Top 10 Best (And 5 Worst) Years In Music History

Best Hit: Crying (Roy Orbison) – 1961

Best Song: At Last (Etta James) – 1960

Best Album: The Black Saint And The Sinner Lady (Charles Mingus) – 1963

As a quick disclaimer before we get into things – I’m basing this ranking on my retrospectives, which looked at the top ten Billboard hits, the top ten highest-ranked songs and the top five highest-ranked albums. Both Billboard and the ranking website I used are American-based, so make of that what you will.

The fact that I was looking at the American charts meant that the Beatles didn’t make regular appearances until 1964 … and therefore, sadly, music just wasn’t as exceptional until they came along and everyone had to catch up. I decided to lump the years from 1960 to 1963 together because they were all underwhelming.

There were some fun hits from Elvis Presley, Roy Orbison, Ray Charles and The Beach Boys, and some of the albums from John Coltrane, Miles Davis, Bob Dylan and Charles Mingus were great, but otherwise there just weren’t that many songs or albums which have stood the test of time. Music has come a long way since, and this era feels very underbaked and simple by comparison.

1963 definitely saw things start to pick up. Dylan’s “Blowin’ In The Wind” is an all-timer, and the Beatles made their first and only appearance with “I Saw Her Standing There”. “Blue Velvet” and “Rhythm of the Rain” were good hits, too. Other than those, however, there wasn’t much for me to sink my teeth into.

If you think I’m cheating by including four years in one slot, then my overall least favourite year of this era was 1962. Other than “Stand By Me” by Ben E. King and “Green Onions” by Booker T. & The M.G.’s, there wasn’t much of note.

Best Hit: Every Breath You Take (The Police)

Best Song: Blister In The Sun (Violent Femmes)

Best Album: Synchronicity (The Police)

1983 was a great year for eighties cheese. Songs like “Maneater”, “Total Eclipse of the Heart” and “Down Under” are so bombastic that I can’t help but love them … even if they aren’t necessarily the best songs ever.

However, other hits like “Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)”, “Every Breath You Take” and Michael Jackson’s “Beat It” and “Billie Jean” are fundamentally good songs. They have more than stood the test of time – they’ll be played on radios for decades to come.

The highest-rated stuff was really solid too. “Time After Time”, “The Trooper” and “Blister In The Sun” are classics, and I loved how two of my favourite Talking Heads songs “Burning Down The House” and “This Must Be The Place (Naive Melody)” made the cut.

The only thing stopping this year from ranking higher is that the albums were memorable but not amazing. “Synchronicity”, “Power, Corruption & Lies” and “Murmur” all make for good listens … but I don’t revisit them often. It’s danceable albums like “Let’s Dance” and “Speaking in Tongues” which I think encapsulate 1983 more succinctly … but neither of those made the shortlist of five albums for some reason.

Best Hit: Fame (David Bowie)

Best Song: Bohemian Rhapsody (Queen)

Best Album: Wish You Were Here (Pink Floyd)

1975 had some of my favourite songs ever – “Fame” by David Bowie, “Bohemian Rhapsody” by Queen and “Wish You Were Here” by Pink Floyd have been mainstays on my playlists for over a decade.

Other hits like “Shining Star” by Earth, Wind & Fire and “Rhinestone Cowboy” by Glen Campbell kept the radios populated throughout the year, and great albums like “Physical Graffiti” by Led Zeppelin and “Blood On The Tracks” by Bob Dylan kept the critics engaged too.

These are all amazing songs and albums, but there weren’t many others worth talking about. Still, those few masterpieces were enough to cement 1975 a place in my top ten.

Best Hit: Need You Tonight (INXS)

Best Song: Where Is My Mind? (The Pixies)

Best Album: It Takes A Nation Of Millions To Hold Us Back (Public Enemy)

To be honest, the whole of the late eighties was pretty meh. 1989 could’ve also gone in this slot, but in the end I chose 1988 for how barren it was.

Hits like “Never Gonna Give You Up” and “Sweet Child O’ Mine” are fun on the surface but don’t have much depth, and so it was down to artists like N.W.A., Public Enemy, Metallica and The Pixies to make the truly exciting music.

Best Hit: Gangsta’s Paradise (Coolio feat. LV)

Best Song: Street Spirit [Fade Out] (Radiohead)

Best Album: [What’s The Story] Morning Glory? (Oasis)

I’m very torn when it comes to the mid-nineties. Hits like “Another Night” by Real McCoy and “Waterfalls” by TLC are fun but they’re definitely products of their time.

It’s down to the high-rated songs and albums to do the heavy lifting. Oasis released a British classic with “(What’s The Story) Morning Glory?”, Radiohead released their first great album with “The Bends”, and songs like “Hyper-Ballad” by Bjork and “1979” by The Smashing Pumpkins made the Alternative scene the place to be.

Best Hit: The Sign (Ace of Base)

Best Song: Closer (Nine Inch Nails)

Best Album: Grace (Jeff Buckley)

Again, this is a case of the mid-nineties having underwhelming hits. If it wasn’t for Ace of Base and their two bangers “The Sign” and “All That She Wants”, 1994 probably wouldn’t have made my top ten.

Luckily, there were some fantastic songs outside of the charts. “Juicy” is one of The Notorious B.I.G.’s best, “Sabotage” is my favourite Beastie Boys song, “Glory Box” is a stunning composition by Portishead, and both “Closer” and “Hurt” by Nine Inch Nails are two of the most iconic songs of the nineties.

The best album of the five highest-rated was definitely “Grace” by Jeff Buckley for how sombre and emotive it is … but I wish “The Downward Spiral” by Nine Inch Nails had made the shortlist. That’s one of my favourite albums of all time.

This was also the year that Nirvana did their “MTV Unplugged” album, so that’s something worth considering.

Best Hit: No Scrubs (TLC)

Best Song: Svefn-g-englar (Sigur Ros)

Best Album: Agaetis Byrjun (Sigur Ros)

The worst year for music in the nineties was without a doubt 1999. Radios ended the millennium by playing “Livin’ la Vida Loca”, “…Baby One More Time” and “Genie in a Bottle”. Hardly inspiring stuff … and then the worst song of time, Cher’s “Believe”, cemented this as one of the worst years for Pop music.

The high-rated stuff was pretty stale, too, as there were only three albums I really liked. “Californication” by Red Hot Chili Peppers is a personal favourite, “98.12.28 Otokotachi No Wakare” by Fishmans is one of the great live albums, and my pick for the best of the year would go to “Agaetis Byrjun”. Sigur Ros has made some of the most beautiful music I’ve ever heard.

Best Hit: It’s Too Late (Carole King)

Best Song: Stairway To Heaven (Led Zeppelin)

Best Album: Led Zeppelin IV (Led Zeppelin)

These top six years were all near-flawless, and I had a hard time separating them.

The hits were the least interesting thing about 1971, and are perhaps why it didn’t crack my top five. I used to have “Indian Reservation” by Raiders as my favourite, but now I think “It’s Too Late” by Carole King is the much more sensible choice. Other hits like “Take Me Home, Country Roads”, “Maggie May” and “Joy to the World” are classics too.

1971 was the year of “Roundabout” by Yes, “Echoes” by Pink Floyd, and some of the greatest albums ever. “Led Zeppelin IV”, “Who’s Next”, “What’s Going On” and “Hunky Dory” are all surely in the top 100 albums lists … and other magnum opuses like “Tapestry”, “LA Woman” and “Fragile” didn’t even make the original shortlist of five!

Best Hit: Somebody That I Used To Know (Gotye feat. Kimbra)

Best Song: Sing About Me, I’m Dying Of Thirst (Kendrick Lamar)

Best Album: Lonerism (Tame Impala)

I was worried that music would take a nosedive in the new millennium, especially once the 2010’s came around, but 2012 reinvigorated my hope for the medium.

Artists like One Direction, Ellie Goulding and Carly Rae Jepsen kept the masses happy, but it’s songs like “We Are Young” by Fun & Janelle Monáe and “Somebody That I Used To Know” by Gotye & Kimbra which prove that modern artists can still make magic.

For the high-rated side of things, there were four albums ahead of the curve – “The Money Store” by Death Grips and “Channel Orange” by Frank Ocean both set themselves apart from their contemporaries, but it’s “Lonerism” by Tame Impala and “Good Kid M.A.A.D City” by Kendrick Lamar which became seminal works of the whole decade.

Best Hit: Perfect (Ed Sheeran)

Best Song: Little Dark Age (MGMT)

Best Album: Kids See Ghosts (Kids See Ghosts)

When people talk about Pop music falling off a cliff, they’re referring to years like 2018. This was a painful one to listen to, and very few songs won me over.

“Perfect” by Ed Sheeran was the only good Billboard hit, as otherwise I had to sit through uninspired tracks like “Rockstar” by Post Malone & 21 Savage or “I Like It” by Cardi B, Bad Bunny & J Balvin. This was an era where almost every Pop song had multiple featured artists and dozens of ghostwriters, and things got too messy.

There were some decent high-rated songs, in fairness. I used to have “Reborn” by Kids See Ghosts as my favourite of the year, but in time “Little Dark Age” by MGMT has grown on me. Other songs like “Suspirium” by Thom Yorke, “Colossus” by IDLES and “Bodys” by Car Seat Headrest have gone straight into my playlist.

This wasn’t a year without merit (which is why it’s only the second worst …) but I couldn’t help but feel that the well of inspirations was drying up.

Best Hit: Aquarius / Let the Sunshine In (The 5th Dimension)

Best Song: Something (The Beatles)

Best Album: Abbey Road (The Beatles)

1969 already had a massive advantage over the other years. This was the year when my favourite album ever – “Abbey Road” by The Beatles – released. Songs like “Something”, “Here Comes The Sun” and “Come Together” still remain all-timers.

The two other ground-breaking albums were “In The Court of the Crimson King” by King Crimson (an album probably in my personal top ten) and the first two Led Zeppelin albums. 1969 ushered in a new age of harsher, more progressive Rock.

In terms of individual songs, 1969 is one of the best. The Rolling Stones released their best song with “Gimme Shelter”, David Bowie released his first hit with “Space Oddity”, and radio hits like “Dizzy” by Tommy Roe and “Aquarius / Let the Sunshine In” by The 5th Dimension really impressed me.

Best Hit: Fallin’ (Alicia Keys)

Best Song: Parabola (TOOL)

Best Album: Discovery (Daft Punk)

The top three years all went above and beyond my expectations, providing hits, songs and albums that will stand the test of time. For 2001’s case, I was stunned by how many stone-cold classics came out in the same year.

It was the ladies who were providing the best radio hits – “Fallin'” by Alicia Keys, “Independent Women Part 1” by Destiny’s Child and “Thank You” by Dido are still played around the world today.

2001 was a rare case where all five of the shortlisted albums either started as or became personal favourites. “Lateralus” is TOOL’s best, “Vespertine” is kooky in ways which only Bjork could pull off, “Amnesiac” by Radiohead has great tracks like “Pyramid Song”, “Is This It” catapulted The Strokes onto the Alternative scene, and I maintain that “Discovery” by Daft Punk was the best album of the decade.

What’s even crazier is that a lot of the best albums ever didn’t make the shortlist. Gorillaz’s self-titled debut, Muse’s “Origin of Symmetry”, The Microphones’ “The Glow Pt. 2” and System Of A Down’s “Toxicity” could’ve easily made that top five and nobody would’ve batted an eyelid. Unbelievable consistency across the board.

Best Hit: Rude (Magic!)

Best Song: Seasons [Waiting On You] (Future Islands)

Best Album: Salad Days (Mac DeMarco)

For me, it’s not even close. 2014 had both the worst hit songs and the most forgettable high-rated music of any year. It was a perfect storm of artists failing to deliver.

For the best hit, I had to pick “Rude” by Magic! because the rest was woeful. “Counting Stars” and “Happy” drove me insane as a teenager, and the less said about “All About That Bass” the better.

This was also the year with the least high-rated stuff I actually liked. Most of it was okay, but it paled in comparison to the unequivocal classics I’d heard in previous years. “Salad Days” by Mac DeMarco and “To Be Kind” by Swans were good albums, but the rest I didn’t really care for.

I don’t know what went wrong in 2014. It was as if all the artists came together and collectively decided to release forgettable music, with the best artists taking a year off and releasing nothing at all. I would’ve been thirteen years old by this point, and even I was fed up of the hits playing on my radio.

Best Hit: When Doves Cry (Prince And The Revolution)

Best Song: Purple Rain (Prince And The Revolution)

Best Album: Purple Rain (Prince And The Revolution)

Yes, I know Prince dominated 1984, but the rest of the hits and albums were fantastic as well.

I’m so jealous of the era when “Karma Chameleon”, “Owner of a Lonely Heart”, “What’s Love Got to Do with It”, “Jump”, “This Charming Man”, “The Killing Moon” and “When Doves Cry” were playing on radios. What a time to be alive! Definitely the peak of eighties cheese, in the best way possible.

But the albums were exceptional as well. The Smiths released their debut, Metallica released “Ride The Lightning”, Talking Heads did their “Stop Making Sense” tour, and it can’t be understated how important “Purple Rain” is to Pop music history. Prince made an album that both critics and the general public adored – a rare feat in music.

If you’re not a fan of eighties cheese, you wouldn’t rank this year that highly. But, if you’re like me and you enjoy the big synths and bold ideas, then this was one of the best years we’ve ever had.

Best Hit: Light My Fire (The Doors)

Best Song: A Day In The Life (The Beatles)

Best Album: Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band (The Beatles)

As sad as it is to say, I think the human race peaked early when it came to popular music. We’re never coming close to besting – or even replicating – the magic of 1967. If 2014 was the perfect storm of bad music, then 1967 was the combined efforts of the greatest artists to ever grace our radios.

The hits were great, as is to be expected. “Can’t Take My Eyes Off You”, “Happy Together”, “I’m a Believer”, “Windy” and “The Letter” are all songs I hear frequently nowadays.

But the most impressive thing about 1967, in my opinion, is that all ten songs and all five albums from the high-rated shortlists were phenomenal. Whether it was “Good Vibrations” by the Beach Boys or “Waterloo Sunset” by the Kinks, I was floored by the quality across the board.

And I mean, c’mon. This was the year that gave us the albums “The Doors”, “Are You Experienced”, “The Velvet Underground & Nico” and a duo of Beatles classics with “Magical Mystery Tour” and “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band”.

Every single song and album was unbelievable. It was a 100% strike rate – a feat which we will never see again.

As an added bonus, here’s my quick ranking of the decades as a whole:

7 – 2020’s

It’s too soon to tell for this current decade. None of the years have been bad, but none of them have been stand-out either.

6 – 1990’s

It peaked in the middle with 1994 and 1995, but otherwise the nineties were painfully mediocre. The late nineties especially started getting really stale.

5 – 2010’s

In terms of the lowest lows, the 2010’s was the worst. Both 2014 and 2018 made me want to curl up in a ball and die. But, to the decade’s credit, there were some great years in there too – namely 2012, 2015 and 2016.

4 – 1980’s

The first half of the eighties was unbelievably strong. The second half, however, started getting too cheesy and simple for my tastes.

3 – 2000’s

A consistent decade. It peaked early in 2001, but the rest of the years were solid as well.

2 – 1960’s

The stretch of years between 1966 and 1969 was a peak which will never be replicated. The first half of the decade, however, had yet to find its footing.

1 – 1970’s

The seventies were the best era for music, without a doubt. We were blessed with multiple incredible songs and albums in all ten years across the decade – there wasn’t a single year which let me down.