GivePopAChance's Top 20 songs of 2013!

GivePopAChance is proud to present our Top 20 Pop and Pop-adjacent songs of 2013! Thanks for reading! We'll see you in 2014 with a whole load of new music for you to get your turkey-stained teeth into.

- Joe

20 
"ADORE YOU"
MILEY CYRUS

After all the twerking, drug-references, nudity and post-Disney rebelliousness that made up Bangerz' marketing scheme, it's best song was the opening number, a relatively freestyle and surprisingly emotionally raw power ballad, softened with the country edge that Miley will never quite be able to shrug off. The cheap thrills of Bangerz as a whole wear off after one or two listens, but "Adore You" becomes more affecting with each repeat.

19

"WALKING ON AIR"

KATY PERRY

Camp as christmas and Cher-er than Cher, Katy Perry's Prism standout "Walking On Air" fits the term 'guilty pleasure' perfectly. Because there is so much pleasure to be had in the Black Box-esque vocal samples, the shameless 1990 Vogue dance beats and piano hooks, the melodramatic falsetto hook... in fact, who's feeling guilty?

18
"MOVE"
MAUSI

Italo-Londoners Mausi gave us other mini indie-dance joys with "Sol" and "Body Language" over the last year, but the advert-friendly "Move" is their crowning earworm glory. Somehow the band get away with a flailing, slightly hysterical synth hook and a so-play-it's-safe-it's-not-safe chorus to create the underdog party song of the year.

17

"IMAGINE IT WAS US"

JESSIE WARE

Is it genius? No. Is it particularly creative? No. Is it gorgeous? GOD yes. Jessie Ware was sick of moping about men who keep her running even during their wildest moments over mid-tempo 80s soul beats, and decided to pick up the tempo and have some let-your-hair-down fun with cheeky one-off "Imagine it Was Us", and gives us pouty hook upon pouty hook over a gloriously retro Madonna-friendly Julio Bashmore beat. And somehow it ends up more hypnotic than anything on her still incredibly impressive debut album.

16
"HEART ATTACK"
DEMI LOVATO

It's hard not to be impressed with "Heart Attack". It's got it's American #1 ambitions written all over its sleeve (of course it does, it's Demi Lovato), but boy, you've gotta appreciate the effort here. Demi piles on the melodrama as she gradually makes her way up to a chorus the size of China, and her "I put up this facade, but really I'm incredibly insecure" act bizarrely manages to fly... do you know what, it's just really fucking catchy ok? Brings out the ambitious karaoke-r in all of us.

15

"GIRLS"

THE 1975

From the minute The 1975 dropped their debut album, mid album track (now current single) "Girls" pretty much overshadowed everything bar "Chocolate" by being the most ridiculously syrupy and addictive indie song since about 1996. There's something Britpop about these guys, which they would most definitely hate to hear, but they've got the attitude and sneery vocal is down to a T. Those adorable little guitar licks that inundate the song don't hurt either.

14
"NEED U (100%)"
DUKE DUMONT FT. A*M*E

The track that really kicked off mainstream house awareness this year (a #1 single I might add), "Need U" is MNEK-penned club perfection and an unexpected mainstream breakthrough for Duke Dumont. This would be hooky enough to command dancefloors as an instrumental, but A*M*E's Janet Jackson-esque plucky vocal and MNEK's own hypnotic vocal hook (uncredited for most of the year) brings things to an irresistible rave boil.

13

"SAME LOVE"

MACKLEMORE FT. MARY LAMBERT

There's no doubt that Macklemore is awesome - one of the biggest stars of mainstream hip hop and STILL unsigned - but his explicitly gay-marriage support anthem "Same Love" just catapulted him into a new stratosphere of modern day role model. Macklemore doesn't hide behind metaphors, favouring blunt honesty and personal admissions over the subtle hints that other artists would bottle out to, boldly stating "if I was gay, I would think hip hop hates me". There's also no ego involved, no need for approval (see Lady Gaga), and as a result, when Mary Lambert's simple, undramatic chorus comes around, it's a  sudden tearjerker each and every time for those whom the subject matter affects.

12

"GET LUCKY"

DAFT PUNK

It feels like a cliche to even feature the year's biggest song, but "Get Lucky" is just too damn good to leave off. When a song as simple and instantly memorable as the chilled and funky "Get Lucky" is overplayed as much as it undoubtedly was this year, you know it's a winner when you just don't get sick of it. And you just sing, deliriously happy, over and over...

"we're up all night to get lucky, we're up all night to get lucky, we're up all night to get lucky, we're up all night to get lucky, we're up all night to get lucky...."

11

"WAKE ME UP"

AVICII

In 2013 Avicii recognized a fusion that had not yet been attempted by the commercial dance elite, or the underground for that matter. On paper a Country-EDM hybrid sets off alarm bells of post-"Cotton Eye Joe" novelty music distress, and sadly a lot of Avicii's True record is an unwelcome rally to line dance at a rave. However, he got it right just once, and judging on how huge "Wake Me Up" was this summer, once was enough. The fact is, however he managed it, Avicii's summer smash hit manages to capture the most joyful elements of both Country and Progressive House and combine them to create a track that is warm and friendly one minute and euphoric and exhilarating the next. 

10
"HEY NOW"
LONDON GRAMMAR

London Grammar's 2013 journey reminds me very much of Hurts' 2010 one. Beginning with a single spectacular song (in Hurts' case "Wonderful Life" and for London Grammar - "Hey Now") and swiftly getting swept up in the hype with some equally impressive follow up songs and a debut album before you know it. But much like Hurts' before them, although London Grammar might be consistently strong and lived up to the hype as much as anyone could've hoped, nothing quite matches the magic of hearing Hannah Reid's earthshatteringly stunning voice uttering the words "Hey Now" for the first time. It's still their sparsest, most cryptic and most heartbreaking song.

9

"YOU AND ME"

DISCLOSURE FT. ELIZA DOOLITTLE

On paper, the most bizarre feature spot of the year turned out to be one of the biggest revelations (although Ms Doolittle's solo output continues to be sorely dull), with Eliza penning what essentially has become modern house's "We Found Love". Although Disclosure's beats are reliably funky, Eliza's the star here, with her unusual phrases (particularly the memorably odd opening line) riding a gorgeous, silky melody that steals the show.

8

"FALLING"

HAIM

"The new Fleetwood Mac" wouldn't even be an understatement with Haim, who bring the funk, the soul, the class, the hooks, and the whole damn package to the table, the most deserving BBC Sound of... winners in a long time. "Falling" just pips the rest of the output for sheer unashamed hookiness, complete with Michael Jackson yelps and speedy melismatic verses that get into your bloodstream and get you thoroughly addicted.

7

"TREASURE"

BRUNO MARS

It would so EASY to hate Bruno Mars, with his cheesy grin and even cheesier music, but taking off your muso-hat (and you should, it's Christmas), you'll find it's just as easy to love him. Every hook in the 70s funk of "Treasure" is a killer, laced with an unadulterated joy and a level of catchiness that knows no bounds. Bruno, there's not a thing that we would change - we think you're amazing. Just the way you are.

6

"HIGH SOCIETY"

BETTY WHO

If you don't know Betty Who by now, get to know. The Aussie synthpop hipster-princess is cut from the same genius-pop cloth as Robyn, and that's not a comparison we make lightly. On "High Society", the 21 year old Betty Who celebrates living life as if you're rich, when you really aren't, and manages to sound so much more endearing and likeable than a lot of her young synthpop peers (naming no names Chloe Howl). Effortlessly and infectiously happy and kinda beautiful. 

5

"DO WHAT U WANT"

LADY GAGA FT. R KELLY

ARTPOP is, on the whole, not a particularly surprising record. If Zedd had produced Born This Way, ARTPOP would've probably been the result. However, as far back as I can remember in modern pop, there has never been a song so TOTALLY GOBSMACKINGLY HEADS AND SHOULDERS BETTER than everything else on an album than "Do What U Want" is when compared to the rest of ARTPOP. 

The track's opening bassline itself smacks you in the fact in a way that every other track on the album tries to, but only "DWUW" actually succeeds in doing, and Gaga's 80s soul vocal is surprisingly convincing, deliriously over the top, but at the same time perfectly pitched. R Kelly's feature spot is ridiculous, and his climactic "we don't give a FUCK" is absurd. It's a track that makes you say, out loud, "...I'm sorry, WHAT?" after you hear it for the first time, and pretty much every subsequent time too. And it's probably the best track she's ever done, and will ever do.

4

"CHOCOLATE"

THE 1975

"Chocolate" represents the heart of what The 1975 stand for - i.e. mild hedonism and aggravation towards authority. Oh and their love of weed. And much like the drug itself, and indeed chocolate (a fun little metaphor), the band's breakthrough single is instantly satisfying and moreish indie pop, worryingly addictive even. The band come may come across as disinterested and trendy hipsters to pop fans, and eager to please crossovers to indie rock fans, but I have a different theory. Watch the video for "Girls" a few positions back - the band want to be taken seriously, but they simply cannot avoid their pop appeal. Poor dears. 

3

"HOLD ON WE'RE GOING HOME"

DRAKE FT. MAJID JORDAN

It's often hard to associate the dreamy-R&B Drake with the rap scene he associates with. "Hold On We're Going Home", a straight up, commercial pop song with a sung vocal from Drake himself, sounds like a signal of intent, a distinct step forward from the tongue in cheek, slightly flat lullabies of "Marvin's Room" into a realm where Drake takes himself seriously as a singer. 

In the past I've been one of those detractors who think of Drake as the worst thing about his own tracks, but on "Hold On", he rises to the challenge and provides something close to a heartfelt vocal. Lyrically it's the most straight forward love song of his career, and the simplicity and vulnerability is endearing, something I thought I'd never call Drake, and the track sounds like the beginning of a new musical journey. I'm sure it won't last long, but for 3 minutes and 47 seconds, Drake becomes someone you could actually trust with your daughter, and your future iTunes library.

2
"ROAR"
KATY PERRY

Katy Perry, the Californian sweetheart who was the most popular pop star on the planet 3 years ago, took a bit of a popularity beating this year, with a string of below par live vocals and a general lack of interest in her message of spiritual progression, which was compromised by a perceived general lack of musical progression. However, most of her critics that I have spoken to simply claim to have not taken an interest in her this time round.

It's understandable, on first listen "Roar" is a dull mid tempo "Teenage Dream" knockoff with absolutely nothing new to say. But as with so many great, great pop songs, it grows and grows on you - Much like the magnificent middle section of the song that builds to a heart stopping final chorus, one that displays a confidence and a genuine unadulterated joy that Katy Perry has never sung with before. 

And that's the point of "Roar" - it's not some now-outdated Russell Brand break up song - it's a statement about Katy Perry as an artist. She's a notoriously dodgy live singer, makes questionable fashion choices and sings songs about drinking and partying like an embarrassing older sister trying to stay hip, but nothing deters her. Katy Perry might seem like a has-been to many of you, but as she says in the bridge: you hold her down, she's gonna get up.

1

"SOMEBODY LOVES YOU"

BETTY WHO

Spencer's home depot gay marriage proposal has been seen currently 11 million people on YouTube. What makes the video extra special is that out of all the famous love songs in  the world he could've chosen, he chose an unknown Australian singer called Betty Who to soundtrack one of the happiest moments of his life. However, once you've heard "Somebody Loves You", you'll realize that this was not some sort of statement of unsigned music support - the track is genuinely that powerful.

Lyrically and musically the song has love at its core, running through every vein, whilst managing to avoid any kind of unwelcome sentiment or insincerity. The song occupies the same 80s synthpop space as Robyn, but where Robyn would favour a smart and street wise approach, Betty Who's honest and uncomplicated approach is impossible to misinterpret, and the joy is dangerous infectious. If any pop song this year, or in recent memory, has expressed love in a purer and more convincing way, then I have not heard it.

- Joe Copplestone, 27.12.13

Top 10 Songs of May 2013.

10. "Lost Hearts" - Last Days of 1984
Funky and addictive indiepop laced with a dark, obtuse atmosphere. Like Friendly Fires held hostage by The Knife.

9. "Intentions" - Gorgon City feat. Clean Bandit
Begins occupying a wistful Ibiza chillout space, as the gorgeous tones of Clean Bandit make their mark effortlessly, before dropping to a typically deep and hypnotic bass breakdown that is fast becoming Gorgon City's calling card.

8. "Modern Hearts" - The Knocks feat. St Lucia
Gloriously uplifting indie dance from these guilty pleasure connoisseurs with the lush St Lucia adding an irresistible 80s new wave vocal.

7. "Every Night I Say A Prayer" - Little Boots
Finally dropping her surprisingly brilliant second record in May, "Every Night I Say A Prayer" is its warm Italo-heart, with a subtly euphoric piano hook guiding proceedings onto timeless ground. Not bad for an act that many proclaimed very much left in BBC Sound of 2009.

6. "Warm Water" - Banks (prod. TEED)
The American Banks has a very British tinge to her warm, subtley aching voice, and Oxford dance prodigy TEED tones down the synthpop to create a shimmering and sparse post-R&B soundscape for Banks to vibe over. It feels like it's not just Banks herself on the verge of something great in the song, but also in her rise to success.

5. "My Name's Jake" - Jake Emlyn
Having dropped a demo version of "My Name's Jake" in 2012, the track was pretty game-changing even then, but  the version that closes his Scandinavian Alien mixtape is a whole new level of epic. A deliciously melodramatic new orchestral and choral first verse drops into a much harder beat than before, and this time when Jake sneers "I'm famous and nobody knows it yet" it doesn't quite fly; people are going to know very soon.

4. "Iran Air" - Hiatus feat. Shura
The organic and beautiful alter ego to Burial, London producer Hiatus, dropped his majestic debut record Parklands in May, and although hard to pick highlights from an album where subtlety and darkness come together perfectly on every track, when the magnificent viola loop drops on "Iran Air", all bets are off. Shura does what she does, but somehow it's her most spine-tingling performance on the record, on par with "Fortune's Fool".

3. "fallingforyou" - The 1975
How the shamefully underrated 1975 manage to occupy two polar musical spaces with ease continues to elude, as the groggy but heartbreaking dark ballad "fallingforyou" closes the same EP that the epic and hedonistic "The City" opens, much as "Me" did for "Chocolate" on their Music For Cars release. This gloriously bi-polar band continue to more than prove their complex and achingly human credibility.

2.  "Doin' It Right" - Daft Punk feat. Panda Bear
"Doin' It Right" is Random Access Memories' "Face to Face"; the dark horse of the album, one that begs multiple plays outside of the context of the record. Uncharacteristically sparse, the song is held together almost entirely by an irresistible vocodor hook and Panda Bear's performance. It's the most effective guest spot on the album, purely because the Animal Collective vocalist's delirious and euphoric vocal adds a human edge to an otherwise quirky and robotic record.

1. "Endorphins" - Sub Focus feat. Alex Clare
Sub Focus has come under minor scrutiny for his new commercial direction, particularly on the euro-dance rave vibe of new single "Endorphins", but there's no denying that the man knows how to simultaneously create a rave frenzy and tug on a heartstring at the same time. "Endorphins" is just as emotionally charged as last years phenomenal "Tidal Wave", with Alex Clare providing a singalong wet dream of a lead vocal. If there are more tracks in the vein of "Out The Blue", "Tidal Wave" and "Endorphins" on the way, Sub Focus' second record should indeed be named after the latter song. Wikipedia describes actual Endorphins as hormones released during feelings such as excitement, love and orgasm - so far in the last 12 months, Sub Focus has very nearly caused me all three.

Daft Punk - Doin' It Right (feat. Panda Bear)

"Random Access Memories" is a great Daft Punk album, there's no denying, but it requires some seriously dedicated vibing in order to make it through the mid-tempo disco marathon in one go. Tucked away at the end of the record comes a subtle but effective relief however. "Doin' It Right" is "RAM"'s "Face to Face"; the dark horse of the album, one that begs multiple plays outside of the context of the record. Uncharacteristically sparse, the song is held together almost entirely by an irresistible vocodor hook and Panda Bear's performance. It's the most effective guest spot on the album, purely because the Animal Collective vocalist's delirious and euphoric vocal adds a human edge to an otherwise quirky and robotic record.

FOR FANS OF: Animal Collective, Matt & Kim... but primarily Daft Punk.

GivePopAChance's Summer 2013 Playlist.

So the year's first perfect sunny weekend bids a hopeful farewell to a miserable 7 month winter, and as May approaches, festival season begins to rear its defiant head. Visions of cider drenched, Diplo-worshipping, scantily clad music lovers passing out in fields, outside clubs and on stony beaches seem so much closer.

It seems like the perfect time to share a dance-heavy Summer playlist of sure fire hits and lesser known, but equally deserved ones, that you can expect to be on heavy rotation throughout the summer. If GivePopAChance had its own radio station, you would indeed expect these tracks to be A-listed until October.



The return of Daft Punk is perfectly timed, and sets the tone worldwide for a summer of chilling out, partying and getting lucky. In the UK, Duke Dumont led the 2012/13 House revival to the the top of the charts a couple of weeks ago, and Basement Jaxx's crazy comeback tune is a defiant "anything goes" statement.

If anything really does go this year in dance music, hopefully DJ Snake's bizarre tweet-trap (quite literally) number "Bird Machine" will make its way to your confused but welcoming ears, and if that's too way out, Major Lazer is bringing Jamaica back through the medium of crushing dancehall beats and hyperactive synths.

Watch out for Moon Boots, whose soulful, irresistibly funky 80s take on the new wave of House music has sported two of the years most effective, sun-kissed remixes. They morph Singer/songwriter Alison Valentine's "Peanut Butter" into something altogether more blissful and euphoric, and their take on Bondax's "Gold" drags the track back to 1991, where it clearly belongs. Miaoux Miaoux's glorious, synth-laden take on CHVRCHES' "The Mother We Share" occupies similar airspace, so bright and grin-inducing it's almost impossible to look directly at.

After the huge,anthemic electronic dance of Swedish House Mafia and Madeon dominated dancefloors and dance festivals last year, 2013 has its fair share of big dance tunes. After his godly, life-affirming "Language", Porter Robinson teams up with Mat Zo, to bring something just as breathtaking for 2013, in the form of "Easy", Kat Krazy comes down hard on Bastille's hit indie single "Pompeii", transforming it into this year's "Don't You Worry Child", and Russ Chimes' stunning "Turn Me Out" is fist pumping, Balearic heaven.

Also queued up is the D&B anthem of the summer, Drumsound & Bassline Smith's "One in A Million", the dark Gold Panda-produced electro of goth-flecked starlet Charli XCX's "You (Ha Ha Ha)", the similarly quirky and groove-laden vibes of Flume's "Sleepless", the drunken, woozy beats of the UK hip hop tune of the summer, Dream McLean's "Sloe Gin" and perhaps the sunniest of them all, Mausi's carefree piano house ditty "Move", graduating straight from the 2003 school of blissed-out house.

Whatever the weather, dance music in 2013 seems to have one defiant goal, to have fun, not take itself too seriously, and to party harder than ever. And judging by the gradual lean towards dance music that the Top 40 is beginning to show, looks like we're all on the same page.