Year in Review: The Best Songs of 2016

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Alyssa Bardol
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Song: “Work From Home (Feat. Ty Dolla $ign)”
Artist: Fifth Harmony
Album: 7/27
Label: Epic 
Released: February 26

Skyrocketing the girls of Fifth Harmony to even more success, “Work From Home” is triple platinum in the United States and has over a billion streams on YouTube. With effortless harmonies, a groove that makes you dance, and a very fitting feature of Ty Dolla $ign, it’s a no brainer that this sexy and playful hit from Fifth Harmony is the song that truly left a mark on 2016.

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Song: “Still”
Artist: G-Eazy
Album: N/A
Label: RCA
Released: November 25

G-Eazy’s latest release “Still” is a haunting tell-all about his recent skyrocket to fame. Greatly contrasting his recent chart-topping hits, the song displays a more vulnerable side of the rapper. His fears of falling off the map after his sudden rise to fame, issues with anxiety, and hopes to never sell out are laid out on the table.

The song ends with an eerie outro from Ashley Rose, in which she preaches to the rapper that it will only get better amidst his never-ending stressors and worries pertaining to his career, and with her I have to agree: G-Eazy is only getting better.

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Song: “24K Magic”
Artist: Bruno Mars
Album: 24K Magic
Label: Atlantic
Released: October 7

He’s back….. And better than ever. This fall, Bruno Mars dropped his first single since 2014 and let me tell you, it is the feel-good anthem of the year. The energy of his new single “24K Magic” is strikingly reminiscent of Prince, and following the funk music legend’s death this year, there is one positive thing that can definitely be said: the future of funk music has a name and it is Bruno Mars. And I can’t wait for it.

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Song: “The Sound”
Artist: The 1975
Album: I like it when you sleep, for you are so beautiful yet so unaware of it
Label: Dirty Hit/Interscope 
Released: February 19

Channeling some funky eighties vibes, The 1975 did it again. Despite being on the fence about the band’s unexpected change of style announced by lead singer Matty Healy last year, this song can be described most accurately as ear candy.

With a melody you just can’t get out of your head, a beat that makes you move, and the fusion of pop and funk they evidently have mastered, the song is misleading in its meaning: although sounding refreshing and upbeat, it tells the story of a relationship Matty just isn’t over.

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Song: “Bad Things”
Artist: Machine Gun Kelly and Camila Cabello
Album: N/A
Label: Bad Boy/Interscope
Released: October 14

Sampling the 1998 Fastball track “Out of My Mind,” rapper Machine Gun Kelly and Fifth Harmony songstress Camila Cabello tell the story of two lovers content in their sexually-charged, yet complicated ways.

Flawlessly produced by The Futuristics, Cabello’s effortless vocals steal the show and are soaring this song to the top of the charts, as it debuted on Billboard’s Top 100 at 31 and continues to rise.