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[JosephBoone]

40 songs you slept on in 2020, including singles by Don Toliver, Kygo and Celeste
The biggest songs that narrowly missed the Official Singles Chart Top 40 in 2020

2020 has been a busy year at the top end of the Official Singles Chart. The last 12 months has seen 19 songs reach Number 1, up from 12 last year and the highest in five years.

But while turnover at the top is on the up, breaking into the Top 40 is still no mean feat. Competition is tough, meaning some songs – usually for very different reasons - miss out on a spot in the top flight.

The biggest song to miss out on a Top 40 placing this year is Juliet & Romeo by French DJ/producer Martin Solveig and Canadian singer-songwriter Roy Woods. The dance-pop track first appeared on the Official Singles Chart in April, debuting at Number 77 and peaking at 51 four weeks later.

Despite being hugely popular on radio, the song’s chart success was possibly hindered by his Jax Jones and Raye collaboration, Tequila, which hit the Top 40 around the same time. Its total chart sales to date stand at 233,000.

In second is After Party by US rapper and singer Don Toliver. Released in April as the fourth single from his debut album Heaven Or Hell, the track had brief viral success as a dance challenge on TikTok but narrowly missed the Top 40, peaking at 47.

The third biggest song to miss the Top 40 this year is What If I Told You That I Love You by Ali Gatie. The rap ballad was the follow-up to the Iraqi-Canadian star’s debut single It’s You – a hit around the world in 2019 (though it stalled at 45 in the UK). Released in January, the song logged 10 weeks inside the Top 100, peaking at Number 57 in March, notched up 176,000 chart sales to date.

Stripped-down pop ballad Selfish by US singer-songwriter Madison Beer is the fourth biggest song to miss the Top 40 this year, peaking at Number 53 in April. Another hit-that-shoulda-been, soul-jazz stomper Stop This Flame by Celeste places in the Top 10 on the list, topping out at Number 47 on the singles chart in February, shortly after winning this year’s Rising Star BRIT Award.

DJ and producer Kygo released two songs this year that narrowly missed out on Top 40 glory: Like It Is ft. Zara Larsson and Tyga in April (49), and Lose Somebody with OneRepublic in May (46). He eventually landed his ninth Top 40 hit in July with his re-working of Tina Turner's What's Love Got To Do With It? (31).

Elsewhere, Ella Henderson's Take Care Of You, The Other Side by SZA and Justin Timberlake - released for the Trolls World Tour film and a massive radio hit in March - and Tom Walker's Wait For You were also popular songs that just managed to miss the Top 40.

POS TITLE ARTIST PEAK
1 JULIET & ROMEO MARTIN SOLVEIG & ROY WOODS 51 233,000
2 AFTER PARTY DON TOLIVER 47
3 WHAT IF I TOLD YOU THAT I LOVE YOU ALI GATIE 57 176,000
4 SURRENDER NATALIE TAYLOR 58
5 SELFISH MADISON BEER 53
6 ONLY IF YOU KNEW DUTCHAVELLI 95
7 LIKE IT IS KYGO/ZARA LARSSON/TYGA 49
8 THIS IS THE PLACE TOM GRENNAN 73
9 LOSE SOMEBODY KYGO & ONEREPUBLIC 46
10 STOP THIS FLAME CELESTE 47
11 TAKE CARE OF YOU ELLA HENDERSON 50
12 GOT IT ON ME POP SMOKE N/A
13 SOMETHING SPECIAL POP SMOKE N/A
14 THE OTHER SIDE SZA & JUSTIN TIMBERLAKE 44
15 GO KID LAROI & JUICE WRLD 43
16 BLOODY VALENTINE MACHINE GUN KELLY 51
17 WAIT FOR YOU TOM WALKER 47
18 MAGIC ILL BLU/OFB/BANDOKAY/DOUBLE LZ 46
19 ENJOY YOURSELF POP SMOKE FT KAROL G N/A
20 CONO DERULO/PURI/JHORRMOUNTAIN 55
21 INDULGE M HUNCHO FT D-BLOCK EUROPE 50
22 LEVEL OF CONCERN TWENTY ONE PILOTS 42
23 WALK EM DOWN NLE CHOPPA FT RODDY RICCH 85
24 MARTIN & GINA POLO G 71
25 TKN ROSALIA & TRAVIS SCOTT 41
26 GOOD NEWS MAC MILLER 45
27 FUTURE NOSTALGIA DUA LIPA N/A
28 HATE THE OTHER SIDE JUICE WRLD/MARSHMELLO/POLO G N/A
29 OURSELF NSG 43
30 UNACCOMMODATING EMINEM FT YOUNG MA N/A
31 YOU GON' LEARN EMINEM/ROYCE DA 5'9/WHITE GOLD N/A
32 HEAT WAVES GLASS ANIMALS 63
33 SHAKE THE ROOM POP SMOKE FT QUAVO 76
34 TATTOOS TOGETHER LAUV N/A
35 THE LAST GREAT AMERICAN DYNASTY TAYLOR SWIFT N/A
36 BLACK AND WHITE NIALL HORAN 91
37 P*SSY FAIRY (OTW) JHENE AIKO 84
38 21 POLO G N/A
39 EMOTIONALLY SCARRED LIL BABY 78
40 WE PAID LIL BABY FT 42 DUGG 89