I think it's safe to say this year was a little disappointing, but at least it wasn't all bad right? I mean usually, we at least get some great music to help us through the hard times. And while that's always true outside of the pop charts, it's not always true for the charts themselves. Honestly even outside of pop music, I found myself underwhelmed by what was out there this year. It's understandable given the circumstances though as lots of artists were heavily affected by this year's closures and inability to tour, at least not without great risks. And I applaud all the artist who decided to stay away from that and connect with fans in other ways like virtual concerts and meet-ups or releasing some new singles and getting an early start on the next album cycle. Pop artists on the other hand still have to try to stay relevant regardless of what's happening in the world. Lots of new albums dropped or singles to make sure we know that they still exist despite not touring anymore. And for the most part, it seemed a lot of pop music kinda matched the dreary sadness of 2020, though pop music has been pretty sad for a few years now. There was some good music for sure, but still, plenty of trash to be found or at least mediocre songs that don't bring anything new. So I looked through the year's songs and the ones I remember really hating or loving to make a list of the best and worst songs of 2020 (that I heard, and are popular).
Honorable mentions?:
Jonas Brothers - "Only Human": I know a lot of people were excited to see the Jonas Brothers come back and make new music. After spending some more time with it, I can say I was pretty disappointed by what they released. While "Sucker" felt like a nice surprise last year and stood out as a fun song at a time where lots of sad/low songs were proper, this newer single "Only Human" just feels completely mediocre. Just a generic-sounding pop song with overused reggae beats and bass. The melody is a little interesting, but the lyrics don't really do anything for me.
Post Malone - "Circles": Far from Post Malone's worst song, but really it's here for one reason. This song spent a whole year on the charts, A WHOLE YEAR. It's just so confusing how a mediocre song like this could be considered one of the most popular and best selling of all time. Although looking at the list of other songs to accomplish this, this one might be one of the better ones. I guess maybe it's not so bad then.
Mac Miller - "Good News": I was really late on Mac Miller, sadly his passing was part of the reason I decided to check out his music. I found myself really vibing with his style, especially on his album "Swimming" from a few years ago. This year we got what will probably be his last original album as a last farewell to a great artist. While I didn't connect to it as much as "Swimming", "Circles" was a very solid album and the big hit "Good News" is a song I really liked too. Thought it was definitely worth a mention as a good song and if you also missed out on Miller's music like I did, I highly recommend going back and checking his work out.
Now for the actual list:
10th Worst: Lewis Capaldi's "Before You Go"
Last year I called Lewis's big hit "Someone You Loved" the worst song of the year, and maybe it was pretty harsh but I really did not like that song. This year his big follow-up "Before You Go" also climbed the charts pretty quickly and made it to the top 10. While not as awful as "Before You Go" the song is still boring and uninspired. It sounds like something Ed Sheeran wrote but decided to not use because even he thought it was too boring. Lewis Capaldi's vocals still fail to impress and the music is still boring and generic sounding.
10th Best: The Weeknd's "Blinding Lights"
This song probably deserves to be much higher on the list, but really only one thing kept it from being higher and that was overplay. I really like this song, but after hearing it a thousand times in commercials, sports, radio, tv it kind of wore out its welcome a bit. Besides that, it's still a great pop song with some really great vocals by Weeknd himself and some great music to go along with it. I can totally understand why it was so overused and popular because it's the kind of song that just kinda fits into any situation and it's a great jam. I'm actually writing this while the Grammy nominations are being announced and I saw that this song wasn't even mentioned. That's pretty insane considering how great this song is and how incredibly popular it is. Though I guess most people know how out of touch and meaningless the Grammys are these days anyway. It's like when you actually make a great song, they ignore it.
9th Worst: Maroon 5's "Memories"
God, these guys can't stay away from the charts for one damn year. Here's another lazy song that literally isn't even trying AT ALL. It uses one of the most famous melodies in music and doesn't even change it at all. Pachelbel's Canon in D, which is a song that's often used at weddings, is the song they are using as the melody for the vocals. That's it. That's the whole song. Add minimal guitar and bass that barely add anything to the song and you got yourself another huge hit for Maroon 5. This band has 6 members. 6 members, and they make this. I don't know why it's not just called Adam Levine at this point, I guess cause the name Maroon 5 has such quality behind it they didn't want to change it? Bleh.
9th Best: Twenty One Pilot's "Level of Concern"
A single the band released pretty early during the 2020 quarantine, which turned into another pretty big hit. I'm glad to see this brother duo has stuck around since they found big success from their 2015 album "Blurryface". The two brothers seem to know how to make some catchy tunes that are not just that, but also have some pretty interesting music to go along. I love the bass in this song a lot, but besides that, there's plenty of good guitar, keys, and drums to fill out the rest. I still look forward to what they have planned in the future.
8th Worst: Selena Gomezzzzz "Boyfriend"
Another year, another boring Selena Gomez song. I was pretty hard on her last year for her single "Lose You To Love Me" for being a cliched boring trash song. This song is better at least, but not by much really. Selena must be given the other pop stars leftover scrap songs that they turn down because she always seems to make the most cliched and boring music. At least this song has some more life to it unlike her last single, but the lyrics are just as lazy. She's complaining about not being able to find a man, because all the ones she finds are wrong for her. I mean it's relatable, sure, but the way she portrays it isn't original in the slighest. Her vocals yet again don't stand out and lack any personality, making this song feel like it could have been done by just about anyone. I keep waiting to see if Selena will do something interesting with her talent, but yet again we get the most forgettable song of the year from her.
8th Best: Cardi B & Megan Thee Stallion's "WAP"
I'd imagine anyone who's read my music posts before would probably be surprised to see this here. I've always been hot and cold with Cardi B's music and I wasn't really too familiar with Megan Thee Stallion until recently. This song though... just wow. Before getting to the obvious stuff, let me just say that the beat is pretty damn great and the flow of the verses/chorus works so well with it. The sample that repeats in the background is perfect not only with the beat but with the lyrics. As for the lyrics... well they are just some of the funniest I might have heard in a long time. I choose to see it as a more comical song and not one that's supposed to be taken completely seriously. Not that there isn't some truth to it from them, but it's just so over-the-top and at times so graphic that it's pretty funny. It also led to the little gremlin man Ben Shapiro reading them out loud on his show and that was funnier because he admitted he can't pleasure his wife. You can't make this stuff up man. All that said, this isn't a song I really listen to a lot and probably won't as it starts to get a bit old after a while. And no, it's not the first song that features women singing this explicitly, but it might be the best?
Deducting points for ruining macaroni as well.
7th Worst: 6ix9ine's & Nicki Minaj's "TROLLZ"
The fact that Tekashi still has a career after all the crap he's done is beyond strange to me. It's not like he's an artist that really adds anything to the music world. His big return to music in 2020 did get him his first number-one single with "TROLLZ" though. It was incredibly short-lived though, as it crashed down below 20 in one week and didn't stick around very long after that. For some reason, Nicki Minaj decided to stick with Tekashi despite all his trashiness. Here we have a mediocre song that doesn't even have the one thing Tekashi kinda does alright, which is to be incredibly loud and obnoxious. Instead, it's some boring forgettable trap song that you'll forget instantly. I mean the rest of the world certainly did. Will this be Tekashi's peak as an artist? I sure hope so.
7th Best: BENEE's "Supalonely"
A song from 2019 that surged in popularity earlier this year, especially during the quarantine time. It totally fits the mood of that time too, a song about being lonely in a time where everyone had to stay away from each other makes sense. The good thing about it too is that while it's about a sad topic, it's upbeat and fun. The bass grooves well and carries the song, while the moody guitar in the background matches the mood of the lyrics a little more. A great introduction to a really interesting artist, definitely happy this song introduced me to her.
6th Worst: Florida Georgia Line's "I Love My Country"
It's been a heavy year for the USA, and not just because of the COVID stuff. This song just feels like it's pandering so much to the whole southern-style living and it's pretty annoying. Maybe I'm just not patriotic enough? It's just the whole let's drink beers, eat BBQ, drive trucks (AMERICAN TRUCKS), and listen to Skynyrd stuff just feels so generic and boring for a country song. Honestly, this year is probably the least I've felt patriotic about the USA for a lot of reasons. That's probably why this song annoys me so much. That and it's an incredibly lazy country pop song with a really annoying chorus and shit production. Also, the chorus sounds exactly like Kane Brown's "Short Skirt Weather", so it's not even original. Yeah, I've been trying to get more into some country music, but this style of bro-country never really did it for me and probably never will.
Beers, barbecue, Battlestar Galactica.
6th Best: Dua Lipa's "Break My Heart"
Oh Dua Lipa, please don't stop making good music. This was her second big hit from her big album "Future Nostalgia" earlier this year. The song has a great mix of 70's style disco and modern pop production to make a really fun song with some awesome bass lines and funky guitar aside from some great beats and synths/strings. Lots of attention to detail here and Dua Lipa's vocals are just as fantastic as her debut a few years ago, maybe even better. This whole bringing in 70's music back thing seemed to be pretty popular this year and I think Dua Lipa was the best one of all.
5th Worst: Drake's "Toosie Slide"
Listen to Drake as he gives the most energy he can give these days, which is like 15% of what he used to. Watch Drake get a bunch of people on TikTok to promote his shit song with a lazy dance. Watch Drake make millions. Drake wins. The End. You don't even have to try anymore these days if you're Drake. Literally every thing he does charts, and most of the time in the top 10. His fire is gone, and he's going to need it if he wants to stay relevant in this new decade. Or more likely, people will keep loving his mediocre sound and he will be famous FOREVER.
5th Best: Miley Cyrus's "Midnight Sky"
Good god, Miley has had a fantastic year with her music. She released an early 80s inspired single, and this one seems to lean more towards the rock side with its influence. Along with some great covers of "Zombie" and "Heart of Glass", this song was incredible and out of nowhere. I've been kind of sour on Miley over the years, she's one of those artists who clearly have a ton of talent but sometimes make strange choices. Her work has been kind of all over the place in its quality, but you can always see something there. I really like this song though, and I really like the remix she did with Stevie Nicks where they mixed this song with "Edge of Seventeen". I've always really liked Stevie, Blondie, Joan Jett, and those kinda 70s/80s artists so it's really cool to see Miley add her own style to that. Her album comes out this week actually and I look forward to listening to it.
*update: The album is fantastic : )
4th Worst: Justin Bieber "Intentions"
Justin Bieber has become so boring the last few years, and his latest album was one of the most mediocre albums of the year. This song is the perfect sample of what the album is like, just a lot of paint-by-numbers stuff with lazy songwriting and production that won't leave a lasting impression if any at all. Maybe this is a good thing though because there was a point where Justin was an incredibly annoying artist when he was younger and was pretty insufferable. Now he's just... kind of around? Although his last album wasn't terrible.
4th Best: Harry Style's "Adore You"
Well, I put "Watermelon Sugar" on my list last year so I couldn't put it on the list this year. But this song is still great too, I mean it's Harry Styles right? He released a solid album last year named "Fine Line" and his career has taken off more than anyone might have thought. I mean I knew he had massive potential after hearing his first solo single "Sign of the Times", but I guess even I didn't think it would take off to this extent. "Adore You" isn't one of my favorites from the album, but it's still a very solid track. Ah, screw it, "Watermelon Sugar" makes it on the list two years in a row.
4th Best: Harry Style's "Adore You Watermelon Sugar"
That's better. It's been a whole year and this song still isn't old to me. And to think I hated "Watermelon Sugar" at one point. I honestly thought it would circle back around to me hating it, but surprisingly it's been great still.
3rd Worst: Justin Bieber "Yummy"
Remember when I said Justin Bieber has become boring, but at least he's not annoying anymore? Yeah, so that was a lie...
This song IS annoying in that way only Justin Bieber can be. Making a song called "Yummy" was a terrible idea from the start, but giving it to Bieber was somehow an even worse idea. I hate the word yummy, it's stupid. The rest of the song is awful, but the chorus just repeating yummy over and over again is the worst. I can't even believe there are two songs I hate more than this one, to be honest, I guess it was a strong year for bad pop songs.
Just found out Bieber wrote the lyrics himself. That makes a LOT more sense. Please stop doing this, just let the overpaid professionals handle it OR get Ed Sheeran again, whatever.
3rd Best: Taylor Swift's "Cardigan"
Taylor Swift drops a surprise album and it's the best thing she's done in a long time. "Folklore" was a really good album and completely unexpected. Not only was it a surprise release, but also a surprise how different it is from her last few albums. It's a lot more stripped-down than her last few albums, which works really well in my opinion. Her last two albums were really disappointing and going into this one with not much expectation helped me enjoy it more. It is a little on the long side though, so that might stop me from re-listening to its entirety a lot. The only really big hit from this album so far is "Cardigan" and while it's not my favorite from the album it's still a great little song. It feels more mature than a lot of her recent singles, at least musically? I've always loved slower music and when it's done well there's nothing better to me. If not done well a song like this could be boring, but thankfully this is done well and doesn't fall into that. It has a relaxing quality, actually, the whole album has that going for it. A perfect album to put on and just relax at home and knit. You know, like a cardigan or whatever.
2nd Worst: AJR's "Bang"
I previously talked about this song in a post and I knew it would be on this list as soon as I first heard it. AJR is a terrible "band" that makes complete garbage and tries to sell it as music. Seriously, I've never heard a decent AJR song in my life and this is somehow worse than what they usually put out, mostly because it's actually getting a lot of play and is really popular. The song is a loud mess of a song with bad vocals and unclever lyrics. The production is terrible and I have to turn down my speakers whenever I try to listen to it or I will start to get a headache, not even joking. So yeah... a pretty bad song. I don't know why, but I blame Imagine Dragons for this.
2nd Best: Dua Lipa's "Don't Start Now"
Pretty much everything about what I said about "Break My Heart" applies here. The bass in this song is even better though, and it's just even catchier than "Break My Heart" is. It's been a good year for bass, and that's just... well it's heartwarming.
The Worst of 2020: Tones and I's "Dance Monkey"
A failure in every possible way. The screeching muppet vocals hurt my ears and heart. I mean, I'd rather hear Kermit himself sing this cause he would do a hundred times better. I can't even make it past the first chorus without turning off the song, so maybe something amazing happens after it that I'm missing out on? Like does the voice of God himself speak on the second verse or something? Cause I have no idea how this song became such a big hit. The music isn't much better than the crap vocals and the chorus isn't even that catchy. Without the vocals, this would be just a mediocre song, but with the vocals, it's clearly the worse song of the year.
2 Billion listens on Spotify. Get outta here. That's more than my 2 favorite songs on this list combined.
The Best of 2020: BTS "Dynamite"
My brain broke this year, that's the only explanation. 2020 doesn't make any sense to me. I keep asking myself why I love this song so much and I think the answer is clear and I'm just afraid to admit it. I love K-Pop, it's just that simple. Watching BTS dance to "Dynamite" gave me joy I haven't felt in years. Hearing their beautiful vocals brought a smile to face. It feels good to finally get that out there.
Album Recommendations:
Miley Cyrus - "Plastic Hearts"
Dua Lipa - "Future Nostalgia"
Taylor Swift - "Folklore"
Weeknd - "After Hours"
Harry Styles - "Fine Line"
OTHER ALBUMS
Bonny Light Horseman - "Bonny Light Horseman" (Folk)
Hayley Williams - "Petals For Armor" (Rock)
Fionna Apple - "Fetch the Boltcutters" (Rock?)
Phoebe Bridgers - "Punisher" (Indie/Rock)
Glass Animals - "Dreamland" (Indie/Electronic)
Run The Jewels - "RTJ4" (Rap)
Perfume Genius - "Set My Heart on Fire Immediately" (Indie/Pop)
Rina Sawayama - "SAWAYAMA" (Pop)
The Killers - "Imploding the Image" (Their best in years)
Declan Mckenna - "Zeros" (Britpop/rock)
That's it for this year, see you in 2021... maybe.