2014 was a year of great music. From breakout stars such as Meghan Trainor and Magic! to those such as Katy Perry and OneRepublic, who aren’t new to the charts, this past year’s music has something that will appeal to everyone.

According to Billboard, which gets its song figures based on radio airplay, sales data, and streaming data, the top song of 2014 was “Happy” by Pharrell Williams. The song, with its catchy vocals and tune, was featured in the motion picture Despicable Me 2, which helped it achieve widespread success. The bass-heavy song “Dark Horse” by established superstar Katy Perry and rapper Juicy J came in second place, followed by the contrasting piano ballad “All of Me” by John Legend. Iggy Azalea and Charli XCX’s song “Fancy”, which includes both singing and rap, came in fourth, and “Counting Stars” by OneRepublic, featuring a catchy chorus, came close behind in fifth place. In sixth place, with a unique saxophone riff that is not seen in most of today’s mainstream music, is “Talk Dirty” by Jason Derulo featuring 2 Chainz. Coming in seventh place is the easygoing “Rude” by MAGIC!, and following it is the anthem All About that Bass by  Meghan Trainor, the 21-year-old singer-songwriter who has recently risen to fame.“Problem” by former Nickelodeon star Ariana Grande featuring rapper Iggy Azalea came in ninth, and Sam Smith’s soulful “Stay With Me” slipped in at tenth. Established artists like Pitbull and Imagine Dragons also saw success with their hits “Timber” and “Demons”, respectively, while new faces such as Bastille and Lorde shined as well. Perhaps one of the biggest stars of 2014 was Iggy Azalea, who scored two hits in the Billboard top ten, more than any other artist of the year.

I interviewed a few LHS students to find out what their favorite songs of 2014 were. Freshman Haley Collins said that her favorite song was “Probably ‘Blank Space’… because it’s catchy.” “Blank Space” is from Taylor Swift’s newest album, 1989, which, according to Billboard, was the third-best-selling album of 2014.  Another song from that album, “Shake It Off”, came in at number 13 on Billboard’s 2014 Year End chart.

Sophomore Jenny Walls said that her favorite song of last year was “All About That Bass” by Meghan Trainor because she plays the bass. “All About That Bass” was released in fall 2014, building up hype for Trainor’s debut studio album Title, which was released in early 2015. Meghan’s hit “Lips Are Moving” currently sits at number 7 on the Billboard Hot 100, and this is its fourteenth week on the chart.

Although not everyone agrees on what good music sounds like, ultimately, music is a force that connects us. Music gives us something to talk about with those around us. It gives us something to enjoy; something to get excited about; something to bring back memories. Music is an accomplishment of the human race. And that’s what really matters.