2021 – A Year in Songs

We didn’t shake off the societal injuries sustained in 2020 as we had hoped, but many aspects of life returned this year, some bigger and better than ever. Live music exploded (with proof of vax, of course) and many of us flocked to shows, gigs and even festivals at a rapid pace. I was out there in the crowds, stands and fields living my life and losing my mind.

Some of the music outflow had previously been shelved from last year. Other releases resulted from pent up creativity that results when you literally shut down entertainment for a calendar year. Whatever the cause, we saw some amazing work coming from every genre of music.

As always, I’ve accumulated a “year’s best” list in a playlist I’ve named “2021-derful.” Here are some of the standout hits that I can’t help but to highlight. Enjoy!

Solar Power – Lorde

Lorde took a cue from Robyn’s “Honey” and went for the warm fuzzies with her album Solar Power. In the title track, she forms a love letter to the sunny warmth of the hotter months, admitting that she’s a social flake until the weather forces her out of her reclusion.
“But when the heat comes, something takes ahold. Can I kick it? Yeah. I can.“
The slow build feels like climbing up a hill to a sunny plateau filled with dancing flowers. It takes a bit to get there, but it’s sugary sweet when you do.

Carefully – Demi Lovato

I can’t discuss Demi without pointing out the obvious: The person? Insufferable. The music? Irresistible. From their album “Dancing with the Devil… the Art of Starting Over” that I would’ve missed entirely if not for the heads up by a fellow music head, Carefully finds Demi self-criticizing again. They warn that they’re complicated, overwhelming, intoxicating? They’re laying it bare asking delicately, “so babe, if you think you can handle me, please handle me carefully.” The melody is haunting and enchanting. I couldn’t stop repeating it for weeks. Bonus points: it’s super fun to sing

Pretty Places – Aly & AJ

Who doesn’t want to run away with your bestie? Nobody. Aly & AJ give you the play-by-play of their grand escape in a smooth, summery chill jam. Has life become too much to handle? Screw ’em. Load up the car and get the hell out of there. “Pull us away from where the pain is.”

Fuck Him All Night – Azealia Banks

Initial though: No fucking way. Nobody bests Azealia Banks like Azealia Banks, and when she’s good, she’s great. It takes immeasurable talent to inject this level of charm into lyrics like:
“‘Cause we can slut, we can fuck, we can dig in the guts. We can suck to the nut if you ready to bust“
She’s a sly fox and knows how to stun us in the best ways possible.

Magic – Polo & Pan

Never have I felt so inverted during a song as with this. Taking a very un-special line from Pilot’s 1974 jam “It’s Magic,” which we’d all recognize from car commercials, this French electro duo replicated an aurora borealis, bioluminescence, or the entire sensation of an acid trip in one song. It goes, and goes and goes in a dynamically blooming fashion that gets better and stranger in each of it’s 6 minutes of runtime. I laughed out loud in joy and disbelief the first time listening to this. It’s a pure triumph.

Guerilla – Remi Wolf

You don’t know about Remi Wolf? You’d better fix that. A former Olympic skier and American Idol contestant, she’s had quite the road to her debut LP Juno. She’s tough to describe, but “fun” is an appropriate attribution. This song reminds me of my introduction to M.I.A. or Santigold. It’s just good shit, no matter where you stand in music taste. Get into your party pants and dance.

Jail – Kanye West

This is the best song of the year. I’m disappointed too. Kanye (now Ye, evidently) is exhausting, and being a fan feels like running after a bus. When do you give up? His long anticipated and delayed album Donda finally arrived, and Jail is its crown jewel. With a guitar riff by a disgraced Marilyn Manson and a secondary version featuring DaBaby, this was built to trigger, but it’s so damn good. It’s original version prominently features JAY-Z, and we’re all hoping he’s not lying in saying “This might be the return of The Throne.”

State of Grace (Taylor’s Version) – Taylor Swift

Most media attention has been given to a certain extended version of a different song from Taylor’s re-recording of Red, her best album. Nobody would be shocked to know that instead, I’m featuring “State of Grace,” which is my favorite Taylor song. It’s a unique opportunity for me to address it as a “new” track, since I fell in love with it way back in 2012 initially. This re-recording is a sparkly, lightly gilded interpretation of a thrilling, pulsing race toward the end goal of love. It’s a perfect song to me, and I’ve seriously considered tattooing the line “And I never saw you coming. And I’ll never be the same.”