twostepcubchart's Best of 2015: Part Six and a Half - the "bubbling unders", #125 to #101...
Hey guys and gals and to all in-between, I've been counting down the top 100 songs of the year on my weekly music chart for 2015 (click here to catch up on it), and in this weekend break I'll add a bonus, with the songs "bubbling under" the year-end list, the 25 that also ran, but where totally worthy.
#125 - "Right Here, Right Now" - Giorgio Moroder featuring Kylie Minogue
from the album Deja Vu (2015)
Highest rank: #12 (two weeks)
Weeks on the chart: 11
The 75-year-old disco legend returned with a new album Santana-style this year, with guest vocalists like Sia, Britney Spears, and Charli XCX, but none captured the bliss of the Studio 54 time as this collaboration with Australia's princess. In a just world, this should've been a worldwide smash.
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#124 - "Blame" - Calvin Harris featuring John Newman
from the album Motion (2014)
Highest rank (in 2015): #7 [was also at #7 for a week in 2014]
Weeks on the chart (in 2015): 10 [was on for 12 weeks in 2014]
Because of timing, where songs peaked in between years, two singles missed the top 100 in both 2014 and 2015 but made the "bubbling under" list. First is Scottish producer Harris whose angry club jam with vocal powerhouse Newman, who was in the top 10 on my during the Christmas rush last year. If all its "points" were added up, it would've been at #27 this year.
#123 - "Long Way Down" - Robert DeLong
from the album In The Cards (2015)
Highest rank: #23 (two weeks)
Weeks on the chart: 14
From the beginning line "I've been fuckin' around while you were savin' the world", this dreamy electropop nugget rode the rhythm to bring a little dance to the rock charts this year. An amazing debut album that should've got more attention.
#122 - "Shots" - Imagine Dragons
from the album Smoke + Mirrors (2015)
Highest rank: #17 (two weeks)
Weeks on the chart: 13
The Las Vegas modern rock band ruled the pop charts with their debut album, which had the top song of 2013 with "Radioactive", but while their second album Smoke + Mirrors was their first to hit #1, it didn't seem to get the same love. This second single from the record had all the accessible points checked, and probably was intended to be the bigger hit from the set.
#121 - "Wrong Club" - The Ting Tings
from the album Super Critical (2014)
Highest rank: #27 (one week)
Weeks on the chart: 16
The British duo went full-disco with the first single from their third album, and with the perfect tagline "I'm in the wrong club, listening to this shit" was a perfect hook for the state of popular dance music these days.
#120 - "I Am" - AWOLnation
from the album Run (2015)
Highest rank: #16 (one week)
Weeks on the chart: 14
The art-rock band put together by ex-Under The Influence Of Giants leader Aaron Bruno has the fortune of placing two songs in the "bubbling under" list. First is the second single, which sounds like a slow-motion cry to the atmosphere.
#119 - "What Kind Of Man" - Florence + The Machine
from the album How Big, How Blue, How Beautiful (2015)
Highest rank: #18 (one week)
Weeks on the chart: 13
The first single from Florence Welch's band's third album is up for two Grammys in the rock category, and with lyrics about feeling along even when she's with someone, but explodes into a wall of anger in the middle, and this stunning music video is just mesmerizing, with a woman totally let go but totally in control of the men around her.
#118 - "Wasn't Expecting That" - Jamie Lawson
from the album Jamie Lawson (2015)
Highest rank: #16 (one week)
Weeks on the chart: 13
Another excellent music video, told Memento-style to correspond to the unpredictability in the lyrics to Lawson's sweet love song, redone from his last independent release.
#117 - "Loving You Easy" - The Zac Brown Band
from the album Jeckyl + Hyde (2015)
Highest rank: #12 (two weeks)
Weeks on the chart: 13
On this track from their eclectic fourth major-label studio album, the country-jam(boree) bear band slides into a 70s soft-rock groove with a easy funk sorely missing from the genre.
#116 - "Go All Night" - Gorgon City featuring Jennifer Hudson
from the album Sirens (2014)
Highest rank: #20 (one week)
Weeks on the chart: 14
The multi-talented singer/actress/American Idol finalist singer Hudson brings it to this neo-house classic off the British duo's debut album. Add some drag queens and you have a party you need to be at. Bass line for days.
#115 - "Little Toy Guns" - Carrie Underwood
from the album Greatest Hits: Decade #1 (2014)
Highest rank: #19 (two weeks)
Weeks on the chart: 15
The second of two new singles from this American Idol's first hits set benefited from its meaty subject matter, appropriate given the horrible rash of gun violence in this country this year.
#114 - "Wild Child" - Kenny Chesney featuring Grace Potter
from the album The Big Revival (2014)
Highest rank: #15 (two weeks)
Weeks on the chart: 15
The third #1 country hit from Kenny's Revival album was his second collaboration with indie-rock star Grace Potter. Sonically leaving the beach (but bringing it back for the video), this is the kind of subdued fire that makes his downtempo work miles above his competition.
#113 - "Crash and Burn" - Thomas Rhett
from the album Tangled Up (2015)
Highest rank: #19 (two weeks)
Weeks on the chart: 14
Rhett, who was on the main list with his "Make Me Wanna", brings some "Chain Gang" whoops to the first single from his sophomore effort. The John Mayer of country music, with the scruffy good looks and pop sound that sells his seduction to the ladies quite nicely. At least he takes the blame on this good-natured break-up song.
#112 - "Ain't Worth The Whiskey" - Cole Swindell
from the album Cole Swindell (2014)
Highest rank: #20 (two weeks)
Weeks on the chart: 16
Now this country break-up song doesn't take any blame, but dives into the booze to get over the pain. Cole's second #1 hit on country radio.
#111 - "A Guy Walks Into A Bar" - Tyler Farr
from the album Suffer In Peace (2015)
Highest rank: #24 (three weeks)
Weeks on the chart: 15
Country bear Farr, however, drowns his emotion in the liquor on this first single from his second album. With a rock swagger and a country tear, this pun on the joke opening was his lighter-raising moment.
#110 - "Don't It" - Billy Currington
from the album Summer Forever (2015)
Highest rank: #35 (one week)
Weeks on the chart: 19
The curly-haired country troubadour returned in 2015 with this breezy love song that went to #1 on radio.
#109 - "See You Again" - Wiz Khalifa featuring Charlie Puth
from the album Furious 7 (Original Soundtrack)
Highest rank: #43 (three weeks)
Weeks on the chart: 22
This generation's answer of Puff Daddy's "I'll Be Missing You", this rap/sung homage to movie star Paul Walker introduced us to pop singer/songwriter Charlie Puth. Ruled American radio in the spring and early summer of the year.
#108 - "Homegrown Honey" - Darius Rucker
from the album Southern Style (2015)
Highest rank: #41 (two weeks)
Weeks on the chart: 20
The highest year-end rank of any song that didn't make my top-40 was from the rock singer turned country star with this hokey but earnest tribute to the southern women.
#107 - "Time Of Our Lives" - Pitbull featuring Ne-Yo
from the albums Globalization (Pitbull, 2014) and Non-Fiction (Ne-Yo, 2015)
Highest rank: #9 (two weeks)
Weeks on the chart: 14
Pitbull can not be stopped. Like the Energizer bunny, he brought the disco to the Y2K party with help from R&B/pop singer Ne-Yo on this mainstream club jam.
#106 - "Locked Away" - R. City featuring Adam Levine
from the album What Dreams Are Made Of (2015)
Highest rank: #23 (two weeks)
Weeks on the chart (in 2015): 17 (still charting)
The U.S. Virgin Islands duo, formerly Rock City, brought the overlooked issue of former prisoners coming back home to real life to the video of their breakthrough hit, which only supposes the incarceration in its lyrics.
#105 - "Animals" - Maroon 5
from the album V (2014)
Highest rank (in 2015): #5 (two weeks) [was at #5 for two weeks in 2014 as well]
Weeks on the chart (in 2015): 11 [was on for 10 more weeks in 2014]
The second victim of "chart timing", this second single from Maroon 5's V album, which "bubbled under" at #124 last year, would've been at #24 this year from total points. Adam makes a good case of getting that CSI guest gig with this creepy stalker video.
#104 - "Trust You" - Rob Thomas
from the album The Great Unknown (2015)
Highest rank: #15 (one week)
Weeks on the chart: 18
The Matchbox Twenty lead singer was back in 2015 with this punchy little number that was shockingly dismissed on pop radio. But then dance clubs gave love, propelling it into the top ten.
#103 - "Young & Crazy" - Frankie Ballard
from the album Sunshine & Whiskey (2014)
Highest rank: #29 (two weeks)
Weeks on the chart: 18
The third consecutive #1 country hit from Ballard's second album seems like a lost Bryan Adams track, and while the song is a little bro-country derivative, at least his laid-back delivery shows he didn't have anything to prove.
#102 - "S.O.B." - Nathaniel Rateliff and the Night Sweats
from the album Nathaniel Rateliff and the Night Sweats (2015)
Highest rank (in 2015): #2 (three weeks) [still charting]
Weeks on the chart (in 2015): 12 [still charting]
Currently the runner up on my current personal chart, this throwback to Blues Brothers slash blues-rock love was the jam of my winter. A great breakthrough for this artist.
#101 - "Hollow Moon (Bad Wolf)" - AWOLnation
from the album Run (2015)
Highest rank: #9 (three weeks)
Weeks on the chart: 14
After having the longest-running chart run for a rock song in history with "Sail", Aaron Bruno returns with a little more electric fire in this tempo-shifting experiment in what is considered "mainstream".
And as a "special mention", Scottish singer Paolo Nutini had the unfortunate timing to have his first big hit on my chart during the year turnover, missing even the bubbling-under list for both years with the excellent "Let Me Down Easy", which peaked at #6 and was on my chart for 17 weeks...
I'll be back on Monday to pick up on my countdown with the top 40 for 2015. Cheers!
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