The Top 10 Best Hit Songs of 2019

The Top 10 Best Hit Songs of 2019

In the following few paragraphs, I take a look at one of the weaker years of the 2010s for the Hot 100 and try finding out why people liked this year so much.

(this list was originally created on July 19, 2021)

Hey guys, welcome back to Fire's Flaming Hot Takes. And at this point, you know what it is. It’s time to look at the top 10 best hit songs of 2019!

So if you looked at my worst list, you know my assertion that 2019 was not a good year for the Hot 100, despite what many critics are saying. And that’s mainly due to my personal life in 2019, where I was in that awkward transition between middle school and high school - where I ended up having to leave most of my friends behind - and where my mental health was at its lowest point. So that said, 2019 brings back some really bad memories for me, and going through the song list was especially painful because the worst songs of this year were emblematic of the problems with 2019. Like I said, it may be just me taking out more of my anger that year on the truly bad songs, but still, this year-end list just isn't good. So, what did the best songs this year have to offer?

Well, I’ll say this, there were definitely more great songs on this list than I had expected there to be. Honestly, to me this feels like a reverse of 2018. They are both bad years, but for different reasons. In 2018, the pop and country hits were strong, while the trap was outright offensive and worst of the decade tier - more on that when I get to 2018 next - but trap saw some great improvements in 2019, and there were a few trap songs I had to cut from this list. However, pop and country worsened, in fact country was starting to make a comeback this year with mediocre to terrible quality songs, with only two country songs this year I can safely say I liked - yes I counted.

So this year is still bad, and one I look at with utter resentment and anger, but in a way it was slightly better than I had expected. The great songs here were really damn great, I’ll say that, which is what pulls this year over 2018 and 2014. And for those great songs to be on my list, they had to debut on the Hot 100 year-end list for 2019 to qualify. Overall, there were 48 songs on this year-end list - including 2018 repeats - that fell into my “decent tier” or higher, it’s barely under half the list but still, it’s less than a lot of other years. So time to salvage a little bit of quality in this bad year for the Hot 100, starting with our honorable mentions!

HM #1: Saweetie - My Type (YE: #76, PEAK: #21)

Without a doubt one of the biggest bangers of 2019. The beat is super bouncy, the synth progression that samples “Freek-A-Leek” fits it really damn well, and Saweetie has so much personality in this song. There are a few random whistle noises near the end of the first verse that are a little distracting, but that’s a minor complaint, because this is great.

HM #2: Lil Nas X - Panini (YE: #40, PEAK: #5)

You know, this would usually be the type of song that I wouldn’t like at all, it wouldn’t even be near my best list. The synth feels a bit unsupported and the percussion is a bit clumsily blended. But that’s what happens when you get a rapper with as much personality as Lil Nas X, he has such a fun tone in his voice and his flows ride off the production really damn well - this is how you make a trap production work well! Great stuff!

HM #3: Sam Smith & Normani - Dancing With A Stranger (YE: #14, PEAK: #7)

Okay, despite the annoying level of overplay this song received in 2019, this has still remained remarkably fresh after that overplay died down. Sam Smith and Normani have great chemistry, the beat is really damn good, and the disco production is super vibe-like. See, Sam Smith is playing to their strengths in this song, they can sing great on dance productions, and I’d love for Sam to make more songs like this!

HM #4: Post Malone - Circles (YE: #62, PEAK: #1)

Honestly I’m still pretty shocked that this song became arguably Post Malone’s biggest hit to date, it’s such a different sound coming from him. But man, does he nail it right on the head. The percussion is perfect, the acoustic guitars are warm, and the melodies are infectious. Yeah, radio overplay did make this song cool down on me, but still, a vibe - great job Post!

HM #5: Ariana Grande - breathin’ (YE: #72, PEAK: #12)

This entry might surprise a few people given what I said about another one of her songs in my worst list for this year, and let me set this straight, “7 rings” is still one of the most putrid and offensive songs to become a hit in the 2010s, but Ari’s other hits this year ranged from decent to pretty damn amazing. And “breathin’” is definitely a great song. Ariana nails the contrast between the fearful lyrics and the strong upbeat instrumental. It’s about anxiety, and she really sells it, the repetition of the word “breathin” indicating her anxiety, acting as a mantra right in her head. I do wish the use of the word “shit” was omitted, because it feels so damn forced here, but still, great song.

HM #6: Dean Lewis - Be Alright (YE: #54, PEAK: #23)

This isn’t Dean Lewis’s best song - “Waves”, “Used To Love”, and “Stay Awake” in particular I find to be better, but that said, I still love “Be Alright”. The production is an acoustic guitar melody that sounds really damn good, and there is decent enough swell here and there, but this minimalist production puts the focus on Dean Lewis’s vocals, which are gut-wrenching and full of emotion. Again - the use of the word “fucking” feels way too forced and I would’ve preferred that to be omitted, but still, I love this.

HM #7: Ariana Grande - thank u, next (YE: #12, PEAK: #1)

I think what I really love about “thank u, next” is the sentiment behind it. Sure, I enjoy the more low tempo synth pop production a lot, and, again, I wish the word “fucking” was omitted, because on a song this sparse it sounds so aggressive and out of place. But Ariana reflects on her past relationships and shows that she has the courage to move on from all of them, and I know how personal this song is to Ari because of how soon this was released after the unfortunate passing of Mac Miller. It certainly shows that she’s moved on so much better than that atrociousness that is “7 rings”, and I’d argue that “thank u, next” is one of Ari’s best songs to date.

That’s a nice healthy start, so let’s move on to...

10...So I’ve come down on stupid songs in the past, and I’m pretty sure the stupid songs I’ve covered have all been on my worst lists. But what happens when you make a stupid song and give it a bunch of color, fun, and personality and turn it into one of the best bangers of the year? Well...

10. Post Malone - Wow (YE: #5, PEAK: #2)

Somehow I managed to talk about Post Malone twice this early, but what can I say? He absolutely delivered with Hollywood’s Bleeding, and the singles are all bangers, including “Wow”. It’s an impressively stupid song that needs a bunch of personality in order to work, and Post Malone has that personality. The groove is great and the bassline is spare but still undeniably amazing. Post actually sounds like he’s having so much fun here, continuing to make some jarring choices that catch your attention and don’t feel out of place, like when he actually starts to rap at the end of his second verse instead of his autotuned singing!! It’s immensely catchy, it’s not a surprise I love “Wow”. My one complaint is that it’s too short! It’s not even two minutes long, and the outro goes a bit longer than I would personally like - Post could’ve done a lot more with this - but that said, “Wow” is awesome, and definitely a fun highlight in an otherwise pretty depressing and dark year for the Hot 100.

9...Look, “Before You Go” made the list in 2020, it was no surprise that this was gonna land here as well...

9. Lewis Capaldi - Someone You Loved (YE: #27, PEAK: #1)

Honestly I feel that Lewis Capaldi is getting way too much hate. Sure, his vocals aren’t exactly the best - particularly in the bridge it gets quite scratchy - but aside from that “Someone You Loved” is still an amazing song. The piano melody, yes, it’s a bit basic but honestly I do love the melody and it helps this song feel slightly distinct. That piano melody isn’t too slow to make it feel boring, it’s the perfect balance between catchy and downbeat. Now, the vocals. Yes I don’t particularly like his vocals in the bridge - he tried to sing those high notes and he just cannot hit them. But I do like the raw emotion that he has in his vocals. The lyrics aren’t really anything special, but that piano melody is really what carries this. It may not be better than “Before You Go” and I can see adult contemporary radio souring this on me in the years to come - but for now, I’ll take this.

8...This song was probably the bright spot for me this year - mainly because when I went to summer camp that year I have a bunch of memories singing this song with my boy scouts troop - and seeing this song become the phenomenon it became was truly one of the most exciting things I’ve ever witnessed as a chart-watcher...

8. Lil Nas X f/Billy Ray Cyrus - Old Town Road (YE: #1, PEAK: #1)

If you told me in, say, 2017, that a country-trap meme song riding a Nine Inch Nails sample by a new rapper and a country singer whose last hit was 27 years prior would break the record for the most weeks at #1 in Hot 100 history, I would’ve probably laughed at you. Seriously, the way “Old Town Road” took the world by storm so quickly is still quite bewildering. And it’s honestly pretty hard for me to pinpoint why I love this song as much as I do. I’d say it all comes back down to the personality that both Lil Nas X and Billy Ray Cyrus have. The guitar twang and the trap beat actually fit each other remarkably well and there are so many quotable lines shoved everywhere. “Old Town Road” is a genuinely fun song that already feels like a classic to me. It’s held up really damn well, and I’m still gonna listen to this song till I can’t no more.

7...Part of me wants to compare this song to her other hit “What About Us” from 2017. I feel they might have similar intensity, hell both of the songs begin with the letter W. But even if I still like “What About Us”, I’d argue it’s aged a bit worse than you guys want to admit. This song however, still has held up well...

7. Pink - Walk Me Home (YE: #99, PEAK: #49)

Okay, I’ve said before I’m not a Pink fan, but I do really love “Walk Me Home”. Its production definitely is reminiscent of the 2012 indie boom, which makes sense given that Nate Ruess of fun. cowrote it. But “Walk Me Home” feels so huge and sweeping, with that explosive percussion balancing those powerful guitars - it gives that anthemic swell! And I love the buildup throughout as well, especially between the bridge and the final chorus. Where the instrumental fades to just the guitar, before thundering again while Pink’s huge and anthemic vocals come sweeping in. Amazing song right here - and I’d go as far as to say this is the best song Pink has released in the 2010s.

6...I still remember when I first heard this song I thought it was some random adult contemporary hit from, like, 2010, but it turns out it actually was a recent song. And given 2019, it might’ve been able to make a decent splash on hot adult contemporary radio, but no way this was gonna become a big hit and make a Hot 100 year-end list...right?

6. Lauren Daigle - You Say (YE: #60, PEAK: #29)

For the first time in years, a Christian song crossed over to the Hot 100 and became a hit. And yeah, I get it, Lauren Daigle is obviously doing an Adele impression to win over that audience. Then the production, I love the piano melody, the strings are pretty good and the percussion is quite perfect. It’s obviously a self-esteem anthem that the pop stations ate the hell up because of course, even if “God” is in brackets the entire time, but honestly, I think Lauren Daigle fits that mold pretty damn well. That said, I do wish this resonated with me more. Maybe it has something to do with the way “God” is in brackets the entire time, so the framing of “you” directed at someone else...I don’t know it feels slightly awkward. But that said, it’s well constructed and well sung. Too bad I haven’t really liked some of the other songs I’ve heard from Lauren.

5...As far as I’m concerned, outside of one collaboration that he made in 2017, he will never make a song “better” than this...

5. Khalid - Better (YE: #20, PEAK: #8)

I’m gonna just say it, “Better” is an absolute vibe and is the best solo song that Khalid has ever made. And while I’m not all that wild about the intro - even though I feel it fits the production itself it just doesn’t match the subject matter either in my opinion - the rest of the production sounds so smooth, the faint pianos and the overall quite misty production fit the trap beat really damn well. Khalid’s autotuned and laid back delivery actually fits it really damn well as well! The production is very airy, smooth, and melodic and these aspects all fit together quite well. Khalid, you created a vibe with this song, and I’d like to hear more of this, and less of “Know Your Worth”, I think we’d all be better off.

4...So it seems that many critics seem to hate this artist and I don’t really know why. Yes, his breakthrough single “Mine” blew up only off of a Snapchat meme, but that isn’t enough of a reason to dislike an artist at all. Now granted, even if I like “Mine”, it’s definitely pretty flawed, but if you want the song from this artist that stuck with me the very moment I first heard it...

4. Bazzi f/Camila Cabello - Beautiful (YE: #95, PEAK: #26)

Let me make this clear - had the original solo version with just Bazzi made the year-end list instead, it would’ve been my #1 easily, it’s quite flawless for me and conveys the sweetness that “Mine” was trying to convey so much better. That said, while I do still love Camila’s duet version, it’s definitely slightly flawed. Camila tries to sing in her absurdly obnoxious high falsetto which sounds really awkward against the production. But that said, I do love Bazzi on this song. There’s genuine passion in his voice as he tells this girl how beautiful she is. Then we got the production, I love those elegant harp touches and the beat is really catchy and a really great fit. And despite what I just said about Camila, she and Bazzi do harmonize really well on the final chorus. Yeah, I absolutely love this song, and I’m interested in what Bazzi has in store next!

3...So back when I was talking about “Walk Me Home” by Pink, I mentioned that it was reminiscent of the indie boom of 2012. Surely, that’s as far as we were going back, right? No way we were getting a song reminiscent of earlier than 2012, something from the club boom of the early 2010s...right?

3. Ava Max - Sweet But Psycho (YE: #23, PEAK: #10)

I’m a bit shocked that Ava Max was able to get another hit after this song with “Kings & Queens”. Because “Sweet But Psycho” seems like one of the most obvious one-hit-wonder songs I can think of, a chord progression similar to “Down” by Jay Sean isn’t exactly something you can make a career out of. Yet, “Sweet But Psycho” honestly works really damn well for what it is. The lyrics aren’t trying to make any statement about mental health, it’s just about teenage melodrama, so I’d say that controversy is out of the way rather quickly. Now for the production itself - like I said, this is a song that sounds right from the club boom, and you know that I do love the club boom a lot, so it’s no surprise I do love this production a lot. There’s swell in the bass and the synth breakdown is really damn good, and the trap breakdown is also pretty good. The song also nails the contrast between being an upbeat dance pop song while also being slightly down tempo enough to match the lyrics. So yeah, Ava Max, good luck making a song better than this, I’ll be waiting!

2...As I said in one of my previous entries, this next artist absolutely dominated this year with legitimately all of his songs showing best list material. In fact had “Better Now” not been a 2018 repeat it would’ve been a really close cut from my honorable mentions. That said, this still stands as one of his all-time best songs, and to this day it still sounds as fresh as it did in 2019...

2. Post Malone & Swae Lee - Sunflower (YE: #2, PEAK: #1)

If “Circles” was a seriously different sound coming from Post Malone, you can imagine how much of a difference in sound from him “Sunflower” was at that time. But still, “Sunflower” is such a fantastic song. It’s so funky and so dreamy, and both Post Malone and Swae Lee sound amazing on this song! And yes, Swae Lee’s part is better than Post’s - his falsetto is actually pretty good and his singing is better on this than Post’s more raspy vocals - but that’s not to say Post’s part is bad at all, because it’s not, he sounds really good on this song! And the production is the main star of the show, the pulsating bassline bringing some balance to those hazy instrumental choices, the melodic dreaminess of it all, and the overall carefree and atmospheric vibe of the song that has sonically influenced so many other songs that I also love, like “Be Kind” by Marshmello and Halsey for example! “Sunflower” is rightfully iconic and a defining song of the late 2010s.

1...I am really shocked that this song was the song to top my best of 2019 list, and almost even more surprised that this artist managed to occupy my top 2 slots! But as I said, this artist had a fantastic 2019, with 4 of his 5 year-end hits making my list - and again, if “Better Now” wasn’t a 2018 repeat it would’ve been a close cut from this list -  and this is probably the best song he’s ever released. And even if it was overshadowed by “Circles” in the end, this one still resonates with me so much more and...okay let’s stop dancing around, “Goodbyes” is #1.

1. Post Malone f/Young Thug - Goodbyes (YE: #30, PEAK: #3)

If you want the song that fully proved how talented Post Malone really is, it’s “Goodbyes”. It features Post Malone at his angriest and most bitter, giving this song more emotional weight than Post Malone has ever put in a song. Hell, even despite Young Thug’s inability to stay on the topic of the song and his verse pretty much undercutting any of the rest of the song’s lyrics, he honestly sounds really damn great on this production, better than he sounds usually, to the point where I don’t want to discount it!! Then the production, it’s swamped out, but it works to the song’s advantage because it just increases that intensely angry and bitter atmosphere. Also helps that the hook is one of an angry and bitter earworm. Then the lyrics, it’s about putting an end to a relationship where seemingly neither side is in the right here. Post doesn’t have to be remotely sympathetic, so his pure anger is able to shine through without it downweighing the song. It might be because in a year like 2019 that I look on with anger I’m glad that this song shares those same emotions, but this song still to this day resonates with me a lot. This is a song full of intense emotion and a fantastic production to match it, and with all that, “Goodbyes” by Post Malone and Young Thug is the best hit song of 2019, and it still remains as Post Malone’s best song to date. And I may not like “Motley Crew” at all, but hopefully, this is just another “Congratulations” and that it’s a sign of him working to improve to even greater heights than this afterward. Now that puts me on the edge of my seat.

So, 2019 is still a year I really hate, but the best songs this year were still better than expected. Now we have an even worse year to look at - 2018. I can’t guarantee I’ll finish it soon since I’ll be going to summer camp in a few days, plus going on vacation right after, and then school starting, I may not be able to release it for a month, so apologies for that folks. That said, I’ll still be working my ass off to get it done, so stay tuned!!