Mix Tape of the Day: January 16, 2015 - The Best of 2013

Last week, I premiered my "Best of the Year" mixes with two looks at 2014.  Since 2014 was a lot fresher in my memory and since there was such a disconnect between what was popular and what I regularly listened to, I was able to come up with two days worth of mixes.  But for 2013 already, I'm having trouble coming up with a lot of the songs I listened to that year.  So from now on, there will only be one mix per year and any songs that didn't chart on the Hot 100 list will have to hope they end up elsewhere.  I figured I'll stick with Fridays as my "Best of the Year" days, for the most part.

So let's go back in time one year to 2013.

1. Wrecking Ball - Miley Cyrus (2013) 2013 means Miley Cyrus.  Miley Cyrus everywhere.  And, whatever your feelings are on her persona or craft, there's no denying that she held our attention for the larger part of the year.  It made it all the more difficult for me to admit that I genuinely like "Wrecking Ball."  Not in an ironic way.  I think it's a great song, especially to sing along to.  Some songs can be over-the-top emotional beasts.  Embrace them.

2. Thrift Shop - Macklemore and Ryan Lewis (2012) For all the Miley haters, it's not like the rest of 2013 was super serious.  There was still "Gangnam Style" holdover, a "Harlem Shake" epidemic, and the number one song of the year was a rap song that lampooned luxury living with a loving ode to the thrift shop.  The fact that a song like this can be #1 for an entire year is one of those reminders that humanity can really do something amazing when they work together.

3. The Fox (What Does the Fox Say?) - Ylvis (2013) Continuing with the theme of "ridiculousness," we have this silly song that actually charted for weeks as well.  Every year seems to have it's share of novelty songs, but 2013 thrived on them.

4. Cups - Anna Kendrick (2012) I'd also classify this as a novelty song.  If it wasn't for the little cup rhythmic movement, this song would not have taken off the way it did.  Not that it's a bad song, but it certainly helped that everyone wanted to record their own version of it to show that they could do it too.

5. Mama's Broken Heart - Miranda Lambert (2011) I'm not a big country fan.  We won't be seeing too much country on this list.  And one of my qualms about the Hot 100 list is that it incorporates all genres, which means that a lot of popular country music ends up edging out my favorite alternative songs.  But then it introduces me to gems like this and I don't feel so bad.

6. Royals - Lorde (2013) If 2013 taught us anything, it was that you'd never predict where the next hit was going to come from.  For those who deride pop music as being too formulaic, just look at all the outliers we got in this year.

7. Sail - Awolnation (2011) Okay, I hardly count this as a 2013 song.  I hardly even count it as a 2012 or 2011 song.  I feel as if this song has been around forever.  I was certainly listening to it since it's debut, because I am so much more familiar with this unofficial music video than the official one which just came out last year.  But, it charted in 2013, and for that I am glad.  Now I can be pleasantly surprised and hear it on the radio often.

8. Get Lucky - Daft Punk ft. Pharrell Williams (2013) 2013 was also Pharrell's big year, in which he was featured on popular retro-sounding songs.  And while I'm ignoring his other 2013 megahit (partially, anyway), we have this opportunity to appreciate his featured work.  But I still can't not hear, "We'll rob all Mexicans" during the breakdown.

9. Summertime Sadness - Lana Del Ray (2012) Technically, it was the remix that charted in 2013, but I prefer the original.  I mean, I'll enjoy the remix if that's all that's available to me on the radio, but sometimes you should let a sad song stay sad.  It resonated with me the first time I heard it and it has stayed with me every summer.  But now I can't feature it on my summer mix!  Oh well, it'll be more upbeat that way.

10. I Will Wait - Mumford & Sons (2012) We knew twangy indie bands would ultimately take over, but this was the first song of that genre I truly appreciated.  Since love is one big waiting game, I can't help but hear this song whenever I think back on my past loves.  And in my own personal rewrite of the How I Met Your Mother finale, you can bet that this would be the song that played over the final scene.

11. Clarity - Zedd ft. Foxes (2012) I really enjoy this one, but lately I've been hearing the word "parody" every time she says "clarity," and now I want someone to record a parody version about song parodies called, "Parody." Update: Looks like my prayers have been answered! Um...anyone else want to try?

12. 22 - Taylor Swift (2012) Weird how Taylor Swift is 25 now and just last year she was 22.  Anyway, I remember when this came out in 2012 and it reminded me that Taylor's still got it.  Even though the brilliance of 1989 just two years ahead of her, she still showed that she could produce a quality hit.  And by quality hit, I meant one whose lyrics I constantly quote every day for some reason.  I'm always feeling like a 22-year-old hipster, I guess.

13. Best Song Ever - One Direction (2013) Of course, I have to end with the best song ever.

Mix Tape of the Day: January 9, 2015 - The Best of 2014, Part 1: Billboard Hot 100 Edition

Okay, so I wanted to start doing some year specific mixes, and I figured while we are still in the New Year's haze, 2014 would be a great place to start.  Today, I'm picking my 13 favorites from the Billboard Hot 100 Year-End Chart (as it's a helpful guide to see what was popular in each year, to capture that year's "sound").  Any favorite songs that didn't chart will appear on tomorrow's Best of 2014 list. (Also, if a song appeared on a previous year's chart, I'll consider it for that year.)

1. Shake It Off - Taylor Swift (2014) Of course, we're starting with "Shake It Off."  2014's theme seemed to be self-empowerment.  As we shook off the liars and the haters and the dirty, dirty cheats of the world, we found ourselves surrounded by optimism and joy at every turn.  Thank you, Taylor Swift, for everything.

2. Happy - Pharrell Williams (2013) You could tell that 2014 was going to be the year of positivity when it's first hit song was called "Happy."  I almost didn't include this song since it's been overplayed.  But then I remembered how happy I was when I first saw that 24-hour music video, and I knew it belonged.

3. Let It Go - Adele Dazeem (2013) Shake it off.  Be happy.  Let it go.  This playlist speaks for itself.  (And no, I never got sick of this song because...well, I hadn't seen the movie yet, so it just seemed like a recurring taste of something grand.)  And hey! When was the last time a Disney song was all the rage on the radio?!

4. Turn Down for What - DJ Snake and Lil Jon (2013) And once you let it go, you just get silly.  It may be the stupidest song that came out last year, but sometimes we need that stupid.

5. All About That Bass - Meghan Trainor (2014) So, I was stuck at 12 songs for a long time.  Nothing was really leaping at me for being absolutely necessary.  And then I remembered that despite all its flaws, I thoroughly enjoyed "All About That Bass" the first time I heard it.  It was (mostly) positive and progressive and it reminded me of my favorite musical Hairspray.  All songs should aspire to do that.

6. Come with Me Now - Kongos (2011) It's always great when songs are suddenly pulled out of years of obscurity and shared with the masses.  This was one of the few alternative favorites of mine that managed to chart on the Hot 100.

7. Team - Lorde (2013) This isn't my favorite Lorde track of 2014 (come back tomorrow for that one) but it's refreshing to have someone like Lorde as a pop star.  Hearing her voice and words on the radio always makes me feel content.  Something about her perspective of the world just makes sense.

8. Cool Kids - Echosmith (2013) Okay, we're getting into less positive territory now.  But hey, being a teenager isn't always the most positive experience.  What I like about this song is that everyone can relate to feeling this feeling at some point in their lives, so there is the implied message that it all gets better once we realize that being "cool" is all relative.

9. Pompeii - Bastille (2013) Even if you're two poor citizens of a doomed city, at least you can have a great theme to score the surrounding destruction.  Yes, this one has a more pessimistic vibe, but it also delights in irony and sarcasm, so if that isn't positivity in the face of adversity, I don't know what is.

10. Story of My Life - One Direction (2013) We shall finish off this mix by dealing with heartbreak because all years have heartbreak.  Got to have some bad times in order to stay positive.  One Direction takes a mature, refined look at an ending relationship, resulting in me putting One Direction on my Best of 2014 mix.

11. Say Something - A Great Big World and Christina Aguilera (2013) For a more pained take on a crumbling relationship, A Great Big World presents this masterpiece.  I originally opted to put just their solo version of it on the mix, but I realized that it needs Aguilera's voice to make it that much more powerful.  Both versions are great, but this duet makes the heartache more brutal and universal.

12. Chandelier - Sia (2014) And once again, when you feel so much pain from what the world has dealt you, you just have to break free and let loose.

13. Love Runs Out - One Republic (2013) We've had our heartbreak.  We've run around and shouted and let it go!  And now, we start anew.  New life, new loves, and then we'll do it all over again.  Apparently, this song was held back from being a single because it had no chorus/verse structure.  Instead it just built in intensity repeatedly, over and over again.  Um, that's how you make the best song of 2014!