twostepcubchart's Best of 2013: Part Ten - #10 to #1 and the whole she-bang...

The last day of 2013 is upon us, and it's time to wrap things up with the top-ten of my recap of the biggest songs on my personal chart this year. You can check out the other nine parts by clicking here...

#10 - Justin Timberlake - "Mirrors"
from the album The 20/20 Experience (2013)
twostepcubchart peak: #1 (two weeks)
weeks on the chart: 31


I was underwhelmed by Timberlake's pair of albums (it could've been at least a tighter single set trimming the filler), but it at least was worth the price of admission solely for this throwback to his boyband days for an eight minute pop song that doesn't sound like excess.

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#9 - The Neighbourhood - "Sweater Weather"
from the album I Love You (2013)
twostepcubchart peak: #10 (one week)
weeks on the chart: 35 (so far in 2013)

Alt-rock is having a banner year, as songs cross over from one format to the next to the next. In this case, the California band is now getting major pop airplay as we finally turn into "sweater weather". This sounds like any of the bands from the 90s that also spun off one great hit never to be heard widely from again.

#8 - Sara Bareilles - "Brave"
from the album The Blessed Unrest (2013)
twostepcubchart peak: #2 (two weeks)
weeks on the chart: 31 (so far in 2013)

Yes, it's at #8, but personally I'd pick this as my favorite pop song of the year. Combining an infectious chorus hook, uplifting lyrics, and a video that's totes magotes adorbs, this deserved all the accolades its been getting (nothing gets me lately like the media saying Sara "took" Timberlake's Album of the Year nom, like it was his to give). An anthem not only for the LGBT community (which according to Sara it was written for a friend goading them to come out), but to anyone daring to strike out of their comfort zone. Love her.

#7 - Of Monsters And Men - "Mountain Sound"
from the album My Head Is An Animal (2012)
twostepcubchart peak: #4 (two weeks)
weeks on the chart: 37 (in 2013)

The little Icelandic band that could have the #4 song of last year with their breakthrough hit "Little Talks", and followed it up with another classic sing-along that was equal parts hoedown, shanty tale, and hipster rave with cool vocal interplay between Nanna and Raggi...

#6 - Lorde - "Royals"
from the album Pure Heroine (2013)
twostepcubchart peak: #1 (nine weeks)
weeks on the chart: 23 (so far in 2013)

For the second year in a row, an Antipodean singer with a five-letter moniker conquered the charts around the world. And just like Gotye, this teen from New Zealand's first hit spread like fire by word of mouth, like "you've gotta hear this!". And like "Thrift Shop", cementing 2013 as the start of the backlash against materialism in music that's been infecting hiphop for much too long.
 
#5 - Capital Cities - "Safe And Sound"
from the album In A Tidal Wave Of Mystery (2013)
twostepcubchart peak: #2 (seven weeks)
weeks on the chart: 39 (so far in 2013)

This track has been building for so long it's gone through three music video releases, but eventually we caught on to the hipster duo who weren't afraid of doing dance music for rock audiences. The Best Beard of 2013 award as well. It's a testament that seven of the top-ten tracks are from the respective acts' debut albums.

#4 - Imagine Dragons - "Demons"
from the album Night Visions (2012)
twostepcubchart peak: #5 (two weeks)
weeks on the chart: 42 (so far in 2013)

The Las Vegas modern rock outfit have stealthily become the new Coldplay, or at least the new Matchbox Twenty, with a solid debut album with singles that effortlessly fit whatever format you throw at them. Currently this is still in my top-10, as pop radio has taken the flag for the former hit on Triple-A, Alternative, and Mainstream rock.

#3 - Zedd featuring Foxes - "Clarity" 
from the album Clarity (2012)
twostepcubchart peak: #8 (one week)
weeks on the chart: 45

The Russo-German DJ and producer's first hit, "Spectrum" came in at #53 on last years list, but it was this explosive trance-pop track that brought him to the mainstream with powerful vocals from British newcomer Foxes propelling the song's emotional lyrics along. This remedies his giving the world Justin Bieber's "Beauty And A Beat".

#2 - Robin Thicke featuring T.I. & Pharrell Williams - "Blurred Lines"
from the album Blurred Lines (2013)
twostepcubchart peak: #1 (ten weeks)
weeks on the chart: 33 (so far in 2013)

There's been a lot of hate towards the song, from music snobs ramping up the Marvin Gaye-stealing accusations, feminists up at arms over the suggestively rapey elements of some of the lyrics, to soul purists hating on the son of the actress from Days Of Our Lives and the actor from Growing Pains for commanding the R&B charts this year, but dammit Pharrell's best work of the year is the ability to show the world that a dance party doesn't have to be at heart-racing speed with earshattering volumes of synth chords. As soon as I heard this the first time I knew this was going to be the song of the summer (sorry, Dafters)...

#1 - Imagine Dragons - "Radioactive"
from the album Night Visions (2012)
twostepcubchart peak: #1 (three weeks)
weeks on the chart: 47

The last few years have seen mega-hits that were a force of nature in themselves command the top spot for the year. This time out, the tortoise wins the race, as the second single from the band stayed on the rock, pop, and dance charts for so long that there were only the five tail end weeks of 2013 missing the song. And repeating the feat Adele did a couple years back, having two hits in my year-end top-five.I'm sure even they are surprised. Still, a worthy contender for the crown, by an act proving that you don't need to be a tabloid sideshow to sell records in 2013.

Well that's it for my year-end recap....Here's the entire list....I'll return sometime in the next week with some of my favorite underrated nuggets of the year, as well as some of the worst of 2013 (I'm looking at you, Ms Spears...) I've highlighted in blue the songs that were the artist's first single to reach my chart.

1. Radioactive - Imagine Dragons
2. Blurred Lines - Robin Thicke f/T.I. & Pharrell Williams
3. Clarity - Zedd f/Foxes
4. Demons - Imagine Dragons
5. Safe And Sound - Capital Cities
6. Royals - Lorde
7. Mountain Sound - Of Monsters And Men
8. Brave - Sara Bareilles
9. Sweater Weather - The Neighbourhood
10. Mirrors - Justin Timberlake
11. Out Of My League - Fitz & The Tantrums
12. Thrift Shop - Macklemore & Ryan Lewis f/Wanz
13. Troublemaker - Olly Murs f/Flo Rida
14. Just Give Me A Reason - Pink f/Nate Ruess
15. Carry On - fun.
16. Get Lucky - Daft Punk f/Pharrell Williams
17. I Need Your Love - Calvin Harris f/Ellie Goulding
18. Let Her Go - Passenger
19. Daylight - Maroon 5
20. Gone, Gone, Gone - Phillip Phillips
21. Wake Me Up - Avicii
22. Next To Me - Emeli Sande
23. Sweet Nothing - Calvin Harris f/Florence Welch
24. Stubborn Love - The Lumineers
25. Adorn - Miguel (#80 in 2012)
26. Madness - Muse (#41 in 2012)
27. I Love It - Icona Pop
28. Locked Out Of Heaven - Bruno Mars
29. When I Was Your Man - Bruno Mars
30. Love Somebody - Maroon 5
31. Don't You Worry Child - Swedish House Mafia f/John Martin (#77 in 2012)
32. Ho Hey - The Lumineers (#10 in 2012)
33. True Love - Pink f/Lily Allen
34. Catch My Breath - Kelly Clarkson
35. Stay - Rihanna f/Mikky Ekko
36. I Will Wait - Mumford & Sons (#39 in 2012)
37. Can't Hold Us - Macklemore & Ryan Lewis f/Ray Dalton
38. Treasure - Bruno Mars
39. Try - Pink
40. Red Hands - Walk Off The Earth
41. Counting Stars - OneRepublic
42. Cups (When I'm Gone) - Anna Kendrick
43. Lover Of The Light - Mumford & Sons
44. Pompeii - Bastille
45. Lego House - Ed Sheeran
46. Better Dig Two - The Band Perry
47. Applause - Lady Gaga
48. Trojans - Atlas Genius 
49. Summertime Sadness - Lana Del Rey vs. Cedric Gervais
50. DONE. - The Band Perry
51. Runnin' Outta Moonlight - Randy Houser
52. Everything Has Changed - Taylor Swift f/Ed Sheeran
53. Hero - Family Of The Year
54. Bruises - Train f/Ashley Monrie
55. Roar - Katy Perry
56. Girl On Fire - Alicia Keys
57. Alive - Krewella
58. All Over The Road - Easton Corbin
59. Little Black Submarines - Black Keys
60. That's My Kind Of Night - Luke Bryan
61. This Is What It Feels Like - Armin Van Buuren f/Trevor Guthrie
62. Downtown - Lady Antebellum
63. Tornado - Little Big Town
64. Two Black Cadillacs - Carrie Underwood
65. I Knew You Were Trouble - Taylor Swift
66. My Songs Know What You Did In The Dark - Fall Out Boy
67. Cruise - Florida Georgia Line f/Nelly
68. Stompa - Serena Ryder
69. Fire We Make - Alicia Keys & Maxwell
70. Beam Me Up (Kill-Mode) - Cazzette
71. Mama's Broken Heart - Miranda Lambert
72. See You Again - Carrie Underwood
73. Redneck Crazy - Tyler Farr
74. Little Talks - Of Monsters And Men (#4 in 2012)
75. Little Bit Of Everything - Keith Urban
76. Burn - Ellie Goulding
77. Point At You - Justin Moore
78. Somebody's Heartbreak - Hunter Hayes
79. Aw Naw - Chris Young
80. Ways To Go - Grouplove
81. Hey Girl - Billy Currington
82. Crash My Party - Luke Bryan
83. Every Storm (Runs Out Of Rain) - Gary Allan
84. Harlem - New Politics
85. People Like Us - Kelly Clarkson
86. More Than Miles -  Brantley Gilbert
87. Hold On, We're Going Home - Drake f/Majid Jordan
88. Don't Ya - Brett Eldredge
89. Closer - Tegan & Sara
90. I Could Be The One - Avicii
91. It's A Beautiful Day - Michael Buble
92. Panic Station - Muse
93. If I Didn't Have You - Thompson Square
94. Love & War - Tamar Braxton
95. It Goes Like This - Thomas Rhett
96. Get Your Shine On - Florida Georgia Line
97. Live For The Night- Krewella
98. Wagon Wheel - Darius Rucker
99. You & I - Avant f/Keke Wyatt
100. Wrecking Ball - Miley Cyrus

and just for shits and giggles here's the 20 that just missed the year-end chart...

101. Heart Attack - Demi Lovato
102. Same Love - Macklemore & Ryan Lewis f/Mary Lambert (yes, a crime)
103. How Country Feels - Randy Houser
104. Come A Little Closer - Cage The Elephant
105. I Want Crazy - Hunter Hayes
106. Night Train - Jason Aldean
107. My Love Is All I Have - Charlie Wilson
108. Sunny and 75 - Joe Nichols
109. Still Into You - Paramore
110. It's Time - Imagine Dragons
111. Best I Ever Had - Gavin DeGraw
112. Pirate Flag - Kenny Chesney
113. The Best Day Of My Life - American Authors
114. I Drive Your Truck - Lee Brice
115. Animals - Martin Garrix
116. Round Here - Florida Georgia Line
117. Parking Lot Party - Lee Brice
118. Jump Right In - The Zac Brown Band
119. Southern Comfort Zone - Brad Paisley
120. Overjoyed - Matchbox Twenty

I hope you have an awesome 2014!