Top 10 Best Hit Songs of 2016

 Greetings everyone, it is I, the Animated Vulture. Time to see the true gems in an otherwise mediocre year. This is the best of 2016, let’s go.

 

HM. Never Forget You by Zara Larsson and MNEK

I really wish this song could have made the list, but the way the distinct types of melodies blend is a bit too awkward for me to ignore. Still, this a beautiful song with potent lyrics, powerful performances and a catchy melody that can pump you up.

 

HM. Side To Side by Ariana Grande ft Nicki Minaj

Now this is the type of sex song that works for me. Catchy, groovy, and just overall a lot of fun. Not a fan of Nicki Minaj’s verse but otherwise this is a banger.

 

HM. Adventure Of A Lifetime by Coldplay

This is a song that grew on me quite a bit over time. It manages to have a colorful and vibrant feeling and that’s just because of the synth line that plays throughout the whole song. Not Coldplay’s best, but I can dig it.

 

HM. Me Myself & I by G-Eazy and Bebe Rexha

This song is just such a nice moody vibe to listen to with the dark synths and muted pianos while G-Eazy’s verses and Bebe Rexha’s chorus work off of it really well.

 

HM. Let Me Love You by DJ Snake ft Justin Bieber

Yes, 2016 was the one of the brief moments where Justin Bieber was actually kind of taken seriously. But he’s not the reason I like this so much, though his singing is still good. DJ Snake absolutely nailed the production, especially the drop.

 

HM. Cold Water by Major Lazer ft Justin Bieber and MO

Not much that I can say about this that can’t be applied to the previous song, also really good.

 

HM. Close by Nick Jonas ft Tove Lo

It’s just a fantastic song with great production, nice performances and an insanely strong hook.

 

HM. Send My Love by Adele

Not Adele’s best song by any means, but definitely one of her most fun and catchy. As well as it just being a satisfying kiss off anthem.

 

HM. Cheap Thrills by Sia ft Sean Paul

A fun catchy song... that’s all I can say.

 

HM. Humble And Kind by Tim McGraw

Is this song unbelievably cheesy? Of course, but for some reason this song just clicks with me. Maybe it’s because of the amount of a**holes in our world.

 

HM. Broccoli by DRAM ft Lil Yachty

This song didn’t quite click with me the first time I heard it, but it’s a massive grower. Just a fun and goofy bop.

 

HM. Panda by Desiigner

This fixes pretty much every problem I had with Tiimmy Turner since the dark and gritty tone feels less phoned in and it just focuses on being a fun trap banger.

With all of that said, on with the list!

 

10. Roses by The Chainsmokers ft Rozes

I can safely say that I don’t like The Chainsmokers after giving it some thought, especially when it comes to their 2016 output. I hate Closer and I would love Don’t Let Me Down if it weren’t fact that the drop completely ruins it for me. But if they had one true shining moment from this year, it would be this because MAN this is a beauty to listen to. The lyrics don’t really matter to this song though I do still like them, this song’s strengths all involve how it sounds. There are so many little moments in this production that just really work. From the excellent use of chopped up vocals, to the smooth keys, and the variety of unique synths. Easily some of the best work the Chainsmokers have done. I also wanna give credit to the singer Rozes as she gives a vocal performance that flows extremely well with the overall mood that the song was going for. Just an overall fun and uplifting bop.

 

9. In The Night by The Weeknd

Nothing quite like going from an upbeat and fun EDM jam to the depressing tale of a tortured life. This is a song that people were likely expecting to be higher and the reason it isn’t is because this song just doesn’t hit me THAT hard personally, and I’m not really sure why to be honest. Putting that aside though, this song is incredible. It finds just the right way to be loud while being dark and gritty without being overbearing with the percussion that hits at the right time and the powerful synths. This song’s lyrics tell a story that goes into detail about the life of a stripper with who’s miserable where she is, and I do mean detail. Like including how she was forced to dance since a young age and doing every whim of the men she was under the control of. Even if it isn’t one of personal favorite Weeknd songs, I still love it and respect the heck out of it.

 

8a. Heathens by Twenty One Pilots

 

8b. Sucker For Pain by Lil Wayne, Wiz Khalifa and Imagine Dragons with Logic and Ty Dolla Sign ft X Ambassadors

As terrible as the movie Suicide Squad is, one good thing it did was give us these two dark yet awesome bangers. Starting with Heathens, it has an insanely memorable chorus with investing verses. Though all of that is mainly because of the production. From the hooking piano that plays throughout the song, to the guitars and the vocal effects, it’s all put together so well without being overbearing. Sucker For Pain is great for mostly the same reasons with the addition of having several different artists on it each adding their own little touch to the whole thing. Whether it be the chorus from Dan Reynolds and Sam Harris, or the verses from all four rappers here. Sure these songs may not be strong lyrical wise since the lyrics are mostly just vague, but they sound this good who cares? It’s actually kind of hard to explain why these songs are so good, you just have to listen to them to see for yourself.

 

7. When We Were Young by Adele

What can be said about Adele that hasn’t already been said? Pretty much everybody agrees she is an absolutely phenomenal artist from her powerful and her ability to tell truly dramatic yet emotionally compelling stories in her music. Both of these traits can be easily found in When We Were Young. This song is all about the time she met up with someone at a party and how they just had the time of their lives together. It felt so wonderful that Adele wishes she could picture this moment forever despite knowing that inevitably time is going to leave this moment in the dust. It really has that sense of maturity in the way it’s written that Adele has always been known for. As well as Adele’s vocals and the production giving the song just the right amount of weight it needs. It may not be my personal favorite Adele song(that would be Rolling In The Deep), but it is still one definitely worth admiring.

 

6. Into You by Ariana Grande

Out of every song on this list, this is the one that is on here for the most basic and simple reason, it’s a really, really, really good pop song. It uses a style of distorted synths against loud vocals that should not work for me that well, and yet I absolutely love it. These synths can be off putting at first but become infectious really quickly, along with having an excellently powerful hook. As well as Ariana Grande giving a wonderful performance. As for the lyrics, they are able to pull off being a fun cheesy love song without being overly sappy or too sugary. I don’t think it’s going to be a hot take to say this is one of Ariana’s best songs. I wish I could have made this segment longer, but I can’t say anymore. Just a great piece of music.

 

5. Starboy by The Weeknd ft Daft Punk

Yeah this has always been my preferred Weeknd song from this year. Something to know about me is that I’ve always been immensely interested in villains, so I’ve always enjoyed that just reveled and had fun with being bad guys. Starboy is basically THE villain song since it nails being dark and intimidating while being fun and infectiously groovy. Daft Punk absolutely nailed this dark production with the melancholy piano and trap skitters while still adding their signature touch. Just like Into You, it’s pretty hard to go on about how great this song is because well, it’s just awesome. A great example of what both artists can do, and an absolute banger that you definitely need to listen to.

 

4. Perfect by One Direction

I should not love this song as much as I do, I just shouldn’t. A simple love song from the boy band that was a complete laughingstock in the early 2010s with some pretty messy production? Sounds like something that would stir me away instantly. Yet I absolutely love this one. For starters, even though the production is messy like I said before, that weirdly kinda helps the song. It isn’t so bad that it ruins the song or anything like that, and it helps with the overall theme of not being perfect. And the chorus has a wonderful swell and payoff that just hits powerfully. Though the main reason this is this high is because of the lyrics, mainly because of how upfront and honest it is. It’s just the guy saying that he isn’t perfect, and he can’t promise he’ll absolutely never mess up, but he hopes that just in this moment, they can just be happy together in this one perfect moment. Between this and Night Changes, it’s safe to say One Direction went out on a strong note.

 

3. Stressed Out by Twenty One Pilots

I’ll admit that I had a pretty hard time deciding the order for my top 3, all of these are songs that I would put in my personal top 10 favorite hit song of the 2010s as a whole to be honest. After some thought though, I decided to put Twenty One Pilots as the bottom of the three, but that doesn’t mean I don’t still absolutely adore this song. Starting off with the production, the main hook of it is this melancholy bass line which doesn’t sound like anything impressive on first listen, but I believe it’s actually perfect for what this song is going for considering the subject matter. The entire song is all about the anxiety you get when you realize you’re getting older, and it manages to sell this theme exactly the way I feel it should be done. It doesn’t try to put on any big spectacle show or drown the lyrics in vague metaphors, it’s just a guy venting about his struggles. But it still manages to hit hard like a truck with its lyrics. Especially lines like:

“Used to play pretend, give each other different names”

“We would build a rocket ship and then we’d fly it far away”

“Used to dream of outer space but now they’re laughing at our face singing”

“Wake up you need to make money!”

Going back to the production, the reason the bass line works so well is because it gives the empty feeling that its going for without feeling overbearing or overdramatic. Along with the drums, pianos, light electric guitar strumming and spacey synths, which all feel integrated just the way they should be. Honestly the main reason this is this high is because of how well this can relate to not just me, but pretty much everyone. We’ve all had times when we just wanted nothing more than to turn back time to when everything seemed so much simpler. This may be my number 3 for now, but who knows, maybe this will top my list when I’m much older.

 

2. I Took A Pill In Ibiza Seeb Remix by Mike Posner

C’mon, this was a pretty obvious choice to see coming. This song has been voted the best hit song of 2016 by billboard reviewers, and for very good reason. I doubt it will be controversial to say that among all of the hit songs that are considered among the best of the decade, this is definitely one of the oddest. The Cooler Than Me guy coming back on the charts after 5 years with a tropical house remix of a folk song? Sounds insanely bizarre doesn’t it? Well it happened, and I love it. I’m sure you’ve already heard several people sing this songs praises, but I’m not just going to skip over this entry in case you’re someone who hasn’t heard why this is so great, so I’ll do my best to explain. In this song, Mike Posner reflects on his career in the music industry and explains how things are going with his fame, to be clear he uh, does not exactly portray this is the most glamourous light. He goes into detail about how ever since his big hit in 2010, his fame has been slipping further and further down to the point where he feels completely forgotten and that he fears he’ll never be able to recapture that moment, and because of that, he just can’t help but feel miserable about where he is. When I said detail, I do mean detail.

“But you don't wanna be high like me”

“Never really knowing why like me”

“You don't ever wanna step off that roller coaster and be all alone”

Just... man. Now obviously I’m no celebrity but I know what it feels like when everyone around you just wants you to smile and have fun when inside, you just feel empty and unsure about things like the future. Also I wanna say that even if I am far from liking Cooler Than Me, it feels so right for someone like him to say this. Someone who did have that one big breakthrough but was never really talked about again afterwards. And the tropical house remix from Seeb is what truly helps this song hit hard, as the drop perfectly delivers on the feeling of being lonely, on top of just sounding amazing. For a long time I was absolutely sure this would be number one, but it isn’t.

Like I said before, I had a hard time deciding what my number one for this year really is. After all, both I Took A Pill In Ibiza and Stressed Out hit insanely hard for me emotionally. However, I ultimately decided my number one song through what made me the happiest, the song that made me feel like I was soaring through the air when I was just utterly tired, bored or stressed. That song of course is none other than EXCAHNGE BY BRYSON TILL-nah I’m kidding. Anyways here’s Hymn For The Weekend.

 

1. Hymn For The Weekend by Coldplay ft Beyonce

Even if it took Adventure Of A Lifetime a while for me to love it, I adored Hymn For The Weekend since the first listen and that has not changed one bit. Whenever this song is played there is only one word that comes to my mind, that word being “colorful,” and that isn’t just because of the music video. Every single instrument used sounds organic but unique and insanely lively and it never loses your attention. The strong yet light drums, the twinkling keys, the perfectly timed horns, and Chris Martin sounding like he’s just having the time of his life. The dash of Indian influences in the music is also a very nice touch. We also have Beyonce who even if her contributions are minimal, she still has a very welcome presence, and she just sounds wonderful. And I know this may sound hyperbolic, but this song is genuinely masterful at hooking you into it and building up to its chorus. It all starts with nothing but the sounds of water and bird chirping, but then suddenly you begin to hear a female choir that grows louder until you are swiftly grabbed by this elegant piano line. The song just becomes grander and grander until it just absolutely EXPLODES on the chorus. That chorus which never fails to make me feel more alive than ever. And it all leads up to that genuinely transcendent ending powered by the vocals which invokes imagery of fireworks blowing up in the sky. So yeah this song is pretty much only hear because of sound though I do still like the lyrics since they perfectly capture the song’s sensation of-

“I’m feeling drunk and high, so high, so high”

Yeah pretty much that.

Hymn For The Weekend by Coldplay featuring Beyonce, my pick for the best hit song of 2016.