Hi everyone, welcome back to the Social Tune! And now for the biggest list of all: the top 50 Songs of 2020!
This is always a tough list to put together. Narrowing down all the songs you hear over the course of a year down to just 50 favourites is an arduous task, especially when you reflect on what really stuck with you that year and realise a lot of the themes that run through those songs. In other words, more than any other year, the tone on a lot of these 50 tracks was extremely reflective of the past year for me: sad, desperate and miserable, when they're not being absolutely furious and angry, especially politically! And thus, this is probably the most personal list I've ever had to put together, these songs really hit me that hard! Don't worry, not all of them are equally personal; a killer hook and excellent writing still goes a long way after all. But still, there are some real feels ahead, fair warning!
As always, these are all just my opinion, these are MY 50 favourite songs of 2020! Goes without saying, but they're all off of projects I heard this year, and there are inevitably some that I haven't heard that will not be making this list.
I also decided that this year, I'm imposing a 3 songs per ARTIST limit, rather than the 3 songs per album one, otherwise 1 or 2 acts would have probably dominated pretty strongly. And even then, I think there are 3 acts with 3 songs apiece on this list, the standout performers were THAT good this year!
Lastly, I've found this type of list doesn't really lend itself to a blog format, so here's a link to a full playlist of these 50 songs, in case you prefer to listen along as you read: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/7anOcaJ2U7lmOILbEBk9i8?si=PUAAurMSRVulhrCP1sEnpA
So, with all that in mind, let's enjoy this together as we take a look at my Top 50 best songs of 2020, starting off with:
50. WTF Do I Know by Miley Cyrus
I was not prepared for the bassline that kicked off Miley's latest album! Nor was I ready for that guitar solo, nor the lyrics that are absolutely filled with vitriol for both her ex, Liam Hemsworth, and for a media industry that has mocked and ridiculed her these past few years! It's so full of the bitterness that I'd suspected she'd been feeling for a good few years now, fully aware that she's been portrayed as the idiotic party girl who's an easy target for any criticism or general derision. After all, she clearly deserves all that backlash, what the fuck does she know, she's just the idiot girl who thought her marriage would actually last HAHAHA... Yeah, this song fully flies in the face of that, owning all of her baggage for the past few years and reveling in it, then twisting it to her advantage with one of the most energetic and direct stabs at punk rock that Miley has ever taken! And it absolutely kicks ass!
49. Houdini Didn't Like The Spiritualists by Terry Allen & the Panhandle Mystery Band (Ft. Shannon McNally)
So fun fact, I had a phase where I was really interested in magic. And by that, I mean specifically the history of illusionists and tricks from the likes of people like the infamous Harry Houdini. And as part of that, I became quite fascinated by this famed escape artist's life, which included a profound and outspoken skepticism for spiritualism, a belief that cost him many friendships, including Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's! What is less known, is that this skepticism was rooted in anger at his own mother's death, after nearly being tricked by several mediums who offered to communicate with her on his behalf. He could see through all their tricks, and so he spitefully spent the next few years debunking and unmasking as many them as possible. And yet, deep down, of course he still held on to that sliver of hope, and so before he died, he arranged a secret code with his wife, that he would communicate with her if it were at all possible to do so. And that in turn has lead to a proud tradition of séances which continue to this day, as many magicians took up the mantle after his wife passed. So yeah, you make a song about that, and it's almost too easy to end up on a list like this! And when it's a gorgeously-composed duet between a Texas country veteran like Terry Allen and the beautiful, throaty vocals of Shannon McNally, that's an easy guarantee of my full endorsement and adoration!
48. pov by Ariana Grande
Ariana's positions was definitely a less interesting listen than thank u, next. However, I'd also argue it's her most consistent release to date, and I've listened to it quite a lot in spite of myself. And no track hit harder than the closer, an adorable love song where Ariana marvels at how much her new partner loves her, and wishes that she could one day love and see herself as much as they do. After her last album contained so much self-loathing in the subtext (and even her newest one at times), this is a message that hits all the harder coming from Ariana, it genuinely made me so happy to hear from her. Add to that beautiful, watery production and Ariana sounding as gorgeous as ever, and you have one of my favourite moments in pop and R&B this year. I understand that Ari wasn't in the right headspace to close thank u, next like this, but if she had, I'd have called that album a masterpiece, no joke.
47. Tumbleweed by Roo Arcus
Remember that Zac Brown Song Colder Weather? You know, easily their best hit and possibly even their best song? Well, here Roo Arcus outdid it for me in one fell swoop! It's the classic story of a troubadour who can't settle, travelling from town to town without a place to stay... and yet it's told from the perspective of the girl he hooks up with in one of those dusty towns. Oh, she swore she would never let him lasso her heart, and yet there was a spark she couldn't deny. Yet after several nights of passion, despite her begging, the open road calls to him and he leaves her in the middle of the night. And even though she always knew, deep down, that this would happen, she still can't help but cry. So, when he shows back up a few weeks later, she fucking lets him have it, pointing out she could have been everything he ever wanted, but he messed up his chance! It just feels so fucking cathartic, and especially with the killer hook and the jaw-droppingly beautiful production, this was a favourite of mine from the second I heard it! A stand-out in country this year which should not be ignored!
46. Bend The Rules by Niall Horan
Niall's debut was better than I think pretty much anyone expected, but this time round, there were expectations... which he then met effortlessly, resulting in one of the best albums of the year! And as one of the more Americana-inspired cuts off his new album, with a guitar timbre and bridge that wouldn't be out of place on a Springsteen song, Bend The Rules is one of his best tracks to date! A song where he's in a relationship with a girl who's not exactly playing by the traditional rules. And what I really like is that he's not exactly clear that it's a dealbreaker for him. Oh sure, it hurts and it's not fair, but never once does he ask her to change. It comes off less as a whiny plea and more like a weathered veteran smirking at a woman who's more than a match for him, an air that he managed to maintain on a good portion of his sophomore album. And along with that fantastic hook, and songwriting that certainly punches above his expected weight class, it's no wonder Niall won me over with this instantly, as yet another amazing track to his ever-expanding arsenal!
45. Estranged Fruit by ShrapKnel (Ft. billy woods)
I've had my eye on billy woods for a good few years now, but he completely stole my attention with his 2019 album Hiding Places, my personal favourite rap album of last year. So it makes sense that, when Curly Castro and PremRock teamed up to release an album of phenomenal bangers this year, my favourite track of all would be the one featuring the man himself. And yeah, while many songs from the project were in contest for this list, especially Aaron Mackie and Ghostface Targaryean, the ultimate winner was this gem, with one of the best hooks of the entire year! A song that targets a system that ignores their art and attacks them for crimes they have yet to even commit, referencing the Billie Holiday classic to emphasise their point. Sure, theirs may not be the loudest voices in the room, but they have the wisdom of weathered veterans who've seen it all and are now out for blood! An incredible song, from one of the most underrated rap albums of the entire year!
44. Sugar Coat by Little Big Town
This single for Little Big Town's hopelessly inconsistent album Nightfall initially got a lot of praise when it first dropped, and for the longest time, I was too dumb to see why. What's so special about yet another country song about being too sweet to be selfish, big deal, right? Well, apart from the fact that the hook and overall melody is just so naturally pleasing, easily the best performance Karen Fairchild has ever given, what eventually got through my thick skull was the framing of the lyrics. This isn't just another song about a woman wanting to act out for the sake of it, but one whose husband is kinda being a shit to her. From the outside looking in, everything seems fine, but on the inside she's screaming with a lump in her throat, smiling to stop herself from crying, as he's neglecting her and his kids, he's always coming home late, and it makes her wish she could just call him out on it! Appearances be damned, she just wants to yell at him in the middle of the street to go to Hell! And yet the sad part is that this is all in her head... she knows she probably won't do it, she won't act out, because that's just not who she is. In other words, it's mad woman by Taylor Swift told from a first-person perspective, and it's made all the more tragic because of it! It's a devastating song, and while not quite as good as The Breaker, still damn close to the best thing this band has ever put out.
43. Overcomer by Royce da 5'9'' (Ft. Westside Gunn)
Royce came agonizingly close to making his best ever album this year, only to mar the experience slightly with anti-vax messaging... that's unfortunate. But even so, the best songs on that album are not to be ignored, with this being one of many that could have made this list! A collaboration with Griselda's own Westside Gunn, this was one of the most uplifting songs on the album, complete with soaring backing vocals which are close to gospel in points, a killer hook and verse from Westside, and a brief beat-switch midway through that is one of the most gorgeous things I heard on any rap song this year! Throw in some calculated shots from Royce at various people who've wronged him in the game, where he's still mature enough to wish them the best in overcoming their demons, and you get an anthem to coming up and overcoming one's challenges that feels tight and relevant. Never has slanging dope been so completely inspiring and awesome!
42. Good Fight by Lori McKenna
Look, I know full-well that this isn't anywhere close to the most complex or deep song Lori has ever written! And yet despite that, it's far and away the song from The Balladeer that had me coming back to it the most! Maybe because, for as simple as the concept is, Lori McKenna still managed to give it one of the best hooks of her entire career! And even so, the fact that this is just a loving song about how long she and her husband have been together, arguing and disagreeing, but ultimately still loving each other so dearly... yeah, that's certainly a goal I aspire to reach myself one day! Probably not a song for everyone (I happen to know several fellow fans who didn't care for it), but easily yet another gem in my book. Still the best songwriter working in country music today (she actually helped write Sugar Coat), so yeah, make sure you give her the time of day!
41. Lemon by Conway the Machine (Ft. Method Man)
I will admit to being a couple of year late on Griselda, but they absolutely ruled 2020 for those in the know! And while they dropped so many tracks as a collective this year that it can almost feel hard to pick out individual cuts from the sheer amount of quality, this track still managed to jump out and grab our collective attention! For one, Conway absolute KILLS his verse, with a chorus so sticky that it took me multiple listens to realise that it only plays once! But then comes Method Man with his best verse in at LEAST the past 5 years, somehow sounding so hungry and laid back simultaneously! And paired with that ominous synth, the creepy piano and that absolutely filthy guitar snare, this was easily one of the most incredible moments in hip-hop all year! A calculated, punchy collab that makes all the sense in the world, and then absolutely CRUSHES your expectations with its quality all the same!
40. Sweatpants Spiderman by Open Mike Eagle
Heyyyy what do you know, an Open Mike Eagle song in my top 50, what a surprise! But really, with a title that references the best Spiderman film we may ever get, is it any wonder? After all, what better portrayal of Open Mike Eagle right now than as the superhero who is long past his prime, aging, sore and divorced? And that's not all, as the song itself seems to echo the absolute pain that is middle age, as he's trying out new styles, yet still falling behind. Doing exercise, yet still getting fatter. And overall just finding that even the simplest tasks are causing him pain, making him wonder why he even bothers trying! It feels so damn lived in and painfully honest, veiling all that existential insecurity with a light, minimal beat and tone throughout most of its runtime... until the last verse. Seriously, that short verse he drops into towards the end hits me every time, for the content as well as the new faster flow that I don't think I've ever heard from him. And that chorus is simple, but extremely effective, especially for someone like me in a year like this. A personal favourite of mine, from another of the most overlooked rap albums of 2020!
39. On The Floor by Perfume Genius
Perfume Genius has created some fantastic hooks over the years, many of which were strong contenders for this list. However, there was just something extra special about this one. Not only for the way the guitars and buzzing electronic beats play off each other so playfully throughout it, nor even for how soaring that hook is, but mainly for just being an adorably lovestruck tribute to his partner Alan. One where, much like on past tributes to the love of his life, there are traces of desperation and uncertainty, but this time there's a much bigger emphasis on the romance, the love he feels whenever they're alone and/or making love. Sure, he still has questions and concerns, because how can something this good possibly last? I mean the chorus is based around the phrase "How long till this washes away?" But by the end of the song, he's just yearning to hold him in his arms and enjoy it for however long it lasts. Cute and catchy as fuck!
38. Pac-Man by Gorillaz (Ft. ScHoolboy Q)
Well... this is awesome. On an album filled to the brim with excellent songs, this is easily the best one that Gorillaz have released in at least a decade, and they did it by going back to their tried & true formula: get an excellent rapper, make the beat weird as fuck, preferably with a switch at some point, and have 2-D drop into his spookier lower range. And surprise, they struck gold, with ScHoolboy comparing himself to the video game character Pac-Man, popping pills just to get through the day, and living in fear of the ghosts and horrors that threaten him on a daily basis, especially as a black man living in America! Heck, just the way they describe the class system as a levelled world is genius, I'm surprised I haven't heard that simile on a song before! In other words, this pushed all the right buttons for me, and netted a band that I have criticised a lot in the past a well-deserved spot on this list.
37. THUGGed Out Zombies by Elzhi
I know that zombies are extremely played out in media, but I didn't know how much I wanted to hear more music about them until I heard this song! A lot of Elzhi's newest album was more fun and loose, and fittingly, this song focuses more on the over-the-topness of the initial breakout of the undead, with a ton of fun and vivid detail! It's got a very base appeal, and it's honestly something I'm surprised I haven't heard more rappers do more often! But when it's done this well, by an MC this talented, and with production that sounds this scuzzy and layered, that sets the bar pretty damn high! So come on, all you other rappers, I'm waiting!
36. Thorns of Love by Creeper
Of all the songs on Creeper's latest album, this is the one that probably owes the most to 80s glam, especially in its reliance on epic guitar passages... but hey, if it works, it works. This is the kind of epic love ballad that shoots for the stars with reckless abandon, restraint be damned, taking the good with the bad, the rose with the thorns! And Hell, even if this is mostly due to his own bad influence, he loves this more reckless side of her, as the 2 of them live in sin a revel in every second of it! There's a specific tone to this style of debaucherous love song that I simply adore, it's why I love I Love You, Honeybear by Father John Misty so much! And here, with an epic scope and bombast like this, how could I possibly refuse?
35. I Love (Mimi, Moms, Kev) by Ka
Ka has long been known as one of the densest and most complex rap artists in the game, whose bars and schemes can take weeks or months to decode. And yet the song of his to make this list is probably his most straightforward and plain-spoken one to date: a tribute to his girl, his mother and his friend. He thanks them all individually in 3 verses, for believing in him, for making sacrifices for him, and for helping him become the man he is today, always ending back up at that simple, yet instantly memorable chorus that tugs at your heartstrings. Heck, you can feel his slight discomfort at being so openly grateful on this song, as he almost sounds gruffer in spots. And yet he's still sincere, and he even decided to make it the closing track just to add emphasis to it. It's also worth noting that his best friend, Kev, actually died before he could see the same success that Ka is seeing today, which adds another layer of tragedy to this song along with all those beautiful guitars. It's beauty in simplicity, pulling back the layers and plainly boiling down all the tangled web of words to 3 simple ones; and sometimes, that's all you need. Take notes, Natasha Bedingfield, this is what These Words COULD have been!
34. Run by Joji
Oh, don't get me wrong, SLOW DANCING IN THE DARK is still an amazing song, but Joji's newest album Nectar contained some of the best songs of his entire career! And while there were quite a few I considered for this list, Run was the one that kept calling me back the most. A desperately sad love song about a relationship which is clearly crumbling, where she no longer feels the same way she used to about him. And the really sad part is just how self-flagellating he is here, as he makes it clear how utterly worthless her rejection makes him feel, and that he gets it, he knows he's not enough. Which yes, would normally feel like guilt-tripping, except he doesn't ask to have her back, instead running as far away from her as possible! Once he travelled across the country to see her, now he'll to the exact same thing to put her behind him. It's a song that is unabashedly pathetic, paired with some of the best production I heard all year, one of Joji's best ever hooks, and an absolutely incredible guitar solo that feels so damn cathartic, conveying all the anger, betrayal and bitterness perfectly, so that by the end of the song, he finally starts to reflect on her culpability as well. One of the most amazing songs of this year, hands down!
33. Calvin by Conway the Machine & The Alchemist
Conway worked with a number of excellent producers this year, but none worked quite as well for me as The Alchemist, and on this song in particular! Seriously, if LULU had just been a bit longer, it would have made my year-end list, EP or not! And even then, this is a side of Conway we don't see very often, where he's more calm and threatening. His delivery is methodical and yet also twice as fast as normal, where the entire song keeps up a fast momentum, while still maintaining its buckets of atmosphere! It's a song where Conway outlies those he's left behind in his coke-dealing days, and just how many horrors he's seen along the way. Deep down, behind all the rapping, you get the feeling he's lived that thug lifestyle, and it isn't pretty. It's a warning to those who may come for him, that even after all he's been through, he's survived it all to get to where he is today, and not everyone can be that lucky. And as a listener, this both intimidated and enthralled me from the first moment I heard it.
32. Kinky by Kesha (Ft. Ke$ha)
... What? ... No, I'm not joking. I can say, without any hint of sarcasm, that Kinky is exactly the sort of Kesha song that I needed this year, not that Sturgill Simpson/Brian Wilson collab all the other critics were creaming themselves over! I mean for one, it's probably the best thing The Spice Girls have been on in years, and the way it then transitions into that sultry delivery on the verses and the incredibly fun, silly delivery on the amazing hook, it took me right back to her early work! I never thought I would hear Kesha do a song quite like this again, even if Boots came close, and it just makes me so nostalgic and deeply happy whenever I hear it. Also, as profoundly idiotic and dumb as it sounds, I get genuinely emotional whenever the "guest verse" comes in... don't laugh at me! I just really miss Ke$ha, and even if I understand completely why Kesha left her in the past, hearing her here just makes me smile every time, it's almost like she's taking that dollar sign back and reclaiming it! Whatever, this song is fucking great, and few songs made me feel so genuinely happy in 2020!
31. Check the Lock by clipping.
And now back to intense hip hop that poses a very real threat, as this is one of the best songs that clipping. has ever put together! It's a track from the point of view of one of the current elite, one of the rich, except it's set after the revolution, where he now has to live in a world where he's the hunted one. Of course, Daveed Diggs is going to outlie that paranoia over a dark, echoing beat, with multiple excellent, elastic flows that can change at a moment's notice. But this song is primarily here for one of their best ever hooks, with a real bounce to it despite the apocalyptic subject matter! It's textbook clipping., with a layer of "eat the rich" thrown on to make it feel particularly apt for 2020. Really, what more could you ask for than that?
30. Generation Loss by Spanish Love Songs
I have a soft spot for music that demonstrates just how detrimental the older generation can be to the next one; hence why Teens Of Denial is one of my favourite albums of the past decade. But I don't think even they ever made a song this utterly devastating! It's all about being fucking tired of explaining ourselves, and how many of us choose suicide as a more viable option, because clearly nobody else is going to listen. Because the world is short on empathy, expecting you to have all your shit together as soon as you move out of your parents' house. You're an idiot if you bother having hope and take that leap of faith, so even though you're clearly drowning because you made the wrong decision, we would rather judge you for that error rather than help out. And yeah, the bridge of this song gets to me more than practically anything else I heard this year, where they're all at the funeral, and the music suddenly become pensive, punctuated by the line "some people tried to understand: thought you were complaining, but we weren't listening", which flips the blame back on the people who dismissed this person's problems rather than actually trying to help. But of course, now that this person is dead, NOW we can take them seriously, which only perpetuates that cycle of depression. Fucking Hell dude...
29. Nice To Meet Ya by Niall Horan
So, for those who asked where this was on my Almost Hits of 2019, it was more successful in 2020, so yes, I will be talking about it again in the future! And isn't it obvious why? This pop song is so goddamn amazing that many often forget it's not even 3 minutes long! But that's all Niall needs to convince you he's a suave, experienced lover who can pick you up with all the confidence in the world! Of the many looks he adopted on that newest album of his, even though I did love the more vulnerable side, this was the one that worked for me the best! He's got a strut and diversity across the project that reminds me a fair bit of golden era Robbie Williams, and this song in particular is the absolute pinnacle of that! Can't wait to see what you bring us next man, because this is one of the best pop songs I've heard in years!
28. Calico Rail by Roo Arcus
I do love me a good murder ballad, and here Roo Arcus delivered a doozie! Now, I am aware this is actually a cover of the song of the same name by David Lynn Jones, a relatively forgotten country artist who had some minor success in the late 80s, but Roo Arcus improves on it by adding a lot more emphasis on the romantic side of it, to the point where you may not even see the ending coming! Suffice to say, her dad doesn't approve of their union, and one of them may end up in jail by the end, while the farmer's daughter gets on a train to escape her past. It reminds me of Folsom Prison Blues with more of a string section, and while it's not quite as traditionally grimy or dark as your average country murder ballad, it's so damn catchy, with one of the best hooks of 2020, and such detailed storytelling, that I loved it from the start! Give this guy a lot more attention, he more than deserves it!
27. exile by Taylor Swift (Ft. Bon Iver)
Ok, maybe Resentment was the critic-bait collab that didn't grab me all that much this year... but exile was another story. As someone who can emphatically say they have never been a Bon Iver fan, I can tell you that this was very unexpected for me. Not only does Justin Vernon sound absolutely amazing here opposite Taylor, but the song has an almost timeless quality to it that immediately grabbed my attention! The writing and melody just feel so classic that it sounds like a song that's always been around, and while some have called it "simplistic", I think it's devastatingly effective. Just the line "I think I've seen this film before, and I didn't like the ending" is such a great example of beauty in simplicity. It's a song where a relationship is ending, where Taylor realises he'd do anything for her, hence why she gave him so many chances, but that she's finally had enough, while Justin plays the guy who was so blinded by his devotedness that he never saw the break-up coming, where the bridge has them exchanging lines about giving and missing warning signs and it's just so fucking perfect! It's one of the best 2-hander break-up songs I have heard in a LONG time, and I'm blown away by its beauty every time I hear it!
26. Changes by Ruston Kelly
And in keeping with the tone of the last pick, this is one of the most tragic songs of the entire year! Not quite at face value, as this is a song where Ruston Kelly is apologising for being distant to his life partner, as he's going through some personal changes at the moment. I really love how he highlights that just because he's going through changes, that doesn't mean he doesn't care or that all his priorities have changed, but that he just needs time to deal with his own demons. He begs her for time, apologises for not taking her calls, and makes it clear that her disappointment in him hurts a lot, he clearly cares! And yet, despite all of that, even with the incredibly compelling hook, we know as an audience that he and his wife Kacey Musgraves couldn't make it work, and split up shortly before this album's release. Yeah, this is one where context matters, and definitely adds a layer of real sadness to this desperate plea, knowing that it's not going to pay off... God damn it.
25. Black Magic by Backxwash (Ft. Ada Rook)
Backxwash's album God Has Nothing To Do With This Leave Him Out Of It was one of the biggest shocks to the system to hit the hip-hop landscape all year, and don't worry, its epic power wasn't lost on me, even if I do find it a difficult album to revisit as a whole! But while Adolescence was the track that initially grabbed me, Black Magic was the one that eventually lured me in with its mystical wiles! This falls into that camp that sounds dark and overbearing enough to feel intense, yet melodic enough that you just can't help coming back for more! And yes, the riotous shouting on the hook is anthemic as all Hell, as Backxwash shows exactly what 6ix9ine's schtick done 10 times better can sound like, but then you add on the dark, ghostly wailing behind these lyrics, where she wallows in her darkest impulses, loving and hating just how much they consume every inch of her being! Yes, it's bad for her, and it makes her feel depressed and alone, but there's a dangerous, very real part of her that doesn't want to get better. It's a very bleak, yet realistic take on how many of us can deal with certain vices, and in absolutely terrifying fashion!
24. Watch You Burn by Chris Stapleton
Chris Stapleton has made many songs over the years that just missed these lists for me. Well, seems he got tired of that, because in 2020 he made the most incendiary and righteously furious song of his career! A huge gospel-touched titan of a country rock song that takes the same template as Blake Shelton's God's Country, then gives it the teeth, grit and venomous detail to back up all that grandeur! It's a song directed at the mass shooters who've emerged over the past few years, the ones who would murder others just for their time in the spotlight, and it pulls no punches, addressing these murderers with unfiltered contempt, and assuring them that they'll get their turn in the spotlight, and then the rest of us will all watch them burn in the afterlife. It's a promise of hellfire and vengeance, which may seem a bit extreme to some people... until Chris Stapleton makes it clear that he's known people who were killed as a result of these actions, citing the Las Vegas shooting specifically. And who am I to criticise a man for dealing with his loss in the only way he knows how? Definitely a song that can make you question your own morals... and that's exactly why it's on this list!
23. Everything Ends Last Year by Open Mike Eagle
"It's October and I'm tired." That's the hook of this song, and BOY did I fucking feel it when this dropped. Of course, for Open Mike, he was referring to October of 2019, at the end of a year where his marriage, his show, even a few of his friendships had ended. There's something so devastatingly candid about this song, it might well be the most straightforward song he's ever written, where he repeatedly comes back to the words "and it ended", before letting the silence hang for a second and almost seeming to talk to himself for a moment before the chorus. It's by no means his most complex or melodic hook or anything, the entire song is extremely minimal instrumentally, but its simplicity somehow makes it hit all the harder. It's the moment on the album where he's at his most defeated and vulnerable, yet it just hit me like a freight train the first time heard it, and then again with each subsequent listen. Not quite his best song, but certainly one that sticks out across his impressive discography, at least to me.
22. Gotta Be Dope by R.A. The Rugged Man (Ft. A-F-R-O & DJ Jazzy Jeff)
R.A. is what I would describe as a controversial rapper. He's not exactly 100% politically correct at all times, nor does he really care to be, but he also has an old school charm that he's had since the 90s, basically like Eminem if he'd maintained a sharper edge over the years. And Hell, I'd argue he's a better spitter than Em, as well as generally having better production. Now, with that in mind, this song is nothing all that complex, it's just a straight bar-fest of inhumanly fast flows over some excellent production by THE Jazzy Jeff, of Fresh Prince vein. Heck, R.A. even references fast rappers on the second part of his first verse and about how they're usually spitting nonsense, but when you read what he just said in the first, insanely fast part, it's actually still fairly cohesive, which is damn impressive! On top of that, his protégé A-F-R-O more than matches that energy, with 2 fantastic verses of his own! It's just a song that leaves me speechless with the skill on display, which still manages to be really badass in its instrumentation, mixing up the flows and tempo enough to remain interesting all the way through! And when you come down to it, it's hip-hop at its purest and most visceral, and you gotta love that!
21. Welcome To My Parents' House by Ninja Sex Party
Danny Sexbang of NSP once made the statement that keeping a joke going for more than 2 minutes can be really tough, because the joke can easily run out of steam. This is why so much of this band's earliest songs were kept to around that length. Well, in spite of that, this song takes a simple premise and runs with it for almost double that time, and I swear it only gets funnier as it goes on! They take their time with it, first having Dan meet the girl at the club, then bringing her home to get down, only for him to still be living with his parents. And it's really the detail that makes this song work, from the foods in their fridge, to telling her to take her shoes off to not wake his parents, to the aging basset hound, to even the 2 parents individually interrupting the date! It's relatable and it's detailed, pairing it with one Hell of a funky groove and of course, Danny remaining fully oblivious to any of this being remotely weird. It's comedy gold, a phenomenal song in its own right, and easily one of the best things this band has ever done!
20. Losers by Spanish Love Songs
I don't think a single line has underlined the issue with a capitalist system as much as "my bleak mind says it's cheaper just to die." And believe me, I live in Dublin, this is very much a possible reality for a lot of people I know. As they say on the sequel to this song, the cost of living means the cost to stay alive. No wonder you're bleak, especially when your own inner monologue is so goddamn negative all the time! It's one of the most tragically catchy hooks on the entire album, underlining how shit is already hard, and it's probably only going to get harder... because Jason Isbell lied to me! I'm only half-kidding there too, more on that later. And that one iteration of "we're mediocre, we're losers forever", before that insane guitar solo... yeah, this fucking rules, in the saddest way possible. Actually, now I think about it, there is one more anti-capitalist hook that springs to mind... we'll get to that later as well. In the meantime, this was the first song on the album to really grip me and served as the gateway to me getting into the entire thing, and that on its own should earn it a spot on this list!
19. The Past is the Past by Brandy Clark
Hey, you know those songs about a relationship falling apart, but giving it one more good try? Well, here's a song that takes the other approach, where the relationship is beyond saving, and for as much history as there may be between you, it's time to finally move on. Your Life Is A Record was written in the wake of Brandy Clark ending a 15-year relationship (yikes), and this song was the apex, where she gets in her car, and drives away for good, because it's for the best. The "maybe we can work it outs" have turned into "maybe we can'ts", and that's just one of the devastating lines across this tour-de-force of a ballad, along with the soothing, melancholic guitars anchoring the dream-like production. It's a song about finally getting your wheels out of the mud, and letting them roll again, so that you can move on. Yeah, that's a message we all need now and again, especially coming from one of the best songwriters in modern music, mainstream or otherwise. I don't know if Brandy will ever make a song quite as incredible as Since You've Gone To Heaven, but this came really damn close, and is easily the song that grew on me the most all year. Phenomenal job!
18. Nothing At All by Perfume Genius
I'm not entirely sure why this is the song that stuck with me so much from Perfume Genius' newest album. All I know is that the moment I heard that groove, this was my favourite thing he had ever done! So much restrained energy, that is only somewhat released on the chorus with the incredibly catchy hook and those beautiful bells, only mostly bursting forth on the final one, turning into one of the best crescendos of the year... and yet even then a part of it holds back, constantly bringing you back for more! It's one of the most gorgeous songs of the entire year, and holds all the promise of Perfume Genius and everything he is, but he holds back because he's still personal and private at heart, a give-and-take that may result in nothing at all... or may result in you getting all of him! It's just a sonic masterpiece, to the point where I'd almost say the lyrics barely matter, you get the entire point just from the music! And the fact that I can say all that and still place this song this high up, that should tell you just how effective and powerful this song is! Goddamn incredible!
17. coney island by Taylor Swift (Ft. The National)
Well... this was unexpected! I bet many of you thought I would name Taylor's exile the best collab she's ever done, or at least give that credit to no body, no crime with HAIM! But no, because a) as a fan of country music, I have a high bar when it comes to murder ballads -again, Calico Rail is fucking amazing- and b) from the first moment I heard evermore, while there were a few songs that were contenders, there was only going to be 1 song that was a sure-fire entry, and that was her collaboration with Matt Berninger of The National! As I said with exile, I have a huge soft spot for duets between male-female vocalists, and this... oh my fucking GOD, it's so perfect! From the way their voices match up, with both singers sounding at their very best, to the simple yet beautiful instrumentation that builds to a terrific crescendo, to the lyrics about ruminating on a relationship which has fizzled out earlier than expected, possibly because the couple moved way too fast, and yet they're still stuck thinking about each other and frustratedly trying to figure out what went wrong, where each line is more poetic than the last and oh it's just all so beautiful! And despite what some critics have said, I don't think Taylor has ever had better vocal chemistry with anyone else before, as Matt sounds just as tired and sad, yet effortlessly poised, a balance that only a few artists can really manage! This is the kind of song that appeals so much to my personal music sensibilities that it's almost not fair! And yet, not quite her best song this year. But before we get to that:
16. Only Children by Jason Isbell & the 400 Unit
Welp, you all knew I couldn't get through one of these lists without at least 1 entry from my boy Jason! And here, he decided to take a stab at dream country, with much more ethereal, echoing production that sounds so damn beautiful! It's very different for Jason, especially on Reunions, but it's so immediately gorgeous that I couldn't possibly ignore it, especially with his more restrained delivery and Amanda Shires' backing vocals! Based on sound alone, this would have likely made the list... but then you have the lyrics, about a fellow songwriter that Jason grew up with. Someone he would hang out with as kids, thinking they were so smart, writing in abandoned old houses and doing drugs for inspiration, just dumb children. Only one of them didn't see their dream realised, as his friend passed away before reaching adulthood, leaving Jason to ponder whether he's still writing from beyond the grave, with the heavy subtext that their positions could so easily have been switched. Devastating as all Hell, and still probably not even in this guy's top 5 saddest songs, what does THAT tell you? Hands-down one of the best country songs of 2020, by far!
15. In Your Eyes by the Weeknd
I mean if it wasn't going to be Blinding Lights that made this list, this should have been obvious to all of you! It's one of Abel's best ever hooks, where he describes a girl who's hurt and haunted, but keeps it hidden behind a smile. And yet he turns the other way, hoping that someone else will save her, because although he can see it all in her eyes, he's willingly blind and doesn't want to get involved, even as he can also she that she's so much more. It's in a similar vein as In The Night, except played much more smoothly, and with one HELL of a saxophone solo towards the end that sends it above and beyond for me in the best possible way! It's not that complicated, a song that's so immediately captivating that you can't help but be drawn in, and if Blinding Lights hadn't taken off the way it did this year, I'd have been more than fine with this ruling 2020 for everyone else the way it did for me!
14. Under The Table by Fiona Apple
There are few things I have loved so immediately as the line "I would beg to disagree, but begging disagrees with me!" On an album filled with furious rhetoric from Fiona Apple, this was the song whose hook stuck with me the most all year, as Fiona steadfastly refuses to sit still and meekly listen while her partner's friends and co-workers mouth off about things she disagrees with. You can kick her under the table all you want, but she won't shut up, and refuses to lie still while you walk all over her. And Heck, if she doesn't want to go to those meetings in the first place, don't you dare push her! There's a power and vitriol to this song that I absolutely adore, it spits in the face of propriety or putting on airs and graces simply to avoid being disruptive. Add to that the vicious way it builds on the bridge, and the final clipped chorus, and you have a song you certainly don't want to be on the wrong side of, not that you'd ever consider it.
13. Normal by Katie Pruitt
Katie Pruitt's song about struggling with her sexuality is one of the most understated and gorgeous songs of the entire year! There were more complex or layered songs on Expectations that came close to making this list, but like multiple entries we've seen so far, it's the candidness that won me over. Backed up by some of the most gorgeous production in country all year, gentle and dreamy, she describes the way she was told to be "normal" from such a young age, and how she absolutely would have done so if she'd had the choice. The song covers a number of tender topics, from the way she speaks about being raised religious, without having any clue whom she's even speaking to, especially when being told that God hates girls like her. To the first girl she ever had a crush on, whom she also made a move on, and how that one decision changed her entire life. To the way she caps it all off with "the world told us to fit in, but we did the opposite", which ends the song on a tone of smug defiance that really struck me!
Now, I know that some have criticised this song for its LGBTQ+ country content and those people can go to Hell, but I was a little more disappointed by the few people WITHIN the community whom I heard criticise her choice of words! "What, is she calling us "abnormal???" No, you morons, a) the word "normal" is clearly a word that was used to disparage her, which she's now flipping on its head, and b) this is HER story, not yours, so shut the fuck up! Yes, I'm defensive of this, this song is powerful, adorable, and a song I feel a lot more people could benefit from hearing!
12. Black Savage by Royce da 5'9'' (Ft. Sy Ari Da Kid, White Gold, CyHi the Prynce & T.I.)
Posse cuts rarely make it this high on this type of list for me. It requires both consistency and variation from a number of performers, and even one weak link can drag the whole thing down! Well thankfully, that was not the case with the best track on Royce's The Allegory, because every single element of this black power anthem comes together beautifully! It's braggadocious, deep, complex, nuanced, and each MC sounds at the absolute top of their game. And none of these incredible and wildly different verses would work without one of the best hooks of the year, courtesy of Sy Ari Da Kid, urging them to stand for something and fall for nothing, because you only have one chance to live, and one chance to be remembered when you're gone! It's easily the best song Royce has released since Tabernacle, and honestly, with a hook and production this amazing, it might even be better.
11. Mockingbird by Roo Arcus
The irony of this song on Tumbleweed, mocking someone for not singing their own tune, just a couple of tracks before a cover song, is not lost on me. But when it's this much of an instant feel-good country classic, I really find it hard to care! This is the song I listen to whenever I want to feel like a unique little snowflake, a classic "fuck the bullies" song, where Roo Arcus' dad encourages him to go against the grain and do whatever makes him happy, mocking assholes be damned! The use of the mockingbird metaphor, a bird who can sing every song except his own, as a simile for artists who never try anything outside of the box, is a fairly obvious one, but Roo Arcus just sells it so damn well! And with the gorgeous strings, that short piano passage that plays at various intervals of the song, and the great steel guitars, this song gripped me from the first moment I heard it! Unabashedly corny, and easily one of the best songs to be released all year!
10. '96 Neve Campbell by clipping. (Ft. Cam & China)
Ok wow... I love clipping., and I love classic horror movies. Pair the 2 together by referencing Scream star Neve Campbell, and you have a song that's an easy favourite of mine right out the gate! But of course, this is clipping., so they take it a step further. See, when you listen to this track, once you get over the kickass "this bitch boss" chorus with the horror-movie-surprise-snare sound effect, you notice that the female guests seem to dominate a significant chunk of the song. This may throw some listeners off, until you realise that their presence, that hook and even the title all serve a common purpose: celebrating women in media, specifically hip-hop, as the underdogs who have to face the horrors of the world, much like Neve Campbell's character fought off those- I mean that serial killer! Daveed steps into the role of the villain here, which he obviously encapsulates perfectly, with a ton of excellent slasher metaphors, while Cam and China each deliver an absolutely KILLER verse each, more than matching Diggs', which believe me, is an impressive feat! It's an incredible song, and one of the best songs this eclectic hip hop group has ever put together!
9. It Gets Easier by Jason Isbell & the 400 Unit
Believe it or not, this took a bit to truly grow on me. Sure, it's a song where Jason is showing more and more hesitancy about his choice to quit drinking, but I felt that had shown up subtextually in the past, and that more subtle approach appealed to me more. However, what I eventually understood was that he made this song very deliberately, to show that he's had moments of real weakness and hesitation too, which only seem to have multiplied since his last album, and which turn up all over Reunions! And this huge country rock stomper is his wild swing for the fences to show that, while it may be hard, seemingly impossibly hard, and it'll never get easy... it DOES get easier! Despite the way the chorus is phrased, he still chose to name the song It Gets Easier rather than It Never Gets Easy, which shows that despite the fact that it's so hard to convince others it's all worth it when he's not even sure himself half the time, he's still choosing the optimistic approach! Because damnit, for as tough as life gets, it DOES get easier, and that should be reason enough to try!
For me, in 2020, this went from a song that was incredibly personal and revealing to Jason Isbell's inner turmoil, to an anthem that I sorely needed! For as lousy as things get, we need to put in the effort, even if it'll never be as perfect as we hope, and THAT is the motivation we all need going into 2021! Thank you for this one Jason, again, we really needed this!
8. cardigan by Taylor Swift
Yep. And no, I don't care that most critics called this derivative or half-baked at best. In my opinion, this is the best song Taylor has ever written... yes, even better than Back to December.
If betty was the song about the character of James coming back into the life of the woman they cheated on, cardigan is the song responding to that request. The thinly-veiled bitterness and scorn are palpable, yet there are also layers of sadness and self-loathing, as she knew all these years that she was cheated on and never held this person fully accountable for it. And she knew that they'd come back when they were both older, to beg her forgiveness, and to wear her like an old cardigan, an item of clothing many older men will don after running wild for a few years, when they're ready to settle down. Yeah, whether or not James is a man, this character is deplorable, and as sincere as betty can come across, I related so much more to this perspective of the love triangle. It's such a beautiful tangle of mixed emotions, a delicate balance between hurt and anger, with so many perfect metaphors woven in, from "Peter losing Wendy" to "drawing hearts around my scars," that I couldn't help but absolutely adore it on first listen, and with each repeated one, it kept growing on me!
Someone asked on my last list where this would have ranked on my best hits list had it qualified, and it would have been the EASY number 1, hands down! So yeah, expect me to discuss this in more detail someday, but for now, this is the best thing Taylor made all year, and I could not be happier with it!
7. I Don't Know What We're Taking About by Ninja Sex Party
Well, here's a situation that most anyone can relate to: the moment when you completely lose track of a conversation and are expected to answer a question you haven't heard. You don't want to seem insensitive, but you mind has been wandering, and trying to concentrate only makes things worse! NSP decided to write this song about such a topic, and it's a masterpiece of comedic songwriting and utter absurdity, that still manages to be relatable! That's all great, but then you add in the absolutely top-notch instrumentation from Tupperware Remix Party, with the nods to Bohemian Rhapsody, and his song evolves into one of the best pieces of music this band has ever released. I do still prefer Danny Don't You Know, but this still came damn close, and was exactly the sort of mundane escapism I needed this year, in everything but sound!
6. Physical by Dua Lipa
In an absolutely stellar year for pop music, I had to give the biggest award of all to Dua Lipa! Future Nostalgia had many contenders for this list, and nobody seems to be able to agree on which song is the best one on it, but here's my personal favourite! The fact's that she interpolated Olivia Newton John's pretty sedate hit and turned it into THIS, that is an incredible feat! The echoing woodwind flutes, that driving beat that instantly pumps me up and which absolutely explodes on the hook, and Dua Lipa giving her best vocal performance to date, sultry and powerful! There are so many individual moments I love on this song, from the way the beat cuts out right before the chorus, before then hitting full force, to the way it ends with that sharp clap before diving back into the verses, to the entirety of the fist-pumping bridge and pre-chorus on the last hook, to even the abrupt way it ends! This was my exercise jam throughout 2020, and it even serves that purpose a million times better than the original, it's so much more motivating! I'm very happy that Don't Start Now and Break My Heart took off and became huge, but if we could have got THIS... I can only dream.
5. Radio Cloud by Ruston Kelly
There are 2 songs in my top 5 that were incredibly important to me this year when it came to maintaining some control to avoid wallowing in misery too much, and even though this one took a lot longer to fully grow on me, that hook became absolutely undeniable! Not only is the poetry gorgeous, but it's both extremely topical, and yet non-specific enough to still be relevant beyond 2020, even despite a vague reference to the covid-19! It's a song about engaging, telling you to come off your radio cloud and actually live in and interact with the world around you! Sure, music is an important coping mechanism, one we all relied on in 2020, but it's important not to let it consume every part of our lives. Because at some point, we have to step up and take action. And Ruston Kelly doesn't exclude himself from that framing, as he too was hanging around in silence, but now he has something to say! Yeah, this song already had my attention from the get-go, what with the fantastic folk/alt-country guitars and that great solo on the bridge (it's actually been my alarm for months now), but only after I deciphered the lyrics did I truly understand how special it is! In any other year, this would have made the list, but this year especially, it's one of the most strikingly relevant tracks of the year, and an important reminder to all of us not to wallow in our music TOO deeply... but that said, if you HAD to wallow in something:
4. Kick by Spanish Love Songs
Well, this is the easy favourite from Brave Faces Everyone, the song of someone losing their innocence, told from the point of view of a friend. You're told to keep your head up when you're not okay... even though "not okay" is what's expected. Steadily over the verses, things get worse and worse, so you're told to keep your head DOWN this time, just don't even bother with hope or trying at all, because we don't expect anything from you anyway! And yet the world's going to kick you either way, as our protagonist comes across his friend years later, after being locked up in jail on overblown drug charges, now addicted to happy pills just to deal with the shit sandwich life has handed them. And yet despite all the previous encouragements, our protagonist can't even give up the 10 grand they need for rehab... because he's going through Hell too, as are we all! And who has time for empathy when you can barely sort your own shit out? Because again, the world's gonna kick you whatever you do... that's life babyyyyyy. Yeah, it may sound nihilistic, but like all the best songs off the album, it's nuanced enough here to feel justified. And it made for one of the best songs I heard all year, easily!
3. JU$T by Run The Jewels (Ft. Pharrell Williams & Zack de la Rocha)
So yeah, insert everything I said about Losers and its anti-capitalist views and then some! Because I haven't heard a hook that is so immediately provocative as this one in a very long time. For all the casual hip-hop fans who just listen to RTJ without paying much attention to the lyrics, even they can't possibly ignore "Look at all these slavemasters posted on your dollar!" Yes, as that chorus and the title promise, this is a song that targets the vice that is money, and how easily it can take over and rule over our actions.
Pharrell points out all the ways we think we've moved forward and progressed as a society, before leading back into that killer hook! Killer Mike then goes into how our own systems and leaders that we place our faith in are built on empty promises, and how all of us are willing to turn a blind eye to things like murder and paedophilia when money's involved, then ends his verse by reminding us that he told us to kill our masters, and that such rhetoric will probably get HIM killed one day. Then El comes in with a series of baseball references to demonstrate how we all have the mentality of "get rich or die trying", but that even if you do make it, there's no way the slavemasters will let you live! He then follows it up with "a Vonnegut punch for your Atlas shrug" -line of the fucking year- to show how he spits in the face of your apathy when faced with rampant police brutality, and ends it by pointing out that getting shot for selling drugs just to be able to afford food isn't remotely seen as an anomaly, and yet we still feel we have the privilege to say "it's just money!" And what better way to end it than with frequent collaborator, Rage Against The Machine's Zack de la Rocha, echoing out that the reckoning is coming?
Even aside from all that, the production makes this stand out as one of their best and most listenable songs, it's freakishly catchy and appealing, which makes its revolutionary message hit all the better! In any other year, this would unquestionably be the rap song of the year... buuuuuut:
2. walking in the snow by Run The Jewels (Ft. Gangsta Boo)
That's right, for the first time in the history of these lists for me, 2 songs from the same album are right next to each other on this list! And the reason is, quite simply, they're constantly switching places for me, and this was the only way that made sense! But on the whole, this is the one I tend to favour, and it should be pretty easy to see why. For one, that beat is one of the most careening and insane in El-P's entire catalogue, something I'd expect more on his solo albums than on an RTJ album, but our 2 MCs flow over it effortlessly, as Gangsta Boo takes on that hook with a ton of natural charisma that is SO infectious! And then you have the content!
El-P introduces the song by making it his mission to teach you about the atrocities of real life until you apologise for your own ignorance, even if it takes him 10 years, and then continues that impressive "o" rhyme scheme as he goes into one of his best ever verses! He points out how we claim we want the truth from our governments, and yet many of us seem perfectly content just drinking their Kool-Aid instead, then targeting those who excused caging up anybody who isn't them, because they're too stupid to realise that those cages could just as easily fit them if they just slip a notch or 2 down the totem pole; a system designed to kill them which they're also fueling! And he ends it by calling out pseudo-Christians, who will turn a blind eye to atrocities like caging kids, but fall on their sword whenever Jesus is brought up, because THAT's Christian! And was there a better closing line to a verse this year than "What a disingenuous way to piss away existence, I don't get it! I'd say you lost your goddamn minds if y'all possessed ones to begin with!"
Well yes, one. because then in comes Killer Mike, as he breaks down the fact that prison population almost seems to be pre-determined based on racial make-up and background from the age where kids start school. Then he calls the audience out for becoming numb to the death of black people, watching cops choke them out until their shrieks turn to whispers "I can't breathe"... that's the single most powerful moment in music this year, and the fact he wrote this verse back in November of 2019... fuck's sake man! But he doesn't stop there, as he continues to call you out for your empathy being replaced by apathy, as he wishes he could show you that you're not that far behind in the line of potential victims! And then comes his closing line, once again targeting the elite who use religion as a shield: "Never forget in the story of Jesus, the hero was killed by the state!", which is such a perfect point that I'm genuinely shocked I haven't ever heard it before!
This is the best rap song of the year, that ends with the 2 veterans trading verse at lightning speed across multiple beat switches and flows, it's all so goddamn epic and heavy! And the crazy thing is that I'm still not sure this is their best song, this duo is THAT formidable! Killer Mike and El-P, once again, the undefeated KINGS of hip-hop, who came DAMN close to making my song of the year! Except... well, this is a weird one:
1. Crimson Tide by Destroyer
Yeah... I can't imagine anybody saw this coming! After all, Dan Bejar is typically a guy who makes full projects that end up working for me as a whole, not so much individual songs. And yet, Have We Met was a more simple, straightforward project compared to his last couple, which received a LOT of critical acclaim. Now, if you know anything about me, it shouldn't surprise you to learn that simplifying his formula didn't work as well for me as it seemed to for many others, but it did make me laser in on individual songs from the project instead. And while It Just Doesn't Happen just barely missed this list, Crimson Tide was something entirely different!
The only thing I can compare this to, sonically, is... well, maybe Marianas Trench's Astoria! And if I'm making THAT comparison, this should suddenly make a lot more sense, because this song's beauty is fucking next-level! I know that I'm typically a "lyrics" guy, but if I'm being honest, I only have a very vague idea of what this song's about. Based on his last album and after reading the lyrics too many times to count, I THINK it might be about a similar theme to Radio Cloud, as Dan Bejar attempts to step away from the rest of the world, as it's clearly burning and that has nothing to do with him... only to be dragged back to face reality, because you can't escape the fact that you're part of it, and his own muse won't allow him to walk away without speaking up! Especially when the world is clearly collapsing into a bloody mess, and his silence could make him just as culpable at those he judges! But no, while the poetry is as incredible as on any Destroyer song, this is predominantly here for the instrumentation, which is quite possibly one of the most gorgeous fusions of synthetic and organic music that I have ever heard!
The song starts out with those swelling, heavenly organs, before that bassline comes in, the perfect backdrop for Dan Bejar's contemplative musings. Then that drum appears, which leads to the signature piano line that anchors the main hook, along with those atmospheric synths. And it just keeps building, with new elements constantly getting added on, and Dan Bejar grounds it all, remaining the calm centre in the eye of this gorgeous hurricane of sounds! Yes, I know I'm starting to sound a tad ridiculous, but it's hard to describe the unbelievable beauty in the swell of this song, which all builds to that fantastic electric guitar that plays us out into nirvana! It's so unlike anything Destroyer has ever made before, and over the course of the entire year, it just continued to grow on me, until nothing else felt right as the number 1. So congratulations Dan Bejar and Destroyer, on making the best song of your careers, and the best song of 2020! That's all for now guys, leave your thoughts in the comments and thank you very much for reading this far! I'll be updating you soon on what's coming next, but for now, I'm going to kick back and enjoy the end of the year! I have a lot planned for next year, so make sure you subscribe to the blog and follow me on Twitter @TheSocialTune! See you all again in 2021, happy holidays and until the next time, I'm Fionn, and this is The Social Tune signing off!