Top 100 Songs of 2016 (Part 5) #60-51

FOR THE FIRST FOUR LISTS CLICK BELOW.

#100 – 91       #90-81     #80-71       #70-61


 

60. “Spinning” – Grouplove

“Spinning,” off Grouplove’s third studio album, Big Mess is “kind of like a push and pull dialogue. It’s a song about overcoming struggle” the band told iHeartRadio. Grouplove has used male-female back and forth storytelling previously, but have perfected the art with “Spinning.”

“Say here I stand
I was broken, now I’m brave
Say here I am
Found my colours in the grey”

The songs relatable lyrics combined with beautiful vocals help solidify Grouplove’s place in modern mainstream rock.

59. “East Coast Girl” – Butch Walker

From spoken verses to a fist-pumping chorus, “East Coast Girl” is arguably the best track yet from what Rolling Stone magazine calls “one of America’s Best Singer-Songwriters,” Butch Walker.

Butch Walker is one of the music industries hardest working men, as he not only performs and produces his own music, but has written/produced hit after hit for some of the biggest names in the industry.

“East Coast Girl” is a story about Walker’s move to LA and the inevitability of getting older. Walker told Rolling Stone…

“I don’t know if there is a category for people that write songs [about midlife crisis] but i’ll probably be the spokesperson for helping guys get through their mid-life.”

Walker, lead singer of the 90’s band Marvelous 3, which produced the massive hit, “Flavor of the Week,” has proven time and time again that he is anything but the flavor of the week, and one of the most talented all-around musicians of the time.

58. “Lemonade” – Adam Friedman (feat. Mike Posner)

Co-written with Mike Posner, “Lemonade,” by Adam Friedman is about the search for love and the hope that there is still somebody for you out there.

“California, you’re my last hope/Give me someone I can take home/And, I don’t how much longer that I can wait/So make her 5’5″, big brown eyes and sweet like lemonade” sings Friedman as he desperately pleads with the universe to help him in his search for love.

Released around the same time as Beyonce’s hit album, Lemonade, Friedman welcomed the attention with open arms as he told People’s Choice, “It’s actually kind of nice because Lemonade was trending on Twitter. If one person discovered [my version of “Lemonade”] because they were looking for Lemonade by Beyoncé, and they happened to stumble upon it, I think that’s a win for us.”

And just like lemonade the song is fun, addicting, and meant to be enjoyed while kicking back and relaxing.

57. “Woman Woman” – AWOLNATION

Front-runner for video of the year, “Woman Woman” by AWOLNATION is about being comfortable in your own skin, man or woman. The video is simple, but genius. It shows a group of fully naked woman of all shapes, sizes, ages, and ethnicities singing along with the song and preforming it as a band.

If you can watch this video and not want to rock out along with the ladies, you better check your pulse. Because you are probably dead.

56. “Everybody We Know Does” – Chase Rice

Whether or not you consider yourself a fan of country music, “Everybody We Know Does,” by Chase Rice is an anthem for anyone that considers themselves a hard worker. Simply put, it is a song about working hard and playing even harder.

Fun fact: In the seven years of “Top Songs of the Year,” Chase Rice has more songs included than any other artist. “Everybody We Know Does” is Rice’s tenth song in seven years to make the cut on a very rock heavy countdown.

Regarding this song in particular, I am not sure if “everybody I knows does” like it, but I know for damn sure that everybody I know should.

55. “Move” – Saint Motel

The best use of horns this year goes to the first track off of Saint Motel’s latest album, saintmotelevision, “Move.”

With a dynamic dance pop beat and an impossible to not sing along with chorus, “Move” is one of the most contagious songs of 2016. The only drawback is that I already hear “got to get up/got to get up/MOVE” about 9 times a day from my Fitbit telling me how inactive I am. I don’t need to be scolded by my music too.

54. “Sweet Disaster” – DREAMERS

“Sweet Disaster” by DREAMERS is presumably about the feeling you get when you know you are heading into a wild and crazy night. “Sweet Disaster” is a must-have on any playlist for bachelor or bachelorette parties heading to NYC or Vegas for the weekend.

“And so it goes/ we found our sweet disaster/ In a river of champagne/ Swimmin’ through the morning after/ We float away.”

2016 was anything but a sweet disaster for “Dreamers” as they are continuing to make a name for themselves in the alt rock world.

53. “Waste A Moment” – Kings Of Leon

What I would personally say is easily their best track in years, Kings of Leon’s “Waste a Moment” is proof that the band still has what it takes to produce radio hits and killer rock tracks.

The band told EW back in August that they are “in the best place they’ve ever been.” On the first track off their seventh studio album, Walls,  the band begs listeners to step away from the daily grind and enjoy life, or as they call it, “waste a moment.”

Hopefully now that the band is in the “best place they have ever been” they will not waste a single moment to get back in the studio and work on creating more gems like this track.

52. “Nothing Personal” – Night Riots

This song rocks. Hard. That’s all I have to say about that. Sorry, Night Riots. Nothing personal.

51. “All We Ever Knew” – The Head and the Heart

“All We Ever Knew” is folk-rock band The Head and the Heart’s biggest radio hit to date and their highest charting single so far. The song is about trying your hardest to mend a relationship that you know isn’t going to work out.

The band told radio.com that “

;Everyone’s gone through a relationship where things didn’t work out… you try it again and it doesn’t work out. “That feeling of ‘Why are we doing this to ourselves? We know it’s not going to work out. We’ve tried it before. Just let it go.”

The Head and the Heart have secured themselves as leaders in modern day American folk-rock, and with their success of “All We Ever Knew,” they are only further distancing themselves from the rest.

For #50-41 Click here.

Top 100 Songs of 2015 – Part 9 (Songs 20-16)

Songs 100 – 91     Songs 90-81     Songs 80-71     Songs 70-61     Songs 60-51                    Songs 50-41         Songs 40-31     Songs 30-21

20. Nothing Without Love, Nate Ruess

The debut single from Nate Ruess, “Nothing Without Love,” proved that this guy has the ability to shine as a solo artist while his band, Fun, is on hiatus. With one of the most distinctive voices in the business, it is obvious from the first few notes that it is Ruess passionately perfecting the vocals on this memorable track.

19. I Am, AWOLNATION

Awolnation’s latest track, “I Am” was born from the rejection lead singer, Aaron Bruno felt upon initial feedback of their recent album, Run. 

“I Am” is about being an individual, and standing out from the crowd. Fittingly, the song was used in a Red Bull commercial about athletes excelling in their sport. “I Am” will pump you up and get you motivated to face your fears and take on the world.

18. Ditmas, Mumford and Sons

Mumford & Sons finally released Ditmas as a single right at the end of the year, making it the third Mumford release in 2015, and the third to make the top 40 in this countdown. Named after a neighborhood in Brooklyn where the track was recorded, Ditmas is a stand out track on an album that is filled with gems.

If someone has been hibernating for a year and not heard any of the new tracks on Wilder Mind, “Ditmas” would be the first track I would play for them, as it fully embodies the new direction that the band is taking. Gone are the days of banjo heavy tracks. Say hello to the new electric, rock and roll Mumford & Sons. A very, very warm welcome indeed.

17. Jackie & Wilson, Hozier

This is for all the naysayers who doubted that Hozier would be anything other than a one hit wonder after the smashing success of last year’s “Take Me to Church”. Not only has Hozier followed up “…Church” with “From Eden”, “Work Song”, and the recently released “Someone New”, this gem of a song has not even officially been released as a single, but it is still getting radio play.

“Jackie and Wilson” is Hozier’s homage to the late R&B singer, Jackie Wilson, whom he idolizes.

“We’ll name our children Jackie and Wilson, raise them on rhythm and blues”, is as much of a compliment as an artist can give to their inspirations. In fact, if Hozier can record another album as phenomenal as Hozier, I may feel the need to have a child and name him Hozier, and raise him on, well, Hozier.

16. Can’t Deny My Love, Brandon Flowers

“Can’t Deny My Love,” the debut single off Brandon Flowers’ sophomore solo album, The Desired Effect, is synth-pop rock at its very best. Not many people can pull off epic, the way Flowers can, and “Can’t Deny My Love” is a perfect example.

Brandon Flowers, arguably the most talented front man in music today, has proven that he can do it all, from writing killer (pardon the pun) songs, and flawlessly nailing vocals, to playing the keyboard, and even being the lead actor in his music videos.

All you Killers fans can take a deep breath, because they are expecting to begin work on their fifth studio album in 2016, and Brandon Flowers is sure to lead the guys to continued success.