Flopho's Best of 2022 (#15 - #11)

[heppolo]

• 144. Diodato - Fai Rumore - a Eurovision legend despite unfortunately not taking part in the competition
• 143. SIIGHTS - Fake It - very accessible, the chorus is boppy
• 142. S10 - De Diepte - we all wanna explore the depths of the fridge once in a while
• 130. Maisie Peters - Not Another Rockstar - powerpop girlie in full swing, the faster tempo saves it from fading into the background
• 120. Rayden - Calle de la Llorería - i feel like he would have been a good Benidorm Fest winner as well, the electric guitar adds that extra bit of spice towards the end of the song
• 109. Blake Rose - Dizzy - nostalgia-influenced pop (sounds very early 2000s radio)
• 107. Måneskin - The Loneliest - MCR "Helena" era comeback

[Thriller]

Cuff It and Break My Soul have no business being that low!

Obsessed was a cute cut from Calvin’s album.

Nice to see Lights Off in another chart! Also those underrated ALMA and Maisie Peters songs.

2 Die 4 one of Tove’s best yet. If Crumbs had been released earlier it would’ve definitely made my top 100.

[JSparksFan]

Yay at someone else appreciating "Islands".

"Cuff It", "As It Was", and "Send My Love to John" are three major ones for me.

[crystalphoenix]

Also hoping for a Call On Me video, maybe we'll get it as soon as SG's album is released cause the song is also on there if I remember correctly!

Ah, great point! **Fingers crossed**

• "Cuff It" that low is CRIMINAL (but I'll try not to let my outrage taint the rest of this countdown...)
• "Fake It" definitely deserved a better weekly peak than I gave it, but it was over-shadowed by Christmas, SZA, and Year-End prep/reminiscing
• Like "Silk Chiffon," I haven't seen many other UKMIXers show much love to "New Shapes," but I think those three make some real magic together
• I'm fine with "As It Was" landing down here, though. It was interesting to watch Harry become THE "It" male popstar last year, but the public put that one song on such a high pedestal, when his album has a lot else to offer too
• "Break My Soul" sub-100 as well?! Do you find Bey a bit overrated in general, or were you just unimpressed by RENAISSANCE in particular?
• Quick shout-outs to ALMA, Tove, Rebecca, Ellie, MisterWives, and joan too!

[Benjamin]

Yay for 'Cuff It', 'As It Was', 'Break My Soul' and 'Easy Lover'.
Big woo for 'Fai Rumore' and 'De Diepte'. Two amazing songs.

[Tansike]

150. Beyoncé - Cuff It
142. S10 - De Diepte
140. Charli XCX feat. Christine and the Queens & Caroline Polachek - New Shapes
139. We Are Domi - Lights Off
138. Zoe Wees - Third Wheel
137. Sigrid - Risk Of Getting Hurt
132. Alma - Summer Really Hurt Us
125. Demi Lovato - Substance
124. Tove Lo - 2 Die 4
119. Emma Muscat - Più di te
118. Harry Styles - As It Was
117. Beyoncé - Break My Soul
116. Rebecca Black - Crumbs
115. Paramore - This Is Why
107. Måneskin - The Loneliest
106. Ellie Goulding feat. Big Sean - Easy Lover
103. Brooke - That's Rich

At first I wanted to say songs like Lights Off, 2 Die 4, Crumbs and Easy Lover are "too low" here as I truly enjoy them, but then I see songs such as Cuff It or As It Was also bubbling under and I'm like VERY strong group of songs, makes me super curious to see what will be within the Top100, as here are already songs that I really expected to make it there.

S10's De Diepte & Brooke's That's Rich are two more ESC faves <3

I feel like we were both too enthusiastic in the first two weeks after Alma's Summer Really Hurt Us came out, because somehow it didn't live up to how we hyped it on both of our countdowns? It was #113 on mine

[flopho]

• 144. Diodato - Fai Rumore - a Eurovision legend despite unfortunately not taking part in the competition
• 143. SIIGHTS - Fake It - very accessible, the chorus is boppy
• 142. S10 - De Diepte - we all wanna explore the depths of the fridge once in a while
• 130. Maisie Peters - Not Another Rockstar - powerpop girlie in full swing, the faster tempo saves it from fading into the background
• 120. Rayden - Calle de la Llorería - i feel like he would have been a good Benidorm Fest winner as well, the electric guitar adds that extra bit of spice towards the end of the song
• 109. Blake Rose - Dizzy - nostalgia-influenced pop (sounds very early 2000s radio)
• 107. Måneskin - The Loneliest - MCR "Helena" era comeback

Even though I have no idea how Europe would've reacted to Rayden, I definitely agree that he would've been a great winner of Benidorm!

Cuff It and Break My Soul have no business being that low!

Obsessed was a cute cut from Calvin’s album.

Nice to see Lights Off in another chart! Also those underrated ALMA and Maisie Peters songs.

2 Die 4 one of Tove’s best yet. If Crumbs had been released earlier it would’ve definitely made my top 100.

I do really like these two from Bey, I just happen to like other songs a little bit more 2022 was a competitive year!

Yay at someone else appreciating "Islands".

"Cuff It", "As It Was", and "Send My Love to John" are three major ones for me.

I'm glad you presented it in the FSC, great song!

Ah, great point! **Fingers crossed**

• "Cuff It" that low is CRIMINAL (but I'll try not to let my outrage taint the rest of this countdown...)
• "Fake It" definitely deserved a better weekly peak than I gave it, but it was over-shadowed by Christmas, SZA, and Year-End prep/reminiscing
• Like "Silk Chiffon," I haven't seen many other UKMIXers show much love to "New Shapes," but I think those three make some real magic together
• I'm fine with "As It Was" landing down here, though. It was interesting to watch Harry become THE "It" male popstar last year, but the public put that one song on such a high pedestal, when his album has a lot else to offer too
• "Break My Soul" sub-100 as well?! Do you find Bey a bit overrated in general, or were you just unimpressed by RENAISSANCE in particular?
• Quick shout-outs to ALMA, Tove, Rebecca, Ellie, MisterWives, and joan too!

Oh no I definitely don't think she's overrated, I really like these two and she'll have another entry in the Top 100. I enjoyed Renaissance, but it was a competitive year and I just liked other songs a tiny little bit more

Yay for 'Cuff It', 'As It Was', 'Break My Soul' and 'Easy Lover'.
Big woo for 'Fai Rumore' and 'De Diepte'. Two amazing songs.

Nice to see some love for Fai Rumore, I know it's an older song but I listened to it a lot more this year than back when it was released lol

150. Beyoncé - Cuff It
142. S10 - De Diepte
140. Charli XCX feat. Christine and the Queens & Caroline Polachek - New Shapes
139. We Are Domi - Lights Off
138. Zoe Wees - Third Wheel
137. Sigrid - Risk Of Getting Hurt
132. Alma - Summer Really Hurt Us
125. Demi Lovato - Substance
124. Tove Lo - 2 Die 4
119. Emma Muscat - Più di te
118. Harry Styles - As It Was
117. Beyoncé - Break My Soul
116. Rebecca Black - Crumbs
115. Paramore - This Is Why
107. Måneskin - The Loneliest
106. Ellie Goulding feat. Big Sean - Easy Lover
103. Brooke - That's Rich

At first I wanted to say songs like Lights Off, 2 Die 4, Crumbs and Easy Lover are "too low" here as I truly enjoy them, but then I see songs such as Cuff It or As It Was also bubbling under and I'm like VERY strong group of songs, makes me super curious to see what will be within the Top100, as here are already songs that I really expected to make it there.

S10's De Diepte & Brooke's That's Rich are two more ESC faves <3

I feel like we were both too enthusiastic in the first two weeks after Alma's Summer Really Hurt Us came out, because somehow it didn't live up to how we hyped it on both of our countdowns? It was #113 on mine

Oh no now I hope I won't disappoint you
Yeah that's true actually, the song is quite catchy and instant but you kinda get over it quickly, it was similar with 'Heartstrings' for me. Still always here for new ALMA!
__________________________________________________________________________________________________-

Will continue with this tomorrow or Monday, meanwhile here's the video version with one song for every 5-song-batch

[flopho]

It's about_damn_time_lizzo.mp3 to start this! (Unfortunately that song didn't make it to the Top 100, but I will start with another Lizzo song)
Might be a bit of a weird stylistic choice but I won't be adding commentary to every entry cause sometimes there's just nothing I want to add so some entries will simply have my favorite/most memorable lyric in the quoted part.

100. Lizzo - 2 Be Loved (Am I Ready)

Yesterday, I would have run away
And I don't why (did you know?)
I don't know why, but I'm ready

99. Sophie Ellis-Bextor x Wuh Oh - Hypnotized

This song always knew how to creep into my head, as it never reached the Top 30 of my personal charts but was close to it throughout the whole year

98. Charli XCX feat. Rina Sawayama - Beg For You

I feel like I should like this more considering the names involved, but I never really loved the sampling here. Tbh if it wasn't Charli and Rina this probably wouldn't be in the Top 250

97. Mike Taveira - Faces

You might know this handsome Portuguese from the 'Beach House' music video by Carly Rae..I actually thought he was the one singing his part too but apparently he is not. Unfortunately for the Beach House stans out there, this will be the only occasion that song will be mentioned here, sorry!

96. Grimes - Shinigami Eyes

Are you ready to die?
Got my Shinigami eyes on
Everything is fine
Got my Shinigami eyes on you

95. Empress Of - Save Me

The lowest ranked #1 on this countdown (not counting December #1s)...I still think it's a great song, I just got over it quickly

94. Black Veil Brides - Saviour II

Rock is probably still a genre that is underrepresented on my charts...this one however clicked with me immediately. The only thing I kinda dislike about it is that it could easily be a Nickelback song if you're just listening without watching you might actually think it's them!

93. Yeah Yeah Yeahs - Wolf

In heaven, lost my taste for hell...
Taste for hell

92. Autoheart - I Know That He Loves Me

Another Forum Song Contest entry here, really like everything about it but especially the last minute!

91. Almost Monday - sun keeps on shining

This song just screams California to me for some reason...might be because the title is 'sun keeps on shining' and they're literally from California

90. Hanne Mjøen - I Never Told You

This is a very standard Scandipop track, almost wanna say 'nothing special'..but it's catchy enough to make it to #90 on this countdown

89. Tanxugueiras - Figa

The first of the two Tanxugueiras entries in this batch (and there's more to come!). Mixing traditional elements of (Galician in this case) folk music with a modern pop sound is something that has been done many times but it's not always my thing, but this is a great example of a perfect blend to me. Also happy that this did fairly well in the Forum Song Contest

88. Chanel - SloMo

I already said this before but I was really NOT here for this song at all when it came out. The power of a great performance and delivery...that performance is the reason why I prefer to post the link to it instead of to the disappointing music video

87. Gorillaz feat. Tame Impala & Bootie Brown - New Gold

This is another one that was #1 but is quite low in this countdown. Once again a quality track but for some reason it didn't have any longevity for me. Gorillaz is very hit and miss for me anyway. (Tame Impala is more hit than miss)

86. Willow - curious/furious

Getting over it now and I
Never wear a frown because life doesn't choose
Either side, win or lose, right or wrong, it's a battle
That's all in your mind, you better open wide

85. flor - Gotta Do Something

Won't be young forever, gotta get yourself together...

84. Tanxugueiras - Terra

Another Tanxugueiras entry and another Benidorm Festival entry as well. I wonder how Europe would've reacted to this if Spain had chosen to go with them...

83. Hope Tala - Leave It On The Dancefloor

First of two Hope Tala entries on this countdown...it might be a little basic lyrically but that doesn't make it less catchy

82. Ripe - Settling

Waiting for things to get better to get better, to get better
But you're not sure if it's now or it's never or it's never
If it's never been done before
It might bе kinda frightening
But waiting for things to get bettеr to get better
Feels a lot like settling

81. Pierre de Maere - Un jour je marierai un ange

Another one of these strange cases where I overplayed it to death on the first day of listening and on the second day I was already kinda over it...still a great song and I'm happy it eventually did well in France too (I'm guessing it went viral on TikTok?)

[heppolo]

I come across Pierre as I was searching for a potential FSC entry and you beat me to it, and it's quite a good one.
"Settling" is a lovely upbeat tune, those trumpets can make any song x10 times more cheerful.
"Terra" rocks, I wasn't too impressed by the Benidorm's live performance though.
"I Never Told You" deserves some love, it has some value especially as a company to some moody rainy weather.

[Blondini]

Yes to Beg and Wolf and Empress Of is good.

[Thriller]

Grimes, Lizzo, Charli/Rina, Sophie and Chanel

[crystalphoenix]

• I ended up loving "2 Be Loved" even more than "About Damn Time" (Maybe because it wasn't as overexposed? Though I wish it hadn't flopped so hard here in the States)
• "Hypnotized" definitely would've made my Top 100 if I'd gone that deep
• You've done "Shinigami Eyes" a bit dirty, though
• I adore both Charli and Rina, but I kind of agree with you on "Beg For You." I'm really glad it gave them a UK Top 30 hit (they deserve so much more), but the sample usage/interpolation felt a bit too on-the-nose for two such creative artists. (Granted, maybe that's the compromise they had to make to make it a hit)
• I owe you for both flor and Hope (and I'd struggle to pick between the two. Both excellent offerings from previously-unfamiliar names)

[Benjamin]

Yay for 'Hypnotized', 'Wolf' and 'SloMo'. The latter is an absolute banger.

[flopho]

I come across Pierre as I was searching for a potential FSC entry and you beat me to it, and it's quite a good one.
"Settling" is a lovely upbeat tune, those trumpets can make any song x10 times more cheerful.
"Terra" rocks, I wasn't too impressed by the Benidorm's live performance though.
"I Never Told You" deserves some love, it has some value especially as a company to some moody rainy weather.

Trumpets like they're used in Settling can get veery annoying quickly though, as much as I think it's what makes the song interesting, it also makes it kinda annoying after a while and yeah I agree about Terra's live unfortunately

• I ended up loving "2 Be Loved" even more than "About Damn Time" (Maybe because it wasn't as overexposed? Though I wish it hadn't flopped so hard here in the States)
• "Hypnotized" definitely would've made my Top 100 if I'd gone that deep
• You've done "Shinigami Eyes" a bit dirty, though
• I adore both Charli and Rina, but I kind of agree with you on "Beg For You." I'm really glad it gave them a UK Top 30 hit (they deserve so much more), but the sample usage/interpolation felt a bit too on-the-nose for two such creative artists. (Granted, maybe that's the compromise they had to make to make it a hit)
• I owe you for both flor and Hope (and I'd struggle to pick between the two. Both excellent offerings from previously-unfamiliar names)

You can thank JSparksFan for Hope as I totally ignored her output after 'All My Girls Like to Fight' for some reason. He's also responsible for 'I Know That He Loves Me' being here, not 100% sure but I feel like you would enjoy that one, too!

Yes to Beg and Wolf and Empress Of is good.

Grimes, Lizzo, Charli/Rina, Sophie and Chanel

Yay for 'Hypnotized', 'Wolf' and 'SloMo'. The latter is an absolute banger.

Glad you like these and thanks for commenting!

[king_oxymoron]

Yay for Lizzo, Sophie, The Cann Song and having WILLOW in common which I've not seen in many other places!

[flopho]

80. Sigrid feat. Bring Me The Horizon - Bad Life

When the world is on your shoulders
And the weight of your own heart is too much to bear
Well, I know that you're afraid things will always be this way
It's just a bad day, not a bad life

79. Phoenix - Alpha Zulu

Just like Sophie & Wuh, this is another song that was never in my Top 30 but always close. Not gonna lie, first time I heard this I thought it was gonna be a nominee for worst song of the year especially because of the odd chorus, but it got me after being stuck in my head for a few days, just couldn't resist. The video is amazing btw, definitely worth checking out!

78. Fly By Midnight - In The Night

Now this song caught me immediately, and after the first few listens I thought 'woah this is soo good, def gonna be in my year-end Top 10, should be huge' etc...and it is indeed catchy, but in the end it's also very close to your average radio pop song. That isn't necessarily a bad thing of course, but the 'personal hype' I had for this song died down quickly, which in the end results in a rather disappointing 78th place (considering it was #1)

77. Panic! At The Disco - Don't Let The Light Go Out

Who's gonna drive me home tonight?
Who's gonna argue 'til they win the fight?
You're the only one that knows how to operate
My heavy machinery

76. Tove Lo - How Long

Don't be disappointed Tove fans, there's more Tove coming up in the Top 50!

75. Odesza feat. MARO - Better Now

The first of two MARO entries in the Top 100 (guess it's rather obvious what the other will be). Wasn't familiar with Odesza's music before but this one got me immediately

74. Justin Caruso - Your Move

I like that this a very standard dance pop track and isn't even pretending to be more than that. I saw a few people checking this out because they saw an ad for it with a rollerblading pizza delivery guy ..so I thought it would go viral or something, but seems like it didn't in the end

73. Johnny Orlando - Daydream

This was a Forum Song Contest entry which I didn't really play that much after the first few weeks of being aware of its existence...it was only a little later that it got stuck in my head for some reason & became a minor hit at least for me

72. ELIO - Superimpose

ELIO is another one from this long list of underrated pop girlies, and this song is particularly catchy. Charli XCX is her mentor/manager and I feel like you can kinda hear that in her music

71. VUNK feat. Alexandra Stan - Asta-i pentru altcineva

Alexandra Stan being this high on my list still feels a little odd to me. Starting her career with an awful Fergalicious sample singing about Lollipops and then smashing with Mr. Saxobeat, I was sure she was going to be a one-hit-wonder. But after hearing Aleasa and this, maybe her strength is singing in her own language

70. Hope Tala - All My Girls Like To Fight

Only a few places above her other entry in the Top 100, this is a song that is actually from 2020, but only got my attention this year because of Spotify. Really fell in love with the Alt R&B & Pop vibes here.

69. Alvan feat. Ahez - Fulenn

I don't think we have to mention once again how disappointing their live was, do we? Well it was, however their eventual placement is still ridiculous to me, but oh well...

68. Carly Rae Jepsen - Surrender My Heart

This song is having a 'second wave' right now on my charts, so there's a chance that this will appear on the 2023 year-end list, too

67. Sam Fender - Seventeen Going Under

And the boy who kicked Tom's head in
Still bugs me now
That's the thing, it lingers
And claws you when you're down

I was far too scared to hit him
But I would hit him in a heartbeat now
That's the thing with anger
It begs to stick around
So it can fleece you of your beauty
And leave you spent with nowt to offer
Makes you hurt the ones who love you

You hurt them like they're nothing

66. Ana Moura - Arraial Triste

I can't believe it took my fellow Ribatejoan fado princess so long to appear on my charts. This song I feel has major crossover potential, being slightly reminiscent of early Rosalia..I'd be here for an Iberian collab!

65. Huntza - Odoletan

The last Basque song in an unusually Basque-heavy year Very in-your-face folk rock (&pop?) with a brilliant chorus

64. BENEE - Beach Boy

The lyrics in the chorus of this song are still a little odd imo, but that doesn't make it less catchy

63. Lake Malawi feat. We Are Domi - High-Speed Kissing

While I like both of their respective Eurovision entries, this song in my opinion is stronger than Lights Off and Friend of a Friend..might be unpopular though!

62. Noah Cyrus - I Just Want a Lover

Thanks to Tansike for having this in his charts, didn't have her on my radar at all but this is notably catchy

61. Robin Cisek - Zeus

One of the more underrated tracks on my list, the lyric video only has 400 views!

[JSparksFan]

It's been interesting seeing several folks rank "2 Be Loved" above "About Damn Time"; I did the same thing!

Warms my heart to see "I Know That He Loves Me" here! It was such an organic discovery for me - YouTube recommended it to me and I checked it out not expecting much, only to fall in love with it from pretty much the first spin. There was something about the protagonist's insistent need to convince himself of what might not actually be the case that resonated so deeply with me. I still think it's the best song I've submitted to the FSC and as I've said about a thousand times already, I was disappointed when it didn't win.

I agree that the "SloMo" performance is everything. However, it didn't quite elevate the song for me as it did for you. "Leave It on the Dancefloor" is good stuff.

[flopho]

Yay for Lizzo, Sophie, The Cann Song and having WILLOW in common which I've not seen in many other places!

WILLOW needs more ukmix love!

It's been interesting seeing several folks rank "2 Be Loved" above "About Damn Time"; I did the same thing!

Warms my heart to see "I Know That He Loves Me" here! It was such an organic discovery for me - YouTube recommended it to me and I checked it out not expecting much, only to fall in love with it from pretty much the first spin. There was something about the protagonist's insistent need to convince himself of what might not actually be the case that resonated so deeply with me. I still think it's the best song I've submitted to the FSC and as I've said about a thousand times already, I was disappointed when it didn't win.

I agree that the "SloMo" performance is everything. However, it didn't quite elevate the song for me as it did for you. "Leave It on the Dancefloor" is good stuff.

I still have no idea how 2 Be Loved did so much worse on the charts!
I totally get you and understand that you would be disappointed that Autoheart didn't win, it's definitely one of the best FSC entries of the last few years!

[Thriller]

Sigrid/BMTH, Tove Lo and Noah Cyrus are the best there for me!

[crystalphoenix]

You can thank JSparksFan for Hope as I totally ignored her output after 'All My Girls Like to Fight' for some reason. He's also responsible for 'I Know That He Loves Me' being here, not 100% sure but I feel like you would enjoy that one, too!

A quality pick, for sure! The last minute might actually be my favorite part, though.

• I've never paid much attention to Panic! (aside from "I Write Sins..." and "High Hopes" having a big pop-culture presence, plus his collab with Tay), so I'm grateful that your chart video showed me "Don't Let The Light Go Out" was worth adding
• ELIO <3<3<3 I'm forever in your debt for introducing me to her! You can definitely hear Charli's influence on her latest mixtape (compared to her first two), and I'm absolutely here for it. Now Charli just needs to feature ELIO on one of her projects to get her more exposure (à la Rina)
• Love the thought of "Surrender My Heart" securing a spot on both this and your 2023 YEC!

[heppolo]

Ana Moura really moved to more accessible sound with "Arraial Triste", but still kept some of her trademark qualities. It's quite sophisticated.
"High-speed kissing" is really underappreciated, it's quite a nice collab.
Huntza is always good.
Also nice to see "Better Now", it's polished to a T.

[Benjamin]

Yay for Tove Lo and Carly Rae!
Happy to see Ana Moura on your chart!

[Blondini]

Yay Tove, Elio, CRJ.

[flopho]

Thanks a lot for the comments guys!

60. Devon Cole - W.I.T.C.H.

Rumor on the street is that her apples are delicious
The jury said she's charming, but her exes say she's wicked
I swear to God, I saw her howling at the sky
She ain't out to get you, but she's better on your side

59. Ehla - Pas d'ici

An early 2020 release (thank you Spotify recommendations) from the sister of French singer Clara Luciani, very easy breezy harmless French pop

58. Angèle - Bruxelles je t'aime

Et si un jour elle se sépare et qu'on ait à choisir un camp
Ce serait le pire des cauchemars, tout ça pour une histoire de langue
J'ai vécu mes plus belles histoires en français et en flamand
Laat mij het zeggen in het Vlaams, dank u Brussel voor mijn naam

57. Eline Noelia - Ecstasy

This song forms part of a group of songs that I listened to a LOT in the first half of the year but sort of just abandoned them later.
Eline participated in the Norwegian Eurovision preselection but this song was eliminated after the first round.
I kinda thought it was a bit too 'squeaky' in the chorus (and in the live performance it's even stronger) but in the end that was actually the thing that got me hooked on this. Still think the Eurovision audience wouldn't have been very receptive for said 'squeakiness', but at least in the first half of 2022 I was really here for it

56. Foxes - Sister Ray

I only got into this almost one year after its initial release, better late than never. This is very close to pop perfection imo

55. Priya Ragu - Lockdown

Speaking of too late, here's another one that was released in September 2021..I wish we'd gotten this in late 2020 or early 2021 though, it would've been the perfect lockdown anthem and even more relatable. It's still a great song of course, regardless of the context.

54. Miranda Lambert - If I Was a Cowboy

Now, while Miranda isn't the huge force she used to be on here anymore, she still managed to have two entries in the Top 100, one of them coming up much later. Some people say there's a few double entrendres hidden here that would upset a big chunk of her fanbase and I'm all here for that theory ;)

53. Prudence - Here & Now

Prudence is the stage name of Olivia Merilahti, the former singer of the Finnish-French band The Dø. Now, I'm not familiar with the band but seems like they had a few hits in francophone countries..and from the comments under the music video, quite a few were disappointed with this sound from her as it's 'too pop' compared to the band's sound. Can't really comment on that I guess but Here & Now (which was released in 2021 too btw) was good enough for a 53rd place here.

52. Steve Lacy - Bad Habit

I'm just happy this became a hit cause so many songs like these end up underrated and/or underappreciated.

51. La Rappresentante di Lista - Diva

Italo pop at its absolutely best, this chorus will get you hooked. Prefer this to their Sanremo entry.

50. Avril Lavigne feat. YUNGBLUD - I'm a Mess

Mabye a Top 50 placement for this is a little nostalgia-driven, but there aren't many things out there that have this massive nostalgic effect for me like listening to Avril. This collab makes a lot of sense to me and I wish it would've done better chart wise.

49. Drangsal - Urlaub von mir

Another one from an unusually 2021-heavy batch. Not everything Drangsal releases is as accessible as this, but I'm happy I found his music (once again thanks FSC)

48. Maro - saudade, saudade

I was positively surprised how well this did last year at Eurovision, this is why I'm glad juries still exist despite them having some horrible takes as well sometimes

47. Lasso feat. Sebastián Yatra - Ojos Marrones

I don't really know why I enjoy this so much to be honest, I feel like we've heard songs like these many times before..and lyrics like these too of course...but there's just something special about it I guess..I'm sure it's not related to both singers' handsomeness though

46. Ochman - River

Speaking of handsome men... another one that I listened to a lot in the first few months of 2022, but after Eurovision kinda forgot about. Still a really good song though, and a great live performance too. I just wanna talk to the person who thought the TV effects were a good idea though.

45. Beyoncé - Alien Superstar

We dress a certain way, we walk a certain way
We talk a certain way, we-we paint a certain way
We-we make love a certain way, you know
All of these things we do in a different
Unique, specific way that is personally ours

44. Os Quatro e Meia - Amanhã

I'm a little surprised I ended up loving this so much that it was enough for a Top 50 placement. Initially didn't think much of it, but after blasting that last chorus in the car once during a long drive..yep that was the moment it clicked with me

43. Priya Ragu - Illuminous

Oh, baby, I'm so high we can't be eye to eye
No matter what your aim is you can't kill my vibe (my vibe)
Now I'm bossed up, I don't have to justify
'Cause I've been working for day and night

42. Kira Kosarin - goodbye & thank u

I didn't think I'd fall so hard for a song that is so..idk, disney pop maybe? The lyrics aren't really that relatable to me right now of course but I would've loved a song like this when I went through the process she describes in the song, I just know my 19-year-old self would've cried its eyes out

41. Alban Ramosaj - Theje

I was disappointed this didn't win Festivali i Kenges back then, but I gotta admit: this song lives from the epic vocals in the chorus which makes the song sound even more dramatic, so when you fail to bring out said vocals in the live performance...welp

[heppolo]

Diva is a mega bop, I enjoyed a lot of FdC songs but unfortunately not enough for them to sneak into my top 200 (along with "Saudade, Saudade" & "Amanha" I also loved "Como é bom esperar alguém", "Corpo de mulher", "Povo Pequenito" and "Dégrá.dê"), it was a very strong selection.

Prudence provides a high-quality (with layers and intricate sound textures) electronic pop