About 20 days to go before we usher in the year 2020. Now time again to recap my personal top song choices of 2019. As usual, this list is once more a mix of genres, and always a reflection of different moods and moments that encapsulate this year. A lot of these songs have lorded the airwaves and made it to the top of other people's choices as well while some didn't quite hit mainstream yet somehow played itself into my bloodstream. Yes, music is always personal anyway. Some songs we keep hearing on the radio or streamed online and lodged itself on our waking moments, while there are those tunes we hear that speak to our hearts. These are the songs that personally magnified, enhanced or inspired my mood for the year. Songs that also fueled my emotions, worthy of belting out inside my inner sanctuary (a.k.a. bathroom or acoustic chamber). And it's wonderful how certain songs are also worth dancing to. here they are in no particular order..
1)Dancing with a Stranger - Sam Smith & Normani
this song kind of set the mood for 2019. catchy but with the heartbreak-y undertones. Vocals of Normani & Sam Smith really take the music to another level. Perfect for those moments while you're swaying to its beat as silent tears fall from your eyes.
2) Nights Like This - Kehlani/Ty Dolla $ign - a song that is about pining for an ex whom you no longer can have. there is something about the tune- that's mid-tempo and just the right mellow R& B that fits Kehlani's voice just so well.
3) bad guy - Billie Eilish - this is the wunderkind of music. Who could have known she's only 17 years old yet making the kind of songs that just shake the status quo. Not the sweetie pop, none of those teen angst and sappy teenage love songs for this young lady. there's a bit of Lorde & Alanis in the vibe of her music. Always fun to listen to when you just don't know what she's gonna say next kind of song.
4) Trip - Ella Mai - she's gotta be the princess of R&B this 2019. The vocals that match catchy & jazzy tune of this song is really worth the sound trip (pun intended). I feel that there should be more of these types of song on the mainstream radio. And the music video intro with the turntable and vinyl playing = perfect.
5) Shot Clock - Ella Mai - I love the reference to basketball. Being a basketball fan, song definitely got my attention. Plus, it's always nice listening to Ella Mai's voice. This song is perfect for giving the ultimatum to your guy when he seems stuck in the status quo - and if you want to take the relationship further along or else let other guys take a shot. Love it.
6) Find U Again - Camila Cabello/Mark Ronson - a kind of groovv sound fit for partying at a club. even if the song is about pining for an ex that one can no longer have. simply catchy, the kind of vibe that makes you sway slowly, glass of wine or whiskey in hand with a hope that it cures your heartache. A song that lets you dance the pain away.
7) Señorita - Camila Cabello/Shawn Mendes - this has gotta be another Camila year (and with a Time cover to boot!) and finally a culmination of the love affair between these two talented young artists. I like the Spanish vibe simply because I also love it when you call me Señorita. A song that you can easily dance to, something that just feels good and not let you overthink things. And I also love the vocals of both singers.
8) 7 Rings - Ariana Grande - this had me at the intro sampling of Sound of Music - 'my Favorite things' tune. Plus will always be partial to Ariana's vocal prowess. Each time she comes out with a song, there's always a great chance of it landing among my year-end songs of the year. This definitely makes me say 'I see it, I like it; I want it, I got it'., yeah, you got it.. also an ideal theme song for the Add-to-cart troops (read: online shoppers) LOL
9) needy - Ariana Grande - this young lady never fails to satisfy my musical cravings. And it's not only about her voice but the meaning of the song. in a world where people can often get criticized for being too needy, this song tells how it feels good to be needed and also how it's perfectly okay and normal to need someone. that craving we all feel for something and someone special.
10) Good Thing - Kehlani - the song pays homage to all the singles out there. Single ladies who aren't really looking for the other half (Yet!). Just simply enjoying what she has knowing she already have the best that life can offer. So let no one tell her that he's got something good to offer coz chances are, she's got better and she is the best. periodt.
11) Lover - Taylor Swift - a relaxing tune from this artist of the decade- sort of coming back to her old days on this one and deviating from the rants of the past months. In this song you can actually picture yourself on a house by the countryside with you and your lover sitting on the steps of the balcony just enjoying a quiet time. Listening to the song seems to evoke an image of you and him spending the wee hours of the morning holding hands and having a sublime experience staring at the stars right after new year's celebration.
12) hooked/ good lover - Jess Connelly I just love the vibe of this song. a perfect backdrop to all that the heart wants to say. soothing, with a hint of R&B and a voice that matches the beautiful face of the singer. it's about enjoying the moment with someone and not caring at all if it's for keeps. I couldn't quite find the title previously but been LSS'ing on this song for weeks since late October to early December. We need more of these on the airwaves. I'm just hooked.
13) Sucker - Jonas Brothers - this had me at the lines 'and you're making a typical me break my typical rules'. That kind of feeling when you're just too enamored with someone that everything he says is like a mantra for you to follow..yeah coz I'm just a sucker for romance.. and a sucker for this song. Didn't help that you got those cute brothers belting out those lines. But then I also like Halsey's cover of this song that she performed live on BBC Radio One. Either way this song definitely does not suck.
14) Please me - Bruno Mars/Cardi B - an R & B collaboration that also helped set the tone of my musical inclinations this 2019. Bruno Mars and his old soul, channeling the Motown vibe and perfectly molding it as his own. The soft, sensual vibe and ably lent with a rough around the edges rap of Cardi B just pleases me all throughout.
15) Talk - Khalid - okay, I admit being slightly more partial to some soul & R&B tunes and this one fit to a T when it comes to the genre. The lazy drawl of Khalid combined with some catchy beat and electric synths reminiscent of the 80s just makes you want to stop the talk and listen in rapt attention.
16) Without Me - Halsey - there is a raw emotion in the song that makes you realize how some of the best pop tunes often come from heartaches. This is clearly the case in Without Me, where Halsey sings about that relationship that clearly broke her heart. of that someone whom she helped who took advantage of her. Ouch. When someone sings about that, you can simply empathize or even enjoy the music.
16) Juicy - Doja Cat - the song is not only juicy, catchy and flirty but offers a self-love kind of vibe. A kind of a playful song but with a deeper message - a message to oneself to flaunt your beauty and realize that you have what it takes. Yeah, that body confidence kind of thing.
17) Kill this Love - Blackpink - there's only a few K-pop acts I enjoy listening to as sometimes I find a lot of them almost mimicking each other. But Blackpink is among those groups that stand out most especially that they are a girl group when most of the success stories we see of Korean pop groups are males. This song initially didn't catch my attention but it is the kind that when you get to listen to the 3rd time or so somehow endears itself to your ears. Also helped that there's an EDM mixed with hip-hop and rap that perks up the ear drums. Nice to dance to and really a pick-me-up kind of song you just can't kill the vibe. So hooray to Lisa, Jisoo, Jennie and Rosé.
18) Boy with Luv - BTS/Halsey - now that we're into the subject of K-Pop, this group needs no further intro. And then collaborating with Halsey suddenly made it such a great hit. I kind of like how it combines the grooves that BTS is known for yet managed to insert something new into the mix - that somehow recaptures certain songs in the 80s or early 90s. Proof that music spans generations, genres and generalizations.
19) Harleys in Hawaii - Katy Perry - I first heard this song sometime after my birthday this year. And it took me back to the summer days. Like literally rewinding the months from September to March-April days. All the mention of Hawaii of course would bring images of the beach and cool cocktails. There's that guitar riff at the start then sliding on to a faster tempo as Katy sings a sultry sonata for a loved one. Now if I can't yet fly to Hawaii and ride Harleys, I won't mind riding a Ducati in Makati, yes and with this song still playing in the background as we speed up on our own heart-shaped highway.
21) Selos - the vowels they orbit - this indie-pop rock band's song somehow wove its way into my consciousness as it constantly played on the radio mid-year. And I like how it playfully tackled a rather tricky emotion- jealousy. The song talks about the distress one feels on a love-triggered emotion that affects the mood big time. I love the part when the lead vocalist sang 'ipapaanod na ba sa alak, baka sakali may makita pang ngiti..' anyone who has ever felt jealous would so relate.
22) Circles - Post Malone - a sad song but will always be drawn to the theme. As I said some of the best songs often are written when there's a painful or sad episode in life. And this one is about that relationship when you want the one you're with to just call it off as you're just both going around in circles. Yet no one is making the first move to say goodbye. When one doesn't want to be blamed for causing the break-up so you just go on and on in circles. and so that's how it got this song playing on loop
There are other songs I've enjoyed immensely throughout the year and some new ones just coming in. but these are just a shortlist of what I mostly listen to on Spotify or watched on YouTube or listen to on the radio. Songs that captured the attitude of the moment.
Until then.. let's keep on playing, singing, dancing and listening to music through 2020 and beyond!!
