Are you looking for a trip down memory lane?
Music in 2014 was largely pop-based, with upbeat tunes and legendary collaborations.
We all know and love these hits, brought to us by top artists of the year like Katy Perry and Pharell Williams.
We hope you enjoy this article which consists of the twenty-five most popular hits and best songs from 2014.
1. “Dark Horse” by Katy Perry Feat. Juicy J
“Dark Horse” is a trap/electropop song that was originally released in 2013 by Katy Perry featuring rapper Juicy J, on the former’s fourth studio album Prism.
It didn’t achieve much of its success until the following year when it hit number one around the world.
The song sold over eleven million copies in the United States, with many more millions being sold worldwide, and was subsequently certified eleven times Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America.
It has since won Perry and Juicy J three awards; Best Female Video at the MTV Music Video Awards, Best Video at the MTV Europe Music Awards, and Single of the Year at the American Music Awards.
2. “Happy” by Pharrell Williams
“Happy” is an upbeat neo-soul song by Pharrell Williams, released on his studio album Girl and Despicable Me 2: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack.
The hit song was insanely successful, reaching number one in forty-one countries around the world.
It sold eleven million copies in the United States and was subsequently certified eleven times platinum, as well as selling over five million copies in the United Kingdom.
His live performance of the hit won Pharrell the Grammy Award for Best Pop Solo Performance, as well as the Grammy Award for Best Music Video the following year.
3. “Fancy” by Iggy Azalea Feat. Charli XCX
Australian rapper Iggy Azalea collaborated with British singer Charli XCX to release “Fancy” on her debut studio album The New Classic.
It is an electro-hop/electropop hit and became the first number-one single for both artists.
It reached the top spot on charts in Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and the United States, selling over ten million total copies worldwide.
In 2017, Billboard even named it the biggest hit by a female rapper in history.
4. “All of Me” by John Legend
“All of Me” is an R&B, soul, and pop song by John Legend, released on his fourth studio album Love in the Future.
It’s a love song dedicated to his wife Chrissy Teigen, and quickly became Legend’s first number-one hit in the United States.
It also reached the number-one spot in countless countries around the world, and sold over five million copies in the United States.
It has since been certified five times Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America.
5. “Talk Dirty” by Jason Derulo Feat. 2 Chainz
Jason Derulo released “Talk Dirty” on his third studio album Tattoos, his first single to feature a guest artist.
Featuring rapper 2 Chainz, the song reached number one in Australia, Belgium, Germany, Israel, Romania, Scotland, the UK, and the US.
The R&B and pop-rap song sold over four million copies in the United States and was subsequently certified quadruple platinum.
It has also been streamed over eight million times in Spain and five million times in Denmark.
6. “Counting Stars” by OneRepublic
“Counting Stars” is a pop-rock/dance song by OneRepublic, released on their third studio album Native.
It is known to be one of the band’s signature songs, hitting number one in several countries.
It has sold over forty-one million copies around the world, with over ten million of them being sold in the United States.
The music video is the sixth-most viewed video on YouTube as of this year, with nearly four billion likes.
7. “All About That Bass” by Meghan Trainor
Meghan Trainor introduced herself in 2014 with her debut single “All About That Bass”, which was released on her debut studio album and EP Title.
The bubblegum-pop, doo-wop track won Top Hot 100 Song and Top Digital Song at the Billboard Music Awards.
It reached number one in twenty-four different countries and sold over ten million copies in the United States.
It accumulated tens of millions of streams around the world, making it one of the most popular hits from 2014.
8. “Problem” by Ariana Grande Feat. Iggy Azalea
“Problem” is a dance-pop and R&B song by Ariana Grande featuring Iggy Azalea, released as the lead single on the former’s studio album My Everything.
The hit was extremely popular upon release, selling tens of millions of copies worldwide.
The iconic collaboration reached number one in Canada, Ireland, Isreal, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, and the United States.
It also won five awards, including Best Song at the MTV Europe Music Awards and Best Pop at the MTV Video Music Awards.
9. “Rude” by MAGIC!
“Rude” was Canadian band MAGIC!’s debut single, taken from their debut studio album Don’t Kill the Magic.
The reggae fusion song was ranked as the ninth best-selling song of 2014, selling over eight million copies globally.
It also won the Juno Award for Single of the Year and reached the number-one spot in Canada, Poland, Slovakia, Slovenia, the United Kingdom, Venezuela, and several charts in the United States.
10. “Timber” by Pitbull Feat. Kesha
“Timber” is a dance-pop hit by Pitbull, featuring vocals from Kesha.
It was released on the former’s EP Meltdwon as the lead single and has since been coined the ninetieth most-popular song of the decade.
It topped the charts in numerous countries around the world and sold over ten million copies in the United States alone.
It has since been awarded diamond certification by the Recording Industry Association of America.
11. “Pompeii” by Bastille
Bastille released the alternative-rock song “Pompeii” as part of their debut studio album Bad Blood in 2014.
It quickly became their breakthrough hit, reaching number one in Ireland, Scotland, and several charts in the United States.
In the United States, it sold over six million copies, thus being awarded six times Platinum status by the Recording Industry Association of America and becoming their most successful song to date.
12. “Stay with Me” by Sam Smith
“Stay with Me” is a soul song by Sam Smith, released on their debut studio album In the Lonely Hour.
It is their most successful single thus far, topping the charts in a multitude of countries globally and selling tens of millions of copies worldwide.
It landed on many year-end lists, including being titled the 2014 Song of the Summer by Variance Magazine and reaching number twelve on Rolling Stone’s 50 Best Songs of 2014 list.
13. “Am I Wrong” by Nico & Vinz
The Norweigan duo Nico & Vinz released “Am I Wrong” on their studio album Black Star Elephant.
It quickly became a worldwide number-one hit, and their most successful single to date.
The pop/afrobeat track sold over three million copies in the United States and one million in the United Kingdom, while also being certified multi-platinum in Australia, Canada, Italy, and Norway.
14. “Shake It Off” by Taylor Swift
“Shake It Off” is a dance-pop hit, released on Taylor Swift’s fifth studio album 1989.
The popular hit reached number one globally and sold over ten million copies in the United States, and has been streamed over fifty million times in Japan.
In 2015, the song won Swift Songwriter of the Year at the Nashville Songwriters Association International, as well as received three Grammy Award nominations for Song of the Year, Record of the Year, and Best Pop Solo Performance.
15. “The Monster” by Eminem Feat. Rihanna
“The Monster” is an iconic pop-rap song by Eminem featuring Rihanna that appears on the former’s album The Marshall Mathers LP 2.
The popular track won the Grammy Award in 2015 for Best Rap/Sung Collaboration.
The song sold eight million copies in the United States and five million in Denmark, as well as millions more around the globe after it reached number one in thirty different charts.
16. “Say Something” by A Great Big World & Christina Aguilera
“Say Something” is a heartfelt pop song, released as a collaboration between pop duo A Great Big World and singer Christina Aguilera.
It was released on A Great Big World’s debut studio album Is There Anybody Out There.
The slow-tempo piano ballad sold over six million copies in the United States, two million in Denmark, and one million in the United Kingdom.
It topped seven charts around the world and received widespread acclaim.
17. “Turn Down For What” by DJ Snake & Lil Jon
“Turn Down For What” is an EDM trap song that popularised its title phrase.
The single by DJ Snake and Lil Jon had a viral music video that exceeded one billion views on YouTube, making it one of the most popular music videos ever.
It reached number one on the United States Billboard Hot Dance/Electronic Songs chart and also on the Billboard Rhythmic chart, and sold over eight million copies in the country.
18. “Let Her Go” by Passenger
“Let Her Go” is a folk rock and soft rock song that was released by singer-songwriter Passenger on his studio album All the Little Lights.
It reached the top spot in twenty different charts around the world and has been streamed tens of millions of times.
The melancholic tune about ending a relationship won Mike Rosenberg (Passenger) an Ivor Novello Award from the British Academy for Most Performed Work.
19. “Royals” by Lorde
New Zealand singer Lorde made her debut with the single “Royals”, released on her EP The Love Club EP and studio album Pure Heroine.
The art-pop/electropop song won Lorde two Grammy Awards for Song of the Year and Best Pop Solo Performance.
This made her the youngest performance from New Zealand to win a Grammy and the third-youngest in history.
The song sold over twenty-two million copies worldwide, making it one of the most impressive debuts from an artist ever.
20. “Let It Go” by Idina Menzel
“Let It Go” is a show tune sung by Idina Menzel on the Frozen: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack.
It has been favorably compared to “Defying Gravity” from Wicked, and debuted at number one in South Korea and in the United States.
It sold over nine million copies in the United States, two million in the United Kingdom, and one and a half million in South Korea.
The single won an Academy Award for Best Original Song, a Grammy Award for Best Song Written for Visual Media, and several other Best Song accolades.
21. “Wake Me Up” by Avicii
“Wake Me Up” is a folktronica hit by Swedish DJ Avicii, taken from his debut studio album True.
The extremely popular hit reached number one in forty-six different countries around the world and sold tens of millions of copies globally.
The song helped Avicii to win the Billboard Music Award in 2014 for Top Dance/Electronic Song, as well as receiving countless other nominations.
22. “Story of My Life” by One Direction
The popular boy band One Direction released the folktronica song “Story of My Life” as the second single on their studio album Midnight Memories.
It reached number one in the United States, Spain, New Zealand, Ireland, Bulgaria, and Denmark, among others.
In the United States, the hit sold over three million copies, being awarded triple Platinum certification by the Recording Industry Association of America.
23. “Chandelier” by Sia
“Chandelier” is an electropop song by Sia, released on her sixth studio album 1000 Forms of Fear.
The popular song landed in the number one spot in France, Greece, Israel, Poland, Switzerland, and the United States.
It sold nine million copies in the United States, earning nine platinum certifications, as well as eight million in Spain, five million in Denmark, two million in the United Kingdom, and two million in South Korea.
24. “Bang Bang” by Jessie J, Ariana Grande & Nicki Minaj
“Bang Bang” is a pop collaboration between singers Jessie J, Ariana Grande, and rapper Nicki Minaj.
It was released on Jessi J’s studio album Sweet Talker and Ariana Grande’s My Everything.
The song won Best Collaboration at the iHeartRadio Music Awards and Song of the Year at the Nickelodeon Kids’ Choice Awards.
It even sold a whopping thirty-million copies in Japan, as well as millions of other copies worldwide.
25. “Drunk in Love” by Beyoncé Feat. Jay-Z
Husband and wife Beyoncé and Jay-Z released “Drunk in Love” in 2014 as part of the former’s self-titled studio album.
It reached number one on several charts in the United States, as well as in South Africa.
The single won two Grammy Awards for Best R&B Performance and Best R&B Song, as well as being nominated at many other award ceremonies for Song of the Year.
Best Songs from 2014 – Final Thoughts
This article contained the most popular hits from the year 2014 when dance and pop music ruled!
With artists such as Katy Perry, Pharrell Williams, Ariana Grande, and Sia, there’s bound to be something for everyone on this list.
We hope you enjoyed this blast from the past, with the twenty-five best songs from 2014.
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