ALARM Anne-Marie
The success of this pointillist electro-pop kiss-off of a single sees the Essex singer poised to go stratospheric in 2017.
FORMATION Beyoncé
The song that swept Coldplay and Bruno Mars aside at the Super Bowl and introduced the world to a new Bey: politicised, polemical, enraged.
I CAN’T GIVE EVERYTHING AWAY David Bowie
The final track on his final album and, intentionally or not, an unbearably moving swan song.
7 YEARS Lukas Graham
A clear narrative seam, a melody that is like a nursery rhyme in its immediacy and simplicity. Result? A monster.
TILTED Christine and the Queens
It’s impossible to hear this career-transforming song without having to fight the urge to break into those angular dance shapes.
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ONE DANCE Drake
Two minutes and 12 seconds, a barely-there tune, minimal backing. And unavoidable.
I TOOK A PILL IN IBIZA Mike Posner
That rare thing, an EDM smash with a sense of humour — and a melody to die for.
WORK Rihanna
The sole big hit from the understated Anti, and even then a million miles from her customary commercial accessibility.
CHEAP THRILLS Sia
RiRi rejected it, but Sia had the last laugh, laying waste to the charts with this lilting, shouty earworm.
DON’T WISH ME WELL Solange
Simmering with rage, but with a melody like an extended sigh. That’s the way to do it.