20) Take Me To The Light (Feat. Bon Iver & Kanye West) – Francis and the Lights

This sounds so much like the last collaboration between these three artists, Friends in 2016, that some may wish for something a bit more original. That was my favourite song of that year so I really don’t care. This still sounds glorious to me and is the best individual track by any of these artists in 2019.

 

19) Sunday – Foals

Sunday is a gloriously sweeping rock mid tempo deserving of a sing along as lead singer Yannis delivers some of the best vocals on the album. That’s until about 3 minutes in when it explodes into a storming 90s dance track with vocals that sound like they’re on a the Trainspotting soundtrack. It’s bonkers and I absolutely love it. Foals have been my biggest new discovery of 2019 and Sunday is the song that sold me.

18) Own It (Feat. Ed Sheeran & Burna Boy) – Stormzy

Stormzy and Burna Boy are a match made in music heaven. Stormzy’s verse here sounds amazing against the dancehall sound of the production. Of course everything was going to be much more produced this time around for an artist who absolutely exploded onto the scene over the last few years, Own It being the best example of how that can be a very good thing. Even Ed Sheeran sounds better here than on his other #1 hit with Stormzy, Take Me Back to London, this is an obvious classic for me.

17) Talk – Khalid

Khalid’s best song stands out in 2019 for its simplicity. The bleeps and bloops of the production allow Talk to be oozing with smooth soul. It’s so unassuming as a hit. the sort of song that comes on and I’d only remember just how much I love it by the end.

 

 

16) Wish You Well – Sigala & Becky Hill

Wish You Well is the complete opposite of Talk. This is out and out sound the alarm for a POP MEGABANGER time. Wish You Well goes OFF like nothing else in 2019 thanks to the current queen of Dance track vocals Becky Hill delivering a ridiculously massive performance on here. The way the lyrics ‘Cause honestly, your loyalties, insecurities
And priorities ain’t the same’ falls against the beat is pure pop genius.

 

15) A Palé – ROSALÍA

ROSALÍA is the most interesting new artist of the last few years and A Palé is an equally baffling, intriguing and immediately satisfying song that arrives and goes within 2 minutes. Flamenco handclaps against screeching bass and synth noise has never sounded so good. Every time I had A Palé lodged in a playlist with seemingly ‘normal chart music’ it clearly stands out, in all of the right ways.

 

14) Mine Right Now – Sigrid

There’s so much pure joy in Mine Right Now, but it’s a song that’s literally about realising that you probably aren’t going to be with your significant other forever, so it’s probably worth living in the moment. Sigrid has this canny ability of making songs built around sad emotional times into massive joyful pop bangers, Mine Right Now was the best one she released in 2019.

 

13) Don’t Start Now – Dua Lipa

You can’t even say that Dua Lipa is having to ‘prove’ herself at this point, New Rules, Be The One, IDGAF and One Kiss say hi, but my god does she prove a point here. Everything has been turned up to 11 on a song that only gets better with every listen. Every chorus brings something new, an ad lib here or there, the cowbell(!), the strings near the end. By the time you reach the middle 8 breakdown of a breathy ‘Don’t Start Now’ the song has become a modern disco classic. Maybe even her best song yet.

12) Let You – Cheryl

Let You is absolutely massive. Let You is Cheryl’s best song. Yes. Better than Call My Name. The piano on the lyric ‘When am I gonna get mine’; perfect. The vocal production on the second chorus; perfect. The bit where Cheryl goes ‘tika doo doo doo’ on the middle 8; perfect. I am still amazed at how good this song is and the fact I don’t know a single other person who has even heard it…

 

11) Be Fine – Madeon

I heard Be Fine for the first time while waiting for one of the Apple Music interviews where the guest is clearly running really late, or they haven’t finished editing the segments together yet, where it was played while they waited. I was astounded by this song. It’s produced in a way that brings every element to life that bit more. The choir sounds even more alive, the pings of guitar that bit sharper, the screeching siren before each chorus that bit more electric. A discovery that has been lodged in my head ever since I heard it by chance.

Click below to see numbers 10-01:

Top 40 Singles: 40-31
Top 40 Singles: 30-21
Top 40 Singles: 10-1