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Rock Rips Top 50 of 2014

Pos Song Artist Peak Notes
1 Finnish BandDutch BandGhost Love Score Nightwish & Floor Jansen 1 4 wks at #1
2 Norwegian BandHuman Condition Triosphere 1 3 wks at #1
3 German BandNightfall Xandria 1 3 wks at #1
4 Canadian BandBeautiful Platinum Blonde 1 3 wks at #1
5 Finnish BandDutch BandYour Body is a Battleground Delain/Marco Hietala 1 3 wks at #1
6 German BandInto the West Van Canto 1 3 wks at #1
7 UK BandSupremacy Muse 1 1 wks at #1
8 Dutch bandStardust Delain 1 3 wks at #1
9 US BandUnder the Water The Pretty Reckless 1 4 wks at #1
10 Australia BandGunfight Sick Puppies 2 4 weeks at #2
11 Dutch bandUS BandDangerous Within Temptation/Howard Jones 1 2 wks at #1
12 US BandStill Into You Paramore 1 1 wk at #1
13 Northern Irish BandUK BandI Fail Creation's Tears with Sarah Jezebel Deva 1 4 wks at #1
14 German BandBadaboom Van Canto 1 1 wks at #1
15 Canadian ArtistsLet me Go Avril Lavigne & Chad Kroeger 1 1 wks at #1
16 Dutch BandPolish ArtistWhole World is Watching Within Temptation & Piotr Rogucki 1 2 wks at #1
17 Dutch BandUS ArtistWhole World is Watching Within Temptation & Dave Pirner 1 1 wks at #1
18 US bandSail Devildriver 1 1 wk at #1
19 US BandPain Killer The Letter Black 1 1 wk at #1
20 Dutch BandUnchain Utopia Epica 1 1 wk at #1
21 Finnish ArtistDutch BandParadise (What About Us?) Within Temptation & Tarja 1 2 wks at #1
22 US BandBang Bang Nico Vega 2 2 wks at #2
23 US BandI'll Follow You Shinedown 2 2 wks at #2
24 Dutch BandNaeon Autumn 1 1 wk at #1
25 US BandUp From the Ashes The Letter Black 1 1 wk at #1
26 Swedish BandDrop Dead Cynical Amaranthe 1 2 wks at #1
27 Italian bandDie & Rise Lacuna Coil 1 1 wks at #1
28 Australian BandThere's No Going Back Sick Puppies 1 1 wks at #1
29 German BandDreamkeeper Xandria 1 1 wk at #1
30 Finnish BandThe Battle of God HB 3
31 Finnish Band500 Letters Tarja 1 1 wk at #1
32 Norwegian ArtistSeven Widows Weep Sirenia 3
33 Finnish BandAlone in Heaven Sonata Arctica 2 2 wks at #2
34 US BandHanging on by a Thread The Letter Black 2 2 wks at #2
35 US BandNot Gonna Die Skillet 1 1 wk at #1
36 Norwegian BandMarionette Triosphere 3
37 Brazilian BandDecode Hydria 2 2 wks at #2
38 Canadian bandRaining Art of Dying & Adam Gontier 3
39 Austrian BandWings of Madness Serenity 4
40 US BandStand Up All that Remains 5
41 Greek Band Angel's Decay DreamEpic 3
42 Finnish BandPsalm Apocalyptica 10
43 Austrian BandAlight a New Tomorrow Edenbridge 3
44 US BandIn the End Black Veil Brides 4
45 Canadian BandWater's on Fire The Tea Party 4
46 Brazilian BandMonsters & Angels Hydria 5
47 Finnish BandMagic Forest Amberian Dawn 4
48 Russian BandTwilight SLOT 5
49 UK BandDon't Call Neverstar 5
50 German BandHell to the Heavens Leaves' Eyes 5

2014 in Review

In 2014, artists from Holland and Finland competed in droves. Charted songs with Finnish acts numbered 20, Dutch acts 15. On the top 50, 9 songs are Dutch, and 8 Finnish. The top is held by an unlikely song, a release from a band with a borrowed lead singer, originally from an album released back in 2004 - two singers prior to the band's current lead singer. The band is Nightwish, and they've been on our chart since "Everdream" hit #5 back in 2003. And while they led the influx of symphonic bands on Rock Rips, they've never had a major hit until now, their 4th #1. The song is "Ghost Love Score" and the version features then-guest vocalist Floor Jansen. And at 10 minutes and 22 seconds, it's by far the longest #1 we've ever had. It's also the most successful live release we've ever experienced here. Jansen's brilliant, spine-tingling vocals took this song from cult status to the forefront of the band's repertoire. The song spent 4 weeks on the top of our chart, and esconced Floor Jansen as the vocalist supreme for this song, and perhaps the band! Also, Nightwish members or former members hit our chart: Marco Hietala, Tarja, and Tuomas Holopainen

Within Temptation placed 5 songs on our chart this year, four of which went to #1. That gives WT a whopping 13 number 1 hits here! Also landing on Rock Rips 5 times were Muse and Van Canto. Nico Vega, Hydria, and Avril Lavigne all placed 4 hits in 2014. Always one to buck tradition, Within Temptation joins a very short list of acts (notably Apocalyptica) that reached our chart with a song and then with a remake of the same song ("Whole World is Watching").

Many bands also have more than 1 hit on this year-end chart: 4 songs from Within Temptation (#11-16-17-21); and 2 each from Triosphere (#2-36), Xandria (#3 - 29), Tarja (#21, 31), Hydria (#37 - 46), The Letter Black (#25 - 34), Sick Puppies (#10 - 28), Van Canto (#6 - 14), and Delain (#5 - 8).

NightwishTriosphereXandria
Platinum BlondeDelain & Marco HietalaVan Canto

Chart facts: This year-end chart of the top 50 songs (of 119 charted) of 2014 is represented by hits from 16 countries (13 US, 9 Netherlands, 8 Finland, 6 Canada, 5 Germany, 3 Norway and UK; 2 Australia, Austria, and Brazil; and 1 each from Northern Ireland, Sweden. Poland, Italy, Greece and Russia.).

Other minutiae:
  • 12 artists from last year's top 50 are back this year: Hydria, Shinedown, Nico Vega, Within Temptation, Amaranthe, Muse, Delain, The Pretty Reckless, Edenbridge, Sirenia, The Letter Black and Lacuna Coil.
  • There are 5 remakes: "Into the West," "Whole World is Watching," "Sail," "Bang Bang," "and "Decode."
  • There were 28 #1s and 6 #2s.
  • There are 9-multi-act entries: Nightwish with Floor Jansen, Delain with Marco Hietala, Within Temptation with Howard Jones, Within Temptation with Tarja, Within Temptation with Dave Pirner, Within Temptation with Piotr Rogucki, Creation's Tears with Sarah Jezebel Deva, Avril Lavigne & Chad Kroeger, and Art of Dying and Adam Gontier. 7 are multi-national collaborations.
  • The lowest peaking song is "Psalm," which reached #10.
  • 15 artists are here with their first charted hit. 6 are in our top 10.
  • There is 1 foreign language song ("Twilight"), 1 from a soundtrack ("Bang Bang"), 1 instrumental ("Psalm"), 1 with a question for a title ("What About Us?"), and 5 Christian rock hits on our chart.
  • 40 songs have a female presence, 8 more than last year.
  • Debuts in the top 10 include: "Sail" (7); "Whole World is Watching" (8); and "Nightfall" (9.)