By Rick Hiduk
Apparently, there were more than a few belated New Year’s Eve this past weekend. I was fortunate to be invited to one in my neighborhood that featured fireworks at midnight and the release of several luminaries.
It seemed a little cheesy at first to be greeting each other with New Year salutations. But, since I had not seen most of the other guests since before the holidays, it turned out to be a nice way to wrap up the year, look back (once again) and take stock of who our friends are.
Likewise, I looked over my music notes from 2013 one more time and decided to pull together that which I had previously posted by genre into a final snapshot of the year’s best music.
With two songs landing in the top 10 for the year, I have to acknowledge Robin Thicke as the most popular artist of 2013, followed closely by Macklemore (above). I was getting a little bored of Imagine Dragons by the end of the year, but never got tired of seeing Steve Martin and Edie Brickell on late night TV shows playing beautiful bluegrass music together.
You can check out the breakdown at http://endlessmtnlifestyles.wordpress.com/2014/01/03/review-popular-music-in-2013/
- Royals – Lorde
- The Band Perry – Better Dig Two
- Avicii – Wake Me Up
- Robin Thicke (below) f: TI & Pharrell – Blurred Lines
- Capitol Cities – Safe & Sound
- Macklemore & Ryan Lewis f: Wanz – Thrift Shop
- Fitz & the Tantrums – Out of My League
- The Neighborhood – Sweater Weather
- Emilie Sande – Next to Me
- Of Monsters & Men – Mountain Sound
- Little Big Town – Tornado
- Anna Kendrick – Cups (When I’m Gone)
- Calvin Harris f: Florence Welch – Sweet Nothings
- Miranda Lambert – Mama’s Broken Heart
- Macklemore & Ryan Lewis f: Ray Dalton – Can’t Hold Us
- Imagine Dragons – At the Top of the World
- Bastille – Pompeii
- Kacey Musgraves – Merry Go Round
- Olly Murs f: Flo Rida – Troublemaker
- will.i.am f: Brittany Spears – Scream & Shout
- Silver Sun Pickups (below) – The Pit
- Tame Impala – Elephant
- Keith Urban – Little Bit of Everything
- Steve Martin & Edie Brickell (below) – Love Has Come For You
- Blake Shelton f: Pistol Annies – Boys ‘Round Here
- Passion Pit – Take a Walk
- Panic at the Disco f: Lolo – Miss Jackson
- Grouplove – Ways to Go
- Cage The Elephant – Come a Little Closer
- Emblem3 – Chloe
- Darius Rucker – Wagon Wheel
- Walk of the Earth – Red Hands
- Muse – Madness
- Adorn – Miguel
- Lady Antebellum – Downtown
- Eminem – Berzerk
- Fall Out Boy – My Songs Know What You Do in The Dark (Light ‘Em Up)
- Arctic Monkeys (below) – Why’d You Only Call Me (When You’re High)
- The Civil Wars – The One That Got Away
- Alan Jackson – Blacktop
- Thirty Seconds to Mars – Up in the Air
- Tyler Farr – Redneck Crazy
- Alan Jackson – Blue Ridge Mountain Song
- John Mayer – Wildfire
- Maroon 5 – Daylight
- Old Crow Medicine Show – Going Back to Virginia
- Lana Del Ray & Cedrick Gervais – Summertime Sadness
- Sara Bareilles – Brave
- Easton Corbin – All Over the Road
- J Cole – Crooked Smile
- The Script f: will.i.am – Hall of Fame
- Paramore – I’m Still Into You
- Of Monsters and Men – Little Talks
- Jason Aldean – Night Train
- Thomas Rhett – Beer With Jesus
- Phoenix – Entertainment
- Lorde – Tennis Court
- Taylor Swift f: Ed Sheeran – Everything Has Changed
- Pitbull f: Christina Aguilera – Feel This Moment
- Adele – Skyfall
- Jim Brickman – Good Morning Beautiful
- The Black Keys – Little Black Submarines
- Selena Gomez – Come & Get It
- Maroon 5 – Love Somebody
- Ace Hood f: Rick Ross – Bugatti
- Avett Brothers – The Once and Future Carpenter
- Lumineers – Stubborn Love
- Train f: Ashley Moore – Bruises
- Kacey Musgraves (below) – Blowing Smoke
- Lumineers – Flowers in Your Hair
- Drake f: Majid Jordan – Hold On, We’re Going Home
- Nine Inch Nails – Came Back Haunted
- New Politics – Harlem
- Zedd f: Foxes – Clarity
- Imagine Dragons – It’s Time
- Lady Gaga – Applause
- Phoenix – Trying to be Cool
- One Direction – Best Song Ever
- Florida Georgia Line – Cruise
- Trampled by Turtles – Alone
- Vampire Weekend – Diane Young
- Daft Punk f: Pharrell Williams – Get Lucky
- OneRepublic – Counting Stars
- Bruno Mars – Treasure
- Russell Moore & IIIrd Time Out – Old Home Place
- Phillip Philllps – Gone Gone Gone
- Sage the Gemini – Gas Pedal
- Ms Mr – Hurricane
- Arctic Monkeys – Do I Wanna Know
- Passenger – Let Her Go
- Steve Martin & Edie Brickell – When You get to Asheville
- IlvisIlvis – The Fox
- Russell Moore & IIIrd Time Out – Big Spike Hammer
- John Mayer – Dear Marie
- Five Finger Death Punch f: Rob Halford – Lift Me Up
- Jack Johnson – Radiate
- Jewel – Two Hearts Breaking
- Gloriana – Can’t Shake it Off
- Thomas Rhett – Beer With Jesus
- The Henningsens – American Beautiful