twostepcubchart's Best of 2014: Part Four - #70 to #61...

I'm back with part four of my recap of the biggest songs on my personal music chart from this year. You can catch up with the first three installments by clicking here...

#70 - "It's About Time" - Young The Giant
         from the album Mind Over Matter (2014)
         twostepcubchart peak: #9 (one week)
         weeks on the chart: 16

Alt-rockers from California Young The Giant took four years between their debut and their sophomore album, and their sound got a bit harder, especially on this rager that almost topped the Modern Rock chart.

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#69 - "Drink To That All Night" - Jerrod Niemann
         from the album High Noon (2014)
         twostepcubchart peak: #10 (one week)
         weeks on the chart: 18

Since it was a cover of a soul-rock song that was a hit only in Australia that broke Jerrod's career, it's not unexpected that he would join the crossover wagon, but as much as I can dig the original of this barndance-burner, I cannot grasp the Pitbull remix. No. just no.

#68 - "Good Kisser" - Usher
         from the album UR (2015?)
         twostepcubchart peak: #23 (two weeks)
         weeks on the chart: 22 (so far in 2014 - still charting)

The R&B superstar's upcoming eighth album has been pushed back probably from luke-warm reaction to his first two singles, but this midtempo loose jam dedicated to the oral arts deserved a better response.

#67 - "Me And My Broken Heart" - Rixton
         from the EP Me And My Broken Heart (2014)
         twostepcubchart peak: #15 (one week)
         weeks on the chart: 18

British boyband who were signed by Bieber manager Scooter Braun landed their first hit by nicking Rob Thomas' "Lonely No More" and appealing to the mass twitterati of the Biebs. Hoping to be the next One Direction, they may have to settle on being the next The Wanted.

#66 - "Bang Bang" - Jessie J, Ariana Grande, & Nicki Minaj 
         from the albums Sweet Talker (Jessie J, 2014) and My Everything                         (Deluxe Edition) (Ariana Grande, 2014)
         twostepcubchart peak: #10 (three weeks)
         weeks on the chart: 16 (so far in 2014 - still charting)

Three pop giants come together for a totally fluff but totally fun bit of sassy vocal trills and side-eye rap that somehow gave diva Grande middle billing.

#65 - "Beat Of The Music" - Brett Eldredge
         from the album Bring You Back (2013)
         twostepcubchart peak: #17 (one week)
         weeks on the chart: 21

Country hunk Brett came in at #88 on 2013's year-end list with "Don't Ya"; its follow-up did even better, with a breezy romantic charm befitting his youth.

#64 - "For The Rest Of My Life" - Robin Thicke
         from the album Blurred Lines (2013)
         twostepcubchart peak: #22 (two weeks)
         weeks on the chart (in 2014): 23

This slow-jam follow-up to his "Blurred Lines", my #2 song of last year, was mostly ignored by radio save for the adult-R&B format. In no time after that, his marriage was falling apart in spectacular fashion, with his follow-up album Paula, probably the musical opposite of Marvin Gaye's For You, Dear, which sank both his musical and marital success.

#63 - "Hurt You" - Toni Braxton & Babyface
         from the album Love, Marriage, & Divorce (2014)
         twostepcubchart peak: #9 (three weeks)
         weeks on the chart (in 2014): 15

Toni's sister Tamar ranked at #94 last year with "Love & War". This time around Toni comes back with a thematic album with mentor Babyface in the mold of the great Marvin Gaye duet albums, though with this effort centered on Toni's (and Babyface's own) divorce (from separate people).

#62 - "Let Her Go" - Passenger
         from the album All The Little Lights (2012)
         twostepcubchart peak (in 2014): #5 (one week) (peaked at #2 in 2013)
         weeks on the chart (in 2014): 14

The first of five songs that appeared on last year's top 100 that made this list (it came in at #18 in 2013), British singer/songwriter Mike Rosenberg had one of those great songs that may prove to be his only chart success. It spent a total of 51 weeks on my chart.

#61 - "I Wanna Get Better" - Bleachers
         from the album Strange Desire (2014)
         twostepcubchart peak: #5 (one week)
         weeks in the chart: 19

Jack Antonoff, the guitarist from the modern rock trio fun, who were at #15 last year with "Carry On", took a break to record a side-project that was just as amazing as his work with the group. This song was a rocker with intellect. Also, too, Lena's a very lucky woman.

I'll be back tomorrow with another holdover from last year's top ten, along with a girl leaving the country, rap goes Down Under, and a hidden track gets its moment in the sun.