The Top 10 Best Hit Songs of 2013

The Top 10 Best Hit Songs of 2013

In the following few paragraphs, I go back to a year for the 2010s that’s honestly all over the place and look at the great heights that counterbalanced those lows.

(this list was originally created on August 5, 2021)

At this point, you guys know what this is. What’s up guys, welcome back to another one of my lists, today we’re looking at the top 10 best hit songs of 2013!

So assembling this list was actually slightly easier than normal. How I make these lists is that I go through the entire year-end list of a certain year and then rank the songs from best to worst. Then I just filter out the repeats from last year. Well, for 2013, there were 5 2012 repeats towards the top of that list, which is quite a lot. So in that regard, this list wasn’t too difficult to compile. But at the same time, it was also quite hard to assemble because just because all the 2012 repeats were good doesn’t mean 2013 didn’t bring quality to the table, because the highs for 2013 were very high, high enough to counterbalance the egregious lows I just talked about.

And really, when you take a look at the 2013 year-end list, there is a lot to like about it. Pop was still riding out the last spurts of the club boom that notched some pretty damn great quality. But it was in the process of being replaced by EDM, which notched some even better quality. Country wasn’t fully replaced by bro-country so there were a few songs I had to cut from that genre, and hip hop was starting to take on the more dark vibe that it would have for the rest of the 2010s. Trap’s earliest seeds in the mainstream were planted this year. The indie boom from 2012 was still decently strong, albeit not as strong as it had been the year prior - seriously that period faded away way too quickly. Hell, we even got some rock and even R&B on here. And then we got the thing that 2013 is arguably most well known for, the breakthrough of novelty songs to notch some great success on the Hot 100, and outside of a few, there was actually a good bit of quality

2013 was definitely a more transitional year from the club boom to the trap boom, like 2014. But 2013 was definitely a more diverse year for the Hot 100, as opposed to 2014, where it was the blandest pop music possible and the dregs of bro-country and hip hop that managed to notch success with really not much else filling in the gap. So yeah, the best songs this year managed to counterbalance the extreme lows this year had to offer, which I can’t say about 2018 since those highs weren’t nearly enough to balance the year out. If anything, this was more like 2016, where the best and worst songs balanced each other out. Overall, there were 64 songs on the year-end list - including 2012 repeats - that fell into my “decent tier” or higher, which is quite a strong showing if you ask me. But enough rambling, time to get started on this list. As a rule, the song had to debut on the year-end Hot 100 list in 2013 to qualify, so those 5 2012 repeats I mentioned will get their chance to potentially make it for my 2012 lists. Time to untangle the best songs of a year that honestly was all over the place in quality, starting with our honorable mentions.

HM #1: Daft Punk f/Pharrell Williams & Nile Rodgers - Get Lucky (YE: #14, PEAK: #2)

If you want another reason to hate “Blurred Lines”, because the reasons I listed out in my worst list weren’t enough for you, we got the fact that it blocked a much better, much greater Pharrell Williams song from hitting #1. The rest of the production is muted, so the main focus is on the guitar lick, which is so tropical and chill and generally sounds fantastic. Pharrell Williams’ vocals are potent, the funk influences match the guitar lick really damn well, and its dancefloor vibe is all the song really needs to work. It might be because I’m in Kauai as of writing, and it really matches that vibe well, but that said, “Get Lucky” is a great song, and Daft Punk, your music will forever be appreciated, enjoy the rest of your lives, you’ve served us well.

HM #2: Macklemore & Ryan Lewis f/Wanz - Thrift Shop (YE: #1, PEAK: #1)

Is it enough for me to say that I will forever be grateful that this song blocked that steaming pile of dogshit that is “Blurred Lines” from becoming the year-end #1? But even outside of this, I absolutely love “Thrift Shop”. The saxophone melody loop sounds awesome, it’s an earworm. Wanz’s hook is super catchy, and Macklemore rides this beat really well. The entire song is super silly and stupid, but Macklemore and Wanz have enough charisma to help this song out, and it’s one awesome highlight of the breakthrough of novelty songs on the Hot 100.

HM #3: OneRepublic - Counting Stars (YE: #63, PEAK: #2)

Yes, I know. This song was primarily more dominant in 2014, but it landed on the 2013 list first, so it’s going here. And really, “Counting Stars” is an amazing song, worthy of its success. Ryan Tedder sounds super raw on this track, there’s some genuine fear in his voice. And that matches the song’s production, it has dramatic tension to it, that feeling of being stressed out. And sometimes, you just have to count stars and chill. It’s not OneRepublic’s best song, by any means, but it works really well.

HM #4: Rihanna f/Mikky Ekko - Stay (YE: #13, PEAK: #3)

I honestly would go as far as to say that this is one of Rihanna’s best ever songs. It’s a super bare and stripped back song, which puts all the focus on both of our artists. And both sound utterly fantastic here. Mikky Ekko, okay, although he sounds fantastic here, the writing doesn’t exactly fit him. This is more of Rihanna’s raw writing, so Mikky Ekko just doesn’t contrast with Rihanna well. But Rihanna does more than enough to make up for it. Some of the details in the writing - “he said ‘if you dare come a little closer’” for example - combined with Rihanna’s raw and emotional vocals really give this song a lot of weight. Love it a lot, awesome job Rihanna!

HM #5: Pitbull f/Christina Aguilera - Feel This Moment (YE: #36, PEAK: #8)

And here we got one of the last traces of the club boom before getting replaced by EDM. And “Feel This Moment” is honestly quite a sendoff. Christina Aguilera’s vocals fit the chorus really well, and as the song builds up into the drop, her vocals also build up so it works really well in that regard. The “Take On Me” interpolation...okay, this isn’t the best “Take On Me” interpolation I’ve heard, since The Weeknd put out “Blinding Lights” in late 2019 and just created an instant classic with that song. But “Feel This Moment” does have an earworm of a “Take On Me” interpolation. Pitbull’s rapping is nothing that isn’t present in his other hits from the early 2010s, but that said, it’s still insanely fun, it fits the piano production really well. Along with the synths sounding pretty damn good and for a club boom song it has aged pretty well, yeah, “Feel This Moment” is amazing.

HM #6: Jason Derulo - The Other Side (YE: #66, PEAK: #18)

This might just be the best first listen I ever had when listening to a Hot 100 year-end list. Even though I had admittedly never heard “The Other Side” until now, it’s oddly nostalgic. The beat is quite pulsating, the synths sound quite airy and almost adrenaline-filled, and the chord progression is what I believe really makes this song. That chord progression really gives that vibe of nostalgia. Also helps that Jason Derulo is a great performer on this song. Yeah, I loved this song, quite a banger.

HM #7: Miley Cyrus - Wrecking Ball (YE: #18, PEAK: #1)

This song got way too much hate when it was released over the video, which was for impressively stupid reasons. Miley’s vocal delivery is very raw and vulnerable, the synths are processed enough to give Miley the spotlight, the entire song feels very powerful and sweeping. The chord progression is quite gorgeous, and yeah, I would’ve preferred the use of pianos instead of synths, would’ve probably given this song more emotional weight and it would’ve propelled this song to the stratosphere, but that said, I love “Wrecking Ball”, it’s not my favorite from Miley by any means, but it’s still amazing.

And now for the list proper. Let’s go!

10…”Thrift Shop” is the novelty song that broke Macklemore & Ryan Lewis into the mainstream. And while I just said I love “Thrift Shop” for its novelty factor, this one is more of a serious song that I love for different reasons. Regardless, this is such a banger...

10. Macklemore & Ryan Lewis f/Ray Dalton - Can’t Hold Us (YE: #5, PEAK: #1)

This song is so much fun for different reasons than “Thrift Shop” is. But the way “Can’t Hold Us” has a different message towards it alongside honestly a better production is what pulls it over “Thrift Shop” for me. The entire song is super infectious. The piano line, Ray Dalton's soulful delivery in the chorus, the horns, and Macklemore’s incredibly fast rapping that honestly slaps quite a bit. The horns add that sense of triumph that this song is trying to go for, and it pulls it off quite amazingly. And Macklemore is fast rapping while also spewing out some real bars, unlike Eminem on “Berzerk” trying to just fill time by rapping gibberish. The beat is super colorful. The song is about finally making it, and that it’s now time to have a celebration. And “Can’t Hold Us” is the banger to blast at a party, really love this song.

9...Unpopular opinion, but this is the best song Maroon 5 has ever released, yes even better than the songs in their Songs About Jane era...

9. Maroon 5 - Daylight (YE: #35, PEAK: #7)

This is probably one of the most forgotten hits in Maroon 5’s discography, which is quite unfair honestly, because this is so damn amazing. Starting in the verses, Adam Levine’s lower register matches those guitars really well, and as the percussion starts to come in, the song gets so much more powerful. The melody sounds amazing. The bridge builds up decently well, but I think the main detractor I have is that this song didn’t tap into its untapped potential. The chorus could’ve been more anthemic, because Adam Levine sounds a bit tired on it and the chorus instrumentation is definitely slightly overproduced. That said, “Daylight” does more than enough with its positive aspects to muscle this to being amazing.

8...Oh, this pick is gonna be contentious, I just know it...

8. Fall Out Boy - My Songs Know What You Did In The Dark (Light ‘Em Up) (YE: #40, PEAK: #13)

Fall Out Boy definitely fell off badly, most notably in 2018. And on the surface, this song really isn’t that good. Pete Wentz screams at the top of his lungs in the chorus, giving the vibe of a bad Imagine Dragons song. But this clicks for me for the same reasons that I loved “Natural” so much. “My Songs Know What You Did In The Dark” has a fantastic production. The guitars sound great, the drums definitely sound synthetic but they sound powerful nonetheless, and the song builds up into that chorus really well. Also, Pete Wentz isn’t just screaming for no reason here. He’s legitimately angry. The entire song sells that very angry and rage-filled atmosphere very damn amazingly. Yes, I do wish when he sings “I’m on fire” in the chorus, he sounded more angry and less obnoxious admittedly. And while I do wish “Young Volcanoes” received this success, “My Songs Know What You Did In The Dark” is the adrenaline rush needed to set it off, love this song a lot.

7...This year, many former Disney Channel stars pulled off some surprises. Ariana Grande dropped “The Way”, a very cute song that honestly got more emotional weight over time. Miley Cyrus went wild to quite mixed results. And I’m probably one of the only people ever who likes “Come And Get It”, but Selena Gomez delivered too. But there was one Disney Channel star that delivered something that clicked for me quite quickly, and to this day, it’s their best song yet...

7. Demi Lovato - Heart Attack (YE: #50, PEAK: #10)

Alright, the jarring start does take some time to get used to, but honestly the more I listened to it, the more I realized that the start honestly works in “Heart Attack”’s favor. The electropop production matches Demi’s anxiety in this song, and the guitars are extremely powerful, especially in that chorus. Seriously, that chorus just sends chills down my spine, Demi’s raw belting full of anxiety sounds absolutely fantastic. The beat adds to that anxiety as well. Then we got the bridge, where the backing vocals and Demi’s vocals that build up sound excellent. Then we got the final chorus, where Demi goes above and beyond in their delivery. Honestly, I think what I’d really add is an outro, where everything would calm down, that would’ve really made this song perfect. “Heart Attack” is that anxiety-filled anthem that showcased the true talent that Demi can have, fantastic song.

6...This song was barely a hit, which honestly really surprised me at first. I recall hearing this song everywhere, I thought it was huge. That said, this has probably held up better than a big chunk of the songs on this year-end list, and thus...

6. Paramore - Still Into You (YE: #100, PEAK: #24)

This is possibly the closest we got to a rock song becoming a year-end hit. And honestly, “Still Into You” is probably Paramore’s best song. The guitars sound great and the beat is quite great as well - it only builds up as we head into the chorus. But what really pulls this over the edge for me is Hayley Williams’s goofy and fun delivery. She’s clearly not taking herself seriously, but there’s genuine charm and sincerity in her voice, especially in the chorus. That chorus makes this song super anthemic. It’s such an earworm, and quite a cheerful song that explores that exhilarating feeling of being in love. Yeah, maybe Hayley Williams should be over all the butterflies, but honestly, if you’re into someone, I highly doubt you’d be over all those butterflies. It’s a small detail of self-acknowledgement that she should’ve moved on, but a small detail I like. And you know what, after all this time, I’m still into this song.

5...This entry is evidence that the amount of nostalgia you have towards a song can greatly make up for the fact that it hasn’t exactly aged the best. And yeah, objectively, this song’s production hasn’t really aged that well, but that said, it’s still super nostalgic and very reminiscent of the summer in my eyes, and, well...

5. Calvin Harris f/Ellie Goulding - I Need Your Love (YE: #56, PEAK: #16)

Alright, the production hasn’t held up that well. It sounds like it came straight out of an 8-bit video game. That said, I don’t consider that a bad thing per se, because I do really love “I Need Your Love”. The bassline, yeah, could’ve been better, it sounds super awkward and poorly constructed, but the synths sound like pure bliss and nostalgia. That synth progression sounds amazing. But what honestly pushes this over the edge for me is Ellie Goulding’s delivery. It works for me for much of the same reasons that “Burn” clicked for me so much. Ellie’s vocals are very soft and understated, which means that when adding power or punch to a song, the production does it for her, while she provides the contrast of being more understated and more calm. It’s an odd contrast, but somehow Ellie is always able to pull it off. “Outside” objectively might have aged better, but “I Need Your Love” is something special for me.

4...As I said, the indie boom was not as strong as it had been in 2012, but it was still there nonetheless. And this might be my least favorite of this band’s three hits, but it’s still an amazing song regardless. And thus...

4. fun. - Carry On (YE: #76, PEAK: #20)

If I’d done this list back in 2013 itself, I probably would’ve put this song at #1. That said, it’s definitely cooled down on me. And the main reason is, this song sounds way too much like “We Are Young”. That said, I adore “We Are Young”, so I do love “Carry On” quite a lot. And outside of a few of the backing vocals in the outro that echo that do get annoying a bit fast, “Carry On” is quite amazing. The guitars and the pianos that start the song off sound amazing. And the song builds up into a very anthemic chorus. It’s a shot of hope in the dark, with Nate Ruess’s vocals sounding very reassuring and are a really good fit for this song. Then the lyrics. Nate Ruess is confronted with a friend’s suicide attempt, and the song is about perseverance even during hard times. The guitar solo in the bridge sounds fantastic, and the entire song just feels super anthemic and hopeful. This isn’t the most hopeful perseverance song I’ve heard, by any means - though “Rainbow” by Kacey Musgraves is virtually impossible to top - but “Carry On” is an amazing song. I’m waiting for a potential fun. reunion, I just know it’s gonna be great.

3...So as I said, 2013 is when the club boom died out and started getting replaced by EDM, a genre that would continue to have its prominence throughout the rest of the decade. And honestly, I think I liked the style of EDM that grew popular later on more than the electropop from the club boom. Don’t get me wrong, I like them both, but the EDM that grew popular later on in the decade has more songs that have aged really well, such as this one, for example!

3. Swedish House Mafia f/John Martin - Don’t You Worry Child (YE: #26, PEAK: #6)

Now, EDM as a genre fully grew on me to the point of me adoring it sometime in 2020. But that said, “Don’t You Worry Child” is one of the best EDM hits of the 2010s and a hell of a sendoff to Swedish House Mafia. On the surface, the production is quite basic progressive house, but “Don’t You Worry Child” does so much more than that. It’s another case similar to “Burn”, it takes a simple idea and does so much more with it. John Martin’s vocals are absolutely amazing. The synth hook is super powerful and beautiful and there are crescendos here that sound absolutely fantastic. They all fit together so well. Then we got the lyrics. Look, songs about looking back on your past and reminiscing in nostalgia always hit all my weak spots, and this just does so. It’s about nostalgia and also feels super nostalgic itself. “Don’t You Worry Child” is a shot of hope, it’s reminiscing about a father telling his kid that heaven has a plan for him and that he should not worry. It’s such an anthem - again, helped by those crescendos - and provides that mantra that everything happens for a reason. Swedish House Mafia actually released their comeback single “Lifetime” a few weeks ago as of writing...you should check it out and make that song a hit, because it’s so good. But “Don’t You Worry Child” is that shot of hope and that adrenaline rush, and definitely proved that Swedish House Mafia deserve so much more than they have already, because this is a fantastic song.

2...Well, I can’t assign all the credit to “Don’t You Worry Child”, I have to acknowledge the song that it owes such a huge debt to...

2. Avicii - Wake Me Up (YE: #19, PEAK: #4)

Forgive me for being slightly basic for a bit, but “Wake Me Up” is Avicii’s best song, yes I’m going that far. And it’s a song that genuinely shouldn’t work as well as it should. I adore the melody line so damn much. Yes, it might be repeated constantly on a loop for several minutes, but that melody line just sounds so damn fantastic that I can’t discount it at all. Aloe Blacc is a fantastic fit for this song, especially in the second chorus, where he starts to belt, he sounds amazing. And he has the charisma to sell this song’s message as well. It’s a song about wanting to continue living in your dream and still remaining young. It has an oddly nostalgic feel about wanting to go back to your younger days. Add on top of that Avicii put the smoothest transition between the folk instrumental and EDM instrumental, and “Wake Me Up” is a killer song that really deserved all the success and acclaim it got. Rest in peace Avicii, your music will continue to live on in our memories.

1...I was not expecting this song to be what topped my list of the best hit songs of 2013. When I originally ranked the year-end list, two 2012 repeats were battling for the top spot, and this just happened to place right behind them. But the more I thought about it, the more it made sense. It’s a career highlight for this band, and given the tragic decline they would later have in 2021, both commercially and quality-wise, this song now stands out...

1. Imagine Dragons - Demons (YE: #62, PEAK: #6)

This is Imagine Dragons’ best song. “Radioactive” might’ve had much more success at the time, but be honest, that song is definitely showing signs of its age. But “Demons” is the career highlight that has held up so well all these years later. Let me start with the verses. That piano line is super haunting and beautiful. Then the percussion comes in and adds that much power and punch to the song. Now for Dan Reynolds himself and the lyrics. I think he sells this song super well. He isn’t screaming to uncomfortable levels like he is on many of his other songs. And the song is about your inner demons and acknowledging that sometimes, you yourself are the monster in a relationship. And that’s a very haunting thing to think about. Yet, it takes a lot of maturity to acknowledge that and try not to have other people fall into the same trap. Hell, this can also be an interpretation about depression, where Dan Reynolds doesn’t want his lover to fall into the same dark depression that he is in, where the inner demons start to take over you and completely change who you are. “Demons” is able to resonate on multiple levels, and it’s quite a haunting song all the way through. And really, that’s what drives this song home for me. And as such “Demons” by Imagine Dragons is the best hit song of 2013. And if we’re gonna see more songs in the vein of “Bad Liar” - as such continuing to make songs in the same sound as “Demons” - then yeah, I’ll take it, certainly over “Cutthroat”.

And that’s the list! The next year I wanna look at is 2010. But it’s gonna take slightly longer than usual, and I probably won’t be getting it out for a good bit. Also, it'll be the first list I make that I didn't prepare beforehand for this blog, and now with school starting it may be a while until I get it up. That said, my best and worst lists for 2010 will be coming, so I’ll see you guys then!!