THE TOP TEN BEST HIT SONGS OF 2020

P.S. I'm surprised that Misery Business is running away with the Song vs. Song poll. It's probably the objectively better song, but Girlfriend is just so much more fun.

Stormy K.

Aw, I'm sad you left NYC. Even though you said it wasn't the best year to pack up and move to the other side of the country, lots of people fled the city this year (last year?), so you definitely weren't alone.

NYC Pigeon

I was the complete opposite--I basically stopped listening to music this year, so your lists are, by and large, full of stuff I've never heard. It was interesting to go into them with no preconceived notion of "I bet [x] will be on here!"

Stormy K.

I'm excited to see what country song he picks for #1 in 2030.

J. Francis

Was Green Light a controversial choice? I thought people liked that song (I certainly do).

J. Francis

Ahhhhh, my yearly dose of pop culture, beautifully and expertly summarized once again by Todd! I really appreciate it because my interests and lifestyle are so niche (even the pandemic didn't change my life much), I wasn't aware of most of the songs mentioned on either list, and just like 2019, I found a few more to add to my playlist. Thank you for your hard work, Todd!

Steven Choi

Snoop was complaining about questionable taste? This would be Snoop 'Just Eat' Dogg, right? (and if that means nothing to you, a quick search will fix that)

Paul McA

Can definitely confirm that censoring "Supalonely" ruins the song. The first time I heard it was on the radio, censored, and I thought it was the most obnoxious song I'd heard in a long time. Then I heard the uncensored version and went, "Oh wait, this song rules, actually."

Home Theater of Cruelty

well said!

surasshu

It may not have been a great artistic achievement, but damn, his Peter Gabriel is eerie.

Kristopher Bluth

Glad I wasn't the only one who caught that...

Kristopher Bluth

One of the more silly things about 2020 was all the manufactured outrage over "WAP." It's way too ridiculous to get upset over. It's like being offended by "Itsy Bitsy Teeny Weeny Yellow Polka Pot Bikini."

Kristopher Bluth

as a relentless tay tay fan...I feel vindicated

Clem Ellis

Really solid set of top 10s, and now I get to hunt down all the ones I hadn't heard before now! I was also pleasantly surprised to see my absolute fave Billie Eilish song in the honorable mentions; that song is a complete punch to the kidneys in the best possible way.

Lanth

The list was great, but more than that Todd's vibe in this video is just something. This odd amalgamation of relief and tiredness and confused fear and anger and sadness and, most importantly, finding some kind of joy in the middle of it all. This video has the feeling of that 10 second cry you have when you're drunk with your best friend and you know how fucked up the world is, and how fucked up you are yourself, but goddamnit you are ALIVE. You are IN this bitch, right here, right now, and you are feeling something, maybe feeling everything that you didn't feel during the times you were numb, and just giving it all at the same time. You laugh, you cry, you scream, and you pour another drink. Cheers, Todd.

Scootinand

I straight up lol’d to the truck sound effect added to “Positions”

great list. i'm grateful for your work, you really make me feel ok about loving pop music, especially this year.

beau_d

You got me tearing up here with that last one 😭

S. R.

At 25:52 you pronounce "WAP" different than Cardi B, which is pretty funny imo

DL

There's a Vimeo play button at 11:26

DL

The only thing I don’t like about this video is that it’s only one part, meaning you only get paid for it once. I’m sure you have your reasons for why you went back to one big video for the lists this year but I feel like the hard work you begrudgingly do for these deserves more than $2 per video. Thank you for doing all this for us Todd.

Fantastic list Todd. Quick note, your light is visible in the upper left corner, you might want to zoom in 5%, it was getting kind of distracting.

Sam Frederich

Kacey Musgrave’s High Horse made Honorable Mention in 2018! But yeah, that’s a really good observation. Maybe the 2010’s were just a bad decade for country. Haha.

Franco del Rosario

That's Sunglasses at Night by Corey Hart.

Georgina Storey

I want to submit a counterargument: I think that Gus Dapperton adds a ton to Supalonely... by virtue of adding absolutely nothing. You hear her talk the whole song about how she's absolutely desperate to get back with this guy with the sole justification that she's been lonely, and then you get to his verse, and... yep, that tracks. There is no legitimate reason to get back with this wet fart of a human being other than being so starved for human interaction that you just have to be with ANYONE. Part of why it resonated with the early quarantine vibe so well.

Kyle B

“I try to make my #1s something we can all agree on” Todd you chose Closer and Green Light

Sean Riley

Your segment on Adore You is inspiring me to do some writing. I love the music video. I'll try to put to words why

Damian Behymer

Beautiful list

Nowhere Girl

first time i heard midnight sky i was excited for the best of list this year, hoping like hell that it would make the cut

sweesbees

Also really related to #5 on the level that it was a guy who I don’t really like, music-wise, but using his influence and fame in a way I really respect

great work man, especially for a great year of pop music. if i were to flout the rules, i would have ranked plastic hearts (better than midnight sky!) stay away from dedicated side b and never change by coin for my non-hits of the year. plus the edit i saw on twitter of levitating with a featured verse from megan

es arg

This really is a fantastic list and video though. Like a lot of people here have said, your extremely righteous anger in #5 was amazing and cathartic.

Franco del Rosario

Thank you for all your hard work!!!!! I’m not super into the charts and every time you release this list I take away a new song or five :) also thanks for acknowledging Miley’s transformation into a beautiful 80s butterfly, I love that song

Yeah his audio levels on these videos are always all over the place. I've just come to accept it.

DJ Tanner

ty toddy

I mean, if New York winters are any indication, that’s as good a reason as any.

Franco del Rosario

It's finally here!

rose mulet

I always look forward to this list from you, but after the year we had, it's so wonderful to see someone talking about things they liked from this year. Thank you for all the work you put into this, Todd.

Owen W

They don't care, they love it.

I don't know how BENEE has been pronounced on US media, but on Australian radio (not NZ but she's also been on Aus radio for a while), they pronounce it like 'Benny'. I don't know if that's something that needs fixing but it's just been a bit weird hearing 'Benay'. Great video though, thanks for powering through the year!

Galaxy > both . . . but for 2D games, those are the top two. And absolutely correct on the second TS album. Did not get nearly enough attention.

Dylan Northrup

"More Than My Hometown" is the country song I've been waiting for: The girl chose the big city over the guy, and he's able to express sorrow about that without a strong undercurrent of contempt for her choice. (For contrast: Justin Moore's "Bait a Hook." Fuck that guy.) Now all we need is a response song in which she tells him she does think of him occasionally, and she has no hard feelings, but her life is definitely richer without him and she can't pretend to regret the break-up.

Jess Morgan

Its funny that Taylor Swift got so much attention in all of the Best Of lists written in early December (present company obviously excluded) for releasing her best album ever completely out of nowhere but when she released her best album ever completely out of nowhere *again* less than 6 months later it was just like “oh yeah ok.” (Yeah Evermore is better than Folklore but that’s like arguing about which Mario game is better between SMB3 and SMW, they’re both classics now bow down before the master of platformers and/or songwriting)

Nick Ostrem

The Number One pick was the most bold and brazen thing you've done since putting The Chainsmokers at the top of the list in 2016 --- And much like that choice, I think I actually agree with this one too Also, putting a country song at the top of your list a full decade after you did it the first time makes me happy

The Hand Of The People

Spoilers!!! But I was pleasantly surprised by your number 6 pick, didn’t think any song from there would make it on your list except maybe as an honourable mention. That song in specific, as well as the adjacent collab on the next album, really worked for me. Also the “honk” joke about positions made me laugh. I’d never heard your number 1 pick but honestly it seems pretty good and I can relate to the song’s themes.

Glad to see he’s come around on them. Watching him hate on them in 2016 hurts my soul :(

Btw is #1 the first country song to make Todd’s best list since Need You Now in 2010? I guess OTR last year but other than that were there any?

glad to finally see a twenty one pilots song on the best list, even as an honorable mention (spoilers).

Are we sure about pronouncing Benee that way?...

DJ Tanner

I completely agree! The video feels Pythonesque in the most basic way possible.

Emily Malek

Shame there wasn't a "non-hit honourable mentions" bit this year, there was a lot of really good music from acts like Poppy, Haru Nemuri, Rina Sawayama, Charli XCX, and American Let's Player Matt Watson.

Chris Renwick

I get the idea of "More Than My Hometown" personally as well. Probably from a different type of angle, but I feel extremely attached to my life in northern San Diego and I can't ever imagine sacrificing all the little things that comprise my life here just because I meet a woman who clicks with me.

Jacqueline Sailer

You know this was a good year for music when the Worst list has more non-hits in the honorable mentions than the Best list.

Jacqueline Sailer

I was certainly surprised by #1 but I certainly get it. At least it wasn't Chainsmokers.

apocalypsethen

I'm not familiar with number 1, but hearing you talking about how you connected with it was so wonderful, and the list overall was pretty great Oh and I fucking love Heartless for all the reasons you mentioned

Comet

I enjoy Positive Todd, this was a good list and a good encapsulation of the cocktail of emotions of 2020

Martin

man every time I see one of these I think "god has it been another year already?" thanks for sticking with us.

matt

this year there is zero overlap between your list and mine, which is a bit strange. I like most of your picks, but I don't really love any of them, even the ones that I ordinarily should have. Strange year, huh.

Andreas Stahl

Not going to lie, that buildup of frustration on #5 was beautifully done. The perfect encapsulation of feeling so burntout on being outraged that it somehow circles back around and you're burntout on the burnout. "I'm not mad. I'm just tired," indeed...

AstarothLuLz

Todd your channel is filled with great videos, but I think this may be the best video you’ve ever done. It’s filled with all of the emotions and highs and lows that captured 2020 and it has all the great strengths that you put in your videos turned up to eleven. I could go in more detail about why I love itbut I know how weird it can be for people to be overshowered with compliments, so I just wanted to say I think this is the best video you’ve ever done after eleven years and I don’t think most youtubers could accomplish something this great

Christina Kelley

I never felt like Miley embarrassed myself but i'm glad she tried something different here. My brain wasn't scrambled at all last year because I'm the type of person who is well-suited to staying indoors all the time since that's basically what I was already doing before the virus hit, except now I have an actual legitimate excuse for doing so. That Styles song did nothing for me personally, I honestly would've put that Selena/Blackpink song on the list over it. That Morgan song was OK, but it's not one I can relate to as i've lived in the same place my whole life and don't really plan on leaving, Rain on Me is my #1 song.

RedBedroomRecords

He didn't really say it was bad though.

RedBedroomRecords

Great list. My favorite seconds of the year was the chorus from Flaming lips Dinosaurs on the mountain. I don't know the guy in the number 1 spot, but it sounds awesome,

I heard "25" only recently and I was shocked how much it sounds like a Bond theme. It literally doesn't sound like anything else other than "this song should be playing over footage of James Bond and segue into a Bond film".

Alina

Great video, always a highlight that a look forward to at the start of every year. Didn't expect to see Heartless on here but I had pretty much the same reaction as you during the intro to that song. Surprised to see Miley on the list because while the song was good, I don't think anyone really cared about Miley herself (and I didn't even notice it was her song). I'll probably be wrong but I don't think she'll surpass this next year. Nonetheless: excellent video!

Oisín Quinn

I'm very happy Miley found her way this year. I'm surprised Dua Lipa wasn't on the list, but I also respect the choices you did put on here.

Harrison Bieth

I must be getting old, because I don't think I liked a single song on this list aside from Taylor Swift's. (I prefer "Cardigan," but that's picayune.) I did like Rina Sawayama's "xS," Phoebe Bridgers' "I Know the End," The Pretty Reckless' maybe-Bond theme "25," the Go-Gos' "Club Zero," and the best political song of the year, Drive-By Truckers' "Thoughts and Prayers."

Beau Dure

This is literally my favorite Best List of yours. I cheered and said "yes" so many times, even during the honorable mentions. It made me realize how solid of a year 2020 was for the pop charts. There were be so many songs I loved and re-listened to that didn't even make your top 10. I will say, as far as criticisms go, there were lots of audio pops during the transitions between you talking and the songs. Probably a quick fix though.

Zack

!! thank you !! love music, but i stay lost in the history and genre and subcultures, so it's always nice to have someone contextualize pop music for me since i miss most of that stuff. also, I have never heard of Morgan Wallen, but definitely good to have a Country Pop star to look out for. As a kid in TN I was surrounded by country radio, so i love the sound, but the songwriting can be so. conformist and inane that i don't want to sort through it. thanks!

Creamer

I loved the "Adore You" video. Harry Styles could have picked any stunning woman to be the object of his adoration for this video and instead he picked a fish and had a Free Willy moment? A great subversion of expectations.

KBucky

Wow I never would have guessed that number one lol. I kept waiting for "Wishing Well" or "Come and Go," I thought they were great. Love to see the love for "Midnight Sky." Really enjoyed the list, as always! (PS - who are these people who keep badgering creators for videos? Don't they know they're being annoying dipshits??)

Meowlissa

I laughed harder than I probably should have at the All Things Considered bit. XD

Lewis Lovhaug

Absolutely love the thumbnail image!

Stormy K.

Calling Taylor Swift’s Lover “a bad album” activated my flight-or-fight response. Hahaha. I was never a huge Swiftee, but Lover is my favorite album from her. I know that makes me one of a few dozen people. Hahaha.

Franco del Rosario

For some reason I always look forward to seeing your non-hit honorable mentions! Expected to see Kyoto there. Anyway this list was awesome and I loved your dive into why Harry Styles and Miley Cyrus unlocked for the public this year. What a great year for music.

Great video as always, Todd! Does anyone know the song in the background at 20:46-47 with the dude in the phone booth? I swear I heard that same brief clip on the radio awhile back but wasn't able to find the song at the time...

Brice Onken

Great list, tho if you were gonna show off any Dua Lipa song I was hoping it would be "Levitating" cuz it has absolutely been rocking my world but the whole album is good so w/e

10 - I remember you tweeting Beyonce’s feature didn’t really add anything and was kind of shocked. Glad to see you came around. 9 - I can’t believe you prefer this one. That just doesn’t fit into my picture of you at all lol. I definitely preferred his other big hits this year, ESPECIALLY “Blinding Lights”, but this is certainly solid. 8 - Yea this is pretty much a perfect pop song, even if I agree Chromatica & Positions were just “meh”. 7 - Pleasant enough, but this one never really connected with me. I might just have an aversion to Tik Tok tunes. The Gus Dapperton part sucks. 6 - Yea this one hits hard. I can’t say I loved Folklore or Evermore as much as everyone, but this is one of the few tracks off those that really stuck with me. 5 - Such an improvement from his normal stuff. Who would have thought the best song for this moment would have come from THIS source?! 4 - I’m honestly glad how much praise Miley got for this, and this song is pretty good (I liked the remix even more) but I can’t say this album blew me like it did a lot of people. It just felt like a bunch of generic throwbacks to me. 3 - Very fun pop song. I’m not on the Harry Styles train as much as everyone else, but he does have a star power I have to acknowledge. Agree the video sucks. 2 - Again, not quite as in love with this as everyone else, but it’s definitely a ton of fun, and Snoop is definitely being a douchebag (you wrote “Can You Control Yo Hoe” man, there can be a WAP). HM1 - I preferred 34+35 by A LOT, honestly. HM2 - Liked this a lot when I heard it first, but haven’t gone back to it since really. HM3 - Laziest switch up I’ve heard in a long time, but both parts are fine enough. HM4 - I’ve never heard this. HM5 - Or this one HM6 - Goes hard every time. HM7 - Gotta admit this song, and all the other Dua Lipa hits, are better than about half the list to me. (Shrugs) music is subjective after all. HM8 - This makes me smile every time I hear it. Same thing I said about Dua applies to this and “The Box”. 1 - Seeing as I’m not a country guy at all really, I’ve never really heard this or any of his songs. This sounds nice enough, though. Considering that Exile counts, “Good News” by Mac Miller would have to be my number one, and like Todd it’s not even close (it’s the only song I was sad to see not even be an honorable mention.) Thanks again for all the hard work Todd!

Anthony Pierre Coco

Also, I think this list was all the more wholesome for that pure Rage in the middle. I really appreciated that moment, thank you ♥

Celery

If the first shot of Bon Iver actually being a shot of Wilco is intentional, it is HILARIOUS. Love the list, thank you for making it personal, even though you hate doing that!

Kate Spencer

I was thinking the same thing. His worst of 2020 list was great too but the positivity just hits hard right now, even when still talking about what a shit year it was.

JB Robinson

He didn't make it in 2013, 2014 or 2015.

Teddy Haines

This is a tour de force. Maybe one of your best videos ever.

Anthony Hansen

I don't think I saw anyone else mention it, but the cut from your audio to the opening audio for #6 at about 12:27 was LOUD on my headphones

Celery

C’mon, “Lover” had some fat to trim, but it was mostly good

Cameron Cook

For me the Weekend with "Blinding Lights" would have been my number one, because at the start of 2020 my daughter was born. I was driving to the hospital multiple times to visit my wife and her and heard the song in the radio multiple times, so i build a connection with it. For me this year was really complicated. On one hand it was very great, because of my child, but on the other hand the years also sucked for all of the obvious reasons. Also Spotify end of the year list sucks for parents, because all of my top songs are lullabies…

Björn Apel

Kinda of ironic that Snoop Dogg would be offended by "WAP" considering that he made a song called "Wet", which is basically about the same thing.

Thomas Carmody

woo great list

2020 really was a fantastic year for music it's so crazy

Exquisite Williams

Thanks for the list :D I really enjoyed it

I am shocked at #1. I’m a fan of country music including some of the radio stuff, and I don’t even like that song

ImADudeDuh

It’s fun to be surprised with the number one! I don’t listen to country much so I don’t actually know who he is but I have to say I’m intrigued! I have to admit I’m super basic and my top for the year was Blinding Lights. Idk it just gave me joy. Also In Your Eyes was great. Dua Lipa and Harry Styles were my other top pop listens. I had a soft spot for Watermelon Sugar because of the trumpets 😂

Ingeborg

What a fantastic list. Almost none I would have thought to place going in, but cogent, well-argued and, in the case of #5, godbedamned important. Great work, Todd.

Alex Baugh

Jesus Christ Todd you had me tearing up watching your number 5 pick

Christina Kelley

I went through that given the tone expecting to end on Mac Miller and then BOOM blurry Morgan wallen twitter account outta nowhere

Agreed

Elizabeth M Hyde

As you alluded to, less driving to work (or anywhere) meant less connection to the top-40 for me, so some of these songs were lost to me, but man did Dua Lipa, Harry Styles, and the Weeknd kill it this year. If I could recommend anything, not really a correction so much as a suggestion, you might consider providing a warning at the top of #5 about the police violence footage, which could be unexpected and upsetting to some.

Jonathan P

The positivity of the top 10 best list always picks me up! Looking forward to adding a bunch of these to my playlists, hope you're able to get some decent rest!

Tim Bates

I thought it was just me feeling that way, but I’m totally with you on #9

Shocked by the number 1 pick but I love it. Really nailed the list this year.

God I love Morgan Wallen.

Josh Spicer

"Usually my top 1 picks everyone can agree on" said the man who made Closer his #1 (I didn't disagree, I just think it's funny). Half of these songs I only knew because of TikTok. Anyway, didn't see any errors. Thanks for another year!

Alina

can't believe i'm crying because of a todd's best list but everything about #5 got me weeping like a child

mjbop

Let out an audible "wow!" On the #1 reveal

Joey Langdon

You didn't move for a girl , and you didn't move for a shiny new job to finally ditch Youtube forever (hopefully not!), why did you move then? The weather?

welp, time to listen to morgan's double album all day again

Caroline Cash

Not being from the US means the number one pick is a little lost on me but I always love these videos! Thank you for making it!

Todd‘s best list is literally my Christmas

Christina Kelley

Really good video. Really good.

SJ

Harry's cover of "Sledgehammer" is absolutely in my Top 20 of the Year.

Josh Spicer

2020 was the year that I got back into chart pop music, and recognised most of the songs from Todd's list. Usually a lot of the songs are New To Me, but I'm oddly proud of myself lol. (I agree on the "Harry Styles ruled 2020" hype train)

Georgie Rowe

I think this is the first top 10 todd released without a drake song placing

YoCallMeRob

“Blinding Lights is music to crash your car into a ditch to” Take that Icona Pop!

Yeah your words on number 5 basically encapsulated these last four years pretty fucking well.

Josh Spicer

"Blinding Lights" might've been overplayed all to shit but I still don't see how it isn't Top 10.

Josh Spicer