80. Lil Nas X ft. Jack Harlow - INDUSTRY BABY

Chart peak: 09 Sales: 552,000 (Gold) Weeks on chart: 5

Chart run: 9 - 14 - 21 - 27 - 32 - X

Lil Nas X has really proven that he’s no one hit wonder with this era! Unlike some people I think Jack’s verse does add something to the song, and the Kanye production takes it to another level.

 

79. Måneskin - CORALINE

Chart peak: 09 Sales: 713,000 (Platinum) Weeks on chart: 11

Chart run: 12 - 31 - 20 - 9 - 11 - 11 - 17 - 23 - 29 - 35 - 37 - X

Not a long wait for another Måneskin song! This starts off quiet and intimate, but builds up into something more intense, and is a definite highlight of their discography for me.

 

78. Georgia - Running Up That Hill

Chart peak: 02 Sales: 667,000 in 2021 [897,000 total (Platinum)] Weeks on chart: 6

Chart run: 18 - RE - 2 - 2 - 13 - 17 - 23 - X

Georgia’s take on this song sounds great, and really manages to stay true to her sound. I think it’s a very worthy cover, and it was a big hit for me at the start of this year.

 

77. BROCKHAMPTON - WHAT'S THE OCCASION?

Chart peak: 05 Sales: 667,000 (Platinum) Weeks on chart: 6

Chart run: 15 - 5 - 11 - 20 - 21 - 28 - X

More BROCKHAMPTON - this song has some pretty heavy guitar instrumentation, and the rock sound actually works really well for them. I’d love to hear more along these lines in the future from them.

 

76. Lady Gaga - 1000 Doves (Planningtorock Remix)

Chart peak: 06 Sales: 621,000 in 2021 [720,000 total (Platinum)] Weeks on chart: 10

Chart run: 38 - RE - 6 - 6 - 7 - 11 - 19 - 26 - 30 - 37 - 40 - X

Banger. It’s slightly insane but I wouldn’t want it any other way. That one bit that sounds suspiciously like Blue Monday plays on repeat in my head far too often.

 

75. BENEE ft. Grimes - Sheesh

Chart peak: 03 Sales: 667,000 in 2021 [1,173 total (Platinum)] Weeks on chart: 12

Chart run: 13 - 14 - 24 - 7 - 13 - 14 - 14 - 3 - 3 - 13 - 19 - 29 - X

BENEE, Grimes, drum n bass? It’s a fair way from songs like Supalonely/Kool/Happen To Me which first introduced me to BENEE, but it’s turned into her biggest hit by far.

 

74. Laura Mvula - Church Girl

Chart peak: 20 Sales: 713,000 (Platinum) Weeks on chart: 8

Chart run: 30 - 33 - 20 - 31 - 26 - 27 - 34 - 38 - X

The first of two tracks by Laura here, Church Girl is just so glisteningly 80s. It’s such a big, euphoric song. The Dimitri From Paris remix is also brilliant - I can almost imagine it as some long-lost TV theme from around 1987. For a song with only one week in the top 20, it’s had massive longevity, scoring 8 weeks on-chart.

 

73. Jae Stephens ft. THEY. - What You Need

Chart peak: 08 Sales: 713,000 (Platinum) Weeks on chart: 8

Chart run: 8 - 10 - 9 - 15 - 28 - 22 - 37 - 38 - X

BJSC flop Jae Stephens here with What You Need. This is a great R&B track with a great guest verse from THEY., and became both artists’ first top ten at the start of the year.

 

72. Hayley Williams - Colour Me In

Chart peak: 06 Sales: 713,000 (Platinum) Weeks on chart: 6

Chart run: 12 - 6 - 9 - 25 - 34 - 37 - X

Hayley released this cover of Broadcast’s song after her second album as a sort of ‘goodbye for now’ gesture, and it really grew into a favourite of mine, ironically out-performing almost all of the preceding album!

 

71. Lady Gaga ft. Charli XCX - 911 (A.G. Cook Remix)

Chart peak: 02 Sales: 644,000 in 2021 [966,000 total (Platinum)] Weeks on chart: 15

Chart run: 39 - RE - 18 - 7 - 20 - 35 - RE - 2 - 2 - 3 - 5 - 7 - 13 - 18 - 26 - 34 - 39 - X

911 was already a reasonably-sized hit last year, but it came back in a big way this year thanks to Charli XCX & A.G. Cook’s remix. The new version is reworked so much that it feels like a completely different song, and I think that made it feel fresh enough for it to have another lease of life.

 

It's good to see Hayley Williams here! I much prefer her material with Paramore though

Great to see Olivia in your top artists and some great album choices there too. My favourites so far from your songs are brutal, Leave the Door Open, INDUSTRY BABY and the 911 remix :wub:

 

Looking forward to seeing the rest ^_^

It's good to see Hayley Williams here! I much prefer her material with Paramore though

I've really enjoyed her solo material but I'm definitely looking forward to Paramore returning too!

 

Great to see Olivia in your top artists and some great album choices there too. My favourites so far from your songs are brutal, Leave the Door Open, INDUSTRY BABY and the 911 remix :wub:

 

Looking forward to seeing the rest ^_^

Thanks Lunar! There's more Olivia on the way ^_^

70. Rose Gray - Nothing Can Stop Us

Chart peak: 04 Sales: 736,000 in 2021 [920,000 (Platinum)] Weeks on chart: 12

Chart run: 31 - RE - 24 - RE - 29 - 10 - 4 - 9 - 10 - 16 - 21 - 27 - 34 - 36 - X

Another song that experienced a bit of a resurgence, this time from Rose Gray. Until its re-entry, it was a disappointing blip between top ten singles, so it felt like justice to give it a second chance. It’s a Saint Etienne cover and stays pretty close to the original, but it’s one of my favourite songs by Rose.

 

69. Isaac Dunbar - intimate moments

Chart peak: 03 Sales: 736,000 in 2021 [943,000 total (Platinum)] Weeks on chart: 9

Chart run: 33 - RE - 3 - 5 - 14 - 7 - 14 - 21 - 25 - 37 - X

Isaac’s only had two hits on my chart, but they’ve both been massive. While God This Feels Good (his previous hit) was basically just about having a good time, intimate moments feels a lot more vulnerable, but is still very sing-alongable.

 

68. Tinashe ft. TOKiMONSTA - I'm Every Woman

Chart peak: 10 Sales: 759,000 (Platinum) Weeks on chart: 6

Chart run: 13 - 17 - 10 - 11 - 25 - 40 - X

You can’t deny Tinashe’s bravery, covering a song already made famous twice by Chaka Khan and Whitney! The production, courtesy of TOKiMONSTA, is a bit more subdued and chilled than the previous versions and because of that I wouldn’t say it hits the same highs, but Tinashe’s vocals absolutely live up to her predecessors.

 

67. Phony Ppl ft. Megan Thee Stallion - Fkn Around

Chart peak: 09 Sales: 759,000 (Platinum) Weeks on chart: 7

Chart run: 35 - 9 - 16 - 15 - 18 - 25 - 35 - X

Ngl this is one of those songs which I forgot existed until I checked my last.fm stats, but it’s still a great song! It’s got quite an old-school sound and Megan’s feature really completes it (there’s a version without her, but it just sounds empty to me).

 

66. Rose Gray - Easy

Chart peak: 02 Sales: 782,000 (Platinum) Weeks on chart: 6

Chart run: 2 - 6 - 18 - 30 - 27 - 26 - X

Easy is a banger, and a perfect houseparty song. A lot of Rose’s music draws from 90s/00s indie/dance influences and this is no exception.

 

65. Mysie - Seven Nights

Chart peak: 07 Sales: 828,000 (Platinum) Weeks on chart: 8

Chart run: 40 - 14 - 7 - 15 - 23 - 30 - 30 - 37 - X

Seven Nights is more upbeat than a lot of Mysie’s other songs, and has quickly become my favourite of hers. It’s a very fresh, airy sounding song which makes the most of Mysie’s distinctively rich vocals.

 

64. Montaigne - Technicolour

Chart peak: 02 Sales: 828,000 (Platinum) Weeks on chart: 5

Chart run: 34 - 2 - 13 - 23 - 40 - X

Eurovision strikes again, this time from down under. Technicolour doesn’t sound massively Eurovision, not that that’s really a thing anyway, but it deserved to do far better in the contest. Utterly robbed by not qualifying!

 

63. CHVRCHES - He Said She Said

Chart peak: 02 Sales: 897,000 (Platinum) Weeks on chart: 7

Chart run: 31 - 2 - 10 - 11 - 23 - 30 - 31 - X

The lead from CHVRCHES’ latest album Screen Violence doesn’t massively represent the album at all. This is quite a breezy, summery sounding song with faint synths, while the album generally feels a lot darker and heavier. Regardless, it’s a great track.

 

62. ABBA - Don't Shut Me Down

Chart peak: 03 Sales: 805,000 (Platinum) Weeks on chart: 8

Chart run: 3 - 3 - 4 - 7 - 14 - 23 - 34 - 40 - X

ABBA’s long-awaited return did not disappoint (well, at least three tracks of it), and here’s my favourite. It stands up pretty well in comparison to their older hits, reminding me lyrically a lot of The Day Before You Came, and I can’t help singing along when that chorus comes in.

 

61. Kero Kero Bonito - 21/04/20

Chart peak: 01 Sales: 805,000 (Platinum) Weeks on chart: 5

Chart run: 1 - 7 - 10 - 13 - 38 - X

This is a song about lockdown, so predictably it feels pretty dated - it was released in April (a year after the titular date) when bars/clubs were still shut and I was watching uni lectures on my laptop screen. Listening now, it feels like an absolute relic of a different time and I don’t return to it very often!

 

Some great stuff here (and a lot I've been meaning to check out!), from recent sections, He Said She Said was a storming comeback from CHVRCHES, I liked ABBA's comeback a lot more than I expected to and I really liked Kero Kero Bonito's EP as well, though my favourite from that was Well Rested

6. Taylor Swift - Red (Taylor’s Version)

Taylor brings new life to a ten year old album on Red TV, with new tracks alongside reimaginings of old ones. The clear standout is All Too Well, which feels brand new with extra, more confessional verses. Phoebe Bridgers lends her voice to the aptly named Nothing New, an unreleased track which absolutely deserves its place on the album.

Where to start: All Too Well (10 Minute Version), Nothing New, Message in a Bottle, The Last Time

Red (Taylor’s Version) on my chart:

2021 01 All Too Well

2021 02 Nothing New (ft. Phoebe Bridgers)

2021 06 State Of Grace

2021 10 Red

2021 12 Message in a Bottle

2021 14 The Last Time (ft. Gary Lightbody)

2021 17 The Very First Night

2021 21 Starlight

 

Red (Taylor's Version) was my first ever Taylor album, just getting into her work now. But All Too Well and The Last Time are my two favorites by far.

Hi Ansel, love the effort you've put into doing chart histories and everything. I remember the days of having such dedication! Super cool stuff.

 

Totally agree with you with your comment that Avril should be smashing like good 4 u has. I feel like she has so much nostalgic goodwill towards her but I'd love it to turn into a bit of a hit!! Can't wait for the album if it's as fun as this.

 

Nice to see you give CHVRCHES such nice comments too. Although 'Violent Delights' is noticeably missing from your commentary. Are you not a fan? It's the album highlight for me!

Some great stuff here (and a lot I've been meaning to check out!), from recent sections, He Said She Said was a storming comeback from CHVRCHES, I liked ABBA's comeback a lot more than I expected to and I really liked Kero Kero Bonito's EP as well, though my favourite from that was Well Rested

Glad you liked those ones! CHVRCHES definitely surpassed my expectations with this era. Well Rested would probably be my 2nd fave of KKB's 2021 songs so good choice!

 

Red (Taylor's Version) was my first ever Taylor album, just getting into her work now. But All Too Well and The Last Time are my two favorites by far.

The Last Time is beautiful, great to have a fellow fan around here ^_^

 

Hi Ansel, love the effort you've put into doing chart histories and everything. I remember the days of having such dedication! Super cool stuff.

 

Totally agree with you with your comment that Avril should be smashing like good 4 u has. I feel like she has so much nostalgic goodwill towards her but I'd love it to turn into a bit of a hit!! Can't wait for the album if it's as fun as this.

 

Nice to see you give CHVRCHES such nice comments too. Although 'Violent Delights' is noticeably missing from your commentary. Are you not a fan? It's the album highlight for me!

Thanks so much Josh! Ugh yeah, Bite Me started off so promisingly in the UK chart then just disappeared :( Violent Delights kinda passed me by at first but it's grown on me a lot, it won't be appearing here though - I like it in the context of the album but I don't really listen to it outside of that!

60. Pale Waves - She’s My Religion

Chart peak: 06 Sales: 828,000 (Platinum) Weeks on chart: 6

Chart run: 10 - 11 - 6 - 7 - 29 - 28 - X

I’ve really enjoyed this era from Pale Waves, where they’ve taken on a more 00s rock sound than their previous 80s pop direction. It’s really all there in the title - She’s My Religion is a love song built around the idea that “she’s no angel, but she’s my religion”, which I think is a pretty cute idea.

 

59. Mahmood - KLAN

Chart peak: 09 Sales: 897,000 (Platinum) Weeks on chart: 6

Chart run: 15 - 21 - 9 - 21 - 27 - 30 - X

Mahmood’s second album brought him a number of hits, including this song. At first the chorus does sound slightly jarring, but this soon grew on me and became one of my favourite Mahmood songs.

 

58. Laura Mvula - Got Me

Chart peak: 07 Sales: 828,000 (Platinum) Weeks on chart: 8

Chart run: 14 - 20 - 7 - 14 - 19 - 27 - 34 - 31 - X

The chorus of this honestly reminds me of Sledgehammer by Peter Gabriel? It’s a great song, again very 80s and in a more authentic way than a lot of songs that claim to be 80s-inspired. The streaming version is definitely better than the music video version - the pre-chorus flows better and the bridge is absolutely essential, I don’t know why they got changed for the video.

 

57. Go_A - SHUM

Chart peak: 03 Sales: 828,000 (Platinum) Weeks on chart: 4

Chart run: 3 - 6 - 19 - 37 - X

Ukrainian techno-folk, anyone? This is absolutely iconic and I’m glad it got so much love - it’s obviously so different to anything else that tends to achieve success beyond the contest so just charting in the UK was massive!

 

56. Jorja Smith - Gone

Chart peak: 05 Sales: 851,000 (Platinum) Weeks on chart: 6

Chart run: 34 - 5 - 12 - 14 - 12 - 35 - X

Gone is a very chilled track which relies mostly on Jorja’s vocals over a sparse beat, and is a definite highlight from her recent EP. Hopefully a full album is in the works!

 

55. Billie Eilish - Happier Than Ever

Chart peak: 04 Sales: 460,000 (Gold) Weeks on chart: 7

Chart run: 4 - 6 - 7 - 13 - 19 - 32 - 36 - X

Happier Than Ever is a very deserved long-lasting hit for Billie after a few songs that disappeared pretty quickly. The latter half of the song is obviously the highlight and I’d love more rock Billie in the future!

 

54. The Anxiety, Willow & Tyler Cole - Meet Me At Our Spot

Chart peak: 06 Sales: 874,000 (Platinum) Weeks on chart: 10

Chart run: 38 - 13 - 6 - 12 - 17 - 14 - 20 - 24 - 35 - 37 - X

The Willow renaissance has been so great to see - Meet Me At Our Spot is a great stripped-back song that I can’t help singing along to. The live version is giving Glee just a bit too much but that doesn’t *have* to be a bad thing!

 

53. Billie Eilish - Your Power

Chart peak: 02 Sales: 874,000 (Platinum) Weeks on chart: 5

Chart run: 2 - 3 - 4 - 19 - 26 - X

Billie takes on music industry abuse on this song, and it makes for a very powerful listen. It rightfully went on to be a big hit for me, and seriously shows Billie’s versatility.

 

52. Lana Del Rey - Chemtrails Over the Country Club

Chart peak: 06 Sales: 874,000 (Platinum) Weeks on chart: 7

Chart run: 6 - 9 - 11 - 10 - 26 - 19 - 37 - X

Lana released two albums this year, but this is the only song from her to appear in my countdown. It’s typical of late-era LDR, and that’s no bad thing.

 

51. MARINA - Ancient Dreams in a Modern Land

Chart peak: 05 Sales: 897,000 (Platinum) Weeks on chart: 5

Chart run: 5 - 10 - 13 - 21 - 39 - X

Marina proves that when she’s not making basic playlist fodder or being a Horrible Histories tribute act, she’s still got a talent for great pop songs. This is undeniably catchy and feels like a definite return to form.

 

Fkn Around :wub:

 

Megan works so well and elevates the song to another level!

Fab to see The ANXIETY make it in here! Definitely one of the best songs to make the chart this year, their voices work really well together. Giving Klan a listen now, sonding okay - I don't find the chorus too jarring actually!

Happier Than Ever :wub: Billie's best track by a mile for me!

Fkn Around :wub:

 

Megan works so well and elevates the song to another level!

Glad you're a fan! She really does :wub:

 

Fab to see The ANXIETY make it in here! Definitely one of the best songs to make the chart this year, their voices work really well together. Giving Klan a listen now, sonding okay - I don't find the chorus too jarring actually!

Ah I'm glad to hear it! I just remember the first time I heard Klan, the really repetitive 'la notte la notte la notte' bit put me off a bit but obviously I've changed my mind since :lol:

 

Happier Than Ever :wub: Billie's best track by a mile for me!

Definitely one of her best for me too!

50. CHVRCHES ft. Robert Smith - How Not To Drown

Chart peak: 01 Sales: 782,000 (Platinum) Weeks on chart: 7

Chart run: 1 - 3 - 6 - 18 - 21 - 29 - 40 - X

CHVRCHES embrace a rockier sound here, with a feature from thee Robert Smith who sounds as good as ever. It’s an introspective song about a time when the lead singer thought about quitting the band, and it pairs well with another album highlight, Final Girl, which touches on a similar subject.

 

49. Bleachers - Stop Making This Hurt

Chart peak: 04 Sales: 943,000 (Platinum) Weeks on chart: 8

Chart run: 39 - 11 - 4 - 18 - 24 - 26 - 38 - 38 - X

The latest Bleachers album was one of my most anticipated releases following some brilliant singles - at least, until the album actually released! All the good songs (except Don’t Go Dark) were released as singles, including this one which is classic Bleachers, but you can hardly blame Jack Antonoff after producing several of the best pop records of recent history.

 

48. Emotional Oranges ft. Biig Piig - Body & Soul

Chart peak: 07 Sales: 920,000 (Platinum) Weeks on chart: 6

Chart run: 22 - 7 - 7 - 12 - 17 - 29 - X

Both artists made their debut with this one, but they still have another bigger song to come each. It’s a smooth song that falls somewhere between slow disco and soul, I guess? You won’t even notice that slightly awful “my place” / “fireplace” rhyme, I promise.

 

47. Caroline Polachek - Breathless

Chart peak: 01 Sales: 897,000 in 2021 [1,127,000 total (Platinum)] Weeks on chart: 7

Chart run: 6 - 1 - 1 - 4 - 5 - 13 - 18 - X

Caroline could sing almost anything and I’d listen. Her cover of The Corrs’ hit earned two weeks atop my chart, and lives up to the original brilliantly.

 

46. Olivia Rodrigo - drivers license

Chart peak: 01 Sales: 989,000 (Platinum) Weeks on chart: 5

Chart run: 1 - 3 - 5 - 11 - 29 - X

The first of Olivia’s three #1s is actually her lowest here, with the others yet to come. It’s an emotive song that explodes into something incredible towards the end - I don’t need to describe it, you’ve all heard it more than enough.

 

45. Taylor Swift - 'tis the damn season

Chart peak: 04 Sales: 943,000 in 2021 [1,265,000 total (2x Platinum)] Weeks on chart: 8

Chart run: 10 - 11 - 4 - 7 - 9 - 24 - 32 - 37 - X

‘tis the damn season is Taylor’s best song. That’s a fact and I will hear nothing else. It’s sort of the musical equivalent of those Christmas movies where someone goes home from the big city to their small rural hometown and finds love. While I might not have exactly managed that myself yet, on my journey home for Christmas this song still felt pretty relatable.

 

44. Miley Cyrus - Angels Like You

Chart peak: 01 Sales: 874,000 in 2021 [1,380,000 total (2x Platinum)] Weeks on chart: 10

Chart run: 1 - 5 - 14 - 9 - 9 - 12 - 16 - 11 - 26 - 34 - X

Angels Like You deserves to be one of Miley’s signature songs, it’s a hugely emotional song that’s turned into her biggest hit on my chart. I'm gutted it didn't get a full push - I remember being convinced for like a week that a Harry Styles remix was coming but obviously I was wrong

 

43. Bleachers ft. Bruce Springsteen - Chinatown

Chart peak: 01 Sales: 1,035,000 in 2021 [1,679,000 total (2x Platinum)] Weeks on chart: 12

Chart run: 14 - 1 - 11 - 4 - 9 - 15 - 6 - 8 - 11 - 14 - 20 - 30 - X

Bleachers have always had a bit of a Bruce Springsteen influence, and now they’ve joined forces! Well, I say “now”, the song’s over a year old. It made a very successful transition through the new year and actually sold (yes I’m fully pretending that’s a thing) more this year than last year thanks to massive streams.

 

42. Big Red Machine ft. Taylor Swift - Renegade

Chart peak: 02 Sales: 920,000 (Platinum) Weeks on chart: 12

Chart run: 2 - 2 - 2 - 5 - 5 - 14 - 19 - 27 - 37 - 38 - 39 - 40 - X

Taylor reunited with her folkmore producers for this, which is the song to spend the most weeks at #2. It’s another great addition to this stage of her career, and is the highlight of Big Red Machine’s latest album.

 

41. Dua Lipa - We're Good

Chart peak: 02 Sales: 966,000 (Platinum) Weeks on chart: 7

Chart run: 2 - 9 - 7 - 12 - 14 - 17 - 29 - X

Still not entirely over how badly this fared in the UK charts - I still remember thinking the re-release lead would finally get Future Nostalgia a #1 but it turned out only Elton John could do that. For me it fared far better, despite there being two other Dua songs ahead of it here.

 

Hi Ansel,

 

Some really nice picks here so far.

 

How Not To Drown was one of the very last songs to be cut on mine, Robert Smith still sounds so youthful and all of CHVRCHES' singles were good in 2021.

 

Your Power also only very narrowly missed out, a very powerful and important song lyrically.

 

drivers license and We're Good are also really good, the latter was very underrated.

Edited January 6, 20223 yr by gooddelta

Hi Ansel,

 

Some really nice picks here so far.

 

How Not To Drown was one of the very last songs to be cut on mine, Robert Smith still sounds so youthful and all of CHVRCHES' singles were good in 2021.

 

Your Power also only very narrowly missed out, a very powerful and important song lyrically.

 

drivers license and We're Good are also really good, the latter was very underrated.

Thanks! CHVRCHES definitely had a brilliant year, releasing some of their all-time best stuff. Glad you liked some of the others too! (#justiceforwe'regood)

40. Allie X - GLAM!

Chart peak: 05 Sales: 966,000 (Platinum) Weeks on chart: 9

Chart run: 36 - 24 - 6 - 5 - 6 - 12 - 15 - 27 - 13 - X

This reminds me a lot of early Madonna (sort of Material Girl maybe?) and it's a massively euphoric (how many songs can I describe as that lol) track which I can’t help singing along to, even if my voice is never gonna reach the high notes.

 

39. The Weeknd - Save Your Tears

Chart peak: 10 Sales: 989,000 (Platinum) Weeks on chart: 7

Chart run: 38 - 10 - 12 - 18 - 16 - 35 - RE - 17 - X

Pop excellence really won here, with the way this turned into a massive hit! It didn’t do quite as well on my chart but that’s no reflection of how much I enjoyed it, given that it’s made my top 40 EOY.

 

38. Jessie Ware - Please

Chart peak: 03 Sales: 989,000 (Platinum) Weeks on chart: 6

Chart run: 36 - 3 - 4 - 6 - 25 - 28 - X

Jessie has really found her sound as of late, and Please is no exception. It’s mature and seductive but infinitely fun at the same time.

 

37. Tinashe - Bouncin

Chart peak: 03 Sales: 759,000 (Platinum) Weeks on chart: 10

Chart run: 3 - 3 - 6 - 8 - 15 - 20 - 25 - 35 - 35 - 37 - X

Tinashe released this as the follow-up to smash hit Pasadena (haven’t seen that one yet, have we?) and it also smashed. Bouncin is firmly in R&B territory and it’s Tinashe at her best.

 

36. Perfume Genius - Your Body Changes Everything (Boy Harsher Remix)

Chart peak: 01 Sales: 1,012,000 in 2021 [1,380,000 total (2x Platinum)] Weeks on chart: 10

Chart run: 14 - 12 - RE - 1 - 3 - 4 - 16 - 29 - 26 - 25 - 39 - X

Perfume Genius earned the #1 song of 2020, but this is his highest in 2021. It was an early-year chart-topper, and reworks the atmospheric original into a dark piece of synthpop which I can imagine fitting perfectly into an old horror movie (that’s a compliment, I promise).

 

35. Olivia Rodrigo - good 4 u

Chart peak: 01 Sales: 1,058,000 (Platinum) Weeks on chart: 8

Chart run: 1 - 10 - 8 - 15 - 29 - 31 - 33 - 32 - X

Olivia switched lanes from slow ballad to pop-punk banger with this one, and it’s a deserved smash! It’s chart run was hindered a little by Hayley Williams’s album bomb (which I now realise is slightly ironic considering the writing credits controversy lol), but it’s still a song that I’ll definitely remember from this year.

 

34. Lorde - Mood Ring

Chart peak: 01 Sales: 828,000 (Platinum) Weeks on chart: 10

Chart run: 17 - 1 - 1 - 5 - 8 - 14 - 18 - 26 - 35 - 40 - X

On the subject of 00s nostalgia, Lorde brings guitar-pop realness on her track Mood Ring. It’s a departure from her old sound but it fits her so well - and yes, the early 2000s *do* feel so far away.

 

33. YONAKA - Ordinary

Chart peak: 01 Sales: 1,058,000 (Platinum) Weeks on chart: 7

Chart run: 11 - 1 - 10 - 24 - 24 - 30 - RE - 40 - X

YONAKA earned themselves what is by far their biggest hit with Ordinary. It’s a song that makes you want to belt out the lyrics as you listen along.

 

32. Emotional Oranges ft. Channel Tres - All That

Chart peak: 06 Sales: 1,127,000 (Platinum) Weeks on chart: 10

Chart run: 22 - 10 - 8 - 6 - 18 - 23 - 33 - 28 - 37 - 31 - X

Channel Tres’ trademark deep-voiced vocals work perfectly with the instrumentation of this song - it’s one that I’ve introduced to a lot of friends at uni, and it’s become a regular houseparty staple.

 

31. Bree Runway - HOT HOT

Chart peak: 02 Sales: 1,081,000 (Platinum) Weeks on chart: 7

Chart run: 4 - 6 - 2 - 7 - 13 - 19 - 21 - X

As I said before, the future of humanity basically depends on Bree making it big. If she doesn’t get a hit at *some* point then there’s no hope for any of us. This would’ve been the perfect one to do so - it’s summery and hugely catchy. It’s a shame the Busta Rhymes sample got removed because it really made the song imo, but Bree is brilliant with or without.

 

Giving Body & Soul a listen now, sounds quite nice! Very chilled out, sounds like a good song to relax to.

Giving Body & Soul a listen now, sounds quite nice! Very chilled out, sounds like a good song to relax to.

Thanks Pete! Glad you think so, it's definitely got a nice chilled vibe.