The Year in Pop, in 5 Minutes

End-of-year coverage is in full force this week. Earlier today, we posted a stunning year-in-movies montage from Film.com, and this afternoon DJ Earworm posted his annual year-in-pop mashup, the “United State of Pop.”

Part of why I like Earworm’s yearly mashup is that it provides a pretty straightforward look back at the most popular songs of the year, with little editorializing. (Earworm says that the 25 hits represent “the most popular songs in the U.S., as determined by Billboard’s weekly Hot 100 charts.”) This year, as listening to this mashup makes clearer than ever, the country seemed to be drawn to a surprisingly melancholy mix of songs, from “We Can’t Stop” to “Stay” to  “Royals” to “I Knew You Were Trouble” and “When I Was Your Man,” with no all-conquering, all-uplifting “Call Me Maybe” in earshot. Here’s hoping that 2014 feels a little sunnier.

For the complete list of songs, head over to YouTube.