Every year since 1990, I’ve been publishing a weekly music chart. In 2007, I separated the secular radio songs from the Christian songs. Last year’s Top 30 featured a generally weak selection of Christian songs; not so this year. It was a hard fight for the Top 10; every song deserved to be number one for the year.
Contemporary Christian singer Mark Schultz’s comeback single, All Things Possible, also a Top 10 hit on the Billboard Christian Songs chart and a former number one on Radio and Records’ Soft AC chart, is my number one song of the year edging out Forever JONES’ stellar Hold Me Still. Sentimental favorite Ashmont Hill’s Love Lifted Me, a late November release that’s been playing nonstop since I downloaded it off iTunes, finishes the year at number three.
TOP 30 CHRISTIAN SONGS
1. All Things Possible, Mark Schultz
2. Hold Me Still, Forever JONES
3. Love Lifted Me, Ashmont Hill
4. He Said, Group 1 Crew featuring Chris August
5. We Are Free, Brad and Rebekah
6. Mountaintop, City Harmonic
7. Won Me Over, Audrey Assad
8. Shackles (Praise You), Go Fish
9. We Are, Kari Jobe
11. Only A Mountain, Jason Castro
12. Go Get It, Mary Mary
13. All This Time, Britt Nicole
14. You Are Loved, Heather Williams
15. 10,000 Reasons (Bless the Lord), Matt Redman
16. What A Savior, Laura Story
17. Live Like That, Sidewalk Prophets
18. Me Without You, tobyMac
19. Your Presence is Heaven, Israel Houghton & New Breed
20. At Your Name, Phil Wickham
21. Forgiveness, Matthew West
22. Banner of Love, Luminate
23. Steady My Heart, Kari Jobe
24. His Kind of Love, Group 1 Crew
25. Rest Easy, Andrew Peterson
26. Come to Me, Jamie Grace
27. Right Beside You, Building 429
28. Redeemed, Big Daddy Weave
29. Love is All, Je’Kob
30. Savior’s Face, Rachael Lampa
Meanwhile, on the secular chart, Hallyu superstars Big Bang edges out girl group Secret for year-end number one honors, as Fantastic Baby trumps Poison for the top spot. Secret, however, places two songs in the Top 10, as late October single Talk That finishes at number four for the year, just behind 1, 2, 3, 4 by rookie singer Lee Hi. The highest-ranking English song is Jason Mraz’s I Won’t Give Up at number six.
TOP 30 RADIO SONGS
1. Fantastic Baby, Big Bang
2. Poison, Secret
3. 1, 2, 3, 4, Lee Hi
4. Talk That, Secret
5. Falling, John Park
6. I Won’t Give Up, Jason Mraz
7. Alone, SISTAR
8. Bruno Mars Medley, Kurt Schneider featuring Max Schneider and Victoria Justice
9. Electric Shock, f(x)
10. Gangnam Style, PSY
11. Spy, Super Junior
12. Twinkle Twinkle, Secret
13. Fantastic Baby (Orchestra), Walt Ribeiro
14. Twinkle, Taetiseo
15. Somebody That I Used to Know, Pentatonix
16. Love is Move (Japanese), Secret
17. Should I Catch A Cold, Lee Seung Woo
18. Trouble Maker, Trouble Maker
19. Venus, Shinhwa
20. Sexy Free and Single, Super Junior
21. Sige Lang, Quest
22. Sherlock, Shinee
23. Hey You, CN BLUE
24. Good Girl, Carrie Underwood
25. Warrior, B.A.P.
26. I Love You, 2NE1
27. We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together, Taylor Swift
28. Good Vibrations, Wilson Phillips
29. The Woman I Love, Jason Mraz
30. And I Am Telling You, Jessica Sanchez f/ Jennifer Holliday