The 20 best songs of 2015 that you can stream right now

Sure, this is the R&B singer's true crossover moment, with a heavy dose of Michael Jackson thrown in for good measure. But it's impossible to hate on a hit this universal. When it comes on, everybody moves, even if they don't intend to.

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Adele returned with a single that reminded us of everything we love about her, but it was also just different enough to make us scratch deeper: The best singer of her generation mulls over love lost with some piano in the background, but this isn't a breakup song. Like much of the rest of her epically successful new album, it's about moving on, which can be a hard lesson to learn.

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“Alright” is a great song all on its own regardless of lyrics, but it also attacks the large, complex issue of police brutality head-on — and our larger confusion about race and justice in America this year. The impact of the track took center stage when people around the country started singing it while marching in peaceful protests.

Though the song technically came out in 2014, “Bad Blood” officially took off when the star-studded music video dropped back in May with an extra verse from everybody's favorite rapper of the moment. Kendrick Lamar and Taylor Swift might have different fan bases, but they make an ideal combo of innate talent and bravado.

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It's easy and even logical to think of Kanye West as arrogance writ large in popular culture, so it was beautiful to see him release possibly his most emotionally potent song ever this year (okay, technically December 31 of last year), in which the voice of his late mom speaks through him and to his infant daughter. He may not be able to technically sing well, but this is a new kind of soul music.

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Stevens makes an odd pairing with Kanye: His dedication to his mother is much more emotionally fraught, but every bit as poetic, honest, and moving, and finally just so real that every single person who listens will relate.

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The debut album from the Australian musician nominated for the Best New Artist Grammy is one hell of an opening statement. Courtney Barnett didn't save rock 'n' roll in 2015, exactly, but she reminded us how useful it can be at telling people off, with satisfyingly raw guitar riffs and terse wordplay: "Tell me I'm exceptional, I promise to exploit you."

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Lana Del Rey moved back to the hard hip-hop beats of her debut and came up with something irresistable, down to the music video taking aim (literally) at paparazzi and anything else that might get in her way.

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People who complain rap is nothing but a lot of boasting don't listen to enough good rap music. The lyric of the year? It's from this unique 22-year-old talent from Long Beach, California: "They never taught me how to be a man, only how to be a shooter."

Grimes is a pint-sized indie-pop musician with epic ambitions, and her talent is starting to catch up. This sounds like a combination of Depeche Mode, Gwen Stefani, and a demonic Japanese metal band — in the best way.

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The sweet ode to the morning from the British singer harks back to a more innocent pop music, with coy innuendo, record-scratch noises, and the most satisfying of cymbal crashes.

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The Weeknd became a superstar in 2015, and “The Hills” only helped prove that after the success of "Can't Feel My Face." It combines cool guitar licks with the Weeknd's one-of-a-kind voice, a formula you can expect to drive many more hits.

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A year after releasing “2014 Forest Hills Drive,” Cole and crew jumped back in the studio and released the Dreamville collective’s “Revenge of the Dreamers II.” “Folgers Crystals” is Cole at his best, combining mellow rhymes with pleasingly melodic singing.

This song is just special. It’s incredibly inspirational and delivers the message that anyone can make a difference, from three men who are trying to make their own — and there are much worse things you could tell your fans.

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Fetty Wap made a name for himself in 2015 by combining catchy lyrics with a sound we’ve never really heard before. “My Way” is like something off another planet, and yet you could hear it being blasted all around you. Fetty is the real deal.

“Back to Back” is a song people will remember for years as the final blow Drake delivered to Meek Mill in their infamous rap beef. Drake dismantles Mill, but does it in an almost respectable way. “Back to Back” is the first diss track to ever be nominated for a Grammy Award.

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You'd be forgiven for thinking Madonna was busy doing anything to keep up with the selfie-posting youth in the ridiculous, mishap-prone rollout for her "Rebel Heart" album. But tucked in there was one of her most profound and genuinely spiritual songs, about pushing past our worst habits. (Bonus trivia: It's inspired by her '80s relationship with Jean-Michel Basquiat, who died of a heroin overdose.)

People love to hate Bieber, but there's no denying “What Do You Mean” was a hit for a reason. Bieber is back, and seems to be here to stay. Even people who won't admit to being fans are sold on the tune.

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The Oscar-winning track from “Selma” won't soon be forgotten. Legend and Common gave an incredibly emotional performance of the song at the 2015 Academy Awards that proves it's much more than a movie tie-in. "Glory," like the story it represents, will stand the test of time.

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