Summer 2020: UK Top 20 Hit Songs Ranked

Into the fold once more...

There is no denying that 2020 has been an exceptionally chaotic, order-less and unpredictable year, one that has seen a constant increase in war threats, the rise of a deadly virus that gridlocked the world's economy and a society riddled by division. If solace can be found anywhere, it's in the people who've come together for an essential common cause - the support of black and queer lives has never been more vocal over the month of June, and it's the best thing that's happened this year (even if much of the momentum has been fuelled by tragic deaths and events).

During this time, trivial things such as the pop charts have barely crossed my mind, and for the first time in over two years I haven't been keeping up with the charts whatsoever. When July came around and I realised the next installment of this seasonal chart ranking was due, I realised that there was a certain comfort in going back to this meaningless list of popular songs, that discovering the current sensations in music was something I used to find enjoyable and exciting. And, as alien as it feels to do so again, it can still be enjoyable and exciting. This is the Top 20 songs in the UK, ranked from worst to best...

If you don't know how this works, I'll be taking the chart dating 3rd July 2020 and ranking the Top 20 songs from worst to best, placing each song in a distinctive tier. For every song in a tier a set amount of points will be awarded, resulting in a total score out of 100 for how good the chart was for that season in my opinion. A quick breakdown of how much each tier is worth, we have Terrible which is +0 points per song; Bad which is +1; Meh which is +2; Decent which is +3; Good which is +4 and Excellent which is +5 points. Hope you enjoy, it should soon make sense if it hasn't already. Let's get into this thing, starting of with...

20

"Stuck With U"
Ariana Grande & Justin Bieber

Chart Position: #17

So this is a thing apparently. Ariana Grande, a melodramatic singer who's spent her career transitioning further towards trend chasing R&B and somehow got progressively better, has collaborated with Justin Bieber, a flat and indistinctive singer who's spent his career constantly chasing trends and has been incredibly inconsistent. What connects the two other than their pasts as teen pop stars and their similar ages? Well, their desire to capitalise on - wait, what's this? They've donated all the money from this song to funds for key workers due to the pandemic? Wha...eh?! I'm slightly speechless, as usually this kind of song would be a blatant cash grab, I mean, just listen to the cheap production on this thing. The beat is painfully simple, the guitar fails to capture the kind of tension they're going for and sounds suspiciously like it's been lifted from an Ed Sheeran song, whilst the vocal melodies are more reminiscent of a "dramatic" Christmas song. Let's not get into the soulless lyrics, in fact, let's leave this thing behind thank you.

19

"How You Like That"

BLACKPINK
Chart Position: #20

I don't dislike BLACKPINK, but this song feels like a product of their most obnoxious tendencies mixed with some of their most barren performances, everything coming across as sterile and emotionless right from the slightly breathy singing that opens things off over the top of an all too blocky synthline. Arriving at the chorus, it becomes apparent that none of their endearing melodrama has been translated from previous songs and they've instead gone for the most vapid and flavourless refrain of "how you like that" just straight up shouted over a drop that feels even more scientifically precise and artificial than the rest of the song. It feels robotic and fake, but what's worse is just how ugly the sound of it all is. 

On the hit "Kill This Love", everything was overblown and maximalistic, I could see why some people despised it, but at least there was an energy and a breakup theme that they stuck to even amongst the incredibly OTT horns and bass. Here though? It's like they've taken all that worked from that song and discarded it, keeping the huge beats and bass but ignoring the need for a real build to enable any payoff in the drop. The breakup theme is the same but the focus is changed rubbing the breakup in the ex's face without much any subtlety. It feels braggadocious, self centred and cruel, but without any kind of story to back up why we should care or get on board. In short, this song is ugly on the outside and, well, there is no inside because it's so two dimensional. Next!

18

"This City"

Sam Fischer

Chart Position: #16

Unlike Lewis Capaldi, this guy can sing. Other than that singular saving grace, there's almost nothing that sets this apart from the Scotsman's signature sadboy wailing, complete with a looping chord pattern and drivelling lyrics. I don't want to talk about this, and I've decided I won't. Next...

17

"Kings & Queens"
Ava Max

Chart Position: #19

Yikes man...what happened to Ava Max? I mean there was definitely a group of people who didn't accept "Sweet But Psycho" for the dumb fun pop song that it was, but I never thought things would get THIS BAD. Okay, maybe I should have foreseen this, especially after the painful emo antics of "So Am I", and it isn't like there's been much going on in her music since then. This song though? Well I think I may be starting to understand what people mean by branding her music as "offensively poppy". This has absolutely no lyrical value, the instrumental is the synthpop equivalent to faux-glamorous glitzy furniture and the guitar solo is... well it doesn't sound real if you know what mean.

16

"Flowers"

Nathan Dawe ft. Jaykae

Chart Position: #14

Do you ever have those songs that you just detest because of one line? On surface level, there's nothing particularly worthwhile to hate or love about the very generic house-flavoured EDM instrumental, nothing special enough to care about in the vocal performances from either the singer or Jaykae's awkwardly placed but decent enough rap verse. No, this isn't where my issue lies. What I hate is a single line in the chorus, something I'm sure most people would overlook as sweet and slightly meaningless but to me has become an infuriating detail I can't help but notice and scrutinise. The lyric is, "I'll bring you flowers, they'll make your day". "They'll make your day". How dare you make the presumption that your flowers will be the definitive highlight of my day! Perhaps I've just eaten a delicious cake, or completed the incredibly satisfying and fulfilling task of fixing or making something? Maybe someone's given me a much more personal and thoughtful gift than some generic flowers, or perhaps it was my wedding day and you still think that your flowers will make my day. I'm sorry, but it's not for you to decide what makes my day, and I'll have you know that if anything some flowers will only show how little you know me. 

I have hayfever.

15

"Savage Love"

Jawsh 685 & Jason Derulo

Chart Position: #1

I was surprised by how much I didn't hate this song when I first heard it, both given its immense popularity through TikTok and due to the fact that the singer is none other than Jason Derulo...yeah, I thought his career was over too (wishful thinking amiright). The last time I remember hearing his pig squeal of a falsetto was on 2017's "Tip Toe", a song that stuck around for an insufferably long time and yet seemed to kill his career and rightfully so as it fit in easily among his worst singles. I actually checked out his discography on wikipedia to see if I was forgetting any singles after that and apparently he had a collaboration with Nicki Minaj, Willy William and David Guetta in 2018 that thankfully I can't recall, but since then he's not had one charting song, not here in the UK or anywhere else for that matter. You hear that? That is the sound of magic right there.

Wait.

No.

It can't be...

The pig squealing falsetto... it's returned.

Not only returned but returned to #1? This is the man's fifth number one single for goodness sake, at least give us an extra year to breathe please! I said at the start that I somehow didn't initially hate this but as you can see I've placed this in the Bad Tier so that clearly changed. I mean of course Derulo's falsetto got under my skin, that was a given, but more than that, the production on this thing is just so pathetic and tinny. The main melody is clearly the reason it's done so well and it's a thin, muted horn that sounds weak and plastic, so of course that has to be the part of the song that's captured millions of people's attention on TikTok. What fun! Other than that, the rest of the song plays out like your average reggaeton track and the lyrics are a capitalisation on "savage" as a trendy word just like "psycho" before it, so I'd advise you stay well back.

14

"Party Girl"

StaySolidRocky

Chart Position: #13

Something I've waited to mention until now is the fact that twelve songs out of the Top 20 owe their fame at least partially due to their success on TikTok, and "Party Girl" by StaySolidRocky has got to be the epitome of a song not just elevated by but reliant on the social media platform. There is nothing of worth here, the beat is spare and unimpactful whilst it's actually present and the piano in so distant in the background it sounds as though it was accidentally added to the mix, as if whilst StaySolidRocky was recording his abysmal vocals there was someone in the next room struggling to get the hang of a basic melody they're attempting over and over again as they work their way through Yousician. Basically, this is a worthless piece of music and this up and coming rapper has absolutely no star power. Ah, look what the cat TikTok dragged in.

13

"Breaking Me"

Topic ft. A7S

Chart Position: #4

The best part of this song is the way the engaging bassline warps to the beat. The worst part of this song is the way he sings "la la la la" over and over again. Nothing else is worth noting.

12

"Rover"

S1mba ft. DTG
Chart Position: #5

I don't dislike this, but I also have a hard time finding anything much to enjoy about S1mba's transparently photocopied UK rap track, from the marimba stabs to the excruciatingly basic rhymes, car flexes and just generally formulaic way they've chosen to make this song. Honestly I don't have anything really to say about this, but if you want to listen to some actually interesting UK rap music that sounds like this go listen to J Hus instead.

11

"ROCKSTAR"
DaBaby ft. Roddy Ricch

Chart Position: #2

I wasn't exactly kind to DaBaby's most recent album and whilst this particular song has definitely grown on me, it's not exactly great rap or even DaBaby's best. Initially, I found the guitar loop a pretty irritating addition to the typical sparse, bass-heavy beats, but it's got to the point where I can tolerate and perhaps even appreciate its inclusion. Roddy Ricch's feature has also grown on me, whilst DaBaby's verses and choruses are no more or less than when I first heard them. Yeah I suppose it's alright but I would never choose to listen to this and I can't excuse the beat for being just another clone of "Suge"... so no, I'm not giving it the Decent Tier door pass. Sorry.

10

"Watermelon Sugar"

Harry Styles

Chart Position: #6

I wouldn't be at all surprised if I'd made certain fanbases frustrated by my placement of certain songs in this ranking, and I won't apologise to fans of Ariana, Bieber, K-pop and TikTok for being critical of their art. And yeah you can go ahead and add Harry Styles to that list, because what I'm about to say will be mostly complains. First things first, I genuinely love some of Harry Styles' songs, both albums have their pretty huge highlights and although neither of his records are absolute favourites of mine, they both offer some worthwhile tracks that are heavily influenced by classic rock. Now, the problem with "Watermelon Sugar" is one I have pretty exclusively with the production, but it's something that ruins a whole lot of the song. 

The mix is off. The bassline should definitely be more prominent; his vocals are processed in a metallic way that detracts from the lush instrumentation and the horns fail to add the retro flavouring they're going for due to their thin, uncompelling sound. You can call me out for nitpicking or trying to find faults where there are none but I can hear all this and, for me personally, it's a lot of problems that add up to a cool, summer jam that trips over itself and fails to live up to the groovy perfection of "Adore You" or the soulful "Lights Up". Sorry, that's how I feel. It's decent, but it isn't...

 9

"I Dunno"
Tion Wayne ft. Dutchavelli & Stormzy

Chart Position: #11

The ambient backdrop to this song is almost as interesting as the beat itself, and paired together they make a genuinely great instrumental that the three rappers don't quite fill. Sure, each of them are giving pretty good performances but things are a definitely a little repetitive and I wish there was a little more time spent playing off the tension and atmospherics than simply treating it as a typical beat and rapping straight over it as they do. That said, there are some good moments here and if you're into grime I can imagine you enjoying this a fair bit. Personally I look for a little more movement when listening to the genre but I'm curious to hear more in this vein of grime and see how it progresses.

8

"Burning"

M Huncho & Dutchavelli

Chart Position: #18

I actually quite enjoy this song but I'd be lying if I said this wasn't ripping off Future with the Middle Eastern sounding loop in the background that clearly tries to sound like his sample of "Prison Song" on "Mask Off". Regardless, they've put together a genuinely good little grime song that sounds, dare I say it, a little bit unique. It seems this guy Dutchavelli is the one constant between this and "I Dunno", both songs featuring a more chilled and ambient backdrop that is more common from American rappers. I'm intrigued to hear more. I don't have much to say other than that, just know that this has grown on me a great deal since I first heard it. 

7

"Savage"
Megan Thee Stallion

Chart Position: #10

I've been all over the place with Megan Thee Stallion, and this song has sat at the centre of my indecisiveness but, like Tones & I's "Dance Monkey" before it, I think I've finally made up my mind. This is a very well crafted song, the balance between the kick-heavy beat and piano stabs providing a perfect framework from which Megan can do her thing. She's commanding, bursting with personality whilst sounding effortlessly restrained. As with most of her songs, the subject matter isn't anything exceptional or unique but it's the way she delivers bars that makes it engaging, and this song boasts her most memorable lines to date. Even without TikTok, this would have to have been a hit and I'm glad it is.

6

"Secrets"
Regard ft. Raye

Chart Position: #7

After the pretty engaging, chilled house of "Ride It", I definitely expected Regard to be one of those blips on the radar that achieve a little attention from the mainstream before being forgotten, but this new single "Secrets" with Raye? It may be that the structure is identical to that previous song but the specific mix of vocals, house beats and liquid-like synth solos with the gloriously dripping bass makes for a song that's an instant hit - catchy, drenched in summer vibes and impossible to forget. I'm impressed enough to be contemplating checking out his back-catalogue so you can take that as a big thumbs up from me. Oh, and, can I just say I'm also really digging the colour palette of the artwork too.

5

"Rain On Me"

Lady Gaga ft. Ariana Grande

Chart Position: #3

See! I don't hate Ariana, in fact, she fits really well onto this refreshingly different house-y pop track, a definite highlight from Gaga's newest album (I swear I'll get there, the review's coming at some point). For one thing, this track's got a phenomenal growling bass warble, a springy house beat and some gorgeous strings that take the spotlight during the verses before you dive headfirst into the bubbly build that is the prechorus, a different bassline taking the cake here for most interesting element before the inevitable explosion of the chorus. This is a great track, and if I wasn't so picky it would have a shot at being in the...

Ha. Fakeout. We got one more track first...

4

"Dinner Guest"

AJ Tracey ft. MoStack

Chart Position: #8

What makes these UK rappers' collaboration better than the two American singers'? That's a good question, and not one I'm quite sure I know the answer to. For one, that song was pretty multifaceted with some great progressions between the clear cut segments, a song that had a compelling and somewhat empowering narrative that was topped off by some pretty top notch performances from both Gaga and Ariana. On the other hand, this has a looping, repetitive beat that doesn't particularly deviate from other current UK rap and features two rappers just kind of rambling about different things that are on their mind without much of a narrative or any progressions in the lyrics or instrumental. And yet, this had me hooked from first listen due to the simple fact that this is FUN. Yeah, "Rain On Me" makes for a pretty good listen, but does it put a smile on my face? No. Does every line feel quotable and humorously quirky? No. Does it make me want to dance? Ok yes, they both win there, but the point is that for as objectively more complex and interesting the former may be, it's "Dinner Guest" that I'm going to choose to listen to in more situations and it's "Dinner Guest" that lands the closest to being in the...

3

"Blinding Lights"
The Weeknd

Chart Position: #12

I don't have anything I want to say about this song that I didn't say the first time around back in the Winter Ranking, so I'll link to that and be done with it. Great song, but you already knew that.

2

"Break My Heart"

Dua Lipa

Chart Position: #15

All the singles off of this album have been nothing short of phenomenal, and "Break My Heart" is no exception. In fact, it slightly blows "Don't Start Now", "Physical" and "Future Nostalgia" straight out of the water in terms of its actual quality, brandishing its funkier guitar licks like a sly weapon that creeps up on you, slowly integrating themselves within your mind alongside the chorus as a permanent earworm, and a pleasantly welcome one at that. The absence of sound can be more effective than a great sound, and producer Andrew Watt clearly understood that with this song. I've checked out his production credits and, whilst it's far less consistent than someone like Jack Antonoff, there's at least evidence that he knows the workings of a great hit. I've said it many times, perhaps so much it could seem like blatant favouritism and bias, but I won't stop whilst it remains true: Dua Lipa is the queen of mainstream pop right now, and I'm thrilled that's the case. That said, what could possibly have topped the queen in a new first for this series?

1

"Don't Need Love"

220 KID ft. GRACEY
Chart Position: #9

Once in a blue moon we're gifted something I like to call a "conscious hit" on the charts: a song that defies its pop preconceptions by boasting lyrics that are smart, witty, self aware and occasionally tragic. These are definitely few and far between, but they often end up being some of my favourite songs and this right here is no exception. I have no clue who 220 Kid or GRACEY are, but the latter's lyrics are a pretty upsettingly real depiction of modern relationships with all the right amounts of references to people's pursuit of "empty pleasure" and how that prevents real emotional connections from being made. The line "we don't talk when we're sober" is particularly morbid, a view of both a dependence on alcohol for implied anxiety and maybe more horrifically for a lasting relationship, and one that only exists when the people are drunk. 

I may sound pretentious or overly impressed by what is just a simple dance song, but the lyrics are above and beyond what pop songs usually limit themselves to and that's a quality I will embrace with open arms. Of course, this isn't quite perfect as I wish the instrumental had a little more payoff in the chorus, but I do really appreciate the murky, layered production and appropriately repetitive beats that somehow capture the mood perfectly. GRACEY's vocals too are a beautiful part of the song, and it all comes together into a song that I can already see being overlooked by fellow critics and music fans come the year end. Personally though, this has got to be one of my favourite songs I've heard all year.

So, to sum up this seasonal Top 20 ranking we have...

2 songs in the Terrible Tier (+0 points)

5 songs in the Bad Tier (+5 points)

3 songs in the Meh Tier (+6 points)

1 songs in the Decent Tier (+3 points)

6 songs in the Good Tier (+24 points)

And 3 songs in the Excellent Tier (+15 points)

Meaning that the Top 20 for Summer 2020 gets a score of 53/100, a pretty significant decline (-12 points) from the Spring and just a couple points ahead of the Winter. I feel like this makes sense due to the increase in worse songs that seem to have surfaced, but don't be entirely disheartened as there seems to be just as much good music, even whilst the mid-tiers have thinned out considerably. I'm excited to hear where music goes over the next three months and I'll be back with the next installment of this little series in October. Until then, enjoy yourselves and stay safe.

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