It's that time of year again!
December 2, 2015 4:23 PM   Subscribe

 
Yay it's that time of year again! The time of year when I listen to this and get weirdly nostalgic for all the pop songs I only ever heard in stores.
posted by yellowbinder at 4:31 PM on December 2, 2015 [2 favorites]


Yay! I was just thinking about this last week. Thanks for posting!
posted by triggerfinger at 4:37 PM on December 2, 2015


Every year, DJ Earworm somehow reminds me that even though I don't even LIKE modern pop most of the time, that there is a lens through which one can see that the world is actually... like, going to be okay.

But I don't think we're ever going to hear the likes of 2009 again.
posted by Sequence at 4:41 PM on December 2, 2015 [3 favorites]


I am on the 2009 was the best year ticket too, but at some point you have to admit that's mostly because I Got A Feeling is just *shudder* a really good song.
posted by yellowbinder at 4:43 PM on December 2, 2015 [3 favorites]


I think I liked last year's better, this one was just OK. (I know, right, someone has to say it every time). But I felt it didn't have the punch of last year's or even 2013 and it's not pop music has changed that much.

Plus Centuries came out in, like, 2014, come on!

I'll take Summermash '15.

USOP 2009 was pretty good tho
posted by GuyZero at 4:50 PM on December 2, 2015


Also, considering Taylor Swift had 3 top 25 hits in 2015 it was kinda light on the T Swiz.

Maybe I'm just used to mashups that have methamphetamine-esque BPM levels.
posted by GuyZero at 4:54 PM on December 2, 2015


As somebody who listened to a shit ton of pop radio this year, this does it pretty well. I feel like the year was dominated by dark, downtempo tunes like the Weeknd number that provides the backbone for the first half. Not my most favorite mashup, and not particularly fluid, but it hits the spots.

Man, I love those Bieber tunes, though. All of them. Biggest surprise of the year for me.

And Drake, as much as I love Hotline Bling, you are a sexist asshole; go fuck yourself. (Although when I absentmindedly said, "You used to call me on your..." the other day and tiny babyozzy said "fellfone" I nearly lost my shit. Apparently we sing that song too much around here.)
posted by uncleozzy at 5:00 PM on December 2, 2015 [5 favorites]


Personally I'm still trying to figure out if 2008's "No More Gas" was a sly comment on America's petroleum dependence.
posted by a car full of lions at 5:01 PM on December 2, 2015 [1 favorite]


(whoops, no, the other Weeknd tune was the downtempo one ... this is the fun dance number. Still dark.)
posted by uncleozzy at 5:03 PM on December 2, 2015


I feel like the year was dominated by dark, downtempo tunes like the Weeknd number that provides the backbone for the first half.

It's there some theory of inverse correlation between macroeconomic performance and the BPM of pop songs? Wait, I have that backwards:
Consistent with theory predictions, songs with more beats per minute and in common key signatures were most popular in social and economic good times and songs with less beats per minute and in less common key signatures were most popular during social and economic bad times. Environmental conditions appear to influence tempo and key preferences of popular music.
So one would have expected a more uptempo corpus of pop songs this year with pretty much 4 quarters of reasonably strong GDP growth. Huh.
posted by GuyZero at 5:10 PM on December 2, 2015 [1 favorite]


This was pretty good this year. Nothing will beat 2009 ever, but this was solid. USPOP 2015 posted yet?
posted by deezil at 5:12 PM on December 2, 2015 [1 favorite]


Every year I listen to the new remix and every year I (too) have to sigh and admit to myself that it isn't 2009 anymore. Have I grown old? Am I finally out of touch with what's popular these days? Or is it just pop music anno 2015 that isn't to my liking?
In any case: meh.
posted by bigendian at 5:28 PM on December 2, 2015 [1 favorite]


Ugh, this had too much Adam Levine and Bieber for me; Drake may be an asshole but his goofy dancing cracks me up every time and he can keep on with that. I thought there'd be way more Shut up and Dance there.
posted by TwoStride at 5:32 PM on December 2, 2015


It's that time of year again!
posted by vrakatar at 5:42 PM on December 2, 2015


Another year goes by and I am having a hard time relating to any of this. Don't get old kids. Don't ever, ever get old.
posted by Muncle at 5:45 PM on December 2, 2015 [1 favorite]


Personally I'm still trying to figure out if 2008's "No More Gas " was a sly comment on America's petroleum dependence.

Given his recent song about drone warfare & surveillance, that would seem to be in character.
posted by Kilter at 6:04 PM on December 2, 2015


And I have heard at least 75% of these because of my spin class. Damn, y'all, at least put different stuff on there while I'm sweating my ass off.
posted by Kitteh at 6:12 PM on December 2, 2015 [1 favorite]


I did not know what I was clicking into when I followed this link, but I thought that was amazing. Really well done, both music and video. Based on the comments above, I'm going to have to check out more of his (?) stuff!
posted by Metro Gnome at 7:05 PM on December 2, 2015 [1 favorite]


Love it, though I still have to give my vote for last year's track as the best. It does sorta feel like cheating to just chug a year's worth of pop songs in a few minutes though.
posted by Panjandrum at 7:24 PM on December 2, 2015


I usually find a few great tracks I missed during the year (bc I don't pay attention to pop too much) in Earworm's end-of-year mixes, but this one really left me flat. Was 2015 a dull year for pop?
posted by LooseFilter at 7:36 PM on December 2, 2015


I'm not sure if this has made it to the blue yet, but Daniel Kim also has his round-up available, as of a few weeks ago. Youtube Edit Part 1, Youtube Edit Part 2, full version and track list (not on YT in its entirety to reduce the risk of copyright strikes, apparently). I like Kim's compendium more than DJ Earworm's this year, as I believe I did last year as well.

Robin Skouteris has a teaser up for his Pop Love 4, so that should be coming soon as well.
posted by notnamed at 7:43 PM on December 2, 2015 [1 favorite]


How many of these songs did Max Martin write or have a part in writing?
posted by bstreep at 8:18 PM on December 2, 2015


Can anyone tell me which song goes with the video that seems to show some people dancing on top of a bus in India?
posted by Exceptional_Hubris at 8:37 PM on December 2, 2015


Exceptional Hubris, I believe it's Lean On.
posted by sigmagalator at 9:03 PM on December 2, 2015 [1 favorite]


Man, I love those Bieber tunes, though. All of them. Biggest surprise of the year for me.

For sure. It's honestly an incredible shame that songwriting and production of that caliber was used on lyrics that vacillate between, "Please allow me to attempt to manipulate you into staying in this abusive relationship for 3 minutes" and some of the most comically childish sentiments ever recorded for public consumption (oh, and that one that's a paean to Footprints Jesus). Actual lines from probably my favorite song on the album: "And I didn't wanna write a song / Cause I didn't want anyone thinking I still care / I don't but, you still hit my phone up". Yeah, you're really the bigger person there. It's not like you actually did write a song, and then title it a lazy bawdlerization of Go Fuck Yourself or anything.

But it's so good despite all of that. The videos I've seen are all pretty delightful, too.
posted by Copronymus at 9:04 PM on December 2, 2015


Piffle, is there a download link for an .mp3 file? I love having these mashups for my running playlist, but he's redesigned his website and I can't find any download links...
posted by suelac at 9:11 PM on December 2, 2015


What is that vaguely Indian-sounding riff that pops up throughout the mix called? I have a really specific misophonic reaction to it, so every time I hear it (and that is a lot) I shudder inwardly.
posted by psoas at 9:15 PM on December 2, 2015


Can anyone tell me which song goes with the video that seems to show some people dancing on top of a bus in India?

Lean On, although there is some bus-adjacent dancing (albeit post-apocalyptic) in Hey Mama.
posted by Copronymus at 9:43 PM on December 2, 2015


I recognised 14 people! I feel all young and relevant.

Those pastel Crockett jackets from original Miami Vice TV show aren't coming back into fashion are they? I have no idea who the band or singer is with that guy but he was shown a lot.
posted by biffa at 2:31 AM on December 3, 2015


It's not like you actually did write a song, and then title it a lazy bawdlerization of Go Fuck Yourself or anything.

Sure, but it also gave us my pick for lyric of the year: "My mama don't like you / and she likes everyone."
posted by uncleozzy at 4:39 AM on December 3, 2015 [1 favorite]


What is that vaguely Indian-sounding riff

You're probably talking about the melody from Bieber's Where Are Ü Now.
posted by Inkoate at 6:04 AM on December 3, 2015


Those pastel Crockett jackets from original Miami Vice TV show aren't coming back into fashion are they? I have no idea who the band or singer is with that guy but he was shown a lot.

You talking about Bruno Mars in Uptown Funk?
posted by Talez at 7:21 AM on December 3, 2015


Yeah, I'm not even clicking on this as I will once again recognise nothing, probably not even the aforementioned Shop Music. I don't especially notice the years go by, but the rapidity with which successive DJ Earworm USP mixes arrive is a genuine concern.

I bet it's awesome and I just don't get it!
posted by comealongpole at 8:06 AM on December 3, 2015


I'm not big on most radio-ready pop music, but DJ Earworm have done some fantastic stuff. I look forward to his contributions to Best of Bootie every year.
posted by numaner at 9:19 AM on December 3, 2015


Finally got around to listening to this. I'm old, so I don't recognize most of it, but I really enjoyed it. (I got about a half dozen of the people in the video, maybe a dozen? mostly because of gossip.) It serves as a good introduction to what my nieces and nephews are listening to.
posted by immlass at 9:36 AM on December 3, 2015




I liked this. Maybe not quite as much as last year's (which I've been listening to on and off all year) but it's growing on me so we'll see. I don't keep up with the US pop charts because I live somewhere else and don't listen to mainstream radio much anyway, but I still recognised a few this year. And I'll look up the rest, they'll all be on youtube.

I found last year's mashup a good primer of recent mainstream music, like Cliffs notes or something I guess. Listening to an evening of bubblegum fluff while working through the list is fun even if I find a lot of it ridiculous. And I ended up buying four albums as a direct result of last years list, so it's not all fluff.

Last year's post had links to youtubes of all the individual tracks, which I admit I found rather convenient.
posted by shelleycat at 10:21 AM on December 4, 2015


OK now I'm remembering how much I hate youtube now that my ad blocker no longer stops all the shit they plaster over the videos.
posted by shelleycat at 10:54 AM on December 4, 2015


Thanks Talez, he's quite famous isn't he? And that was quite a big song? I only listen to the radio for ten minutes each way to work and back, so I tend not to know faces or videos, which was why I was surprised to recognise 14 of the artists. Though if I am honest I recognised Goulding by the song and not the face, we spent a week in the Lofotens in the summer and though they were gorgeous the local radio station literally* had only ten records and that was one of them.

* literally literally.
posted by biffa at 7:59 AM on December 5, 2015


Last year's post had links to youtubes of all the individual tracks, which I admit I found rather convenient.

Oh, very well.

Adele - HELLO
AlunaGeorge and DJ Snake - YOU KNOW YOU LIKE IT
Andy Grammer - HONEY, I'M GOOD.
Ariana Grande ft. The Weeknd - LOVE ME HARDER
Big Sean ft. E-40 - I DON'T FUCK WITH YOU
David Guetta ft. Nicki Minaj & Afrojack - HEY MAMA
Demi Lovato - COOL FOR THE SUMMER
Drake - HOTLINE BLING
Ed Sheeran - PHOTOGRAPH
Ed Sheeran - THINKING OUT LOUD
Ellie Goulding - LOVE ME LIKE YOU DO
Fall Out Boy - CENTURIES
Fetty Wap - TRAP QUEEN
Fetty Wap ft. Remy Boyz - 679
Fifth Harmony ft. Kid Ink - WORTH IT
Flo Rida ft. Sage The Gemini - GDFR
Jason Derulo - WANT TO WANT ME
Justin Bieber - SORRY
Justin Bieber - WHAT DO YOU MEAN
Major Lazer ft. MØ & DJ Snake - LEAN ON
Mark Ronson ft. Bruno Mars - UPTOWN FUNK
Maroon 5 - SUGAR
Meghan Trainor - LIPS ARE MOVIN
Meghan Trainor ft. John Legend - LIKE I'M GONNA LOSE YOU
Natalie La Rose ft. Jeremih - SOMEBODY
Nick Jonas - JEALOUS
Nicki Minaj ft. Drake & Lil Wayne - TRUFFLE BUTTER
Omarion ft. Chris Brown & Jhene Aiko - POST TO BE
OMI - CHEERLEADER (FELIX JAEHN REMIX)
One Direction - DRAG ME DOWN
Pitbull ft. Ne-Yo - TIME OF OUR LIVES
R. City ft. Adam Levine - LOCKED AWAY
Rachel Platten - FIGHT SONG
Rihanna - BITCH BETTER HAVE MY MONEY
Rihanna ft. Kanye West & Paul McCartney - FOUR FIVE SECONDS
Sam Smith - I'M NOT THE ONLY ONE
Selena Gomez ft. A$AP Rocky - GOOD FOR YOU
Shawn Mendes - STITCHES
Silentó - WATCH ME
Skrillex & Diplo ft. Justin Bieber - WHERE ARE U NOW
Taylor Swift - BLANK SPACE
Taylor Swift - STYLE
Taylor Swift - BAD BLOOD
Taylor Swift - WILDEST DREAMS
Tove Lo - TALKING BODY
Walk The Moon - SHUT UP AND DANCE
Wiz Khalifa ft. Charlie Puth - SEE YOU AGAIN
The Weeknd - EARNED IT
The Weeknd - THE HILLS
The Weeknd - CAN'T FEEL MY FACE
posted by Shmuel510 at 6:42 PM on December 6, 2015 [2 favorites]


yay!
posted by shelleycat at 11:12 AM on December 7, 2015


This year's track seemed especially sonically dense, which I liked. Surprised to see Uptown Funk relegated to such a minor part of the mix, though. It was such an inescapable megahit and so musically compelling that I would have expected it to be featured more prominently.

The 2009 mix is a classic, but I've got a special place reserved in my heart for 2010 (the year that we were all relentlessly invited to throw our hands up).
posted by merriment at 8:09 AM on December 20, 2015


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