The Top 10 Best Hit Songs of 2021

The Top 10 Best Hit Songs of 2021

In the following few paragraphs, I take a look at a slightly underwhelming followup to the 2020 year-end and see why I still think it was a pretty good year.

Hi, it’s Fire’s Flaming Hot Takes, and I’m back with the second of the two year-end lists. I’m gonna try getting this out fast since I’m also now hosting the 2021 Hot 100 rankdown on Pulse Music Board, so I wanna get this done before my schedule gets too hectic. But anyway, here’s the list: it’s the top 10 best hit songs of 2021!

I can’t help but feel that in comparison to 2020, where the year-end chart just felt like a grand finale to an epic movie, 2021 just feels...smaller. Don’t get me wrong, it is a good year for the Hot 100, but I just don’t think it hits the same highs that 2020 did.

That said, it was still quite a likeable year-end list. Sure, country struggled a lot, but we got excellence from pop and hip hop, a comeback for rock, and a huge year for R&B. Seriously, R&B had a huge splash on the Hot 100 this year and it managed to yield some really damn good quality. Again though, this doesn’t match the highs that 2020 managed to give, and if I’m being bluntly honest, my #1 pick is probably the weakest #1 pick I’ve put for any of my best lists that I’ve made so far. Yeah, maybe it’s not fair to compare this year to the 2010s, the decade I grew up in, but still, I can’t help but feel disappointed, especially considering the fact that the best songs of this year that would’ve likely topped this list otherwise either stalled out early or didn’t chart at all. And that’s a damn shame.

I will say though, I actually thought that for my personal life this year was pretty damn good and I cherished the good times way more this year. And I immensely struggled to find too much of a reason to call this a bad year for me personally. That hasn’t happened in a while. So, who knows? Maybe in 3-4 years I’ll look back on 2021 with the same rose-colored glasses that I have for 2017 - hell if I’m being honest it’s already starting to happen to both this and, strangely, 2020. Maybe it’s just because I’ve grown from being a pessimistic kid who only focused on the bad to someone who’s genuinely optimistic about the future, but either way, I’m actually excited to see what’s in store for 2022. Overall, there were 55 songs on the 2021 Hot 100 year-end list - including 2020 repeats - that fell into my “good tier” or higher. I revamped my ratings scale, which got rid of my “decent” tier, so that should explain things more. But enough rambling, it’s time to get started with this list. As a rule, the songs had to debut on the year-end Hot 100 list for 2021 in order to qualify, but we’re gonna start with two exceptions that I had to make in our honorable mentions...

HM EX: 24kGoldn f/iann dior - Mood (YE: #4, PEAK: #1)

I know, this is a repeat from 2020, but I feel really bad that this missed my best list that year, especially since while I always liked it, this grew on me a lot in the latter half of this year and would’ve made the list now. And it’s too fun for me to not give its due credit, so here.

HM EX: The Weeknd - Blinding Lights (YE: #3, PEAK: #1)

Yes, this topped my best list last year, but this is one of the best songs I’ve ever heard. I’m standing by that. There’s a reason it was just crowned the biggest song in Hot 100 history. Anyway, now onto the actual honorable mentions...

HM #1: Lil Nas X & Jack Harlow - INDUSTRY BABY (YE: #24, PEAK: #1)

A triumphant victory lap for Lil Nas X...and yet I can’t help but feel that this should be so much better. Lil Nas X’s lower register delivery in the chorus probably works in the first chorus, but with each subsequent chorus, I can’t help but feel like it’s a bit underwhelming, especially since the production is midtempo and not very fast, which is what made “Can’t Hold Us” by Macklemore & Ryan Lewis work so well. Thankfully, the rest of this song slaps. Lil Nas X and Jack Harlow both have enough charisma throughout the rest of this song to carry it and those horns certainly sound like an absolute win for everybody on the track. Really damn good song, I just wish it could’ve been amazing. It happens.

HM #2: Ariana Grande - pov (YE: #87, PEAK: #27)

positions never really did much for me, and both “34+35” and “positions” I can’t really connect with beyond just “they’re ok”. “pov”, though, really clicks for me. A very elegant track with a lot of swell in the chorus, it’s quite a pretty song. From the rainfall sound effects, the cello, and Ariana’s restrained delivery, this is really nice. I just really wish there was a bit of a crescendo at the end, because I can’t help but feel that the song should build up into something more. Still, a really nice song.

HM #3: Lil Tjay f/6LACK - Calling My Phone (YE: #33, PEAK: #3)

It’s honestly quite difficult for me to pinpoint exactly why I really like this. Probably the production, which is definitely super well put together. With the somber piano keys, the subtle touches of bass, the chipmunk samples that aren’t grating, the sharp as hell hook, and Lil Tjay and 6LACK really just working so well on this track. This vibe suits them really well. Great song, even if I’m not sure why exactly.

HM #4: The Kid LAROI & Justin Bieber - STAY (YE: #12, PEAK: #1)

It’s funny. This collab should not work well at all. Like, you’re pairing a Juice WRLD protege with a voice that can be extremely hit-or-miss and a singer with a voice that’s essentially an empty void of charisma, this shouldn’t work at all, right? Well, goddamn, I can’t lie, this song is a banger. The kick and the snare are obviously borrowed from “Blinding Lights”, a better song, but the keyboard melody gives this song a really damn great melody. It’s a super bouncy track that I really enjoy. Only reason it’s not higher is because of The Kid LAROI’s vocals. Otherwise, a pleasant surprise of a track.

HM #5: Marshmello & Jonas Brothers - Leave Before You Love Me (YE: #63, PEAK: #19)

Look, “Sucker” is still an atrocity, “Only Human” is an unfinished disaster, and “Cool” has aged very badly. But, in the summer of 2021, the Jonas Brothers surprised me and dropped this. And yeah, I’ll credit most of this to Marshmello for the production, but even then, coming from him, this is not what I was expecting. The production has a really great groove and a keyboard melody that reminds me more than it should of “Last Christmas” by Wham!. Sure, the Jonas Brothers do sound slightly emotionless on this, it could’ve been better, but still, nice job guys, I’m impressed.

HM #6: Lil Nas X - MONTERO (Call Me By Your Name) (YE: #9, PEAK: #1)

I think it’s very hard to overstate just how much of an impact this song truly had. I mean, a song that’s literally about having gay sex, and the general public actually embraced it, quite remarkable if you ask me. Also helps that the song itself is really damn good, with that guitar and the trap beats that really slap and Lil Nas X still being an absolute charisma goldmine. An absolute banger, and proved that Lil Nas X was so much more than just the “Old Town Road” guy.

HM #7: Doja Cat f/SZA - Kiss Me More (YE: #6, PEAK: #3)

“Good Days” is not making this list. I know, it’s basically a perfect R&B song and I do really like that song. But for some reason, it never really clicked for me beyond that. But then we got “Kiss Me More”, a collaboration with Doja Cat that really clicked for me, and it clicked for me HARD. Yes, it’s basically “Say So” all over again, but “Kiss Me More” really works better for me. That tight as hell groove and the guitars really add a nice breeziness to the track that I absolutely love. I can just picture myself driving with the sun setting with the windows down and this song playing in the background, the vibe fits so well. Doja Cat and SZA both have a playfulness in their delivery that really help this song out a TON. The “all on my tongue I want it” part is so catchy, I swear. Also, this reminds me a ton of my Hawaii trip from the summer, that vibe of the beautiful sunsets on Kauai and Big Island just fits so well, and that definitely means something. Who knows, maybe this’ll become an “It Ain’t Me” for me and become a huge time machine for me to return to in like 4 years. But for now, I’ll settle for it being here, great little song.

Alright, now time for the list proper!

10...Yeah, this shouldn’t even be a surprise...

10. Silk Sonic - Leave The Door Open (YE: #7, PEAK: #1)

An Evening With Silk Sonic is my favorite album of the entire year, and I mean it. And while this isn’t among my favorite songs from the album, I mean, come on, it’s from An Evening With Silk Sonic, it’s obviously great. It should go without saying that this is one of the best songs of the year. For starters, Bruno Mars and Anderson .Paak have impeccable chemistry with each other. They hit the right balance of being warm, inviting, and playful, their delivery is absolutely perfect. And the production is just so smooth and crisp, with the guitars and the piano sounding absolutely perfect. And the swell when Bruno starts to belt is an absolutely perfect touch. And we even get a key change that is legitimately strong as hell! So with all that said, why did this place so low on this list? Well, honestly, I can’t give you much of a reason beyond just the fact that there are stronger cuts on the album - “Fly As Me” and “Put On A Smile” in particular are excellent and would’ve had a strong shot at topping this list, but still, this is the type of song that’s only gonna get better with time.

9...2021 was definitely the year where The Weeknd was starting to hit major overexposure. Seriously, after “Blinding Lights” became an inescapable smash in 2020 and managed to have so much staying power in 2021 that it actually made the year-end top 3 this year as well, he just pushed single after single after single. From “Take My Breath” to his Doja Cat, Swedish House Mafia, Post Malone, and Rosalia collabs, he was really putting out a lot of tracks in quick succession. And yes, most of those songs were really damn good, but most of them also stalled out relatively early. And I have a hunch that it was due to this song...but when it’s a great song anyway, who cares?

9. The Weeknd & Ariana Grande - Save Your Tears (YE: #2, PEAK: #1)

Yes, the Ariana Grande remix was the one that got credited, so that’s the one that I’m judging for this list. It’s not even my favorite collab from The Weeknd and Ariana Grande - “Love Me Harder” does exist - but goddamn, they both have such natural chemistry between each other. And the production is amazing too. Yeah, it might sound a bit too much like “Circles” by Post Malone, but I could care less, because this song is super lush and beautiful. The bright synths, the tight kick, the great melodies, and Ariana’s heavenly backing vocals just all work so well. Yeah, I do feel that the chorus could’ve been a little bit stronger, but still, what a terrific song.

8...So we can’t really talk about 2021 without talking about Olivia Rodrigo. I mean, she was basically the pop star of 2021, smashing in right out the gate with her debut single and album. And yeah, Sour is also another one of my favorite albums of 2021, and it managed to spawn 4 singles all making the year-end. And they were all great! “deja vu” seems to get more acclaim than this one, but yeah, that “closure”-style beat in the second half of the song was the main thing that drove the song off this list. But let’s talk about this song, which - I’m saying it - was an absolute moment in pop culture.

8. Olivia Rodrigo - drivers license (YE: #8, PEAK: #1)

I’m still super shocked at the way this song just swooped right in out of nowhere and debuted at #1 and instantly turned Olivia Rodrigo into a pop star. And I’m definitely happy that it got so much success, because “drivers license” is a great little song. Yes, it might coast a bit too much on relatability for its own good, as with most of Sour, but that relatability is what makes this song so special. Even as a high-schooler who has never even been in a relationship before, every single lyric Olivia Rodrigo sings connects. The songwriting is amazing, which makes sense considering that Taylor Swift was one of Olivia Rodrigo’s main influences as a kid. Also helps that Olivia Rodrigo is a very talented singer, with her hitting the perfect note of heartbreak and fragility in her delivery. Along with the grand and atmospheric production with its amazing melodies and that swell in the chorus, “drivers license” manages to get pushed over the top with that bridge. There’s no other way to describe it. It. Is. Pop. Perfection. The crescendos are impeccable, Olivia Rodrigo’s delivery reminds me so much of Lorde in “Green Light” - and that’s a compliment - and she really packs a huge punch of emotion that honestly really hits. Yeah, “drivers license” was a moment in pop culture, an absolutely awesome track.

7...As I highlighted multiple times in my worst list, country music had a horrendous year this year. And it was especially disappointing when you’re following up a great year for country that is 2020 with this trainwreck of a year. That said, we did get a few country songs that managed to rise up above in quality, and this was easily the best country hit of 2021...

7. Thomas Rhett - What’s Your Country Song (YE: #80, PEAK: #29)

Yes, this is basically “2002” by Anne-Marie but a country song, but even as someone who likes “2002”, “What’s Your Country Song” is just a much better song overall. First off, the instrumental is so warm, with that sweet banjo and the lovely melodic guitars. Yeah, it does sound a bit too compressed, but when they still sound so good, I can’t really complain. Then we got Thomas Rhett’s sincere and heartfelt delivery, which is exactly what this song needs. Yes, the lyrics do feel slightly clumsy at points, considering this is just a song of Thomas Rhett trying to string together a bunch of references to country songs and at points this songwriting can feel very cheesy and clumsy, but again, it’s Thomas Rhett’s sincerity that saves this song. It’s not a perfect song by any means, but in comparison to most of the rest of the country music this year, hell, I’ll take it.

6...Again, it’s still incredible as to how Olivia Rodrigo just came in and instantly became a superstar...

6. Olivia Rodrigo - traitor (YE: #38, PEAK: #9)

Yes, it’s another song that might lean a bit too much into being relatable, but that said, “traitor” is still an amazing song that really sends chills down my spine. Starting with Olivia Rodrigo herself, she’s extremely talented and she puts a lot of raw vulnerability in this song. Especially when she starts to belt in the chorus, it really puts me in awe. It’s probably the best vocal performance on Sour. Yes, the song is really dramatic, but Olivia Rodrigo is able to sell it well and the production adds to that atmosphere well. The swell in the bass, the climactic rise of the acoustics, the guitars that really roar in the chorus, the quiet kick that really makes the song feel all the more distant and atmospheric, and the backing vocals that sound really nice, they all contribute to this. There was a reason this was the fan favorite on the album. It may not be my personal favorite song on the album - we’ll get back to this - but still, amazing little song.

5...One song that I’m really bummed to see miss the year-end list is “You” by Regard, Troye Sivan, and Tate McRae, because it would’ve likely been my #1 pick for this list. Alas, it wasn’t meant to be. That said, there was another Tate McRae song this year that I also really liked...

5. Tate McRae - you broke me first (YE: #37, PEAK: #17)

Part of me feels that I’m being too kind to this song. I mean, something about that chord progression in the chorus really throws me off and the ominous atmosphere isn’t exactly a route I would’ve gone. But somehow, I kinda love “you broke me first”. The piano melody is quite phenomenal and Tate McRae can sell this heartbreak well. Yeah, the handclaps in the pre-chorus isn’t what I would’ve preferred, I probably would’ve preferred actual percussion in the mix instead. And the chorus seems a bit...lazy? I don’t know, the repetition of the lyric “you broke me first” just once seems a bit too quick for me. Again, though, Tate McRae can actually sell this really well. Yes, she’s definitely copying both Billie Eilish and Camila Cabello in this delivery, but that said, I don’t really wanna discount it that much. Tate’s vocals seem to be able to straddle the line of being heartbroken and sad and angry enough to say that she has no sympathy for this ex. So yeah, this is definitely Tik Tok-core, but I do still really enjoy this.

4...Oh boy...this’ll require a bit of explaining...

4. Masked Wolf - Astronaut In The Ocean (YE: #20, PEAK: #6)

Cue pretty much any viewers this blog actually had never taking me seriously ever again. Okay, yeah, I get it. This song is stunningly incoherent. Masked Wolf says that this song is about being depressed, but then he includes the line “I believe in G-O-D, don’t believe in T-H-O-T”, and then he spends the rest of the song trying to flex on the audience. It’s so poorly written that it’s quite mind-boggling. This song should really be insufferable for me, and yeah I’ll admit, up until the summer, I was on the bandwagon of really hating it. But, man, I hate how remarkably catchy this entire song is. That nasty guitar line on the beat is really damn sweet, and god, Masked Wolf’s flow is impeccable. It’s super attention grabbing and it absolutely makes the hook work. Yes, I don’t get what half of these lyrics say either, but you know what, it places all the attention on Masked Wolf’s flow, so you know what, it works. Come at me now, I’m ready.

3...I have a feeling that this song is gonna get overlooked on a lot of “best of 2021” lists, and I can’t blame anyone here. I mean, considering the disaster that was his 2020, it feels as though no one will ever take this artist seriously again. And thus, I can’t really see this next song being put on too many best lists this year, especially considering how forgotten this has already become in comparison to the rest of his discography. But you know what, I’m gonna give this song its due credit...

3. Justin Bieber - Anyone (YE: #74, PEAK: #6)

This is easily Justin Bieber’s best song since the Purpose era. This was actually originally intended for Camila Cabello, and a version with her singing instead actually did leak earlier this year, and sure, it is really good, but Camila just doesn’t have enough of a vocal range to really drive this home, with her squeaky falsettos being particularly grating. Justin Bieber, though, actually sounds a lot better than usual here. His falsetto sounds pretty good here and his belting in the chorus is particularly nice. And the production is excellent as well. The reverb on the keyboard sounds amazing, the guitar really picks up a shit ton of momentum in that chorus, the swells in the bass sound good as well, and the closing crescendo actually sounds phenomenal. Yeah, “Anyone” is easily Justin Bieber’s best song since the Purpose era, I really love this song. Let’s hope that “Ghost” becomes a hit in 2022.

2...Look, rock was already on its comeback into the mainstream in late 2020, I’d argue it was Machine Gun Kelly’s album Tickets To My Downfall that really helped it out. But that said, did anyone expect a Disney actor from High School Musical: The Musical: The Series to make a full on pop-punk song and make it a hit? Yeah, that’s what I thought...

2. Olivia Rodrigo - good 4 u (YE: #5, PEAK: #1)

By far the best song on Sour, and easily one of my favorite hit songs this year. Yeah, Olivia Rodrigo might not have the vocals to really drive this song home, I can tell she is really straining in that chorus, but she still is able to sell that undeniable anger and rage that this song needs to compensate for that. She’s angry at this ex for moving on with another girl so quickly, and man, she’s just having none of it. Is it somewhat petty? Yeah, but god, Olivia Rodrigo is absolutely KILLING her performance on this song. And the production kicks all amounts of ass too. Yes, it’s heavily borrowed from “Misery Business”, but I mean, it still kicks ass. The guitar melody is incredibly potent, the drums add a lot of punch to the mix, and that staccato bass is screaming of buildup into that roaring chorus. And can I just point out that this didn’t at all deserve to lose so many weeks at #1 to “Butter” by BTS? But in the end, this is gonna be the song more culturally relevant and beloved, whereas the chart run of “Butter” only seemed to make the public turn on that song hard. But man, “good 4 u” is incredible, and I can’t wait to see what Olivia Rodrigo has in store next!

I was gonna add the non-us hits section here that I also added on my 2020 best list, but it just occurred to me that those year-end lists won’t be out until early 2022, so I’m gonna make a separate blog post highlighting those once the Australian, UK, and Canadian year-ends are all out. But now, let’s move on to...

1...If you told me back in 2018 that this artist would create my favorite song of the year, then I would’ve laughed in your face. I mean, back then I thought this artist was one of the most overrated artists to ever become a thing in the mainstream. But what can I say, Future Nostalgia was a great album from 2020, and this was always my favorite song on the album. And I was really rooting for it to become a single. That’s right, congrats Dua Lipa, you’re topping my best list!

1. Dua Lipa - Levitating (YE: #1, PEAK: #2)

Yes, I went a bit of a basic route, but I don’t fucking care, “Levitating” is damn excellent. And yeah, it probably wouldn’t top my list in other years, but still, I can’t deny that this is just such a damn amazing song. Becoming the first song in 30 years to become the #1 song of the year without hitting #1, “Levitating” is a fun as hell song that had one of the most bizarre chart runs in recent memory. It was looking like it was stalling out at the beginning of the year, only to then get a resurgence after the Grammy’s, and then DaBaby started getting removed from this song following his incident, my god even thinking of its chart run makes my head spin. But it managed to survive all that and become the biggest song of 2021, and there’s a reason as to why it did so. For starters, the production is incredible, the synths, the funky guitars, that bass, and that tight disco beat all sound super euphoric and happy. Dua Lipa herself also has a lot of charisma in her vocals to really make this song that much more fun. Like, this is just such a fun track, and yeah, it may be a basic pick, but I don’t care. All these times I’ve made these lists, I felt super nostalgic for a few specific songs that made me want to go back to that time. Specifically, the club boom of the early 2010s. And if you saw how much I praised 2011’s music, you know how nostalgic the club boom is for me. In a year where I felt too nostalgic for my own good at times and wanted to go back to this time period, this song was the closest song to the club boom I could get, and man, I can’t complain about it at all. In other words, yeah, “Levitating” by Dua Lipa is the best hit song of 2021, and the 2020s have really set a high bar for year-end #1s, with this being the second list in a row with the year-end #1 topping my list. We’ll just have to see whether this trend continues in 2022.

So that’s the list! I know, I got quite a few unpopular opinions here, but this is my list, and these are my picks. I don’t know what or when my next list will be, but until I decide, I’ll take another break from making these lists so I don’t get too burned out. My next list will be entirely dependent on what Hot 100 rankdown ends up getting hosted on Pulse Music Board, so I’ll be looking out for that. But until then, you’ve been reading Fire’s Flaming Hot Takes, and I’ll see you next time!