Adrian C.'s Top 50 Songs of 2020

[Adrian C. 🍓]

2020 Chart Run:
30-23-8-2-4-5-3-7-12-12-21-21-22-29-28-33-35-32-35-35-38-38-32-39-...


Nothing But Thieves released an album this year and I already mentioned that the lead single "Is Everybody Going Crazy?" was the song that kind of got me into the group. I had heard a few songs from them before but this year was the first time I ever felt like seeking them out. Then they released "Real Love Song", which is definitely a lot more pop than its predecessor. But I just love it. I think it has a very positive vibe to it. The instrumentals are great and I think Conor Mason sounds really good here. Objectively, it's probably nowhere near their best, but I can't help but enjoy it and I thought it was a highlight on Moral Panic.

[Adrian C. 🍓]

2020 Chart Run:
18-14-17-17-15-14-10-8-10-10-6-2-6-12-17-21-25-33-37-45-44-41-44-44-42-43-41-...


At #28, we have our next March Madness discovery, which was sent by peacebone. "About Work The Dancefloor" appeared in March Madness and made the final eight, while also being one of my biggest takeaways from it. It's a total jam all around. I love the 80s throwback vibes. The production is pretty fantastic here. It's one of those songs that just always made me want to get up and move. It's so high energy and so much fun. It had one of the highest debuts of the year on my chart and is still charting after 7 months. It just hasn't gotten old for me.

[Adrian C. 🍓]

2020 Chart Run:
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Next is Michael Kiwanuka's song "Hero", which was a discovery for me from last year's Wintertime Madness, sent by Darkest Hour. I was unfamiliar with this artist before hearing this song, but I've been loving a lot of his music lately. He has a really nice and soulful voice. I love the guitars on here. Every element of this song works well with one another and I think it's a great mix of rock with elements of soul. It doesn't seem like the kind of song I would normally like, but it really became a favorite of mine this past year debuting in January and lasting through September. I love pretty much everything about it and Michael Kiwanuka is a very talented artist whose music I've enjoyed a lot lately.

[Adrian C. 🍓]

2020 Chart Run:
33-17-10-8-9-2-2-2-5-4-5-5-9-20-17-30-33-32-39-41-41-Off


Earlier this year when Fetch The Bolt Cutters was released and I hadn't heard any of the songs yet, I remember seeing that the album had a score of 100 on Metacritic, which I thought was insane. It's now at a 98 but after seeing that I decided to check out some of the songs and the one that seemed to be my favorite was "Shameika". I don't know what it is about the song that I find so amazing, but the production, songwriting, and vocals all play big roles here. It's a lot different than anything I had heard before, but I think that's what makes it cool and unique. The lyrical content throughout the whole album is very strong and especially on this song with Fiona looking back on her childhood. Everything about this song is so well done so of course it's one of the best of the year in my eyes.

[Adrian C. 🍓]

Notes:
- This song was carried over from 2019. It spent 26 weeks on the chart total, with 21 of those weeks being within the 2020 tracking period.

SPOILER: Click to show

{2019 Chart Run:}
34-20-17-15-9-...

2020 Chart Run:
...-8-8-16-7-4-2-2-4-4-1-4-4-7-14-19-31-37-40-44-44-45-Off


I've been a fan of The Script ever since "Breakeven" was a hit and I think we've gotten consistently good singles from them like "For The First Time", "Nothing", "Hall of Fame", and "Superheroes". "Something Unreal" is from their latest album, which made pretty much no impact. Regardless, I liked a couple of the songs from there including "Underdog", which came close to making this list but didn't quite get there. The chorus on "Something Unreal" is kind of production-heavy, but it's a very catchy song and an enjoyable listen. I don't love it now as much as I used to, but I still find it to be something worth revisiting.

[Adrian C. 🍓]

2020 Chart Run:
34-24-20-14-12-10-6-6-8-9-2-3-6-3-11-11-19-21-26-31-36-40-42-43-44-Off


We have another March Madness discovery up next, this one by Glass Animals and sent by Lordef†ones. Glass Animals is a band who I had heard of, but I don't think I had ever heard their music prior to this song. The main highlight of "Your Love" for me is the production. That beat is very infectious and catchy. It's kind of bass-heavy, which I like. I don't normally like the flute as an instrument, but I think it fits well here. And then there are the vocals, which very well match the vibe of the song. This was one of my favorite discoveries from March Madness having reached the Top 2 on my chart and I think it holds up quite well with time.

[Adrian C. 🍓]

2020 Chart Run:
30-20-9-8-2-1-1-1-3-1-3-3-...


I listened to Moral Panic a few days after it was released and I liked the album overall. Some songs on there seemed a little forgettable. But one big standout was "Impossible", which became Nothing But Thieves' first #1 hit on my chart. This song is a gorgeous power ballad, which I've heard from these guys in the past. It starts off a little slow and unexciting, but things change at that second chorus when the instrumental really kicks in and Conor Mason starts belting with that amazing voice of his. This man is such a great singer and this song shows it. Really nice songwriting as well. It's a pretty moving song and everything about it was executed really well in my opinion. It's definitely a standout and one that I'm sure I'll continue to enjoy long into 2021.

[Adrian C. 🍓]

Notes:
- This song was carried over from 2019, but only spent 1 week within the 2019 tracking period. So 22 of its weeks on the chart were in the 2020 tracking period.

SPOILER: Click to show

{2019 Chart Run:}
31-...

2020 Chart Run:
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Harry Styles managed to earn a #1 hit on my chart this year in the form of "Adore You". Ever since he released his self-titled album, I knew he would easily have the best solo career of all the One Direction members. He's certainly the most talented and has the best voice. I enjoyed the Fine Line era as both "Adore You" and "Falling" were Top 5 hits on my chart and "Cherry" has been in Bubbling Under for a little while now. I definitely think "Adore You" should've been his big #1 single on the Hot 100 over "Watermelon Sugar". I just think "Adore You" is better lyrically, instrumentally, and vocally. It's also very catchy and just one of the best pop songs and hits of 2020. Still not my favorite song from him overall ("Sign of the Times" is hard to beat), but pretty damn great.

[Adrian C. 🍓]

Notes:
- This song was carried over from 2019. It spent 41 weeks on the chart total, with 31 of those weeks being within the 2020 tracking period.

SPOILER: Click to show

{2019 Chart Run:}
40-31-30-27-28-26-17-19-19-20-...

2020 Chart Run:
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I've been a fan of Angels & Airwaves since I first heard "The Adventure" and it took me a while to learn that the group was a side project of Blink-182's singer Tom DeLonge during their hiatus from 2005 to 2009. Then of course DeLonge departed Blink in 2015 and began to focus more on Angels & Airwaves, which is great because I think it's clear which group has been making better music lately. "Kiss & Tell" was the follow-up to their comeback single "Rebel Girl". It kind of has a nostalgic feel to it as it reminds me of alt/rock music from the 2000s. It's a jam. The instrumentation is great and the song is just a lot of fun overall. It never got old for me, so that's why it had great longevity on my chart.

[Adrian C. 🍓]

Extras: Set 4 of 5









We've reached the Top 20! We're almost at the end! Ideally, the next ten songs will be posted tomorrow with the Top 10 being revealed the following day!

SPOILER: Click to show

{Audience}
kimberly
@greento
willapted33
Nick P
wrip
born
DistrictTwelve

[GP]

Adore You is one of my favorite songs of the last few years. and it hasn't aged at all for me

[Darkest Hour]

That's an unexpected tag. Glad to be somewhat influential on somebody's playlist! I know him from Cold Little Heart, and I think his vocals are expressive and the KIWANUKA album so cohesive.

[Kanenrá:ke]

Glad to have helped you discover Caroline! "Chasin' Me" is still such a pretty song that I wish had smashed!

Tag me in the rest of the reveals :)

[Adrian C. 🍓]

I have the next ten reveals ready to post! It's time to find out which songs will be missing my Top 10! I plan to have all the reveals posted within minutes, the final set of extras will be up later today, and the Top 10 will be revealed on Wednesday! So stay tuned!

SPOILER: Click to show

{Audience}
kimberly
@greento
willapted33
Nick P
wrip
born
DistrictTwelve
Kanenrá:ke

[Adrian C. 🍓]

Notes:
- This song was carried over from 2019. It spent 32 weeks on the chart total, with 30 of those weeks being within the 2020 tracking period.

SPOILER: Click to show

{2019 Chart Run:}
13-8-...

2020 Chart Run:
...-10-10-12-17-15-6-1-6-8-17-25-31-18-21-31-39-38-45-Off-42-37-38-Off-28-22-21-18-14-20-30-38-42-Off


Overall, I thought Everyday Life was quite a great album. But one song in particular that struck me was "Trouble In Town". This song, which is probably my favorite on the album, is very haunting and mesmerizing in the production and the lyrical content. It's a very bassy track with not much more to it, which gives it a very dark vibe. That dark vibe is perfect for the song as the subject is police brutality, which has always been an issue, but especially in 2020. The lyrics are very real and very serious. Then there's the recording of a couple people getting racially profiled, which actually happened. Then we have the build-up that leads into the song's big crescendo before it goes right back down to where it started. It's a fantastic song in just about every aspect and it's very moving. It had the longest run of all Coldplay songs this year on my chart with three separate chart runs while also hitting #1. It's a very important song that I'm glad Coldplay released.

[Adrian C. 🍓]

Notes:
- This song was carried over from 2019. It spent 36 weeks on the chart total, with 28 of those weeks being within the 2020 tracking period.

SPOILER: Click to show

{2019 Chart Run:}
28-21-19-9-6-9-8-6-...

2020 Chart Run:
...-7-7-7-10-25-28-28-28-33-26-24-22-22-13-15-9-5-9-15-22-37-45-44-40-45-44-41-45-Off


I think Maren Morris is one of the best modern-day country artists right now and I've been a fan since around 2016. I wasn't exactly a fan of "GIRL", but I did enjoy "The Bones" the first few times I heard it. Although it didn't actually debut on my chart until a new version was released with Hozier, who I'm a big fan of as he had two songs in my Top 50 of 2019 with "Almost (Sweet Music)" in the Top 10. Something about this version really clicked with me and I loved the male/female duet aspect of it. His voice blends in very nicely and it got to the point where the original version started to feel a little empty without that second voice. It's still great and all, but I just really love this version and it's nice to see Maren Morris have one of the biggest hits of the year. She's very talented and very deserving.

[Adrian C. 🍓]

2020 Chart Run:
32-26-9-7-12-11-11-10-4-2-2-2-1-3-1-6-...


The Killers released a truly outstanding album this year that's up there as one of my favorites of 2020. One of the many highlights from that album was "My God", the collaboration with Weyes Blood. I've heard some of Weyes Blood's music in past Pulse tournaments/RDs and I've liked pretty much all that I've heard from them. They teamed up with The Killers on this track and it's just really enjoyable. The Killers are one of my favorite groups of all time so it's rare that I dislike a song from them. But I love the production on "My God" as well as the way Brandon Flowers sounds. The backup vocals in the chorus are a really nice touch as well. It's an insanely catchy song that I think would make a great single. But for now, it's probably the best album track on Imploding The Mirage.

[Adrian C. 🍓]

2020 Chart Run:
34-26-9-6-4-4-3-2-3-3-2-2-3-11-24-26-31-40-38-40-40-Off


While I think the first half of Everyday Life is stronger than the second half, one of the main highlights from the album is from the second half and it's "Champion Of The World". One of my constant comments about Coldplay is that they are excellent songwriters. They always have been and it still shows here. "Champion Of The World" is a song that I'm sure resonates with anyone who has ever been made to feel like an outcast or that their dreams are not possible. I'm sure it resonates with anyone who struggles with everyday life. It's relatable and it's just musically fantastic. The instrumentals here are so strong and it has a very uplifting vibe to it. I love every second of this song but I find the last minute especially to be quite magical. The song did not hit #1 on my chart unfortunately as it was blocked by The Killers' "Caution". But it's still been a favorite of mine the entire year.

[Adrian C. 🍓]

2020 Chart Run:
30-14-9-8-7-7-5-5-5-2-2-2-4-10-15-21-31-39-39-44-45-39-43-43-42-41-39-Off


I've never considered myself a huge fan of Pearl Jam as I don't regularly listen to their music. I have liked a few of their older hits though and I was fascinated when I heard that they were releasing a new album. I listened to "Dance Of The Clairvoyants" and it kind of surprised me. I was expecting a stronger rock sound to it, but instead it's actually really groovy. There's not all that much to this song instrumentally, but I like simplicity of it. It's definitely a different sound for the group, but I think it works quite well and Eddie Vedder still sounds great. So yeah, I enjoy it a lot. And I'll always remember the moment it won against Dua Lipa in the first round of March Madness. Similar to "Champion Of The World", this song was also blocked from #1 by "Caution", but still had a relatively lengthy run on the chart.

[Adrian C. 🍓]

2020 Chart Run:
32-17-12-5-2-2-5-5-7-5-9-15-22-24-27-32-37-37-30-40-43-38-45-44-42-44-43-39-38-43-42-44-43-45-Off


Next we have our second and final discovery from last year's Wintertime Madness, which was sent by MoD . I've heard a lot of songs from Foals, mostly through 2019 Pulse tournaments. They've all been good, but "The Runner" is one that I instantly threw into my regular rotation. I was just amazed the first time I heard it. It's such a banger from the moment it starts through the entire song. It's very high energy with great instrumentation and an insanely catchy chorus. The vocals are strong and it's just a very fun listen. Possibly my favorite song from Foals thus far and for a while this song was the highest peaking Madness discovery on my chart with it hitting #2 (before that title was overtaken by a certain pair of other discoveries that hit #1 later in the year). But I should definitely check out more of their music.

[Adrian C. 🍓]

2020 Chart Run:
29-20-19-17-13-9-5-4-4-2-2-1-2-6-6-8-10-9-7-7-18-...


Next is my second to last March Madness discovery, with this one being sent by jamesflame. "Aries" by Gorillaz featuring Peter Hook and Georgia is without a doubt one of the best songs of the year and if I made a year-end best list that wasn't chart-based, I imagine "Aries" would be in my Top 10. Gorillaz is a group whose music I should've gotten into long before I actually did. "Clint Eastwood" is probably one of my favorite songs of all-time now and they have a handful of other great songs as well. I think what I love most about them is their versatility. They can play with a bunch of different styles and make it work. I listened to most of the Song Machine album they just released and I liked all the different styles incorporated. "Aries" was one of the singles and it's a badass song. The instrumentals, the production, and the vocals are all top notch here. Easily one of my favorite discoveries of the year.

[Adrian C. 🍓]

2020 Chart Run:
36-28-26-17-8-7-6-4-4-3-2-2-2-3-4-7-7-10-15-20-24-31-41-39-40-...


I've been an occasional fan of The 1975 ever since they released "Chocolate" all those years ago. Last year, "It's Not Living (If It's Not With You)" reached the Top 2 on my chart and landed in the Top 15 of 2019. But this year they released what I think is probably the best song of their career, which is "If You're Too Shy (Let Me Know)". I didn't chart this one instantly since "Me & You Together Song" was still having its chart run at the time, but "If You're Too Shy" just progressively got better every time I heard it. This song screams the 80s and I love that about it. It's so much fun. The instrumentation is super strong. The saxophone solo is amazing and it's like the icing to an already delicious cake. Matty's vocals are excellent here and the song is just a total jam. These guys are definitely going to have a hard time topping this masterpiece.

[Adrian C. 🍓]

2020 Chart Run:
30-24-24-22-22-21-16-16-8-6-3-4-4-5-5-5-3-3-3-7-10-11-16-19-24-25-33-...


Next up is my final discovery from March Madness, Katie Pruitt's "Expectations", which was sent by Daryl the Beryl. I had not heard of her before but I see that she's a pretty new artist with only one album that came out this past year. "Expectations" is a really nice mix of alternative with folk and some elements of country as well. I really enjoy the instrumentals in this song. They're very soothing and pleasant to my ears. She has an outstanding voice as well, which really shines towards the end of the song. The song doesn't really have a chorus, but I like the structure to it. She's a very good songwriter as well as I'm assuming this song is based around her personal experiences growing up. I've heard a few of her other songs since hearing this one and they've all been very good, so I can myself becoming a big fan when we get more music from her. But this is an awesome start for her career.

[Adrian C. 🍓]

2020 Chart Run:
28-18-15-13-11-8-6-3-5-4-5-7-3-3-3-8-7-8-5-13-15-18-11-23-27-34-39-42-44-41-44-Off


Just barely missing the Top 10 is Lana Del Rey's cover of the Sublime song "Doin' Time". I like the original version of the song, but Lana Del Rey is someone who I've had mixed feelings about over the years. I liked some of the songs from Born To Die, and then afterwards a lot of her material just bored me to death. She's not a very exciting artist, but I get that she has her style. However, I think she hit a homerun with Norman F**king Rockwell and this "Doin' Time" cover is flawless. Her style definitely works for this song and it's kind of haunting in a way. Her vocals fit the mood of the song very well and the instrumentals are nice as well. While I'm certainly not a huge Lana Del Rey fan, there's no denying that this is a great cover and that's why it's one of my favorites of the year.

[sadchild]

Glass Animals
The 1975

Love these songs, they're both on my best-of-2020 list too

[Adrian C. 🍓]

Extras: Set 5 of 5

This is the final set of extras and the group that I'm most disappointed to see miss the official list. But we're now at the Top 10 and ideally I'll reveal the Top 10 later today, but there's a chance that it'll be on Thursday. No later than that though!

SPOILER: Click to show

{Audience}
kimberly
@greento
willapted33
Nick P
wrip
born
DistrictTwelve
Kanenrá:ke

[Adrian C. 🍓]

It's time to finally finish this up! I have the Top 10 all typed up and ready to post! They should all be up within minutes! :)

SPOILER: Click to show

{Audience}
kimberly
@greento
willapted33
Nick P
wrip
born
DistrictTwelve
Kanenrá:ke

[Adrian C. 🍓]

Notes:
- This song was carried over from 2019. It spent 40 weeks on the chart total, with 26 of those weeks being within the 2020 tracking period.

SPOILER: Click to show

{2019 Chart Run:}
33-17-13-12-17-15-21-32-30-37-40-45-45-13-...

2020 Chart Run:
...-4-3-1-1-1-5-5-5-7-8-6-15-19-9-17-29-19-17-19-15-20-20-30-35-44-45-Off


Bring Me The Horizon have had a pretty solid year on my chart in 2020. "nihilist blues" debuted late in 2019 and did moderately well before collapsing to the bottom of the chart. But then it made a rebound and became the first #1 song of the 2020 calendar year! "nihilist blues" is one of the highlights from Amo and is definitely very experimental for the group. This song is like rock meets EDM, but in a way that actually works. It still kind of feels like a rock song in a sense, but there are a lot of electronic elements included as well, which I'm all for because this song is straight up fire. The production in the chorus is pretty damn great and I love the heavy amount of bass leading into Grimes' verse, which she does a great job with. It's definitely her kind of song and BMTH did a phenomenal job here. It's definitely a different sound for the group, but they made it work so well that it's a straight up jam from start to end.

[Adrian C. 🍓]

Notes:
- This song was carried over from 2019. It spent 73 weeks on the chart total, with 52 of those weeks being within the 2020 tracking period.

SPOILER: Click to show

{2019 Chart Run:}
32-21-18-16-19-9-8-6-7-5-7-6-5-7-2-3-6-11-21-20-27-...

2020 Chart Run:
...-33-33-30-29-28-38-36-34-36-10-13-16-13-16-16-16-14-12-18-18-18-17-17-17-16-20-20-20-19-18-18-19-19-33-29-34-36-42-40-44-45-44-45-41-41-43-44-45-41-44-45-45-...


Next is the only song here that is a repeat from the Top 50 of 2019, which is Tame Impala's "Borderline". The song was #20 in last year's list, but managed to place in the Top 10 for this year! I've heard some of Tame Impala's music in the past, but I don't think I really got into them until I heard "Patience", followed by "Borderline". "Borderline" is very vibey and very cool. The production is so good, the song is very catchy, and Kevin Parker just nails it on the vocals. The song did get reworked for the release of The Slow Rush, which led to the single version being taken off of streaming completely. I personally don't love the new version as much as the old single version, so I downloaded the OG version onto my Spotify and I've just been listening to that the whole year. The song also made history on my chart by having the longest chart run ever spending the latter of 2019 and the entirety of 2020 on the chart. And it never even hit #1, but it had insane longevity. It just never got old for me and it stuck around even when Tame Impala had three other songs charting simultaneously. Something about it just made it always sound fresh to me.

[Adrian C. 🍓]

2020 Chart Run:
27-13-12-10-8-10-8-11-16-15-6-3-1-1-1-6-8-6-14-17-23-31-30-30-33-31-31-34-34-31-34-...


Paramore's Hayley Williams dropped her first solo album this year and I'm kind of shocked that it got no Grammy nominations because I thought it was a pretty great album. A lot of highlights on there. "Simmer" was the lead single, which I really like and it was definitely a strong choice. Then we got "Dead Horse", which is probably the poppiest song on the album. But something about it just clicked with me. It's super catchy, especially with the chorus. The lyrical content is really good. Her vocals are still as strong as ever. I'm surprised this song didn't smash because it feels perfect for radio. But regardless, it was a smash on my chart with three weeks at #1 and over 30 weeks on the chart. Hayley Williams really delivered this year and this album and song ended up becoming some of my favorites!