Most Inspirational Songs of 2017

Attention!!!

Now more than ever people need inspiration in their lives. What began as a one-off compilation for 2013, has now become a staple year-end list. 2017 was a year where there were so many tragedies, particularly in the music industry where we witnessed sad suicides, devastating bombings and cold blooded shootings. Ariana Grande's Somewhere Over The Rainbow is a tribute to those who lost their lives in the Manchester Bombings and a whole host of artists in the UK united to raise funds for the families of the victims of those who died in the Grenfell Fire by singing Bridge Over Troubled Water for charity. 

However, in terms of inspiration 2017 belonged to The Greatest Showman soundtrack. Never has a soundtrack been more motivational as more than ninety percent of the songs in the film were inspirational; and this is clearly reflected in the top tier of this compilation with 6 songs from the soundtrack featured on the list. Other significant entries include Kesha's comeback hit which is an empowering anthem on how to get over obstacles in your life. This song may be a reflection of her ongoing legal battle with producer Dr.Luke. 

Imagine Dragons have 3 entries on the list followed by Alessia Cara, Keala Settle, Zac Efron, Zendaya, Hugh Jackman, Michelle Williams and Ariana Grande each with 2 entries. Other soundtracks featured on the list include Wonder Woman, Sing and The Fate of the Furious. In terms of genre, Pop rules with almost all the entries with Country, Rap, Alternative Rock and EDM having a few entries. Taking this year's top spot is Oscar Nominee for Best Original Song and winner of the Golden Globe Award for Best Original Song, This is Me by Keala Settle. This is followed by two songs from the soundtrack Never Enough sung by Voice Season 3 finalist Loren Allred and Come Alive by the ensemble cast. So here are the 30 most inspirational songs of 2017:   

1. Keala Settle – This is me (The Greatest Showman OST)
2. Loren Allred – Never enough (The Greatest Showman OST)
3. Hugh Jackman, Keala Settle, Zendaya, Zac Efron & Daniel Everidge – Come alive (The Greatest Showman OST)
4. Kesha – Praying
5. Ariana Grande – Somewhere over the rainbow
6. Imagine Dragons – Believer
7. Rachel Platten – Broken glass
8. Imagine Dragons – Whatever it takes
9. Shawn Mendes – There’s nothing holdin’ me back
10. Zendaya & Zac Efron – Rewrite the stars (The Greatest Showman OST)
11. Little Mix ft. Stormzy – Power
12. Hugh Jackman, Michelle Williams & Ziv Zaifman – Million dreams (The Greatest Showman OST)
13. Michelle Williams – Tightrope (The Greatest Showman OST)
14. Sia ft. Labrinth – To be human
15. Artists for Grenfell – Bridge over troubled water
16. Logic ft. Alessia Cara & Khalid – 1-800-273-8255
17. Dua Lipa – New rules
18. Keith Urban & Carrie Underwood – The fighter
19. Auli'i Cravalho – How far I’ll go
20. Imagine Dragaons – Thunder
21. Louis Tomlinson & Steve Aoki – Just hold on
22. Machin Gun Kelly ft. Hailee Steinfeld – At my best
23. Alessia Cara – Scars to your beautiful
24. Starley – Call on me
25. Bebe Rexha ft. Lil Wayne – The way I are (dance with somebody)
26. Martin Garrix & Troye Sivan – There for you
27. G-Eazy & Kehlani – Good life 
28. Rag ‘n’ Bone Man – Human
29. Miley Cyrus – Inspired
30. Stevie Wonder & Ariana Grande – Faith

Till the next beat...

At Ease!!!

Best Songs About Being There For Someone

Attention!!!

One type of feel good music consists of those songs which are about being there for someone.  If one quotes Carole King directly from her song You've Got A Friend, it shows that these songs are typically useful when a person is down or in trouble to indicate that a friend will always be there. Therefore, these songs can also be dedicated via radio stations as well as television channels and also when a friend is down in the dumps these songs can be played. 

The Pretenders' I'll Stand By You takes the top spot in this compilation as it is clearly the most played song in these occasions as well as covered by several artists throughout the years with most of the versions (Rod Stewart, Girls Aloud) topping the charts. At second place is Ben E. King's Stand By Me which is everyone's go-to feel good song about friends. At No.3 we have the cliched Jackson 5's I'll Be There which all significant others resort to when their respective boyfriends or girlfriends are depressed. We have four entries with the title I'll Be There For You and three entries with Stand By You. While it is a mishmash of artists and eras in terms of genre it is only Pop with just one Rock and one R&B entry. So here are the top 30 songs about being there for someone: 

1. The Pretenders – I’ll stand by you
2. Ben E.King – Stand by me
3. Jackson 5 – I’ll be there
4. Marvin Gaye & Tammi Terrell – Ain’t no mountain high enough
5. The Rembrandts – I’ll be there for you
6. Rachel Platten – Stand by you
7. Bill Withers – Lean on me
8. Celine Dion – Because you loved me
9. Carole King – You’ve got a friend
10. S Club 7 – Reach
11. Rihanna ft. Jay-Z – Umbrella
12. Michael Jackson – You are not alone
13. Jess Glynne – Hold my hand
14. Hanson – I will come to you
15. Avril Lavigne – I’m with you
16. Phil Collins – You’ll be in my heart
17. Bruno Mars – Count on me
18. Bon Jovi – I’ll be there for you
19. Charlie Puth – One call away
20. Sade – By your side
21. The Corrs – At your side
22. Olive – You’re not alone
23. Whitney Houston & CeCe Winans – Count on me
24. The Moffats – I’ll be there for you
25. Kat Deluna – Be there
26. MLTR – I’m gonna be around
27. Marlisa – Stand by you
28. S Club 7 – Stand by you
29. Tinchy Stryder – You’re not alone
30. Solid HarmoniE – I’ll be there for you 

Till the next beat...

At Ease!!!

Most Inspirational Songs of 2015

Attention!!!

And so the saga of the inspirational hits continue as the 2010s seem to spew more positive attitude than all of the preceding decades combined. While in 2014 the inspirational songs took a dip, in 2015 they returned with a vengeance and topped the charts worldwide. One distinct thing that can be noticed is that these songs are not about getting over breakups and how strong you are after a broken heart, they are purely about inner strength and provides the motivation we need these days to get by. Taking the crown this time is Rachel Platten with her global smash hit Fight Song which topped the charts in the UK and entered the top 10 in over ten countries including Australia, Canada and the US. At second place is Eminem ft. Gwen Stefani's Kings Never Die from the soundtrack of Southpaw. Pop rules as a genre this time although there are Rap, EDM, Dancepop and R&B. Rachel Platten, Jessie J, Rihanna, John Legend and Jess Glynne have two entries each. So here are the 25 most inspirational songs of 2015: 

1. Rachel Platten – Fight song
2. Eminem ft. Gwen Stefani – Kings never die
3. Demi Lovato – Confident
4. Kendrick Lamar – Alright
5. Jess Glynne – Don’t be so hard on yourself
6. One Direction – Drag me down
7. Big Sean ft. Kanye West & John Legend – One man can change the world
8. Jessie J – Flashlight
9. Hailee Steinfeld – Love myself
10. Sia – Alive
11. Zedd ft. Jon Bellion – Beautiful now
12. Jess Glynne – Hold my hand 
13. Martin Garrix ft. Usher – Don’t look down
14. Common & John Legend – Glory
15. Alesso ft. Tove Lo – Heroes (we could be)
16. Jessie J – Masterpiece
17. Kelly Clarkson – Invincible
18. Rachel Platten – Stand by you
19. Rihanna – American oxygen
20. Jennifer Lopez – Feel the light
21. Meghan Trainor – Better when I’m dancin’
22. Nicki Minaj – The night is still young
23. Madonna – Living for love
24. Clean Bandit – Stronger
25. Rihanna – Towards the sun

Till the next beat...

At Ease!!!

Xposition - September 2015

Attention!!!

September was not such an interesting month. In the wake of the aftermath of the MTV Video Music Awards 2015 where hell always breaks lose, September proved to be quite somber. The month kicked off with the announcement that Avril Lavigne and Chad Kroeger are separating after two years of marriage. 

Yes, the summer is over and it is time to check the anticipated Songs of Summer. The coveted crown in the US went to OMI's Cheerleader beating Wiz Khalifa's See You Again in the final week of the tally. Taylor Swift's Bad Blood came in at No.3 followed by The Weeknd's Can't Feel My Face and Silento's Watch Me. In the UK, the Biggest Selling Songs of Summer 2015 were revealed with Jason Derulo's Want To Want Me. At second place was Lost Frequencies' Are You With Me followed by OMI's Cheerleader and Tinie Tempah's Not Letting Go. 

September also revealed the next artist who will sing the next James Bond. The title has gone to Sam Smith. The announcement ended months of speculation in which the likes of Ed Sheeran, Ellie Goulding, Adele, Lana Del Rey, Lorde, Noel Gallagher and even Radiohead were tipped as candidates to helm the new Bond song. Smith's Writing On The Wall is to be featured in the film Spectre.

Taylor Swift's conquests continues as she leads the nominations in this year's MTV Europe Music Awards. The singer has nine nominations including Best Song, Best Pop Artist, Best Female Artist and Best Live Act. Alongside Taylor Swift ft. Kendrick Lamar's Bad Blood the following have also been nominated for Best Song:

Ellie Goulding: Love Me Like You Do

Major Lazer & DJ Snake ft. MØ: Lean On

Mark Ronson ft Bruno Mars: Uptown Funk

Wiz Khalifa ft. Charlie Puth: See You Again

Meanwhile, the UK has compiled the lists for the Top 40 Biggest Albums of 2015 So Far and the Top 40 Biggest Songs of 2015 so Far. Ed Sheeran's x leads the albums list followed by Sam Smith's In The Lonely Hour and Taylor Swift's 1989. The 5 biggest songs so far are:

1. Mark Ronson ft. Bruno Mars - Uptown funk
2. OMI - Cheerleader (Felix Jaehn Mix)
3. Hozier - Take Me To Church
4. Ellie Goulding - Love Me Like You Do
5. Wiz Khalifa ft. Charlie Puth - See You Again 

September also witnessed Sam Smith's debut record In The Lonely Hour notch up a record-breaking 67 consecutive weeks in the Official Albums Chart Top 10 – the longest unbroken run ever for a debut album. The LP hasn’t left the Top 10 since its release in May 2014, where it debuted at Number 1. The chart record was previously held by Emeli Sande, whose debut Our Version Of Events tallied 66 consecutive weeks in the Top 10 between February 2012 and May 2013. Prior to Emeli, the record was held for almost 50 years by The Beatles’ Please Please Me (62 weeks).

In chart news, in the US, OMI's Cheerleader stayed atop the charts during the first week and was replaced once again by The Weeknd's Can't Feel My Face which replaced it earlier in August. However, this proved short lived as Justin Bieber's global smash hit What Do You Mean? debuted at No.1 the following week. But The Weeknd did manage to grab the top spot in the final week. By this feat The Weeknd became the first solo male to top the Artist 100, Hot 100 and Billboard 200 in the same week as his album Beauty Behind The Madness had topped the album chart as well. Only one other act had achieved the same feat earlier and it was Taylor Swift with her Shake It Off at No.1 on the Hot 100 and 1989 at No.1 on the Billboard 200 and herself at the helm of the Artist 100. Meanwhile, Fetty Wap ft. Remy Boyz' 679, Ed Sheeran's Photograph and R.City ft. Adam Levine's Locked Away all entered the Top 10 during the month. 

In the UK, Rachel Platten opened the month with her debut hit Fight Song at the top. This was replaced by Bieber's What Do You Mean? which was replaced by Sigala's Easy Lover in the third week only to be overthrown by Bieber in the fourth week and he remained at the top during the final week. Demi Lovato's Cool For The Summer, Galantis' Peanut Butter Jelly and Felix Jaehn ft. Jasmine Thompson's Ain't Nobody (Loves Me Better) all entered the Top 10 during the month. 

Some of the other popular hits during the month were:

• Taylor Swift - Wildest dreams
• Sam Hunt - House party
• Lana Del Rey - High by the beach
• Pia Mia ft. Chris Brown & Tyga - Do it again
• Nick Jonas - Levels  
• Alessia Cara - Here
• Disclosure ft. Sam Smith - Omen 
• Rita Ora ft. Chris Brown - Body on me 

Till the next beat...

At Ease!!!