If you’ve been feeling nostalgic recently, why not remind yourself of the top songs from 2014?
Well, we’ve got you covered, because today, we will be looking at the most iconic songs from 2014. All in all, 2014 was quite a strange year for music. Lots of artists were experimenting with many different styles and there wasn’t really a “feeling” of that era – unlike previous eras. In the 90s you had grunge, in the 2000s you had “gangster rap”, but in the 2010s you had well… nothing in particular really?
While you’re at it, consider checking out our previous article about the top songs from 2012. 2012 was an interesting year, it was the year the world was supposed to end… But seeing as we’re still here, maybe that was a load of bull after all. And thankfully so, there’s so much cooler music nowadays.
But let’s not ramble on for too long. So, without further ado. Let’s look at some classics from 2014.
The Top Songs From 2014
- Pharrell Williams – Happy
If you’re like me, you’re anything but happy after listening to this song. I have my personal reasons for loathing this song. But most others just loath it because of how much it was being played on the radio and well, everywhere practically. It’s almost guaranteed that if a song reaches #1 on the billboards then it’s going to be ingrained into your subconscious for the rest of your life. - Katy Perry Feat. Juicy J – Dark Horse
This song wasn’t the song that put Katy Perry on the scene, as she was already active for a few years. But by god, did this song blow up! Everything about this song was just the perfect blend for success. The music video, the lyrics, the melody, and the beat in the background. No wonder it was being played on the air for months after it aired. - All of Me – John Legend
“All of Me” goes to show that pop or rap doesn’t always take the spotlight on the billboards. Sometimes, you need something more mellow and full of spirit. And this song offers just that. A classic tune that definitely earned its spot. - Fancy – Iggy Azalea feat. Charli XCX
I’ll be the first one to say, this song has possibly one of the most iconic beats in rap history. And that chorus sung by Charli XCX is just so catchy, it had everyone in 2014 singing it. Sadly, Iggy’s career dipped after her first album, but this song… it had so much potential. - Counting Stars – OneRepublic
Counting Stars is an interesting song. You’d more often find it nowadays in remixes and edits than in the original form. Still, it has that perfect recipe for success. It’s catchy, it gets into your head, and the melody is easy to follow. No wonder so many remixes came out of it. - Talk Dirty – Jason Derulo feat. 2 Chainz
“Talk Dirty” was the club hit of 2014. You couldn’t walk into a club without hearing this song at least a few times in the night. The hook with the trumpet is so catchy, mixing Balkan vibes with Haitian tunes. Plus it features 2 Chainz, and let’s be honest, nobody hates 2 Chainz. - Rude – Magic!
All of these lists have to include at least one cheesy love song… This is that cheesy love song. But like all cheesy love songs, no matter how much we may say we hate them, deep down – they’re our guilty pleasure. Every guitarist was trying to learn this song on acoustic to sing it at parties. Such were the times. - All About That Bass – Meghan Trainor
Meghan was a visionary. She envisioned BBLs before they became popular. Jokes aside though. Other than being a catchy song, it’s an anthem for body positivity. When it came out this song was constantly on the air, and I can’t blame it, it’s catchy. - Problem – Ariana Grande feat. Iggy Azalea
“Problem” comes from Ariana’s second album, “My Everything”. This Nickelodeon star turned pop singer really entered the scene with a wrecking ball. After this, her career just kept going up and upward. Plus it features Iggy Azalea, an artist that we already talked about previously in the list. - Stay With Me – Sam Smith
Another sentimental song for this list. After all, life can’t always be sunshine and rainbows. And this song portrays a sincere emotion that everyone who’s been in love has felt at least once. A song that’s definitely earned its spot. - Timber – Pitbull feat. Kesha
- Pompeii – Bastille
- Shake it Off – Taylor Swift
- Am I Wrong – Nico & Vinz
- Turn Down for What – DJ Snake and Lil Jon
- The Monster – Eminem feat. Rihanna
- Say Something – A Great Big World and Christina Aguilera
- Team – Lorde
- Let Her Go – Passenger
- Royals – Lorde
- Let it Go – Idina Menzel
- Wake Me Up – Avicii
- Demons – Imagine Dragons
- Story of My Life – One Direction
- Chandelier – Sia
- Black Window – Iggy Azalea feat. Rita Ora
- Bang Bang – Jessie J, Ariana Grande, and Nicki Minaj
- Latch – Disclosure feat. Sam Smith
- Maps – Maroon 5
- Loyal – Christ Brown feat. Lil Wayne and French Montana or Too Short or Tyga
- Best Day of My Life – American Authors
- Habits (Stay High) – Tove Lo
- Summer – Calvin Harris
- Boom Clap – Charli XCX
- Drunk in Love – Beyonce feat. Jay-Z
- Anaconda – Nicki Minaj
- Break Free – Ariana Grande feat. Zedd
- Bailando – Enrique Inglesias feat. Descemer Bueno and Gente de Zona
- Burn – Ellie Goulding
- Wiggle – Jason Derulo feat. Snoop Dogg
- Rather Be – Clean Bandit feat. Jess Glynne
- Don’t Tell ‘Em – Jeremih feat. YG
- Show Me – Kid Ink feat. Chris Brown
- Wrecking Ball – Miley Cyrus
- Not a Bad Thing – Justin Timberlake
- Roar – Katy Perry
- Ain’t It Fun – Paramore
- The Man – Aloe Blacc
- This Is How We Roll – Florida Georgia Line feat. Luke Bryan
- Classic – MKTO
- A Sky Full of Stars – Coldplay
- Don’t – Ed Sheeran
- Na Na – Trey Songz
- Hot Boy – Bobby Shmurda
- Hold On, We’re Going Home – Drake feat. Majid Jordan
- Sing – Ed Sheeran
- Radioactive – Imagine Dragons
- My Hitta – YG feat. Jezzy and Rich Homie Quan
- Cool Kids – Echosmith
- Hey Brother – Avicii
- Trumpets – Jason Derulo
- Animals – Maroon 5
- Burnin’ It Down – Jason Aldean
- Play it Again – Luke Bryan
- 2 On – Tinashe feat. ScHoolboy Q
- Dirt – Florida Georgia Line
- Love Runs Out – OneRepublic
- Bottoms Up – Brantley Gilbert
- Shower – Becky G
- Me and My Broken Heart – Rixton
- Animals – Martin Garrix
- Lifestyle – Rich Gang feat. Young Thug and Rich Homie Quan
- American Kids – Kenny Chesney
- Brave – Sara Bareilles
- Sweater Weather – The Neighborhood
- Leave the Night On – Sam Hunt
- New Flame – Christ Brown feat. Usher and Rick Ross
- Love Never Felt So Good – Michael Jackson and Justin Timberlake
- Drunk on a Plane – Dierks Bentley
- Birthday – Katy Perry
- Bartender – Lady Antebellum
- La La La – Naughty Boy feat. Sam Smith
- Blurred Lines – Robin Thicke feat. T.I. and Pharell Williams
- Do What U Want – Lady Gaga feat. R. Kelly
- Can’t Remember to Forget You – Shakira feat. Rihanna
- Amnesia – 5 Seconds of Summer
- No Mediocre – T.I feat. Iggy Azalea
- Come With Me Now – KONGOS
- Believe Me – Lil Wayne feat. Drake
- 23 – Mike WiLL Made-It feat. Miley Cyrus, Wiz Khalifa, and Juicy J
- Beachin’ – Jake Owen
- White Walls – Macklemore & Ryan Lewis feat. ScHoolboy Q and Hollis
- She Looks So Perfect – 5 Seconds of Summer
- Stay the Night – Zedd feat. Hayley Williams
- Partition – Beyonce
- Studio – Schoolboy Q feat. BJ the Chicago Kid
- 0 to 100 / The Catch Up – Drake
- I Don’t Dance – Lee Brice
- Something Bad – Miranda Lambert and Carrie Underwood
- Adore You – Miley Cyrus
Finishing Comments
If you saw a song on here and went “Hey, shouldn’t that be higher?”. Then that’s perfectly understandable, there were a lot of memorable songs from 2014 that didn’t make the top 10. That’s because of the way Billboard calculates the top 100 songs for the year. They take the data from Nielsen Broadcast Data Systems and from Sound Scan. What this means is that they take the number of plays on the air a song received and rank it based on that. Even if you remember one song more fondly than another, that might be just because your local radio station preferred that song over another.
All in all, 2014 was a strong year for music. With many artists appearing multiple times on the list, Katy Perry is one that comes to mind, Drake is another. Artists that are still going strong to this day. With good reason too.