiar with “Mask Off” due to the fact that it was a meme last year, but I’ve only heard the chorus until now because it’s the part in the meme. I get why the chorus is a meme due to its iconic flute line and basic yet catchy flow. It’s a good chorus. If only the rest of the song was as good. Nothing Future says in the verses is worth noting, except for when he says pronounces “guillotine” as “gill-a-tine” instead of “gee-o-tine”. It would probably be a better song if they just looped the chorus over and over again, to be honest. “Mask Off” is really just your basic Future song, except it has that really catchy flute riff. If you’re gonna listen to a meme song from last year, go with “Redbone”. It’s better in every conceivable aspect. 6.5/10
#26. “See You Again” by Wiz Khalifa ft. Charlie Puth
To me, “See You Again” is the 2010s version of “One Sweet Day” by Mariah Carey and Boyz II Men. Both songs were massive chart-toppers in their heyday but really haven’t maintained relevance since then. I mean, the only reason why I’ve heard of “One Sweet Day” is because it stayed at #1 for a record-breaking 16 weeks. I’ve only ever heard snippets of it in various pop music-related videos, never anywhere else, and that’s baffling to me because for Christ’s sake, it was a 16-week #1! I kind of feel like that’s how “See You Again” will be for future generations. This song, a dedication to the late actor Paul Walker, was a massive 12-week #1 smash in 2015, and trust me: it was everywhere. But it’s only been three years and I can’t remember the last time I heard it on the radio. Other massive hits of the time, like “Uptown Funk” and “Blank Space”, still get regular airplay where I live, but “See You Again” really hasn’t. It’s surprising, considering not only was it a massive chart hit, but it also was the most viewed YouTube video for a time. So to wrap things up, this is a song that, despite its huge success, may actually be one you’ve forgotten. As for the song itself, it’s okay, but I’m still worn out on the overplay from 2015. 7/10
#27. “Unforgettable” by French Montana ft. Swae Lee
Oh, the irony that a song called “Unforgettable” is actually one you may have forgotten, according to the video. I certainly didn’t forget it. I’m actually beginning to realize that this song is a little generic, mainly because of French Montana’s uninteresting contributions, but I couldn’t care less. This song has been a mainstay on my playlist for the better part of a year. It’s one of those songs that I can just replay over and over again. The chorus on this one is actually kind of long for a hook, but I have to fight temptation to sing along. I kind of feel like every line Swae Lee sings could be its own standalone chorus, and put them all together and you get a monster of an earworm with an amazing beat to boot. It’s not anything deep or meaningful or whatever, but sometimes you just need a banger and that’s okay. 10/10
#28. “It Ain’t Me” by Kygo and Selena Gomez
Here’s the “good Selena Gomez song” I was talking about before. I’m not too familiar with Kygo’s work, but he must be a really good producer if he can make a good Selena Gomez song. The EDM subgenre of tropical house has been a huge trend over the past few years, and while it can be hit or miss, this is a song that definitely works for me. The production is great, with a pretty guitar line in the verses, a drop made from chopped-up vocals arranged in a catchy melody, and a cool synth line mirroring the chopped-up vocal drop at the end. This song has maybe Selena Gomez’s only good vocal performance ever, where she actually shows some power and emotional range. She’s still far from a great vocalist, but credit where credit’s due, she gives a solid performance here. This was one of my favorite songs of 2017, and although I did eventually get a little tired of it, it’s still awesome. 10/10
#29. “Still Got Time” by Zayn ft. PartyNextDoor
Here’s another song from a former One Direction member. I added this song to my playlist last year, but I never actually listened to it. I do that a lot, add random songs I’ll hear in various places that I think sound good but decide not to listen to them and delete it. This song actually sounds like Drake more than anything, but like, watered-down Drake. It’s like “Signs” or “One Dance” or one of those basic dancehall Drake songs, which is the worst kind of Drake IMO. I can’t tell the difference between Zayn and PartyNextDoor. Plus Zayn’s biggest asset is his amazing falsetto (as shown on “Best Song Ever” by One Direction), but this song doesn’t play to his strengths at all. If you’re going to listen to a song in this post by a former One Direction member, go with “Sign of the Times”, which has more interesting ideas and is a better showcase of what its performer is truly capable of. Although side note: I will say Zayn’s song “Like I Would” is pretty dope. Listen to that instead too. 6.5/10
#30. “At My Best” by Machine Gun Kelly ft. Hailee Steinfeld
I’ve heard the chorus to this one in various places, but I don’t know any other parts of the song. I already talked about Hailee Steinfeld, but so I’m gonna talk about Machine Gun Kelly. Except I don’t really have much to say, because the only songs I’ve heard (“Bad Things” and some other song from a different post where I remember going off on him for using the r-word) are both pretty bad. Hailee’s chorus is pretty good. Even if the lyrics are somewhat cliche, the melody is nice and she sounds great. My big issue with this song is that I feel like the verses and the chorus don’t go well together. The verse is Machine Gun Kelly talking about how he’s struggled, and the chorus is Hailee quoting Marilyn Monroe (“If you can’t take me at my worst, you don’t deserve me at my best”). It feels like they don’t go well together. Because of that contrast in message, I can’t get into this song. 4.5/10
#31. “No Frauds” by Nicki Minaj ft. Drake & Lil Wayne
I talked about this one in some other post I don’t feel like linking. I really don’t have much else to add, but I’m actually NOT going to copy-paste it! I’ve done that enough today. Basically, it’s a diss track towards Remy Ma, but it also tries to be a pop-rap song too. I’m of the opinion that a rap diss track shouldn’t have a chorus or anything resembling a pop song, it should just be the rappers spitting fire lines at their enemy. The chorus isn’t even that good, because it has sloppily applied autotune on Nicki’s voice. I still also think Drake and Wayne aren’t necessary, especially considering they don’t talk about the beef. Nicki’s verse is great though. I know I said the best line is “You can’t be Pablo if you’re work ain’t selling” in that other post, but now I think “I am the generous queen, ask Miss Ellen” is better. Come on, that’s exactly the kind of corny yet clever and ultimately quotable wordplay that Nicki’s great at. 6/10
#32. “DNA.” by Kendrick Lamar
Like “Praying”, this is a song that maybe wasn’t as successful as other Kendrick songs, namely “HUMBLE.”, but if you’ve heard it, you can’t forget it. I talked about it in February, where I called it my favorite Kendrick song. It’s such a hype song, but the lyrics are actually really substantial and powerful. One thing I forgot to mention, however, is the single best moment in the song. Before the beat switches, they take a sample of some moron from Fox News who says something (completely ridiculous, in my opinion) about how hip-hop does more damage to black youth than racism. Like me, Kendrick also feels this is a blasphemous statement. So he plays the sample, essentially mocking the Fox News idiot, and then the beat switches and then he starts going off. Kendrick is proud of his African heritage and he will make political statements in his art that may not sit well with some listeners, but he doesn’t care about what you think. Because of moments like this, I feel pretty confident in saying Kendrick is one of the most important artists of our generation, and he’ll go down in the history books. 10/10
#33. “Stay” by Zedd ft. Alessia Cara
For a short time in the summer of 2017, this was my favorite song. There was just one weekend where I was obsessed with it, every time it came on the radio I would blast it and sing as loudly as possible. While I still like the song, I can’t say it’s one of my absolute favorites anymore. It does wear out with overplay. It’s also one of the more generic songs of 2017, which doesn’t help it that much, but it’s still decent. Alessia has a great voice and this is definitely a better use of it than on most of her own material. The production is also really solid, with some interesting humming throughout, a cool drop, and an excellent use of a clock-ticking noise. Funny thing is, that clock-ticking noise was also used in Zedd’s current single “The Middle”, which admittedly sounds a lot like “Stay”. However, I’ve always preferred “Stay” because it was the first one and is ultimately stronger melodically and lyrically. 8.5/10
#34. “Reggaeton Lento” by CNCO
I actually talked about the Little Mix-featuring remix of “Reggaeton Lento” in a previous post, but I’ve never heard the original. I think I prefer the Little Mix remix a little more because the Little Mix girls are great singers, but the original is fine enough too. I remember comparing the remix to “Despacito” because they’re both English-speaking remixes of Spanish songs. I unironically love “Despacito” so I prefer both the remix and the original “Despacito” to the remix and original of “Reggaeton Lento”. I’d still recommend the latter if you like “Despacito”, though. The CNCO boys are good performers and the chorus is catchy. I’m not well-versed in Hispanic music, but I’d definitely say give this one a try if you want to get more into current Latin pop. 7/10
#35. “HUMBLE.” by Kendrick Lamar
Hahaha nobody forgot about this song. The idea of forgetting a song as instant classic-worthy as “HUMBLE.” by Kendrick Lamar is straight-up farcical to me. Is it the best Kendrick song? No, of course not. But it’s still great and arguably the defining song of last year. This isn’t the most complex or meaningful song lyrically (check out “DNA.” if you want deeper Kendrick), but it’s one of those songs where every single lyric is quotable and instantly iconic. “My left stroke just went viral”? Iconic. “I make a pay f**king up your whole life”? Iconic. “Show me something natural like a** with some stretch marks”? Iconic. And “sit down, be humble”? Quite possibly the most iconic one of all. Combine that with a memorable piano-based beat, amazing flows, and a video that won “Video of the Year” at the most recent VMAs and you get a banger that defined pop culture in 2017 and will inevitably be a defining song of the 2010s when the decade is done. How could you forget it? 9.5/10
#36. “Shape of You” by Ed Sheeran
One more time…hahahahaha nobody forgot about this song. To say this song was a big hit is an understatement. It was the highest-selling song of 2017 worldwide, and it topped many countries’ individual year-end charts, including the one in the US. It is the most-streamed song on Spotify and its video has 3.5 billion YouTube views. Nobody forgot “Shape of You”...but maybe they should have. I was obsessed with the song when it first came out, but the more and more I heard it, the more I realized it wasn’t anything special. I mean, the beat is literally stolen from Sia’s “Cheap Thrills” (which only came out a year earlier) and the pre-chorus is stolen from TLC’s “No Scrubs”, to boot. The lyrics are your standard “you’re hot let’s have sex” pop lyrics, and while Ed is normally a great singer with a beautiful, raspy voice, his performance here is thoroughly unremarkable. Plus we have the issue that this song robbed Kesha’s “Praying”, a far more moving and emotionally resonant piece of work, of a well-deserved Grammy. Yes, I’m still bitter. Overall, “Shape of You” is a by-the-numbers pop song and I wish “Castle on the Hill” was the 2017 Sheeran tune that dominated the world instead. 4/10
So now that we’re done with that...what exactly is the point of the video that inspired my post? A majority of these songs are just from last year. About half of them, such as “Shape of You” and “HUMBLE.”, are some of the biggest hits of last year. Then there are songs like “Praying” and “Redbone”, which weren’t top-ten hits but will probably end up remembered because they’re excellent songs. Then we have songs which weren’t huge hits and may end up forgotten in the future, like “Down” and “Sign of the Times”, but still, those songs came out only one year ago! Yeah, they weren’t big hits, but still, if you know the songs and pay attention to pop music, you didn’t forget them after a year. Don’t even get me started on the few random songs from previous years. Part of me was expecting this video to be full of hidden pop gems from a few years ago, such as maybe “Riptide” by Vance Joy, “Power Trip” by J. Cole, or “So Good” by B.o.B. But nope! The songs from a few years ago were some of the biggest pop songs of the decade! Nobody, and I mean nobody forgot “Shake It Off”, “Roar”, or “Closer”. And like, I know I sound really harsh, but this was overall a stupid, useless video and the only good thing about it is that it inspired me to write this post and talk about some of my all-time favorite songs.
So on that angry note, I’m Stellar in Neverland signing off. I’m not sure what I’ll have in store next week, but I hope it’s A. more positive and B. shorter than this post. I’ll see you next Wednesday for that. Peace!
Stellar
