5,000 Pageview Special: My Top 25 Hits Songs of 2017

Hi everyone. It's crazy that I'm already at 5,000 pageviews on this blog. Thank you all for reading this blog each week. It feels like just yesterday that I was starting up this blog. Since then, I've blogged four different countdowns, done my first ever rankdown, and now I'm doing this. Since I've only started blogging recently, most people here don't know what I thought of last year's music. The rules to qualify for this list are simple: the song must have appeared on the Billboard Year-End Hot 100 for 2017. However, there are a few songs that I'm excluding from this list as I feel that they aren't really 2017 songs. Some I feel are more "2016", and some are more "2018". Here are my exclusions:

Ariana Grande/Nicki Minaj - Side To Side
Camila Cabello/Young Thug - Havana
DJ Snake/Justin Bieber - Let Me Love You
DRAM/Lil Yachty - Broccoli
Imagine Dragons - Thunder
Justin Timberlake - Can't Stop The Feeling!
Maroon 5/SZA - What Lovers Do
Post Malone/21 Savage - rockstar
Sam Smith - Too Good At Goodbyes
Shawn Mendes - Treat You Better
The Chainsmokers/Halsey - Closer
The Weeknd/Daft Punk - Starboy

With that out of the way, let's get into some honorable mentions:

Logic/Alessia Cara/Khalid - 1-800-273-8255
I'm not totally sure how I feel towards this song. I do believe that it simplifies the topic of suicide, and the adlib of "Who can relate WHOOO" is beyond obnoxious. But then again I do really appreciate what Logic is trying to do with this song. Suicide is a topic that should be talked about in pop music. But I don't like Alessia Cara here or in general. But I love, just totally love, Khalid's outro. And as a song, it's good. I don't think Logic is the best rapper, but he's done some good stuff. Overall, I don't even know if I should've included this as an honorable mention, but I felt like I should as the message is really good.

ZAYN/Taylor Swift - I Don't Wanna Live Forever
Most people really didn't like this song by the end of the year, but I still enjoy it enough. Overplay killed this for me at first, but I grew back into it. At the time, as weird as it seems now, ZAYN was one of the biggest names in pop music. And Taylor Swift is Taylor Swift. I like the darker production here, and I do actually like ZAYN's falsetto. Taylor delivers a great vocal performance as always. I'm not sure how well this fits as a song for Fifty Shades Darker, but I still enjoy listening to it on occasion.

Khalid - Location
This is not Khalid's best work. Love Lies is better, and so is Angels. But this is still really good. As I've said in the past, I think that Khalid has a really unique voice, which while some may not like I think is great. The production here is also really good, and works well for Khalid's voice. I don't have much to say about this, except that I wish Hits 1 hadn't ignored it.

Bruno Mars - That's What I Like
I'm a new Bruno Mars fan for sure. I think almost all of his older stuff is either boring, or just plain bad. But his new stuff is just fantastic. This is not my favorite of the singles off of 24K Magic (as you'll see later on), but I still think it's very catchy. Bruno Mars does have a very good voice, and he certainly shows it here. The lyrics are nothing all that special expect they do fit the production of the track well. I'm glad that this was a #1 hit on not only Billboard, but also Hits 1 and the AT-40.

Those are all I've got in terms of honorable mentions. Now let's get into the list itself:
25. Childish Gambino - Redbone
This song was.... not loved by the blogging community to say the least. Some even considered it to be one of, if not the, worst songs of the year. I beg to differ though. I think that Donald Glover sounds really good on this track, as his vocal delivery leaves you with a sort of haunted feeling afterwards. I don't actually mind him yelling "STAY WOKE" as I think it fits in well with the song. The production goes for a throwback style, which as you'll see throughout this list I enjoy. Even if it took a meme for this to become a hit, I'm very glad it did.

24. Jason Derulo/Nicki Minaj/Ty Dolla $ign - Swalla
This song is basically the definition of a guilty pleasure for me. Just looking at the title alone, this song has no right to be as great as it is. But alas, say what you will about Jason Derulo but he can make a really catchy song. I don't mind his falsetto in the pre-chorus all that much, and oh my God that chorus is so damn catchy. Nicki and Ty Dolla $ign also deliver good, if slightly forgettable verses. But that chorus is really what makes this song, and gives it a spot on this list.

23. Rae Sremmurd/Gucci Mane - Black Beatles
This grew on me a lot since the rankdown. I definitely under-ranked it there. But onto the song itself, I think this is the best song that Rae Sremmurd or Gucci Mane have ever made. I've already said how much I love Swae Lee here, and I still think that he carries the song. Though I have to say that Slim Jxmmi and Gucci Mane pull their weight in this song. Even Mike Will Made-It does a great job on the production. Between this and Swae Lee's feature on Unforgettable, I was hopefully that Rae Sremmurd was improving. But the rest of Sremmlife 2 proved me wrong.

22. DJ Khaled/Justin Bieber/Quavo/Chance The Rapper/Lil Wayne - I'm The One
This is not DJ Khaled's best work. Hell, I would barely consider this DJ Khaled's work as he did nothing for this song basically. But aside from that, this song is still great. Justin Bieber does a great job on the chorus, and I think all the rappers (yes, Lil Wayne included) do a great job on their verses. Though the lyrics aren't breaking any new ground, they don't have to. This was meant to be a fun summer jam, and that's exactly what it is.

21. Travis Scott/Kendrick Lamar - goosebumps
I seem to be basically the only one here who likes this song. I think that this is by far Travis Scott's best work. This is one of the few vibe songs that I can actually vibe with. That hook is just incredible. I know that Travis wrote this during a really dark time for him, and you can definitely hear it during the song. Then Kendrick Lamar comes in and just steals the show. I can see why someone wouldn't like this song, but in my opinion it's one the best rap songs of all of last year.

20. Kane Brown/Lauren Alaina - What Ifs
First of all, I don't really care that this isn't a country song. For a pop song, it's still really good. But I doubt I would like this at all if it weren't for Lauren Alaina's backing vocals. Without her, it would be a generic bro-country song. But with her it adds someone else in the relationship agreeing with Kane Brown. Speaking of Kane Brown, he sounds fantastic here. Lastly, the production makes it so this is definitely a song that'll get stuck in your head. If Kane Brown can keep delivering this quality music, I would be open to hearing how a 2nd album from him would sound.

19. KYLE/Lil Yachty - iSpy
I don't expect anyone to agree with me on this. And I can't really explain why I like this so much. But I guess I find the melody here to be super catchy. The chorus is really fun. Also, though I admit he is not a good vocalist, I enjoy KYLE in this song. Now, for the reason I really shouldn't like this song: Lil Yachty. But frankly I think that he has some decent lines, his vocal delivery isn't good, but it's not terrible, and overall he's not enough to make me not like this song.

18. Ed Sheeran - Shape of You
I think I may have overrated this a bit during the rankdown. Don't get me wrong, it's still an amazing song. But maybe not #4 worthy. Onto the song itself, this isn't Ed Sheeran's best song, but I still love it. He has great vocals as always. The production is great. I love when songs use this type of melody. And then the lyrics are really fun. I know that some don't like the idea of an Ed Sheeran doing this type of song, but I really don't mind. Great song, deserved all the success it got.

17. Bruno Mars - 24K Magic
I've mentioned a couple times how I appreciate when a song is fun. As that's exactly what this is. This is pure Bruno Mars bragging and having a good time, and the feelings is frankly infectious. Is the intro annoying? Kinda. However, that doesn't take away from the rest of the song. This is a rehash of Uptown Funk, but I don't get what's wrong with making a rehash of one of the best songs in recent memory. I love everything about this track, and I hope Bruno Mars continues in this direction in the future.

16. Calvin Harris/Pharrell/Katy Perry/Big Sean - Feels
I love Calvin Harris. I think that Funk Wav Bounces Vol. 1 was probably the best album of last year. This song shows some of his production, as the guitar line here is really good. Pharrell sounds great as he has one the best ranges in pop music, and I don't like his production style very much, so it's refreshing to hear him on a different style of beat. Big Sean is also really great here. So why isn't this song higher? Katy Perry's delivery on the hook is too flat for me to justify placing this any higher. But if he had gotten someone like Ariana Grande to do the hook this could've been my #1.

15. Kesha - Praying
Sorry. I'm probably the one person who wouldn't put this top 5, but I do really like the song. The lyrics are really powerful, as she talks about her battles with her former producer Dr. Luke. Kesha sounds great here, and proves that she never needed the autotune. I do like the production here, but I think the song takes a little to long to get going. That's really my only problem with it. Earlier this year, I had the opportunity to see Kesha in concert, and her performance of this song was incredible to watch. And that high note she hits. Wow.

14. The Chainsmokers/Coldplay - Something Just Like This
This is another song that was adored by the blogging community. Multiple people had this in their top 10 songs of the year, and I can totally understand why. I think that The Chainsmokers have great production here, even if the drop if just a rehash of Roses. I loved that song and that drop, even if I think it worked better the first time. Chris Martin does a really good job on the vocals in this song as well, and I think his voice is better than Andrew Taggart's. The lyrics are really good, as Martin sings about superheroes, but how the person in question just wants him, not some superhero. I do wish this song hadn't been blocked by Despacito for the #1 spot for so long.

13. The Weeknd/Daft Punk - I Feel It Coming
This is my favorite song from The Weeknd. Though the lyrics aren't that great, everything else about the song is just fantastic. From Daft Punk's production to their vocals, I think the duo adds a lot to the song. The whole song has a really nice groove to it. And The Weeknd's vocals here are just incredible. I can't believe some people say this man does not have a good voice. Also, though it may be the unpopular opinion, I think this is better than Starboy.

12. Clean Bandit/Sean Paul/Anne-Marie - Rockabye
Basically any song from Clean Bandit that charts will probably end up on a best list of mine. I think that they're the best producers in the game right now. Anne-Marie does a really good job on her verse, the chorus, and especially that bridge. I think the bridge is probably the best part of the song. I'm not exactly a fan of Sean Paul, but I think he works well in this song. I'd be fine if he didn't yell "rocka-rocka-rockabye" constantly but it's not enough to make me dislike the song. Now why couldn't Symphony have become a huge hit also?

11. DJ Khaled/Rihanna/Bryson Tiller - Wild Thoughts
This is so much better than I'm The One. I love the guitar riff that was sampled from Santana. Rihanna sounds really great here. I wish she could've done this well on her own album but alas. I actually really like Bryson Tiller here, and I think having this song as a duet adds a lot. Though I could do without some of the lines in Tiller's verse. And.... DJ Khaled actually contributes something? In most of his other songs, I find his random exclamations to be annoying and useless. But here I think that they actually add a lot to the song and fit in really well. This will always be the best song that has DJ Khaled's name on it.

10. Calvin Harris/Frank Ocean/Migos - Slide
This and Heatstroke are exactly what I want to hear from Calvin Harris. I love these types of songs. Frank Ocean actually sounds really good here, and that chorus is extremely catchy. And then Quavo steps up to the mic and delivers a classic Quavo verse. Which just for the record, is a good thing for me. Offset's verse is just on a whole different level though. His flow is really good, and I absolutely love the start of his verse. I think if Migos started using cheerier production, like here or in Stir Fry, they would be able to make some really amazing songs. For right now, this was the start of Calvin Harris making really great music, and I will always enjoy it for that.

9. Jon Bellion - All Time Low
Between the two fluke indie hits of 2017, this is by far the better one. I never like Feel It Still very much, but I fell in love with this song from first listen. His vocals here are beyond amazing, and I actually like the weird backing vocals. Even though the chorus is just one word, it really doesn't need to have anything else. I love the production here, even if it is slightly weird. I do wish that Jon Bellion had been able to get a 2nd hit after this, but I'll take what I can get.

8. Shawn Mendes - There's Nothing Holdin' Me Back
This is by far the best song I've ever heard from Shawn Mendes. The guitar riff that opens up the song just gets my hyped up everytime I hear it. The rest of the song does not disappoint. Shawn sings about a girl who's basically just allowing him to let loose and have a good time, and the feeling is infectious. The stutterd guitar sounds really great, and I think this is one of Shawn Mendes's best performances. Apparently he had a cold while recording the song, but I think it makes him sound even better. I'm glad that this was such a big hit.

7. Kendrick Lamar - HUMBLE.
This is easily Kendrick Lamar's biggest hit to date, and it's also arguably his best song. It's hard to believe that Mike Will Made-It of all people produced this thing. Kendrick's flow and bars are the best that they've ever been, and the lyrics are fantastic. DAMN. was probably the best album of last year, and HUMBLE. is a stand out on it. I hope to see more good stuff from Kendrick in the future.

6. Niall Horan - Slow Hands
I might be the only person who still really likes this song. I really do love everything about this song, expect for the "dirty laundry" line. The production is basically a perfect representation of what acoustic music should be. Niall Horan sounds really great here. I think overall his debut album was probably my 2nd favorite of any of the ex-1D members, and this is probably my second favorite song from any one of them. It's very nice that this was such a big hit.

5. Kygo/Selena Gomez - It Ain't Me
When I first started doing this, I thought that this would end up as my #1. It clearly did not, but it still got itself a spot in my top 5. I love everything here. I think that Selena Gomez sounds better here than she does in any of her solo work. Kygo shows himself to be a really great producer, as the beat here is really great. Speaking of Kygo's production, the drop here is just fantastic in a way that I can't really describe. I've heard people complain about the chopped up vocals, but I think that this is the best example of them I've seen ever. I'm hoping that Kygo can re-create the success he got with this song in the near future.

4. The Chainsmokers - Paris
This might just be my favorite song from the EDM duo known as The Chainsmokers. I listened to this song the day it was released, and something just clicked. This is Andrew Taggart's best vocal performance in my opinion, as he just sounds bad in these new tracks. The backing vocals from Emily Warren are a nice touch, as I think she has a really good voice. The production overall is just fantastic, especially during the final chorus. I really wish that this song had gotten as big as Closer or even Something Just Like This, but I'll take what I can get.

3. Ed Sheeran - Castle on the Hill
I believe that this song shows what Ed Sheeran is capable of as a songwriter, as the lyrics here are just incredible. He sings about his childhood, and the lives of him and his friends as they grow up. Other acts *cough* Lukas Graham *cough* have tried and failed to write this type of song, which just make me appreciate this song more. I love the guitar in this song, and the rest of the instrumentation is really enjoyable as well. Lastly, I think that Ed Sheeran's vocals here are fantastic. He delivers this song with the exact right amount of emotion. I personally think that the final verse is the best part of the song, where he sings about how the lives of his friends are just falling apart. And he does it in such a way that you can hear his pain about what his friends are going through. I personally wish that this had been the bigger hit out of it and Shape of You, but I'm still glad that it made it to the year-end list.

2. Charlie Puth - Attention
I will always hold this as Charlie Puth's best song. Though I didn't hate Nine Track Mind, it was far from a great album. Then, one day in May, I see that Charlie Puth has a new song called Attention. So I decide to give it a listen. And I loved it from that point on. The opening notes of the song set the tone really well, and they're instantly recognizable to tons of people now. His vocal delivery has improved a lot since his last album, and you can really hear the emotion in his voice. The lyrics are very well written also. But easily the best part of the song is that bassline. Most pop artists would kill to have that in one of their songs. Everything just works so well here, and I think after listening to Voicenotes I can officially say that Charlie Puth is a great producer, but the first sign of that was here.

1. Harry Styles - Sign of the Times
This is my favorite hit song of 2017. I really didn't expect this to be #1 when I started the list, but here we are. The track clocks in at nearly 6 minutes, and I love every second of it. I love how it starts as a piano ballad at the start, and as the song goes on more and more elements are slowly added in. Until the final part of the song where it all comes together and Harry Styles just belts out the last few lines. Speaking of Harry Styles, I think he sounds great here. He showed that he was more than the boy band teen idol with this. Then we get to the lyrics, and they are just amazing. I believe they were written to comfort people after Brexit, and I think that they work for that perfectly. It's truly a shame that Harry Styles can't seem to get a second hit after this, as I believe he has the best solo career of any former One Direction member. But he'll always have this, and that's a very good thing.

Thanks for reading and for getting me to 5,000 pageviews!