You know something that I realized during the chaos that was May and early June for the chart? Sometimes, you really are sick of songs that lingered on the chart for more than a year. Last year was almost the final straw with how a lot of the songs are just from 2022 and even older just squatting the chart that you have to go through one eights of the chart just to fill up the songs for the ranking. Now, after all of the chaos cleanse the chart for good, the chart has never feel more fresh than ever before. And also the fact that the points for the chart has gotten even stronger with people actually listening to new music (just look at the Spotify chart) only filled me with joy that I've been a part of this historic moment. 2024 did scared me one bit when Vultures had an album bomb and you see all the discourse if this song is worse than that Jason Aldean song or whatever. But, after Megan Thee Stallion released HISS, there's no coming back from that. I hope that all of this momentum will lead to something that's very much 2020s thing, but for now let's enjoy this things while it's still good. You know your chart is fresh when I only had to cut one song from the previous ranking and I only have to talk about five songs repeating from last ranking. Unfortunately we will start with one of those repeats as I do think Beautiful Things is legit top five worst songs of the year material.
20. Beautiful Things - Benson Boone
Yeah this song actually shrank on me after I made the ranking because of other songs I have to listen to from this guy revealed something a bit sinister about his success. Normally I would have that feeling whenever some artists have been found or alleged to have done bad things (see Artemas with some of his accusations he received on twitter or Lizzo now), but Benson Boone is the one that really didn't passed my arbitrary vibe check. I don't know whether it's from the lyrics from his songs that came off at best being pushy to downright manipulative and toxic at worst or his productions which are reeks of the stale overwrought indie rock or even tepid hair metal. There's something greater that I can't quite put my finger on that's very off about this guy. I guess we'll see about that when the list season starts, but suffice it to say that I'm not a fan of this guy at all.
19, Gata Only - FloyyMenor & Cris MJ
Last time I talked about this song, I wasn't go into depth about my feeling or my thoughts about this song because I have to catch a deadline, but I was on a high about the chart being as bonkers as it is that I just overlooked the song. My real opinion about this song is that I think they wanna try to make a copy of Dakiti. From the ethereal synth, to the atmosphere, and even having two artists on it. But while Dakiti really commit to the atmosphere and creating one of the best reggaeton song of the 2020s so far, this song is just trying to create that atmosphere with the help of heavy reverb. And when that melody synth and that awful percussion production, it became a chore to listen to and it's kinda a shame that this will be the biggest reggaeton song of 2024 while other genres are thriving...while we are on a topic of genres that started slow this year...
18. 2023 was the breakthrough of UK rap all over the world with Sprinter being a massive hit worldwide and the success of Central Cee and Dave just cemented it as one of the movement to be reckon with. 2024 meanwhile...not so hot. Heck before this ranking, I was surprised that there's no breakthrough UK rap song that were globally recognized. Well finally we have that crossover UK rap hit and it even cracked the US market for the first time since Jnr Choi...It's still not that good but we move I guess.
18. BAND4BAND - Central Cee ft. Lil Baby
I think the funniest part of the song is that because it hits the perfect run time for me to listen to this fully while on Spotify shuffle, while simultaneously thinking that this is just a little bit of a cat piss. The production definitely hard carried the song with the ominous synth and that muted bass and percussion. That's it really with the compliment I have because holy shit these two rappers hasn't changed a lot since their breakthrough. It's kinda sad though that Lil Baby now has to pray for the clout of Central Cee to get back in the limelight when he was one of the big rappers in 2020. I just realized as I writing this that not a lot of rappers coming out of 2019 and 2020 didn't have much staying power and floundering this year and the last one. From Dababy, Roddy Ricch, and even Lil Nas X, all of them have hard times following up their big 2019-2021 from either flamming out or just being asshole. The only one that I can think of that survived this is Megan Thee Stallion and even then I bet if it wasn't for her starting the rap beef of 2024, no one will care enough to listen (see her previous singles before HISS). That's really worrying for me and should ring an alarm bell in the rap world. We'll see if next year they all make a comeback, but I'm not holding my hopes up.
17. After two years of country dominance in the western world, we finally have some country songs in this chart. Unfortunately one of them is just a Hootie & The Blowfish song tribute with some twang and also Morgy Worgy.
17. I Had Some Help - Post Malone & Morgan Wallen
The fact that his Pokemon performance would actually dictate Post Malone's next career path is kinda crazy to me. And the fact that his singer songwriter era isn't really off to the good start he wants you to think. This song is actually a very decent country rock song with some competent productions especially with that guitar. But, I have to say that Morgan Wallen is the better part of the song. Yeah he's doing his Morgan Wallen thing especially with the content of the song (which I wish it's about each other), but his vocal production is probably the best that he has ever been. Maybe he should just ditch the usual producers like Joey Moi and work with Louis Bell instead. But the biggest let down is Posty here. The way he delivered his verse is kinda cynical? I don't know but he seems off in this one. And that's why this song is just doesn't go beyond decent to me. Especially after Posty were still making songs with trap production last year. I mean we'll see about that next album, but I don't have high hopes.
16. Never Let Go - Jungkook
So Jungkook is the last member of BTS that's going to mandatory military service before their reunion. I am wondering about how BTS reunion is like because so far most of the songs made by individual members have been very varied. from hip-hop, to straight pop, to RnB, and even some EDM and rock. As someone who have experienced their favorite boyband going on military hiatus, It doesn't really go well after they all served in the military. The biggest challenge that the BTS will have is maintaining relevancy while most of the members are away for military. And none were up to challenge than Jungkook arguably the biggest star from the band thus far. Even though he's not my favorite member (I still prefer RM), he's at least have great knack for melody at least. Now this new song here...I'll be honest it's probably his weakest singles yet. I think as a send off for fans before his military service, it's very much serviceable. But, that chorus kinda grate on my nerve especially the last one. Beside that it's a decent pop flavored RnB song that definitely crept from Major Lazer production of mid 2010s. Let's see what happened next year when all of them reunited.
15. You know I can see some readers here looking at the placement of this song on the ranking and gonna get angry at me. Especially when some annoying people are already making strawman arguments that our generation want to cancel this guy. I do still have a problem with this song, but yeah at least Eminem isn't doing shit like Revival again.
15. Houdini - Eminem
Look, I know people have dunked on the lyrics of the songs and how tired it is that Em is still doing Slim Shady bit in 2024. But, to play the devil's advocate here, I think Eminem is trying to bury his Slim Shady persona for good with this and probably his upcoming album (I was right at the time I'm writing this). I think what he said on this record is to drive the point that yes this persona is cringe and maybe we should left this behind. I'm already on board with this concept than any other albums of his after Marshall Matters LP 2. I'm more mad that the production is straight ass. I don't know why him and his producer thinks that this type of electro-swing is a good fit for Eminem. Yeah I know it's a magic themed with that Houdini on the title. But like sampling Abracadabra by Steve Miller Band? Really? This is almost as bad as any Demon Dice song but with more competent white rapper. Look, I will be listening to the album and this song is again not bad, but man I hope the production in the album doesn't sound like this.
14. I like the way you kiss me - Artemas
Well this is a shrinker. I still like the song but the flaws that the song has just shined more after repeated listens. The chorus is very repetitive, the flow in the verse very much stilted against this dense darkwave beat, and again this song is only two and a half minutes long. With how chaotic the chart is right now and after UMG has sorted its deal with TikTok which meant that their songs are back on the app, this song has been forgotten to the wayside. And honestly I don't blame them.
13. Hey, remember when both of these artists traded #1s in the 2017 and that's basically the passing on the guard of old star vs new star? Well they are making a song together produced by Jack Antonoff that sounds like the worse version of her song from her previous album and the better version of Austin...not the song tho.
13. Fortnight - Taylor Swift ft. Post Malone
I am making a prediction that Taylor might hit her ceiling and it's probably time to try new stuff. I know that her Reputation (Taylor's Version) is coming soon, but her album while it's good, lacked that wow factor that Midnights have. That wow factor is the interpersonal writing and tight production. Let's compare this first singles with the first singles of Midnights, Anti-Hero. What I love about Anti-Hero is how it was personal to her but there's still an universality behind the writing about being this person that wanna do things right, but still feeling as though she's being attacked. Meanwhile, Fortnight is a bit more tense as the content of the song is very personal again, but it's personal just for her. Even with the inclusion of the backing vocals of Post Malone doesn't changed the fact that this song is only personal to Taylor. There's some distance that I really can't get into and that's really sucks because I do love when she's playing someone based on her lived in experience that you could relate to. I still like the album but it's definitely more personal and closed off than Midnights which while I respect it, it's not the album that I would return to.
12. 2024 has been eventful as it is, and yet the one story that will be the big narrative of this year beside Kendrick Drake beef that sadly missed the eligible ranking is the rise of Sabrina Carpenter.
12. Espresso - Sabrina Carpenter
Popheads on Twitter has already calling Sabrina Carpenter "the real main pop girl of the 2020s". Now while it's true that her brand of pop has been a great change of pace for the chart, it's not like Olivia has beaten to her despite Sabrina got that head start (I still remember Thumbs y'all). But I know that Olivia brand of pop is rooted in Avril Lavigne, Hayley Williams, and 90s girl rockers. Meanwhile Sabrina really trying to bring more personality to the pop music which it has gotten stale lately. Though you won't hear it through this song though because it's basically the same type of nu-disco that has been everywhere since Future Nostalgia. While I do like the content and the lyrics of this song more than the song that inspired it (Say So - Doja Cat), it's still something that's very much serviceable on the radio while not alienating the new listener because apparently Nonsense is a step too far for the listening public. Thankfully her next singles will rectified that mistake, but yeah this is just good I guess.
11. Ohhhhhh a lot of people will hate me that I put it so low on this ranking.
11. Chihiro - Billie Eilish
Billie just released her third album called Hit Me Hard And Soft and it was great. It's a culmination of the Billie ethos that was built from the two albums with more fuller productions and even better lyrics talking in depth about her sexuality, her place in the pop music, and even a lot of introspection that was just enough to be universal but also very intimate at the same time. I'm giving that album probably 8.5/10 but this could grow on me.
Now let's talk about the third worst song of the album. This has come down to the production to be honest with you. The content once again tackled what was being said which is the heartbreak and the catharsis of moving on especially with the title being a Spirited Away reference of the titular character and the theme of the movie of moving on. But, the production wasn't lush or something like that, it's stilted and awkward. I could see that being the point especially with the arc of Chihiro in the movie, but that bass could've been pulled back in the mix. Also this song being five minutes long didn't helped. Look there will be two more Billie songs on the album and all of them are great, but this song alongside The Diner were the reasons why the album is not something special.
10. TikTok era of pop music so far has been a mixed blessing at best. You either get established artists in the underground getting the recognition they deserved even for just one or two song or a nobody that got the fluke hit and then being signed to a label never to be seen again. This is what separate your Kali Uchis to your StaySolidRocky. Now with this artist...it's kinda both. Let me explain!
10. Million Dollar Baby - Tommy Richman
Meet Tommy Richman. He's from Virginia, He's in the RnB and Hip-hop genre. He's affiliated with Brent Faiyaz. And that's all you need to know from this guy...
Anyways this song is good and addicting and little else. My favorite part of the song is the sound of it is very southern. You can hear all the influences from the southern hip-hop like the chopped and screwed voice, the thick atmosphere of the Memphis hip-hop, and him repping his home state (which we probably need more of). Again this song is definitely for the vibe than lyrical dexterity or other else. I do say that I love the lo-fi unrefined VHS version that's actually trending on TikTok. So yeah this song is good.
9. We would never know what was lost when Avicii tragically passed away in 2018. I have been listening to 2013 and 2014 Billboard Year-Ends and you can see how Avicii just blew everyone out of the water with his brand of folk and EDM (Hey Brother is just so underrated). With the amount of the electronica subgenres like trance and DnB, we need to bring back these type of sound even if it's a bit generic...I'll take what I can get
9. Stargazing - Myles Smith
We wouldn't get this song charted if it wasn't for the revival of folk pop and country worldwide. This song sounds like it was plucked from the mid 2010s folktronica but without the drop that made this song not just a pastiche. Sure this song might be generic to some people, but a lot of people have biases and mine is definitely folktronica. I know this song has lyrics, but the lyrics are a window dressing in these type of song because the productions carried this one. It's lush, free flowing, and just all around mystical. What can I say, I'm a sucker of these type of song and this song being this high is the reason why.
8. Magnetic - ILLIT
Yeah this song has grown on me...but because this season is so stacked that this one is around the same area as it was last season. If you want an in depth talk about this song, you should check out my Spring ranking. One thing I want to add about this song is about how impactful GFriend was for the formation of Gen 4 sounds. For those who don't know, GFriend was a girlband that have unique knack of influence for their sound. When most of Gen 3 girlband were aiming for more bombastic sound or the more sugary one, GFriend were pulled their influence from new jack swing, more strings, and even some soft rock. They're your favorite band's favorite band. Even Uzi became a fan of them. Sadly they disbanded in 2021 and now we can see their influence in a lot of new girlband songs from Gen 4. So yeah check out GFriend please.
7. Oh hey speaking of Gen 4 girlband, NewJeans is back and after the gorgeous Y2K pastiche of Get Up, they're now doing 90s pop throwback!
7. How Sweet - NewJeans
It's funny how if this song was released in the two previous years I would actually put it at the top 3 max. It really is a testament of how great this chart has been. But yeah NewJeans are trying their best to become like the K-pop version of Bruno Mars where their first couple of singles was trying to set their own identities, but after the success of Ditto (a throwback to Baltimore Club sound) there's no coming back from the pastiche even if OMG tried to pulled it back in. This time however, NewJeans has picked an interesting dance subgenre that might be inappropriate to some people. They chose to do Miami Bass pastiche. If you don't know about this, Miami Bass is a subgenre of hip-hop where it originated in the clubs and cookouts. One of the more popular acts from this subgenre is 2 Live Crew, a rap group known for songs like Throw The D and Me So Horny. Again they don't use the lyrical theme associated with this subgenre but they do take influence of Miami Bass. Those 808s, the bass, and the atmosphere are definitely Miami Bass. My favorite part of the song is actually the chorus which what I would consider "a controlled mess". I'm so glad that NewJeans kept the nostalgia run going especially in subgenres of dance and hip-hop that aren't mainstream anymore.
6. Though if you want bombastic but also a modernized sound of the Gen 3 girlband sound...well here you go
6. Supernova - aespa
Aespa is one of the girlband that I missed when I was on hiatus listening to anything k-pop related. And when I listened to their biggest hit Black Mamba like around 2021 I wasn't that impressed. I thought they're like just another girlband that was spat out of SMEnt that's basically a B team to Red Velvet's A team. But with this one, holy shit I am surprised by how much I love it. This is probably one of the few K-pop songs I heard tackling futurist theme and honestly they're not bad at conveying that idea with this fierce performance by the quartet. But again with all of these girlband, the best part is the production and this is just top tier. Yes that synth can sounds like reverse fart, but cut through that crunch of the snare and that heavy synth on the chorus with samples of the synth from Planet Rock of all songs, it just clicked with me the vision of the song, which is futurist space camp that this scene desperately needed in my opinion. I heard that the producer was inspired by hyper-pop and I can see that. The bombast of the song is definitely more akin to ITZY's deepcut 24HRS (which was co-produced by SOPHIE) than Blackpink. God imagine if SOPHIE is still with us today, what would she do with the talents like NewJeans and aespa is just a big what ifs now.
5. Y'know in the pantheon of 80s nostalgia that we got over the years, there hasn't been any nostalgia about the more "folksier" part of 80s synth pop. These type of songs were using folk or singer songwriting type structures but with synthetic production. 80s Fleetwood Mac and Kate Bush came into mind with this. Well after the success of both two years ago, we finally got that sound to be back.
5. Please Please Please - Sabrina Carpenter
This song has won me over Sabrina Carpenter in a heartbeat. When I listened to this song for the first time I had to double check because I would never thought that she's capable to make songs as lush as this. One of my main issues about her is that her voice didn't matched a lot of the production most of the times. The closest we did get is Feather and it's just good not great. But Jack Antonoff really get what her voice should fit in. The guitar, the crisp synth and that percussion is just evoke that sound of 80s Fleetwood Mac. The lyrics are also a big improvement over a lot of her songs which sometimes can be a bit too cheeky for my taste. In here though it's very earnest while also having that moment of self awareness that could be her signature writing style. Espresso is the fun time but this is the real time where you can here the desparation and the experience that she went through breakup after breakup. The swearing here is apt because again she just doesn't want to be disappointed again and again with guys who should know better than to embarrass her. It's the package that made me realized her potential and man I can't wait to hear more of that.
4. As of writing this on Fourth of July, we have two songs about cunnylingus charting on Hot 100. One is Casual by Chappell Roan that tackled the sad reality of the casual dating that should be more than that, but just to be let down by her partner that didn't see it as such. Meanwhile this song tackled the fun part of casual relationship and the more popular one.
4. Lunch - Billie Eilish
The fact that there are still some people that questioned Billie experimentation with eating pussy on this song is baffling to me. The fact that there are not a lot of songs about that subject matter within the hetero sphere let alone the gay one before Lunch and y'all are still not convinced? Well anyways I'm glad that she can experiment more of her sounds on that album even if it's just another transition of her sound. One prop that I should give is FINNEAS because it seems like that the production quality has gone through the roof because this one is immaculate. This song sounds more fuller than any of her songs with a rock tinge especially that bass line and that drum. This song also has a lot of elements of the dance rock that was famous in the 2000s and it made for a good dance jams.
3. Too Sweet - Hozier
This song just grow on me a lot that I don't really have that much to say about it. The fact that Hozier has this one at number one while being more tuneful, more raunchy, and even more anthemic than Take Me To Church is still one of the best thing about pop music this year. Well speaking of that...
2. While Lunch is fun and all, the best Billie song is the one that will cut through the bullshit and be as earnest as she wants to. And this is probably one of her best songs to date.
2. Birds Of A Feather - Billie Eilish
This is just beautiful and all I can praise about this song could get personal so I'll keep this brief. The productions evoke the sounds that I haven't heard in quite sometimes which is these type of singer songwriter type that was popular in adult alternative crowd. The big drum juxtapose with the beautiful synth, the plucky guitar, and the bass just enhanced the song's theme about love and your relationship with the person or partner you love even if it's not gonna last long. She wishes that the relationship last longer, but hey let's just stay here for the ride even if it's just fleeting. That feeling and the warm production is why I love the song and you could say that this would be my favorite song on this ranking...well.
1. I'm a country fan ever since 2015 and around that time I saw a lot of transformation and the rise or decline for the genre in the mainstream. I have experienced when country would only have three songs on the year-end, I have experienced Lil Nas X discourse, the tomato-gate, the undeserved success of Morgan Wallen, and now the rise of country in the mainstream. But all of this are contained to America and America alone and I'm using this chart in particular to get more of a worldwide perspective of pop music as a whole. If you want to chart worldwide however, you need the right time and the right place to pull it off. And this one I'm the most happy with crossed over.
1. A Bar Song (Tipsy) - Shaboozey
If I have a nickel every time a song interpolated or even cover Tipsy this year, I would have two nickels (check out the clipping. version if you want like more of an industrial version of the song). I still can't believe the success of this song and how it reached global audience. Shaboozey is a Nigerian-American who makes country rap and rnb music in a more and more of a polarized place than usual after a certain someone said the n word. But with the cosigned from Beyonce from her southern style album Cowboy Carter, this song became more popular than anything from that album thanks to TikTok.
The fact that it's this song of all people that broke the US barrier along with inferior Austin by Dasha really meant something here. Try as Nashville might, they can't stop the popularity of both Shaboozey and Dasha in the world stage and you can see why this song just catch on. The acoustic guitar that opened like Wonderwall, the stomp and the booming percussion, and the strings that really stick this song together. This song would've been great as it is but the lyrics and the atmosphere just catapulted the song into something special. It's very populous about the struggle of the common man and how only the bar is where you can have a sense of community at all is just beautiful but also moving. Especially with what's going on in pop music and just pop culture in general and how it got very sterile and corporate day by day, this song bucked that trend and giving us a sense or comraderie that could at least motivate us to do things better than yesterday. And that's why this is my favorite hit of Summer and it'll be my song of the summer.
Now before we end the ranking, I'm going to highlight songs that were below on the top 20 that deserved some recognition or just missed it but basically everyone has talked about it and I missed that overton window. Such as this one you might've heard of...
1. Not Like Us - Kendrick Lamar (Pk 7 Tw 23): This one just barely missed the ranking (again just goes to show how strong the charts are). The victory walk of Kendrick Lamar after he masterfully baited Drake into responding to what he had to say on Euphoria. The fact that this song is played on the radio still baffled me. Like wasn't last year the same radio bumping to Search & Rescue by Drake? Now they are blaring the song that insulted Drake by calling him a pedophile and a colonizer. If there's any other qualifiers why this song is great...well the fact that it's still high here and not any of the Drake songs before or during the beef said something really.
2. Good Luck, Babe! - Chappell Roan (Pk 55 Tw 55): I think the time of quick viral marketing artists that was indicative of early 2020s is over. All of those artists that caught virality on TikTok has either retrieved back to obscurities or being fuck by their labels or even both. Two of the biggest rising artists this year came from artists that was making music in the previous decade and just getting their flowers after opening to big artists (very old school in a way). Sabrina was with Taylor Swift, meanwhile this act Chappell Roan was with Olivia Rodrigo and honestly I vastly prefer the latter. The success of Chappell Roan as an out and about lesbian singer making songs about the sapphics experience un-apologetically queer, horny, camp, while also somber, and even reflective at points. Her debut album The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess has been given a lot of praise for good reason, but it's her off singles that took off and for a good reason. I wanna gush this song more but I'll save that for end of the year. For now though, we have to live with the fact that queer arts are now thriving more than ever and that's a good thing.
3. Pink Skies - Zach Bryan (Pk 92 Tw 103): This is even more surprising than any of the country songs that charted here because most of them are either from big artists or TikTok virality. Zach Bryan on the other hand is only popular in America with modest success in English speaking countries. And yet, his cult status catapulted this song that really sounded like the indie country stuff I would expect from Jason Eady and out of the US market is staggering. This song has practically no chorus, relied on the southern touches like the banjo and harmonica, and the subject matter about a family get together for a grandparent funeral and how that memories of that house that was there for all the time till they died. And yet because of the power of the chorus and the emotionality of the song just forced its way to greatness.
4. 360 - Charli xcx (Pk 141 Tw 141): Brat was an awesome album and this opener is a great encapsulation as to why. The hyperpop production with the synth and the bass piercing through Charli husk but well bratty voice. The lyrics that's very light but also has this kind of melancholy feeling especially that sewer slut reference from the hyperpop artist Sewerslvt and if you know about her story, you just realized that we are in a more of a personal album here. I won't say it's a 10 like some critics are, but it is definitely what Charli career has lead up to this moment. And I'm so glad that this one has got so many attention as the brat herself and in all of us, deserved.
5. Guilty as Sin? by Taylor Swift (Pk 17 Tw 144): This is my favorite song from TTPD that charted this week (Florida!!! is my favorite overall). This has to be at least released as a singles because of the song's universality. I like the album but sometimes it can be a bit TMI if you don't follow Taylor Swift or a fan of her. I'm of the former and yeah it can get a bit exhausting at times. But, this song is a perfect middle ground of the lyricism of TTPD and the Midnights style productions. That drum machine really carried the song with the synth and the light touches of guitar. And the blunt lyricism that's just enough to not make it wince worthy. Definitely the highlights of the album.
6. T.B.H - QWER (Pk 117 Tw 150): Well it's finally here. After years and years of South Korea making manwhas and vtubers, now they have their own rock band that was formed with some members being former idols. For those who don't know, QWER is basically a collaborative efforts by four people that are either social media influencers or former idols from idol group. From this song alone it's very apparent that it's very much anime songs inspired especially the structure of the song. It's a novel idea and I think they succeeded in that. Moreover, I'm glad that K-pop has experimented with this concept and other concepts that only charted on this chart because they added Melon into their equation.
That's it for the recommendation. Thank you for reading this one. This ranking really just helped me a lot with bringing back my drive to write again and especially when I'm still looking for a job. Your girl want to get themselves occupied alright! Anyways the 2004 retrospective is still in the work but I am not announcing the release date yet but it's soon. Anyway if you excuse me I'm gonna try to maybe review anime again.
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