Feature
Look Back
Our favourite songs of 2018
Staff at Ticketmaster UK choose the best songs of the year.
Speaking to all staff here at Ticketmaster UK, we’ve collated the songs that have been soundtracking another year of top quality live entertainment. Spanning almost all musical genres imaginable, the results are suitably and unsurprisingly eclectic, mirroring the breadth of the live music scene.
To mark the end of the 2018, and to celebrate all that has happened in the last twelve months, we’ve collated a playlist of our most celebrated tracks, as well as highlighting the ultimate top five below.
Listen to the full playlist on Spotify below.
#1 Lady Gaga & Bradley Cooper – Shallow
Taken from the acclaimed A Star Is Born and its equally celebrated soundtrack, Shallow teams the film’s leads Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper up for a rousing ballad about the contradictory safety and excitement of isolation. The track reached No.1 on the UK singles chart, and climbed to No.5 on the stateside Billboard Hot 100 following the film’s release. Shallow is currently nominated for a total of five Grammy Awards, with A Star Is Born in the running for five Golden Globes, including Best Original Song.
#2 Childish Gambino – This Is America
Bolstered by its award winning video, directed by Hiro Murai and depicting Donald Glover (AKA Childish Gambino) in the midst of chaos, This Is America is a incredibly timely critique of ever-growing gun violence in the United States, as well as the discrimination faced by black communities. The track, driven by its rhythmic beat and Glover’s notable delivery, marks the first US No.1 for Childish Gambino, as well as reaching No.6 on the UK singles chart. [Find tickets]
#3 Robyn – Missing U
The first new material by the Swedish singer-songwriter since 2010, Missing U has been proclaimed as the unofficial sequel to Dancing On My Own. Carrying a similar flow the Robyn’s huge single from Body Talk, Missing U also covers a heartbreaking topic under its synth heavy sound. The lead single from Robyn’s eighth studio album Honey, the track cemented the long awaited return by the electro-house-pop crossover.
#4 Joji – Yeah Right
Following the deluxe version of his 2017 EP In Tongues, Japanese-Australian singer and rapper Joji revealed his BALLADS 1 mixtape, the arguable highlight of which is the self-deprecating Yeah Right. Never pushing past its melancholic pace, the track opens with Joji repeatedly declaring I’ma gonna f**k up my life”. Accompanied by a suitably raw, DIY video, the track is powerfully despondent.
#5 Florence + The Machine – Hunger
The second single from Florence + The Machine’s fourth studio album High As Hope, Hunger began life as a poem about front-person Florence Welch’s teenage eating disorder, and grew into a less literal song about the need for something more. The track reached No.1 on the Billboard Adult Alternative chart, while High As Hope went on to reach No.2 on both the Billboard 200 and the official UK album chart. [Find tickets]
We’re looking back at 2018 across Ticketmaster. Head here for more.