On-Screen Advent Adventure: Day Twenty-Three

BEST OF 2013 AWARDS: TOP 20 BEST SONGS PART 2
In just 48 hours' time, the big day will be upon us, and here at On-Screen, we hope that you're getting the chance to relax and indulge in the season goodwill in anticipation of Christmas itself. Our 'Best of 2013 Awards' are beginning to reach their almighty climax two-thirds of the way through December, continuing today with the remainder of our Top 20 Best Songs of 2013 shortlist.

Comprising twenty different artists deriving from a variety of genres and current statuses of fame, the list recaps some of the greatest music to grace the radios over the course of the last twelve months, along with YouTube videos for each track. Here, then, are entries #10-#1 of this compilation of 2013's superior melodies...

10. I SEE FIRE (ED SHEERAN)- The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug may not have matched the charm and accomplished pacing of An Unexpected Journey, but at least Ed Sheeran's tie-in single was a worthy successor to Neil Finn's Song of the Lonely Mountain. His I See Fire is a melancholic and simultaneously empowering tune which was a perfect book-end to the film after its shocking cliffhanger...

9. TOGETHER OR NOT AT ALL: THE STORY OF AMY AND RORY (MURRAY GOLD)- Somewhat late to the party in its releasing a year after The Angels Take Manhatten's broadcast, Murray Gold's accompaniment to the departure of Karen Gillan from Doctor Who is by far the Complete Series 7 soundtrack's standout entry, replicating the immense pathos of Amy's demise in audible form perfectly.

8. SOME NIGHTS (FUN)- Following up on their sensational debut with We Are Young in 2012, Fun's latest single was released later in the year, although it only became a prominent mainstay in the charts earlier in 2013. Some Nights is just as infectious as its predecessor, if not moreso, and as such that it remains such a pop hit come the end of the year should hardly come as any great shock!

7. LET'S GO (VINYL HEARTS)- This little-known indie contribution from Vinyl Hearts hit the big time with its première within the Muppets Most Wanted marketing campaign in March and beyond. Let's Go is but a taste of the band's immense talents, but as first impressions go, they don't come much more justifiably tantalising and promising than this.

6. HEY JUDE (GLEE CAST)- Only Glee could achieve one of the best covers of a beloved Beatles track at the same time as constructing a surprisingly successful parody of Carrie in the process. Love Is All You Need and Seasons of Love were both close contenders for the ever-strengthening ensemble cast's best contribution in 2013, testament to the production team's continuing ability to stun in spite of the series' tropes.

5. ONE DAY MORE (LES MISERABLES CAST)- As a newcomer to the realms of Les Miserables at the time of the film's launch, this writer's experience of One Day More for the first time on the big screen was an eye-opener in every sense of the phrase. Jackman excels in the voice of Jean Valjean, yet it's Crowe's Javert who proves hauntingly iconic here in one of the film version's bountiful array of highlight moments...

4. DEMONS (IMAGINE DRAGONS)- Believe me when I confirm that the competition in the Top 5 rankings on the list was particularly substantial, arguably to a greater degree than any of the other 'Best of 2013 Awards' shortlists. Imagine Dragons' captivating Night Visions track Demons misses out on a Top 3 placement by an inch, yet it remains the band's finest hour so far, a masterful showcase of their potential!

3. CAN'T PRETEND (TOM ODELL)- Again, Tom Odell's Long Way Down featured multiple tracks worthy of note, but ultimately, my aim was to have each entry on the 2013 shortlist be unique in style and tone, so I've chosen the artist's most effective song of the lot. Can't Pretend found fame in The Newsroom Season Two's promo campaign, but as a standalone piece it more than outranks that sub-par televisual run.

2. LET MY LOVE OPEN THE DOOR (LUMINATE)- Another Newsroom-founded gem, albeit coming from a band who were barely known before their 'on-screen' début. Newcomer Luminate's cover version of Pete Townshend's Let My Love Open The Door is a rousing rock anthem that is sure to see out 2013 (via any New Year's Eve party host willing to add it to the playlist) with a triumphant bang...

1. OVER THE LOVE (FLORENCE & THE MACHINE)- With criticisms so often laid before Baz Luhrrman's Summer adaptation of The Great Gatsby, music fans musn't forget that the film's soundtrack offered up the year's peak in musical finesse. Florence & The Machine return to the limelight (or should that be green light?) with Over The Love, and it's safe to say that from this point onwards, any doubts of the band's capability to outperform each and every one of its competitors will undoubtedly have faded away into the darkness along with Gatsby's ultimately intangible realisation of the American Dream.