Top 10 Best Songs of 2020
#10: “Breathe Deeper”
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Tame Impala Expectations were sky high for Tame Impala’s fourth album, “The Slow Rush.” It was their first in nearly five years, and “Currents “was widely heralded as one of the greatest albums of the 2010s - even making Rolling Stone’s updated list of The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time.”The Slow Rush” didn’t disappoint, and while it’s filled with great psychedelic disco music, “Breathe Deeper” is simply magnetic. The inspirations are many, from Daft Punk to Mariah Carey and Pharrell, and it conveys a feeling of pure ecstasy. No one else out there is writing music like Tame Impala.
#9: “Dynamite”
BTS South Korean boy band BTS is one of the biggest names in the current music landscape, and they made their English-language debut with 2020’s “Dynamite.” Much like “Breathe Deeper,” Dynamite takes heavy inspiration from ‘70s disco and funk, complete with synths, horns, harmonies, and a pulsing bassline. Of course, the song is also imbued with mainstream pop sensibilities to ensure worldwide radio play. And it was certainly successful in that regard. “Dynamite” became the band’s first number one song in the United States, and the accompanying music video set numerous world records, including Most Viewed YouTube Video in 24 Hours, hitting 101 million. Their goal was to bring some happiness to 2020, and it seems like they succeeded!
#8: “Cardigan”
Taylor Swift On July 24, Taylor Swift surprised the world with “Folklore,” her eighth, and arguably best, studio album. Written and recorded in quarantine, Swift completely does away with her recent pop bombast and delivers a delicate and emotional folk record that both fans and critics eagerly lapped up. It’s filled with many great tunes, including “Exile” and “Cardigan.” The latter is particularly beautiful, and critics praised the song’s sparse production of piano and strings, Swift’s warm vocal performance, and the stunningly beautiful and poignant lyrics. The themes are still very Taylor Swift, but the songwriting is more mature and introspective. Hopefully this heralds more great things for Swift’s career throughout the upcoming decade.
#7: “Say So”
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Doja Cat 2020 seemed to be the year of the ‘70s renaissance. Both Doja Cat’s “Say So” and the accompanying music video are steeped in disco, and it is glorious. Doja Cat saw her first truly massive single with “Say So,” with it becoming her first number one in America and going platinum in nine different countries. The song, performed with Nicki Minaj, is a proud anthem to female sexuality and is backed by a sexy disco beat. The wild success of the song is a confident heralding of pop music’s next big star.
#6: “I Know the End”
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Phoebe Bridgers L.A.’s Phoebe Bridgers released her second studio album, “Punisher,” in 2020. Filled with morose emo folk, “Punisher” was widely acclaimed by critics, and contains both the excellent “Garden Song” and “I Know the End,” a.k.a one of the best songs of the entire year. Serving as the album’s loud and proud finale, “I Know the End” makes a declarative statement for “Punisher’s” sardonic themes. The song starts quietly before segueing into distorted guitars and melancholy strings, and crescendoing with horn blasts, cymbal crashes, and haunting screams. It sounds like the apocalypse, and it makes for both terrifying and gorgeous music.
#5: “Rain on Me”
Lady Gaga & Ariana Grande A collaboration between Lady Gaga and Ariana Grande is just what 2020 needed. Both artists released great songs throughout the year, including Gaga’s “Stupid Love” and Grande’s “Positions,” but “Rain On Me” proves the best of both artists. The song is empowering, urging its listeners to hold steady and accept difficult times with confidence and pride, in order to come out a better and stronger person. In many ways, it’s the declarative song of the chaotic year that was 2020. Positive message aside, it’s also just a straight banger from two of the leading pop artists of our time. It’s pure pop enjoyment, complete with a synthy beat from BloodPop and BURNS, Grande’s typically angelic vocals, and Gaga’s sense of unimpeded fun. It’s just the song we needed.
#4: “Watermelon Sugar”
Harry Styles Short and sweet, “Watermelon Sugar” comes in at just under three minutes but contains more enjoyment than some entire albums. 2020 was a great year for Harry Styles, as both this and “Adore You” enjoyed major commercial success. “Watermelon Sugar” was originally written back in 2017, but it wasn’t released as a single until May 15 - just in time to be the song of the summer. And song of the summer it was, reaching the top ten in more than twenty countries around the world and becoming Styles’s first number one on the Hot 100. Complete with the summer-themed lyrics, and funky production from Tyler Johnson and Kid Harpoon, “Watermelon Sugar,” much like its titular fruit, proved irresistible in the summer heat
#3: “XS”
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Rina Sawayama This Japanese-born British songwriter released her debut album in 2020. “Sawayama” was widely praised by critics and filled with some glorious 2000s nostalgia. Perhaps the song most indicative of the album’s success is “XS.” As described by Sawayama herself, “XS” is about the hypocrisy of capitalism and selfish consumerism in a post-climate change world threatening us with possible extinction. To help get the doomed message across, Sawayama employs musical sounds and motifs from the early 2000s, which according to her, “reminds you of a time when everything was alright.” It’s a fiercely satirical, and sharply critical, song that blends elements of bubblegum pop, R&B, and crunching guitars.
#2: “Savage”
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Megan Thee Stallion This track cemented Megan Thee Stallion’s status as a major mainstream talent. With the help of a TikTok trend and an eventual remix with Beyoncé, “Savage” shot to the top of the Hot 100 in the spring of 2020. Produced by J. White Did It, “Savage” features Megan Thee Stallion rapping over a smooth keyboard beat. Most of the credit goes to Megan’s rapping and the catchy chorus, as the song proves instantly addictive. The Beyoncé remix elevated “Savage” to the stratosphere, as the Queen seamlessly rode the beat, reminded us all of her commendable rapping skills, and added some welcomed flourishes to the track. This is a new funky classic. Before we unveil our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions. “Good News”, Mac Miller This Posthumous Release Proved Miller’s Most Successful on the Hot 100 “Gaslighter”, The Chicks The Group’s First Single in Over a Decade Was a Welcome Return “The Adults Are Talking”, The Strokes The First Track on Their Brilliant Album “The New Abnormal” “Heavy Balloon”, Fiona Apple Angry & Cacophonous & Wonderful “Dragonball Durag”, Thundercat Thundercat Makes Some Sexy, Funky, & Hilarious Jazz Fusion
#1: “Blinding Lights”
The Weeknd 2020 belonged to The Weeknd. This Canadian artist released “After Hours” at the beginning of the covid era, and it proved just what we needed for such a tumultuous time. The album is filled with bangers, (xref) including the titular epic, but The Weeknd captured the world with “Blinding Lights.” The song is dominated by a pulsing and piercing synth track that introduces elements of ‘80s new wave to the R&B artist’s music. His smooth and sultry voice does the rest, and propelled “Blinding Lights” to reach #1 in 34 countries. It also spent a record 31 weeks in the top five of the Hot 100, indicating The Weeknd’s complete command of his flourishing fandom. With both a new look and a new sound, The Weeknd reinvented himself in spectacular fashion.