2015 top hits

According to Billboardsyear-end charts, Uptown Funk is the Hot 100 song of 2015. But now its time to talk aboutour favorite songs of the year, based on thecritical opinions and tastes of the Billboard.com staff. See our critics picks for the bestsongs of2015 below.

25. I Know Theres Gonna Be [Good Times], Jamie XX feat.Young Thug & Popcaan

Unlikely musical marriages bear the best fruit when artists complement each others strengths and challengeassumptions [just ask Jack Ü and Bieber]. Jamie xxs feel-good summer jam did just that, casting Young Thug, an Atlanta-bred rapper of Haitian descent, and Jamaican dancehall MC Popcaan in a temperate calypso daydream punctuated by cheery steelpan rhythms and an unimpeachable Persuasions sample. Nothing feels forced about this diverse meeting-of-minds, and thats an impressive feat.

24. Burning House, Cam

In one four-minute track, Cammanages to pack in frustration, despair, anguish, and torment. But what makes it beautifulis the woundedvocal melody set against gentle guitar strumming and understated strings. This is the rare quiet breakout hit of 2015.

23. Dreams, Beck

What did Beck do four months after his downtempo melancholy LP Morning Phase won Album of the Year? Release an irresistible radio-ready track with the refrain, d-d-d-dreams, shes making me high! Dreams benefited from Becks Grammy momentum to dominate its radio lane [it peaked at No. 2 on Alternative Songs] and gave us plenty of reason to anticipate another dramatic LP reinvention from the ol L.A. hipster. Speaking of which, were still waiting

22. Tennessee Whiskey, Chris Stapleton

Stapleton turned a lot of headswith hisblues-laden nod to George Jones on Traveller [David Allan Coe originally recorded the song, but Jones 1983 version is the biggest hit]. HIsCMA duet of the song with Justin Timberlake knocked down walls for the singer, who saw his album shoot to No. 1 on the Billboard 200 and get a Grammy nod for Album of the Year. Originals on his LPaside, his version of Tennessee Whiskey remains an album highlight, showing off a falsetto that is, in fact, as smooth as Tennessee whiskey.

21. FourFiveSeconds, Rihanna Feat. Kanye and Paul McCartney

Rihannas long-awaited album still isnt here, but she did give 2015 a collaboration Rihanna, Kanye West and Sir Paul McCartney that no one saw coming.Even more surprising than the genre and generation-spanning trios existence is the fact that the song itself is incredible. McCartneys whimsical melody pairs nicely with the tale of getting drunk and spazzing out. Who knew?

20. Pedestrian at Best, Courtney Barnett

Since her early EPs, fans knew Courtney Barnett had bars [okay, lyrics], but on the resident banger from her debut album, she proved she had killer hooks, too. Within and in-between the crunchy chorus, Barnett weaves a firstperson one-act about asadsack thats so sharp,its hard to believe her every time she sings, Ill only disappoint you.

19. Good For You, Selena Gomezfeat. A$AP Rocky

Selena Gomez has talked about wanting a more grown-up image/sound for some time, and she got it with her sexy Revival single Good For You featuring A$AP Rocky. Her sultry voice is a perfect match for the come-hither lyrics, and the thumping beat ensures well be dancing to this at clubs for quite some time.

18. Know Yourself, Drake

The lyric Running through the 6 with my woes popularized squad goals before Taylor Swifts Bad Blood video even touched timelines. Know Yourself finds Drake flashing several mean mugs at the man in the mirror for the Boi-1da co produced confidence booster, which appeared on Drizzys album-mixtape If Youre Reading This Its Too Late. N-s want my spot and dont deserve it, he huffs and puffs, giving the rest of us enough reason to shoo away the haters on one of the years best shit-talking records.

17. Me Voy Enamorando, Chino y Nacho

With its official video alone garnering over 220 million YouTube views, this song was a smash. What got to us was the mix of tropical and pop, not to mentionromance and dance. The duos tale of budding romance struck a universal chord,andbringing rapper Farruko in as a guestgave it just the right touch of edge.

16. Biscuits, Kacey Musgraves

Musgraves, who many have compared to a modern-day Loretta Lynn, scored a triumphant note with this banjo-backedwarning to keep out of other peoples business.As usual, its done in her tell-it-like-you-see-itstyle.

15. Flesh Without Blood, Grimes

There were several otherworldly pop bangers on Grimes Art Angels, but were glad she decided to let this stratospheric kiss-off kick off the album cycle. The artist named Claire Boucher kept us guessing in the albums long gestation period, sharing Go, an EDM banger shed written for Rihanna, and then admitting shed scrapped an entire albums worth of material. In the end, she delivered the pop some of her fans were craving, without sacrificing the weirdness that made her a cult star. Flesh Without Blood is that in a nutshell a sky-scraping hook pulled out of unintelligible vocals, served over an underbelly of humming guitar.

14. Leave a Trace, Chvrches

Chvrches didnt build a new foundation on their sophomore album Every Open Eye. Instead, they followed the same blueprint as before, and built an even better shrine for Lauren Mayberrys majestic vocals. On Leave a Trace, Iain Cook and Martin Dohertys fine-tuned swirls of synthesizer are just begging for a killer hook, and Mayberry singing with more swagger than ever before hammers it home. Prayer hands up.

13. Classic Man, Jidennafeat. Roman GianArthur

You might not expect the man behind 2015s coolest R&B song to count Nat King Cole as his swag idol, but Jidenna tells you right there in the title: Hes a Classic. The Nigerian-American singer/songwriter hit theBillboard Hot 100top 25 with the song, imparting the importance of a tailored suit and slanging cane like a dandy [yes, as in an actual cane] while also dropping enough mummafunkas that you cant accuse him of beingtoofancy. This mean-and-clean cut was a burst of cool air onradio this year,made even cooler by aKendrick Lamar-assisted remix this summer. Well see if it takes home the best rap/sung collaboration Grammy come February.

12. El Perdon, Nicky Jam and Enrique Iglesias

So much has been said about records set by El Perdón, the second longest running No. 1 song on Billboards Hot Latin Songs chart. But too little has been said about the mix of sweet andsad on the danceable tune. Not to mentionthose plaintive lyrics of lost love that can make girls [and guys] cry. When I wrote the beginning of the song Did he take you to the moon, and I couldnt do that that part hit me really hard, Nicky Jam told Billboard. Trust us, Nicky, we get it, too.

11. March Madness, Future

After kicking off his return to form with last years Commas, Future delivered a hammer blow of a single with March Madness from his 56 Nights mixtape this spring, a song that simultaneously celebrates the luxury and excess of his lifestyle while excoriatingthe rise in police brutality over the past few years. He doesnt come off as a savior or try to paint himself in a positive light.Future knows hes not perfect and he doesnt hide it, instead presenting himself as the conflicted, drug-addled anti-hero that he is.

10. The Hills, The Weeknd

No. 1 hits arent supposed to be this sonically adventurous and dark, but the Weeknd can do no wrong in 2015. Theres barely a pop hook to speak of here just a beguiling, harrowing soundscape thats impossible to forget.

9. Sorry, Justin Bieber

Justin Bieber should try apologizing more often. From the bright opening notes to the manipulated vocal loop in the chorus,the Biebsbrought EDM to his pop palette and made fans out of haters with an unforgivably good single.

8. Alright, Kendrick Lamar

Kendrick Lamar made the struggle his message on the soul-stirring To Pimp A Butterfly cut Alright. With jazzy production provided by Pharrell and Sounwave, the fight-the-power anthem became the nations rallying cry in 2015, especially for the Black Lives Matter movement. Despite the albums lead single King Kunta peaking higher on the Billboard Hot 100 at No. 58, the plight of police brutality victims can be heard in every breath Lamar takes on Alright as he tackles societys ills with resilience: Homie you fucked up / But if God got us we then gon be alright.

7. Trap Queen, Fetty Wap

Sure, Trap Queen may have been out since the summer of 2014, but its impossible to think back on 2015 without acknowledging the overwhelming impact of Fetty Wap, with Trap Queen as his first and best anthem. Whether its the bouncy nature of Tony Fadds production, Fettys insanely catchy hooks or his equally singular ad-libs[which rang out continuously in clubs and car stereos nationwide], Trap Queen captured attention on its way to a No. 2 peak on the Hot 100, creating a new superstar along the way.

6. Here, Alessia Cara

If Lordes Royals was a rallying cry for those who felt isolated by the rampart materialism in pop culture, thenAlessia Caras Here is the anthem for those fed up with the glut of pop songs about partying and drinking. Thanks to the teenage R&B singer, being an introvert is finally cool again.

5. Where Are U Now, Jack U Feat. Justin Bieber

Skrillex recently described this collab as a turning point in both his and Biebers careers, and its easy to see why. In the span of a song, Skrillex and Diplo became crossover forces with their first top 10 hit, while the troubled pop star used that priceless edge-by-association to reinvent himself as a serious artistcoming of age and confounding millions of listeners who had hated him before. The chart success ofWhere Are Ü Nowspeaks not only to the mainstreams growing appetite for electronic music, but to pop musics [presently] open-minded format as well.

4. Hello, Adele

Grab some tissues: Four years after 21, Adele instantly warmed her way into our hearts [and tear ducts] with Hello, her heartbreaking reflection onlooking at love from the other side. Instantly spawning memes, tears, and excitement, it was a comeback single that reminded everyone she isthe queen of Feelings, andshehas the vocal range and power to back it up.

3. Lean On, Major Lazer & DJ Snake

The Grammys got it wrong. Its rare that a dance record of this quality reaches this level of ubiquity after all, this is Spotifys most streamed song of all-time as of Nov.2015. Despite being independently released, the infectious three-minute single became theposter child for dance crossover, dominatingboth radio and festival playand hittingNo. 4 onthe Hot 100. By Billboards measure, Lean On was the dance/electronic song of the year.

2. Hotline Bling, Drake

In a trio of freebies Drake plopped on SoundCloud in July, Hotline Bling was the only non-diss track. Backed by a tropical, groovy melody, Hotline Bling finds Aubrey Graham giving rap a hard pass and singing his heart out for some late-night loving through the phone. The record caught some drama, initially being referred to as a remix to Virginia rapper D.R.A.Ms Cha Cha. Still, the Toronto MVP got his dance on for the uber-viral video parodied by everyone from presidential candidate Donald Trump to Toronto Councillor Norm Kelly.

1. Cant Feel My Face, The Weeknd

The Weeknds irresistible, Michael Jackson-esque Cant Feel My Face is so perfectly crafted that its impossible to imagine a world or alternate reality in which this song isnt No. 1.There areenough hooks in this one single for a dozen chart-toppers, but Abel Tesfaye packed them all into three-and-a-half minutes of sheer ecstasy and, naturally, toppedthe Hot 100 for the first time.

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