TOP TEN ENGLISH SONGS IN FEBRUARY 2014
1) "DARK HORSE" KATY PERRY FT. JUICY J.
Katy Perry's "Dark Horse," featuring Juicy J, has topped the Hot 100 chart for three consecutive weeks, but has yet to receive an official music video. That will change on Feb. 20, when the collaboration's official clip -- apparently, a Cleopatra homage, judging by the 30-second teaser released on Thursday (Feb. 20) -- is finally unveiled.
2) "TIMBER" PITBULL FEAT KESHA
"Timber" is a song by American rapper Pitbull featuring American recording artist Ke$ha from Pitbull's Extended Play (EP) Meltdown. The song was released on October 7, 2013 and as the album's lead single . The song was produced by Dr. Luke, Cirkut, and Sermstyle, with additional production by Nick Seeley.[3][4] The song interpolates "San Francisco Bay" (1979) by Danishharmonica player Lee Oskar, which was written by Lee Oskar, Keri Oskar, and Greg Errico.
"Timber" features harmonica player Paul Harrington of Rockwall, Texas, who plays through the entire song. He was told to emulate harmonica player Lee Oskar of the band War.[5] "Timber" peaked at number one on the Billboard Hot 100 for three consecutive weeks, and has also topped the charts in Canada where it has stood at number one for eight consecutive weeks.
3) "COUNTING STARS" ONE REPUBLIC
"Counting Stars" is a song by American pop rock band OneRepublic from their third studio album, Native (2013). The song was written by lead singer Ryan Tedder, and produced by Tedder and Noel Zancanella. Musically, it is a pop song with strong elements of folk music.[2] It was released as the album's third single on June 14, 2013 in Austria, Germany, and Switzerland.
The song has been one of the band's most successful singles. It has peaked at number two on the Billboard Hot 100, tied with "Apologize" as their highest peaking single in the United States,[3] and is their third US top-ten hit. It has topped the charts in Canada, Finland, Israel, Poland, Slovakia and the United Kingdom,[4] while also reaching number 1 on Serbian airplay chart [5] and charted within the top ten in 20 countries, including attaining top five placements in Australia, Germany, Ireland and New Zealand. The song has sold over 3 million copies in the US as of January 2014.[6] The song will be covered by Skylar Astin, on the 99th episode of season 5 of popular musical series Glee, airing on March 11, 2014.[7]
The song's accompanying music video, directed by James Lees, features the band performing in a basement beneath an ongoing church congregation.[8]
4) " SAY SOMETHING" A GREAT BIG WORLD & CHRISTINA AGUILERA
"Say Something" is a song by American pop duo A Great Big World, released as the lead-single from their debut album, Is There Anybody Out There? (2013). Originally being released as a solo single from band member Ian Axel's solo album This Is the New Year in 2011, the song was released as a single by the band on September 3, 2013, via Epic Records. Following its usage on American reality TV show So You Think You Can Dance, the track gained attention from singer Christina Aguilera, who wanted to be featured on the song. Quickly afterwards, Aguilera appeared on the re-recorded version of "Say Something", released on November 4, 2013.
Composed by Ian Axel, Chad Vaccarino and Mike Campbell, "Say Something" is a downtempo indie pop piano ballad which talks about a breakup, where the lover is implored to make a statement that could potentially reverse plans, with the singers expressing humility, sadness and regret. In the single version with Aguilera, she plays a ghost of the lover to whom the song is addressed as she traces the steps of the lead vocal. The song was critically praised for its powerful lyrics, the emotional composition and Aguilera's vocal delivery; some even called it a "Oscar-worthy" track.
"Say Something" did not sell significantly until the re-recorded version was available; it debuted at number 16 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart after A Great Big World and Aguilera performed the song on The Voice, while eventually peaking at number 4. It also top the Australian charts, becoming their first number-one single (and Aguilera's third) and reached the top-ten in most countries. A music video was released on November 19, 2013. It features the trio singing as people "act out the heartbreaking lyrics." To further promote "Say Something", A Great Big World performed the track on The Voice and at the American Music Awards of 2013 with Aguilera.
5) "THE MONSTER" EMINEM FEAT RIHANNA
"The Monster" is a song by American hip hop recording artist Eminem, featuring guest vocals from Barbadian singer Rihanna, taken from Eminem's eighth studio album The Marshall Mathers LP 2. The song was written by Marshall Mathers, Jon Bellion and Bebe Rexha, with production handled by Frequency. "The Monster" marks the fourth collaboration between Eminem and Rihanna, following "Love the Way You Lie" and its sequel (2010), and "Numb" (2012). "The Monster" was released on October 29, 2013, as the fourth single from the album. The song's lyrics present Rihanna coming to grips with her inner demons, while Eminem ponders the negative effects of his fame.
Upon release the song was met with positive reviews from music critics, who compared the song to Eminem's and Rihanna's previous collaboration "Love the Way You Lie". "The Monster" has successfully charted worldwide, topping the charts in twelve countries including Australia, Canada, France, Ireland, New Zealand, Switzerland, the United Kingdom and the United States'Billboard Hot 100. It also marks Eminem's first number one on the US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart and has reached the top ten in Austria, Belgium, Italy and Spain.
The song's accompanying music video depicts Rihanna as Eminem's therapist in a session, as previous videos from his career are referenced.
6) "TALK DIRTY" JASON DERULO FEAT 2 CHAINZ
"Talk Dirty" is a song by American singer-songwriter Jason Derulo, released as the second single from his third studio album, Tattoos (2013) in the target markets of Australia, New Zealandand the UK. It was released as the third single in the US on January 7, 2014.[3] Additional vocals are provided by American rapper 2 Chainz, making it Derulo's first single to feature a guest performer.[4] The song was written by Jason Derulo, 2 Chainz, Eric Frederic, Jason Evigan, Sean Douglas, Ori Kaplan, Tamir Muskat, and Tomer Yosef, while the song's production – which interpolates a sample of "Hermetico" by the band Balkan Beat Box – was provided by Ricky Reed from the band Wallpaper..[5]
A music video for "Talk Dirty" was directed by Colin Tilley, which incorporates types of dance from a variety of cultures: it was released through Derulo's account on the video sharing siteYouTube on August 7, 2013.[6][7] Upon its release, "Talk Dirty" debuted at number one on the Australian singles chart, making it 2 Chainz's first single to top the chart, and reached the top two in New Zealand.[8] It also charted in several European territories.
7) "LET HER GO" PASSENGER
"Let Her Go" is a song written and recorded by British singer-songwriter Passenger. It was recorded at Sydney's Linear Recording and co-produced by Mike Rosenberg and Chris Vallejo. The recording features Australian musicians Stu Larsen, Georgia Mooney, Stu Hunter, Cameron Undy and Glenn Wilson. "Let Her Go" was released in July 2012 as the second single from Passenger's third album, All the Little Lights.
Since 2013, the song has reached number-one in Australia, Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Mexico, New Zealand,Norway, Sweden and Switzerland, number two in the UK Singles Chart, number five in the US on the Billboard Hot 100 and number one on Billboard Hot Rock Songs, making it his first international success. The song has sold over 1 million digital copies in the UK,[1] and over 3 million in the US as of February 2014.[2] The song is nominated for the Brit Award for British Single of the Year at the 2014 BRIT Awards.[3]
8) "TEAM" LORDE
"Team" is a song by New Zealand recording artist Lorde, taken from her debut studio album, Pure Heroine (2013). The song was released on 13 September 2013 as the album's third single internationally by Universal Music Group, and the second in the United States by Lava and Republic Records. The track was written by Lorde and Joel Little and produced by Little, with additional production from Lorde herself. "Team" is a hybrid of pop, rock, EDM and electrohop featuring synthesizer, bass and snare drum instrumentation over a handclap-based beat. Lyrically, the track is a "tribute to her friends and country".[1]
"Team" was generally well received by most contemporary critics, who praised its musical style, lyrical content and Lorde's vocal delivery on the track. The single garnered moderate successes on charts worldwide, peaking at number 8 on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart. It was more successful in Oceania, peaking at number 19 in Australia and debuting and peaking number 3 in New Zealand. "Team" was certified platinum by both the Australian Recording Industry Association and Recorded Music NZ.
A music video for the song was directed by Young Replicant and was released on 4 December 2013. Filmed in an abandoned building named Red Hook Grain Terminal in Red Hook, Brooklyn, the video's content was inspired by Lorde's dream of an own world for teenagers. Upon its release, the clip crashed Vevo's channel due to a high number of views. To promote "Team" and Pure Heroine, Lorde performed the song on several occasions, including on Late Show with David Letterman and at the ARIA Music Awards of 2013.
9) "ROYALS" LORDE
Ella Marija Lani Yelich-O'Connor (born 7 November 1996), known by her stage name Lorde (/ˈlɔrd/), is a New Zealand singer-songwriter. Born in Takapuna and raised in Devonport,Auckland, she performed in various singing and drama classes as a child, and at the age of thirteen signed with Universal. Yelich-O'Connor adopted her stage name due to her fascination with "royals and aristocracy", but felt the name Lord was too masculine so added an 'e' to make it more feminine.[2]
Her musical debut was an EP, entitled The Love Club, which was released in November 2012, and her first single, "Royals", debuted at number one on the New Zealand Top 40, and also reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100 in 2013, making her the first New Zealand solo artist to have a number one song in the United States. Her debut album, Pure Heroine, was released in September 2013, receiving critical acclaim and commercial success worldwide.
Her work has earned her numerous awards and accolades. In October 2013, she jointly won the 2013 Silver Scroll award for "Royals," which celebrates outstanding songwriting achievements in original New Zealand pop music. For the 56th Annual Grammy Awards, Lorde received four nominations, in which she won Song of the Year and Best Pop Solo Performance for "Royals."[3]
10) "POMPEII" BASTELLI
"Pompeii" is a song by British rock band Bastille, from their debut studio album Bad Blood (2013). Originally written by Kevin La Susa in 2010, the song was released as a digital downloadon 24 February 2013. It reached number 2 in the UK Singles Chart, number 4 in Australian ARIA Chart, and number 10 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and number 1 on the Alternative Songschart.
Lyrically, the song is inspired by the Roman town known by the same name, which met its fate with the eruption of Mount Vesuvius. It has been nominated for the Brit Award for British Single of the Year, at the 2014 BRIT Awards.[2]
