#1

Miley Cyrus, "We Can't Stop"

Maybe the history books will remember the twerking and tongue-unfurling of th emusic video, but "We Can't Stop" was one of the bolder musical choices in recent memory, and that risk paid off tremendously. From the moment that Mike WiLL Made-It's beat kicks in with a screwed-down call of "IT'S OUR Party, WE CAN DO WHAT WE WANT," Cyrus torched her Disney-approved image under the hottest flame of the year.

#2

Kacey Musgraves, "Follow Your Arrow"

You didn't to be a hardcore country fan to boogie along to Kacey Musgraves' exuberant call to make lots of noise and kiss lots of boys - or lots of girls, If that's something you're into.  Musgraves previously exhibited her whip-smart writing on her somber breakthrough hit "Merry Go Round,"but "Follow Your Arrow", was something wholly independent and altogether hopeful - a helpful reminder that there is no single way to happiness.

#3

Lorde, "Royals"

The cavernous drums, the finger-snaps, the wrapped synths that creep in from the edges during the second verse...they're great and all, but the whole affair would feel slight if not for the 16-year-old voice at the center of the storm.  Lorde oscillates between disaffected rapping and intoxicating crooning, decrying the falsities of fame while becoming a star herself.

#4

Macklemore & Ryan Lewis Feat. Mary Lambert, "Same Love"

The triumph of "Same Love" is in its specificity: just like Mackelmore uses anecdotes about his childhood and his YouTube perusing to outline the ridiculousness of homophobia, Mary Lambert's message avoids cliché by staying strictly personal: "I can't change, even if I tried, even if I wanted to."Same Love" is a cry for civil rights presented in a manner that's almost startingly smart.

#5

Daft Punk Feat. Pharrell, "Get Lucky"

The Daft Punk gents have engineered generally perfect singles before-"One More Time,""Around The World," "Digital Love," and the list goes on - but "Get Lucky"was even warmer and more radio-friendly, even if that radio might exist in another decade.  And like the legend of the phoenix, Pharrell Williams' comeback was spectacular, and sorely needed.

#6

Kayne West, "Black Skinhead"

Fueled by a level of fury and militance never heard in his music before, Kayne West"s menacing eruption careened into everything in its path this year. Radio hits be damned--"Black Skinhead" was raw, unadulterated and unstoppable. 

#7

Drake, "Hold On, We're Going Home"

While his first "Nothing Was the Same" single, "Started from the Bottom," amped listeners for Drake's third studio album, it was "Hold On, We're going Home" that cemented Drake's sonic versatility.  The rapper's light, synth-infused ode to inseparability strode into the Top 5 of the Hot chart, and soon became a must-play at wedding receptions.

#8

Disclosure feat. AlunaGeorge, "White Noise"

In a year in which Disclosure and AlunaGeorge watched their audiences and cultural cache grow exponentially, the two duos' wiry, icy-cool collaboration represented a high point for each.

#9

Robin Thicke feat. T.I. & Pharrell, "Blurred Lines"

Forget the backlash: Robin Thicke's suggestive whispers, Pharrell's beaming bounce and T.I.'s charming raps rightly ruled the summer, and gave Thicke his first No. 1 Hot 100 single.

#10

Justin Timberlake, "Mirrors"

Seven years after bringing sexy back, Justin Timberlake moved on to operatic love songs on "The 20/20 Experience, "with none resonating quite as pristinely as the extended bleeding-heart jam "Mirrors."

Bai ASJ if you feel that these songs do not belong here or GNI Family and

friends do not like hearing them, please you have my okay to delete them all.

Once again I greatly appreciate your help and your precious time.