Attitude’s songs of the Year 2017: Top 25

It’s that time of year again when we look back at the music we’ve been blessed with over the past 12 months.

After what seemed like years, 2017 saw pop music return to the front and centre of the charts, and more importantly, that push mostly came from pop’s up and coming female stars.

Zara Larsson, Dua Lipa, Rita Ora, Anne-Marie were just some of the women who helped bring pop girls back to the top of the charts, and we hope the trend continues into the New Year.

We’ve rounded up the year’s Top 25 tracks for your listening pleasure, so take a look below:

Lorde – Green Light

Without a doubt the best song of the year, the fact Green Light failed to be a world-conquering smash hit is something that still leaves us feeling cold.

It’s got this sad euphoria vibe that encompasses that post-breakup feeling so effortlessly in a way that has never quite been managed in a 3 and a half minute long pop track before.

Aly & AJ – Take Me

An unexpected comeback from these two Disney stars, who are best known for their critically acclaimed 2000s smash, Potential Break-Up Song.

Take Me sees the girls experimenting with  a new sound, and we were sold from the moment the verse crashes into that gloriously brash chorus.

Kelela – LMK

If you don’t know about Kelela, then honestly you need to revaluate your entire existence.

LMK references all that made early noughties R&B so iconic, and updates the formula just enough to bring it kicking and screaming into 2017.

ALMA – Phases

One of the top picks on the BBC Sound List for 2018, ALMA looks set for major success in 2018 and Phases proved exactly why she deserves every moment of it. 

Louisa Johnson – Best Behaviour

To quote the X Factor star herself: “Best Behaviour is SUCH a tune wtf”.

Taylor Swift – …Ready For It?

One of the most polarising singles of the year, Ready For It divided critics and fans alike when Taylor previewed it ahead of the release of Reputation.

A relentless ride from start to finish, the track doesn’t give you a moment to catch your breath. It’s campy, but knowingly so, and it gives off this Single White Female vibe that Taylor plays off so well with her bordering on manic vocal delivery.

Marshmello ft. Khalid – Silence

Between Silence and Wolves, Marshmello has become one of the most reliable hitmakers this side of 2017. 

Katy Perry – Bon Appetit

Okay, so the Witness era hasn’t been kind to Katy. But put all your feelings about her dabbing aside, and you’ll see that Bon Appetit stands as one of the star’s strongest singles to date.

Hailee Steinfield – Let Me Go

She’s an Oscar-nominated actress who has been delivering bop after bop over the past few years, with self-love anthem Love Myself and smash hit Starving to name a few.

After teaming up with Georgia Line, she’s now got Let Me Go to add to that list too.

Sabrina Carpenter – Why

Carpenter made her name on Nickelodeon, and has slowly been carving out a career for herself as a singer. After unveiling capitalist bop Thumbs, she followed it up with this mid-tempo emotional banger about a relationship that manages to work despite all the odds being against it. If Anywhere had a younger sister, it would be this. 

Rita Ora – Anywhere

Speaking of Anywhere, Rita’s comeback has been nothing short of incredible to watch. After years forcing herself to stay in the limelight while she battled to release music behind the scenes, it seemed like Rita as a viable pop star was a thing of the past.

But in 2017 she roared back into the charts with Your Song, and followed it up with a succession of Top Ten hits including this gem.

Kesha – Praying

No one ever expected Kesha to stick around for long. She encompassed everything about the pop world in 2010, and her entire shtick felt very of that time. But she kept at it and went on to write hit after hit, scoring a long succession of US Top Ten hits. 

After a much-documented sexual assault court battle with her abuser, Dr Luke, Kesha returned triumphantly to the charts with one of the rawest and most heartfelt tracks of the year.

Fergie – Enchante

We’re still clueless as to why Fergie left it so long to release her second solo record. After literally years of delays, it (rightfully) failed to make an impact on the charts when it was released earlier this year.

It’s a shame too, as Enchante could have been such a moment had the public not lost all interest in Fergie. 

Fifth Harmony – Down

The first 30 seconds of Down stand up as one of the pop moments of the year, and while the chorus clearly echoes the band’s world-dominating hit Work From Home, it’s anything but a straight rip-off.

The flourishes in the production during Normani’s verse, the switch-up when the rapped middle-eight comes in and Lauren’s raspy vocals throughout make this one of their best.

Zayn – Still Got Time ft. PARTYNEXTDOOR

As far as we’re concerned, there’s absolutely no question that Zayn has been revelation ever since he quit One Direction.

His debut album was a masterpiece, and follow-up single Still Got Time had all the ingredients to become one of the feel-good songs of the summer. Shame on you all for not streaming the sh*t out of this.

Mura Masa & Charli XCX – 1 Night

STOP SLEEPING ON CHARLI XCX FOR CRYING OUT LOUD.

Halsey – Strangers ft. Lauren Jauregui

A gloriously bittersweet pop song about a lesbian relationship sung by two queer mainstream artists, we’re holding out hopes for this to be a single in the New Year.

Dua Lipa – New Rules

Arguably the defining single of 2017, Dua Lipa reached superstar status after a series of Top 10 hits when she debuted the life-changing video for New Rules. A wealth of memes were born, and Dua officially became the next big thing.

Hayley Kiyoko – Feelings

Hayley Kiyoko is part of the movement to bring queer pop into the mainstream, and while her label has urged her to release less overtly gay videos, Kiyoko continued to delve deep into her experiences as a gay woman with Feelings.

Snakehips – Either Way ft Anne-Marie

Snakehips have never failed to deliver when it comes to their singles. All My Friends and Cruel were two of 2016’s best tracks, and the producers continued to dominate this year with Either Way.

Selena Gomez – Bad Liar

One of the most unexpectedly brilliant tracks of the year, Selena Gomez once again proved her detractors wrong with this total earworm that’s just so wrong it’s right.

 Little Mix – Touch

The moment we heard Perrie’s bridge for the first time we were immediately sold on the fact that Little Mix are probably the best British girl group of all time.

Zara Larsson – Don’t Let Me Be Yours (Black Chiney Remix)

This one slid under the radar this year, but it deserved so much more.

While the original lacked a little something, the remix helped take this melancholic bop to the next level, and proved once again that Zara is one of the most promising newcomers in pop.

Terror Jr – Death Wish

If you’ve not heard of Terror Jr before, now’s the time. If only for the fact they managed to slide “cum shot” into the opening verse of a pop song.

 Camila Cabello – I Have Questions/Crying In The Club

We absolutely adore Havana, and there’s a reason it blew up quite as big as it did.

But there’s something about the one-two punch of I Have Questions/Crying In The Club that felt very Xtina – Stripped, and we’ll never be over how extra the double release was for a debut single.