Of the handful of songs betting pundits have money down to win Triple J’s annual popularity contest Hottest 100 (High by Peking Duck feat Nicole Millar is at $1.60 while Talk is Cheap by Chet Faker $4.50) there is – according to some discordant fans – a notable omission from the shortlist.
A hastag campaign #Tay4Hottest100 – started by Buzzfeed’s Mark Di Stefano – is gaining momentum as it attempts to rally Taylor Swift fans to vote her 2014 monster hit Shake It Off to the top of the alternative radio station’s list.
Eligibility for the 2,000-long shortlist include being played on air by the station at least once in 2014. The station confirms Shake It Off was not played, although Milky Chance performed a cover on the weekly segment Like A Version last Friday. As this was recorded in 2015, it will enter next year’s shortlist.
Songs outside Triple J’s playlist can be voted for if users enter in their nomination manually on the website.
Despite the station reflecting a diversity of musical tastes and genres, including electronica, hip-hop, rock and pop, the top position in the Hottest 100 is often more conservative in taste. The last 10 chart toppers have all been indie rock or folk acts, and the only two female winners have been one half of a duo: Kimbra, featuring on Gotye’s track Somebody That I Used to Know; and Julia Stone with her brother Angus on Big Jet Plane.
There are artists that crossover between commercial radio and Triple J, including pop singer Sia, electronic producer Zhu and last year’s Triple J Hottest 100 topper, Australian singer-songwriter Vance Joy. Several songs with good odds to win (according to Sportsbet) – namely High by Peking Duck, Uptown Funk by Mark Ronson and Bruno Mars, and Stolen Dance by Milky Chance – have also seen plays on commercial radio.
While it’s unlikely that Swift’s hit will shake off its shiny pop veneer enough to win, here are five tracks that should top the Hottest 100 (but probably won’t) – as nominated by Guardian writers:
West Coast – Lana del Rey
The first single from Lana del Rey’s third album Ultraviolence is the moody, cinematic West Coast, and sees the US singer turn down the hysterics and amplify the atmosphere. Contributions from the Black Keys’s Dan Auerbach as producer helped ground her typically overwrought style. It’s smooth, surly, and one of the best songs of 2014 (not to mention by del Rey, ever).
Tyson – REMI
Two years ago we finally saw the Hottest 100’s urban cherry popped when Thrift Shop by Macklemore and Ryan Lewis feat Wanz became the first hip-hop song to take the No 1 spot. Another barrier will come crashing down when a homegrown hip-hop act manages to ascend to first place, and this year we’re rallying behind young Melbourne lyricist Remi Kolawole. His song Tyson is full of stylish swagger and nicely-controlled aggression not usually seen in chilled out skip-hop.
2 On – Tinashe feat Schoolboy Q
While 2 On has been spotted in a few mix-up sets, it’s never been deigned worthy of Triple J proper. Elsewhere the song introduced the world to model-turned-actress-turned-model-turned-chanteuse Tinashe, who went for Ciara and Cassie’s throne like those hackers did Sony. And it has a beat by DJ Mustard, who could fill a sizeable chunk of the Hottest 100 list with his music from this past 12 months alone. It’s hands down the sexiest, most hedonistic party song of the year, and Schoolboy Q, Kendrick Lamar’s former hypeman, adds even more fire.
Thinking Out Loud (20syl remix) – Ed Sheeran
Remixes were du jour in 2014, and one deserving the Hottest 100 crown was 20syl’s incredible mashup of Ed Sheeran’s Thinking Out Loud. The producer’s twinkling, orchestral sounds lend to Sheeran’s romantic lyrics: “Take me into your loving arms / kiss me under the light of a thousand stars”. 20syl’s remake, of what was already a beautiful song, ups the tempo and adds a dollop of funk.
Tennis Court (Flume remix) – Lorde
Last year Lorde collided with Australian electronic wunderkind Flume (on Twitter no less – can it get any more gen-Y?), and resulted in musical magic. Think a dense, texture-heavy remix of the New Zealand songstress’s single Tennis Court. The track deserves to go the way of that other big trans-Tasman collaboration, Gotye and Kimbra, who topped the 2011 Hottest 100 with Somebody That I Used to Know.
• Triple J’s Hottest 100 will be broadcast live on 26 January. Voting closes on Sunday
