ΠΟΙΑ ΘΑ ΕΙΝΑΙ Η ΜΕΓΑΛΗ ΕΠΙΤΥΧΙΑ ΤΟΥ 2014

Before Pharrell Williams' infectious Happy became a smiley success, Katy Perry galloped to No. 1 on herDark Horse and Pitbull tumbled to the top of the charts with Ke$ha collaboration Timber. But with No. 1 reigns that only lasted four and three weeks, respectively, one has to wonder what the first smash hit of 2014 will be. After all, Robin Thicke's enormously popular Blurred Lines arrived last March, shimmying its way to the top spot for 12 straight weeks and selling 6.9 million downloads to date. USA TODAY crunches the numbers and polls industry experts about which irresistible single could be the next to ignite a pop-culture phenomenon.

• 2.1 million downloads to date

• No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100

• 104 million views on YouTube

• 66.9 million streams on Spotify

Why it could be the song of 2014: "Happy definitely is the one," says John Ivey, program director of KIIS-FM in Los Angeles. After its attention-grabbing 24-hour music video last fall, radio stations started talking about the Despicable Me 2 tune "and it started to take off very quickly" in the new year. Add in its Oscar nomination for best original song, a dazzling performance by Williams at the Academy Awardsand its current reign at No. 1 and "the record is already there," Ivey says. But does it have staying power? YouTube's head of culture and trends Kevin Allocca thinks so, because it's already shown viral muscle, from parodies of Williams'"Smokey Bear" hat to people uploading their own videos of the Happy dance. "That we're seeing all these different people from all over the world creating their own versions is an indicator of how that song has emerged in the zeitgeist," Allocca says.

• 1.5 million downloads to date

• No. 4 on the Hot 100

• 47 million views on YouTube

• 31.8 million streams on Spotify

Why it could be the song of 2014: Jumping from No. 11 to No. 4 on the Hot 100,All of Me is R&B artist Legend's first top 10 hit and the third single from his Love in the Future album. And with a dance remix by popular DJ Tiësto, a duet rendition with dubstep violinist Lindsey Stirling and its universal message of love, the song has what it takes to appeal across genres. "It's got huge momentum," says Billboard editor Joe Levy. "It doesn't matter who you love, this is the song that tells the story. We're talking about the kind of song that (will be used as the) first-dance song at weddings for years to come."

• 395,000 downloads to date

• No. 26 on the Hot 100 (peaked at No. 15)

• 182 million views on YouTube

• 23.5 million streams on Spotify

Why it could be the song of 2014: Pairing two global megastars for a sexy island jam and even steamier music video, Can't Remember to Forget You may not have the charting power of other escalating tracks, but it does have the eyeballs. In one month, the titillating video has already racked up more YouTube hits than the other three videos combined, and if Shakira ever pulls in Rihanna for a live performance of the song on The Voice, that could be the ammunition that shoots it up the charts, says Levy. "It's definitely been trending globally, not just in the U.S., which bodes well," says Will Mills, vice president of music and content at music identification service Shazam. "Shakira has a global reach as well, certainly in Spanish-speakingcountries, so it definitely has potential to become a global hit."

• 907,000 downloads to date

• No. 21 on the Hot 100

• 5.7 million views on YouTube

• 9.9 million streams on Spotify

Why it could be the song of 2014: With its upbeat melody and winsome charm,Best Day of My Life is well on its way to finding the top 20 success of other folk-rock hits such as The Lumineers' Ho Hey and Of Monsters and Men's Little Talks. Although it was released last March, the song may be propelled by its appearance in TV commercials for Lowe's and Hyundai, and American Authors' just-released debut album, Oh, What a Life. "We're approaching summer — definitely a good time for a feel-good record with a good message," says Yahoo Music senior editor Billy Johnson Jr. While it's taken some time to gain momentum, "there's still more life to the song. It has all the right qualities to (hit No. 1)."

Other possible contenders:

Aloe Blacc, The Man: "That one really seems to be tracking up on Shazam and it has potential to cross over as well," Mills says.

The Chainsmokers, #Selfie: "Because it's a novelty song, it's either going to have limited appeal or become a massive cultural phenomenon," Levy says.

Cherub, Doses & Mimosas: "It's been in our system for a while now, but it just spiked as the most Shazam-ed track in L.A.," Mills says.

Florida Georgia Line, This Is How We Roll (featuring Luke Bryan): "It's definitely a fun song that would be good for the summer," Johnson says.

Tegan and Sara, Everything is Awesome!!!: "It's so, so infectious, you just can't stop singing it," Johnson says of The Lego Movie theme.