2020. Remember how we all got sad and morose about the "current" state of affairs in 2016 when some likeable or at least innovative famous people died while politics broke through onto social media in a way it never had before, turning a predictable format of brainless entertainment into the next great civil war of twitter fingers? Yeah, fuck you "Fuck 2016" people, you had no idea how good you had it. I don't need to tell anyone the overall summary of what 2020 has meant to the world as a whole (Quite frankly, I don't need to do any of this. It's all a hobby right now. No money involved, just fun stuff I have a strong interest in discussing my views on). Let's keep it light, let's keep it fun while still acknowledging the ways that 2020 made this year's music seemingly EXTRA important to me and hopefully everybody else out there. It was an industry hit extremely hard by the pandemic in the cases of festivals and tours just ceasing to exist but, innovative minds pulled through and of all the years I've been covering, thinking about, listening and making countdowns for music, this one felt the most like the most important as artists were less interested in making grand statements but, the ones that did (Lil Baby, Anderson .Paak, Run The Jewels) hit the hardest. Meanwhile, the artists that wanted to make relatable music that could evoke emotions from the listening audience seemed to hit the perfect chord harder than ever before. It was an emotionally intense year and as much as I want to steer away from the everyday bleakness that has enveloped so many people that left 2019 feeling confident about the future, I still feel like there is a ton of music here that will be looked back on fondly, more than any other year I've made these lists (that goes back to 2006).
As always, eligible songs for this list NEED TO HAVE A MUSIC VIDEO (apologies to Run The Jewels ft. Gangsta Boo "Walking In The Snow", the #1 non-single of 2020) that was released sometime between December 15th, 2019 and December 14th, 2020. There will be songs that hit in a major way and artists we've known to grow and enjoy along with a surprisingly large stack of first-timers on my annual Top 40 that may not be known to all yet but, I'm certainly buying stock in quite a few of their futures'.
DO NOT LOOK AT THIS AS ME DEFINING WHAT THE BEST SONGS OF 2020 WERE BUT INSTEAD, AS A PERSONALIZED LIST OF FAVORITES FROM THE YEAR.
Countdown Contenders
The 1975 - Guys
Bleachers ft. Bruce Springsteen - Chinatown
Coldplay - Champion Of The World
Elle King - Another You
Grouplove - Youth
The Highwomen - Crowded Table
Keaton Henson - Ontario
Lady Gaga - Stupid Love
Phoebe Bridgers - Kyoto
Links to the YouTube and Spotify playlists are down the list after #1 in case you'd like to experience these tracks for yourself without clicking one track's link at a time.
Without further ado, here are my Top 40 Songs of 2020...
Does this "song" even make it onto the Top 40 without that transition from the orchestral interlude track "Chromatica II" attached? I'm not sure but, it certainly adds to the theatrical fun of it all. This was 2020's "People" by The 1975 (released in 2019) in terms of unexpected throat-punches for opening the track. Her robotic vocals never get overly annoying in the way that so many autotuned EDM vocals or warbling mumble rappers have a tendency to do because as soon as the pre-chorus comes in, she switches it up to a deeper loud tone rarely used on Lady Gaga's huge pop performances in comparison to her jazzier excursions with Tony Bennett. The instrumental might not be as memorable as the comeback single "Stupid Love" and it might not have had the chart success that "Rain On Me (ft. Ariana Grande)" did but, "911" and it's connecting interlude elevated Chromatica from "meh" to a staple of the Lady Gaga discography. The music video's intricate work in detailing the scene of a car accident did not hurt either.
Most Memorable Lyric/Moment: That transition though...
Total tracks by artist(s) in my Top 40's history: 8 (her first since 2012's "Marry The Night")
Most noteworthy #40 from years past: 2015 - Tame Impala "The Less I Know The Better"
Disco made a huge return to the mainstream in 2020 but in my mind, it never really left. I've had songs like "The Man" by The Killers, "Fast Slow Disco" by St. Vincent and even M.I.A.'s "Jimmy" glued into my brain since the first time I heard them. Jessie Ware decided to enlist herself into the genre by teaming up with Simian Mobile Disco's James Ford for 11 of 12 tracks off her fourth studio album, What's Your Pleasure? and the idea worked wonders as it is the most critically acclaimed album to date for a critically acclaimed yet widely under-recognized pop singer from the UK. "Spotlight" was the first single to showcase the switch-up in Ware's sound after her third album fell flat for some and the first time I heard this track, I was relieved to hear that for at least one song, Ware had delivered on the potential she's been showing since 2012 by adding more fun to her sound.
Most Memorable Lyric/Moment: The thirty-second house-influenced instrumental outro.
Total tracks by artist(s) in my Top 40's history: 2 (the other being "You & I (Forever) from 2014)
Most noteworthy #39 from years past: 2012 - M.I.A. "Bad Girls"
As intricate and catchy as "Video Game" was, something about the simplicity and length of Sufjan Stevens' second single from The Ascension put it above the more pop-friendly lead single for me. The instrumental shows plenty of electronic influence with Bon Iver's Bon Iver, Bon Iver vibes in combination with Sufjan's initial 2010 foray into electronic music, The Age Of Adz yet it also sounds completely independent of those projects while fitting into the general flow on his eighth studio album. The lyrics are about as basic (and according to Anthony Fantano, are some of his laziest examples of songwriting to date) as Sufjan has ever gotten but, it's a song that could easily have been covered by Paul Simon in the mid-70s to resounding success. "Come on baby, gimme some sugar" has never sounded less sexual in context than it does on this song and yet, that's kind of the point? the song is actually more about spreading positivity and giving your best effort to others whether it's in a time of need (like 2020) or just everyday life. It's a very dark and haunting sounding song with positive lyrics, a complete juxtaposition to tracks that I usually enjoy but also, a territory that not many artists are willing to step into so, props to Sufjan Stevens on a long overdo debut on my end-of-year Top 40 countdown.
Most Memorable Lyric/Moment: Stevens crying out "Don't Make Me Wait!"
Total tracks by artist(s) in my Top 40's history: 1
Most noteworthy #38 from years past: 2013 - Paramore "Still Into You"
I first discovered Celeste through her work with Billie Eilish's producer-brother Finneas ( and the Eilish/Celeste comparisons pretty much stop there. Both are strong vocalists in their own right but Celeste is a powerhouse of a vocalist in the same vein as (wait for it...) Amy Winehouse (that's a hot take, yes?). "Stop This Flame" is the most commercially successful of her five pre-debut album singles to drop going back to 2019 and with good reason, it's wildly catchy and takes me back to a simpler time somewhere between when Adele was belting out "Rolling In The Deep" and Jess Glynne hit American radio with Clean Bandit on "Rather Be". It's kind of amazing this song did not make more airwaves than it did but, I suppose we as a society have somehow moved past this specific type of song that dominated the early-to-mid 2010s already. "I Can See The Change" was her introduction to more American listeners, "Little Runaway" was her ballad that should have broken her through into the mainstream and "Stop This Flame" is her biggest song to date, mostly due to her collaborating with super-producer John Hill. With the debut album, Not Your Muse set to be released on February 26th, there's still some time for her to build an even larger audience.
Most Memorable Lyric/Moment: That constant upbeat piano track in the background.
Total tracks by artist(s) in my Top 40's history: 1
Most noteworthy #37 from years past: 2011 - Kanye West ft. Rihanna, Kid Cudi, Fergie and others "All Of The Lights"
Conan Gray is a 22-year old singer/songwriter from Texas that has grabbed the internet's attention through YouTube covers and his breakthrough 2018 EP Sunset Season. This year saw Gray drop three more singles and his debut album, Kid Krow, to critical and commercial success. While "Heather" was the breakaway hit, "The Story" closes out the album with his most exemplary songwriting to date in his blossoming career. It's a third-person view of all the recurring characters of Gray's childhood and life to this point with the very mature touch of a writer's pen for someone that's just now coming into adulthood.
Most Memorable Lyric/Moment: "They were just sixteen, When the people were mean, So they didn't love themselves, And now they're gone, Headstones on a lawn"
Total tracks by artist(s) in my Top 40's history: 1
Most noteworthy #36 from years past: 2008 - T.I. featuring Rihanna "Live Your Life"
Long gone are the days of "Filthy Frank", George Miller's original internet persona. Instead we have Joji, Miller's far more serious yet still surrealist side singing about heartbreak in the most appealing semi-monotone vocals that don't need a bass drop (hello, Calvin Harris). "Run" continues the natural love story progression from 2019's "Sanctuary" as his deep attachment to his love interest takes a turn for the worst as they are just not that into him anymore and he's wondering what it will take to earn them back. The production has this big sound that encompasses the listener into taking investment in Joji's side of this story, that's how strong it truly is. Joji should try to switch things up as his debut album Nectar grew a tad monotonous after too many slow-burner sad songs but, this act is not one that I'm tired of yet.
Most Memorable Lyric/Moment: That guitar solo coming out of nowhere.
Total tracks by artist(s) in my Top 40's history: 2 ("Sanctuary" was #35 in 2019, Joji is the first artist to ever have a song in the same position in back-to-back years)
Most noteworthy #35 from years past: 2012 - Frank Ocean "Thinkin Bout You"
It's been too damn long since the music world has produced the ideal strutting down the street with utmost confidence song. The Bee Gees' "Stayin' Alive" might still be the crowning champion of that specific musical category for eternity but in a surprising twist, The Neighbourhood (an alternative pop-rock band that's had middling success since a bunch of hype around 2012) have thrown their hats into that ring with this single off their fourth album, Chip Chrome & The Mono-tones. The track is about the voice inside one's head that goes to the extremes for negative possible outcomes for something not even yet attempted and ultimately avoided. Well, The Neighbourhood certainly went for it in their attempt for a new sound and vibe after being stuck in their "Sweater Weather" heyday and the rebrand and cosplay as Chip Chrome worked as I am now looking forward to whatever The Neighbourhood do next for the first ime in years.
Most Memorable Lyric/Moment: That funky groove, baby.
Total tracks by artist(s) in my Top 40's history: 1
Most noteworthy #34 from years past: 2009 - The Ting Tings "That's Not My Name"
Braids are still a fairly unknown band in the grand scheme of things and maybe it's best they remain that way considering how the politics of the band have sort of overtaken the small yet noteworthy Pitchfork-driven narrative of the band today. Ultimately, the music is still dead on when they get one right and "Snow Angel" is a prog-rock emotional journey that is the longest charting song in length this year at over nine minutes. There's a very solid indie rock song in here but, I just can't help but fall for every emotion lead singer Raphaelle Standell-Preston puts into her vocal performance. It's chill inducing whether you're cringing at certain lines or hardcore relating to the jam-band poetry experienced before the calming, synth-laden outro.
Most Memorable Lyric/Moment: The spoken word "This white woman contributes to it" rant that was very much of 2020.
Total tracks by artist(s) in my Top 40's history: 2 ("Miniskirt" was my #4 song of 2015)
Most noteworthy #33 from years past: 2012 - Watch The Throne ft. Frank Ocean & The-Dream "No Church In The Wild".
Haim have made songs that have charted for me based on love for each other as sisters, breakups and the ups-and-downs of everyday life. Now, they finally delivered a rocking semi-feminist anthem with lyrics like "Everyday I wake up and make money for myself, And though we share a bed, You know that I don't need you help, Do you understand, you don't understand me, baby. With three songs on my Top 40 of 2019, it was no surprise to see Haim get one more single off of Women In Music Pt.3. Not only will "The Steps" be up for the Grammy for Best Rock Album but, their third studio album is also up for the big one, Album of the Year as one of the very few nominees people were not upset by for this year's Grammy ceremony.
Most Memorable Lyric/Moment: The loud guitar kicking in instantly.
Total tracks by artist(s) in my Top 40's history: 6.
Most noteworthy #32 from years past: 2016 - Beyonce' "Sorry"
I've always wondered if in sports, once a team has run out of jerseys numbered from 0-99 whether that be due to honorary purposes or oversized rosters, would we start seeing fractions on jerseys, triple-digits or would we just cease the usage of numbers altogether, having run out of eligible digits? Well, we're starting to run out of artist and band names in recent years as acts like Chilish Gambino and Post Malone got their names from random rap name generators. Beabadoobee was just messing around with a friend when she came up with her stage name yet for some reason, the name that "sounded like a Minion on acid" stuck for 20-year old Beatrice Laus. The budding pop-rock prodigy was supposed to be a bigger name this year for festivals and tours as both a supporting stint on The 1975's tour and a breakthrough act on stages like Coachella and even though her brand of throwback 90's/early 00's pop punk garnered her plenty of acclaim off of her debut album, Fake It Flowers, it still seems like the year of Beabadoobee was a missed opportunity. Either way, we'll always have "Sorry", an emo pop-rock song that fits in the same playlists as an all-time favorite of mine, "I'm With You" by Avril Lavigne. It's odd that these types of songs disappeared or focused more on the "Rock" angle this past decade but along with 100 Gecs and Rina Sawayama, I'm very pleased to see the early-00's influence isn't completely lost on the next generation.
Most Memorable Lyric/Moment: The crashing of the strings getting louder every time the chorus hits.
Total tracks by artist(s) in my Top 40's history: 1
Most noteworthy #31 from years past: 2009 - Lady Gaga ft. Colby O'Donis "Just Dance"
The first entry from 20-year old British singer/songwriter Arlo Parks is probably the most upbeat song she's released to date and it's been described by Parks as the following in an interview with NME...
"‘Hurt’ surrounds the possibility of healing from pain and the temporary nature of suffering.
It is supposed to uplift and comfort those going through hard times."So even when Parks is trying to uplift and craft a positive message through her music, it still features lines like "Charlie drank it, 'til his eyes burned, And forgot to eat his lunch, Pain was built into his body, Heart so soft it hurt to be". Nobody can paint such a vivid picture of the everyday, ordinary happenings like this new artist that originates from London. I'm shocked her music hasn't garnered more attention from music publications during the pandemic as nobody is doing "Welp, here we go with this shit again" music that most everybody could relate to in 2020 like Parks.
Most Memorable Lyric/Moment: The bridge, "Oh wouldn't it be lovely, to feel something for once? Yeah wouldn't it be lovely, to feel worth something whole?"
Total tracks by artist(s) in my Top 40's history: 1
Most noteworthy #30 from years past: 2018 - Travis Scott ft. Drake "Sicko Mode"
22-year old Declan McKenna has already built quite the reputation as an energetic live act and as an artist to watch coming into this decade with his politically charged songs like "Brazil" and "Paracetamol" or his more upbeat anthems like "Beautiful Faces". The latter song charts at #29 as a classic pop-rock track that could have easily charted in the mainstream as well but, the radio continues to bury rock music. The song's content shares similar lyrical content to St. Vincent's 2014 hit "Digital Witness" in it's eye-rolling at the fascination and pressure caused by today's social media influencers and the negative effects that seeing all the "Beautiful Faces" on Instagram can do to one's self-confidence and worldview over time. The major difference between St. Vincent's anti-modernity anthem and McKenna's is that Declan was 12 when Instagram first started blowing up as a social media vehicle. In other words, this is someone that grew up with all of these platforms in place and he's still able to take a step back and recognize the way it's altered everyday behavior. Maybe the kids do stand a chance.
Most Memorable Lyric/Moment: "Tonight I'm good staying inside, But I'll be dancing for sure"
Total tracks by artist(s) in my Top 40's history: 2 ("Paracetamol" was my #28 song of 2016)
Most noteworthy #29 from years past: 2019 - Lizzo "Cuz I Love You"
The Mark Ronson-produced, Kacey Musgraves-featuring 80s-style synth-laden banger that is the remix to this song is fun and all but, there's no beating the original "Easy" by Troye Sivan. The song sees Sivan regretting his having cheated on a partner, explaining how "easy" it felt in the moment to go astray from his relationship. For such a subject of a song, it's still an absolute bop that would have sonically fit on Sivan's fantastic 2018 album, Bloom even though it came from a six-track EP released in July 2020 called In A Dream. Sivan continues maturing in his music and it will be interesting to see if the next era is nothing but breakup songs or if he maybe even jumps into more of a hyperpop lane as hinted at on his first single of 2020, "Take Yourself Home"
Most Memorable Lyric/Moment: "Woo!" certainly adds more to this song than it did that Logic suicide song from a few years back. It also fits way more appropriately.
Total tracks by artist(s) in my Top 40's history: 4
Most noteworthy #28 from years past: 2017 - Ed Sheeran "Castle On The Hill"
Most covers are objectively questionable in execution and don't stand a chance at the year-end lists because the newer artist never tops the original or at least refuses to switch things up and make it their own (see: All the Christmas songs heard at your local grocery store not sung by Mariah Carey since the 1940s). Lianne Le Havas is no ordinary modern day artist though, as this is her second cover to make my year-end Top 40 in the past decade. With 2013's "Elusive", she turned an obscure Scott Matthews song into a soulful R&B slow jam that introduced the world to her exquisite vocals. In 2020, she decided to cover Radiohead's "Weird Fishes" off of their highly acclaimed 2007 pay-how-you-want In Rainbows record. Instead of the haunting vocals of Thom Yorke crooning over a fast-paced repetitive drum beat. In Lianne La Havas version, we have the rare opportunity of hearing someone with superior vocals to that of Yorke's slowing things down on an already slow burning track by muting the drums a bit before the four-minutes of muted build-up turns into a full on jam-band experience with more of a climactic explosion of music than that of the original by Radiohead (which lingers a bit too long at being a mid-tempo song for me).
Most Memorable Lyric/Moment: The crescendo of vocal harmonizing that leads into La Havas yelling "ESCAPE"
Total tracks by artist(s) in my Top 40's history: 2 ("Elusive" was my #9 song of 2013)
Most noteworthy #27 from years past: 2018 - Bruno Mars ft. Cardi B "Finesse (Remix)"
Declan, your Bowie influences are showing again. "Be An Astronaut" is very much a "Life On Mars", glam rock inspired track that elevates itself from a rare Declan McKenna piano ballad into a set closer that makes one picture "Daniel" attaining his goals and blasting off in that rocket as an astronaut that made it. In an interview with Apple Music, McKenna stated "This was when I was really deep into making things as big and extended as they could be. I was obsessed with The Age of Adz by Sufjan Stevens, where it’s just these huge songs. I also knew this would be the second song on the album. After that thrust in, it’s this throwback and it’s recalling something, recalling thoughts of a childhood, thoughts of growing up and experiencing hardships and experiencing grief. It became quite central to giving the album its spaciness, or at least an aspiration to go to space. I think the album maybe exists in a world not far from our own, but definitely dreams of something bigger. And I think that the whole thing in “Be an Astronaut” is that dreams can be damaging and can often be unattainable, and I think that’s the thing."
Most Memorable Lyric/Moment: The moment the backing vocals kick in on "you're lying"
Total tracks by artist(s) in my Top 40's history: 3 (2 in 2020)
Most noteworthy #26 from years past: 2008 - Natasha Bedingfield "Pocketful of Sunshine"
Sometimes, it's the simple strategies that are the most effective. "Step Into My Life" is not a complicated song on paper, it's a danceable disco-flavored track that is infectious as all hell and the production on this thing is immaculate. In all honesty, the music video itself was a massive boost for this song, even though it was already always going to be one of, if not THE best track on Ware's What's Your Pleasure? Dancer Eric Schloesser was already a part of Ware's "Save A Kiss" semi-quarantined, socially distant music video and I'm glad they finally let him outside for this one because he took over that empty bowling alley and made it his own. The choreography is quite endearing and the setting reminiscent to a Tarrantino film. This just further proves my theory that the next Quentin Tarrantino film should stick to a disco-themed soundtrack from beginning to finish, whether that be fitting of the time period or not.
Most Memorable Lyric/Moment: The strings transitioning to the chorus
Total tracks by artist(s) in my Top 40's history: 3 (2 in 2020)
Most noteworthy #25 from years past: 2015 - Major Lazer ft. MØ & DJ Snake "Lean On"
Hot Chip have been around for 20 years now and while 2010's "I Feel Better" may be this electronic band at it's peak, "Positive" is certainly a worthy addition to their greatest hits collection, whenever they decide to put one of those compilations together. "Positive" was a fun track when I first heard it on their 2019 album A Bath Full Of Ecstasy and with the music video being unveiled in early 2020, I thought "Yeah, the album was kind of boring but at least this song has grown on me!". Little did I know how prescient the lyrics of "We get together sometimes, talk about how we used to get together sometimes" would be for EVERYONE in 2020 with the COVID lockdowns keeping (sensible) people indoors unless they needed to go to work or do anything "essential" to everyday life. There may not be a club worth going to for a hot minute but, Hot Chip's "Positive" will be on the compilation soundtrack for the rorarin' 2020s if I have anything to say about it.
Most Memorable Lyric/Moment: The acid house inspired outro
Total tracks by artist(s) in my Top 40's history: 1 (2 for lead singer Alexis Taylor)
Most noteworthy #24 from years past: 2011 - Rihanna ft. Drake "What's My Name"
There were still a few stars able to break through in a major way despite all that occurred in 2020 and the biggest name in the world for music this year was Dua Lipa. "Break My Heart" was going to be an anthemic disco/pop crossover whether everything that happened this year was going to happen or not. In March, Saturday Night Live had to cancel an episode starring John Krasinski with Lipa as the musical guest, meaning the push for her superstardom was going to happen one way or another and she just so happened to elevate her name recognition thanks to a series of live performances and fun music videos. The editing for the "Break My Heart" video is top notch and I'll take the catchiness of Future Nostalgia's third single over "Don't Start Now" or "Physical" any day.
Most Memorable Lyric/Moment: Mmm... that baseline.
Total tracks by artist(s) in my Top 40's history: 2 ("New Rules" was my #16 of 2017)
Most noteworthy #23 from years past: 2009 - Britney Spears "If U Seek Amy"
Heavily Sampling "DWYCK" by Gang Starr featuring Nice & Smooth, "Ooh La La" was our first taste of RTJ4, the fourth and finest installment in El-P and Killer Mike's discography to date. The first single is the beginning of the anti-establishment movement that the members of RTJ have been discussing for eight years now and it really is just a banger of an intro for one of the best albums of the year. It's a shame we didn't get more music videos out of these two but, Killer Mike was busy attempting to play peacekeeper in Atlanta once protests begun and turned to riots. Oh yeah, this music video was really fucking prescient too, wasn't it?
Most Memorable Lyric/Moment: The "DWYCK" sample.
Total tracks by artist(s) in my Top 40's history: 3 (1 each for Greg Nice & DJ Premier)
Most noteworthy #22 from years past: 2013 - Robin Thicke ft. Pharrell & T.I. "Blurred Lines"
Not all dance songs with retro vibes are disco songs but who the hell cares? This song's beat also feels disco-ish to me. I've always said the genre never died and just reinvented itself under different labels in the background of what we now call pop music and when an indie rock act like U.S. Girls embraces that, it proves that the "disco sucks" crowd of the early eighties was way more reactionary than all those that have turned on Coldplay, Nickleback or any other internet punching bag over the past 15 years. "4 American Dollars" was a total sonic shift by Meghan Remy, an experimental artist I couldn't really get into on her previous material. Her seventh studio album, Heavy Light is by far my favorite of her works thus far as she had fun jumping from genre to genre on every track with this song as the highlight of the album as a whole. The song focuses on the growing divide on wealth in America, something that aged like the finest of wines (I'm told) when we all got $1,200 to survive a pandemic for nine months while CEOs got bailed out and then some when most didn't even need the assistance to begin with (plus, just look at what Amazon's been able to do since we're all online shopping now). Another prescient single that only got better with time over 2020.
Most Memorable Lyric/Moment: The background singers giving a doo-wop feel to a dance track.
Total tracks by artist(s) in my Top 40's history: 1
Most noteworthy #21 from years past: 2011 - Radiohead "Lotus Flower"
Transitioning beautifully from the "DVD Menu" intro to her second studio album Punisher, Phoebe Bridgers and her tour manager harmonize spookily (ahh, skeletons!) on the lead single "Garden Song". This song is about the balance between a negative and positive mindset and all of the thoughts of the future on either end of the spectrum coming true. For instance, the line "the doctor put her hands over my liver, she told me my resentment's getting smaller" shows that once one learns to deal with a negative situation and manifest a positive out of that shitty situation, everything else tends to ride in line with whatever vibe one is feeling at that moment. It's extremely poetic alternative music that we've come to expect from Bridgers only two solo albums deep.
Most Memorable Lyric/Moment: "And when your skinhead neighbor goes missing
I'll plant a garden in the yard"
Total tracks by artist(s) in my Top 40's history: 1
Most noteworthy #20 from years past: 2015 - The Weeknd "Can't Feel My Face"
Transitioning from one angelic-voiced, poetic songstress to another, Arlo Parks. The instrumental to "Eugene" sounds ripped straight from Radiohead's The King Of Limbs. It's such a mesmerizing track that describes Arlo's friendship with another woman secretly morphing into a love interest in Parks' own mind as the woman moves on to another relationship with the titular character of Eugene. There's nothing wrong with Eugene, the man seems to be perfectly suitable for Parks' friend but, that hasn't stopped her from internally yearning for something more out of this long-term friendship.
Most Memorable Lyric/Moment: "You played him records I showed you, Read him Sylvia Plath, I thought that that was our thing, You know I like you like that, I hate that son of a bitch"
Total tracks by artist(s) in my Top 40's history: 2 (2nd of 2020)
Most noteworthy #19 from years past: 2008 - Adele "Chasing Pavements"
Yes kids, rock and roll is still around and I'm sure the veteran rock critics forced to eat up whatever Taylor Swift and Justin Bieber have put out these past few years ate the new Killers' record up and loved this shit. They aren't wrong either. The band's sixth studio album is a great return to form that also shows an eye to the future with production assistance from Jonathan Rado of Foxygen. "Caution" fits in nicely with any of The Killers' earliest stuff except now they have the budget and name-recognition to earn a feature from Lindsey Buckingham (formerly of Fleetwood Mac). This feels like a song you'd hear over an 80s movie's montage showing character development for the protagonist after a rough few scenes on screen.
Most Memorable Lyric/Moment: The Lindsey Buckingham guitar solo
Total tracks by artist(s) in my Top 40's history: 3 (1st since 2009's "Spaceman")
Most noteworthy #18 from years past: 2010 - Jay Z ft. Mr. Hudson "Young Forever"
I've always tended to lean toward the poppier or more introspective sides of rap music while things like Lil Uzi Vert, Playboi Carti, City Girls and Lil Baby just sort of... exist? and that's totally okay (I actually enjoyed Uzi's Eternal Atake quite a bit in comparison to his past work this year) but, songs like "Life" with it's unique instrumental and uplifting lyrics just hit that sweet spot in my brain where I know that this will be a nostalgic song for me as soon as 2021 is here. "Life" may just be a song intended to showcase Lute's parenting skills but, it's also inspirational as Lute preaches moving forward by keeping your head down and continuing to work hard at making a good life for yourself and others. It's an all-encompassing message that could apply to so many that I kind of needed after being deemed "essential". Whenever Lute drops his album, I hope people recognize this song for it's laid-back, slick excellence that seems more real and interesting than anything Chance The Rapper has put out these past two years.
Most Memorable Lyric/Moment: "Show my daughter if she fall, it's cool, just get back on your feet, I'm here to give you all these tools and then my life will be complete"
Total tracks by artist(s) in my Top 40's history: 1
Most noteworthy #17 from years past: 2013 - Justin Timberlake "Mirrors"
My jaw dropped when I saw Pitchfork give Fetch The Bolt Cutters a 10.0. That type of score should be saved for revolutionary albums that an artist puts all of their emotions into, an album that sounds wholly unique to anything else that's ever been released before it, an album that isn't necessarily the commercial peak for an artist but, could be seen as an artistic peak. You know... an album like Fetch The Bolt Cutters. For real though, this album deserved the praise it got and "Shameika" is 100% a highlight of that record as it tells the story of a day in third grade where Fiona Apple was being bullied but, a girl named Shameika came up and told her "Don't let them get to you. YOU have potential". That message motivated Apple and who knows, we might not have ever heard of her had it not been for Shameika. As it turns out, Shameika Stepney became an artist in her own right as a rapper and released a song afterwards called "Shameika Said" featuring new vocals from Ms. Apple after not having interacted in over thirty years. Even in a time socially distanced, music still brought people together under the craziest of circumstances.
Most Memorable Lyric/Moment: The way Fiona aggressively hums after the first chorus.
Total tracks by artist(s) in my Top 40's history: 1
Most noteworthy #16 from years past: 2006 - Gnarls Barkley "Crazy"
Yes, the 52-year old Australian Madonna is still capable of making a smash hit. "Say Something" is very much a product of the pop go-to strategy for 2020 of making a disco song and adding modern elements like vocal layering with hints of natural instrumentation sprinkled throughout. Minogue took this to a whole other level by naming her fifteenth studio album DISCO and sticking to the aforementioned formula. The lead single catapulted her album to #1 on the UK Charts, making her the first female artist to ever accomplish that feat in FIVE consecutive decades. Her longevity is outstanding and this song should have been a hit in the United States but, we've proven we don't deserve nice things and I'm happier for Minogue that she gets to stay away from us for now.
Most Memorable Lyric/Moment: The twanging guitars that made me think "Is this going the country route???"
Total tracks by artist(s) in my Top 40's history: 1
Most noteworthy #15 from years past: 2015 - Rihanna, Kanye West & Paul McCartney "FourFive Seconds"
Every year there is some sort of carry over from the past calendar year and with the video for "Norman Fucking Rockwell" (which was actually part of a three-part musical film) coming out after my 2019 cut-off date, here's Lana Del Rey getting a Top 20 song for the third year in a row. The title-track from her seventh studio album kicked the album off on a note unexpected to fans of her previous six records as it is a piano ballad for an introduction to her most lounge singer-esque album to date. Del Rey has already dropped a single for her 8th studio album coming sometime in 2021 and she's 7/7 on quality projects so, don't be shocked to see her back on this list next year as well. She is the poster child for consistency in excellent music right now.
Most Memorable Lyric/Moment: GODDAMN MANCHILD
Total tracks by artist(s) in my Top 40's history: 8
Most noteworthy #14 from years past: 2010 - Paramore "The Only Exception"
The Strokes meet lead singer Julian Casablancas' other band The Voidz in this synth-heavy, autotuned warbler of an epic track. It had been ten years since "Under Cover Of Darkness" shined through an otherwise forgettable Strokes' period that had sort of been going on since their first two albums... UNTIL I heard this song. I was not expecting Casablancas and company to clash their two sounds together at any point and I pictured the newest Strokes album to be more of what The Killers went for in channeling The War On Drugs with more understandable vocals, mixed in with songs that sounded like classic Strokes' music. "At The Door" immediately punches the listeners' ear drums with the same synth used throughout Usher's hit song "DJ Got Us Falling In Love" and it sticks to just that synth up against Julian's voice for a while until the guitar shows up and makes a wonderous turn into being an instant alt-rock classic I can''t wait to see performed live.
Most Memorable Lyric/Moment: The song devolving into Julian Casablancas' nonsensical distorted vocals.
Total tracks by artist(s) in my Top 40's history: 2
Most noteworthy #13 from years past: 2013 - Pusha T ft. Kendrick Lamar "Nosetalgia"
Speaking of loud ear punches, the 100 Gec-ian instrumental wall of distorted noise that opens up this track is exactly what you'd expect at this point from the A.G. Cook production listing and Charli XCX's co-signing of nearly everybody under the PC Music label. This stellar example of hyperpop never strays too far from being an everyday pop song lyrically, making it accessible to people that don't understand the true ADHD, drug-fueled mania that is "hyperpop". Recorded and released in a quick span during the initial quarantine, "Forever" is Charli reflecting on how close the current state of the world has brought her to her partner and has her preaching how she'll make sure to hold on to those feelings even when she isn't around the house all the time anymore and starts touring again.
Most Memorable Lyric/Moment: "I will always love you (love you), I'll love you forever, even when we're not together"
Total tracks by artist(s) in my Top 40's history: 4
Most noteworthy #12 from years past: 2010 - Cee-Lo Green "Fuck You"
The most classic pop banger from one of the biggest names today, there was no way "Watermelon Sugar" wasn't going to clinch year-end lists and a spot as Harry Styles' next single once it was first heard by the outside world. The song is almost certainly, probably, not proven to be but still widely speculated to be about oral sex but settle down there, it never goes beyond the talks of fruit devouring until you watch the video and uhh... there are some Prince-style euphemisms going on here. The most successful former member of One Direction has stated that the song is just about getting swept off your feet in the initial days of a budding relationship but, I wouldn't really start out THAT song by describing watermelons as tasting like strawberries. A well-deserved hit and Grammy nominated for Best Pop Solo Performance, Styles is proving to be a name that's sticking in the pop culture landscape.
Most Memorable Lyric/Moment: The groovy bass guitar that kicks in after the first chorus and locks it's place into being a hit.
Total tracks by artist(s) in my Top 40's history: 2 ("Sign Of The Times" was my #2 song of 2017)
Most noteworthy #11 from years past: 2018 - Lana Del Rey "Venice Bitch"
In a frustrating turn of events the original and better version of this song is just all the Dua Lipa parts you hear in this song's remix featuring DaBaby. The only difference is DaBaby, who adds absolutely nothing to song other than enough street credibility for it to be the NBA on TNT's transitional intro song every Thursday night now for the 2020-21season. DaBaBy is nowhere on the original and it's definitively better that way but alas, I'm going to rank this song as though his verses don't exist and the original got it's own video instead of the two different remixed versions we we retreated to (the other one produced by The Blessed Madonna and features Missy Elliott along with the original Madonna).
Most Memorable Lyric/Moment: Dua's endearing if not technically skilled rapping.
Total tracks by artist(s) in my Top 40's history: 3 for Dua (2 in 2020), 1 for DaBaby
Most noteworthy #10 from years past: 2007 - Amy Winehouse "You Know I'm No Good"
Unlike her #12 track of 2020, "Claws" is actually produced by Dylan Brady of 100 Gecs underground (or whatever the internet's equivalent to "underground" is) fame. There isn't much to say about "Claws" other than it's the catchiest nonsense pop of 2020 and I fucking like everything about it for that.
Most Memorable Lyric/Moment: ILIKEILIKEILIKEILIKEILIKE The chorus.
Total tracks by artist(s) in my Top 40's history: 5 (2 in 2020)
Most noteworthy #9 from years past: 2014 - Sam Smith "Stay With Me"
Needless to say, I am excited for Parks to release her debut album, Collapsed In Sunbeams, on the last Friday in January 2021. The woman's song writing is top notch and "Caroline" is another highlight of that fact with her describing an argument between an artsy couple that she witnesses while waiting for the bus. It's such a mundane, everyday happening that very few writers could turn into a full song like this. My mind immediately goes to Courtney Barnett and as much as I love Barnett's music, Parks' voice is just so soft and precise that she's really on her own tier of musicianship here, able to communicate a story in under four minutes that feels like an audiobook.
Most Memorable Lyric/Moment: "Eyes so bright with disappointment, I saw something inside her break, Everybody knows the feeling, Suddenly he started screaming"
Total tracks by artist(s) in my Top 40's history: 3 (all in 2020)
Most noteworthy #8 from years past: 2010 - Kid Cudi ft. MGMT & Ratatat "Pursuit Of Happiness (Nightmare)"
Let me join the never-ending line of people side-eyeing the Grammys for ignoring After Hours and all the great singles Abel Tesfaye released in accompaniment with his stellar fourth studio album. "In Your Eyes" was supposed to be the follow-up hit to the behemoth of an all-timer single that was "Blinding Lights". Unfortunately for this 80s influenced pop tune ready for the dancefloor, "Blinding Lights" stayed in the Billboard Top 10 for the entirety of 2020. "In Your Eyes" still shined as a hit in it's own right but, may be forgotten in time due to it's predecessor along with the rest of the album, which is a shame. At least we'll always have the "Thriller" style horror music video and the knowledge that this should have been an absolute smash of a hit as well.
Most Memorable Lyric/Moment: The closing saxophone solo that inspired a remix featuring Kenny G.
Total tracks by artist(s) in my Top 40's history: 5
Most noteworthy #7 from years past: 2019 - Billie Eilish "Bad Guy"
The opening track to Imploding The Mirage is The Killers at their most The War On Drugs, road trip soundtrack-y greatness. "My Own Soul's Warning" never explicitly mentions religion but as someone that grew up around the Mormon faith, it's hard to imagine that that isn't what lead singer Brandon Flowers was aiming for with his intentions in writing the second single for their sixth studio album. Even when Flowers felt like the natural move for him as a lead singer of a famous rock and roll band was to embrace the rock and roll lifestyle, ultimately he kept choosing the life of a normal, everyday dude named Brandon. Whether he's always kept on the straight and narrow unlike so many others in his profession due to religion or not is up for debate but either way, Brandon Flowers likes the simple life he usually lives when he's not too busy being a superstar and this song celebrates the simple things in life, showing that it's okay to stay in your comfort zone sometimes.
Most Memorable Lyric/Moment: "I just wanted to get back to where... YOU ARE"
Total tracks by artist(s) in my Top 40's history: 4 (2 in 2020)
Most noteworthy #6 from years past: 2007 - Gwen Stefani ft. Akon "The Sweet Escape"
Seriously, I need to cop that Collapsed In Sunbeams pre-order right now. In her fourth and final (mini spoiler?) entry on my Top 40 Songs of 2020, Arlo Parks brings awareness to mental health issues by guiding the listener through her simplest track yet. In what is the repetitive strumming of one guitar with interpolations of piano playing and a few hazier backing vocals, Parks sonically creates the atmosphere of an overcast day with very little reason to get up or go out and do anything, the #1 symptoms of depression. Parks somehow manages to make the song sound like depression while also singing about how scary that internal battle of "what is the point of anything?" can be for so many people with depression. Going to the corner market just to go outside was something that nearly everybody can relate to as the COVID lockdown restrictions made sure stopping at your local grocer was really the only task many of us COULD do. It's a very 2020 song and yet, it's message will always be relevant.
Most Memorable Lyric/Moment: "It's so cruel, what your mind can do for no reason"
Total tracks by artist(s) in my Top 40's history: 4 (all in 2020)
Most noteworthy #5 from years past: 2018 - Childish Gambino "This Is America"
As someone that's been reading Steven Hyden's This Isn't Happening, a book about Radiohead's 2000 album, Kid A, it should come as no surprise that this is my third time referencing the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame members on this year's list even though they don't have a single eligible song. "Everything I Wanted" sounds like a pop-friendly "Everything In It's Right Place" off the aforementioned Radiohead album in it's instant watery synths that create an atmosphere of unease (as can be said for much of Eilish's music). The throwaway (in that it appears on no EPs or albums yet and is a total standalone single) song's production is fairly muted and simple yet somehow incredibly pop-friendly, so much so that it was Billboard's 18th most popular track in the US this year. It doesn't hurt that this song is lyrically dark as all hell and then turns into something sweet as Eilish describes a dream where she committed suicide and nobody cared (REAL UPLIFITING COUNTDOWN THERE, ANDY.) except when she woke up, she realized her brother Finneas cared. With his assistance in production, these two crafted their best track yet, a three-time Grammy nominated song that could very well see Eilish taking home eight Grammys in the span of two years, with only one album to her name, and she just turned 19. There is something in this family's gene pool for creativity, I swear.
Most Memorable Lyric/Moment: The watery vocal reverb on "Underwater"
Total tracks by artist(s) in my Top 40's history: 3
Most noteworthy #4 from years past: 2009 - Black Eyed Peas "I Gotta Feeling"
Just hearing the opening of this track that sounds like somebody playing wine glasses with the tips of their fingers made my eyes water the first time I heard it. The song's acoustic guitar is an ode to Elliott Smith and again naturally, this track deals with some emotional depths. Bridgers claims she got the idea for "Savior Complex" in a dream which means I should probably keep a notepad next to my recliner, the place where I have my most in-depth dreams. The latest single off of Phoebe's second studio album, Punisher has a fitting music video directed by Phoebe Waller-Bridge (of Fleabag fame) that sees a small dog that appears to be the savior for a man lost in the middle of nowhere until you realize that the dog is only there to make sure the man is staying away from a woman (yes, dogs can be women's best friends too, it is 2020 after all). The song itself has the protagonist wanting to help someone in any way they can while possibly ignoring their own problems. It's romantic yet toxic and ultimately, super complex in it's emotional depth while saying very little. That's just a basic summary of Phoebe Bridgers at this point though, making the mundane sound fresh and new.
Most Memorable Lyric/Moment: "But I'm too tired, to have a pissing contest"
Total tracks by artist(s) in my Top 40's history: 2 (all in 2020)
Most noteworthy #3 from years past: 2014 - Mark Ronson ft. Bruno Mars "Uptown Funk"
If you don't have "Blinding Lights" somewhere on your Top ____ Songs of 2020 list, you are a cop or you were just raised wrong. No pop song in 2020 was more infectious to a wider array of the population than this absent-from-the-Grammys year-ending #1 song for Billboard and American radio airplay. The video for "Blinding Lights" sees 30-year old Abel Tesfaye's The Weeknd character having one hell of a wild time in Vegas, making for a classic "Live now! No consequences!" music video except for the final minute when he gets beaten up and the Vegas lifestyle begins to push back on his hard-partying ways. "Blinding Lights" is an 80s-style synth-pop banger that has Abel right at the apex of his hardcore lifestyle that eventually costs him his love interest (presumably model Bella Hadid) over the course of After Hours.
Most Memorable Lyric/Moment: The pre-chorus
Total tracks by artist(s) in my Top 40's history: 6 (2 in 2020)
Most noteworthy #2 from years past: 2015 - Kendrick Lamar "Alright"
#1 songs of year's past
2006. P!nk "Stupid Girls"
2007. Amy Winehouse "Rehab"
2008. Kanye West ft. Dwele & Connie Mitchell "Flashing Lights"
2009. Santigold "L.E.S. Artistes"
2010. Yeah Yeah Yeahs "Skeletons"
2011. Adele "Someone Like You"
2012. Santigold "The Keepers"
2013. Arcade Fire "Afterlife"
2014. St. Vincent "Birth In Reverse"
2015. Courtney Barnett "Depreston"
2006. P!nk "Stupid Girls"
2007. Amy Winehouse "Rehab"
2008. Kanye West ft. Dwele & Connie Mitchell "Flashing Lights"
2009. Santigold "L.E.S. Artistes"
2010. Yeah Yeah Yeahs "Skeletons"
2011. Adele "Someone Like You"
2012. Santigold "The Keepers"
2013. Arcade Fire "Afterlife"
2014. St. Vincent "Birth In Reverse"
2015. Courtney Barnett "Depreston"
The #1 Song of 2020
The third and final installment in "Andy geeking out over the new Phoebe Bridgers album" is me proclaiming that there was no song more important released as a single in 2020 than "I Know The End". Hell, I'm not sure there's ever been an album closer this good before. I'm ready for the rockheads to respond with "When The Levee Breaks" by Led Zeppelin (pulled that one off the dome) or for /r/hiphopheads to demand I put some respeck on Kendrick Lamar's "Mortal Man"... I don't care, we are in a different world now. Going forward, there will be a pre-COVID world and a post-COVID world and based on the timing and instant acclaim, "I Know The End" will withstand the test of time the way "Freebird" by Lynyrd Skynyrd has people demanding it's covered at every concert by every artist for the past 47 years. It is THAT song. It's the perfect blend of sadgirl indie pop that Taylor Swift dove headfirst into this year and the swelling explosive finale with all sorts of horns that has earned Sufjan Stevens 20 years of relevancy when the quiet secret is that his voice isn't that spectacular (don't take this as a diss at Stevens, one of the great American songwriters of the 21st century). Bridgers has the haunting vocals of a ghost that's lingered around a building so long that it's forgotten why it's even there anymore, numb to everything occurring in front of her eyes. In that numbing sense she's captured an emotion that so many of us have felt lingering in 2020, watching the world crumble as news headlines just keep escalating the reality that everything was bad this year and while there's a way out, we'll likely never collectively grasp every new idea or concept put on the table to make as neat and tidy as it should be for everyone. That's what I think of whenever I hear the climactic scream that seems to encapsulate the year in general more than any one headline ever could.
Jenn Five/NME & Frank Ockenfells/Press
Arlo Parks & Phoebe Bridgers were two artists that blew up on my radar in a year where it didn't seem possible for any artists to truly expand their brand the way these two have.
An enormous thanks and shout out to some of the YouTube reviewers that are doing far more work than I am in their #ListSZN for 2020, the following's content never explicitly swayed my rankings for anything but kept my ears alert throughout the calendar year (a year when my internet video consumption was at an all-time high) and have more than occasionally distracted me with the new videos they've been pushing out all year and especially as of the last few weeks...
- Mic The Snare
- Volksgeist
- ARTV
- Jon Denton
- Billboard BREAKDOWN/Spectrum Pulse
- theneedledrop AKA: Anthony Fantano
- Shawn Cee
- Alfo Media
- Matt Lorence
- AJayII
- Diamond Axe Studios Music/Sean Fay Wolfe
I'm sure there are others I'm forgetting but, these are a few of the YouTubers that I kept coming back to for their insight and entertainment value.
Thank you for reading, Have a Merry Christmas. Album list coming soon...
- Andy Todd
buckwheat328@gmail.com
@buckwheat328 on Twitter
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