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12/6/2018
Before the year draws to a close, we must reflect upon all the defining hits of 2018. Cardi B dominated the charts. Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper crafted a musical masterpiece. Ariana Grande lifted hearts with her love anthems. Travis Scott took us on a ride through his psychedelic Astroworld. If you can’t say anything good about 2018, at least the music was on point. Here are the top 10 tracks of 2018 ranked:
Similarly to Zedd’s other hit songs, “The Middle” quickly climbed to No.1 on Billboard’s Hot Dance/Electronic Songs Chart. The popularity of the track is drawn from the lively backbone beat that sounds like car turn signals and ticking clocks. The track also earns its spot with relatable lyrics that describe a relationship trying to find a middle ground and bring end to constant argument.
On May 5, Childish Gambino released “This Is America” — and the world momentarily stopped. The satirical masterpiece gained large attention as Gambino constructed a testy statement on race, violence and gun control in America. Crafted with a contrast of joy and cynicism, the jaw-dropping music video is a visual imagery of the rapper as he guns down a choir and continues dancing, while mayhem breaks out around him. Gambino portrays the relationship between violence and contradiction and how much it consumes pop culture.
After a break up, your ex might think he or she is better off without you. Dedicated to a previous relationship, Malone’s diss track propelled his sophomore album, Beerbongs & Bentleys’, to certified platinum four days after release. The rapper set a new record — accruing 431 million streams in just a week.
Troye Sivan started his career with humbling beginnings, building a following through online LGBTQ communities. “My My My!” is the first single off his sophomore album Bloom, which debuted Top 5 on Billboard 200 albums chart. The momentum of the track is pushed by the lyrics as Sivan drew inspiration from his personal relationship.
With a hot salsa beat, a catchy chorus and a consecutive No. 1 chart title, “I Like It” rightfully earned its spot as one of the biggest hits of the summer. Cardi B’s debut album, Invasion of Privacy, has ruled Billboard 200 since its release in April, collecting the most weeks any female rapper has ever spent atop the listing.
Leave it to Drake to always conquer pop airwaves. Like many of his best songs, “In My Feelings” dominated as No. 1 Billboard’s Hot 100. The track received its fame from not only the catchy beat, but the viral videos that followed. Spotify rightfully crowned the track with the “song of the summer” title. The summer of 2018 will always be remembered as a simple time — people jumping out of moving vehicles and dancing in the middle of the street to record the #InMyFeelingsChallenge.
After experiencing a commercial decline the past three years, 5SOS has reversed its momentum as a boy band. “Youngblood” hangs quite nicely on Billboard’s Hot 100 due to its bass groove, electric riffs and percussion heavy stomp.
“Shallow,” is the original theme song of the romantic drama, A Star Is Born, starring Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper. The ballad is a crescendoing conversation that is centered around soft guitar picking, a 17-second song bridge, and a vocal triumph that inflicts serious chills. Thanks to co-star Gaga, Cooper made his first Billboard chart debut.
Travis Scott’s collaboration with Drake is the main attraction of Astroworld. The title is self-explanatory in the overwhelming beat change-ups like a rollercoaster with sudden twists and turns. Scott earned his fourth No. 1 on Billboard’s Rhythmic Songs Chart as well as No. 1 on Billboard’s Hot R&B/Hip Hop Chart. The rapper’s Astroworld LP debuted on the Billboard 200, racking up 270,000 traditional album sales and marking the biggest sales week of 2018.
Just a few months after the release of her album Sweetener, Ariana Grande released a surprise single that has since sat at No. 1 for four consecutive weeks. Although Grande bluntly addresses the names of her exes (Pete Davidson, Ricky Alvarez, Big Sean and Mac Miller), “thank u, next” is not the typical “dis” track. Instead she finds the value in letting go to focus on herself. It’s all “jus love, gratitude, acceptance, honesty, forgiveness … and growth,” Grande confirmed in a tweet.
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