Incredibly, 2017 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 2017 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 have yet to compete on the Eurovision stage.
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’ll publish five tracks daily until we reach our number one.
What song will join Loreen’s “We Got The Power”, Emmelie De Forest’s “Drunk Tonight”, Lena’s “Traffic Lights”, and Loïc Nottet’s “Million Eyes” in our Hall of Fame?
The countdown continues!
30. Kristína “Sympatie”
What we said: The grossly underrated Eurovision 2010 performer has made a name for herself making infectiously catchy upbeat pop, a trend that continues with “Sympatie”. You might not understand what she sings, but the soaring chorus is irresistible. Europop beats make for a refreshing/dated (delete as appropriate) early 2000s throwback. An endearingly cute music video adds to the feelgood quotient. Kristína shines amidst clips from the movie, which appears to be a humorous take on school yard love at Christmas time. All we’re missing is some popcorn. (Padraig)
Previous top tracks: “Ta Ne” (#19 in 2015), “No. 1” (#44 in 2015)
29. Pastora Soler “La Tormenta”
What we said: Having weathered her own personal maelstrom, she returns with a powerful pop ballad about reconciliation and hope in matters of the heart. “My tears want to tell you that I love you, my dear,” she says. “We can still cross the storm…come and hug me and feel again my love for you.” She’s as deeply in love with her man as we are with her voice… (Jordi)
Previous top tracks: “Vive” (#15 in 2014), “Te Despertaré” (#5 in 2013)
28. One Republic feat. Amir “No Vacancy”
What we said: The “J’ai Cherché” hitmaker adds an extra dimension to proceedings. His raspy vocals make for a grittier chorus as he duets with Ryan. And then he holds his own on subsequent verses when at times he’s almost rapping. The splattering of French brings a certain je ne sais quoi and charm, especially when Tedder sings the words “no vacancy” in a distinctly Gallic accent. Whereas so many feature spots feel like token efforts and ultimately redundant, Amir takes the opportunity to elevate the song to new heights. (Padraig)
Previous top tracks: “On Dirait” (#7 in 2016), “A ta manière” (#35 in 2016), “Ma vie, ma ville, mon monde” (#42 in 2016)
27. Naviband “Biazy”
What we said: NAVIBAND showed us yet another flavour, releasing the mysterious and spiritual video for “Biazy”, which is included on their latest album “Illuminatsiya”. The video sees Ksienija and Arciom celebrate the ritual Kupala Night, which takes place during the night between the 6th and 7th of July every year. Many Slavic people practice certain rituals during this period meant to purify them, test their faith and potentially light the flame of love. (Renske)
26. Robin Stjernberg “Feed On My Love”
What we said: Emotional and epic songs about unrequited love are what Robin does best, and he certainly doesn’t disappoint with this new release. A gospel choir lends Robin a hand on the new song, which serves as a contrast to his last single “Rain”, which was remixed by Didrick. Robin is a man wronged, and the gritty piano compliments his grungy new look on the single cover. Work that grey scale! The shy teenager we met on Swedish Idol has long been forgotten, however with that revenge-fuelled chorus, we won’t be missing him any time soon. (Katie)
Previous top tracks: “Rain” (#38 in 2016), “Body Language” (#19 in 2014), “Thunderbolt” (#46 in 2014), “Crime” (#14 in 2013), “Pieces” (#19 in 2013)
Our Top Tracks of 2017 ranking is determined by votes from a panel of wiwibloggers. They are Josh, Robyn, Jonathan, William, Mario, Edd, Mikhail, Antranig, Mike, Renske, Jovana, Sebastian, and Padraig.
Biazy got a video and I got chills with it… Deserved much higher spot – there’s decent cultural value in it.
Don’t get me wrong, I love Amir and his song from 2016, but I feel like featuring artists shouldn’t be included in the list…
Fingers crossed, Mud Blood should bow at #1.
Naviband is truly talented. They manage to bring the universal sound to their folksy songs in Belarussian, which makes them easier for foreigns to listen to.
Why aren’t you including the Eurovision or NS songs? :v
They have another list for that.
Hm, Belarusian midsummer, that’s interesting. And the song is beautiful. I totally missed Robin’s song, did he release it in February, during Melodifestivalen? Why on earth? Also just in time for Nano and “Hold On”. I can’t help to compare the songs and think it was a mistake by Robin.