CJF's Top 10 Songs of 2014

I may not have a gaming list for 2014, so taking its place this time is a music list. I managed to find some great songs that were released this year that are not hypocritical like Meghan Trainor's "All About that Bass" or annoyingly repetitive like Taylor Swift's "Shake it Off" that I never want to listen to them again. Most of these songs originated from movies since I've stopped listening to the radio for a long time, while others I've bumped into and liked a lot.

Now music is all subjective; some of you guys might not enjoy some of my choices and that's okay. Instead you can name your favorites. But first, some honorable mentions:

• "Everything is Awesome" from The Lego Movie. A pretty catchy song and Tegan and Sara do a a decent job that make the song worth listening, but The Lonely Island I can do without.
• "Shine Like Rainbows" from My Little Pony: Equestria Girls - Rainbow Rocks. A great feel-good end credits song that puts a smile on my face.
• "Yellow Flicker Beat" by Lorde. A somewhat intense song that gets me more hyped up for Mockingjay Part 2, but her music overall just doesn't appeal to me that much, but still worth a mention.
• "The Apology Song" from The Book of Life.
• "The Moon Song" from Her. Technically this is a 2013 song since the movie came out that same year, but the song wasn't released until early last year, but I felt like giving this a mention. All I can say is that while it never stood a chance against "Let it Go," it was still worthy of the Oscar nomination for Best Original Song.

10. One 

(Ed Sheeran)

A female friend of mine kept talking about Ed Sheeran, so I was curious to check out some of his songs. She made a few recommendations including this one. I was also thinking of putting another one his songs, "All of The Stars" from The Fault in Our Stars, but in the end, this one stood out to me the most. Part of what makes it great is its simplicity. Just throw in a guitar and his angelic vocals and you have this song, which makes for a very relaxing and soothing tune.

9. Welcome to the Show 

(written by Daniel Ingram)

**SPOILERS**

Listening to it on its own can't do it justice as viewing it is a better experience, hence why it's low on the list, but it made it because of how climactic it is. The Dazzlings almost sound victorious until the Rainbooms come in to save the day. It becomes a literal Battle of the Bands with a lot at stake, making it all the more epic. Special mention goes to Rebecca Shoichet's performance as she does a decent job providing the voices for both Twilight and Sunset Shimmer without making them sound too similar.

**END OF SPOILERS**

The tone is great, the music is great, and the vocals are great. This is just a great song overall.This isn't going to be the only Rainbow Rocks song to appear on the list, just to let you know.

8. Immortals

(Fall Out Boy)

How often do you hear Fall Out Boy perform a song for a Disney movie? None at all. The song didn't grab me at first, but with repeated plays, it's become one of my favorites. It's kind of hard to describe this song without spoiling some plot details from Big Hero 6 so I recommend watching it first and then examining the lyrics. The song is just overall catchy with great vocals and riffs that instantly make it one of my favorite Disney songs.

7. Nuclear 

(Mike Oldfield)

Wow, Hideo Kojima has a pretty good taste in music. All us Metal Gear fans have heard of this song because of the latest E3 trailer of Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain. It is such a tragic-sounding song that fits so well with what will come in the upcoming game as it ties in with Big Boss' anger, devastation, and desire for revenge.

Outside of that, from what I can interpret, it touches on the traumatic experiences of soldiers with lines like "Whispers in the air tell the tales of the brothers gone" and "I'm hoping for some miracle to break out to escape from all this." Once again, it makes it all the more tragic and devastating and Oldfield's performance fits the overall tone.

6. Foil

("Weird Al" Yankovic)

2014 was when I became interested in Weird Al's music and this is my favorite song from him this year. "Foil" is a parody of Lorde's "Royals" which I thought had good lyrics, but the music just wasn't my cup of tea. This however, I approve.

The first half talks about keeping your food fresh and then the second half  deals with conspiracy theories and the New World Order, but connecting it together with aluminum foils. It's bizarre, but it fits with the comedic tone. It's one Weird Al song that won't be leaving my head anytime soon..

5. The Hanging Tree 

(Jennifer Lawrence and James Newton Howard)

I briefly mentioned this song in my Top 14 Films of 2014 so it's time to go into a little more detail. In one scene in Mockingjay Part 1, Katniss is asked to sing, which then becomes part of the propaganda against the Capitol. Jennifer Lawrence, while not the best singer, is pretty good in this song. She comes off nervous, yet hopeful, the latter which serves as the song's tone. It gets even more epic when a crowd of people join in and composer James Newton Howard finishes off with a spine-tingling solo to tell us that the end is near... we just have to wait until this November to see it.

4. Let's Have a Battle (of the Bands)

(written by Daniel Ingram)

So far the best songs in the Equestria Girls movies take place in a cafeteria, which is strange. Anyways, this is hands down one of the best villain songs ever all thanks to the Dazzlings' hypnotic and seductive vocals that makes for one mesmerizing song. It has great build-up and just emerges with its spine-tingling and sinister tone, almost like it's saying "stuff is going to get real." Props to Daniel Ingram for creating this addicting song.

3. For the Dancing and the Dreaming 

(Gerard Butler, Craig Ferguson, and Mary Jane Wells)

**SPOILERS**

One of the biggest highlights of How to Train Your Dragon 2 is seeing Hiccup's parents, Stoick and Valka, reunite after being apart for twenty years. What follows after that is them recalling their wedding song. There is just so much emotion put into it. When Stoick hopes for Valka to join in, you can feel his heart break when she hesitates, but quickly become full of joy when she does, resulting in a Crowning Moment of Heartwarming. There is also a bit of humor thrown in with Gobber briefly singing which is pretty funny, though I wonder what the song would be like without him.

**END OF SPOILERS**

I hear this is on the shortlist for the Academy Award for Best Original Song. Since my next choice is not likely to get nominated, I hope this one does because it's just so powerful and emotional.

2. Where No One Goes

(Jónsi and John Powell)

When I first heard this song in How to Train Your Dragon 2, I kind of groaned because of the usage of pop songs in a movie, but it quickly went away because of how epic it is. It's so full of energy and adrenaline that it makes the listener want to ride a dragon while listening to it. This is all thanks to Jónsi's vocals and the usage of John Powell's main leitmotif from the How to Train Your Dragon movies that made this song land on the Number 2 spot. It's also safe to say that this song got me into Jónsi's music, so that's a plus.

I look at my iTunes right now and notice that it is my third most-played song because I listened to it so much and never got tired of it. It's also because I once went to sleep listening to it on my iPod and woke up around 4 in the morning to turn it off. Yeah, I'm really crazy about this song. So what could possibly top this one for me?

1. Big Eyes

(Lana Del Rey)

Man, this song surprised me, though it's a shame that a lot of it wasn't played in the actual movie. In context, the song deals with Margaret Keane's view on her husband who took credit for her paintings and how regretful she is in not standing up to him so soon.

The song itself is slow yet moving. Lana Del Rey manages to capture Keane's inner thoughts and emotions just right. The background music also succeeds at it with its piano and orchestra adding a very melancholic feel. It is just as sad as the big-eyed paintings themselves.

It has quickly become a favorite among critics and even getting a Golden Globe nomination. Here's hope that it gets Oscar-nominated as well. Listening to it has me wondering: can she sing the next James Bond song? I swear, I think she's perfect for it.

And those are my favorite songs of 2014. Let me know what your favorites are in the comments or on It's Tail Time. I hope to be more productive this year and provide more content.

Discuss Here.