- 5 weeks ago
From ethereal indie to cringe-worthy pop! Join us as we count down the musical highs and lows that defined 2025. Our picks include Bon Iver's meditative masterpiece, Sabrina Carpenter's witty takedown, Benson Boone's widely mocked earworm, and Taylor Swift's polarizing comeback. Which songs did you love or hate this year? Let us know in the comments!
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00:00Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we're ranking the highs and the lows that defined music in 2025.
00:20Number 5, Opel du Cocaine by Geese, Best.
00:30Geese spent the first half of the decade shifting from Brooklyn indie darlings into one of the most unpredictable bands in modern rock.
00:40Opel du Cocaine sealed that evolution.
00:42Built on wiry guitars, twitchy rhythms, and Cameron Winters' half-spoken, half-howled vocal delivery,
00:47the track plays like a fever dream portrait of a culture spiraling into absurdity.
00:54What makes it stand out is the craft beneath the chaos.
00:57Geese lean into post-punk edges, but they fuse it with a theatricality reminiscent of early arcade fire or talking heads.
01:05In a landscape full of perfectly pristine singles, Geese delivered something jagged, cynical, stylish, and absolutely alive.
01:18Number 5, What I Want by Morgan Wallen featuring Tate McRae, Worst.
01:23She said you don't want this heart, boy, it's already broke.
01:27Told me everything she touched just goes up in smoke.
01:31On paper, What I Want should have been a layup.
01:33A huge country star, a rising pop powerhouse, and a glossy ballad about a messy, temporary relationship.
01:39Released on May 20th, 2025 as the fifth single from Wallen's album, I'm the Problem,
01:44it's his first official duet with a woman, with McRae sharing verses over a shimmery pop country trap production.
01:50You ain't gotta worry about no trust issues with me, I got em too, I got em too.
01:57It debuted at number one on the Billboard Hot 100 and topped hot country songs,
02:01while also reaching the top five on the Global 200.
02:04In practice, though, the Pop Sensations collab was savaged by online critics,
02:08who called the song out for its ultra-polished, streaming-bait pandering
02:12that feels more like focus-grouped brand management than a real emotional duet.
02:15I said, baby, you should know that's what I want, that's what I want.
02:20Number 4. Abracadabra by Lady Gaga. Best.
02:24Pay the toll to the angels, drawing circles in the clouds.
02:31Every time Lady Gaga pivots, the industry follows.
02:34Abracadabra is her most invigorating reinvention since the Chromatica era,
02:38a return to maximalist pop, but with a sharper, more grown-in edge.
02:42The track pairs disco-infused production with a towering vocal performance,
02:47landing somewhere between the theatricality of the fame monster
02:49and the emotional directness of Joanne.
02:52What set it apart in 2025 was its sheer confidence.
02:59At a time when many mainstream singles chased TikTok-friendly minimalism,
03:08Gaga went bigger.
03:09Layered harmonies, dense instrumentation, a hook built to rattle stadium rafters.
03:14Abracadabra became a reminder that when Gaga commits to spectacle,
03:18no one else comes close.
03:20Abracadabra, amor, ooh, na, na.
03:23Abracadabra, arca, ooh, gaga.
03:27Number 4. Canceled by Taylor Swift. Worst.
03:30You thought that it would be okay at first.
03:35Canceled arrived carrying heavy baggage. The problem? Execution.
03:40While some writers praised Swift's takedown as a bold, witty take on misogyny and online outrage,
03:45others tore into the lyrics.
03:47Did you girl boss too close to the sun?
03:50Did they catch you having far too much fun?
03:52Come with me when they see us, they'll run.
03:55The now infamous line, did you girl boss too close to the sun, was singled out as a peak misfire,
04:01with critics calling the song, Millennial Cringe, a swagless retread of her own past work,
04:06and Disney villain music in the worst way.
04:08It's not her least successful song by any metric,
04:11it's just one of those polarizing late-era tracks where the concept is fascinating,
04:15the intentions are obvious, and half the audience hears a triumphant cell phone.
04:18Number 3. Where Is My Husband? by Ray. Best.
04:34Ray has been unstoppable since breaking free from her label constraints,
04:38and Where Is My Husband is further proof.
04:40The track blends her signature diaristic songwriting with bold, almost zany comedic timing.
04:45It's a story-driven banger, part satire, part heartbreak, part controlled self-chaos.
04:51Musically, it's anchored by sharp percussion, swelling strings,
04:54and a melodic structure that twists and coils as Ray's narration grows increasingly frantic.
05:08Critics praised her ability to merge humor and pain without slipping into gimmickry.
05:12More importantly, the song connected because it felt honest.
05:16It carried the same emotional rawness that defined her breakthrough work,
05:19but presented with the flair of someone fully in control of her artistry.
05:23In 2025, Ray didn't just deliver hits, she delivered personality.
05:34Number 3. Blue Strips? by Jesse Murph. Worst.
05:37Boy ain't mad, boy ain't mad, boy ain't mad at you.
05:41I had to get back at you.
05:43I had to get back at you.
05:45Blue Strips is the kind of song that proves worst doesn't mean ignored.
05:49Online, Blue Strips turned into a lightning rod.
05:52Some critics and blogs praised its unapologetic attitude and obvious hip potential,
05:57but album reviews and fan discussions blasted it as having cheap trap elements
06:01and being migraine-inducing,
06:03with at least one reviewer calling it the worst song that has ever grazed my eardrum.
06:06I'm going home, I'ma take it all for him, I'ma strip down all your runs, oh.
06:13Teen Vogue noted that Blue Strips, in particular,
06:16stirred backlash for how far Murph pushes Provocation as a brand.
06:19In other words, it's a bona fide hit that, for a lot of listeners,
06:23embodies everything they dislike about 2020 Vibes' vacuous TikTok formed get-to-the-hook pop.
06:28Boy ain't mad, boy ain't mad, boy ain't mad at you.
06:31I had to get back at you.
06:33I had to get back at you, yeah.
06:35Number 2. Man Child by Sabrina Carpenter. Best.
06:48Fresh off a career-defining run,
06:50Sabrina Carpenter doubled down on witty, emotionally precise pop songwriting,
06:54and Man Child may be her sharpest strike yet.
06:57The track is a gleaming, polished pop confection with teeth.
07:00Built around Carpenter's trademark blend of humor and vulnerability,
07:04Man Child skewers immaturity with a level of lyrical specificity that instantly resonates with listeners.
07:09Man Child, why you always come running on me?
07:16What elevates it is the craftsmanship behind the breeziness,
07:20immaculate vocal layering, airtight production, and a melodic hook that refuses to leave the brain.
07:25In a year when Carpenter's profiles soared globally,
07:28this song crystallized why she's become a generational pop presence.
07:32Charisma, technical discipline, and an instinct for storytelling that feels both modern and timeless.
07:37Man Child, why you always come running?
07:44By the numbers, Ordinary is the opposite of a flop.
08:01The lead single from Warren's debut album,
08:03this sweeping chamber pop tune about loving someone who makes life extraordinary,
08:07quickly became a juggernaut.
08:09In the US, it spent 10 non-consecutive weeks at number 1 on the Hot 100,
08:13and in the UK, it became one of the longest-running number 1s of the 2020s,
08:17as well as the longest uninterrupted chart-topper there by an American male artist.
08:29Business Insider bluntly framed it as the 2025 song of the summer that nobody wants to admit.
08:35The last clause is the key.
08:37Ordinary is the kind of blandly, inoffensive ballad that works for wedding videos
08:41and reality TV montages, but not for anyone craving edge or invention.
08:45You got me kissing the crowd, the sanctuary, the sanctuary, the sanctuary, the sanctuary.
08:50You gotta be with your touch, oh God, return me to dust.
08:55Number 1, Everything is Peaceful Love by Bon Iver, Best.
08:58Don't go too fast, mama.
09:02Steady on a rock, tripping.
09:04I'll tell you that I'm not slipping.
09:07Bon Iver has spent nearly two decades reshaping the boundaries of indie music,
09:11and Everything is Peaceful Love marks another quiet revolution.
09:14The song drifts with the weightlessness of a meditation,
09:17yet carries the emotional density of Justin Vernon's most ambitious work.
09:28Built on airy synth textures, fragmented vocal harmonies, and subtle acoustic flourishes,
09:33it bridges the organic intimacy of 2008's For Emma Forever Ago,
09:37with the experimental layering of 2016's 22 A Million.
09:40The result is a piece that feels serene, without ever becoming static.
09:44In a chaotic cultural moment, the song's message, understated, uncluttered, and deeply felt,
09:50hit harder than any bombastic anthem.
09:52It stood as 2025's definitive musical exhale.
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10:15Number 1. Mystical Magical by Benson Boone.
10:19Worst.
10:19There's nothing colder than your shoulder
10:21When you're dragging me along
10:23Like you do
10:24Like you do
10:26In a year when every major hit seemed to divide listeners,
10:30Mystical Magical was the one that finally tipped the scales.
10:32Boone's second single from his album American Heart.
10:35It's a pop rock track built around a jangly, upbeat production
10:38that interpolates Olivia Newton-John's physical.
10:41On the internet though, Mystical Magical became a punching bag.
10:44You can feel like moonbeam ice cream
10:48Taking off your blue jeans
10:50Dancing at the movies
10:52The feel-good anthem was blasted across the internet
10:54as the worst hit song of 2025
10:56and possibly even the worst song ever
10:59with critics fixating particularly on its widely mocked moonbeam ice cream hook.
11:03Even a pitchfork review of American Heart
11:05invokes the song's bouncy bass line like a mild traumatic event.
11:09All in all, Mystical Magical is a well-intentioned
11:12but unfortunate avatar for everything cheesy, over-sweetened,
11:15and lyrically ridiculous about the year's pop landscape.
11:24What was your favorite song of 2025?
11:26Are there any songs we missed on our list?
11:28Be sure to let us know in the comments below.
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