John's Music World's Top 50 Pop Songs of 2017

Hello and welcome to John's Music World's annual list of the best of pop songs for the year 2017.  I promise you that my list is completely different from any other list you will see because it's all based on my own musical taste, which I can attest is usually spot on.  Of course many of the tunes on this list have been spotlighted in my daily Song of the Day posts, but some have not.  In any case, they all made their mark in the year 2017 in one way of another, so check it out...  

#50 - Slow Hands - Niall Horan

The year 2017 was a year for the boys of One Direction to branch out on their own and show us what they've got as solo artists.  All five of the guys, Harry Styles, Zayn Malik, Liam Payne, Louis Tomlinson and Niall Horan all released new music this year, to varied success both commercially and musically.  Horan's album, Flicker,  was released in October and got mostly favorable reviews.  To me, the album's got an American country flavor to it, as you can see on Slow Hands, the album's second single... 

#49 - Glorious - Macklemore, feat. Skylar Grey

Seattle rapper Macklemore has really come into his own in 2017.  Having released a solo album, Gemini, he's cemented his type of music...fun, funky and oftentimes inspirational.  The first single on the album fits the bill in all of these ways.  Check out Glorious on YouTube.

#48 - Personal - The Vamps, Maggie Lindemann

I'm so happy to have discovered the U.K. band The Vamps this year.  After falling in love with theirs and Connor Maynard's mash-up of Ed Sheeran's Shape of You, I took notice and discovered that these guys make some pretty darned good music on their own.  I'm actually surprised that they haven't made too much of a splash here in the States...yet.  One of their latest, featuring singer Maggie Lindemann, is pop music at it's best.  Check out the video for Personal right here.

#47 - Back To You - Louis Tomlinson, feat. Bebe Rexha, Digital Farm Animals

Louis Tomlinson's second solo single features Albanian singer Bebe Rexha and though it took a little while to grow on me, grow on me it did.  Check out Back to You.

#46 - Crybaby - Paloma Faith

I'd never really had British singer Paloma Faith on my radar, though I had heard of her before the release of this beautiful, catchy single.  Definitely one of my favorite songs of the year.  Check out Crybaby...

#45 - Intrigued - Nico & Vinz

Norwegian duo Nico & Vinz don't make a lot of hits, but when they do, they are so good.  Intrigued was their latest entry for 2017 to hit my musical consciousness and it is so dramatic.  Check it out on John's Music World.

#44 - Something to Hold On To - Emily Warren

This beautiful and tender ballad by singer/songwriter Emily Warren never gained much traction, but it is very deserving of attention.  Check out my Song of the Day post for Something to Hold On To from August.

#43 - What Lovers Do - Maroon 5, SZA

Now I've never been a huge fan of Maroon 5, but their latest album, Red Pill Blues, has me singing a different tune.  What Lovers Do, the first single off the record, is the also the first of two Maroon 5 songs on this countdown.  Such a happy, ear-pleasing tune.  Check it out...

#42 - How Long - Charlie Puth

The very talented singer/songwriter Charlie Puth put out what I feel is his best song as a solo artist.  Check out the catchy How Long on John's Music World.

#41 - Wolves - Selena Gomez

Selena Gomez' latest release is a very personal and uplifting tune that's worthy of a place on this countdown.  Check out Wolves on John's Music World.

#40 - Symphony - Clean Bandit, feat. Zara Larsson

Zara Larsson is the biggest new thing to come out of Sweden.  With several hit singles coming off her first international album, So Good, she's become one to watch in the months and years ahead. This collaboration with British production group Clean Bandit is simply sweet!  Check out Symphony...

#39 - Castle On the Hill - Ed Sheeran

The year 2017 brought Ed Sheeran into the stratosphere, and here's the second monster single from his smash third album, Divide.  Check out Castle On the Hill.

#38 - Sit Next to Me - Foster the People

Foster the People revealed a brand new sound in 2017 and the results were stellar.   Check out #38 on this countdown of the best of 2017 on John's Music World.

#37 - This Town - Kygo, feat. Sasha Sloane

Kygo is another artist who's had a big year, with several stellar tunes off his Stargazing EP and Kids In Love album.  Great stuff!  Check out the beautiful This Town on YouTube.

#36 - Good Old Days - Macklemore, Kesha

Kesha and Macklemore both had stellar years in 2017, and they're celebrating with a joint tour next summer.  Here's a collaboration that's simply stellar!  Check out Good Old Days...

#35 - Sexy Dirty Love - Demi Lovato

Demi Lovato's Sexy Dirty Love is a song I didn't want to like, probably because of the title, but it's a song that just sticks in your head long, long after a listen.  Check it out on John's Music World.

#34 - Kiwi - Harry Styles

She worked her way through a cheap pack of cigarettes

Hard liquor mixed with a bit of intellect

And all the boys, they were saying they were into it

Such a pretty face, on a pretty neck

Hands down my favorite album of the year is Harry Styles debut solo record.  The album is full of masterfully woven tunes from a variety of genres and this hard rocking jam is one of its best.  Check out Kiwi...

#33 - Mercy - Shawn Mendes

Shawn Mendes is such a talent, and he's another artist who had a lot of success in 2017, with three consecutive top twenty singles, including this one, which peaked at #15 on Billboard's Hot 100.  Check out Mercy on John's Music World.

#32 - Cut to the Feeling - Carly Rae Jepson

You all remember Carly Rae Jepson, don't you?  Though she's never quite reached the pinnacle of the music world since her 2012 smash Call Me Maybe, she has put out several minor hits.  This one, from earlier in the year, is downright catchy and pleasing.  Check out my Song of the Day post for Cut to the Feeling.

#31 - Kids In Love - Kygo, feat. The Night Game

Here's the title cut to Kygo's latest record, Kids In Love.  I could swear this one samples The Who's Baba O'Riley.   Check out Kids In Love.

#30 - Let Me Go - Hailee Steinfeld, Alesso, Florida Georgia Line

I fell in love with the music of actress turned singer Hailee Steinfeld this year.  It seems she's got a knack for making great pop songs, and this collaboration with deejay/producer Alesso and country music duo Florida Georgia Line is da bomb.  Check out Let Me Go...

#29 - Told You So - Miguel

Miguel is a new artist to me that just came under my radar this year and he put out several songs that I just love.  Check out this funky funky tune on John's Music World.

#28 - Show Me - John Splithoff, feat. Madison Ryann Ward

Now here's one you'll probably only see and hear on this blog.  I first posted it early on in my New Music Fridays column back in July and I haven't had anyone not love it who I played it for.  The song is by indie recording artist John Splithoff and has all the elements of a great love song...great vocals, great melody, great, great song.  Check out a live acoustic performance of it here and an audio of the original song on John's Music World.

#27 - Help Me Out - Maroon 5, Julia Michaels

The second entry from Maroon 5 is another pleasant tune with a little bit of an island feel to it.  The vocals of Adam Levine and Julia Michaels blend very well together and you can probably catch em performing the sweet tune on tour next year.  Check out Help Me Out.

#26 - Generous - Olivia Holt

Another actress turned singer, Olivia Holt, put out this infectious, fun little ditty and the video is just as naughtily delicious.  Check out Generous...

#25 - Blood In the Cut - K. Flay

Modern day Alanis Morrissette.  That's what I think of when I think of young singer and her song Blood in the Cut.  This is another song that you won't see on any other list, but ooh, it's so deserving of your attention.  Check out this hard-rocking anthem...

#24 - Havana - Camila Cabello, feat. Young Thug

Here's a scorching, Latin-tinged tune that I found curiously attracted to the very first time I heard it.  This woman is going to be a star!  Check out the dramatic, humorous novela of a video for Havana right here.

#23 - Bad Liar - Selena Gomez

The second of three entries for Selena Gomez is a funky, hypnotic jam that always gets me going.  Check out Bad Liar.

#22 - Love So Soft - Kelly Clarkson

The year 2017 saw the return of Kelly Clarkson with her 8th studio album, Meaning of Life, and the record's debut single proved to us all that she's still got it...a strong, soulful voice, and a keen ear for great music.  Check out Love So Soft.

#21 - He Like That - Fifth Harmony

Pumps and a bump

Fifth Harmony, sans Camila Cabello, released their third studio album and it's biggest hit has got just the catchiest hook.  Check out He Like That.

#20 - Hot Damn - The Shadowboxers

Now here's a song that if you hit play, you're just gonna love it.  If it reminds you of Justin Timberlake, then well you'd be 100% spot on.  These boys are signed to J.T.'s label and boy do they carry that same kind of funky soul.  Check out Hot Damn.

#19 - Mi Gente - J. Balvin, Willy William, feat. Beyoncé

Mi Gente is one of those hot Spanish songs that comes along only once in awhile.  With hypnotic rhythms, hot vocals and even a guest spot by none other than Beyoncé, this one is one of the hottest tunes of the year.  Check out Mi Gente...

#18 - Move You - Kelly Clarkson

The second single off of Kelly Clarkson's Meaning of Life is a ballad that simply moves me.  Check out Move You.

#17 - Younger Now - Miley Cyrus

We were treated to a brand new, more mature sound from one Miley Cyrus, whose album Younger Now is chock full of thoughtful, quality tunes, including this, the title track.  Check out Younger Now on John's Music World.

#16 - Stay - Zedd, Alessia Cara

Alessia Cara is such a rising star, and though she'd been basking in the success of her debut record, Know It All, that didn't stop her from making one of the hottest songs of the year with deejay/producer Zedd.  Check out the anthemic Stay on John's Music World.

#15 - Your Song - Rita Ora

Rita Ora is a fresh voice on the music scene, at least here in the States.  This lead single to her second studio album became Ora's 9th top ten single in her native U.K. and is so worthy of this high spot on this countdown.  With a sweet melody and even sweeter vocals, you're going to love it if you don't already.  Check out Your Song...

#14 - Most Girls - Hailee Steinfeld

Oh yeah, I became a super fan of Hailee Steinfeld this year.  This song is so catchy, I wish it had done better than it actually did, only peaking at #58 on Billboard's Hot 100.  Check out Most Girls on a Song of the Day post from May.

#13 - It Ain't Me - Kygo, Selena Gomez

Two of the biggest stars of 2017 collaborated on one of the year's best pop dance anthems.  Check out It Ain't Me on a Best of 2017 Song of the Day.

#12 - Despacito - Luis Fonsi, Daddy Yankee, feat. Justin Bieber

One of the biggest collaborations of the year featured two of Latin music's biggest stars, Luis Fonsi and Daddy Yankee.  As if the song wasn't big enough, the two of them enlisted Justin Bieber for a remix of the tune which catapulted it into the stratosphere.  You can check out the video for the original here and an audio version with Bieber here.  

#11 - New Rules - Dua Lipa

British phenom Dua Lipa scorched up the charts this year with this soulful, sexy, in-your-face jam that brought her into the collective minds of many.  By the sounds of this and some of her other stuff, this young lady is going to be a big star.  Check out New Rules...

#10 - Malibu - Miley Cyrus

I never came to the beach or stood by the ocean
I never sat by the shore under the sun with my feet in the sand
But you brought me here and I'm happy that you did
'Cause now I'm as free as birds catching the wind

Miley Cyrus' first single off her Younger Now album is simply melancholic, reflective, and beautiful!  Check it out on John's Music World.

#9 - Middle of the Night - The Vamps

This awesome, uplifting tune was my first experience with The Vamps and the song is so good, I even got some of my friends to love it.  Boy, do these guys need to hit it big here!  Check out Middle of the Night...

#8 - Strangers - Halsey, Lauren Jauregui

This dramatic duet was the second off of Halsey's sophomore album, hopeless fountain kingdom. It's a first for the openly bisexual singer, an open song of love for another woman. The tune features Lauren Jauregui from Fifth Harmony, whose voice perfectly blends with Halsey's.  Check out Strangers on John's Music World.

#7 - Shape of You - Ed Sheeran

I'm sure that this monster tune will end up higher on virtually every other year-end chart, and deservedly so, but based on my own musical tastes I'd say I'm doing alright by putting it at #7.  Check out the wildly hypnotic Shape of You on John's Music World, and while you're at it, take a look-see at this wonderful mash-up of the tune by The Vamps and Connor Maynard right here.  

#6 - Swish Swish - Katy Perry, feat. Nicki Minaj

I first took notice of this song at a club in Philly when seemingly everybody in the place was singing and dancing along like crazy to the hypnotic beats.  The song only grew on me from there, becoming an anthem for our Roller Coaster Road Trip over the summer and hearing it again and again at other clubs.  Love it!  Check out this performance of the tune on SNL featuring a whole lotta drag queens and the backpack boy...

#5 - What About Us - P!nk

The year 2017 saw the much anticipated return of the wonderful, uber-talented P!nk, and with the debut single from her beautiful Trauma album, she proved she's still got it.  Check out What About Us...

#4 - There's Nothing Holding Me Back - Shawn Mendes

It seems that of all the great songs that I heard in 2017, I probably heard this one the most, and for good reason.  Shawn's voice and the way this track is performed is just awesome!  Check it out on this featured Song of the Day post from August.

#3 - Sign of the Times - Harry Styles

The lead single to Harry Styles' debut solo album is a melodramatic, heart-wrenching masterpiece.  Check out Sign of the Times...

#2 - Feel It Still - Portugal.  The Man

One of the best songs of the year comes from a band with a very strange name.  It was this song that I wrote about just a couple of weeks ago when I mentioned how friends will mention a song to me way after I'd already posted it on here. Funky, funky goodness!

#1 - Look What You Made Me Do - Taylor Swift

Well, Taylor Swift has done it to me again with this irresistible, sexy jam that makes for a perfect stripper pole-dance number.  Though it got a lot of flak for whatever reason, it's such a hot song!  Check it out...

So there you have it, my picks for the top 50 pop tunes of 2017.  Like I said, you probably won't find a lot of the songs from my countdown on any other charts, but in my opinion they're the best this year has had to offer.  Stay tuned for upcoming posts on the Top 50 Dance Tunes of 2017 and the Top Ten Albums of 2017.