Hello everyone! Since I still want to ride the "talking about music at the end of the year" trend train, I decided to import another idea I found on the Internet, which consists of rating every song on Billboard's YE list for 2018, as well as making my own Worst and Best lists. This time, credits go to Cicabeot1. I recommend to watch her videos! (She was born male but she identifies herself as female)
The rating system works like this:
- 5 = great
- 4 = good
- 3 = average
- 2 = mediocre
- 1 = bad
- 0 = awful
Also, the symbol (*) indicates a leftover from the 2017 YE list (e.g. Havana, Rockstar). Songs that fall into this category will not be eligible for my lists; songs from 2017 that only made it into the 2018 YE lst (e.g. New Rules, No Limit), instead, are eligible.
Without further ado, let's start!
Ratings[]
I'm not going to talk about how terrible 2018 was for the charts because we all know that at this point. The only thing I want to say is...
- Eat 1 marshmallow every time you see a score of 2, 1 or 0!
- Eat 2 marshmallows every time you see a joke!
- Eat 5 marshmallows every time you see Drake!
| Number | Song | Artist(s) | Score | Reason |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Wow, I didn’t expect this to be the #1 song of the year! | Seriously, that was so unpredictable! | 1 | I can feel my life getting sucked out while listening to this dreck. |
| 2 | Perfect | Ed Sheeran | 4 | It might sound like a typical love ballad, but at least Ed sells the emotion much better than anyone else. |
| 3 | The biggest country song of all times, ladies and gentlemen. | Bebe Rexha ft. two frat boys | 1 | The production is not country at all, the performances are lazy and lacking in chemistry and the fact that these two guys try to hang with Bebe in spite of her saying no paints them as disgusting creeps. Seriously, this crap has no business being a country song, let alone a song that topped the country charts for 50 WEEKS. |
| 4 | Havana (*) | Camila Cabello ft. Young Thug | 4 | Not too fond of Thug’s verse, but the production is still very solid and Camila definitely owns the song. |
| 5 | Zzzzzzzz... (*) | ...zzzzzzzzzzzz... | 1 | ...zzzzzzzzzzzz... |
| 6 | ...zzzzzzzzzzzz... | ...zzzzzzzzzzzzz... | 1 | ...zzzzzzzzzzzzz... |
| 7 | I Like It | Cardi B. ft. Bad Bunny and J Balvin | 4 | I love how the beat flips I Like It Like That, and Cardi is having so much fun! I don’t get why Bunny and J are there, though - Cardi is the only one who steals the show. |
| 8 | The Middle | Zedd ft. Maren Morris and Gray | 3 | eh |
| 9 | In My Feelings | Drake | 1 | A cheap remake of Nice For What. |
| 10 | Girs Like You | Adam Levine ft. Cardi B | 0 | So you’re a d****e towards this girl yet you don’t want her to leave because she’s patient enough to tolerate you, huh? You f***ing a*****e. |
| 11 | Nice For What | Drake | 4 | It’s a bit weird to see Drake doing a female empowerment song, considering that he usually acts like a meathead towards them, but at least he put some effort for once; plus, it bumps in the whip. |
| 12 | Tumblr melodrama in song form | Post Malone x XXXTENTACION monster hybrid | 0 | A whiny excuse of a post-breakup song with awful singing and a bad use of a Sting sample. I understand that he’s suffering because of the breakup, but lines “I won’t let you forget me” and “Who knew evil girls had the prettiest face?” don’t make him look good at all. |
| 13 | Better Now | Post Malone | 1 | Better than I Fall Apart, but it still sounds a bit too whiny. |
| 14 | Finesse (Remix) | Bruno Mars ft. Cardi B | 5 | The first 5/5 of the list goes to the quintessential retro throwback! Also, Cardi fits surprisingly well here. |
| 15 | Boo'd Up | Ella Mai | 4 | A very heartfelt love song from an artist who deserves to stick around as much as she can. |
| 16 | New Rules | my future wife | 5 | A well-written post-breakup song (Juice WRLD, take notes!), with very lively tropical house-inspired production and a confident vocal performance. Dua Lipa officially saved pop in 2018! |
| 17 | SAD! | Ugh... I have to talk about this guy now. | 0 | There isn’t one single redeeming quality here. The production is more incompetent than a Logic Pro X demo, the vocals are whiny and almost inaudible and OH MY GOD THE LYRICS. Seriously, how can you threaten your girlfriend to commit suicide if she leaves you AFTER you have beaten her? That is just manipulative and despicable. Yeah, the circumstances of his death were tragic, but it doesn’t change my opinion on the horrible things he’s done while he was alive. |
| 18 | my ears will Never Be The Same after hearing Camila’s high notes | Camila Cabello | 1 | I know it’s just inoffensive overall but holy cow, Camila sounds terrible here. |
| 19 | Love Lies | Khalid ft. Normani | 5 | Another elegant R&B tune. I’m really glad it made it into the Year-End List! |
| 20 | No Tears Left To Cry | Ariana Grande | 5 | After months of fighting against personal problems, Ariana made the comeback we were all waiting for, and it’s fantastic. I absolutely love the sense of peace and epicness it gives, and the vocals give me goosebumps. |
| 21 | you're so f**kin' precious when you smile | Bazzi | 2 | meh |
| 22 | Thunder (*) | Imagine Dragons | 1 | Vague lyrics about rising to fame, annoying chipmunk vocals and that awful guitar solo at the end drown the song into the “Bad” category. |
| 23 | I know you're bored as g but at least try to Look Alive | Drake ft. (blank space) | 1 | Yeah, this isn't alive at all. |
| 24 | Delicate | Taylor Swift | 5 | Very tense and earnest, both in terms of production and lyrics, which are about Taylor hoping that her new boyfriend will know her for what she truly is inside without caring about the drama she’s been in for years. I’m so happy Taylor released this as single after Look What You Made Me Do and …Ready For It?, because it proves she has talent and she shouldn’t waste it. |
| 25 | wah wah wah, this song sucks | Lil Baby (wth is this really his name) ft. Drake (because of course -_-) | 1 | It’s such an empty shell, ugh. Also, I really don’t get the appeal of Lil Baby. Like, at all. |
| 26 | *sigh* We let this atrocity reach the Top 20, people. | Marshmello ft. Anne-Marie | 0 | Jesus Christ, this song is a disaster from head to toe. The production is sloppy and grating, especially in the final pre-chorus, and… what were the songwriters thinking while writing this horror? I really can’t sympathize with anyone here: Anne is condescending as hell and the guy acts like a stalker. |
| 27 | Bad at Love | Halsey | 1 | An annoying synthline and mediocre singing make me bad at loving this song. Also, she shouldn’t blame hrself if she doesn’t find the right partner for her. |
| 28 | (this song has no) Taste | a pedophile ft. Offset | 0 | I thought it was just mediocre when I first heard it but man, that gross beat really made me change my mind. |
| 29 | Let You Down | NF | 4 | I would have removed the trap hi-hats and replaced the pitch-shifted vocals with an actual female singer, but it’s still a pretty good song overall. |
| 30 | No Limit | G-Eazzzz…y ft. A$AP Rocky and Cardi B | 2 | Better than that embarrassing Usher song from two years ago, but I'm still not impressed. |
| 31 | EWOFID3848Oyt&(aofIPWFE QSIG937GFPOBVihbnsq P9UGSBDVNI35G00T |
AQougyKEVFGBTR duigggbdebvhào08gr phd843ytfhrbhjtbv |
0 | AAAAAAAAAAAAA AAAAAAAHHHHHHHH HHHHHHHHHHH |
| 32 | Tequila | Dan + Shay | 3 | eehh |
| 33 | Feel It Still(*) | Portugal. The Man | 5 | We finally got the indie tune that we have asked for since the end of 2013! The retro aesthetics combined with the great lyrics really won me over. |
| 34 | MotorSport | Migos ft. Cardi B and Nicki Minaj | 2 | meh |
| 35 | I Like Me Better | Lauv | 2 | That production sounds really cheap. |
| 36 | Youngblood | 5 Seconds of Summer | 3 | The chorus is a bit too weak. |
| 37 | Whatever It Takes | Imagine Dragons | 4 | A better fight song than Fight Song itself. |
| 38 | Ric Flair Drip | Offset ft. Metro Boomin' | 1 | nah |
| 39 | I FAAAAAAAALLLLL APPPAAAAAAHHHHHRRRRRRTTTTTT | Post Malone | 0 | RIP ears 2000-2018. Also, how am I supposed to empathize with this guy when he whines like a baby and calls his ex “devil in the form of a w***e”? |
| 40 | Pray For Me | The Weeknd ft. Kendrick Lamar | 5 | Pretty much dark music done right (both musically and lyrically). Also, Kendrick’s verse is fire. |
| 41 | Back To You | Selena Gomez | 3 | eeehhh |
| 42 | SICKO MODE | Travis Scott ft. Drake and Swae Lee | 3 | I don’t know how to feel about this. The rapping is decent and Drake is trying this time, but the beat sounds like three different songs put together, and that just confuses me. |
| 43 | Walk It Talk It | Migos ft. Drake | 1 | *brain explodes* |
| 44 | Gucci Gang | why is this kid a thing smh | 0 | So this guy was 17 and he wrote a line about having sex with HIS TEACHER???? *throws up* |
| 45 | Him & I (wow great grammar) | boring guy ft. boring girl | 2 | The “Bonnie & Clyde” of 2017, huh? I don’t buy it for a second. |
| 46 | In My Blood | Shawn Mendes | 5 | An absolutely fantastic song about struggling with anxiety. Thank God Mendes started making good songs this year. |
| 47 | All The Stars | Kendrick Lamar ft. SZA | 5 | These two are literally the power couple of rap and R&B! Whenever they collaborate, the result is flawless, and so is this song. The powerful hook and the production really sold it. |
| 48 | Stir Fry | Migos | 3 | It’s more of the same crap but at least it has a good beat for once. |
| 49 | Too Good At Goodbyes (*) | Sam Smith | 5 | The epic comeback Sam Smith deserved, all packed with soulful falsetto and gospel choirs. |
| 50 | LOVE. | KENDRICK. LAMAR. FT. ZACARI. | 4. | ONE. OF. THE. WEAKER. SONGS. OFF. DAMN. BUT. IT’S. STILL. DECENT. |
| 51 | This is America | Childish Gambino | 5 | I could do without the Kodak Black reference in the lyrics, but the song still bangs more that any other trap banger from this year; plus, the hidden social commentary is gold. |
| 52 | Nonstop | Try to guess! | 1 | A fitting title because it’s boring as d. |
| 53 | Heaven | Kane Brown | 3 | Nice chill beat but the low vocals just don’t do it for me. |
| 54 | A song inspired from Kodak Blecch OH MY GOD WHY (*) | Cardi B | 0 | I don’t mind Cardi B now, but I really hated her when I heard her first singles. Blame it on the creepy beat and the stitled flow. |
| 55 | unfunny comedy crap | Lil Di- PFFFF TTTTTT HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA ft. a guy that should go away |
0 | Unfunny and revolting in all possible ways, especially when Dicky goes in Kendall Jenner’s body and says he wants to “explore the inner workings of a woman”. Seriously, how did this even get approved? |
| 56 | UUUUUUGGGGGHHHHHHHH | Can this pedophile just rot in jail forever? | 0 | Seriously. |
| 57 | Plug Walk | Rich The Kid | 1 | He sounds like a 12-years-old boy who has just learned how to rap, so points for accuracy, I guess. |
| 58 | Wait | Adam Levine | 0 | Not only does the song not give any details about why the relationship between Adam and his ex didn’t work in the first place, but he even tries to apologize to her DURING HER WEDDING. Like, she was trying to move on, and then that a*****e pops up from nowhere and wants her to get back with him. Urgh. |
| 59 | Be Careful | Cardi B | 4 | Not her best song, but definitely an improvement over her previous material. I really like how mature the writing is. |
| 60 | Wolves | Marshmello ft. Selena Gomez | 5 | I wouldn’t have given such a high score if it hadn't had that fantastic beat drop. |
| 61 | Bartier Cardi | Cardi B ft. 21 Not-So-Savage | 1 | Better than Bodak Yellow but not by much. |
| 62 | God is a woman | Ariana Grande | 4 | It has worn off on me a bit because of the overwhelming trap elements in the verses, but the chorus and that killer outro save it. |
| 63 | Big Bank | YG ft. 2 Chainz, Nicki Minaj and Big Sean | 2 | It's pretty dull. |
| 64 | I don’t like this song at all and I’m going to give it a 0/5. Sorry, not sorry. (*) | Demi Lovato | 0 | Did you really need to make a trap song, Demi? Really? REALLY??? |
| 65 | How Long | Charlie Puth | 4 | A nice retro throwback with sharp lyrics about cheating. I’m glad to see that Charlie has finally found the type of music that fits him the most. |
| 66 | Lights Down Low | max ft. GNASH | 1 | It wouldn’t suck if MAX didn’t sound like he’s getting circumcised with no anesthesia in the chorus. |
| 67 | Young Dumb & Broke (*) | Khalid | 4 | A bit of a stepdown compared to Location but his voice is still great. |
| 68 | One Kiss | Calvin Harris ft. Dua Lipa | 5 | Dua Lipa is a gift from the heavens, and there’s no way you can change my mind. |
| 69 | Natural | Imagine Dragons | 3 | Eh, not feeling this. It sounds like it’s trying too hard to recreate the epic feel of Believer. |
| 70 | You Make It Easy | Jason Aldean | 4 | A pretty good country love song, and it actually sounds country for once. |
| 71 | Shape of You (*) | Ed Sheeran | 3 | eeeehhhh |
| 72 | I Get The Bag (*) | Ice Cream Man(e) ft. those 3 guys you always see in trap songs | 1 | why do I even waste my time with them when their songs all sounds the same lmao |
| 73 | I’m the On- oops, I meant I’m the Tw- oops, I meant No Brainer | the same guys as I’m the One but without Lil Wayne | 0 | smh it’s the exact same as I’m the One, it even has the same sense of a*****eness |
| 74 | Plain Jane (Remix) | A$AP FERG ft. Nicki Minaj | 2 | meh |
| 75 | Sky Walker | Miguel ft. Travis Scott | 4 | One of the very few R&B-rap fusions done right in the world. It does follow the typical hip-hop tropes, but the beat still has an indie feel that prevents it from being complete trash. |
| 76 | Marry Me | Thomas Rhett | 5 | Oh man, I really didn’t expect Thomas Rhett of all people to make one of the best country songs of the year, but here we are. I especially love the mature, relatable writing, where he regrets not declaring his love for a girl, but he doesn’t want to make a scene either. Keep up the great work! |
| 77 | eASTsIDE | Wtj is goING ON WITh the capitalizaTION | 3 | eeeeeHHHHH |
| 78 | Cll t M Nm | Th Wknd | 3 | I rll wsh thr wr mr dtls n th lrcs. |
| 79 | King's Dead after hearing Future's falsetto | Jay Rock ft. Kendrick Lamar, Future and James Blake | 3 | It’s a fine enough hip-hop song – except when Future sings in falsetto. Seriously, that has to be one of the worst moments of the year in terms of music. |
| 80 | Happier | Marshmello ft. Bastille | 3 | I like the fact that Dan Smith wants to set his ex free, but the production is very generic. |
| 81 | OH MY GOD THIS SONG MADE IT INTO THE YEAR-END CHART *swears in Spanish* | a bunch of dummies | 0 | Not exactly a fan of reggaeton but wow, I really didn’t expect it to reach such a low point. The beat is lifeless, nobody can sing to save his life and the lyrics are so misogynistic and p***y that I can’t sympathize for anyone. Also, who would listen to a song that lasts 7 MINUTES? |
| 82 | Simple | Florida Georgia Line | 3 | They made a decent song for once but it’s still not one of the best I’ve heard this year. |
| 83 | Lemon | N.E.R.D. ft. Rihanna | 5 | A bouncy bop that’s bound to get you moving in a split second with an unexpectedly dope verse from Rihanna. I mean, everyone is having so much fun here, how can you refuse to dance your butt off? |
| 84 | 1-800-273-8255 (*) | Logic ft. Alessia Cara and Khalid | 2 | I really wish the lyrics were written better. They make you believe depression can be healed by saying positive things towards the affected person, but it doesn’t work like that – you also have to hide any object they can hurt themselves with, bring them to the hospital and let the doctor give the required medicines. |
| 85 | Say Something | Justin Timberlake ft. Chris Stapleton | 4 | Pretty vague lyrically, but the vocals and the acoustic guitar-driven beat still sell it. |
| 86 | I'm Bored | ekarD | 0 | The beat is awful and sterile as hell, and Drake shows the most insufferable side of his personality with lines such as “Can’t go 50/50 with no h*” and “I’m supposed to pay her bills and get her what she wants” (referencing the woman who got a child from him). |
| 87 | Get Along | Kenny Chesney | 4 | A nice, lazy country song about living in harmony. Yeah, the message is a bit cheesy, but Kenny sells it well with his performance. |
| 88 | Moonlight | oh no... this guy again... | 0 | UUUUGGGGHHH!!! There’s just so much arrogance here, I really can’t read the lyrics without feeling my blood boiling. Oh, and there’s this line: “Feel like I'm damaged/Girl I know you f***ing planned this”. Yeah, because it’s her fault if you beat her while she was pregnant, isn’t it? Ugh. |
| 89 | What Lovers Do (*) | it's better than Adam's previous songs so I'm not gonna make the Adam Levine joke this time... |
3 | ...although it's far from great. |
| 90 | worst beat drop of the year | Nicky Jam ft. J Balvin | 0 | The title says it all. |
| 91 | LMAO WHAT IS THIS JOKE | HAHAHA HAHAHA HAHAHA HAHAHA |
0 | HAHAHA HAHAHA HAHAHA HAHAHA |
| 92 | Trip | Ella Mai | 4 | Boo’d Up is better but this is still fine. The piano melody is fantastic. |
| 93 | Hot | Daddy Yankee | 2 | There are some d****y lines here and there but it’s still an improvement from Shaky Shaky so… take what you can get, I guess. |
| 94 | MMMMM FFFFFFF HHHHHHHH |
*THROWS COMPUTER OUT OF THE WINDOW* | 0 | So many things wrong here, I don’t even know where to start. The melody is just one piano note looped for 2 minutes (which feel like an eternity, for the record), X and PnB Rock can’t sing at all and the lyrics are beyond despicable. Just… how can you accuse your girlfriend of ruining the relationship if you are the one who beat her? |
| 95 | Mercy | not Shawn Mendes | 4 | Finally a piano ballad done right. |
| 96 | One Number Away | Luke Combs | 4 | A relatable breakup song. |
| 97 | Powerglide | Rae Sremmurd ft. Juicy J | 2 | It would have been a 3 without “F**k an interview, she know the answer”, which sounds like a rape implication to me. |
| 98 | IDGA* | Dua Lipa | 5 | Without doubt one of the best-written kiss-off songs ever! It also has some great production with that guitar and those thumping drums. |
| 99 | Mi Gente (*) | J Balvin ft. Willy William | 3 | It sounds catchy but it gets annoying after a while. |
| 100 | Believer (*) | Imagine Dragons | 4 | The ultimate empowerment anthem, although Whatever It Takes is better. |
Worst[]
- 6ix9ine ft. Nicki Minaj and Murda Beatz - FEFE
- XXXTENTACION - Changes
- XXXTENTACION - SAD!
- XXXTENTACION - Moonlight
- 6ix9ine - GUMMO
- Lil D***y ft. Chris Brown - Freaky Friday
- Post Malone - I Fall Apart
- Marshmello ft. Anne-Marie - Friends
- Juice WRLD - Lucid Dreams
- Maroon 5 ft. Cardi B - Girls Like You
Dishonorable Mentions (11-20)[]
- Nio García, Darell and Casper Mágico ft. Bad Bunny, Nicky Jam and Ozuna - Te Boté (Remix)
- Drake - I'm Upset
- Maroon 5- Wait
- Tyga ft. Offset - Taste
- Lil Pump - Gucci Gang
- YoungBoy Never Broke Again - Outside Today
- DJ Khaled ft. Justin Bieber, Quavo and Chance The Rapper - No Brainer
- Nicky Jam ft. J Balvin - X
- Bebe Rexha ft. Florida Georgia Line - Meant To Be
- Camila Cabello - Never Be The Same
Best[]
- Shawn Mendes - In My Blood
- Thomas Rhett - Marry Me
- Ariana Grande - No Tears Left To Cry
- Childish Gambino - This is America
- Calvin Harris ft. Dua Lipa - One Kiss
- Bruno Mars ft. Cardi B - Finesse (Remix)
- The Weeknd ft. Kendrick Lamar - Pray For Me
- N.E.R.D. ft. Rihanna - Lemon
- Dua Lipa - IDGA*
- Taylor Swift - Delicate
Honorable Mentions (11-20)[]
- Khalid ft. Normani - Love Lies
- Kendrick Lamar ft. SZA - All The Stars
- Marshmello ft. Selena Gomez - Wolves
- Ella Mai - Boo'd Up
- Dua Lipa - New Rules
- Cardi B ft. Bad Bunny and J Balvin - I Like It
- Imagine Dragons - Whatever It Takes
- Drake - Nice For What
- Miguel ft. Travis Scott - Sky Walker
- Brett Young - Mercy