The end of the year brings about resolutions and lists. There are always lots and lots of lists. There's something so human about trying to measure importance while filing, indexing, and numbering things. There's an absurdity to it, but that's half the fun. They're either good lists that are interesting, or they're terrible lists which provoke argument over what people feel are either an unwarranted inclusion or errant omission. So win-win.
So let's throw these topics on the table for discussion:
- Best and worst films in 2014?
- Best and worst television shows in 2014?
- Best and worst in music for 2014?
Follow beneath the fold for more ....
Let's get all list-o-licious, and start with ...
►TELEVISION
From the A.V. Club's "Best television of 2014":
10. Last Week Tonight With John Oliver (HBO)
9. You’re The Worst (FX)
8. Transparent (Amazon)
7. Mad Men (AMC)
6. Fargo (FX)
5. The Good Wife (CBS)
4. True Detective (HBO)
3. The Americans (FX)
2. Broad City (Comedy Central)
1. Hannibal (NBC)
Hugh Dancy as Special Agent Will Graham and Mads Mikkelsen as Dr. Hannibal Lecter
In a year of gorgeous TV grotesquerie, Bryan Fuller’s sumptuous re-imagining of Thomas Harris’ Hannibal Lecter stories outclassed every last Yellow King, White Walker, and Guilty Remnant. Bookended by a blood-soaked pas de deux, the second season of Hannibal was a brutal show for a brutal 365 days, split between a red-herring resolution for the Chesapeake Ripper storyline and a match of wits between stylish psychopaths Hannibal Lecter (Mads Mikkelsen) and Mason Verger (Michael Pitt). Standing strong among the viscera is the story of Will Graham (Hugh Dancy) rediscovering his humanity, falsely accused of Hannibal’s murders before going after the big, immaculately clothed buck himself. What could’ve been a rote killer-of-the-week procedural with a pop-lit pedigree has (in its own words) evolved into something more distinctly warped, a psychedelic, psychological meditation on life and mortality, perception and reality.
From the A.V. Club's "
The worst TV of 2014":
- Worst new show of the year: Stalker (CBS)
- Worst new low: The Following (Fox)
- Worst fan service: Orphan Black, #CloneDanceParty
- Most baffling corporate partnership: Project Runway and Red Robin
- Worst crossover: Family Guy, “The Simpsons Guy” (Fox)
- Most unnecessary remake: Rosemary’s Baby (NBC)
- Worst attempt to making drinking seem fun: Mixology (ABC)
- Worst arguments that women can have it all: The Mysteries Of Laura, State Of Affairs, Bad Judge (NBC)
- Worst show we’ll never get a chance to name the worst show: Hieroglyph (Fox)
- Worst attempt to recapture reality’s glory days: I Wanna Marry “Harry” and Utopia (Fox)
- Worst example of potential cut down in its prime: ABC cancels Selfie
- Saddest discrepancy between promo photo and show: Crossbones (NBC)
- Worst casting: Every biopic on Lifetime
- Worst ending: How I Met Your Mother (CBS)
For nearly a decade, Ted Mosby (Josh Radnor on-screen, Bob Saget in voiceover) kept his teenaged son and daughter frozen in suspense (and time) as he unspooled the tale of how he met the kids’ mother. Eight years into that story, viewers finally met the woman Ted spent his whole life searching for, a soulmate played with ample soul and wide-eyed affability by Cristin Milioti. A living question mark finally resolved, The Mother blossomed into the only reason to stick with HIMYM through its lopsided final season, with Milioti’s performance endearing her to viewers just as she’d soon endear herself to Ted. As promised all those years ago, the couple finally meets under the yellow umbrella in the series finale—then The Mother falls ill and dies offscreen. Abruptly shifting gears in its final moments, How I Met Your Mother contradicts more than 100 hours of television in mere seconds, recasting its titular tale as Ted asking his kids for permission to bang (bang bangity bang) their “Aunt” Robin (Cobie Smulders). It’s a betrayal of the show, its audience, and Milioti’s winsome work, something that could’ve been avoided all together in the show’s first ending: the pilot-script twist that suggests Ted and Robin won’t end up together in the end.
The
10 Best TV Episodes of 2014 according to
Entertainment Weekly:
10. Orange Is the New Black (Netflix), ''It Was the Change''
9. How to Get Away With Murder (ABC), ''Let's Get to Scooping''
8. The Good Wife (CBS), ''All Tapped Out"
7. Silicon Valley (HBO), ''Optimal Tip-to-Tip Efficiency''
6. Transparent (Amazon), ''Best New Girl''
5. Homeland (Showtime), ''There's Something Else Going On''
4. Sherlock (BBC), ''The Sign of Three''
3. Game of Thrones (HBO), ''The Lion and the Rose''
2. Fargo (FX), ''The Crocodile's Dilemma''
1. True Detective (HBO), ''The Secret Fate of All Life''
And like a lot of dreams, there's a monster at the end of it.
No, this isn't the one with the tracking shot. This is the awesome one that came after, a showcase for the HBO psychodrama's many virtues. The terrifying war-flick staging of the assault on Reggie Ledoux's shack-of-horrors backwoods compound was masterful. The collaborative dual narration was never more intricate. And then there was quantum nihilist Rust Cohle's signature ''Time is a flat circle'' soliloquy. ''The Secret Fate of All Life'' was True Detective at its most well-rounded.
The Top 10 shows in
Hitfix's
Television Critics Poll of 2014 television:
9. (Tie) Broad City (Comedy Central) and Louie (FX)
8. Orange Is the New Black (Netflix)
7. Mad Men (AMC)
6. The Americans (FX)
5. True Detective (HBO)
4. Transparent (Amazon)
3. Game of Thrones (HBO)
2. The Good Wife (CBS)
1. Fargo (FX)
The worst television of 2014, according to TV critic Daniel Fienberg at Hitfix:
8. Mulaney (Fox)
7. Utopia (Fox)
6. Nashville (ABC)
5. How I Met Your Mother (CBS)
4. The Following (FOX)
3. True Blood (HBO)
2. Under the Dome (CBS)
1. Mixology (ABC)
A 13-episode infomercial for herpes, "Mixology" looks all the more infuriating because ABC gave it a full, uninterrupted run after "Modern Family" and then lamented the need to cancel other, better shows that never had even a chance in that time period. The interchangeably skanky characters on "Mixology" were all introduced in the ugliest way possible and then the writers attempted to veer, with absolutely no success, into heart and sentimentality. With due respect to Andrew Santino, a presumably innocent actor forced to recite the dialogue and cash a pay check, ginger bearded Bruce was the year's worst new character and possibly the worst TV character of the past decade.
The
worst TV of 2014, according to Sonia Saraiya of
Salon.
9. Family Guy, “The Simpsons Guy,” Fox
8. Peter Pan Live!, NBC
7. Saturday Night Live, “Chris Rock/Prince,” NBC
6. A surprising amount of HBO (i.e., The Newsroom, the "rape" scene in Game of Thrones and The Leftovers)
5. How I Met Your Mother, “Last Forever,” CBS
4. I Wanna Marry ‘Harry’, Fox
3. Lifetime
2. Tyrant, FX
1. Stalker, CBS
In a world where the rape and murder of women makes for regular prime-time entertainment on prestige dramas and low-budget procedurals alike, it’s hard to imagine that there would be one that even for the violence-desensitized American viewing audience might have been just too much to bear. But then came along this fall’s “Stalker,” from Kevin Williamson, the showrunner that created “The Following” and, er, “Dawson’s Creek,” about the men who stalk women, and how it’s secretly about love! Or something. The first five minutes of the pilot showcased a woman being burned to death in a gasoline fire by a particularly dedicated stalker; the episode then introduced a team of detectives investigating stalking crimes. One, played by Maggie Q, had been clearly traumatized by being stalked. The other, played by Dylan McDermott, was in the process of stalking his own wife and son, and also hit on Maggie Q, because hey, no big deal. “Stalker” could have gone somewhere interesting—maybe that was the plan—but it was eager to exploit its victims for entertainment, first and foremost. Audiences agree: “Stalker,” according to industry expert The Cancellation Bear, is likely to be canceled. We’ll all sleep easier at night.
These are the
20 best TV moments of 2013, according to Rob Sheffield of
Rolling Stone.
20. Orphan Black (BBC): The Finale
19. Key & Peele (Comedy Central): Aerobics Meltdown
18. Girls (HBO): Go With the Flo
17. Manhattan (WGN America): Death in the Desert
16. Drunk History (Comedy Central): First Ladies
15. The Knick (Cinemax): Tenderloin Riot
14. Transparent (Amazon): Back to the Nineties
13. Jacqueline Bisset at the Golden Globes
12. You're the Worst (FX): Keep Love Alive
11. How To Get Away With Murder (ABC): The Big Question
10. Last Week Tonight With John Oliver (HBO): Ferguson
9. Inside Amy Schumer (Comedy Central): War Games
8. The Americans (FX): Moving In for the Kill
7. Veep (HBO): Hail to the Chief
6. Masters of Sex (Showtime): Heartbreak Hotel
5. Orange Is the New Black (Netflix): How Morello Went Gangsta
4. Mad Men (AMC): Bert Cooper's Dancing Farewell
3. Game of Thrones (HBO): The Trial of Tyrion Lannister
2. Broad City (Comedy Central): Abbi and Ilana Hit the Town
1. True Detective: Matthew McConaughey's Psycho Eyes
Jill Soloway's bittersweet, eminently binge-worthy comedy Transparent became 2014's word-of-mouth sensation — once you dip in for one episode, your whole weekend is shot. Jeffrey Tambor shines as the seventy-something American dad making the transition from Mort to Maura, and dragging the deeply dysfunctional Pfefferman family along for the ride. It's that rarest of specimens, a genuinely funny show about old people, which means (among other things) jokes about lugging around your ugly memories and sharing them with people you dislike. So the odd emotional highlight came with an episode flashing back to 1994, "Best New Girl." Mort spends a weekend retreat at cross-dressing camp, finally getting a chance to become Maura — only to find that none of Mort's or Maura's problems have gone away.
The
top 10 TV Shows of 2014, according to David Bianculli of NPR.
10. (Tie) Louie (FX) and Last Week Tonight with John Oliver (HBO)
9. Homeland (Showtime)
8. The Daily Show with Jon Stewart (Comedy Central)
7. The Colbert Report (Comedy Central)
6. True Detective (HBO)
5. Fargo (FX)
4. The Roosevelts: An Intimate History (PBS)
3. The Walking Dead (AMC)
2. Justified (FX)
1. The Good Wife (CBS)
They have the deepest roster of really strong regulars and guest stars. ... What I love about the show is that everyone's motives are always suspect.
The
10 worst things TV did this year, according to James Poniewozik of
TIME magazine:
- Utopia (FOX)
- Stalker (CBS)
- Family Guy (FOX), “The Simpsons Guy”
- The Newsroom (HBO), “Oh Shenandoah”
- The Mysteries of Laura (NBC)
- Mixology (ABC)
- Marco Polo (Netflix)
- I Wanna Marry “Harry" (FOX)
- How How I Met Your Mother (CBS) treated its mother
- The Brittany Murphy Story (Lifetime)
It was a banner year for Lifetime movies, badness-wise; this was also the year the channel gave us The Unauthorized Saved By the Bell Story and Grumpy Cat’s Worst Christmas Ever. But this poorly conceived, poorly cast, rubbernecking biopic had the bad taste to put it over the top.
►MOVIES
The 20 highest grossing films at the domestic box office (i.e., the United States and Canada) for all movies released in 2014, according to Box Office Mojo:
Rotten Tomatoes – Best Reviewed Movies of 2014 (minimum 40 reviews required)
1. Boyhood - 99 percent with 213 reviews
2. Selma - 100 percent with 64 reviews
3. Life Itself - 98 percent with 166 reviews
4. The LEGO Movie - 96 percent with 201 reviews
5. Whiplash - 96 percent with 183 reviews
6. Gloria - 99 percent with 110 reviews
7. The Babadook - 98 percent with 130 reviews
8. Nightcrawler - 95 percent with 192 reviews
9. Starred Up - 99 percent with 90 reviews
10. The Tale of the Princess Kaguya - 100 percent with 57 reviews
11. The Missing Picture - 99 percent with 76 reviews
12. Jodorowsky's Dune - 98 percent with 99 reviews
13. X-Men: Days of Future Past - 92 percent with 237 reviews
14. Snowpiercer - 95 percent with 165 reviews
15. We Are the Best! - 97 percent with 113 reviews
16. Leviathan - 100 percent with 40 reviews
17. The Grand Budapest Hotel - 92 percent with 228 reviews
18. Mr. Turner - 97 percent with 108 reviews
19. Citizenfour - 97 percent with 102 reviews
20. Dawn Of The Planet Of The Apes - 91 percent with 243 reviews
Metacritic – Best Reviewed Movies of 2014
1. Boyhood - 100 percent
2. Virunga - 95 percent
3. Mr. Turner - 95 percent
4. Two Days, One Night - 91 percent
5. A Summer's Tale - 91 percent
6. Leviathan - 91 percent
7. Selma - 91 percent
8. Big Men - 90 percent
9. The Overnighters - 90 percent
10. Ida - 90 percent
11. Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance) - 89 percent
12. National Gallery - 89 percent
13. The Tale of The Princess Kaguya - 89 percent
14. Maidan - 89 percent
15. Citizenfour - 88 percent
16. The Grand Budapest Hotel - 88 percent
17. Last Days in Vietnam - 88 percent
18. Whiplash - 87 percent
19. Force Majeure - 87 percent
20. Level Five - 87 percent
From Stephen Holden at
The New York Times:
Just under the surface of a seemingly blissful marriage run fissures that a sudden jolt can tear open to reveal a crumbling edifice. That’s the unsettling reality explored with a merciless lens in the Swedish director Ruben Ostlund’s fourth feature film, “Force Majeure.” This brilliant, viciously amusing takedown of bourgeois complacency, gender stereotypes and assumptions and the illusion of security rubs your face in human frailty as relentlessly as any Michael Haneke movie.
The 10 best films of 2014, according to
Richard Roeper of the
Chicago Sun-Times.
10. Guardians of the Galaxy
9. A Most Violent Year
8. Foxcatcher
7. A Most Wanted Man
6. Whiplash
5. The Drop
4. Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)
3. Locke
2. Interstellar
1. Boyhood
The 10 best films of 2014, according to Peter Travers of Rolling Stone.
10. Interstellar
9. Under the Skin
8. Unbroken
7. The Grand Budapest Hotel
6. Whiplash
5. Gone Girl
4. Selma
3. Foxcatcher
2. Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)
1. Boyhood
The "top movies of 2014," according to A.O. Scott of The New York Times.
10. The Babadook
9. Dear White People
8. (Tie) Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance), Listen Up, Philip and Mr. Turner
7. We Are the Best!
6. Love Is Strange
5. Selma
4. Leviathan
3. Citizenfour
2. Ida
1. Boyhood
In my 15 years of professional movie reviewing, I can’t think of any film that has affected me the way “Boyhood” did. It is not just that I was moved — I’m frequently moved — but that my critical impulse seemed to collapse, along with my ability to find the boundary between art and life. Some of this is a matter of coincidence. Arriving in the summer that my only son and oldest child graduated from high school and prepared to fly the parental nest, this chronicle of a boy’s life from 6 to 18 would have wrecked me even if it had been more conventional. As it happened, it took a second and a third viewing for me to appreciate the ingenuity of Richard Linklater’s idea and the artistry of his methods.
The
best films of 2013 according to 25,000 voters in the
A.V. Club Readers’ Poll:
10. Captain America: The Winter Soldier
9. Snowpiercer
8. Whiplash
7. The Lego Movie
6. Under The Skin
5. Gone Girl
4. Interstellar
3. The Grand Budapest Hotel
2. Guardians of the Galaxy
1. Boyhood
The worst films of 2013 according to the same 25,000 voters in the A.V. Club Readers’ Poll:
10. Sex Tape
9. I, Frankenstein
8. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
7. Saving Christmas
6. Heaven Is For Real
5. Dumb And Dumber To
4. A Million Ways To Die In The West
3. God’s Not Dead
2. Transformers: Age Of Extinction
1. Atlas Shrugged Part III: Who Is John Galt?
The worst movies of 2014, according to Indiewire's The Playlist.
20. Child Of God
19. Transcendence
18. Transformers: Age of Extinction
17. Sabotage
16. I, Frankenstein
15. McCanick
14. The Other Woman
13. Sin City: A Dame To Kill For
12. Rage
11. Tusk
10. Blended
9. Winter's Tale
8. Drive Hard
7. Atlas Shrugged Part III: Who is John Galt?
6. A Million Ways To Die In The West
5. America
4. The Amazing Spider-Man 2
3. Hector And The Search For Happiness
2. Horns
1. Left Behind
After the last few years, we didn't even think it was possible for Nicolas Cage's career to reach a new nadir with the reboot of popular God-bother apocalypse series “Left Behind.” More than one Christian-aimed movie made a surprising box office impact this year, with films like “Son Of God” (recycled footage from “The Bible” TV series), “God’s Not Dead” and “Heaven Is For Real” all making some hefty coin, and all were objectively terrible pieces of art. But even its target audience didn’t enjoy “Left Behind,” which did pleasingly poorly at the box office. “The Leftovers” proved this summer that the Rapture can make for strange and powerful cinematic material, but here, veteran stunt director Vic Armstrong has made a cheap, preachy and unpleasant disaster movie with budget effects, little weight narrative drive, and a Cage performance that’s dreadful even by his standards. Dull, flat and repulsive in its message (it’s notable that the entirely admirable Muslim character doesn’t go to heaven), it’s also just really, really badly made.
►MUSIC
The top 10 on Stereogum's list of the "Top 50 Albums of 2014."
10. Merchandise - After The End
9. FKA Twigs - LP1
8. Nux Vomica - Nux Vomica
7. Sharon Van Etten - Are We There
6. White Lung - Deep Fantasy
5. Angel Olsen - Burn Your Fire For No Witness
4. Wye Oak - Shriek
3. Sun Kil Moon - Benji
2. The War On Drugs - Lost In The Dream
1. Run The Jewels - RTJ2
On the night a Ferguson, Missouri grand jury decided not to indict killer cop Darren Wilson, Killer Mike stepped in front of a St. Louis crowd, brave enough to look half-broken. He cried and fumed and gave the sort of speech that bounces around in your chest cavity for days afterward. One minute later, he was doing a goofily berserk full-body fat-guy dance. Both versions of Mike, the incisive speaker and the committed party monster, are on full display on RTJ2, the second album from Mike and El-P's Run The Jewels duo. RTJ2 opens with Mike in full-blown profane motivational-ranter mode -- "I'm finna bang this bitch the fuck out." It ends with a clangorous, expressive piano solo from a dead man. In between, we get about 40 minutes of frantic, chaotic, merciless, gloriously fun rap music. It never lets up, and yet there are so many ideas and feelings and moods within that storm. It kicks you in the head, and it leaves you with plenty to think about.
The top 10 on
Pitchfork's list of the "Top 50 Albums of 2014."
10. Caribou - Our Love
9. Ariel Pink - pom pom
8. Todd Terje - It's Album Time
7. Sun Kil Moon - Benji
6. Swans - To Be Kind
5. Grouper - Ruins
4. Aphex Twin- Syro
3. The War on Drugs - Lost in the Dream
2. FKA Twigs - LP1
1. Run The Jewels - RTJ2
This is volume for the voiceless, a silver bullet for the wolves, and a redistribution of sovereignty. It’s venom to immobilize cheaply uniformed imposters, flatulent greedheads, and cynical buffoons perverting the truth on cable news. When institutions lacked authority and insurrection seemed permanently imminent, El-P and Killer Mike hurled 11 grenades, offering redemption through untrammeled rage. If justice remained elusive, retaliation could be had as fast as closing your eyes and counting to fuck.
The
top-selling songs on iTunes for 2014.
10. Magic! - "Rude"
9. DJ Snake & Lil Jon - "Turn Down for What"
8. Idina Menzel - "Let It Go"
7. Meghan Trainor - "All About That Bass"
6. Ariana Grande - "Problem"
5. Iggy Azalea - "Fancy"
4. Jason Derulo - "Talk Dirty"
3. Katy Perry - "Dark Horse"
2. John Legend - "All of Me"
1. Pharrell - "Happy"
The "worst music we heard in 2014," according to
Entertainment Weekly.
5. Mike Will Made It feat. Wiz Khalifa and Future - "P---y Overrated"
4. Robin Thicke - Paula
3. Neil Young - Storytone
2. Foster the People - Supermodel
1. The Chainsmokers - ''#Selfie''
Not to get hyperbolic, but between its dirt-stupid beats and vacant video (which has more than 260 million views), ''#Selfie'' is exhibit A for giving the entire Internet a Viking funeral and starting over again.
The top 10 songs on
Pitchfork's "Top 100 Tracks of 2014."
10. Michael Jackson - “Love Never Felt So Good (Original Version)”
9. Future - “Move That Dope” [ft. Pharrell, Pusha T, and Casino]
8. Perfume Genius - “Queen”
7. Beyoncé - “**Flawless” [ft. Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie]
6. Run the Jewels - “Close Your Eyes (And Count to Fuck)” [ft. Zack De La Rocha]
5. The War on Drugs - “Red Eyes”
4. Caribou - “Can't Do Without You”
3. FKA twigs - “Two Weeks”
2. iLoveMakonnen - “Club Goin Up on a Tuesday” [ft. Drake]
1. Future Islands - “Seasons (Waiting on You)”
A couple of years ago Future Islands were a tiny indie band on Thrill Jockey, gradually assembling a small but devoted cult. This year they got about as close as an indie rock band can to being a household name. You know what happened in between: a performance on “Late Show With David Letterman”, which found lead singer Sam Herring wilding out and owning the stage with some seriously goofy and committed dancing. Letterman was thunderstruck, and he sensed the gravity of what he’d just witnessed instantly. A meme was born. But while these digital fragments will always cling to this song and are the reason many people heard it, the song itself needed to matter.
The top 10 on
Rolling Stone's "50 Best Albums of 2014" list.
10. Taylor Swift - 1989
9. Mac DeMarco - Salad Days
8. Run The Jewels - RTJ2
7. Lana Del Rey - Ultraviolence
6. Charli XCX - SUCKER
5. Miranda Lambert - Platinum
4. St. Vincent - St. Vincent
3. The Black Keys - Turn Blue
2. Bruce Springsteen - High Hopes
1. U2 - Songs of Innocence
There was no bigger album of 2014 – in terms of surprise, generosity and controversy. Songs of Innocence is also the rebirth of the year. Bono, the Edge, Adam Clayton and Larry Mullen Jr. put their lives on the line: giving away 11 songs of guitar rapture and frank, emotional tales of how they became a band out of the rough streets and spiritual ferment of Seventies Dublin. This is personal history with details. In the furiously brooding "Cedarwood Road," named after Bono's home address as a boy, he recalls the fear and rage that drove him to punk rock. "The Miracle (of Joey Ramone)" is a glam-stomp homage to the misfit voice that inspired Bono to sing. And that's his mother, who died when Bono was 14, still guiding and comforting him in the chorus of "Iris (Hold Me Close)."
The top 10 songs of 2014, according to
Billboard's Critics' Picks.
10. 5 Seconds of Summer - “She Looks So Perfect”
9. Taylor Swift - “Blank Space”
8. Bleachers - “I Wanna Get Better”
7. Beyonce feat. Nicki Minaj - “**Flawless (Remix)”
6. Tinashe feat. ScHoolboy Q - “2 On”
5. Jason Aldean - “Burnin’ It Down”
4. Clean Bandit feat. Jess Glynne - “Rather Be”
3. Hozier - “Take Me To Church”
2. Kendrick Lamar - “i”
1. Sia - “Chandelier”
Who would have thought before 2014 began that Sia — responsible for co-writing so many indelible pop treats, from Rihanna’s “Diamonds” to David Guetta’s “Titanium” — would have come up with the year’s best single as a solo artist? The towering YOLO anthem “Chandelier” took months to reach the Top 10 of the Hot 100 chart, but pop purveyors embraced its sentiment and Sia’s performance almost immediately, turning the camera-shy Australian into an American star. Few could have seen “Chandelier” coming, and an unforeseen triumph like this one helps make pop music so exciting as an art form.
The top 10 songs on
Rolling Stone's "50 Best Songs of 2014" list.
10. Kendrick Lamar - “i”
9. Future Islands - “Seasons (Waiting on You)”
8. Sharon Van Etten - "Every Time the Sun Comes Up"
7. Bruce Springsteen - "Frankie Fell in Love"
6. Taylor Swift - “Blank Space”
5. Jenny Lewis - "Just One of the Guys"
4. Future - “Move That Dope” [ft. Pharrell, Pusha T, and Casino]
3. U2 - "Every Breaking Wave"
2. DJ Snake & Lil Jon - "Turn Down for What"
1. Beyoncé feat. Jay Z - "Drunk in Love"
Of all Beyoncé's flawless accomplishments over the past 12 months – pulling off the ultimate surprise-album stunt; raking in millions on one of the year's hugest stadium tours; coming out as a proud feminist on national TV – this one stands out as the flawless-est: She managed to make marriage sound ridiculously hot. This future-pop fantasy was the sexiest thing on the radio, from the heavy bass throb to the wild thrill in her voice when she sings about juicy nights ("I get filthy when that liquor get into me"), hung-over mornings and, uh, surfboards. So steamy, even her famous husband’s uncomfortable Ike Turner joke couldn’t kill the vibe.