twostepcub's Best of 2017: Part Five and a Half - the "Bubbling Unders", #125 to #101...
#125 - "Mi Gente" - J. Balvin & Willy William featuring Beyonce
from the single (2017)
Highest rank: #18 (two weeks)
Weeks on the chart (in 2017): 14 (still charting)
Billboard Hot 100 peak: #3
Following on the heels of "Despacito", Columbian singer J. Balvin and French DJ Willy William had the next Latin breakout success with this track, which was actually a much better suited club and party song anyway. Enlisting Beyonce for a "remix" only gave it mainstream success (and a top ten placing).
(Click below to see the rest of the post)
#124 - "Fresh Eyes" - Andy Grammer
from the album The Good Parts (2017)
Highest rank: #10 (one week)
Weeks on the chart (in 2017): 10
Billboard Hot 100 peak: #59
Andy, who we saw on the countdown at #85 with "Give Love", started this year with this simple love song made more powerful by the video in which Grammer comes to an L.A. homeless shelter with a team of "makeover" people to give some clothes, a haircut, and dignity to these truly forgotten people. Try not to have a tear watching this.
#123 - "Heavydirtysoul" - twenty-one pilots
from the album Blurryface (2015)
Highest rank: #10 (two weeks)
Weeks on the chart: 13
Billboard Hot 100 peak: did not chart, "Bubbled under" at #125
The modern rock duo who dominated 2016 had their fifth top ten hit on my chart with this song which is pretty shocking in rhythm structure and arrangement for a spot on rock radio.
#122 - "My Mind Is For Sale" - Jack Johnson
from the album All The Light Above It Too (2017)
Highest rank: #10 (two weeks)
Weeks on the chart: 14
Billboard Hot 100 peak: did not chart
The king of dreamy surfer-pop, Jack Johnson, came back with a song that was thoughtful and subversively political without being imposing. Maybe the Democratic Party can adopt this message.
#121 - "Swish Swish" - Katy Perry featuring Nicki Minaj
from the album Witness (2017)
Highest rank: #20 (two weeks)
Weeks on the chart: 12
Billboard Hot 100 peak: #46
Katy got mostly a bad rap this year, a convenient punching bag for the vapid queens in the Taylor "squad" and pop radio; yes her Witness album was a bit scattershot, but there were real gems in it, including this deep-house throwdown that had the woke gays pumping a sweat. And the video. This is self-deprecating yet hilarious. And the cool stars head here - it sure seems like a more fun day to be on a Perry set that certain others (#shade)..
#120 - "Sorry Not Sorry" - Demi Lovato
from the album Tell Me You Love Me (2017)
Highest rank (in 2017): #5 (one week)
Weeks on the chart (in 2017): 12 (still charting)
Billboard Hot 100 peak: #6
Demi, who was on the main year-end list in 2015 with "Cool For The Summer" at #80, returned late this year with her coming back around from the wild life track but still cool enough to party right.
#119 - "Treat You Better" - Shawn Mendes
from the album Illuminate (2016)
Highest rank (in 2017): #8 (two weeks) (went to #5 for 1 week in 2016)
Weeks on the chart (in 2017): 10 (was on for 22 weeks in 2016)
Billboard Hot 100 peak: #6
Mendes was on my year-end list in 2016 with this song at #35, and continued long enough to place here.
#118 - "Rhythm & Blues" - The Head and the Heart
from the album Signs Of Light (2016)
Highest rank: #25 (two weeks)
Weeks on the chart: 15
Billboard Hot 100 peak: did not chart
The Seattle-based indie-rock band who were at #20 last year with "All We Ever Knew" followed up that track with this beautiful bit of shoe-gazing dream-pop.
#117 - "Let Me Love You" - DJ Snake featuring Justin Bieber
from the album Encore (2016)
Highest rank: #29 (three weeks)
Weeks on the chart (in 2017): 14
Billboard Hot 100 peak: #4
Frenchman DJ Snake reached the year-end chart in 2015 at #10 with "Lean On" with Major Lazer. Last year, Justin Bieber made #74 on the recap of 2016 with "Cold Water" with Major Lazer. Now, no Major Lazer, but the Biebs and Snake take their trop-trap jam to the also rans with this, poss Justin's most enjoyable single in quite a while.
#116 - "Dig Down" - Muse
from the album TBA
Highest rank: #23 (four weeks)
Weeks on the chart: 14
Billboard Hot 100 peak: did not chart
The British modern rock experimenters who were at #64 on my 2015 tally with "Dead Inside" are back with a single that hasn't as yet generated an album. Yet, its a sparse and spacey track that seems like Queen rose Freddie from the dead.
#115 - "Now Or Never" - Halsey
from the album Hopeless Fountain Kingdom (2017)
Highest rank: #35 (two weeks)
Weeks on the chart: 16
Billboard Hot 100 peak: #17
The singer/songwriter from New York used her exposure from her collaboration with the Chainsmokers with "Closer" (which was at #80 on this years list and #50 on the one for 2016) to push her sophomore album, which landed at #1, and included this single which was like an even more slowed-down Chainsmokers track, aka EDM on quaaludes.
#114 - "Starving" - Hailee Steinfeld with Grey featuring Zedd
from the single (2015)
Highest rank: #18 (two weeks)
Weeks on the chart (in 2017): 12
Billboard Hot 100 peak: #12
The actress/singer best known for Pitch Perfect released one of the best lite-EDM tracks of the year with this nugget with Zedd and Grey, with the couplet "I didn't know that I was starving till I tasted you, Don't need no butterflies when you give me the whole damn zoo" which is flawless.
#113 - "Road Less Traveled" - Lauren Alaina
from the album Road Less Traveled (2017)
Highest rank: #15 (two weeks)
Weeks on the chart: 15
Billboard Hot 100 peak: #67
The runner-up on the tenth (Scotty McCreery) season of American Idol, and this single could easily have been passed as a Carrie Underwood barnburner.
#112 - "Heartache On The Dancefloor" - Jon Pardi
from the album California Sunrise (2016)
Highest rank: #10 (one week)
Weeks on the chart: #13
Billboard Hot 100 peak: #47
The neo-traditionalist country singer, who had "bubbled under" last year at #111 with "Head Over Boots", is here a notch underneath this time out with a more cosmopolitan track that had a 70s groove as a foundation. (Hint: he's also in the main countdown this year as well.)
#111 - "Unforgettable" - Thomas Rhett
from the album Life Changes (2017)
Highest rank: #15 (two weeks)
Weeks on the chart (in 2017): 13 (still charting)
Billboard Hot 100 peak: #47
The second single from the affable country singer's third album. The first we'll see later on.
#110 - "Feels Like Summer" - Weezer
from the album Pacific Daydream (2017)
Highest rank: #13 (two weeks)
Weeks on the chart: 14
Billboard Hot 100 peak: did not chart
Arguably the nerdiest band in alternative rock returns with a pop-punk piece of commercialized angst but actually outlasted the summer its referencing.
#109 - "Hot Thoughts" - Spoon
from the album Hot Thoughts (2017)
Highest rank: #15 (one week)
Weeks on the chart: 13
Billboard Hot 100 peak: did not chart
The art-rock band landed their second Triple-A rock #1 with this hipshaking emo exercise.
#108 - "OK" - Robin Schulz featuring James Blunt
from the albums Uncovered and The Afterlove (Deluxe Edition) (2017)
Highest rank: #25 (one week)
Weeks on the chart: 20
Billboard Hot 100 peak: did not chart
German remixer/producer Schulz, who was responsible for two of the entries on the year-end list for 2015 - "Prayer In C" by Lily Wood & The Prick (#44) and "Waves" from Mr. Probz (#91) - now has Mr. "Youre Beautiful" singing on this "whoa-EDM" track which features a thought-provoking video.
#107 - "Shine On Me" - Dan Auerbach
from the album Waiting On A Song (2017)
Highest rank: #17 (one week)
Weeks on the chart: 13
Billboard Hot 100 peak: did not chart
One-half of the Black Keys goes into jangle-rock territory with this infectious number. Lots of Lindsey Buckingham influence here.
#106 - "Before I Do" - Sevyn Streeter
from the album Girl Disrupted (2017)
Highest rank: #25 (five weeks)
Weeks on the chart: 16
Billboard Hot 100 peak: did not chart
Pound for pound, I enjoyed this debut album from the Floridian soul singer more than SZA's, especially because of this beautiful adult take on taking it slow.
#105 - "What Ifs" - Kane Brown featuring Lauren Alaina
from the album Kane Brown (2016)
Highest rank: #24 (two weeks)
Weeks on the chart (in 2017): 16 (still charting)
Billboard Hot 100 peak: #26
This country newcomer who had a huge independent following had his breakout mainstream radio hit with this epic duet with the American Idol alum.
#104 - "Yours If You Want It" - Rascal Flatts
from the album Back To Us (2017)
Highest rank: #20 (three weeks)
Weeks on the chart: 16
Billboard Hot 100 peak: #71
The most veteran of currently successful country bands are still in the running with this #1 format radio hit. They were on the also-rans last year with "I Like The Sound Of That". The video for this is possibly the best of the brand.
#103 - "Perfect" - Ed Sheeran
from the album Divide (2017)
Highest rank (in 2017): #7 (one week) (still climbing)
Weeks on the chart (in 2017): 11 (still charting)
Billboard Hot 100 peak: #1
The "Beyonce" duet totally dilutes and corrupts this sweet and emotional love plea that is one of the many highlighted of Sheeran's third album, which was criminally overlooked for a Grammy nom for Album of the Year.
#102 - "The Cure" - Lady Gaga
from the single (2017)
Highest rank: #25 (one week)
Weeks on the chart: 14
Billboard Hot 100 peak: #39
During the promotion of her album Joanne and before the tour, Gaga slipped this luscious bit of dance ether to the masses.
#101 - "Way Down We Go" - Kaleo
from the album A/B (2016)
Highest rank (in 2017): #37 (one week) (peaked at #3 for two weeks in 2016)
Weeks on the chart (in 2017): 17 (was on the chart for 31 weeks in 2016)
Billboard Hot 100 peak: #54
This brooding rock single, a massive hit already from last year where it placed at #16 on that recap, still had enough support to land right outside my top 100 even though it never got any higher than #37 in this "chart year".
Well, that covered the 25 that almost made it. I'll be back tomorrow with another ten from the big countdown, including the return of a pop singer done wrong, Taylor Swift's return to country songwriting, and a tribute to the fallen in Orlando.
Comments