Twostepcub's Biggest Hits of 2020: Part Ten - #10 to #1 and the whole she-bang...
Well it's New Year's Eve, and I'm at the end of my recap countdown of the biggest "hit" songs on my weekly music chart (if you're curious to know what constitutes a "hit", see part one). You can catch up on parts one through nine (plus the post of also-rans) by clicking here. Let's get this done....
#10 - "The Bones" by Maren Morris
from the album Girl (2019)
Highest rank (in 2020): #7 (two weeks) (peaked at #4 for two weeks in 2019)
Weeks on the chart (in 2020): 40 (was on for 24 weeks in 2019)
Billboard Hot 100 peak: #12
Billboard Adult Contemporary peak: #1
Billboard Adult Top-40: #1
Billboard Country Airplay peak: #1
Songwriters: Maren Morris, Jimmy Robbins, Laura Veltz
There are only two songs on this years list that made the cut in 2019; "Someone You Love" from Lewis Capaldi, which was the tops of my countdown and this time is #17, and this one from Morris, which placed at #25 in 2019 and did even better this time out. With a total of 64 weeks on my top 100, the ballad of how love (in whatever shape) forms a person's spiritual foundation, which touched quite a nerve. It traveled from country radio to adult radio to pop radio back to easy listening radio. Morris has cemented her position as one of the top women in Nashville (albeit with crossover-style material). Last year besides "The Bones" Morris was at #66 with "GIRL".
(Click below to see the rest of the post)
#9 - "Roses (Imanbek Remix)" by SAINt JHN
from the album While The World Was Burning (2020)
Highest rank: #3 (three weeks)
Weeks on the chart: 42 (still charting)
Billboard Hot 100 peak: #4
Billboard Adult Top-40 peak: #22
Billboard R&B/HipHop Airplay peak: #16
Billboard Dance Club Play peak: #16
Billboard Dance Airplay peak: #2
Billboard Dance/Electronic Songs peak: #1
Official UK Singles peak: #1
Songwriters: Carlos Phillips (SAINt JHN), Lee Stashenko
Let's be clear: this is not so much a "SAINt JHN" record as its an Imanbek record. If it weren't for the young DJ from Kazakhstan speeding up the vocals to beyond chipmunk levels so no one can casually discern the lyrics (which are surprisingly not edited), radio wouldn't have even touched this. But Imanbek's sleek Tron-like neo-house fit the beat of the verses like a glove, and became the quarantine club jam of the year. I don't see anything but a one-off from this for the rapper, but Imanbek's star is just rising in the remix world, which is starving for new younger talent. But at least this single's success got mainstream America's mind on the clubs they were missing.
#8 - "Break My Heart" by Dua Lipa
from the album Future Nostalgia (2020)
Highest rank: #1 (three weeks)
Weeks on the chart: 34
Billboard Hot 100 peak: #13
Billboard Adult Contemporary peak: #11
Billboard Adult Top-40 peak: #2
Billboard Dance Airplay peak: #2
Official UK Singles peak: #6
Songwriters: Dua Lipa, Andrew Wotman (Watt), Ali Tamposi, Stefan and Jordan Johnson (Monsters & Strangerz), and Michael Hutchence/Andrew Farriss for the interpolation of INXS' "Need You Tonight"
The world of pop radio belonged to Dua Lipa this year in America, and this is one of the two huge hits from Dua's sophomore effort Future Nostalgia. Aside from the INXS' crib, the pulsing beat and assertive yet flawed lyrics about falling for the wrong guy again even built on the other (which we'll see soon). Between Lipa and Gaga's albums bookending the awful spring we had as a world, we were able to dance on our own in our bedrooms and not be the least ashamed. Who should be ashamed, and I'm not gonna let this go, is industry "bible" Billboard magazine, whose chart boss Silvio Pietroluongo, who runs a ship now that is insistent on pigeonholing songs into specific categories (sometimes from what apparently the management pushes them) which is completely blind to the crossover that is so common today in the post-Spotify world. Hence as a "pop" song, this neo-disco classic is not seen anywhere on the magazine's Dance/Electronic Songs, nor her other dance-pop radio hits. This is nuts, and by far doesn't reflect really, well, anything valid about what's being listened to in "dance music". Also in that vein are songs that are both "dance" and "rock" being forced on one list and shoved from another. Simply idiotic. But there's my rant. I'm sure eventually he will go, like they all go, and the mag can stop trying to be an "influencer"-style gossip rag with some stats put in. But I digress. Listen to Future Nostalgia. Repeatedly. Such a worthy mass-appeal work that doesn't dumb down things. Dua didn't make my list last year, but in 2018 was on at #19 with her collab with Calvin Harris, "One Kiss", at #35 with "New Rules", and at #41 with "IDGAF".
#7 - "I Hope" by Gabby Barrett featuring Charlie Puth
from the album Goldmine (2020)
Highest rank: #2 (one week)
Weeks on the chart: 40 (still charting)
Billboard Hot 100 peak: #3
Billboard Adult Contemporary peak: #3
Billboard Adult Top-40 peak: #1
Billboard Country Airplay peak: #1 (without Puth)
Songwriters: Gabby Barrett, Zack Kale, Jon Nite
Like Doja Cat, this is one where as a music lover I put my political leanings aside (though probably for this song only) and embraced the so-obvious redo of Carrie Underwood's "Before He Cheats", but even more bitter and psychologically cutting. Wishing your ex falls in love again only to get continuously hurt over and over is kind of dark, but probably it's that darkness which drew me to it. It looks like the song overshadowed her career, preventing any follow-ups to catch on, and Gabby may find herself a one-hit wonder after all, but I can't deny her chop (though I can't defend the tinny production). It's funny the version with Puth set pop radio aflutter since his presence kind of confuses the theme. But I can't deny my attraction to the song, sending it to my top ten twice this year, when it peaked on country and pop radio at separate times. Puth was last on my year-end in 2018, where he had three songs in the top 100 with "How Long" (#27), "Done For Me" (#37), and "The Way I Am" (#84).
#6 - "Watermelon Sugar" by Harry Styles
from the album Fine Line (2019)
Highest rank: #1 (ten weeks)
Weeks on the chart: 26 (still charting)
Billboard Hot 100 peak: #1
Billboard Adult Contemporary peak: #10
Billboard Adult Top-40 peak: #1
Billboard Dance Airplay peak: #4
UK Official Singles peak; #4
Songwriters: Harry Styles, Tyler Johnson, Thomas Hull (Kid Harpoon), Mitch Rowland
Harry might have waited the longest to kickstart his solo career after the dissolution of One Direction, but his sophomore album Fine Line proves he has the clearest vision for his music. Painting in nostalgic pop colors without sounding kitschy or retro, Styles finally broke through the A-list in America for good reason. This song, which has a hook on the intro to the chorus that seems so damn familiar yet so damn fresh, and defines sexuality is a way that's not explicitly "dirty" but still naughty "fun". The single spent the most weeks at #1 of any song on my list this year, and only places down here (even with me weighting extra weeks at #1) because it was relatively quick (which at 26 week a half-year, still not bad).
#5 - "Blinding Lights" by The Weeknd
from the album After Hours (2020)
Highest rank: #1 (two weeks)
Weeks on the chart: 45 (still charting)
Billboard Hot 100 peak: #1
Billboard Adult Contemporary peak: #1
Billboard Adult Top-40 peak: #1
Billboard Dance Airplay peak: #2
UK Official Singles peak: #1
Songwriters: Abel Tesfaye (The Weeknd), Max Martin, Ahmad Balshe (Belly), Jason Quenneville (DaHeala), Oscar Holter
This song was the biggest hit of 2020. No argument. Not even close. It only just left the pop chart, and that's only because of the onslaught of Christmas music pushing it out. But that's just one side of the coin. "Blinding Light" was a force of nature that defined pop music this year, where the wholehearted reacceptance of dance music was complete. Not to mention this song simply rules. The unrelenting production backdrop, like a futuristic sonic version of Miami Vice, provides the base for the Weeknd's pitch-perfect falsetto gliding over a paranoid primal urge to seek out his fading love. It was clear to me after hearing this for the first time right after the album's first single "Heartless" that this would soon overshadow the other, more colder track. I know the Grammys are a group of voters by no means a borg organism, but just the fact that this artist and this song and this album was completely absent from any mention (cough, cough Bieber, cough) says volumes about how that organization has some major soul-searching to do.
#4 - "Circles" by Post Malone
from the album Hollywood's Bleeding (2019)
Highest rank: #1 (five weeks)
Weeks on the chart (in 2020): 43
Billboard Hot 100 peak: #1
Billboard Adult Contemporary peak: #1
Billboard Adult Top-40 peak: #1
Billboard Rock Airplay peak: #22
Billboard Alternative Rock peak: #23
Billboard Dance Airplay peak: #2
Billboard Dance Club Play peak: #31
UK Official Singles peak: #3
Songwriters: Austin Post (Post Malone), Louis Bell, Adam Feeney (Frank Dukes), Billy Walsh
Malone may have made my list before in 2018, where came in at #48 with "Better Now", but it was this one that made him a certifield "popstar" (instead of "Rockstar"). Soft enough to get played on easy-listening radio yet not watered down, Malone's nuance in vocals (autotune aside) on this owes more to 1980s new wave like Psychedelic Furs and Talk Talk than it does any hip-hop. And that's fine, this was meant to be what it is, a whirling dervish of emotion and sound that swells and ebbs and just the right time from chorus to verse. By far his crowning achievement.
#3 - "Don't Start Now" by Dua Lipa
from the album Future Nostalgia (2020)
Highest rank: #1 (five weeks)
Weeks on the chart: 41
Billboard Hot 100 peak: #2
Billboard Adult Contemporary peak: #6
Billboard Adult Top-40 peak: #1
Billboard Dance Club Play peak: #1
Billboard Dance Airplay peak: #1
UK Official Singles peak: #2
Songwriters: Dua Lipa, Ian Kirkpatrick, Caroline Ailin, Emily Warren
When Lipa reemerged at the start of the year with this club banger, it was evident she would reign supreme. With this aggressive yet mortal soul tell-off to an ex that's a direct descendant of Kylie's "Get Outta My Way", Dua gave the young women (and quite a few gay men) the theme to reclaim their lives. This got big in the clubs right before the madness, and was our last collective floorfilling anthem before lockdown.
#2 - "Adore You" by Harry Styles
from the album Fine Line (2019)
Highest rank: #1 (five weeks)
Weeks on the chart: 47
Billboard Hot 100 peak: #6
Billboard Adult Contemporary peak: #1
Billboard Adult Top-40 peak: #2
Billboard Dance Airplay peak: #7
UK Official Singles peak: #7
Songwriters: Harry Styles, Thomas Hull (Kid Harpoon), Amy Allen, Tyler Johnson
Like a British countryside The Shape Of Water, Harry danced himself into my heart with this post-disco classic that glides along like a machine. The chorus harmony buildup is like crack to my ears, and Styles' singing hasn't been so soulful until then. Definitely my highlight of the album and almost the tops of the year. If it wasn't for....
#1 - "Before You Go" by Lewis Capaldi
from the album Divinely Uninspired To A Hellish Extent (2019)
Highest rank: #3 (three weeks)
Weeks on the chart: 52
Billboard Hot 100 peak: #9
Billboard Adult Contemporary peak: #2
Billboard Adult Top-40 peak: #1
Billboard Dance Airplay peak: #11
UK Official Singles peak: #1
Yes, the Scottish ragamuffin did it again. And for the first time I remember, with a song that never made it to #1 on my weekly list, though the only one to stay on for the entire 52-week period between mid-December 2019 to mid-December 2020. And yes, it shocked me, but it shouldn't have. "Before You Go" has such a determined sadness to it that reflected a lot of how I was feeling this year. Capaldi says he was inspired by his aunt who took her life, and the effect on the people (most notably his mother) around her, but its sense of desperation and regret fullness can be extrapolated to everyone who suffered loss and pain this year. By conjuring a goodbye, Lewis' ragged voice screams for closure over a dirge that's mournful but distinctly British in stoicism. Critics hate the everloving fuck out of him, but I don't give two shits about it. And apparently neither did the public, who embraced this non-flashy song at a time where it seems you have to have a gimmick to make an impression. And he did it last year with "Someone Like You", and to an even greater extent with "Before You Go". It's fitting that its descending my list about to depart now as the trainwreck that was 2020 leaves us behind as well.
And that's it, my friends. Here's the whole list for 2020...
1. Before You Go - Lewis Capaldi
2. Adore You - Harry Styles
3. Don't Start Now - Dua Lipa
4. Circles - Post Malone
5. Blinding Lights - The Weeknd
6. Watermelon Sugar - Harry Styles
7. I Hope - Gabby Barrett featuring Charlie Puth
8. Break My Heart - Dua Lipa
9. Roses (Imanbek Remix) - SAINt JHN
10. The Bones - Maren Morris [was #25 in 2019]
11. Level Of Concern - twenty-one pilots
12. Bang! - AJR
13. Chasin' You - Morgan Wallen
14. Everything I Wanted - Billie Eilish
15. Rain On Me - Lady Gaga & Ariana Grande
16. Memories - Maroon 5
17. Someone You Loved - Lewis Capaldi [#1 in 2019]
18. Even Though You're Leaving - Luke Combs
19. Lost In Yesterday - Tame Impala
20. Say So - Doja Cat f/Nicki Minaj
21. Good As Hell - Lizzo
22. Breaking Me - Topic & A7S
23. Caution - The Killers
24. Lose Somebody - Kygo & OneRepublic
25. Hallucinogenics - Matt Maeson
26. Honeybee - The Head and the Heart
27. Savage Love (Laxed - Siren Beat) - Jawsh 685 x Jason Derulo
28. Head & Heart - Joel Corry & MNEK
29. Hard To Forget - Sam Hunt
30. Does To Me - Luke Combs f/ Eric Church
31. Die From A Broken Heart - Maddie & Tae
32. Bad Decisions - The Strokes
33. More Hearts Than Mine - Ingrid Andress
34. Dance Monkey - Tones & I
35. Running Up That Hill - Meg Myers
36. Homesick - Kane Brown
37. death bed (coffee for your head) - Powfu f/beabadoobee
38. Black Madonna - Cage The Elephant
39. Stupid Love - Lady Gaga
40. The Hype - twenty-one pilots
41. Lose You To Love Me - Selena Gomez
42. My Oh My - Camila Cabello f/DaBaby
43. Life In The City - The Lumineers
44. If The World Was Ending - JP Saxe f/Julia Michaels
45. 10,000 Hours - Dan + Shay f/Justin Bieber
46. ily (i love you baby) - surf mesa f/Emilee
47. Dissolve - Absofacto
48. South Of The Border - Ed Sheeran f/Camila Cabello & Cardi B
49. Might Be Right - White Reaper
50. Lovin' On You - Luke Combs
51. Beer Can't Fix - Thomas Rhett f/Jon Pardi
52. I Should Probably Go To Bed - Dan + Shay
53. Slow Dance In A Parking Lot - Jordan Davis
54. Heartache Medication - Jon Pardi
55. Catch - Brett Young
56. Why We Drink - Justin Moore
57. Kings & Queens - Ava Max
58. After A Few - Travis Denning
59. God Whispered Your Name - Keith Urban
60. Cardigan - Taylor Swift
61. Here and Now - Kenny Chesney
62. Nobody But You - Blake Shelton & Gwen Stefani
63. Lay Your Head On Me - Major Lazer f/Mark Mumford
64. Raising Hell - Kesha f/Big Freedia
65. Daisies - Katy Perry
66. One Man Band - Old Dominion
67. What A Man Gotta Do - Jonas Brothers
68. The Man - Taylor Swift
69. I Just Wanna Shine - Fitz & The Tantrums
70. Midnight Sky - Miley Cyrus
71. Hero - Weezer
72. Novocaine - The Unlikely Candidates
73. I Hope You're Happy Now - Carly Pearce & Lee Brice
74. One Margarita - Luke Bryan
75. If We Never Met - John K
76. This City - Sam Fischer
77. When If I Never Get Over You - Lady Antebellum
78. Orphans - Coldplay
79. Bluebird - Miranda Lambert
80. Monsters - All Time Low f/blackbear
81. Kinfolks - Sam Hunt
82. And It's Still Alright - Nathaniel Rateliff
83. Sunday Best - Surfaces
84. I Dare You - Kelly Clarkson
85. Strong Enough - Ray Lamontagne
86. You Should Be Sad - Halsey
87. Lover - Taylor Swift
88. Cool Again - Kane Brown
89. Feel You - My Morning Jacket
90. We Back - Jason Aldean
91. Dynamite - BTS
92. Oh Yeah! - Green Day
93. Make Me Want To - Jimmie Allen
94. I Got You - Michael Franti & Spearhead
95. Together - Sia
96. One Of Them Girls - Lee Brice
97. Funny - Zedd & Jasmine Thompson
98. Be Kind - Marshmello f/Halsey
99. Some Girls - Jameson Rodgers
100. I Think We're Alone Now - Billie Joe Armstrong
and here's it all on Spotify for 5 1/2 hours of listening...
By no means do I claim this is "the best of the best" critically, I am only myself, and this is data collected from my weekly psyche. But I can safely say it was a good measure of the mainstream music consciousness this year. I will post my personal list of records that were under the radar that you should definitely check out, but first tomorrow I'll have my weekly chart where we do this all over again. Thanks for stopping by and I hope I exposed you to at least something you normally wouldn't have heard. All these songs are worthy a listen. Happy New Year!
Comments