Top 25 Songs of 2021

Top 25 Songs of 2021

Now, more than ever, we need good music in our lives. We’re almost into our third year of this pandemic, and while 2020 was all about while living in the moment of our supposed “new normal,” the ongoing length and stress of the pandemic influenced 2021’s music in a totally different way.

It’s no longer about how our creative minds flourish when locked inside all day; it’s now about envisioning the possibility that our world and our individual lives have the possibility to be better. We’re looking back and looking forward at the same time.

This year brought us back some of our favorite artists, while also introduced us to new ones. Some stirred controversy, some are parody. But all of them (at least the ones on this list) are great.

I considered so many songs this year. What started as a list of nearly 60 was trimmed down to just 25 with a few honorable mentions. In fact, the music was so good this year that I’ve included an entire ALBUM on this list. So get ready for that.

As usual, these songs from 2021 are those that reached their peak popularity in 2021. There are a few songs from 2020 that spilled over into this year, but that’s probably just because I missed them. And of course, this is just one guy’s opinion. I have my likes and dislikes, the most I can do if your favorite isn’t on here is apologize and say: ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

On with the show! Here are my selections for the best songs of 2021.
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Honorable Mentions:

​"Get You Down"

Sam Fender

Kicking off our list is a true heart-churning banger of a song- Sam Fender’s third single from his new album, Seventeen Going Under. Reminiscent of Ed Sheeran mashed together with Bruce Springsteen, this song has urgency that just never lets up, right from the opening guitar lick. What follows is a beautiful explosion of sound and an unusual but perfectly blended array of instruments, including a saxophone solo that is the true highlight of the track.
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"Immune"

Jensen McRae

In January of this year, Jensen McRae tweeted: “In 2023, Phoebe Bridgers is gonna drop her third album and & the opening track will be about hooking up in the car while waiting in line to get vaccinated at Dodgers Stadium and it’s gonna make me cry.” And so McRae went and just… made the song herself instead, dropping it as a single later in the month. “Immune” is equal parts funny and sad, caught between the line of a harsh reality of the pandemic and how it has shaped our world forever, and the ridiculousness of hooking up in the back of a car while waiting to get vaccinated.
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"Avalanche"

Migos

Another year, another excellent Migos opening track. “Avalanche” samples The Temptations’ “Papa Was a Rolling Stone,” to great effect, if not a little on the nose, considering they’re Quavo’s opening lines of the song. While “Avalanche” is a great opening track to Culture III as a whole, it also showcase what Migos does best, as all three flex on the world with their quick signature triplet flow and biting, witty lyrics. It’s hardly the first song to sample “Papa Was a Rolling Stone,” but this smooth track does it in a way that no one has before.
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"Mailbox"

Cola Boyy feat. John Carroll Kirby and JGRREY

NME describes Cola Boyy’s sound as “a disco ball melting or the after-effects of some particularly potent hallucinogenics.” I’d say that about checks out for “Mailbox,” which hits hard with its chunky bass lines, and punctuates with some groovy keyboard and smooth horns, which take the stage for the entire last minute of the song.
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"Just a Notion"

ABBA

ABBA returns with their new album, Voyage, and… I’ll be honest, they definitely sound like they’ve been away from music for 40 years. There is one exception to the songs on the album, and that is “Just a Notion,” which was actually recorded as part of the sessions for Voulez-Vous back in 1979, and left unreleased as Bjorn Ulvaeus and Benny Andersson deemed the song “unmixable.” But now that music technology has advanced, the group was finally able to get it on this new album, four decades later, with new backing music. It has that ABBA feel we all know and love: bouncy piano, a groovy disco beat, and excellent vocals from Frida Lyngstad and Agnetha Faltskog, which… are pretty much untouched from the original recording of the song. Maybe we’ll find this song on Mamma Mia 3.
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The Top 25:

​25."It's Good to Be Back"

Metronomy

Isn’t it? I missed these lists. Metronomy’s bouncy, keyboard-centric bop keeps you smiling all the way through. For me, this song serves as a kind of dream as to what life will be like- or, at least, the life we’ve seen flashes of as virus cases fall every so often and we can resume a little of that normalcy- once the pandemic is finally over.
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24. "Introvert"

Little Simz

This song is called “Introvert,” and yet it starts with a cinematic wave of drums, choir, and horns, which carries the song throughout. Little Simz busts out a near-breathless recollection of the last year, which cycles through countless introspections, including stark admissions of her own vulnerability, the inner tumult she feels about her own identity, and echoing sentiments of conflict against government corruption and poverty. At just over six minutes long, this personal manifest is an iron-fisted statement about rebirth and being honest about who you are, how you feel, and what you believe in. It’s the perfect opening to a fantastic album, Sometimes I Might Be Introvert.
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23. "Tiptoeing"

Hope Tala

We love a good bossa nova. West London based singer Hope Tala infuses the cool piano and guitar that begin the song and adds her own unique R&B flavor, and we’re grooving along with her by the end. Tala collaborates with Greg Kurstin, who also produced Adele’s “Easy on Me.” The song is as layered as it is buoyant, and just like discovering a new relationship, there are equal parts excitement and apprehension.  “[It’s] about the dance we do when we’re at the threshold of romance,” said Tala, speaking of the new record.
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22. "Transparent Soul"

Willow feat. Travis Barker

I couldn’t believe this was the same Willow who did “I whip my hair back and forth” when I heard this song for the first time. Genuine SHOCK, you guys. ”Transparent Soul” is a breath of fresh air, and not that I don’t like “Meet Me at Our Spot,” but this one is definitely better. Taking influence from bands like My Chemical Romance and Paramore, it’s also no surprise that Avril Lavigne is one of Willow’s biggest musical heroes, considering she could definitely sing a song like this.
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21. "Friendly Fire"

Holly Humberstone

This lovely tune from Holly Humberstone’s first EP, The Walls Are Way Too Thin, deals with the singer no longer being fully invested in a relationship, although not wanting to hurt the person on the other side when doing it. Humberstone uses instrumentation that goes from personal and intimate to a bit more urgent and emotional, which supports her careful, deliberate lyrics to great effect. Personally, I’m a big fan of the lyrics in the chorus: “If I burn you, it’s just friendly fire.” I’ve been there, girl, I know that feeling.
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20. "I Did It"

DJ Khaled feat. Post Malone, Meghan Thee Stallion, Lil Baby and DaBaby

This is one of those songs that’s sung in all caps, as most DJ Khaled songs tend to be. From the “Layla” sample right on down, I love this one. It’s great to hear a rare non-autotuned hook from Post Malone, as I’ve always found his vocals to be great. Meg Thee Stallion, Lil Baby and DaBaby all add their unique splashes of lyrics to this track, never letting up from start to finish. Khaled always has the best music. Another one.
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19. "Easy On Me"

Adele

What “Easy on Me” doesn’t do is fall into the trap of a typical power ballad- it doesn’t build and pile instruments on top of instruments until we get some sort of cliché key change in the last chorus. It knows what it is and stays reserved and content in its minimalism- and that’s the best thing about it. Just a piano and some light bass, that’s all it takes to get the point across. Not to mention when you have Adele’s beautiful- and in this case, hauntingly desperate- vocals, it’s hard to mess up. Put this one on the shelf along with “Someone Like You” and “Hello” of “Songs that Feature Adele’s Best Hooks”.
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18. "Be Sweet"

Japanese Breakfast

“Be Sweet” is grounded in alternative indie pop, but it has almost this outer-space-like feel to it, as the bass and guitar lie underneath the numerous layers of synth over the top of it. It’s so cool. The chorus is just as joyful-sounding as the rest of it, especially with the line “I wanna belieeeeeve in you” giving us an almost child-like energy. There are some album covers that just nail the tone of the song, and I think yellow is a fantastic choice. Alive and vibrant, Japanese Breakfast hits a happy-go-lucky home run with this one.
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17. "Stay"

The Kid Laroi & Justin Bieber

This Billboard-topping song made the rounds on TikTok, inspiring a fun, hip-shaking trend across the internet. Musically, the vocal lines are the star of the show, as both Laroi and Bieber effortlessly switch between chest and head voice through most of the song. Underneath, we get this really cool synth-pop beat right out of the 80s. I know Beiber’s the secondary artist on the track, and I’ll talk more about him later, but this song allows him to really lean into his strength as a master of creating melodies.
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16. "Solar Power"

Lorde

Get your sunscreen, kids, because it’s time to go to the beach. This song starts chill, and no matter how much it builds, it stays in the warm sunlight for its duration. The soft and airy vocals, which are unlike what we’ve heard from Lorde in the past, flow through the song like tropical breezes, and when the percussion comes in about 2/3rds of the way through the song, you feel like you’ve been transported to a party around a bonfire. Doesn’t it just make sense that this song is called “Solar Power”? You can just about feel that warm, positive energy flowing throughout the track.
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15. "Save Your Tears"

The Weeknd

So I usually have one or two songs that are technically from the year before- and this one of them. The Weeknd and Ariana Grande put out a version of this song this year, which would qualify it for entry, so I’m going to use that technicality to put the original- which I like better- on the list this year. “Save Your Tears” is an unusually warm love song from The Weeknd, and is far and away the most pop-friendly song from After Hours.
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14. "Astronaut in the Ocean"

Masked Wolf

TikTok is now the hotbed for new music. In the case of “Astronaut in the Ocean,” it’s really a re-discovery of music. Released originally in 2019, the song was re-released in 2021 upon Masked Wolf’s signing with Elektra Records. It achieved viral success thanks to circulation through TikTok, and reached #6 on the Billboard Hot 100. With such a great beat and bass line, it’s easy to look past the fact that this song touches on depression and mental health… but MAN is this song a bop.
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13. "What's Next"

Drake

Everyone’s favorite emotional Canadian rapper returns. Technically he returned twice this year, once with the EP that “What’s Next” is from, and the other with Certified Lover Boy later on. This song resonates with me big time. You can flex your achievements, but at the end of the day, it’s all about looking forward to the next thing. “I did x, y, and z. And I am STILL grinding.” And Drake has reason to flex, especially with this song. Along with the other two songs from the Scary Hours 2 EP, all three debuted in the top 3 of the Hot 100- the first artist to achieve such a feat.
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12. "Pressure Machine"

The Killers

The album Pressure Machine is an extremely personal album for Brandon Flowers and the rest of the band. A concept album inspired by Flowers’ upbringing in a small town life in a tight-knit, deeply spiritual town in Utah, the songs are interspersed with real-life recordings of townspeople describing their lives. While some songs from the album like “Terrible Thing” and “Runaway Horses” deal with things like the opioid crisis and a gay teenager contemplating suicide, the pure wonder, if not melancholia, of Americana and heartland rock is on display no better than in the title track to the album. With Flowers’ haunting falsetto and some lonely fiddles throughout the song, this song paints pictures of life in that part of the country with such detail that you feel like you truly know what it’s like to live there.
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11. "Up"

Cardi B

This woman rhymes “ug-a-ly” with “fuck on me.” She is at the top of her game and I will not be taking any questions about it. Did I discover this song on through a TikTok of two guys doing various impressions while rapping the song? I did. Am I ashamed? I am not. I  gotta be honest- I’m not sure what Cardi’s rapping about, like 70% of the time, but I do know that when it’s up, it is, in fact, stuck.
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10. "Last Train Home"

John Mayer

Props to John for embracing his forties, embracing the memes, and embracing the 80s along the way. I have to admit, I wasn’t quite as taken with Sob Rock at first (although it’s grown on me, because I can’t stay mad at him), but my love for “Last Train Home” has never wavered. Like something spawned from “Africa” by Toto, the song has a delicious synth chord progression throughout the song, which is the perfect complement to Mayer’s guitar playing. The two are even more at play in the near seven-minute ballad version of the song, released a few months after Sob Rock was released.  Throw in some Maren Morris on background vocals toward the end, and this is the summer anthem to end all summer anthems. If this song isn’t 10 minutes long when I see him in concert in April, I’m going to be very upset.
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9. "Happier Than Ever"

Billie Eilish

It’s a tale of two songs in this title track to Billie Eilish’s latest album. The first half of the song is reminiscent of her first EP- she sings quietly over a single guitar- while keeping a smoky, dreamy air that is right in line with this “golden age Hollywood” concept that the album art gives off. The second part transitions into a 6/8 feel, and brings Eilish’s vocals into the foreground of the song. As her anger builds, the song does too, before eventually exploding into a hurricane of rage and frustration, amplified to the max by electric guitars and their feedback. The song puts a large exclamation point on the end of this album, and much like When We All Fall Asleep, I’m so excited to see what she does next.
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8. "Levitating"

Dua Lipa feat. DaBaby

The second song to overflow from the end of last year into this year is Dua Lipa’s fantastic collaboration with DaBaby. With more of that excellent pop-disco sound we love from “Don’t Start Now,” “Levitating” takes it to the next level by having… dare I say Dua’s best hook ever? It is straight up impossible not to want to dance to this one. Impossible.
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7. "Don't Freak"

The Aces

Just in time for Mental Health Awareness Month- and that’s not even a joke- lead singer Cristal Ramirez wrote this unabashedly honest song about mental health struggles, using music to strip back stigmas and advocate for taking care of yourself. In addition to being an important message, the song just sounds amazing. From the opening guitar lick to the ear worm of a chorus, to the a capella “just gotta do what they told me” at the end (which seems to say “we’re all in this together)” “Don’t Freak” encompasses both the positives and negatives of life, and lays them out for us in a powerful, rocking tune.

6. "Industry Baby"

Lil Nas X feat. Jack Harlow

Most pop songs that feature marching bands have a special place in my heart- not because I was in band myself, but because I just think the college marching band is one of this country’s best pieces of culture. “Industry Baby” has this incredible horn line that continues all the way through the song, underneath both verses from Nas and Jack Harlow. It’s great. Nas and Harlow are great. This song is great.

5. "Peaches"

Justin Bieber feat. Daniel Caesar and Giveon

You want chill? “Peaches” is the song for you. It’s a laid-back love song that’s quintessentially west coast, with its easy drum beat, smooth bass line, and catchy hook. I mentioned Bieber’s ability to construct melodies earlier, and that’s on display here once again. Giveon, the deep baritone voice you hear about halfway through the song, is a fantastic addition, providing a darker timbre as contrast to an already bright-enough song.
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4. "Body and Mind"

Girl in Red

“Body and Mind” goes HARD, and we are all blessed by its existence. It keeps a slow but steady beat underneath a menacing descending bass line, which adds to the spookiness of the lyrics, which delve into the human mind and the acceptance of an inevitable mortality. Hell, even the music video gives off all the witchy, Wicker Man-y vibes. It’s a frighteningly beautiful song, and a jam, especially when Girl in Mind reaches the high notes in the song about halfway through.
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3. "Leave the Door Open"

Silk Sonic

What started as me thinking “Oh! Look! Bruno Mars is back with more baby-making music, he’s really good at that,” has evolved into the recognition that Silk Sonic- the team of Bruno Mars and Anderson .Paak- will likely be around for a long, long time, because whatever this is is working and it is brilliant. Silk Sonic’s entire debut album is great, but it’s the initial single that takes the cake. Its classic R&B sound transports us right back to the 1970s, with iconic drum fills, funky guitars, sweeping violins, all encompassed by the silky smooth vocals of Bruno and Anderson. Listening to it, I truly feel like this song made love to me. Mark my words- this is the first of many for this iconic duo.
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é2. The entire Sour album (special points to "Good 4 U," "Déjà Vu," "Driver's License," and "Traitor")

Olivia Rodrigo

I couldn’t choose just one, come on now!

“Driver’s License” came out in January 2021. You started this year not knowing who Olivia Rodrigo was. And now she’s one of the biggest stars on the planet. So yes, because every song on her debut album, Sour, is amazing, it’s ALL going on here. I’d like to call attention to a few songs in particular:

“Good 4 U”
I’m still waiting on Hayley Williams to jump on this track and do some sort of mashup between this and “Misery Business.” The pop-punk, jump-around-in-your-bedroom feel the song has is infectious, and if I had to be held at gunpoint to choose one song from this album, this would be it.

“Déjà vu”
Yep. Been here. Knowing that your ex doesn’t have it any better with their new partner is a fun kind of power to have, isn’t it? If “Driver’s License” was Taylor Swift’s sentimentality, “Déjà vu” is Lorde’s melodramatic and Florence and the Machine’s grandiosity.

“Driver’s License”
The one that started it all. From the car dings into the piano, and all the way through the song both musically and lyrically (an 18-year old saying “I still fucking love you”? INCREDIBLE- that wasn’t a thing when I was growing up), this one is generational. The biggest song on the planet during the month of January.

“Traitor”
“You didn’t cheat…. But you’re still a traitor.” Fucking OOOOOOF. Chills.

I cannot emphasize enough just how deep every song on this album cuts. Sure, a lot of them are about the same thing, but in the same way Taylor Swift appealed to millennial teenagers, Olivia Rodrigo appeals to Gen Z teenagers (and me, a male millennial) in the exact same way. To go through your first real heartbreak at the age of 18? And to feel all those dumb overly romantic, sentimental feelings about what could have been and wondering about how you’re supposed to go on without the other person? It’s real! Of course, not all breakup albums are fueled by a juicy subplot that all of this took place behind the scenes of a Disney TV show, but you get the idea. They’re still feelings that everyone who’s experienced heartbreak can relate to. My hat’s off to you, Olivia Rodrigo.
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1. "Montero (Call Me By Your Name)"

Lil Nas X

If you thought “Old Town Road” was the end of the road for Lil Nas X, you don’t know my son.

Lil Nas (real name Montero Hill, hence the song title) entered the public spotlight once again this year, but for a drastically different reason- this man broke the internet for giving Satan a lap dance (at least, in the music video). It certainly got people’s feathers riled up.

Firstly, the song is a banger. A queer anthem for the ages, we get this really cool latin-inspired guitar line over a great beat, and a memorable hook. What’s not to love here? Apparently, the content.

People want to contest that the song is the problem, and say that it’s harmful to children, which I think is bullshit. Nickelodeon gave a Kid’s Choice Award for best song to “Can’t Feel My Face” by The Weeknd. Which is about cocaine. Don’t tell me that the song is the problem. Lil Nas did nothing wrong with this song. He’s being honest and calling attention (and really, just poking fun at, because it’s true, it’s ridiculous) to a religion that oppressed him as a child, and people have a problem with that. Laughable.

Don’t ever come for my son again.


You can find the entire list below, along with some songs that didn't make the cut but I still really loved from this year.

What songs from this year were your favorite? Leave a comment down below.
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