Day 94, and Now! #94, which came out on 22nd July 2016.
Sadly, I don’t think we’ll hear either Lindisfarne or the Proclaimers on this particular Now! compilation, though the latter have appeared twice in the past.
Track 1: Calvin Harris and Rihanna – This Is What You Came For
Lovely tune, good solid dance track.
Track 2: Justin Timberlake – Can’t Stop The Feeling
Geth adores this upbeat party song. I find it a little irritating.
Track 3: Kungs and Cookin’ On 3 Burners – This Girl
I find this perky summer tune really grating.
Track 4: Sia and Sean Paul – Cheap Thrills
Much as I like Sean Paul’s vocal style, I prefer the Sia solo version of this song, which is one of my favourite pop tracks of the decade. This version’s still fantastic though.
Track 5: Fifth Harmony and Ty Dolla Sign – Work From Home
The tune’s a bit generic, but it’s nice and danceable.
Track 6: DNCE – Cake By The Ocean
I love this one! They were playing it in the pub after my first Great North Run in 2016, and I’ll always associate it with that day. Wonderful tune.
Track 7: Clean Bandit and Louisa Johnson – Tears
Another lovely tune, and it builds beautifully. Great stuff.
Track 8: Little Mix and Sean Paul – Hair
Repeated artist alert! We’ve already had Sean Paul on track 4.
Great beat – it’s a bit of a messy track otherwise, though.
Track 9: The Chainsmokers and Daya – Don’t Let Me Down
The tune’s a bit irritating, but it’s got a good atmosphere.
Track 10: Justin Bieber – Company
It’s got a nice beat, but the tune’s pretty dull.
Track 11: Calum Scott – Dancing On My Own
Utterly depressing.
Track 12: Pink – Just Like Fire
I like the tune, but it’s a little too acoustic-y for me.
Track 13: Ariana Grande – Dangerous Woman
Great atmosphere – I just wish it were a bit more upbeat. Love the rock guitar though.
Track 14: Nick Jonas and Tove Lo – Close
I really like those steel drums on the intro, but the vocals are a bit bland.
Track 15: Meghan Trainor – No
I like the theme on this one, even if it’s a bit more serious than I personally like my pop to be. Good rhythm too.
Track 16: Shawn Mendes – Treat You Better
Urgh, I can’t stand this ‘nice guy’ anthem! Irritating tune, appalling theme.
Track 17: Years & Years and Tove Lo – Desire
Repeated artist alert! We’ve already had Tove Lo on track 14.
Good beat, forgettable tune.
Track 18: Sigma and Take That – Cry
I find the tune a bit generic, which I wouldn’t normally expect from Take That in any incarnation.
Track 19: Bastille – Good Grief
Really like the bassline at the start, and the tune on the vocals is great too.
Track 20: Viola Beach – Boys That Sing
Nice jaunty instrumentals on the intro, then it launches into some cheesy rhyming I can’t get behind. The tune’s okay on the whole.
Track 21: Coldplay – Up And Up
Slow and boring.
Track 22: Gnash and Olivia O’Brien – I Hate U, I Love U
Annoying chorus, annoying rap verses, annoying theme.
Track 23: Drake – Hotline Bling
At my brother and sister-in-law’s wedding, my sister-in-law’s bridesmaids all sang a version of this with altered lyrics about the wedding couple, so it tends to be that version I think of when I hear this song.
Track 24: Galantis – No Money
I find this one insanely irritating – awful tune, appalling kiddie-sounding vocals.
Track 25: DJ Snake and Bipolar Sunshine – Middle
Slow and depressing.
Track 26: Desiigner – Panda
Great brooding atmosphere, but I could do with a bit more melody.
Track 27: Kent Jones – Don’t Mind
Irritating theme, irritating tune, irritating lyrics. Not keen on this one at all.
Track 28: Cheat Codes and Kris Kross Amsterdam – Sex
Dodgy dance cover of Salt-N-Pepa’s ’90s hit Let’s Talk About Sex, with new verses in order to bastardise the original safe sex theme into one about general horniness. Have I mentioned before that I hate this century?
Track 29: Sigala, Imani Williams and DJ Fresh – Say You Do
Boring tune on the vocals, but I quite like the instrumentals (steel drums again!).
Track 30: Blonde and Craig David – Nothing Like This
Nice beat, and the vocals are quite interesting, but the tune’s a bit repetitive.
Track 31: Charlie Puth and Selena Gomez – We Don’t Talk Anymore
Beautiful tune – really like this one.
Track 32: Ariana Grande – Into You
Repeated artist alert! We’ve already had Ariana Grande on track 13.
I’m a big fan of this song though – it’s probably my favourite Ariana Grande track. Great solid piece of pop.
Track 33: David Guetta and Zara Larsson – This One’s For You
Not keen on this tune, but the track builds quite well.
Track 34: Jonas Blue and JP Cooper – Perfect Strangers
I’ve always found this tune really grating.
Track 35: Dua Lipa – Hotter Than Hell
Good beat, very danceable.
Track 36: Kygo and Kodaline – Raging
I quite like the guitar on this one, but it’s not upbeat enough for me.
Track 37: Selena Gomez – Kill ‘Em With Kindness
Repeated artist alert! We’ve already had Selena Gomez on track 31.
I quite like this tune though, even if the chorus is a bit repetitive.
Track 38: will.i.am and Pia Mia – Boys And Girls
Great beat on this one – happily nodding along right now.
Track 39: Reggie ‘N’ Bollie – New Girl
Daft theme and lyrics that I’m not wholly keen on. The tune’s nice and feelgood, though, and I like the beat.
Track 40: Tinie Tempah and Wizkid – Mamacita
Love the Latin tinge on this one! Great stuff.
Track 41: Craig David – One More Time
Repeated artist alert! We’ve already had Craig David on track 30.
I really like the rhythm and the vocal style, but the tune’s fairly bland.
Track 42: Sigala, John Newman, Nile Rodgers, Cedric Gervais and Laurent Simeca – Give Me Your Love
Repeated artist alert! We’ve already had Sigala on track 29.
That is a long list of artists for a not-especially-inspiring song. The tune’s okay, but it’s nothing special.