Best Songs of 2021! (2/3)
50-21
oops! by Yung Gravy
I feel like with my disdain for 2019’s “Lalala”, I should be primed to hate another artist in bbno$’s camp, Yung Gravy. Yet, even before “Lalala”, I was always amused by this guy. He’s very much got funny frat guy energy, but it’s not toxic or leering because he’s so naturally funny and charismatic that you are 100% on board with his stupidity and excessive horniness for MILFs. “oops!” went viral early this year for being a monstrously catchy song with a tongue-in-cheek edge that’s perfect for TikTok’s brand of humor. Though the virality for this song seemed to drop pretty quickly, I never put this song down. I can’t get enough of its charming beat and infectious hook! It’s one of those pop songs that give you just enough to feel complete but still cuts out just early enough that you want more and you hit the repeat button for the next hour. It helps that Yung Gravy is so unbelievably fun on this song, and his quips about taking your girl and banging your mom are hilarious without overselling it. It mostly comes back to the hook though, which is one of the catchiest I’ve heard in a pop song in recent memory. It’s probably the perfect TikTok song. Short, catchy, memorable, and we’ll probably regret it in a few years but we’ll still enjoy it in the moment!
Best two seconds: “Supercalifragili my ex be on some hoe shit!”
My Play by AJR
While “Bang!” was my door to learning to understand and even embrace AJR, “My Play” was the one that really put everything into perspective. I always hear criticisms of their music as desperately clinging on to childhood and refusing to face the real world, but until now it wasn’t clear where this naive state of mind was coming from. “My Play” is probably the most honest and revealing song AJR has ever made. It traces AJR’s trauma directly to their parents’ divorce. It’s something that affected them as kids and even bleeds into their adulthood as they go on their own paths for love. Love feels like a performance to them. Like the plays they put on for their parents, who themselves are putting on a performance of pretending to be happy with one another. It’s a never-ending spiral that makes AJR panic whenever things start going really well because they don’t know if the person they’re dating is lying to them out of pity. And the childish outburst that leads into the big, booming chorus is one that feels desperate, but in a genuinely sad way that actually moved me beyond the basic message of “adulthood is hard”. I’ll admit, it’s getting a little annoying seeing people dismiss AJR right off the bat because they just assume they’re bad and have no real substance in their music. But I ask you to put the bias aside, just for one second. Even if you don’t like how this sounds, I don’t think it’s insane to say AJR are making genuinely great steps as writers. I’m personally excited to see if they can shake off the stigma and make something just as good as their influences.
Best two seconds: “You did everything, everything, everything, that you could”
Through My Ray-Bans by Eric Church
I hope Eric Church’s & EP gets a wide release soon. I loved both Heart and Soul, but they don’t feel as complete without the EP that bridges them together. They’re easily the best songs Eric Church has made this year, and they should be heard by more than just those in the fan club. Thankfully, the two best songs are on streaming services, so you can get a taste of how truly excellent these songs are. “Through My Ray-Bans” is one of the most comforting songs about unity I’ve ever heard. The gentle guitar and piano groove never really aim for anything bigger, but you can still feel the scale of this song through Eric Church’s words and the general feeling of togetherness this song brings. It spends its time in the moment, savoring the high emotions and low tension in everyone’s eyes. Arms around each other's shoulders and celebrating the life we have now. Church wishes this moment could last forever. This pure, undisturbed happiness could only come out of a love for one another and enjoying their presence. That unity is beautiful to me. This song played in my head a lot whenever I was in a group setting. Just spending time with one another, dealing with our own shit, but still hanging in there. At the very least, we have this moment. This moment that we’ll cherish in our memories, and wish we could live through again. Ending the song with a sneaky little lyric change that refers to his first major hit, “Drink In Our Hand”, and I knew the love Eric Church has for his fans was just as real.
Best two seconds: “But tonight we got a drink in our hand”
Black Frost by Grandbrothers
With instrumental songs, sometimes the title does a lot of heavy lifting to make the song even better. It gives you a hint as to what kind of image the song is supposed to evoke. In this case, the frigid piano melodies and shivering twinkles of synths definitely evoke the image of a dark snowstorm. Equally elegant and threatening. The swooshes of synths in the background as the song gradually builds upon its melody with those pianos and stilted production sounds like a blizzard that never lets up. Constant snow, fierce wind, all against a pale white background where you can’t see anything but white. I LOVE the part where the heavier production comes in and you get these quiet moments of glitchiness. It adds so much to the payoff of this song’s crescendos, and enveloping yourself in this song’s incredible atmosphere is hypnotizing. You can apply that to most songs on All The Unknown, but “Black Frost”' is my favorite because its atmosphere is so specific, yet so gorgeous and perfect for that scenario. I would LOVE to make an animatic set to this song one day. It’s inspiring.
Best two seconds: The way the piano rhythm subtly begins one minute in
Visiting Hours by Ed Sheeran
I find it really interesting that Ed Sheeran’s greatest strength seems to be making songs about death. That’s kind of a morbid thing to say, I realize, but between “Afire Love”, “Supermarket Flowers” and now “Visiting Hours”, Ed expresses his grief in his music in a way that always feels genuine and heartfelt. For as much as detractors want to paint him as this corporate, industry-driven pop star, Ed’s humility always keeps him closer to the ground than most pop stars in his position. “Visiting Hours” is dedicated to Michael Gudinski, a music promoter who became one of Ed Sheeran’s closest friends. He died suddenly earlier this year, and it had a huge impact on Ed Sheeran. Based on the song, he went to Michael for guidance as he gets older and settles down, especially in taking care of his family. You can hear a lot of insecurity in Ed Sheeran, especially now that the person who gives him the answers has suddenly left. But the beautiful part about this song is how these “visiting hours” in heaven serve as Ed Sheeran giving himself guidance, as he learns to move on, take what he learned from Michael, and continue his legacy through his family and career. It’s a beautifully touching sentiment, and it’s delivered with one of Ed Sheeran’s best-ever performances. There’s so much genuine love and passion in his voice as the choir of piano, guitar, horns, and even steel guitar build to a gorgeous sound, amplified by the vocal choir behind him that glides across the track with incredible grace. That instrumental break right before the bridge where the trumpets soar and the steel guitar weeps is such a powerful moment. An expression of grief that is as tragic as it is hopeful. And that undying optimism is what makes a song like this so beautiful and cut above everyone else in pop music.
Best two seconds: “So much has changed…”
Racing Into The Night (Yoru ni Kakeru) by YOASOBI
Covered more in-depth on the Best Hit Songs of 2021
NOTE: The official video is age-restricted
This is one of those songs everyone interested in pop music and especially chart watching should hear at least once. Not just so you can expand your taste towards international songs, but because the song really is that good! It definitely has that “epic animé opening” feel where every melody and lyric sound like the most important thing to happen in that very moment. A journey of colors and emotions that never ceases to amaze you at every turn. Honestly, I kind of wonder if I’m underestimating this song by putting it this low. It’s seriously one of those songs that’s perfect from front to back. Endlessly deserving of being to Japan what “Blinding Lights” is to the United States.
Best two seconds: The second key change
Leave The Door Open by Silk Sonic
Covered more in-depth on the Best Hit Songs of 2021
You know how last year four songs from folklore made my Top 50 favorite songs of the year? Well, Silk Sonic is gonna show up five times in my Top 50 this year. I don’t know what to tell you. An Evening With Silk Sonic is my album of the year and the reason why is because every song is a hit. It’s incredible that a song as good as “Leave The Door Open” would only be the fifth-best song on the album. One of the best modern retro songs in recent memory, full of rich instrumentation and a universal romance that keeps you drawn in and imagining a moment as magical as the music itself. That key change really does a lot to drive the song though. The whole song builds to it, and that big swell is perfectly executed.
Best two seconds: “IMMA LEAVE THE DOOR OOOOOOOPEN BAYYYBY”
Look At The Sky by Porter Robinson
There’s something delightfully magical about Porter Robinson’s music. I’ve never heard an electronic artist capture this same vibe of melancholic whimsy that he does, yet it still sounds so familiar and nostalgic. I covered the strangely nostalgic sounds like “Something Comforting” earlier, but “Look At The Sky” evokes a more specific picture of flying through the sky, wondering where the wind will take you. It opens up and begins exploring the themes of nurture, mainly the pressure and uncertainty of following up an album as monumental as Worlds. Most of the album is filled with anxiety and feelings of inadequacy, but “Look At The Sky” is the album at its most optimistic. Because even after all those years of depression and artist’s block, Porter finds it in himself to appreciate that he made it through all that and is ready to begin work on this album. He’s still here, he’ll be alive next year, he’s sure he’ll make something worthwhile for his patient fans. There are so many moments of genuine euphoria in the production, from the explosive synth melodies to the calm chimes that keep the song from going off the rails, the crescendo on the chorus that feels like it’s going higher and higher, and the payoff at the end where every melody bursts in the air like a firework gives me a rush of happiness few songs this year were able to capture. Yet, I think the moment that really resonates with me on “Look At The Sky” is at the very beginning, where Porter Robinson takes a deep breath over the piano melody right before the song kicks into gear. It’s such a subtle, but potent moment that epitomizes the idea of “I’m ready”, unleashing the song at its fullest potential. Porter Robinson didn’t just make something good, he made something special.
Best two seconds: The explosive drop right before the final chorus
COUNT ON ME by Brockhampton
NOTE: The music video features most of the song but gets cut off.
One of the most interesting things about Brockhampton’s ROADRUNNER: NEW LIGHT, NEW MACHINE is that it’s the album that might have the least Brockhampton on it. Or at the very least, they don’t try to cram every member into one song like they used to. Hell, on “COUNT ON ME”, it doesn’t even feel like a Brockhampton song at all. The only recognizable member on the song is Matt Champion, with Jabari and JOBA mixed into the hook with other vocalists. Other than that, this song consists of a verse from A$AP Rocky and SoGoneFlexy, with the hook including other artists such as Ryan Beatty and reportedly Shawn Mendes. Which on paper seems strange, but I think the spirit of Brockhampton is still incredibly strong within “COUNT ON ME”. The production is still handled by the group themselves, but Rocky and SoGoneFlexy fit into the confessional flexing of Brockhampton incredibly well! Not to mention Matt Champion’s verse is one of his best, fluttering back and forth within the song as he works through his depression while still living life to the fullest whenever he can. The main draw of “COUNT ON ME” is that big chorus, which Kevin Abstract once described as something to scream in the car with your friends too. In that case, this chorus is PERFECT. A fantastic vocal melody, all the voices blended together sounds euphoric, and the sentiment that everything will be okay and that you can all count on each other to get through the hard times is one that filled me with catharsis as the pandemic continued on this year. It’s great to hear that even when they work with other artists, Brockhampton’s unique sound never left.
Best two seconds: “IIIII KNOOOW THAT IT’LL BE OKAY!”
Skate by Silk Sonic
Covered more in-depth on the Best Hit Songs of 2021
“Skate” being the black sheep of An Evening With Silk Sonic makes a tragic amount of sense. Most of the album goes for that Vegas lounge R&B and funk that was popularized by artists like Stevie Wonder and The Brothers Johnson, but “Skate” is the only song on the album that has more influence from 70s disco. That said, I’d love to hear them try and make more songs in this lane because even if no one else appreciates this song, I love “Skate” with all my heart. The production has such a perfect sound and texture that evokes the best day of your life. Its sweeping strings, bouncy percussion, and easy-going groove evoke such a sunny, bright beam of joy that sells the romance of skating with your partner. I don’t know why that skate aesthetic really resonates with me. I guess that sense of childhood nostalgia where your rawest romantic emotions are at their strongest appeals to the inner romantic in me. Helps that “Skate" itself is a pure perfect pop song.
Best two seconds: “I wanna get to know ya!”
Smokin’ Out The Window by Silk Sonic
But so is “Smoking Out The Window”. Choosing my favorite single off this album was hard. I put “Leave The Door Open” and “Skate” so close to each other because they excel in very different ways, and though I prefer the uniform bliss of “Skate”, I really struggled to justify putting it above “Smokin’ Out The Window”. Ultimately, I couldn’t. I was too far in the writing process to include “Smokin’ Out The Window” on my hit list, but know that it absolutely would have been high on the list, likely in the final part with all of my top favorite hits this year. What puts “Smokin’ Out The Window” above its previous singles is that this is so clearly the song the duo had the most fun working on. A petty, bitter breakup song chastising a gold digger for running away with their money and breaking their hearts. This kind of song could lead to some ugly, toxic misogyny without care, but the tone of this song is so lighthearted and campy that it never comes off that way. Just the phrase, “This bitch” is said so passionately that it becomes the highlight of the song, and that ridiculously catty energy carries on to the image of Bruno and .Paak smoking out the window in disgrace. The desperate plea of “How could you do this to me?” over the waltzing strings and breezy percussion. .Paak and Bruno chew up the scenery so much that any chance of this being genuinely mean or uncalled for goes completely out the window (along with the smoke), and you just revel in the song’s theatrical misery. Exactly what makes Bruno and .Paak such an incredible duo.
Best two seconds: “How could you do this to meee”
Levitating by Dua Lupa ft. Dababy
Covered more in-depth on the Best Hit Songs of 2021
I think at this point “Levitating” is self-explanatory. Whether you always preferred it without Dababy, or stuck with the remix to the very end, the song really is just that good. That electric hook alongside Dua Lipa’s magnetic performance makes every string swell and beat drop feel like the greatest sound in the world, and Dababy really was the perfect hypeman to take this song over the top! Exactly the goofy, lighthearted energy to make this an all-time great pop song. I just like that the biggest song of the year is a good pop song that everyone likes and wasn’t completely ruined by overplay. In a divided time where everyone feels at odds with each other, it’s nice to have at least one thing that unites everyone to say, “Oh yeah! I love that song!”
Best two seconds: “Come on dance with me (LET’S GO!) I’m levitiating”
Shy Away by twenty one pilots
Usually when you ask the question, “Is twenty one pilots a rock band?”, the response you get ranges from a hesitant shrug to hysterical laughter. Though I’d be willing to argue that they are, just not in the traditional sense. In general, I’m tired of this idea that rock can only be the guitar/bass/drum standard that we’ve come to expect, and a band like twenty one pilots that can dip its toes in every genre has just as much of a rock presence as anyone else. Of course, I say all this as “Shy Away” is one of the closest things twenty one pilots have to a traditional rock song, albeit with more bright poppy synths than usual. It’s also one of their best ever songs, right up there with “Tear In My Heart”, “Not Today” and “My Blood”. I’m really glad to hear a twenty one pilots song with such a prominent bassline, especially because it sounds great over the glamorous guitars and shining synths, blasting like a neon rainbow across the track as the duo delivers one of their catchiest and most cathartic hooks to date. It’s funny that I mentioned “My Blood” earlier, as this is another song where Tyler Joseph guides his brother through his own creative process and encourages him to make a name for himself in the music industry. It’s fascinating to hear Tyler describe his process through these creative metaphors, essentially boiling down to jumping headfirst into any idea that comes to mind, no matter how personal or surface-level. “Shed your modesty” is an especially great line to describe reaching within yourself to find something truly special, and it’s only when you face your creativity head-on when that song you never wrote comes to life. A truly fantastic song from one of the most underrated albums of the year.
Best two seconds: “Don’t you shy away!!!” (final chorus)
my ex’s best friend by Machine Gun Kelly ft. blackbear
Covered more in-depth on the Best Hit Songs of 2021
I guess if I have to cover this a third time… I dunno what else I can say about “my ex’s best friend”. It’s one of the most replayable songs I’ve heard in recent memory. Even now, over a year later, I get to blackbear’s verse, hear him yell his way into the final chorus, and I get that same incredible rush I got the first time I heard it. It’s batshit trashiness at its catchiest and most fun. If this really is all the good we get out of Machine Gun Kelly’s pop punk experient, I’ll glady spin this another hundred times.
Best two seconds: “WE DON’T GOT NOTHING TO SAY!!! HEEEEYYYYYY!!!”
traitor by Olivia Rodrigo
Covered more in-depth on the Best Hit Songs of 2021
“traitor” serves as an interesting parallel to the album’s previous single, “good 4 u”. Both songs are very angry and cathartic, but while “good 4 u” is more about the frustration and inherent selfishness of realizing someone has moved on without you, “traitor” is realizing that someone has moved on without you, and you can’t do anything about it. “good 4 u” is the fun kind of catharsis, but “traitor” is the one whose scar is fresh in her heart. I’m so impressed with how Olivia was able to perfectly balance the sadness and anger of this song. Just hyperbolic enough to feel like melodrama, but also realistic enough that you know where that distress is coming from. Just the mere image of the person you loved sharing that love with someone else is enough to send Olivia down a spiral, but reflecting on the moments where she realized this was bound to happen sooner or later is even worse. Few things feel as awful as your worst-case scenario being proved right. The performance is what makes this song sound so incredible. To not only flex her acting chops with her passion and heartbreak, but also manage to keep her voice together and convey that sadness without breaking it or falling apart is incredible. Truly a testament to the future of pop music.
Best two seconds: “You’re still a traitooooOOOOOOOOOOOOOORRR!!!”
Easy On Me by Adele
Covered more in-depth on the Best Hit Songs of 2021
I wasn’t sure about this for the first month or so, but I think I’m ready to say it; “Easy On Me” is the best lead single of Adele’s career. Better than “Rolling In The Deep”, “Hello”, and narrowly beating out “Hometown Glory”. Not quite her best song, since “When We Were Young” is a near-impossible bar to match, let alone clear, but I’d still put it up there. I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again; the magic of “Easy On Me” is in its restraint. It would be nice to hear Adele belt out and make a big spectacle of her divorce, but this song is less about catharsis and more about fatigue. Realizing that the love you worked so hard to maintain is irreparable. So you go out, not with a bang or even a fizzle. You just go out. And even when the instrumentation is limited to the piano, Adele’s voice is so commanding that you can’t help but listen in, and even something as simple as the way she sings, “Go easy on me” is a gift unlike any other.
Best two seconds: “I give up”
All Too Well (10 Minute Version) (Taylor’s Version) by Taylor Swift
CONTENT WARNING: References to an age-gap relationship
The story of “All Too Well” is an inspiring one to me. One of the most universally beloved deepcuts of any artist that stood as an innocent, sad breakup song about Taylor Swift’s ex-boyfriend, Jake Gyllenhaal quietly became a fan and critic favorite. Many have and still do consider it Taylor Swift’s best ever song. The best showcase of her abilities as a songwriter and one that you held near and dear to your heart if you were in the know. It’d take nearly ten years for “All Too Well” to finally get the public scrutiny it deserves, sent straight to #1 after the reissue of Red and blessed with a reinvention that extended the song to ten minutes and gave even more damning details of their relationship that back then Taylor couldn’t get away with. What I love most about the ten-minute version is the way it showcases not only Taylor’s best writing but how far she’s come since the wide-eyed pop starlet she was when Red was released. Growing up after experiencing a certain relationship can put a lot of things in perspective, and while the original “All Too Well” gave Gyllenhaal a wider window of sympathy, that window is closed in the extended cut as Taylor reveals the phoniness and inherent discord in their relationship. Especially damning are the lines about their age gap, and Taylor implying that Gyllenhaal continued to date younger women even after they broke up. But since then, Taylor has become a stronger person, and more keenly aware of the red flags that may arise in her future relationship. Because she remembers her time with Gyllenhaal all too well. “All Too Well” was already one of my all-time favorite Taylor Swift songs, but I’m amazed that she somehow found a way to make it even better. Regardless of whether or not you buy into the Taylor Swift mythos, “All Too Well” is a testament to our connection between personal experience and art and the ways we can mend it to create something everyone can understand and love.
Best two seconds: “So casually cruel in the name of being honest”
Thank God You Introduced Me To Your Sister by Sarah Barrios
I’ve been enjoying this recent surge of pop-punk, but I listened to less of it than I expected to this year. I think I just wish these songs were a bit trashier, borderline tasteless like how Machine Gun Kelly did it last year. I think that’s why “Thank God You Introduced Me To Your Sister” stuck with me ever since I first stumbled on to it. It’s not just a trashy fun pop-punk song, it’s a trashy fun queer pop-punk song! I just love the concept of Sarah Barrios quietly resenting her boyfriend and then sneaking off to fuck his sister instead. It’s got a fun, bratty energy to it that always keeps you hooked to the song, and the way Sarah describes the sexual tension between her and her boyfriends’ sister is equal parts exciting and sexy. I LOVE how unabashedly bisexual Sarah Barrios is. The kind of trashiness that indulges in its sexual fluidity, but it never feels like it’s meant to be provocative. It’s just a stupid amount of fun, one with a catchy hook and a catty attitude that’s easy to fall into and scream along to. Presumably, while fucking your boyfriend’s sister. Or your girlfriend’s brother! Either or!
Best two seconds: The drum hits on “With her head in my hair” in the final chorus
Starting Over by Chris Stapleton
Covered more in-depth on the Best Hit Songs of 2021
This and “Hell Of A View” were tagged as the “exceptions” to country music in the mainstream this year, which I feel isn’t entirely true. For one, I still believe that country had a fine year in the mainstream that just isn’t represented in its biggest hits, but it’s also kind of unfair to compare a song like “Starting Over” with the rest of mainstream country. Not only is it a way better song than what’s ever expected out of the Nashville machine, but it’s a way better song than even Chris Stapleton’s own standards. I claimed on the best list that this is his best song to date, and I stand by that. It’s the perfect country song about hitting the reset button and taking that leap of faith with a partner you trust. A hail mary move that may or may not work out, but the love and determination you have for that better life means that no matter what, you know you’re both going to be fine. This song is deservedly beloved, but I feel not enough people recognize what a good love song it is too. I can’t think of anything more romantic than embarking on a brand new, treacherous adventure with your best friend and closest companion. Even if the road can and will be difficult.
Best two seconds: Instrumental interlude
If Trouble Comes A Lookin’ by Emily Scott Robinson
This song caught me off-guard the first time I heard it. I don’t think anything on Emily Scott Robinson’s American Siren struck me in the same way songs from Traveling Mercies did, but they did linger in my mind long after the first time I heard them. “If Trouble Comes A Lookin’” is probably the most shocking and deviant song on my list, which sounds strange considering I have songs about explicit sex, brutal truth’s about systemic racism and poverty, and even songs detailing thoughts of suicide, but it matters in the context of Emily Scott Robinson and country music as a whole. A genre that prides itself on traditionalism and keeping the faith, and yet, Emily has the boldness to make a song about infidelity in a positive light. A woman alone in a hotel, trapped in a loveless marriage. Pining for something more than the life she was given. In the same hotel, a religious brother was burdened with a desire to love. Wanting to hold on to his love of God, but feeling the temptation creep up on him with every passing minute. Ultimately, the two souls meet and share a night that changes their lives. But the song is presented with so much whimsy and optimism that it’s almost jarring to remember how much is at stake with this one-night stand. A family who doesn’t know of their mother’s sins and a relationship between a follower of God suddenly soiled by giving into sin. The way Emily describes the encounter, with the way the woman’s hips swing and the kiss with her back against the wall, is just descriptive enough to feel just as tempting as the sin being committed, and when she describes her undressing looking like Eve before the fall of man, there’s a euphoria in her gorgeous singing voice that cannot be described. The idea that not every infidelity should end in shame is something so unexpected in a conservative genre like country music that it makes the story stick in your mind long after you’ve first heard it. It helps that the song is so beautiful and graceful that it’s hard to ever put down. One hell of a love story.
Best two seconds: “Looking like Eve before the faaaaall”
The Other Black Dog by Genesis Owusu
This song made quite the impression on me early on into Smiling With No Teeth. The production is unlike anything I’ve ever heard. The drums are so anxious and constantly moving it feels like the rest of the song is just trying to catch up to it. The organ-esque ascending melody on the synths constantly feel like they’re on the verge of hitting something, only to slip back down and start over. On top of that, Genesis Owusu never stops rapping when he starts. His flow is incredibly unstable, yet it hits every point he wants to say without missing a beat. It’s as if he’s constantly stumbling but always picking himself back up, only to stumble again and repeat the process. The song is a banger, one of the catchiest songs of the year, but it’s also one that can be kind of overwhelming. The “black dog” in Owusu’s mind is his depression constantly bringing him down, thus preventing him from truly enjoying life the way he wants to. Everything feels fake, from the relationships he’s in, to the clubs he goes to. Despite the upbeat energy of the song, it really is just a fake smile through the pain that the black dog ravages in Owusu’s mind. I think that’s why the outro, which I initially thought held the song back, is kind of needed after a song like this. It’s slower, the bass wobble keeps it grounded, and the openness about wanting to feel better and not knowing where to go gives great insight as to how the rest of the album will go. A constant fight between two black dogs and where one will come out victorious, or the fight never ends.
Best two seconds: “Ay-ay-ay-ay-YAH!”
Drunk (And I Don’t Wanna Go Home) by Elle King & Miranda Lambert
Covered more in-depth on the Best Hit Songs of 2021
Looking back at my list, I’m surprised by how few country bangers (or as we in the business call it, twangers) I could name this year. Not that we didn’t have any, I already talked about “Blame It On The Backroad”, “I Was On A Boat That Day”, “Heart On Fire” and maybe “Break The Bough” if it counts. But the rest of my country favorites this year consisted of ballads or mid-tempo songs that were meant to be comfortable rather than burn the barn down. “Drunk (And I Don’t Wanna Go Home)” satisfies that itch in spades, and it stuck with me way longer than I expected it to. Sometimes, I would just throw this song in my queue just so I could get caught up in that reckless abandon all over again.
Best two seconds: “We don’t gotta wait until the weekend!”
Happier Than Ever by Billie Eilish
Covered more in-depth on the Best Hit Songs of 2021
I’ll be honest, putting “Happier Than Ever” this high was sort of a last-minute decision. I had it a bit lower on my best hit songs list at first, but listening to it more and more I realized just how much this song and its big climax stuck with me. I didn’t have much going on in my life that required this sort of raw catharsis, but I’m glad I got it anyway. This song alone makes Happier Than Ever the album one of the most engaging pieces of storytelling in any media I’ve engaged with this year. It’s one big build-up to a song that lets out every frustration weighing on Billie that ties back to an abusive boyfriend who has the gall to try and win her back after all the damage he’s done. She wouldn’t have been able to defend herself if she truly wasn’t in a better place.
Best two seconds: “And I don’t talk SHIT about,”
Heartbreak Anniversary by Giveon
Covered more in-depth on the Best Hit Songs of 2021
In a year where it felt like no one genre really had a great year, I’d still say R&B had a pretty big comeback year, especially in the mainstream. This has been building for a while since SZA’s CTRL influenced artists like Summer Walker and Ella Mai to start making waves, and slowly but surely we got a bunch of big R&B hits this year. It’s sort of a renaissance for me because I also found myself really enjoying a lot of R&B albums this year! It’s more obvious on my albums list, but there are still plenty of songs I loved this year, especially “Heartbreak Anniversary”. I have a personal connection to that song, but recent events have actually made that resonance a little more muted. Not gone, but I guess once you get closure for stuff that happened in your life, it just doesn’t hit the same. That said, every time I hear Giveon hit that first note on the chorus, I still feel a leap in my heart that hits in a way few songs could this year. It stops you in your tracks, and you can’t help but tune in. Giveon has a bright future ahead of him. I can’t wait for him to recapture the magic.
Best two seconds: “Remember every tIiIiIIime” (Last chorus)
Don’t Need You by Genesis Owusu
I go back and forth between whether or not this or “The Other Black Dog” is my favorite song on Smiling With No Teeth. The whole album is full of inventive, colorful songs that take the dark comedy of Owusu’s life and has a blast with it. I ended up going back to the callous pettiness of “Don’t Need You” the most. I just love how gleeful Owusu’s personality is in this song! He has that sing-songy flow while describing all the ways he’s just better off without his ex, with a yelping chorus that’s so much fun to sing along to. Plus, the production has this silly, bouncy energy to it that falls in line with the exaggerated doofiness of the lyrics. It’s clearly angry and coming from a place of hurt, but it’s also so over the damage that he’s willing to just gloat about his mental stability and realizing he doesn’t need them anymore. Then again, that could be the other black dog talking, but I don’t think that’s really the case in this one. If anything, it’s a song where that black dog stays quiet for once, and it makes the song stand out as one of the more optimistic songs on the album.
Best two seconds: “Can’t you see I’m rich?”
WHAT’S THE OCCASION? by Brockhampton
I surprised myself by naming this my favorite song off of ROADRUNNER: NEW LIGHT, NEW MACHINE. It’s not a particularly popular deepcut and it doesn’t have the emotional resonance or pure energy of the rest of the album. I’m still really drawn to it, and it’s quietly become one of my favorite Brockhampton songs. I think I just like hearing Brockhampton stick to a simple, acoustic beat that has the clunky percussion and subtle rumblings to imply something burning underneath. Matt Champion’s verse is toxic, but it's a toxicity that comes from a broken place. Desperate to find a common ground in a relationship on the edge of falling apart. The whole song has this atmosphere of being stuck in the middle, waiting for the pin to drop, and getting increasingly impatient. JOBA’s verse especially is dreary and unwilling to take the next step. Going through the motions of depression and waiting for a reason to keep going. It’s certainly dark, but I don’t feel so much depressed listening to this song as I do just going through the motions. Taking every day one by one and hoping maybe the answer will burst in when you need it most. What really puts this song over the edge is the progression of the chorus, which starts out purely acoustic as JOBA depicts himself stuck in bed, trying to make his refusal to engage with the world some event he has to attend to. Which, ironically means he doesn’t attend to the world at large. The second chorus has a bit more discord with the squealing synth, but it’s the piano bridge leading into the explosive final chorus that makes this an all-timer for Brockhampton. It’s a strangely happy moment in an otherwise bleak song. Almost like walking away from an explosion. Especially with that guitar wailing in the background. I guess there’s no real reason why this song should have an optimistic ending, but it does. And it’s all the better for it.
Best two seconds: When the final chorus kicks in
Brando by Lucy Dacus
As a kiss-off to an ex, “Brando” is oddly amusing. It’s not as angry as these kinds of takedowns are expected to be, but it’s just as brutally honest about where the relationship failed. A guy who was so wrapped up in his obsession with movies that he revolved their entire relationship around it. Movie dates, constantly quoting and reenacting old movies as acts of love, talking down to her using pretentious words, and assuming she doesn’t know movies as well as he does, the guy is kind of a self-obsessed weirdo. Lucy treats this guy with annoyance and exasperation, making it clear this relationship never made her happy. It’s not really clear what role Lucy provided in this relationship, which turns out to be exactly the point. The guy was so wrapped up in his own little world that he never really got to know Lucy as a person. He just kept info-dumping his interests onto her, and it led to a relationship that only fed his ego and left Lucy wishing for a creepy guy in a pick-up to save her from his nonsense. I’m weirdly engaged by this farce of a relationship, I think because the song is delivered with the benefit of hindsight. Being way past a bad relationship, romantic or platonic, will help you see the red flags that have been there all along, and now you have the freedom to laugh about it. Most of the album has this hindsight, as it’s built into the theme of the album, but I appreciate this one for being one of the more upbeat and fun songs without the burden of trauma behind it. Especially with its fun little hook and breezy groove.
Best two seconds: “Would it have killed you to call me pretty instead?”
Musician by Porter Robinson
This song snuck up on me. I was pretty sure that for a while my favorite song from nurture was going to be either “Look At The Sky” or “Something Comforting”. Instead, “Musician” became my most played song on the album, and I think subconsciously I realized just how much this song means to me as a creative. Despite its soaring instrumental and chipper high-pitched vocals, this song is full of anxiety and self-doubt over the question that comes after the success of a project: What comes next? Can you live up to expectations from your fans? Do you even want to do this for the rest of your life? And yet, despite these voices being so loud in your head, everyone around you thinks you’re overreacting. And maybe they’re right, but that doesn’t make your insecurities and fears any less real. It’s really inspiring to hear a song directly about artist's block, and what happens in between the creative process that everyone else wouldn’t understand. The lyric “Isn’t it time you get a job” is especially gutting to me, as being an artist isn’t a very financially stable job. Least of all in music where unless you’re the biggest artist in the world or the head of a record company you’re depending on your music to be successful enough to at least break even. But the moment that really breaks it for me is the chorus, where Porter essentially puts his foot down and forces himself to work, even if it means risking burnout and losing passion for the art he loves to make. “I shouldn’t do this to myself” is a really heartbreaking lyric, one that admits how unhealthy this anxiety in regards to art can be, but unable to find a compromise to have it both ways. Again, this especially hits hard as someone making strides in their career, and it’s amplified by the incredible production that scatters across the plains with bright sounds and frantic grooves. That little breakdown right before the bridge is an especially euphoric moment that transports me to a whole new world. One that I hope gives Porter some peace in his mind.
Best two seconds: The instrumental breakdown before the bridge
Love Or Lust by 24kGoldn
Part of me is surprised that 24kGoldn hasn’t really had a follow-up hit since “Mood”, but considering how often he fights with his label to get any sort of marketing push, maybe I shouldn’t be surprised. Which honestly sucks, because I think 24kGoldn has potential to be a true hitmaker with a little more refining and a bigger budget. “Mood” is still his best song, but I am just as obsessed with “Love Or Lust”. A song about dodging a clingy ex set to one of the catchiest hooks and instrumentals of the year. I LOVE this song! The melody on the chorus is exactly the kind of trashy fun that I live for, especially with how well 24kGoldn can carry that melody while adding his own personality to it. It’s bitchy and petty in a way that never comes off as insufferable. If anything, it’s actually kind of fun to fall into the messy drama of 24kGoldn’s ex-fling, rolling your eyes at every obnoxious part of her personality while still being definitely attracted to her. It’s a similar trashiness I loved in a song like “my ex’s best friend”. I’d probably say this song is about as good as that song, but I’d probably still call this better on most days solely for this one moment in the bridge where the drums kick into the final chorus with so much intensity that it knocks me off my feet every time I listen to it. Just pure, cathartic euphoria off of maybe the catchiest song of the year.
Best two seconds: The drum kicks right after the bridge
SWEET/I THOUGHT YOU WANTED TO DANCE by Tyler The Creator
CALL ME IF YOU GET LOST is best experienced as a whole, which should probably mean finding the standout song on the album would be harder for me than it was for IGOR. But then again, if an album is best as a whole, it makes sense that its best song is the centerpiece of the album. The longest song in Tyler’s discography, taking two complete songs and combining them to tell the complete story of Tyler falling in and out of love with someone who dominated his summer. The first half, “SWEET”, is pure infatuation. Lush synths and a patient melody puts the song in a pink haze of love, as Tyler brings back the crooning from IGOR as he flirts and falls over the girl he’s been talking to all summer. “SWEET” on its own is a phenomenal song. One of the prettiest songs he’s ever made with the sickeningly sweet atmosphere to make it feel like a dream. Additional vocals from Brent Faiyaz helps too, who has a more refined voice and carries this sort of R&B with so much ease it’s almost unfair. The second half is “I THOUGHT YOU WANTED TO DANCE”, a catchy jingle that shifts in tone to something a bit harder to swallow. Tyler starts deflecting about his feelings for her as that question of could they be a thing actually comes up. Fana Hues takes up the most vital role in both the song and the album, taking the girl’s perspective and admitting that even if the feelings are there, she doesn’t want to mess things up with her current boyfriend. There’s a patience and wisdom in her lyrics apologizing for leading Tyler on, but still finding ways to let him down easy without breaking their friendship. Of course, Tyler doesn’t take it very well, and the rap verse shows him trying to rationalize this loss and mourning any possible relationship they could have had. I wasn’t sure if these two songs should have been together at first, but now I realize the two have to be together. It’s the comedown after the honeymoon phase, and that emotional conflict where no one is at fault but the circumstance still sucks is what makes both halves hit so hard. “SWEET” as the potential that was never realized, “I THOUGHT YOU WANTED TO DANCE” as the unfortunate reality of that potential. But even beyond that potent theming, both songs are just easily among Tyler’s best production work. The sugary haziness of “SWEET” perfectly captures what it's like to realize you’re in love, and “I THOUGHT YOU WANTED TO DANCE” is insanely catchy and has one of the most charming outros of any song I’ve heard this year. It’s a long song to get through, but it’s worth every single second.
Best two seconds: “Don’t forget about me, ba ba badaahh!”
Part 1
Part 3