Hits 1's Top 30 of 2021

Hi, everyone! Welcome to Hits 1's Top 30 of 2021! I know that this is very late, but it's fine, it's here now. Anyways,  the layout will be slightly different from my Countdown posts. Here are the differences:

Anything in () is where it placed on Billboard's Pop Songs Year-End chart. Anything in [] is where the song peaked on the Weekend Countdown in 2021. Anything in {} is how many weeks it spent on the Weekend Countdown in 2021.

Alright, let's do this!

Our first song is from BTS, who score their first Hits 1 Year-End song with this one, that really blew up this year. It spent the most weeks at #1 on the Hot 100 this year, and reached the top 10 on the Weekend Countdown. Our #30 song is Butter!

#30: Butter - BTS (#36) [#8] {12 weeks}

Now, I was a pretty big fan of Dynamite when it came out in 2020, I still to this day think that it's a bop, so I was interested to hear what a follow-up to that would sound like. Luckily, I wasn't disappointed at all. This song's not quite as blatantly upbeat and fun as Dynamite is, but it's fun in a more chill way, if that makes sense. Anyways, I think all the BTS guys sound good here, and the production is really cool, especially during the instrumental part before the bridge. I'm not a huge fan of the chart manipulation that caused this song to spend so many weeks at #1 on the Hot 100, but I can't really pin that on the song itself, so it doesn't change how I feel about it. Overall, this is just a really solid, fun, k-pop song. I'm glad I don't dislike BTS anymore.

Next is The Kid LAROI, who broke out this year, and really had an amazing year. He scored a #1 on both the Hot 100 and the Weekend Countdown, but before any of that happened, he had this huge hit, at #29, WITHOUT YOU!

#29: WITHOUT YOU - The Kid LAROI (#18) [#7] {21 weeks}

Boy, oh, boy am I glad that the Miley Cyrus remix of this didn't stay popular for long. Anyways, yeah, I pretty much loved this song right off the bat, and I only like it slightly less now, because of overplay. Now, yeah, The Kid LAROI isn't the best singer. I get that. But I think his voice fits quite well in this song, and it sounds better here than it does in SO DONE, so I honestly don't mind his voice here. The production here doesn't have too many layers to it, but the more raw sound works well with the song. Plus, the writing (aside from one unfortunate line that's probably just LAROI trying to be a "rapper") is pretty good. This definitely wasn't my favourite Kid LAROI song of the year (we'll get to that one later), but it's still a really good song.

Ariana Grande released her sixth studio album, Positions, in October 2020, and scored two hits from it. The first single from it was quite a big hit, hitting #1 on the Hot 100, and peaking at #2 on the Weekend Countdown, Grande's best peak on the chart. At #28, this is positions!

#28: positions - Ariana Grande (#2) [#2] {8 weeks}

While I definitely like Ariana's older stuff more, with songs like One Last Time, Bang Bang and Love Me Harder just being absolute classics, this song is definitely up there with my favourite songs from her. This one's one of the more upbeat songs she's released lately, which is pretty refreshing, because I need a Grande bop in my life every once in a while. Yeah, everything about this song just works. The production is pretty chill while still managing to keep the song fun and upbeat, Ari sounds great, and the chorus is extremely catchy. I would honestly say that this was the best single from Positions, looking back at it. I'm glad I saved this for my Year-End list for this year.

A brand new duo was created this year, Silk Sonic, which consists of both Bruno Mars and Anderson .Paak. Their debut album, An Evening With Silk Sonic was a big success. And the first single from it scored four Grammy nominations. At #27, this is Leave The Door Open!

#27: Leave The Door Open - Silk Sonic (#23) [#7] {19 weeks}

Yeah, I'm not a huge Silk Sonic fan. Their sound is objectively really cool, and it's nice that they brought this older sound into 2021, but personally, I find it slightly boring. This and Smokin Out The Window are both pretty slow, croon-y songs, and it's really not my style. While I think Bruno and Anderson do well vocally here, I just get so uninterested listening to this song. The production's pretty well-done, though, which is nice. It compliments the vocals really well. That being said, though, I'm not sure why this song ended up being as big as it was. Definitely not the return of Bruno Mars that I wanted.

Dua Lipa's 2020 studio album, Future Nostalgia, was a massive success, spawning tons of top 10 singles. In 2021, Future Nostalgia was still going strong, with two more singles released, the latter of which appears at #26 on this list. This is Love Again!

#26: Love Again - Dua Lipa (#40) [#3] {15 weeks}

I'm really glad that this ended up being released as a single. I definitely needed it in my life, it's nothing short of an incredible song. The song is extremely fun, the chorus is super catchy, and Dua sounds amazing throughout. The real highlight of this song, though, is the sample. The strings just compliment the song so well, and they sound so cool. I especially love the fact that the intro and outro are the exact same, so in theory, you could make a version of this song that just starts again right at the end, and you probably wouldn't even be able to hear the cut. Overall, this is an amazing song, and it should've been bigger on pop radio. I'm happy it ended up on this list, though, I wasn't really expecting it to.

After scoring a ridiculously humongous hit with Blinding Lights, The Weeknd was faced with the challenge of scoring another hit. Well, he did just that with the fourth single from his monster album, After Hours, and the help of an Ariana Grande remix. At #25, we have Save Your Tears!

#25: Save Your Tears - The Weeknd (#3) [#2] {22 weeks}

I'm unsure why this isn't the Ariana Grande remix of the song, because when the song's run ended, Hits 1 was playing that remix, but it's fine, this song is still great without her. I remember being extremely underwhelmed with this song when it was first released as a single, but looking back at it now, I think I was just expecting it to be as good as Blinding Lights, which is ridiculous. I'm really glad that Abel held off a bit longer to really start pushing this as a single, because In Your Eyes got screwed over by the fact that it was pushed when Blinding Lights was still massive. Anyways, the song itself is great. It's got the synth-pop vibe that's become very prominent in Abel's music, and the chorus is super catchy. I like how the song's a little more chill, but still upbeat. Overall, this is a great song that deserved every bit of success it got.

Speaking of Ariana Grande, the second hit from her album, Positions, shows up next. This was the third single from the album, and grew to become quite the hit. At #24, it's pov!

#24: pov - Ariana Grande (#21) [#4] {16 weeks}

Yeah, so I remember last year, when I was still doing Hot 100 reviews, I listened to this song and just thought it was one of Ariana's best songs ever. I don't think that anymore, but it's still a pretty great song, I'm glad it was released as a single. Ariana's voice works really well with a slower song like this, and it's honestly the highlight of the song. She sounds incredible throughout. The production is honestly just beautiful, and really atmospheric. I also want to point out how there are these very subtle water sound effects that are hidden in the production, and they really add a lot to the ambiance of the song. Yeah, this was a great song, and I'm glad it was a hit. (Editor's note: When I was listening to this song for this post, Greedy played in "suggested songs" on Spotify. Holy crap, what a bop).

Well, if anyone's proven that they're no meme artist, it's Lil Nas X. He released his debut album, MONTERO, this year, and it provided him with two #1 hits. The second song from it to hit #1 shows up at #23, featuring Jack Harlow, it's INDUSTRY BABY!

#23: INDUSTRY BABY - Lil Nas X/Jack Harlow (#28) [#2] {18 weeks}

Lil Nas X is slowly becoming one of my favourite artists right now. MONTERO is genuinely nothing short of a masterpiece. Honestly, if you haven't listened to it yet, I don't know what you're doing, it's my favourite album of the year. Anyways, this song was really good. I didn't absolutely love it at first, it was a bit of a grower for me, but it seems like it was that way for everyone, because it hit #1 on the Hot 100 a while after it was released. Lil Nas X sounds great here, especially in the chorus, and Jack Harlow's verse is super fun. And the HORNS! *chef's kiss* I'm not sure who's decision that was, but I would like to shake their hand elbow-bump with them, because they're a genius (Editor's note: It's Kanye). This song is amazing, I'm so glad it was a hit.

Another thing that Dua Lipa did with her album Future Nostalgia this year was release Future Nostalgia: The Moonlight Edition, which included some brand new songs, including this single, which hit #1 on the Weekend Countdown for two weeks. At #22, it's We're Good!

#22: We're Good - Dua Lipa (#34) [2 weeks at #1] {18 weeks}

Yeah, this was the worst single from Future Nostalgia. Don't get me wrong, it's still good, it just doesn't compare at all to Don't Start Now, Break My Heart, Physical, Levitating and Love Again. It's not as bop-y as those other songs, I think it just sounds like it needed something more that isn't there. I'm not sure what, but something's definitely missing. On the other hand, Dua sounds good, the production's kinda cool, and the melodies are pretty great. I just wish it was more interesting than it was. I have absolutely no clue how it hit #1 on the Weekend Countdown for two weeks.

Next up, we have our very first One to Watch song to make it to a Year-End Countdown. This is One to Watch alum Jax at #21, with her One to Watch song, 90s Kids!

#21: 90s Kids - Jax (N/A) [#12] {17 weeks}

I definitely didn't expect this to do as well as it did on Hits 1. It didn't even peak that high, it just stayed on the Countdown for a ridiculously long time. Yeah, anyways, this isn't my favourite One to Watch song, I'd say both Let There Be Love and Better Days are better, but this is definitely a solid song. Jax sounds great throughout, the upbeat production is really fun, and I enjoy all of the 90's references, even if I don't get a lot of them. My one issue with it is that the bridge is really cringy, but I can overlook that. Yeah, so even though this isn't that memorable in the long run, it's still a pretty good song, and I enjoy listening to it every once in a while.

Justin Bieber scored his very first #1 on the Weekend Countdown this year, with a collaboration with newcomer The Kid LAROI. At #20, we've got the massive hit, scoring six weeks at #1 on the Weekend Countdown, STAY!

#20: STAY - The Kid LAROI/Justin Bieber (#12) [6 weeks at #1] {24 weeks}

I'm kinda surprised that this isn't higher on this list, especially considering how long it spent on the Countdown. Actually, this was the only song on the Year-End list that was still on the Countdown at the time of it airing. Anyways, it's fine. This song is spectacular. It's catchy beyond belief, the groovy production is really cool and compliments the song really well, and both LAROI and Bieber sound great here, and have surprisingly good chemistry together. I'm really happy that this blew up as much as it did, and the six weeks at #1 on the Countdown were very deserving. I'm sure this is a song that people will remember in the long run.

TikTok has been a huge player in which songs are popular as of late, and the app really made this next song blow up, from newcomer Masked Wolf. At #19, this is Astronaut In The Ocean!

#19: Astronaut In The Ocean - Masked Wolf (#31) [#9] {18 weeks}

Well, if I had to pick one song that I didn't expect to blow up after hearing it for the first time, it's this song. I first heard it before it really started to get pop radio adds, and while I thought it was an amazing song, I really didn't expect it to become as massive as it was. But, yeah, I'm glad it did blow up. Masked Wolf has really good flow, switching up his flow a lot throughout the song, and the chorus is really catchy too. One line in this song that I really love is, "my rhyme's inclined to break your spine". I don't know why, I just love the triple rhyme there. I kinda wish this song was about a minute longer, but it's fine. The song's still great. I really hope that Masked Wolf can manage to establish himself as an actual rapper, because I think he's quite good, and his hooks are really catchy.

Ed Sheeran wrapped up his "math" series of albums with =, that he dropped this year. The lead single from it became a big hit pretty much everywhere, but especially on Hits 1, scoring five weeks at #1 on the Weekend Countdown. At #18, we have Bad Habits!

#18: Bad Habits - Ed Sheeran (#11) [5 weeks at #1] {19 weeks}

Yeah, this song faded on me. I used to love it, because the whole vibe of the song is really cool, and I still think that, but it got overplayed to death, and the chorus feels a little hollow. Other than that, though, this song's pretty good. Ed's voice works surprisingly well with the production here, and the chorus is pretty catchy. I especially like the riff that kicks in near the end of the chorus. I'm not sure why, just the sound of it grabs my attention. I'm fine with this having hit #1 on the Countdown for five weeks, because five weeks isn't a ridiculous amount, and good 4 u had been at #1 for nine before that. Overall, this song's solid, although I don't see it being a song that I willingly go back to.

Twenty One Pilots released their happiest album to date, Scaled And Icy this year. This next song became their first pop hit since Chlorine, and peaked at #2. At #17, this is Saturday!

#17: Saturday - Twenty One Pilots (N/A) [#2] {19 weeks}

I was a big fan of Scaled And Icy, in fact, it's the album that actually got me in to Twenty One Pilots, and this is easily one of the best songs from it. I mean, sure, Shy Away and The Outside are amazing, but this song is just so much fun, it's actually crazy. Tyler Joseph sounds great the entire time, his voice really shines here. There's a lot happening in the production, but it compliments the song, so it's fine. The chorus is super catchy, and I just have a great time every time I listen to it. I could probably do without the phone call in the bridge, but that's just a minor problem. One thing about this song that I especially like is how there's a tiny little pause in the last chorus between "might get" and "loud". I'm not sure why, it just adds so much to that last chorus to make it stand out. Take notes, Dixie.

Well, without a doubt, the biggest breakout artist of the year was Olivia Rodrigo. She scores three songs on this year's list, all three of which were from her debut album, SOUR, and hit #1 on the Weekend Countdown. The first one was the second single from that album, at #16, deja vu!

#16: deja vu - Olivia Rodrigo (#9) [1 week at #1] {20 weeks}

This song certainly wins the award for the song that grew on me the most this past year. When it first came out, I was super underwhelmed, because it was so different from drivers license, and it felt kinda boring, but I've really grown to like this one. The way the song builds as it goes on is so masterful, especially for a new artist. It's things like this that really prove that Olivia Rodrigo is a force to be reckoned with. The writing here is also really good, as is the trend with Olivia's music, and makes me connect with the song so much, even though I've never been through anything even remotely close to it. The drums and the "guitar" (I say "guitar", because it's actually a synth) in the production sound really cool, and I love the style of them. My only issue that I still have with this song is that I still find the first verse kinda boring. Other than that, though, this is a very solid song.

With their fourth studio album, OK ORCHESTRA, AJR finally managed to score some pop hits. The first single from the album, Bang!, actually managed to make it to the top 10 on the Hot 100, and, while not as popular, the fourth single was definitely a pop hit. At #15, we have Way Less Sad.

#15: Way Less Sad - AJR (N/A) [#3] {22 weeks}

I've always been a fan of AJR, but when this song got released, I knew it would go down as one of my favourite songs from them. Now, it's not as good as Bang!, but it's hard to be better than Bang!, so I still love this song. That horn riff is super catchy, and I like how it continues with the piano playing it in the verses. The writing here is great, with a pretty optimistic look on life, which is nice, and Jack Met sounds pretty good here. At first, I didn't love the crazy amount of autotune that they put on Jack's voice in the bridge, but I've since grown to realize that it actually adds to the song, so it doesn't bother me anymore. Easily the coolest part of this song, though, is the whole "instrument morph" thing that happens at the end, which, in case you haven't listened to OK ORCHESTRA, is a pretty prominent motif throughout the album. Yeah, so overall, this is a pretty great song, and I'm happy that it ended up being AJR's second pop hit.

Now, after a short break, we jump right back to Olivia Rodrigo, who's third single became her biggest pop hit to date. Scoring nine weeks at #1 on the Weekend Countdown, and landing itself at #14 on this list, we have good 4 u!

#14: good 4 u - Olivia Rodrigo (#6) [9 weeks at #1] {22 weeks}

I often forget just how good this song is until I re-listen to it. Honestly, though, I'm still trying to decide if I like this or drivers license more. They're both so great in their own ways, that I really don't know how to pick between them. I'm gonna have to for my best list this year, though. Anyways, back to this song. This was the third song I heard from Olivia, and it was the song that made me think, "oh, wow, she's definitely gonna be here for a while". The way she transitioned so effortlessly into a pop-punk sound is crazy, especially considering the two singles that lead up to this. And boy, did she nail the pop-punk vibe. The production is on point, Olivia's voice fits super well here, and the lyrics are great. My personal favourite part of the song (and probably the entire SOUR album, honestly) is the instrumental part right before the bridge. It had no right to sound that good, but it did, and I love it. This is a great song, and it deserved all nine of those weeks at #1.

In December 2020, Taylor Swift released her ninth studio album, evermore. It was nominated for Album of the Year at the upcoming Grammys. And the lead single from it hit #1 four times on the Weekend Countdown, which lands it at #13 on this list. This is willow!

#13: willow - Taylor Swift (N/A) [4 weeks at #1] {19 weeks}

Yeah, so, about a year after cardigan got popular, I started to really love it, and not just think it was "good". That's... not the case with this song. I still like it, but it just doesn't compare at all to cardigan. I like Taylor's voice here, you can tell a lot of effort went into the production, and the melodies are fantastic. It does start to feel a little boring eventually, especially when you've heard it as many times as I have, which kinda sucks, but it doesn't ruin the song. Yeah, I don't have much else to say on this one. Solid song, but far from her best.

After the Jonas Brothers' big return in 2019, they had a pretty quiet 2020. However, in 2021, they returned with a collaboration with Marshmello, which became a pretty big pop hit. At #12, it's Leave Before You Love Me.

#12: Leave Before You Love Me - Marshmello/Jonas Brothers (#32) [#2] {21 weeks}

This song definitely faded on me as it got overplayed. After a while of being fairly quiet, I was pretty excited to hear another song from the Jonas Brothers, especially a collaboration with Marshmello. Unfortunately, this song's pretty slow. Now, there's nothing wrong with that in theory, but this song could've been executed a lot better. It's a good tempo, but Marshmello's production here is pretty bland, and none of the JoBros' vocals particularly shine. This song was fine for a bit, but it was too popular for its own good.

Although Harry Styles didn't release any new music this year, he had a hit that carried over from 2020. Spending two of its total four weeks at #1 in 2021, and reaching #11 on this list, we have Golden!

#11: Golden - Harry Styles (#37) [2 weeks at #1] {13 weeks}

Welp, can't have a Hits 1 year-end list without Harry Styles, I guess. I'm not too surprised that this song is here, but I am actually surprised that Treat People With Kindness isn't. I get that most of you have probably forgotten about it, I have too, but it actually peaked at #2 on the Countdown, and was here for almost 30 weeks, so... yeah, I'm not sure what's up with that. Anyways, this song's pretty bad. The "DAHDAHDAHDAH" part is super annoying, the rest of the song is just really bland, and nothing really captures my attention. Would I find this less annoying if Hits 1 hadn't been picking up on virtually every Harry Styles song at the time of it being released as a single? Probably. Do I care? Not really.

Olivia Rodrigo took the world by storm in January when she released this next song, which ended up being the lead single from her album SOUR. This song was a massive success, scoring four weeks at #1 on the Weekend Countdown. Kicking off the top 10, we have drivers license!

#10: drivers license - Olivia Rodrigo (#13) [4 weeks at #1] {14 weeks}

Ah, yes... the song that shook the Internet when it was released. Whenever I remember this song, I think of the first line, and I'm like, "yeah, the song's kinda annoying now", but then I re-listen to the actual song, and I remember how much of a masterpiece it actually is. I'm not even sure if I can do it justice in a simple review. The writing in this song feels so real, that it's really hard to believe that this was the first single proper that Olivia released. Olivia's vocals shine throughout the entire song, the production builds beautifully, and THAT BRIDGE!!! AHHHHH! I literally can't get over how incredible the bridge is. Every time I hear it, I just want to belt out the lyrics, and I almost can't stop myself. This song is hands-down the best debut from an artist I've ever heard, and it makes me so optimistic for Olivia's career. I'm really excited for what she brings us next.

This next song from Lil Nas X became his second #1 hit, somehow following up his smash viral hit, Old Town Road. At #9, this is MONTERO (Call Me By Your Name).

#9: MONTERO (Call Me By Your Name) - Lil Nas X (#8) [#2] {18 weeks}

How do you prove that you're not a gimmick-y one-hit-wonder? You make a solid song, and piss a bunch of people off with more gimmicks when you release it. Then, when all the controversy fades, your song still holds at the top of the charts. It's much easier said than done, but it's exactly what Lil Nas X did with this song. This definitely isn't my favourite song from MONTERO, actually, it's far from it, but it's definitely solid. Lil Nas X sounds really great with the low vocals, and the little guitar riffs hidden throughout make the song sound so full. I straight-up admire how unafraid Lil Nas X is to be himself. This song and its follow-up single, SUN GOES DOWN, are a great representation of the range of MONTERO. Bangers like MONTERO, and great songs with extremely real lyrics like SUN GOES DOWN. I cannot stress this enough: listen to the album. You won't regret it.

Despite this next song not being released as a single, Hits 1 just couldn't pass up this collaboration between Machine Gun Kelly and Halsey. From MGK's pop-punk album, Tickets To My Downfall, ranking at #8, we have forget me too!

#8: forget me too - Machine Gun Kelly/Halsey (N/A) [#3] {17 weeks}

I'm beyond happy that MGK has started making pop-punk songs. He's much better at it than he was at rap, and I genuinely think it's his calling. This song is a clear demonstration of just how good he his at pop-punk when he works with Travis Barker. The instrumentation is really good, MGK's voice fits really well with the song, and actually mixes quite well with Halsey's, and the song is really catchy. I know this wasn't actually a single, but I really don't mind that Hits 1 decided to make it big, because it's a great song, and definitely deserved it. I'm excited for what more Machine Gun Kelly brings us in the future.

Doja Cat released her third studio album, Planet Her, this year, which became a massive success, creating multiple hit singles, including this lead single, a collaboration with SZA, at #7, Kiss Me More!

#7: Kiss Me More - Doja Cat/SZA (#4) [#2] {17 weeks}

Like I've mentioned many times before, I have pretty mixed opinions on Doja Cat's songs. I love some, hate some, but this song falls somewhere right it in the middle. I find the chorus kinda annoying now that it's been overplayed to death, but the song's still fun, and SZA fits well here. I'm not a huge fan of Doja's rapping verse here, which sucks, because her rapping verses are usually my favourite parts of her songs. The production's good, though, and the song's really catchy. Even if it's not my favourite, it definitely should've hit #1 here, just because of how big it was on radio. It's a shame that it left from #5. I mean, that's honestly just ridiculous. So, yeah, overall, this is a solid song, even if I don't necessarily love it.

Well, if anyone was extremely helped by TikTok this year, it was the band Glass Animals. They've been making music since 2010, but it wasn't until this year that they scored a pop hit. At #6, we have their monster hit, Heat Waves!

#6: Heat Waves - Glass Animals (#46) [#6] {25 weeks}

It's kind of a crazy story how these guys have been going since 2010, but only got their first pop hit when TikTok decided to run with one of their songs. And boy, did they run with it. This song has been on the pop charts for what seems like forever, and just hit #1, like, last week. This song's one of the catchiest of the year, and I think the beat itself is pretty cool, but the production's a little bland, and the lead singer, Dave Bayley, is singing pretty quietly. Overall, though, this is a solid song, and I'm glad it was as big as it was.

Next up is the Billboard's #1 song of the year, from none other than Dua Lipa. This song became a hit in late 2020, but more than held its momentum throughout 2021. Kicking off our top 5, it's Levitating!

#5: Levitating - Dua Lipa (#1) [3 weeks at #1] {14 weeks}

Yeah, so in case you were wondering why this is the original Levitating and not the remix with DaBaby that Hits 1 was playing for the song's entire run, it's because DaBaby was revealed to be openly homophobic, so a lot of stations stopped playing his remix of this song... yeah, not great. Anyways, I would honestly say that, with or without DaBaby, this song was the best single from Future Nostalgia. It's just so catchy, so fun, and Dua Lipa sounds great throughout. I mean, come on, look me straight in the eye and tell me that you can listen to this song without having fun. You can't. Because it's impossible. The beat is infectious, Dua herself even sounds like she's having a blast. This song genuinely makes you feel like you're levitating, that's how good it is. I'm so glad that this song was the one that finally managed to surpass Harry Styles and actually earn Dua Lipa her first #1 on the Weekend Countdown. She really deserves it, especially with this song.

Machine Gun Kelly has been scoring alternative hits recently, and this song was definitely no exception. The collaboration with blackbear also became a fairly big hit on pop radio. At #4, it's my ex's best friend!

#4: my ex's best friend - Machine Gun Kelly/blackbear (#16) [#2] {14 weeks}

As I mentioned before, Machine Gun Kelly recently decided to go pop-punk, and I personally think that that was a really good decision for him. This was the first pop-punk MGK song that I heard, and it got me hooked instantly on the new style. He sounds great here, blackbear fit surprisingly (it was surprising at the time) well here, and the song as a whole is a blast. I enjoy songs that are catchy, but I'm not really sure what to tell you when you ask me to pick the chorus, because that means the song kinda breaks out of the normal flow of things a bit, which is always refreshing. This song does exactly that, which is awesome. I'm really glad that this became as big of a hit as it was, because it deserved it.

Tate McRae broke out in 2020 with this next song, and has had multiple hits since. This song had insane longevity on the Weekend Countdown, staying on the chart for over thirty weeks. At #3, this is you broke me first!

#3: you broke me first - Tate McRae (#17) [#4] {17 weeks}

While this song faded on me a bit, I never really got too sick of it, because I stopped hearing it so much before that happened. Anyways, this was a fairly good debut from Tate McRae. She's definitely done better since then, but this is still one of her best songs. The lyrics don't feel ridiculously real, but I mean, it's about a fake break-up, so that's gonna happen. Tate sounds great here, though, and the production is good enough to sustain a slow-ish song like this. The real highlight of this song is the melodies, though. They're simply beautiful. Yeah, I don't have much else to say on this song. Just an overall solid song.

I would like to take a serious moment for a second and acknowledge that this next band, All Time Low, has recently been facing allegations of sexual assault. I would like to officially state that I no longer support the band.

#2: Monsters - All Time Low/Demi Lovato/blackbear (N/A) [3 weeks at #1] {14 weeks}

Now, all controversies aside, this was a pretty great song. If it was just the band, it would've been a pretty formulaic song for them, but with the addition of blackbear and (later, in a remix) Demi Lovato, the song felt really fresh and new. All of the artists sound great here, and their voices all blend together really nicely. There's also some great instrumentation, especially when there are more trap elements added during blackbear's verse. Overall, just a great song. It's a shame that the band isn't as great as I previously thought.

And Hits 1's #1 song of 2021 is...

#1: Therefore I Am - Billie Eilish (#10) [#3] {17 weeks}

...What? Really? Tell me, Hits 1, how was this the biggest song of the year on Hits 1? It didn't even hit #2, let alone #1. Whatever, it's fine, at least it's better than last year's #1. One more bad #1 of the year in a row, though, and I'm out (jk). This song's pretty much just typical, dark, Billie, which is definitely not my favourite Billie Eilish style. The only saving grace of this song is that the chorus is actually quite good. Other than that, though, the mix of whisper-singing and talking in the verses isn't good, and the weird, robotic, FINNEAS harmonies in the bridge isn't good either. Yeah, I don't think that this was the best choice to be Hits 1's #1 of the year, but it's fine. The rest of the list was quite good.

Yeah, so normally, I'd rank the songs now, but... I really haven't decided which of my favourite songs are gonna place where, and I think I'd rather reveal that in the "My Top 45 Songs of 2021" post, so instead, I'll just give you guys the overall score.

It's...

Overall Score: 126/150 = 84%

This is the best score of the year so far. Yay!

Anyways, that's it. Kwaheri, everybody, and I'll see you all Saturday.