This is MAX's third entry on my year-end rankings. This is his highest placing song so far! Will he be able to beat it later on this year?
Y'know the movie The Greatest Showman where it opens up immediately with a huge production with The Greatest Show? Well, that's how I see this song as well. It's the first track of the album, it's the title track, and it starts with what feels like such a huge, beautiful, crazy, high-profile production! The production like...oh my god! It suits MAX's voice so well and makes this song feel so big and grand! Even the ending is an amazing closing that slows the track after it went crazy throughout. Also, MAX's vocals are amazing here, especially in the end when he pops off. I was weary going into MAX's album cause I never heard his music outside of Lights Down Low (amazing song), but this being the first track made me know automatically that I was gonna really like him!
#23 - love language - Ariana Grande
This is Ariana Grande's eleventh entry on my year-end rankings. Her highest placement was last year with ghostin at #1. Will she be able to reach the top again this year?
This song is so underrated! Call me crazy, but it just gives me Great Gatsby jazzy feels and I love that. Like I literally envision this song playing in the background of a luxurious past-time setting. The production is just sooo good. It's easily R&B and jazz, but this is one of the more upbeat pop-ish songs on the album which is great because this song connects with positions on the tracklist so it bounces off of each other well. My favorite part of the song is very short, but very infectious. Right at the start of the second verse, when Ariana sings the first word 'why', the orchestral section drags down. I don't know why I'm obsessed with that drag down, but it's literally such a great moment sonically and it gives me chills! Also I, personally, love the 30 second snippet of an extra song at the end of this. It's a fun little add-on!
#22 - Wildflower - 5 Seconds Of Summer
This is 5 Seconds Of Summer's second entry on my year-end rankings. This is their highest placing song so far! Will they be able to beat it later on this year?
Y'know, I didn't really listen to 5SOS prior to this year, but I got into them cause I really appreciated Calum, one of the guys in the band, and his vocals and found them underrated in their big hit songs. So, color everyone shocked that this song is so high cause, if you couldn't guess from what I've already said, this is literally Calum Hood ft. 5 Seconds of Summer if anything. Allegedly he wrote and did everything for this song and, on top of that, he literally sings all the verses and the majority of the chorus. There's some harmonizing and singing together, but, like, 95% of this song is Calum, and I love it! I just love the aesthetic of the song. It feels modern, yet throwback. 5SOS is known for doing that, but it works best here. The bridge is a great anticipation-builder and I'm so happy they start the closing chorus out by muting the instrumentals to make a bigger impact to the anticipation build. My favorite part, honestly, is probably the production and instrumentals, but I really like the chorus. I honestly think the entire chorus is just perfection!
#21 - Love I'm Given - Ellie Goulding
This is Ellie Goulding's third entry on my year-end rankings. This is her highest placing song so far! Will she be able to beat it later on this year?
Out of all of the Ellie Goulding singles y'all could've made flop, it's this one!? Really?! The fact that this song didn't blow up and become a massive hit like the rest of her iconic singles like Lights, Love Me Like You Do, and On My Mind....it's just disrespectful. And it's not like Ellie's out of her prime. Literally other singles from this era like Close To Me and Hate Me were big on radio. It's just disrespectful really. The chorus is just infectious and you can really hear the grit and passion within Ellie's vocals. The bridge and final chorus, though, is one of the best of 2020 periodt. Point, blank, and the periodt. The gospel "change" in the background and Ellie's vocal theatrics to build up to final bare "change" is so powerful and goosebump-inducing. Also Ellie looks STUNNING in the music video. Anyway, point is...Ellie deserves better!
List So Far
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#100 - Naked - Ava Max
#99 - Ever Young - Marisa Maino
#98 - gold rush - Taylor Swift
#97 - Easy - Troye Sivan
#96 - My Love Won't Let You Down - Little Mix
#95 - party 4 u - Charli XCX
#94 - Spell On Me - Shab
#93 - Over And Over - PAX ft. Roxen
#92 - Baby, I'm Jealous - Bebe Rexha ft. Doja Cat
#91 - Another One - Sam Smith
#90 - Ashes - Meghan Trainor
#89 - This Love Isn't Crazy - Carly Rae Jepsen
#88 - Cowboy Blues - Kesha
#87 - loneliness for love - lovelytheband
#86 - Stay Away - Carly Rae Jepsen
#85 - Replay - Lady Gaga
#84 - Snakeskin - Rina Sawayama
#83 - Apeshit - Bree Runway
#82 - Boys Will Be Boys - Dua Lipa
#81 - Circles - Mac Miller
#80 - There Is A God - MAX
#79 - Jaguar - Victoria Monet
#78 - Teary Eyes - Katy Perry
#77 - Good In Bed - Dua Lipa
#76 - Woman - Ellie Goulding
#75 - Joan Of Arc Is On The Dance Floor - Aly & AJ
#74 - Red Desert - 5 Seconds Of Summer
#73 - Forgive Me - Chloe x Halle
#72 - Dance Again - Selena Gomez
#71 - Moment - Victoria Monet
#70 - To Die For - Sam Smith
#69 - no body, no crime - Taylor Swift ft. HAIM
#68 - emo - lovelytheband
#67 - Remember Me - Dove Cameron ft. BIA
#66 - Rain On Me - Lady Gaga & Ariana Grande
#65 - Scared To Live - The Weeknd
#64 - Dynasty - Rina Sawayama
#63 - shut up - Ariana Grande
#62 - Higher - Shawn Mendes
#61 - Zombie - Miley Cyrus
#60 - Pretty Please - Dua Lipa
#59 - Experience - Victoria Monet ft. Khalid & SG Lewis
#58 - Belladonna - Ava Max
#57 - Boyfriend - Selena Gomez
#56 - Julia - Lauv
#55 - Brighest Blue - Ellie Goulding
#54 - Canada - Lauv ft. Alessia Cara
#53 - Healing - Camden Cox
#52 - Comme Des Garçons (Like The Boys) - Rina Sawayama
#51 - 34+35 - Ariana Grande
#50 - positions - Ariana Grande
#49 - betty - Taylor Swift
#48 - For Now - Lauv
#47 - High - Miley Cyrus
#46 - Workin On It - Meghan Trainor ft. Lennon Stella & Sasha Sloan
#45 - Midnight Sky - Miley Cyrus
#44 - Levitating - Dua Lipa
#43 - Busy Boy - Chloe x Halle
#42 - Blue World - Mac Miller
#41 - Hate Me - Miley Cyrus
#40 - I Can See - Mac Miller
#39 - west side - Ariana Grande
#38 - Break My Heart - Dua Lipa
#37 - Smoke Me - Sasha Lopez ft. Misha Miller
#36 - Prisoner - Miley Cyrus ft. Dua Lipa
#35 - Daisies - Katy Perry
#34 - Save Your Tears - The Weeknd
#33 - Who's Gonna Save U Now? - Rina Sawayama
#32 - Black And White - Niall Horan
#31 - obvious - Ariana Grande
#30 - SOS - MAX
#29 - Be Kind - Marshmello & Halsey
#28 - Wonder - Shawn Mendes
#27 - Ungodly Hour - Chloe x Halle
#26 - Golden G String - Miley Cyrus
#25 - Let Me Get Me - Selena Gomez
#24 - Colour Vision - MAX
#23 - love language - Ariana Grande
#22 - Wildflower - 5 Seconds Of Summer
#21 - Love I'm Given - Ellie Goulding
me when i don't know most of these songs :(