Winter 2021: UK Top 20 Hit Songs Ranked

That's right, the series continues into the New Year, albeit with some small changes, mainly to accommodate how I'm using this blog in 2021. As per usual, this series covers the UK's official charts once per season, ranking the Top 20 and placing each song into a distinctive tier. For every song in a tier, a set amount of points will be rewarded, resulting in a final overall tier. The Terrible Tier is worth +0 points, Bad is worth +1, Meh is worth +2, Decent is worth +3, Good is worth +4 and Excellent is worth +5. What's changed? Well, this time around I'll be using the months of February, May, August and November, shifting forward by one for my benefit.

So, what was it like ranking the Top 20 for the 5th February 2021? Well, if I'm honest, this was a rather unique chart in that, different from the equivalent US charts, it was one pretty severely lacking in the ubiquitous pop dominators, with Billie Eilish, Taylor Swift and The Weeknd all absent for that week. Does that mean it's misrepresentative of what's most popular? Well, I'd argue no, seeing as (unlike in the US) the charts over here don't include radio play in their calculations for what's most popular, and for good reason seeing as that creates a heavy bias towards what's promoted most as opposed to what's being listened to most - and here in the UK, that has begun to show in the best possible way...

Wow. Okay, I just realised how bad a transition that was. "Best possible way" and then diving straight into the Terrible Tier, now that's unfortunate. And speaking of unfortunate...

20

"WITHOUT YOU"

The Kid LAROI

Chart Position: #4

Peak Position: #2

If I somehow hadn't made it clear in the past, I'm generally not a fan of the "white guy with acoustic guitar" trope. Which is funny, because some of my favourite music (José González, Sun Kil Moon, Neil Young, Elliott Smith) is essentially that formula. The difference? They're all artists with an obvious focus on sharp, introspective writing, and they use that simplicity and intimacy to their advantage to create compelling, often narrative-driven songs. Now, whilst it's fair to say that The Kid LAROI's music is lyrically focused, that's certainly not a good thing here.

Being unlikeable isn't necessarily the problem. The problem is how yawn-inducingly boring this track, strumming through the same chords, recycling the same melodies over and over again, adding nothing new to the formula, it's crime generally being how bland and unambitious it is. What justifies putting it in the Terrible Tier then? Well, that would be the inclusion of lyrics that sound ripped straight from the latest blackbear album. I wish I was joking. The causal misogynism drips from every line, the melodramatic whining making it clear that this insipid young man has no problem calling you a "h**", but really he still wants you back. And that's the line the entire song revolves around.

I just gave myself a scare because, as it turns out, this kid is less than two months older than me. To know that people my age are going through breakups that make them this bitter and pathetic is pretty terrifying, although not as terrifying as this kid being labelled a "rapper" on his Wikipedia page. I dread to think what his other music sounds like.

19

"you broke me first"

Tate McRae

Chart Position: #19

Peak Position: #3

Ah yes, the "no HE started it" of pop songs. Honestly I couldn't tell you if this has grown or shrunk on me over time, all I know is I still don't want to hear this ever again. I mean, I think I like the random off-kilter drum skitters, and I think that maybe the delay on her voice sounds great, but the only things I'm really sure of are the lyrics utterly suck, the atmosphere is the most blatant ripoff of Billie Eilish's "edgy girl" atmosphere, and I can't stand her nasal vocals, nor the abandoned attempt at a bridge before the final chorus. I said a little more about it back when I covered it in Autumn, but this hasn't changed much.

Oh, and guess what. Tate McRae is a whole three-and-a-half months older than me.

18

"Goosebumps (Remix)"

Travis Scott, HVME

Chart Position: #16

Peak Position: #15

The original is one of Travis Scott's best songs. HVME's rework is a blast of cool, icy deep house. HVME's rework featuring Travis Scott to make it more similar to the original? Sucks. It sucks. For one, Travis is pretty much universally agreed to be an underwhelming performer, his vocals and flows consistently being the least interesting thing about his music. The thing is, with the psychedelic, murky trap beats he usually produces, that kind of vocal presence is a good match. Here on a pounding dance track, he's an ill fit, and anytime it isn't the chorus the song loses all momentum. Also, it's so clear that HVME was trying to create his own "Roses", which is why I'm going to recommend you listen to "Roses" instead.

17

"The Business"

Tiësto

Chart Position: #11

Peak Position: #11

"It's been a while since I've had your attention"

Well, Tiësto, that's sadly true. I've not cared about you for a long, long time.

And I still don't.

16

"The Afterglow"

Ed Sheeran

Chart Position: #10

Peak Position: #2

I'm not a fan of Ed Sheeran, but I will at least defend a small handful of his songs as genuine and interesting stories, whether it's the impressive motion on a track like "Afire Love", the rawness of "The A Team", or even just the simple catchiness of "Lego House". Most of his career plays into the same aforementioned "white guy with acoustic guitar stereotype", and for the most part I strongly dislike that side of Sheeran. This new song though? This is something new. This is ignorable.

Yup.

I wish I had more to say in regards to this track, but I don't. The writing seems about as inconsequential, safe and just plain dull as you can possibly get, the guitar about the same. The only thing of any note about this song is Sheeran deciding to opt into the ever-trendy Imogen Heap style of vocal production that's seen a sharp spike in popularity over the last year, and even that is done to be unnoticeable and boring. I wouldn't be surprised if someone mentions this in ten years time, and me writing right now will be the last time I'd thought about it.

15

"Don't Play"

Anne-Marie, KSI, Digital Farm Animals

Chart Position: #5

Peak Position: #2

This is such a blatant rip of last year's fantastic "West Ten", it hurts.

Quite frankly though, this is pop music so being unoriginal isn't exactly a concern I have. No, what hurts is this could quite easily have been as good as "West Ten". Take the beat for example, opening up with that enticing little synth arp, then opening up into such a chilled garage beat, a secondary arp coming in later whilst the gentle lull of a synth pad hums in the background. Now, I'm not usually a fan of Digital Farm Animals' production, and this is without a doubt their best beat yet, and arguably better than "West Ten". What's not better is replacing the incredibly charismatic AJ Tracey with wannabe grime artist KSI, and replacing the deep, gorgeous vocals of Mabel with Anne-Marie.

Some context perhaps. KSI is a YouTuber, making the devastatingly common transition into music despite a clear lack of talent or charisma, his verse coming across as just incredibly cringy, a miscalculation that proves however bad he might be at grime, he's worse at garage. And then there's Anne-Marie. My music taste was disgustingly homogenous in 2018, but even then I called out Anne-Marie's debut album as a stain on modern pop music, her frustrating writing and awkward vocals chasing me through time (her song "Birthday" made my worst list for 2020) and continuing to haunt me.

To surmise, this could have been great should the vocalists have been replaced. That's pretty much it.

14

"Prisoner"

Miley Cyrus, Dua Lipa

Chart Position: #20

Peak Position: #8

A decent enough synthpop track that doesn't fit particularly well on Miley or Dua's album, but has found its way onto both. Basically, it's fine. Unremarkable, but fine.

Except the chorus.

Oh, the chorus. I've tried to purge it from my mind, tried to forget I ever heard it, to ignore it when it seems constantly to play. It doesn't work. It's so monotonous, so tiring, so repetitive.

Please. Make it stop. Please...

13

"Anyone"

Justin Bieber

Chart Position: #9

Peak Position: #4

This is Bieber's best song in a while, but to all those calling this 'good' I have to ask: Are we listening to the same track? Sure, it goes past without me wanting to alternatively retch or punch Bieber in the face, but it isn't a track I enjoy. Perhaps people are latching onto the way it slowly builds into a bubbling synthpop track, but I still see it primarily as a ballad. Like on his last ballad, the atrocious "Lonely", I will concede that Bieber seems at least sincere in his performance, although once again the EIGHT songwriters detract significantly from the authenticity of this thing, and then there's the matter of Justin's whiny, piercing falsetto, sounding thin and unfulfilling on a track that gives too much space to the vocalist, that vocalist being Justin Bieber proving the decision to have been a poor one.

12

"34+35"

Ariana Grande

Chart Position: #14

Peak Position: #3

It isn't trying to be much more than your average R&B song, and you can tell, the third most engaging track on the album and yet one of the most boring moments of her career, this track just feels like a total throwaway, and also redundant in a world where Jhené Aiko exists. Could have been better if she'd committed further to the string-based instrumentation, and a double bass would have been a fantastic addition, replacing the sluggish 808s with something more sly to fit the tone.

11

"Paradise"

Meduza, Dermot Kennedy

Chart Position: #6

Peak Position: #5

It seems we can always count on Meduza for a fun spoonful of deep house, and I'm pleased to say that this surpasses the cluttered mess of their last single "Lose Control", although it doesn't reach the same heights of the fantastically minimalistic "Piece of Your Heart", although at least this time around it's clear the objective was to sidestep from a festival sound to a more anthemic, personal one, a smart move given the obvious lack of social events in the wake of Covid, and a decision that's payed off. Employing Dermot Kennedy for the vocals was something that initially concerned me, his mellow melodrama a typical source of frustration for me, but this is by far the best I've heard him, his vocals soaring and the lyrics somewhat unimportant as ever, but with the right kind of sentiments. There's a definite parallel between this and Swedish House Mafia's "Don't You Worry Child", although this doesn't meet that track's emotional core or overall swell.

10

"Whoopty"

CJ

Chart Position: #13

Peak Position: #3

For as textbook as this is as an example of drill music, it's at least an example you can nod along to, thinking they could have chosen a lot worse, although they could just as easily have chosen something better. Personally I consider myself a fan of the style of trap, although I've not yet found an entire album in which an artist has been dedicated enough to the sound throughout, and it is perhaps a song like this that illustrates why that is the case. For as engaging as it can be, it isn't an instinctively versatile sound, and derivatives and expansions on the sound more likely to be labelled as only "borrowing" from the drill scene. One fantastic example of that would be the track "SWAG" by Popstarbills, a song I highly recommend for its high-octane fusion of hyperpop and drill, but a track likely condemned to the hyperpop label over the drill one. I kind of hate labels.

9

"Get Out My Head"

Shane Codd

Chart Position: #8

Peak Position: #6

For as much as I enjoy a good piano-centred dance track, this has only really shrunk on me the more I've heard it, the intoxicating euphoria replaced by a mild joy, the jumpy vocal cuts not holding the same weight that a good vocalist would have, and I can't help but feel that this is the sort of spot that a singer like Ella Eyre used to take, and I hope she reappears as the voice of dance music in the next couple of years, as she's sorely missed.

8

"drivers license"

Olivia Rodrigo

Chart Position: #1

Peak Position: #1

Okay. Let's get this over and done with. Biggest song of the year so far, the biggest breakthrough hit for a while, quite possibly the most instantly beloved songs of my generation... and yeah, it's pretty good. I mean, her vocals are generally incredible, the slow build a pretty standard structure for this kind of ballad, but with such an exceptional bridge I can't deny it works. Moreover, the subtle electronics come as a surprising but effective extra, although it would be great if they were a little more constant throughout the track, but then again I do appreciate the song's instrumental inconsistencies: the odd snare sounds during the bridge, or the sweeping electronics that abruptly cut out for the focal line of the song - yeah, unfortunately I'm not so big a fan of that one.

"You said forever, now I drive alone past your street". To me, this line punches below the weight of the rest of the track, and it isn't the only time that a line without a lot of emphasis feels like it's lacking something, "they'll never know you the way that I do" being something of a clichéd take to have on sceptical friends, and something I've heard way too many times from this kind of song. So, no, it's not perfect, not a favourite of mine and it's not quite as defining and important as everyone seems so compelled to profess that it is. But that's okay. This is her first real single. I'm excited to see where it goes from here.

Oh, and one more thing. Olivia Rodrigo is eight months older than. Eight. Along with The Kid LAROI and Tate McRae, they would all be in the year above me if they went to my school. That's a weird thought.

7

"Wellerman - Sea Shanty / 220 Kid x Billen Ten Remix"

Nathan Evans, 220 Kid, Billen Ted

Chart Position: #2

Peak Position: #2

This is a strange one for sure.

Rising in popularity through TikTok, Nathan Evans has been at the helm of the resurgence in popularity of sea shanties, with this emerging as the biggest hit, a dance remix of Nathan's cover of an old recording of an older sea shanty. How on Earth am I putting it here in the Good Tier? You're forgetting, we're not on earth anymore - we're on the water laddy!

Jokes aside, this song is a joke. Oh, wait.

Jokes included, this song is a joke. Wait, what?

Look, if this reminds of anything, it reminds me of "Cotton Eye Joe", except for as offensively lacking authenticity or entertainment as a bunch of Swedish guys shouting about being Southern country boys was, particularly given the obnoxious dance beat and (unfortunately successful) attempt at making a novelty track that would stand the test of time as a party classic (seriously, HOW), but this song "Wellerman" is a different story. Utilising a genuinely old sea shanty originating with some impoverished New Zealand whalers singing about the troubles of the sea, and the relief brought on by the simple pleasures of "sugar and tea and rum", and even despite the variations iterations and the dance beat, you can still feel that central, genuine core of the song, and I respect that. Not to mention the production on this thing slaps, and for as much of a novelty as this is, the instrumentation works surprisingly well in a dance context, and it's just a lot of fun, as it should be.

6

"Streets"

Doja Cat

Chart Position: #12

Peak Position: #12

This is, far and away, the best of Doja Cat's singles, and even then it's one of her least distinctive, lacking her characteristic weirdness in favour of some stuttering, bass-swamped R&B, incredibly reminiscent of a couple of the more trap-oriented songs on Janelle Monáe's last album, though lacking the more conscious angle. That said, if I was going to spend all my time just criticising the song, it wouldn't be this high, and where this succeeds is in finding Doja's strengths, reigning herself in for a performance that's far less kooky than on a track like "Moo!", but one that is so much more distinctive than "Say So", carving out a legitimate identity for herself in a more mature direction that I hope is reflected by her words and actions going forward. It helps that this track isn't produced by Dr Luke too - please don't work with him again Doja, it doesn't look good for your sake.

5

"Burner on Deck"

Fredo, Pop Smoke, Young Adz

Chart Position: #18

Peak Position: #18

It was hard knowing where to place this track, a melancholic piece that matches well with the atmosphere of Fredo's latest album, although not one that demonstrates quite the same examination of money and change as the other tracks, the more conscious side of his music limited to a few references. As clear as it is that the aim here was for more of a mass appeal, I can't criticise the results, particularly when it comes to the production and the bassline. It's calculated, ominous and suave, and it's incredibly rewarding to see more and more music from the UK's rap and grime scene moving into this more atmospheric direction, one prediction of mine I can pat myself on the back for being right about.

4

"Sweet Melody"

Little Mix

Chart Position: #7

Peak Position: #1

Little Mix getting experimental is not something I expected, but it's something I'm here for, this track pretty much being the standout from their latest album, and a highlight of their career for its explosive new direction, catapulting their often deceptively basic sound out into the openly weird, the chaotic, shifting 808s provided a strong foundation that the atmospheric, surprising synth choices and unexpectedly strong drum machines do a great job of building upon, expanding into hyperpop territory with parts reminiscent of Arca and Rosalía's "KLK", and of SOPHIE's older club tracks.

3

"Money Talks"

Fredo, Dave

Chart Position: #3

Peak Position: #3

Not just one, but two in the bag for Fredo? I've got to say, this one impressed me enough to add the album to my schedule, not sacrificing the dark atmosphere even for a more vocally-centred track, something that only helped to achieve yet another unsettling cut, and this one boasts the emotional side that "Burner On Deck" was lacking, as Fredo reflects on the wealth he's acquired. In the context of the album however, it's clear this isn't your average brag rap, the toxic side of money and material shown time and time again to be corrupting, and on this song he shows the lengths he'll go to protect his status that comes with wealth. Oh, and the pianos in the outro are phenomenal, in case anyone was wondering.

2

"Levitating"

Dua Lipa

Chart Position: #15

Peak Position: #5

My second favourite hit song of last year, Dua Lipa's "Levitating" continues to be my favourite of her hits, a track with the kind of production detail and structural variation throughout that's rare even in more underground synthpop and disco, the genres usually repetitive by definition. Even despite this, she's able to keep it captivating, insanely catchy and frustratingly catchy in a time without parties, but I'll admit I've had a tonne of fun dancing to this one in my bedroom. I don't have anything to say here that I didn't in my year end list, so make sure to check that out if you haven't already.

1

"Good Days"

SZA

Chart Position: #17

Peak Position: #13

Another example of an artist taking their sound and expanding it for the better, SZA was everyone's favourite up-and-comer back in 2017, the hype surrounding her debut album translating into some good but personally unfulfilling tracks, her brand of R&B just a little too derivative, her vocal performances notwithstanding. Here though, SZA makes strides forward, leaning heavily on some gorgeous acoustic arrangements and subtle strings that back a typically subdued but more sultry performance, although taking the focus to the lyrics and you'll find some real depth behind the flawless production and gorgeously tranquil instrumental.

Wrestling with negativity and a past that threatens to sink her, as well as the greater social issues and oppressive conflicts keeping her down in the present, SZA attempts to look forward, imagining the good days to come all whilst coming to the realisation that they might never come to fruition if she keeps living the way she does, "chasing fountains of youth" and stuck inside the "war in [her] mind". It's a beautiful piece that even utilises certain Biblical references and analogies to expand and define how she's feeling, and quite honestly it has to be my favourite pop song of the year, a track that's connected with me on a level that few pop songs do. I hope you see those good days SZA, you deserve it.

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

1 songs in the Terrible Tier (+0 points)

2 songs in the Bad Tier (+2 points)

6 songs in the Meh Tier (+12 points)

4 songs in the Decent Tier (+12 points)

4 songs in the Good Tier (+16 points)

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

Which brings us to the pretty phenomenal total of 57/100, which is actually the second highest score I've reached for one of these. Interesting for sure, and as it turns out I do feel as though this is the strongest collection of tracks so far. Regardless, I hope that you're doing well, and I hope you all enjoyed this Winter's seasonal ranking!

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