Kpopular's Top 20 Songs Of 2014!

Happy new year! 2014 is finally over and my god has K-pop been a mess. On the bright side, 2014 was certainly a step up from last year music-wise; I'd say almost every group released material that was better than their outputs in 2013 (well, those that actually promoted this year). Hopefully 2015 will be even better for music but I think everyone's really just praying for less drama. Nevertheless, here are my top 20 songs for 2014.

Notes:
- All songs are Korean releases (not like this changes much but I just thought I should clarify)
- All songs are lead singles, with music videos (to prevent this list being f(x) feat. AOA)
- Yes of course this list is biased, I obviously have favourites and many are on this list

And with that let's get going!

20) Piano Man (MAMAMOO)

Kicking off this list is the wonderful MAMAMOO, a rookie group who have seen love from both k-netz and i-netz for their amazing live skills which put most veterans to shame. "Piano Man" is a perfect song for them: lively, jazzy, and upbeat throughout, there isn't a dull moment here and at the end you're left wanting even more. I'd probably like it even more if the glorious bridge wasn't already shown in the teaser, but 20's still a big achievement.

19) Something (Girl's Day)

Yes, I'm sure by now most have had just about enough of this song, but it really was fantastic. Whilst something isn't as good as the MASTERPIECE "Don't Forget Me" (though I doubt they'll ever beat that really) it's still one of my favourite Girl's Day tracks. Unlike so many "classy sexy" tracks, "Something" actually packs a punch instead of wallowing in sultry sadness for three and a half minutes, because Duble Sidekick clearly realised that no matter how classy a song is it needs to actually be interesting to be good, whether it be vocal layering, instrumentation, the melody or in this case all of the above.

18) LUV (Apink)

Initially I was pretty worried about how this song would turn out but in the end there was absolutely no reason to as Apink struck again with another gem. A lot of people complained it was too similar to "NoNoNo" but Apink's songs all follow a similar formula anyway so I don't see why that's a problem (besides I'd argue "LUV" was actually an improvement over "NoNoNo"). The chorus is incredibly catchy and the "my LUV" bits woven into the verses help prop them up a bit more, though thankfully the verses are just as peppy.

17) Red Light (f(x))

Probably a controversial choice for many but as far as I'm concerned "Red Light", whilst not as good as a couple of their previous singles, was an amazing single which only a pretentious faux-artsy group like f(x) could have pulled off. "Red Light" may sound incredibly pretentious but it ruthlessly seizes you in a vice-like grip and doesn't dare let go until you've listened to all 3 minutes and 32 seconds of it. After mercilessly slugging you for the duration, you're left speechless and wanting even more. It was probably a bit too forward-thinking but of course people didn't like it since most of the time K-pop fans like absolute trash.

16) Sugar Free (T-ara)

What went wrong? T-ara come back with easily one of their strongest singles ever and flop massively. Did I miss something? Yes, despite Hyomin and Jiyeon's solos doing decently "Sugar Free" charted at number 36 and was outsold by last year's Christmas song "Hide & Seek". I don't know why because this song is nothing short of amazing, with Shinsadong Tiger concocting a heavy EDM track that works wonders with T-ara's usual song formula and signature sound, blending together stylings from newer and older releases.

15) So Wonderful (Ladies' Code)

After showing so much potential in 2013 Ladies' Code came back with a song that made me even more of a fan. The instrumental was actually the song's strongest point here, though the brilliant performance from each of the girls here helped massively as thankfully none of them outshine the jazzy backing track. "So Wonderful" is lively yet doesn't ever feel too much, it has just the right amount of punch and flare to make it succeed.

14) 1Min 1Sec (Never Ever) (Jiyeon)

I'm probably the only person who put this in their top list (along with the next two songs as well) as most seemed to love the MV but think the song was just okay, but I loved Jiyeon's solo debut: I loved the production, I loved the piano in the backing track, I loved how the melody highlights Jiyeon's strengths instead of being too much for her, I loved the breathing sounds and how they add to the feel of the song. What I don't love is the title. Is it "1Min 1Sec", "Never Ever", or both? I've seen so many variations of the title that I'm really not sure, I used both in this post but it still looks weird. Ugh.

13) Shine (J-Min)

Why wasn't this promoted better? J-Min's Korean debut album was a hidden gem this year, and "Shine" was absolutely brilliant. J-Min certainly has a powerful voice and it certainly excels (at first I wrote "shines" and then felt sick when I realised to my horror I had accidentally made a pun) here, even against the strong instrumental. It's certainly refreshing to have a rock song in K-pop and I hope J-Min is actually promoted in the future instead of releasing an album once in a blue moon and then vanishing until the next time.

12) I Swear (SISTAR)

"Touch My Body" wasn't well received by everyone, with many whining about how it wasn't as good as "Give It To Me" or even "Loving U" because it "didn't sound like SISTAR". So only a month later they returned and released the most SISTAR-like track they could possibly do... yet it wasn't even as successful as "Touch My Body". Make up your minds, people! "I Swear" also wasn't quite their best, no, but it was still a great track and was good enough to make it into this list so that's a victory for them as far as I'm concerned.

11) Last Romeo (Infinite)

A frustrating thing I've noticed with the Inspirit fandom though is that for all their harping on about how talented their oppas are with their lives and how hard they've worked they just don't seem to be there when Infinite are actually promoting. Turns out during this promotion cycle they were too busy whining about how Infinite "just aren't the same anymore". I'm not too sure what they mean by this though. No, they won't ever beat their marvellous 2012 single "The Chaser" since that's near enough impossible but "Last Romeo" is still one of their better title tracks and if that isn't good enough for you then too bad because I certainly don't want Infinite to go back to the days of "BTD" and "Nothing's Over".

10) Mr.Mr. (Girls' Generation)

The general consensus seems to be that "Mr.Mr." was a huge disappointment. This leads me to suspect I only like it so much because I'm biased towards them, but whatever this is my list and I loved this song so it's staying. This song, in my opinion, is the best Korean single they've released since their 2009 masterpiece "Genie", not just because it wasn't as messy as "I Got A Boy" but they've finally reached the mature sound they've been working towards. One of the group's main draws is that their songs take advantage of each member, strength in numbers rings true in pretty much all their work and it's a defining feature of their discography. It doesn't hurt that "Mr.Mr." is outstandingly well produced even by SM's standards.

9) I'm In Love (SECRET)

SECRET are an odd case in that the constant switching between sexy, cute, and somewhere in-between stops them from getting too stale it means they've yet to truly capitalise on either one; they rose to prominence with "Magic" and "Madonna" and then did a complete 180 and released the super cute delightfully retro "Shy Boy" and "Starlight Moonlight", which were both even bigger hits but they instead did something different yet again with "Poison". With "I'm In Love" I think they found the perfect sound that suits them to a t, and it's a sound they should definitely continue doing because it's simply marvellous.

8) Mamma Mia (KARA)

So many songs this year just felt too...heavy. We've had tons of grating try-hard trash and stodgy, sleepy ballads, but "Mamma Mia" is just pure fun and one of KARA's strongest title tracks to date. Whilst "Day & Night" was a strong offering as a whole the lack of  presence from Jiyoung and Nicole could be felt, but it wasn't enough to detract from the gleaming vibrance of "Mamma Mia".

7) Error (VIXX)

At the end of my MV review of "Error", I claimed I would very quickly become a big fan of VIXX if they continued releasing material this good. Two months later and they're now my third favourite boy group. Whilst VIXX TV is a good way to procrastinate during the free period I have when they're usually uploaded get a better idea of the members' personalities and I have significantly warmed to VIXX's discography, this song is the main reason I started to follow them. "Error" certainly isn't as expertly produced as some other tracks in this list, instead this song's strength lies in the brilliant atmosphere it creates, dark but not brooding, instead electric and exciting.

6) Back (Infinite)

A few K-pop songs start off slow and simple and then either gradually build up as the song goes or suddenly burst halfway through, with the intention of hooking the listener through a clever shift to something much more exciting. The problem is these songs are usually rubbish, but "Back" absolutely nails it. An explosive beat and a brilliant chorus appear out of nowhere, and then the pace is mostly kept throughout the rest of the song. This result is a definite winner and it clearly paid off, "Back" climbed to #2 and is their highest-charting single yet. Sunggyu turned down the whine this time as well which was nice because whilst he has a really interesting voice it can sound a bit harsh sometimes. It was also nice to see L get a decent amount of lines since he's actually the lead vocalist.

5) Miniskirt (AOA)

I'd like to thank Brave Brothers for giving AOA only his best tracks this year, as they rightly deserved (imagine if they got "Nice Body" instead *shudders*). In January K-pop was dominated by tracks such as "Something", "Singing Got Better", "Hello" and 3684 covers of "Let It Go", so AOA's 5th single stood out as a song that wasn't really suited to winter at all. With honeyed vocals and a jazzy backing track, "Miniskirt" warmed everyone in the winter cold and to the group, which has managed to shift over a million downloads this year. However, I'll admit I was a little worried if they'd be able to meet expectations with their next comeback...

4) Short Hair (AOA)

...and they certainly did with their next track! "Short Hair" is probably the cutest single they've done so far, whilst it lacks the simple appeal of the breezy "Miniskirt", "Short Hair" is even more bright and bubbly and was the perfect follow up for the summer. Brave Brothers took what made their January hit work, gave Hyomin his worse attempt at recreating the sound, and gave AOA a track that used the girls' playful and bouncy personalities to its advantage. Boy am I glad this song was released during exam period though, sitting through a maths calculator exam with this in my head sure was fun!

3) Like A Cat (AOA)

*cackles wildly over sirens/vuvuzuelas/whatever that beautifully irritaing noise at the start is*

Okay so maybe including all three is a tad overboard but AOA's divine trilogy of 2014 were all so perfect that I just couldn't leave any of them out. For AOA's next and latest comeback Brave Brothers decided to shift into maximum overdrive and churned out "Brave Brothers presents Miniskirt 3.0" aka "Like A Cat". Every other Brave Brothers-produced track was just leading up to this dazzling gem, and who better to perform then my everyone's new sweethearts? For some it was a bit too noisy, and it certainly was busier than their other two songs but there's so much to love that it all mashes together into a dazzling diamond with a wonderful MV that proved the pretty girls really are AOA. Besides with a hook like that how can you not love this song?

2) Beat (100%)

This is the track that took me most by surprise in 2014. Whilst I really enjoyed "Bad Boy" and "Want U Back" I didn't really give them the attention I did to rookies like Ladies' Code and AOA. When I saw a Soompi article showing teaser photos for their first comeback as five I thought "Oh I remember these guys, I'll give it a listen when they release the track", and went back to listening to other songs. I searched their name on the day to see the video was just uploaded (well it had 3 views, and I'd like to think they aren't that nugu) and was completely blown away by it. Yes, their previous singles were very good but this obliterated all 3, and pretty much every K-pop song this year. The chorus hurtles along at 70 miles an hour and has no intent of slowing down, it would have been nice if that pace was kept in the second verse but that's pretty much the only niggle I have with the song, and it's pretty amazing as it is anyway. Thanks to this song I now probably make up for half of 100%'s male fanbase, and probably the only fan that doesn't support them because they're from Teen Top's label.

1) B.B.B (Big Baby Baby) (Dal Shabet)

This is it. My song of the year is the masterpiece "B.B.B". Dal Shabet's previous singles have always been perfectly pleasant bubblegum fun, but they had never released a song that was truly excellent. Then they came out of nowhere with this beautiful comeback and did everything right, including a welcome shift in image and concept, as well as giving Woohee a time to shine in the glorious chorus. I really do love everything about this song, from the distinctly 80's sound to the silky singing of the verses by Subin to the chants of "BIG BABY BABY" scattered frequently throughout, even Gaeun's rap before the chorus is great. It's also one of the few songs this year that I just never got sick of, whilst "Miniskirt"'s charms wore off slightly as the year went on (admittedly because of their later releases) I have been playing this song non-stop.

Alas, this outstanding track was overlooked by many this year, and instead AOA leapt to fame with the aforementioned "Miniskirt", but I guess not everyone could win the girl group sexy battle in January (even though they were all great). Here's hoping Dal Shabet return with an equally fantastic song so I can stan them forever.

And there you have it- my 20 favourite songs of 2014. If you disagree... that's nice, feel free to make your own and we can welcome in the new year by arguing which of our oppas and noonas are better.