Bobeh: For those of you who are new to this, welcome to this blog’s first quarterly seasonal chart ranking of our year 2020! Once every season, I’m going to attempt to rank the Billboard Hot 100 Top 20 from worst to best. Now don’t take this as a reflection of how my year end lists are going to go because my opinions are constantly changing. So takes these as an at the moment thought process about the twenty biggest songs of the Billboard weekly chart of March 10th; one whole month ago. Things have changed in the past month obviously, but most of these thoughts still remain the same.
And man, what a year 2020 has been. The world going to total shit with threats of nuclear warfare with the idea of World War 3, basketball superstar Kobe Bryant’s tragic death, the results of the Democratic primaries, everything Donald Trump, and of course; the worldwide pandemic that is going to kill millions of people worldwide, which will lead to huge unemployment spikes, the economy crashing, and no sense of normalcy in sight for a while.
These past three months have felt like a decade.
These past three months have felt like a decade.
But there has been one bright spot. We are getting some awesome music so far.
I like this chart ranking. This is probably one of the best seasonal charts I’ve done in the past three years of doing these. And honestly, in the past month, more and more good music has arrived on the charts that makes me think that maybe this year end chart is going to be the best it has been since 2015. We are getting a throwback to disco and synthpop of yesteryear, women are starting to become more relevant in country music, trap music has only gotten better, and we are starting to see the arrival of new and coming superstars that might become big names for this decade.
I can go on and on about how much good music has solidified its spot on the charts amongst so many album bombs in the past month. Which one of them was covered during this week’s chart ranking.
And for this first installment, I’m not going to trek this alone. Introducing, Wumbo from Wumbo’s Music Musings.
Wumbo: Hey everyone! My good Internet buddy Bobeh and I would like to present to you our thoughts on a Top 20 Hot 100 list that's a few weeks out of date! Aww, it'll be fun. Let's go!
BOBEH AND WUMBO RANK THE BILLBOARD HOT 100 SPRING 2020 TOP 20
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20. “Memories” – Maroon 5
Bobeh: I know any new viewers I’ve picked up solely from this blog have no idea on my thoughts of Maroon 5. But I am so done with talking about this band. Their complacency to make the same damn meaningless garbage for nearly ten years now is absolutely infuriating. All their success is strictly due to the radio and the 40 year old soccer moms of the world.
What is this song abou…oh who gives a fuck. Any “memories” I have of the good Maroon 5 music of the world is few and far between at this rate. It really makes me wonder if Maroon 5 will ever truly go away. I give up. They win.
Wumbo: I want you to go to this song's Wikipedia page and just gawk at the number of writers it took to write this. And then ask yourself, how? There is literally nothing to write. It is the most basic, blatant rip-off song I've ever heard. Most songs, when they draw inspiration from previous works, at least work to give some sort of a spin on it. Not here. What we have here is a total failure of creativity. It's just Pachelbel's Canon set to crappy instrumentation and banal lyrics. Please let this be the last time Maroon 5 vomits up another song to rampant success on the charts. Please?
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19. “Intentions” – Justin Bieber (featuring Quavo)
Bobeh: Ever since I’ve brought this blog back, I’ve questioned whether I should do album reviews. I mean it would be a good challenge for me personally. I’ve never quite found a good groove when it comes to writing those in the past. Perhaps I should do so to challenge myself to continuously improve as a writer.
The reason I mention this is because if I did write album reviews, Justin Bieber’s latest album “Changes” is the frontrunner for Worst Album of 2020 and second place isn’t even close. Not a single song would rise above a 4 out of 10. When your guest verses outshine everything else, you know you’re bringing nothing new to the table as an artist.
This has the potential to be the biggest single off that album in terms of longevity since “Yummy” peaked at number two and instantly plummeted despite their being two remixes out there now. And for as god awful of a disaster that song is, at least it has a hook. This song conveys absolutely nothing. These lines are clearly rough draft quality. And Quavo’s guest verse is useless. This song is probably only getting big off the video and it’s basically Justin Bieber taking a page out of Drake’s playbook from “God’s Plan”.
And really, doesn’t that say enough about this song? Next.
Wumbo: Of course, if for some reason you wanted something almost as banal and bad as Maroon 5, you couldn't do it much more accurately than most of Justin Bieber's new album. Particularly this song, which has been a rotten fungus from the moment I heard it and hasn't stopped stinking since then. Justin Bieber cements his position as one of the most loathsome personalities in music with this one, complete with a Quavo guest rap three years after anyone cared about Quavo guest raps. It is stunning how pathetic a squib this song is. Only a song this lame would have lines like "heart full of equity, you're an asset". I don't think this made it past first draft, much like the rest of the album. Let's hope Justin Bieber goes away too.
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18. “hot girl bummer” – blackbear
Bobeh: This song still has the potential to crack the top ten in the coming weeks. What a bummer.
I absolutely hate everything this song represents.
Not only because it absolutely 1000% is a response to Megan Thee Stallion’s great female empowerment party song “Hot Girl Summer”. It’s also the same sort of toxic music that got popular two years ago where an alarming amount of hits were made by toxic men. Except this song somehow got big due to pop radio stations of all the fucking places. I ask WHY!?!?!
Is it because blackbear is white? Quite possibly. I wouldn’t be surprised at all if that’s why the radio is willing to give this guy a pass instead of absolutely not radio friendly XXXTentacion or 6ix9ine.
If only I could find two words from the chorus to say about this song.
That’ll do.
Wumbo: At least by now we've gotten to the point where I can identify who the song is supposed to be for. Unfortunately, the people whom this song is for are douchebags. Plain and simple, as has always been the case with blackbear and his music. At least there's a personality emanating from this one, but it's a personality so loathsome and smelly I'd want to stay at least six feet from it, pandemic or no. Fitting that this would probably be the anthem of those douchebag spring breakers in Florida. This song smells like alcohol-soaked unwashed boxers sprayed with way too much Axe. And it makes me want to puke. Which is at least a reaction. But what a reaction.
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17. “10,000 Hours” – Dan + Shay & Justin Bieber
Bobeh: I can’t believe I’m saying this, but due to Bieber’s terrible quality from these last few months, I’m thankful for 10,000 Hours. Not that this song isn’t a massive improvement. I don’t like it for far different reasons than the other.
For starters, let’s do some simple addition. 10,000 Hours is equivalent to 417 days. Which means these guys will love this girl for a little over a year and then move on. Or at least that’s my interpretation.
Look, this is wedding music plain and simple. And I do genuinely like wedding music. Hell Dan + Shay’s last wedding song “Speechless” was my wedding song. And I actually do genuinely feel like that song comes from an earnest place. Unlike this song, which is clearly trying to replicate the success of “Speechless”.
And Bieber contributes absolutely nothing to this because he’s Justin Bieber and he is a vacuum that sucks the emotion that comes out of his own mouth. Although he does have some baffling lines to I assume his new wife:
Did you get your middle name from your grandma?
…didn’t this guy used to be cool!? Was this the point where everyone realized how lame Bieber is? Hope this is the year where his career finally falls flat on its face.
Wumbo: bleeeeeaaaaaaauuuuugh
I had hopes for you, Dan + Shay. You weren't overly blessed with talent, but you made cutesy, Radio Disney-esque country music that you could groove to. But any goodwill you may have had goes right out the window for me when you recruit Justin fucking Bieber to duet with you. Way to nullify your genre even more than normal, dudes. Why exactly is Justin Bieber here? what does he add? He's a blank canvas of a singer and his presence just brings the song down exponentially. Not like there was much saving from this sappy, brainless ballad anyway, but you really went scorched-earth on this one, didn't you? Well, congratulations. I hope it's at least 10,000 hours before I have to listen to this again.
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16. “Someone You Loved” – Lewis Capaldi
Bobeh: How in the hell is this back in the top ten as of this writing?
Those of you who have followed my writings from another site know that this was one of my worst hit songs of last year. And it has a damn good shot at making the list a second year in a row. It’s that awful.
And that was before finding out that this song was about his grandmother. WHAT!?!?! That makes this song even worse. Like take this line:
This all or nothing way of loving got me sleeping without you.
WHY? Does your grandmother check under your bed for monsters? Did she share a bed with you?
Please don’t answer that question.
This song has stayed culturally relevant for far too long. Please keep this all or nothing song in freefall out of the Hot 100. Please.
Wumbo: Say what you will about Lewis Capaldi. He's certainly made a name for himself. Before 2019, no one had a fuckin' clue who this guy was, at least on our side of the pond. Now? He's a punchline- I mean, an acclaimed and successful artist. This song is apparently about his dead grandma. That's creepy, given some of these lyrics.
This all or nothing way of loving got me sleeping without you
Creepy! Looks like he didn't think that through. As is, I've kind of grown tired of hating this song. As I said, he's a punchline now more than anything. And as horseshit as his voice is, at least he sounds sincere about what he's saying. Even if he can't really think of the best way to contextualize it. Seriously, grandma? Dude, what were you thinking? Then again, this is still in the Top 10, so maybe his comments resonated with people. To which I have to say, y'all either need to read lyrics more closely or y'all fucked up.
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15. “Roxanne” – Arizona Zervas
Bobeh: There was at one point a slight moment where this song got stuck in my head. So I guess it has that going for it. Otherwise, this song fucking blows.
It took up until the music video for me to actually believe Arizona Zervas wasn’t some bot generated to make a crossover trap-pop song that would get popular off TikTok. But now that I know he is indeed a real person, good luck with your behind the scenes music career guy. I’m sure you’ll make a good songwriter someday because that is indeed an infuriating catchy melody.
For real though, “Shawty only like cocaine and Whole Foods” is the early frontrunner for cringiest line in a pop song this year.
Wumbo: Arizona Zervas does not exist. He is CGI, much like Adam Levine. This is not a song made by a real person, either. This is a simulated song, made to appeal to all the douchebros of the world despite having no substance whatsoever. Seriously, does anyone listen to this other than by accident? Why would you seek this out? At the very least it's catchier than something like "Memories" or "Intentions", but it's still pretty insufferably banal. God damn, Roxanne.
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14. “Heatin’ Up” – Lil Baby & Gunna
Bobeh: I’ve said my piece on Lil Baby coming up and yet I still might prefer him over Gunna. Because Gunna is basically Lil Baby except somehow even more generic. If I had to create my own rapper based off today’s rap scene in regards to sound, looks, production choices, flow, etc., my results would be Gunna. He leaves no impression on me and that’s why it’s always funny to me that these two collaborate with each other so often. Because they are more or less the same.
Clearly trying to lean into the bop factor that made “Drip Too Hard” a huge hit. And you know what? It’s kind of working here the slightest bit. I still don’t give two shits about what either of these two are saying. I think Lil Baby mentions at one point that he spent 500 racks on a Lambo and didn’t even know how that car goes. Weird flex, but okay. And then Gunna talks about how he makes hits after hits call me Barry Bonds. Someone test Gunna for steroid abuse.
But honestly, it’s those strings that stand out to me. It’s almost as hypnotic as that guitar playing in “Drip Too Hard”. So maybe this is a true sequel to that song. But it’s almost out of the Hot 100 right now. So I doubt it.
Wumbo: It feels almost cruel to discuss this song so long after its debut and subsequent fall out of the Top 20, so I'll keep it brief: Lil Baby is not interesting. Gunna is not interesting. Putting them together does not somehow make them interesting, or intelligible. I thought we learned this from 2018, but old habits die hard.
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13. “Woah” – Lil Baby
Bobeh: The only reason this song got a resurgence back into the top twenty for this chart ranking was due to Lil Baby’s album bomb he achieved. Which I am thankful for because it took out some 2019 hits that should have gone recurrent many months ago with it. So now we can see what the hits of 2020 give us.
And apparently that 2020 is the year of Lil Baby? Very early to make such a declaration with so many more album bombs on the horizon, but Lil Baby’s massive amount of success in the two years he’s been relevant confuses me. This guy now has EIGHT hits when you count top twenty hits as well as year-end hits that didn’t crack the top twenty. That is astonishing to me because basically all Lil Baby songs sound the same to me.
I don’t think I’ll ever be a fan. Sure “Drip Too Hard” was kind of a bop. But otherwise, Lil Baby makes the same monotonous slow to midtempo droning mumble rap songs that go in one ear and out the other. He’s just an absolute empty vessel where words come out of if you listen with captions.
And that’s it. Are you expecting actual analysis for this song? Because all I have to say is that the title is misspelled. It should be spelled “Whoa”.
Wumbo: And yet… this one somewhat works for me. I can't explain it, other than that's probably Lil Baby's catchiest chorus to date. Seriously, it has not left my head since the moment I heard it. So that's something? At least? This is passable? Eh, whatever.
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12. “Life Is Good” – Future (featuring Drake)
Bobeh: Now here’s a song that is a tale of two different songs. Because let’s face it. This is two different song fragments. I legitimately like Drake’s part of the song for as short as it is. Mostly due to that chorus. Or at least what would be considered a chorus in this weirdly structured song. Because as someone who tends to work on the weekends, I do need to remind myself sometimes that life is good and sometimes you need to get turnt up to remember that. Although, that is no excuse not to do your taxes. Don’t be a Drake. Do your taxes.
And then there is Future’s part. And it’s basically the same shit different day with this guy. Bragging about the expensive shit he’s bought with his millions, selling cocaine, shooting people, and taking Percocet. Didn’t Future say in the past that he was second guessing talking about pill abuse and sipping lean in his music when he realized how influential his sound was to the youth and how so many young rappers are now dying from substance abuse? Guess not.
Simply put, this is what happens when you try to replicate the multi-part success of SICKO MODE except with the results being NOT GOOD.
Wumbo: Ah, another pairing that has been proven not to work in the past! Do Drake and Future fare any better than Lil Baby and Gunna? Well… slightly? At least Drake's part is passable, though Future does his best to undermine the song for sure. I have never gotten the Future hype. His style doesn't translate well into a likable or even interesting personality. And right when the song "transitions", for lack of a better word, into his part, it's pretty much all over. "Sicko Mode" this is not. This is just two different songs spliced together, and not particularly well either. Not terrible though, I guess. Could have been a lot worse.
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11. “The Bones” – Maren Morris
Bobeh: On one hand, FINALLY. An actual woman in country music getting a hit song again. Thought I’d never see the day with how meatheaded the genre has become. And on the other hand, is this really country music?
I guess on that same hand, a lot of country music today isn’t that. Because country music has basically become more and more pop focused. Take Maren Morris over here; who’s biggest hit is a Target commercial jingle with Zedd called “The Middle”. And that song ended up becoming one of the biggest hits of 2018. One would think that she would go full pop after that, but she insists her music is definitely still country focused.
Kind of hard to fool me with absolutely pop focused producer Greg Kurstin being behind your hits from your latest “country” album. Including this one. But you know what? The content here is actually quite good. I appreciate the structure of this song about how important the foundation of your relationship with your significant other is for life. As long as “the bones” are good, all the negativity going on in the world doesn’t matter. And it’s honestly a song that we all need right now when the world around is fucking terrible.
I would say that that this song has the chance to grow on me, but it has a huge hurdle that is preventing this from being on the good tier. Maren Morris, herself. I’m not saying I’m not a fan. Maren Morris is actually quite good content wise. I’ve liked plenty of her songs. But I don’t feel like she has any sort of emotional connection to what she’s singing about. That’s why the version I prefer of this song is the remix with Hozier. Because Hozier has that raw, powerful voice that kind of brings the emotional context that this song is deeply lacking.
But hey, at least country music FINALLY has a woman with a number one hit song again. Yay!
Wumbo: Perfectly passable and even pleasant pop country song. I've always thought Maren Morris had potential to really blow me away, and while I haven't quite heard it yet, she's always been good to have around. At the very least, it's the first female-fronted country song to get big in a while, so take what you can get, you know?
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10. “Heartless” – The Weeknd
Bobeh: So “After Hours” is a great album. Glad to see The Weeknd is still such an influential artist in this day and age. Because if you want to look at artists who have had such a major shift on the hit music climate of today, look no further than one Abel Tesfaye.
And while I’ve had a hit or miss record with Abel’s dark broading songs about how callous of a lover he is, this one absolutely succeeds. Metro Boomin deserves most of the credit here because I absolutely love his production on this song. Those drums. Those trap snares. It just has this colossal wave of darkness broading over the track that I absolutely love.
So why is it ranked this low? Honestly, the chorus. It’s catchy sure. But it’s weak when you compare it to the rest of this song which delivers so much personality and bombast. It just doesn’t work nearly as well as everything else. Still a good song though that I recommend, but just wait until later if you want to see The Weeknd making excellent music.
Wumbo: Thankfully the correct song from The Weeknd's new project is now getting the attention it deserves, but this is still decent in its own right. It feels to me like a lesser version of "Starboy", which still blows me away to this day, but The Weeknd's natural charisma does a lot to punch up the song. I'm just not sure it has that moment that blows me away. Good production, but not stellar. In any case, we'll talk about the far better and more exciting song later.
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9. “Dance Monkey” – Tones and I
Bobeh: And speaking of songs that grew on me. Man do I have some explaining to do.
I completely agree with the overwhelming majority. This woman’s singing voice is fucking insufferable. It’s really bad. I don’t know if she is impersonating anybody in particular with it. Most say Sia and I definitely can see that. But it’s very offputting and runs away with being the worst part of this song.
But dare I say the reason this grew on me was the content. Prepare yourselves for this common complaint of mine, but I work in retail. Every retail job I’ve ever been a part of has the most white-bread playlists. They are so bland. And I’ve had my fair share of songs that I’ve grown to loathe over the years for hearing the same damn songs every day at work. Including this one, yet this one had a reverse effect.
The more I heard these lyrics, the more I realized. It takes the piss out of the sort of white-bread pop music I constantly hear on these playlists. And for that I say, thank you. I need this sort of song in my life that makes fun of the vapidness of these sorts of songs. At first I use to catch myself ironically making fun of this, but now I unironically sing along to it despite everybody else around me still thinking it’s about a dancing monkey.
Remember people. That’s why retail employees are essential.
Wumbo: This is the most annoying little insect of a song… but god damn if it didn't win me over. I don't know how it did, but there is something special about this one. It certainly doesn't sound like anything else on this list, and while Tones and I's voice is… an acquired taste, it's certainly fresh and full of personality. I totally get it if you can't stand this song. I was there. But through months of hearing it off and on, I can finally say I've been converted/brainwashed. It's a hell of an earworm, and I guess I have Stockholm Syndrome. Oh well. Dance monkey, dance!
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8. “Adore You” – Harry Styles
Bobeh: I swear I’ll never stop being fascinated with how different each member of One Direction took their solo careers. Never has this happened before. Never I say…
https://www.cheatsheet.com/entertainment/which-beatle-had-the-most-no-1-hits-as-a-solo-artist.html/
…okay fine, you got me. But it has been a good fifty years since this has happened. And only two have been able to sustain their success with their second albums. And while I think Niall’s career has been fine and all, his stock is not nearly as high as Harry’s. Not many of you know this, but Harry’s latest album “Fine Line” was one of my favorite albums of last year. I’m always a sucker for retro pastiche, but to me, this album was more about…well Harry said it best, sex and sadness. And my god did he deliver on that front. It’s the best example of vibe music that I came across all last year.
Then there’s the big single off that album, “Adore You”. This is not an insult by any means of the imagination, but this is miles above the rest of this album in regards to being radio safe and friendly.
It’s the sort of simple, straight to the point song that the radio will eat up and refuse to go away for months upon months. Like I can see myself coming across this song maybe three or four times in a thirty minute drive. It’s that easy going.
And there is nothing wrong with that. I like 80’s pop rock like this. But when it’s not even one of my five favorite songs off that album, that’s some tough competition to go up against in regards from best to worst songs off that album. Either way, put your stocks in Harry Styles. This guy is going to be one of the big names of this next decade. This man can seriously do no wrong.
Wumbo: This is definitely one of the standout songs on Harry Styles' Fine Line. It has a ton of personality and grandiosity, and the production is a delightful mix of 70s soul and disco. I'm not sure anything Harry Styles has made has come close to the masterpiece that is "Sign of the Times", but this definitely has a similar feel. I guess the chorus could be a bit punchier, but it's still a damn good song.
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7. “Circles” – Post Malone
Bobeh: This song is still excellent. You know it. I know it. And the radio knows it. That’s why they won’t let this song fucking die.
Can it? Please? I really don’t want to grow tired of another great Post Malone song to the point that it lessens on me.
Wumbo: I don't think this is my favourite Post Malone single, but there's no denying it's a crowd-pleaser. It's certainly his most radio-friendly song. And usually that means that your personality gets shaved off, but here I think there's a pretty good balance between authentic Post Malone angst and a radio-friendly hook. This doesn't make it his most effective song emotionally, but he still manages to pull off a pretty decent song from a pretty decent album.
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6. “The Box” – Roddy Ricch
Bobeh: Ladies and gentlemen. I present to you the streaming behemoth that will never be dethroned for number one...until recently. Thanks a lot Tik Tok.
Honestly, I like Roddy Ricch. He’s talented and is surely the first major new name of this decade. I loved his debut album. I love how he switches up his flows constantly. I love how he focuses so much on lyrical content. This guy is going to become a megastar.
But I don’t love “The Box”. I like it an awful lot, but I don’t find it nearly as deep as many others around me do. I mean it does have its fair share of great lines like how he is a 2020 presidential candidate that’s going to put a bounty on George Zimmerman’s head. But there really isn’t that much groundbreaking content here that wows me.
Like this song has the potential to be groundbreaking. It has my attention a good 75-80% of the time, but then it takes one step back before it goes any higher. Still pretty good though for a song that showcases Roddy Ricch’s massive potential.
Wumbo: Eee err. Eee err.
Yeah, this song's still fucking great.
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5. “Say So” – Doja Cat
Bobeh: I hate how much I love this song. Because if you want to talk about separating the art from the artist, then look no further than this as proof. Because…oh boy.
https://www.idolator.com/7907875/doja-cats-say-so-becomes-dr-lukes-first-top-20-hit-in-5-years?chrome=1
So Kesha is not allowed any sort of charting success ever again while Dr. Luke is allowed to keep racking up hits despite how many artists are pointing out that this guy is literal scum of the Earth? We live in a society. Fuck Dr. Luke. And fuck artists like Doja Cat and Kim Petras who still want to support this rapist.
…but I’ve said this in the past amongst friends. Bad people are still capable of making good music. And you know who was one of the big names of the big sounding pop music of the 2010s? This creep. And Doja Cat is no saint either. She has been in some controversy herself with homophobic remarks.
But if you push aside both of these artists and their history and just listen to the music, you would hear an angelic voice and some fucking amazing disco production. That groove is so damn beautiful.
Like I want this music injected into my veins. It’s so comfortable and warm.
If you guys can’t get past the resurgence of Dr. Luke, then I absolutely don’t blame you for hating this. I’m not going to change your mind, I understand.
Wumbo: Stupid Dr. Luke. This song is damn catchy, and I hate that. Of course, I think Doja Cat is a far more interesting artist than this song allows her to be. Maybe don't do a retro throwback when the general public is still trying to figure out who you are. But as is, it's decent. Though I wish it was a little worse, honestly.
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4. “Stupid Love” – Lady Gaga
Bobeh: And now we have the big comeback single from Lady Gaga. It’s good.
Yeah I like it. I don’t love it though. At least not yet. I will say that I’m glad Lady Gaga went back to the electropop era of “Born This Way” because I really missed that era of Lady Gaga, even if the “Born This Way” album humanized the former megastar in more ways than she realized.
But damn do I miss pop songs that just feel this huge. Eventually the early 2010’s are going to be looked back on with huge nostalgia for when pop music was so insanely catchy and memorable. And most of it was due to the performers who felt like larger than life superstars who made pop music with so much personality.
Is this song going to lead to a pop music renaissance? I doubt it. But for a silly little pop song that just feels bombastic? I highly appreciate it.
Wumbo: Of course, when you've established an identity already, you can do this throwback stuff all you want, especially when it's going to sound this good. I was initially skeptical of a new Lady Gaga song, and while this doesn't quite have the personality of her earlier stuff, it's still a killer electropop tune, and Lady Gaga's voice is always wonderful to hear. Such an uplifting, feel-good song. Hard not to dance along to it.
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3. “Don’t Start Now” – Dua Lipa
Bobeh: This one is a real grower. At first listen, I just thought it was just “New Rules” all over again. And part of me still thinks that. But Dua Lipa hit absolute genius with this song.
I don’t know if you guys have noticed or not, but pop music this year has actually been really good for the most part. Can’t really complain. Trap music is still huge and is improving. And pop music seems to be bringing back late 70’s/early 80’s disco and new wave. Two subgenres that I absolutely adore. And while we can point fingers at which song started this trend, I’m looking directly at “Don’t Start Now” starting this trend…as well as Tik Tok.
I think I appreciate this song more than I love it, but it’s still excellent because Dua Lipa is an excellent performer. She still brings so much personality into her music as she is absolutely killing this guy who did her wrong. Dua is really good at that. And I absolutely dig that bridge after the chorus.
Dua Lipa is a superstar on the rise and if “Future Nostalgia” is any indication of greater things to come, than expect more great throwbacks on the charts. Seriously, “Future Nostalgia” is the early frontrunner for best album of the year.
Wumbo: And if you're Dua Lipa, as far as I'm concerned you can do whatever the hell you want. Especially if it's going to sound this damn good. This song feels like a breath of fresh air, and may be the best thing Dua's released to date. It's punchy, groovy, and catchy as all hell. Dua is really gearing up to be the next big pop girl, and with songs like this, she totally deserves the honour.
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2. “Everything I Wanted” – Billie Eilish
Bobeh: That Billie Eilish sure is a great artist isn’t she?
Like I’m absolutely certain that Billie Eilish’s next album is going to be life altering. She is just so damn good at this age. I can’t wait to see where her career takes her. I can easily see her being along the lines of Lorde and becoming too good for pop music. But I really hope that doesn’t happen to her. Because Billie Eilish can really help influence the next decade of hits.
And this is easily my favorite song of her’s. I’ve always had a soft spot for songs about artists reflecting on their newfound success. Needless to say, this topic has been done before. But this adds a whole new layer to the idea that stars are not satisfied with fame.
Billie’s introspection sounds drained by everything and hopeful that she doesn’t mess it all up. And I can absolutely understand that. I don’t think I would be shocking anybody when I told you that teenage stars do have a history of growing up and messing it all up due to addiction, turning into a shitty person, etc.
I don’t think that’s going to happen to Billie Eilish, but I absolutely understand where she’s coming from this song and its genius.
Wumbo: This song is like a soothing back massage. It's so peaceful and restrained. I literally feel transported to another world when I listen to this song, like I'm sitting on a cloud. Billie Eilish may have made most of her notoriety from her weird, quirky songs, but it's songs like these that just prove the raw talent she possesses. It's beautiful.
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1. “Blinding Lights” – The Weeknd
Bobeh: I’m not going to dive too deep into this. There is a time and place for that come December. This is one of the best songs I’ve ever heard. And it will be hard pressed to find something better than this in 2020. The 80’s may have been decades ago, but its influence still remains. And The Weeknd has achieved that middle ground of 80s sound combined with the downbeat mood of today and has achieved non-accidental perfection. He’s done it before, but this will be the penultimate song of him doing so.
Wumbo: Ah yes, and the king takes his rightful spot on the throne. I like "Heartless" fine enough, but "Blinding Lights" is clearly the standout track on the album. It's constant bursts of relentless energy that makes you want to get up and dance. It's exactly the version of "False Alarm" that we needed to become a hit. And it's about the only hit of good news we get from this crappy month. At least we have good music to keep us company.
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Bobeh: So yeah, I’m excited for this year in music. The charts haven’t been this good in a while. It’s nice to know that even with the state the world is in right now, we at least have good music to help us get through it all. Someday the world will go back to normal, but I hope that we can maintain consistently good chart quality throughout the year 2020. Even if this is the only bright spot from this awful year, we will prevail and take lessons through this joint suffering.
Thank you for reading and I promise that I will continue to churn out content to entertain you all while we wait for life to go back to normal. In the meantime, wash your hands, stay safe, and let your friends and family know that you care.
Wumbo: What he said. This too shall pass. Hopefully we did something to increase the amount of serotonin in your day in the meantime.
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