Best of 2014: Pop

People sure had a lot to say about women and their arses this year, eh? No but truly, 2014 was a year in which pop music was inescapably twinned with cultural criticism – meaning people took it more seriously than usual, but by deconstructing it to death rather than bumping it in the club in the manner it was originally intended. Then again, where would we be as a species if we all spent our weekends mindlessly fist pumping in a club to Robin Thicke without addressing the fact that it’s a veritable rapists almanac? Googling how-to guides for beans on toast, that’s where.

We need people who look beyond the obvious (e.g. “Sam Smith isn’t very good, is he?”) and talk about why the world’s biggest pop stars are walking contradictions. We need people who are willing to spend their time pouring over a One Direction annual and see beyond Harry Styles’ perfect forehead to reveal a band in crisis, or list all the reasons why Meghan Trainor missed the point entirely, talk about why the fuck Taylor Swift would wear a hoodrat Halloween costume, or detail the slow and bitter end of Lady Gaga’s career. Or, on a more positive note, praise FKA Twigs for being the only current British artist to challenge attitudes about sexuality, give a round of applause to Taylor Swift for not being a thick party animal (in spite of forementioend hoodrat Halloween costume) and absolutely smashing it re: album sales, and crown 5 Seconds Of Summer the new kings of mainstream pop punk.

Most importantly of all, though, let’s not forget that – from Nicki Minaj to Ariana Grande – this was the year feminism reclaimed pop music, because if “booty” wasn’t the first word you thought of to describe 2014 then you clearly haven’t been paying enough attention.

Well done, pop music. Two for you, pop music.