The Top 10 Best Hit Songs of 2025
The Top 10 Best Hit Songs of 2025
Hey guys!! It’s Fire back with the top 10 BEST hit songs of 2025!!
So in my worst list, I made my view abundantly clear that 2025 was one of the worst years for pop music of my lifetime. However, when I went into making this list, the first question I had was “Was it really that bad or was the stagnant chart-watching experience clouding my judgement?”. As a tad bit of behind the scenes, ever since I started blogging, I’ve maintained a spreadsheet that stores the average rating I give every hit song for every year I’ve looked at. If you were curious, the top 3 highest average ratings go to 1966, 1996, and 2024. 2025’s average rating is 6.813333333, which puts it as the 8th highest rated year I’ve looked at so far. So what’s the story here? Well, this is a classic case of quantitative vs qualitative data. To keep it simple, quantitative data is essentially data that’s shown by the numbers (which is basically my average ratings). Qualitative data is data shown in words. In my example, the qualitative data would be in the form of highlighting additional context surrounding the year. Often I find that both types of data need to be used together to come to any real conclusions. And that’s exactly what’s happening here—when I took a deeper look at the songs that actually made this list, I found that nearly half the songs on this list were originally released in 2024 and of the songs that were released in 2025, a lot of them are either primed to be much bigger in 2026 or were from the Kpop Demon Hunters soundtrack. This was why in my 1997 lists I compared the year to 2025—a lot of the songs on that list already made my lists for 1996 or 1998 and thus it was harder to feel very excited about many of the songs on this list, even if there were plenty of great songs courtesy of me using the expanded YE list provided to me by @mikerivera on Pulse. You can click here to see what that list looks like.
But I know you all didn’t click on this article for a college paper on data science, so let me get to the actual pop music this year. Well, country may have been really oversaturated this year thanks to Morgan Wallen, but there were still some gems to highlight. Rap struggled in the mainstream outside of Kendrick Lamar, pop really slumped—the fact that Kpop Demon Hunters was the saving grace of pop music this year is a very scathing indictment on the state of 2025’s mainstream music. You’d think that a year that saw album bombs from Selena Gomez, Sleep Token, Clipse, and NF would be at least interesting, but nope, the album bombs we did get rarely seemed to have any songs stick around long term outside the very biggest names because the charts remained stagnant as a snail moving through molasses. The one genre that seemed to have a great year was R&B, where even the bad R&B hits in 2025 weren’t enough to hold it back. All that being said, I may have been exaggerating when saying that 2025 was one of the worst years for pop music of my lifetime, but it certainly feels like it was the “least year ever” for music of my lifetime. Again, if you wanna see what my lists for other years for the 2020s would look like under my new criteria, you can check out this Google Doc here. Now before we get started, let’s look at last year’s best list and see what would change!
HMS:
Megan Thee Stallion f/Yuki Chiba - Mamushi
Charli XCX - 360
Taylor Swift - But Daddy I Love Him
Chappell Roan - Red Wine Supernova
Beyonce - Texas Hold ‘Em Zach Bryan f/Kacey Musgraves - I Remember Everything
Victoria Monet - On My Mama Ariana Grande - we can't be friends (wait for your love)
Taylor Swift - Is It Over Now? (Taylor’s Version) (From The Vault) Lainey Wilson - Wildflowers And Wild Horses
Chappell Roan - HOT TO GO!
Chappell Roan - Pink Pony Club ROSE & Bruno Mars - APT.
Cody Johnson - The Painter
Billie Eilish - BIRDS OF A FEATHER
Shaboozey - A Bar Song (Tipsy)
Sabrina Carpenter - Taste Tyler, The Creator f/Glorilla, Sexyy Red, & Lil Wayne - Sticky
Sabrina Carpenter - Espresso Hanumankind X Kalmi - Big Dawgs
10. Sabrina Carpenter - Please Please Please Chappell Roan - Good Luck, Babe!
9. Chris Stapleton - White Horse Sabrina Carpenter - Bed Chem
8. Zach Bryan f/Kacey Musgraves - I Remember Everything Sabrina Carpenter - Espresso
7. Ariana Grande - we can’t be friends (wait for your love) Sabrina Carpenter - Juno
6. 21 Savage - redrum Kendrick Lamar - euphoria
5. Kendrick Lamar - Euphoria Kendrick Lamar - squabble up
4. Billie Eilish - What Was I Made For? Kendrick Lamar f/Lefty Gunplay - tv off
3. Luke Combs - Where The Wild Things Are Kendrick Lamar - Not Like Us
2. Kendrick Lamar - Not Like Us Luke Combs - Where The Wild Things Are
1. Taylor Swift - Cruel Summer Chappell Roan - Pink Pony Club
Like with my worst list, many of the shifts here are thanks to my new criteria flooding in more great songs. There are a few relevant shifts here I wanna address though. Firstly, “euphoria”...I don’t know why but I just got obsessed with that song in 2025, to the point where I’ve almost completely committed it to memory haha. Secondly, “Good Luck, Babe!”...that song was already growing on me but I finally fully love it now. I still don’t quite think it’s as perfect as everyone says it is (maybe if I were queer I’d feel the emotional catharsis of the track better), but it is definitely incredible. Thirdly, “But Daddy I Love Him”...I’ve always really liked it but Taylor’s awful album this year forced me to revisit THE TORTURED POETS DEPARTMENT and realize that if nothing else, that song is definitely incredible. Fourthly, regarding “Please Please Please”, it kinda cooled on me once I realized that it’s not as catchy as some of Sabrina’s other songs (I still think it’s great though). Lastly, “Pink Pony Club”...well it’s obviously gonna appear on this list so I’ll save my thoughts until we get there.
The songs eligible for this list have:
Debuted on the January-December YE top 150 list for 2025
If the songs are repeats, they had to beat or match their standing on the 2025 YE
However, any song in the Top 20 of the expanded YE list is eligible regardless of whether it meets either of the two prior rules
Alright, let’s find the gems of this nothing burger of a year!!
HM #1: Kendrick Lamar f/AZ Chike - peekaboo (YE: #74, PEAK: #13)
Yeah, if 2025 was gonna remain stuck in 2024 the entire year, I’m glad that at least GNX got a respectable slate of hits. That album spawned 4 hits—we’ll get to the best of them later. But “peekaboo” is a great song because of how slyly sticky it is. There are hooks crammed into every nook and cranny of this song, from the “peekaboo”’s to the “whattheytalkinbouttheyainttalkingboutnothing”’s to the “hey-hey-hey-hey”’s. I ultimately put this above “luther”, also a great song and one of the last cuts from this list, because Kendrick isn’t as great as a singer as he is as a rapper. “peekaboo” just has a lowkey menace to the production and AZ Chike keeps up with Kendrick extremely well. I especially really like the final chorus where Kendrick and AZ Chike trade off lines and have demonstrably great wordplay. Not my favorite on the album, but it’s a great little banger regardless.
HM #2: sombr - back to friends (YE: #25, PEAK: #7)
See, this is why we don’t need Jessie Murph to represent artists in my age group! “back to friends” was a song that snuck up on me a lot. It’s a great showcase of sombr’s potential as a producer. The fact that he was able to make such a full-sounding song drenched in psychedelic sounds on his own is really quite impressive. The song makes great use of its big sound. The mix feels spacious and it makes the blown out sound work to its advantage. And really, when you have a line as instantly memorable and melodramatic as “how can we go back to being friends when we just shared a bed?”, the psychedelic production and your delivery better credibly sell it. And thankfully sombr absolutely nails that hook. He strikes a great balance of melodramatic angst and emo whinging. I also just really like the piano flourishes on the song, against the rest of the production, they ring like a pebble striking a pond before rain starts pouring. It’s not sombr’s best hit this year—we’ll get there, but this is great regardless.
HM #3: Ella Langley - weren’t for the wind (YE: #69, PEAK: #18)
Yeah, if we can’t get Same Trailer, Different Park era Kacey Musgraves getting hits, I’ll certainly take this. Ella Langley’s vocals remind me a lot of Kacey’s (and if you know me, you know that’s a compliment!) and I really like the faster patter of the percussion, helping the song feel sad but not wallowing. The song centers around Ella Langley wondering what would’ve happened if she wasn’t a heartbreaker and actually took the time to grow relationships with these past partners. And you can feel a tangible sense of regret—that she’s trying to settle down with someone but either her own bad habits or other life events keep getting in the way. Ella Langley looks primed to have a big 2026, and I think she earned that—certainly more than Morgan Wallen—we’ll just have to see where the wind takes her. But speaking of Ella Langley...
HM #4: Riley Green f/Ella Langley - Don’t Mind If I Do (YE: #123, PEAK: #23)
I didn’t think Riley Green would be someone who’d make both of my lists...but Ella Langley just brings out the best in him. Green and Langley have amazing chemistry. While “you look like you love me” from last year is also great, something about the production struck an odd sour note that didn’t let it fully click for me. But “Don’t Mind If I Do” is just...something else. After a breakup the two exes are both very much not over it and one drink just brings them back to that place of grief. Their harmonies are phenomenal and the subtle flip from “I hope you don’t mind if I do” to “and I don’t mind if you do” is just...heart-wrenching. What really makes this work is the chemistry and the space in the mix. It just feels so achingly sad. This is a song that rips your heart out and pours whiskey on it. And hot take—I like this more than Lady A’s “Need You Now”. I hope you don’t mind if I do.
HM #5: Benson Boone - Sorry I’m Here For Someone Else (YE: #36, PEAK: #19)
Oh, given how much I loved this song in my Chill Pick article from March, I think readers who might be more familiar with me might be shocked this missed the list proper. Don’t get me wrong, “Sorry I’m Here For Someone Else” is still excellent—I love the throwback diner romanticism, the Bleachers-style production, and Benson Boone’s great vocal control. But I will admit that this did cool on me over the course of the year. Partly because of the cheating allegations against Benson Boone that make this song’s lyrics hit...differently. And partly because in hindsight Benson Boone sounds a tad too impressed by the fact that he’s wanted by two women and is super indecisive. But damn, I still have a fondness for the tight guitar work and the messy and complicated story being told here. And as a lite version of "Bizarre Love Triangle” by New Order, I still think it works. I can’t deny that I still love the song, but I am also very much aware of how much it might’ve been implicating and the attitude it’s presenting. Still though, if Benson makes more songs that sound like this, I wouldn’t complain.
HM #6: Chappell Roan - The Subway (YE: #148, PEAK: #3)
I was really rooting for this one to last long enough to be a hit, and I’m so thrilled it did. After “The Giver” basically flopped as a jarring country pop swerve (I think it’s great but I admittedly haven’t revisited after it dropped), “The Subway” is the sort of return to form that reminds you exactly of what Chappell Roan excels at. It’s a lush Britpop track where Chappell Roan’s Kate Bush-esque delivery really shines, especially on a line like “Well, fuck this city, I'm moving to Saskatchewan”, which cuts with pure hurt. The outro to this song is also just stunning, with the blend of “she’s got a way” and “she got away”, because it allows Chappell to wring every ounce of heartache she can in her delivery. Even if it takes 5 years like Chappell said to get another album from her, songs like this give me hope that the wait will be worth it.
HM #7: Lola Young - Messy (YE: #30, PEAK: #14)
“Messy” isn’t really reinventing the wheel on the surface. There’ve been many songs about the narrator wanting to be them with a “fuck you” to double standards. But what “Messy” does differently is that it feels real. Take a song like “What The Hell” by Avril Lavigne from 2011, where Avril is rebelling against the expectation that she should be good like she has her whole life and she's just saying “fuck it”. I still love that song a lot, but Avril felt like she was putting on a persona in that song. Lola Young delivers every line in “Messy” in a very conversational cadence and that makes it feel real—it’s what makes that “pull a Britney like every other week” line actually work. In today’s culture any other artist probably would’ve cut that line out of fear of getting cancelled. The fact that Lola Young left it in forces you into that “can’t look away” state with this song. I feel like I know every detail of this argument. It’s raw and daring in a way that a lot of mainstream pop was just afraid to be this year. Awesome stuff!!
HM #8: Tyler, The Creator f/Sexyy Red, Glorilla, & Lil Wayne - Sticky (YE: #98, PEAK: #10)
Tyler, The Creator and Lil Wayne bring two female rappers who I previously underestimated and deliver a banger that absolutely shows their potential. Glorilla’s bruising delivery is perfect for the knocking percussion and Sexyy Red’s over the top delivery makes her sloppy flow really boost the energy. And this song was what made me think that Lil Wayne still had his skills nearly 20 years into his career. This song easily washes anything on Tha Carter VI. And Tyler, The Creator’s humor really shines here, from “[Gravey], give a fuck 'bout pronouns, I'm that [gravey] and that bitch” to his alternating between his femme-Tyler voice and his normal voice, it just feels so natural and it’s a huge ass banger.
HM #9: Shaboozey - A Bar Song (Tipsy) (YE: #4, PEAK: #1)
Yes, I know, this was one of the songs that really benefited from the utter stagnation of the charts this year and I completely get it if you’re sick of this song. But still, “A Bar Song (Tipsy)” remained a timeless stomp clap anthem all year for me. Despite all the overplay, I never got sick of it (even with how badly one of my pop stations tried to make that really bad TikTok mashup of this and J-Kwon’s “Tipsy” a thing)! It looks like Shaboozey is gonna stick around long term, even notching a second pretty great hit with “Good News” (it’s not making this list but shoutout to that one for having the perfect sentiment to encapsulate 2025), and if we keep getting hits of this high quality, I’d be thrilled. This is an incredible song and I think this year proved that it will likely stand the test of time and endure as a stomp clap/barroom staple for the years to come. But Billboard, please tell me you’re adjusting your multipliers because this really doesn’t deserve to be the biggest song of all time.
HM #10: Ariana Grande - twilight zone (YE: #136, PEAK: #18)
I know, “warm” was the song from the deluxe of eternal sunshine that I featured in one of my Chill Pick articles earlier this year. But “warm” ultimately fell out of my rotation pretty quickly because of how overcompressed the mix was. “twilight zone”, on the other hand, only grew on me with every listen. The production is way brighter, which helps the song feel much fuller with room to breathe. Ariana Grande’s vocals sound gorgeous too. The chilly melody also helped this be more of a slow burn for me. Yeah, this is incredible, no twilight zone to be in here!
HM #11: Rose & Bruno Mars - APT. (YE: #12, PEAK: #3)
I know, it’s hard not to see this as a ripoff of Chappell Roan’s “HOT TO GO!”, from the campy delivery to the new wave guitars. But “APT.” is just as amazing as “HOT TO GO!”—Rose sounds like she’s having the time of her life here and Bruno Mars manages to lean into the campy atmosphere and somehow not sound goofy! In a year where BLACKPINK members struck out on solo ventures to little avail, Rose seems to be the only one who’s able to establish her own unique identity, and if it means more incredible songs like this, that can only be a good thing.
HM #12: Billie Eilish - BIRDS OF A FEATHER (YE: #9, PEAK: #2)
Another 2024 hit that only qualified for this list because of how stagnant the charts were this year! And it’s another one that managed to endure all the overplay and prove to be pretty timeless. I have a hard time declaring songs to be “songs that feel like they’ve always existed” unless it’s a song from before I was born, but the way this song stood up to all the overplay is not only a testament to how 2024 had 20 years worth of iconic gems stuffed into one year, but also just how amazing and timeless this song is. The jittery percussion makes this feel super intimate and the mix expands to give Billie the room to properly belt in a way that catches you off guard if you know Billie’s prior hits. Even on “Happier Than Ever”, arguably the “hardest” song she’s ever released, she didn’t really belt. So “BIRDS OF A FEATHER” just feels like Billie finally embracing her vocal talents to the fullest, like a baby turtle poking its head out of its shell for the first time to crawl to the ocean. Yeah, “BIRDS OF A FEATHER” is gorgeous and in future decades, when songs like “bad guy” might be seen as dated relics (I still don’t like that song at all, shut up), I think this will stand the test of time.
HM #13: Sabrina Carpenter - Tears (YE: #82, PEAK: #3)
So there’s no getting around it—Man’s Best Friend was underwhelming. For as much as I like “Manchild” for its galloping groove, it really cooled on me over the course of the year for being emblematic of the album’s problems. “Tears” might not be better than “Juno”, but it’s still an incredible song. It admittedly took a bit for it to grow on me because “I get wet at the thought of you” is a very bluntly horny lyric even for Sabrina, but eventually that disco production really won me over. The song is stuffed with quotables, from the “shi-ki-tah”’s to the “oh so oh so oh so hot” to the “what you what you what you want”. The fun production also helps this song succeed in a way where most of the album falls short—I actually believe Sabrina is in on the joke! I mean for crying out loud, there’s a dance break in this song!! It winds up as funny as Sabrina says that “tears run down her thighs” at the thought of a guy assembling a chair from Ikea or remembering how to use his phone. Yeah, this song is incredible and if Sabrina waits a bit longer before dropping her next album, I could see her having another run like her 2024 run of singles. We’ll just have to see. Also, what’s more wet? Sabrina at the thought of you, or Seattle? Leave your thoughts in the comments.
HM #14: Lady Gaga - Abracadabra (YE: #55, PEAK: #13)
“Abracadabra” is incredible as a nostalgia trip and as a song on its own. It’s such a magically enchanting track, where every subsequent listen uncovers more different moving pieces that make it come together. I love the gurgling groove that sounds like two magic spells clashing with each other in a battle. The clanking piano keys make it sound like Gaga is literally casting a spell on you. Or the pounding kick that sounds like fireworks are going off. I also can’t help but imagine this song soundtracking Harry Potter’s fight with Voldemort.
Like you can practically hear it...
HM #15: Doechii - DENIAL IS A RIVER (YE: #74, PEAK: #21)
Okay, if we can’t have “NISSAN ALTIMA”, I’ll settle for this. Honestly though, “DENIAL IS A RIVER” was the Doechii song I ended up revisiting most over the course of the year. “NISSAN ALTIMA” might be a bars fest for the ages, but “DENIAL IS A RIVER” is just much more quotable. Doechii lays out her story of her come up in such a casually honest and conversational tone across this boom bap production and it makes it so much funnier. It’s endlessly replayable and I’ve had many fun moments in 2025 rapping along to this haha. Also the way they spell out her breathing at the end of the song on Spotify is objectively hilarious:
Now for the list proper!
10...Ever since I started allowing repeats on my lists, I’ve tried to make it a rule of thumb that I elbow them back on my lists if I feel they didn’t really define the year as a whole or for me personally. But for this one...fuck it, it’s a song that I may have loved last year but was still too harsh on and it only fully clicked for me in 2025. And in a year that felt completely devoid of any defining songs, I think this earns its spot....
10. Sabrina Carpenter - Espresso (YE: #18, PEAK: #3)
This is now the third 2024 hit that only qualified for this list because of how stagnant the charts were this year. And in 2025, a year where new hits were practically nonexistent, “Espresso” stood out all the more as a reminder of one of the best and most eventful summers in music in recent memory. And as a result I wound up appreciating it more as time went on. I love how frothy the production is. The dance-pop production just screams summer and Sabrina shows up on that hot summer day with a wink and a smile as she leans into her cheekier attitude effortlessly. It’s genuinely impressive just how many hooks are crammed into this 3 minute song, from “I’m working late...cuz I’m a singerrrrrrrrrrr” to “that’s that me espisso", it’s just such a fun and iconic song. And I’ve honestly had too much fun singing this with a bad valley girl accent haha I’m werking late cuz I’m a singerrrrrrrrrrr 💅.
9...Okay yeah, it’s kinda insane just how big this was in 2025, where it kinda forces you to compare it to the last time a kid’s movie soundtrack took advantage of a weak chart environment with such dominance—of course that being Encanto in 2022. Now I still really like “We Don’t Talk About Bruno” (as well as the entire Encanto soundtrack), even despite how bizarre it was hearing that song on the radio in 2022. That said, however you might feel about “We Don’t Talk About Bruno”, it’s a song that really only works in the context of the movie. Sometimes you need a soundtrack hit that’s just an incredible pop song even divorced from the movie...
9. HUNTR/X - Golden (YE: #6, PEAK: #1)
I’m very pleasantly surprised that Kpop Demon Hunters hasn’t been a staple on many worst lists this year, considering how much Encanto was in 2022. And I’m fucking relieved, because “Golden” is an incredible song, it’s a very strong pop song both in the movie and on its own. Perhaps not the best song on the soundtrack, but as HUNTR/X’s effort to seel the Honmoon, it’s a powerhouse of a song. It may owe a lot to IVE’s “I AM” musically, but that doesn’t change just how amazing this sounds. The drum machines and synths help build momentum for EJAE’s voice to really shine. Could you argue that this song may be putting too much focus on Rumi’s vocals? Sure. But if you’ve seen the movie, you know that this framing is intentional for Rumi’s character arc to start. It might be a scathing indictment of the state of 2025’s pop music that Kpop Demon Hunters was unironically the saving grace of it, but this is still a damn amazing track.
8...But while we’re talking about Kpop Demon Hunters—yes we’re still here and we’ll remain here for the next few entries—the more you think about “Golden”, despite the fact that the song is sung by the entire girl group, it really only focuses on one of the members’ journeys. If only there was a song in the movie that reflected everyone in HUNTR/X’s journeys...oh wait!...
8. HUNTR/X - What It Sounds Like (YE: #57, PEAK: #15)
In the movie, “What It Sounds Like” is the climax song, where the girls in HUNTR/X learn to fully embrace themselves without shame to beat the demons. The producers clearly knew that this had to sound like a climax song—the percussion builds with a real sense of grandeur resolving into that powerful groove at around the 3-minute mark as it pivots into more of a dance-pop lane. All three girls in HUNTR/X get individual moments to shine, which is really what makes this feel like such a satisfying climax song, because it highlights how all three girls had their own character arc rather than being just side characters to Rumi. The percussion, synths, and bassline make this sound like you’re playing a video game where your character is climbing a seemingly endless flight of stairs to face the final boss fight. Yeah, this is absolutely incredible, but still not my favorite song on the soundtrack. But while we’re in that territory...
7...So “Sorry I’m Here For Someone Else” isn’t the only one of my Chill Picks from this year to make this list. But this...it’s different. I mean, Benson Boone just had a few missteps and then lived up to his potential in spades. But this...I’ve tried to denounce the term “guilty pleasure” in my musical opinions mainly because it implies an ironic appreciation for the art rather than genuine love. Or if there is genuine appreciation, it comes with shame or embarrassment for liking it. And I’m not usually one to feel embarrassed for my takes, however bad they may be. But this...yeah, I won’t lie, a part of me feels a bit sheepish just how much I love this. Partially because I’ve been teased for it both by IRLs and online friends. But in such an empty summer for pop music, God I needed this...
7. Saja Boys - Soda Pop (YE: #40, PEAK: #3)
Like “Sorry I’m Here For Someone Else”, “Soda Pop” has admittedly cooled on me a bit since I reviewed it in my Chill Pick article. And a factor of it was the discovery that the producer used generative AI when ideating for this song, which did definitely elbow this from being higher than it would be on this list. I know that the way he used generative AI isn’t anywhere near as egregious as the initial headlines made it out to be, but still, it made my initial praise for the song’s dual meaning lyrical conceit age...awkwardly. That said, I still have a huge fondness for the dense funktronica groove that lands a really bouncy key change and I do at least still think the concept of the song is inspired. I will also say that in the following months after I reviewed this song, it did feel like it was trying to do too much as a simple cheerful bubblegum pop song. Could you argue that it’s pretty annoying and feels weapons-tested for 5th graders? Yes, but this was on repeat for me all summer and I still love it. I’m fairly certain this means in the movie’s context that my soul has been consumed by demons, but whatever, the demons can have my soul just this one time. And for the longest time this was my favorite song on the entire Kpop Demon Hunters soundtrack, but while we’re in that territory...
6...So we went through Kpop Demon Hunters’s hero song, climax song, and villain song. Why not also include the conflict song?...
6. Rumi & Jinu - Free (YE: #70, PEAK: #23)
This is a song that picks up its most resonance in the movie’s context and once it picks up that resonance, it doesn’t lose it. Rumi of HUNTR/X and Jinu of the Saja Boys find solidarity in each other’s struggles and mutually agree to help each other escape their struggles. Despite how it might appear, Rumi and Jinu have amazing chemistry with each other (though maybe it’s my knowledge of how it’s portrayed in the movie clouding my judgement lol). And I especially really love EJAE’s vocals. She mostly stays in her lower huskier register, which is very potent in its own right. And that makes her belting on the bridge feel all the more earned and sounding fantastic. The production is definitely a bit dated, the liquid guitars and trap percussion do call back to 2018 pop, but EJAE and Andrew Choi’s acting really elevate this. They make you feel that they are actually these characters. And honestly Jinu’s parts are so singable that I love searching up karaoke tracks of this that only leave Rumi’s voice in and I can sing along to it and pretend I’m singing with Rumi haha. More than anything, that fun I have singing this is what ultimately made this my favorite song on the entire Kpop Demon Hunters soundtrack. Incredible stuff!
5...There’s a larger conversation to be had about how rap and hip hop had a banner year in 2025, particularly in the underground. Which the mainstream rewarded with...absolutely no hits from those scenes. Clipse was the most commercially successful of this scene, landing an album bomb...where precisely nothing stuck afterwards. So what I’m trying to say is...thank God for Kendrick Lamar teabagging on Drake’s dead body this whole year....
5. Kendrick Lamar - squabble up (YE: #33, PEAK: #1)
I remember this song first being teased in the “Not Like Us” video and how excited I was when I heard the song in full when I listened to GNX. And yeah, “squabble up” is awesome, no doubt about it. The production from Mustard is fucking top notch, with the menacing synth bass that’s tight yet loose and fun for Kendrick to flow across it and make his humor and quotability pop off. This isn’t better than “Not Like Us” nor is it my favorite song on GNX—the lower warble on the hook didn’t quite land as well as it should’ve. But you know what, while we’re in that territory...
4...I don’t think I have an intro for this other than
4. Kendrick Lamar f/Lefty Gunplay - tv off (YE: #19, PEAK: #2)
More than anything, “tv off” is the song that proves that Kendrick Lamar can lecture us on anything and pair it with a West Coast beat and we’ll eat it up. And really, “tv off” musically is about on par with “Not Like Us”—the West Coast beat is fantastic with the best beat switch I’ve heard all year. And Kendrick really brings out the best in his humor, with the biggest shoutout DJ Mustard has ever gotten. This is all so fun and memeworthy that you barely even notice that Kendrick is literally telling you to turn off your TV and go be a force of change! “tv off” is just a ridiculously fun song that’s destined to be remembered as one of Kendrick’s best hits and be a generation-defining banger. Maybe Mustard should change his producer tag on his songs from “Mustard on that beat hoe” to “MUSTAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARD”. I think the world would be for the better there.
3...So for the next two songs, if I hadn’t expanded my list criteria, they would’ve missed the cut. We’ll have to see if this one has enough traction to be a bigger hit in 2026—I’m optimistic personally—but in case I’m wrong for this one, let me make my case...
3. sombr - 12 to 12 (YE: #145, PEAK: #41)
“undressed” and “back to friends” established sombr’s potential to deliver something special. And “12 to 12” is him fully realizing that potential because holy SHIT...this is one of the best songs I’ve ever heard. It literally sounds like a lost Mchael Jackson cut from the 1980s, from the vocal inflections to the new wave/disco groove to sombr’s potent as hell falsetto. This is sombr’s best ever production. It literally already sounds like a modern classic of this decade like “Blinding Lights” was way back in 2020. It’s so timeless and I’m honestly in awe at how impeccable this is. Lyrically, the song is about sombr whinging over his first heartbreak, like much of his debut album. But my God, he has the conviction and charisma in his delivery to truly make it seem like his entire world. There’s a place for songs about your first heartbreak that are quietly sad, like Olivia Rodrigo’s “drivers license”. But “12 to 12” is a reminder that you can wallow in melodramatic angst and sell it loudly. Fucking phenomenal track, so what two songs topped this?
2...Considering I expressed in the intro that 2025 was a great year for R&B, there’s a pretty conspicuous absence of it on this list. I don’t know what to say, most of the great R&B hits this year were among the last cuts from this list. But let me rectify that assertion with this gem...
2. Olivia Dean - Man I Need (YE: #49, PEAK: #4)
Like “12 to 12”, I’m honestly just struck by how impeccable “Man I Need” is. Olivia Dean’s voice is beautifully soulful and inviting and it perfectly complements the sophisti-pop production. It’s very easy to like and every time you think it’s too boringly perfect, Olivia Dean’s “talk to me, talk to me”’s punch in with note perfect timing. The whole song is just playfully intimate and it’s no surprise to me that it’s got such wide appeal. Olivia Dean looks set to have a huge breakthrough year in 2026 and given how great her charting songs right now have been, I think we’re all the better for it.
Now before we get to what could’ve possibly been better than that, let’s run through our ineligible honorable mentions!!
IHM #1: Myles Smith - Stargazing (YE: #53, PEAK: #19)
The first two IHMs here were caught in that unfortunate gray zone where they would’ve been eligible for this list had I used my old criteria and they would’ve been eligible for last year’s best list if I used my new criteria. Let’s start with the one that’s probably way harder to defend haha. I get every criticism thrown at this song and Myles Smith. His music is absolutely rooted in that early-to-mid-2010s stomp clap sound that slots very closely to commercial-core. And “Stargazing” in particular is a song that by all accounts is a pale ripoff of “Counting Stars” by OneRepublic, from the heavy piano chords over the stomping percussion to the fact that they’re both literally about looking up at the stars. But I can’t help it—Myles Smith’s songs are very easy to sing along to and that really elevates them for me. “Stargazing” in particular became my warmup singing song and I still sing it every time I attempt to take on a song that’s slightly difficult for me. Now I ultimately put this above his other hit this year, “Nice To Meet You” (also a song I like way more than I should lol) because this has a stronger hook and melody. Is it white as all hell? Maybe. But still, if stomp clap is gonna see an uncanny nostalgia wave, I honestly wouldn’t mind Myles Smith sticking around.
IHM #2: Sabrina Carpenter - Bed Chem (YE: #91, PEAK: #14)
Okay, now for something that should be easier to defend. “Bed Chem” is an incredible song—it’s a hot, steamy, and lush sex song where Sabrina remains playful enough to keep the atmosphere warm and goofy. She makes lines like “Come right on me, I mean camaraderie” or the biggest 6x9ine shoutout that guy’s gotten in years (/hj) work really well. It’s a song where it feels like you can let go of your anxieties and just enjoy making Sabrina Juno, if you get what I mean.
IHM #3: Alex Warren & Rose - On My Mind (YE: N/A, PEAK: #60)
Yeah...this one really grew on me. If we made “Ordinary” the song of the year, why couldn’t we have made this a hit? Come on! Alex Warren and Rose have really great chemistry and Rose’s harmonies in particular are quite nice. Also one of my favorite things to do this year was sing this song at sunset and change the “the way the clouds are painted” lyric to whatever color the sunset was that evening. Yeah, I really like this. But if you wanna talk about the Hype House member that was really robbed...
IHM #4: Addison Rae - Aquamarine (YE: N/A, PEAK: #110)
I mean seriously, there’s no excuse why such a glamorous deep house cut that Addison Rae absolutely sells couldn’t be a hit!! Yeah, this is incredible and if there was any song from a Hype House member that should’ve been song of the year, it was this. If we aren’t gonna have hot girl summers anymore, can we have “pop girl summers” instead? If you found a way to have one of those, this was probably what you were bumping. And you were better for it!
IHM #5: Kacey Musgraves - Rainbow (YE: N/A, PEAK: #98)
I don’t have much to add about this song musically but let me just say that my aunt and uncle’s baby daughter was born in January of 2025 (she’s an absolute joy) and I made this the first song she ever heard and the way she immediately stopped crying when Kacey started singing was one of the most powerful moments I’ve ever experienced.
Now for our final entry...
1...I think in 2025 I was looking to reinforce the healthy mindset I had developed last year. And I think what makes me have complicated feelings towards this year is that while I may have done that, it wasn't exactly to the extent I wanted to. And I'll be honest, 2025, for me personally, even despite some undeniably really great moments, just sucked. Not to a point of it being traumatic—it's not 2022 or 2019—but it was one where I found myself in the midst of a pretty rough downward spiral. But what helped me pull myself out of that downward spiral was holding onto hope of any kind. And one song that was already quite popular last year and even bigger this year gave me the hope I needed, if not for myself, for society at large...
1. Chappell Roan - Pink Pony Club (YE: #8, PEAK: #4)
There are plenty of reasons to call "Pink Pony Club" the best pop song of 2025. I could point out its surface level qualities like the pounding drum machines or the killer guitar solos or even the beautiful storytelling that starts out timid before blossoming into unapologetic queer liberation. But honestly that all feels redundant to point out; every critic and music hobbyist already knows why this is a masterful piece of art on just sound alone so sticking to just those qualities would mean I'm not breaking any new ground. Instead let's zero in on what I just said: the best pop song of 2025. What even is a pop song? You could say it's a song in a genre of music called pop the same way we have rock songs, country songs, rap songs, R&B songs, and much more. But what tends to get forgotten is that "pop music" is shorthand for "popular music". But what exactly is that? Let's roll back all the way to the 19th century; popular music was music that had wide appeal. Meaning that almost everyone universally agreed "this is good" or "this is awesome" to varying degrees. It united people, one thing they have in common with each other is that they agree the song is good. It is with that definition in mind that I believe that "Pink Pony Club" is a song that represents everything pop music was meant to be—a powerful, unifying force—and the most important hit song of the decade so far. Every single person I've talked to about this song IRL likes it to some extent. I don't think it'll be contentious for me to say that 2025 was a year where society at large felt like a divided, bleak, and regressive wasteland. But even so, throughout the year, "Pink Pony Club" remained a constant force that everyone agreed was awesome; it united people. I don't think I need to explain why in a year like this, a big hit song, especially one about queer liberation, that united people was greatly appreciated. The amount of videos I've seen and stories I've heard of DJ's throwing the song on at a wedding or a club and literally everybody starting to sing and dance to it is unimaginable. It was like the first rays of sun poking through 2025's gray clouds like rays of hope. Mark my words, in 2040, when people look back on the 2020s for pop music, “Pink Pony Club” will be remembered as a classic of this decade. The same way “Take On Me” by a-ha is for the 80s or “Yeah!” by Usher is for the 2000s. Every time I heard this song on the radio my face would just light up knowing that such an amazing little pop song was out there unifying people by being as popular as it is. The fact that it’s one of the most masterfully produced pop songs I’ve ever heard is just the cherry on top. This song is everything pop music should be. "Pink Pony Club" by Chappell Roan, the best hit song of 2025. This song gives me faith that better things are on the horizon for 2026, stay strong everyone. But wait...we’re not done?
0?...Okay, “Pink Pony Club” gave me hope for society at large. But what gave me hope for me personally?...
0. Justin Bieber - Ghost (YE: N/A, PEAK: #5)
Okay, what? Fire, didn’t you get super personal with this song in your 2022 best list? Why are you bringing this song up in the context of 2025? Are you fucking stupid? How about you look at the graphic a bit closer?
You might be thinking “Huh, that’s an unusually large space between “of” and “2025”, well how about you zoom in?
Still can’t quite see that?
You see, this is the best hit song, but not of 2025 in general. But it genuinely defined my 2025 personally and I feel the best way to honor that is putting it as a #0 spot on this list, something an IHM can only wish to do. I do realize I'm egregiously bending the rules here, so instead of being #1, it's #0; this way I can give this song the top spot in spirit without sacrificing the integrity of my list. But okay, you made that clear Fire, but given the enormous significance you expressed with this song in your 2022 best list, you can't possibly have something new to say about it in 2025. Well, I don’t know what to say, for some reason, this song was a constant light in the dark this year for me. So after I wrote my best of 2022 list, “Ghost” became a song that really harbored a bunch of difficult feelings for me; it felt like a relic of an old life that wasn’t possible for me to get back. I would return to this song time and time again to try and sing it to relive those happy memories as best as possible, but I’d just wind up sad and crying because the song was no longer in my vocal range and I sounded like fucking shit singing it. But at the beginning of the year, I went to an intensive therapy clinic across the country and I made one of my goals super clear—I wanted to sing "Ghost" again. I spent the next month in that intensive and then....I hit every note in “Ghost” just like I could before. It hadn’t fully processed in my mind what I just did. Then I went home for the day, watched the video my speech therapist had taken of me singing it, let myself fully come to terms with what I had just accomplished..and I burst into tears, like usual; but this time, it was...different. As I was rewatching the recording, every memory of my pre-AVM life flooded back to me. I was tangibly able to see myself doing the things I used to love doing, and for the first time, possibly ever since my injury, it felt like it wasn’t that far away. Over the last few years, I’d built up a strong emotional dam to hold back the tears I would get whenever I saw people living normal lives. This song swung in like a wrecking ball and destroyed that dam, opening up the floodgates for emotions that I hadn’t even realized I was bottling up to spill over. Those were tears of joy. Because the fact I was able to sing that song again and love how I sounded, that's just one piece of my old life I'm able to relive again. I returned to this song over and over this year and it always made me feel that good times were just around the corner and that sooner or later, I'll be recovered to a point I'm satisfied with. If there's anything my whole AVM survival experience has taught me, it's that I'm way stronger and more perseverant than I had given myself credit for previously. I know that if I just keep working hard for a little bit longer, it'll finally pay off. I literally sang this in the shower every day of 2025 and it felt like a part of my old life had come back each and every time. So while “Pink Pony Club” by Chappell Roan is the best hit song of 2025, “Ghost” by Justin Bieber is the best hit song of my 2025.
And that’s the list!! I hope you guys enjoyed it! My next article will be my Albums Around the Fireplace article, so look out for that!! Until then, Spotify playlist is right here and if you guys have got your own lists of the best hit songs of 2024, please feel free to comment them down below!! I’m eager to read them!! Until my next article, remember to keep it Fire!!
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