I already said it one too many times this year and I'll say it again, thank god for the music of 2020.
This year man. This fucking year. Even with how god awful the world is right now, we did not deserve music this good. This is right up there as one of the best music years I have ever covered. Probably top five so far. When a year-end list has more than fifty songs that I liked, then that's a telling sign that this was a great year overall. I may not be looking forward to the future due to massive amounts of uncertainty that is the world around us, but if I'm looking forward to one thing, it's to see where music is going. Even excluding just the hits, I think music in general is in an awesome place.
That's why I did a top twenty list this year. Because I would be excluding too many good hits that we got on this year-end list. So much strong quality that should not go unnoticed. I'm not going to waste too much more of your time guys. Not just due to wanting to start this amazing list already, but because I have a shit ton of writing to do. No honorable mentions this year. Let's get the ball rolling. WE'RE COUNTING DOWN!
THE TOP TWENTY BEST HIT SONGS OF 2020
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…can we just put Em out to pasture already? For fucks sake.
I swear to god I’m getting sick of this man constantly
embarrassing himself with humiliatingly misguided album after humiliatingly
misguided album.
But even with each passing album, Em still has a track or
two that manages to remind me that he’s still one of the best to ever do
it. And thankfully, the best song on
that last album ended up being his only hit.
20. “Godzilla” – Eminem (featuring Juice WRLD)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r_0JjYUe5jo
By no means is this one of Eminem’s best songs. Not even close to being in his top ten. Honestly the main reason this song is even on
this best list is Juice’s hook. Which is
honestly one of the best hooks he ever did.
Even at his advanced age, Eminem can still make interesting
music. Good or bad. That album has multiple tasteless songs about
the inner workings of the minds of infamous serial killers. But this song is about Eminem himself and his
own self-destructive tendencies to alcohol addiction. Which is fascinating in its own rights as he
compares his own addiction to the implications of movie monsters like Godzilla.
…all that said, did we really need that third verse? Yes, Eminem breaking his own record once
again for fastest rap verse is impressive.
But it has been done to death and when you really look into the lyrics,
it’s almost as unimpressive as his previous record with Rap God. Just because you’ve got the ability to rap
fast doesn’t hide the fact that you’re basically rapping utter nonsense.
Oh and if I hear any more references to that Chris D’Elia
impression of Eminem one more fucking time I swear to god…
“Truth Hurts” is not going to be making my best list for the
second year in a row.
For as talented as Lizzo is, this song does not hold up
nearly as well one year later. I still
stand by it making my best list last year and I still like it a lot, but this
song aged like rotting produce. It feels
more like a dated meme than it does a quality song. How it had enough points to make a year-end
list again is beyond me.
But even back in 2019, I thought Lizzo’s other huge hit was
the better of the two songs. And while
this definitely doesn’t feel like it belongs on 2020 year-end list either, I
still like it as much then as I do now.
19. “Good as Hell” – Lizzo
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SmbmeOgWsqE
Can we just agree to only let Lizzo do self-empowerment
anthems from this point forward? I would
be perfectly okay with that. Because she
is the only one who is consistently good at them in this day and age. And this one is no exception. For awhile, this song absolutely made me feel good as hell. Lizzo just comes from such a honest place that I truly appreciate her.
I for one think it is interesting that Lizzo only seems to
be doing well with songs prior to her big break. Which makes me question if Lizzo is really
going to have a sustainable career moving forward. I think that she will, but the fact that she
has had two flop singles off that album last year is concerning moving
forward. Granted “Juice” should be the
one that got big since it was everywhere and only peaked at 80 something.
Honestly avoiding talking about the song itself because the
only reason this song isn’t higher is because it’s 2020. I don’t feel good as hell. And while this song does put a smile on my
face and I really like it, it just reminds me of better times that I wish were
still here.
But when that day comes when the pandemic does finally end,
I think we can all agree that we will be feeling truly good as hell again.
---------
….well fuck. He did it again.
18. “Laugh Now Cry
Later” – Drake (featuring Lil Durk)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JFm7YDVlqnI
I know you guys. I’m
sick of Drake too. I’m sick of him never
truly going away from the cultural zeitgeist.
I’m sick of him flooding the charts with minimal effort music. I’m sick of him constantly trend
hopping. I’m sick of him being the most
stagnant artist on the planet. But I’m
not going to sit here and say that he’s untalented. Because when he wants to try, he is still very
interesting as an artist. I fully
understand why he isn’t going away. He
doesn’t want his time in the spotlight to end and he’s very scared of what will
happen when that day does come. He has
released many songs like that and “Laugh Now Cry Later” is yet another
exploration into that topic. What can I
say? Songs like that still make Drake a
very interesting artist and he succeeded once again here.
And this is easily one of the best sounding songs of the
year. J. Cole’s “Middle Child” has
brought back horns into trap music in a big way. And while I liked the horns on that song too,
I love them here. They only add to the
grandiose sound of Drake’s insecurities as a performer.
And while most Drake cosigns tend to flop after their big
collaboration, I hope that Lil Durk manages to stick around. I thought he was good prior to the big Drake
collab and the songs he has pushed post this one are promising too. Got to love anyone who throws shade at
6ix9ine.
I know this is the lead single to that new Drake album
coming out in a few weeks. I hope it’s
not another overlong bore, but even if it is, at least this will probably be an
album highlight for me either way.
I’m still not sold on Luke Combs.
I’ve tried and tried to see the appeal of this guy. This guy who seems to be the most successful country artist right now. He is seemingly the only country artist who can actually get an album bomb on the Hot 100. And more importantly, he has the type of presence that should make me, a guy who has been longing for the return of traditional country music, a fan. And I’m sorry to say this but I just don’t like his voice.
He’s a technically sound performer for country music yes,
but just because you have the voice doesn’t mean you convey the message of your
music well enough to leave a lasting impact.
And that’s what most of Luke Combs music is to me. It goes in one ear and out the other. Well except for this one song.
17. “Even Though I’m Leaving” – Luke Combs
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P7kqqmr2HWI
Yeah the universally agreed best Luke Combs song is his best
song. And I can absolutely understand
the appeal of why it is. Just like
“Marry Me” by Thomas Rhett two years ago, it tells a good old fashioned story
that just absolutely leaves you reeling hook line and sinker.
It has three different scenarios involving a father and a
son. Story one is about the son as a kid
afraid of the monsters under his bed and wanting his father to stay with him,
but his father basically using the chorus of the song to tell him that he knows
his song has the courage to fall right back asleep but he’s down the hall if he
needs him because he isn’t going anywhere.
Story two is about the son joining the military and calming his father’s
nerves with the chorus of the song to let him know that he will be with his
father in spirit while fighting for his country. And the most tragic of them all is story
three, where the father is on his deathbed and the son is not ready to let go
of him. With the dying father using the
chorus of this song to let him know that he will be with his son in spirit.
That final story is the one that ties me in every time. I have a very close relationship with my
father and while my father is thankfully still with me, I can just visualize
each one of these scenarios with my father and just shed a tear thinking about
what could happen when that day finally does come where my father passes
on. It’s a very effective song and while
I still think Luke Combs has a way to go as a performer to really make a song like
this really bring on the waterworks like some of these country songs I listened
to growing up, I will give him credit as a songwriter because he is one of the
two songwriters of this song. Job well
done.
Can we please not?
I mentioned this a couple months ago when I talked about
that Pop Smoke song that’s still in the top twenty as I was doing this
write-up; hell it even cracked the top ten.
Studios exploiting artists after they pass just leaves me feeling super
uncomfortable. Especially when they
transform their visions to mend their own narrative. Did Pop Smoke want to be the next 50 Cent? I don’t know, but having 50 Cent help
executive produce his posthumous album surely added to the studio’s narrative
and made it happen.
I sense a different sort of meddling when it comes to Juice
WRLD’s album. Sure he was promoting this
album coming out shortly before he passed late last year as it got delayed to
the summer of this year. But the sort of
meddling I sense with this album is more along the lines of industry
malpractice. His studio allowed Juice to
self-destruct the way he did and the fact that they are still trying to profit
off of this kid’s introspections even after he passed rubs me all sorts of
wrong ways.
For the record, I don’t think this album is bad. Not at all.
It is indeed quite good and I know a couple people that felt like this
album spoke to them. And they probably
are not the only ones who felt this sort of emotional attachment to it. Juice airing out his troubles like this even
before he passed helped a lot of people who felt similar. That doesn’t make it feel any less unclean
though because it was definitely done that way by design.
If his label managers cared about him the slightest bit,
they would have listened to not even just his newer music, but his older music
all as warning signs as to what was to come.
I can surely tell that his handlers pushed him further down that hole as
the kid was clearly screaming for help.
Who knows what would have happened if Juice even tried to seek help for
all his addictions? I honestly don’t
want to dig deeper down that rabbit hole because I don’t want to think people
are that cruel that they would purposely let kids like Juice WRLD self-destruct
the way that he did to the point of overdosing.
But you never can know and entertainment industries tend to have all
sorts of bad people on top….
…speaking of which, Doctor Luke produced the Juice WRLD song
on my best list.
16. “Wishing Well” – Juice WRLD
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C5i-UnuUKUI
This is the most heartbreaking song on the album and it is
admittedly excellent. Originally
recorded as a deep cut from a year or so ago called “Lauryn Hill”, this song is
just devastating to listen to as it claims line for line how Juice WRLD’s life
would turn out. Absolutely tear-jerking
and one of my favorite songs Juice has ever done even though I rarely seek it
out due to how hard it hits.
Fuck Doctor Luke.
R.I.P. Jarad Higgins
---------------
That last one took a lot out of me. Let’s talk about something a little more
light-hearted.
15. “Savage” – Megan Thee Stallion
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EOxj2ROIxok
…now that’s more like it.
It’s interesting that the original is the one that’s credited on the
2020 year end list when the remix was the one that really took it off. Which the remix ended up growing on me
too. What can I say? It needed Beyonce to make it sound complete.
But this isn’t about Beyonce. It’s about Megan Thee Stallion. Who along with Roddy Ricch were the biggest emerging
stars from this year. I’m absolutely
1000% a fan of this woman, who I think has a super bright future if her label
doesn’t mishandle it properly. I mean
come on Atlantic Records. She’s had
three debut albums now. You’re not
fooling anyone by saying last month’s was the REAL first. What I love about Megan is her
personality. A real accurate comparison
point to me is she’s the 2020’s Missy Elliott.
A woman who has great technical skills and oozes with natural charisma.
And while I’ve loved nearly every single she has pushed, the
right single was her first number one. It
accurately describes why it is easy to love Megan. She is everything the hook says she is:
savage, classy, bougie, ratchet, sassy, moody, nasty. In all the best ways possible. I mean you really need to have personality to
really make your listeners believe that you are everything you say you are and
Megan sounds fly as fuck while doing it.
So I’ve talked about the decline in the importance of radio
the past few years doing these lists.
Well that’s still true for many genres, but it is a lie for one genre
after doing more research.
Country music is now bigger than it was ten years ago thanks
to higher audience viewership due to radio.
The genre also has a bigger streaming presence year over year as
well. So I would like to take this
moment to apologize to all the forty year old soccer moms and good ole boys and
girls down in Nashville for saying something so false.
This is all build up for another country song making this
list.
14. “I Hope You’re Happy Now” – Carly Pearce & Lee Brice
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SBBhyMYnwCw
And you know what other good is coming from the country
genre at the moment? The women are back
and making huge hits again. Yeah after
years and years of country being a pre-dominantly male genre, the women are
getting some of the biggest hits of the year.
And I’m all for it. Most of my
favorite country songs of the last twenty years have been by women and the
males aren’t saying many new things right now.
They’re going through the same check boxed lists that they’ve been going
through for far too long now. Let’s let
the women shine. And one of the best
ones out there right now is Carly Pearce.
Seriously hope she gets more hits after this one because every hit she
has had from the genre is pretty damn good.
Yeah I know, there is also a male on my favorite hit country
song of this year, but I don’t think this song would have nearly worked as well
if it was just one person singing it.
Because this is the type of country song formula that I grew up loving
as a kid. The mature break-up song where
both partners are trying to be happy and hoping for the best. It’s a more mature version of “I Hope”, as
song that I do like, but hated how the awful duet was the one that got credited. The instrumentation on the former sounds more
neo-traditional and instead of being self-righteously pissed like the latter,
these two are still upset but they appreciated while they had while it lasted.
And the vocal chemistry between Carly and Lee is fucking
excellent. They complement each other
very well and they fit in perfectly as the roles the song calls for. Listening
to them sing to each other about being messes and wrecks, while still hoping
that they find what they are looking for is just the most devastating vibe of
the year. I genuinely hope that we keep
getting more songs like this because these are the bones that made country
music relevant in the first place.
Talk about a song that would be in my top five if it wasn’t
for one huge problem.
13. “Supalonely” – Benee (featuring Gus Dapperton)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rb6Scz-5YOs
I’m not kidding. This
song would be a lot higher if it wasn’t for that one major flaw. And that’s the guest rapper. I’m not going to even pretend I know a single
thing about Gus Dapperton, but he sucks.
He just fucking sucks the momentum out of the entire song. He is a non-presence that puts the song on
halt for like twenty seconds so he can talk about how he doesn’t want to mess
things up. Well buddy, you sure messed
up this song’s chances of being perfect.
Because everything else about this song is an absolute
ironic delight. In a year chalk full of
pandemic related songs, this was the one that I related to the most. I wanted to spread faux happiness in such a
depressing time, when in reality I was just as depressed as everyone else was. Even removing any sort of pandemic related
subtext out of this song, I’ve been in this song’s situation before. Struggling to get your emotions under control
while feeling absolutely down on yourself.
I mean haven’t we all?
Making this song upbeat absolutely adds to this song’s
greatness. All the pandemic songs good
or bad were just absolute dullards to listen to. “Supalonely” was the only exception and I’ll
always remember it because of the retro vibes this song gives off. Good luck getting that second hit Benee.
As we make it through the first year of our new decade, I’ve
got to admit, I’m still nostalgic for the beginning of the last one.
And no, it’s not entirely due to 2020 being the worst year
ever. But I just really miss when pop
music felt as important as it once did.
The larger than life personalities.
The insanely catchy songs. Pop
music was just significant in the cultural zeitgeist compared to now where it
is an afterthought. So needless to say,
I’ll take any sort of throwback to that era whenever I can get a hold of it.
12. “Rain On Me” – Lady Gaga & Ariana Grande
Leave it to Lady Gaga, basically the last of a dying breed
of early 2010’s popstars, to give us a nostalgic bop in a time we desperately
needed one. Honestly, “Rain On Me” was a
very fascinating hit this year. Despite
it sounding like an early 2010’s pop smash, it was the tale of two different
eras of pop. On the one hand, you have
Lady Gaga who has a flashy personality as a performer. And on the other, you have Ariana Grande,
whose personal life is her personality as a performer. It almost feels like a passing of the guard
moment in a way since Lady Gaga seems to be transitioning into the role of your
mother’s favorite pop singer while Ariana Grande is basically one of, if not
the biggest, pop star in the game at the moment.
Well if that’s the case, mother Monster has still got plenty
left in the tank. And if anything, she
picked the right collaborator to work with.
It’s easy to be tired of Ariana right now since Scooter is still
refusing to give her a fucking break, but when Ariana and Gaga have such great
vocal chemistry, who am I to complain?
And this beat just fucking slaps.
While “Chromatica” the album; while still good; left a lot to be desired
when it comes to Gaga retreading electropop ten years after her last album to
do so, this was one of the album highlights as it sounded far more like 90s
dance pop/house music. It is seriously
one of my favorite productions of the whole year and BloodPop deserves a ton of
credit for his mixing.
But the thing that really drove this to being as high as it
did was the message. I think we all
needed to hear this message in 2020, a year full of dour and depressing music
that I’d rather be dry but at least I’m alive.
For the longest time, I thought that line was drunk instead of dry
because Gaga previously mentions that she isn’t sober in this song. She is drinking to cope with the pain that is
the world around her. But she is still
thankful to be here despite all the uncertainty. And honestly, that’s where I’m at too. Yes the world sucks, but I’m thankful to
still be alive at this point in time.
These next two are basically a tie.
11. “Watermelon Sugar” – Harry Styles
10. “Adore You” – Harry Styles
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VF-r5TtlT9w
What else can I say except Harry Styles had a great
2020? He easily has the most successful
solo career of all his former One Direction mates. And he just seems to love making throwbacks
to the music of yesteryear. Which is a
huge plus for suckers like me. But Harry
has seemingly taken that next step over the past year from being the most
recognizable face from One Direction to being a big named popstar. He had one of the best-selling albums of the
year, got hired for more acting gigs, got a number one hit on the Hot 100, and
even got into it with Candace Owens about the classifications of
masculinity.
Honestly I flip flopped throughout the year which one of
these songs I liked more and I’m still indecisive as the year came to an end,
so I’m just placing these two together next to each other for now until that
day comes where I finally make up my mind.
“Watermelon Sugar” was the summer song I badly needed in a
summer where we really had like two true summer sounding songs. Of course “ROCKSTAR” was the summer song that
represented what America was going through this summer. But “Watermelon Sugar” felt like what we would
all have listened to if the summer was about having good fun vibes. It just brings me so much joy and honestly
this is what “Yummy” wanted to be…except good.
And then you have “Adore You”. The song I feel like will keep growing on me
as the years go by. It’s going to be a
modern pop classic and despite its super high year end ranking, people will
look back in utter shock that it never even cracked the Top 5 during its
initial chart run. It is a straight
forward pop song about just a guy loving on a girl. Or in this music video’s case, a fish. And really, this was the type of 80s style
love song that I truly miss from that era.
I’ve read that Harry Styles is influenced by the music of
yesteryear and I believe it. The fact
that one of his main modern influences is Father John Misty makes too much sense. Granted, he is the store brand version of
Father John Misty because let’s face it, he only wishes his music was as
excellent as his. I would rather be
known as the former One Directioner that makes good music rather than flopping
spectacularly ala Liam Payne. Keep it up
Harry!
So by now, I’m sure most streamers are enjoying looking at
their Spotify Wrapped or Apple Replay lists.
Checking out which songs are their most listened to throughout
2020. Would you like to know what topped
my list?
Eee err
9. “The Box” – Roddy Ricch
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UNZqm3dxd2w
Sure there were eight songs better to me on this list, but
none that I would come back to as much as I did “The Box”. Which I keep finding more and more to love
about this every time I listen to it.
But the one thing that still remains true to this day after my first
listen, Roddy Ricch is going to be a superstar for many years to come.
I mean my god, this dude is super talented. I just keep noticing more and more things
that I love about this song that I missed previously throughout this year. Like the amount of times his flow switches
throughout the song. Seriously, he has a
new delivery or pitch every ten seconds.
You have to be really confident in your skills to do something like that
and still make it sound so natural. That’s
fucking impressive.
And then there were the lyrics themselves that just got
jammed into my head throughout the year.
I did not expect so many of these lines to stick with me all year, but
here we are nearly a year later that I can do:
My Top Ten Most Memorable Lines From “The Box”:
10. “I’ll lay his ass down on my son or my daughter, I had
the Draco with me Dwayne Carter”
9. “I got the mojo deals we been trappin like the 80s”
8. “Shawty call me Crisco cause I pop my shit”
7. “Got a bitch that’s looking like Aaliyah, she’s a model”
6. “I done out my whole arm in the rim, Vince Carter”
5. “And I really wanna know, where you at at”
4. “I’m a 2020 presidential candidate I done put a hundred bands on Zimmerman
shit”
3. “Bitch don’t wear no shoes in my house!”
2. “Told ‘em fuck 12, fuck SWAT”
….and you know what my number one is if it isn’t already
obvious…..
That eee err. That
one adlib. It never left my fucking head
the moment I heard it and I still find myself eee err-ing throughout all of
2020. It’s what spawned millions of
memes, millions of TikTok’s. And I
absolutely get it. It’s just
infectious. It’s the earworm of the
year. I guarantee you years from
now. Anywhere from two to twenty. That eee err will end up becoming one of the
most sampled bits in songs for years to come.
I mentioned on the worst list that despite this being a
great year for music, the hit singles as a whole did not spark as much
conversation points like it did say last year for example. Well there was one hit single that was an
exception in 2020.
8. “WAP” – Cardi B & Megan Thee Stallion
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hsm4poTWjMs
The moment “WAP” came out was one of the most memorable
moments of the year for me. Everyone and
I do mean everyone had something to say about this song. It became a center point of think-pieces for
weeks. And if it wasn’t for BTS
manipulating the sales chart, WAP would have been one of the longest number
ones of the entire year. It just felt
that important in a year where most of our number ones didn’t really leave much
of a cultural impact. You didn’t hear
Ben Shapiro embarrass himself trying to overanalyze “Savage Love” is what I’m
trying to say.
A lot has been said about “WAP”. And I mean A LOT. That’s what happens when people get that
explicit about sex. But it really takes
true great music that makes a song much more than just controversy and
titillation (pun intended). This is a
true classic banger with two heavyweight rap titans dropping bars with attitude
and relative ease. Cardi and Megan
delivered a genre redefining anthem in a year that sorely need some unabashed
raunchiness.
Make no mistake. In a
worse year, this next one would be so much higher up on the list. And despite only being number seven, this
artist was my personal favorite hit maker of 2020.
7. “Break My Heart” – Dua Lipa
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nj2U6rhnucI
I told you all to invest in Dua Lipa three years ago and she
is surely paying those dividends now. It
is only a matter of time until she debuts an album at number one and sells out
arena tours when concerts eventually come back.
Cementing her status as one of the best pop stars working today.
Honestly, we didn’t deserve Dua Lipa in 2020. Future Nostalgia is an aptly titled album
because Dua helped bring retro pastiche back in a BIG way. When Roddy Ricch said that we were trapping
like the 80s, little did we know how much great retro pastiche was soon to
come. And Dua Lipa was at the forefront
of that movement even before all that.
Her music just felt like it came from happier and better times than
2020.
Which leads me to “Break My Heart”, which I wouldn’t even consider one of my top three favorite tracks off that album. But the moment I heard that INXS “Need You Tonight” sample, I loved it immediately.
And a lot of my love for this song does indeed have to do with that
sample. “Need You Tonight” is probably
my favorite INXS song mostly because it perfectly demonstrates just how amazing
this group is. Sampling one of the best
songs to come out of the 80’s is a very ballsy move and reworking it into a sexy
disco-funk pop gem.
I would’ve stayed at home ‘cause I was doing better alone
....Dua Lipa.
Supporting stay at home before staying at home became cool. We truly doesn’t deserve this woman.
For my next song I'd like to build up the anticipa- UNH UNH UNH UNH
6. “Circles” – Post Malone
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wXhTHyIgQ_U
Yeah I know. I got
just as tired of this charting as much as the next person. The fact that the pandemic basically killed
the radio’s effectiveness to figure out what people are ACTUALLY listening to
had a lot to do with songs like this and “Blinding Lights” become not only some
of the biggest songs of the year but some of the biggest songs of all
time. In any other year, “Circles” would
have not been nearly as successful as it ended up becoming. But in a way, I’m glad that it did.
This song’s staying power through 2020 just kept growing on
me throughout the year. Honestly, who
can’t relate to going in circles throughout so many aspects of our lives? Especially in the hellish landscape all of us
are suffering through. This song may be
about a relationship gone cold, but it conveyed a new layer of somberness as we
had to adjust to this temporary landscape 2020 delivered onto us. That’s why it stuck around as long as it did. Not due to overplay. Because it was a fucking mood.
I honestly don’t even regret not officially placing this on
my best list last year. That’s what
happens sometimes when songs chart for multiple years. They just grow on you. And I absolutely adore this song now far more
than at any point I did last year, and I liked it a lot then too. Not sure what comes next in the career arch
of Post Malone, but hopefully we get more 70s styled soft pop-rock like
this. He’s really damn good at it.
…….
5. “Blinding Lights” – The Weeknd
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4NRXx6U8ABQ
…..Blinding Lights is not topping my best list.
Yes this is as much as a shock to me as it is to you all
reading. Didn’t I once call this having
the potential to be one of my favorite songs of all time? Hasn’t it indirectly topped every one of my
seasonal rankings? This song is still as
spectacular as I claimed it to be throughout the entire year. It is one of the best damn songs I’ve ever
heard from a technical standpoint. It
has some of the most brilliant musical construction I’ve ever heard.
All of this is true.
It is song of the year for a reason.
It’s the pinnacle of excellence that will become the career defining
song of one Abel Tesfaye. But it’s also
going to become the staple of retail playlists for the forseeable future and
I’m not ready to accept that yet.
As most of you know, I work in retail. And the one thing that will forever be true
about working retail is that the playlists are the most generic vanilla songs
imaginable. Not all of the songs on
these playlists are bad mind you, but they end up becoming overplayed to the
point that any sort of likening you might originally have to the song will be
beaten out of you.
And guess what song got added to my retail playlist as of
three months ago?
I have yet to get sick of it yet thankfully. That’s why it is on this best list and would
even be on this best list if overplay killed it for me. But the more I hear it, it just doesn’t have
the personal attachment I feel The Weeknd has to most of his hits. Hell let’s compare it to his other hit from
this year “Heartless”. I think The
Weeknd has more personality on that song than he does on “Blinding Lights”.
But even with that minor nitpick, I will never not love this
song. It’s excellent and I hope that
never changes no matter how many times a day it gets drilled into my head.
Be nice to retail workers folks!
How did we get from here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FIXJcmcnnhg
To here:
In approx. five years?!
4. “Ballin’” – Mustard & Roddy Ricch
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YS0h2-hy9rw
Yep Roddy Ricch is once again on my best list. This guy literally did no wrong in 2020. And while he absolutely kills his part of the
song because it really is a self-fulfilling prophecy about his ascension in the
music industry; he’s not the focus of this entry.
I want to talk about the newly christened Mustard because
his production is the absolute star of the show for me. How he reworks 702’s “Get It Together” into a
rags to riches sounding anthem was just glorious production work. And that whole solo album just had so many
perfect ten’s (once again, pun intended) of production work. This is the type of music Mustard clearly
wanted to make this whole time and I’m starting to wonder if he produced the shit
that he did for so long just to make it in the music industry. Because he went from making the coldest
darkest beats to fun vibrant anthemic music in the course of five years. That’s one hell of a career arch.
For the record, this isn’t the only Mustard & Roddy
Ricch collaboration from this year. And
while “High Fashion” is also a good song, it just didn’t resonate with me the
same way for me that this one did. The
latter was just a tad dreary and hollow, which was the point of this song. This one just works for me due to how
uplifting and validating this story ended up.
What I like about Halsey is that she is raw and ambitious
and it comes across in her music. That’s
why I’ve always come to her defense because this is her. For better and for worse. Her biggest hit “Without Me” is easily her
worst hit to me at the same time.
Despite absolutely putting every ounce of heart and soul to shaming
G-Eazy for being a terrible boyfriend and it succeeding; I just think it is
dirge. It is an unpleasant sounding song
from a vocal and audio standpoint.
So why did all her follow-ups end up being so much better
than her biggest hit?
3. “You should be sad” – Halsey
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8nBFqZppIF0
Seriously. Every song
Halsey has released since “Without Me” is fantastic. Every.
Single. One. If “Nightmare” and “Graveyard” ended up being
hits, I would have placed them on this list.
Hell “Manic” is one of the best albums of the year. Every song on there was great…except for
“Without Me” but even then it fits on the story this album is telling.
I’ve been waiting for years for Halsey to make the songs as
good as these. It’s the complete reverse
of what I was expecting from her when “Without Me” ended up becoming one of the
biggest pop songs of all-time. Instead
of doubling down, she made the music she wanted to make.
“You should be sad” is a country-pop hybrid that makes too
much sense. There are plenty of country
songs by women about kissing off lovers who did them wrong. So why not have Halsey add onto that genre’s
legacy by doing one herself? Halsey is
one of the few popstars who mixes genres so adding country into her music only
makes sense.
And man, what a kiss-off this was. Killer line after killer line. If G-Eazy’s career wasn’t in shambles
already, this killed it for me. Now his
music videos are going straight to Pornhub…yes that happened. If shock value is what your career has
resorted to, then you’re finished.
Let the Halsey era truly begin.
This is America:
I can’t think of anything else to say about this song other
than it was ahead of its time. Because this song is more profound now in this
social climate we are living in than ever before. Sure it left an impact on 2018, but I think
this music video in particular has aged like fine wine and I loved it back then
too.
https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2020/07/03/us/george-floyd-protests-crowd-size.html
As we are in the midst of one of the biggest social
movements in American history. Enough is
enough of racial injustice. I’m a white
male and I grew up privileged due to my skin color. I don’t know what it is like to walk in a
black man/woman’s shoes but I know damn well that there should not be a
difference now or quite frankly ever.
Now more than ever before, we had artists speaking up and
speaking out about the Black Lives Matter movement. We even got a major hit out of the protesting
and it came from…
….no fucking way.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nUEqPtVGIpE
Really!? It came from
this guy!?
2. “The Bigger Picture” – Lil Baby
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_VDGysJGNoI
You know what, I shouldn’t be surprised by this. Because in 2020, I finally started to get
glimpses that Lil Baby does have actual things to say in his music other than
all of the overplayed and overdone clichés.
Sure he still unfortunately has plenty of songs that are those clichés,
let’s not get too crazy here. He knows
what gets him hits. But there were a few
instances like on “Emotionally Scarred” where Lil Baby showed introspection
about what happens after his fame dies out.
And you know what, I appreciated the few moments of good we did get on
that before we went back to the same shit that I don’t like from him.
What was not on that album was “The Bigger Picture”. Which was shortly released after the killing
of George Floyd that led to the social movement we are experiencing before our
very eyes. And you know what works best
about this fantastic song? That it came
from Lil Baby of all people. Because I
don’t know if this song in particular would have worked nearly as well if it
came from someone who usually speaks out about injustice like Kendrick or J.
Cole. It’s a protest song that strikes
more poignantly because it doesn’t brand itself as such.
Lil Baby’s approach is by being honest that he doesn’t know
how to clarify how he is feeling. He’s
frustrated. He’s confused. He’s not natural at speaking his thoughts on
how to stand up for something that is bigger than himself. I think that in itself is more moving than
just simply saying what’s going on is wrong and it needs to stop. Because yes while that is the case, it’s much
more empowering to hear someone figuring out how he can directly help trying to
make a difference instead of saying that he just wishes things would
change.
Might as well start here is right. People are still protesting right now seven
months later still wanting to open the government’s eyes that our system has
been broken for too long when it comes to how the police force treats people of
color. I’m not claiming that “The Bigger
Picture” helped inspire that thought, but it certainly encapsulated the vibe
that enough is enough. And I couldn’t agree
more. Thank you Lil Baby for speaking
up.
You know what, you guys have sat through enough of these
preambles that I’ll just get straight to my number one from this year.
1. “Everything I Wanted” – Billie Eilish
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EgBJmlPo8Xw
If there was ever a song that perfectly encapsulated how 2020
sounds in a nutshell, it’s this one. And
I loved it back in Winter 2019/2020 then but I definitely love it more now. The first time I heard it, I thought it was
about Billie not being satisfied with fame.
And to an extent, there is still plenty of elements to defend that
stance. But then I saw Billie saying the
song is a tribute to her brother Finneas and that only made my love for this
song grow.
Everything I Wanted is an exceptional pop song that really
shows how much she appreciates the protection her older brother gives her. And as an older brother myself who has a very
strong bond with his sister to the point that I can safely call her one of my
best friends, I can absolutely understand the sentiments Billie feels for her
brother. I’ve been there for my sister
through many life altering moments she has been through and I’m always willing
to go that extra mile to make sure that nothing will hurt her. Billie mentions that Finneas was there for
her when she had suicidal thoughts and her mental illness. I have been through personal demons of my own
that have been helped along the way due to my bond with my sister and vice
versa.
1. “Everything I Wanted” – Billie Eilish
2. “The Bigger Picture” – Lil Baby
3. “You should be sad” – Halsey
4. “Ballin” – Mustard & Roddy Ricch
5. “Blinding Lights” – The Weeknd
6. “Circles” – Post Malone
7. “WAP” – Cardi B & Megan Thee Stallion
8. “Break My Heart” – Dua Lipa
9. “The Box” – Roddy Ricch
10. “Adore You” – Harry Styles
11. “Watermelon Sugar” – Harry Styles
12. “Rain On Me” – Lady Gaga & Ariana Grande
13. “Supalonely” – Benee (featuring Gus Dapperton)
14. “I Hope You’re Happy Now” – Carly Pearce & Lee Brice
15. “Savage” – Megan Thee Stallion
16. “Wishing Well” – Juice WRLD
17. “Even Though I’m Leaving” – Luke Combs
18. “Laugh Now Cry Later” – Drake (featuring Lil Durk)
19. “Good as Hell” – Lizzo
20. “Godzilla” – Eminem (featuring Juice WRLD)
21. “All I Want for Christmas is You” – Mariah Carey
22. “Don’t Start Now” – Dua Lipa
23. “Rockstar” – DaBaby (featuring Roddy Ricch)
24. “Die From a Broken Heart” – Maddie & Tae
25. “Dior” – Pop Smoke
26. “Hot” – Young Thug (featuring Gunna)
27. “P*$$y Fairy (OTW)” – Jhene Aiko
28. “Come & Go” – Juice WRLD & Marshmello
29. “Blueberry Faygo” – Lil Mosey
30. “Heartless” – The Weeknd
31. “More Than My Hometown” – Morgan Wallen
32. “Mood” – 24kGoldn (featuring iann dior)
33. “Emotionally Scarred” – Lil Baby
34. “bad guy” – Billie Eilish
35. “The Bones” – Maren Morris
36. “Truth Hurts” – Lizzo
37. “Popstar” – DJ Khaled (featuring Drake)
38. “One Man Band” – Old Dominion
39. “Panini” – Lil Nas X
40. “High Fashion” – Roddy Ricch (featuring Mustard)
41. “Does To Me” – Luke Combs (featuring Eric Church)
42. “Life Is Good” – Future (featuring Drake)
43. “The Woo” – Pop Smoke (featuring 50 Cent & Roddy
Ricch)
44. “death bed” – Powfu (featuring beabadoobee)
45. “Say So” – Doja Cat
46. “Dance Monkey” – Tones And I
47. “Lose You To Love Me” – Selena Gomez
48. “Heart On Ice” – Rod Wave
49. “Said Sum” – Moneybagg Yo
50. “Dynamite” – BTS
51. “Toosie Slide” – Drake
52. “Before You Go” – Lewis Capaldi
53. “Rags2Riches” – Rod Wave (featuring ATR Son Son)
54. “Roxanne” – Arizona Zervas
55. “Juicy” – Doja Cat & Tyga
56. “Bluebird” – Miranda Lambert
57. “Sunday Best” – Surfaces
58. “BOP” – DaBaby
59. “HIGHEST IN THE ROOM” – Travis Scott
60. “Walk Em Down” – NLE Choppa (featuring Roddy Ricch)
61. “Slide” – H.E.R (featuring YG)
62. “What’s Poppin” – Jack Harlow (featuring DaBaby, Tory
Lanez, & Lil Wayne)
63. “Hard To Forget” – Sam Hunt
64. “Got What I Got” – Jason Aldean
65. “Roses (Imanbek Remix)” – Saint Jhn
66. “No Guidance” – Chris Brown (featuring Drake)
67. “One of Them Girls” – Lee Brice
68. “I Hope” – Gabby Barrett (featuring Charlie Puth)
69. “Lovin On You” – Luke Combs
70. “Chasin’ You” – Morgan Wallen
71. “Woah” – Lil Baby
72. “For The Night” – Pop Smoke (featuring Lil Baby & DaBaby)
73. “Homesick” – Kane Brown
74. “Only Human” – Jonas Brothers
75. “Go Crazy” – Chris Brown & Young Thug
76. “Bandit” – Juice WRLD & YoungBoy Never Broke Again
77. “Senorita” – Shawn Mendes & Camila Cabello
78. “10,000 Hours” – Dan + Shay & Justin Bieber
79. “Yummy” – Justin Bieber
80. “Mood Swings” – Pop Smoke (featuring Lil Tjay)
81. “hot girl bummer” – blackbear
82. “Trampoline” – SHAED
83. “Savage Love (Laxed-Siren Beat)” – Jawsh 685 & Jason
DeRulo
84. “One Margarita” – Luke Bryan
85. “Sum 2 Prove” – Lil Baby
86. “We Paid” – Lil Baby & 42 Dugg
87. “Someone You Loved” – Lewis Capaldi
88. “Nobody But You” – Blake Shelton & Gwen Stefani
89. “THE SCOTTS” – Travis Scott & Kid Cudi
90. “Suicidal” – YNW Melly (featuring Juice WRLD)
91. “Party Girl” - StaySolidRocky
92. “ily (I love you baby)” – Surf Mesa (featuring Emilee)
93. “My Oh My” – Camila Cabello (featuring DaBaby)
94. “Be Like That” – Kane Brown, Swae Lee, & Khalid
95. “RITMO” – Black Eyed Peas & J Balvin
96. “If the World Was Ending” – JP Saxe (featuring Julia
Michaels)
97. “Falling” – Trevor Daniel
98. “Intentions” – Justin Bieber (featuring Quavo)
99. “Memories” – Maroon 5
100. “Stuck With U” – Ariana Grande & Justin Bieber
