Top 50 Songs of 2020: Honorable Mentions
Good news, my Top 50 songs of 2020 countdown arrives!
The rules of the countdown:
- Any song from 2020 (January 1st, to December 31st) counts, single or b-side.
- I counted some songs from 2019 that were better recognized, promoted, and identified in 2020.
- The list is based entirely on my opinion.
- Show me your own favorite 2020 songs, I would love to know them.
- I do not listen to all songs in the world, many good songs could miss out.
- I listened mostly this year to Korean, Japanese, Chinese, ABC (America, Britain, and Canada), Swedish, and Indian music.
- Instrumental songs do not count.
- Have fun!
Some songs nearly made the top 50, I decided to rank and write about them specifically, as it broke my heart to leave them out.
Honorable Mention to the Honorable Mentions: Dua Lipa - Break my Heart
Dua Lipa released a whole lot of songs from Future Nostalgia, but few were better than this track. Far from complexity, it is instantly accessible and fun, explaining why it was a hit.
65. Dimash Kudaibergen - Qairan Elim
A traditional Kazakh piece, Dimash throws several instruments from the region in the piece, all leading to the massive climax.
64. YooA - Far
When I reviewed Far, I noted that it would likely be a grower. This prediction turned out true in a big way. Whenever I feel like taking a ride near the Northern waves of America's west coast, I listen to Far.
63. Park Jihoon - Wing
Wing was let down by its second verse trap rap. Thankfully, the rest of this song was full-fledged epic dance music.
62. JO1 - Oh-Eh-Oh
JO1 have aimed for a more international appeal compared to their J-Pop peers, and Oh-Eh-Oh is a good example of how to do it right. Hui's production over here is excellent.
61. YooA - Diver
YooA had an incredible debut mini-album. On it, the best b-side stood as the funky 70s-inspired Diver. While excellent in its own right, it improves as a part of the album.
60. Everglow - La Di Da
The synth-pop trend eventually spread from the ABC countries (America, Britain, and Canada in my new terminology, has nothing to with the ABCs of South America), and eventually became the dominant girl-group trend. None of them, however, did the trend better than Everglow with this massive dance track. Sure, the bridge certainly still needs work, but the track as a whole is highly appealing.
59. 1The9 - Bad Guy
Nothing lasts forever, and 1The9 disbanded this year without really ever getting much attention. Still, they released one show-stunner just before leaving with Bad Guy, a song that gets more addictive with every subsequent listen.
58. Dua Lipa - Physical
Dua Lipa had a pretty incredible 2020, and Physical stood as the peak. A total reinvention of disco, it is hard to deny the groovy centerpiece.
57. Lucy - Snooze
Rarely is a song title so wrong. An invigorating anthem of everything that makes Violins so good, Snooze is an experience not to miss.
56. Pentagon - Basquiat
Pentagon may have failed in their Road to Kingdom quest, but Basquiat is not diminished by this fact. The verses have some genius writing by Hui, but the true standout moment is that finale where Hui lets both his high-note and the rock guitar rip.
55. SuperM - One (Monster + Infinity)
Fans have been somewhat unsure of how to react to SuperM's epic meets cheesy music. However, while One is as cheesy as it gets, there is not denying its epicness, at that climax is pretty amazing.
54. Xia Junsu - Pit a Pat
2020 is probably the first year since debut (minus the military years), where a TVXQ or JYJ song failed to make the top 50. Still, there is no denying the epic energy and drive at Pit a Pat's heart, only improved by Junsu's energetic vocals.
53. Everything Everything - Big Climb
This indie American band delivered a surprising 2020 masterpiece. Lyrically a warning about corporate and human influences over nature, the Music Video is pretty excellent for its low budget. The vocal harmonies through this track are really amazing. The true heart of this song is the final minute and a half, where the emotion takes center-stage.
52. A. R. Rahman - Dil Bechara / Friendzone
From the last movie of late actor Sushant Singh Rajput, there always is a bittersweet feeling when watching the MV for the song. When you are feeling down, you can listen to the main, trendy version. But my favorite version of the song is the funky remix Friendzone.
51. SixTONES - New Era
SixTONES had a dream debut year, breaking records while releasing consistently great music. Their final 2020 release, SixTONES-'s New Era stood out for its surging guitar and vocal performance, which took center-stage in the pre-chorus, one of the best moments in the group's young discography.
Note: I could no longer find the full version audio on YouTube, so I uploaded the YouTube version.
Wow! Finally you're building the Top 50. I'm excited. I'm glad the list seems amazing already.
ReplyDeleteThe reason it took forever is because I am going January to January, and I had to wait for December to finish.
DeleteGlad to see the list seems amazing, there will be songs ready to surprise with their positions at every turn :)
Anyways, I just re-listened to Ghost9 and my fondness of them grew. I now realized how amazing much of their work is. It took time, but I'm finally on the verge of jumping the hype train. They have the potential, it is just their singles are in need of cohesive mixing and better engineering. Also maybe improved song structuring.
DeleteAgreed with what you said, they have great potential, just need a better song structuring.
DeleteAlso, W.ALL has gotten better with time, it is now like 8 or 8.25/10 range.