Don't know about you, but I thought 2021 was pretty good for music! I've got somewhere between 60 and 65 songs, pending some last-minute additions, and hope to start counting them down this week. I'll start catching up on everyone else's EOYs too!

Unlike previous years when I was indecisive, this year's #1 is very much on lock :o

Edit: Or, now that I'm finished, I've put the list in spoiler tags here:

1. Olivia Rodrigo "Deja Vu"
2. Ava Max "My Head & My Heart"
3. Harry Styles "Golden"
4. AJR "Way Less Sad"
5. Cardi B "Up"
6. Nelly & Florida Georgia Line "Lil Bit"
7. Elton John & Dua Lipa "Cold Heart"
8. Billie Eilish "Happier Than Ever"
9. Masked Wolf "Astronaut In The Ocean"
10. Dua Lipa "Love Again"
11. Adele "Easy On Me"
12. Maneskin "Beggin’"
13. Imagine Dragons "Wrecked"
14. Rain Radio & DJ Craig Gorman "Talk About"
15. Riton & Nightcrawlers feat. Mufasa & Hypeman "Friday"
16. Lil Nas X & Jack Harlow "Industry Baby"
17. Bad Boy Chiller Crew "Don't You Worry About Me"
18. Becky Hill & David Guetta "Remember"
19. Walker Hayes "Fancy Like"
20. Glass Animals "Heat Waves"
21. Dua Lipa "We're Good"
22. Illenium feat. Tori Kelly "Blame Myself"
23. Justin Bieber "Anyone"
24. Camila Cabello "Don't Go Yet"
25. The Anxiety, Willow & Tyler Cole "Meet Me At Our Spot"
26. Miranda Lambert "Settling Down"
27. Olivia Rodrigo "Drivers License"
28. Taylor Swift "All Too Well (Taylor's Version)"
29. Coldplay "Higher Power"
30. Majestic x Boney M. "Rasputin"
31. Eric Church "Hell Of A View"
32. Ed Sheeran "Overpass Graffiti"
33. Jason Aldean "Blame It On You"
34. Jack Harlow "Tyler Herro"
35. Sam Fender "Seventeen Going Under"
36. Marshmello & Jonas Brothers "Leave Before You Love Me"
37. The Kid Laroi "Without You"
38. Olivia Rodrigo "Good 4 U"
39. Aja "Red Button"
40. Black Atlass "Do For Love"
41. Jocelyn Alice "Still Wondering"
42. The Kid Laroi & Justin Bieber "Stay"
43. Taylor Swift "Willow"
44. Lil Tjay & 6lack "Calling My Phone"
45. Niko Walters "Not My Neighbour"
46. Charli XCX "Good Ones"
47. Doja Cat feat. The Weeknd "You Right"
48. The Weeknd "Take My Breath"
49. SZA "Good Days"
50. Moyka "Stay"
51. Justin Bieber "Hold On"
52. Kacey Musgraves "Simple Times"
53. Doja Cat "Need To Know"
54. Girl In Red "Serotonin"
55. Ed Sheeran "Shivers"
56. Tones And I "Fly Away"
57. Tones And I "Cloudy Day"
58. Remi Wolf feat. Dominic Fike "Photo ID"
59. Maneskin "I Wanna Be Your Slave"
60. Navos "Believe Me"
61. Dierks Bentley "Gone"
62. Ed Sheeran "Afterglow"
63. The Weeknd "Save Your Tears"

I'll be reading this Jordan, not too sure what your #1 would be though :kink:

Looking forward to seeing what you've got in store in this thread!

Always enjoy your write-ups Jordan, they're a pleasure! Looking forward to seeing what appears.

63. The Weeknd "Save Your Tears"

Okay, maybe this should be higher, but 'Save Your Tears' had already peaked for me by the time 2021 began, plus it hasn't held up from overplay quite as well as 'Blinding Lights' has. That said, I'm so glad Abel got the post-album hit he deserved from this era (justice for 'In Your Eyes'). Even if it took a Super Bowl performance and an Ariana Grande remix, it was well worth it!

Previous EOY history: "I Feel It Coming" (#2, 2017 and #29, 2016), "Pray For Me" (#14, 2018), "Power Is Power" (#40, 2019), "Heartless" (#1, 2020), "Blinding Lights" (#4, 2020), "In Your Eyes" (#50, 2020)

 

62. Ed Sheeran "Afterglow"

A nice and pleasant return to form from Ed, his collab project was fine but I’m glad it was just a one-off. (Well, not really "one-off" since it was his second collab project, but you know what I mean :magic:) This gave me hope for the new album even if it wasn’t actually going to be on it. Sure enough, two of his follow-up singles are still to come, and one will miss the cut - stay tuned to find out!

Previous EOY history: "Don’t" (#5, 2014), "Sing" (#30, 2014), "Thinking Out Loud" (#47, 2015), "Shape Of You" (#49, 2017), "Cross Me" (#20, 2019), "I Don’t Care" (#37, 2019)

 

61. Dierks Bentley "Gone"

Dierks was "gone" i.e. taking a break during the pandemic, not just from performing but from Nashville entirely, instead moving to Colorado and spending a lot of time in the wilderness. This song isn't exactly about that, but 2020 in general still made it easy to relate to. Cute video too with the variety of TV references.

Previous EOY history: "I Hold On" (#14, 2014), "Drunk On A Plane" (#35, 2014), "Riser" (#42, 2015), "Somewhere On A Beach" (#55, 2016), "Burning Man" (#56, 2018), "Woman, Amen" (#57, 2018)

 

60. Navos "Believe Me"

Yes, I'm a sucker for simple repetitive dance, and this one also felt like a throwback to a few years ago when stuff like this was in the chart every week. Does anyone else hear 'Show Me Love' from the 90s mixed with Blonde from the 2010s? Love!

 

59. Maneskin "I Wanna Be Your Slave"

'I Wanna Be Your Slave' was great for many reasons, such as being the biggest and heaviest rock hit in a few years, and of course seeing Maneskin quickly follow up their Eurovision win with not one but two top-ten hits. Actually I can't say there was ever a point when it was my favorite of theirs, it was originally in the shadow of 'Zitti E Buoni' and then ended up in the shadow of 'Beggin'". But still a tune, great to watch in the charts, and deserving of an EOY placing!

 

58. Remi Wolf feat. Dominic Fike "Photo ID"

Oddly enough, this version of "Photo ID" was an MTV discovery for me, which of course is rare these days. I remembered Remi Wolf from Unknown Pleasures and was already intrigued by her quirkiness, and let’s just say that didn't change after seeing this video! The original with just Remi was already good but Dominic's feature blends in very very well. Unfortunately I couldn't get enough support for it in BJSC…but I think it’s the first of my entries to ever get Radio 1 playlisting, so that's something!

Previous EOY history for Dominic: "3 Nights" (#9, 2019)

 

57. Tones And I "Cloudy Day"

'Cloudy Day' was pushed as a single in the US and was a radio discovery for me. Honestly, I probably only listened to it about 10 times, and yet it's in my top 60 for the year! I was just really impressed and uplifted every time I heard it, and it’s hard not to be with a chorus like that! I'm sure it will be my favorite Tones And I song in due course.

 

56. Tones And I "Fly Away"

'Fly Away' was one of a few frustrating #11 peaks from last year, but I'm still pleased for Tones And I shaking off her one-hit-wonder status…well, in the UK at least, she still is one in the US. Why couldn't one of these be her signature hit instead of 'Dance Monkey'? Not only are her vocals less grating but the lyrics are more relatable, better production, just better everything :lol:

 

55. Ed Sheeran "Shivers"

'Bad Habits' was catchy, and I certainly appreciated the dark 90s dance sound, but it just didn't seem authentically Ed. 'Shivers' was closer to the mark while also being even catchier—his music seems to have perfected the art of being too catchy for its own good! Great instrumentation here too, especially the strings in the verses and the brass in the chorus *.*

Previous EOY history: "Don’t" (#5, 2014), "Sing" (#30, 2014), "Thinking Out Loud" (#47, 2015), "Shape Of You" (#49, 2017), "Cross Me" (#20, 2019), "I Don’t Care" (#37, 2019)

 

54. Girl In Red "Serotonin"

I have a thing for Norwegian female artists for some reason, and Girl In Red was added to my list in 2021. She seemed to have plenty of hype on both sides of the pond, which ultimately didn't amount to much, but it sure helped 'Serotonin' get some regular airplay over here. It was my favorite song to hear anytime I was driving over the summer, and that's not something I can say about my other Norwegian indie faves, which are generally more downtempo and moody. :lol: Hopefully her star will continue to rise!

 

53. Doja Cat "Need To Know"

Another one that didn’t deserve a #11 peak. :( I’m so glad 'Need To Know' had its chance to shine back when a different song on Planet Her was going viral every other week. It definitely stood out on first listen and continued to exceed my expectations during its single push. Compared to 'Kiss Me More', which was too similar to 'Say So' and even more overplayed, 'Need To Know' actually sounded fresh and innovative, a much more exciting statement of Doja Cat's artistry.

Previous EOY history: "Boss Bitch" (#2, 2020), "Say So" (#17, 2020)

 

52. Kacey Musgraves "Simple Times"

This is Kacey’s only appearance this year, so let's talk about that new album of hers. Golden Hour was pretty much an all-time fave; its Grammy win for album of the year may have put some pressure on her follow-up release, and sure enough we waited over three years for it. Star-Crossed was a significant change in direction, not only by sonically pushing her even further from traditional country than she'd already done before, but also the way she divided it into three acts and made it her most cohesive album to date. But overall it's still very Kacey, her country roots still shine in her storytelling, and lyrically it's as strong as we’ve come to expect from her. 'Simple Times' is the perfect representation of all that, as she takes such a typical country theme and puts her own 21st-century lyrical spin on it. It's no wonder that was the highlight of the album for me!

Previous EOY history: "Space Cowboy" (#55, 2018), "High Horse" (#58, 2018), "Rainbow" (#35, 2019)

 

51. Justin Bieber "Hold On"

The Biebs really gave us a one-two punch of sublime singles last year. :wub: (I would say he did that in 2020 too with 'Yummy' and 'Intentions', but most would disagree :kink:) 'Hold On' is pretty well-rounded with great production, verses, and melody, and a stellar build-up to the chorus. It just seemed to lack something compared to 'Anyone', and if I had to guess, I'd say the chorus is too abruptly different from the verses, which kind of ruins its flow. Even so, while it didn’t quite reach its full potential in the charts, it should go down as one of Justin’s most underrated singles.

Previous EOY history: "Sorry" (#12, 2016 and #14, 2015), "Let Me Love You" (#6, 2016), "Friends" (#23, 2017), "I Don’t Care" (#37, 2019), "Intentions" (#12, 2020), "Yummy" (#36, 2020)

Unpopular opinion but I really liked 'Afterglow'. Was it his best ballad? No, but it fitted that time of year nicely. 'Shiver' also was superior to 'Bad Habits' which should have swapped weeks at #1 tbh as that didn't feel like an 11 weeker. This one is probably quite high up if there was an Ed Sheeran ranking. Possibly mid top 10. His best song since 'Castle On The Hill'!

Edited January 11, 20223 yr by Rob S~

Nice to see 'Serotonin' here, I've heard quite a bit of it and it's probably my favourite of hers to date. Same goes for 'Simple Times', not actually sure I could name any other Kacey Musgraves song but this one is very enjoyable, very relaxed and with a relatable topic.

Need To Know and Simple Times are two wonderful picks so far.

 

Need To Know is such an fascinating track especially with loads of different adlibs and interesting production choices. Have you seen the video that as going around on Twitter that was just the adlibs? It's quite the listen :lol:

Hold On is great and it really deserved much more than it got chart-wise, I'm not sure what didn't click with that one as much as most of the other Justice singles! At least it got a UK top 10 peak, can't complain at that.

Need To Know is such an fascinating track especially with loads of different adlibs and interesting production choices. Have you seen the video that as going around on Twitter that was just the adlibs? It's quite the listen :lol:

I haven't seen it but I'll look for it!

 

Thanks for all the comments so far ^_^

 

50. Moyka "Stay"

One of my 2021 highlights was finally sending Moyka to BJSC; I'd already tried in 2020 with 'Spaces' but wasn't fast enough. Patience was a virtue as I waited for another song worth sending: 'Stay' ended a 3-year top-10 drought for my country and was my second-biggest hit ever! It was an obvious smash on first listen, with a hook that's equally big and quite similar to Shakespeare's Sister's song of the same name, so I'm really glad everyone got to hear it and responded as favorably as I'd hoped! :wub:

 

49. SZA "Good Days"

SZA is not a fave of mine, you can see her previous EOY history consists of just two collabs. She's undeniably talented but usually her solo music's just not for me. 'Good Days' was such a standout though, such a bright song to start off the year. :heart: It sounded great on the radio too, the guitar adds so much texture to the song, and the long intro and outro are both just beautiful!

Previous EOY history: "All The Stars" (#6, 2018), "Power Is Power" (#40, 2019)

 

48. The Weeknd "Take My Breath"

Abel had no trouble keeping his momentum going in 2021, from finishing the After Hours era to his Super Bowl performance and also finding time to feature on everyone's songs. :lol: We didn't even get a break from him by the time he released 'Take My Breath' in the middle of summer. It was a great uptempo track, and different enough from his previous tracks to hold my attention, but its chart performance spoke for itself, and even I was questioning whether I'd have liked it more if he'd waited just a few months! I set that aside and just enjoyed the song, but now Dawn FM is out and I'm still not feeling ready for these new songs even though they're probably just as good. Is it just me? :(

Previous EOY history: "I Feel It Coming" (#2, 2017 and #29, 2016), "Pray For Me" (#14, 2018), "Power Is Power" (#40, 2019), "Heartless" (#1, 2020), "Blinding Lights" (#4, 2020), "In Your Eyes" (#50, 2020)

 

47. Doja Cat feat. The Weeknd "You Right"

Speaking of which, here's Abel with one of those features :lol:. With him and Doja Cat together, 'You Right' was destined to be a radio single. It's not the most memorable or groundbreaking song on Planet Her, but then again neither was 'Kiss Me More', and at least we hadn't really had a proper R&B slow jam from her until now. It's both artists' highest entry in my EOY this year, so that speaks for itself I guess!

Previous EOY history for Doja: "Boss Bitch" (#2, 2020), "Say So" (#17, 2020)

Previous EOY history for The Weeknd: "I Feel It Coming" (#2, 2017 and #29, 2016), "Pray For Me" (#14, 2018), "Power Is Power" (#40, 2019), "Heartless" (#1, 2020), "Blinding Lights" (#4, 2020), "In Your Eyes" (#50, 2020)

 

46. Charli XCX "Good Ones"

I'm sort of a fair-weather fan when it comes to Charli; I hadn't paid attention to any of her music since 'Blame It On Your Love', and I know she’s released a lot of songs since then. (Again, if I really missed out on something good, let me know!) She must still be on fine form though, because 'Good Ones' ranks among her best IMO, and somehow fits a full song into 2:16 without feeling incomplete or too short!

Previous EOY history: "Boom Clap" (#3, 2014), "Fancy" (#4, 2014), "1999" (#53, 2018)

 

45. Niko Walters "Not My Neighbour"

Some might recall that I follow New Zealand's charts closely and am a regular listener of NZ radio. This here was my biggest Kiwi discovery of 2021 – an accolade I wrongly assumed would've gone to Lorde at the beginning of the year! 'Not My Neighbour' is very understated, just has that subtle groove and some hints of reggae, which is common in Kiwi pop and partly why I'm such a fan. Something like this would never be a top-five hit anywhere else, which just adds to the charm of it!

 

44. Lil Tjay & 6lack "Calling My Phone"

This one's not a Buzzfave, and I'm not even sure I can explain why I was drawn to 'Calling My Phone', but I remember thinking it was an earworm from day one. A very slow-tempo earworm. :lol: I love the minimal production, the piano, and the "get you off my mind" loop. It was a random hit to be fair, I guess there was just briefly some hype/demand for Lil Tjay off the back of 'Mood Swings'!

 

43. Taylor Swift "Willow"

With all the December hustle and bustle, I didn't get around to hearing Evermore until 2021, so here's a belated EOY appearance from that album. 'Willow' was not an initial fave of mine, but since it was the single, it got plenty of airplay over the winter and grew on me before long. I think I still slightly prefer 'Cardigan' though between the two lead singles!

Previous EOY history: "Shake It Off" (#22, 2014), "Wildest Dreams" (#25, 2015), "Delicate" (#1, 2018), "…Ready For It?" (#49, 2018), "You Need To Calm Down" (#32, 2019), "Exile" (#15, 2020), "The Man" (#19, 2020), "Cardigan" (#38, 2020)

 

42. The Kid Laroi & Justin Bieber "Stay"

Two songs called 'Stay' in this section! Even with Laroi's momentum combined with the Biebs' name power, I can't say I ever imagined him getting quite this big of a hit! I'm not sure why I didn't like it even more than this, because it's a solid collab and they sound great together. I'm still not tired of it though despite the overplay on radio – it does help that the song's so short! I also just love how you can still hear Juice WRLD's influence in Laroi's music even two years after his death <3

Previous EOY history for Justin: "Sorry" (#12, 2016 and #14, 2015), "Let Me Love You" (#6, 2016), "Friends" (#23, 2017), "I Don’t Care" (#37, 2019), "Intentions" (#12, 2020), "Yummy" (#36, 2020)

 

41. Jocelyn Alice "Still Wondering"

'Still Wondering' is just a simple song with a perfect hook about the person you let go of but still think about. I first heard it in the spring but it’s actually from 2018! I already knew Jocelyn from her song 'Jackpot', which I'd sent to BJSC in 2015, and she even appeared on the songwriting TV show Songland in 2020, where she pitched a song for H.E.R.. Needless to say, I liked this one enough to send Jocelyn to BJSC a second time, and it greatly exceeded my expectations with an even better finish than 'Jackpot'!

 

'Take My Breath', 'Stay', 'willow', and 'Good Ones' are highlights from that bunch. That's definitely the best I've heard from Charli since '1999' so of course it misses the top 40. Her days seemingly over.. for now anyway.

I really enjoyed 'Calling My Phone' too. It's definitely the 'get you off my mind' sample in the background that made it so memorable to me.

 

Good Ones & Willow are both great choices too :heart:

Giving Not My Neighbour a listen now, not what I was expecting after reading your description but it's pretty nice! Enjoying the laid-back vibes and his voice is good as well.

'Take My Breath', 'Stay', 'willow', and 'Good Ones' are highlights from that bunch. That's definitely the best I've heard from Charli since '1999' so of course it misses the top 40. Her days seemingly over.. for now anyway.

It seems this comment (regarding Charli) may not have aged very well :o Her chart fortunes are about to change!

 

I really enjoyed 'Calling My Phone' too. It's definitely the 'get you off my mind' sample in the background that made it so memorable to me.

 

Good Ones & Willow are both great choices too :heart:

Thanks Lewis! Glad there's at least one other 'Calling My Phone' fan here :D

 

Giving Not My Neighbour a listen now, not what I was expecting after reading your description but it's pretty nice! Enjoying the laid-back vibes and his voice is good as well.

Oops, well, I'm just rambling at this point so my commentary's probably only going to get messier from here :lol: I'm glad you enjoyed it though!

40. Black Atlass "Do For Love"

Here’s another third of my "Canadian trilogy" of BJSC entries last year, and another recycled artist as well. Black Atlass is, I'd say, quite similar to but more underrated than The Weeknd and Majid Jordan, which is a shame because he has the voice of an angel. :wub: 'Do For Love' is 2020s male R&B at its finest – unfortunately that didn't amount to much in BJSC, but it's a massive fave of mine and the highest of my entries on this EOY!

 

39. Aja "Red Button"

While 'Red Button' was a BJSC discovery for most of Buzzjack, I'd already heard it on Canadian radio, just like the previous two songs on this EOY, and in fact considered sending it myself! Of course an upbeat song with this much attitude was an instant fave, I actually found myself comparing it to some of Olivia Rodrigo's songs. Love the slick and punchy production too. I haven't listened to anything else from Aja but probably need to!

 

38. Olivia Rodrigo "Good 4 U"

Plenty of good things have already been said about 'good 4 u' in other EOYs and elsewhere on the site. I know most people compared it to Avril Lavigne's first era, but for me it was the female rock of the 90s (think Garbage, etc.) that it reminded me of most. What a treat it was to hear a sound like that become popular again! Sadly it burned out very quickly for me but I can still appreciate the impact it had; simply being a bigger hit than 'drivers license' was a feat in itself! I'm glad the public gave this the appreciation it deserves.

 

37. The Kid Laroi "Without You"

We had hints of a possible rock revival as early as a year ago, but at the time I was expecting it to be more of an emo revival. 'Without You' sounds wonderfully inspired by mid-2000s emo ballads, or at least wouldn’t sound out of place next to them. So it stood out and sounded great on the radio, and was the first song I properly liked from the Kid Laroi, whose name I refuse to type in all caps. -_- :kink: He’s already shown a lot of versatility as an artist in such a short time, and at only 18 years old – hopefully a sign of more good things to come!

 

36. Marshmello & Jonas Brothers "Leave Before You Love Me"

On paper, this is not a collaboration I'd be in a hurry to listen to. Marshmello has too often ventured into bland inoffensive radio fodder territory, and while the Jonas Brothers have had a good comeback, their singles are still pretty hit-and-miss. As it turns out, I was impressed from my very first listen! 'Leave Before You Love Me' is more MOR than you’d expect from either artist, but honestly when it's this good that's nothing to be ashamed of. Maybe the 'Last Christmas' interpolation helped give it an instant sense of familiarity, but personally I like the verses even more than the chorus. It does end a little too abruptly at 2:34, missing an opportunity to build to a bigger third chorus, so that’s my one criticism.

Previous EOY history for Marshmello: "Everyday" (#29, 2018)

Previous EOY history for Jonas Brothers: "Only Human" (#5, 2019), "Sucker" (#55, 2019)

 

35. Sam Fender "Seventeen Going Under"

This is actually one of the very last songs I added to my EOY, when it finally clicked for me just after Christmas! Sam Fender's debut era didn't do much for me, so I wasn't quite getting the hype at the time, but I could appreciate his talent and can respect anyone trying their best to keep rock alive. This sophomore effort was definitely worth giving Sam a second chance. It was nice enough to see him get his overdue first top 40 hit, and then 'Seventeen Going Under' kept growing and growing, and to my own surprise ended the year at #1 on my personal chart! The Bruce Springsteen vibes are strong, and that’s what I love most about it. :wub: Shout out to 'Long Way Off' which I hope gets a bigger push in 2022!

 

34. Jack Harlow "Tyler Herro"

This is Jack Harlow's first EOY appearance too; 'What’s Poppin' wasn't a huge fave but it was enough to show that he was worth keeping tabs on. I just think 'Tyler Herro' has more memorable lyrics and I couldn't listen without trying to rap along. I admit I did that a lot :lol: It's a little disappointing that the second half is nearly identical to the first half, so it's basically a song with one verse, which left me wanting more but didn't stop me from loving it anyway!

 

33. Jason Aldean "Blame It On You"

Jason Aldean continues to be the best at country rock in my opinion, and the most consistently good among the biggest names in the genre. Not sure how he never made my EOY prior to 2020! 'Blame It On You' is a ballad that's destined for his next arena tour; even if lyrically it's just another breakup song that dwells on the past, it's got his stamp on it and somehow that's enough to keep me from switching the station. Whatever his formula is, it's working!

Previous EOY history: "Got What I Got" (#28, 2020)

 

32. Ed Sheeran "Overpass Graffiti"

Now this is the Ed Sheeran I've been missing! My favorite single so far on the = album, I think it’s fair to say 'Overpass Graffiti' is more authentically Ed than the previous two, and a breath of fresh air to listen to. :wub: I've still only heard it on international radio so far since it’s not being pushed as a single in the US, so I can only imagine how great it would sound in the car on a road trip. As an end-of-October release, this hit me late in the year and naturally would’ve been higher with more time…better luck next year?

Previous EOY history: "Don’t" (#5, 2014), "Sing" (#30, 2014), "Thinking Out Loud" (#47, 2015), "Shape Of You" (#49, 2017), "Cross Me" (#20, 2019), "I Don’t Care" (#37, 2019)

 

31. Eric Church "Hell Of A View"

Another artist debut here, I've been listening to Eric Church since 2009 but this is finally his first time in my EOY! Honestly I hadn't been much of a fan for the past several years because his music's prone to being rather self-indulgent, which made 'Hell Of A View' even more of a pleasant surprise. It must not be just me, because it ended up the second-biggest hit of his career, behind 'Springsteen' which is coincidentally the last one I liked. :lol: I can't really describe it, it's just a big moment of a song and you'll have to listen for yourself.

I spy with my little eye an Summericia entry in your top 40 .* seem to be doing quite well on that front with Josephs too. Glad you were a fan anyway despite although hearing it on radio beforehand which did come up on my research as I saw it appeared on a station or two in Canada!

 

'good 4 u', 'Overpass Grafitti' & 'Seventeen Going Under' the other picks for me there. SGU only just clicked for me earlier this month as I had heard it a few times towards the end of last year and didn't land a huge impression really but it grew more as it was going top 3 (typicallly :kink: )

Edited January 30, 20223 yr by Roba.

Seventeen Going Under is a tune :wub: The first Sam Fender song I've really gotten into but it's absolutely fantastic, you'll definitely be seeing it in my EOY. Giving the Jason Aldean song a listen now, sounding like a pretty solid country track.

30. Majestic x Boney M. "Rasputin"

Keep in mind, I barely knew anything about Boney M. a year ago, and had never listened to their music, so I had no attachment to the original 'Rasputin'. Even so, this version is so full of life, I'm instantly happy as soon as it starts playing. Great to see it introduced to a new generation (including me!) and sadly it’s another of those frustrating #11 peaks from last year.

 

29. Coldplay "Higher Power"

I thought 'Higher Power' was perfectly on-trend without compromising Coldplay's legacy or artistry or anything like that. It really suited them. Personally I can't say the same about 'My Universe', but nevertheless, nice to see a chart revival of sorts for them last year, a whole 20 years into their career!

Previous EOY history: "A Sky Full Of Stars" (#52, 2014), "Something Just Like This" (#46, 2017)

 

28. Taylor Swift "All Too Well (Taylor’s Version)"

'All Too Well' was not originally a fave of mine from Red, but I was well aware of it being a massive fan favorite, and clearly so was Taylor. So when the 10-minute version was first announced I was still pretty hyped! I love that she went all-out for her fans with this new recording, with new lyrics which add that extra bit of depth and maturity to make it even more special. Obviously 10 minutes is a bit long for any song, but she managed to hold my attention and not make it too self-indulgent. That said, the 5½-minute version is the one I go back to regularly. :P

Previous EOY history: "Shake It Off" (#22, 2014), "Wildest Dreams" (#25, 2015), "Delicate" (#1, 2018), "…Ready For It?" (#49, 2018), "You Need To Calm Down" (#32, 2019), "Exile" (#15, 2020), "The Man" (#19, 2020), "Cardigan" (#38, 2020)

 

27. Olivia Rodrigo "Drivers License"

Speaking of songs where I totally bought into the hype just to join in the excitement, 'Drivers License' is another of those cases, and once again I didn't regret it. It was so fun watching Olivia come from nowhere and totally dominate the charts within a matter of days, and seeing the song itself become such a phenomenon. The Lorde/Melodrama influence was noticeable and beautiful and would become even more so with her next single, which is still to come…

 

26. Miranda Lambert "Settling Down"

'Settling Down' is the follow-up single to 'Bluebird', a song which was not only Miranda Lambert's first #1 on my chart, but also her first top 40 hit on Billboard since 2014, even before her divorce from Blake Shelton. Turns out it wasn't just a fluke, 'Settling Down' was another of her strongest efforts to date, also challenging for #1 on my chart but sadly stalling at #41 on the Hot 100. The lyrics are some of the best I've ever heard from her!

Previous EOY history: "Automatic" (#25, 2014), "Bluebird" (#9, 2020)

 

25. The Anxiety, Willow & Tyler Cole "Meet Me At Our Spot"

What a year for Willow, an artist I'd written off as a one-hit wonder many years ago. I still remember my first listen to 'Transparentsoul' which blew my mind more than a little bit, and then I randomly discovered 'Wait A Minute' while watching the men’s modern pentathlon during the Summer Olympics. That'd be a masterpiece for an artist at any age, let alone 15! But best of all was 'Meet Me At Our Spot', which well and truly erased her one-hit wonder status and deservedly so. And now that she’s on a song with MGK, I expect she'll be the next Blackbear and have everyone wanting to be featured on their song. I’m not sure if I want that prediction to be right or not :kink:

 

24. Camila Cabello "Don’t Go Yet"

I really liked almost everything I heard from Camila's second album, and my favorite was 'Liar', because naturally the Latin influences suit her perfectly! That's still my favorite song of hers, and I was thrilled that she took that style a step or two even further for 'Don’t Go Yet'. The song has such an amazing array of instruments, complemented by its quick tempo and vocals, and despite being upbeat it still conveys that sense of desperation in the lyrics. I hope its underwhelming chart performance doesn't stall or completely derail her album, because if this song's any indication of the quality, I’m ready to hear more!

Previous EOY history: "Crying In The Club" (#37, 2017), "Havana" (#50, 2017), "Liar" (#19, 2019), "My Oh My" (#52, 2020)

 

23. Justin Bieber "Anyone"

Sorry not sorry, but 'Holy' and 'Lonely' were both rather poor efforts, so when 2021 rolled around I wasn't exactly looking forward to another song from the Biebs. His music's a bit hard to avoid though, and thankfully 'Anyone' had no trouble winning me back over. Hard to go wrong with an anthemic ballad such as this, with such melodic verses and such a strong hook in the chorus. I was also amused, though, because it sounded a lot like a Maroon 5 song! Perhaps that's why it's one of my favorite ever songs of his now :magic:

Previous EOY history: "Sorry" (#12, 2016 and #14, 2015), "Let Me Love You" (#6, 2016), "Friends" (#23, 2017), "I Don’t Care" (#37, 2019), "Intentions" (#12, 2020), "Yummy" (#36, 2020)

 

22. Illenium feat. Tori Kelly "Blame Myself"

Tori Kelly is in my upper tier of my most favoritest faves, in fact she has more talent than everyone else on this list combined, she just doesn't get the success she deserves. Anyway, she's tackled so many different genres over the years, but I can't say I'd heard her on an EDM track before, so naturally an Illenium collab intrigued me and seemed very promising. Sure enough, 'Blame Myself' is absolute perfection, with angelic vocals, an epic drop, and even a 'Chasing Cars' interpolation. :cheeseblock: It became Tori's first top-three hit on my her long-overdue return to my EOY! And yes, she can blame herself, because otherwise I never would have listened to it. ;)

Previous EOY history for Tori: "Nobody Love" (#15, 2015), "Should’ve Been Us" (#32, 2015), "Hollow" (#38, 2015), "I’ll Find You" (#58, 2017)

 

21. Dua Lipa "We’re Good"

I know 'We're Good' was not Dua's most well-received single choice, but I really enjoyed it, in fact I'm surprised I'm not ranking it even higher for the year. I will say that I only listen to the radio edit, because "like sleeping and cocaine" is such a bizarre, awkward lyric that it really almost ruins the rest of the song. But I love that she ventured into pop-rock territory (or maybe pop-reggae, I’m getting No Doubt 'Underneath It All' vibes) and would love to hear more from her in this lane.

Previous EOY history: "Be The One" (#3, 2017), "New Rules" (#4, 2017), "Electricity" (#30, 2018), "One Kiss" (#45, 2018), "Swan Song" (#23, 2019), "Don’t Start Now" (#31, 2019), "Physical" (#7, 2020), "Levitating" (#24, 2020), "Hallucinate" (#33, 2020)

Obviously loving the Laroi and Bieber impact here so far :wub: Blame Myself was an amazing discovery thanks to you as well, I'd almost forgotten about it!

A lot of great songs in there. 'Anyone' is one of Biebers better songs. The Taylor song is great and I did like the remix of 'Rasputin' as well. 'Don't Go Yet' admittedly I hadn't listened to in full until the non top 20 thread but that was pleasant enough too.