If “Love On The Brain” represented a surprising, daring approach to a mainstream hit, The Weeknd’s “Starboy (featuring Daft Punk)” is its polar opposite. The only thing absolutely clear is that it was one of 2016’s Best Pop Hits. It is as conducive to head-bopping as it is to emotional contemplation and connection. Like previous twenty one pilots hits “Stressed Out” and “Ride,” it has no interest in being easily classified or boxed. Indeed, “Heathens” was a big hit at pop, alternative and hot adult contemporary radio. No matter the situation, listeners will “get” twenty one pilots’ “Heathens.” And given how great it is, they will almost surely like it. The combination of its striking and personal lyrics, haunting, yet soaring production and Tyler Joseph’s intensely emotional vocal delivery allow for a transformative experience in all scenarios - and for listeners in all moods.
#Ariana grande rihanna greatest hits (salutes) movie
It is not simply a good song that a movie studio felt would work well on commercials it is a song that fits the aesthetic of the film and its story.īut it does not live or die based on that context. The hit single appears on the soundtrack to “Suicide Squad,” and it perfectly embodies the movie. “Heathens” possesses all of those welcome contradictions. They are songs like twenty one pilots’ “Heathens.” They are personal and self-reflective, yet still widely relatable. They are niche and specific, yet still universally enjoyable. They are quirky and edgy, yet still broadly accessible. The result is one of the Best Pop Hits of 2016. The result is a song more ambitious and daring than one would typically expect of an album’s “pop” single. The lyrics are absolutely “Rihanna lyrics” that fit within the context of “ANTI,” and her delivery contains the same swagger and energy that made her famous. Yet its faithfulness to the sound of old does not come at the expense of Rihanna’s own authenticity. Rihanna entirely commits to the track, incorporating soulful vocal affectations for which she has never previously been known.
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The experience is not simply immersive for the listener. “Umbrella,” “Hate That I Love You,” or “Only Girl” this is not. “Love On The Brain” is a wholly authentic, completely immersive soul/doo-wop throwback. While Rihanna has released many broad-skewing singles throughout her impressive career, she has never released something quite like this. The opposite is true of “Love On The Brain.” It is the poppiest and most broadly accessible track on Rihanna’s “ANTI.” It also may be her most daring.
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It suggests that the artist will avoid risks and eliminate quirks in the name of something safer, more innocuous, and more commercial. The notion of “going pop” often comes with a negative connotation. You’re left with one of the Best Pop Hits of 2016. It is not a perfect song there is an anonymity to the lyrics, and Grande’s delivery, though technically outstanding, doesn’t quite have the commanding personality and attitude demonstrated on her stronger singles “Dangerous Woman” and “Side To Side.”īut when you take a supremely constructed pop song and add vocals from one of mainstream music’s most talented singers, you’re still left with an excellent song. Grande has developed the control and poise needed to make the most of her beautiful, powerful voice, and she leverages those newfound abilities to take “Into You” to the next level. “Into You,” moreover, has two unique - and very valuable - strengths: Max Martin’s polished production and Ariana Grande’s outstanding vocals. It has the pulsing beat, mesmerizing pre-chorus, soaring chorus and captivating conclusion for which so many aspire but so few achieve. “Into You” is the pop single so many artists have been trying desperately to make.
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Those eligible songs were then ranked based on quality. They must have also reached the Top 20 on Mediabase’s pop radio airplay chart. Positioned between #16 and #20, the selections included hits from Rihanna, Machine Gun Kelly x Camila Cabello, Ruth B, Mike Posner and Taylor Swift.Īs a reminder, songs considered for this list must have first charted at US pop radio in 2016. Friday, we revealed the first five songs on our “Best Pop Hits of 2016” countdown.