I’ve put off posting this OP for too long (due to some technical difficulties that took me awhile to figure out), but it’s that time again! Tragically, the results from the old polls were lost in the move to Discourse, so I won’t be linking to those threads. Perhaps I might run another retrospective at some point, but I doubt it’d change the results of the original, which determined that “Satisfaction” by the Rolling Stones is the greatest #1 of all time.
2020 was, in brief, a weird year for pop music. Terrestrial radio ratings dropped off in a big way due to the pandemic and the rise of streaming music. Most of the songs to top the charts this year did so after becoming viral on TikTok, rather than through sales or airplay, and it definitely seems like on-demand plays are going to be the future of the charts.
An astounding 22 songs reached #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 2020, more than any year since Billboard started using Nielsen SoundScan to track sales in 1991. Back then, the chart swing settled because it was easier than before to determine exactly what records people were buying. Today, it seems that the chart swing is wild because it’s easier than before to determine what records people are listening to.
IMPORTANT NOTE: Discourse does not allow more than 20 options in a poll. As there are 22 songs that made #1 this year, they will be divided between two polls of 11 songs each - one in this post, and one in the following post. PLEASE VOTE IN ONLY ONE POLL. I have no way of policing this, so I can only ask that you will all be polite fellows and play along in the spirit of honest pollmanship (is that a word? That should be a word.)
As always, keep your feet on the ground and keep reaching for the stars.
What is the best song to reach #1 on the US charts in 2020? (VOTE IN ONLY ONE POLL)
Not a lot of enthusiasm for this year’s music, apparently. I’ll admit there’s quite a few songs on this year’s list that I haven’t heard myself.
My pick was “Blinding Lights”. I’ve made no secret of my belief that the Weeknd is one of the best R&B singers out there today, and even though the song was released before covid, it perfectly fit the zeitgeist of the early months of quarantine. The line “Sin City’s cold and empty” almost seems prophetic.
FTR, I voted for Mariah Carey. Yes, I have become that old guy who doesn’t know any of the #1 hits anymore. Well, except for the #1 hit that first became a #1 hit when he was 19.
I suppose this is what happens when the only things you listen to on Sirius/XM are Kids Place Live, the Beatles Channel, Willie’s Roadhouse and Lithium.
Blinding Lights is my runner-up. Mostly because I think WAP is more significant and Megan Thee Stallion’s first big hit. (Alongside “Savage (Remix)” which also hit #1 with Beyonce)
My vote would be meaningless at this point as the only one I am familiar with is that horrid Mariah Carey Christmas pap.
I am going to make a playlist and give them all a listen x2, then come back and vote. When I’ve done this in the past I’ve been extremely underwhelmed with what the kids are listening to these days.
Remove yourself from the square plot of grass in front of my homestead.
But I do want to acknowledge your dedication, Smapti, to this worthy project. Top job.
In the previous years, I think I was somewhat familiar with a lot of the songs - perhaps not all of them, but many. I usually listen to radio while commuting to work and/or hear “new” music while at the gym.
Guess what I didn’t do for the vast majority of last year?
I’ve heard the Megan Thee Stallion songs. And Blinding Lights is on the Just Dance game. And Mariah Carey’s song is 25 years old. And that’s it.
I voted for “Blinding Lights,” with “Rain on Me” in second place. The rest of the list is a whole lot of rubbish…so bad that if I had to make a third choice, I might be forced to vote for a boy band (“Dynamite”).
While one can argue it might have a greater impact, it’s just so forgettable as a SONG. The lyrics are memorable but as music goes it’s boring as hell. It isn’t Cardi B’s or MTS’s tenth best track. Blinding Lights is a terrific song.