UK Top 20 Ranking (Spring 2020)

Greetings fellow machines! This is DalekTurret32 here, with my UK Top 20 ranking of the season.

I have done these seasonal Top 20 rankings since Autumn 2018, but this is my first ranking on this very blogspot.

Four months into 2020 and we got hit with a nasty surprise. But we're not here to talk about that, we're here to talk about the UK Top 20 of this season.

So far this year, Black by Dave re-enters the charts after his wonderful live performance of the song at the BRIT Awards. Billie Eilish has become the first artist born in the 21st century to hit number one on the UK Singles Chart with her song recorded for the upcoming James Bond movie No Time To Die. The Pussycat Dolls came back with their first charting single in 11 years.

An interesting event has occurred in the charts as in February as Australian psychedelic band Tame Impala managed to get three songs from their new album into the chart.

We managed to get a classical composition in the Top 40 (i.e. Andre Rieu’s adaptation of Ode To Joy from Beethoven’s 9th Symphony), which hasn’t happened since like… 2011 with I Giorni by Ludovico Einaudi?

Unfortunately, another rapper has gone too soon as Pop Smoke ended up shot during a home invasion at the age of 20. His 2019 track Dior managed to enter the Top 40 following his death.

This week, we've got two rappers making rain, lo-fi melancholia and what appears to be a dance challenge song.

Here are the tiers ranked from worst to best, for those that are new to my ranking

BAD

Poor

Mediocre

(↑the three ratings above won't pop up a lot)

Mixed

Okay

Solid

Swell

Excellent

GOLDEN

So anyway, in the words of the Black Eyed Peas, "Let's get it started!"

Okay tier

20. Mabel - Boyfriend

The production on here reminds me of Mad Love from last year. Mabel delivers a similar sensual personality like she did on that song as she is wanting a boyfriend in order to deal with loneliness. However, there is a line in the pre-chorus in which she doesn't need a man. But what if that boyfriend IS a man?

The interpolation of the 'dingdiggidiggiding' part from The Blueboy's Remember Me, which in turn was sampled from Marlena Shaw's Woman Of The Ghetto, while it sounded catchy, felt out of place.

19. Justin Bieber feat. Quavo - Intentions

The Changes album was a letdown, but this is one of the better tracks from that album.

If there's one thing I really like about this song, it has to be the beat. It has this Wintery feel along with a good atmosphere to accompany it.

This is one of those songs in which the singer shows infatuation towards a girl. Unlike Yummy, I don't mind the chorus, even though there's a line in which Bieber refers to this girl as an 'asset', which can be questionable. Oh, and the part in the 1st verse where Bieber gives a shoutout to this girl's parents for making her is pretty weird.

18. Joel Corry - Lonely

It was uncertain as to whether Joel Corry would score another Top 40 hit following his rework of Monsta Boy's Sorry (I Didn't Know), but he did. And this time, it's with an original.

The lyrics are pretty solid as they show a girl being approached by an ex, who is wanting to take her back, but the girl rejects him as he only wants her due to loneliness (Feels pretty weird covering a song in which someone gets turned down for wanting a lover because they're lonely right after a song focusing on wanting a boyfriend for similar reasons).  She also elaborates on how the ex was the main catalyst of the relationship's downfall. The production is also good for the most part with the usual uplifting piano chords that can be found in today’s house music.

Unfortunately, the song is weighed down by the post-chorus where the 'l-l-l-l-lonely' can get annoying, as is the distracting repetition of 'lie' and 'mind' with different notes on the bridge.

Solid tier

17. PARTYNEXTDOOR and Rihanna - Believe It

I first heard of PARTYNEXTDOOR when he was featured on Drake's Preach, and he has been building a solo career since.  After featuring on Top 40 hits by Major Lazer and ZAYN (Run Up and Still Got Time respectively), he has finally made a hit for himself that manage to outpeak both of those songs.

He has also managed to bring Rihanna back into the Top 20 for the first time since her feature on DJ Khaled's Wild Thoughts three years ago. Alas, we don't hear much of RiRi besides some vocal contributions in the chorus.

The song sees PND ask questions on whether a potential relationship of his should come to a proper beginning or not. He mostly asks some interesting questions over a guitar-driven beat.

I'm not sure if this will stick with me in the future, but for now, I quite like it for what it is.

16. Drake - Toosie Slide

When I heard news of a dance challenge song by Drake getting a boost from TikTok, I didn't have very high expectations, but I ended up liking the song after a few listens.

Like with Intentions, most of the good stuff comes from the production with the industrial, moody vibe of the synths that Drake's blends well into. The addition of the organ on the 1st verse also helps as it expands the textures of the instrumentation.

The dance challenge elements are only really found in the chorus (at least two lines of it) as Drake mostly differentiates from these elements, mainly in the 1st verse where he sings about his opps and events surrounding his life. He does use YOLO at one point, which is dated slang.

15. Lil Mosey - Blueberry Faygo

Following the success of Roddy Ricch's The Box, we seem to be getting more of the 2019 XXL Freshmen. DaBaby already has done so on the Billboard Charts and Megan Thee Stallion's Savage is blowing up from TikTok. Speaking of TikTok, Blueberry Faygo is another one of those songs by a 2019 XXL Freshman that's getting a TikTok boost. And what do I think of it?

Upon first listen, I thought it was alright. But it soon grew on me upon further repeated listens.

The production on this is quite similar to Kamikaze (another song of Mosey's). Similar drum pattern in the chorus and similar upbeat feel with a vocal sample in the mix. Outside of the beat, both of the lyrical topics are similar (i.e. bragging about guns and girls). The main difference is that Blueberry Faygo has a more summery feel, and, like with Kamikaze's beat, it is pleasing to the ears. Lil Mosey has a laid-back, carefree attitude on this song and the tone of the song fits with that attitude well.

Swell tier

14. Eminem feat. Juice WRLD - Godzilla

A few months ago, Eminem dropped a surprise album called Music To Be Murdered By. I thought the album was pretty solid (not as good as Kamikaze or The Slim Shady LP, the latter of which is easily my favourite of the three Em albums I've heard so far). 

I like the horrorcore elements, as well as the incorporation of the samples from the late Alfred Hitchcock's similarly titled LP (especially at the beginning of Little Engine). Unfortunately, it can get cheesy at points like on Marsh and Those Kinda Nights, and the songs involving relationships like In Too Deep weren't very good.

The song that is in the Top 20 is Godzilla. When it reached #1 on the charts, the Juice WRLD feature marked the first time a posthumous artist appeared at the top of the charts since a version of Eva Cassidy's What A Wonderful World with Katie Melua singing along with her reached the top spot in late 2007.

The fast minimalistic beat matches the intense speed of Eminem's frantic flows, with him making references to creatures such as the Loch Ness Monster and (of course) Godzilla, as well as hip hop artists such as Slick Rick, P Diddy and Onyx. He even managed to make a faster rap verse than he did on Rap God, though I don't know if it's as good as the verse to that song. Juice WRLD's chorus adds some monster-related themes to the song and his voice blends well with the menacing addition of the piano chords.

But remember when I said the album got cheesy at points? Well, there are some corny puns in the 3rd verse such as "Like a liar's pants, I'm on fire" and "I got 'em passin' out like what you do when you hand someone flyers".

13. Harry Styles - Falling

The recent hit single from Styles' new album is a heartfelt piano ballad a la Lewis Capaldi.

We see Styles looking back on a relationship of his that has come to an end. While he reminisces over the memories he had with his former lover, he starts to question if the relationship was really worth it and worries if that lover would immediately forget about him.

The concerns he points out are very understandable and are often common to face during a post break-up. But what I like the most about this song is that even though Styles is feeling a lot of sorrow, he still feels human throughout the song and doesn't become too overdramatic.

Excellent tier

Wait! 12 songs left and we're already in the excellent tier?!

2020 is going to be a very interesting year for music!

12. SAINT JHN - Roses (Imanbek Remix)

This remix of a 2016 hip hop song by SAINT JHN (who had a guest feature on Beyonce's soundtrack album for The Lion King remake the year prior) unexpectedly reached number one a few weeks ago.

The original was slow and had SAINT JHN go for a melodic vocal style over looping piano chords. It's alright, but the slow rhythm doesn't really compliment his bragging.

Luckily, Imanbek makes the tempo faster and raises the pitch for this version, thus making it more danceable. The raised pitch would have come off as a downside, but it surprisingly works.

We even get a Scarface reference and an aerobics-related brag that are really good.

Though if I had a few problems with this song, it would be that the lyrics of the vocals are a bit hard to hear and that 'lit' is starting to become dated slang (Though to be fair, it was 2016 when the original was being recorded). I also would have loved for a few seconds of instrumental before the 1st verse (mainly the two repeated chords before the 2nd verse) in order to add a bit of buildup rather than just have the 1st verse suddenly start after a quick fade-in.

11. Little Mix - Break Up Song

This song seems to be going through a relatively big fall from its Top 10 peak and it might continue doing so the following week. That's a shame, because this might end up being one of my favourite songs from Little Mix.

The song sees the girls move on from the tears of past relationships through music they connect to, and the 80s new wave synths back this feeling of connection up really well. The post-chorus shows that they 'ain't gonna cry', which reminds me a little of Sigrid's Don't Feel Like Crying last year (a song with a similar message about moving on from the past).

The line in Perrie's verse in which she questions a guy for thinking that he was 'the only one who could save [her]' could be a jab at those suitors who see themselves as a knight in shining armour.

10. Aitch & AJ Tracey feat. Tay Keith - Rain

Both AJ and Aitch bring in a good amount of energy over a minimalistic piano beat that reminds me of the one used on Kendrick Lamar's HUMBLE.

There are a few 'stealing your girl' lines in there and it can get ridiculous at times, like when AJ brags about the 'boogers' in his watch being runny, but it still manages to be a fun, replayable song.

9. Powfu feat. beabadoobee - death bed (coffee for your head)

Now here's something that we didn't expect to break the Top 40, let alone the Top 20. 

The song uses a pitched up lo-fi sample from Beabadoobee's Coffee and blends it with guitar strums to create a relaxed, but also melancholic feel.

The lyrics show a man close to an untimely death. He looks back at the memories he and his lover had, and feels sad as this relationship may not be able to carry on. Powfu's spoken vocals capture the reflective feel of the song brilliantly.

8. Doja Cat - Say So

I first heard of Doja back in late 2018 with her memey song "Mooo!". The weirdness of this song is more enjoyable with the visuals of the music video.

I became more familiar with her the following year with Juicy. The song itself is a slice of mindless fun that I can go back to occasionally, and now she's snagged her first Top 20 hit with Say So.

The spacy electric guitar sounds similar to Good Times by Chic and Doja manages to provide a sensual personality over it. She also provides a pretty enjoyable rap verse to go with it.

Really good song, though I may see myself returning to Boss Bitch (which is steadily climbing up the 21-40 section so far and is also becoming a bigger grower for me) more than this in the future.

7. Harry Styles - Adore You

Remember when I said on my last ranking that this wasn't my favourite off of Fine Line.

Well, I think this grew on me enough to make it onto my Top 3 of the album.

6. BENEE feat. Gus Dapperton - Supalonely

Turns out Death Bed isn't the only song with lo-fi elements in this Top 20. This song has a sort of lo-fi aesthetic to it.

I really like the dreamy, psychedelic vibe of this song. The way the keyboard and guitars sound remind me of the tone that bedroom pop usually conveys.

BENEE's vocal performance blends smoothly into the atmosphere, even with the small amount of autotune in the verses. She also sings about feeling sad over the fact that a previous lover of her's didn't turn out to be as good as expected.

Funny how I mentioned bedroom pop in this section, because we have an artist of that subgenre, who goes by the name Gus Dapperton, feature in this song. It took me a while for me to get used to his verse, but I'm starting to like it more. 

I think that could be because I just recently listened to his 2017 song I'm Just Snacking, in which he blends so well with the atmosphere conveyed by the instrumentation.

5. Tones And I - Dance Monkey

Wait! This is still here?! Nevertheless, it still manages to hold up!

GOLDEN tier

4. Dua Lipa - Break My Heart

Last month, I heard Dua Lipa's recent album Future Nostalgia. I thought it was a brilliant album and a step forward from its predecessor. It would have made it into my Top 5 of 2020 so far, hadn't it been for the last two tracks (which were weaker than the default lowpoints of her self-titled debut).

But right before these two tracks is the newest single from that album Break My Heart.

The song makes great use of interpolation throughout with INXS' Need You Tonight. We even get some vocal harmonies in the chorus that sound like they were crafted by Pharrell Williams.

The production carries a similar funky vibe to Charlie Puth's How Long with a really good bass guitar, as well as some strings to increase textures in the chorus that make a possible callback to the disco music of the late 70's.

In the song, Dua has found herself a new lover but is worried about the downsides of this future relationship, thus questioning her decisions. The concerns she shows are quite understandable as serious relationships tend to end up in massive conflict. I also like the agitated feel of the chorus to further emphasise her anxiety.

3. Dua Lipa - Don't Start Now

This song has grown on me more after listening to her new album! It's a fantastic blend of different musical styles from the past and serves as an amazing post break-up song.

2. Dua Lipa - Physical

The synthesizers, as well as Dua's vocal performance, are at their finest sounding on this album, thus coming together to form a marvellous auditory experience.

In this song, Dua and her lover stand by each other as they go through some great moments of their lives. The instrumentation captures this wondrous feel perfectly and puts the listener into an energetic groove.

The "Let's get physical!" shout calls back to an Olivia Newton John song of a similar name to add to the 80s influences of the album, but I think it's even better than that song as I have a bigger urge to dance to this one. Also, the way Dua shouts "Come on!" in the chorus reminds me of when Kele Okereke did the same on Bloc Party's Octopus.

Is 2020 going to be the year where this retro sort of aesthetic blows up on the chart? Because if so, then I'm up for it!  This song is up there with one of my favourites from the album along with Levitating.

1. The Weeknd - Blinding Lights

The Weeknd's new album After Hours was a fantastic album and my 2nd favourite of his, behind Beauty Behind The Badness. This is easily my favourite song off of that album and manages to showcase a glistening journey of love . Nice to see it get a lengthy run at the top of the Billboard charts too.

Maybe it's time to start planning that Top 10 UK Hits of 2020 countdown early. ;)

Okay: 3

Solid: 3

Swell: 2

Excellent: 8

GOLD: 4

The Top 20 is looking great so far. It's tied with the October 2019 ranking as my favourite of the rankings I've done.

Let's end off this ranking with three relatively new songs currently in the 41-100 section of the chart that I would love to see break the Top 40.

3. Jack Harlow - WHAT’S POPPIN’ (#72, 2 weeks)

I was going to give this spot to Like That by Doja Cat and Gucci Mane, but I should give these spots to artists who haven’t popped up in the Top 20 I covered. The rinky-dink piano loop is quite fun to listen to, though it’s repetition might wear off after a few repeated listens. Harlow delivers a good amount of charisma to add to the enjoyment of this song.

2. Martin Solveig feat. Roy Woods - Juliet & Romeo (#66, 3 weeks)

Solveig is already in this week’s Top 40 as part of EUROPA (alongside Jax Jones) with their new song Tequila, but I would also like to see this get a shot at the hit parade. The piano chords feel quite uplifting and Roy Woods is pretty good as a vocalist.

1. SZA and Justin Timberlake - The Other Side (#44, 6 weeks)

This song was recorded for the upcoming animated film Trolls: World Tour. I think it’s better than the previous Trolls song (Can’t Stop The Feeling by JT). The song has a nice blend of early 80s weekender funk and gospel (though the latter is mainly in terms of the lyrical content). The chorus even throws in some extra synth touches to elevate the song. As for SZA and JT, they both sound really good over this production.

Chart used: https://www.officialcharts.com/charts/singles-chart/20200410/7501/