Incredibly, 2015 is almost up. And that means one thing — the return of our annual Top Tracks countdown! As usual, the team from wiwibloggs voted for their favourite 2015 releases and recordings by and featuring Eurovision stars. Songs which competed at Eurovision or national finals were excluded (they’ve been analysed to death in our jury reviews), as were artists who’ve yet to compete on the Eurovision stage (sorry Iveta, Sergey and friends). After considering well over 100 songs, we finally settled on our top 50. And now we’re ready to share it with y’all. We’re publishing five tracks daily over the course of ten days. Then on Christmas Eve we’ll announce our number one, giving you just enough time to send any last requests to Santa.
What song will join Loreen’s “We Got The Power” and Emmelie De Forest’s “Drunk Tonight” in our Hall of Fame? The countdown continues!
OUR TOP TRACKS OF 2015: (40-36)
40. Lara Fabian “Quand je ne chante pas”
What we said: Contrary to France Télévisions’ long held beliefs, it is possible for a song sung in French to be something other than a depressing dirge. A case in point, is the latest release from Belgium’s Lara Fabian, who sang for Luxembourg in 1988 (she lost out to a certain Canadian singing for Switzerland). Put simply, “Quand je ne chante pas” is wonderful. Uplifting and feel-good. Lara’s vocals are laden with happiness and sunshine. And the video set on a stage with an ever changing backdrop is utterly charming. I challenge you not to smile. J’adore! (Padraig)
39. ByeAlex “30”
What we said: If Taylor Swift’s “22” is a good choice for a 22nd birthday party, then ByeAlex has just given us a reason to celebrate our 30th! “30” melds so many genres — rock, funk, electronic, and, courtesy of a harmonica, a bit of country-folk. The edgy tune is very ByeAlex. The lyrics speak of modern life and it’s mostly about women who, when they reach 30, become more mature and need real men. Some may think the video is a bit sick — women morph into larger-than-life heroines and make the men go SPLAT! But ultimately it’s dark comedy, which ByeAlex serves up very, very well indeed. (Judit)
38. Anna Vissi “Gia Sena”
What we said: Anna Vissi — Greek recording artist and Eurovision 1980, 1982 and 2006 veteran — hasn’t been on our radar lately. But now she’s back with a new single and we are pleased to say she is here to stay! “Gia Sena” means “for you”, and it’s definitely for us. Anna sings about her love for a man who has essentially destroyed her life. She fights demons inside her head long after he is gone, but ya know what? She is alive and she’s ready for revenge. If this is semi-autobiographical, dude better watch out… (George)
37. Nadav Guedj “Good Vibes”
What we said: In true Nadav style, the song mashes different musical styles, but it all comes together like the JESC 2013 logo (that’s a puzzle reference, by the way). It starts with an innocent guitar-strum intro, which leads to a David Guetta style build-up before dropping to a funky Maroon 5-esque chorus. The Uptown Funk “Doh doh doh”s in the breakdown are the final ingredient in Nadav’s recipe for a sweet summer jam. The song is all about summer fun and his lover with ‘blue eyes’ (sadly mine are hazel). Keywords ‘beach’ ‘sun’ ‘dance’ and ‘ladies’ should give you the general gist – not too many complex metaphors, but what did you expect from ‘the king of fun?’ (Edd)
36. Daniel Kajmakoski “10 Leta”
What we said: The song – translating to “10 summers” – is an uplifting piece of guitar-pop perfection. Daniel sings about his love for a very special lady, stating “even after one summer, ten I will celebrate.” In the video we see him canoodle with his lover in a restaurant, on a boat, in a lake, by the campfire, in a hammock (basically a lot of canoodling). After the soulless ballad “Autumn Leaves,” this is a little treat. (Edd)
How’s the list shaping up? Do these rank among your best songs of 2015? Let us know below.
I know Padraig, but I’m predicting just a few will be there :/ I’m hoping I’m wrong, anyways it’s a relief to at least see them on the list.
@AM Casablancas Why do you want to see all your favourites so early in the countdown? Would you not rather see them feature higher up the list? 😛
this doesn’t smell good to me, none of the songs I’ve proposed yesterday is here (and those are fan favorites).
Anna Vissi is the best one today but the rest sucks.
Sorry wiwi, I’m not liking this so far 🙁
Love Good vibes
Good Vibes is cool summer song! Go Nadav!