The year 2016 just ended. In the past 365 days, do you have an unforgettable story associated with a song? Did you learn to sing a new song? Do you have your song of the year?
Here, we recommend 10 of the most popular songs among Chinese. They may vary in musical styles, but they represent the musical trends of domestic music fans. Please note that the list is placed in no particular order. Here we go:
Ten popular songs that got people singing in 2016
Justin Timberlake: Can't Stop the Feeling! [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]
10. Justin Timberlake: Can't Stop the Feeling!
Can't Stop the Feeling! is a song recorded by the American singer Justin Timberlake for the movie Trolls.
The song ranked seventh on the Taiwan-based 2016 Hito FM 100 Songs and the hottest English song on the chart. Meanwhile, the single debuted on the US Billboard Hot 100, opening with 379,000 downloads in its first week, marking Timberlake's fifth No. 1 single in the country.
Yogu Lin: Who in the World Will Listen to You? [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]
9. Yoga Lin: Who in the World Will Listen to You?
Who in the World Will Listen to You? is the theme song of the movie I Belonged to You, a romantic love story adapted from the Chinese best-selling internet book series, Bedtime Stories.
Performed by Taiwanese singer Yoga Lin, the song is a little bit sad, trying to reflect the sorrows and joys of human life.
Xu Wei: Live a More Than Desultory Life [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]
8. Xu Wei: Live a More Than Desultory Life
As one of the most shared songs on Chinese social media platform WeChat in 2016, Live a More Than Desultory Life evoked strong feelings among the generations born in the 80s and 90s.
Initially released on March 8, 2016, the name of the song became one of the buzzwords on the internet. The song tries to encourage people to open their arms to beautiful poems and distant lands, to pursue their dreams and to live a rich life.
Charlie Puth (featuring Selena Gomez): We Don't Talk Anymore [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]
7. Charlie Puth (featuring Selena Gomez): We Don't Talk Anymore
We Don't Talk Anymore is a song performed by American singer Charlie Puth, featuring Selena Gomez, from his debut studio album Nine Track Mind.
As one of the most widespread foreign songs in 2016, We Don't Talk Anymore uses a breezy tropical house beat. It has stood at the Top 10 position on Chinese major music platforms, including Netease Cloud Music, QQ Music and Xiami.com for quite a long time.
Jay Chou: Love Confession [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]
6. Jay Chou: Love Confession
Love Confession is a song included in Jay Chou's Bedtime Stories, the singer's 14th studio album.
A brisk melody, romantic lyrics and magical music video have promoted the popularity of the song since its release. Later, a netizen made a video using 14 languages to sing the song on Sina Weibo, lifting the song to even greater popularity.
Faye Wong: Waiting for Me [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]
5. Faye Wong: Waiting for Me
I Belonged to You may not be the most successful film in 2016, but it boasts an amazing original soundtrack. Waiting for Me, the movie's ending song, was sung by Chinese Queen of Pop Faye Wong.
The lyrics, including, “I’ve been following your footsteps, trying hard to stay close to you; You’re waiting for me at the end of our path, laughing out loud with tears. I would only become your memory,” truly touching the hearts of moviegoers and music lovers.
Zhao Lei: Chengdu [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]
4. Zhao Lei: Chengdu
Chengdu is a folk song recorded by the musician Zhao Lei. Chengdu is a city with great significance to the singer.
Before his rise to fame, Zhao visited many cities in China. In Chengdu, the relaxing city atmosphere and an unforgettable love story he heard left a deep impression on him. Therefore, he decided to write the song in memory of that time.
Ren Suxi: I Want You [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]
3. Ren Suxi: I Want You
As the theme song of the black comedy, Mr. Donkey, I Want You was recorded by the leading actress Ren Suxi and released on Oct 26.
The movie was rated as the best Chinese movie in 2016 by Douban Movie, Chinese version of IMDb. Because of the movie's huge success, the theme song naturally became a hit.
Kazuhiko Kosaka: PPAP [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]
2. Kazuhiko Kosaka: PPAP
Kazuhiko Kosaka, a middle-aged Japanese man dressed in a leopard print black and yellow jacket engulfed the internet with his song, Pen-Pineapple-Apple-Pen (PPAP).
According to an insider, the simple melody, straightforward lyrics and humorous dance movements, combined with the earworm effect - a phrase that describes a catchy piece of music that continuously repeats in a person's mind long after the song stops playing - led to the popularity of PPAP.
Hebe Tien: A Little Happiness [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]
1. Hebe Tien: A Little Happiness
A Little Happiness is a love song from Our Times, a 2015 Taiwanese romance film directed by Frankie Chen. As a phenomenal song in Chinese musical circles, it gained many kudos and is constantly covered by other musicians.
The song has, in turn been adapted into Cantonese, Japanese, Korean and English versions. It is worth noting that the song and the movie have been widely accepted in the Republic of Korea, marking a milestone of Chinese culture in the Korean market.
In addition, A Little Happiness became the first Chinese video to pass 100 million views on YouTube in August 2016 and represents the most viewed Mandarin music video on YouTube, a record achieved in only in 397 days.
