The Hot Songs of 2020
The half of 2020 has posed many questions most of us
never thought we'd have to answer in our lifetime, including: "What does
pop mean in a world of self-isolation?" If pop music isn't enjoyed and
celebrated the way it was intended in communal spaces like concert halls, dance
clubs, bars, and even private parties can it even really still be called pop
music?
The answer, of course, is yes. We've found that in
times of quarantine and other crises, music is as meaningful as ever, even just
as the soundtrack to such menial activities as doing the dishes, taking a walk
around the block or just sitting at home and wondering when or if things will
feel normal again. As difficult as this period has been, we doubt we could've gotten
by without these songs and we look forward to making up for lost time with them
at whatever point we're finally able to celebrate them publicly.
Here is the list.
1. Harry Styles, “
Adore You ”
Though released in December 2019, Harry Styles’ Fine
Line grew roots in 2020 thanks to undeniably catchy singles “Adore You” and
“Watermelon Sugar.” And while lead single “Lights Up” officially ushered in
Styles’ second album, it’s the Top 40-friendlier “Adore You” that best marks
his place in pop today and scored him his first No. 1 on Billboard’s Pop Songs
radio airplay chart. After all, in addition to a gorgeously crafted hit, there
are few things better than having someone plea through pitch-perfect vocals to
“just let me adore you.” Only a fool would turn down an offer like that.
2. Doja Cat, “ Say So
”
Even in a year where top 40 has been absolutely
swarming with disco retro, there's an ease to the throwback elements of Doja Cat's
"Say So" that makes it feel the least consciously backward-looking
of the year's best floor-fillers. The singer-rapper born Amalaratna Zandile
Dlamini glides on the beat like she's doing a lap around the roller rink, her
airy coo and over-caffeinated spitting both matching the sublime guitar-chop
funk as naturally as Diana Ross jamming with Nile Rodgers 40 years earlier. Of
course, it's not Rodgers but Lukasz "Dr. Luke" Gottwald the writer
and producer accused by Kesha of sexual assault and other abuse who Doja's
sharing the floor with on "Say So," an uncomfortable fact that
shouldn't be ignored, even when celebrating what's clearly one of the most
irresistible pop songs of 2020.
3. Selena Gomez, “
RARE ”
The title track and mission statement for Selena
Gomez's most personal album to date, the failing-relationship lament
"Rare" is full of the production and lyrical detail that has set the
last four years of the pop star's work apart. "Saw us getting older, burning
toast in the toaster, my ambitions were too high," Gomez moans over subtly
swinging bass and layered percussion, finding the stability and self-confidence
to say what she needs. "I don't have it all, I’m not claiming to, But I
know that I'm special," she proclaims, a hard-earned self-affirmation that
feels like the culmination of something important for both Gomez and her
long-devoted fans.
4. Lady Gaga &
Ariana Grande, “ Rain on Me ”
Chromatica lead single “Stupid Love” hinted at Lady Gaga's return
to the breakneck electro-pop that made her a household name and then follow-up
“Rain On Me,” a maximalist dance workout with Ariana Grande, confirmed pop fans’
greatest hopes. Two of the most powerful pop vocalists of the past decade
linking up for an up-tempo stunner built around the line “ I’d rather be dry,
but at least I'm alive,” proved to be as life-affirming as intended.
5. The Rolling Stones,
“ Living in a Ghost Town ”
Nearly 60 years into their career, the Rolling Stones
prove they can still capture the angst of the moment with “Living In A Ghost
Town,” a reggae-tinged blues-rocker in which Mick Jagger declares: “Life was so
beautiful and then we all got locked down.” With Keith Richards’ unmistakable,
stabbing riffs and Jagger’s echoing vocals (and blues harp solo), the basic the track had been cut last year, after which “Mick and I decided this one really
needed to go to work right now” says Richards. The first original song released
by the Stones in eight years is relatable for fans everywhere as Jagger wails:
“Please let this be over and not stuck in a world without end.”
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