Top 10 Best Songs of 2018

2018 was a year of bangers. Hip hop continued to dominate the charts, but we also saw some killer pop hits, a resurgence of Latin music, and even a little rock and roll sneaking in there. Streaming was king, and artists like Drake and Cardi B seemed to be everywhere you turned. It was a year of collaborations, too - think I Like It or Girls Like You.
The Top Ten
1 High Hopes - Panic! at the Disco

One of my favorite songs this year should rank higher, but it's a bit newer than the others. The first time I listened to it was at camp, where I heard it repeatedly, and that's when I started loving the song.

After watching Connor Ball cover it, my love for the song grew stronger. It's a song with a meaningful message, inspiring high hopes all the time.

Being a fanatic for rock music, I'm thrilled this song made the list - and at number two! The message is incredible and optimistic. The song itself is catchy and possibly the easiest one to sing on the album.

Although I'm a little sad not to hear "Say Amen" as much as I've heard this one, I'm still in love with this song.

2 No Tears Left to Cry - Ariana Grande

Usually, I don't listen to Ariana Grande because I'm not one of those prissy 17-year-old girls with basic personalities who worship Justin Bieber. I'm not actually a fan of pop. I listen to Green Day, Led Zeppelin, The Beatles, things like that. But this song is honestly the second-best song that she's ever released, because I think Almost Is Never Enough is better, and it was covered up in the horrible music era of 2013.

This song is my jam. I love Ariana Grande. She's so beautiful, nice, and unique. I share her love for cute cat-ear bands. I don't know why people hate her. Many say that she sings too high-pitched. People, please! That's her singing style! You have to admire the fact that she sings really well in high pitch. This song should be #1. Ari, love ya, girl! AG all the way!

3 Lightning Strike - Judas Priest

Yes! YES! This is the perfect song in a terrible era of music. It's exactly what we wanted. I'm sick and tired of hearing oversexualized rap and annoying K-pop that keeps playing on the radio over and over again. Sadly, those are the two major current genres of this era, and neither of them attracts me. I can't stand it.

We're currently in a dark and scary era, with society on a downhill trajectory, but we will escape this. In fact, rock is one of the most powerful music genres in history. It defined professionalism, soul, heart, and fun. Today's rap music lacks all of that. That's why rock music must rise again. I'm not saying this angrily. I'm saying it with hope.

4 This is America - Childish Gambino

I'm surprised this is very low on this list. To fully enjoy this song, you need to watch the music video as well to understand what's really going on. The symbolism and underlying themes are absolutely spot on with this song's interpretation of everything wrong with American society.

Try looking away from Childish Gambino and you'll see what I'm talking about. The lyrics are purposely constructed in that way as a diss on contemporary rappers. As an old-school rap lover, this is my first time hearing Donald Glover, and I absolutely love this song.

5 Over Again - Mike Shinoda

Beautiful song with very personal, honest lyrics and an incredibly catchy hook. Great production by Shinoda himself as well. Deserves to be at the top.

This song shows how Mike misses and grieves for his best friend's death. It has very deep and emotional lyrics, which deserve to be at the top.

This song killed me. One second I received the Spotify email notification about it, and the next, I was a mess, crying on the floor.

6 Shallow - Lady Gaga, Bradley Cooper

I watched A Star Is Born yesterday (2/23/19), and it was amazing. I had planned on not listening to the song until I watched the movie, despite the hype and the Grammy performance. This song is really good. Bradley Cooper and Lady Gaga sang incredibly well, and their voices blended perfectly.

However, it is a little overrated and can become pretty intolerable when I listen to it too much.

I admit I made a mistake naming it the third greatest song of 2018 two months ago, not the best one. Don't get me wrong: Charlotte Gainsbourg's "Lost Lenore" and Childish Gambino's "This Is America" are still among the three best songs of last year. However, "Shallow" is one of those songs that showcase great traditional songwriting and performance craft, like "Rolling in the Deep" or "Take Me to Church."

7 Natural - Imagine Dragons

I was listening to this song today, actually! I think it's their best song, even though it's kind of a departure from the band's motivational songs. This song talks about people who aren't very good people, gaining recognition with lines like, "You've got to be so cold to make it in this world. Yeah, you're a natural." Also, Dan Reynolds, the lead singer, has an amazing voice. This is my favorite song of 2018. 11/10.

Imagine Dragons actually did some decent stuff last year, but this is awesome. In my opinion, this will be considered one of the best pop-rock songs of 2018. Thunder was okay, Believer was pretty good, but this is an awesome example of a pop-rock song.

8 In My Blood - Shawn Mendes

I am extremely glad that this masterpiece is appearing at number 10, although in my opinion, it could be fairly placed at number 1. This is Shawn's best song by far, and because of it, I'm now starting to become a fan of his work. It's pretty rare these days to have a good pop song with a good meaning, but this is exactly that.

Shawn sounds amazing throughout the whole song, and it also requires talent to sing. And the lyrics? Where do I start? This song has some of the best lyrics of all time, in my opinion, especially the chorus, where he says, "Sometimes I feel like giving up, but I just can't. It isn't in my blood." 20/10.

9 Jumpsuit - Twenty One Pilots

This is simply an epic comeback from a fantastic rock duo that we all knew from 2016. It starts with a heavy intro, followed by Tyler's restrained vocals, making the song even more interesting. In the end, there's a soft and beautiful bridge that completely changes the nature of the song, leading to the best song ending ever, where it goes to the absolute extreme. Overall, another masterpiece from this amazing duo. Welcome back, TOP. 5/5.

I'm probably one of their earliest fans, having been around since their eponymous album back in 2009. All I can say is that I love this new direction. It lacks the schmaltz of their debut and the annoying Drake-esque sound of Vessel. It has an edgier rock sound that distances this release from their poppier-sounding Blurryface. It even sounds a tiny bit like Alice in Chains, which is cool. Overall, 9/10. Will definitely check out Trench.

10 Youngblood - 5 Seconds of Summer

Being Australian and hearing this song a lot at my school, as well as my friends singing it and playing it on the piano, is something that is impressive. The first time I heard of this band was last school year when I listened to Hey Everybody! I really enjoyed that song, and exploring the artist's other songs got me into them.

On 14/12/18, I heard Young Blood on the radio. My friend and I turned up the music, rolled down the windows, and started singing along. My soccer coach happened to be in the car next to us.

The song that is at the top of the charts in Australia and New Zealand right now is undoubtedly 5SOS's best song, without a shadow of a doubt. It's great to get a break from the miserable trap and mumble rappers at the top.

The Newcomers

? The Summit - Bear McCreary
? The Ninth Realm - Bear McCreary
The Contenders
11 Moonlight - Xxxtentacion

Rest in peace, XXXTentacion. We will remember you for making amazing music.

It's one of the better songs from that album. 3/5.

The song would be fine, but the beat sounds broken and X is whiny in some parts. 5/5.

12 Done for Me - Charlie Puth

So, I think I can say that there has been a definite improvement from Charlie Puth with his new album. While "Done For Me" isn't the best song on the album ("If You Leave Me Now" with Boyz II Men is better), it's still pretty darn good. Even Kehlani is better than she normally is on songs she collaborates on.

I agree that Charlie Puth has gotten way better. He was the first artist that I really liked at their concert.

This is amazing! It's definitely one of Charlie Puth's better songs, and collaborating with the amazing Kehlani just adds to it.

13 44 More - Logic

Really a great song. I'm not that big of a Logic fan, but this is just spitting line after line in a catchy flow and great beat.

If anyone doesn't take Logic seriously, then listen to this. It will shut all of them up.

I haven't listened to this song, but I won't because who names their songs 44 More?

14 Torn in Two - Breaking Benjamin

I absolutely agree. This song is the best song off of Ember. While I do also love The Dark of You, Red Cold River, and Feed the Wolf, nothing on this album can top Torn in Two. I also believe this song should be much higher than all that other garbage.

First, I'm surprised that this is on this list, but second, I am extremely happy to see it on here. This song is awesome!

Deserves to be higher than crap like Sick Boy.

15 Sunflower - Post Malone & Swae Lee

Great lyrics, sick beat, nice production. Not to mention, I like both of these artists' parts here, especially Swae Lee's verse. 9/10.

This song makes me laugh because it reminds me of those late-summer and fall flowers.

I'm not a fan of either of them, but their chemistry was great here, and the production was good. 5/5

16 All the Stars - Kendrick Lamar & Sza

The song has sweet lyrics. The entire sound of the song is beautiful, calming, and dreamy. Bringing SZA and Kendrick Lamar's voices into the same song sounded so good.

2018's hit music is legitimately so bad that I decided to forgive Kendrick's performance here because, other than that, it's amazing. 9/10.

Straight-up amazing! I remember hearing this in the Black Panther credits and instantly loving it!

17 From Hell - Dance with the Dead

The best song of the year! Loved to Death was a great album, but this is the best song on the album. I love how there are metal guitar parts in synthwave. That is genius. Dance With the Dead is one of my favorite synthwave groups, and this song is one of the best in the subgenre.

18 Zombie - Bad Wolves

The video is a great tribute to Dolores, and Bad Wolves donated all the proceeds from the song to Dolores' children. They deserve to be on top. Also, check out the guitarist's earlier band, God Forbid, if you like Bad Wolves.

Even though this song was originally released in 1993, for a completely different reason, it manages to stay relevant today.

As the machines of war keep turning, what are we? Simply mindless members of a swarm, slaughtering others?

19 Happier - Marshmello & Bastille

Wow, 42nd? This is a really good song. It was performed in Marshmello's Fortnite concert.

In school, there was an assignment where everyone picked a song, and the teacher played it, and everyone had to guess whose it was. This was mine, but everyone knew that. Then, one of my friends said it was his even though it wasn't. Sorry for telling a random story. Anyways, it's my favorite song!

One of the few good songs with Marshmello (he is NOT a true DJ). I love the message and that music video! I want more music videos like it. It's about a kid who always felt unloved, and it all changed when she got a dog for her birthday. The dog stood by her throughout its life (I'm not spoiling the end). It was so emotional (I didn't cry). Great song. 9/10

20 Lucid Dream - Owl City

I LOVE this song. It's number 5 for the best song of the year for me. Number one goes to From Hell by Dance With the Dead, of course, number 2 goes to Adrenaline Burst by Midnight Danger, number 3 goes to The Video Game Champion by Gunship, and number 4 goes to Neon Paradise by CJ Burnett. This song is not only danceable with great synths, but the lyrics are also brilliant and thought-provoking. This song has the best lyrics of 2018.

This song is awesome, the best song of the year. I love the topic of lucid dreaming. The lyrics are well-written. Combine good songwriting with a top-notch, energetic beat (glad it's not house), and good vocals, you get a good song. This song makes me dance. I wish more pop songs were like this. 9/10.

21 The Mountain - Three Days Grace

This is such a motivating song, and I wish I could put it on during my basketball and boxing lessons. Why isn't this in the top 10!

This entire album should be on here! Even for a huge Three Days Grace fan, it exceeded my expectations.

This is my favorite song off the album. I don't understand how it's this low. It's so great.

22 Icarus - Dan Owen

I felt this song. It is incredible.

23 Adrenaline Burst - Midnight Danger

I can't tell you how awesome this song is! The synths are incredible, and the guitar work featured in the song is awesome too. It's so amazing that it's my second favorite song of 2018, only behind the masterpiece known as From Hell by Dance With the Dead. I added this here.

24 Pray for Me - The Weeknd, Kendrick Lamar

Honestly, despite Kendrick being my favorite artist ever, The Weeknd absolutely dominated this track. The Weeknd was the stronger part for me on this song. That's not to say that Kendrick didn't hold up his end of the deal, but The Weeknd did an amazing job.

My two favorite artists of all time performed as I expected. This is the best song off an amazing soundtrack for the biggest movie of 2018. It doesn't get much better than that. Two amazing artists, a brilliant song, and an instant classic that will never get old.

Both artists did an amazing job on this song, although The Weeknd's part is the reason I like it. This song has a cool beat and is much better than most mainstream rap songs now. I would give it a 9/10.

25 Star Treatment - Arctic Monkeys
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